Sports Day

So I wrote this yesterday and just now realized it didn't post... whoops!

Yesterday was sports day at school. The school from the town I live in, Pacayitas, came to Mollejones to compete in different sporting events and show off different talents. It was nice to have a break from teaching and I think it is safe to say the students really enjoyed their day off from learning. It was supposed to be fun day, filled with performances and soccer games. It started off that way. Some of my fifth and sixth graders performed a hip-hop dance and it was adorable. Pacayitas’s drum line performed too. To say that the students were enthusiastic about playing the drums is an understatement. As for their actual talent, well, my mom always says if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all… so I am not going to comment any more on the drum line. After the performances came the soccer games. 

Like most Latin America Countries, Soccer is huge in Costa Rica. It is as if every kid is born with natural talent to kick a soccer ball. I am constantly amazed by the talent and was looking forward to watching my students play competitively. First the girls played each other. My students started at a disadvantage because Escuela Pacayitas has 60 students and Escuela Mollejones has 26. We only had ten girls to play, so I was asked to be number eleven and play goalie. I said I would rather play in the field, but considering I am twice the size of all the students it wouldn’t have been fair. I was hesitant to accept the goalie position, but I knew I had to play so that my girls could compete. I am secure enough to admit that I was nervous about being scored on by eight year olds. Sure, I played soccer for most my childhood, but I don’t have the natural talent that these kids possess. I play soccer on the weekends with many of the kids from Pacayitas and they constantly school me. However, those weekend games are just for fun and I am not letting anyone down by embarrassing myself with my attempt to keep up with them. This was different because I didn’t want to let my girls down. Now my team had two disadvantages, no substitutes and me as goalie. The first half began and I quickly realized that I might have overestimated Pacayitas and underestimated my girls. My team scored in the first few minutes and I made a few saves. I was super proud of my girls and actually felt bad about having been so worried for them. In the last minute of the first half we had handball in the goal box so Pacayitas got a free shot on me… they scored, and the half ended in a tie. The second half began and my team fell to pieces. Suddenly we were the “Bad News Bears.” They were tired and didn’t want to play anymore. I tried to give encouragement but it didn’t seem to work. They started dropping like flies, walking off the field and taking a seat on the sidelines. The referee didn’t stop the game even though we were play two girls down on the field. At one point two more girls ran off the field to go buy ice cream. They returned to the field and tried to play while eating ice cream at the same time. Still, the referee who, by the way, is a teacher at Pacaytias, continued to let the game go on. I made a save and looked out to the field for someone to kick the ball to. I realized there were only five of my players left on the field so I just booted the ball as far down field as I could and told my girls to run. I guess they didn’t feel like running because within fifteen seconds the ball was flying back in my direction and I was scored on again. Pacayitas scoring pissed off another one of my players so she decided to quit and make her way to sidelines. I looked at the referee and told him that maybe we should call the game since we only had five players on the field and he just laughed at me, which I thought was rude. By the end of the game Pacayitas had scored one more time and there were four of us left on the field. The Pacayitas girls celebrated and the referee celebrated with them. I wanted to punch him in the face, but I managed to suppress the feeling and walked off the field with my girls who then faced ridicule from the Pacayitas boys. I was filled with disgust watching, as the parents did nothing to stop the obnoxious behavior. The boy’s game started and it wasn’t as terrible as our game, though my students still lost 3 to 1. At least none of them gave up.

I was offered a ride home in the bus with the Pacayitas students, but declined and chose to walk home in the 90-degree heat. The bus left Mollejones about fifteen minutes after I had started my walk home so it passed me about halfway to Pacayitas. The students on the bus were beating their drums and chanting “ganamos” which means we are the winners. Not surprisingly, the teacher/referee was leading their cheers and dancing around like a child. I can handle losing in a fair game, and maybe if it hadn’t hurt my students so much I wouldn’t have been so angry, but I was pissed. The lack of respect that these kids have is shocking. Then I came to the realization it isn’t their fault. Instead, it is the fault of the damn teacher who encourages their terrible behavior. I am sad for his students, who are stuck with such a terrible role model. In the end, my students are the winners because they possess much more class and respect. The director of my school is a fabulous role model, and I can only hope that I am half the role model that she is.

So sports day wasn’t such a good day for my students. However, today they were all smiles and were not even thinking about yesterday’s soccer games. It is amazing how children can just let things go and move on. That is something that I hope to take from them at the end of this year… because secretly I still want to punch the referee in the face.

In other news, today is my brother’s birthday. Happy 25^th Birthday, Bryan! I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. I love you and miss you so much! 

