Its so hard for me to start writing this post, mostly because I do not know where to start. So much has been going on. I feel my time in country slipping through my fingers and I have been unusually busy this past month. I had my COS (close of service) conference (finally!). 3 months before the end of our service, Peace Corps holds a conference for the group that is leaving. It was almost a week long event where PC staff prepares on leaving Costa Rica, leaving Peace Corps, and entering the US and starting a new chapter in our lives. It was a very bittersweet time. My PC group has grown extremely close over the past two years, and it was hard to know that its coming to an end.
In site, I have been working hard to make my last months of service count. I finally feel like I've got this whole "peace corps thing" figured out, and I've started my last project as a volunteer. My friend Julia R and I have started co-teaching an English prep course for high school students. We meet for 2 lessons a week, for 2 hours at a time. The course is to prepare students for their exit exam in English. Many high schoolers do not get to graduate because they fail this exam. Its a tough exam, even for an advanced student, and passing it is crucial. Holding a steady job in CR without a high school diploma is tough. These students need to pass this exam, whether or not they intend to use English post-high school. Our students are all night school students, mostly women (almost all are mothers), and most are Nicaraguan immigrants. Julia and I are working with an organization in town that is known as la ventanilla, to organize the class. La ventanilla is funded by the UN development program as a way to help immigrant youth get on their feet in a new country. I like working with this program because the students enrolled in it are extremely dedicated, and the leaders of the program help us out with logistics (like finding a classroom rent-free). I'm so impressed so far with the commitment our students have shown. I am used to working with elementary aged students, and I was nervous about working with an older crowd. Our students are between 16 and 27. Our class last Tuesday really left me amazed by my students.
A student had called earlier in the week to say that her English exit exam would be Nov 5th. This was problematic because when we planned the class we thought the exams would be at the end of November; we had the class scheduled until Nov 9th. This meant that the students would be missing 3 lessons. Julia and I decided that we would be forced to cut the course short, we would allow the students pick the themes that were most important to them, and give them work to do at home for the themes we'd have to skip because of the now shortened schedule. I got up at the start of class to explain this to the students and one woman just asked "why can't we just do an extra day of class each week?" I was sure that no one else would want to add a third 2 hour class block to their weekly schedule. These students have jobs, families, night school. They are already so busy. We took it to a vote and 13/16 voted to have an extra class day. 3/16 wanted to just eliminate 3 lessons. I was amazed at how serious and dedicated they were. Julia and I decided to add a 3rd class day/week, but make it optional for them. I think its worth mentioning that we give an hour of homework after every class. We make our students work! I was just astounded at their work ethic, and personally I felt glad that I could offer them something that they so clearly wanted and needed. It was a good teaching moment for me. My students helped ease my self doubts that what I teach isn't good enough, relevent enough, for what they need. I am sure most teachers feel uncertain at times, and all Peace Corps volunteers at one point or another doubt their relevence to their communities. I am glad that my final project can help me realize: yes, I am a relevent teacher and yes, my community needs and wants me! Its a nice thing to be able to say after 2 years!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
Old Wives Tales
One of the most entertaining cultural differences between Costa Rica and the US are the old wives tales pertaining to health. I´m not sure why I find them so entertaining, but I really do. I love talking about them with other volunteers and hearing their stories about making cultural blunders by breaking one of the many unwritten rules on how to keep the flu at bay. Here are some of my favorite old wives tales and the stories that go along with them:
(1) Toad bones can kill:
One day my landlord comes over and knocks on my door. He is looking extremely concerned and asks me seriously if I have seen that dead toad pancake in my yard. Let me tell you, the costa rican toad population is out of control, and it´s worse in the rainy season. It´s not uncommon for cars to squish toads at night on the road, and the next day or so they bake and turn into toad pancakes. This happens ALL the time. I had a toad pancake in my yard up by the road, had seen it, and didn´t think much of it. My landlord, however, was pretty worked up about it. -you know those toad bones are poisonous- he told me -if you step on a toad bone and it pierces your skin, it´s worse then a snake bite- he slowly drew his finger accross his throat to make sure I understood what he was talking about. -The kids around here always play barefoot, and your dog could try and eat it and die, you really need to watch out for that.- Then after I made the appropriate display of understanding and fear of the toad pancake, he left, and I went to throw the toad into the jungle growing behind my house. I had head horrible stories about toads before, and I wasn´t sure if I should write this one off or take it seriously. My host family during trainig told me that when toads get scared they screte a liquid that can blind humans and kill dogs. My host family at site has similar toad fears, and I just assumed that tropical toads were just as dangerous as tropical frogs. This new toad bone theory was a little too much for me. I asked around and got mixed feedback. Some people were terrified of toad bones and some just of the skin and the evil liquid that they secrete. So, I went to my friend google for help. I found nothing to validify that toad bones are poisonous, but their skin/the white milky liquid they secrete is. It won´t blind you, but it irritates your eyes, and it can really kill small animals.
