Rant Time: GO!

Not gonna lie, dear readers...this week has been rough! Here, for your reading pleasure, are some of my quejas (complaints):

Things That Bug Me: The Unabridged Edition

1. People who are freaking unreliable! It's nearly impossible in Costa Rica to get people to show up when they say they will, IF (and this can often be a BIG IF) they decide to show up at all! I run an after-school program that serves between 50 and 70 kids on any given day, yet very few of the parents of those kids are willing to step up to the plate, be responsible, and help me out. Thus, the several times I have ended up by myself or nearly by myself with 35 kids.

2. The indirectness of the culture here. It's petty and childish. If you have a problem, come talk to me directly. Don't send your sister/neighbor/cousin's dog-sitter to do your dirty work. It's immature, and it just makes everything worse in the end.

3. School? What school? Classes get cancelled here for pretty much no reason ALL. THE. FREAKING. TIME. Rainy day? No school. Handing back exams? No classes the rest of the day. Teacher just doesn't feel like showing up? Enjoy your vacation. In one of my counterpart schools assigned by Peace Corps, I have barely started working due to this disaster of a school schedule. And that's after nearly FOUR MONTHS in my site. It's madness, I tell you, madness.

4. Machismo. Ooooh, this one makes me so mad. There is no reason in this world why I should not be able to walk down the street without someone hissing, purring, whistling, cat-calling, or doing whatever other obscene action in my direction. My name is not reina, princesa, mi amor, machita, bebe, or any other Spanish term of endearment. In fact, since we don't know each other's names, why don't you just shut up and let me be on my way in paz.

5. Classroom management. It's pretty much nonexistent here. It can make my job pretty hard at the after-school program. These kids just have never been taught classroom discipline, so it's really hard to impose it on them after a lifetime of not learning it. It's hard for them, and me, to adjust. We're getting there. Slow but sure. I think I can, I think I can...

Okay, I think I've hit on the main things that have been getting me down this week...now to end on a more positive note.

Things That Don't Bug Me: The Abridged Version

1. My students. They are the light of my life here, the constant bright spot that keeps me hanging in there on the bad days. They are intelligent, enthusiastic, clever, mischievous, hilarious, kind, welcoming, friendly, accepting, loving, affectionate, and so much more. They have truly made me feel loved and accepted here and been a huge blessing in the short time I have been here so far. I would not trade them or my work on the after-school program for the world. They make it all worth it.

2. My host brother, Gabriel. I love that child so much, I could just squeeze his chubby cheeks off. Always makes me smile.

3. My dog! Well, my almost dog. I am in the process of convincing my host family to let me have him. He might as well be mine though, since I am the only one who really loves him and pays attention to him and he follows me everywhere I go.

4. My friends in my town. I have been blessed to find several good, supportive friends in town who have been my saving grace on bad days.

5. My co-teacher, Isa. She is responsible, does not cancel class on a whim, and we work together super well. We've been co-teaching, co-planning, co-you-name-it from the beginning and we even teach a community class together. She is a wonderful teacher and I am so lucky to have her as a co-worker. We are planning an English camp for fifth and sixth graders in January.

6. Speaking of community classes....These are some of my favorite classes because I get to work with adult students who really want to learn and appreciate what I am teaching them.

Lastly, here's a video from one of my classes of some of my students playing a review game:

Odds and Ends

A few weeks ago, on Sept. 5, we got hit with a pretty big earthquake here in Costa Rica. It registered as a 7.6, which is unnerving even for the Ticos, who are very used to the smaller quakes that happen all the time here. It was pretty scary, especially for someone who is not used to experiencing such things. It actually took me a moment to realize what was happening, and then everything was rapidly shaking back and forth. It lasted for almost a full minute. I was at a friend's house, stopping by on my way to my program, and just followed everyone else's lead and stuck close to the door frame. It was super unnerving to feel as though the whole world was moving and not be able to point to the source of the movement, like a stampede or a giant truck. It was totally beyond anyone's control. Classes were cancelled all afternoon and phone and internet lines were down for most of the day. There was even a tsunami warning for a few hours. The earthquake's epicenter was in Guanacaste, where several of my fellow T23-ers are located, but thankfully everyone is okay. Two people died, which is of course an awful tragedy, but thankfully there wasn't more fallout. A smaller earthquake back in 2009 killed over 40 Costa Ricans, and this earthquake that we just had was predicted to be much larger and much more damaging than it was. So, all things considered, gracias a Dios that we made it through relatively unscathed.

