International Student Teaching Spring 2009

Well, I’ve been in Ireland nearly a week now. So, instead of giving you a bunch of boring paragraphs, I thought I’d give the “run down,” so to speak.

Wednesday, March 25: My flight at RDU was supposed to leave right on time. Actually, it only left 10 minutes late because of taxing on the runway. But I tell you, it was the first time I’d been on a plane where the pilot was all excited because we were actually ready to go at the right time.

We arrived in Newark around sevenish, I suppose. I ate dinner at a diner in the airport and then went to sit and wait for my flight to board at 9:00. I discovered I had an audiobook of Pride and Prejudice on my ipod I had forgotten about and so it helped me pass the time away. I was wearing my ASU sweatshirt. And wouldn’t you know, one of the flight attendants had a son who attends ASU! She was super nice the whole way and even let me put my bookbag in the flight attendants’ closet because there was no space in the overhead (I was in a bulkhead seat so I couldn’t put it at my feet). As soon as we had taken off, I made myself comfortable and promptly fell asleep.

My host home

Thursday, March 26: I slept the whole night (woke up only once when dinner (which I opted not to eat) was being served, and woke when they brought out breakfast. It wasn’t much, but I had coffee to keep me awake. I spent the last hour of the flight watching Casablanca on the personal (awesome, btw). I didn’t finish it, but hey, I’ve seen it 3.4 million times.

I landed without a hitch in Dublin and got through customs quickly. I got lucky because the customs room filled as soon as I had gotten in line–I would have been there forever! I got my bags, again easy, and went to ask some info about the bus I was to take to meet my host sisters.

As it turned out, there was a bus coming at 10:00 am (which we hadn’t known about) and I took it straight into Shankill, where my family lives. Because I was there an hour earlier than we had planned, I had to drag two suitcases into a pub (yes, there was one open at 10:30 in the morning!) and call my family. What a sight I must have been to the barman and the older customer (yes, again, Ireland) on the stool!

I called Karen and she and Aly came straight away to meet me. It was only a short walk back to our house. They showed me to my room and I started unpacking. I skyped my mom and took a short nap and spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know the girls and Kathy (James was still out of town at a conference).

Friday, March 27: Hearing from James that All Saints didn't want me to come until Monday, I slept in to overcome the jetlag and spent the rest of the day hanging out at the house resting. I watched a little TV and didn’t do much, until everyone got home around four. We went shopping for dinner and bought…pizza. You know I was happy!

The family I’m staying with is simply lovely! We’ve gotten on very well and they are so helpful. They help me run errands, point me in the right direction, and invite me where ever they are going. I love them and feel so fortunate staying here. I love their daughters, Karen and Aly (16 and 13) and we’ve gotten along so well. I feel like their older sister! :-)

Saturday, March 28: I went into Dublin with James and Kathy via the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit…basically, the subway above ground) around 10:00 in the morning. The city is fantastic. I can’t really compare it to any city in the US, but it’s the perfect blend of the modern and the old. The Georgian architecture is beautiful!

At the Dublin Visitor center, I met up with the other American students in the area. We spent the day exploring the city and taking pictures of everything from St. Patrick’s Cathedral to Liffey. It was brilliant. We ate dinner that night at a pub and watched the first half of the Ireland v. Bulgaria qualifying game for the World Cup, before taking the DART back home. That night, I watched The Boy in Stripped Pyjamas with the family. Talk about a beautifully depressing movie. Needless to say, I’m reading the book now.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Nick, Kathleen (from Indiana), and I in Dublin

Sunday, March 29: I slept in a bit late and didn’t get to go to church as I had hoped. Instead, I lunched with my family and then headed out to where Rachel, the other girl from ASU, is living–Killiney. We spent the day hiking Killiney hill (passing Bono’s house as we did so!) and then walked into Dalkey. I have to think we walked a good several miles. I was exhausted, but it was amazing! The views here are absoluetly gorgeous!

Hiking

What a view!

Monday, March 30: Monday was my first day at All Saint’s National School (oh yeah, I am here to student teach, am I not!?). The school is TINY! There are about 50 students in total, ranging in ages from 4-12. It’s not a one room school house, but it’s almost. In the mornings I work with 4-7 year olds, 8-10 year olds in the early afternoon, and 11-12 year olds in the late afternoon. Next week (after Easter) my schedule will change a bit.

This is sooooooooo different from high school. There is one little girl I absolutely love already, and I can’t wait to keep working with the rest of them. I may prefer secondary, but it’s such an amazing experience in every other way, that it’s ok. Afterschool I couldn’t figure out how to work the key to our house (lame, I know), so I walked around Shankill and explored for 20 minutes or so until I came back home to find Karen there. Again, it was a bit of a lazy day hanging out with the family, but I like it that way.

Tuesday, March 31: Today was much the same as Monday. Nancy, the little girl I love, gave me a sweet card she had made. I really like all of the other teachers at the school. There’s also another student teacher from Spain who is great! She doesn’t speak English very well, but she’s super nice.

Afterschool, I got in the house by myself (James had to teach me how to use the key again! haha!) and watched 24 with Karen before planning for my first lesson the next day. Dinner: Full Irish Breakfast...mmmmm :)

Wednesday, April 1: I taught the American Revolution to 5th and 6th class (11-12 year olds). I was worried because I had NO idea how it’s going to go, mostly because I have little experience teaching that age, but I’m excited. It was wonderful because I was able to teach what I love, but still make it relevant to these kids (it spurned an Irish Revolution in 1798).

I must admit, there was a bit of "bribing" involved because my lesson involved M&Ms (to demonstrate the tax system) and a film clip from The Patriot (to demonstrate colonial era fighting). The lesson went really well. Ms. Massey, the principal and 5/6th class teacher told me I did very well, and it meant a great deal to me to hear Brian say at the end of the day: 'Brilliant Lesson, Ms. Jones!'

The country may be cold, but the people warm my heart!

During my first weekend in Ireland, I planned a trip to Dublin along with some of the other ASU students and a student from Indiana who is student teaching here as well. We set out fairly early on this journey, because Dublin contains so much history and many attractions. We took the DART (the train) into town. Now, when I say that we planned a trip to Dublin I should have just said we went to Dublin without the planning. We arrived into the city, stepped out onto the main road, turned in one direction, and walked. There is one thing I have noticed about the Irish, and that is they do an extreme amount of walking! And I thought we had it bad in Boone!

But anyway...we continued walking the streets of Dublin, pulling out a map here and there, and finally found our way into the Information Center to pick up some brochures and whatnot for our trips later on. Here we more formally detailed our trip through Dublin. Our first stop: St. Patrick's Cathedral.

St. Patrick's Cathedral was a phenomenal stone structure that jutted into the skies above. The weather was quite lovely, and so we spent our time out in the Cathedral gardens admiring the building and the beautiful spring flowers surrounding the building. I found a small sign at the edge of one of the garden paths that located the site for the well that St. Patrick used during baptism. I noted the service times, and would love to make a trip back to participate in a church service.

We continued moving through the city and found ourselves standing across the street from yet another large cathedral. This cathedral was Christs Church Cathedral. Like St. Patrick's, it was built of stone. It had a beautiful archway that stretched across the road. At the church site, there were ancient ruins of a small parish that once stood on the grounds. This cathedral was another beautiful site.

We stopped at a small cafe to grab a bite to eat. The special included a bowl of vegetable soup and a ham and cheese sandwich. One thing that I noticed about Irish sandwich's is that the bread is always buttered. So I had a ham and cheese sandwich on buttered bread. It's quite tasty!

The adventure through Dublin continued with a stop at the Dublin Castle. We walked the grounds of the castle and noted the differences in architecture. Some parts of the castle were built out of the traditional stone but other parts were created with red bricks. The castle was not what I had expected, but it was still fun to explore! The garden in the back of the castle was outlined with an interesting stone design. It was unlike any of the other gardens I had seen around the area. It almost looked like some kind of maze.

After spending some time at the more popular tourist sites, we ventured out to Grafton Street, which is a well-known shopping strip in Dublin. We looked in the shops and I took notice of the market style. There were so many people flooding the streets. I found a small flower shop on the market strip and took some photographs. There were some of the most interesting flowers at the flower stand that I had never seen before.

From there we traveled into a small park at the edge of Grafton Street. There was a beautiful little pond, filled with different bird varieties including ducks, swans, pigeons, and seagulls. It was an interesting mixture. It was such a lovely afternoon that the park was covered with people.

We decided to make one last stop during our first visit to Dublin, and so be made our way back through town to Trinity College. Although we did not venture into the library to look at the Book of Kells, we spent a considerable amount of time walking through the campus, taking in the sights and architecture.

Overall, my trip to Dublin was quite the adventure! I am planning to return to the city in the future to explore some places that I didn't have time to get to during the first trip. I have included a few extra pictures of some of the things I saw while in the city.

Costa Rica is absolutely beautiful! The people, the city, and the country is breathtaking. From the moment I got off of the plane, I knew that I would enjoy every minute of me being here! The heat was a little much at first, but I have gotten somewhat used to it by now!! We immediately went to the school to meet the teachers and principal after getting off of the plane! I had no clue what to expect, but I knew it would be much different from what I was used to. Once we had met all of the teachers, it was time to meet our families.

At the school, I was the first to get picked up by my host mom, Celia. She does not know much Spanish, so it was a little intimidating at first. Her sister-in-law came with her to pick me up and to help me feel more at home because she spoke English! I was immediately welcomed into their home, and I began to feel more comforable with the family. We have many fun times trying to talk with our dictionaries out. A lot of laughing occurs when I do not get a sentence correct in Spanish, and they do not get a sentence correct in English!

The first week of teaching in San Ambrosia was lots of fun! I am teaching Kindergarten, so I spend my days teaching about colors and shapes. The children are absolutely adorable, and I wish I could take them home with me! My cooperating teacher, Sara, is absolutely wonderful and never leaves me on my own because she knows I cannot speak very much Spanish. I have ventured through the city of Nicoya, and I have tried to explore as much as I can.

The other girls and I have gone to Samara Beach on our half day, and it is heaven there. The sand is white and the water is perfect. There are not many people on the beach, so there is no need to worry about crowds. On Wednesday when we were at the beach, a woman came up and asked if we could watch her things while she was in the water, and we said sure. We started talking to her after she came back out of the water, and we found out that she was a famous actress in Germany and she was traveling around Costa Rica for 4 weeks. How cool is that?!?!

The planning is complete for our week long travels, which begins tomorrow! I am excited for the adventure, and I cannot wait to immerse myself more in the culture and explore the country!

PURA VIDA!!!

This past Saturday I went into the city with two fellow Appalachian student's (Rachel and Rebecca) and a student from Indiana University (Kathleen). The first stop on our expedition was St. Patrick's Cathedral. This is the largest cathedral in all of Ireland. I took some pictures of the outside structure and accompanying tower. Not to far from there is Christ Church Cathedral.

Both churches have crypts in them. On this particular day we did not venture inside a couple of places, we were just there to do some recon. On our way to lunch we took a look at the Dublin Castle. The castle was very interesting because it was comprised of multiple forms of architecture. Sadly they were not running tours that day but I will be going back.

After a quick bite to eat (veggie soup w/ ham and cheese sandwich) we moved onto Grafton Street. This is one of the major places in Dublin to shop. You know how I'm big on shopping! Grafton Street runs into St. Stephen's Green: this is where I got a picture of the statue dude wearing sun glasses. Our walk continued on toward the Bank of Ireland and Trinity College. The college is lovely, unlike any college back home in the states. I will be heading back to the college to take a look at The Book of Kells.

The rest of the day was spent going down O'Connell Street (where The Spire is located) and just being tourists. After a long day of walking we decided that we would hit up a pub for food and drink. The pub was called Cassidy's Pub, apparently former President Bill Clinton once ate there. My order consisted of fish 'n' chips. It was nice to sit down, relax, and watch some football.

Sunday was very busy as I had daylight savings time to contend with. Frank (host Dad) and I went up into the Wicklow Mountains for a "walk". I did not know that a "walk" would be a hike straight up a mountain, but it was well worth it. The area we were in was only about twenty minutes from the suburbs of Dublin, and as you can see in my pictures nothing could spoil the view. Once we reached the summit of the mountain we could see for miles. It was a clear day. I have been told that on a really good day you can see across the Irish Sea into Wales.

My day did not end there. After returning from the mountains, I had to cleanup and get out the door for a rugby match. Sports are very much a part of the culture here in Ireland. The sports they do play are much different from the sports back home. Hurling, Gaelic Football, Rugby, Hockey (Field Hockey), Soccer, and Golf are the most popular, with Hurling and Gaelic football being the national sports. The rugby match I saw was a part of the Magner's League between to provinces here on the island, Leinster (Dublin area) and Ulster (Northern Ireland). It was a good match until Leinster ran away with the game in the second half; they scored four tries in that half. Rugby is a lot of fun to watch as anyone could break free at any moment.

I started working at Powerscourt National School on Monday. It is a lovely school with only 65 students across eight different class levels (junior and senior infants, classes 1-6). Students start off their day with an assembly. During assembly role is taken and they sing a hymn before dismissing to their individual classrooms. I will get a video of the students singing because I thought it was cool.

I have spent the past two days getting to know the students. Yesterday I told them about myself and let them ask me questions. It was nice to know that no matter where you go, kids still ask the most off the wall questions. Questions like, how many bones have you broken, how's Ashely Tisdale doing (I don't really know who that is), favorite food, color, and the best one being, is your brother the devil cause he broke you arm and your nose. I found a picture book about North Carolina today and plan on showing them some of the places I have been.

Wednesday we went to the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray. A photographer had taken pictures in and around Enniskerry (where the school is located). Many of the students helped her with the research needed for such an undertaking. Yesterday we went to a village called Lullymore. It was an hour and a half bus ride. On the bus ride I showed all the kids what an American dollar looked liked, and, as well, gave them some American gum.

