Some Culture

It is all starting to get easier! Thank goodness! This last month has been one of the most difficult ones I have ever lived through. Sure, this is the 19th country I have arrived in during my 22 years of life, but I have never tried to work in a different country or learn another language. I think I underestimated how challenging it would be. Thankfully, things are now starting to get easier! I am starting to understand more and more Spanish, I am finally gaining more responsibility at school, and overall I am just feeling more comfortable in my surroundings.


Costa Rican’s celebrate everything, and I love it! Last Thursday was Dia los Ninos, or Children’s Day. I work in a private Catholic school, and the children are required to wear uniforms. However, because this was their special day all my students were allowed to dress up in costumes! It was strange to see them out of their uniforms, but they looked so adorable! The school hired clowns to come in and they did a big performance for the children. There was even fire!

(One of my classrooms. It was decorated for Independence Day!)

Fire in the gym!

Aren't they just the cutest?!

This last weekend we headed to the Caribbean Coast! We traveled to beautiful Puerto Viejo. My friend Kelly from Winona is staying in another house about two blocks away. We traveled to the beach with her host Mama Flor, and Flor’s niece and son. It was a blast! We left at 5 am on Saturday, and made our way through the curvy mountains to the beach. We spent all of Saturday playing in the clear blue water and basking in the beautiful sun. Then, that night had a huge barbeque and went to a reage concert and danced the night away. On Sunday, we moved to a resort right on the beach and had a bonfire just steps away from the Caribbean. It was magical. We even taught the Costa Ricans how to roast hotdogs and make smores. I made a stick for roasting hotdogs out of a palm branch, but sadly it didn’t work too efficiently. On Monday we took a bike ride to a neighboring town and explored their beautiful beaches. I would like to say this was an enjoyable ride, but my bike tire was completely flat and I was pretty winded by the time we were done. All and all, a FANTASTIC weekend though!

Sarah and I playing in the water!

An adorable Costa Rican/American baby we played with on the beach!

I am looking for life, love, and laughter :-)

I didn't want to ever leave!

Wednesday, was Costa Rica’s Independence Day. Amber and I went to watch the parade our school was in. It was a wonderfully enriching cultural experience. There were lots of high schools from around the area. Some students performed dances in the parade, while other schools brought their bands. We thought it was interesting that the bands just consisted of drums and xylophones.

All dressed up for Independence Day!

Dancing at the parade!

My school!

Baseball in Costa Rica!

By the way, EMAIL ME!!! I love hearing from people back home, and I am not going to lie some of you have REALLY been slacking! And remember to live compassionately!

I am going to climb to the top of a hill, and I am going to free my will.

Today, my friends and I hiked up the mountain outside our house. It was a 3 ½ mile walk up! Like most of my Costa Rican experiences, it was both challenging and rewarding. When I got to the top of the hill I was reminded of a lyric from a song I have been listening to recently, “I am going to climb to the top of a hill, and I am going to free my will.” I decided then and there to free myself to experience everything Costa Rica has to offer. I realize going head strong into these strange and sometimes uncomfortable situations is not going to be easy, but often the most challenging experiences are what help us make the most gains in our spirit and character. I am going to free my will and spirit to feel all. I am going to free my mind of all worries, and just be. I am going to free myself to learn and grow as much as possible from all experiences both positive and challenging.

Sorry, I seem to begin all blog post similarly, but I think it exemplifies my thought process during the last month. I have encountered several situations in which I have had to look to quotes for inspiration and encouragement. I hope that those of you reading this may find them somewhat inspiring, too.

I have some catching up to do. Last weekend I headed to the beach with the other student teachers. We left on Friday after I was done teaching. This was our first venture through San Jose, and I must say it was kind of scary. There was a lot of prevalent poverty, and city was pretty run down. We finally got out of the city around five, and spent a long three hours making our way to the beach on the twisty roads. We finally arrived in Jaco, and got settled into our nice little $10 a night hostel. We were all tired from the week. So, we hit the hay early and got ready for surfing on Saturday!!!

Sarah, Amber, and I took surf lessons and had a blast! We all did pretty well! We didn’t catch any huge waves, but overall I would say we were pretty impressive. The hardest part was definitely carrying that massive surf board throw the waves!

My third week was my best week so far. Thankfully, I am now splitting my time between two teachers, and the second teacher utilizes me a lot more in her classroom. The staff is also slowly starting to warm up to me. I even had a five minute conversation with one of the Spanish Teacher this week. We just talked about general things, but I was still proud.

The student teachers and I decided to lay low this weekend and stick around home. There is a mountain right outside of our house. We decided it would be a fun adventure to hike it, and indeed it was. We saw some beautiful, and terrifying things on the way.

There are various pathways, sunshine and shade. All of them grace. Be not afraid.

