I spent a lovely week in the States with my family, friends, and boyfriend, and even got to celebrate my birthday at home! It was a whirlwind of trying to see all my favorite people and places in such a short time, but it was absolutely worth it and I had a fabulous, refreshing week at home! The best part was that only a few people (my immediate family and Alex) knew I was coming, so I got to show up de sorpresa (as a surprise) for everyone else!
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| My cumpleaños |
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| Favorite hello :) |
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| Alex's softball tournament |
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| At the lake with my love Genesis and her cousin Jamel |
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| Friendly's with two of the best kids in the world <3 |
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| I missed this girl a LOT! |
Life back in Costa Rica has been great as well. I had a few days where I felt really homesick after I first got back from the States, but I am doing much better now. Right now I am at IST (in-service training) in San José with my fellow Tico 23-ers, so that has been a great, much-needed way to recharge and the training sessions unexpectedly turned out to be like an awesome group therapy session for us all. It's great to hear about everyone's work, compare notes, and support each other in our struggles and in our triumphs.
On Monday, that's FOUR DAYS FROM NOW, my after school program officially begins!!!!! I am soooo excited to get started with it! My community is full of some really amazing kids, and I can't wait to get to spend more time with them via this program! And, although this is me getting way ahead of myself, I recently found out about a house for sale near the center of town that we could possibly convert into the youth center so my program has a permanent home!!! Keep your fingers crossed! In the meantime, I will post pictures and videos, etc., of the first week of the program! Wish me luck!
Here are some fun anecdotes from the last couple of weeks:
My little host brother, Gabriel, who just turned 6, has started calling me his novia (girlfriend). He says he is going to drink a special kind of milk to grow big and strong so he can steal me from Alex. The other day, we had the following conversation:
Gabriel: Raquel, ¿Qué vas a hacer?
Me: Voy a hablar con mi novio.
Gabriel: ¡Usted es mi novia y no me gusta que hables con él! (while shaking his finger at me!)
That roughly translates to...
Gabriel: Rachel, what are you going to do?
Me: I'm going to talk to my boyfriend.
Gabriel: You are MY girlfriend, and I don't like that you talk to him! (while shaking his finger at me!)
That put a big smile on my face.
Another fun story...A little girl in one of my English classes who is probably around 7 or 8 years old came up to me and said, "Teacher (that's the only word of English that kids here consistently know haha), you know I really wish I could be your daughter but I can't." (She was legitimately upset about this). I said, "but you have your family, why do you say that?" And she said "I know, but I just like you and you're so beautiful." I tried to make her feel better and said, "how about you can be like my little sister?" She was not thrilled. She replied with "I guess, but would you like to have me as your daughter?" It was super adorable.
A different day, I was taking a walk with my host mom and Gabriel, when one of my sixth grade boys said hi to me. I said hi back, and Gabriel scolded me, saying, "¡Raquel, no hables con muchachos que no conoces!" (Rachel, don't talk to boys you don't know!) His mom and I just about died laughing while we tried to explain that I did, indeed, know the boy.
On a different note, I want to say a word about acto cívico here in Costa Rica. An a.c. is basically a day when there is a big school-wide assembly, usually in celebration of a national holiday, when all the students come to school in traditional dress and do performances, often dances, as well as poetry readings, songs, art projects, etc. Now, at first, I got frustrated with these days, because they happen quite often and they interrupt the school schedule, which is already interrupted enough thanks to the infamous Tico time and they fact that kids don't show up to school if it rains, which is often. Combine that with the fact that a lot of teachers are unreliable and don't show up and classes almost always start late, and it's no wonder many kids don't end up graduating. But I have changed my outlook on that after the a.c. that celebrated the annexation of Guanacaste to Costa Rica. I've really come around to the idea, because it is a day that everyone, even the kids, takes seriously and it makes these kids proud of where they come from. I believe that is truly important for kids who live in a society that constantly tells them they are of the "Third World" and subconsciously sends them the message that they are less. And the events are educational, because they learn about the history behind whatever day or event they are celebrating. Here are some pictures and a video of some of my students celebrating Guanacaste Day!
Finally, I am excited about the possibility of an upcoming project for January-February. There is an organization here called Costa Rica Multilingüe (Multilingual Costa Rica) that does month-long English camps for sixth grade students who have never had English class before so that they will not feel as behind compared to the other students when they get to high school and are put in classes with students who have been studying English throughout primary school. CRM is working in conjunction with the Peace Corps to put on camps like this throughout the country, and they provide supplies and fundraising assistance to any volunteer who wants to put on such a camp in his or her site. I am definitely leaning towards doing it. Another exciting perk? CRM helps pay for a volunteer from the States to come help with the camp...sooo, any takers? hehe.
Anyway, I believe that is all for now. Life is good. Love and miss you all.
Peace,
Rachel
PS...Happy 6 Months in Costa Rica to me and the rest of the Tico 23-ers! :D
would totally volunteer if i could! glad u got to come home :D
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