Dear Future Self,
I am writing to you from a period of big change and transition. I am sitting at the edge of the unknown and I can't yet see out past the fog, but I know there are magnificent sights we will see as that fog begins to clear.
There are some things I want to tell you, just in case you don't remember as clearly as you do right now.
Take things as they come. Life is unexpected and your whole day's plans can change multiple times before the day ends - that's where a lot of the fun is. A lot of things might not work. That's ok... as long as you have what you need to be safe and fed you are fine. And, there is always another bus.
Have high expectations for people and groups, but if you're the one pulling them along and nobody is
as invested as you... let it go.
Enjoy people. Everyone has a story and something to share with you. Say good morning, smile, and ask how someone's day is going. Don't be afraid to talk to random people in a park or on a bus. They might turn out to be one of your new best friends.
Express yourself and be silly. Use your words to the full range of their expressive powers. Don't just use average boring everyday words. Words have life.
Seek first to understand. Even when you are in your own culture, seeing and listening through unbiased eyes can teach you a lot - I bet, and bring you to places you never thought you would go.
Remember to relax. Working hard is good, but so is doing nothing besides sitting outside, talking to friends... or cooking dinner and watching youtube videos.
Appreciate what you have and be thankful. Enjoy nature and family. Observe changes of season and enjoy the cold.
When you turn on the tap and water comes out, feel blessed. Electricity and water are a privilege, not a given.
When you feel out of place in your own country, breath through it. I think it will pass.
If you feel insecure or unsure of yourself, remember this: You moved to another country - by yourself, learned the language, built a way to support yourself through hanging up fliers, answering the phone in Spanish, developing various curriculum, turning a high school class around, starting an improv troupe, teaching at corporations, writing for companies, being a receptionist, doing projects with the peace corps, and so much more. And at this point, all of that doesn't even seem like a big deal - but it is. You can make things happen.
Be open to being loved. Love them like they'll be with you forever; appreciate them like it's your last day together.
So, although right now I feel nervous about the future, I know that this is the next leap I need to take. Sitting on this cliff any longer doesn't serve our growth. The only way is to jump... and trust that we now know how to fly.
Me
Friday, July 10, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
The High School - My Most Difficult Journey...
And maybe not so surprisingly, where I feel like I've made the most impact.
It's funny how the project I was so close to quitting so many times turned out to be the project I'm most proud of and connected to in the end.
The kids that fought against me daily as if we were going into battle now hug me sometimes and say things like, "Teacher, I love you." Yes, these are HS students.
The relationship shift is immense, but what I want to talk about here is their progress in communication and thinking skills in English.
There are three major projects in the last few weeks that have put me in awe of their growth.
First, we had a free verse poetry slam. My friend, Alex, who was visiting me taught them how to write free verse poetry. We watched a professional on a TED talk and they were inspired. We talked about metaphors and hyperbole and they were off - writing like people who had something to say!
They memorized their poems and performed them over a potluck breakfast :] Snapping all the while in support of their classmates.
Second, they wrote essays on their exams where they compared how the theme of governmental control was expressed in the movies, Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Divergent, and the Giver. They couldn't even write paragraphs about themselves when we started together. Now, they are writing analytical essays. Of course their English is still rough, but they are doing it! The director told me that analyzing literature is something they struggle with in Spanish class and that they don't really know how to write organized essays. Yes!!!! They are doing it in their second language!
I think one thing that helped was that we had already done group projects where they made posters about the themes with examples from each movie and presented, so they already had the concepts.
Also, I made them organize their ideas on the exam by completing an outline where they had to list: Idea 1______________
Example from a movie___________
Example from a movie___________
Example from a movie ___________
Idea 2 _______________
and so on....
I learned this organization technique when I was teaching middle school writing.
Lastly, we watched one more movie called McFarland and discussed the ideas in the movie.
We could all relate to the story as it is about a coach and his family who move to a Mexican community of farm workers in CA because it is the only HS job the coach could get. He struggles with being accepted into the community much like I did at the HS. He sticks with it, though and beautiful relationships are formed. Also, the kids in the movie are the firsts in their family to make it to college.
They wrote their own discussion questions - as they still need a lot of work in question writing. They always leave out the do or did and still put the words in the wrong order no matter how many times we practice. One day, they'll get it. Anyways, during exam week they never want to do anything and are always studying for other subjects during my class. So.... we made a deal. I told them that if they could have a good discussion for 30 minutes with their notes for other classes in their bags, I would give them 30 minutes to study. If not, they would have to do worksheets for points the whole class.
They unanimously chose the discussion option and I started the stopwatch.
It was amazing. It was the most thoughtful and participatory discussion we've ever had.
They took turns asking their questions and passing the ball to someone to answer.
We used several tenses, naturally, including the conditional "What would you do if you were in his situation....? Would you move or stay with the team?"
They talked about how money isn't everything and how community is more important.
They talked about how important it is to have hope and something to work towards.
They talked about how their lives were easy compared to the kids in the movie who had to get up at 4 and work in the fields before school.
Before we ended, I asked them if any of them would be first generation college students like the kids in the story. They went around and answered. Most of them will be.
When they smiled with pride as they responded, "Yes," I got goosebumps.
Even though I'm leaving this group, they have given me things I will carry with me forever.
I know that this is they type of population I want to work with - teens who are blazing a new path... Teens who need that little extra support to get that somewhere their hope can take them.
It's funny how the project I was so close to quitting so many times turned out to be the project I'm most proud of and connected to in the end.
The kids that fought against me daily as if we were going into battle now hug me sometimes and say things like, "Teacher, I love you." Yes, these are HS students.
The relationship shift is immense, but what I want to talk about here is their progress in communication and thinking skills in English.
There are three major projects in the last few weeks that have put me in awe of their growth.
First, we had a free verse poetry slam. My friend, Alex, who was visiting me taught them how to write free verse poetry. We watched a professional on a TED talk and they were inspired. We talked about metaphors and hyperbole and they were off - writing like people who had something to say!
They memorized their poems and performed them over a potluck breakfast :] Snapping all the while in support of their classmates.
Second, they wrote essays on their exams where they compared how the theme of governmental control was expressed in the movies, Maze Runner, Hunger Games, Divergent, and the Giver. They couldn't even write paragraphs about themselves when we started together. Now, they are writing analytical essays. Of course their English is still rough, but they are doing it! The director told me that analyzing literature is something they struggle with in Spanish class and that they don't really know how to write organized essays. Yes!!!! They are doing it in their second language!
I think one thing that helped was that we had already done group projects where they made posters about the themes with examples from each movie and presented, so they already had the concepts.
Also, I made them organize their ideas on the exam by completing an outline where they had to list: Idea 1______________
Example from a movie___________
Example from a movie___________
Example from a movie ___________
Idea 2 _______________
and so on....
I learned this organization technique when I was teaching middle school writing.
Lastly, we watched one more movie called McFarland and discussed the ideas in the movie.
We could all relate to the story as it is about a coach and his family who move to a Mexican community of farm workers in CA because it is the only HS job the coach could get. He struggles with being accepted into the community much like I did at the HS. He sticks with it, though and beautiful relationships are formed. Also, the kids in the movie are the firsts in their family to make it to college.
They wrote their own discussion questions - as they still need a lot of work in question writing. They always leave out the do or did and still put the words in the wrong order no matter how many times we practice. One day, they'll get it. Anyways, during exam week they never want to do anything and are always studying for other subjects during my class. So.... we made a deal. I told them that if they could have a good discussion for 30 minutes with their notes for other classes in their bags, I would give them 30 minutes to study. If not, they would have to do worksheets for points the whole class.
They unanimously chose the discussion option and I started the stopwatch.
It was amazing. It was the most thoughtful and participatory discussion we've ever had.
They took turns asking their questions and passing the ball to someone to answer.
We used several tenses, naturally, including the conditional "What would you do if you were in his situation....? Would you move or stay with the team?"
They talked about how money isn't everything and how community is more important.
They talked about how important it is to have hope and something to work towards.
They talked about how their lives were easy compared to the kids in the movie who had to get up at 4 and work in the fields before school.
Before we ended, I asked them if any of them would be first generation college students like the kids in the story. They went around and answered. Most of them will be.
When they smiled with pride as they responded, "Yes," I got goosebumps.
Even though I'm leaving this group, they have given me things I will carry with me forever.
I know that this is they type of population I want to work with - teens who are blazing a new path... Teens who need that little extra support to get that somewhere their hope can take them.
#15 - "Support in Community"
#15 - "Support in Community"
Dancing and all of the arts create a community of support for not just the body, but laalma.
Dancing and all of the arts create a community of support for not just the body, but la
Friday, June 26, 2015
#16 - "Un Montón de Tamales"
#16 - "Un Montón de Tamales"
It is a Christmas tradition in CR to make tamales; we eat them at every meal and in between with coffee. We eat them before bed and when we wake up. The process started with the explosion of fireworks in the living room at 6:30 am to get us up and ended with swollen fingers and danced out bodies just in time to feast for dinner. What a day and a Christmas I'll always remember!
