Futbol en el Parque

This weekend, our friends Thai and Alyson from our TEFL program came into town from Montezuma and stayed with us for a few days. It was nice having some visitors, especially the kind that cook delicious meals for us.

The highlight of the weekend was probably on Saturday afternoon- we took our soccer ball to the park and kicked it around for a bit and then met some kids who were doing the same thing. Then they got there ball caught in a tree and Thai (AKA Gringo Man) saved the day and their ball. After that, a little game started and I snapped some shots of Cameron and Thai as they played.

Click HERE to see my latest album of new pics, including some shots from the game!

(Aaaaand HERE and HERE are the two previous albums. Y'know, in case you missed them.)

A Hop to Jaco

Last weekend was my friend Cameron's birthday, so we (including our friend Stef) decided that this would be the perfect excuse to spend a few days on the beach. Considering our schedules (we don't finish with classes until after 8pm on Friday night), we wanted to go somewhere relatively close to San Jose, so we decided on Jaco Beach.

Jaco is generally thought of as kinda lame around these parts. It is a pretty developed beach town and doesn't have quite the appeal of some other Costa Rican destinations, but we said "pish posh" to the haters and headed to Jaco anyway! Boy are we glad we did!

What Cameron didn't know as we rolled into town was that Stef and I had arranged a lovely weekend at the Hotel Club del Mar. This was a BIG deal for us, considering we usually stay in hostels. Needless to say, she was floored when we rolled into the circular drive at Club del Mar and WE were floored when we realized how amazing this place was in person.

We spent the weekend doing not much of anything, which is exactly how Cam wanted to spend her weekend. We lounged by the pool, drank fruity drinks and ate some of the best food we've had in Costa Rica so far.

On Saturday night, we went out to eat at Lemon Zest in downtown Jaco and it was seriously one of the best meals I have ever had in my life. The mashed potatoes tasted just like my mom's and if you had her potatoes, you know what I'm talkin' 'bout. This place would have been a five star restaurant in the States with five star prices, but here it was relatively reasonable! Also, Lemon Zest is family owned- the mom is the manager, the dad is the chef and the kids are on the wait staff. We met all of them and they were wonderful.

After dinner, we planned to go out dancing and tear up the town like young women in their twenties are supposed to do, but alas, our party girl only wanted to go back to the room, where she promptly fell asleep before 11pm, followed by us not long after. (Maniacs, I know.)

In short, I think I just experienced the most luxurious weekend of my life and probably one of the last for a long time, but that's alllllllright; it takes the hostels to appreciate the hotels.

Cusco Bound

I'm waiting.

Juuuust waiting.

Enjoying teaching, but not getting too comfortable here because come August 27th I am Cusco bound! I purchased my ticket yesterday and I am verrrrry excited.

Here's why...

Yup.

Can't freakin' wait.

PS- Come visit!

Lazy Lassie

Lassie,who was never lazy. Right, Timmy?

Last week, while playing "Taboo" with my Advanced class, one guy pulled the word "lazy"...now, I figured this would be SUPER easy for him, but he stared at the word, perplexed and then turned to me and said, "That dog?", which in turn caused me to look at him, perplexed, "Did you say dog?" Then he turns to a girl and says something in Spanish (which they're not supposed to do) about a perro, which means dog. The girl starts cracking up and says, "No! Lazy, like you don't want to do anything!"

She then turned to me and said, "He thought that meant Lassie, like the dog from TV!"

He then realized his error and proved to me that he did indeed know the definition of "lazy", so we'll just chalk it up to a vocabulary brain fart on his end.

Hmm, "brain fart"...that could be some new vocabulary...

La Exploración de la Ciudad

Now that we're real, live teachers, making real teachers' salaries, Cameron and I are mostly bound to the city. We've got a few more trips planned around the country, but for now we are happy to discover what San Jose has to offer...and it does have some stuff to offer...