They are curious about what the US is like. Apparently we are the weird ones driving on the wrong side of the road. We visited a heritage center near the village (sort of like a nature center back home). The students enjoyed their time there as much as I did. It was a lovely day full of sunshine and warm weather. The center is located near the largest bog in Ireland--the Bog of Allen. I had no idea how a bog was formed or much of the flora and fauna of Ireland, not to mention how peat is formed. The only unenjoyable part of the trip was the bus ride back, lets just say there was no A/C.

After arriving back at school Rachel and I decided to go up to the Powerscourt Estate and Gardens. For those of you that have seen the newer version of The Count of Monte Cristo, this is where Edmond Dantès lived in the movie. The gardens were the highlight of this trip. The inside of the house has been rebuilt and remodeled due to a fire in 1974. The gardens had many sights to see. There was a tower, Japanese gardens, Italian gardens, and a pet cemetery.

I will begin by saying that Costa Rica is very hot and the people are helpful. On our first day of school it was sports day so we did not get to teach. I enjoyed watching the students and talking to them. The kids call us ´´teacher.´´

My first experience teaching was not easy. I was watching the English teacher teach a lesson on the silent ´´e´´ in words with long vowel sounds. This topic is not easy to teach to students in the United States. The English teacher got called out of the room, and I had to take over. I was a little nervous. The students are very talkative and this makes it difficult to teach. Still I was fine.

Since we have been at the school the students have been taking exams. I have been helping them review for exams and playing games with them outside. I am sure I will be doing a lot more teaching. San Ambrosio is a Catholic school, representative of the religion of most Costa Ricans.

I have been on two school field trips. On Monday, March 30th we went to a ´´hill´´ or mountain with the 10th and 11th graders. At this hill the students had papers to read. There were 14 stations we stoped at to get to the top of the hill. Two students carried a wodden cross to each station. At each station prayers were said and a student read from his or her card. At one station I was asked to say The Lords Prayer in English on the megaphone. I fumbled a few words. At three stations I was able to pray out loud with a small group of students. I found this time very special and unique for me spiritually. It was hot and a steep hill but never once did I feel the need to complain.

I am eager to keep exploring Costa Rica!!

This first week in Costa Rica has been so full of new experiences. On Wednesday I visited the school and met my host family. My family is very welcoming and although they speak very little English we find ways to communicate, often times through elaborate hand gestures and laughter.

The school I am teaching is San Ambrosio private catholic school. I teach the 7th, 10th and 11th grades. There is only one class for each grade and each of the students knows a different level of English. Some students are close to being fluent while others have no previous knowledge. I am enjoying my time in the classes and am constantly trying to find ways to teach English, while only speaking English.

My days here consist of teaching, exploring downtown Nicoya, traveling by bus to nearby beaches and slowly increasing my Spanish vocabulary. Now I am on to my second full week in Costa Rica, where life is Pura Vida.

WOW!! The first week went by very fast. I love it here. I am living with a family of four. I have two sisters named Maria Jose (age 8) and Laura (age 3). They are the sweetest and funniest girls. Maria goes to the school where I teach and is actually in one of my classes.

My father is Santiago who has three jobs and is a great dad. He is very smart and definitely knows more about space and computers than I do... My mom is amazing.

She knows only a little English so we laugh a lot. My mom is the secretary at San Ambrosia, where I teach. The first weekend here my dad was able to borrow his mom´s car so they took me around Costa Rica to show me great places. I went to a river, Samara beach and Carrillo beach, and then we even went to the pool. They took me out to eat at a great place where we all ordered fruit drinks!! They are amazing here. The fruit is RICO (delicious) here and I cannot stop eating it.

Did you know there are three different kinds of Mangos.... well I did find out that I have to stop eating one kind because I guess I am allergic to it. Oops. The food here is great. I really like their spices. It is not spicy though. They have rice with every meal!

My house is great. We live a couple of blocks from downtown so I have walked there a lot with Sarah, Kirbi, Megan and Mel (the other girls on the trip). It is so hot here that I do not have any sheets, which is nice because I do not have to a bed to make in the morning. The second day that I was here the town shut off the water, which was very interesting. Apparently the town can do that without letting us know!

San Ambrosia Catholic School is not like I pictured the school to be. I thought it would be a closed in building but it is not at all. This is better because of the heat here. The classrooms are all open to the outside. The cafeteria is much better here than in the US and that is great!

The kids are great. The first thing they did was practice their English. They would all say, "Hello! How are you?"

Now, I am involved in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. Second grade is going to be my hardest class because the students are very rowdy, and right now I cannot tell them in Spanish to settle down. In the 2nd grade I had a boy climb through the back of his chair and he was stuck for a good 5-10 minutes. My cooperating teacher was having a hard time getting him out!

I have only been in the school a couple of full days because when any grade goes on field trips the five of us girls get to go with them. One day we climbed a nearby mountain while stopping along the way to talk about each station of the cross. One night near Easter the whole town comes together at night and participates in the ceremony. I was able to go with the 10th and 11th graders, and we had a great experience.

Another field trip that I went on was with sixth grade to the Santa Rosa National Park. I have learned a great deal already in the first week and cannot image how much I am going to learn by the end.

The five of us girls are getting along great and I could not have asked for better strangers to come together! This next week is the school's spring break so we are going to travel!!

My first week of school consisted of observations and school tours, or field trips. I spent some time getting a feel for the school and my classroom, helping in any way I possibly could. And the rest of week was filled with school tours to a variety of locations. I will go into more detail shortly.

Powerscourt National School is a small school consisting of close to 65 students. These students are placed into three different classrooms. The first classroom is for the junior and senior infants. Students in this group are between the ages of 4 and 5, so it is basically comparable to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten in the US. The second classroom is for first year through third year students, which is comparable to first grade through third grade in the US. The final classroom is the senior class, which is comprised of fourth year students through sixth year students, or fourth grade through sixth grade. This is just one of the major differences in how this particular school is set up compared to a school in North Carolina. One of my greatest interests while teaching at Powerscourt is finding out how the teachers cater to the needs of their students from all of these different levels within one classroom. How does the curriculum allow for the students to be placed in a classroom with mixed grade levels?

Each morning the students meet in the largest classroom for assembly. It is here that the role is taken and important school announcements are made. It is also a time for a religious teaching and prayer to occur. Every school in Ireland is supported by a church, whether it be a Catholic Church or the Church of Ireland, like Powerscourt. The students begin each day with a prayer, have a lesson on religion during the day, and end each day with another prayer. This is obviously unlike anything I have seen while teaching in North Carolina because of the emphasis on separation of church and state. Important values and morals are taught with religion, and this is an important focus for the schools in Ireland.

For my first week, I was placed in the junior and senior infant class. My main responsibilities included helping my cooperating teacher read with selected individuals or assist with one group of students while she worked with the other group. I was completely amazed at the level of control the teacher had over a group of eighteen four and five year olds. In the classrooms in North Carolina every kindergarten teacher has an assistant, but this is not the case at this school.

The responsibilities of a primary school teacher are far greater in Ireland than in the United States. There are no speciality teachers in art, physical education, music, and language, and so the primary educators must take on these responsibilities as well. I observed my cooperating teacher incorporate all these components throughout my first week at school. The one that stuck out the most was the focus on language. The children begin learning Irish as early as the junior and senior infant class. They learn basic vocabulary and practice using the terms constantly. Everything in the classroom is labeled in both English and Irish. I have been most impressed with how the children have responded to the language development.

Besides spending some time in the classroom this week, I also had the opportunity to travel with two of the classes on a number of school tours, or field trips. I actually went on three different tours. The first tour was with the senior class to the Mermaid Theatre. The students participated in an art project with a local artist and were recognized for their participation. And so we made the journey into the town of Bray to visit the exhibit. The students were thrilled to have their names put in the back of the artist's book and to see photographs of their own community. The students behaved extremely well, which made the trip even more enjoyable. The highlight of this particular trip for the students included a visit to the local town park. I have never seen children get so excited over playground equipment. At the school, there is no playground, just a blacktop area in the back, so it truly was a novelty experience to have slides and monkey bars to climb. They had an absolute blast!

The second tour was with the same group of students, the senior class. Together we traveled an hour and a half to Lullymore Heritage Park. The school tour focused on science, mainly environmental science. Our tour guide took us through the heritage park, which was an extended nature walk. He talked about Irish birds, trees, flowers, soils, and bugs. He also talked about the huge bog at the end of the park, which was being used as a source of energy. The students had a blast getting their hands dirty. They got to search for bugs and other critters, run around the bog, and do science experiments. Once again, this was another successful trip.

My last school trip was with the junior and senior infant class to the farm. When we first arrived at the farm our guide took us to the large barn to show the children sheep. He opened the pen and allowed the children to hold some of the baby lambs. They were precious! We were then directed to the cow pens. The stalls smelled terribly, and the children had a hard time walking through. I was amazed at the size of the animals because they were enormous! The students couldn't get over the fact that the cows walked around in their own feces. When a cow would relieve itself they would all shout, "Look, it's pooing!" One child even stated that he was "allergic to poo." They had a wonderful time and were very well behaved.

My time at Powerscourt has been wonderful thus far. I have already learned so much about the school and actually how similar it is to the schools in the United States. I am excited about getting the opportunity to continue observing and teaching at this school.

Volkswagons everywhere. Bugs, Passats, Pointers, Golfs...yes, all sorts of Volkswagons, and they are everywhere! The streets of Puebla consist of honking horns belonging to speeding cars, vendors selling knickknacks, and jugglers dressed as clowns at intersections. Everything and everybody moves, nothing stops, even for red lights.

D'Amicis School has continued to be a learning experience. I have remained in the 6th grade with the English teacher Nelly. I have been reading to the class and team-teaching since the first day in class. However, this week I taught several lessons by myself, with her serving as a monitor for the students. We have discussed self-esteem as it relates to an individual's emotions, defense mechanisms, and jobs that would be appropriate for introverts and extroverts. We have also given vocabulary and spelling tests on English words from stories they have been reading and studying. Lastly, the students took a listening test on their English comprehension from several recorded selections.

I have noticed several things about my classroom and students. Initially, despite the fact that D'Amicis is a private school, the government supplies the textbooks and notebooks. Also, the textbooks used are more like small reading books that students in the US use as supplements to a text. However, my students have several of these smaller books and not a single large textbook. Also, students must be picked up at the classroom by a parent or older sibling, and are not immediately released to do as they please at the final bell. As to the bells, students do not consider themselves released by the bell, but remain (relatively) calm until the teacher releases them. The differences are interesting.

As to our adventures in Puebla, we have had several more. We have gone to a large market in the zocalo with hundreds of vendors selling everything you could possibly imagine: food, clothing, jewelry, wind chimes...the list goes on. We have also seen two new movies in the theater (subtitled in Spanish). We also visited the world's smallest volcano in La Libertad, which we climbed into (it has been extinct for some time now). We have also been to several museums which displayed, respectively, religious art in a convent and photographs of the Maras gangs in an old hospital. Since we are officially on Spring Break, we have planned out a rough idea of things we will be doing over the next two weeks, to include more museums, pyramids, fortresses, a trip to Metepec, and pottery factory. It should be interesting.

On a side note, several of my teachers found out about the Army education, and as a result, I have taught the 6th and 3rd grades how to march. This was somewhat difficult as the commands were in English, and I do not believe the 3rd graders knew why they were out in the soccer field walking around. However, it was interesting.

This week I was able to teach a few lessons with the students. I taught a couple of grammar and spelling lessons and a science lesson to both fourth grade classes. One afternoon the teacher I am working with got sick and had to leave. I was left in charge of the afternoon class that day. I think this really helped me to open up and come out of my shell with the students. I really think the students are starting to warm up to me. I have learned most of the sixty-three names of the students.

I’m really learning how to understand the students’ Spanish without getting confused at how fast they speak. I was also able to witness how much some of the students struggle with English and how well other students speak English. The students had a grammar exam on Friday and some of them did really well while a couple of students struggled. I also had a lot of fun getting to know the teacher I am working with. One really fun thing the students did this week was to create a dance to the song "Staying Alive." They had costumes and they showed the rest of the of the class. I took lots of pictures.

We did a few more tourist things too this week. Margarita took us to visit the world’s smallest volcano. It was very interesting because we were able to go inside of it. On Sunday we visited two museums. The first one we visited was an ex-convent that was known for having artwork featuring objects that seemed to move as you moved. It was very interesting.

The second museum had an exhibit on the well known gang, MS 13. It was very interesting to see photographs of people who have chosen that path for their lives. We also went to see two movies this week. We chose movies that were in English with Spanish subtitles. This was fun because it gave us a chance to hang out with Margarita’s sons who are also college students.

One afternoon after we got out of school, Nick and I took a hike up the hill to visit the Powerscourt Estate, which is one of Enniskerry's main attractions. The house itself was once a significant castle for the Anglo-Normans, but was quickly transformed into a mansion for the royal. However, it was the gardens that attracted me to the estate. I heard prior to visiting Ireland that I would not want to miss out on the famous Powerscourt Gardens. And so we ventured behind the house to find the most beautiful garden and view of the surrounding mountains. Here are some of the pictures I took while exploring the vast gardens. It took us about an hour to make our way through the gardens, so these pictures are just a glimpse of the beauty that I saw on that warm spring day.

The view on the way to the Powerscourt Estate.

The Powerscourt Estate House and the Pepperpot Tower in the gardens.

Inside the Pepperpot Tower. It looks like a fairy-tale! Beautiful!

The Japanese Gardens.

Triton Lake and the Winged Horses. The fountain in the center of the lake is based on the famous fountain in Piazza Barberini in Rome.

From the Italian Gardens.

The spring flowers were absolutely incredible! It was breathtaking!

Our final stop: the Pet Cemetery. The family pets of Powerscourt ranging from dogs of every breed, ponies, and cows!