It is a Christmas tradition in CR to make tamales; we eat them at every meal and in between with coffee. We eat them before bed and when we wake up. The process started with the explosion of fireworks in the living room at 6:30 am to get us up and ended with swollen fingers and danced out bodies just in time to feast for dinner. What a day and a Christmas I'll always remember!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
#17 - "Sexo con o sin Amor"
#17 - "Sexo con o sin Amor"
I still have to pinch myself to believe I was in a full length play in Spanish. There are so many things that I have done that I never thought to be possible 2 years ago. Thanks to Pablo for believing in Ramona and I even when we nodded right through his directions, having no idea what he wanted. Talk about an advanced Spanish class!!!! We still laugh at how we realized what some of the scenes were about, back stage, on closing night.
I still have to pinch myself to believe I was in a full length play in Spanish. There are so many things that I have done that I never thought to be possible 2 years ago. Thanks to Pablo for believing in Ramona and I even when we nodded right through his directions, having no idea what he wanted. Talk about an advanced Spanish class!!!! We still laugh at how we realized what some of the scenes were about, back stage, on closing night.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
#18 - "Perro de la Calle"
#18 - "Perro de la Calle"
Our improv troupe took to the street as we performed at our first festival, a cashew festival, in a tiny town calledSan Mateo
Our improv troupe took to the street as we performed at our first festival, a cashew festival, in a tiny town called
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
#19 - "Bibity Bibity Bop!"
#19 - "Bibity Bibity Bop!"
One of my favorite parts of teaching at the high school here has been using drama games in my English classes to not only make everything more fun, but to learn English in more dynamic and real ways.
One of my favorite parts of teaching at the high school here has been using drama games in my English classes to not only make everything more fun, but to learn English in more dynamic and real ways.
Monday, June 22, 2015
#20 - "My Street with the Chickens"
#20 - "My Street with the Chickens"
I love the dirt street that I live on where the chickens are the first to greet me in the morning and are always so excited to see me bringing them my delicious bucket of kitchen scraps. Composting has never been easier and more fun.
I love the dirt street that I live on where the chickens are the first to greet me in the morning and are always so excited to see me bringing them my delicious bucket of kitchen scraps. Composting has never been easier and more fun.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
#21 "Adventures in Finding Dinner"
#21
"Adventures in Finding Dinner"
Everything is always an adventure, especially when we're together. From you, I learned how to notice and cherish the uniqueness in the world. Happy Father's Day; I'm so happy you gave me the opportunity to share my experiences here with you both.
Everything is always an adventure, especially when we're together. From you, I learned how to notice and cherish the uniqueness in the world. Happy Father's Day; I'm so happy you gave me the opportunity to share my experiences here with you both.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
#22 - "Catarata con Amigos y Mango Sele"
#22 - "Catarata con Amigos y Mango
Sele"
The joy of picking mangos off a tree on the side of the road to eat like apples at a hidden waterfall with dear friends and the path to get down that makes it all the more delicioso.
The joy of picking mangos off a tree on the side of the road to eat like apples at a hidden waterfall with dear friends and the path to get down that makes it all the more delicioso.
Friday, June 19, 2015
#23 - "New Beginnings"
#23 - "New Beginnings"
Sometimes it is the heat that is just too much to bear or maybe it's something else, but then the storm comes down and clears it all away.... And that rainbow at 5:30 am was all you needed to start again.
Sometimes it is the heat that is just too much to bear or maybe it's something else, but then the storm comes down and clears it all away.... And that rainbow at 5:30 am was all you needed to start again.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Belonging in Both Places and Neither Place at the Same Time
The Hallway of the In-between
The in-between is a lonely place.
It is a place where nobody else goes with you.
It is a dark hallway you have to travel alone.
And the part that nobody tells you is
that once you set off into the hallway of the in-between,
you are neither here nor there.
And the people on either side just can't understand
what it's like for you inside.
All you want in the world is for someone to hear you,
I mean to really hear you.
Not to tell you to appreciate the moment
or that tomorrow it will be too late.
Because even if they don't see that invisible hallway you're traveling,
for you, it isn't invisible at all.
For you, it is as real as the room you're standing in
and the tears that refuse to stay in your eyes.
But even if it's a journey meant to be taken alone,
it sure would feel nice to have someone there to hold your hand;
to whisper in your ear that you will make it out,
that you will belong again.
As you walk that hallway of the in-between.
The in-between is a lonely place.
It is a place where nobody else goes with you.
It is a dark hallway you have to travel alone.
And the part that nobody tells you is
that once you set off into the hallway of the in-between,
you are neither here nor there.
And the people on either side just can't understand
what it's like for you inside.
All you want in the world is for someone to hear you,
I mean to really hear you.
Not to tell you to appreciate the moment
or that tomorrow it will be too late.
Because even if they don't see that invisible hallway you're traveling,
for you, it isn't invisible at all.
For you, it is as real as the room you're standing in
and the tears that refuse to stay in your eyes.
But even if it's a journey meant to be taken alone,
it sure would feel nice to have someone there to hold your hand;
to whisper in your ear that you will make it out,
that you will belong again.
As you walk that hallway of the in-between.
#24 - "Love of the Game"
#24 - "Love of the Game"
I was fortunate to be in CR when they made history in the World Cup. The air was electric with suspense, hope, and pride during these games.
I was fortunate to be in CR when they made history in the World Cup. The air was electric with suspense, hope, and pride during these games.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
#25 - "The Pig Bladders of Barva"
#25 - "The Pig Bladders of Barva"
There is a festival in Barva, Heredia each August where everyone dresses up with huge masks and smacks people with pig bladders attached to strings. The worst is when a little kid smacks you with one right across the mouth; I speak from experience. Let's just say, the bus on the way home does not smell good on this day.
There is a festival in Barva, Heredia each August where everyone dresses up with huge masks and smacks people with pig bladders attached to strings. The worst is when a little kid smacks you with one right across the mouth; I speak from experience. Let's just say, the bus on the way home does not smell good on this day.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
#26 - "To See a World in a Grain of Sand"
#26 - "To See a World in a Grain of
Sand" and heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour."
-William Blake
-William Blake
Monday, June 15, 2015
#27 - "The Joy of Hanging Upside Down"
#27 - "The Joy of Hanging Upside
Down"
Whenever the world seems too confusing or problems feel like too much, switch it around and hang upside down for a while. It really does bring out the inner child - Aerial Yoga at Spa Holis.
Whenever the world seems too confusing or problems feel like too much, switch it around and hang upside down for a while. It really does bring out the inner child - Aerial Yoga at Spa Holis.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
#28 - The Tagada.
#28 - The Tagada. This is the craziest and most
dangerous ride I have ever seen. An integral part of the Torro festival, the
Tagada spins and rocks while daring riders run, jump, fall, and crash into the
sides. This might be even crazier than the people that randomly jump into the
bull ring to touch the bull.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
#29 - The Lesson is on the Wall
I saw this girl teaching a lesson to these small children on the wall of her house, and yes - those are swing desks. I'm always astounded by the resourcefulness and creative use of materials and space I see here.
Friday, June 12, 2015
The Last 30 Days Picture Reflection - #30
To celebrate my last 30 days in Quepos - por ahora - I've decided to reflect on my time here through a photo a day :] This one is at the Peace Corps office where Ramona and I took our Spanish exams yesterday to test our levels! I think it captures our general level of excitement about living in this country ;]
Sunday, June 7, 2015
The Mundane is Where the Magic Is
The Mundane is Where the Magic Is
To travel the world is to see new sights, visit beautiful places, taste foreign foods... but
the day to day is where the magic is.
One can check locations off a list like a businessman checking off tasks, but
to sink into a place; to let it as much absorb you as you it,
that is where the magic is.
A traveler with no commitments and no responsibilities is free to do what he pleases, but
amidst the hard work and the persistence to see a project through...
that is where the magic is.
Because relationships, you see, are not built overnight.
The "friends" that say "Pura Vida Amiga" when you invite them to dinner
are as much your friends as the next blank check.
But the days spent sitting on front porches laughing and telling stories,
the nights spent laying on tile floors giggling about the symphony of frogs performing for you just on the other side of the wall,
the classes at the high school where your students' poetry gives you goosebumps,
that is where the magic lives.
Because their voices are grand
and their abilities to express those ideas
with the words you gave them
like little shiny gifts to unwrap each day
are given back to you
when they breath life into those words,
making them dance on the stage of life
like ballerinas performing metaphors and hyperbole....
When they stick around to finish their poems even after the bell rings
and say things like,
"Teacher... I don't want to move up to the next level next year because I want to be in your class, still."
And it breaks your heart because only you know you won't be there much longer than it takes for the sun to burn up into the ocean at the end of each day...
That is where the magic is.
To travel the world is to see new sights, visit beautiful places, taste foreign foods... but
the day to day is where the magic is.
One can check locations off a list like a businessman checking off tasks, but
to sink into a place; to let it as much absorb you as you it,
that is where the magic is.
A traveler with no commitments and no responsibilities is free to do what he pleases, but
amidst the hard work and the persistence to see a project through...
that is where the magic is.
Because relationships, you see, are not built overnight.
The "friends" that say "Pura Vida Amiga" when you invite them to dinner
are as much your friends as the next blank check.
