It Is All Coming To An End

I’ve really been slacking as a blogger. Whoops. I apologize.

I have actually attempted to write a few blogs in the past month but I kept getting too emotional to finish. Even when I was writing about the 1,000 wasps that Alejo killed outside my bedroom window, I got emotional thinking about how my struggles with Costa Rican wildlife would soon come to an end. Enough is enough, I am ready to face these emotions and fill you all in on what has been going on recently.

My next few blogs I am going to sum up what each part of this year has meant/given to me. Beginning with my school and students, then I will dedicate a blog to my Pacayitas friends, one to my Pacayitas family, and finally one to my fellow volunteer friends.

The end of the school year has been a mess. Classes have been cancelled so often and I wasn’t able to squeeze in all the information I had hoped to teach my students. Oh well, they are happy because this means a shorter/easy final exam. I give my final exam on Friday and then I am done teaching. I’ve been reflecting back on my year at Escuela Mollejones and I am pleased with all my students and I have accomplished in the classroom. My students started with almost nothing. They had only experienced English class for 2 months in the summer of 2010 before I arrived for the year. I remember flipping through the curriculum book that the Costa Rica Ministry of Education had provided us, and thinking there is no way I can even begin to approach some of the topics it wanted me to teach. Granted, this book is based on schools that have permanent English teachers and expects that the students have all had English class since first grade. Their bar was set to high. I set a bar for myself. I wanted my fifth and sixth graders to be able to tackle lessons that were originally planned for fourth graders. Obviously, I beefed up the lessons, as they could handle more reading comprehension and more vocabulary words. I told myself it was ok to avoid some of the lessons, like the sexual education lesson. I figured with my poor Spanish and their low English level, there was too much room for misinterpretation and I would most likely wind up in an uncomfortable position or my students would have a very poor understanding of this important subject. I just left it up to my director to teach that subject in their science class, where, in my opinion, is the only place it belongs. Why they think it is necessary for fifth graders to know that information in English is beyond me. Anyway, with my second, third, and fourth graders, I based all their lessons mostly of the third grade lesson plans. Since I taught second and third grade in one group I figured it was better to reach a little higher as opposed to making it too easy for the third graders. Yes, I often had to spend extra time with my 3 second graders further explaining verbs conjugations and sentence structure. I sometimes even had to alter the exams for the three of them. In the end, I think it has been good struggle for them. One of my second graders even has the second highest grade in the class of second and third graders. My fourth graders were tackling the same lessons as my fifth and sixth graders by mid-Summer. Obviously first grade was the easiest because I could pretty much follow the curriculum. I changed some things up based on their interests and I feel good about their English level as we come to the end of the year. It has been so amazing to see my first grader’s intelligence grow this year. From not knowing how to spell their names back in February to being able to conjugate verbs in English… it has been an incredible process to witness and aid.

My time in the school this year has been a rollercoaster ride for sure. Some days I wanted to pull my hair out. Other days, I didn’t want to go home. My students have changed my life in so many ways. They have taught me patience and strive. Their ability to overcome obstacles is inspiring. Each of my students possesses incredible talents and I can’t wait to see how they choose to utilize their gifts in their lives. I am positive that each one will be successful in their endeavors.

Each of my students holds a special place in my heart. I am so grateful for having been a part of their lives this year. I hope to keep up with them all. Escuela Mollejones will always be an important part of my life. I plan to visit often and give whatever I can to help maintain the incredible learning environment that exists there.

World Rafting Championship!

It is a big week for the little town of Mollejones. The World Rafting Championship is taking place here in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River. It just so happens that the Pacuare River runs through Mollejones. For the past few weeks, teams from all over the world have been passing through our little town, practicing and getting ready for this big event. We have been fortunate to have some of the teams come and visit the students at school. It has been a really exciting time for the little town, and a blast for my students and me!

Today was especially fun. My students were asked to lead three teams in the parade that took place in Turrialba. Turrialba is the closest city to my town and is a popular spot for rafting. We took a bus to the campsite about 6 miles from our town, which all the teams are staying at. From there we got on another bus and caravanned to Turrialba with the rafting teams. Once we got there we lined up with the other schools who were asked to lead teams.

