I found The Office and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on TV today. It was pretty fabulous. I caught up on a little Season 4 of Jim Halpert excellence and it lifted my spirits. My fourth graders and I took a field trip today to find cardboard boxes. They were all supposed to bring them for school, but only 2 of them remembered. As it turned out, we could only find 2 more and I have 7 fourth graders, but we did our best to make it work. They got really excited about building model homes, I showed them how to make carpet using colored paper and it went very well. More of the same with 3rd grade, but only 2 girls came to class and one of them was an hour late. Seriously. An HOUR late. To an 80 minute class, I would have marked her absent, but she did come solely for English, so I felt bad. Lunch was delicious, I got something that mildly resembled ground beef. Then I had kindergarten and we had a trash pick up. They were all reluctant until I made it a game and I told them all the whoever could pick up the most trash in one minute would win. It was wildly successful. Cynthia, the kinder teacher was seemingly impressed with my trickery.
The majority of my day was spent on the couch watching TV, which I haven’t done in a while and which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also spent about an hour at the bus stop waiting for a bus that just never came. There were a series of landslides north of me last week as a result of the hurricane. As such, bus schedules for the whole country have been altered and almost all of the buses running to and from San Jose from my site have been cancelled. Just when I was getting a hang of things on the Pan American Highway. I booked my ticket home. Whoo hoo! I will be home in Los Angeles/Santa Barbara for the 4th of July. Yay! I don’t go back until the 19th. So I will be having some serious glory days in Southern California. Hopefully, I will get to stop in Santa Fe for a couple of Days. My to do list is extremely long, but I am looking forward to actually having something to do. More importantly, I can’t wait to speak non-stop English for 2 weeks. Oh the glory.
In other news, we got a new kitten and a new puppy at my house. The kitten doesn’t have a name yet, but the puppy is named Pluto. I think he is more of a Bruno or at least a Brutus, but it wasn’t my decision to make. They are both pretty scrappy, but very sweet. Watching them play together is kind of a blast. My friends Mikki and Jenn came into Palmar for my birthday and we had dinner and watched movies and swam in the pool. We gossiped about why we dislike Costa Rica and why we love our crazy students. It wasn’t terribly exciting, but I was glad to have the company and I had a really good time. I biked to and from Palmar on Saturday/Sunday. The ride is considerably more difficult with a 40 pound back pack and a bike pedal that keeps falling off. I got the pedal fixed and I sucked up the weight of my backpack for the necessary celebrations.
The rains have eased somewhat and it was sunny for the majority of the day today. It rained in the afternoon, but that’s to be expected. It seems impossible that I have been here for 5 months, but at the same time, it seems like a lifetime. To quote Ron Burgundy, I have been “on a rollercoaster of emotion” these last few days, but I think that going home in July will provide me with an excellent recharge. It’s been really lonely at my site as of late and I hate that I still don’t have friends, but I am doing my best to work through the bad days and celebrate the good ones. I am missing my 5-year high school reunion this weekend. I can’t decide if I am glad to miss it or sort of upset. I mean, nothing has happened to the majority of the people in the SBHS class of ’03 yet so I don’t know. It would be kind of nice to brag. “You are working in Newport, oh that’s great. Yeah I’m actually living in Costa Rica as an English Teacher for the year, but it’s not actually that exciting.” Yeah, that’d show ‘em who’s boss.
I’m starting to look into jobs for next year. Here, there and everywhere. I find myself torn between wanting to continue to work in non-profit or to go out and somehow make a ton of money so that I can pay someone else to do good deeds for me. Right now, I really like the looks of Operation Smile, Heifer International and UNICEF. We’ll see shall we? Also, I am apparently taking the Foreign Service exam while I am home. Let’s see how that pans out shall we?
Thanks for all of the wonderful birthday wishes. Can’t wait to see you.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Teacher, Britney Spears is my Hero because she came to Costa Rica
Hello Fans and Avid Readers-
I write to you on the eve of my 23rd birthday without much to tell you. There has been a lot of rain as of late and yesterday it started raining at 5 in the morning and did not stop until 1 o’clock this afternoon. Wild huh? It was merciless, it came down on the tin roof like thunder and had it rained like that in LA, I would have feared for my life. But they don’t call it the Rainforest for nothing. I have finally turned in grades for all of my students. I had to fail one student in 6th grade, who refused to take the first exam. 2 in 5th who come to class but refuse to do any of the work and failed both exams, 1 in 4th who only came about 7 times this term, 1 in second who is 13 years old but refuses to attend class and one in 1st who just isn’t ready to be in school. He runs out of the classroom every 5 minutes and refuses to do any work that the rest of the class is doing. He already failed 1st grade once, and I feel bad putting him at risk for failing a second time, but I really am doing my best with all of my failing students. Extra Credit, here we come.
