I’ve officially experienced my first earthquake while I was in San Jose this past weekend for my groups mid-service meeting. It wasn’t what I expected it would be like… mainly because I had no idea what was happening. I always imagined that I would know what was happening if I ever experienced an earthquake. However, when the store I was in started shaking and people started pushing me towards the stairs with tears flowing from their eyes, I had no clue as to what was happening. I thought that I was imagining the shaking and thought it was more so caused by the crowd pushing me down the stairs (the only injury I acquired during this experience was a woman stepping on my toe with her high heels). Anyway, I had no idea why people were crying or what the rush was. Turns out it was a 6.0 earthquake. Thank God no one I know was hurt and the only damage I witnessed was some broken glasses that had fallen off the shelves in the store. When the shaking was over people wiped their tears and carried on shopping so my friends and I did the same. Thank goodness, no deaths were reported.
Last week my teaching buddy, Callie, came to visit. During orientation we were each assigned another volunteer as our “teaching buddy.” This person is someone we keep in touch with regularly. We are required to visit each other’s sites during the year and observe one another teaching. Callie came last weekend and stayed until we both left on Wednesday for our mid-service meeting in San Jose. Callie is placed in Guanacaste on the beach at one of, if not the, hottest site. I warned her that the rainy season had just arrived and it would get very chilly at night here. She ended up spending most of her time here in my sweatshirt. We went to a futbol game in my town during the pouring rain on Sunday, which very entertaining. We indulged in my host mom’s great cooking, and Callie shared stories with my host family about what life in Guanacaste is like. (My host family hasn’t traveled around the country much so Guanacaste, which is about a 10-hour bus ride from here, seems like a different country) On Monday, Callie came to school with me. I was excited to show off my students to her. I’ve heard some horror stories from some of the other volunteers about the behavior problems they experience in the classroom, but I don’t have any problem students, besides my one first grade student who has ADD and struggles to sit in his seat. I was looking forward to my little angels impressing Callie with their great behavior.
From the moment we arrived at school, all eyes were on the new Gringa. (I don’t know if I’ve mentioned before that Costa Ricans use the word “gringo” to describe Americans and it is not meant to be offensive) Anyway, Callie whispered to me that she felt like the most interesting person in the world. You would think that my students had never seen a blonde hair, blue eyed, girl before… but wait, I am here everyday! Callie and I told my students we were twins and I think a lot of them bought it. Callie seems to have a lot more patience with the kids than I do. They all circled around her climbed in her lap and braided her hair. I let my kids occasionally braid my hair and sit in my lap, but not for hours at a time. Callie let it carry on for the whole day. I don’t want to sound like the bad cop, I do play with my kids often and hug them constantly. However, I do set some boundaries to prevent my students from using me as a jungle gym. When it was time for my first grade class my students wanted nothing to do with learning. They just wanted to show off for Callie. I couldn’t get them to follow any directions. Instead, they just ran around like crazy kids. I’ve never felt so stressed out during a class before. My only solution was to put them in their seats and have them practice writing. So much for showing off my awesomely behaved students…
Last Tuesday went a little better. I think the initial shock of having another gringa in the classroom had worn off, so the students were better behaved. One of my fourth graders, Angie, gave Callie a stuffed bear. I think she felt guilty for not having a present for me too, even though she has already given me a spandex shirt before. She ran out of the classroom and returned moments later with something for me. It was a dirty, pink tank top that maybe could fit one of my arms, wrapped in a pillowcase. I thanked her as I tried to keep myself from laughing. I am sure her mother is now wondering what happened to her daughter’s pink tank top. I can’t help but smile just thinking about how adorably sweet the thought was…
I was happy to see my students responding so well to Callie and giving her so much love. From what Callie has told me, she gets a lot of love from her students, but she doesn’t have class often. In fact, she has class almost never. I feel like I have a ridiculous amount of days off, but my days off don’t even compare to Callie’s. She has taught a total of 26 days of school. I have taught probably 45-50 days. Even though Callie’s director doesn’t seem too concerned with her student’s education, she hasn’t given up on them. She has heartbreaking stories about some of her students being abused, mentally, physically, and emotionally. I feel so for her students, but I am happy to know that they have Callie as a role model for the year. She is so kind and I know she will bring a lot of light into their dark lives. As far as I know, none of my students have endured the abuse that many of Callie’s students have been subjected to. I feel blessed to be part of this community.
I will be visiting Callie in mid-June. I am looking forward to experiencing another community, especially one so drastically different from mine. Though I am not too stoked about the long bus ride I will have to take, I know it will be worth the ride. Her secluded beach is known as one of the best in Costa Rica. I am looking forward to meeting her host family, students, and towns people and getting a taste of her experience here.
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