Confessions of a sort

I have to confess. I've been greedily reading all of the different blogs my friends write, and avoiding my own.  I think of things to write, and then I fall asleep.  Or a class shows up.  Or I'm in a bad, no-good mood, and I don't want to spread the nastiness.  Thank you to all my friends with blogs, especially those of you who are so far away from me right now.  It's so comforting to see and hear you through your words.

It's been busy.  We've gone to the beach, Manual Atonio National Park, to be exact.  We saw monkeys, three-toed sloths (I think.  It might have only had 2 toes...) and raccoons right on the beach.  There were birds, fuzzy spiders, and huge spiders!  There was some questionable attire to be seen on the playa, though thankfully the person in question did not belong to our group.  I don't think we would have let her leave the villa we stayed at in that get-up.  Just wouldn't have been kind. 

We also discovered that the farmer's market, the ferria, in Guadalupe, is only a 15 minute walk from my apartment.  It's fantastically cheap and fresh, though you do need to wash everything very thoroughly because of the pesticides.  Farmer's Market does not equal organic! The ferria is loud, smelly (in a good way, usually) and so...well, exotic for someone like me.  It's not polite stalls set up, where the sellers wait for you to come to them.  It's stalls of people trying to get your attention, and offering you samples, and some of the fastest Spanish I've ever heard.  It does help my math skills somewhat; I'm getting better at recognizing my numbers in Spanish.

Last Thursday was Children's Day.  I don't know if that's international, but here in Costa Rica, it's a pretty big thing.  We had ice cream at lunch time on Thursday, and then Friday morning was the chaos.  The elementary/preschool teachers set up a carnival for the students!  There was ring toss, face painting, "bobbing" for apples that were on strings hanging from the building overhang.  There was cookie decorating and frootloop necklace making, bowling and more.  The highlight for many of the children was the fact that the parents association was selling Silly Bands.  These stretchy, sometimes smelly, little bracelet things are all the rage; fights broke out later in the day about who's were who's.  I even received one from one of my little grade two's; I'm not sure who, as it was a streak of motion.  Hair, hands, and suddenly I'm holding a stretchy green band in the shape of what I think is a dinosaur.  I can only imagine how many of these I would have had as a kid, what with my obsessive collecting habits.

The highlight of that day was taking so many adorable pictures.  I'm going to post most online with Facebook, and ask that people not tag them.  Here are a few I couldn't resist putting up twice. 





Buddies!







The Infamous Silly Bands!



I'll write more about today/tomorrow.  We had our Acto Civico assembly this morning, and tomorrow is a holiday for Independance Day!  Stay tuned!

Reading Between the Lines

I can't believe more than a week has passed since I last posted something. I have spent the time teaching, preparing to teach, and recovering from the influx of small children.  I've done some exploring, and spent a lot of time getting wet.  It has been an unfortunately predictable weather pattern lately:  it will be raining whenever I leave the school.  It doesn't matter when  I leave: right after school or 5 pm when we're kicked out.  It will be raining.  Thank goodness for co-workers willing to drive us part of the way home, and for umbrellas. 

If you're reading between the lines, you may sense that not all is well in paradise.  I'm tired of being wet, and I can't wait until the dry season.  But really, when I walk out of my apartment in the morning, I only have to walk about 20 paces before I can see tropical flowers, and feel the sun.  I don't have anything to complain about.

Lines.  The past two weeks have been full of lines. 
We had an earthquake drill.  I'm really not sure if any of my students would have survived a real one if they had to depend on me.  Luckily I had the grade 5 class with me, and they knew what to do.  It's hard to hear the evacuation bell in my classroom, especially after listening to the sirens going off, and the kids were on it.  "Miss, we're supposed to leave now."  As I make them all take off their shoes at the beginning of class, I waited for them to put them back on, so we were the last ones out of the building.  Then I planted them under a powerline.  Then the principal came to get the slip of paper that I was supposed to fill out.  I thought I had to fill it out just if I had a student missing.  Negative.  I looked like such a dunce.  But really, in an earthquake situation, I'm really not sure my second floor classroom would be evacuable (no, I don't really think that's a word.)

