Organized Chaos and the first grade

February 27, 2008

You know how you have those days when you wake up and you just know its going to be a long and painful ride until you get back to your bed again? That was how I felt when I woke up this morning. As I lay under my mosquito net I thought about everything that I had do for the day. The list itself wasn’t too long, rather, the problem was who I had to teach. I started with 80 minutes of 6th, followed by 80 minutes of first and then 80 minutes of 4th.
In other news, I have finally discovered why 1st graders are so cute. It’s because they have to cover up for the fact that they are complete deviants. I think that ideally, with the really little ones it is supposed to be some kind of organized chaos. I just had chaos. One of my students spent the entire period doing whatever I told him not to do. He made sure he didn’t participate no matter what we did. They spent the entire time telling me how hungry they were and how they didn’t want to participate anymore because they wanted to go to the Plaza.
Kindergarten is kind of a free-for-all and I suppose that it is unfair for me to assume that they can just change gears like that. On the other hand, I have finally realized that my fourth graders are geniuses. No that’s not true, they just really like English and they know all of the vocabulary from the World Teach book. This also means that my 5th and 6th graders know it too, they just don’t want to share. They like thinking that they are smarter than I am. More power to them, that’s what I would do if I were a kid with a first year teacher I would play it for all it was worth. My fourth graders also really like homework. Which should make teaching them even easier.

So long as Jose Pablo keeps cutting class I’ll never have a problem. Yeah, like that’ll happen. I also had something like Corned beef hash for lunch, which was excellent. I also had a snack of tuna and salsa with saltines for an afternoon snack. It hit the spot. (Sidenote, I have been overeating a lot lately, which I am pretty sure is just a sign of minor depression.)

I went on a run this afternoon for the first time since I got to Vergel. It was my first real run since I got here, most of the time I have just been walking. I am pretty sure that it was 100 degrees out at 3 pm. It felt great, but not as good as my shower when I got back. I felt so much better after my run, it was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I saw a 5 year old chopping up a dead tree with a machete while I was running. Everything got better, which I definitely needed today. Not much else has happened. Except for the fact that when I was line drying my clothes it started to rain so everything got wet again.

Also my (one) sports bra has developed perma-funk. I head up to La Fortuna on Friday for the weekend with a couple of the other Volunteers. I haven’t felt pretty or worn perfume in a while, so this should be a good chance for me to feel like a girl again. I need that. I also need a conversation in English with a new person. I would also like a couple of Otis Redding CD’s if I could find them, but I am trying not to get too ahead of myself.

My host Dad asked my how many Novio’s I have had in the United States. Rather than explain that I haven’t had any because I’m apparently scary and or afraid of commitment/I am too much for most people to handle/people at USC don’t date, I just made one up. He sounded pretty good, it’s just too bad he was fictional. Then my host Dad asked me if I like Tico men because the last Volunteer liked Ticas. I told him that it depends but because I am so tall, it usually doesn’t work. He said that it was good to be tall because that way I could beat up on them if I needed too. Then I left because he was doing the creepy Tico check-you-out thing.

I know that sometimes it sounds bad, but it’s actually really nice here. I got about 100 kisses on the cheeks from my students today and probably as many hugs. I also have discovered the most delicious cream cookies on the planet. They are called Recreo (recess) cookies, and if I am not careful, I eat a pack a day. My students often bring me snacks, like sweet potato/yam chips, mangoes and oranges from their homes. Plus, the Super Mercado where my eldest host brother works has Jif: Extra Crunchy and Creamy. They walk with me as I stride along the Inter-American Highway, always asking where I am going and what I am doing, sometimes they like to race me. Shoes are not required for walking with me. In fact, shoes are discouraged. And that, is why I love Costa Rica.

All in all, there are a lot of moments when I would rather be at home, but when it comes down to it, I can’t think of anything else I would rather do at home. There is no way I would trade time in a desk job for this, even if it is easier. The kids are tough, the days are long and most modern conveniences have long since been forgotten, but it sure as hell beats every cubicle in America.