We had our midservice meeting last weekend with the other volunteers. It was mostly fun, but ended on a rather sour note. Leilani (one of my Directors) told me that my host mom-director had called to voice some concerns about me. I am apparently not involved enough in the community. I spend too much time in my room. Though, I do that in America too when there is nothing else to do. I have nothing to contribute 97% of the time here, so I don’t feel like venturing out into the “town” to be oogled. Sarcasm doesn’t work in Spanish so I can’t be funny. That is depressing in and of itself. I also spend too much time in my room and I let the kids watch too many movies. (The last one is probably true, but I am making an effort to cut back to 20-minute sessions on Friday’s instead of 40-minute sessions.)
I started watching heroes with my 6th graders in an attempt to get some critical thinking out of them. We watched an episode and then they all had to invent their own super hero ideas/costumes/names etc. It was actually a lot of fun and I think they enjoyed it. Now they each have to make a comic strip starring themselves. They each wrote about their own heroes in class today. Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, a chicken, a dog, a football player and a mother all made the cut.
A funny thing happened on the way to San Jose. I was on the bus and we came to a rest stop. The woman sitting across from me had an adorable newborn bbaby. She asked me if I was going to the bathroom and before I had a chance to finish saying, “No, not yet.” She had thrown the baby into my arms. It was kind of weird, but it reassured me that I want to have kids. Not too soon, actually not soon at all, but eventually. All of these Tica women with their babies at age 20 are throwing me off. When I get back I probably won’t even want to see a baby, let alone have one. Plus there is that little issue of having to find an hombre.
I am growing more and more attached to my students every day. 4th 5th and 6th are particularly incredible. They can write pretty well and are starting to get more comfortable reading. Next stop-conversations. Who’s excited? I AM!
That’s all for now. Until next time.
Oh also, my cell phone is completely and totally dead and broken, so don’t try to call me on it or text me or anything, because, it won’t work. Sorry.
I write to you on the eve of my 23rd birthday without much to tell you. There has been a lot of rain as of late and yesterday it started raining at 5 in the morning and did not stop until 1 o’clock this afternoon. Wild huh? It was merciless, it came down on the tin roof like thunder and had it rained like that in LA, I would have feared for my life. But they don’t call it the Rainforest for nothing. I have finally turned in grades for all of my students. I had to fail one student in 6th grade, who refused to take the first exam. 2 in 5th who come to class but refuse to do any of the work and failed both exams, 1 in 4th who only came about 7 times this term, 1 in second who is 13 years old but refuses to attend class and one in 1st who just isn’t ready to be in school. He runs out of the classroom every 5 minutes and refuses to do any work that the rest of the class is doing. He already failed 1st grade once, and I feel bad putting him at risk for failing a second time, but I really am doing my best with all of my failing students. Extra Credit, here we come.
We had our midservice meeting last weekend with the other volunteers. It was mostly fun, but ended on a rather sour note. Leilani (one of my Directors) told me that my host mom-director had called to voice some concerns about me. I am apparently not involved enough in the community. I spend too much time in my room. Though, I do that in America too when there is nothing else to do. I have nothing to contribute 97% of the time here, so I don’t feel like venturing out into the “town” to be oogled. Sarcasm doesn’t work in Spanish so I can’t be funny. That is depressing in and of itself. I also spend too much time in my room and I let the kids watch too many movies. (The last one is probably true, but I am making an effort to cut back to 20-minute sessions on Friday’s instead of 40-minute sessions.)
I started watching heroes with my 6th graders in an attempt to get some critical thinking out of them. We watched an episode and then they all had to invent their own super hero ideas/costumes/names etc. It was actually a lot of fun and I think they enjoyed it. Now they each have to make a comic strip starring themselves. They each wrote about their own heroes in class today. Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, a chicken, a dog, a football player and a mother all made the cut.
A funny thing happened on the way to San Jose. I was on the bus and we came to a rest stop. The woman sitting across from me had an adorable newborn bbaby. She asked me if I was going to the bathroom and before I had a chance to finish saying, “No, not yet.” She had thrown the baby into my arms. It was kind of weird, but it reassured me that I want to have kids. Not too soon, actually not soon at all, but eventually. All of these Tica women with their babies at age 20 are throwing me off. When I get back I probably won’t even want to see a baby, let alone have one. Plus there is that little issue of having to find an hombre.
I am growing more and more attached to my students every day. 4th 5th and 6th are particularly incredible. They can write pretty well and are starting to get more comfortable reading. Next stop-conversations. Who’s excited? I AM!
That’s all for now. Until next time.
Oh also, my cell phone is completely and totally dead and broken, so don’t try to call me on it or text me or anything, because, it won’t work. Sorry.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Tales from the Orchard
Sorry that I haven’t written in a while. Nothing has been going on here. You know why? Because it’s a jungle and nothing ever happens here. There are Toucans and bats and vultures around, but that’s about the height of excitement. My family tried to teach me the ways to call of the different animals that live here. Watching my host Mom imitate a chicken call was probably the best thing that happened to me all week. I laughed so hard that I cried, which is apparently not common here because my host sister Melissa asked me why I was crying. I know she’s only 9, but she is so dumb sometimes I want to hurt her. I know I should be more tolerant, because she’s just a little kid, but man, I feel like I am always trying to escape her. Not my site. Abigail, Quito and Wainer my other host siblings/First graders are all adorable. Biga and I have devised an interesting game of hide and seek where she wraps her arms around my waist and I spin around trying to figure out who is there. It’s actually pretty cute.
