So last night I arrived back at my house and my host mother wanted to know if I would like to come with her to the local bar. Well, of course I did, and it was something to see! The best way to describe it is a honkey tonk. I think it was one of the most cultural experiences I've ever had! LOL My host mother knew almost everyone in the bar, and also 3 (or 4) of her brothers were there, along with numerous nephews. Yes, one nephew who is 11 years old apparantly works at this bar, which I do not think he would even be allowed to be in if we were in the US. We had a great time, listened to some great (and not so great) karaoke singers, all who were singing songs in Espanol. Also in attendance at this bar were babies, young children, and one pregnant lady. It was a great time, but I was exhausted today!
Getting back to the weekend...I had such a wonderful time in Manuel Antonio. I decided to skip class on Friday and on Thursday I took the 3:30 bus from Alajuela to Manuel Antonio, which took about 2 1/2 hours. The bus took me to the hotel of 2 of my friends from Georgia, Jim and Chris. They were taking a little weekend trip and invited me to come hang out for a bit. On Thursday night we had some dinner and drinks. On Friday morning we went white water rafting! We took a little bus up to the beginning of the rafting trip. OMG I couldn't belive how beautiful it was there! It totally looked like something out of a movie. I think we got some really good pics! Anyway, the rafting was tons of fun and we stopped for lunch about half-way down the river. I had such an awesome time.
Later that day we went to the beach and to happy hour on the beach. So fun! My friend Lori from school took the bus on Friday to Manuel Antonio, so I met her at our hotel later that night. Saturday was such a beautiful day, so Lori and I took a guided tour of the national park at Manuel Antonio. We saw lots of different animals including 2 different types of monkeys, sloths, birds, bats, etc. We also saw 2 very beautiful beaches, one of which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I believe it!
So, the rest of my trip to MA just involved laying out at the beach, happy hour, and eating. Sounds like a pretty good vacation I guess. We were verrrryyy lucky because both Saturday and Sunday were such beautiful days!
This is my last week of school, and I am a little sad because most of my friends have now left. :( The only person from my teacher group is Patricia (from Kenya). I like my teacher this week, and in my class it's only me and one other girl, Claudia who is from Germany. I think it's going to be a good week!
I'm super excited because my friend Jessica is coming from NYC on Saturday. We're headed to the beach until Wednesday, when I'll come back to the US. So, while the guy sitting next to me is looking at half-naked men on Facebook, I will sign off! LOL! Hasta luego!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Half-way done!
I can´t believe I´ve been here for more than 2 weeks now. It´s going by so fast, but I guess that´s what happens when you´re having a great time. This past weekend was really fun and a lot more relaxing than last weekend. I finally got to sleep in one day (Saturday), which was much needed.
On Saturday I woke up, got ready, and took the bus to Alajuela where I met my friend Lori. We got on a bus to San Jose, which is the capital of Costa Rica. We´d heard that San Jose is not safe, scary, etc, so we were prepared for it to be a little sketchy. The bus ride was only about 20 minutes, and when we arrived we got off the bus in San Jose and headed toward the busy area. There were tons of people out, and it wasn´t really scary at all. We went to the Museum of Gold and the National Theater. Both were really nice. The museum of gold was really more like a muesum of the history to CR. Pretty cool, and we spent the most time there. After the museum, we went to have lunch at some sports bar where everyone was watching the World Cup. So we watched for a bit, had lunch, and headed out. After a bit of unsuccessful shopping, we got back on the bus and headed back to Alajuela. When I got home on Saturday I hung out with my host family. They are so much fun! We played Uno and War. The little boy and his cousin were really into it!
Sunday was such a wonderful day too! First we went to a Crocodile Tour, where we were on a boat looking at all these crocodiles. It was okay, not my favorite thing I´ve done so far, but I guess it was cool to get so close to all those crocodiles! Plus, I got some pretty cool pictures. Next we went to some big resort on the beach. We were so lucky because, it has rained EVERY day since I´ve been here, and guess what -- it was so beautiful at the beach all day on Sunday!!! No rain!!!