Escuela Mollejones led the Italian Team: 

The Japanese Team: 

 And the Mexican Team: 

The parade weaved through the streets of Turrialba. There was music and dancing. The Mexican team was by far the most entertaining. They were dressed in big sombreros and were constantly running off the street to take photos with onlookers.

When my students got tired, I stepped in to carry the flag: 

Over thirty countries are competing in the championship. I plan to spend a lot of time by the river this weekend and I will be sure to write another blog and post more pictures of the actual rafting. 

Pura Vida!

Day of the Children

Why don’t we have a day of the children in the United States? It seems like we should. We have a mother’s day. We have a father’s day. It would be only fair for us to also have a day of the children. We could learn a lot from the Costa Ricans.

Anyway….

Today was El Dia del Ninos, or Day of the Children. Lucky me got to celebrate twice. Because my students would be coming to Pacayitas today to celebrate El dia del ninos with the high school and elementary school here, we had our own celebrations in Mollejones this past Wednesday. I was told that all of the classes would be held on Wednesday, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t happen. I was right. After teaching one class in the morning, my director suggested we just take the rest of the day off to play. The children didn’t complain, and neither did I. The day was filled with games, candy, and of course soccer. It is fun to be able to let loose with my students. I feel like recently I’ve become stricter in the classroom. Due to class being cancelled more often, I try to pack as much information as they can handle into one class so that we can get through all the units. Unfortunately, this leaves little time for games. Some things just can’t be taught with a game. I still try to make class enjoyable. We spend a lot of time creating things, drawing pictures and writing sentences about what they are drawing. Even so, they constantly beg me to play Bingo or Jeopardy. My favorite days are when we play Bingo and Jeopardy, too. However, I have to teach them enough information to fill up a Bingo or Jeopardy board in order for us to play, and with classes being cancelled so often, game days keep getting pushed back. Anyway, my point being, it was fun to be able to play with the students on Wednesday.

It got even better today. I met my students at the high school here in Pacayitas this morning. They had been told they would get a surprise and they kept asking me what it was, but I had no idea. There was a ribbon cutting celebration happening at the high school because three new classrooms have been built. As far as I knew, that was all that was happening. I was just as surprised as the students when World Champion Boxer, Hanna Gabriel, was sitting at the main table. She is a huge celebrity here in Costa Rica and she also happens to be the sister in-law of the director of the high school. I knew that the director was related to her, but I never expected to see her in Pacayitas. It was pretty cool. She gave a speech about staying in school, something she didn’t do, and spoke about waiting to have children. This is a problem throughout Costa Rica. There are young mothers throughout the country, and Pacayitas is no exception. I feel like every where I look there is a new teenager pregnant, each one younger than the last. This part of her speech was especially awkward for me as I was sitting next to a girl in high school who happened to be breastfeeding her baby. However, I think it was a great message for these young kids to hear. I feel as though they don’t hear it from anyone else. After her speech the students lined up for autographs and pictures. I was fortunate enough to get a picture, however I passed on the poster, as she was running low and some students still hadn’t received one.

It was a great week. I had a blast playing with my students on Wednesday, and it was great to see them light up around a celebrity. 

 My students, Caleb, Kervin, and Sandro, after a game of bobbing for candy in flour.

 Some of the first graders and kindergarten class singing and dancing with the kindergarten teacher

 One of my kinder students on the swings

 Ricardo and Dayana playing soccer

 A few kinder students and me

 My first grader, Angie, was terrified of World Champion Boxer, Hanna Gabriel.

 I probably wouldn't win this fight...

GO PANTHERS! GO BLUE HOSE! GO DEACS!

I should have guessed that my last three and a half months would be the most difficult for me. Not because I am running out of energy or patience in the classroom. Not because I am sick of eating rice and beans. Not because I am tired of speaking in Spanish or living in a different culture. In fact, I don’t seem to be running out of energy or patience in the classroom. I can still stomach eating rice and beans. I am not tired of speaking Spanish or living in a different culture. So then why? Why are these months going to be the most difficult?