By the way, my brother asked me what my days are like here and I felt like I should elaborate a little bit for all of your benefit. So here goes.
Monday May 12, 2008
5:30 AM – Wake up to the rooster crow. Use pillow as snooze button over the next hour or so.
6:30 – Get up, eat Pinto for Breakfast (Rice and Beans mixed together) today I also had toast and jam. Pound first cup of tea.
7:00 – 6th grade
8:20 – Recess, Buy a snack and drink a liter or so of water. Hang out with Diego, my only friend, who works at the Pulperia which caters to the 60 odd children on recess.
8:40 – 5th Grade Vocabulary Exam
10:00 – Lunch (Rice and beef stew with potatoes)
10:10-10:30 – Assembly-Sing National Anthem, Pledge of Alleigance, nod when it seems appropriate, keep kids in line and hold hands where necessary.
1030-11 – Kinder- Social Deviance and lots of singing. Plus spontaneously should out words that I make them repeat, just for fun, like “Vulture” “Zebra” “Lego’s” “Monkey!” and my own personal favorite “Chika Chika Boom Boom”
11-12 - Second Grade, lots of coloring, very little English. Today I showed my second graders where America and Costa Rica were on the Map. They are learning to read so it was kind of sweet
12-2 Take shower, unwind, put materials together for class
2:00 – Head to town, send emails, make copies
4:00 – Head back to site and weather permitting, go on a run or at least a long walk
5:00 – Shower again and watch movies, cover self in enough bug spray to kill a dinosaur, Compile grades for 5th grade.
7:00 – Dinner of rice, beans and Plantains.
8:00 – Watch more movies, listen to music, journal, write the books or watch the latest Telenovela: Nuevo Rico Nuevo Pobre, which I just can’t seem to get into.
9:00 Ready for bed.
9:15 – Pass out before the rest of my family can, so that I don’t hear them snoring.
And that’s about it. I read a lot too, but I am almost out of books again so I am trying to hold off on reading for the time being.
So, yeah, that’s my life. Pretty exciting. No? Also, I finally got a slew of mail, so if you feel like sending me things, you can send letters and very small packages to:
Radford Lathan
Maestra de Ingles
Escuela El Vergel
Palmar Norte, Osa
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
By the way, my brother asked me what my days are like here and I felt like I should elaborate a little bit for all of your benefit. So here goes.
Monday May 12, 2008
5:30 AM – Wake up to the rooster crow. Use pillow as snooze button over the next hour or so.
6:30 – Get up, eat Pinto for Breakfast (Rice and Beans mixed together) today I also had toast and jam. Pound first cup of tea.
7:00 – 6th grade
8:20 – Recess, Buy a snack and drink a liter or so of water. Hang out with Diego, my only friend, who works at the Pulperia which caters to the 60 odd children on recess.
8:40 – 5th Grade Vocabulary Exam
10:00 – Lunch (Rice and beef stew with potatoes)
10:10-10:30 – Assembly-Sing National Anthem, Pledge of Alleigance, nod when it seems appropriate, keep kids in line and hold hands where necessary.
1030-11 – Kinder- Social Deviance and lots of singing. Plus spontaneously should out words that I make them repeat, just for fun, like “Vulture” “Zebra” “Lego’s” “Monkey!” and my own personal favorite “Chika Chika Boom Boom”
11-12 - Second Grade, lots of coloring, very little English. Today I showed my second graders where America and Costa Rica were on the Map. They are learning to read so it was kind of sweet
12-2 Take shower, unwind, put materials together for class
2:00 – Head to town, send emails, make copies
4:00 – Head back to site and weather permitting, go on a run or at least a long walk
5:00 – Shower again and watch movies, cover self in enough bug spray to kill a dinosaur, Compile grades for 5th grade.
7:00 – Dinner of rice, beans and Plantains.
8:00 – Watch more movies, listen to music, journal, write the books or watch the latest Telenovela: Nuevo Rico Nuevo Pobre, which I just can’t seem to get into.
9:00 Ready for bed.
9:15 – Pass out before the rest of my family can, so that I don’t hear them snoring.
And that’s about it. I read a lot too, but I am almost out of books again so I am trying to hold off on reading for the time being.
So, yeah, that’s my life. Pretty exciting. No? Also, I finally got a slew of mail, so if you feel like sending me things, you can send letters and very small packages to:
Radford Lathan
Maestra de Ingles
Escuela El Vergel
Palmar Norte, Osa
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Ay teacher, que aburrido.