Two Saturdays ago, I travelled down to Tres Rios where Jason and Marcy live. It meant I had to figure out three bus schedules on a Saturday, because unlike the rain, they are not on a very particular timeframe.  It would only take about 15 minutes to drive in a private car, and I could have splurged on a taxi, but where is the adventure in that?  An hour after leaving my apartment, I was walking down the hill, into their residence. (I gave up on the third bus - I'd likely STILL be on the top of that hill!)

Jason and I hit the market right away, as it closes officially at 1:30 pm, and people are packing up by 1:00 pm at the latest.  99% of the market is fresh food, and cheap!  I like that you can choose how many/much of an item you want, and most of the vendors will let you sample things.  I really just stared at strange things until they tried to explain what it was or offered me a piece!

After the market and a few other stops, including a ferreteria where ANYthing was for sale (including Jason's new machete.  I tried to stop him Marcy, I really did) we headed back to the house.  It was a great chance to just chill and visit.  About 5:15 we looked out the window, noticed it was getting dark, and so I headed to the "bus stop." 

It's a line.  Painted on the road.  Almost in the ditch. 

Talk about plenty of time to think. My Costa Rican experience must be preparing me for something, as nothing has prepared me for being in Costa Rica!  The skies darkened, then clouded over, and the lightning started. Just sheet lightning, and I wasn't worried...until I looked up and realized I was standing under the powerlines that are everywhere, low, and seem to be sort of strung together by chance.  More lines.  Thankfully the bus came not long after that realization, and I was gone.

The next morning came very early.  The Americans and other Canadian and I had planned to head to Volcan Irazu, and the bus left downtown San Jose at 8:00 am.  Caught the bus to the group, caught a taxi to downtown, and then looked for the place to line up.  Luisa had been awesome planning and implementing all of this, and so we followed her to the parque central, which was great to see.  Eventually, we realized that both of our guidebooks pointed us to the same, wrong spot.  We followed the line down to the SIGN that said Irazu, and waited there. 

We made it to the Volcano, saw the craters, and I nearly died trying to climb a hill at 3432 m above sea level.  That's 11,260 ft! Remember, I've grown up at about 577 m (1,893 ft).  The lungs really weren't working well. The little tour guide book I bought says Irazu is still active, and I'll take their word for it.  There wasn't much proof of anything.  No lava, no steam, and even the lake that had formed in the basin of crater principal has dried up.  Vanished.  No one has a good explanation of where the lake came from, and no one knows where it went.  It's Costa Rica.  Strange things happen here. 

Poor Man's Umbrella.  I can't spell it in Spanish.  Yet.

Ok, time to stop rambling.  I'll let you know how my first Costa Rican haircut goes tomorrow!

The First Week

It's the second Wednesday of the school year.  I'm waiting for my kindergarten kids to show up, then my grade fives, and then it's the end of the first week teaching.  Of course, I teach Thursday and Friday to round out this week, but when you start the school year in the middle of a week, things seem to take a lot longer.

A colleague and I were chatting yesterday about how all of the new routines, in school and out, were really wearing us down.  The realization that it was only the first Tuesday of the school year brought some much needed perspective; our expectations were pretty high, both for ourselves and our students.  When everything is new, it's ok to not "get it" right away. 

I watched two parrots try to eat the school yesterday.  They like to sit on the roof and pick at the tiles with their beaks.  Of course, Emily and I were the only ones who stopped to watch these industrious little guys; parrots aren't that exciting when you grow up with them.  Personally, bright green birds are always an attraction. 

It's been a gray sort of day today.  The sun just doesn't want to burn off the fog and clouds.  Since we are quite high in the Central Valley at the school, it means our temperature is pretty cool today.  It's the kind of day where everything feels wet, nothing dries up, and there are still puddles from the rain yesterday.  I'm actually wearing a light sweater today and appreciating it.  I'm really hoping the weekend is dry so I can do some more walking without my umbrella!  I have yet to see San Jose, even though I thought I'd be living there.  I also want to see Tres Rios, where apparently there is a pretty nice farmers' market on Saturday. 

Kindergarten has come and gone, like the wind.  Or a hurricane.  I really need to figure out just how long their attention spans aren't!

