A List of Lists

Partly due to my laziness, partly due to my love of lists, this post will be written entirely in list form. Starting now.

Things I Love About My Site

1. Kids who stop me on the street and call me "teacher!"
2. The soda (cafeteria) that lets me hang out for hours even if I only buy a bottle of water.
3. They have Diet Coke.
4. My after-school program is taking off and has a lot of parent support! 
5. I'm never cold!
6. People are really grateful for the chance to learn English for free.
7. My adorable host brother Gabriel. 
8. I already have some good friends (and they are my age! Shocking!!)
9. I made friends with the photo copy lady even though I thought she hated me at first.
10. Lizards! Everywhere! And monkeys!!! 
11. Kids are always hugging me.
12. It's easy to communicate with people back home.
13. It's small enough that people know each other, big enough that I don't go crazy. 
14. The kindness of strangers. I think, as a PCV, you constantly have to depend on that. 

Projects I am Working On

1. An after-school program that will hopefully develop into a permanent youth center with it's own building and everything! Cross your fingers!
2. Three community English classes
3. TEFL in the escuelas. 
4. Not being mistaken for a gringa tourist.
5. Watching the entire 7th season of How I Met Your Mother

What I do Every Day

1. Cook my own food!!! (Such a relief after living with a host fam for so long!)
2. Work out
3. Get lost
4. Lesson plan or teach
5. Work on the after-school program
6. Get stopped on the street by kids whose names I still can't remember but who nonetheless hug me and call me teacher.
7. Get mobbed in the street by children and parents who want to learn English 
8. Resist the urge to eat EVERYTHING in the panadería 
9. Walk A LOT
10. Sweat a lot
11. Hang out with Tico friends and try to make more
12. Act like a total gringa by petting the stray dogs in the street

Things That are Stressing Me Out Right Now

1. Being far away from loved ones at home
2. When people ask me to come home 
3. Finding more volunteers for my project
4. Misbehaving Costa Rican school kids
5. My cough is not going away :/ 

Things I am Looking Forward To

1. My parents visiting in July! 
2. Seeing Rattana (fellow PCV) tomorrow maybe! 
3. Visiting my old host family

Motivational Thought for the Day

Love,

Rachel