Pictures from sports day

 My first grader, Candy, giving her speech on the importance of sports

 My first grader, Brainer, got to try out the drums after the Pacayitas students performed

 My sixth graders, Tatiana and Nancy

 First grader, Ian sitting with third grader, Gonzalo

 Gonzalo and Johanna playing on the monkey bars

 Second grader Monserrat, fourth grader Francinni, sixth grader Johanna, and third grader Gonzalo

 The kids getting ready for soccer games

Girls soccer match

Massage from Hell

I gave my first test today to all of my classes. I think I was more nervous than the students. The way I see it, their grades will partly reflect how effective I have been as a teacher. The test was completely oral and I graded them on pronunciation and comprehension. I have to say, I am very pleased with the outcome. Everyone passed, a couple barely, but barely passing is still passing. I am disappointed in the few who I know did not study, I know that if they put just a little more energy into it they could have all done very well. However, I am too proud of all the others who I know spent a lot of time studying to let myself be too upset about the few who could have done better. I am extremely impressed with my first graders. All received grades above 90. This is awesome considering my test was their first test ever in school. My students were very nervous because in order to pass into the next grade they have to pass every class. One of my second graders was sweating profusely during the whole test. All the classes waited anxiously outside my classroom while I graded the tests. It was very cool to see their relief when I told them they all passed. I am just as relieved as they are.

In other news, life is going well in Pacayitas. The people constantly amaze me and I feel so blessed to have been placed in a town that is filled with compassionate individuals. I have been having some pain in my shoulder, so the other day my host mom made an appointment to go get a massage with Don Luis who is an older, well respected man in the town. I was really looking forward to my massage, up until my walk to the his house. On my way to Don Luis’s house I was stopped many times along the way by cousins and friends, all of which asked me where I was going. When I told them I was going to get a massage from Don Luis, every single one responded with “oh, try not to cry.” Leaving me wondering what I had signed up for. Well, I soon found out that I had signed up for the deepest deep tissue massage that exists on this planet. It was a far from relaxing experience. He massaged mussels I did not know I had, and it was painful. I didn’t cry, instead I laughed because I was in so much shock by the pain I didn’t know what else to do but laugh at the situation. Don Luis seemed confused by my reaction and commented that I was his first patient to laugh and he has been massaging people for thirty years. Throughout the massage Don Luis’s one year old grandson kept peeking into the room and looked at me with a look of sympathy, knowing I was experiencing extreme discomfort. When the massage was over I was afraid to move, I half expected to find my body covered in bruises. I tried to pay Don Luis but he would not take my money. Sore and exhausted from the experience, I walked back to my house and immediately went to sleep. I woke up the next morning completely pain free. My shoulder was no longer aching and I felt the best I have felt in a long time. I saw Don Luis later that afternoon and thanked him again and again. Then he informed me that I have a follow up appointment next week because he is still concerned about my shoulder. Suddenly, I wanted to cry. The thought of going through the pain again is terrifying, I don’t know if it is worth feeling so good the next day. I am afraid that if I do go to the next appointment that I won’t be able to laugh off the pain…  

Wish me luck.

Strange Day...

Today has been a strange day. Not a bad day, just a day filled with a sequence of strange events.  

Strange event number 1: I woke up from dreaming in Spanish this morning. I suppose that is not very strange considering that I live in a Spanish speaking country. However, it was strange because in my dream friends and family from home where speaking to me in Spanish. It is the first dream I’ve had in Spanish since arriving here in January. I take it as a sign that my Spanish is really coming along if my subconscious is confident enough to use it. I’ve recently been catching myself thinking in Spanish and talking in Spanish to people who speak English. Anyway, back to the strange events of today…

Strange event number 2: My host father ate breakfast with me today. Normally he is already working by the time I wake up. It was the first time I have ever eaten breakfast with him.

Strange event number 3: My host father was particularly chatty at breakfast this morning. He is such a sweet man, but doesn’t usually have much to say. However, this morning he was asking me questions and cracking jokes. It was the most talkative I have been at breakfast. I am not much of a morning person. Usually I prepare breakfast for myself and eat alone. Or, if my host mom is awake we are normally both too tired to communicate. Even so, I really enjoyed breakfast with Alejo this morning.

Strange event number 4: Today my director’s husband took us to school. This happens every once in a while when the milk truck is late. The strange part was the second I got into the car my director’s husband asked me about my new boyfriend and then giggled. Then my director and her daughter giggled. Clearly, they have information that I don’t have because as far as I know, I don’t have a new boyfriend. They didn’t tell me who they think my new boyfriend is, nor did they share any reasoning behind their thinking that I have a new boyfriend. I have spent all day thinking about my every move this past weekend and if trying to recount any situation that could have been misread by someone in the town. Ticos love gossip and if it is a slow gossip day they simply might make something up. Meaning that any male I had a conversation with this past weekend could be the mystery boyfriend my director’s husband is referring to.