(2) Taking a shower immediately after you workout gives you the flu:
Well, doing anything that makes you cool down after you workout gives you the flu. If you go outside the gym without a jacket on (yes, even in Upala where its never colder than 80f), if you go outside too soon after you workout in a gym, this also gives you the flu. Basically anything where your body goes from hot to cold is gonna give you the flu. This one I get crap for ALL the time. I used to have a womens workout group that met a few times a week in the evenings. We worked out in the community center (the building that is in front of my house). We worked out in the evenings, when it cooled down to 80 and the sun wasn´t an issue. I was constantly the only one who never brought a jacket. More than a few times a concerned woman would take me aside and tell me that I was gonna get sick walking from the center to my house if I didnt have a jacket on. I just couldn´t bring myself to put on a jacket, though. Risking the flu because I was hot and sweaty and the last thing I wanted to do was put on a sweater, I would brave the tropical elements and walk the 45 seconds to my house in my workout clothes. Oh, and then immediately take a cold shower.
(3) Walking barefoot inside will give you the flu:
From the best of my knowledge, the fear of walking around barefoot inside comes from a legitimate fear of getting hookworm back in the day when people had dirt floors. All but 2 or 3 houses in chimurria have upgraded past dirt floors. But, still, there is a HUGE fear of walking barefoot inside. Flip flops must be worn. The logic is as follows: the flu bacteria that are on the floor will enter your body through your feet. Now that I live alone I can finally walk around barefoot guilt free. Living with host families I couldn´t because it would stress them out way too much if they saw me barefoot. Seriously they would see me, repremand me, and immediately send me to my room for shoes.
(4) The beginning of rainy season gives you the flu:
One of the teachers I worked with explained this one to me. During the dry season, all the flu germs and other germs settle into the ground. During the first rains of the rainy season, these germs float up in the vapor after the rainstorms. I explain this one this way: during rainy season people stay inside more, where there are more germs, are in closer contact with other people and other peoples germs, and could potentially be more vulnerable to the flu.
I know that in the states we have some pretty embedded old wive´s tales about health in our cultural blanket. I´ve been trying to think of a few and here are the ones that makes me roll my eyes the most:
(1) going outside in winter then coming inside to a heated room will give you the flu.
I know you have all heard this one, and I used to cling to it pretty strongly until I sat down and thought about it. The basic theory is that if you go from too hot to too cold it will shock your body and make you more vulnerable to the flu. Ok, think about a native american tradition of soaking in hot springs and then jumping in a cold water to shock your system and jolt it back to life...supposedly to improve your health. There is also the tradition of sweat baths followed by cold showers, which is supposed to cleanse your body and soul. As far as I know the leading western medical knowledge supports the theory that going from hot to cold can actually improve circulation and makes your immune response system faster and stronger. People probably get the flu more often in winter because they are inside more (closer contact to other people, germs, etc) and less active (because they are inside more) both of which compromise health. Going from hot to cold is actually good for you...
(2) Going outside in winter with wet hair will make you catch a cold
What did people do before hair dryers. Probably they didnt do much because they were constantly sick with the flu. This one works on the same logic as tale number 1 above. I think that maaaaaaaaaybe it could be reasonable to not advise someone to go out in sub zero weather with wet hair because it could make you more vulnerable to pnuemonia....but this is not what people are worried about. Wet hair is not gonna give you a cold. Wet hair does not make the cold virus any more or less likely to be in the air around you.
Are there any old wives tales that drive you insane? These are the top ones on my list.