My life is boring.
That is not to say that I am complaining. I am, all things considered, very happy with my current station in life. The things I miss about civilization are numerous but living without them is no more of a challenge than anything else I have known since my arrival in Costa Rica. My good hair days are wasted on kindergarteners and my high heels are gathering dust. My diet is back to rice and beans but I bought tortillas and cheddar cheese to WOW my family with breakfast burritos and quesadillas this week.
My students are as cute as they come. Their eyes are bright and they constantly surprise me, which makes going back easier every day. My 5th graders did brilliantly on their first exams. Several of them even got 100%.
They cheated.
I came to Costa Rica to try to start my path of changing the world. That delusion has long since escaped me. Most of my kids will never use English after they graduate High School. If they do, it will be to work in a tourist destination for meager tips. It is unlikely that any of them will go to college, though I am hopeful that a few will. Some of the girls will probably get pregnant before they turn 21. It would be a lot better for me to come here and teach Sex-Ed rather than English. At least then I know they would use it. One less starved Tico baby to worry about.
I miss the people that I left more every day. I have realized how much I love you and how much you mean to me. But I have also realized that you do not define me. I don’t know if I am different since I left, but I know that some things are not the same. The things that I used to find normal I now find mundane and unimportant. I often think about what my life would be like if I had stayed in LA. It would be more comfortable to be sure, but what else? Would I still be going out on enough bad dates to entertain my friends on our long drives home? Where would I be working? Would I like it? Would I have started taking the bus to work to combat high prices of gasoline? What would my apartment look like and who would I hang out with now that so many of my friends have graduated and moved back east. Maybe I would be focusing all of my energies into studying for the Foreign Service Exam, training for the next marathon and decorating my apartment in shades of orange. There is a high likelihood that I would have developed an unhealthy addiction to Spanish food and/or Los Feliz.
My Saturday nights would probably be spent at Seven Grand, rigging the Jukebox to play Otis Redding, Spoon and the Dandy Warhols while drinking Elder Fitzgerald’s and Jameson with the people I once thought I knew well. Saturday afternoons might find me watching Women’s water polo matches or playing Tennis like I did in the fall. I might have even done a fountain run victory lap, just because. I would have taken for granted just how wonderful it is to understand every word of every conversation that you have and the conveniences of cell phones.
My adoration for Southern California has increased exponentially since my arrival in Costa Rica. I wish that I could take all of my students to Disneyland so that they could have a glimpse into the bliss and joy of my youth. I miss concerts and seeing Them Terribles at Velvet Jones as much as I miss football season. As you all look forward to the summer I am entering so-called winter faced with daily downpours and minor landslides. It makes me miss swimming in Long Beach and all of the glories of my 22nd year, which is rapidly coming to a close.
On the other hand, there was a toucan outside of my classroom yesterday as I was planning my lessons, which is pretty cool no matter how you look at it. I have free time to read every day. I actually get to “listen” to music instead of just having it play in the background. I saw macaws in a tree as I was walking home the other day and my Spanish is almost good enough to call myself fluent. If only I could read as well as I can speak.
I guess what I am trying to say is that life is never perfect, and I know that now, but if I have learned anything this year, it is how to take life as it comes: one day at a time. You can’t worry too much about anything. On the scorching hot days that you want nothing more than a cold shower, you may find that there is no water. On days that you want to go for a run, there may be a sudden downpour that lasts the rest of the day. When all you want is to make a phone call, you may be stuck at a bus stop for hours, waiting to go the 9 kilometers to the nearest phone. But when it comes down to it, life is not so bad and complaining doesn’t do you any good because there is no one in a 10-mile radius who can speak English. So you learn to relish in the little things. Like your new system of communicating with the nearest World Teach volunteer, which involves sending notes through the other teachers at my school. Or in the pounds of Trail mix you have hidden under your bed. Maybe even in the fact that you got to watch Friends in English on TV the week before. It all seems worse than it is. That, to me, is the secret of Pura Vida.
I miss you. I love you. I can’t wait to see you. Thank you for reading.
That is not to say that I am complaining. I am, all things considered, very happy with my current station in life. The things I miss about civilization are numerous but living without them is no more of a challenge than anything else I have known since my arrival in Costa Rica. My good hair days are wasted on kindergarteners and my high heels are gathering dust. My diet is back to rice and beans but I bought tortillas and cheddar cheese to WOW my family with breakfast burritos and quesadillas this week.
My students are as cute as they come. Their eyes are bright and they constantly surprise me, which makes going back easier every day. My 5th graders did brilliantly on their first exams. Several of them even got 100%.
They cheated.
I came to Costa Rica to try to start my path of changing the world. That delusion has long since escaped me. Most of my kids will never use English after they graduate High School. If they do, it will be to work in a tourist destination for meager tips. It is unlikely that any of them will go to college, though I am hopeful that a few will. Some of the girls will probably get pregnant before they turn 21. It would be a lot better for me to come here and teach Sex-Ed rather than English. At least then I know they would use it. One less starved Tico baby to worry about.