So this week started my 3rd week of classes, and I really love my teacher for this week. She is really experienced, and very intense. I think I´ve going to get a lot out of this week. She made each of the 3 of us talk in spanish for 15 minutes today. It was so hard!
Well I guess that´s it for now. Hope all is well. I´ve had enough of this slooowww computer! I miss my laptop!!!
On Saturday I woke up, got ready, and took the bus to Alajuela where I met my friend Lori. We got on a bus to San Jose, which is the capital of Costa Rica. We´d heard that San Jose is not safe, scary, etc, so we were prepared for it to be a little sketchy. The bus ride was only about 20 minutes, and when we arrived we got off the bus in San Jose and headed toward the busy area. There were tons of people out, and it wasn´t really scary at all. We went to the Museum of Gold and the National Theater. Both were really nice. The museum of gold was really more like a muesum of the history to CR. Pretty cool, and we spent the most time there. After the museum, we went to have lunch at some sports bar where everyone was watching the World Cup. So we watched for a bit, had lunch, and headed out. After a bit of unsuccessful shopping, we got back on the bus and headed back to Alajuela. When I got home on Saturday I hung out with my host family. They are so much fun! We played Uno and War. The little boy and his cousin were really into it!
Sunday was such a wonderful day too! First we went to a Crocodile Tour, where we were on a boat looking at all these crocodiles. It was okay, not my favorite thing I´ve done so far, but I guess it was cool to get so close to all those crocodiles! Plus, I got some pretty cool pictures. Next we went to some big resort on the beach. We were so lucky because, it has rained EVERY day since I´ve been here, and guess what -- it was so beautiful at the beach all day on Sunday!!! No rain!!!
So this week started my 3rd week of classes, and I really love my teacher for this week. She is really experienced, and very intense. I think I´ve going to get a lot out of this week. She made each of the 3 of us talk in spanish for 15 minutes today. It was so hard!
Well I guess that´s it for now. Hope all is well. I´ve had enough of this slooowww computer! I miss my laptop!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
New Home
So this week has been interesting. On Tuesday I was moved to a new home because my old family had something come up. I was living very close to Alajuela and now I am living in the ´burbs! I was a little nervous about moving, but my new family is so awesome!!! They are a younger couple, maybe in their 40´s and have 2 sons, Luis who is 15, and Juan Diego who is going to be 8 next weekend. They are such a nice family and their house is very nice. So far I have enjoyed watching Daddy Day Care (in español) with Juan Diego, and chatting with my host mother, Mayra about the best beaches in CR.
School this week has been really beneficial, I feel. It´s difficult, but I do feel like I´m getting a lot out of it. Some of my friends are going back home this weekend, which is sad, but I do have friends staying as well. Next week, we have made a pact to speak only in Español to each other. I hope we keep our pact!
Nothing much exciting has happened this week. Only school, and then fun things after school. Yesterday after school we learned some tradional Costa Rican dances, which was fun. We also went to have lunch at this tex-mex restaurant in Alajuela. Yum!
This weekend, on Saturday, my friend Lori and I are going to San Jose. Hopefully we will be able to see some museums and do a little shopping. We have to be careful though, because it´s a very dangerous city. On Sunday we are doing a "Best of the Pacific" tour, where we will do a little walk where we can see animals and other things, then we are headed to some resort in the beach! Woohoo!
Okay, times about to run out on this computer, so I should go. This blog wasn´t very exciting, but I promise the next one will be better!
Love to all!
School this week has been really beneficial, I feel. It´s difficult, but I do feel like I´m getting a lot out of it. Some of my friends are going back home this weekend, which is sad, but I do have friends staying as well. Next week, we have made a pact to speak only in Español to each other. I hope we keep our pact!
Nothing much exciting has happened this week. Only school, and then fun things after school. Yesterday after school we learned some tradional Costa Rican dances, which was fun. We also went to have lunch at this tex-mex restaurant in Alajuela. Yum!
This weekend, on Saturday, my friend Lori and I are going to San Jose. Hopefully we will be able to see some museums and do a little shopping. We have to be careful though, because it´s a very dangerous city. On Sunday we are doing a "Best of the Pacific" tour, where we will do a little walk where we can see animals and other things, then we are headed to some resort in the beach! Woohoo!