I, along with the other international student teachers, set up a Paddy Wagon tour to Northern Ireland. Paddy Wagon is a notable tour company that takes groups to the major attractions in Ireland. Our trip to Giants Causeway and Derry included the "services of an expert Paddywagon Northern Ireland guide" and a ride in "a luxury Mercedes Paddywagon van." Check out the van!!!

We began our adventures nice and early...3:45am! In order to get into Dublin to catch our Paddywagon we had to get a ride at 4:05am into town. Completely exhausted from the previous week's adventures, this was no easy task. And...we encountered a bit of a problem with public transportation into Dublin. We misunderstood that the AirCoach bus, which travels 24hours, only lets passengers off at the airport and not the other stops, and the bus driver rudely reminded us of our fault. So...Nick called his host mother, who graciously picked us up and took us into town in the early morning. We managed to find the Paddywagon office in Dublin after a few missed turns, only to wait another 45 minutes or so for the tour to begin. We could all tell that it was going to be a long day!

A bus picked us up at 6:00am, our destination-- Belfast in Northern Ireland. Being such a long ride, nearly two and a half hours, I dozed off. When I woke up, I found myself in a new city, which resembled Dublin in many ways. The bus dropped us off and waiting in front of us was the Paddywagon! How could you miss a bright green van with a large leprechaun on the side! We jumped on the wagon and off we went through Belfast to the countryside.

Our tour guide, Captain Conrad, was quite the character. He spouted off little anecdotes about Irish culture and history as we bumped along the roads towards the Northern coast. As we left the city, all of a sudden it turned into vast green fields covered in little white specks (sheep!). What was most remarkable about these fields was the fact that they were still outlined by miles, or should I say kilometers, of fences made of broken stones. Ireland is all about outlining property with tall and heavy stone walls. When you walk down the sidewalk, you walk next to a series of giant walls where you can barely see over the tops to the homes. And it is interesting to see this carried through into the countryside, but I'm guessing it's a little more appropriate here for the sheep. But anyways...

We approached the coast, and had it been a clear day we could have seen across the waters to Scotland. But as our luck would have it, we came on a dreary day. In fact it was the worst day weather wise I had seen while in Ireland: cold, windy, and rainy...a great day for exploring outdoors (not!). Our first stop was along the coast at the Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge. For a small fee you can cross the bridge, but it had closed due to the windy conditions of the day. And when you look at the picture you can absolutely tell why they would shut the bridge down on windy days! Originally this bridge had been used by local fishermen so that they could gain access to a different part of the waters. Now it is a major tourist attraction, and with good reason. The view is phenomenal!

The rain decided to pick up as we traveled back to the Paddywagon, and the wind was far from gentle. It was worse than Boone!! But we all made it back in one piece, just a little damp. As we continued down the coast, our guide pointed out the Dunluce Castle, some of the most beautiful and famous castle ruins in the North. We made a quick photo-stop, and then made our way to Giants Causeway.

Giants Causeway is one of the World's Wonders! It was absolutely fascinating to see the stones so rightly shaped and placed in this harbor. It really did look as if someone had constructed the stones in an attempt to make a building of sorts. The stones are basalt columns created by lava flow many many years ago. They were able to get their shape due to the accelerated cooling of the ocean water. That's the scientific reasoning behind the creation.

There is an Irish tale of the formation as well. Finn MacCool, an Irish knight, challenged a Scottish giant by throwing a bit of earth over to Scotland. The giant promptly responded by throwing some back, creating a pathway across; a causeway. The challenges continued with threats of crossing the Channel. MacCool worked tirelessly preparing his land for the giant. The giant decided to finally go after MacCool and take care of the situation, but the witty MacCool disguised himself as a baby in his own house. The giant came, and MacCool's wife offered some food, which were actually stones. The giant not knowing any better ate the stones, broke his teeth, and decided that whoever ate such stone must be pretty tough. He then saw the "baby" in the corner of the room sleeping.

When the giant saw the size of such baby he became threatened and frightened, thinking that whoever fathered such a large baby must be a large and powerful man. MacCool, playing the part grabbed the giant's finger and bit as hard as he could. Seeing the power of the baby, the giant thought the father must be that much more powerful. Fearful, the giant fled back to Scotland destroying the causeway as he ran. And that is the supposed tale of Giants Causeway. Here are some pictures of Giants Causeway.

We made one final stop with the Paddywagon tour in Derry, or Londonderry. Derry is most well-known for its defensive walls that protect the city, which are still intact. We walked the walls of Derry, stopping to look at the cannons that lined them, and an old cathedral in the center of town. It was a bustling town, mainly filled with shopping. It's fascinating to think that these walls were once used for protection in battle.

Finally, we finished the tour and enjoyed a relaxing three hour ride back to Dublin. We stopped at a pub on our way to the DART to celebrate our survival in the wind and rain. Overall, I had a very pleasant experience on this trip. I learned a lot, and acquired some pence and pounds while in the North because it is a separate entity from the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the English. I had a wonderful time, and would definitely consider taking another Paddywagon tour in Ireland!

Friday I went on a field trip with the junior and senior infants to a local farm. This farm in particular raised only sheep and cattle. The kids were able to hold and pet many baby lambs. We missed seeing a sheep give birth by just twenty minutes. The owners of the farm had the first ever jet black lamb this past week. The kids were having a fabulous time even when we moved on to see the very, very smelly cows. I enjoyed the trip despite the smell.

I was able to teach PE to my students on Friday after the field trip. They were all very excited to see what games I could teach them. Many of the boys in the class want me to teach them American football; this idea was not going over well with the girls. I stuck with some simple tag games for the day's activity. I was a bit surprised that they knew what "stuck in the mud" was. They followed directions and rules well which helped them have a good time.

Saturday I got up bright and early (3 AM) to go on a tour of the Carrick-A-Rede Bridge, The Giant's Causeway, and Derry or Londonderry with Rachel, Rebecca, and Kathleen. First off the bus we need to take into town only went to the airport, but thankfully my host Mom was nice enough to give us a lift into town. Our bus from Dublin left for Belfast at 5:45. So we arrive in Belfast, hopped onto our tour bus and headed off for our first stop which was the Carrick-A-Rede Bridge along the north coast.

The weather at the time was not great; it was raining and windy. Due to these conditions the bridge was closed, and we could not see nearby Scotland. We still walked out to the bridge to see it and take some pictures. The next stop on our tour was The Giant's Causeway. All of the rocks in this formation are mostly hexagonal. It had stopped raining by this time but remained overcast.

On our way to Derry we stopped by one of the most photographed castles on the island, Dunluce Castle. This castle is literally right on the the ocean. The weather improved as we got closer to Derry. Once in Derry/Londonderry (goes by two names, something to do with Protestants and Catholics) we toured the ancient city walls and the nearby scenery. The sun was in full force. If only it could have been like that all day. On the return trip to Belfast we drove through the Sperrin mountains.

With all the sunshine it was easy to see why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle; everything is green. The island looks much like the rolling hills and plains of Montana, but green. The tour was over when we arrived back in Belfast. We hopped on a bus and headed back to Dublin. Back in Dublin we got a bite to eat and head back to our respective houses. I crashed immediately after arriving back at the house.

Monday I flew to Cardiff, Wales. I had not figured out what I wanted to see while there and decided to just fly by the seat of my pants. I did, however, do research into hotels. I did not want my first hostel experience to be a bad one.

After a short but bumpy plane ride from Dublin I arrived in Cardiff, Wales. I checked into The River House Hostel, which is located directly on the River Taff and across the Millennium Stadium. It is a very nice hostel and has been voted in the top 10 hostels in Europe.

I went into town looking for some coffee and some traditional Welsh food. I ate at little restaurant called Garland's, which is located in one of the city's many arcades. The dish I had was called Cawl and was pretty tasty. After my late lunch I headed off for Cardiff Castle. There are parts of the castle that date all the way back to the Roman Empire. I chose to do an audio tour of the castle and explore on my own. About halfway through my tour it started to pour rain, and I finished my tour as quickly as possible. I walked around town for a little while until I decide that it was time for some dinner.

I got up early Tuesday morning and made my way to the nearest train station. It only took an hour to get from downtown Cardiff to the mountains where Aberdare is located. Aberdare is a quaint village located in the valley. There were all sorts of shops and restaurants in town. Sadly there was no information or visitor center in the town. I went to the library to see if there was any information there, but there was not. The people at the library were not helpful. I took some pictures of the town square and a few of the surrounding area. Once I had seen enough I hopped back on the train for Cardiff. Hopefully, I will be able to come back here once I have conducted some research about my family history.

There was plenty of lovely weather to be had today. I made my way down to the renown Cardiff Bay. The Wales Millenium Centre, the Cardiff Barrage, and the National Assembly are located. The bay is where the River Taff and Ely empty. I walked around the bay so that I could see the bay and the Severn Estuary. The barrage acts like a dam, it keeps water from the estuary and the bay separate. All of the water in the bay is fresh water while the estuary is salt water. The barrage also serves as the only entrance into the bay. It was a lovely day to be outside and soak up the sunshine.

I headed back to Ireland Wednesday morning. Tuesday made my trip worth it. This was a good visit; it was nice to see where my family came from.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am headed to Lough Derg (Lake Derg) Friday with my host family. There is a regatta going on over the Easter weekend and it should be lots of fun. My nautical skills are pretty horrid but with a good weekend forecast and somebody telling me what to do, I should be able to keep myself from going swimming.

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This week was the first of our two week Spring Break. We set up a schedule of all the interesting things we wanted to do. We had a few museums, pyramids and forts in mind when we made our schedule. We were able to do just about all of the things we wanted to do, but there were a few schedule changes and shifts.

Monday we decided to have a girls shopping day without any men around. We had a lot of fun going to Puebla's largest mall and then the shops around the Zocalo. We were able to buy a few things for ourselves and also some souvenirs for our friends and families at home. While we were out shopping, we had the chance to have someone show us how Puebla's famous Talavera pottery is made. The man showed us the steps and what they use to make the different colors. It was very interesting to learn about it.

On Tuesday we visited a fort that was used during the Mexican Revolutionary war. We learned a lot about the war and the people during that time. We wanted to visit another fort but we decided not to. We ended up finishing our day up spending time at a very cool bookstore/coffee shop. That day was a lot of fun and we took lots of pictures.

Wednesday, Lindsey, Rainey, Mario, and I took a bus to Cuernavaca. It took us about two and a half hours to get there by bus. Once we arrived in Cuernavaca we took a taxi to the Zocalo. It was very exciting for me because I had never been in a taxi before. In Cuernavaca we had lunch and did a little shopping before going to the museum at Cortez's palace. It was really neat to actually be in the house where Cortez lived. After going to the museum we visited the oldest church in Mexico. The church was very grand looking. We then went to have coffee and desert at this great little restaurant across from the church. After coffee and dessert, Lindsey and I went to do some more shopping and Rainey and Mario went to visit a famous garden in Cuernavaca. We had a ton of fun just soaking up the culture.

Friday we went to see some more pyramids. These pyramids were different from the first one we visited because you could not go inside them but you could climb them. We went to two different pyramid sights and were able to climb four different pyramids. The first pyramid was interesting because we were able to see the murals that were painted thousands of years ago. At the other pyramid sight we were able to learn about each pyramid and climb on three of the four pyramids.

On Saturday, the family invited their friends and family over for a big cook-out. We sat around and ate food while we got to know all the people in the family members' lives. Lindsey and I were able to climb onto the roof of the house to watch the sunset. It was beautiful because you could see the sun setting between the two volcanoes.

Sunday, Lindsey, Margarita and I went to the train museum. We were able to learn about the different trains that were used up until the 1970s. Lindsey and I did a lot of climbing onto the trains. We had a ton of fun but it was very exhausting. Sunday was the hottest day so far since we arrived in Puebla.

This past week was very eventful and fun. We learned a lot and we are planning on doing the things we were unable to do before we leave Puebla. This coming week is going to be a little more relaxing.

My journey over the past two weeks has been embraced by the culture of Costa Rica. I have fallen in love with the “Pura Vida” lifestyle. I wish I could bring it back to America. Everyone is laid back and loves the life they have. This past week I have traveled all over the Nicoya Peninsula. It was wonderful.

All of us went to Monteverde, the green mountain city, La Fortuna, and La Playa Tamarindo. We really had no transportation or hostel plans when we left; however, we have learned a great deal each day. Traveling in another country where the language is totally different has been difficult, but travel became easier once we got to the tourist towns.

(the caonpy tour=AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, CRAZY)

I discovered the life of traveling with people without plans. It was getting to know people in each town--there were Ticos and Ticas, Europeans, Australians, Americans, and Canadians. We stayed in hostels and were able to get to know people there and also when we were on the inexpensive public buses.

I thought I was going to be ill on our trip to Monterverde. The bus transportation was long, rocky, sweaty, filled with people. I really learned what it meant to be on the public bus. I have had to take a step back and trust people and myself. It has been a learning experience.

I got all my fears out when I participated in the CANOPY TOUR at Monterverde! I was swinging through mountains and sliding down ropes! I just let myself go and be wild! Also, in Monteverde I learned about coffee, sugar, insects, and butterflies.

(coffee)

(plantains)

I met very interesting people along the way, many of whom I wanted to keep in my pocket forever.

La Fortuna was filled with an active volcano named Arenal. I saw many birds, sloths, and also ate an insect that tasted like mint. It was cool in Arenal and Monteverde. I had no idea that the climate difference was going to be so drastic as we traveled from the coastal area to the mountains. Also, each town was very different from each other. Nicoya is a home town for locals,very hot and dry, but Monteverde and La Fortuna are tourist towns where some people speak Enlgish. I saw fewer locals in these towns. Instead of standing out like I do in Nicoya, I blended in. It was another experience.

In Tamarindo, I just sat at the beach. The sunsets were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The sun goes down over the ocean and paints a picture that is indescribable. I have many pictures, but I have forever the memory of the lived sunset.

We stayed at a cool hostel in a surf shop.Some girls surfed in the group, but I didn´t. It was neat watching my friends. Traveling was a learning experience and getting to know people was a big part of the experience. Having people help us and helping others was a big blessing.
That is it for now.

