What I am grateful for at home

My parents
My friends
The kids and staff at Hermosa
The cold
The beauty of the desert
Not having to think so hard to talk
Stores, food, Starbucks
Driving
Couches
Bed
Feeling taken care of
Pandora
Internet on my phone wherever I want
The absence of rice and beans
Wearing more clothes and not sweating all day and night

Things that are Weird about the US - Reverse Culture Shock

Toilet Paper - Every time, I hesitate and look around for a trash can to throw the toilet paper in... instead of in the toilet.  

Crossing Guards - Here I am, driving for the first time in six months, and I stop at a light where crossing guards are helping school children cross the street.  I don't know why, but this really strikes me as something special and organized... something I never really saw before. 

Shopping - Why are there so many choices? 

I am happy that when I go to the mall, literally everyone there is speaking Spanish :]  There is so much Spanish that the woman opening the dressing rooms even addresses me in Spanish. 

"Your English is Really Good."

Standing in the Quepos bus station, waiting for the bus to San Jose. 

"Excuse me, do you know which bus goes to San Jose?"
"Yes, it will arrive in fifteen minutes," I reply to the girl wearing a large backpack.
 "Oh, thanks," she smiles back at me.  "You're English is really good."
"Thanks," I say... taken by surprise.
"Where did you learn English?" she asks.

This was the point where the theatrical part of me decided it would be more fun to play along than to explain myself.  I mean, I never lied... just gave vague enough answers that the girl was able to construct her own story...

"I lived in the US for a really long time," I explain.
"Oh, cool!  But you live here, now?"
"Yes."
"And you're going to San Jose for the holidays?"
"Actually, I'm visiting my family in the US.  They live there."

The conversation continued like this until we got on the bus.  There, she told her friends she was traveling with that I was from Costa Rica, but lived in the US and now I was teaching here. 

Amused at the situation I had gotten into, I wondered if any Ticos around me knew enough English to hear them and wonder why my Spanish didn't sound local. 

When we arrived at the bus stop half way, the girl's friend asked me if I could help her buy ice cream.  She couldn't tell which flavor was which, so I helped her. 

We parted ways in San Jose, the odd little play closing.  A little surprised at that adventure and thoroughly amused, I walked into the city thinking about how far I had come in the last five and a half months. 

And I just have to add: does my English really sound that weird that someone's first guess is that I must not be a native English speaker?  Was it using words like "it will arrive" instead of "it will get here" that caused her to believe I must be an ELL?  Is it speaking slowly and clearly that made me sound a little weird?

I guess that is what happens when you really start learning a second language; your first language becomes a little less normal and you become part of a new culture. A culture of the in-between. 

Soy Tica :] jaja

Weirdness of the Week - I'm going home :]

1. Amanda - meeting my future student at the beach or Quepos is tan pequenito:

I went to the beach on Friday to enjoy my last day with one of my friends who is moving to Brasil and this really sweet girl came up to where we were sitting; she said, "puedo sentarme con ustedes para que no estoy sola?"  (Can I sit with you guys so that I am not alone).  We were a little surprised, but replied - sure, of course!  She offered us cookies and I offered her grapes.  I asked her how old she was and she told me that she was in High School.  Guess what... yep, she goes to the high school I will probably work at and she will even be in the level I plan to teach.  So, Quepos is a super small town and I already know 3 students.  She introduced me to her friends of course :] 

2.  Happy New Year!

You may remember how Christmas seemed to happen early here.  Well, guess what... so does New Years.  I'm not even joking.  My friends and I went to the disco on Friday night to despidirme and not at midnight, but at 1:20 in the morning.... the DJ randomly started a countdown for new years.  December 14th at 1:20am is new years here - or maybe it just happens all the time; I don't know.  Sometimes I wonder if I just attract these weird events because I find them so amusing.  Anyway, after the countdown, he started to play (what my friends told me) are traditional new years songs and started pouring shots of guaro into people's mouths; all you had to do was walk up to him and there he was, pouring right from the bottle.  I guess I didn't miss new years here, after all :]  haha. 