Strange event number 5: All my students were well behaved today… even my first graders. Amazing, but so strange.

Strange event number 6: Fore the last mile of my trek home I rode the sugar cane tractor. This one is not so much strange as it is just different. I forgot to pack my shorts this morning in my book bag. March is the hottest month of the year in this part of Costa Rica, so walking in blue jeans was not pleasant. After the first two miles I was ready to collapse. When my cousin, the sugar cane tractor driver, offered me a lift, I couldn’t refuse. This was a somewhat terrifying experience because I stood on the side of the step of the tractor and held on to its frame. It was a bumpy ride and my arms got quite a work out holding me onto the side of the tractor. However, I was still very thankful for the ride.

Strange event number 7: I arrived home to find a man installing ceilings in my house! This is strange, but so very awesome! I am not sure why my host family has just now decided to install ceilings, but I couldn’t be happier about the decision. Ceilings won’t change the fact that I can still see into my host siblings’ room through the cracks in my walls, nor will it stop exhaust from eking through the floorboards and burning my nostrils. However, boxing in my room will surely help keep light out from other rooms while I am trying to sleep. It will be one less distraction to worry about when I am trying to get rest.

Strange event number 8: My host mom made me a pannini for my afternoon snack… with a pannini maker. I was not aware that we had a pannini maker, as I have never seen it used before. I am not complaining, a toasted sandwich was a nice surprise!

Strange event number 9: I managed to nap even with the noise of the drill installing the ceiling in the next room. Que Dicha! (How sweet)

Strange event number 10: I had about three minutes of hot water in the shower this afternoon. I think this means that the sun is so hot that it has baked the water pipes, giving me three minutes of hot water.

It sure has been an interesting day filled with surprises. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Dining with Costa Ricans

I love food. So much so that my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because it revolves around eating. Growing up I was an extremely picky eater. Basically all I ate was grilled cheese. When I was younger, breakfast always caused a fight because I refused to eat eggs. I still am not a fan of eggs, however I’ve grown out of pitching a fit when they are served to me. In high school I became a bit more adventurous when it came to eating. I had never liked seafood but after four years in Baltimore I acquired a taste for crab. Anyway, the point being, luckily I have grown out of being a super picky eater and I am open to trying new things. I can’t imagine how different my experience here would be if I was afraid to try new things. I constantly have to ask what it is I am eating because I have never seen some of the fruits and vegetables before. My host mom served me a juice that had seeds that looked like fish eggs. It didn’t taste like fish eggs, but it wasn’t particularly delicious either. My suggestion that it looked like fish eggs caused a lot of laughter and my family calling me crazy. Next time I see the juice I’ll be sure to take a picture… I know I am not crazy. My host mom is never offended when I tell her I don’t like something, which is good. She knows that I don’t eat fish, which isn’t ever a problem. She is used to dealing with her son who refuses to eat any vegetables other than potatoes. I am sad to say that she always appeases him by making a different soup or dish that doesn’t have the vegetables in it. It makes me appreciate my parents more for always making me eat my vegetables as a child. I think it really makes my host mom happy that I am open to trying anything.

My host mom is a great cook and I am well fed in my house. For breakfast I usually have cereal during the week and gallo pinto (the traditional Costa Rican breakfast) on the weekends. I’ve started eating cereal during the week because my host mom wakes up at three to serve my host dad breakfast before he leaves to transport sugar cane. Though I know she doesn’t mind, I feel bad asking her to wake up again at 5:45 to serve me. So she sleeps, I eat cereal, and everyone is happy. I eat lunch at school. Lunch usually consists of rice, beans and some sort of chicken or meat. The only complaint I have about the school lunch is that it is served at 10 in the morning. When I return to Pacayitas around two in the afternoons after a three-mile walk, I am starving. Luckily, my host mom is always waiting for me with a coffee and an afternoon snack, which is basically another meal. She either makes me a huge sandwich with avocado and refried beans, or sometimes she makes cheese empanadas, which is cheese fried in corn tortillas. Delicious.  Around seven I am served dinner. My host mom usually eats at her mother’s house before so most nights it is just my host brother, Francel, and I eating at the table. Dinner is the most interesting dining experience. By interesting I mean I usually have to fight back my gag reflexes while watching my host brother eat. Manners are not something that is taught in Pacayitas. I often am made fun of for using a fork to eat my meat. Watching my host brother (and other Ticos) eat meat is nauseating. Their teeth rip into the meat sucking and slurping the juices. They suck on the fat until they have relieved it of its taste and then spit it out onto their plate. That isn’t even the worst of it… next is the bone. I have never sucked on a chicken or pork bone, so maybe I don’t know what I am missing, but watching others do it has not inspired me to try. It produces the grossest of sounds, sucking, chewing, breaking, and slurping. I am never able to hide the disgust on my face, but my reaction only makes them laugh and then my host brother takes my left over bone and repeats the process. Ugh, and then there is the process of picking any meat stuck in the teeth with the sharp points of the bone. UGH! It makes me nauseous just writing about it. I have found myself eating chicken alone and having to fight back gags just thinking about what its like when I eat chicken with others.

