just some thoughts

Brace yourself, I am about to sound a but poetic.

As I was running along the beach this morning, I looked behind me and, for the first time, noticed I was leaving footprints behind in the sand. Although I think I was always aware that my shoes left prints, I never actually saw them. Than I got to thinking - how poetic and/or metaphoric is that image? People leave footprints behind wherever they walk in life, yet may very rarely realize it.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my last week of actual teaching and it is not even a full week; I am finished as of 10am on Thursday. Than the following week, I teach Monday and Tuesday and then head to Orosi (which is where we had orientation for a month in the beginning of the year) for our End of Service meeting. After that, I am back in Manuel Antonio until the 20th or 21st of December. I will not actually be teaching the month of December, though. We do what they call ¨workshops¨ which is basically arts and crafts. This means more prep work for me, but I am also excited. It will hopefully be a nice time to have fun with my students before I leave. They are definitely what I am going to miss the most. Well, them and the beach. haha.

I am really looking forward to seeing everyone. I can´t wait to get back and share my stories and hear what everyone has been up to for the past 11 months! I am expecting lots of lunch and dinner dates so prepare yourselves!

Have a great Monday tomorrow !

amor para todos

Thank you SSJ Youth Group!!!!

I first need to give un monton (a lot and lot basically - although I am not sure if that is how you spell it) of thank yous to Jen and Ss. Simon and Jude youth group. I was giving a test on Tuesday morning when our mailman in Quepos made his way up the hill to Manuel Antonio to deliver a box to the teacher at the school. As I was sitting in the office with my sixth grader trying to persuade some English words out of him, in walked the mailman with my box. I was sooooo excited!!! My excitment only increased when I opened it and found a bunch of letters from the youth at SSJ, candy and much needed toiletries! And so, with that being said, I have a few shout-outs to give and a few questions to answer:

To Katie Mulligan - Yes, I have a killer tan. I have tan lines like you wouldn´t believe. I have tan lines from swim suits, sports bras and even ankle bracelets. I am sure I will be looking like somewhat of a freak because of them when I arrive home in the middle of winter!

Sarah Tellez - I have to say, I think I laughed more from your letter than any one else´s! You have an amazing sense of humor and know how to put smiles on people´s faces - a true gift.

Sierra Rue - I am so excited you like Michael Franti now! He is an amazing singer and an even better performer. If you have the opportunity to see him in concert, you should definitely go. He is by far one of the best people I have ever seen live.

For all of you who don´t know who Michael Franti is - Find Sierra Rue and make her burn you a copy of his best songs!

Maria Diaz - Shout out to you!!!

To all who wrote - I am glad to hear that those of you I do know are doing well and I am excited to meet those of you I don´t know when I return. You sound like an awesome group and I look forward to working with you all. Thank you not only for the box, but for all your prayers as well.

Not SSJ related:
I did a 10k run last weekend in San Jose! My friend Danna and I ran together. It was actually a run that benefitted breast cancer research and there were a TON of people there. I ended up running then entire 10k (which I am excited about - I didn´t think I would be able to actually run the entire thing) and did it in an hour and 5 minutes. I am super proud of this time, especially since it is my first running race ever. It was fun too, because as we were running through the city, people would come out of their businesses and houses and cheer us on. So I got to run to the cheers of, ¨vamos¨and, ¨corre, corre¨, and every once in a while they would see the gringa coming and shout, ¨Run!¨. haha. It was a lot of fun though and I am glad I did it. Plus, I got a medal!

Thank you again to Youth Group and I hope everyone who reads the blog is doing well. I love you all and will be seeing you soon!

Quick Update

Yesterday was English Day at the school and it was great! It was A LOT of work and I went home exhausted, but I am glad we did it. As you all know, the students had been preparing for a few weeks for the Acto Civico. All the students did an awesome job and we actually had a really good turnout of parents too! I had a couple of parents express how impressed they were with what the students could do. Before the Acto Civico, each English teacher had a room with a different activity. I had origami (I make a mean penguin by the way), Michelle had dance, Jessica had a game room and Susy had Bingo. We started the activities for the morning kids (half of our kids come in the morning and the other half in the afternoon) at 10am. The students were given a "passport" which they had to carry with them throughout the morning. After they completed each rotation, they would get a stamp on their passport. Than, at the end, if they had all four stamps they received a raffle ticket. At the end of the Acto Civico, we raffled off a prize. Than, after the Acto Civico, we did the same thing for the afternoon kids. I was basically running around from 10am to about 2:30pm. It was worth, it though, and the kids really enjoyed it.

Next week, I teach Monday and Tuesday and than have the rest of the week off. There is actually a rumor that we will not be teaching on Tuesday too, because the teachers might be going on strike that day. Apparently they have not been getting paid and are not too happy about that! I am not sure what will come of it but we will see I guess.

I don't really have anything else to report. Things are pretty tranquilo right now. I hope everyone is doing well at home!

Rain, rain go away...

...and please dont come another day!

It has been raining a lot this past week! Earlier this week, I didn´t even hear my alarm go off due to the pounding rain on my tin roof and the earsplitting thundering going on outside! It was crazy. Luckily, no one is able to sleep past 6 a.m. in Costa Rica, so I still woke up in plenty of time to go to school. Than, it started to pour on Thursday afternoon and didn´t stop until almost the same time the next day. It POURED for almost 24 hours straight. The road to my house turned into a river, ankle deep.

I also signed up at the gym this past week. It is super tiny, but has most of the machines I use and also offers aerobics and pilates classes. I have to say, signing up at a gym here is way easier than signing up at a gym in the States. I walked in, told them I wanted to sign up for a month and paid. There was no start up fee, contract, tour of the gym (maybe because you could see all the gym had to offer standing there at the front desk?), nothing. I didn´t even receive a card or anything saying that I was a ¨member¨for the month. Ah, the easines...

School is going well. Last week I was not in class because I was finishing my second week of my TEFL certification. On Monday, all of my students were super excited that I was back. I even had a 6th grader tell me they missed me, which I guess (according to the Tica teacher) is huge. It was nice to be back, though. We were testing, so it was not the most interesting of weeks, but we did practice a lot for English Day. I also had a student tell me as one of his answers to his oral test that he ¨poops things in his backpack¨. It was supposed to be ¨put things in his backpack¨but he got a little confused I guess. I laughed.

I have quite a few breaks coming up here in October. I am off of school Oct. 8-12 and than again on the 21-24. There are also rumors of school closing for good on November 22. lots of down time...hopefully that gym membership will work out!

love to you all!

Independence Day

Costa Rica's Independence Day was so much fun! As you all know, I was really nervous about the run with the torch. It ended up being really awesome, though. The students were the ones that actually held the torch. They were placed at intervals along the road from Quepos to Manuel Antonio so that they didn't have to run the whole thing. It was more of a relay style type thing. We also had a fire truck with the sirens going and everything that led us down the road. It was cool because people would hear the sirens an come our of their businesses or houses and cheer us on as we ran. When we reached the school, we had an Acto Civico where they lit a larger torch that stayed lit the entire day.