Okay, times about to run out on this computer, so I should go. This blog wasn´t very exciting, but I promise the next one will be better!
Love to all!
Monday, July 5, 2010
4th of July
Today I´m going to talk about the remainder of my fabulous weekend! Basically none of us had any time to sleep. We were gone the entire weekend, and today I am very exhausted, but maybe if I get to bed early tonight, I will not be as tired tomorrow.
So on Saturday the group of teachers went to Volcan Arenal, and the Baldi Hot Springs. There are about 12 people in our teacher group, which I think is a very good size. Not too big. We traveled by a microbus about 2 1/2 hours to the town that the Volcano is located in. It was very interesting because since I´ve gotten here, I have not yet visited a "tourist" town. We made one stop on the way in a town called Sarchi. It was just okay, nothing special. I picked up a couple of souvenier gifts, and we were on our way. Once we arrived in the town, we had a delicious lunch at a restuarant very close to the volcano. We could see smoke coming out of it, which was pretty cool.
After lunch we headed over to the Baldi Hot Springs. This place consists of about 30 different pools of water that come from the volcano and are naturally heated by the volcano. The temperatures of the pools varied, from somewhere in the 90´s all the way up to around 150 degrees. Obviously there was no one in the pool that was 150 degrees! I can´t believe they even have that! So, at the springs, basically we just went from pool to pool, relaxed, had some tropical beverages, and hung out. They also had a water slide that was pretty fun. While we were there a storm came through. It was no problem to for us to stay in the pools during the storm! Can you imagine this happening in the US? It was pretty cool to be in the warm water while the cold rain was pouring down.
Later, we had a buffet dinner at the hot springs and headed back home. One last stop - to see if we can catch a glimpse of lava coming out of the volcano. Well, it was very cloudy, but we stopped anyway on the side of the road at the good viewing spot. I guess this was our version of Fourth of July fireworks. After waiting for about 15 minutes, we finally were able to see a little bit of lava coming out of the volcano! Probably one of the most awesomest things I´ve ever seen.
After arriving back home around midnight on Saturday, I was exhausted. However on Sunday morning I had to wake up at 530 and leave by 630 to meet for the bus out to the beach! Woohoo! We left from near the San Jose Airport and took a coach bus out to the Pacific coast. On the way, we stopped for a typical Costa Rican breakfast, yes, rice and beans were included! So we finally made it to the coast and we boarded a catamaran boat that would be taking us to Tortuga Island. The boat ride was about 1 hour, and it was pretty awesome! This is what vacation is all about! My friends and I relaxed on the front of the boat, drinks in hand, as we headed to the island. Once we arrived on the island, we went snorkling, had lunch and then took in some much-needed sun! What a nice way to spend the 4th! It was so beautiful there. I wish I could share some pics. Maybe I will be able to put a few on Facebook.
So, that´s about it for my weekend. I returned home last night exhausted and not at all prepared for a second week of classes. This morning, however, I got my new teacher for the week and I think I´m going to really get much more out of my classes this week than last. Today, the students that we visited last week came to our school to do mock interviews. We, the teachers, interviewed them. Since this is part of what I teach normally, I felt pretty confident that I was doing a great job in helping these students prepare for their exam (a mock interview for a job in a call center). I can´t believe how well these kids speak English! I guess they definitely need it for the career that they are wanting to go into.
Well, I need to do my homework now. Hope all is well, and I will write again soon!
So on Saturday the group of teachers went to Volcan Arenal, and the Baldi Hot Springs. There are about 12 people in our teacher group, which I think is a very good size. Not too big. We traveled by a microbus about 2 1/2 hours to the town that the Volcano is located in. It was very interesting because since I´ve gotten here, I have not yet visited a "tourist" town. We made one stop on the way in a town called Sarchi. It was just okay, nothing special. I picked up a couple of souvenier gifts, and we were on our way. Once we arrived in the town, we had a delicious lunch at a restuarant very close to the volcano. We could see smoke coming out of it, which was pretty cool.