(all of us)

SARAH

Evacuation routes. Volcano erupts to the west, run the other way to the east. But, isn't there a small volcano in the other direction that is connected to Popo? Oh yes...well, then we must run south or north. But, both of those roads turn east....oh boy.

Aside from the escape plans hatched on a roof, this week has been full of adventures. After all, that is what Spring Break is for, is it not? Pictures, suntan lines, and making the locals think that we are, in every essence of the words, crazy tourists. Fun stuff.

Our week began visiting an historic nuns' convent turned into a religious art museum.
There were all sorts of furniture and art work laid out in the building. Books, benches, paintings...everything a museum should have. Some paintings were done in such a way that they looked as if they were moving when you walked past them. Just a little creepy.

Later on in the week, we conquered Fuerte de Loreta (one of the two forts involved in the final battles of the Mexican Revolution, making Cinco de Mayo important)! We found one of the soldiers there, but he didn't want to talk too much. We even found some old cannons to play with, but apparently they'd make entirely too much noise if we shot them. It was neat in that the city is already preparing that site and its sister fort Fuerte de Guadalupe for next year's bicentennial of independence. Several areas are blocked from tourist traffic for modifications, and even the hedges had been trimmed into the shapes of cannons and archways!

We also went to Cuernavaca and visited several sites. We went to the Hernan Cortez museum, and to the oldest cathedral in North America. It has several distinct forms of architecture so it is obvious that it was added to over the centuries. What I thought was interesting was the skull and crossbones over the main entryway. I'm sure the symbol meant something entirely different 400 years ago than it does now, but still, one gets the impression of a pirate church at first glance. There were also some local dancers in the zocalo (downtown center) that were dancing to a drum. They had shell noise-makers on their ankles, and people were joining in off the street.

We also visited more pyramid ruins in Cacaxtla. Some of the carvings still had the original paint on them from 3,000 years ago! It was very interesting to see the building layouts, carvings, and statues at the different sites. There was also a site with four different pyramids used for different ceremonies. Each was a different size, shape, and location in relation to the main site at Cacaxtla.

Finally, we had a barbecue with friends and went to a circus. The barbecue was where the volcano evacuation plans were hatched, sitting on the roof looking at the sunset. The circus was where a group of white tigers jumped around for their trainer. It is also where I got pulled into the ring to participate in the clown skit. I rode an imaginary motorcycle, and helped the clown jump imaginary jump rope. It was fun.

Next week will continue the saga of our adventures. Until then, hasta luego!

Me with the landscape behind me!

This week has been absolutely adventure filled! Since it was holy week, we were given the opportunity to travel. The week began on Friday when Kirbi, Megan, and I ventured down to a town called Puntarenas. This town is at the beach and it is the port city for all of the cruise lines to come into. We had an adventure trying to find our Hostel, which was absolutely gorgeous and had a pool and a great view of the ocean. We did not find out until we were down there that a very large marathon was going to be going on while we were there, so it was really fun to watch about 5,000-10,000 people lining the beaches as well as running. The race made it onto the front page of the National Newspaper, so that was cool!

Hostel in Puntarenas

Our adventures only continued!! As a group, we made our way to Monteverde, where we went ziplining through the rainforest. The views were breathtaking and it was such a rush, literally with the wind blowing so incredibly hard! We also were able to go on a coffee and sugar cane tour, which was actually a family owned business. We walked around a plantation with our guide, who was the son of the family. He taught us about banana trees, plantain trees, the process or growing and making coffee, as well as how to grow and make candy out of sugar cane.

Each group was able to make their own candy, which was VERY sweet, and then at the end of the tour we drank a cup of coffee in the family's kitchen. It was a great experience and one that just makes you appreciate family! Our stay in Monteverde was windy but also really educational because we were able to see a butterfly house which housed many different types of butterflies from all different elevations.

Our next destination was to La Fortuna, which houses the Arenal Volcano. It was an amazing sight watching the Volcano get closer and closer on a boat crossing the Arenal Lake. We stayed in a Hostel called Grengo Pete Too, which is owned and operated by a guy named Pete from Washington State. We took the night tour of the Arenal Volcano, which included a hike and tour guide through the Rain Forest on the bottom of the Volcano, as well as a view from the side of the Volcano where we were able to see a glimpse of the lava flowing down the side. It was hard to see because it was raining and cloudy! From the lava hike, we went to a hotel where we swam in hot springs for two hours. It was amazing how the water gets so hot!

The last and final destination of our week was in Tamarindo! This is a very popular beach in Costa Rica and there were lots of Americans and other tourists. I liked it because we did not have to struggle with Spanish and wonder how well we were going get around. Everyone knew English. I learned how to surf and spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach and taking in the views!

Although this week is over, I will always remember it as the time I was able to explore Costa Rica! It was long and adventurous, but I am glad to be back in Nicoya with my host family! Three more weeks here, and I am looking forward to some wonderful adventures!

The majority of this week the other girls and I explored Costa Rica. Just like in the United States, Costa Rica is diverse depending on what part you are in. Throughout the week of holiday, Semana Santa, we traveled to Monteverd, La Fortuna and Tamarindo beach.

Monteverd is a very chilly area in the mountains. There is more precipation there so the area is much greener and lush. There is a great deal of wildlife to observe in this area. Much of the wildlife is noctunral so we were not able to see many of the animals. We also had the opprtunity to tour a sugar cane and coffee farm. On the farm we learned the ways of the local Costa Rican farmers and the traditions they have in the mountain regions of the country.

La. Fortuna is also in the mountains so the weather is much cooler than Nicoya. The main attraction in La Fortuna is the volcano Arenal. Arenal is a huge, active volcano in Costa Rica famous for its eruption in the 1960´s. We had the opportunity to hike around the volcano and at night see lava fall from the top. It was an amazing experience.

After La Fortuna we traveled to Tamarindo beach where we spent the days relaxing and observing the costal life of locals. Surfing is a much loved past time and life is nice at the beaches here. Tamarindo was the end of our travels and we headed back to Nicoya.

Traveling through Costa Rica gave me an appreciation for differences amoung the locals and differences amoung the landscapes in this country. I hope to continue learning about the coutnry as I continue into my third full week in Nicoya. Classes start back and I am ready to get into the classroom.

Can I just say that I love two week Easter holidays? Friday was a short day. It was a really fun day where we just got to play with the kids and celebrate Easter with them. A couple of the students gave me cards, which melted me heart! We sent the students off at school at 12:15 and then all of the staff went out to lunch. Saturday, I went on a tour with the other American students to the North of Ireland. As you may know, Northern Ireland is not apart of the Republic of Ireland but is still part of Great Britain. Therefore, I was literally in a different country.

The tour started with supposedly catching a bus called the “Aircoach” at around 3:55 in the morning–not even kidding. So we get to the bus…it ONLY goes to the airport. It wouldn’t let us get off in Dublin…losers. Luckily, Nick’s most gracious and wonderful host mom picked us up and took us into Dublin at 4:00 in the morning. We sat at the Paddywagon hostel until around 6:00 am when we caught a bus to take us into Belfast. This is a long drive and as much as I really wanted to watch the scenery, I was too tired and slept much of the way there. We arrived in Belfast around 8:30 and from the bus station, we caught the Paddywagon bus which headed even farther North. The weather that morning was miserable. It was freezing cold, extremely windy, and raining sideways.

Our first stop was in the tippy top corner of the country at a rope bridge. The bridge was closed because of the rain, but we hiked up to the area, which was lovely despite the weather.
Next, we left the bridge to a place called The Giant’s Causeway. This is just cool. It is a natural rock formation that looks like a bridge that was built by the hands of a giant…hence the name.

It actually comes from a legend about a man named Finn McCool. In short, he was a giant of a man who wanted to fight a rival in Scotland whom he had actually never seen. His rival wouldn’t come so he built this “causeway” for him to travel over. When he finally did, Finn encountered a man 10 times his own size, so his wife hatched a plan where she dressed Finn up as a baby. When his Scottish rival came to the house, Finn’s wife told him that Finn was out and would be back to fight him later. When he saw their “son” in the corner he shuddered at the thought that if that was the size of their son, there was no telling how tall Finn was, so he left and destroyed the bridge behind him, leaving only a bit in Ireland and a bit in Scotland.

The weather wasn’t quite as bad there, and the rock formations were just incredible. It was clear to me that it wasn’t Finn McCool who placed those stones there, but God who formed them perfectly. Next we made a photo stop at Dunluce castle which is precariously perched on the edge of a cliff, but it was quite “photogenic.”

Finally, we drove into Derry, a city that has seen many struggles throughout its history and the site of the Bloody Sunday incident in the 1970s. There is a large division of Republicans (those who want Northern Ireland to be apart of the Republic) and loyalists (those who are loyal to England) in the city. Derry is still called by its English name, Londonderry, by its loyalists citizens. Unfortunately, we got to the city more than an hour after we were supposed to and we didn’t have much time at all to explore it as I would have liked :( . I thought this was a bit of shame just because it is such an important city to Irish history. Instead, we walked the wall of the city. Hopefully I will have a chance to visit again, if not this trip, then sometime in the future.

After leaving Derry, we returned to Belfast, where we only had just enough time to grab a coffee before hitting the trail back to Dublin. Again, I really wish I could have seen more of the city--it has such a rich and troubled history--and am considering taking another tour to go back one weekend before I go home. We arrived back in Dublin about 8:30 and went to a pub to get some dinner before going home. It was a long, long day, but it was overall, a completely wonderful trip.

And that's just the first weekend!

My school

Rocky beaches

And you think Boone is windy...

Rope Bridge

The Giant's Causeway

Derry

The Paddywagon!

Spring Break!!

My school was out for Holy Week so us five girls decided to travel around Costa Rica. We had all talked to our families and looked at our books to decided where we should go exactly. We choose Monteverde, La Fortuna, and Tamarindo beach.

The transportation was the first task that we were unsure about so we researched a lot and ask many people for their help. Public bus is the cheapest way to go and so we decided that is how we were going to get to our first destination, which was Monteverde. We arrived there safety but it could have gone badly if we had not had plenty of help from our friend Herold!!

Monteverde is a cold place in Costa Rica, if you can believe that. I was thankful for my sweatshirt and long pants. Even though it was cold compared to Nicoya, we loved this place. It reminded us of Boone--a small town tucked away in the mountains. It was very green which is unusual in Costa Rica during this time of the dry season. It is a very touristy town with many activities for us to do. We chose the zipline canopy tour, a coffee/sugar cane tour, and a tour of the butterfly gardens. These were all amazing and I have great pictures to bring back home. We stayed three nights at Monteverde in a great Hostel called Tinas Casitas.

After Monteverde we made our way to La Fortuna by Taxi-Boat-Taxi. It was a different way of travel and only offered from Monteverde to La Fortuna. In La Fortuna, we visited Arenal Volcano. It is an active volcano so we could not hike too close because of the gases and lava. We hiked around the volcano which was a beautiful forest. We saw many animals but never saw the white face monkey. We only stayed there one night because we all wanted to get to Tamarindo Beach and get a great tan!

This beach is like Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. It is very touristy and it very crowd. We had a great time here and of course got burnt. The nights were the best because the sunset gorgeous! The whole town was on the beach during this time and everyone was taking pictures. We were here for two in a half days and then we left for home. It was Easter Sunday, so we had to make sure the buses ran because most businesses shut down completely. For example, no alcohol can be brought from the stores on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. The buses were running thankfully and we had no trouble getting home on the public bus. It was a great week of vacation and I have great stories and memories from each place.

Now it is time to go back to work and help the students with English!!

For the Holy Week in Costa Rica the schools closed, and most all of the businesses shut down. This is equivalent to spring break. During this week the five of us traveled. On Friday and Saturday Megan, Mel and I went to Puntareanas. We got on the bus and we were nervous about where to get off. When we got off we appeared to be in the middle of no where. I did not hesitate to ask a man where and when our next bus was coming.

The next obstacle was finding out hostile. Our hostile was impossible to find. A nice man tried to help us but he did not know. I began to panic. When we got to our hostile, we pretty much stayed there. We spent our time on the beach and cooking. On Saturday a big run took place. There were 5,000 people that ran by us on the beach for a constant twenty minutes.

Next we met up with Sarah and Ashley. We took a very long bus ride to Monteverde. The roads were made out of rocks and dust. In Monteverde it was windy and cold. In Monteverde we did lots of tourist things. We went on a Canopy Tour, a Coffee Tour, and we went to a Butterfly Museum. The Canopy Tour was awesome. We saw beautiful scenery and our adrenaline was pumping. I could not believe how green it was in Monteverde compared to Nicoya.

Next we went to La Fortuna by car and boat. We had great views of the Volcano Arenal. We went on a nature walk in the woods at the base of the volcano and learned some history. We ended our vacation at Playa Tamarindo. We stayed at a surf hostile. We were surrounded by surfers and ate at Subway a lot. The Subway served avocado on their sandwiches. During this trip I experienced beaches and cool mountains. During this week I became comfortable using the buses and enjoyed meeting people from all over the world. Now we are back to the hot, dry weather in Nicoya. It is good to be a home in Nicoya after a long week of traveling.

Being that Easter is big in Ireland, school was out for two weeks. So, we I gladly made some extravagant plans to fill up the majority of the break. One of these lofty plans included a trip to Norway to visit my friend Adrian, who had lived with my family while studying for a year in the United States. I figured that I was so close to Norway that the flights would have to be cheap enough for me to make a trip, and they were! I contacted Adrian, made arrangements, and spent an entire week in Norway with his family.

I arrived on Good Friday, just before Easter. Adrian, his girlfriend Lisa, and his grandparents met me at a bus stop in Oslo, the capital city of Norway. It was wonderful seeing familiar faces and friends. We scooped up my luggage and made our way to the apartment where we would be staying for the night. Adrian and his family had planned an adventure for me in Oslo the next day. I was shown my room in the apartment, and there sitting on the bed was an easter egg filled with Norwegian chocolates! I was thrilled, because if you didn't know, Norwegian chocolate is probably the most delicious chocolate ever!! After spending some time catching up with one another, we called it a night early so that we could enjoy the day in the capital city.