But the days spent sitting on front porches laughing and telling stories,
the nights spent laying on tile floors giggling about the symphony of frogs performing for you just on the other side of the wall,
the classes at the high school where your students' poetry gives you goosebumps,
that is where the magic lives.
Because their voices are grand
and their abilities to express those ideas
with the words you gave them
like little shiny gifts to unwrap each day
are given back to you
when they breath life into those words,
making them dance on the stage of life
like ballerinas performing metaphors and hyperbole....
When they stick around to finish their poems even after the bell rings
and say things like,
"Teacher... I don't want to move up to the next level next year because I want to be in your class, still."
And it breaks your heart because only you know you won't be there much longer than it takes for the sun to burn up into the ocean at the end of each day...
That is where the magic is.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Laundry in CR
How to Do Laundry in a Costa Rican Washer - by Alex (after I explained the process to him)
1. Fill washer with water and add detergent.
2. Switch clothes to centrifuge to "dry" clothes (really it's to get the soapy water off).
3. Switch clothes back to washer and fill with water, letting them drain and rinse off the soap.
4. Back to the centrifuge to "dry" and rinse that water that is still soapy.
5. Rinse again in washer, but leave that water (which is still semi soapy to use for the next load).
6. Centrifuge to dry for real.
7. Accept that your clothes will forever be soapy and only partially clean.
8. Hang dry.
Also, why is a plant growing in my washing machine?
Friday, May 29, 2015
Just like there is always another bus, though, there is always another house.
And another source of internet to talk with the people who are providing you with that house.
The search for a place to live in Austin continued, but having averted the previous experiencia peligroso I felt a new sense of calm and trust. I was going to find something better. It was just one craigslist email away.
That's how I found a house with the most supportive and inclusive roommates :]
Even though I'm out of the country they wanted me FIRST and then included me in night after night of Facetime calls to screen the people to fill the position of the one other roommate.
One of these nights, there was a big storm and the internet went out right in the middle of one of the interviews.
Well, there's always another option, I thought to myself as I marched out of the house and into the rain with my umbrella and my subway sandwich stuffed into my purse.
I got about 100 meters down my dirt street when I saw that the gate was open at my old landlady's house.
"Upe!" I called into the house as the CR way of saying "Excuse me, I need something outside your door."
She came out and I explained that I had something important to do on the internet and she showed me into the closet in her garage where there was a chair, a hanging piece of carpet art of a horse, and even a fan. There, I got back on the call and finished the interview with the girl that will now be my future roommate.
What crazy stories I have from applying to graduate school, interviewing, and then finding housing while abroad. Story gold.
*Random side note - one of the guys we talked to (me through facetime being pointed at the computer and him on the computer from somewhere else - looking at me on the phone) was in the Peace Corps in Senegal with a girl that used to live here in Quepos. Very small world.
The search for a place to live in Austin continued, but having averted the previous experiencia peligroso I felt a new sense of calm and trust. I was going to find something better. It was just one craigslist email away.
That's how I found a house with the most supportive and inclusive roommates :]
Even though I'm out of the country they wanted me FIRST and then included me in night after night of Facetime calls to screen the people to fill the position of the one other roommate.
One of these nights, there was a big storm and the internet went out right in the middle of one of the interviews.
Well, there's always another option, I thought to myself as I marched out of the house and into the rain with my umbrella and my subway sandwich stuffed into my purse.
I got about 100 meters down my dirt street when I saw that the gate was open at my old landlady's house.
"Upe!" I called into the house as the CR way of saying "Excuse me, I need something outside your door."
She came out and I explained that I had something important to do on the internet and she showed me into the closet in her garage where there was a chair, a hanging piece of carpet art of a horse, and even a fan. There, I got back on the call and finished the interview with the girl that will now be my future roommate.
What crazy stories I have from applying to graduate school, interviewing, and then finding housing while abroad. Story gold.
 |
| In the Closet |
*Random side note - one of the guys we talked to (me through facetime being pointed at the computer and him on the computer from somewhere else - looking at me on the phone) was in the Peace Corps in Senegal with a girl that used to live here in Quepos. Very small world.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Applying for a House Culture Shock
... or how trying to rent a room in a house is harder than getting into grad school.
About two weeks ago, I suddenly felt the pressing need to look for a place to live in Austin NOW! My pura vida attitude parted for a moment and I realized that if I didn't start looking now, there probably wouldn't be anything that I wanted left when I got to the US.
So, in what felt like a day of complete frustration and lack of productivity... I started combing craigslist for options. I didn't even know where to start. I didn't know what neighborhoods were what or what price ranges were good. The first day, pretty much all I did was start matching adds to a map of neighborhoods I downloaded. Then, I got overwhelmed and shut down. Finding a place to live has always been scary for me (for some reason) and doing it from another country just felt impossible.
But then, my good friend Ramona, and I met to hang out at Subway and she pushed through the block with me. She pulled up adds on her tablet and we found one that stood out. It was a cute house of grad students in a nice neighborhood with a very detailed description. This gave me hope.
I emailed them and didn't hear back for a few days.
So, I emailed again.
This is where the adventure starts.
I received an overly expressive email with tidbits like:
"You will not find a house in HydePark for a long term lease for $400. That landlord would be a fool to rent thusly or the house, if it exists, is run down and the posting is misleading--in either case it's fradulent. Those are notoriously scammers, perverts, or evangelics looking to lure folks to save their souls. When you think about my description of their M.O. , it will make sense to you that that is what they are doing to the unsuspecting persons looking for a good deal."
"Although I understand your logic in wanting to see photos, you have already seen how cute the house is by the few postings on Craigslist. Because I know that the houses are clean, well maintained, I know that the house is the least important aspect, so we stick with the order of the process. I don't invest time with anyone until they are willing to put "skin in the game" to show us they are even worth dealing with from two aspects:
1) first you have to prove to me/us that you will qualify financially or it isn't worth my time or yours frankly. It's the same with real estate. If you can't afford a house, the realtor isn't going to waste his/her time showing you a house you can't afford.
"Actually, it's taken me way too long to even answer these questions, but since you're out of the US and replied nicely, I thought I would try to help you see the logic in the process."
Now, one might say OBVIOUSLY this is a crazy situation and get out now... but maybe it was the lack of control I felt by being so far away and the fear of not finding anything that caused me to continue traveling down this rabbit hole with a woman who claimed to be the "property manager."
So, I responded kindly that I would like to continue the process and didn't hear back for two days.
Then, I got a short email randomly signed by a different person, Ellen, saying she was "out of pocket." The next day she explained, "Thanks for your patience. I am the landlord, Ellen. Khrysten is really busy and asked me to take over to help speed our process."
It wasn't until way later in this wild ride that I realized the property manager and the owner had to be the same person because nobody could have someone as crazy as them as an assistant who writes in the same ridiculous voice.
Anyways, away we go... venturing deeper down the rabbit hole. I fill out a questionnaire that may have been more detailed than my university application itself. It has questions like, "describe passive aggressive behavior and how you have handled it in the past." It has you initial next to statements like, "I agree to maintain my assigned section of the yard from this point to this point with the weed killer specified by the landlord" and "I agree to wash the dishes in the sink and then place them to dry in the dishwasher." I attach a picture as if it were a job application for an acting gig and send it off, thinking WOW... I really am not used to this level of obsessive behavior - I must really forget how the US is. Chalking it up to culture shock, I went on with my day, hoping I'd get accepted to the house as one of the 5 roommates.
That's not the end, though.
When I had filled out enough questionnaires and forms to satisfy this woman and she finally sent me a floor plan and more photos, I saw that the room was not even 10x10. I asked her if I could ask the other roommates to place my keyboard in one of the common areas with headphones as not to bother anyone. She responded that there was NO room for new furniture anywhere outside of your room. She then suggested not bringing it, asking how much I played it anyway. "Have you considered the possibility of leaving it with your friend in Tucson for this year? I guess it also depends on how much time you realistically play it daily or weekly??"
She also responded to my question about termination of the lease by saying, "Death is an unlikely event that may or may not require a person to have to both leave school and leave the city permanently. Such an event as death would be addressed when it occurred and there are provisions in the lease for significant costs to be paid by the tenant, and ONLY if the landlord gave written permission. In every case in the past where I allowed subleasing, for example, I was burned and experienced significant loss of time and money. As a result, I no longer grant such permission."
I freaked out about this but let it go as an unlikely occurrence over the next year. I told her I wanted to continue the process and asked if I could have the actual address to which she responded, "A close intersection is E. 46th St. and Red River if you are interested in knowing how far the house is from a UTbus stop and distance to the UT campus. If that location is not close enough toUT for you, we should definitely stop the process right now."
At this point, I had pretty much had it with the absurdity of the situation. Who was she to micromanage me to the point of deciding whether or not it was important to me to bring my keyboard!!!!? This same afternoon, I got a facebook message from a friend that graduated from UT responding to my question about good neighborhoods to live in. He said that Hyde Park was good, but to watch out for a crazy landlord there. Dun dun dun.....
This jogged my memory back to the beginning of the process when I told another friend at UT that I found a house in Hyde Park. She was excited but said something about a crazy landlord there that lives in the house with the students and abuses them. I had brushed it off as a different situation and had not remembered what she had said until now.