3.  The House that Has All of Its Things Outside:

If you remember, there is this one house in particular that always has its things outside.  One day the family was playing video games on the sidewalk, cables strung from the upstairs window.  Well, they are moving more and more of their things across the street.  Now, on the river bank there is what looks like a fridge, a 4 wheeler, and at least four chairs that they are often sitting in when I walk by.  Is their living room slowly migrating across the street?  Also, when I walked by on Saturday, I realized that their Christmas Tree is also outside of their house.  Of course it is. 

4.  Stolen Tenies:

On Friday night my tennis shoes were on the barred porch where they always are and on Saturday morning they were not.  Yep, someone needed my shoes more than I did and must have pulled them out through the bars with a long stick.  Luckily it was the day I was leaving so I could get new ones.  Today, when I went to see the volcano in Alajuela with my friends they told me it would be super cold.  It was, but my friend gave me old tennis shoes that fit perfectly.  Success!

Jose Alvarado Cortez - the Angel on the Tracopa Bus

Traveling is always an adventure - especially in Latin America - which is one reason why I love it.  One never knows what situations may be encountered or what problem solving skills may be utilized... who may appear to help. 

Here I am, sitting on the bus to San Jose from Quepos, when I decide to text my friend to see if she made it to the airport to pick up her dad.  Right away, she calls me to tell me that her taxi driver says there are no buses leaving for Heredia.  It is absolute insanity in San Jose because tonight is the "Festival of Lights" and the whole town is shut down for the parades and whatever else there is. 

Ok, this is going to be interesting - I think to myself.  Then, I begin to do what I have found works best in Latin America... start talking to people.  I ask the driver if he knows where I might get off to get a taxi to Heredia.  He doesn't know, but says he'll see as we get closer.  Then, a really nice man sitting across the aisle (who had already helped the driver rearrange passengers earlier when there weren't enough seats) chimes in.  He says that he'll call the bus company in Heredia and ask them.  He finds out where the new stops are and decides that he is going to walk through downtown San Jose with me to the new stop. 

I know you can't just trust anyone, but I felt really safe with him.  We walked and talked for about forty minutes through downtown San Jose as it became dusk.  He pointed out landmarks and the red light district, making sure I knew it was dangerous there.  There were people everywhere, roads were all blocked off, it was total insanity.  Without him, I could have done it but I would have been very lost and had to have worked pretty hard to get anywhere.  He even asked the bus driver if the bus was going to Heredia centro;  I had told him I knew that bus, but I guess it made him happy to finish his work in helping me. I felt so happy when that bus left for Heredia, a place I knew well... signifying I was almost "home." 

He told me his name, but all I could remember was some combination of Jose Alvarado Cortez... or it may have been Jose anything.  So, I'll just remember him as the angel on the Tracopa bus who was there to guide me through a potentially challenging situation.  Thank you, Jose. 

Plot Twist

Someone recently told me that when things suddenly change in your life, it is just a plot twist.  Won't be rehired at your current job?.... PLOT TWIST!

My job teaching at the elementary school ended as abruptly and randomly as it began.  One day I got an email that they needed a sub, a few weeks later I was permanent.  Last Friday, the last day of school, they told me that they will not have a position for me next year.  Surprised and sad, I realized that I had in fact become attached to the kids and staff there. I had grown to love the community of supportive parents and "disfruted" (an invented word from the Spanish verb disfrutar) all of the fun events we had - including the crazy end of year bingo that I still need to write about. 

Every ending, however, makes space for something new to take its place.

Whether that something new is teaching more private classes, starting an improv group for local adolescents, or teaching at a different school... I am trusting that it will be reasonably perfect - as in the experience I need to be having right now. 

This morning I had an interview at a high school in town; the interview was totally in Spanish and the director said that she was pleased that I spoke the language.  I was proud of that, too.  Definitely the first time I conducted an hour long interview in Spanish, getting all the information I needed and asking intelligent questions.  Last time I was interviewed in Spanish was before I left Heredia 4 months ago.  That was a big deal at the time, but I remember feeling like I missed important information and could not say much more about myself than who I was and that I wanted to teach English with that company.  Now, here I am asking about the school's mission and their discipline policy.  While still making mistakes, the fact that I was communicating in Spanish did not hinder what I could or wanted to communicate. 