I’d like to dedicate this to my Boyfriend Enrique

Okay, Enrique Iglesias. You win. I get it. You’re a stud and I am jealous of Anna Kournikova. Are you happy now?

As I sat with my host family watching some form of the Latin Grammy’s I was absolutely mesmerized by Enrique Iglesias. I suddenly completely understand how he is an International sensation. I couldn’t understand the lyrics, but I was definitely tapping my feet along with his songs. He had thousands, literally thousands of people in the audience eating out of the palm of his hand and I must confess, that, sitting in my couch at home I was quite taken with him as well. Plus he looks a lot better since he got that mole taken care of. Looks like I am going to like Latin Music after all. (Amendment Three hours later: I have just watched a series of really bad Latin Pop videos and am not sure if I am obsessed with them or if I hate them, but either way, I’m not sure that I like Latin pop, but there is still hope for the rest of Spanish Music)
Today was another perfect day. One of my family’s horses had a baby last night so I got to see the foal today. Cutest little thing I have seen in ages, wobbling around next to the river. My host cousin Wainner is a close second. Yesterday when I came home from Palmar he ran up to me and jumped into my arms to give me a hug and a kiss. He has the most active imagination of any 6 year old I have seen since I got here. He just disappears into his own world and plays by himself for hours. Sometimes he skips around the houses or hides in between the hanging lines of laundry, but if you ask him what he’s doing, he always says: Nothing. And for that I love him. Now, if I could just get him to go to class.
I sat in a hammock for a couple of hours and Diego let me copy a bunch of his CD’s so that I would have some new Music to listen to over the next year. I walked a couple of miles in the afternoon and took what was possibly, the best shower of my entire life. It was probably 95 degrees out when I got back from my walk. (That’s why it was a walk not a run.) The water in the shower was cold, but not too cold and I think I must have been in there for 15 minutes. It was wonderful, just absolutely sensational. I spent the rest of the afternoon watching entourage, napping, writing and sitting in the hammock. Which made me realize, since my graduation from college I have been concerned with only one thing:

Continuing to Live the Dream.
So far, so good.

I did have a bad moment today when I realized that Daylight Savings is almost over and then I realized that there is no daylight savings here, but it could have been a lot worse. So what if the sun goes up and down at 6 every day? I can probably use that kind of consistency in my life. Besides, if that’s my biggest concern at this moment in time, I think that everything is just fine. Take that Culture Shock Curve!
Pura Vida!

Spring Cleaning

You know what’s a good idea: four 5th graders with machetes. Today was school beautification day. The Director told a bunch of boys to go back to their houses and bring back their Dad’s knives. They did not return empty handed. Some trees were chopped, some weeds were pulled and no one sustained any serious injuries. Overall, it was a pretty good day. I felt kind of helpless a lot of the time because every time I would start to do something on my own, someone would take the shovel or direct me to some unattended pile of dirt without instruction. Eventually I just phased myself out of the process and sat with the boys who are building houses. I was reminded of my youth and Lathan family yard work on the weekends. My Spanish is not improving this week, but I don’t really know why, I just haven’t learned much. I have probably just been overwhelmed with the start of classes, but still, I prefer the feeling of constant improvement. That’s all for now, Over and Out.

Everyone Knows I’m In Over My Head

Everyone knows I’m in
Over my head, over my head
8 Seconds left in overtime
She’s on your mind, She’s on your mind
-The Fray

I’d like to tell you a lot of things.