It is football season.

This is the first football season I’ve missed in my 22 years of life. I am not positive, but I am sure I was watching Wake Forest Football with my dad at a month old. And I haven’t stopped watching football since. College football, pro football, I love it all! I have been going to Carolina Panther’s games since their first season in 1995. I’m not just a fair weather fan. Hell, I cheered on my Panthers every game last season even though we only managed to win 2 and came out the worst team in the NFL. I was at most of the home games and watched every away game. My roommates would have to tell any visitors that came to our house, between 1 and 4 on a Sunday afternoon, to please excuse the screaming that came from my room. Sometimes I get a little too excited or a little too angry off while watching games (mostly angry last year). I am always cheering on my PC Blue Hose, even though we’ve struggled with the move to division one. It doesn’t matter. I love my teams. I love them when they are winning and I love them when they are losing.

So imagine how difficult this must be for me… Missing the majority of the 2011 football season. Unfortunately, FOX is not one of the 3 channels we get here in Pacayitas. I’ve found some good websites to stream the games, but my internet is not strong enough to handle them. So I am forced to not watch, but instead read the games on ESPN play by play. I’ve followed every preseason Panther’s game, as painful as most of them were. I was up late on Thursday yelling at my computer as the Deamon Deacons lost their big lead over Syracuse and ended up losing in overtime. And at 11:30 today I will be following my Presbyterian College Blue Hose as they take on the Wofford Terriers in their opening game. Thank God for the Internet.

Wish me luck as I try to survive these next three and a half months…

And now there is only one thing left to say:

On, on PC
to victory!
Garnet and blue,
we're here for you
in everything you do!
Presbyterian!
Spirits are high.
Never say die.
For if we win
or if we lose
We will love you, PC blue!
Go Hose! Go Bluuuuuuue Hose!

 Me and my good friend, Billy, at a PC pep rally last year

 Bryan and I at Wake Forest bowl game in 2007 at Panthers stadium.

Are My Ears Bleeding?

I remember in third grade when we were all given a recorder to play in music class. I suppose it was our introduction to band, which was a required class in fourth grade. I remember playing “Hot Crust Buns” over and over again. Well, I would now like to take this time to apologize to my family, babysitters, friends, dogs, and anyone else that was in my life during third grade and had to listen to me play that abominable instrument.

September 15^th is Costa Rica’s independence day so the high school in my town has been preparing for the celebration that will take place. Not only will the usual drum line perform but there will, apparently, be a recorder performance as well. I was lying in bed Monday night and I heard someone outside my house playing the recorder and after about thirty minutes I was ready to have my ears removed. It only got worse. Francel, my host brother, went outside and when he came back he was in possession of the recorder. He began to practice in the house. I wasn’t aware it was possible to be an awful at playing the recorder, but I am now very aware that it is very possible. Luckily my host mom was home and was clearly having the same thoughts, and she yelled at my host brother to “callate,” which means “shut up.”

Unfortunately, last night my host mother was visiting her mother after dinner and wasn’t there to tell Francel to shut up. Normally I have no problem telling Francel when he is annoying me. We fight like real siblings. However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him to stop practicing because, God knows, he needs it. Instead I shut myself up in my room and put on an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” in hopes to escape the piercing sounds coming from Francel’s recorder. He played “Hot Crust Buns” (yep its an international thing) over and over again. I kept removing my headphones to check to see if my ears were bleeding. I felt like pulling my hair out…

Eventually he got tired of practicing and the house was at peace once again.

In other news…

Life is going well here in Pacayitas/Mollejones. This past weekend my good friend, Caitlin, came to visit and experience an infamous Pacayitas Baile (dance). When ever I talk to other volunteers about my town their usual responses fall along the lines of, “ You have people your age in your town?” “You have a bar in your town?” “You have dances in your town?”… Yes I am lucky. I have lots of young people my age in my town and great friends my age. We do have a bar in Pacayitas and it is known to have fun dances every month or two. I was excited for Caitlin to see my town, meet my family, experience a dance, and attend a Sunday soccer game. We had a great time. Caitlin got to meet my friends that she has heard me talk endlessly about. We had a lot of fun at the dance.