My guardian angles went to work overtime researching this situation... within an hour my friend had found out the first and last name of the landlord from another grad student and that grad student was already texting me telling me "Whatever you do... DON'T do it!!!!"
In the meantime I wrote back to Ellen, moving my pieces to call "checkmate" on her game.
"Good afternoon Ellen,
Current tenants:
The tenants in the house have been there 2 years and are all graduating or moving, etc. So this group will be a new batch of roommates, which is usually a good situation, as there have been no routines formulated that new folks would have had to adjust to if some roommates remained and other new ones came in.
Regards,
Ellen
About two weeks ago, I suddenly felt the pressing need to look for a place to live in Austin NOW! My pura vida attitude parted for a moment and I realized that if I didn't start looking now, there probably wouldn't be anything that I wanted left when I got to the US.
So, in what felt like a day of complete frustration and lack of productivity... I started combing craigslist for options. I didn't even know where to start. I didn't know what neighborhoods were what or what price ranges were good. The first day, pretty much all I did was start matching adds to a map of neighborhoods I downloaded. Then, I got overwhelmed and shut down. Finding a place to live has always been scary for me (for some reason) and doing it from another country just felt impossible.
But then, my good friend Ramona, and I met to hang out at Subway and she pushed through the block with me. She pulled up adds on her tablet and we found one that stood out. It was a cute house of grad students in a nice neighborhood with a very detailed description. This gave me hope.
I emailed them and didn't hear back for a few days.
So, I emailed again.
This is where the adventure starts.
I received an overly expressive email with tidbits like:
"You will not find a house in HydePark for a long term lease for $400. That landlord would be a fool to rent thusly or the house, if it exists, is run down and the posting is misleading--in either case it's fradulent. Those are notoriously scammers, perverts, or evangelics looking to lure folks to save their souls. When you think about my description of their M.O. , it will make sense to you that that is what they are doing to the unsuspecting persons looking for a good deal."
"Although I understand your logic in wanting to see photos, you have already seen how cute the house is by the few postings on Craigslist. Because I know that the houses are clean, well maintained, I know that the house is the least important aspect, so we stick with the order of the process. I don't invest time with anyone until they are willing to put "skin in the game" to show us they are even worth dealing with from two aspects:
1) first you have to prove to me/us that you will qualify financially or it isn't worth my time or yours frankly. It's the same with real estate. If you can't afford a house, the realtor isn't going to waste his/her time showing you a house you can't afford.
2) if the roommates don't like you over another candidate, it's irrelevant whether the house is good or not. We focus first on making sure the person who is interested is a good fit for the others who will be living there. The house is the last piece of the puzzle. I/we place very descriptive narrative and a few photos on CL so the viewer knows what they're getting and can see the house is clean, well maintained and see immediately that the poster on CL knows what the heck he/she is doing as a landlord or roommate. I am assuming that you are already attracted to the house or you would not have (or should not have) bothered to reply. So after parts 1 & 2 are completed, and you seem to be a good fit, then you'll see detailed photos and a floorplan of the house."
"Actually, it's taken me way too long to even answer these questions, but since you're out of the US and replied nicely, I thought I would try to help you see the logic in the process."
Now, one might say OBVIOUSLY this is a crazy situation and get out now... but maybe it was the lack of control I felt by being so far away and the fear of not finding anything that caused me to continue traveling down this rabbit hole with a woman who claimed to be the "property manager."
So, I responded kindly that I would like to continue the process and didn't hear back for two days.
Then, I got a short email randomly signed by a different person, Ellen, saying she was "out of pocket." The next day she explained, "Thanks for your patience. I am the landlord, Ellen. Khrysten is really busy and asked me to take over to help speed our process."
It wasn't until way later in this wild ride that I realized the property manager and the owner had to be the same person because nobody could have someone as crazy as them as an assistant who writes in the same ridiculous voice.
Anyways, away we go... venturing deeper down the rabbit hole. I fill out a questionnaire that may have been more detailed than my university application itself. It has questions like, "describe passive aggressive behavior and how you have handled it in the past." It has you initial next to statements like, "I agree to maintain my assigned section of the yard from this point to this point with the weed killer specified by the landlord" and "I agree to wash the dishes in the sink and then place them to dry in the dishwasher." I attach a picture as if it were a job application for an acting gig and send it off, thinking WOW... I really am not used to this level of obsessive behavior - I must really forget how the US is. Chalking it up to culture shock, I went on with my day, hoping I'd get accepted to the house as one of the 5 roommates.
That's not the end, though.
When I had filled out enough questionnaires and forms to satisfy this woman and she finally sent me a floor plan and more photos, I saw that the room was not even 10x10. I asked her if I could ask the other roommates to place my keyboard in one of the common areas with headphones as not to bother anyone. She responded that there was NO room for new furniture anywhere outside of your room. She then suggested not bringing it, asking how much I played it anyway. "Have you considered the possibility of leaving it with your friend in Tucson for this year? I guess it also depends on how much time you realistically play it daily or weekly??"
She also responded to my question about termination of the lease by saying, "Death is an unlikely event that may or may not require a person to have to both leave school and leave the city permanently. Such an event as death would be addressed when it occurred and there are provisions in the lease for significant costs to be paid by the tenant, and ONLY if the landlord gave written permission. In every case in the past where I allowed subleasing, for example, I was burned and experienced significant loss of time and money. As a result, I no longer grant such permission."
I freaked out about this but let it go as an unlikely occurrence over the next year. I told her I wanted to continue the process and asked if I could have the actual address to which she responded, "A close intersection is E. 46th St. and Red River if you are interested in knowing how far the house is from a UTbus stop and distance to the UT campus. If that location is not close enough toUT for you, we should definitely stop the process right now."
At this point, I had pretty much had it with the absurdity of the situation. Who was she to micromanage me to the point of deciding whether or not it was important to me to bring my keyboard!!!!? This same afternoon, I got a facebook message from a friend that graduated from UT responding to my question about good neighborhoods to live in. He said that Hyde Park was good, but to watch out for a crazy landlord there. Dun dun dun.....
This jogged my memory back to the beginning of the process when I told another friend at UT that I found a house in Hyde Park. She was excited but said something about a crazy landlord there that lives in the house with the students and abuses them. I had brushed it off as a different situation and had not remembered what she had said until now.
My guardian angles went to work overtime researching this situation... within an hour my friend had found out the first and last name of the landlord from another grad student and that grad student was already texting me telling me "Whatever you do... DON'T do it!!!!"
In the meantime I wrote back to Ellen, moving my pieces to call "checkmate" on her game.
"Good afternoon Ellen,
I was not worried about the condition of the house. I just wanted to see it from the front as none of the photos showed a front view (only a side view of the porch). I know how far it is from UT; that is fine. I understand that you are protecting the security of the house, but I find it a little odd because I have already sent you so much information about myself and I still can't know the address.
The keyboard is 51" by 15" and I like to play it to de-stress. As I have already been without it the two years I have lived abroad I am looking forward to having it with me again.
Are any of the tenants for this coming year renewing their leases from last year or all they all new to the house?
Also, how would you describe your involvement with the house throughout the year?"
I learned from the grad student that had lived with her that she lives in one of the houses she rents and lies that tenants return. The only tenant that had returned was her SON and they would sit upstairs in her room all the time waiting to hear something "off" to run down and yell at the tenants. She made chore charts and "emotionally abused" her tenants. She also doesn't give your deposit back, saying that you broke any number of her absurdly rigid rules. The girl said she almost had to hire a lawyer, which is funny because turns out Ellen is a Lawyer. Go figure. When I looked her up online, her photo reminded me of the Elder in the new movie The Giver we were currently watching in my HS class. It makes me shiver to think that I was so close to living under her oppression with no escape for a year.
I also learned from the girl that she goes to the other houses down the street to check on them all the time... which is funny when you read her final email to me.
Hi Moriah,
House address:
I guess you did think I was crazy. (What Irony) Rightfully so! The other montages I have on my hard drive actually have the photo of the front of the house on it. I guess there just wasn't enough room without going onto another page for that particular montage I sent you to have the photo of the front of the house?. I swear I thought it was on there, but when you said that, I checked and sure enough it wasn't!. Beats me. Sorry about that. The address is .......
**She saw she was about to loose me for seeing through her guise and saw it as a safe bet to give me the address because I was not there anyway. There's no way she "left it off" by accident when she is sooooo detailed.
House address:
I guess you did think I was crazy. (What Irony) Rightfully so! The other montages I have on my hard drive actually have the photo of the front of the house on it. I guess there just wasn't enough room without going onto another page for that particular montage I sent you to have the photo of the front of the house?. I swear I thought it was on there, but when you said that, I checked and sure enough it wasn't!. Beats me. Sorry about that. The address is .......
**She saw she was about to loose me for seeing through her guise and saw it as a safe bet to give me the address because I was not there anyway. There's no way she "left it off" by accident when she is sooooo detailed.
Current tenants:
The tenants in the house have been there 2 years and are all graduating or moving, etc. So this group will be a new batch of roommates, which is usually a good situation, as there have been no routines formulated that new folks would have had to adjust to if some roommates remained and other new ones came in.