The epicenter was in Guanacaste, a neighboring province, but the quake
was felt all throughout Costa Rica and Central America. 

In other news, the after school program is still going really well. We've seen a lot of positive changes already in many of the kids we've been working with behavior and confidence wise. While the stereotypes of Ticos being unreliable (showing up on "Tico Time" or not at all) has definitely been a challenge for me in recruiting volunteers, I am blessed to have a solid group of about 10 moms who consistently help me and often bring me their own ideas and initiatives without me asking. That makes me really hopeful about making the program a permanent thing, especially since my host mom recently told me she has a connection to the president of the town association, who could donate a piece of land that we could then use to collaborate with the parents to build a permanent space for the program. In addition, since I started the program I have started to feel very much a part of my community. The other day, my host mom made a joke that I need to start carrying a flag that says "Hola" around town, because so many kids and their parents come up to greet me. I am so lucky to have so many new friends in these beautiful children.

I'm so blessed to have so many cherished kids in my life, here and at home <3 

Now for some interesting cultural trivia...Macha or Machita is a word used here to refer to blonde people, specifically gringos. Surprisingly, I get called this a LOT. I can't tell you how many times I'm walking down the street and hear someone say, "Hola Machita," or "Buenos Dias Machita." It's always kind of weird cause I don't consider myself blonde. But I guess compared to most Ticas, I look blonde.

Another interesting thing I noticed at my after school program is how the Ticos will nod at you and it means they want you to go over to them. Instead of waving you over or saying come here, the kids will always say "Teacher," and nod at me. It took me a few times to figure it out, but that means come here apparently.

Last Saturday, Sept. 15, was Costa Rica's Independence Day. It was a really wonderful celebration, and it was also just what I needed to show me that I really am integrating and making connections here, since I had been feeling pretty homesick the week before. On the 14th, the Ticos in my community made their way to Quepos with beautiful, homemade (and occasionally store-bought) faroles (lanterns). There is a contest to judge the best farol, and everyone takes a stroll around the town for the desfile (parade) de los faroles. The whole thing was really beautiful and reminded me of the lantern scene from the Disney movie Tangled -- obviously the BEST part! (anyone know what I'm talking about here??)

Gabriel and his friend with their faroles :)

Desfile de los faroles - hard to get a good shot at night! 

I swear it was more like this in person!

The next day, there is a big parade through Quepos where all the kids participate, whether by playing in a band, carrying a flag, dancing, etc. It was really similar to the parades we have in the US on the Fourth of July.

Some of my students in the parade! 

Lately I have been comparing my experience here to my experience in Spain. As beautiful as my time in Spain was, I think I have come to love Costa Rica in a different, deeper way. Don't get me wrong, Salamanca is still the most beautiful place I have ever been or probably ever will go, but I think the way I have come to see Costa Rica versus Spain is like loving an imperfect person, flaws and all, versus an infatuation with someone you don't know that well yet. In Spain, I wanted very badly for everything to be perfect, to be happy all the time, to enjoy every minute and have a storybook experience. In a lot of ways, I got what I wanted, but at the same time, I didn't fully engage with the Spanish culture, speak the language enough, or get to know a more well-rounded version of Spain. I spent four months as a bit of a tourist, even though I was taking classes. Here, I strive daily NOT to look like a tourist, speak nothing but Spanish, climb rocky, muddy, pot-holey streets to work, deal with "Tico time," machismo, etc. on a daily basis. And I benefit from the kindness and generosity of the Ticos, their relaxed, stress-free attitude about a lot of things, the yummy albeit unhealthy food, my host family, etc. It's not just an infatuation; I love this country, flaws and all.