Teacher

I have officially started my English classes with the police officers! Last night I had been planning on not having actual class as the police officers were changing groups and wanted to use the time to just get to know the new group as I did the other, but to my surprise, after dinner most of the police officers had a notebook out and were watching me, whom they call call "teacher," waiting for class to start. Although one officer took to heart the fact that I said we were not having class and decided to instead watch T.V., I had seven great students. This group is going to be a bit easier to handle as most of them are still at a very basic level, unlike the other group with some of them with much more advanced English. Thus, with this class we started with the very basics- went over the English alphabet, numbers, and basic greetings. At times I doubted whether I was doing a very good job, but I'm enjoying helping them out very much. It is going to be quite difficult as I do have them for class only shortly every other week and all of them have not only this job, but other work, other classes to finish high school, and families, but I've got some plans that will hopefully help them learn more with this class than others. Today was very enjoyable as I got to meet my house "mom's" 6-year-old daughter, who's room I am living in as she lives with her grandmother most of the time. She was intrigued by me as I am a new "gringa" and like the average 6 -year-old harassed me for a while with all of her toys, including her doctor toys. Fortunately both my "parents" had the day off and we were able to go to a nearby pool at a more excluded hotel. Laying next to the pool with the flowers and palm trees around me soaking up the sun, playing soccer with my parents on the hotel's soccer field, and swimming around in the pool, I definitely felt like I was on a tropical vacation. Now on to teach class numero dos!

Irony

Yesterday went by very fast for me, which is certainly usually not the case for me on Mondays. It seems I will be waking up around 6-6:30 am everyday here as that is when the sun starts to rise, the birds start to sing (which is bad in a tropical place with lots of different birds), and the temperature gets just hot enough  to make me uncomfortable enough to wake me up. However, this is good because it means I am up early enough to join the police officers for breakfast, which yesterday included not only rice and beans (Callo Pinto is the name of the dish here) but fried plantains, my personal favorite, and their amazing coffee. The photo I posted yesterday shows the unique coffee maker used by the police officers and a bit more of the tourist police station. I can’t remember the name of this type of coffee maker in Spanish, although I have been told several times now, but it includes a long cloth bag that the coffee is put in, which stands above a pot, of which then boiling water is poured over and the brewed coffee drips out of the bag. Yesterday I also dressed slightly nicer as I had a meeting with a local tour guide about a possible part time job. It was noticed by some of the officers as I got compliments including that I was pretty and sexy, and one officer even brought up the idea of me dating his nephew. After talking with the police for a while, I left to find that my host “mom” is going to be mom spoiling her only child as she swept my room and did my dirty laundry. I then went into town to meet with the tour director Eric. He has been in Costa Rica for 10 years and works for a company that gives many different tours around La Fortuna and is starting a new tour on Arenal lake (the large lake near Volcan Arenal) with a large boat. Eric fortunately wanted a native English speaker to help with this project, and I will get paid to help out on the boat as a drink server. The best bonus about this job though is that my new friend Eric who knows everything about fun things to do in Costa Rica and where and how to do them will be able to help me plan other small trips and be able to make them at a lower price. I’m also going to a temporary member of “The United States Club” while I am here, as the 25 or so Americans that live and work in the area now get together periodically to enjoy their old culture again. In fact, this Sunday I’m invited to watch an event on one of the most American days of the year- Superbowl Sunday.  I’m more excited to watch the game here than I would be at home, although I must say I have also been enjoying the Costa Rican news channels as well as some great telenovelas (Latin America’s version of Soap Operas on steroids) with my house “mom”. They are really good practice for my Spanish as the actors are so dramatic they speak much more slowly than other programs (and secretly they are almost entertaining). In the telenovelas I’m noticing some more interesting cultural observations that are also confirmed in La Fortuna. The clothing style here for women is often short skirts or shorts or skinny jeans with sandals or high heels. And more interesting, American-brand stores like Aeropostale, American Eagle, and Hollister are some of the highest fashions you can get. I see people wearing these brands everywhere, and according to my host mom, people here are paying for this style as a single Aeropostale t-shirt can cost $40 to $50 dollars, even if used. I purposely did not bring clothing of mine that had any American brands on it like Aero or Hollister thinking it would only look like a shirt with English writing- now I wish I would have brought all of them to sell them! And while talking about appearance, people’s perception of appearance here when dealing with body weight is also perplexing to me. Here it is totally acceptable to call or recognize someone as fat. The description of “fat” is also used frequently; in fact, after showing two female officers video of my campus news program at MSSU “Campus Update” on Youtube, one told me that I was fatter then and was surprised that it was filmed this past year. Although the officers tell me I’m skinny, they also warn that I will get fat while I am here. Hopefully I can prove them wrong there. More so I hope that I can adequately teach these officers English. Today I finally had a lesson with the new group that is working this week. I was planning on using the night solely for introductions and to let them get settled in; however to my surprise, all but one officer that rather watched TV than listen to me was ready for a class. With this group I realize I really have my work cut out for me as their English capabilities are very slim to none, but a lot can happen in 3 months and I’m excited to help those that really want to learn. Recently I’ve also noticed how dirty some parts of town are, especially the run-off water that has been created by the rain. It turns a slimy green color along the cement and had a strong stench which is also attributed to the significant amount of trash scattered along; it seems ironic that such a beautiful place could have such repulsiveness as well. I also find it ironic that at this time a year ago back in Joplin we received the most snow I have even seen in my life, but this year, the one year I leave during winter for a tropical country, Joplin has warm Spring-like weather. Finally, I am going to try to no longer complain about having only cold water. After biking for 45 minutes, sweating profusely, and sitting in that sweat for an hour and a half at Burger King to use the free wifi while I was in town, I came home and got in the shower more than ready to rinse off my dirt and sweat only to find that we had NO water. Please note, the keyword in that thought is try.

