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!