I am hesitant to talk about my first week at school in length, because I know it will get better. However, this past week has been the most trying professional thing I have ever done! All five days were an incredible journey of highs and lows. I felt a lot of emotions, and learned an immense amount. There were points I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and other times I had to go to the bathroom to cry, and do everything I could to talk myself out of running to buy a ticket home. I found a lot of strength in this quote this week…

“Within you lies a power greater than what lies before you.” –Rhonda Blake

I most definitely have had to dig deep, and find a fierce inner power from within to help me through my first week in Costa Rica. I would not describe my teacher, or the staff at Tres Rios, as mean. It is just that most of them seem completely uninterested in my presence. I know that there is a language barrier, but at least half the staff speaks English, but doesn’t bother to use it with me. Also, I have not been entrusted yet with many classroom responsibilities. I often just sit and observe, which kills me because I have a burning desire to be actively interacting with children at all times.

On Wednesday, I finally got my big chance to be directly involved with what was happening in the class. The school was short on staff so they asked me to sub for a couple different classrooms. This experience was both enriching and terrifying! I had no one to look to for translations, and the students had trouble grasping the usual classroom management tricks I use in the US. Also, no one at the school bothered to tell me when the day ended or where I should take the students. When the bell rang, I had 30 students screaming, running, and frantically trying to tell me in Spanish where they needed to go. Talk about stressful! I learned a lot about how to communicate with English as a second language learners, and I will forever sympathize with them about how frustrating it is to not fully understand a language!

By Friday, I most definitely needed to blow off some steam. The girls and I went to a swing dance class at the library about a block away from us. It was a great stress reliever. Even if we all don’t speak the same language, the whole world speaks dance!

Dancing Costa Rican swing!

This is Kelly's host Mama, Flor and her best friend!

On Saturday, we went to the highest point in Costa Rica and played in the clouds! We went to the Irazu Volcano. It was a great adventure, and fun to be around other tourist who spoke English! 

Irazu Volcano

The teacher Sarah works with is twenty four years old and very fun! She invited us to her boyfriend’s birthday party on Saturday night. We had loads of fun dancing to the two live bands at the party, and making some local friends!

We welcomed our newest student teacher friend, Amber, on Saturday. She will also be staying with Emilia!

The 5 student teachers currently in Costa Rica!

Our host Mama, Emilia, and the four of us who are staying with her!

The 1st week :)

I haven’t described myself as shy or anxious since about the sixth grade. Well, I guess most people who know me well still might describe me as anxious, but trust me I am not nearly as bad as I once was. However, during this past week in Costa Rica I have commonly found myself once again quieting that inner voice telling me, “You can’t do this.” However, I love those fleeting moments when I conquer something unexpectedly, and I just want to scream back, “YES I CAN.” For example, I will ask how to say a word over and over again in Spanish and repeatedly not remember it, until all of the sudden I blurt it out without thinking. Or when I realize I have just navigated my way around Tres Rios by myself, and I am suddenly back at my front door. In these moments, I am reminded of just how capable I am. These instances remind me to just let life happen, because “worrying is wasteful and useless in times like these.” I think that is a quote from the singer, Jewel.

I have now been in Costa Rica for a week. Some days I feel like I have already been here months, while other days I feel like I have only just arrived. I will try to briefly recap my first week. Sarah and I thankfully arrived here safely at about 5:30 am after the whole airport debacle. And yes, we did get our tickets refunded! Our host mother picked us up from the airport. I immediately realized how hard this whole Spanish thing was going to be after I spit out about the five Spanish phrases I know and then sat in silence the rest of the car ride home. For those of you who know me, you know how difficult this was. I am never one to sit quietly during conversations. I love to be right in on the action. Quite frankly, silence scares me! It is always good to work on your fears though, and practicing active listening is always beneficial, too. Sarah and I spent most of Tuesday unpacking, and getting some much needed rest!

On Wednesday, I took the first trip to my beautiful school! It was love at first sight. What is not to love about adorable Costa Rican children, with big brown eyes, squealing with delight as they play at recess! On the way to see my school I was very nervous, but I should have known that no matter what part of the world I am in, being with children always makes me feel right at home!

(My classroom!)

On Thursday, I went to Sarah’s school. Sarah is doing her practicum at a Montessori Kindergarten. When we arrived we spent the first half hour or so greeting the children as they arrived. I spent most of my time with the one and two year olds. We are at a pretty similar language level when it comes to Spanish. Then, I had the opportunity to follow the Pre-Kindergarten class around. We spent about an hour and a half in the Montessori classroom. For those of you who are not familiar with this teaching technique, the Montessori classroom is filled with several different learning-based activities. There is a certain way the children are taught to go about completing each task. The children come to the Montessori classroom to work, not play. After this, the class headed to Karate class. Cutest thing I have ever seen! This was obviously something the children do weekly, as they were extremely good at following the routine! Then, the children went outside and practiced a dance routine and poem they had been working on for their Mother’s Day celebration. Also, very cute! Finally, the children had some English Language instruction. This was such a great morning!