That next day, I was greeted with a delicious breakfast before setting out on a tour of Oslo. The meal consisted of bread and rolls, butter, a strawberry spread, and a display of meats and cheeses. Norway is known for their variety in cheeses. I had never seen a brown cheese until I met Adrian. It is quite tasty when topped with a piece of ham or salami. But when we finished up, we walked up the street to catch a bus back into the main city.

Oslo is not a very large city, and it has a different feel than Dublin or even Raleigh for that matter. The buildings were taller in Oslo than in Dublin, but there were fewer people roaming the streets. We stepped out onto the main road in Oslo that eventually leads to the King and Queen's Castle. The street was filled with a variety of shops, many of them selling Norway's trademark souvenirs. A giant troll sat outside one of the shops. Trolls are quite popular in Norway. They are supposed to be mythical creatures that resemble giants or ogres. Adrian was not exactly sure how the whole troll thing came to be in Norway, but they can be found almost anywhere in the country.

We continued strolling the main streets in Oslo. Adrian's grandparents pointed out different buildings for Adrian to describe to me. I have not mentioned that Adrian's grandparents do not speak English. So Adrian served as a translator between us. That was probably the greatest challenge coming into a country that does not speak English. Thankfully I had Adrian to translate everything for me, but it became very difficult when I wanted to communicate on my own with other people. But anyways, Adrian's grandmother pointed out a statue of the founder of Oslo, Christiano. Many of the people of Norway want to rename the city after the founder, but the debate continues as Oslo remains the capital name.

I also walked past the Parliament Building, where a small protest was taking place. There is a large Islamic population centered in Oslo, and the majority comes from Sri Lanka. They were protesting to the government for more aid. Oslo has a diverse culture that is unlike most of the country, as Adrian had explained to me. I will admit that I was surprised to see so many different cultures in Oslo, to the point where Adrian and his family looked to be the minority. I thought this was fascinating.

We passed by the University building in Oslo and finally made it to the Castle of the King and Queen of Norway. I don't know if i would have used "castle" to describe this building initially because I am used to the standard Irish castle, but it is a castle nonetheless. A small group of guards watched over the building. The guard reminded me of the United States Guard in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. All the soldiers moved at the same time and did exactly the same things. They even had a changing of the guard, which I got to see right before we left the castle grounds. It was very neat.

We took a walk out to the fjord in Oslo, which looked like a large harbor. When we got there the people started to file in. This was where the town hall was located. And along the far side of the fjord was a large military fortress. We first walked along the pier area, doing a bit of exploring in the shops. We then went over to the fortress to do some exploring and to get a better view of the fjord and the city. It was a beautiful day to explore the city.

Afterwards, we continued walking through the city until we reached the new Opera House. This is a major attraction because of the interesting architecture used in designing this building. I think the Opera House was my favorite building in Oslo. It was immaculate! We climbed up the side of the building to the roof. The sun was almost blinding up at the top from the reflection off the building. We then went inside the structure and found more interesting architecture. The ramp to get up into the opera house was built in a spiral design. All the walls had a new and different design to showcase. It was very modern and extremely beautiful.

As our adventure in Oslo came to a close, a new adventure in Dokka was just beginning. Adrian lives in the mountains a good distance from the capital city. This was more of the Norway I was expecting to see. We followed a long fjord on some winding and fairly narrow roads out to Dokka. It was beautiful. The fjord was flanked with some of the most majestic snow covered mountains, and the fjord itself was frozen over. I knew that it was going to be an exciting trip!

I arrived at Adrian's home where I was welcomed graciously by every single family member that lived nearby. A good portion of Adrian's family lives on the same road. In fact, his grandparents live just across the street. Hanging on the flagpole underneath the Norwegian flag was an American flag in honor of my visit! I can not describe the beauty of Dokka and the surrounding area in words, and my pictures truly can not do it justice. It was simply peaceful and beautiful.

I spent my days enjoying the company of Adrian's family. I basically met every individual in his family. We chatted about the culture and history of Norway. I was shown the traditional dress of Norway that is typically worn on May 17th, their National Day. I was fed traditional meals. I even learned a few small phrases to use while in the country. I tried a few new things and lived like a true Norwegian during my stay.

One of my favorite trips was out to Lillehammer, where the 1994 Winter Olympics took place. I rode up a gondola to the top of the ski mountain, so that I could get a better view of the mountains. It was spectacular. I watched people ski down the giant slopes, amazed at their bravery and strength to manipulate their way to the bottom. I enjoyed the crisp spring air, and even got a little sun! It was incredible!

Adrian's Uncle wanted to show me a little more of the history of Norway by taking me to a colonial park. We walked through the small village taking a look at an example of an old farm, an old church, and an old shopping center. Some of the buildings even dated back to the 1400's. I, of course, was most intrigued by the traditional school house, which was a one room log cabin. Very neat!

But my absolute favorite experience was skiing for the first time! Adrian's grandparents arranged for a small trip into the mountains. When Adrian told me we were going into the mountains I was a bit shocked...I thought I was already there! But we drove up higher into the slopes to where the peaks were capped with heavy snow. The cabin house was even buried in the snow!! We went out to some cross country skiing trails not far from the house and I clipped into skis for the very first time. Adrian and his grandmother showed me how to glide through the snow and how to stop. I had a blast, and the scenery was quite fantastic. I will admit that I did manage to fall one time. I got a little too brave and ended up plummeting into the snow with tangled skis. It was an incredible experience, and I will definitely try it again in the future.

Adrian's youngest brother, Tobias, traveled with us for much of the week. He was very interested in helping me to learn the language. He would tell me little phrases to try and repeat. But on the last day, Tobias had the opportunity to showcase his after-school job at the farm. In the afternoons he travels to a neighbors farm to help feed the animals. Adrian's mother, Hilde, provided me with some extra clothes so that I would not wreak of livestock as I traveled back to Ireland. Inside the barn were cows, goats, and sheep. I was initially drawn to the baby goats. So we went inside the pen. They scooped up the littlest of the goats and passed him off to me. It was love at first bite! He was just adorable, and Tobias brought me a bottle to feed the little guy. After spending some time with the goats, and having my clothes nibbled at long enough, we moved on to the sheep. There was not too much to do with them, as all the females were obviously pregnant. I mean, it looked like they could pop at any moment! The farmer was expecting new lambs within three or four days. I'm pretty happy to have missed out on that fun experience...not going to lie! But, I did learn how to milk a cow. It's not really as hard as I thought it would be. Once I figured out the method to the madness, it was very easy. I couldn't believe how much fun I had at the farm. I'm so glad that Tobias wanted to share that with me.

As part of my experience, I really wanted to take some time to look at the Norwegian churches. Adrian's neighbor is the organist for his church, so he was able to get us inside the church and play the new organ pipes for us. The church was beautiful. It was built out of sturdy timber, almost like a log house. But it was the inside that attracted me the most. The entire church was hand carved and painted. The pulpit, the altar, and the ceiling all carved wood, was painted with the most beautiful designs. It was glorious. What was also interesting about this particular church was the history of how it was placed. The church had been moved several times to suit the needs of those traveling to the church. When the church was moved, it was the tradition to leave behind the old bells. I learned so much about the history of the church through Adrian's Uncle.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to Norway. I kept in mind the reason for my study abroad, which is education. On my last day, Adrian took me by the Elementary School to visit his Aunt who is a first grade teacher. I introduced myself to the class, and they each took turns introducing themselves. I got to teach them the English ABC's because the Norwegian alphabet has a few extra letters and they are spoken slightly differently. They also showcased their skills in English by counting to ten in English. I was most impressed! I showed them on a map where I have come from, both North Carolina and Ireland, so they could track my journey. I loved the school visit!!

Traveling abroad even further to a country where I don't speak the language was probably the most worthwhile experience I have had thus far. I learned so much about myself and about the traditions of yet another culture. I will take back so much from my experiences in Norway!

I started out my Easter Holiday by traveling with my host family for three days in London! Ok, can I just say, I love England. We flew in during the afternoon and bought our Tube ticket(Underground, Subway) and did toured the normal touristy sites, those that I have grown to know and love so very much.

I saw Buckingham Palace. The next day I knew I wanted to do something historical. So, we went to the Tower of London. It is a fortress dating from the Norman period of English history with the White Tower, a castle built by William the Conqueror. The part I was intrigued with was the Tudor history of the Tower. Studying the history there was pure enjoyment for me. Thinking about events that took place in the tower brought me close to tears. Viewing the exhibit of Henry VIII's armour in the White Tower was a highlight of the trip.

That night, we went to see "Wicked" on the West End. I love this play and am now fortunate enough to have seen it in London and on Broadway. I miss London now just writing about it.

I got back to Ireland on Wednesday night, knowing I had all of one day to rest before I left again on another Paddy Wagon Tour to the south-west of Ireland. Rachel and I toured Dublin and were able to listen to my first live Irish music in a pub...very cool.

Friday morning, me being me, I lost my sense of direction and almost couldn't find the Paddy Wagon Palace. I was worried how going on this trip alone was going to affect me, but everything turn out great. On the bus, I sat next to a brother and sister from South Africa, and the three of us gathered a group of six people that stuck together throughout the trip: 3 from S. Africa, 1 girl from Australia, 1 girl from L.A., and me. It was so amazing.

We stayed at a hostel in Galway Friday night which was a lot nicer than I had expected. Unfortunately, because it was Good Friday, most of Galway was shut down, but it was a beautiful city! Everything in the south is beautiful! I couldn't get over the contrast between the incredible greenness of everything plus the blueness of the sky (the weather was AMAZING!) plus the feeling that I had gone back into the 19th century.

This area was so much different from Dublin. Our tour guide/bus driver was a guy named Gabriel. He was hilarious. We all made friends with him, and when we got to the Dingle Peninsula, he gave four of us the opportunity to stay at a B&B because the hostel was full. Some amazing attractions I saw from this trip: The Cliffs of Moher, Ancient Monastery at Clonmacnoise, The Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas (also known as the Galway Cathedral), the Guinness Storehouse, Blarney Castle.

Yes, that's right folks, I kissed the Blarney Stone and received the gift of gab (eloquence, Winston Churchill kissed the Blarney Stone, so maybe there's something to it) which should be helpful to me in job interviews! Ha!

The trip was awesome. I met some great people and saw some great things. So much was crammed into just three days that I'm still blown away by it all.

Whew! And that was only one week! I got home late Sunday night with the decision that my second week of Easter was going to be devoted to seeing as much of Dublin as I possibly could. I felt I have seen the surface of some things, but there is no way I have even been close to scratching the surface of all that I want to see and do.

Week Two of Easter--
One of the first things I did was go to see the Book of Kells (an ancient illuminated manuscript)--worth a trip to Ireland by itself! I went to the National Library, the Writer's Museum (all Dublin authors), and the Museum of Archeology. I took a bus tour taking me around the city and showing me all of the main sights. This is probably the most touristy thing EVER but it was worth it. I learned a great deal and went on a day where it was shockingly sunny and fairly warm (for Ireland that is, probably about 52 degrees at the highest) and I sat on the open top of the bus so I could see everything.

I met Kathleen's new fiancee and went out to dinner with them. And of course, I went shopping. There are some really cool stores in Dublin and I'm finding some neat things. I'm also very surprised at myself as I am starting to be able to find my way around the city without whipping my map out at the slightest wind change. This is mostly because I've been forced to. I've been going into the city alone so I can't depend on someone else to read the map for me. It's nice.

Nothing is open late here. Most coffee shops and sandwich bars are closed by 5:00 or 6:00. When I was coming home from town I just wanted to grab a latte to take with me on the DART, and the six coffee shops I passed on the way there were closed up.

Thursday of this week was super awesome. I took a bus tour out to Newgrange, about 45 minutes north of Dublin. This is the site of an ancient burial tomb, known as a passage tomb. It is a Stone Age tomb, older than Stonehedge by 500 years and the pyramids of Egypt by 1000 years. There were about 25 of us in a tight little chamber door where the tour guide explained all of the technicalities of the tomb: how it was designed perfectly alligned with the sun on the Winter Solstice and how every year at dawn on that day, the passage of the tomb fills with light and illuminates the ancient carved spirals on the walls.

This tour also took me to the site of the Battle of the Boyne, one of the most important battles in Irish history; the Hill of Tara, site of of the ancient capital of Ireland; and through the town of Slane. When I got back into Dublin that night, I wandered around for awhile searching for a sandwich bar and then I went to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I went to a gothic organ concert and readings from Dracula. This was awesome. The setting, a Medieval Cathedral, was perfect. It was creepy, haunting, and chilling all at the same time. I loved it.

Today, I went to church for the first time in Ireland. I went with my family to a Church of Ireland. It is amazing to me how different it was from an evangelical church like the one I go to back home. More structured and very worshipful.

I have only 17 days left. How sad! This has been a really great trip and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'm back to school tomorrow and teaching to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class (8-10 year olds).......that should be interesting, I'll let you know how it goes.

Me in London

Irish Musicians in a Pub

Beautiful Ireland

New Friends

At Newgrange

Our fourth week in Puebla (and second week of Spring Break) was less eventful than the first week, but no less enjoyable. Our week began with a picnic in the yard where we met lots of new people. They were all very friendly, and we all talked and joked. There was also an amazing sunset that night, which we fortunately had a camera to take a picture of.

We went on another adventure out in town, this time to the train museum. Adrienne and I climbed into and onto all sorts of full-sized train cars, from those built in the 1920's to some still in working condition. The train cars ranged in aesthetics from strictly utilitarian such as the car with the giant crane on it to the Executive Suite car with full beds, a kitchen and working toilet. Several of the cars were very rusty.We had lots of fun!