Flowers and a bit more of the police station

Culture shock and not so much

Sunday is certainly the day of rest whether you are in Costa Rica or in the United States. This lazy Sunday morning I also experienced my first big rain in this tropical town. The cool air of the rain felt very nice as my host family and I sat in the living room with the door open and relaxed. The day consisted most of watching futbol- just like the U.S. Sunday is the day of lots of futbol just the kind where you use your feet. All day my host "dad" watches soccer- and there is tons of soccer here. It certainly is THE SPORT in Central America. And just like Americans yell at the T.V. during football games, my host parents yelled at the T.V. with lots of emotion during their favorite team's game. My host dad even had to go on a few smoke brakes to deal with all the stress. Between games we watched TNT and programs on the History channel- its really not much different than home. Some of the programs are in English with subtitles others are dubbed over in Spanish including Batman Begins. It's very interesting too because their lip movements match the Spanish words, there must be some technology to change the actors lips only as well. Today I also went on a long run around 1.5 hours, and went up closer to the Volcano and saw more of the town. One culture difference I have been noticing in the machismo attitude with men here- they check out girls up and down, especially girl's backsides with ease. I could definitely feel eyes on me this morning as I passed, but that's fine with me if I can get some good runs in. I finished my run at the track here in town. There I could see how some aspects of the culture are really not different with all age groups. A group of youngsters around the age of 2-4 playing around on little tricycles and the boys then throwing them of a little ledge and laughing just as any young American boys. There was also a group of younger teenagers walking around in a group in a way that they thought they were the coolest kids around, just like kids in the Northpark Mall. And right next to where I was stretching after my run, a group of young adults were playing soccer, much like some of my friends in Joplin. I also got to get into a few social issues with my host family today- we got on the topic of gay and lesbians, and even though both of them identify themselves as Catholics, they don't really see homosexuality as a big issue which I would say is similar to our generation in the United States, both are more accepting than some older generations. On top of that, we listen to the same music as last night I explained what some Blink 182 and Bob Marley songs were about in English and listened to a very good Spanish version of Beyonce's "If I Were A Boy," one of my host "mom's" favorite songs. And certainly like my generation in the U.S., facebook is very popular here- but here they call it simply "face" which is sometimes confusing for me, but awesome how technology is definitely bringing cultures together as well. It's really neat to see how although many things are different here, like most obviously the language, in many areas, people are really not that different. The cold shower, although, is still way different than at home.