After lunch we headed over to the Baldi Hot Springs. This place consists of about 30 different pools of water that come from the volcano and are naturally heated by the volcano. The temperatures of the pools varied, from somewhere in the 90´s all the way up to around 150 degrees. Obviously there was no one in the pool that was 150 degrees! I can´t believe they even have that! So, at the springs, basically we just went from pool to pool, relaxed, had some tropical beverages, and hung out. They also had a water slide that was pretty fun. While we were there a storm came through. It was no problem to for us to stay in the pools during the storm! Can you imagine this happening in the US? It was pretty cool to be in the warm water while the cold rain was pouring down.
Later, we had a buffet dinner at the hot springs and headed back home. One last stop - to see if we can catch a glimpse of lava coming out of the volcano. Well, it was very cloudy, but we stopped anyway on the side of the road at the good viewing spot. I guess this was our version of Fourth of July fireworks. After waiting for about 15 minutes, we finally were able to see a little bit of lava coming out of the volcano! Probably one of the most awesomest things I´ve ever seen.
After arriving back home around midnight on Saturday, I was exhausted. However on Sunday morning I had to wake up at 530 and leave by 630 to meet for the bus out to the beach! Woohoo! We left from near the San Jose Airport and took a coach bus out to the Pacific coast. On the way, we stopped for a typical Costa Rican breakfast, yes, rice and beans were included! So we finally made it to the coast and we boarded a catamaran boat that would be taking us to Tortuga Island. The boat ride was about 1 hour, and it was pretty awesome! This is what vacation is all about! My friends and I relaxed on the front of the boat, drinks in hand, as we headed to the island. Once we arrived on the island, we went snorkling, had lunch and then took in some much-needed sun! What a nice way to spend the 4th! It was so beautiful there. I wish I could share some pics. Maybe I will be able to put a few on Facebook.
So, that´s about it for my weekend. I returned home last night exhausted and not at all prepared for a second week of classes. This morning, however, I got my new teacher for the week and I think I´m going to really get much more out of my classes this week than last. Today, the students that we visited last week came to our school to do mock interviews. We, the teachers, interviewed them. Since this is part of what I teach normally, I felt pretty confident that I was doing a great job in helping these students prepare for their exam (a mock interview for a job in a call center). I can´t believe how well these kids speak English! I guess they definitely need it for the career that they are wanting to go into.
Well, I need to do my homework now. Hope all is well, and I will write again soon!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy 4th!
Feliz Dia de Independencia!
Tonight I´m going to write a little bit, but I am super exhausted because of the awesome weekend I´ve had! I guess I wrote last on Thursday night, so I will now tell about Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I guess that every Friday at school we will have a test. So on Friday we had our class, and then during the last hour of class (11-12) we had a test to make sure we are ready for the next level. Also there are people who are getting college credit, so they need to have a grade. After school on Friday, some of us went to a coffee plantation! Other than all the rain, it was pretty cool. We got to see how the plants grow, how the beans are picked and processed, etc. This particular plantation provides coffee for Starbucks! The most interesting part of the tour was when our guide said that the bean pickers only make about $20 a day, and that is on the higher side. I can´t imagine making so little for such hard work. A lot of the workers are from Nicaragua. Our tour guide said that the situation with CR and Nicaragua is similar to US and Mexico, on a smaller scale, as there are workers sneaking over the border so they can have work.
After the coffee tour we came back to Alajuela. On Friday nights and Saturday there is a huge market where most of the town does their shopping for fruits, veggies, some meat, etc. It was so much fun! Of course we stood out like crazy, and I was the only person with blonde hair for miles! We were generating lots of attention, which did get a little scary. We had to watch our stuff so closely. I had to wear my backpack on the front and keep my wallet and camera in inside pockets of my jacket. The market was so much fun because there were soooo many different fruits to sample. I love all types of fruit, so I was in heaven! I did buy a pineapple, some apples, and some weird fruits that I can´t remember the name of.
Later that evening I went to see the movie that´s out with Matt Damon. I can´t remember the name. The movie was in English, but with Spanish subtitles. Much cheaper that in the US for a ticket and for the popcorn and soda. Also, there were only like 10 minutes of previews instead of 30. Nice, right?