**I am sure this is a lie and the only reason she told me that address is because she knows I have no way to go by and talk to any of the current tenants.
My involvement:
I stay as uninvolved as possible, except for when the gardening tasks occur at periodic times of the year or whenever something needs to be repaired, etc.. During the pre-lease period, like is happening now, there is a lot of communication when showing the house to prospective tenants. At the beginning in August there is a Saturday meeting to go over key items after everyone has moved in. At the end of the lease in July there are multiple times to meet when the tenants are preparing the house for the move out. It is similar with the other house. What is the impetus for asking that question- is involvement perceived as positive or negative in your estimation?
My involvement:
I stay as uninvolved as possible, except for when the gardening tasks occur at periodic times of the year or whenever something needs to be repaired, etc.. During the pre-lease period, like is happening now, there is a lot of communication when showing the house to prospective tenants. At the beginning in August there is a Saturday meeting to go over key items after everyone has moved in. At the end of the lease in July there are multiple times to meet when the tenants are preparing the house for the move out. It is similar with the other house. What is the impetus for asking that question- is involvement perceived as positive or negative in your estimation?
**Here we are, back to the super creepy controlling tone.
Regards,
Ellen
I kindly responded that I was going to continue my search.
So, thank God for my friends who saved me from this woman who would have given me more of a return culture shock than I ever could have anticipated. I am so grateful for their help and for a story that nobody could have invented with their wildest imaginations.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Car Cleanliness and "Self Service Car Washes"
Yesterday, the topic of car washes came up with one of my adult students and I told him about self service car washes. He freaked out!!! He couldn't believe the idea and kept saying how embarrassing it was. He insisted that he would never do that and if I were his girlfriend he wouldn't be seen with me doing that.
He said, "What would people think?! That you don't have enough money for someone else to wash your car? It's like wanting to cook your own food at a restaurant."
I saw his point, but tried to explain that it wasn't weird in my culture to wash your own car at a place. A lot of people don't have hoses at home and the water pressure is better at the place. It saves water, too. He said I was lying because he has seen that hoses say "made in the USA." Hahahaha.
I just let it go as an impasse... but it still makes me laugh. This seems so funny to me to freak out about something like this when I see such weird things happening here on a daily basis... like babies riding on the handle bars of a motorcycle.... or someone riding a bike with a mattress on one shoulder.
Culture!
He also asserted that people in the US have so much junk in their cars. At least in my case, this is true. I laughed when I thought about the trunk of my old car and how someone could literally have been living out of it. I told him what was in it and we laughed a lot. It is true.... every car I have been in here has had nothing in it except what the person is currently transporting and the emergency kit. Granted, most people I know don't have cars.... but, then again... the houses are like that as well. There seem to be no random items.... not even a jar of pencils or sticky notes, or fridge magnets. My friend once told me that my fridge magnets and notes made my house look very Gringa.
I wonder if I'll have learned to carry less junk around in my car through osmosis. hahahahahah
He said, "What would people think?! That you don't have enough money for someone else to wash your car? It's like wanting to cook your own food at a restaurant."
I saw his point, but tried to explain that it wasn't weird in my culture to wash your own car at a place. A lot of people don't have hoses at home and the water pressure is better at the place. It saves water, too. He said I was lying because he has seen that hoses say "made in the USA." Hahahaha.
I just let it go as an impasse... but it still makes me laugh. This seems so funny to me to freak out about something like this when I see such weird things happening here on a daily basis... like babies riding on the handle bars of a motorcycle.... or someone riding a bike with a mattress on one shoulder.
Culture!
He also asserted that people in the US have so much junk in their cars. At least in my case, this is true. I laughed when I thought about the trunk of my old car and how someone could literally have been living out of it. I told him what was in it and we laughed a lot. It is true.... every car I have been in here has had nothing in it except what the person is currently transporting and the emergency kit. Granted, most people I know don't have cars.... but, then again... the houses are like that as well. There seem to be no random items.... not even a jar of pencils or sticky notes, or fridge magnets. My friend once told me that my fridge magnets and notes made my house look very Gringa.
I wonder if I'll have learned to carry less junk around in my car through osmosis. hahahahahah
The Language of Courtesy
I've been noticing, recently, how much courtesy is a part of the language here. I don't know if it's a more inherent part of Spanish or if it is the Costa Rican culture itself that values this courtesy through language.
Whatever the source may be, it has definitely seeped into the way that I greet people, communicate, and write. I'm glad for this.
Greetings and goodbyes are as essential if not more so than the actual task at hand. If you don't greet someone before starting on with work, something is very wrong with you. People over tasks.
If you are in the middle of a meeting and someone new walks in... they say good morning to everyone even if it interrupts whatever was happening. That is still funny to me but I'm getting used to it.
The real inspiration for this entry, though, is that today I called American Airlines customer service and couldn't get through. I think something was wrong with their phones. I even tried calling their "Spanish number." I would get so far through the menu and then it would drop me. In the English menu, I found myself getting frustrated and anxious. I was annoyed at the voice wanting me to tell him what I was calling about.
In contrast, when I interacted with the Spanish menu, I was calm. I liked that the voice gave me options of what to say instead of leaving me a blank space to talk and then misinterpreting what I said to be something totally different like the English menu did.
This is so interesting..... why would the construction of the two menus for the same company be so different? They weren't just a translation of each other... they were set up in totally different ways. It was like the English menu gave complete independence of options while the Spanish one listed possible choices - "algo diferente" being my favorite. When I tried to say "something else" with the English menu it thought I said vouchers and wanted a voucher number!
I also don't know if I was happier with the Spanish menu because I thought, well... at least I'm practicing Spanish instead of wasting my time....
I find that helps me get through a lot of potentially frustrating situations. Now, the trick will be how to develop that same attitude towards situations while interacting in English.
Anyways, back to the point. I finally talked with a really nice lady in English who encouraged me to write to AA to ask for a voucher for the ticket I never used in July. I noticed in the email I wrote, as I have in several emails lately, that the tone of my writing is a lot more polite than it used to be. It includes a lot more courtesy. I'm sure that is a transference of my Spanish communication.
It will be so interesting to see just how much Spanish and living in this culture has changed and shaped the way I communicate and interact with the world.
I'm sure there will be many more stories to come.
Whatever the source may be, it has definitely seeped into the way that I greet people, communicate, and write. I'm glad for this.
Greetings and goodbyes are as essential if not more so than the actual task at hand. If you don't greet someone before starting on with work, something is very wrong with you. People over tasks.
If you are in the middle of a meeting and someone new walks in... they say good morning to everyone even if it interrupts whatever was happening. That is still funny to me but I'm getting used to it.
The real inspiration for this entry, though, is that today I called American Airlines customer service and couldn't get through. I think something was wrong with their phones. I even tried calling their "Spanish number." I would get so far through the menu and then it would drop me. In the English menu, I found myself getting frustrated and anxious. I was annoyed at the voice wanting me to tell him what I was calling about.
In contrast, when I interacted with the Spanish menu, I was calm. I liked that the voice gave me options of what to say instead of leaving me a blank space to talk and then misinterpreting what I said to be something totally different like the English menu did.
This is so interesting..... why would the construction of the two menus for the same company be so different? They weren't just a translation of each other... they were set up in totally different ways. It was like the English menu gave complete independence of options while the Spanish one listed possible choices - "algo diferente" being my favorite. When I tried to say "something else" with the English menu it thought I said vouchers and wanted a voucher number!
I also don't know if I was happier with the Spanish menu because I thought, well... at least I'm practicing Spanish instead of wasting my time....
I find that helps me get through a lot of potentially frustrating situations. Now, the trick will be how to develop that same attitude towards situations while interacting in English.
Anyways, back to the point. I finally talked with a really nice lady in English who encouraged me to write to AA to ask for a voucher for the ticket I never used in July. I noticed in the email I wrote, as I have in several emails lately, that the tone of my writing is a lot more polite than it used to be. It includes a lot more courtesy. I'm sure that is a transference of my Spanish communication.
It will be so interesting to see just how much Spanish and living in this culture has changed and shaped the way I communicate and interact with the world.
I'm sure there will be many more stories to come.
Friday, May 15, 2015
When Co-Existing with Ants Goes Too Far
I like to coexist with the animals that live in my house, but sometimes that coexistence becomes an insect take over and I have to put my foot down (well, my sandal and some poison - actually).
The nice, peaceful, and large ants that walked around on my walls day after day decided to move in with all of their little white larval babies in their mouths. That was it. I had to take action.
So... the landlady came up and sprayed a little bit of "veneno" at the cracks they were entering and exiting. All done, we thought, as she went back down to her house.
Not done.
About twenty minutes later, I walk back into my room and there are literally thousands of ants falling from the ceiling. It is raining ants. They are coming out of places I never even knew had openings. Ants, jumping like parachuters, the little white babies in their mouths like the chutes that never opened.
I panic and start hitting them with a sandal as they run towards my bed and the kitchen. They far outnumber the wrath of my sandal.
So.... I run for back up. The land lady comes back like all is totally normal and just starts shooting the poison everywhere... including my toothbrush.