Treading Lightly in Costa Rica

I now share my apartment with a common gecko.  I'm not being mean, I looked it up.  It's a common gecko.  It doesn't seem so common to me; I'd rather name it the streaking gecko, or the fast-as-hell gecko.  It was waiting for me when I opened the door this morning, and I admit to screaming as it shot past me into the corner.  From there, it slipped under the closed bathroom door, and hid behind the toilet.  I poked around with a broom for a bit, but it had disappeared.  I was leaving for an adventure in San Pedro, so I closed as many doors as I have, and hoped the little creature would find the open window and climb out.  I learned they can climb walls! 

After abandoning my bathroom to the gecko, I walked down to Mall San Pedro.  I actually found it by accident; I saw a movie theatre I didn't recognize, and walked down to it.  I ended up in Mall San Pedro, where I had only entered from the front before!  It's not a very long walk as long as it's nice out.  Of course, before I got to the mall, I went in completely the wrong direction, and would have ended up in Guanacaste if the nice man in the bank hadn't pointed me in the right direction.  My Spanish provided many laughs for the native speakers today!  I took this picture from the top of a pedestrian overpass (the first I've seen, but much appreciated!)  I have no idea what the picture is; bonus points to whomever can identify all the white boxes!

I have no idea what these are!

Once I got to the mall, there were too many people around to have my camera just hanging out with me.  I slipped it away into my purse, and did a bit of shopping.  Two pairs of school shoes (one with heels, one pair of flats) and a shirt later, I decided to keep walking.  After all, all I had to do to get home was get on a bus that either said Sabanilla (the area where I live) or San Pedro-San Jose.  Simple.

I walked up what I think was Avenida Central in San Pedro; remember, there aren't street signs.  I found the Outlet Mall, which is sadder than most malls in Canada.  For those in Swift Current, there are more shops in the Co-op Mall than this Outlet Mall.  A slightly scary moment:  I was up on the third floor exploring what wasn't there, and an older janitor struck up a conversation.  He seemed to love the fact that I couldn't understand him, and he really tried to be understood.  He chose words I knew, and kept asking for my address and phone number.  I put him off by telling him I didn't know my telephone number, and all of my mail went to the school.  He even went into a business to get a piece of paper so he could write down his name, phone number and email address!  I think I need to get a fake wedding ring.  I don't like lying, but it was a bit creepy.  "Victor" was just a little too friendly, and I was a little bit too alone!

I left the outlet mall and kind of recognized the area.  It was only about 1 pm, so I kept walking.  I could still spot buses that said San Pedro-San Jose, so we were good.  A few ladies at work had suggested Ya Muni, a department store, as a good place to get clothes for a frame that is so not tiny Latin-American.  I knew if I kept walking, it was on this street.  I found it, and tried on some things, but air-conditioning is not what it is at home.  The store felt cooler than the street for about 5 minutes, then the humidity kicked in.  I had lost all patience for trying on clothes, so I just explored.  Found some oven mitts and a cheese grater, all important items, then decided I was done.  Now to catch a bus.

In Costa Rica, there are very few bus stops that are marked.  I wasn't even sure at this point what direction was home.  I started on one side of the street, then decided that wasn't the right direction, and crossed the street.  Later, I would kick myself for second-guessing myself.  I debated just getting a cab home, but a bus with the right name pulled up at a red light, and I got on in the middle of the intersection.

We started in the right direction. Then I didn't remember seeing some of the businesses before.  Then, all of a sudden, I was the only person on the bus, and the driver stopped and looked at me.  The engine was off and everything.  One more opportunity to provide entertainment.  To his credit, the driver was very helpful, and explained that I had gotten on the right bus going the wrong direction.  I think that's what he said.  All I know is that I ended up in Santa Marta, which is nowhere close to the El Christo that I thought I was going to.  I hopped off that bus, and got on one headed in the right direction, and ended up just about back at the Mall San Pedro. 

I would have stayed on the bus longer, but there was a parrot fight in the tree next to the bus stop.  How can I not get off and take a picture!  I took some video, but I'm a fledgling at it (pun intended), and it turned out pretty shaky.  Here are some pictures of the squakers!  These are the guys that wake me up in the morning.