That Monday, we went to a local resort in Metepec. This place was absolutely gorgeous! The halls were big enough to create an echo. There were both indoor and outdoor pools. They had a lake stocked with fish which would be caught and cooked by the staff. This place even had a ropes course and a heli-pad for helicopters! We spent several days relaxing, getting some (and just a bit too much) sun, playing pool, and being very unproductive.

One side-note about Metepec Resort: This is the only place I have ever seen warning of and providing directions for evacuation in case of Earthquake, Fire and Flood...all on the same sign! This was very interesting to me.

The rest of the week was spent hanging out at home recovering from the last Spring break of our college careers. We used aloe on sunburns, slept in late, and went to another cook-out/get-together for a family friend. Monday begins school again, and I can't wait. I miss my kids!

Saturday was pyramid day, and we went through dark, breezy pyramid at Cholula. The Spanish missionaries built a church on top of the pyramid site, where several pyramids had been built on top of one another. These pyramids are older and larger than the ones in Egypt, based on the size of the base.

Cholula also has girl scouts.

On Sunday, Adrienne and I went to the Presbyterian church in Puebla while the family went to a park. The people were friendly and we were warmly welcomed outside by Eunicia and inside by Dora and Simon, who has worked at church camps in the United States. The children were presenting a musical so we were allowed to take some photos.

We spent the afternoon shopping and then taught Luis, René and Mario how to play Crazy 8s.

Starting on Monday, I was with the high school group, called bachillerato. The students are in what we in the U.S. call 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. They are known as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades in the high school, which was confusing to my supervisor when I told her I had been with the third grade last week until we clarified that it was 3rd grade in the primary school.

One of my fellow teachers, Max Slaney, is from Great Britain, and much of the curriculum is based on the British practices with regard to punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

I spent most of my time this week observing the other teachers in the English department. These include teachers of ESL, literature, business, and U.S. History. These courses are taught in English. They are excellent teachers, and they use the same sorts of practices that we have been taught at the Reich College of Educaiton (e.g., activate prior knowledge, guided practice, feedback, etc.). Like other experienced teachers, they also use strategies that they have learned through years of practice, trial, and error.

I also met Laura, the math teacher, who also is an extraordinary art teacher. Although her students are clearly remarkably gifted, her teaching is evident as well. She has been gathering 500 student works for an upcoming exhibition, and the students have provided samples of a wide variety of media.

Laura has offered to teach me how to paint/create art. We'll see. She also creates works of art out of sugar: sugar "cubes" in a huge variety of shapes (musical instruments, flowers, etc.) and colors.

Adriana, who teaches business and is one of my guides/teaching models, is also a budding artist. She works on her painting after school and during breaks.

Well, we get two weeks of spring break. I was just sort of getting in the groove with the teaching, but it's difficult to argue with break. This will be a time for me to improve my Spanish, see my husband (coming for a visit), and get to know more about Mexico while visiting a few other states, cities, and pyramids.

We walked around old Puebla, peeked into courtyards, and admired beautiful fountains. The fountains make everything seem cooler, as the city is really heating up these days.

Lindsey, Adrienne, Mario, and I took a bus to Cuernavaca. We spent several hours wandering the city, learning about the history of Mexico at the Palacio de Cortes.

Instead of a railing, the museum used these flowers to keep patrons from wandering too near the edge of a balcony.

Children seem much freer in Mexico, so these boys were playing outside the museum with no apparent adult supervision, yet all the adults were sort of keeping an eye on them as they played and had a good time.

We visited the Recinto de la Catedral, one of the oldest church sites in Mexico, which has been built onto for centuries. Worship services are still held here.

We took a break for dessert at an excellent Italian restaurant.

It's great to have someone like Mario along to finish whatever we can't!

Cuernavaca had lots more to offer: Mario and I explored streets that looked like Charleston, SC and saw doors that looked like those I saw in Ireland, with the doorknobs in the middle.

We visited Jardín Borda, built in 1866, the garden of the house where Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota lived in the 1800s. Lots of beautiful flowers and fountains, and an exhibit of artwork that reminded me of the Holocaust in Europe.

At the Robert Brady Museum, we saw even more flowers and artwork. Robert Brady spent much of his life traveling the world, collecting beautiful artwork and embellishing his Cuernavaca home.

After the museums, Mario got a raspado (aka a snowcone in US), and then we watched the dancers and met the girls to catch a taxi to the bus station and back home.

This week was the first week back to school from Holy Week of vacationing around Costa Rica. Tuesday was Megan's birthday and we made her a cake! All of us student teachers were invited over to her house to have dinner with her family, which was a really neat experience with some amazing food! Her host sister is an amazing cook. Megan's host family also bought her a cake and lit candles that were in the numbers of 22! It was really neat to see how her family members have enjoyed having her visiting in their home.

Since Wednesday is our half day, we decided to check out the pool in town. It is this gorgeous dark blue pool. Although the water was not cold, by any means, it was still refreshing on one of the hottest days in Nicoya this year. Apparently, on Wednesday the sun was directly over Costa Rica; therefore, it was literally the hottest place in the world. Kinda weird!

Thursday was the first time we had been at school and were able to see the students switch classess for their electives. It was really neat because the students were able to choose which room they wanted to be in. There was a dance room. board games room, drama room, band room, Guitar room, etc. All students were able to choose, including the little first graders! I thought that it was really neat because the students had freedom to choose. Plus, this included the school,not just the upper grades like me most normally see in the U.S. It was really neat!

This past weekend was spent in Cañas, a town north of Nicoya. All of us went with one of the English teachers named Harold. We stayed in a fire station where he volunteers, and we were able to visit numerous schools to see how they operate, and, as well, to discuss how English is being taught. I was really glad to be able to do this because I see the needs of San Ambrosia far more clearly. I can now see more clearly how we might contribute to the English curriculum at San Ambrosio. The weekend was not ALL spent in a classroom. We went out on Friday night, and we all learned how to Salsa dance and do the Merengue. This was one of the most fun experiences that I have had yet! I never thought I would be able to do the dances, but as it turns out I can!

We came back on Saturday night, and today was spent lounging at Samara Beach. I have such a tough life! We only have two and a half more weeks here in Costa Rica, which is a little weird to think about because I feel as if we just got here! Time flies when you are having an amazing time!

This week the girls and I were fully emersed in the classroom. Starting bright and early Monday morning we all rolled into school ready for a fresh start to our week teaching.

San Ambrosio is an open air school with an outdoor Soda (Cafeteria). The Soda is the center of activity for the school because of its great food and shelter from the incredibly hot sun. When students are on break, they run straight to the Soda to buy empañanas, Coca-colas or candy.

The Soda is also the place where Kirbi, Sarah, Mel, Ashley and I usually start our day. We meet up at the Soda, discuss what we are doing in our classes that day, and then everyone breaks to the classes they will be teaching.

This week I was immersed in my 7th, 10th, and 11th grade classrooms. The 7th grade is very motivated and enjoys talking in English as much as they can. At times my 10th and 11th grade classes are motivated, but for the most part they do not want to speak. Speaking English is often times intimidating for my stuents, but they need to speak to get comfortable with the language. My goal in 10th and 11th grade is to motivate my students to speak English in class!

This week the other girls and I had the opportunity to visit another Private Catholic School in Cañas. Cañas is a friendly, small town about an hour and a half north of Nicoya. The school we visited was amazing! They had a well developed English program with teachers who understood pedagogy. They also had students placed in English classes based on ability rather than grade level. Having ability groups requires more staffing but really makes a difference when it comes to comprhension for students. The model of this school was very nice and in the future the school has a desire to recieve student teachers from Appalachoan State too.

The week was very eye opening and the schedule for next week looks just as interesting.

Last weekend at Lough Derg I saw a sailing competition and met loads of nice people. Everyone I meet was kind and polite towards me, something I have noticed about most Irish people. I was told that everyone in this group was nice by design. What I mean is if you are in their group and not a nice person, they would not treat you kindly (basically ignore you) until you left, thus creating a group of the friendliest people I have ever met. The name of the Guy's boat is the Barbarbossa. We set sail on this boat from Dromineer to Mountshannon. The views around the lake were some of the best I have seen so far on my trip. Residing on the Barbarbossa was Frank, Jessica, Rachel, Stewart (friend of the family), and I. Natalie and Alfie were at a sailing competition down in Baltimore. We enjoyed a hearty dinner prepared by Frank. It consisted of sea kale, pheasant casserole with a side of lead shot, and apple pie.

Saturday (4/11) was when the boat racing began. The type of boat used in this race was called a Shannon (big enough for three people). I hopped onto a rescue boat so that I would be able to see the race. I was enlisted to help lay down markers for the race and to help anyone who had capsized (no one capsized). There were three races total, one long race in the morning followed by two shorter races in the afternoon. After the final race of the day everyone meet for a wine social on board the Phoenix (second oldest boat in Ireland). After this we headed over to a dinner party and then finally to a pub (big surprise).

Sunday (4/12)I headed back to Dublin to get ready for a tour on Monday. Stewart was nice enough to drive me the the bus stop in Nenagh (pronounced Nina). It was better than what I expected and I enjoyed every second of it.

Tuesday I went to one of the Aran Islands called Inis Mór. It only took a short bus and ferry ride to reach the island. The island is relatively small, about 8 miles long and 2 miles wide. What is even more impressive is that there are 3,000 miles worth of stone walls. I have never seen so much piled up stone in my life. The first stop on my tour of the island was a place called Dun Aonghusa (Angus). This fort was over 2,500 years old and sits on top of a 300 foot cliff. As you will be able to see from the pictures, it was a swell day to be outside.

As we were driving around the island, we got stuck in rush hour traffic. Cows do not move out of the way! I was able to see the ruins of seven different church's, all with low doors. There was also a lovely beach on the island. I was told that during the summer the water hits 60 degrees, still cold. Look closely at some of the pictures cause you will see some seals, located in Seal Bay.

Wednesday I ventured out towards the Cliffs of Moher. I had the option of either going on a nature hike in the Burren or going on a tour in Aillwee Cave. I chose the later due to the poor visibility. It has not rained much at all today; it has just been gloomy and foggy all day long.

The cave tour was interesting. They actually let you take pictures with flash so I am still recovering from multiple in the face flashes. This cave was formed by an underwater river that dried up ages ago. After the cave tour we grabbed something to eat in a village called Doolin. Then we head on up to the Cliffs of Moher.The Cliffs of Moher was spectacular. It is a 200 M (about 650 FT) drop from the top down to the Atlantic Ocean below. I took many pictures during this part of the tour. They turned out fine; however, I wish the weather could have been nicer. I had an hour to explore around the trails at the cliffs edge.

On our way back to Galway we stopped by an ancient tomb belonging to ancient horse people. It was an interesting tomb; All graves face towards the sunrise. We also stopped at Dunguaire Castle for a quick photo.

Thursday I went on a tour in the Connemara. It was a great day to be outside; the weather made this trip more enjoyable. Once we arrived in the Connemara region I was greeted by huge, steep mountains. We stopped and looked at a village that was deserted due to the great famine. There was also a neat waterfall called the Guinness waterfall, called this because of its color. There was plenty of wonderful scenery in the Connemara. This entire area was once covered in trees that were all cut down many years ago. Apparently Ireland used to be covered with forests.

The tour also stopped at the only fjord in Ireland called Killary. This was quite the site to see. The mountains seemed to just dive into it. You could see in the distance the mouth of the fjord where it meets the Atlantic. There was also a fairy tree at this particular stop. The story goes that if you make a wish and tie a piece of cloth to it that your wish would come true.

The last stop on the tour was Kylemore Abbey. This abbey was nestled deep in the mountains, miles away from civilization. High up on the mountain behind the house was a statue of a religious figure. There was also a church, mausoleum, and a walled gardens on the grounds.

Saturday I decided to hike to the Powerscourt Waterfall. The waterfall is about 6 KM from Enniskerry (about a 3 Mile walk). It was a nice day to go for a stroll. The waterfall was very impressive; it is the highest waterfall in the country. All I did on Sunday was go on a walk to the nearby Killiney and Dalkey Hill.

I started back at Powerscourt National School today. I have been moved to the junior and senior infant class. Today was special because they were filming a movie in the village. The film is called Leap Year. It's supposed to be a romantic comedy. When I was on Inish Mor they were painting one of the villages for this movie. We had to keep the kids quite when we were outside because the filming.

This past Friday we visited a school in Canas. We visited this school in hopes of having future interns in the program to teach in this school. The school is different from our school in Nicoya because they ability group their English classes. This is a benefit for the teachers as well as the students. It was obvious that the school in Canas has more money to develop their English program than our school in Nicoya. We are going to offer suggestions to our school about their English program and how they can improve it. We are also gonig to talk with Karla and Dr. Angel about getting an exchange program started in Canas. We felt welcomed at the school and were interested in talking with the teachers there.

Well I love learning about the culture more and more! I feel as if I´m seeing everything and trying to become a tica! I WISH! This weekend I learned how to Maranga and realized how much I have been missing out all my life. The dances here are wonderful and part of the culture; it is what everyone does here! I actually learned pretty fast since I love dancing, but I wish I was better. The women and men here really connect through dancing. It isn´t like that in the states! I´m going to bring it back, hopefully.

Also, Friday all the student teachers and a teacher named Harold visited another school in Casas. The school right away was different! They had more money, but they were still a Catholic school like San Ambrosio. They had levels for their English classes, which is helpful in offering appropriate instruction to all students. I want to help the system at San Ambrosio to make it more efficient for the students at each grade level. Hopefully, we can help make a difference in San Ambrosio School and with the students because I want my students to know as much English as they can.

(Monterverde= the food we made and ate)

(Butterflies in Monteverde)

(Costa Rica's National Flower)

(Being silly at La Playa Tarmindo)

I´m learning so much and can´t even think about going home. LOVING LIFE!