The first weekend following teaching we were BEAT and didn't do too much. We did, however, manage to explore a large park in the middle of the city, complete with trails, ponds and even horses. It was a cab ride away, and not a cheap one, but we were still glad to see some green amidst the city.

This last weekend was a little more active. We went out for drinks and appetizers after work with a coworker and some older students on Friday. It was nice to unwind after a long week. The next day, the same group of us went to see a play downtown! Yup, I experienced my first play in Spanish. Thankfully, Latin American theater is over-the-top, so it was VERY clear what was going on, despite the fact that I didn't understand much of it. It was cute and of course I'm always happy to experience live theater. Yesterday, we found another park in the city and this one was walking distance from our apartment. It was lovely to get out, hike and explore a little jungle in the city.

My weekends have been filled with the perfect amount of rest and exploration! Next weekend we are headed to nearby Jaco to celebrate Cameron's b-day and hopefully reunite with some TEFL friends!

The following is a video of Cameron climbing on a log, with commentary from me, doing an awful Australian accent:

Pictuuuuures!

Hey, you can see my pics even if you DON'T have Facebook!

Click HERE to see the first album and click HERE to see the second album!

Here and Now

So, what am I doing now? I know you must be dying to know...why else would be reading this? Seriously.

I'm an English teacher! I teach at a school (or rather, a language institute) called Maximo Nivel and that's where I got certified too. It was a pretty seamless and comfortable transition. I teach full-time and I absolutely love it. I happily wake up around 5-5:30 am everyday and that's how I know I like this job. I think this may actually be the first job in which I've feel as though I am putting my actual, natural skills to use. I'm starting my second week tomorrow and I'm really getting the hang of it. My students are wonderful and funny and incredibly kind. Last week, while tutoring one of them, she said to me, "I can see that you love your job". Well, melt my li'l heart!

You may have gathered from the previous post that San Jose isn't my favorite place in the world and truthfully, neither is Costa Rica as a whole. Is it spectacularly beautiful once you get out of the city? Yes and I really do appreciate that and I'm happily embracing it too, BUT Costa Rica is very Americanized. I had heard that before coming here and considering I'd never been outside of America, I really didn't know what that meant. In fact, that kind of made me feel more at ease with coming here. Thankfully, I was able to experience the rich cultures of Mexico and Guatemala before coming here and was able to see what kinds of things I do want out of his experience. I just left America, so the idea of staying somewhere that has a True Value up the street and a Hooters down the road isn't entirely appealing. Also, I realized how important it is that I experience indigenous culture while I'm in Latin America and CR doesn't have much of that.

That being said, during the certification process, we learned about some of the other Maximo Nivel locations, one of which is in Cusco, Peru and after doing some research and talking to some folks who've lived there, it seemed like just the kind of place I wanted to be, so I applied for a position there. Considering the San Jose location is currently in need of teachers, they offered both Cameron and I a six month contract with two months here in San Jose and then four in Cusco, through December. From there I'm not sure what the future holds for me, but methinks if I like it there, I'll stay and teach until next summer, but not before coming home for a lengthy visit. I think it's safe to assume that I'll be BEYOND homesick by the time January rolls around.

So, that's where I'm at now. I promise to have shorter blogs from here on out. If you've read all of these, THANK YOU!

U2D, Pt. 4: I Know the Way to San Jose...

...duh, because I LIVE here.

Yes, I am currently living and working in San Jose, Costa Rica. Thankfully, before arriving, I'd heard that San Jose was a less than desirable place to visit/stay. I say "thankfully" because imagine how disappointed I'd have been if I expected a beautiful, bustling city like the one I came from or an enchanting city, rich in culture like San Cristobal in Mexico. If you ever happen to spend time in San Jose it will probably be on accident, or if you were to fly into Costa Rica and were just passing through. I'm trying to think of some US cities to compare it to, but I really can't right now. I'll just say this- San Jose isn't HORRIBLE. It really isn't. I think Detroit is worse. Ha, no but I mean, it's fine. I think if I had to stay here long-term I might have more of an issue with it. I've also been having a great experience, so the fact that the city I live in is kind of lame isn't getting in the way. I'm also not going to be here much longer, so there's that too.