Let me break down a Pacayitas Baile for you…

The music starts blaring around 7:30, however, no one ever shows up to the dance until a little before 9. I think this is a mixture of Tico Time (no Tico is ever on time) and being fashionably late. People come in from all the surrounding towns, normally on motorcycles or dirt bikes. Caitlin said she felt like we were in our own “Fast and the Furious” movie. The women come dressed in the tightest clothes and highest heels imaginable. Each man has used about a bottle of cologne and their hair is gelled into a perfect fro hawk. At first everyone stands outside. I am not sure why, but it takes a while for people to enter. Once people begin entering the bar, most of the guys stand along the back wall drinking beer and smoking cigarettes. The girls find tables and chairs and sit in groups. Minus the cigarettes and booze, it is a lot like a sixth grade dance, men on one side of the room and the women on the other. Finally a few guys will approach a table of girls, asking them to dance and breaking the ice for everyone. The DJ starts off with traditional Salsa or Merengue and then it turns into more Reggaatone, hip-hop, and techno. There are disco balls and strobe lights to set the mood. Caitlin and I danced with some of my friends. Then we sat and people watched, occasionally being interrupted by men asking us to dance. I don’t know how we were able to say no to their toxic scents of cologne and hair gel… but we politely declined. We left before the party was over and headed home, exhausted. When your bedtime is usually 8:30 it is hard to stay out past midnight.

It was a great weekend with great friends. I can’t believe I have less than four months left. Time is flying and I can’t quite tell you how that makes me feel. It is definitely bittersweet. Even the thought of having to leave my students and family gets me a little teary eyed. However, I do look forward to being closer to my family, friends, and dogs at home.

Well, I am crossing my fingers that Francel isn’t in the mood to rock out on the recorder tonight. I don’t think my ears can take another note.

Dark Knight(s) Up in Here

A little over a week ago I was woken from my deep Benadryl induced sleep to the sound of something bouncing between my walls. I opened my eyes and watched as a bat flew into my curtain and then continued to watch as he climbed to the top of the curtain to hang. At first I was intrigued. This wasn’t the first time I have seen a bat in Costa Rica. When I came here on a school trip my senior year of high school, I actually fed a baby bat with a bottle. I found bats to be interesting animals, and I wasn’t frightened at all by this bat who had seemed to make himself at home in my bedroom. That all quickly changed. I don’t know if was the white of my eyes watching him, but something attracted him, causing him to fly directly at my face. I panicked and ducked under my covers. Not cool bat, not cool at all. In that moment, bats when from being an animal that I found interesting and cool to being an animal that I despised. He had invaded my personal space, and I was not happy about it. I stayed under my blankets until I felt as though I was running out of oxygen. I quickly emerged from the blanket and reached up to turn the light on. I heard the bat fly back up into the roof. It was three in the morning and I proceeded to sleep the rest of the night with the light on.

I was surprised when I woke up that morning and my host family hadn’t realized that I had the light on in my room. The three bedrooms in my house are all aligned in a row on the left side of the house. None of our bedrooms have ceilings so when one room has a light on it flows into the other room. However, I hadn’t bothered anyone with my light. While eating breakfast, I tried to explain to my host mom that a bat had flown into my face. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember the word for bat so I was explaining how it was fury with wings, but not a moth because it has big ears. That was all the explaining I could do before I had to leave for school.