Anyway, I really need to get to bed, so I will write about the remainder of the weekend later. It was really awesome and I did get to see lava coming out of the volcano last night! Sooo cool!
Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th! Enjoy the holiday tomorrow!
Tonight I´m going to write a little bit, but I am super exhausted because of the awesome weekend I´ve had! I guess I wrote last on Thursday night, so I will now tell about Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I guess that every Friday at school we will have a test. So on Friday we had our class, and then during the last hour of class (11-12) we had a test to make sure we are ready for the next level. Also there are people who are getting college credit, so they need to have a grade. After school on Friday, some of us went to a coffee plantation! Other than all the rain, it was pretty cool. We got to see how the plants grow, how the beans are picked and processed, etc. This particular plantation provides coffee for Starbucks! The most interesting part of the tour was when our guide said that the bean pickers only make about $20 a day, and that is on the higher side. I can´t imagine making so little for such hard work. A lot of the workers are from Nicaragua. Our tour guide said that the situation with CR and Nicaragua is similar to US and Mexico, on a smaller scale, as there are workers sneaking over the border so they can have work.
After the coffee tour we came back to Alajuela. On Friday nights and Saturday there is a huge market where most of the town does their shopping for fruits, veggies, some meat, etc. It was so much fun! Of course we stood out like crazy, and I was the only person with blonde hair for miles! We were generating lots of attention, which did get a little scary. We had to watch our stuff so closely. I had to wear my backpack on the front and keep my wallet and camera in inside pockets of my jacket. The market was so much fun because there were soooo many different fruits to sample. I love all types of fruit, so I was in heaven! I did buy a pineapple, some apples, and some weird fruits that I can´t remember the name of.
Later that evening I went to see the movie that´s out with Matt Damon. I can´t remember the name. The movie was in English, but with Spanish subtitles. Much cheaper that in the US for a ticket and for the popcorn and soda. Also, there were only like 10 minutes of previews instead of 30. Nice, right?
Anyway, I really need to get to bed, so I will write about the remainder of the weekend later. It was really awesome and I did get to see lava coming out of the volcano last night! Sooo cool!
Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th! Enjoy the holiday tomorrow!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Week one, almost over!
Sorry I haven´t written since earlier this week! I´ve been using my phone a lot for internet, so I haven´t really gotten on an actual computer since Tuesday. So, things are still going well. Classes have been ok, but my favorite things so far is living with the family (who is still calling me Laura) and going on the different excursions in the afternoons.
I have been able to become friends with many of the other teachers who are here. I guess we already have a few things in common, so it´s easy. There are people from Annapolis, Boston, Savannah, Texas, Washington State, Kenya, France, and many more. I am a little shocked because I did not expect to be one of the youngest people participating. There are a few people who are around my age, but others who are 40´s and 50´s.
I guess I am pretty lucky because the house I am living in has internet and also they have a wireless router. This means that I can use my iPhone for internet and Skype also. I talked to my sister yesterday via Skype and it was perfect. No problems! None of the other people I´m going to school with have wireless.
Our classes end at noon every day, so we have lunch, and then they usually have something lined up for us to do in the afternoon. On Tuesday we went to this factory that makes jewelry and other things out of wood. Although a little random, it was cool. We got to see the workers who are sanding down the pieces of wood, cutting little holes through the pieces for the jewelry, actually making the jewelry, etc. I guess I´m pretty lucky to not have such a repetitive job...
Yesterday after school a friend and I went to downtown Alajuela and to have una cerveza and some french fries. It was crazy because we wanted to sit in the front of the restaurant that opens up to the street, but the server told us not to sit so close to the street because someone might try to take our bags. :(
Every afternoon, it has rained, but it is beautiful in the mornings. I guess the rain isn´t so bad because it cools things down. However, if humidity can be above 100%, it definitely is here! My hair does not even have a chance!