(1) Toad bones can kill:
One day my landlord comes over and knocks on my door. He is looking extremely concerned and asks me seriously if I have seen that dead toad pancake in my yard. Let me tell you, the costa rican toad population is out of control, and it´s worse in the rainy season. It´s not uncommon for cars to squish toads at night on the road, and the next day or so they bake and turn into toad pancakes. This happens ALL the time. I had a toad pancake in my yard up by the road, had seen it, and didn´t think much of it. My landlord, however, was pretty worked up about it. -you know those toad bones are poisonous- he told me -if you step on a toad bone and it pierces your skin, it´s worse then a snake bite- he slowly drew his finger accross his throat to make sure I understood what he was talking about. -The kids around here always play barefoot, and your dog could try and eat it and die, you really need to watch out for that.- Then after I made the appropriate display of understanding and fear of the toad pancake, he left, and I went to throw the toad into the jungle growing behind my house. I had head horrible stories about toads before, and I wasn´t sure if I should write this one off or take it seriously. My host family during trainig told me that when toads get scared they screte a liquid that can blind humans and kill dogs. My host family at site has similar toad fears, and I just assumed that tropical toads were just as dangerous as tropical frogs. This new toad bone theory was a little too much for me. I asked around and got mixed feedback. Some people were terrified of toad bones and some just of the skin and the evil liquid that they secrete. So, I went to my friend google for help. I found nothing to validify that toad bones are poisonous, but their skin/the white milky liquid they secrete is. It won´t blind you, but it irritates your eyes, and it can really kill small animals.
(2) Taking a shower immediately after you workout gives you the flu:
Well, doing anything that makes you cool down after you workout gives you the flu. If you go outside the gym without a jacket on (yes, even in Upala where its never colder than 80f), if you go outside too soon after you workout in a gym, this also gives you the flu. Basically anything where your body goes from hot to cold is gonna give you the flu. This one I get crap for ALL the time. I used to have a womens workout group that met a few times a week in the evenings. We worked out in the community center (the building that is in front of my house). We worked out in the evenings, when it cooled down to 80 and the sun wasn´t an issue. I was constantly the only one who never brought a jacket. More than a few times a concerned woman would take me aside and tell me that I was gonna get sick walking from the center to my house if I didnt have a jacket on. I just couldn´t bring myself to put on a jacket, though. Risking the flu because I was hot and sweaty and the last thing I wanted to do was put on a sweater, I would brave the tropical elements and walk the 45 seconds to my house in my workout clothes. Oh, and then immediately take a cold shower.
(3) Walking barefoot inside will give you the flu:
From the best of my knowledge, the fear of walking around barefoot inside comes from a legitimate fear of getting hookworm back in the day when people had dirt floors. All but 2 or 3 houses in chimurria have upgraded past dirt floors. But, still, there is a HUGE fear of walking barefoot inside. Flip flops must be worn. The logic is as follows: the flu bacteria that are on the floor will enter your body through your feet. Now that I live alone I can finally walk around barefoot guilt free. Living with host families I couldn´t because it would stress them out way too much if they saw me barefoot. Seriously they would see me, repremand me, and immediately send me to my room for shoes.
(4) The beginning of rainy season gives you the flu:
One of the teachers I worked with explained this one to me. During the dry season, all the flu germs and other germs settle into the ground. During the first rains of the rainy season, these germs float up in the vapor after the rainstorms. I explain this one this way: during rainy season people stay inside more, where there are more germs, are in closer contact with other people and other peoples germs, and could potentially be more vulnerable to the flu.
I know that in the states we have some pretty embedded old wive´s tales about health in our cultural blanket. I´ve been trying to think of a few and here are the ones that makes me roll my eyes the most:
(1) going outside in winter then coming inside to a heated room will give you the flu.
I know you have all heard this one, and I used to cling to it pretty strongly until I sat down and thought about it. The basic theory is that if you go from too hot to too cold it will shock your body and make you more vulnerable to the flu. Ok, think about a native american tradition of soaking in hot springs and then jumping in a cold water to shock your system and jolt it back to life...supposedly to improve your health. There is also the tradition of sweat baths followed by cold showers, which is supposed to cleanse your body and soul. As far as I know the leading western medical knowledge supports the theory that going from hot to cold can actually improve circulation and makes your immune response system faster and stronger. People probably get the flu more often in winter because they are inside more (closer contact to other people, germs, etc) and less active (because they are inside more) both of which compromise health. Going from hot to cold is actually good for you...