Later that afternoon I came home to an empty house. My host brother, Francel, was staying at his grandmother’s for the night and my host mom, Zeneida, was in Turrialba and would be getting a ride home with my host father, Alejo, in the sugar cane truck late that night. I knew they wouldn’t be home till at least 10. I sat in my room and heard things fluttering about in the roof. I was sure it was the bat. I began to research bats on the internet, and didn’t like what I found. Through this research, I learned that a sleeping human might not wake up to a bite from a vampire bat because their teeth are so small. I just imagined myself sleeping, while bats feasted on my blood. I spoke to a friend at home in the States who informed me that her family had a bat in their house the week before and the man who came to kill it told her family to all go get rabies shots. In this moment, I forgot that rabies doesn’t exist in Costa Rica. The last case of rabies was over 60 years ago, I believe. I had also learned in my research that bats could spread rabies just by being in the same room. There doesn’t have to be any physical contact. Through all my internet research and chatting I had convinced myself that I was sleeping in a room that rabid bats like to use as a playground at night. I picked up my blankets and pillows and made a nice little bed for myself on the couch in the living room, which is the one room in the house that does have a ceiling.

When Zeneida and Alejo came home they were startled to find me sleeping on the couch. I explained to them about my bat incident the night before. By now, I had looked up the word for bat so there would be no confusion about what I was trying to describe. Zeneida shook her head and said; “I don’t think there is a bat in there. It was probably a moth.” I tried to explain that I had seen it climb and fly at my face and I was positive it was a bat. Alejo got a ladder and looked up into the roof, he sprayed bug spray, and promised me he saw no signs of a bat. He said he thought that maybe some white-bellied birds had made a nest in the roof and that was probably the sound I was hearing. I wasn’t completely convinced but I carried my blankets back into my room and slept in my bed.

I had almost forgotten about the events that took place over a week ago. That is, until last night. Last night we had a huge thunderstorm that knocked out the power. I was sitting in bed, reading with my head lamp when all of the sudden something swooshed down from the roof, into my face, and then onto the curtain that serves as my closet door. I screamed. It was 8 o’clock so everyone was in bed. My scream got them out of bed. I kept my flashlight on the bat and when my host family opened my door I exclaimed, “I told you so!” They all laughed and Alejo grabbed a piece of wood and beat the bat to death and carried it out of the house. Alejo got the ladder and looked up in the roof. He said he didn’t see anymore. At this point I was too worked up to sleep. My heart was pounding after experiencing, for a second time, a bat flying into my face. Francel, stated that he would be sleeping in his parents room and I told my host sister, Carol, that I would be sleeping in Francel’s bed in their room. Carol and I were lying in bed talking about how scary bats were when we suddenly heard something hit the wall that separates my bedroom from hers. Carol sat up and asked me if I heard it too. I said yes and we grabbed our flashlights and went to check to see what was making the noise in my bedroom. Carol opened the door and just as she did another bat came swooshing down, flying at us and then turned and landed on my bed. Carol and I both screamed and Alejo came out of his bedroom, this time with the machete. The bat took off flying again and Alejo swiped at it with the machete and it fell to the ground. Apparently all he had done was tamper with its ability to fly because it scurried out of the room towards the rest of us in the living room. Carol, Francel, and I jumped on the couch, screaming. Because the thunderstorm had knocked out the electricity, we were chasing the bat with our flashlights trying to keep an eye on it. The bat scurried behind two chairs in the living room as Alejo followed behind it, whacking the ground with the machete. Finally he hit the bat, putting an end to its scurrying. However, our battle with the bats was not finished. Zeneida, was scanning my room with the flashlight, when another bat came flying down at her. She screamed and jumped up onto my bed. Alejo ran back into my room, machete in hand. Again, he only managed to hit it in flight, making it fall to the ground and scurry out of the room like the previous one had. Francel, Carol, and I assumed our positions, standing back on the couch, screaming. The bat scurried under the TV stand and Alejo swiped his machete beneath it, back and forth until the bat finally scurried out allowing him to get a clear whack at it. He picked up the two dead bats with the end of his machete and then teased me saying it would a good breakfast in the morning. I was not amused. Alejo did another search in the roof and said he didn’t think there were any more. I was not convinced. He had already said that once and then twenty minutes later two more came out of the roof. Carol, Francel, and I sat up in the living room for about 30 minutes waiting to see if anymore bats would emerge from the roof. No more came out, so Francel went to sleep in his parent’s bed and Carol and I slept in her room. I think that I am going to continue sleeping in Carol and Francel’s room until Alejo can somehow assure me that there are no more bats in the roof.