SARAH

This week was a little more relaxing and laid back. Monday through Wednesday we decided to go to a place that Margarita recommended, Metepec. It seemed to be a local secret which made it even more interesting. We only found three people who spoke English out of the entire staff. I liked that because it forced me to practice my Spanish. For most of the time, Lindsey and I hung out by the pool and laid out in our secret spot. We also did a little shopping and played some pool in the game room. I think the best part of that trip was going fishing at the man-made lake. I didn't actually do any fishing but Mario, Luis, and their friends fished the entire time. After they caught a few fish, the restaurant prepared them for us. It was really cool to be eating fish that had only been caught an hour earlier. I really enjoyed just hanging out and relaxing.

Thursday and Friday were completely uneventful. We all just decided to hang out at the house and catch up on some sleep.

On Saturday, we all went to Margarita's brother and sister-in-law's house for her sister-in-law's, Blanca's birthday. Blanca prepared a great meal and we met many of her friends. Again, I got the chance to practice my Spanish but a few of Blanca's friends spoke English. We sat around with good company and there was even some good old fashioned dancing. The dancing was neat to watch but I was too nervous to join in. Maybe next time I'll get the courage to dance.

On Sunday, we went to a local park which had a bird sanctuary. We went to see all types of birds. There were even Toucan's flying free within the domed area. We saw birds from all over Mexico and North America. It was interesting to see birds from home considered exotic here. I really enjoyed the park as well. They had everything from playgrounds to horseback riding and a bicycle track. The park seemed perfect for kids to come and entertained without getting into trouble. Every city needs a park like that.

I had a lot of fun, but I was really beginning to miss the students at D'amicis. I couldn't wait to get back to see them.

HOLA!!

This was a great week. We came back from a fun break and I was ready to see how teaching was going to be when we returned. School was great because my teachers and I worked together to teach the class. I teach 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

The school has adopted a method of teaching through stories available in the students' textbooks. Each story has a purpose, such as helping students understand how to use "she" and "he" or singular and plural words.

So, we teach the concept first, then read the story, and then review the concept again. The textbooks for the lower grades are good, but they are not the same ones used in other grades.

Some students are learning concepts in different grades. The principal and English teachers want to improve their program so they have asked us to make suggestions. We visited another school on Friday to observe. We are going to work on our suggestion this week so we can help them for many years to come!

I really enjoy the kids in my classes. They love giving me stickers and at the end of the day I will have a shirt full of them! In the classrooms, the resources are limited so we really are creative when we plan a lesson.

The whole school has welcomed us with open arms. The teachers that do not speak English still try and talk with us and they want to learn English as well. I am having a great time here.

Since we have breaks during the day, we gather out by the soda and talk with the kids and teachers in English. It is great fun here. I am well aware that time is slipping away.

I have become a member of my family here! They are the sweetest family and very loca (crazy)! We are always having a fun time and we are able to communicate very well. There are very few times when one of us just doesn't have a clue what the other one is saying. I am getting better at Spanish but there is much I still have to learn!

One of the teachers, Herold, took us to Cañas,a town near Nicoya. Here we visited another school, stayed at the firehouse (his second job), taught a night class in English, woke up at 5am the next morning to travel to Upala to teach another English class. Harold is very dedicated and has a warm heart!

Can´t wait to see what the next weeks have stored for us!!

I'm here for a student teaching experience. I know, I'd almost forgotten with all of the hubbub of traveling and such. But, there was no forgetting when I went straight back into the classroom this Monday!

This time around, I taught the Middle class (2nd, 3rd, and 4th class), which is approximately the same as 3rd-5th grades in the States. I have come to the decision that this is my favorite of the three classes. The Junior class is fun and they are super cute, but they are too young for me...but more on that in a bit. Senior class....well....more on them in a minute, too. (See what I'm doing there, creating suspense so you'll keep reading. Yes, I'm being deliberate about that!)

Anyway, back to Middle class. They are my faveorites for two main reasons: 1) They are by far the sweetest of the classes. They always greet me in the mornings like there is no one else they would rather see in the day, and they give me hugs and love on me. From this class, I have received cards and pictures. They are precious.

2) They are old enough that I can have a real conversation with them, but they are young enough not to have become super cocky. They know they aren't the oldest in the school yet, and so they are by far more humble because of it. Most of them also still have that desire to be in school, which is always nice for a teacher.

Before Easter II taught a lesson to this group on the American Revolution. It was similar to a lesson that I had taught previously to the Senior class. (See my blog, "Brilliant Lesson, Ms. Jones!") I replaced The Patriot with Schoolhouse Rock's "The Shot Heard Round the World"--a more appropriate clip for the younger ones. I also had to revise the lesson so that the content was appropriate for the age.

I do miss being able to ask the same types of critical thinking questions that I can ask the 5th and 6th class. Most of the Middle class students are not at the same level of analytical thinking as the older students. Since my style is largely focused on question-based discussion, I found that Ineeded to make this aspect more appropriate to them. However, my lesson went well. I had them draw political cartoons at the end of the lesson. These were very good.

On Wednesday, I did what I had been dreading since I got here: I taught Junior class. I have never felt that I was cut out to be a teacher of five year olds. I just don't know how to encourage learning with this group like I do with older students. I decided to talk with them about the United States.

I read a book called "America: A Patriotic Primer" that uses the ABC's to talk about different aspects, history, and values in the U.S. I had them predict what the next letter was going to be, and several of them really enjoyed this exercise. Then, in the end, I had them color a picture of the United States flag and write "America" at the top to practice penmanship.

Then today, I taught my last lesson for the week: an art lesson. My first three lessons had been great because they were history lessons and draw on my knowledge strengths. I was back in Middle class, and being a history-oriented person, I'm sure you can imagine that I wasn't going to let an art lesson get away without putting some history into it.

I decided that I was going to teach about Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel ceiling. I talked about Michelangelo and who he was as an artist. Then, I showed them pictures of the Sistine Chapel. I told them about his scaffolding and how he had to paint either standing up and looking towards the ceiling or lying on his back. I had them tape a sheet of paper underneath their desks and lie on the floor. Then they painted like they were Michelangelo. The students really seemed to like the lesson.

Ok, back to what I was saying about Senior class. Being a pre-teen is difficult. In Ireland the 6th/7th graders are at the top of the school in age. They fully enjoy being the oldest in the school. Since the school is very small, about 56 students, the staff has decided to tive these students responsibility in helping out the younger kids. These students are funny and entertaining, and really sweet. They are smart too, doing math that is far more advanced than one would expect.

I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday, just a week before my last day, I fly out on the 6th. This trip has just flown by! I am going to miss Ireland and the school very much, a part of me is ready to be home. I'm in the process of filling out job applications and answering questions like "What teaching strategies would you choose to teach _____?" I cannot wait to have my own classroom.

Things to be look for in the next week: I'm teaching...yikes!!!!....science to the Juniors next week and the history of piracy two days to the Seniors.

Until next ime, may the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon our fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Junior Class working hard

Junior Infants coloring

1st class working hard

My husband arrived in Mexico City on Thursday, so I rode the bus to the airport to pick him up. We had dinner with Margarita, Pedro Pablo, their two sons, and Lindsey and Adrienne. Although the table was a bit crowded, what Margarita noticed was that Stephen jumped up and insisted on washing the dishes. Apparently, she is not used to men helping in the kitchen. And, she did agree to let Stephen help just as she lets me.

After a good night's rest, we set off in search of more pyramids, but as it was Good Friday, many of the churches had processions for the stations of the cross. This is not as common in Puebla (from what my students told me later) as it is in the smaller towns in the countryside. As we headed for Cacaxtla and Xochitécatl, we drove through a village and were able to observe and talk to the local parishioners. They told us that each family is responsible for a different section of the procession path. Some families began working at 7 a.m. to complete their section in time for the 1 p.m. procession.

We had seen flower petals strewn on the streets preparing for the Palm Sunday procession, and for his section of the path on Good Friday, this man used flower petals to decorate as well as dyed sawdust.

In addition to the procession preparations, we saw more of the lifestyle of the countryside.

On the way to the pyramids via several detours, we waited as Margarita consulted locals for the best route. One time we were parked next to this enormous prickly pear cactus (as we call it in the Southwest U.S.). My brother, in particular, was always a fan of the pears, especially in jelly as I recall. Here they are valued for their leaves, a vegetable called nopales, which are pan-fried, or also juiced.

We finally arrived at the great pyramid site. From what my students tell me, not many tourists go to see the pyramids. Apparently they are more of an attraction for native Mexicans. We were fascinated and dazzled by the engineering and artwork, and as always, the food.

Before heading back to school, we took one last adventure. We went to a local park with an aviary (bird zoo, sort of) and all sorts of activities going on. You could rent a cart with two sets of bicycle wheels used for pedaling around the park. You could use paddleboats on the lake or feed the ducks. You could rent ponies, buy snacks, play basketball, or play on the playground. The aviary itself included lots of different types of birds. Some flew loose inside the giant mesh dome. They were still captive, but may have had the illusion of freedom until they got to the top. The other, more exotic birds were in cages with information plaques next to their cages. Most of the birds were native to parts of Mexico, with a few outsider species.

My first week back from Spring Break was exciting! I had thoroughly missed my kids, and it was great to get back and hear all of their stories. Lots of them went to see family. Others went to do some of the same things we as tourists did: Cuernavaca, Cholula pyramids...all sorts of things. They were all very hyper on their first day back, and to tell they truth, they did not settle down much throughout the week. However, I suppose after two weeks away from their friends, I can't blame them. I would want to catch up too.

They had state-mandated subject tests on Thursday and Friday. These tests were administered by government proctors, and the class teachers (including myself and Adrienne) could not be in the same room as our students. Instead, we helped the librarian with cataloging books and labeling then with the Dewey system labels. We also helped to keep an eye on the students who finished their tests early and were burning off excess energy in the courtyard. Our students also practiced their class dances for the Mother's Day Festival.

On Saturday, Adrienne and I spent most of the day at the mall. We had a very girly afternoon shopping and looking at all the variety of things at Angelopolis (yes, that's the name of the mall).

As time is winding down, so are the activities throughout the week! This week has not been very eventful! I had school all week and I taught my normal classess with my Kindergarteners, and after school I would either hang out with the other girls in town or go home and relax! Megan, Sarah, and I went to the beach on Friday, but no sol! It was really cloudy and not really a good day to be at the beach. It was however relaxing, and we got to see some wild horses that decided to stroll down the beach. There were 3 or 4 of them and they were beautiful. They would walk in the water, and then go and try and find food, and then go back to the water! It was really neat to watch!

My host brother at Africa Mia

Saturday was quite an interesting day! For 3/4ths of the day I was in my house just hanging out. It got a little boring because I really did not have anything to do! I went into town with Megan, and the other girls were in town also so we all bumped into eachother! It was the best thing that could have happened that day! We went and hung out at one of our teachers' houses, and then went to get ready for our night out dancing at a place called Blue Tango. This was a pretty neat place and it had only been open for about a month. It was very crowded, but it was still a lot of fun to be at!

At Africa Mia

Today, Sunday, could quite possibly be my favorite day here in Costa Rica! My family took me to Africa Mia, which is located in Liberia. We took a safari ride and were able to see lots of different African animals. I saw worthogs, ostriches, horses, zebras, giraffes, peacocks, and so much more. I was able to feed the ostriches, deer, zebras, and giraffes. The giraffe literally stuck its head inside of the car to be able to get the celery stick! It was amazing, and I was facinated by how well the giraffe and zebra act around humans! We also took a hike to see a waterfall, which was gorgeous! A lot of the locals were there swimming, and were showing off by jumping off of the waterfall! Although it was a tiring day out in the sun, I had so much fun and I would go back in a heart beat!

At Africa Mia

This week was our first week back from break. I was able to teach more and work with the kids more. Both of my lessons this week were in grammar. I really enjoyed teaching the lessons because I think it helped the students see me more as their teacher. I was also able to have a lot of fun with the kids. Some of the kids bought a roll of bubble gum at lunch and the students decided to use it as a limbo stick. It was a lot of fun to watch them be normal silly kids. I was also able to help the students with their dance for the Mother's Day celebration.

On Thursday and Friday the students had their government testing so we did not have regular class. While the students were testing on Thursday I was able to go and work with the first grade English teacher. The students were very adorable but there was more of a language barrier because the students at that age were just beginning to really learn English. On Friday I was able to help the librarian out with cataloging books during the testing.

Friday evening, Lindsey, Luis, and I decided to drive to Cholula so Lindsey and I could try to finish our souvenier shopping. We had fun just weaving in and out of all the little shops. When we finished our shopping for the evening, we walked to the zocalo and were able to see some amazing musicians. They were playing different types of flutes and it sounded beautiful. Lindsey liked it so much she bought their cd. On Saturday, Lindsey and I spent the entire day at the mall just shopping and window shopping mainly. Sunday, after Rainey and I got out of church, Margarita took us three to the archeological museum in Puebla. There were a lot of interesting objects there. After that, we all decided to see an imax movie at the planetarium. It was interesting but not quite what we expected to see.

This week was much more productive but it was also a lot of fun. I am sad that the week to come is our last week here in Puebla and with our kids at D'amicis.

The past week of school went by awfully fast. It is hard to believe that I will be leaving here a week from tomorrow. After being switched to the junior and senior infant class I was able to get about 20 minutes a day for PE and about 45 minutes on Wednesday. I had to keep the games very simply due to the amount of space I was working in. We played Crows and Cranes one day and spent time working on throwing and catching. On this past Wednesday we went to the nearby park to have PE. I had the kids play Flip Flop, Hospital Tag, and Stuck in the Mud. They seemed to enjoy the days activities.
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Yesterday Rachel and I decided to go on a hike around Howth (rhymes with both). Howth is a peninsula located nearby in Dublin Bay. It was a nice little town with many shops and visitors. We went and saw the Howth Castle and then hiked the Cliff Walk. We walked around most of the peninsula but grew tired and headed back into town. It was nice seeing what Howth really looked like instead of what I see everyday on my way to school.