(2) Going outside in winter with wet hair will make you catch a cold
What did people do before hair dryers. Probably they didnt do much because they were constantly sick with the flu. This one works on the same logic as tale number 1 above. I think that maaaaaaaaaybe it could be reasonable to not advise someone to go out in sub zero weather with wet hair because it could make you more vulnerable to pnuemonia....but this is not what people are worried about. Wet hair is not gonna give you a cold. Wet hair does not make the cold virus any more or less likely to be in the air around you.
Are there any old wives tales that drive you insane? These are the top ones on my list.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
How I Met the President of Costa Rica
This is the story of how I met Laura Chinchilla.
Every Friday I get together with Julia R, the closest PCV to me, and we have theme dinners. We pick a country or another specific culinary category and make different recipes we've never tried before. It's a fun excuse to get together and is always a test of our cooking abilities. We've been having theme dinners for a while now, and our list of themes is dwindling fast. This week was soup night. This week I was also really strapped for cash (PC pays us around the 20th of every month, and right now I am running on about 6 dollars to get me to pay day). All I had in my fridge were avocados from a neighbors farm and an onion and cucumber. Avocado soup it is! I was less than excited about dinner (mostly because I make myself avocado soup all the time and wanted to try a new recipe, but was too broke to buy all the ingredients, not because Avocado soup isn't delicious) I decided that I would go into town a little early and spend a few of my remaining dollars at the internet cafe. Right before I was to get on the bus, my friend Julia texted me saying that the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, was in Upala. She was at a building caddy corner from Julia's apartment for the grand re-opening of a preschool. It wasn't just the President either. The VP, the Costa Rican equivalent of the surgeon general, the Costa Rican equivalent of my region's senator, and a few other big time government officials. What?? I could not believe it. The President has never been to Upala during her presidency, and didn't even campaign here. Costa Rica is a small country, but I never imagined I'd get the chance to see the President in person. She was scheduled to be in Upala for a mere 30 minutes, and lucky for me, my bus got me into Upala during that time frame. A big part of her political platform is improving preschool care and child development in Costa Rica. I met Julia R at the preschool and we hung out with the general mob of people surrounding the place. We figured out that the building was open and that we could just walk right in. Security was really loose. Costa Rica is not a very violent country and not prone to acts of political violence, so Presidential security isn't even a tenth of the level it is in the states. She had a few body guards, but they were just wearing polo shirts. No bullet proof vests, sun glasses, secret microphones--just a few dudes to make sure no one bothered her. It was easier to get into the same building as the President of Costa Rica than it is to get into a dance club in Raleigh. I was wearing my backpack and everything, just walked on in in my street clothes. We even got to get into the room where the Preschool committee was presenting their project to the President! I took a bunch of paparazzi shots of her. Both Julia R and I were really nervous about meeting her and we were talking to some of the event photographers about how we would love to shake her hand but were way to shy to actually go up to her. As she was leaving the room, the photographer stopped the president and presented us and asked if we could get a picture with her. She was incredibly obliging and nice. She shook our hands and told us "mucho gusto" (nice to meet you) and then "hasta luego" (see you later). I could have died. Then, one of the doctors of Upala presented us to the Surgeon General and a camera crew was filming us as she told us how much she appreciated our work and how nice it was to meet us!! At best I had hoped to get a glimpse of the president, I had NO CLUE that I was going to actually meet her and the Surgeon General. Seriously the best theme night yet!