I’d like to tell you that Costa Rica is the most beautiful place that I have ever seen. I’d like to tell you that my classes are a breeze and that I look forward to going every day. I’d like to tell you how much I love my host siblings and how they are the best people I have ever known. I’d also like to tell you that my food situation has improved and that I am now receiving a balanced diet which includes animal proteins and vegetables on a regular basis. But I can’t. That is not to say that I am unhappy.
The things that I can tell you include the following. First of all, the rains have come. They say that this is really light and very irregular and that this isn’t rainy season, but be that as it may, every day for the last week, in the afternoon or evening, it has rained. The whole valley is cooling off and it’s wonderful. I can also tell you, that I am slowly starting to win the battle against mosquitoes in my room. My current bug bite count is down to less than ten. Oh yeah. Take that Darwin. I do like my host family. I am particularly fond of one of my aunt’s who has stepped in as school cook until they can hire one for the year. She has a pulperia and is always very nice to me. Plus she speaks extremely slowly and always has food for me. What’s not to love? My host brothers Pablo and Negro don’t really talk much but they are both nice. All of the creepy Uncles seem to have gone back to their jobs, so I haven’t been bothered in a while. Things are, for the most part, on the up and up. Furthermore, as far as food goes, I am slowly learning to fend for myself when it comes to fruits and vegetables. For example, if I go into town, I now know that I can get a plate of steamed vegetables from the Chinese Restaurant. I also have built a bit of a relationship with the local fruit vendors. Now all I need is a friend in a Panderia (Bakery) and I will be set to go.
I would segue onto the next subject if I knew how but I don’t so . . .
Sometimes while I’m in the shower in the mornings I get scared by cows. That’s right, I said, “Scared by cows.” You see their pen is right next to the bathroom and if you don’t have your wits about you those Moo’s can really get the best of you. I saw my first wild toucan during class the other day, which was pretty cool. The second and third Toucans sitting in the tree were just gravy. A salamander lives in my classroom and often distracts my students, but I don’t mind, because I am usually just running out the clock. Another thing that I can tell you is that I really enjoy having roosters as alarm clocks. Its like they know that I have hit the snooze button in my imagination at 5:30 and just when I might be starting to fall asleep at around 6:00 they go off again. Besides that, every morning when I wake up I think of Dwight Schrute.

Michael: Where were you this morning?
Dwight: Slept in, the damn rooster didn’t crow.

I can assure you now, that never happens.