I provided entertainment for two full buses, and a number of people on the street as I stood on the sidewalk and took the pictures.  They must have thought I was insane, taking pictures of these ubiquitious birds.  I smiled, waved, and jumped in a taxi.  He dropped me off at the AM/PM Mercado on my corner, and it only cost 1000 colones (about 2 dollars).  It was worth it to get home quickly, comfortably, and without having to walk another three blocks to catch the (hopefully) correct bus.  I bought some breakfast things, and a couple cans of Pepsi, and came home to see if the gecko had invited all of his friends.  I haven't seen him since, but I'm watching the baseboards carefully; he blends right in!

On a different note, I had to take the following picture this morning.  I was so relieved to be able to quit the gym in Swift Current as I never had time/motivation to attend.  I had a reason: I was moving to Costa Rica, and I was sure there weren't any Curves gyms down here.  No worries.  Guess what I found two short blocks from my apartment?

What are the odds? 

Welcome to August

Happy Long Weekend everyone!  Well, at least in Costa Rica.  It's some sort of Saint day tomorrow, where everyone walks to Cartago to the Basilica.  We (myself and few other teachers) went to Pequeno Mundo yesterday, and we couldn't figure out why there were so many people on the sidewalks.  Of course, they were walking to Cartago!  Everywhere were signs for washrooms and such in peoples' homes, for this amount of colones or that amount.  Pretty interesting.  Not interesting enough to join in, but neat to see. 

I now have a clotheline in my apartment.  I recognize this may seen strange, but when it rains every afternoon, a clothesline in the yard is virtually pointless.  Judy came over and drilled holes in my cement walls yesterday morning, so I could put up the box that holds the strings.  I now have clothes drying in my bedroom, as it gets the best air circulation, and it's out of the way.  Choosing what I was going to wear was getting interesting!

I"m beginning to get my bearings.  I have to think of the school as sort of in the centre of my little world, and then I won't get as lost.  We took a taxi back from Pequeno Mundo yesterday, and Emily was convinced we were going in the wrong direction.  I wasn't sure either, but the driver was correct.  It was a good tour of sidestreets and such that the buses don't travel down.  We ended up in the right place, and I survived my first taxi ride in Costa Rica.

Anyway, the rest of the day is for planning, and I'm going to have to buckle down and get it done.  Up to now, it's felt strange.  I'm here to work, but work hasn't started, so part of me thinks it's a vacation.  Now I'm beginning to find not understanding things draining instead of intriguing.  It takes a lot of mental energy to try to commnicate anything.  I'm learning more and more, but it almost seems like my English is getting worse instead of my Spanish getting better!

Off to plan.  At least I won't have nearly as much marking to do!

How to Make a Cake in Costa Rica

We have a staff get together tomorrow at Linda's, our Director.  It's officially called "Beer and Bocas", which literally translated out of Spanglish means Beer and Mouths.  Essentially, it's a potluck with the drinks provided.  I like potlucks, I like eating, and I won't turn down the occasional drink.  Only problem?  What can I bring to a potluck when I don't have a single baking/cooking item in the house?

First, I explore.  I discover an 8 inch cake pan in my cupboard.  Fantastic.  I go up to the AM/PM Mercado on the corner and buy a cake mix, something that looks like canola oil (I think it's actually soy...) and some icing.  I thinking, this is great.  I have everything I need for some simple brownies.  I buy an empanada for supper, and a can of Pepsi, and we're set.

The next challenge?  Discovering that my oven works in Celsius temperatures.  I have four options:  140 degrees on top and bottom, 310 degrees on top and bottom, and then 210 degrees on either the bottom or top.  I cook in Farenheit, as does Betty Crocker, according to the recipe instructions.  Google saves the day, and I end up switching between 140 and 310 in order to get to about 350 degrees farenheit.  Problem solved.

Have you ever tried to measure cooking oil without a measuring cup?  Didn't think of that.  When I moved in, I was excited to have plates and bowls; I didn't look for baking supplies.  I eyeballed the oil after finding out if I was at a high enough altitude to need to change the recipe (I still don't know...I was praying by this point.)  The tablespoons of water were measured with the tablespoon that you eat with, and doubled when it didn't look right.  Mixed up, it looked like brownie mixture, so I dumped it in the greased pan, and threw it in the oven.  At least ny microwave is in English and I could set the timer.  Now just to wait.