Every Friday I get together with Julia R, the closest PCV to me, and we have theme dinners. We pick a country or another specific culinary category and make different recipes we've never tried before. It's a fun excuse to get together and is always a test of our cooking abilities. We've been having theme dinners for a while now, and our list of themes is dwindling fast. This week was soup night. This week I was also really strapped for cash (PC pays us around the 20th of every month, and right now I am running on about 6 dollars to get me to pay day). All I had in my fridge were avocados from a neighbors farm and an onion and cucumber. Avocado soup it is! I was less than excited about dinner (mostly because I make myself avocado soup all the time and wanted to try a new recipe, but was too broke to buy all the ingredients, not because Avocado soup isn't delicious) I decided that I would go into town a little early and spend a few of my remaining dollars at the internet cafe. Right before I was to get on the bus, my friend Julia texted me saying that the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, was in Upala. She was at a building caddy corner from Julia's apartment for the grand re-opening of a preschool. It wasn't just the President either. The VP, the Costa Rican equivalent of the surgeon general, the Costa Rican equivalent of my region's senator, and a few other big time government officials. What?? I could not believe it. The President has never been to Upala during her presidency, and didn't even campaign here. Costa Rica is a small country, but I never imagined I'd get the chance to see the President in person. She was scheduled to be in Upala for a mere 30 minutes, and lucky for me, my bus got me into Upala during that time frame. A big part of her political platform is improving preschool care and child development in Costa Rica. I met Julia R at the preschool and we hung out with the general mob of people surrounding the place. We figured out that the building was open and that we could just walk right in. Security was really loose. Costa Rica is not a very violent country and not prone to acts of political violence, so Presidential security isn't even a tenth of the level it is in the states. She had a few body guards, but they were just wearing polo shirts. No bullet proof vests, sun glasses, secret microphones--just a few dudes to make sure no one bothered her. It was easier to get into the same building as the President of Costa Rica than it is to get into a dance club in Raleigh. I was wearing my backpack and everything, just walked on in in my street clothes. We even got to get into the room where the Preschool committee was presenting their project to the President! I took a bunch of paparazzi shots of her. Both Julia R and I were really nervous about meeting her and we were talking to some of the event photographers about how we would love to shake her hand but were way to shy to actually go up to her. As she was leaving the room, the photographer stopped the president and presented us and asked if we could get a picture with her. She was incredibly obliging and nice. She shook our hands and told us "mucho gusto" (nice to meet you) and then "hasta luego" (see you later). I could have died. Then, one of the doctors of Upala presented us to the Surgeon General and a camera crew was filming us as she told us how much she appreciated our work and how nice it was to meet us!! At best I had hoped to get a glimpse of the president, I had NO CLUE that I was going to actually meet her and the Surgeon General. Seriously the best theme night yet!
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| Me and Julia so anxious just being in the same room as Laura Chinchilla |
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| President Chichilla and VP Piva |
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| And then we got to meet her and had a picture taken! |
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| The Upala priest blessing the President before she left |
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Spanglish
Its no big secret that learning a second language takes a lot of work. It requires an absurd amount of dedication and an even larger capacity for humility. My ´primary assignment´ as a Peace Corps volunteer is to co-teach English in 2 elementary schools. Yet I do way more learning than I do teaching on any given day. I may have been living in a Latin American country for almost 2 years, but I still make rediculous mistakes in Spanish on a daily basis. It´s easy and idealistic to think that total language immersion will miraculously result in language fluency. It doesn´t. I still have to study Spanish and while I´ve improved drastically since I´ve been here, I know that I have a lot more to learn. I´m patient with my students who are learning English and they are patient with me as I learn Spanish. The best coping mechinism for realizing my mistakes is humor. I try and laugh it off, and its not that hard because my mistakes are generally hilarious. The following is a list of my recent blunders with the Spanish language:
(1) A few days ago I woke up early after a late night to travel back to my community. I had gotten only a few hours of sleep, was feeling pretty groggy, and took a taxi to the bus stop. The taxi driver was cute and we were flirting a bit. As I get out of the car to leave he tells me that he thinks I am beautiful, and I respond with "you, too, are a very beautiful woman."
(2) I like to get my students candies as prizes for class activities. A few weeks ago I had planned a bingo activity as a review for the big test. I wanted to get some lollipops for prizes. Lollipop in Costa Rican Spanish is ´popi´ I asked the store owner (my host dad) if he wouldn´t mind selling me six ´pompis´ (a coloquial word for butts)
(3) I was running some errands with a friend, we needed to get 26 party bags for a school party. As we were in the car I was counting the cookies we had got for the party bags and realized we only had 14. I turned to my friend and told her in a concerned voice that we would have to go back to the store because we had only picked up ´diecicuatro´cookies. Ugh. Then she looked at me funny and I started cracking up. The Spanish word for 14 is catorce. I had made a mistake that kids made in Spanish 101 the first week of class.
(4) **This one isn´t mine but my best PCV friend Kelsey´s, yet its a mistake I could have easily made** She went to the store looking for ´jugo de pera´ (pear juice) and asks the cashier if they have any ´jugo de perra´(bitch juice)
(5) **Kels forgive me, but I have to share this one, too!** Kelsey goes into the store and starts chatting it up with the cute cashier. She wanted to get some hand towells so she batts her eyes and flirtatiously asks him if he could help her pick out some `toallas` (sanitary napkins).