I have made my first Tico friend. Or at least I think I have. His name is Diego and he is one of my host cousins. His mom lives in San Jose and he is in town building one of the 37 new houses for the people of Vergel. (All of who seem to be related to my family.) He wants to go to University to study Criminology. (I guess CSI is big down here as well.) I have a sneaking suspicion that he only talks to me so that he can practice his English, but I just like the company. He was Alex’s (the volunteer from last year) best friend last year so he is used to talking to Gringos.
My classes this week were tough, but there was no class on Thursday or Friday and on Thursday we went to Curre for a Track meet. As such, I can’t really complain. Besides, my “Bad students in 4th grade” didn’t even come to class so I didn’t have to worry about them. As for the track meet, it was amazing to see all of those little kids with no sports clothes running around barefoot. Most of them ran in jean shorts, a couple of them just wore their school uniforms. It gives me a real reminder of how poor it is here. The people are very proud and would never let you know it, but they are all without. On my run this morning I passed by a shack on the side of the road that didn’t look inhabitable, but hanging on a clothes line outside was a little tiny boy’s school uniform. Surely one of my students lived inside, but I would never want to ask because I am sure then I would pity him and I know that’s the last thing they would want from me. I am here to help them help themselves, not to pity them.
I have got to teach my host siblings to wait for a response when they knock to come into my room. It hasn’t been problematic yet, but I am sure that it is just a matter of time. One of them came into my room when I was napping. That was what woke me up. It’s not a big deal, but if my door is closed, it’s probably because I need a little “Radford” time. Not Teacher, not Carolina. Just Radford. I have also started listening to one CD in my music Library every day that I have not listened to in a while. It seems to help pass the time.
I had my first real bout of loneliness on Monday night after everyone in my family had gone to bed so I couldn’t even go and sit with them to wait for the feeling to pass. When it hadn’t subsided on Tuesday during lessons, I decided that I would go visit Mikki in Rey Curre. I did and it was just what the doctor ordered.
We proceeded to make calls of good will to a bunch of our fellow volunteers. We only got a hold of Joe Brown and Kristi but we left messages with several other volunteer’s families. It helped cheer me up to hear about Joe’s host brother Douglas (pronounced Doo-glas) who is attempting to single handedly decimate the local beetle population.
I had a serious lapse in language usage as we tried to call Jill. I suddenly (and quite unexpectedly) found myself talking to the international operator and said, “Uh, disculpe me, uh, yo lo tengo, uh, the wrong numero.” This sent Mikki and myself into fits of laughter, because I don’t know why I suddenly felt rushed, but I cracked under the pressure. About two hours later I remembered the word for wrong, but it didn’t do me any good.
(If any of my fellow volunteers are reading this, please know, that we did try to call most of you, so don’t feel left out. Don’t worry, we’ll catch you sooner or later.)
I had my first crier in my second grade class on Wednesday. His name is Jose Carlos and he got very upset that he couldn’t correctly pronounce, “My name is.” (He was really close, I just kept making them all practice so that they would remember. Apparently, that is not a tactic that works with second graders because next thing I knew his head was hidden under his desk and one of the other 2 students in the class said he was llorando (crying). That was when I decided to move onto something a little easier. So we colored. For the next 45 minutes. That went over much better. On the upside, they really do know their colors. Meanwhile, my first graders were very disappointed that I didn’t play the guitar because the last two volunteers did. We read a book in class the first day and they all repeated everything that I said. It was adorable. They are going to be a fun group, I can tell already.
The first parent meeting went relatively well, everyone was excited that I spoke Spanish and they seemed very eager for their kids to learn English. At least I feel wanted here. It helps keep everything in perspective. The first 6 weeks have flown by. Now it’s time to see if I can settle into a routine and really make a difference here. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and start sending those books. Remember, no boxes!
That’s really all that there is to report. Thanks for reading.

Ticher Ticher Ticher- TEACCCHHERRRR CAROLINA!

You know, I have been journaling furiously all week, but now, nothing that I had written seemed appropriate do describe my first week in school. This is, to the best of my recollection, what has happened since Monday.

Monday:
First day of school. Get up at 6 get materials ready to make name tags. Drink Tea. Eat Rice and Beans. Brave the 20 meters over to the school at 7 AM. Have multiple Ticos tell me how good my Spanish is compared to the last volunteer. Realize that the only people "in charge" are myself, the Director, an art teacher and a kindergarten teacher. Introduce myself as Teacher Carolina to the 25 kids who showed up, because "Radford" just isn't going to happen. Pretend to sing the Costa Rican National Anthem and pledge of allegiance. End day at 8:15. Kids go home, I clean out my classroom, and the main room. Develop minor blisters from sweeping. Realize that I am a wuss.

Tuesday:
First Day of class(?) Get up at 6. Have rice and beans for breakfast. Class starts close to seven. Teach 6th graders how to say "How are you?" for an hour. I am still not sure that they get it. Next: 5th grade- make name tags, learn introductions. They are far more responsive. I like them better already. Then 2nd Grade. (Madness) Screaming, yelling, snacking, cheers for games overwhelm me as I try to invent activities for them. I let them go 5 minutes early, but it didn't seem to matter. Day over at 9:15 AM. I learned that there are scorpions in Vergel by finding the shell of one in my classroom. The Costa Rican school system is a complete mess, but I guess that’s why I am allowed to be here.

Wednesday:
Eat Rice and Beans 3 times today. Only Kindergarten and 6th grade showed up. I was back in my bedroom by 8:15. Did my first two loads of Costa Rican Laundry on my own. I finished reading the princess bride, which was HI-Larious. Unfortunately, that means I am burning through the books.