Here I am, freaking out, and she sweeps up the mound (not an exaggeration) of dead ants in her bare feet like she's washing dishes in the kitchen.
The ants and I no longer coexist.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that before this... another type of ant was eating my dirty clothes. Another reason we are no longer friends.
The nice, peaceful, and large ants that walked around on my walls day after day decided to move in with all of their little white larval babies in their mouths. That was it. I had to take action.
So... the landlady came up and sprayed a little bit of "veneno" at the cracks they were entering and exiting. All done, we thought, as she went back down to her house.
Not done.
About twenty minutes later, I walk back into my room and there are literally thousands of ants falling from the ceiling. It is raining ants. They are coming out of places I never even knew had openings. Ants, jumping like parachuters, the little white babies in their mouths like the chutes that never opened.
I panic and start hitting them with a sandal as they run towards my bed and the kitchen. They far outnumber the wrath of my sandal.
So.... I run for back up. The land lady comes back like all is totally normal and just starts shooting the poison everywhere... including my toothbrush.
Here I am, freaking out, and she sweeps up the mound (not an exaggeration) of dead ants in her bare feet like she's washing dishes in the kitchen.
The ants and I no longer coexist.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that before this... another type of ant was eating my dirty clothes. Another reason we are no longer friends.
 |
| ant- proof engineering |
Friday, May 1, 2015
Yes We Can!!! (The Speaking English System)
Other super important systems that changed the dynamic of our class this year are the "Yes We Can" English speaking board, the participation cards, and the vocabulary journals.
Each week we have a goal of how many circles need to be left on the board at the end of class to earn a letter in "SUPRISE." Each time a person speaks Spanish, I take a circle away from their name. They each have 5 circles. If they get down to 0 circles there is a challenge. At the end of class, if we are only missing 6 circles as a group, for example, they earn a letter. When it spells SURPRISE, we get to watch a movie in English - which really fuels more curriculum anyway so I still win :] haha.
This system also includes the "Spanish Ball," which the students can ask to be thrown if they can't explain or ask something in English.
It is amazing what a classroom management technique this is because side talking is in Spanish. When they loose a circle, they immediately get quite and start paying attention. The rest of the group says... "Hey! Why you speaking Spanish!?" To which I reply, "Why ARE you speaking Spanish." They're funny.
Another aspect of the system is participation. Each student has a participation card and that serves as positive reinforcement for constructive behavior. This could be helping someone, volunteering to read, asking a question, working on task...
It has totally shifted the working environment; if someone is off task and I give the person next to them a point, they often start working without me having to nag them.
*An important side note is that if they ask for points or whine I don't give them points. Otherwise, you can imagine the chaos that would ensue. If they lie and add their own points to the cards it will be dealt with as cheating and will have major consequences. So far, so good.
**It is also important to clarify that when we started, they had already brainstormed goals and ways to work on these goals. That way, when I brought the system to class I presented it as a tool to help them with their goals of speaking more English in class, etc. It is important to remember the motivation so that it does not become just about extrinsic rewards and prizes. I am always wary of extrinsic motivation, but if they don't have it internally I guess you have to start somewhere.
The students with the most points at the end of each week get a ticket which they can use to redeem prizes from the treasure box. They love the prizes soooo much - way more than I expected.
Each week we have a goal of how many circles need to be left on the board at the end of class to earn a letter in "SUPRISE." Each time a person speaks Spanish, I take a circle away from their name. They each have 5 circles. If they get down to 0 circles there is a challenge. At the end of class, if we are only missing 6 circles as a group, for example, they earn a letter. When it spells SURPRISE, we get to watch a movie in English - which really fuels more curriculum anyway so I still win :] haha.
This system also includes the "Spanish Ball," which the students can ask to be thrown if they can't explain or ask something in English.
It is amazing what a classroom management technique this is because side talking is in Spanish. When they loose a circle, they immediately get quite and start paying attention. The rest of the group says... "Hey! Why you speaking Spanish!?" To which I reply, "Why ARE you speaking Spanish." They're funny.
Another aspect of the system is participation. Each student has a participation card and that serves as positive reinforcement for constructive behavior. This could be helping someone, volunteering to read, asking a question, working on task...
It has totally shifted the working environment; if someone is off task and I give the person next to them a point, they often start working without me having to nag them.
*An important side note is that if they ask for points or whine I don't give them points. Otherwise, you can imagine the chaos that would ensue. If they lie and add their own points to the cards it will be dealt with as cheating and will have major consequences. So far, so good.
**It is also important to clarify that when we started, they had already brainstormed goals and ways to work on these goals. That way, when I brought the system to class I presented it as a tool to help them with their goals of speaking more English in class, etc. It is important to remember the motivation so that it does not become just about extrinsic rewards and prizes. I am always wary of extrinsic motivation, but if they don't have it internally I guess you have to start somewhere.
 |
| some brainstorming of strategies to learn English |
The students with the most points at the end of each week get a ticket which they can use to redeem prizes from the treasure box. They love the prizes soooo much - way more than I expected.
 |
| Trying on one of the prizes |
 |
| She is collecting the stickers - three for each ticket She gives the subject stickers to her teachers She is participating so much more this year and is so much happier |
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| Their favorite part of the week! |
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| He holds it out and says, "Teacher, it's beautiful." It's a squishy dolphin from the dollar store. I love them. |
The last strategy that has really helped our class is the vocabulary journal. Whenever they ask me the meaning of a word, need a word to express themselves, or don't understand something I say or something they read... we add it to the left side of the board. They know that all of these words go into their vocabulary journals which become our ongoing lists for "vocab murals - with graffiti art," quizzes, and weekly vocab review games.
The most exciting part is hearing these words come up in conversations we have in and out of class... or seeing them look back at the vocab murals in search of a word they need to tell their stories. They are building more with the tools they are developing and this makes me so proud.
Ritual in the Classroom - "Roses and Spines"
Xiomara says I've "tamed the beast."
That makes me laugh.
It is incredible, though, how different my English class at the high school is this year than it was last year. Last year, every day was a battle - a constant war to win trust, to get the kids wanting to learn English, to have them listen, to encourage them to participate on task...
The good days were few and far between. I would leave after my class, thankful that it wasn't an all day gig.
This year, I have the same kids; we all moved up a level together. This year, I didn't have to start over. We had a whole year of relationships built and I was still around. I wasn't another transient teacher, only there for a few months until the class scared him or her off.
The biggest change, I think, is the use of ritual in the classroom. I can not emphasize enough how important rituals seem to be in creating a respectful and productive learning environment; through the structure of ritual, freedom emerges.
It all started with "Roses and Spines." Roses and Spines is an activity I borrowed from my friend at Seattle Children's Theatre and now use in all of my classes (including improv). It allows us to start the day on the same page... to check in. I get to hear how everyone's energy is and if we maybe need to do a "wake up" game or if someone's having a hard time because of something that happened the previous night. They were, of course, resistant at first.
"Teacher.... Again?! No....." they whined when they saw the agenda on the board.
Many of them also didn't want to share. I decided this was ok and that maybe they would get more comfortable if I gave it space so I gave the option of saying "I don't have anything."
They did warm up and it only took a little over a week. Suddenly, when I asked who wanted to start they would shout out, "Meeee, teacher! I want."
They started to have something to say right when they walked through the doorway.
It became normal. It became comfortable. It became a story telling sparker and a venue for advice giving. It became the perfect tool for spontaneous daily English speaking.
I've even seen some poor attitudes improve after sharing.
Some kids still say they don't have anything, but maybe they don't. I mean, maybe we don't have something to share everyday, right? No pressure. That way, when there is something... it's all the more valued.
One day we didn't do Roses and Spines because I wanted to get something accomplished in a short time. They were insane!!!!! The energy was out of control and nobody would listen to each other. This just reinforces the idea that the ritual calms them and gets them ready for the day - much like one starts a yoga practice with focusing on an intention and the breath.
That makes me laugh.
It is incredible, though, how different my English class at the high school is this year than it was last year. Last year, every day was a battle - a constant war to win trust, to get the kids wanting to learn English, to have them listen, to encourage them to participate on task...
The good days were few and far between. I would leave after my class, thankful that it wasn't an all day gig.
This year, I have the same kids; we all moved up a level together. This year, I didn't have to start over. We had a whole year of relationships built and I was still around. I wasn't another transient teacher, only there for a few months until the class scared him or her off.
The biggest change, I think, is the use of ritual in the classroom. I can not emphasize enough how important rituals seem to be in creating a respectful and productive learning environment; through the structure of ritual, freedom emerges.
It all started with "Roses and Spines." Roses and Spines is an activity I borrowed from my friend at Seattle Children's Theatre and now use in all of my classes (including improv). It allows us to start the day on the same page... to check in. I get to hear how everyone's energy is and if we maybe need to do a "wake up" game or if someone's having a hard time because of something that happened the previous night. They were, of course, resistant at first.
"Teacher.... Again?! No....." they whined when they saw the agenda on the board.
Many of them also didn't want to share. I decided this was ok and that maybe they would get more comfortable if I gave it space so I gave the option of saying "I don't have anything."