Toothpicks.  I don't know about you, but I was raised to check a cake's completion with a wooden toothpick.  If it sticks, it's not done.  Toothpicks were NOT on any of my shopping lists thus far, nor were potholders.  A clean towel and, get this, a crochet hook stood in for the more traditional tools.

The cake is on my counter, cooling so I can ice it.  I don't think I'll taste it until tomorrow night.  It LOOKS done...

Post Script:  I was disappointed to see I couldn't buy any squeezable icing.  I"ll explain sometime!

We'll start at 8 am...or 8:30. Possibly 9

I really don't like to be the last person to walk into a meeting. I aim to be prompt, not too early, but fairly on time. It's not normally a problem. Very little is normal in Costa Rica!

If a meeting starts at 8 am, we might get started by 8:15. Time is very fluid so far. Buses don't have a posted schedule anywhere, because they run on their own time. It depends on traffic, the day, and how many people flag them down from the side of the road. Our half hour Survival Spanish course turned into more than an hour long just because we started asking questions! It's something to become accustomed to: no one is in a big hurry. Everything will get done. Everyone will end up where they need to be. I had been warned, but one really has no idea until they've experienced it.

Today is the first day of work with all staff members. I'm finding it really hard to remember names I didn't quite catch the first time! As slow as the schedule can go, the speaking makes up for it. Everyone is really friendly; I've been kissed more in the past week than in the past year. I have some meetings today, and the rest of the week. I had to clarify where I was needed; as a specialist, I could be in three meetings at once because of the preschool, elementary, and midle/high school.

This semester I teach all of the younger grades: K3 through Grade 5. I have 6 three-year-olds, and my largest class is 16 kids. 16! My MS/HS principal informed me that we would run an elective if as few as 5 kids chose to register for it. What a difference having 200 kids in a school rather than 1000. I anticipate there will be some challenges with such a tight community, but there is really good support from all the administrators so far.

This weekend is a long weekend. Monday is some sort of Saint Day; Las Angeles, I think. Apparently half a million people will be walking through San Jose and San Pedro this weekend on their way to Cartago (about 22 km) in order to visit the Basilica there. The legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to a small girl, and eventually the priest figured out that Mary was telling them where to build the church in her honour. Every year all these people go, thanking her for blessings and asking for things. I'm really tempted to go, as I don't think I've ever seen half a million people walking anywhere, never mind together. Our principal and others have strongly suggested going the next weekend when people will still be walking AND we can see the church more easily. I'm thinking this is the better idea, and I can see the streets full of people here in town.

One note: I don't live in San Jose. I thought I did, based on where I flew into, and where the school's address is. I know now that the school is in San Ramon de Tres Rios, and I live in Mercedes Monta. de Oca, very near San Pedro. San Jose is actually quite small, with a lot of smaller cities/towns/counties coming out of it, sort of like bike tire spokes. I'm still trying to find a map.

Ok, off to be early for a meeting. More later, provided I don't fall asleep. I'm still not used to 6 am.

Three Days In

Parrots. Buses. Umbrellas. I don't think I've ever seen as many of these in one place as I have in these first three days. I've discovered how to end the rain here in Costa Rica: have a girl from Saskatchewan buy an umbrella. It's the same reasoning, only reversed, as washing your car.

I took the bus by myself to and from school today. I think it took an hour to get there, and 15 minutes to get back. It's all about being at the right stop at the right time, and having a driver who shows up. Some of the buses are quite nice, others have seen better days a long time ago. None of them have air conditioning. They are crowded at certain times, but each time I've seen men stand up for women of all ages to have a seat.

After the school, I dropped my things off at my apartment and took the Sabanilla - San Jose bus, with the intention of getting off at the San Pedro Mall. Well, I got off the bus somewhere downtown San Jose. In my defense, it looked like a mall. It had a sign in English for a food court! Thankfully I went into a shop looking for an umbrella and found a very nice clerk who spoke English. She pointed me towards a Mas X Menos, where I bought an overpriced umbrella, and told me where I was. I should have stayed on the bus a little longer and I would have been at the mall. Hopped on yet another bus, after being assured that this bus would go to the Mall San Pedro. They have men at some of the busier stops just to load the buses.