Thursday:
School was sort of cancelled but not really because one of the buses didn't come. All of my students were from one family. We covered who, what, where, when, why, how for an hour. Then I sent them home. I decided that it would be a good day to go to town to write some emails, but after waiting for the bus for an hour and a half to no avail, I decided against it.
So I went back inside and watched Spanglish on Cable, read Thus Spoke Zarathustra on the River and then I watched The Fugitive on DVD. That’s a really good movie. It’s like, really, really, really good. Seriously. You should check it out.* On the plus side I did get Avocado, beef, green beans and carrots in my dinner. So what if the green beans and carrots were fried, they still resembled vegetables, which is good because my body is starting to shut down from all of the rice and beans. I never realized how healthy I was until I got here. That might be part of the reason the bugs like me so much. Speaking of which, I have no fewer than 30 bug bites on my legs, each the size of a dime. Luckily I have discovered that Neosporin with pain relief will stop the itching in a pinch. My mosquito net seems to not be doing its job, but there is no Malaria in my zone so I don’t have to worry about that. There is however Dengue which is some kind of gnarly fever that you get from mosquitoes which bite during the day. Hooray for Costa Rica.

Friday:
No School. I did go on a lovely walk on the Pan American Highway though. My host sister Meli had a hard time understanding where I went. "I was just walking" I told her. "But where?" She asked. "Nowhere, I just wanted to go on a walk." "But what did you do?" "Nothing, never mind. What's on TV?"

On the plus side, there is some kind of festival in Palmar this week. Street food and cotton candy and carneys, oh my! Miss you loads. I am not homesick as of now, but I think that's because I am in shock.

PS. I THINK That My address is:

Radford Lathan
Maestra De Ingles
Vergel
Palmar Norte
Osa, Puntarenas
Costa Rica

Granted, I have not yet recieved any mail, so I am not sure that it works. Feel free to send letters to this address but hold off on anything big for a week or so okay? Thanks. I love you all, more than is actually reasonable. Talk to you soon.

"You're So Blue Crush Right Now."