They did warm up and it only took a little over a week. Suddenly, when I asked who wanted to start they would shout out, "Meeee, teacher! I want."
They started to have something to say right when they walked through the doorway.
It became normal. It became comfortable. It became a story telling sparker and a venue for advice giving. It became the perfect tool for spontaneous daily English speaking.
I've even seen some poor attitudes improve after sharing.
Some kids still say they don't have anything, but maybe they don't. I mean, maybe we don't have something to share everyday, right? No pressure. That way, when there is something... it's all the more valued.
One day we didn't do Roses and Spines because I wanted to get something accomplished in a short time. They were insane!!!!! The energy was out of control and nobody would listen to each other. This just reinforces the idea that the ritual calms them and gets them ready for the day - much like one starts a yoga practice with focusing on an intention and the breath.
Putting My Pieces Together
It's kind of a weird concept, but I feel like my selves are fragmented. Like there was the me before I came to Costa Rica and the me now. The me now is afraid that moving back to the US will mean that I go back to the old me. The version of myself that was more insecure, more anxious... basically more afraid.
I wonder if that's part of culture shock. Whatever it is, it's an odd process to experience. I need to stitch these pieces together. I need to go back and collect my old self to be one with my current self. Maybe that's why April felt like a month of regression: re-living my old insecurities to clean them out. When you clean the house it looks a lot worse before it gets clean, right?
I want my future self to tell my current self that it is all ok. That the change is good. That each new experience brings new adventure and takes you to places you never imagined were possible.
I want my future self to sit down and have coffee with me and to tell me, "Look where we are now. I'm so glad you kept moving forward even when you were afraid... even when you had no idea where the path would lead. Isn't the journey beautiful?"
I wonder if that's part of culture shock. Whatever it is, it's an odd process to experience. I need to stitch these pieces together. I need to go back and collect my old self to be one with my current self. Maybe that's why April felt like a month of regression: re-living my old insecurities to clean them out. When you clean the house it looks a lot worse before it gets clean, right?
I want my future self to tell my current self that it is all ok. That the change is good. That each new experience brings new adventure and takes you to places you never imagined were possible.
I want my future self to sit down and have coffee with me and to tell me, "Look where we are now. I'm so glad you kept moving forward even when you were afraid... even when you had no idea where the path would lead. Isn't the journey beautiful?"
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Already Putting it in Practice - Theatre for Dialogue
I went to UT Austin for three days, but those three days were like a workshop in which I learned new teaching techniques and was re-inspired to build drama teaching practices into my projects.
During the visit, we were able to see a production of "Get Sexy, Get Consent," which is a theatre for dialogue piece that is used to educate undergraduate students and promote consensual relationships. It is interactive and is used to spark discussion and analysis of the scenes presented. In the end, audience members participate in scenes and actually even change the outcome of what happens. I was immediately in love with this project. This is the type of theatre work that gives me goosebumps.
This past weekend, Ramona and I led an environmental camp at an animal sanctuary in the area I live. We were able to bus 30 kids from the community to go to this camp for free and teach them about the environment.
The coolest part is that Ramona and I figured out how to incorporate some of the theatre for dialogue techniques that I saw the cast of "Get Sexy" use to teach about how to appropriately interact with wildlife.
We did a series of short scenes in which we had inappropriate interactions with the animals and asked the kids what stood out to them and what they saw happening.
Then, after all of the workshops and the tour of the sanctuary we revisited these scenes... but this time, we had kids from the audience join the scenes with us and change the outcomes by using their voices.
It went so well! It was the first time I had led or created anything like this and I could see that the kids learned on a deeper level than they had seemed to the last time we did this camp. They practiced using their voices and understood that with their education came more power to make a difference.
Also, my friend that I did this with is in the Peace Corps and is about to start grad school for social work. Now she wants to incorporate theatre for dialogue into her work and is super excited about learning more about it.
It makes me so excited that I am able to take this work to far away corners of the world and inspire others to do the same. I've already learned so much from the program and I was only there for 3 days! I can't imagine what I'm going to learn in 3 years!
During the visit, we were able to see a production of "Get Sexy, Get Consent," which is a theatre for dialogue piece that is used to educate undergraduate students and promote consensual relationships. It is interactive and is used to spark discussion and analysis of the scenes presented. In the end, audience members participate in scenes and actually even change the outcome of what happens. I was immediately in love with this project. This is the type of theatre work that gives me goosebumps.
This past weekend, Ramona and I led an environmental camp at an animal sanctuary in the area I live. We were able to bus 30 kids from the community to go to this camp for free and teach them about the environment.
 |
| We made pencil holders out of milk cartons |
The coolest part is that Ramona and I figured out how to incorporate some of the theatre for dialogue techniques that I saw the cast of "Get Sexy" use to teach about how to appropriately interact with wildlife.
We did a series of short scenes in which we had inappropriate interactions with the animals and asked the kids what stood out to them and what they saw happening.
Then, after all of the workshops and the tour of the sanctuary we revisited these scenes... but this time, we had kids from the audience join the scenes with us and change the outcomes by using their voices.
In this scene I'm about to throw a frog at a fan (something someone actually saw happen at a school), but the girls convince me to put it outside instead.
It went so well! It was the first time I had led or created anything like this and I could see that the kids learned on a deeper level than they had seemed to the last time we did this camp. They practiced using their voices and understood that with their education came more power to make a difference.
Also, my friend that I did this with is in the Peace Corps and is about to start grad school for social work. Now she wants to incorporate theatre for dialogue into her work and is super excited about learning more about it.
It makes me so excited that I am able to take this work to far away corners of the world and inspire others to do the same. I've already learned so much from the program and I was only there for 3 days! I can't imagine what I'm going to learn in 3 years!
We Are All Superheroes
Another big project that was inspired by my visit to Austin was a process drama I did with my intermediate level high school English class.
It all started with the movie, Big Hero Six. If you are interested in seeing how a process drama works, the lesson is here. If you're not interested in the details, just know that process drama is a way to use role play and interaction to explore a subject matter or theme. In this case, we became super heroes in an academy that had to help a professor defeat the super villain who was melting all the ice in the world. Through these activities, we were able to build greater conversational English skills and learn a lot of vocabulary. Plus, it was a LOT of FUN.
And.... my lovely friend from Austin and her boyfriend played our main characters (the professor and the villain). They sent me recordings on Whatsapp every day to play in class. I couldn't have asked for better actors :]
You can tell by these responses that the students enjoyed it too:
Yes, because we learned more vocabulary. Because it's fun and we play and learned at the same time... it was entertaining.
They sent a response to the villain saying that he shouldn't call them LITTLE super heroes and that they would defeat him
It all started with the movie, Big Hero Six. If you are interested in seeing how a process drama works, the lesson is here. If you're not interested in the details, just know that process drama is a way to use role play and interaction to explore a subject matter or theme. In this case, we became super heroes in an academy that had to help a professor defeat the super villain who was melting all the ice in the world. Through these activities, we were able to build greater conversational English skills and learn a lot of vocabulary. Plus, it was a LOT of FUN.
And.... my lovely friend from Austin and her boyfriend played our main characters (the professor and the villain). They sent me recordings on Whatsapp every day to play in class. I couldn't have asked for better actors :]
 |
You can tell by these responses that the students enjoyed it too:
1. Did you like the super hero
lesson?
We did something different. I learned more vocabulary.
It was fun. We talking more in English and learned more
vocabulary.
We need different things to do.
I laugh a lot. It was so interesting.
It was super fun listen the messages.
Was entertaining.
Was cool drawed in the class.
The movie is fantastic and I want super power.
I like because is beautiful. Is a creative funny
lesson.
I learned more English - it was very funny
Because is fantastic.
I like because is interactive.
We make super heroes, that was nice.
Dynamic classes are nice. We meet more we classmates
and laugh a lot and learn the same time.
Is so much funny and interactive.
Because we had the opportunity of participated
together.
I liked had super powers.
*My favorite - Yes, because that is so entertaining and I
have to use my mind to resolve the problem and I talked more in class.
2. Would you like to do a dynamic and interactive
story like this again in the future?
Yes, because we learned more vocabulary. Because it's fun and we play and learned at the same time... it was entertaining.
Yes, i like to do a dynamic
class in the future because I learn and is cool.
Yes, with this activities I can learn more vocabulary.
Yes, I like have more lessons interactives because is really
beautiful share with my friends and is very funny.
No, because I don't understand the activities (this same
person wrote for number 1 that it was fun and interesting and they liked it...)
3. Do you have any suggestions
to improve an activity like this?
No, is fine this.
I like crimes.
Maybe we can have dresses (I think he meant costumes ;] )
I liked all.
Super Hero ESL Process Drama
Moriah Flagler and Briana Bower
El Colegio Ecoturistico – Quepos, Costa Rica
Intermediate English – Grades 8-11
March 2015
Day 1 and Day 2
Activity: Watch
the movie, Big Hero Six
Homework: Individually,
answer comprehension questions about the movie.
Questions:
1. What does Hero
want to do instead of attending the university?
2. Why does he change
his mind?
3. How does his
brother die?
4. Why does his
brother go back in the building?