Later on that night, there was a big Acto Civivo at the school. This time, though, all the people from the neighborhood and school were there. They had made lanterns from all sorts of materials and in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There were lanterns that depicted the Costa Rican shield that is on the 100 colon coin. There were others for the country flower, beach themes, ox carts...everything! Part of this Acto Civico was to walk around the town with all the lanterns lit. It was really cool. There were a ton of us and as we walked people chanted "Viva Costa Rica!". It was an awesome experience.

October 2 is English Day at school. Each class is presenting something in English and than we are having about an hour and a half of activities for the students. I am really excited for it and hope it gets the students excited about English as well. My second graders are singing a Bob Marley song, my 4a class is singing and dancing to Thriller (MJ), my 4b class is painting a jungle scene which they will share with the school and my 6th graders are doing skits. It is a lot of preparation, but the students enjoy it and I enjoy it!

That's about all that's going on here. I am taking a TEFL course this week so I will have free internet - write to me and I will actually be able to write back in a timely manner!

paz y amor mis amigos

School Stuff

A little update on what's going on at school. Enjoy!

2nd Grade: We are going on tour!!!!

For the past few weeks, I have been teaching my second graders the song "Stand By Me". They love it and are super cute (I even made up little dance moves for them!). The whole class gets really into it and we end up screaming most of the lyrics. Anyway, being the week before Independence Day, we have had Acto Civicos everyday. On Monday, my 2nd graders and I performed our song for the entire school at the Acto Civico. My director liked it so much, she has asked us to go to a BIG Acto Civico in Quepos (little town near mine) on Friday night to perform for them. Everyone is really, really excited, and what can I say - I am a bit proud. Now I just need to think of a new song to teach them. Any suggestions?

4th Grade - Can you say "Sparkle"?

I have been doing alphabet games with my 4th graders because they are constantly asking me to spell things for them. The only thing is, when I spell the word, they get all the letters wrong. Hence, the alphabet practice. We play all sorts of games, but their favorite is Sparkle. They come in almost everyday asking me, "Teacher, today game? Today, eh-sparkle?". I love it!

6th Grade - Class Competition!

My 6th graders have been learning about superlatives and comparatives. After spending a few days on the topic, I put together a class competition for them. I had a big score board on the white board with different categories in which they were to compete. There were things like "Who can run the fastest" and "Who has the biggest mouth (I bought marshmallows for them to stuff in their mouth). They had to break up into four groups and than nominate someone to compete in each category. It was so much fun! I had the other English teacher take pictures of it, so I will have to post them for you. The kids loved it as well. Everyone was super excited, and I think I got the concept of superlatives and comparatives across. I guess we'll see when test time comes!

That's about it. This week has been crazy with all the Acto Civicos! Monday I will be running with a torch up a long, windy, truck/car/bus driven road with a bunch of caffeinated Tico children - wish me luck!

Costa Rica vs. Mexico

I am currently in San Jose right now, having travelled in for the Costa Rica/Mexico futbol game last night. Although Costa Rica lost (0-3), the game was a lot of fun and I am glad I made the trip. The game started at 8pm and everyone (EVERYONE!) was wearing red. There were probably only about 300 people in from Mexico. Costa Rica ended up playing like crap but the energy in the stadium was awesome. Ticos love their futbol! We ended up sitting in the CR section (of course!) but were near the Mexico section. I probably heard more Spanish curse words in the two hours of playing than I have heard in the 8 months I have been here. There was also a lot of singing (ole ole ole ole ticos ticos...) and cheering. The strange thing about the game though, was how serious everyone became when the game actually started. There was no announcer giving the play by play, no commercials or instant replay, no dancers, nothing. When the game was going on, people sat and watched, stood up when the players got near a goal and than sat back down again. There was also no alcohol served at the game. People honestly came to the game to watch the game - a little different than in the states where I feel games are more of a social activity and the game itself is just there in the background. Costa Rica now plays Argentina next, who we will most definitely lose to and than we will officially be out of the running for the WorldCup. It's ok Costa Rica, we still love you.

Speaking of sports games, will someone please keep me updated on how the Devils are doing this year? I am assuming their season has started...?

Last bit of news - Tomorrow marks the start of Costa Rica Independence Day festivities. Independence Day here is huge, mainly because they don't really have a ton of holidays. Anyways, the actual Independence Day is on the 15th but starting tomorrow, we have Acto Civicos every morning and afternoon and than the Monday after (the 14th) Michelle and I are running with a torch and the students from Quepos, up a very windy and dangerous (no sidewalks) hill, to Manuel Antonio. I am hoping the close the road down, although I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't. I am really excited for it, though. Apparently carrying the torch is something that is done all over the country and I get to be a part of it! Wish me luck in the next couple of weeks, though, because the students are going to be crazy!

paz y amor

smack that

So, the other day I was taking me daily run when something rather surprising happened. I was almost to the beach, which is where I usually turn around, when all of a sudden I felt something smack my butt. A car of about 4 or 5 Ticos had driven by, and the one sitting in the passenger seat had reached out and smacked my butt with his baseball hat! Talk about being surprised. The funny thing was, though, I wasn't offended and my first reaction was not to give him the naughty finger. Instead, I was just surprised the car was able to get as close as it did to me without actually hitting me! I think I have officially been desensitized to all things rude, crude and male. My self esteem is definitely going to plummett when I return home and walk down the street without hearing a couple cat calls. Oh, the drama...

Than, I have my sixth graders on Tuesdays right after they have P.E. Yes, they always smell absolutely delicious when they walk into my classroom. Usually, they try and mask their odors by spraying about a half a bottle of cologne on. I try and persuade them with the less is more approach, but they just aren't buying it. This past Tuesday, I had one boy spray about a half a bottle of Chocolate Axe on himself. Who even knew Axe had a chocolate flavor? Nuts... And than he tries to tell me, "Que rico, teacher, que rico". No, Jared, not que rico. ugh...

adventures in showering

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing well. I understand that the new school year has officially started back in the States which is exciting! Hopefully everyone is happy to be back at work/school and enjoying their new students/classes.

I am officially back in Manuel Antonio. Last week, I was up in La Fortuna visiting two other volunteers that teach at the other bilingual school there. La Fortuna was gorgeous! It is located right at the base of an active volcano and has numerous hot springs to visit! We were able to see the volcano only one of the days we were there, though, due to clouds. The day it did make its appearance, though, was amazing! There was actually smoke coming out of the top of it! Crazy, huh? I guess they weren´t kidding when they said it was an active volcano! We also went to one of the natural hot springs. These were amazing as well. The school itself was much like ours - crazy children! haha.

As for me, my students are doing well. I think I am more cut out to teach older children, though. Although I think my second graders are cute, I am never too excited to go into their class. I do love teaching my fourth and sixth graders though. I find their little attitudes to be amusing and hilarious!