So last night, right before I went to sleep my host parents were talking to me, and they decided to tell me that we might have an earthquake during the night!! OMG!!! I guess there was a VERY small one sometime during the day and I guess they thought it was probable that we could have a bigger one during the night. So, they were telling me what to do: get under a door frame, don´t try to run out, etc. I was a little scared, of course. I mean, we aren´t used to earthquakes in Georgia! Hopefully the one yesterday (that I didn´t feel) is the only one we´ll have while I´m here. Of course, I was picturing images from Haiti and Chile. I´m surprised I was able to sleep last night!
This afternoon we visited what is similar to a US vocational high school. It was so cool to see the school and the kids were so nice. The kids were the same age as some of the kids I teach, and they take some of the same classes I teach. They are there for careers in Customer Service, Technical, Auto Tech, Electrical, etc. Kasie, who was my tour guide, is 18 years old. She is in vocational school for Customer Service. This means that she is training for a job in a call center, hotel, restaurant, or something similar. She was so cute and so nice! They had some typical Costa Rican food for us for a snack, such as these little ice creams (mine was of coconut), tortillas with sour cream (muy interesante), y Yucca Cake. After eating this really good chicken and rice for lunch, I wasn´t really hungry, but I did eat all of my coconut ice cream!
I´m really excited about this weekend because we are going on two excursions. First, on Saturday we are going to Volcano Arenal. It looks really beautiful! (Google it) I´m excited because I´m ready to see more of Costa Rica. On Sunday we are going to Tortuga Island, which is on the Pacific Coast. It also looks very beautiful. We are taking a boat out to the island where we will have lunch, some tropical fruit drinks, and hopefully get some sun! As you can see, I don´t have much free time, but that´s okay by me.
I guess that´s about it for now. I tried to upload pics to Facebook, but the internet connection isn´t quite what it is in the US, and it was going to take like one hour to upload 30 or so picutres. No me gusta! Maybe I can get to an internet cafe and try there. Hope all is well! Talk to you all soon!
I have been able to become friends with many of the other teachers who are here. I guess we already have a few things in common, so it´s easy. There are people from Annapolis, Boston, Savannah, Texas, Washington State, Kenya, France, and many more. I am a little shocked because I did not expect to be one of the youngest people participating. There are a few people who are around my age, but others who are 40´s and 50´s.
I guess I am pretty lucky because the house I am living in has internet and also they have a wireless router. This means that I can use my iPhone for internet and Skype also. I talked to my sister yesterday via Skype and it was perfect. No problems! None of the other people I´m going to school with have wireless.
Our classes end at noon every day, so we have lunch, and then they usually have something lined up for us to do in the afternoon. On Tuesday we went to this factory that makes jewelry and other things out of wood. Although a little random, it was cool. We got to see the workers who are sanding down the pieces of wood, cutting little holes through the pieces for the jewelry, actually making the jewelry, etc. I guess I´m pretty lucky to not have such a repetitive job...
Yesterday after school a friend and I went to downtown Alajuela and to have una cerveza and some french fries. It was crazy because we wanted to sit in the front of the restaurant that opens up to the street, but the server told us not to sit so close to the street because someone might try to take our bags. :(
Every afternoon, it has rained, but it is beautiful in the mornings. I guess the rain isn´t so bad because it cools things down. However, if humidity can be above 100%, it definitely is here! My hair does not even have a chance!
So last night, right before I went to sleep my host parents were talking to me, and they decided to tell me that we might have an earthquake during the night!! OMG!!! I guess there was a VERY small one sometime during the day and I guess they thought it was probable that we could have a bigger one during the night. So, they were telling me what to do: get under a door frame, don´t try to run out, etc. I was a little scared, of course. I mean, we aren´t used to earthquakes in Georgia! Hopefully the one yesterday (that I didn´t feel) is the only one we´ll have while I´m here. Of course, I was picturing images from Haiti and Chile. I´m surprised I was able to sleep last night!
This afternoon we visited what is similar to a US vocational high school. It was so cool to see the school and the kids were so nice. The kids were the same age as some of the kids I teach, and they take some of the same classes I teach. They are there for careers in Customer Service, Technical, Auto Tech, Electrical, etc. Kasie, who was my tour guide, is 18 years old. She is in vocational school for Customer Service. This means that she is training for a job in a call center, hotel, restaurant, or something similar. She was so cute and so nice! They had some typical Costa Rican food for us for a snack, such as these little ice creams (mine was of coconut), tortillas with sour cream (muy interesante), y Yucca Cake. After eating this really good chicken and rice for lunch, I wasn´t really hungry, but I did eat all of my coconut ice cream!