And thats just a taste of the awkwardly funny things I get to say everyday. What can I do but laugh at myself and keep on keeping on?
(1) A few days ago I woke up early after a late night to travel back to my community. I had gotten only a few hours of sleep, was feeling pretty groggy, and took a taxi to the bus stop. The taxi driver was cute and we were flirting a bit. As I get out of the car to leave he tells me that he thinks I am beautiful, and I respond with "you, too, are a very beautiful woman."
(2) I like to get my students candies as prizes for class activities. A few weeks ago I had planned a bingo activity as a review for the big test. I wanted to get some lollipops for prizes. Lollipop in Costa Rican Spanish is ´popi´ I asked the store owner (my host dad) if he wouldn´t mind selling me six ´pompis´ (a coloquial word for butts)
(3) I was running some errands with a friend, we needed to get 26 party bags for a school party. As we were in the car I was counting the cookies we had got for the party bags and realized we only had 14. I turned to my friend and told her in a concerned voice that we would have to go back to the store because we had only picked up ´diecicuatro´cookies. Ugh. Then she looked at me funny and I started cracking up. The Spanish word for 14 is catorce. I had made a mistake that kids made in Spanish 101 the first week of class.
(4) **This one isn´t mine but my best PCV friend Kelsey´s, yet its a mistake I could have easily made** She went to the store looking for ´jugo de pera´ (pear juice) and asks the cashier if they have any ´jugo de perra´(bitch juice)
(5) **Kels forgive me, but I have to share this one, too!** Kelsey goes into the store and starts chatting it up with the cute cashier. She wanted to get some hand towells so she batts her eyes and flirtatiously asks him if he could help her pick out some `toallas` (sanitary napkins).
And thats just a taste of the awkwardly funny things I get to say everyday. What can I do but laugh at myself and keep on keeping on?
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Running Around
I've started running recently. I have always wanted to be able to run a 10k. It was a goal of mine that I thought I'd never accomplish because I am not a strong runner, and whenever I started a running program I would inevitable get bored or frustrated and quit. Running a 10k was one of those things that I'd dream about and then brush off. Peace Corps for me has been a time to push myself, and I decided that it was time for me to tackle my dream of running a 10k. I've gotten bored of riding my bike over the same 2 different bike routes over and over training for my bike-a-thon, and running seemed like a good switch. Something to help me keep up my fitness and a personal challenge.
I started running regularly in March and my goal was to run a 10k at the end of May. The race I had signed up for, with my PCV friend Julia, was in San Jose. Both of us live in Upala where it is HOT and flat and the race in San Jose was over hills and in cooler weather. When race day came around we were both so nervous. We were worried about the hills, the distance, not falling, and most importantly-not stoping! It was my goal to RUN the whole time. Let me tell you. We did it. All 10k, running. We have a few running mantras that we would yell out to each other as soon as the route got hilly. "See the tortoise, be the tortoise" is our favorite. We are both slow but steady- tortoise like- but the tortoise finishes the race at the end of the fable! I finally accomplished my goal of running a 10k! It was such a good feeling. I was extremely tortoise like as I finished the race in 1 hour 16 minutes, but, like the tortoise, I finished!
You will be proud to know that since the 10k in May I've been keeping up with my running routine. I go out 4x a week. I go 5k 2 days a week, one 7k, and one 10k. My 10k time is getting better and better, and I feel like I'm slowly being converted into a legitimate runner. Well, maybe a jogger. I enjoy my runs and they keep me entertained. Honestly, going out on my runs is often the most entertaining part of my day.
Last week for instance: I went out on a 7k, and my dog came with me. She likes to go running with me now, she used to stay at home, but for the past two weeks she's gone out with me everytime. Last week my run took me by a cow field. My dog, Baby, gets nervous around cows. They are really big and she is really small. The cows in this cow field were not too close to the road, maybe 100m away. Baby would look at the cows, make these pathetic whimpering noises, and then look at me with these sad puppy eyes. She did not like that we were so close to us. The cows noticed us, too. Cows are herd animals and they usually follow the pack. I guess Baby and I looked like part of the cow pack, and as we were running one of the cows started running with us at our pace. Then two, three, four, and pretty soon the entire herd of cows was running with us (fenced in) for almost a kilometer. It was so entertaining, especially because it made Baby so concerned!