And now I need to tell you all about the little excitement I had this morning. I was taking a shower after my run and had just started washing my face. I had my eyes closed when I felt what I thought was a hair on my leg. I almost just let it be. Than I felt the hair crawling up my leg. This was NOT normal! I looked down, and there was a huge cockroach climbing up my leg! UGH!!!! You all would be proud. I did not scream. I did bat the thing off me, though, as quick as I could. So gross! I have to say, I thought coming to Costa Rica would help me get over my disgust for bugs. It hasn´t. Although I am not nearly as squirmish (I used to not even use the bathroom if there was a cockroach in there - now I am showering with them!), I still despise the things! But, yes. So much for it only being a hair.

That´s really about it, I suppose. Things are pretty tranquilo around here. I am looking forward to spending a weekend at the beach. Pray for no rain!

suenos

I had a dream in Spanish!!! The funny thing about having the dream was that I didn't even realize it had happened in a different language until a few hours after I had woken up and was thinking about the dream. Only than did I realize that the whole thing happened in Spanish! I was super excited.

Other than that, my vacation has come to an end. We had three weeks off (thank you MEP) and I will now be returning back to my site this afternoon. I had an amazing three weeks, though. I went to Montezuma, Bocas del Toro, Panama City and Puerto Viejo. I got to see a lot of gorgeous beaches and spend time with great people. I also visited the Panama Canal, which was really awesome. Although there were quite a few bus hours (the bus from Panama City to San Jose took almost 20 hours!), they were all worth it. I have posted most of the pictures on facebook (minus the ones from Panama City and Puerto Viejo - those will have to come later). If you don't have a facebook, you either need to get one or borrow a friends!

But yes, today I will be returning to Manuel Antonio. Although I don't really want to go back to work, I am also kind of excited to get back in the classroom. I am sure the kids are going to be completely out of it for the first few days, so that should be interesting. I am hoping they have at least remembered some of what I taught them. I also am looking forward to getting back into my routines. Although I love traveling around the country and seeing different things, it is always nice to return home. I also need to start running again. I haven't run in almost three weeks and have been eating lots of wonderful food! I think I may have picked up a few lb's these past few weeks! The mountain in Manuel is going to kick my butt for a few days, I'm sure.

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer vacation. It is weird to think that people in the states are already finishing their summer vacation and getting ready to go back to school!

I love and miss you all!

Montezuma and Bocas del Toro

I am currently coming to an end of my second week of break. Originally, we were only supposed to have two weeks off of school (hence the name, Quince Dias), but a few days ago, we received an e-mail from the director of WorldTeach informing us otherwise. The Ministry of Education here in Costa Rica decided to postpone going back to school for one more week due to swine flu. This means Quince Dias has now turned into Veinteuno Dias. The volunteers and I are taking the opportunity to do some traveling.

I stayed in Montezuma, Costa Rica for the first week of vacation. This was a small, hippie-like beach town with gorgeous beaches. It is located off the Nicoya (sp?) Peninsula. We spent most of our time at the beaches here. The waves were huge; anywhere between 10 and 15 feet high! They were also super strong. You would be standing in the water and a wave would come up and knock you right on your butt! They were definitely a lot of fun (and kind of intimidating) to play in though. We also took one day to go snorkeling. Since it is low-season, everything was really cheap. We spent about $30 on a day of snorkeling that usually runs for about $75. On our way out to the island, we stopped at a fishing boat to pick up lunch. Talk about fresh seafood! We than spent the morning snorkeling, ate an amazing lunch and played some beach volleyball.

After Montezuma, we traveled to Bocas del Toro in Panama. After working through the confusion of crossing the boarder (things get different when you have a visa for Costa Rica), we arrived at these series of islands. We stayed in a really awesome hostel here. In Bocas, you have to take water taxis to all the different islands to go to the beaches. We went to Wizard Beach. It was gorgeous! The water was a clear, pristine blue and met up with a white sand beach. We spent most of the day body surfing and playing soccer. At night, we took advantage of the Happy Hours that almost every bar on the island provided. Every night was ladies night (good place to be a lady) and the guys were able to get 50 cent beers. We did a lot of dancing and meeting new friends!

I am currently in Panama City. We arrived here this morning at around 5am after taking a night bus. The city seems really different, but I am excited to walk around. We are also going to check out the canal (aka biggest ditch in the world) and hit up one of the fish markets for dinner. Our hostel here is really awesome as well. It is in an old mansion and has a creaky feel to it.

I am taking lots of pictures, but am having trouble downloading them...hopefully you will be able to see soon enough some of the things I have been doing!

It's been a couple of weeks...

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I last updated so I would like to begin with an apology to all of you serious blog readers. The past couple of weeks have been super busy, but as of 11:00a yesterday, I am officially on vacation!!! We have 2 (much needed) weeks of vacation from school. I will be spending the 2 weeks in Montezuma and Panama with a few of my fellow WorldTeachers. I am excited to spend some time away from my site, relaxing, eating some good food and hanging out with some amazing people. Stories about the vacation in my next posting, though. Today, I want to share a couple of funny (or at least what I find funny) stories from the past couple of weeks.

As all of you know, Father's Day was on June 21st. A couple of days after Father's Day, an announcement was passed around for all of the teachers to read and sign. We get these announcements on a semi-regular basis. They usually let us know about meetings, Acto Civicos, etc. This one was for a Father's Day party we would be having for the first grade teacher, Geison. I didn't think Geison was a father, so I asked a fellow Tica teacher about it. She said that no, he wasn't a father, but he was a guy (and could potentially be a father some day?). And that was that. We had a Father's Day party for Geison.

Then, this past week, I was sitting in the English classroom while the English grammar teacher was teaching 4th grade. They were talking about different ailments that one may have and the remedies for such ailments. There was the normal "if you have a toothache, go to the dentist" and "if you have a stomachache, drink some tea". There was also "if you are angry, eat some fruits and vegetables". Hmph. Who knew?

Well, those are the two best stories from the past couple of weeks. Hopefully you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed living them. I do need to give a quick shout-out to Lauren Evans, Andrea Tassi and my mom. They all have had birthdays in the past couple of weeks. Do me a favor, and if you see any of them, give them a big birthday smooch for me!

Happy Father's Day!

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there (especially my dad <3 )!

This is going to be a short blog only because I don't have a ton to tell you. The week has flown by and I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday already! Crazy!!

I do have a funny story about one of my 6th graders, though. We have a Writer's Workshop every week where the kids draw a picture one day, write things about the picture the next and than write a paragraph on the last day. One of my 6th grader, Mariana (who happens to be one of my most challenging students as well), drew me (yes, I was flattered). The next day she was writing sentences about her picture and one of her sentences said, "The teacher has skin the color of milk." The funny thing is, Mariana, like many Ticos, is very light skinned. In fact, her skin is lighter than mine right now just because I have been spending some time on the beach. I was laughing when I pointed this out to her. I do not think she was nearly as amused by the whole thing as I was.