5. What is Baymax’s
profession?
6. Why does Hero’s
brother create Baymax?
7. What does the
villain want?
8. Why is the villain
upset?
9. What does Baymax
do to convince Hero not to kill the professor?
10. What does Baymax
say to disactivate?
11. Who do Baymax and
Hero save?
12. What happens to
Baymax at the end of the movie?
13. What is your
favorite part and why?
14. Did you like the
movie? Why or why not?
Day 3
Collect homework
and share answers in pairs.
Activity -
Applications: Fill out super hero applications (attached)
Day 4
Receive acceptance
letter from Professor Sparks of the Super Hero Academy, congratulating students on
their acceptance. (One per student -
attached)
Acceptance Letter
Greetings,
We are
writing to you because we know about your special powers. Do not be alarmed, we
are able to detect special powers like yours, and we have not told anyone the
abilities you possess.
Because
of your great gift, you have been specially selected to attend the Sparks
Academy for Super Heroes. Now you must know that just because you have
extraordinary powers does not mean that you are guaranteed to become a great
hero, but with our help and guidance, you will be able to achieve greatness.
The
plane, which will take you to the Sparks Academy, departs a week from today.
However before we leave and you begin your training we have many preparations
to make. First and most importantly, we must make sure you are fit to join the
Academy. Please meet at City Hall today, where Professor Moriah will meet you
and begin your training process.
I look
forward to meeting you in person, and please remember: There is much more to
being a Super Hero, than Super Power.
Sincerely,
Professor
Sparks
Volunteers read paragraphs of the letter and we discuss for
understanding. Add new vocabulary to our
vocabulary books.
Vocabulary from Acceptance Letter
Alarmed
Able
Possess
Gift (as in ability)
Must
Guidance
Achieve
Departs
“make sure you are fit”
Listen to Audio 1 – Welcome speech from Professor
Sparks: (script attached)
Add vocabulary from Listening
Vocabulary from Audio 1
Appear
Danger
Conceal
Regardless
Thrive
“look forward to”
Motto
Check for
understanding.
Activity – Meeting
other Applicants: Go to the academy and meet the other super hero
candidates – Training!
Students walk around the room and must talk to at least
three other super hero candidates. Learn
their story: who they are (alias), what their power is, and how they discovered
it. Ask them questions and then switch… answer their questions.
Back to the circle – volunteers share about one person they
met.
Activity: Hero
Training!
Games – Zap! (to practice speed and mental agility), Freeze
(to practice stealth…variation of ghost in the graveyard), A,B,C in circle (to
practice mind reading)
Audio 2: Receive
urgent message from Professor Sparks saying they need to help her complete her
mission, even though they are still in training.
Vocabulary from Audio 2
“my time is running short”
“gone awry”
Capture
Codes
Vault
“I must go”
“They’re coming for me”
Homework:
Design and draw costumes for their super heroes on the
provided template (attached). List
powers and gadgets you use. Be ready to
present your costume next class.
Day 5
Show them what I
found in the vault: a soccer jersey from the “sele” of CR (the world cup
selection) and a burnt note that says “I have him” in red marker. Play the voice recording of the villain that
was also left on a flash drive in the vault.
Listen to Audio 3:
Villain’s Plan
Villain: my plan is to take over the entire world and no one
will be able to stop me… bwahahaha!
Hypothesize as a
class on what these items might mean.
Who does the villain have?
Present costume
designs. Include what your powers
and gadgets are. Describe how you use
your costume and describe colors if not present and other important aspects you
can’t see.
Day 6
Review:
Where is professor sparks?
Why does she need our help? What was in the vault yesterday?
Show images from
Professor Sparks – attached (picture of the Chicago skyline and a tsunami covering a
city)
Ask: What do
these pictures tell us? Why would
Professor Sparks send them? Oh, wait…
she has sent us another message…. Let’s listen.
Audio 4: Kryptonite
– message from Sparks
explaining what’s happening with the flooding.
Vocabulary from Audio 4
Weird
Vault
Super villain
Kryptonite
Melting
Sea Levels
Strong/stronger
Captivity
“I hope”
Follow up questions:
1. What does she hope we already did?
2. What is the villain’s kryptonite?
3. What is the villain doing?
4. What is the villain’s power?
5. What will happen if we don’t stop him?
Audio 5: “You
think you’re so smart little super heroes….. I got to the vault first…” Message
from Villain
Vocabulary from Audio 5
“Back to the point”
“give up”
Agreement
Await
Reply
Discussion: What
are our options? Elicit these two options:
1. Save Kaylor Navas
and the world floods
2. Don’t save Kaylor,
instead keep trying to stop the villain… it’s a trick.
Activity – Video
Response:
Class records video response to the villain. As a class,
brainstorm a script and write it on the board.
Volunteers read the lines that we agree on to send to the villain.
They sent a response to the villain saying that he shouldn't call them LITTLE super heroes and that they would defeat him
Day 7
Review: What has
happened in the story so far? Write plot
on board based on various student’s summaries.
Each volunteer says one thing.
Audio 6 -Listen
to video response from Villain: “Oh, if that’s what you want…. Try to stop me…
bwahahah.”
Listen to
director’s kidnapping message… (because she was absent that day for a
meeting). She begs them to rescue her
from a trunk of a car. Hahaha.
In groups: Draw a map
of the villain’s lair. Show at least 6 obstacles and be ready to explain
how you use your team’s own special powers to pass these obstacles. You may not kill the villain. Remember, his power is fire and he melts
things. His Kryptonite is the special
chocolate ice cream.
 |
A group plotting how they are going to use their individual powers to get through the maze of the villain's lair
Day 8
Finish the maps
and practice.
Groups present
their stories of defeating the villain to the rest of the class.
Audio 7 – “You
defeated me!!!!!” Villain’s last message
Vocabulary from Audio 7
“Curse you”
Underestimated
Potential
Watch Final Video
Message from Professor Sparks
Celebrate :]
Super Hero Process
Drama Lesson Scripts
Audio 1
Hello Students, Professor Sparks speaking. I apologize that
I cannot appear in person. Due to the danger of my current mission and the need
to conceal my identity, I cannot contact you via video message. But regardless,
I would like to welcome you all to my Academy for Super Heroes. Professor
Moriah has told me great things about each and every one of you, and I have no
doubt that you all will thrive here at the Academy. I look forward to working
with you when I return, and always remember the Sparks Academy motto, “It
takes more than super powers to make a super hero.” I wish you great luck and
success on your first day of training.
Audio 2
Professor Moriah and Students I am sorry to contact you like
this but I fear my time is running short. My mission has gone awry. They have
found my identity, and I fear they will soon capture me. I need your help. The
case file is in the vault. Professor Moriah, you know the codes. Please go to
the vault this weekend so that you can help me on Monday. It will be dangerous,
but please, if you can, I need you to complete my mission. I must go now -
they’re coming for me. Complete my mission, and know that
the safety of the school and of the world is at stake.
Audio 3
Villain: my plan is to take over the entire world and no one
will be able to stop me… bwahahaha!
Audio 4
Dear students,
Professor Sparks here.
I hope you went to the vault to get this super villain’s biggest
kryptonite…. You’ll probably think it’s weird, but this special chocolate ice
cream is the only way to stop him from melting all of the ice in the
world. As you can already see, the sea
levels are rising rapidly and soon we will all be under water. You need to stop him. His powers of fire are strong…. But I know
you all are stronger. Don’t worry about
me. I am in captivity, but I’ll be
ok. I hope.
Audio 5
Villain:
You think you’re so smart….. little super heroes…… bwahahahahahaha…….
I got to the vault first! Try to stop me
now!!!!! Bwahahahahahaha.
By the way, your famous little soccer player says
hello. At least I think that’s what he
says…. I never learned Spanish.
Bwahahahahahaahahah! What kind of
a name is Navas anyway?!
Back to the point… if you want Navas back, you will give up
right now. Do we have an agreement? I await your reply.
Audio 6
Villain:
If that’s what you want…… try to stop me! Bwahahahahaha!!!!
(Audio that didn’t happen – can be used to inspire the
work of the final project in map making/ story telling or this can be teacher
led)
(Professor Sparks:
You have to do this mission alone. I can’t help you. I found this map, though,
in the room I am locked in. I think it
is a map of the villain’s lair. Think
about how to use the powers you have to get through. Make a plan. You may be student super heroes, but you have
what you need to be great!)
Audio 7
Last message from Villain:
You defeated me!!!!! Nooooooooooo!!!!! Now my plan to flood
the entire world with water will never happen.
Curse you, little super heroes. I
underestimated your potential.
Video Message: Last message from Professor Sparks
Congratulations, super heroes! You completed your mission and defeated the
super villain. Not only that, but you
rescued Kaylor Navas, director Xiomara, me, and the entire world. We will be forever grateful for your bravery
and problem solving. I would like to
pronounce you all official super heroes!!! And…always remember our motto: There
is much more to being a super hero, than super power. Now, I’m sorry I couldn’t
deliver this message in person.. but as you can see I need to protect my
identity for a while now. So, uh… thank you again; I wouldn’t be around without
you. Until next time….. Professor Sparks
– over and out.
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