I live in San Pedro, a relatively safe and pleasant neighborhood in San Jose. My current apartment is literally sandwiched between two universities, so that's cool. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants around too. Everything we need is within walking distance, including the school where I teach. I have about a fifteen minute walk to work everyday, which is really nice, considering my commute for my last job was a thirty second elevator ride...sure it was convenient, but kind of too convenient; it's nice to take a walk in the morning.

Okay, so probably the weirdest and most hilarious part of San Jose is the fact that there are NO street signs. I'm serious. My address is literally "100 meters from ULatina, down the road and near the sign for the hairdresser on a private street". The first day I was here, I was looking around frantically for signs and thought I was missing something until my friend Jon filled me in. There are a few streets with names in downtown San Jose, but I think that's just so tourists can get around. The address for my school includes something about it being 200 meters from an old fig tree, but the old fig tree isn't even there anymore, so...

Also, it's kind of an adventure to walk around here. One minute you'll be walking on a side-walk and it just disappears and you're walking on gravel. The street gutters here are also kind of a hazard. There are just random square ditches for water to flow into on the road. If you're not looking you could easily fall into one of those or just the gutters themselves. Needless to say, I've learned to pay closer attention when I walk. Maybe that was a skill I needed to perfect. Maybe I was spoiled by side-walks and covered ditches in Chicago.

Oh, and my apartment! Yup! I have one now. Lucky for me and my friend Cameron, we were able to move into a lovely, furnished two-bedroom the DAY after our program ended, so as soon as I was done with class, it was "adios!" to Carmen and her bagged cheese and onto Cameron and her wonderful cooking abilities. Cameron negotiated a GREAT deal for us on the place, she talked the landlords down $120! The woman has negotiation skills I only dream of having. (And yes, I realize I went from Carmen to Cameron.)

San Jose might not be my ideal city, but I'm enjoying my little corner of it and plus, it's all a part of the experience and so far, so good.

U2D, Pt. 4: Destinations

Manuel Antonio

Puerto Viejo

Cabuya, just outside of Montezuma

The best part about this country, by far, is its spectacular natural beauty. By the end of August I will have been here for a little over three months and despite its small size, there's no way I will have been able to experience even half of Costa Rica's natural wonders...BUT I have seen some of them. The weekend following our first week of classes, we all headed to Manuel Antonio, three hours outside of San Jose, on the Pacific coast. The second weekend we went to Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean coast. During the week in between the program ending and work starting, we visited the Montezuma/Cabuya area.

Here's a rundown of those three locations:

1. Of all three locales, Manuel Antonio has the best beaches. It's bright and fresh and home to a beautiful national park. It was probably the most touristy of the places we've been, but the experience itself made up for it. We all stayed at Backpackers Hostel. It was cheap and tons of fun. There were about twenty of us in one room, sleeping in bunk beds. There was also a communal kitchen where we could all cook whenever we wanted and free breakfast in the mornings. Oh, and there was pool! Small, but it was clean, cute and had spectacular views of the water. I felt like I was at summer camp. This was the trip where we all first bonded. It's an easy trip, the three hour bus ride flew by and before we knew it, we were on the beach. Would I go back? Sure, but only after I've seen everything else there is to see.