Only a couple of more weeks until we have two weeks off of school...I am looking forward to the break! Hope everyone's summers are going well so far...

Hey All!!!

I know I have not posted in a while and for all you ¨regular¨blog checkers, I am sorry. The sibs were in town last week and so I did not make it to the internet. We were too busy taking underwater photos and trying to find cheap drinks (easier said than done, trust me!). I almost didn´t come to the internet today in efforts to save 1 mil, but being faced with the option of checking e-mails and facebook or staying in the classroom and working, I chose to splurge.

Teaching has gotten a lot better (keep praying that it stays that way) due to the bribing I have been doing with the school supplies sent down by SSJ´s fifth grade class (now sixth grade!). Thank you again! I did have to break up two fist fights yesterday, though. I think there must have been a full moon or something. I had two second graders (a girl and a boy) get into it as I was walking out the door at the end of class. They were pretty easy to break up because they were young. Later that day, I had two sixth grade boys get into it, throwing desks and everything. I was a little less willing to get in the middle of that one, but I ended up not getting hurt so all is good. Things are always interesting...

Rebeca, Jenny, Luis and I have been making jewelry the past couple of nights. My sibs brought down a bunch of beads and my host siblings love it. After dinner, we sit around the kitchen table and make all sorts of things. They are really cute too, because they always ask me if some color combination is ugly or not before they actually start stringing the beads.

Tomorrow is Friday and I am looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend at the beach (hopefully no rain). I hope everyone has had a great first couple of weeks of summer! I love hearing from you so please keep commenting! Chaoito!

It´s been a week!

So, a couple of short little stories to let you know what I have been up to lately:

Last weekend was midservice. Yes, I know, already half way through right?!?! I had a hard time believing it too! It feels like I only just arrived. It was a great weekend though. We spent four days in San Jose catching up. We also ate amazing meals! They were great for the four days, but when I returned to Manuel Antonio my stomach was super upset. I think I am going to have a hard time adjusting to ¨real¨ food when I return to the states.

We got a cat! The other night, I was filling up my water bottle in the kitchen sink and there was a little cat sitting on our porch. It has been in the house ever since. It is super cute...not fully grown yet...and really sweet. It follows me around wherever I go and is always rubbing up against my legs. Rebeca wants to call is Tigressa (since that was the name of one of their old cats) but I am calling it Marcela. We are not even sure if it is a girl or boy, but I figure it doesn´t really matter.

I broke up a fist fight on Tuesday. Everyday this week, for about an hour and a half in the afternoons, the students running for student council are given the opportunity to campaign. This results is about an hour and a half long recess equipped with balloons and flying candy. During the ¨propoganda¨on Tuesday, two third grade girls started fighting. The fourth grade teacher broke it up and than left. About five minutes later, they started going at it again. I had to break them up this time, and decided it might be wise to seperate them a little further. It was pretty exciting stuff!

Lastly, Rebeca and I were eating soup for dinner the other night and Rebeca had ants in her soup. She would put one on her spoon, look at me and than slurp it down. Although I really did not find it that gross (I am sure I have eaten my fair share of ants since I have been here), I would react and she would crack up. We started joking that we should always eat hormiga (ant) soup. I told her that they added protein to her diet and she just looked at me like I was crazy. Who knows, maybe I am?

The bros and sis are coming down this weekend - definitely looking forward to seeing them!

Not the best weekend...

Well, I guess disappointments (sp?) happen all over the world. This weekend was supposed to be the weekend I went into San Jose and ran a 10k with my director and the other volunteer living with me in Manuel Antonio. By Wednesday, both of them said they would not be running, but I really wanted to do it so figured I would go into San Jose and run the race solo. I told my director, who lives in San Jose, because she was going to have to sign me up for it. She said she would sign me up and drop my race entry off at the hostel I would be staying at. When I arrived at the hostel, there was no entry and no response when I tried to call her. I continued to call her throughout the night, only to get transferred to an answering machine. I figured I would still go down to the place of the race and see if I could sign up there or if they had some type of record proving I had signed up. When I got down there in the morning, my name was not on the list and I could not sign up the morning of. So I went back to the hostel thinking I would try calling my director one more time to see if she knew what was going on. No answer. I am guessing she just forgot to sign me up which sucks. To make matters worse, upon arriving at the hostel, I had free internet (which is good, yes) but received more than one disturbing e-mail about things going on back in the states. I had a nice healthy cry in the shower back at the hostel this morning. A cry provoked by frustrations with my director, news from home and hormones (sorry boys).

I keep telling myself that this weekend was not a complete waste and not all bad. I got a good dinner and breakfast, took a hot shower and met a couple of nice people at the hostel. I need to remember these things and try not to get hung up on the negatives.

Still, if anyone has a good story or good news from home, I could use some cheering up.

ah, so much going on!

So much to tell everyone about! Where to begin, where to begin???

First off, the other volunteers and I went rafting last weekend and it was amazing! We got a super good deal because we were volunteers (and awesome, really) and had a blast. The river we went on was a mix of class III and IV rapids. The first day we rafted for about two hours and then came to our camp site. We had lunch and then went on a hike to a waterfall. After getting to the waterfall, a few of us decided to hike up and around the waterfall. The guide said it was dangerous because it was so slippery so only a few of us went - and it was worth it! We hiked through a couple of other waterfalls and saw the most amazing wildlife ever! After our hike, we went back to the camp site for dinner and free drinks (told you it was a good deal). The next morning, we played cards all morning and then another couple of hours on the river. It was my first time ever rafting and I have to say, it is something I wouldn't mind doing again!

Today I also had my first "surf lesson". Basically I went to the beach with a couple of girls from TEFL that I had met over a month ago. We were laying next to the surf school and I decided to go into the ocean. I had been in the ocean for about 5 minutes when one of the surf instructors comes out with a board and tells me to get on it. I "surfed" for a little while after that with a little (ok, a lot) of help from the instructor (found out later his name was Justin). I only was able to stand up on the board a couple of times and definitely got thrown around by the waves more than once, but it was awesome! Best thing is, I didn't have to pay him and he told me to come back tomorrow for more! I'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress, although I have a feeling it might be slow.

After my surf lesson, there was a cafesito (basically in Costa Rica, people drink coffee and eat a lot of pastries for about an hour every afternoon) at my school. I went and witnessed a four year old giving one of my fourth graders the finger. Ah, gotta love it! haha.

That's it for now. I guess I didn't have a TON to tell you all! I'll keep you updated!!!

Sunday, Sunday

So, this past Sunday was the first time I went to church since I was in Orosi (my first month here...yikes!). I woke up super early on Sunday morning and decided to go for a run. While running, I had a sudden urge to go to mass. This is weird, I know. Although I would go every Sunday while living in the States, I think it was sometimes more out of habit than anything else. After looking at my watch, I realized I would have time to finish my run, take a quick shower and catch the 8:30 bus into Quepos in time to make the 9:00 mass.