I have entered a phase of my life where 7-hour bus rides no longer phase me. I caught my bus on Sunday morning for San Isidro and had to stand for about 2 of the 2 and a half hours. Then upon my arrival at the bus station I found Mikki Jean waiting. There was then an hour wait in the terminal, so we went to grab a little bit to eat. Riding buses here is strange because there is no such thing as full as far as I can tell. Despite the fact that every seat is generally taken and the aisles are usually packed, every person who waves a bus down gets picked up. Such is the Pura Vida. I wouldn’t recommend the bus ride from San Isidro to Quepos to anyone, but it was definitely interesting. It was dusty and hot. The seats were leather and I stuck to everything. It was overcrowded and uncomfortable, the bridges were less than safe and it took 3 and a half hours to go 80 kilometers. With that in mind, it’s hard to deny that the views were gorgeous. I saw a family of four on a motorcycle. I saw a four foot long Iguana crossing the road like a stray dog. I passed pineapple fields and giant groves of palm trees and while I was glad to get off of the bus, it was still pretty glorious.
Mikki got pickpocketed in Quepos. They took her camera. It was awful. We were barely even at the bus station. We were switching buses and when we got on the next bus a few minutes later, it was gone. They took it right out of the case. Petty theft is pretty gnarly in Manuel Antonio. We learned that the hard way. Anyway, we took the bus up the hill and into Manuel Antonio. It is undeniably beautiful. The ocean is bright the skies were clear and the surrounding vegetation came in colors of green I couldn’t even have imagined before my move to Costa Rica. The Hostel had a very neat set up. It was basically a guest house with a kitchen and a living room as you walk in the door and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the inside. We put a picture of Paul George on the refrigerator and it was almost like he was there. Except without the constant display of phenomenal dance moves.
So Kristi and Jack might be working hard this year but they are certainly not slumming it. It’s absolutely gorgeous but a little bit touristy. And by a little bit touristy I mean I spoke more English there than I spoke Spanish, and not by choice. I am starting to realize how lucky I am that my favorite people on this trip are placed together and that I can get to them without too much pain. I’m sure that they are going to be sick of people visiting every weekend, but I’m an exception and they’ll get over it. I went surfing with some of the world teach people on Monday. It could have gone better, but I’ve got time to learn. I’m not really concerned with nailing it immediately. After I got out of the water with the board one of my friends told me I had nailed the Blue Crush look. I’m not entirely sure what that means because I haven’t seen the movie, but I am trying to take it as a compliment. Manuel Antonio barely feels like Costa Rica. Everything is created for tourists and as such it loses a lot of its Costa Rican vibe. One good thing about this is that I had the best food I have had since my arrival here a month ago. I found Cheez-Its at the grocery store and I had an Ahi sandwich for lunch one day with avocado and giant potato wedges. I had a steak sandwich at the same restaurant the next day that was also exceptional. There was a sweet little breakfast café called Café Milagro in MA. I had French Toast there and it definitely hit the homesick spot. The giant chocolate and espresso Milkshake that I had wasn’t bad either.
We watched the Superbowl together on Sunday night, which was a lot of fun, but I naturally missed watching with the family. Lathan family commentary is really like nothing else in the world. Its basically the best there is. No joke. The Boston peeps were seriously disappointed with the outcome as I assumed they would be, but The Giants fans were ecstatic. It was a pretty great game too. I am going to really miss football come August and September. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Though if I come back a soccer fan, someone might need to slap some sense into me.
We went out on Monday night to a Casino where we heard there was ladies night. It was glorious. They played fantastic music that I actually knew the words to and a group of guys nicknamed me Scary Spice again. For some reason that still makes me feel good. Plus they played that Te Amo song that I heard a thousand times in El Salvador. When we left the Casino/Bar/Dance Party we went to the beach for a little while and looked up at the stars. En Route I saw my first wild sloth hanging from a telephone wire. It was pretty fantastic. As for the stars, things look different closer to the equator and everything seemed brighter. I have become something of an introvert since my arrival here. I will regularly choose to separate myself from the rest of the group, just to think. I’m just glad to know that I can be independent and that I don’t need the constant attention that I required in my youth.
Saying goodbye to everyone was hard today. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go back to my site. On the contrary, I was looking forward to it, but the time in MA felt like a vacation and somewhere in the back of my mind I was convinced that I was supposed to be heading back to Los Angeles after an exhausting though rewarding vacation. I missed my car. I missed my friends from home and I missed the conveniences of California. Not to mention the fact that I was desperate to hear about the elections and the results of Super Tuesday. I cried when I said goodbye to everyone at the bus station. It was hard to know that I probably wasn’t going to see a lot of them until May. We have all become fast friends because we were going through the same experiences, but now we are going through them alone. I think I was the only one to cry, but everybody felt the same way. That’s another thing. Costa Rica has made me a major crier. I do it all the time now. I think that I have cried more than I have worked out in the last week.
Long Story short: I am still enjoying life but I am pretty sure that I am going to hit one of the major down slopes of the culture curve in the next week or so. Hopefully I will be too busy with school to really dwell, but just in case, be waiting on my phone call. I may need a non-reality check about the goings on in the US to distract myself from the madness of the Pura Vida.

So long Apollo

My trustworthy IPod Apollo was stolen this week while I was visiting Manuel Antonio. It was sad, but whoever took him must have needed him more than I did. I've still got my computer and at least I didn't get mugged for him. Its sad, but it could have been a lot worse. More to come soon.
Rad

El Vergel

I write to you now from the hostel in san jose where i spent my first night in costa rica. I am off to the real part of my adventure. We have finally divided as a group and left Orosi, our wonderful temporary home. Teaching classes starts on the 11th and in a little less than an hour i leave for my host site. I just wanted to wish you all well before my departure. I know that i still haven´t given you an address for which i would like to apologize, but as soon as I get a chance and a confirmed address i will post it here. I miss you all.