2. Puerto Viejo, you rascal, you! Well, we stayed at Rockin' J's hostel and it was cool, but kind of gigantic and full of snobby gringos (y'know, like us). The first day we got there, we arrived at around 10am, having left SJ at 6am. We stumbled upon a natural reef pool just outside the hostel and stayed there all day. Needless to say, we were all in bed by 11pm. PV is famous for its bike rentals and snorkeling, so the next day we rented gear for both, but...then...I got sick...like pretty sick...like sit in my room at the hostel all day sick. It sucked. We left the next day. Sooo, my Puerto Viejo experience wasn't really the real thing. I can't really have much of an opinion on it, other than that I had more fun elsewhere. Go figure. Anyway, my favorite part of the trip was the bus ride. It was lush and green and there were volcanoes in the distance. I took some video and you can see it here...it doesn't do it any justice, but it gives you an idea. That's one ride I'd love to do again, especially in a personal car.

3. MONTEZUUUUMA! Can you tell this was my favorite place thus far? Maybe the fact that we got to spend a whole week there, rather than hurried weekend, or maybe it was the fact that we got to stay in a house that our friends are renting in Cabuya (just up the road), or maybe it was just more fun that the other places. I think it's a little of everything. Montezuma became a destination in the 80's when some post-Vietnam hippies stumbled upon it and since then it hasn't lost its hippie vibe. The town itself is about a block and half long, cute and has everything you need. The coast is rough and dark, with beautiful black rocks all along the beaches. There are waterfalls and beautiful jungle trails everywhere. I feel as though we "roughed it" the most here- we explored, hiked, and filled our days. We even hitchhiked into town (don't worry, mom...they had kids). We took a boat out to a nearby island one day, snorkeled and had lunch. Each night, as we sat on Thai, Alyson and Johnny's patio, we'd hear the lizards, the howler monkeys and the variety of other creatures in the jungle. We cooked dinner every night, drank wine, hammocked and had lovely conversations. The days were long and our shoes were muddy, so bedtime was usually no later than 11pm. Would I go back? In a heartbeat. The only annoying part is the fact that to get there you have to take a bus, a ferry, and another bus. But for a week, it was definitely worth it.

U2D, Pt. 3: Peepz

For one of the first times in my life, I entered this particular experience with very little expectation. When I left home, it was at one of the happiest times I've had in recent memory. (I suppose the fact that was leaving played a huge role in that, causing me to soak up and embrace my Chicago life.) I came here feeling secure with a foundation of coming from such a wonderful city with such wonderful people in my life.

That being said, I expected to meet maybe a few cool people through the TEFL program.

Don't you love it when your expectations are exceeded?

By the end of our first week of class, I realized what a great group of people I was a part of. I hadn't laughed that hard or that consistently for ages. Isn't that always the case when meeting (and liking!) new people? I think the laughter is more present because discovering someone else's humor is always surprise.

By the end of our four weeks together, we had traveled, studied, whined, gossiped, laughed, cooked, ate, drank, danced, laughed, laughed and laughed some more...together. In the grand scheme of things, it was a short time, a mere four weeks, but the amount of time we spent together in those four weeks and the fun we had added so much weight and value to it.

As I write this, I'm one week into teaching and two weeks out of the program. I'm lucky enough to be left in San Jose with two fabulous women- my roommate, Cameron from Kentucky and Stefanie from England (who is always happy to remind the students that England is indeed where English STARTED), but we miss all our compañeros from the program. Some of our friends went out to Montezuma to volunteer while others went back to the US to either go back to school, work or start applying for teaching jobs in Asia. I know we're all hoping for a reunion someday.

I think that having such a lovely time as soon as I started this journey is actually really important. It has fueled my enthusiasm and added so much positivity to my life. I've been out of town for a total of 58 days and it's thrilling to think of all the things I've crammed into this time so far. The coast is rich and the sights are spectacular, but the people are making this experience for me.

U2D, Pt. 2: Certification Process

Geeky gringa geekin' out with her geeky grammar book

As I write this, I am just completing my first week of teaching, BUT I still need to update on that whole certification process that got me here...

Soo, on May 24^th myself along with twelve others, started the TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification program. It was a lot like being back in school and when I say school I mean 2^nd grade, when you stayed in one classroom with the same small group of people day in and day out.