I miss the people that I left more every day. I have realized how much I love you and how much you mean to me. But I have also realized that you do not define me. I don’t know if I am different since I left, but I know that some things are not the same. The things that I used to find normal I now find mundane and unimportant. I often think about what my life would be like if I had stayed in LA. It would be more comfortable to be sure, but what else? Would I still be going out on enough bad dates to entertain my friends on our long drives home? Where would I be working? Would I like it? Would I have started taking the bus to work to combat high prices of gasoline? What would my apartment look like and who would I hang out with now that so many of my friends have graduated and moved back east. Maybe I would be focusing all of my energies into studying for the Foreign Service Exam, training for the next marathon and decorating my apartment in shades of orange. There is a high likelihood that I would have developed an unhealthy addiction to Spanish food and/or Los Feliz.
My Saturday nights would probably be spent at Seven Grand, rigging the Jukebox to play Otis Redding, Spoon and the Dandy Warhols while drinking Elder Fitzgerald’s and Jameson with the people I once thought I knew well. Saturday afternoons might find me watching Women’s water polo matches or playing Tennis like I did in the fall. I might have even done a fountain run victory lap, just because. I would have taken for granted just how wonderful it is to understand every word of every conversation that you have and the conveniences of cell phones.
My adoration for Southern California has increased exponentially since my arrival in Costa Rica. I wish that I could take all of my students to Disneyland so that they could have a glimpse into the bliss and joy of my youth. I miss concerts and seeing Them Terribles at Velvet Jones as much as I miss football season. As you all look forward to the summer I am entering so-called winter faced with daily downpours and minor landslides. It makes me miss swimming in Long Beach and all of the glories of my 22nd year, which is rapidly coming to a close.
On the other hand, there was a toucan outside of my classroom yesterday as I was planning my lessons, which is pretty cool no matter how you look at it. I have free time to read every day. I actually get to “listen” to music instead of just having it play in the background. I saw macaws in a tree as I was walking home the other day and my Spanish is almost good enough to call myself fluent. If only I could read as well as I can speak.
I guess what I am trying to say is that life is never perfect, and I know that now, but if I have learned anything this year, it is how to take life as it comes: one day at a time. You can’t worry too much about anything. On the scorching hot days that you want nothing more than a cold shower, you may find that there is no water. On days that you want to go for a run, there may be a sudden downpour that lasts the rest of the day. When all you want is to make a phone call, you may be stuck at a bus stop for hours, waiting to go the 9 kilometers to the nearest phone. But when it comes down to it, life is not so bad and complaining doesn’t do you any good because there is no one in a 10-mile radius who can speak English. So you learn to relish in the little things. Like your new system of communicating with the nearest World Teach volunteer, which involves sending notes through the other teachers at my school. Or in the pounds of Trail mix you have hidden under your bed. Maybe even in the fact that you got to watch Friends in English on TV the week before. It all seems worse than it is. That, to me, is the secret of Pura Vida.
I miss you. I love you. I can’t wait to see you. Thank you for reading.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Visitors!
You know what’s awesome? Beach weekends with your family, where you don’t have to take the bus and you get to take HOT Showers. That’s right boys and girls, my Mom and Aunt took the plunge and came to visit me in Costa Rica. They were big hits at the escuela El Vergel. I am pretty sure that my students wanted me to go back to the States and have them stay. While here they bought me a bike and a fan for the sweltering heat that seems to dominate my room. They also provided the school with a ton of new markers, books, jump ropes, lego’s and other goodies. Not to mention the host of delicious food products they brought me from fine quality stores like Trader Joes.
I am sure that I am going to have a terrible crash soon, because they have left and I lived in complete glory for a few days, but until then, I am pretty satisfied.
They arrived on Thursday and the bus that I was supposed to take to Palmar was a whopping 40 minutes late (which, by the way, still qualifies as “on time” in Costa Rica). When I finally got to Palmar Norte I had to take a Taxi to the airport and there standing next to their rental car, were my Mom and my Auntie Carolyn. We went to meet my host family and see my village. I think they were as surprised as I was upon first sight of El Vergel, which hardly qualifies as a town by any standards I had previously known.
We then went on a bit of a wild goose chase in search of hotels and rental homes that my Aunt Carolyn had found online. Unfortunately, since Costa Rica has no addresses and directions are a little less than helpful, we were slightly less successful than we would have liked. The hotel we settled for was lovely and not far from Domical. It had a beach, a pool and air conditioning, how great is that?
On Friday, my family helped me teach my classes in the morning, then we went to visit Mikki in Rey Curre, who was having a bad day, but which we were able to remedy with an unexpected and unannounced visit of excessively happy gringos. Mom, Carolyn and I then got back in the car and started driving out to Dominical. We were about halfway there when we realized how hungry we were. As such, we found it appropriate to load up on a delicious lunch of Burgers and fries at “Andy’s Burger Shack” a hole in the wall on the side of the coast highway that I will absolutely be visiting when the opportunity arises again.