I´m really excited about this weekend because we are going on two excursions. First, on Saturday we are going to Volcano Arenal. It looks really beautiful! (Google it) I´m excited because I´m ready to see more of Costa Rica. On Sunday we are going to Tortuga Island, which is on the Pacific Coast. It also looks very beautiful. We are taking a boat out to the island where we will have lunch, some tropical fruit drinks, and hopefully get some sun! As you can see, I don´t have much free time, but that´s okay by me.
I guess that´s about it for now. I tried to upload pics to Facebook, but the internet connection isn´t quite what it is in the US, and it was going to take like one hour to upload 30 or so picutres. No me gusta! Maybe I can get to an internet cafe and try there. Hope all is well! Talk to you all soon!
Monday, June 28, 2010
First Day at the School
Today was my first day going to the Instituto de Cultura Y Lengua Costarricense (ICLC). Overall, it was a wonderful experience! Lauren, I did begin taking pictures today, and lots of them! This morning I had to wake up at 6, (so much for sleeping in for summer break, huh?) I showered and ate breakfast, which consisted of rice and beans, fried eggs, and a roll with cheese on it. The bus that goes to the language school stops by my host family´s house around 7:20, and is a very short walk. It was really funny because I felt like I was going to the first day of kindergarten, with my host parents walking me to the bus stop, while I was wearing my brand-new backpack, shoes, and rain jacket!
Anyway, my nervousness immediately stopped when I got on the bus and sat down beside other teachers from all over the US. I began talking with them about where they were from, what do they teach, etc. Everyone was very nice, and it was also very nice to listen to and speak English for a bit.
After the 20 minute bus ride, we all got off the bus and went onto the grounds of the school. It is so beautiful there! Mostly everything is outdoors, including the classrooms and other meeting places. We went through an introduction of the staff and teachers at the school, we introduced ourselves, and then we took a placement test, which consisted of an oral part and a written part. Not sure how well I did, but oh well!
At around noon, we took a bus to a small town called Grecia, which is supposedly the cleanest town in CR. Grecia is such a cute town! Basically we went for a walking tour and to have lunch. It was nice to talk more with some of the staff of the ICLC and also get to know my new friends.
Our bus left to go back home around 3:00, making stops at everyone´s bus stop. Sadly, I am the only person who gets on/off the bus at my stop. I guess I got off at the wrong stop because I had no idea where I was at, or where to go. Luckily there were some policemen nearby, so I asked them which way to get home. I was a little scared for a bit there!
So now I am back home, and again, exhausted! I´m not sure if I can post pics here? If not, I guess I will put them on Facebook. Talk to you soon!
Anyway, my nervousness immediately stopped when I got on the bus and sat down beside other teachers from all over the US. I began talking with them about where they were from, what do they teach, etc. Everyone was very nice, and it was also very nice to listen to and speak English for a bit.
After the 20 minute bus ride, we all got off the bus and went onto the grounds of the school. It is so beautiful there! Mostly everything is outdoors, including the classrooms and other meeting places. We went through an introduction of the staff and teachers at the school, we introduced ourselves, and then we took a placement test, which consisted of an oral part and a written part. Not sure how well I did, but oh well!
At around noon, we took a bus to a small town called Grecia, which is supposedly the cleanest town in CR. Grecia is such a cute town! Basically we went for a walking tour and to have lunch. It was nice to talk more with some of the staff of the ICLC and also get to know my new friends.
Our bus left to go back home around 3:00, making stops at everyone´s bus stop. Sadly, I am the only person who gets on/off the bus at my stop. I guess I got off at the wrong stop because I had no idea where I was at, or where to go. Luckily there were some policemen nearby, so I asked them which way to get home. I was a little scared for a bit there!
So now I am back home, and again, exhausted! I´m not sure if I can post pics here? If not, I guess I will put them on Facebook. Talk to you soon!
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