Dogs and mosquitos

To start out with some good news, Monday I am meeting with the guy from CA with the tour company to see about working with him as he does seem to have a need for English tour guides so hopefully that will work out! I got a phone here in Costa Rica to communicate with the locals so I´m a real person again. Last night I got to run for the first time in about a week, which I could tell it had been a while, which was awesome in the warm evening here. I went to the local track with 3 police officers who had a regimented 1 hour for exercise. During our walk to the track I quized them about different things we passes like fences, sidewalks, and the different directions in English. We were all going to run, but when we got there I was the only one who actually started running, but that was fine with me. It was interesting running around not only walkers and other runners but kids playing soccer, people rollerblading, people riding bikes, and people smoking. Not what I´m used to on the track back home. Many people here smoke, including my host parents at night, but fortunately not in the house. I was a bit concerned after the run last night because we did not make it back until 7:30pm and I had thought that´s when they wanted to have class, however, last night I had a big realization. It is not going to be easy to get these guys and gals to sit down and listen to me teach every night. This was confirmed when a very nice young woman named Lindsay stopped by who I had been wanting to meet. She did the same volunteer program I did last April and then decided to stay here and work in a hotel. She warned me that I will have to take control and be a strict on the them to work on their English. She also told me who of the police officers has very good English including the supervisor here, which afterward I talked to for quite a while in English and know he is definitely the hardest working student out all of them and practices quite a bit. I was very excited to meet Lindsay and to have a friend here with native English to talk to when I need a break from Spanish. When I got back to my house my host parents were outside hanging out with his cousin who is my age and works as a bell boy at a hotel and knows English fairly well. It is very interesting to see people my age interact here and realize how similar it is to the U.S. in a different language and culture. We talked about movies and listen and talked about music and joked around while they smokes and the guys drank a couple of beers. After sweating all day my super cold shower was almost bearable. Getting to sleep is fairly easy although my thin mattress is going to take some getting used to. Although the worst annoyances are definitely the huge number of dogs that live in the neighborhood, which just like in 101 dalmations, all start to bark and howl when one dog seems to be barking something important. And even worse, along with the tiny ant-like bugs in my room that are really not a problem, there was a big misquito buzzing around while I tried to sleep. My blanket did not protect me completely as I had 3 bites this morning, including one one my forehead, but this morning I got him! Now starting my day after breakfast with the police, more rice and beans and fried eggs, and coffee which I ironically drank out of a Dora the Explorer cup.

Surprises in La Fortuna

With any trip, things do not always go according to plan, as I have already realized, and it seems the trip is going to continue to be that way. I found out last night while talking to my wonderful police officer students over dinner (which was again black beans and rice as I feel all my meals down here will be as all their meals always consist of this along with some meat which as a vegetarian I do not eat, and everyone here thinks I’m absolutely crazy for not eating meat) that the only time I can have class with them is from 6-9pm in the evening during dinner after they have worked an entire day. Thus, this morning after a very nice walk around La Fortuna and taking photographs for all of your enjoyment, getting some fresh fruit for breakfast, I also did some job hunting. I’m REALLY REALLY hoping that I can get a job, yes PAID job, giving tours around the Volcan Arenal and the nearby cloud rainforest! How awesome will that be! I even met a guy from CA that has a tour company that will be calling me tonight. I also found a gym that is only $24 a month that has stationary bikes and other equipment so I won’t be missing my road bike at home too much. There is also a pretty nice track and soccer field here that I might get to play some futbol with the police officers every once a while. I also discovered the local Burger King, yes Burger King, has free wifi which is also below the gym and will make communicating home much easier. On the bad news side, I took a shower last night and my nice host mom showed concern that it was cooler at night, and when I got in and realized there was only cold water- and if you know me, I like my showers HOT, so 3 months of cold water is going to be tough. Luckily my parents and brother get here in 50 days (not that I am counting) for his Spring Break and I will get to take a shower at their hotel! J Otherwise, things are going well. My host “Dad” who is only 23 and looks like he is 17 is also very laid back and kind, and last night we all went to the central park to enjoy the nice night and chat. I’m still getting used to this upper 80 to 90 degree weather and sun, but it’s better than snow! We also saw 6 huge campers that were part of the production crew which I was told is for a movie with Will Smith and his son! Later this afternoon, I am running with three police officers and then have my first English class this evening. On the lesson plan: introductions and greetings!  