When I arrived at the church, it was a lot bigger than I had expected. The pews didn't all match, which I loved. It gave the church a very "humble" feel. There were also a bunch of white plastic chairs on the sides of the church. These chairs were needed too! By the time mass started, every seat was taken. Mass was packed! It was definitely nice to see such a full church, especially after many months of attending a not even half full mass at SSJ.

I knew that I had made the right decision to come to mass after hearing the first song. It was very simple, and accompanied with clapping (as most of the songs were that morning). The words went as so:

la misa is una fiesta muy algre
la misa is una fiesta con Jesus

Translation: the mass is a very happy celebration/the mass is a celebration with Jesus

I just loved the simplicity of the song and the fact that it was sung by three women who really did not have the greatest voices in the world. The clapping made it perfect. As I was riding the bus back into Manuel Antonio after mass, I was thinking that this song would make a nice little prayer is you replaced the words "la misa" with "mi vida".

My life.

Fire on the Field!!!

I don't know if my mom and dad have shared this story with very many of you, but it is a funny one so I thought I would post it on the blog.

While my parents were here, we had another assembly at school. The first part of it was similar to our last assembly with kids from different grades giving little speeches and the English department singing songs that no one knows the meanings to. Towards the end of the assembly, some of my 6th graders put on a skit. They had dressed up in jeans and t-shirts and brought plastic toy guns to school. They re-enacted a battle of some sort. The entire re-enactment took place around a big fort-like thing they had made that morning with the help of the 6th grade teacher. The fort was made out of cardboard boxes and black plastic trash bags. Towards the end of their "battle", after almost all of the people had been killed (although Tico children have a hard time laying still so many of the "dead" people did a lot of moving around), the few remaining warriors doused the fort with gasoline. Then, they lit the end of a mop on fire and stuck it in the middle of the gasoline drenched fort. It went up in flames, everyone cheered, walked away and left the fort to burn to the ground.

There is a large, black, charred piece of land marking the area of such a heroic battle in the middle of our playground today.

My Scorpion Experience

So, I have quite the story for everyone. During Semana Santa my host family went to San Jose, so I had the house to myself. I was sitting at the kitchen table one night writing in my journal and happened to look up towards the ceiling (deep in thought I am sure) and saw two of the hugest scorpions I have ever seen in my entire life! They were sitting right where the ceiling and the wall meet. I did not know what to do (and didn't want them crawling through my bedroom window which is right below where they were) so I went across the street to my host aunt and uncles house and told them about it. They came over to see them and told me exactly how dangerous they were. Great. Then my host uncle and some other guy (I am still not sure if he is related or not) went back to their houses to fetch these long poles with small pitchfork things attached to the end. They, evidently, were going to try and spear the scorpions. After standing on the kitchen table and stools and an "uno, dos, tres" countoff, they lunged towards the scorpions with their pitckforks. And missed. The scorpions scurried back into our roof (we have hollow beams that run through our roof) dissappearing out of sight. Fantastic. There are two monster scorpions running around the house and I am home alone. Luckily, my host uncle sprayed the crap out of the roof with a very toxic bug spray (I ended up having to leave the house because it smelled horrible) and closed my bedroom windows. I have not seen them since, but I walk around with shoes on all the time now just in case they are waiting on the floor and constantly look up towards their "home". I have not doubt that they will return. I think I need to make a pitchfork...

¨Spring Break¨

I have been hearing lots of wonderful stories about everyone´s Spring Breaks and I am jealous! I have been on what is kind of like a Fall Break for us this past week but have been taking a class the entire week so it has not been all that relaxing or fun. A few of the other volunteers came down for the course, though, which has been nice. It has been great getting to talk with them and hear of their experiences in the classroom. It has also been difficult hearing of their experiences because they are so different from what I am experiencing due to the difference in site placements. The other sites are much smaller and do not have near the amount of discipline problems as the bilingual sites. One of the other volunteers that came for the class this week is from the other bilingual site. It has been nice to talk to her; I felt like she and I could really relate with one another.

The parentals are coming on Sunday and I am super excited! It will be nice to have them here and be able to show them around my ¨home¨. It will also be interesting to hear their opinions of Manuel Antonio and the school. I feel like my opinions are a little bit biased - it will be cool to be able to hear the opinion of an outsider/tourist.

Looking at my calendar, life is going to be busy until about July. Michelle and I get to go visit the other bilingual site in La Fortuna and the two volunteers at that site will come visit us. We also may have a possible rafting trip coming up and then mid-service at the end of May. My sister and Pat may be visiting in the beginning of June and then I have two weeks off in July. After July, things slow waaaay down and I have a feeling this is when I will start to get really bored. Until then, I am enjoying not having to teach this week and plan on hitting the beach all day tomorrow and then again on Sunday with my parents.

I hope everyone is doing well back in the states! Send me your updates - I love hearing from you!!!!

paz.

Hola mi amigos

First off, I am going to answer a few questions you guys have been asking:

Ellen - No, we do not have any earthquake drills. You would think we would seeing that they happen quite frequently here in Costa Rica, but no one seems to worry about them until they come. It's somewhat the attitude and lifestyle here. There is not a ton of thinking ahead. You get used to it for the most part...

Dan - I am jealous that you are continuing to lose weight! I think that I am finding all the weight that you are losing! haha. I am glad to have introduced you to halfzies and take at least partial credit for the healthier, thinner Dan!!!

Who won the ASU UofA game? Do I want to know?

This past week has been fairly normal. I didn't have classes on Tuesday because we had a meeting in Quepos with the other English teachers in the surrounding areas. It was a pretty interesting meeting, from what I could gather (it was all in Spanish). We made a SWOT chart (FODA in Spanish) which brought me back to my days in Hubbard meetings. I also found the granola bars that I really like considerably cheaper at the Pali in Quepos which was exciting.

Last Friday, the school had an assembly of sorts. My second graders and I sang a song in English which was pretty cute. We have been studying sea animals and had been practicing a song with hand motions and everything. They did a really good job, but as we were singing, I had to laugh because I knew that no one else (parents, aunts, uncles, etc) really knew what we were saying.

Next Monday we are having a field day at school. As all other "school events", it is sure to be an adventure! I will have to let you know how it goes next week!

Next week is also the start of "test week". The students are stressing out big time about their tests. They don't seem to take school seriously until test week comes along (not much different then students in the States I suppose) and then they freak! I am hoping my students do well just because it is what I want for them, but I am not stressing like I would be in the states. Nothing happens to me if my kids don't pass - much different! If the kids don't pass the test, then they have a hard time passing the class. If they don't pass the class, they do the grade over again the next year.

Well, I need to go a type up some rubrics - yuck - to get ready for next week. Hope everyone is doing well and I miss you all! Please continue to keep me updated on the happenings in your life! Paz.

I have an address!!!

FYI - I wrote this blog post about a weel ago but have not been able to post it because the internet went down in the middle of writing! It took a few days for the internet to start working again, so...