Unfortunately, our first hotel did not have television and so at 8:00 we found ourselves scrambling around Dominical looking for a bar where I could watch La Hija Del Mariachi. I know, it seems a bit absurd, but you should all realize that this is the LAST WEEK of La Hija, so I really can’t miss anything. We finally found a bar and were sitting drinking Imperial and watching the Novella in time for the first commercial break. What can I say? My Mom’s a champ and wouldn’t give up until I had La Hija.
Saturday was fantastic in the sense that I sat in a hammock and laid by the pool for practically the whole day. I also got to talk to the one and only Katie Perkins, which was pretty sweet. Back at the hotel, I soaked up the joys of iTunes, John Legend, Rilo Kiley and wireless internet. Riveting, I know. It was however the first time in 13 years that I didn’t talk to my dear friend Alison Buckland on her birthday. Sunday included more of the same and some of the best food I have had since my arrival in Costa Rica.
My Mom and Carolyn headed back to the states on Tuesday, it was sad to part, but they’ll be back. They always come back. I’ve got four days of La Hija to look forward to and then I am sure I’ll find something to keep myself occupied. Who knows, I might even take to finishing the books.
Pura Vida guys. Oh, and Alison, if you are reading this HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I am sure that I am going to have a terrible crash soon, because they have left and I lived in complete glory for a few days, but until then, I am pretty satisfied.
They arrived on Thursday and the bus that I was supposed to take to Palmar was a whopping 40 minutes late (which, by the way, still qualifies as “on time” in Costa Rica). When I finally got to Palmar Norte I had to take a Taxi to the airport and there standing next to their rental car, were my Mom and my Auntie Carolyn. We went to meet my host family and see my village. I think they were as surprised as I was upon first sight of El Vergel, which hardly qualifies as a town by any standards I had previously known.
We then went on a bit of a wild goose chase in search of hotels and rental homes that my Aunt Carolyn had found online. Unfortunately, since Costa Rica has no addresses and directions are a little less than helpful, we were slightly less successful than we would have liked. The hotel we settled for was lovely and not far from Domical. It had a beach, a pool and air conditioning, how great is that?
On Friday, my family helped me teach my classes in the morning, then we went to visit Mikki in Rey Curre, who was having a bad day, but which we were able to remedy with an unexpected and unannounced visit of excessively happy gringos. Mom, Carolyn and I then got back in the car and started driving out to Dominical. We were about halfway there when we realized how hungry we were. As such, we found it appropriate to load up on a delicious lunch of Burgers and fries at “Andy’s Burger Shack” a hole in the wall on the side of the coast highway that I will absolutely be visiting when the opportunity arises again.
Unfortunately, our first hotel did not have television and so at 8:00 we found ourselves scrambling around Dominical looking for a bar where I could watch La Hija Del Mariachi. I know, it seems a bit absurd, but you should all realize that this is the LAST WEEK of La Hija, so I really can’t miss anything. We finally found a bar and were sitting drinking Imperial and watching the Novella in time for the first commercial break. What can I say? My Mom’s a champ and wouldn’t give up until I had La Hija.
Saturday was fantastic in the sense that I sat in a hammock and laid by the pool for practically the whole day. I also got to talk to the one and only Katie Perkins, which was pretty sweet. Back at the hotel, I soaked up the joys of iTunes, John Legend, Rilo Kiley and wireless internet. Riveting, I know. It was however the first time in 13 years that I didn’t talk to my dear friend Alison Buckland on her birthday. Sunday included more of the same and some of the best food I have had since my arrival in Costa Rica.
My Mom and Carolyn headed back to the states on Tuesday, it was sad to part, but they’ll be back. They always come back. I’ve got four days of La Hija to look forward to and then I am sure I’ll find something to keep myself occupied. Who knows, I might even take to finishing the books.
Pura Vida guys. Oh, and Alison, if you are reading this HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Morena. . .
Nothing has really happened to me since I got back, I am on Automatic. Be that as it may, I’ll tell you a little bit about what has been going on. I apologize if this sounds redundant.
My food situation is improving with the rainy season. I have been bombarded with the largest avocados I have ever seen and the sweetest mangoes imaginable. The Luna bars and vitamins that I brought back with me from the States have helped too. I have as of late discovered coconut helado, which is just coconut milk and shavings with sugar and water frozen in a plastic bag. Delicious.
School is hard, but good. I am at a complete lost with 1st and 2nd grade. Everything I try is completely useless. They hate listening and participating. Every day is a free for all. They are exhausting and I am not cut out for them. One of them told me straight up that Alex was a better teacher. Kinder isn’t so bad, we just sing most of the time and then sometimes we color. Teaching without materials is interesting because you get really creative, but it’s hard because different kids are good at different things and you don’t want to overuse anything.