Welcome to mi nuevo hogar- La Fortuna!

Made it to La Fortuna!

Today I made it to my volunteer project location- La Fortuna, Costa Rica after a long 4 hour bus ride from San Jose. The views throughout the ride were amazing going through mountains and seeing all the tropical trees with bright orange, yellow, purple, and red. As I am teaching the tourist police English in this town, a police officer was to pick me up at the station. I arrived later than originally expected so I didn't know if they knew I was there and was a bit worried. Another bus companion of mind that I had noticed because he was the only other white person approached me. I immediately felt bad for my worries as he had a bag with his passport, money, ipod, and small computer stolen. When the police arrived to help them, they were also looking for me, so my ride arrived! We went to the police station where I met the other police officers. Some of my prior worries about what they would be like completely fanished. They were all super welcoming and excited to have me. They even gave me some of their yummy rice and beans lunch as the police here have a system similar to firefighters in the U.S. and work every other week, living at the station during their week to work. Thus, I will also have two sets of students. I also got to meet my host family "mom" who is actually 25 years old and works at a sporting goods store in La Fortuna. She is absolutely a sweetheart and very friendly. I am so glad to have more of a peer as a host family. And she wants to run with me!!! And is hoping to learn English as well, so I'm more than glad that I will have my hands full teaching people as I like to be busy. And on top of all that, it is beautiful here. The plants, flower, the towering volcano over the town, I will have much to explore. The town is also small enough that I feel completely safe walking around. Furthermore, both the police and my host mom think that my Spanish is good! Go figure! They are being patient and kind, but I don't feel as completely lost as I did before, which is wonderful. I will definitely be posting some photos of La Fortuna for you all soon!!!

San Jose: Orientation

Well, I made it to Costa Rica! I arrived last night and after my flights from Tulsa to Dallas and Dallas to San Jose. After getting my bag at the San Jose airport, I ended up waiting for a long 2 hours for another person supposed to go to the same hostel (which wasn't as bad thanks to the company of another waiting traveler from England to chat with), but finally made it to the hostel around 11pm to find some confusion about when my arrival date was supposed to be, but fortunately everything was worked out and my only roommate in my dorm was a very nice retired Canadian woman, whom I've learned about her awesome life traveling around the world by sailboat. This morning I got up and explored more of the very nice hostel with its little pool area with hammocks and chairs filled with other travelers basking in the warm sun. I then went out to see some of the downtown San Jose area including the main Judicial area, the National Costa Rica museum, and their Central Park including several pieces of artwork which you can see in the photos. I then came back for my volunteer orientation (where there was also some confusion) but after a delay was able to meet with the nice man in charge of my project down here named Adrian, technical information about my new host family (which does not include a 20 year old guy as was originally planned and that they know no English), and the police I will be teaching which luckily it sounds like they are excited to have me. I also found out I have total control over my actual teaching technique and lesson plans, which was a bit surprising, but also exciting.  In the morning I will be getting a taxi to the bus station and take my 2 hour ride to La Fortuna and get settled into my host home, which at this point I am very looking forward to getting settled in! Also hoping that what little Spanish skills I do have start to kick in a little better because right now I'm feeling pretty lost!

San Jose: Orientation