Hello to you all! Well, today officially marks the end of my fourth week of teaching here in Costa Rica. It feels weird to already be done with a month of teaching. I have learned a lot about the culture and about myself in those past four weeks. There have definitely been a few times when I thought there was no way I was going to make it through my 80 minute class and there were also a few times when I thought my class could go forever (although these times happened significantly less often). Either way, I am glad that I now have a month of experience and am looking forward to the future.



As you all know, I asked for help in my previous post. I need "cool" school items for my disciplinary plan in my sixth grade class. At the time, I was unsure as to whether I could receive mail at my house or not. I received a package from my mom on Wednesday (about two weeks after she sent it). So, here is the information you will need when sending me things:



Address: Rocio Porras Selva

c/o Lizzie Manos, maestra de ingles

100 metros norte del super papi

25 metros oeste de las cabinas Guarias

Manuel Antonio, Quepos

Costa Rica

- you will need to send things in a manila envelope - if you send a box, I won't get it!

- On the front of the envelope you need to write "materiales de escuelas" - this helps in that the post office is less likely to open the package and go through it.

- It will probably cost you around $25 to send the package. I know this is a lot especially since you already bought school supplies. If you do not want to pay the shipping fee, my mom and dad are coming to visit the week after Easter. If you could get the supplies to her (or to Jen Pitera and she can give them to her) within the next couple of weeks, she will bring them down to me when she visits.

- If you do send a package, please include your e-mail address because I would like to let you know when I receive it!



Thank you again for all of your help!



On another note, these past couple days we have had a lot of earthquakes. Most of the time they only last for a couple of seconds. The other day we had quite a few of them. The first was while we were school and then there was a series of them while I was laying on the beach. It was definitely an odd sensation to be laying on the sand and feel the earth shift beneath me. Although they are nothing like the earthquake I was greeted with upon my arrival here in Costa Rica, they are still kind of shocking when they happen.



I know a couple of you guys have mentioned wanting to see pictures. I have taken quite a few pictures but failed to remember to pack my cord that connects my camera to the computer so I can not upload any pictures! I am so sorry! I will have my mom and dad bring my cord down to me when they come. You will have to wait until the week after Easter for pictures! Sorry!

I need help from the states!

Alright...as most of you know, I am dealing with a different type of breed when it comes to kids down here in Costa Rica. They have challenged me beyond belief these past two weeks and really made me think when it comes to discipline and my attitude towards teaching. After talking with a few people, including past volunteers and my sister, I have developed a new discipline plan. The only thing is, I need help from the states. Here it is:

It is called English Shop. Basically, everyday I write the words English Shop on the board. Then, throughout the lesson, if the class gets out of control, I see objects or students go flying across the room, or I happen to be yelled at or hit in the stomach, I erase a letter. At the end of the lesson, myself and two of my students count and record how many letters they have left. This is the amount of points they have earned for that day. We will continue this until the class reaches 150 points. Then we will have English Shop. This is where I need your help!

Ticos (people from Costa Rica) LOVE fun school supplies. I have to make my kids take out one pencil and one pencil only during class otherwise we would get nothing done due to the fact that they would write every word in a different color. They also use rulers to make straight lines on EVERYTHING! I don't really understand the fascination but it is there. So what I am asking for is cool, fun and exciting school supplies. This includes things like gel pens, fun erasers, colored pencils, or anything else that it fun.

Now, my mom just tried to send me a package to see if I receive things at my house. I should be receiving them in the next 10 days or so. If and when I receive them, I will post an address you can send things to. I just wanted to put out the word so that you can start keeping your eyes out and picking stuff up. I know Target usually has some good stuff at the dollar spot or even the dollar store. I just need some good stuff because the better the first English Shop is, the easier it will be to do the second English Shop because they will know what there is to win and this will act as incentive for better behavior! Thank you all so much for you help and I will be posting an address as soon as I can!

Now, as for my week, it was better...kind of. I still definitely had challenges and i different schedule almost every single day. The kids were pretty much the same if not a little bit better. The Ministry of Education was also at our school all day on Friday looking at files and documents of kids who have been held back. Kids being held back is very common in Costa Rica. This means I have fourth graders who are supposed to be in 6th grade and 2nd graders who are supposed to be in 4th. These are usually the kids who are difficult discipline-wise. Hopefully the Ministry was able to work something out to help those kids. It will make my life easier as their teacher!

Once again, thank you for all your help! Remember, as of right now, English Shop is what is keeping me sane!

Feliz Cumpleanos mas tarde Maw Maw!

Love you all!

First week - DONE!!!

Well, I have officially finished my first week teaching here in Manuel Antonio and it was very interesting for lack of a better word. On Monday, I arrived at the school at 6:30 (school starts at 7) and was the first one there. We actually did not even have any students the first day because the schedules had not been made yet. My director said that on Tuesday we would be going to different classrooms to observe teachers and get to know the kids before we actually started teaching. So on Tuesday I arrive (later this time...) and my director comes into my classroom at 6:58 and hands me my TEACHING schedule for the day. I started at 7 in a different classroom. So I hurried and grabbed my things and ran down to the 4th grade classroom to teach. From there, I taught 6th and then 2nd. By the end of Tueday, I was a little stressed from feeling rushed all day and extremely relieved that I had made it through!

On Wednesday, Rocio (my host mom) and Rebecca (host sister) left the house before I did. When I went to leave, I noticed they had taken the key (which you need to get out of the house). So, I was locked in...and I had to be at school to teach. At first I stressed, and then I just sat on the couch and laughed. I called Michelle to let her know the situation and she said she would convey the message. Rocio came home at about 7:30 and off to school I went. The director ended up not even being there that day and no one really said a word to me about it. Still was not the way I had intended to make a first impression.

The rest of the week was a mixture of good and challenging. The students, teachers and school are done differently here in Costa Rica. Everything is much more laid back and school holds a different amount of importance here. I have had 6th grade boys pinch my sides, tell me they love me and think I am beautiful and ask for my phone number. I have had second graders walking on desks and throwing things across the classroom at other kids continuously despite my efforts to stop the behavior. I have also had a classroom of fourth graders completely engaged in an English word game. I am learning to become more flexible in my expectations, laugh off the little things and think of new ways to engage and discipline students. It is definitely taking up a lot of my energy and creativity! Fellow teachers and friends - if you have any ideas, please post them!

On a different note, I have joined the local women's soccer team. I was running by the plaza one afternoon and noticed they were playing. I went down, told the coach I liked soccer and that was that. We have practice twice a week. I play with some of my sixth grade girls, some of my student's moms and even another gringa! It is a nice way to break up the week and my daily workout routine.

I am thinking of all of you and love to hear stories about what is going on at home so please post them! Even if it is something trivial, I am craving stories about people I know and know well! I love you all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICKEY!!!!

Monday is coming...

Hello everyone!