Here are some pictures to recap my evening: 

 The first bat that flew into my face....

 The next two that Alejo chased around the living room after they scurried out of my bedroom

 Alejo searching for more bats in my room.... Do you like my 18 wheeler posters? Francel decorated it for me before I arrived...

 Zeneida on my bed...

 Carol and Francel on the couch...

 Carol and I on the couch....

Kickin' off the Second Half of the School Year!

The second half of the school year has begun! After my two weeks off, I am back in Pacayitas/Mollejones ready to take on these final months.

I had a long trip back from the States on Saturday. A woman on my flight from Dallas to Costa Rica had a heart attack so our plane had to emergency land in Belize. It was quite the ordeal. Obviously, it was extremely depressing to see a woman sprawled out on the airplane floor, not responding to CPR or any of the medications being administered. And the poor man, who I am assuming is her husband, looking lost and confused as if his consciousness hadn’t or couldn’t grasp what was happening. The flight attendants were frantic, as a doctor/passenger administrated CPR for the forty minutes it took for us to land in Belize. The ambulance that was supposed to be waiting hadn’t yet arrived and whispers such as, “remind me never to go to the hospital in Belize” were passed throughout the cabin. Finally the ambulance arrived, though I am assuming there was nothing they could do. She had been unresponsive for at least 50 minutes. They brought in a stretcher and removed her from the plane, I watched from my window as her husband climbed into the ambulance after her. The rest of us sat quietly, waiting for the flight attendants to collect themselves and tell us what would happen next. In tears, the flight attendants gathered together, hugging and consoling one another. The captain came on the speakers telling all of us to sit tight for further instruction. After about 45 minutes of sitting on the plane they told us to get off the plane and wait in the terminal. We waited for another hour in the terminal and then they told us to get back on the plane. Once on the plane the captain told us they were finishing up the “pre takeoff tests” and waiting for authorities to approve us flying with limited medical supply, since they had used most of it up on the woman. We waited… and waited some more. The flight attendants put on a movie. Cabin fever began to spread throughout the passengers. Mostly because no one was giving us updates and we weren’t sure if we were going to be getting to Costa Rica that night or not. The captain came back on the speaker saying that the door to the wheels was jammed and they brought a truck out to fix the problem.  So after another hour and forty-five minutes of waiting on the runway we were ready for takeoff. The flight attendant said that she would have to interrupt the movie to play the safety video, which caused one frustrated passenger to yell, “I know how to put a f****** seat belt on!” That comment got a few laughs and a few evil stares from families traveling with young children. Finally we were up in the air and arrived in Costa Rica around 12 am. Of course landing that late meant that only two people would be running the customs desks… more waiting. Then there was more waiting for baggage. My eyes welled up as I saw bag after bag come off the carousel, none of which were mine. I thought to myself, “if after all this my bags are lost, I am going to burst into tears.” Finally one of my bags came, and minutes later my other bag, and then the carousel turned off. My bag was the second to last off. I got in a cab and headed to the closest hotel. (I had originally planned to stay in the city in a hostel with my friends but didn’t feel comfortable taking a cab that far into the city alone so late at night) I got to the hotel around 1:45 am, which was 3:45 am eastern time. I collapsed on the bed, so happy to be back in Costa Rica!

So after the exhausting trip back, I am back in my town and back to teaching. My students seemed to be ready to come back to school. Yesterday was a little tough because I was still so exhausted and my energy level was not where it needed to be. However, today I am feeling much better. My energy was through the roof when I taught the kindergarten class this morning, and I am still going strong. Hopefully the energy will stick around for when I have my first graders, as I am pretty positive that their goal everyday is to exhaust me.

I have set some goals for the second half of the year. To spend more time improving my Spanish skills, spend more time with people in the town, and to take on some sort of community project. I haven’t quite decided what I am going to do yet. I am going to ask around and see what people in the town want. I have five and a half months left and I want to make the most of it! I’ll never have another experience quite like this one so I want to really take it in and squeeze every last bit of greatness out of it… That is, if my first graders don’t squeeze every last bit of energy out of me…