To My Middle School Students:

To My Middle School Students:

I hope that you enjoy this blog about my adventures living and teaching abroad. I am glad that I get to keep you all updated in this way and know that, even though I am not technically your teacher anymore, I will always consider you my students. Feel free to leave comments, to email me with questions, or just say hi :]

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.


#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 la alma.


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!


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.


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 called San Mateo. The show and the workshop we facilitated were great and thanks to our problem solving and quick thinking, we even made it home that night!


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

#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.


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.


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


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.


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.



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?