I am officially back in Manuel Antonio enjoying the warm weather and the beach! My days here this past week have basically consisted of running and planning in the mornings and studying Spanish on the beach in the afternoons. I was finally able to meet my director today at the school and get into the classroom I will be teaching at least some of my classes in. My director seems nice and hopefully we will be able to establish a good working relationship. The classroom is really nice as well. We have a white board and a cabinet with books, stickers and school supplies past volunteers have left. It is definitely not enough to sustain my for the entire year, but it will at least help with the first couple of weeks.

School officially starts on Monday. This is also when I will be receiving my class schedule. It is difficult to plan prior to school starting when I don't know exactly what I will be teaching, but I am making do and will learn to improvise I'm sure.

I am thinking of all of you and hoping that you are doing well. Please keep me in your thoughts come Monday!

Back from Bataan

Hello all! I have been on an adventure to say the least! I am back from Bataan (I have actually been back since yesterday) and yes, it is a little earlier then I expected. I will start with the beginning of my adventure. So, as I said before, the other volunteers and I decided to do Techos Para Mi Pais, which is an organization that builds temporary relief houses and then later goes back and builds permanent housing after helping the family members get jobs and become more financially stable. The organization is run in 13 different countries and, as a precursor to my story, I want to say that I have a lot of respect for what this organization does. That being said, it just was not our week!

The week started with us having to meet all the others going on the trip at Parque Nacional in San Jose on Monday. We all stayed in a hostel on Sunday night because we had to be at the park by 12. After meeting up with our director, we sat in a big ampitheater like thing and listened to Bob Marley and talked. We ended up leaving the park close to four. Talk about living on Tico time! We boarded the buses only to find out that there were not enough seats for everyone. I ended up being one of the lucky few who got to stand for the three hour bus ride to Bataan. It actually was not as bad as it sounds and I did have a few very kind young people (all the other volunteers, besides those from WorldTeach, were in the late teens or very early 20s) offer to trade with me.

When we arrived in Bataan, it was pouring rain and freezing! We pulled up to a school and were told that this would be our home for the next 5 days. They opened the classrooms up and we moved the desks and chairs to the back to make room for our sleeping bags. It was raining so hard at this point, it was difficult to hear the scraping of the metal desks against the concrete floors that would become our beds. After unpacking and getting situated, we had dinner. Dinner was served around 11. By this time, we were all exhausted and headed to our "beds". It rained throughout the entire night. Sometimes it was so loud, it would wake you up. Then again, I may have been woken up by the feeling of my hip bones digging into the cement. It´s a toss-up.

The next morning we were woken up at 5. We had breakfast, dressed in our shorts, t-shirts and tennis shoes and headed out to our work sites. Myself and another man in my group were assigned to carry a huge, wooden pole that probably weighed close to 75 pounds, on our shoulders. About three minutes into the walk, it started to rain like I have never seen rain before. It was raining so hard, it was hard to carry on a conversation with the person next to you. So here I am, walking in the pouring rain carrying a huge pole on my shoulders and slipping evrey once in a while in mud. During our walk, we continue to drop off groups of people at their work sites. My site is the last one. After walking for 25 minutes, we finally arrived to the place where we would be building. The last 300 meters or so was through a swamp. Once we got to our site, we met our family. My famliy consisted of a mom, dad and their four children. The mother was pregnant as well. After meeting the family, we got to work. I was put in charge of sawing the poles in half. This was definitely a job seeing that each pole was about 20 inches in diameter, it was pouring rain (which makes for very wet wood) and the others working with me had no experience with using a good ol fashioned hand saw. I sawed until right before lunch time. At this point, I had started to get hives. Luckily, one of the men working with me was an English professor here in Costa Rica and so he was bilingual. I had him explain to my group leader what was going on. She ended up calling for a truck to pick me up. About a half hour later, the truck arrives to pick up a very hivey Lizzie. The truck then had to make a couple of stops before he took me back to the school. Once back at the school, the person in charge there could not find the keys for me to get into my room. In all, from the time my group leader called the truck to the time I was let into the room to change, close to 2 hours had passed. I was itchy and red!

It continued to rain the rest of the day and the entire night. The next morning I spoke to the girl (she was only 18) in charge and told her that I would not be going out to work that day. I had to explain to her that it took way too long for me to be able to get warm and that it was extremely dangerous for me to get cold. I am not sure she really believed or understood what I was saying, but I did end up staying at the school the second day. Here, I cleaned the kitchen while the others sat, smoked, and watched me clean. After that, I had to clean the bathrooms (think cleaning portapotties...very similar). I then helped brainstorm things for the activity that night. It was an extremely uncomfortable, gross and boring day. By the end of the day when my fellow volunteers returned, I was very unhappy. The nice thing was, they were unhappy as well. Apparently they had spent the majority of the day just standing out in the rain waiting for the truck to come with the supplies they needed. The truck never came and some people literally stood in the rain for 4 hours waiting.

I decided that if it was still raining the next morning, I was going to head back to San Jose. There was no point in me staying in Bataan. I was not building houses and I did not feel like I had a real purpose there. A few of the other volunteers felt the same way and so we decided to get the 9 oclock bus out of Bataan the next morning. Funny thing is, when we went to get the bus, we were told they were not running due to the rain and flooding. We had to go back at noon. Luckily, we were able to get on and return to San Jose.

So in conclusion, this week is not what I had hoped for at all. There were times I was in tears and there were times my friends were in tears. If nothing else, it made me appreciate warm, dry Arizona, Amor (the organization I build with in Mexico) and how organized they are, and my fellow volunteers. It was an experience I will laugh about in a few months I am sure and it is something that has made me closer with those I will be spending the next year with.

in san jose

Well, I wasn't going to update my blog until after returning from Limon, which will be on the 8th, but I am at a hostel in San Jose and figured I might as well give everyone a quick update.

A couple of weekends ago, the other volunteers and I visited the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. We went to a beach called Cahuita and it was beautiful! It was like a mini Jamaica in Costa Rica. We heard a lot of people saying phrases such as yah maan and such. Cahuita was a small town that had two main beaches. One of the beaches had black sand and the other white sand. We spent most of our time on the beach with the black sand mainly because none of us had ever been to a beach with black sand. During our first day on the beach, it started to rain. Since we have become increasingly aware of Costa Rican weather and knew that it might be pouring one minute and sunny the next, we decided to go in the ocean...it was way warmer in the ocean then on the beach...and wait out the rain. It was definitely a cool sensation to be in a warm ocean in the rain. Eventually, it stopped raining and we were able to enjoy the beach once more. We ate a lot of good food, a few drinks and danced A LOT! The weekend was a lot of fun and a good chance for the other volunteers and I to relax a bit after our week of practicum and Spanish classes.