There are times where I feel like my Spanish is not improving, and then I have a marker like this to show me how far I really have come. 

Also, I think I'm finally going to get to teach high school, something I have wanted since I started at the university!!!!

Here's to this plot twist leading to new challenges, new adventures, and new growth. 

End of the Year

Christmas Caroling with Disco Lights.... but wait till you hear that the play was about Super Heroes meeting Baby Jesus.

Riding in the Car to Teacher's Breakfast - Karina in the Car-Seat and Maria in the Trunk

What a Lovely Team of Teachers :]

Disfruting the Waterfall at the Beach with Some of the Sweetest Students

Passenger on a Bicycle

There are some things in life that you didn't really know were goals until you are doing them.  There are some goals that you have thought about once in a hypothetical situation and laughed about, but never thought you would do. 

Being a passenger on a bike is one of those small goals.  I watch bikes go by everyday with two, three, even four people on them.  I am always amused, but never have seen myself being one of those people.  I mean, who was going to add me as a passenger to their bike, right?

Well, tonight I was walking home when my host brother rode up next to me.  Do you want a ride, he asked? I hopped on, a little scared, and we rode home - me perched on the center bar. 

I am pleased to add this to the ever growing list of new experiences I have had in Costa Rica. 

Tico Bingo

Apparently Bingo is a big way to fundraise in this country.  Schools do it, churches do it, even the Red Cross does it.

I was fortunate to attend my first Costa Rican bingo event this past weekend and it was soooo much fun!!! It was four hours long and included "arroz con pollo" aka "arroz con siempre" as it is served at any event/party, a school supply garage sale, disco lights from the graduation the night before, and of course - latin dance music :]

I think my favorite part was listening to everyone yell out things as the mom who was announcing the numbers turned the bingo ball.  "Muevelo!!! Vientecinco!!! Eso!!! Diay!!!"

Hearing a little three year old say "muevelo" in his tiny high pitched voice may have been my favorite part.

Weirdness of the Week - Christmas Edition

1.  Kolbi - the phone company - sends a text message that says you have 50 messages to gift someone as a Christmas present.  That was fun.

2.  There are scary toys at the "copy place."  Just read what its features are... also, I think they needed an editor that spoke English. You touch it's butt and it says "no,no" ?!  Who thought that was a good feature?! Even the toy cat looks like he didn't think this was a good idea. 

2.  These firecrackers I mentioned earlier are following me around town.  I was at my friend's house last Thursday and while she was in the bathroom, "bam bam bam" right outside the window. She laughed so hard I could hear her all the way through the walls to her bedroom. We had just talked about how they were outside my room every night and how they had never been outside her house.  I guess they knew I was there.  Op, there they go outside my room again.... It is 10:21 pm.

3.  Now that school is out, there are little children in the streets until after 11pm.  They are riding their bikes around and around the Banco Popular parking lot, playing soccer in the street, and throwing palm leaves at each other as if it were 5 in the afternoon.  Then, I see them out early in the morning anyways.  I guess they just don't sleep much.

4.  The fact that it is Christmas right now is just weird in itself as it only gets hotter and hotter instead of colder and colder.  I feel as if I am living in an eternal summer.  For kids here, graduation and summer break are synonymous with Christmas.  You can now better understand their excitement, hence the fireworks. 

5.  It is even exciting for adults, as it is a law here that employers give their employees an extra month's salary during the month of December.   I even got that from the elementary school; I was not expecting this at all :]  Maybe I should go buy some firecrackers to celebrate. 

Also, we have this cute little tree in the house.... :]  Isn't it cute?

Prettiest Yoga Class Ever

December 1st... Is it Christmas, yet?

December 1: Why are fireworks going off at 10pm outside my window? -
I was just informed it was for Christmas..... This could be a very long month.

December 2:  Sounds as though lighting fireworks on my street is going to be a nightly event... is it Christmas, yet? The only thing is, they're not fireworks... but explosives.  They sound like gunshots.