I really like this new hobby of mine, and I'm glad that my Peace Corps journey has given me the opportunity to achieve my dream of running a 10k! My new dream is to run a half marathon. I'm still a ways away from that, but I know if I trained for it, that I could do it. There is one in December in Atlanta right after I would return from Peace Corps, and I'm really tempted to sign up...
I started running regularly in March and my goal was to run a 10k at the end of May. The race I had signed up for, with my PCV friend Julia, was in San Jose. Both of us live in Upala where it is HOT and flat and the race in San Jose was over hills and in cooler weather. When race day came around we were both so nervous. We were worried about the hills, the distance, not falling, and most importantly-not stoping! It was my goal to RUN the whole time. Let me tell you. We did it. All 10k, running. We have a few running mantras that we would yell out to each other as soon as the route got hilly. "See the tortoise, be the tortoise" is our favorite. We are both slow but steady- tortoise like- but the tortoise finishes the race at the end of the fable! I finally accomplished my goal of running a 10k! It was such a good feeling. I was extremely tortoise like as I finished the race in 1 hour 16 minutes, but, like the tortoise, I finished!
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| This is me and Julia post-race |
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| This is us going up a hill! |
You will be proud to know that since the 10k in May I've been keeping up with my running routine. I go out 4x a week. I go 5k 2 days a week, one 7k, and one 10k. My 10k time is getting better and better, and I feel like I'm slowly being converted into a legitimate runner. Well, maybe a jogger. I enjoy my runs and they keep me entertained. Honestly, going out on my runs is often the most entertaining part of my day.
Last week for instance: I went out on a 7k, and my dog came with me. She likes to go running with me now, she used to stay at home, but for the past two weeks she's gone out with me everytime. Last week my run took me by a cow field. My dog, Baby, gets nervous around cows. They are really big and she is really small. The cows in this cow field were not too close to the road, maybe 100m away. Baby would look at the cows, make these pathetic whimpering noises, and then look at me with these sad puppy eyes. She did not like that we were so close to us. The cows noticed us, too. Cows are herd animals and they usually follow the pack. I guess Baby and I looked like part of the cow pack, and as we were running one of the cows started running with us at our pace. Then two, three, four, and pretty soon the entire herd of cows was running with us (fenced in) for almost a kilometer. It was so entertaining, especially because it made Baby so concerned!
I really like this new hobby of mine, and I'm glad that my Peace Corps journey has given me the opportunity to achieve my dream of running a 10k! My new dream is to run a half marathon. I'm still a ways away from that, but I know if I trained for it, that I could do it. There is one in December in Atlanta right after I would return from Peace Corps, and I'm really tempted to sign up...
Friday, June 1, 2012
Puppy!
Yes, this is really happening. You are in fact reading a new blog post. Sorry for the past few silent months. I went home to for a few weeks in March, had
an amazing time, and came back to find my computer on her death bed. It’s hard to say goodbye, and I haven’t quite
given up on her yet. But about half of
the keys on the keyboard don’t work, the touch pad and left click don’t work,
the arrow keys don’t work, etc. etc.
Well, I’ll focus on the positive and tell you that I can still get
movies and tv shows to play off of my external hard drive. I can still get itunes to open. I’ve been going to the internet café to use
internet, but haven’t had the patience to sit long enough to write a decent
blog entry. You see there is no AC in
the internet café and it gets really hot.
But, for you, my dear reader, I write.
Biggest news: a dog adopted me! And many more are trying to adopt me, but I’m
trying really hard to only get suckered in once. My neighbor’s dog had puppies in November
when I first moved into my house. The
momma dog and the puppies would come hang out on my porch, and I may or may not
have tossed the mom the occasional doggy treat.
I never wanted to get too attached to them, and just called the mom
‘momma’ and the sole remaining puppy ‘baby.’