(The students at Sarah's school practicing their dance for Mother's Day)

On Friday, Sarah and I ventured to the bus station by ourselves! Thankfully, we successfully made it to our respective schools! Friday was exciting, exhausting, over-stimulating, confusing, stressful, joyous, and enriching. As you can imagine after a day full of this many emotions, I was worn out! I am working

with a teacher named, Milena. I am so gratefull that Milena is warm and welcoming. It has made my transition into this experience much more enjoyable. Milena teaches English and science. Most everything she says is in English, but of course she resorts back to her native language to communicate some things to her students. However, the students typically respond in Spanish. I have already encountered countless situations in which I have had no idea what they are trying to ask me. Most of them are patient with me, and we get by with Spanglish and hand gestures.

On Saturday, I headed out for my first big adventure with the girls. I will quickly give you some background information on, “the girls.” Although, Sarah and I share the same major and even lived close to each other freshmen year, we did not meet until last year. We had several of our classes together our last semester of college, and one day I asked Sarah if she would student teach in Costa Rica with me, and she said, “Sure.” How easy was that?! Kelly also goes to Winona State. We had a couple classes together our sophomore year, but sadly haven’t had the opportunity to talk much since. In a student teacher meeting Kelly overheard me talking about student teaching in Costa Rica, and decided to come along, too! Finally, Linsey is from Washington and lives with Emilia, too! Both Linsey and Kelly are Spanish majors so that has been extremely helpful! Anywho, the four of us tried to go to Cartigo to see a volcano, but we ended up being too late for the buses. So, we ended up just wandering around the town. We had some great food, waited for the rain to pass and then headed out to a small town in the middle of a beautiful valley. We stumbled upon this beautiful river that left me in awe. It was one of those moments I had to stop and inhale deeply just to remember how beautiful life is.

(Sarah and Kelly on the bus)

(Kelly, Sarah, and Linsey)

(A very typical Costa Rican meal)

On Sunday, we ventured back to Cartigo and had the opportunity to listen to a band from Mexico playing music for Mother’s Day. I loved watching everyone, young and old, dancing in the crowd.

On Monday, I began my first full week at school! I am getting tired of writing. So, I will just list a few things.

Things I struggled with at school:

*Communicating effectively with the students and staff. I really dislike not being able to engage in meaningful conversation with the staff members at the school, and I find it very frustrating that when a student comes up to me crying and I can’t figure out exactly what happened.

*Trying to write in cursive. I love to print!

*I want to be helpful at school, but I also don’t want to over step my boundaries.

*Learning 90 Spanish names! Este es muy dificil para mi!

Thanks for reading! I will update you on more Costa Rican life soon! Don’t forget to keep me updated on your life, too!

Off to a great start ;)

So, I have had this nervous/anxious feeling about flying to Costa Rica the past couple days. I found this rather peculiar, because it is not like I haven’t traveled internationally before. My friend Sarah and I got on the same flight out Minneapolis to Costa Rica, and we decided it would be best to arrive at the airport plenty ahead of time. We got are boarding passes printed, had plenty of time to say goodbye to my parents, smoothly made it through security, and sat and people watched before we boarded on time.

Not. NOT. NOT!!!!!

Turns out I most definitely had something to worry about! While printing our boarding passes, the employer asked to see our return tickets. We casually explained we hadn’t booked them yet. The look of distress on her face, immediately made my stomach turn. She explained that it was a new law in Costa Rica that all visitors entering must show proof of a ticket out of Costa Rica within 90 days, and that they couldn’t let us on the plane without one. Then, she continued to blabber for several minutes without really telling us any useful information, or giving us any real advise of a plan out of this horrible predicament. Finally, Sarah and I walked away from the counter in panic mode. We spent $8 on internet, and tried to book a bus ticket to Panama. However, none of the bus website allowed the option of booking online! We finally got a number to call, spent way too much money on an international phone call only to have the man on the other line say a few words in Spanish to me and hang up the phone. At this point the minutes were melting away quickly, and I literally thought I was going to ralph all over the airport floor. I desperately began searching the internet again, when my Mama walked over with an employer, Scott, from a different airline who apparently had lived in Costa Rica for a year. He started chattering about how great Costa Rica is, and all the places we should see. I really wanted to scream, “THAT IS GREAT, BUT IF YOU DON’T START HELPING ME OUT OF THIS MESS I WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE IT FOR MYSELF.” Finally, he gave us a few websites to try, but again they wouldn’t allow for online booking. He started talking about some other option he was going to go try, but at this point I had completely written him off as a viable source out this mess. So, I continue looking up dead end options, until my Mama came running over and explained that we could buy a $900 refundable ticket to Panama City. So, we ran over and had Scott book our tickets. Of course, this was not a quick process and I began doing a little jig that resembled an, “I really have to go potty dance” to calm my nerves. Eventually, we had the $900 tickets in our hands, ran back to the other airline to prove we were going to leave Costa Rice, quickly said goodbye to my parents, ran to our gate, confirmed that we were indeed getting on our flight so they would send our luggage, and took our first full deep breath in hours!

I am now in Denver, and waiting to board our flight at 1am. We are scheduled to land around 5:30am. Our host Mama, who only speaks Spanish, is picking us up!
Stay tuned for what will happen next. HELLO ADVENTURE!