View Larger Map

This is my last full week in Ireland. I am looking into what I want to do this final weekend. Right now I am planning on going to the Blarney Castle (apparently the American thing to do), Glendalough, Book of Kells, and the GAA museum/Croke Park.

(The Hike the 1st week for Holy Week)

Well it is the 5th week and things are starting to winddown... But now, I just feel like part of the family and Nicoya is home for me. My family here treats me like I´m truly in it. The grandpa and I have bonded so much!! His name is Che! We have been learning each other´s language. Last Wednesday, I walked the long hill again to the cross with him and ended the night with a crucial futbol (soccer) game in Nicoya with the fam. It was a professional game against San Jose and Guancaste. EVERYONE WAS THERE FROM NICOYA! Of course, I had my same dirty outfit I wore hiking and everyone else was looking fine and specify. My host mom laughed at my outfit! But it was so much fun! My family and all the little boys entertain for hours even while a soccer game is happening! Also, this week I bought some TICA jeans and just soo excited about them! I feel like I´m normal or I´m finally part of the culture because girls here always wear the skinny jeans! I still sadly live in a material world here. HA.

(Thursday: Dancing with the students at the club day)

Another adventure of mine consisted with a full day trip to San Jose and Herdia. At 4:00 in the morning the 10th and 11th grade class, teachers, and 4 of the student teachers all left to go all day to the InBioParque, a nun convent, and a mall to eat lunch and shop. It took about 4 hours to get there and thank goodness it was a big charter bus! I couldn´t have survived on the normal public transportation buses for that long!

It was an very neat experience! But once we got to San Jose, I felt like I was back in America. Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonalds, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, and Subway were all in one block together with big buildings and malls nicer than ours in Boone. We ate in the mall and felt like we were back home, it was almost too wierd for all of us. But a very nice treat... s where my The nuns in San Jose there can´t leave the place at any time; the only way they can contact their family is if their family calls them or comes visit them, but that is it! The students were flabergasted as well as everyone else! It was kinda neat because while they nuns were speaking in Spanish I was understanding alot more than I would have the first week.

(Going to the other school in Cansas with HAROLD!)

I feel as if my Spanish is imporving so much and it is encouraging to my family and me! We had a little Chatholic Church servcice with the nuns, our sister Cicila, teachers, and students. It made me cry a little and refreshed my spirit! I wanted to know the songs really badly.. and I might get the lyrics before I leave! The parque was great as well. All in all- it was an awesome day! It was late when we got back, since it was about 9:30 at night and teaching the next day was hard, but it was a great experience!

This week is really our last real full teaching week and I can´t even think about home! I WANT TO STAY FOREVER!!

(my children!!! My family!!! I love them!!! It is Jose, Diego, and me)

till next time,
Sarah

The purpose in coming to Costa Rica is to student teach. I find myself talking more about my adventures and experiences outside of the classroom. Back in the States I was constantly focused on teaching; afterschool hours and on the weekends. My time outside of school here is spent embracing the culture. When I first began working with my cooperating teachers here I was frustrated that they did not have lessons plans. This way of planning coincides with the way of life here in Costa Rica. The people here do not stress and worry. The lifestyle is easy going as well as the teaching style.

Teaching my students has taught me patience. Knowing that English is not the native language here I have to empathize with my students. I may have to repeat Englsih concepts more that once in different ways. It is worth my time to do this to ensure that the students grasp the concepts. I am challeged to be flexible. If a lesson does not take long for the students to understand I must be prepared with another activity or lesson on the spot.

The students enjoy teaching me words in Spanish. It makes them feel like they are teaching me. I really surprise them when I use Spanish with them. I can´t wait for the day when I can say that I am bilingual!

This past week was great and I have really settled in here and feel like a TICA! However, things are starting to come to an end, which is crazy to think. All of us girls have done great hanging out with each other. We are really interacting with the teachers and they love to do things with us outside of school. Nicoya is a small town so it is very easy to run into other teachers and students. All of us girls walk into town every afternoon to run errands or to simply sit at the park and chat about how the day went. Here we see our friends and people approach us to talk so they can improve their English!! This is fun because we never know what kind of character we will meet that day.

Classes are going well and I love the ages that I am teaching. They are really eager to learn and they try hard. The most challenging part of English for my students is the pronunciation of the words. I feel it's because the teacher themselves have an accent so they are doing the best that they can do. What is funny is that I tell the class something and I get nothing back from the students and then the teacher says the same thing and they understand! It's just because of they way they pronounce the words.

The other difficult task is discipline. They handle discipline differently here--different from the way it has been practiced in North Carolina. The teachers that I am working directly with want to change it to be more like our system. The school is great! Everyone seems to enjoy our company and we love them.

Coming to Costa Rica is the BEST decision I have made!

Upon my return from Norway, I arranged a trip down south to Cork with another student teacher, Kathleen, who is from Indiana. My host family must have thought I was absolutely insane, because I arrived back from Norway at 1030pm, and left the next morning by 1000am to make my way towards Cork. I wanted to get as much in as possible during the Easter break. But anyways, we decided to coordinate this trip on our own rather than taking an organized tour of the city. And so we got our train tickets and booked a hostel for a couple of days.

We arrived in Dublin by bus and made our way through town to Heuston Station, the largest train station in the area. We climbed aboard the Irish Rail towards Cork and prepared ourselves for the three hour journey. The train ride was actually quite lovely. There were few stops, and most of the ride was through the countryside. We took that time to pull out travel guides to plan the events of our trip. This was more of a spontaneous trip than the other trips I have gone on. It was refreshing not to have everything so rigidly mapped out. Before we knew it, we had arrived at our station in Cork.

Our first task was to locate our lovely hostel: Shelia's. It was about a ten minute walk from the station. Unfortunately for us, it was also located up a tremendous hill. It was one of those inclines where you can almost reach and touch the road. However, the hostel itself was much nicer than I had expected. The kitchen area and dining room were spacious. The bathrooms were quite clean. And the rooms...well...they were small and cramped, but nice enough for a two-night stay. We dropped off our suitcases and decided to enjoy the remainder of our afternoon in town, doing a bit of exploring to get our bearings.

As we checked into the hostel, we were given a map of Cork with some of the major attractions highlighted. This map had to have been outdated because none of the roads or landmarks could be found as placed on the map. We eventually gave up trying to manipulate the map until it worked for us, and decided to just walk through town. If we saw a shop of interest, we would simply go in and explore. Oh the joys of not having an itinerary! But we began to notice that all the shops started to close their doors around 430pm-500pm. Cork was turning into a ghost town. I found this surprising because it is a fairly popular city in Ireland, known for it's shopping centers. We decided to find a place to eat and call it a night early because the following day was to be packed with adventures.

Back at the hostel, we walked into the room to find new roommates. There were three individuals, all from Australia. They had been traveling for nearly six months around the globe. We chatted about our travels and experiences for a bit before falling asleep.

Kathleen and I woke fairly early in order to catch a bus to the Blarney Castle. Our main goal of the trip was to kiss the famous Blarney Stone at the castle and receive the gift of eloquence. Almost every individual I have ever talked to about traveling in Ireland has encouraged me to kiss the stone. The castle was fantastic! Although it is in ruins, you are still able to climb around inside and get a good sense of the castle design and purpose. At the very top you can find the Blarney Stone. There are many explanations as to the origins of the stone, although most seem to contradict one another. Basically, today, it's just a major tourist attraction due to the thrill of hanging upside down as you kiss the stone. It was quite an experience being held upside down at the very top of a castle as I kissed a giant rock wall. I will never forget the excitement I felt while receiving the gift of eloquence.

We arrived back in Cork after our adventures in Blarney. We had seen an advertisement for a butter museum, not far from the center of town. Kerry Gold Butter is an established brand of butter in Ireland, and we thought it would be interesting to see how it was made. I took some pictures.

After leaving the butter museum, we walked back into town to check out the English Market. The English Market is a small market used to sell meat products and other goods. The stench of meat and fish wreaked from the facility as we made our way through. But I was absolutely fascinated by it. Hanging from the walls were large carcasses of hogs, cows, and fish. And the butchers were working furiously to prepare orders. It was an extremely busy complex. I did not take any pictures of this. I think the mental image was more than enough.

The next morning we woke up extremely early, ready to get back to our homes and rest from the travels. Not getting proper rest after my trip to Norway had officially caught up with me, and I was thoroughly exhausted. So we caught the train back to Dublin by 8:30 am. Easter break was absolutely incredible. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do some exploring, but am ready to get back onto a regular schedule.

It was so nice to settle back in at school. On the agenda for my time at school: science experiments! Powerscourt submits a science portfolio for which they have won multiple awards in the past. I had expressed interest in helping out with science instruction during my time at the school, and so I was transferred down to the senior class of 4th, 5th, and 6th grades where I would have the opportunity to do more complex experiments.

I taught six science experiments and demonstrations to the class. The students had to each write up the experiments and results to present in the school science portfolio. The lessons I taught were directed at a wide variety of scientific concepts like pressure, force, density, measurement, and more.

One of these experiments dealt with the density of various liquids: water, oil, and honey. We started with a glass filled midway with water. The students then made their predictions about what would happen when I poured some oil into the glass; whether the oil would mix with the water, fall below the water, or stay above the water. Most of the students, already knowing the properties of oil and water, guessed correctly that the oil would remain separate and above the water. I then poured honey into the water. The students had predicted that it would remain separated from the other two liquids already in the jar and then fall down to the bottom.

The next part of the experiment involved placing a few drops of food coloring into the jar to see what would happen. There were all sorts of predictions as to what would happen. The drops fell through the oil, slowly, and then hit the water, turning it pink. The honey at the bottom did not appear to be impacted. This was a great learning experience about density in three liquids.

I decided to take the experiment a step further by adding three different objects to the jar to see where they would fall in the layers of liquids. The first object, a coin, fell directly to the bottom as predicted by the entire class. The second object, a raisin, also fell directly to the bottom. And the last object, blu-tack, fell directly to the bottom. As a class we were sure the blu-tack would stay afloat in the oil because it was light, but this was not the case. I will leave the other science experiments up to the imagination, so as not to ruin all my tricks. The students really seemed to enjoy the day filled with science activities.

Later in the week a lady by the name of Christine came to visit the school to conduct a science activity with each class of students. My task for the day was to follow her around, take pictures of the students at work, and enjoy the science lessons. We started in the junior and senior infant class working with weighing and creating a balance machine. They worked together in pairs with a ruler and a pencil to first create a seesaw. Afterwards, they were handed small tubs filled with barley and wax of varying amounts.

Their goal was to determine which tub was the heaviest and which was the lightest. With a little help, the groups started testing the tubs and were able to place them in order from lightest to heaviest. Their next task was to find a way to lift the heaviest tub with the lightest tub. Some students stacked two of the lighter tubs on one side and the heaviest on the other side. Then, one group determined that if you move the pencil underneath the ruler closer to the heaviest tub it could be lifted by the lightest tub.

The final part of the lesson was to apply this idea to a real life situation. On the floor, Christine placed a large stone and a plank of wood. She challenged them to find a way to lift her up using only themselves as individuals on the other end of the seesaw. Each student had to place the plank of wood on the stone and move the stone where they thought it should go. Christine stepped on one side and the child stepped up onto the other side. Every student took a turn to figure this out. It was great! The students got so excited about lifting an adult up off the ground. They giggled with joy and encouraged one another throughout the process. It was a fantastic lesson to start the day with.

In the senior class we learned about Robert Hooke and his experiments in measuring weight and strength of objects using hooks and a spring. The class was divided into small groups. Each group was given two hooks and spring to place within the hooks. They were also given rulers and a variety of objects to test. The students' task was to measure the pull on the spring of the different objects, record these measurements, and find the calculated weight of each object.

Two of the objects had unknown weights, and the students had to use their knowledge of the known weights and formulas to determine the weight of the two unknowns. The students first calculated their measurements and weights using a spring in between the two hooks. They also performed the same tests with an elastic band in between the two hooks. This gave them two sets of results to come up with the closest measurement of the two objects with unknown weights. This experiment was much more advanced and required mathematical calculations. However, it was entirely inquiry based.

The students designed the experiments themselves and tested everything themselves. It was very neat seeing the students get so competitive and involved in determining the weights of the two unknowns. You could tell they were enjoying themselves.

In the middle class, the students also conducted an experiment using Robert Hooke's hooks. Their goal was to determine the strength of a "sweet" or piece of candy. They set their experiments up similarly to the senior class, except they placed the round sweet in between the two hooks instead of a spring. They then took random objects they could find to hang on the end of the hook. They continued to add objects until the sweet finally broke. Many of the groups took their shoes off and added their tennis shoes to the end of the hook. They thought this was hysterical.

Once the sweets broke, Christine passed out scales for the students to measure the weight of each individual object they had tied to the end of the hook. One individual kept a tally of the weights and then the group added up all the weights to get a total. The best part of this lesson for the students was being rewarded with a sweet at the end! Again, this lesson was completely inquiry based, and the students thoroughly enjoyed learning through discovery.

The entire next week I worked one on one with individuals from the senior class to write up all the science experiments and activities they had done throughout the year. We collected pictures taken in each activity and put them together in a science portfolio to submit to a science organization for review. In the past, the school has won multiple awards for their superior work in science. Let's hope they win the award again this year for their hard work!

My time at Powerscourt National School has been extremely rewarding. I have learned a number of new science activities to take with me to my future classroom. I have seen some great inquiry based lessons where the students are in complete control of their own learning. I would say that their school is fairly similar to what we have in the United States. The students are required to meet a number of curriculum standards within each grade level and within each subject. The students are expected to push their own learning due to the structure of the classroom, so they are independent learners and investigators, guided by the teacher. It is quite amazing to observe students work so critically through their work.

I am sad to leave the school. I really enjoyed my time working with the students in each grade level. The staff was absolutely wonderful and extremely helpful and encouraging. I have enjoyed every second of student teaching, and can't wait to come home to share my experiences with my family, friends, students, and within my future classroom.