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!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
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...
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...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
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!
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!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
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.
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.
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