Third and Fourth Grades are great. Today we played the incredible game of “tackle teacher” in which 8 students tried to tackle me in the plaza. It was loads of fun. I actually enjoyed it greatly. The kids got all of the material that I had planned for the day very easily and so I just figured that they deserved a little time outside. I felt like my Dad, kids kept throwing themselves at me and I had to keep entertaining them, but it was a lot of fun. I might try it in all of my grades. Actually that’s a dirty lie. I’m not throwing my 6th grade kids anywhere unless it’s out of a window.
5th grade is a challenge because the kids are in very different places academically. There are two girls who I think might be a little developmentally challenged. They are brilliant artists, but I have explained some concepts so many times and they still don’t understand it, which makes me believe that maybe its not just my ineptitude as a teacher. I have postponed their exam twice, but I can’t anymore. If they don’t get it, they don’t get it. I should leave it up to them to come see me for help if they need it instead of beating myself up anymore. I spent 20 minutes explaining that England was a country and then another 10 explaining that it is a part of the United Kingdom, which is in Europe. That was a long day. I felt helpless. They didn’t want to read, they didn’t want to write, they didn’t want to talk, they didn’t want to draw, they didn’t want to play a game. It was a bad day.
On the upside, I did have a great discussion with my kids on the resources and characteristics of Costa Rica. It went as follows.
Teacher: So, class, what are some things that Costa Rica has?
Student 1: Crocodiles!
Student 2: Beaches!
Student 3: River Pollution!
I love that river pollution was one of the first things that came to the minds of my 6th graders, though I suppose it’s true. I just figured that they would have mentioned some form of endangered species first, or maybe, I don’t know, something about the rainforest. Life here is full of surprises and that only becomes truer as I continue to break down the language barrier.
Also, I have heard quite a few Ticoisms as of late that I absolutely adore.
“The other half of your orange” – Sort of like saying ‘Soul Mate’ but not as chessy.
“It’s where the devil left his jacket” –A fun way to say “In the middle of nowhere”
I went to Manuel Antonio last weekend to hang out with Kristi and Jack. We had a good time and En Route I saw my first Costa Rican Crocodiles. Please remind me not to go swimming in any rivers. (Actually, that’s useless, I live on a river and it’s worth the risk.) There were some warning signs at the Beach in Manuel Antonio that a crocodile had been seen lurking. He got a good hold of a local dog named Moose who survived with a mere 108 stitches.
This weekend I am going to Turrialba to do a little White Water Rafting with the rest of the group. I absolutely cannot wait. I haven’t seen quite a few of my favorite people since we left Orosi, so I will be nice to see them. I’m tired from the week and it’s only Wednesday, I hope that I can psyche myself up for the weekend. I’m sure it will all be alright, it’s just hard to imagine physical exertion when you are mentally exhausted. I’m starting to think about what I’m going to do and what I want to do when I get back to the America and I have NO IDEA. I don’t even know what I want out of life after this year is over. What have I gotten myself into? ☺
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading.
Love, Your Favorite Morena.
My food situation is improving with the rainy season. I have been bombarded with the largest avocados I have ever seen and the sweetest mangoes imaginable. The Luna bars and vitamins that I brought back with me from the States have helped too. I have as of late discovered coconut helado, which is just coconut milk and shavings with sugar and water frozen in a plastic bag. Delicious.
School is hard, but good. I am at a complete lost with 1st and 2nd grade. Everything I try is completely useless. They hate listening and participating. Every day is a free for all. They are exhausting and I am not cut out for them. One of them told me straight up that Alex was a better teacher. Kinder isn’t so bad, we just sing most of the time and then sometimes we color. Teaching without materials is interesting because you get really creative, but it’s hard because different kids are good at different things and you don’t want to overuse anything.
Third and Fourth Grades are great. Today we played the incredible game of “tackle teacher” in which 8 students tried to tackle me in the plaza. It was loads of fun. I actually enjoyed it greatly. The kids got all of the material that I had planned for the day very easily and so I just figured that they deserved a little time outside. I felt like my Dad, kids kept throwing themselves at me and I had to keep entertaining them, but it was a lot of fun. I might try it in all of my grades. Actually that’s a dirty lie. I’m not throwing my 6th grade kids anywhere unless it’s out of a window.
5th grade is a challenge because the kids are in very different places academically. There are two girls who I think might be a little developmentally challenged. They are brilliant artists, but I have explained some concepts so many times and they still don’t understand it, which makes me believe that maybe its not just my ineptitude as a teacher. I have postponed their exam twice, but I can’t anymore. If they don’t get it, they don’t get it. I should leave it up to them to come see me for help if they need it instead of beating myself up anymore. I spent 20 minutes explaining that England was a country and then another 10 explaining that it is a part of the United Kingdom, which is in Europe. That was a long day. I felt helpless. They didn’t want to read, they didn’t want to write, they didn’t want to talk, they didn’t want to draw, they didn’t want to play a game. It was a bad day.