I surely hope that a year in Costa Rica doesn’t turn me into a vegetarian. I would hate to have a reason to regret coming here.

For the most part I really enjoy the food here. Sometimes I wish there was more variety, as eating rice and beans two times a day can be overkill. When I am craving a taste of home I have a stash of popcorn and a stash of macaroni and cheese. I am not sure why eating mac n cheese comforts me. I never really ate it that much at home. However, there is something about it that makes it a “homey” food. I am sure six months in I’ll be ready to kill for some soup and a sandwich from my favorite restaurant at home, Sweet Basil. Luckily I’ll be returning home for a two-week break in July, which will leave me plenty of time to refuel on my favorite foods.

Well, it is time to head home… I am sure a plate of tasty rice and beans is waiting for me.

Staying Busy...

I had already figured out, from my first experience here in Costa Rica two years ago, that staying busy is the trick to preventing homesickness. If I am constantly doing something, I don’t have much time to think about what I would be doing in the States if I weren’t here. Of course I miss my family and friends, I have missed them since the day I left.  However, reminding myself that living here is such an enriching experience helps me get through the hardest days. Also, it helps that I am placed in a town with internet access. Thank God for skype!

People often ask me if I am still ok with my decision to have graduated early, missing the second semester of my senior year. As of now, I have no regrets. Certainly there are times where I wish I could be back at the Presbyterian College fraternity houses, being carefree and dancing with my friends. But then I think about how much more difficult it would have been for me to convince myself that coming here for a year was a responsible decision had I stayed for my final semester. Graduating early gave me the ability to take time off from the hustle of the States, where getting a job is on everyone’s mind. I have extra time to think what my next move will be, be it teaching, or graduate school, or maybe I’ll end up on some completely different path that hasn’t even occurred to me yet. And while I am pondering what will happen next January, I get to teach an amazing group of children an incredibly important tool for their future. So to me it is win, win. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t hard days that make me question my decision.

The hardest days are the days that school is cancelled, which is way too often. Teaching is a lot of work and requires all of my focus, and by the time the school day is over I am too exhausted to even think about missing home. It is the perfect distraction. However, days when classes are cancelled I am left to find other distractions to keep myself busy so that I don’t get bored. I have even gone on runs just to pass time. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not into running for pleasure. From age three until my senior year of high school I was always playing a sport, and I always enjoyed playing sports. However, I never found enjoyment in just running for the heck of it. The last four years in college probably haven’t done anything to help that because, besides very sporadic visits to the gym, and dancing at Sigma Nu on Friday and Saturday nights, I was the least active I have ever been. Here I can actually find pleasure in running. Maybe it is because for thirty minutes I can tune into my ipod and tune out to everyone else. Maybe it is because I notice how much easier the three mile walk home from school is becoming the more I get used to controlling my breathing in the Mountain air. Or maybe I just crave an excuse to be out enjoying the beautiful Costa Rican mountains that surround me. Whatever the reason may be, I am hoping that it continues to inspire me to take runs on the days off from school.

Another thing that gets me through the hard days is the support system that I have here in Costa Rica. Besides and incredible host family, I am also a part of a great group of volunteers. I have created friendships that I know will last a lifetime. Talking to someone who experiences the same sort of struggles can sometimes be the best therapy. At least for me, it makes me feel like I am not alone. Also, I am particularly lucky because a Peace Corps volunteer is also placed in my town. She has become a good friend and I definitely enjoy hanging out with her, watching movies and speaking in English.

To my family and friends at home, I miss you all very much. I cannot wait to see you all again soon. And get excited, my host mom is teaching me how to bake all different sorts of bread. I look forward to sharing what I have learned with you all!

Also, I have been very slack about posting pictures so here are a few... 

Part of my host family in Orosi, our orientation town.

WorldTeach Costa Rica 2011 Volunteers

My Spanish Class in Orosi

My students in Mollejones

Audrey (Peace Corps Volunteer) and me at the waterfall in our town.

My house in Pacayitas