Found the mall, though after the bus had gone through the traffic circle. It's quite daunting to be on one side of a large, two lane traffic circle and have no idea how to get across. Crosswalks are really only near schools, and aren't really recognized. There was a young man waiting as well, and he seemed to realize that I didn't know when to go. He said something like "Follow Me", and I did. He and I got to the mall safely!

The mall itself is rather strange. In between dollar stores and kitchy stores, there's a Tommy Hilfiger and a Gucci jewelry store. I bought a few books (stop rolling your eyes): a conversational Spanish book and a verb conjugation book. I know I have a verb book at home, but I'm pretty sure it's in storage. In storage translates to unaccessible unless dire circumstances occur. I looked at some shoes, but I really hope I can wear sandals of some sort to teach in. I had Wendy's for supper because I wanted something familiar; it was and it wasn't. Instead of ketchup, they put bbq sauce on the burger. I bought a few cinnamon buns from the Cinnabon, and took the bus home. You can get just about anything here.

What I've seen in the first three days:

• A man driving a motor bike, carrying two large fruit boxes on his lap. And in Canada you can't even text and drive!
• A school bus that had a tv in it for the driver.
• A woman riding a vespa in the highest heels I have ever seen. I think I want a Vespa.
• Two parrots sitting on a telephone wire. It's very strange to not see them in a cage. My first reaction was that they had escaped from somewhere!
• A bush on my street that has the "Roxy" flower. I think it's called a hyacinth, but feel free to correct me. I am not a horticulturalist.
• Spongebob Squarepants in Spanish. It's no more intelligent en Espanol than it is in English.
• A thunderstorm in the middle of the day. The lightning cracked and the power went off in the school. Poor Trent was in the middle of a course syllabus, and tried to restart three times before he gave in to Mother Nature.
• My classroom! It's on the stage, in the gymnasium. It could be very loud at times, I think. I am more worried about what to do in there if the power goes out; it's pretty dark in there.

Ok, enough for tonight. It's only 7:18 here, but it's dark, and the rain has finally started, so it's cooling off. The sun likes to rise before I do, and I have some Spanish to learn! Buenos noches.

New Roads

Here I am in Denver, Colorado, waiting for my flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. It's about 7:30-ish, and my flight doesn't leave until just after midnight. It's strange to be in this "in-between." I'm far from home, yet I'm not anywhere else. I'm excited about being in San Jose, yet apprehensive about starting a new job in a new culture that speaks a new language. I can't wait to meet and make new friends, but I'm concerned about the family members at home who aren't well. As I told Mom, I wish I could bring the old people with me. It's always about choice, isn't it. Life must be lived, and I can't be in more than one place at a time.

I've decided that if I'm ever rich, I'm going to job shadow people for a couple weeks at a time. It doesn't matter the job; I want to know a bit about everything. As we landed in Denver this afternoon, I could watch the guy with the orange batons directing the plane into position. I realized that I want to know what all the signals mean, and how he knew when to do what. Could I discover this information in a book, or online? Most assuredly. But wouldn't it be more fun to try it? To follow someone around and learn how to do it for real?
As I'll never likely be overly wealthy, this is a bit of a dream, but remember: dreams have to come true occasionally.

Best line of the trip so far: To a small child in a stroller: "It's airplane rules; we have to go potty or they won't let us on the plane."

Best sight so far: The biggest thunderhead clouds I've ever flown through. I didn't see any lightning, but some were definitely dark. Awesome, in the old terms meaning awe-inspiring.

Funniest thing so far: Sitting, eating my supper from BK, and a woman pulls a knife out of her carryon and asks how that got there! Her teenage children: "Mom! Stop waving that thing around! You'll get arrested!" We weren't through security yet, obviously, and I had to ask where they were headed, just to make sure they weren't headed my direction! Plenty of giggling, and the knife ended up in the garbage. TSA wouldn't be letting that go through!

Ok, more when I'm in San Jose, and settled in a bit. I can't wait to see the colours.

E