Lucky for me, the people I was with day in and day out were wonderful. (We'll get to them in the next post...)

The program itself consisted of a review of English grammar (Lord knows we needed it), lesson-planning and of course how to teach English. Classes weren't as thrilling as say, Biology of Human Sexuality, but they were useful and fun. Our teacher was Sherry, who has a clear passion for the whole TEFL program. Her energy was great and helped the class time to fly by.

It's amazing how quickly we all progressed in teaching. We started with some really awkward 5 minute lessons and worked our way up to 20 minute mini-lessons and in the final week, we taught one hour-long class each day and were observed. That week was called Practical Teaching Week and it was hectic and stressful, but I, without a doubt, learned the most that week. (I think that's the idea.)

On June 19^th, we were done and Maximo Nivel (our school) hosted a “graduaton” party for us, where we got free food AND drinks and received our certificates. A bunch of the students we taught during practical teaching week showed up and it was a hoot, a real laugh riot!

Sooo, I'm a teacher now. Scary, huh?

Next update topic: My Shiny New Friends

U2D, Pt. I: Tico Livin'

Danny and I, out to dinner with Carmen during our final week in the house

Chiki, in a hooded sweatshirt. She has a variety of different looks to choose from

My room, complete with sinking bed

I've been a very naughty traveling blogger.

I've been gone for two months and I've only managed to post four lousy times. I'm sorry.

Here's the part where I bring you up to date...

Sooo, after the Mexico/Guatemala adventure, I arrived here in San Jose, Costa Rica at around 9:30 pm on May 21st. From the airport, I was taken to what I now affectionately refer to as my "Tica house" where I met my "Tica mom", Carmen. I lived with Carmen, her chihuahua, Chiki and her three kids until June 19th and as much as I wish I could say I was sad to leave, I wasn't. It wasn't like my experience was bad, just kind of awkward and uncomfortable. Carmen's children were grown and not the friendliest. Oh, and no one spoke English, which is fine, but that made it even more awkward. Again, not horrible, not mean, just kind of cold.

Also, the food was...not great. The first morning I woke and Carmen had made me a piece of toast and before I could reach for it, she was squirting cheese from a bag onto it...not a little cheese from a bag but a LOT of cheese from a bag. Oftentimes while eating, I felt like a little kid again- chewing quickly and swallowing with my drink. Yuck.

My bed was downright hilarious. The mattress literally sank in when you sat on it, as if the person that had occupied the bed for twenty years prior to my using it was three-hundred pounds. At first it was fine, but over time I found myself enjoying the stiff hostel bunk-beds on the weekends much more. "You mean that firm, paper-thin mattress is MINE to sleep on all weekend? For $12?! THANK YOU!"

I realize I sound like a prissy fool, but if it were just the food and the mattress that were weird, I wouldn't have taken issue, but it was more the attitude around the house. I was a person that was staying in a room and Carmen was a nice, but not warm host, and wacky but not endearing. When she would see her dog in the morning she would say, "ChikiChikiChikiChikiiiii! Que pa-SO, Chiki, que pa-SO?!", while literally swatting at the dog. I think the swatting was intended to be affectionate, but frankly, I think it frightened and confused the dog. I know that's the effect it had on me. It was hilarious and odd.

My second week there, Danny from DC arrived and stayed in the room across the hall. He was here studying Spanish and his skills were far more advanced than mine, so that made communicating with Carmen much easier. He was cool, chill and fun to chat with while riding the bus to school in the morning and at the end of the day, before bedtime. Danny made my stay at the house much more bearable and I affectionately referred to him as my "brother" while we lived together.

Am I glad I did the home-stay program? Sure! It gave me a wealth of Carmen impersonation material to bring to class each day! But seriously, I think it was a good thing to actually live with a real, Spanish speaking family and to experience the genuine "Tico" experience first-hand...bagged cheese and all!