Orientation is officially over. It ended on the 31st and I headed back to Manuel Antonio. The bus ride is getting much easier. I didn't get sick at all and on the way back into San Jose, I was actually able to watch what was going on outside without my stomach turning. Progress. It was nice to be able to unpack in Manuel Antonio. While in Orosi, I didn't want to unpack everything because I was only going to be there for a month. I was able to get myself situated in Manuel Antonio and although my underwear is in a tubberware, I feel like I have established myself in a room. I have a home. I absolutely love my family so far in Manuel Antonio. They are super patient with my Spanish and remind each other to speak slowly when speaking with me...my host brother tends to forget I am not quite on his level of Spanish yet.

We are currently staying in San Jose for the night because tomorrow we are off to help build emergency shelters in Bataan, Limon. Each year, WorldTeach volunteers are required to do one extra group project. This year, we decided to help with hurricane relief through an organization called Techos de mi Pais...translation - The roof of my country. I was able to borrow a hammer from my host family and bought a tape measure and work gloves at the hardware store. We meet the rest of the group we will be traveling to Limon with tomorrow at noon. I promise to give you all a full update on the trip when I return.

To all my cardinals fans - it was a good game. Myself and a few of my fellow volunteers watched the game at a bar in Manuel Antonio. I was able to get almost everyone to cheer for the Cardinals! It was a close game and a fun one to watch.

I love you all. To those at SSJ, good luck in Mexico! Good luck to you too Nick. I hope you are all well and please write me! I love hearing what is going on at home!

Paz y Amor.

So many things...

Hello everyone! Sorry I havent posted in a while but I have been super busy, which means I have a lot to tell you about.

First off, my trip to Manuel Antonio - Manuel Antonio is where I will be living starting the first of February and it is GORGEOUS! My family is amazing too. My mom is super nice and has three beautiful children. I got into MA on Saturday after a three hour bus ride from San Jose. The bus ride was a disaster. The rode is really curvy and the drivers are crazy. Although I have never had a problem with motion sickness, I was puking. Once I got there, the bus ride was worth it. Michelle and I went to the beach, which is about a 25 minute walk from where I live. It was basically what you see in pictures. The national park comes right up to a massive beach. The water is clear and just the right temperature. As you are laying on the beach, you can hear the monkies chatting in the trees. If you dont want to lay on the sand, there are hammocks strung between trees. Michelle and I ended up falling asleep for 2 hours while laying on the beach! On our walk back (all uphill) to our houses, we had mangos and fruit falling from the trees on our heads. When we looked up, we saw that the monkies were actually throwing stuff down at us. We stopped (away from the line of fire) and watched the monkies for awhile. It was amazing.

Second, Obama´s inauguration - We got to watch it! After Spanish classes on Tuesday we all went to a restaurant in town and watched his speech. I thought his speech was awesome. As I was sitting listening and watching such a great moment, I couldnt help but be thankful for the country I live in and the group of people I was with at that moment. Although I love all of my friends dearly in the states, no one seems to think quite like I do in regards to politics. It is different with the other volunteers. They all seem to have the same mentality as I do. We were cheering and had some good conversations that day at lunch. I see Tuesday as a great moment in history that will be talked about and written about in history classes and books. I always think back to the stories my elders would tell me about ¨where they were when...¨ I am excited to be able to tell my children, nephews, nieces, etc. that I was in Costa Rica as a volunteer teacher when Obama became President.

Third, I think I am starting to adjust to Costa Rican lifestyle. I have not accidently thrown toilet paper into the toilet, only then having to fish it out with my hands, all week. I have also had two hot showers in a row. My mom made empanadas for breakfast today, and although they were fried, they were delicious. I have been working out too. Last night, the other volunteers and I had a soccer tournament. I am starting to really enjoy playing soccer. My friend, Danna, and I also worked out on the plaza (soccer field) the other day. There was a pile of broken up cinder blocks which we used as weights. We attracted quite the crowd, watching and pointing, but I was sore the next day. That´s all that matters I suppose.

Next - Each year, WorldTeach volunteers are required to do one extra service project a year. Usually, this project is done as a group. This year, the other volunteers and I will be traveling to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica for earthquake relief. We will be building houses!!! Trust me, I was super excited when I heard that this is what we would be doing. We are going Feb. 3 - 8 and will be pretty much the only gringos there. We will be working alongside Tico youth to repair and build homes that were ruined in the earthquake. I am reeeaaallllyyyy excited!

In conclusion - I love you all, I´m happy for the good ol US of A that we have a president that might actually do good shit for once, and GO DEVILS AND CARDS!

Paz y Amor

update

so just a quick update because i dont have a ton of time before i have to be at my mext meeting

the hike was AMAZING!!! our guides name was Nano (i was only refering to mickey) and he was insane. we started out at 8 in the morning at got back close to one. during that time, we hiked up to a waterfall where we had to scale slippery rocks while holding onto a cord. we then went to his house that he has built on this mountain and he entertained us with all sorts of crazy things. we hiked through coffee plantations, swung on vines and many times veared off the trail only to find a new one. he would be walking by a plant, pull off the leaves and give them to us to eat. it was definitely an experience.

i had my first semi warm shower yesterday which was really nice. the showers here are super confusing and no one really knows how to work them. i have to ask my host mom every day to help me so i am not showering in icicles.

this coming weekend we are all leaving orosi for the week to go visit our sites. it will be my first time going to manuel antonio and i am super excited and will let you know how it is.

i now need to go call my parents and my sister. hope all is well.

paz

En Orosi

Hola amigos! so, as i am sure many of you have heard, Costa rica had an earthquake a couple of days ago. it was our first day of training and made for one muy interesante afternoon. we were actually on the 5th floor of the clinica biblica, hospital, when it happened. it was definitely and odd sensation to have the entire building shake. leilani, my field director, said it was probably a good thing we were in the building we were because it was only built four years ago. this means it is built with current technological advances and such. it was definitely exciting though.

the food here is very different then that in the US. almost everything is fried and there is a TON of beans and rice. there is pinto gallo, which is beans, rice and a dulce chile sauce, for breakfast. then beans and rice with some type of fried something for lunch and then beans and rice with chiken for dinner. they also have this powder, kind of like tang but waaaay sweeter, that they add to their water every meal. my family thinks i am muy loco because i only drink water. in fact, they even tell all their friends that i dont drink anything but water and i get very strange looks. apparently water is not too popular here.

tomorrow morning los voluntarios y yo are going on this hike with a crazy man that lives in the forest (mickey) up to some amazing waterfall. i am super excited for it. it costs 1000 colones (2 bucks) and they said it would probably be best if we did not all pay him on the same day because he would just use all the money for alcohol. he gives hikes-tours as a career i think...

the people in the town of orosi are super nice. it is a town that is known for its language schools so they have gringos here all the time. most of the families living here have had at least one gringo live with them before. i am the fifth to live with mi familia.

so far, i have seen no crazy bugs, eaten anything crazy (lots of beans and rice) or done anything out of the ordinary. i am continuing to improve in my spanish (thank goodness) and we have not even started spanish classes yet. we start those next week.

hope everyone is doing well at home. the weather here is gorgeous! muchos amor!!!!