I am really having a wonderful time here. Last weekend I went to San José with my host family. It was cold and rainy! We were all freezing,....it was in the 50´s...which is VERY cold for Costa Rica. The mountains in Costa Rica are so beautiful....very different from the mountains in North Carolina. They are more barren and very green. Also, the higher the elevation is, the more likely you are to see coffee plants! I was able to take several pictures....coffee plants need shade to grow, so the plants were surrounded by miniature trees.
I didn´t realize how dangerous San José could be until we arrived there. I went to a supermarket with Ricardo and was surprised to see that he had to take a card from a person working in the parking lot in order to park the car. When I asked him about this, he told me that car theft is common in San José, and that he has to give the card back before he leaves so that they know he is not stealing a car. There were security cameras and guards all over the supermarket! It is a beautiful city...but I do not think I would be comfortable living there.
I met Silvia´s (Ricardo´s wife) family while we were in San José. We actually stayed with Silvia´s mother, who was very welcoming. She made me feel very at home. I loved Silvia´s family. I was given a hug and a kiss from everyone who met me. The culture here is so warm and comforting....I really like that.
One of Silvia´s sisters is an English teacher and I was able to talk to her about education in Costa Rica versus education in America. I do feel that teachers in America are not nearly as warm as the ones in Costa Rica. Teachers give hugs constantly in Costa Rica, but in America, it does not happen often. It was interesting to listen to Silvia´s sister´s views on No Child Left Behind. She says that we are so concerned with getting ahead of everyone, that we focus too much on testing particular subjects, instead of having a balanced curriculum. I totally agree with this.
Many times in school, social studies and science are pushed to the side due to the EOGs. I think that´s ridiculous. I also spoke with her about learning different languages in school. In many places, it is a priority to learn at least one other language. The majority of Silvia´s family spoke English. In the United States, this is not a requirement. I think it should be. Traveling to other places where the majority of people can speak two languages or more can almost be embarrassing for Americans! As a nation, we seem to focus only on ourselves, instead of learning about other cultures.
Teaching is going well! Last Friday was the talent show. The students love dancing to raggaeton, and we all enjoyed watching them dance on stage. It was great to mingle with the kids that night and watch them be supportive of one another. Wednesday was an all English day for the students. Stephanie and Lena made signs in English to put around the school, and we had the students sin ´Jingle Bells¨ and make Christmas cards for their families in English. During this time I talked to the sixth graders about Thanksgiving . Most of them knew what it was, but not where it originated. I tried to explain, but wish that I would have brought some pictures books, so that they could really understand!
On Thursday I went to the zoo with Regan and her family. I was able to see crocodiles, monkeys, parrots, toucans, a pig, and tapirs. Tapirs are endangered animals that live in the jungle and forest regions of Costa Rica. I had a lot of fun!
San José
For some reason, the site is not letting me upload any more pictures, but I will come back later and try to upload some more....