Eventually ‘momma’ disappeared, and only ‘baby’ remained. Soon after momma’s disappearance, my neighbor
moved and left ‘baby’ behind to fend for herself. Baby just parked her cute little self on my
porch and I’ve been looking after her ever since. She is a little dog, about 9 months old and
barley 20 lbs. She’s mostly black with a
little white on her paws, chest, and the tip of her tail. She is such a sweet little dog. She follows me around everywhere. She isn’t allowed inside my house, but will
sit in front of my door and stare at me until I go out and play with her. She walks with me to the grocery store and
sits right in the middle of the door and waits for me to come out. She also likes to go to school with me and
watch me teach from the doorway. I love
having her as my pet, and I feel badly that I never gave her a proper
name. ‘Baby’ just stuck, once I started
calling her that I couldn’t stop. Bonus
is its easy to say for Spanish speakers.
I’m training her in Spanish, in case I have to leave her behind…that’s a
sad thought. But I’ll know that I’ve
given her a good life while I’ve been here.
Well, I've tried but I can't seem to get these pictures to orient themselves in the right way and failed. But that's my little puppy dog Baby. She's a cutie pie!
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| Baby and the chickens waiting out the rain | |
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| Baby hanging with me on the back porch |
Sunday, February 26, 2012
School Stuff
Good news! The parent/student strike is over! All the kids are attending class again, and we can stop reviewing old material and start teaching new stuff. As a result of the parent strike, there have been a few changes at the school. Classes are starting promptly at 7am (the official start of the school day), recesses last for scheduled 10 minutes (ok, maybe 15, but its a lot less than the previous 30), and the school lunches now include more fruits and veggies. The principal installed a bell, which sounds a lot like the tornado drill sound I grew up with, and she bought the school a coffee maker! I'm not a fan of the bell, mostly because I can hear it from my house, but it really does help insure that the school stays on its schedule.
Another change for this school year is that the 1st-3rd graders are going to be using English workbooks. I'm really excited to start using them. We will save sooooooo much time because the students won't have to copy stuff off of the board- they will all have their own copies of the materials all ready in their workbooks. We will also save time by not passing out photocopies, and the students will have a visual reminder of how much material they have learned. I think it will be really motivating and a great classroom tool. But, it was a controversial decision because the kids have to pay for their own workbooks. I think I've mentioned before that the English budget only covers the cost of photocopying the tests. Each workbook costs $7.00, and they only way to get them into to classroom is if each kid buys their own. That $7.00 represents a legitimate sacrifice on the part of quite a few parents- and some of the parents have opted to pay in installments. Hopefully we will have all our workbooks by the end of the next month. *I think it's worth mentioning here that students in Chimurria use workbooks for certain subjects in school, usually math and social studies*
La Maravilla, the smaller school that I work with, had its first PTA meeting last Thursday. The school has around 40 students k-6, and there were 16 parents at the meeting (14 mothers and 2 fathers). Considering that most of the students have siblings/cousins in school- nearly every student had a family member there to represent them. The critical points addressed at the meeting: who was willing to come to mow the school lawn, who was willing to chop wood for the school's stove, how much money each family had to give to the school (standard practice in public schools in Costa Rica), was there enough interest/money to have a soccer team this year.
The meeting went pretty smoothly, and it was encouraging to see how invested the parents were in the school.
Another change for this school year is that the 1st-3rd graders are going to be using English workbooks. I'm really excited to start using them. We will save sooooooo much time because the students won't have to copy stuff off of the board- they will all have their own copies of the materials all ready in their workbooks. We will also save time by not passing out photocopies, and the students will have a visual reminder of how much material they have learned. I think it will be really motivating and a great classroom tool. But, it was a controversial decision because the kids have to pay for their own workbooks. I think I've mentioned before that the English budget only covers the cost of photocopying the tests. Each workbook costs $7.00, and they only way to get them into to classroom is if each kid buys their own. That $7.00 represents a legitimate sacrifice on the part of quite a few parents- and some of the parents have opted to pay in installments. Hopefully we will have all our workbooks by the end of the next month. *I think it's worth mentioning here that students in Chimurria use workbooks for certain subjects in school, usually math and social studies*
La Maravilla, the smaller school that I work with, had its first PTA meeting last Thursday. The school has around 40 students k-6, and there were 16 parents at the meeting (14 mothers and 2 fathers). Considering that most of the students have siblings/cousins in school- nearly every student had a family member there to represent them. The critical points addressed at the meeting: who was willing to come to mow the school lawn, who was willing to chop wood for the school's stove, how much money each family had to give to the school (standard practice in public schools in Costa Rica), was there enough interest/money to have a soccer team this year.
The meeting went pretty smoothly, and it was encouraging to see how invested the parents were in the school.
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