On the upside, I did have a great discussion with my kids on the resources and characteristics of Costa Rica. It went as follows.
Teacher: So, class, what are some things that Costa Rica has?
Student 1: Crocodiles!
Student 2: Beaches!
Student 3: River Pollution!
I love that river pollution was one of the first things that came to the minds of my 6th graders, though I suppose it’s true. I just figured that they would have mentioned some form of endangered species first, or maybe, I don’t know, something about the rainforest. Life here is full of surprises and that only becomes truer as I continue to break down the language barrier.
Also, I have heard quite a few Ticoisms as of late that I absolutely adore.
“The other half of your orange” – Sort of like saying ‘Soul Mate’ but not as chessy.
“It’s where the devil left his jacket” –A fun way to say “In the middle of nowhere”
I went to Manuel Antonio last weekend to hang out with Kristi and Jack. We had a good time and En Route I saw my first Costa Rican Crocodiles. Please remind me not to go swimming in any rivers. (Actually, that’s useless, I live on a river and it’s worth the risk.) There were some warning signs at the Beach in Manuel Antonio that a crocodile had been seen lurking. He got a good hold of a local dog named Moose who survived with a mere 108 stitches.
This weekend I am going to Turrialba to do a little White Water Rafting with the rest of the group. I absolutely cannot wait. I haven’t seen quite a few of my favorite people since we left Orosi, so I will be nice to see them. I’m tired from the week and it’s only Wednesday, I hope that I can psyche myself up for the weekend. I’m sure it will all be alright, it’s just hard to imagine physical exertion when you are mentally exhausted. I’m starting to think about what I’m going to do and what I want to do when I get back to the America and I have NO IDEA. I don’t even know what I want out of life after this year is over. What have I gotten myself into? ☺
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading.
Love, Your Favorite Morena.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Stalker Evasion
Okay, so It’s been a while. I recognize that it has been a while, but you know I went home and everything was flawless and then I got back equipped with about a million DVD’s and the next thing I knew it was April. I am about to give my first Exams. In fact I came into town today for the sole purpose of making copies. I’m such a pro these days. School is cancelled on Friday, which means only one thing: Road Trip. I am thinking San Jose or Manuel Antonio. Probably both. Oh Costa Rica, how I love thee. I’ve been getting really good at Stalker Evasion in the last week or so. I somehow earned myself yet another Novio (boyfriend) on the bus from San Jose last week. I was unlucky enough to get on another Bus with the same Driver/collector the following Saturday. He told me that they weren’t going to stop at El Vergel, that I had to keep going with him to the end of the line. CREEPY! Then he asked me where my boyfriend was and I used my go to fictional boyfriend (who still lacks a name). When I said he was in the United States, he said, “Oh well that’s a long way away.” God Bless Costa Rica and all of it’s indiscretions. I think that I am finally friend’s with my host brothers. We have started listening to music together and while we have not yet “hung out” we watch a lot of TV together. Woohoo, I’ve got 3 friends now. Plus Pablo has started calling me “Radford” or at least some version of it, which I obviously appreciate.
They caught and killed a giant venomous snake in my Aunt’s house on Sunday which they had to bury “just in case.” One of my Creepy Uncle’s told me he loved me and my non-creepy Uncle came in from San Jose this weekend to visit. I’ve been avoiding Rogelio (Creepy Uncle) since the confession. I’m getting pretty good at the duck and roll. I would be apprehensive, but Leilani (one of our field directors) had the creepy uncle problem at her site last year. Uncle Alexander occasionally tries to speak English with me. His English vocabulary consists of “Wow” and “How are you?” Which, I completely love because they are completely useless without other words.
I got caught in a downpour in Palmar today which would have been fine had I remembered my Umbrella. This could be a sign that the rainy season is upon us, but we won’t know for a while. I guess that it has to rain every day for 2 weeks to qualify as the start of rainy season.
More to come from the Pura Vida.
Abrazos Fuertes.
the teacher formerly known as Radford
They caught and killed a giant venomous snake in my Aunt’s house on Sunday which they had to bury “just in case.” One of my Creepy Uncle’s told me he loved me and my non-creepy Uncle came in from San Jose this weekend to visit. I’ve been avoiding Rogelio (Creepy Uncle) since the confession. I’m getting pretty good at the duck and roll. I would be apprehensive, but Leilani (one of our field directors) had the creepy uncle problem at her site last year. Uncle Alexander occasionally tries to speak English with me. His English vocabulary consists of “Wow” and “How are you?” Which, I completely love because they are completely useless without other words.
I got caught in a downpour in Palmar today which would have been fine had I remembered my Umbrella. This could be a sign that the rainy season is upon us, but we won’t know for a while. I guess that it has to rain every day for 2 weeks to qualify as the start of rainy season.
More to come from the Pura Vida.
Abrazos Fuertes.
the teacher formerly known as Radford
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