One reason that this particular program appealed to me, (apart from its location in Costa Rica) was the availability of "on the ground staff". This means that, although we're mostly on our own, we do have two people dedicated to full-time support of us here in Heredia and they help us figure everything out from immigration documents to homesickness. Teresita, our program director, is everyone's second mother, she is fabulous and always seems to know what we need, even when we're not sure ourselves. Yanori, the assistant director has connections with everyone and everything, and after this week I believe she can make anything happen.
So, as many of you may know, there are a few things in the world that bring me a lot of joy. The first is music...pretty much in any form, singing, drumming, dancing, even just listening to it. The second one is being with kids, and having the chance to teach and give back. Thanks to Yanori, I'm now doing both!
Last Thursday she called up the director of the "Rondalla", small choral group that does mostly traditional Costa Rican and Latin American music, is incredibly laid-back, and was looking for someone to play hand drums and small percussion for them. Next thing I knew, I was in rehearsal having the chance to sing and play drums, and the director has promised to teach me some typical Latino rhythms to accompany them! The group is also filled with really wonderful people who have been very friendly to this semi-lost "gringa".
On Friday, Yanori called my house to tell me that she had my volunteer opportunity all lined up as well. Across the street from my house is an elementary school, Escuela Manuel Camancho, and there was an English teacher there that needed some help. I spent this Monday and Wednesday morning at the school with Marcella, the teacher, working with her and about four of her classes, ages 7-11, who are absolutely precious! The kids think I'm some sort of alien because I'm from the US, one kid even asked me if there was water where I was from. And although I'm supposed to be there to help them learn English, they've been teaching me plenty of new Spanish words, and are a blast to hang out with.
So now my life consists of classes, hanging out with cute kids, playing music, and hanging out and traveling with my friends...hmm, that sounds exactly like the life I want to be living right now. Just a lesson for me on the amazing things that can happen if you just ask the right people for help.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Cure for Culture Shock...
So let's be honest, a full load of classes in a foreign language, along with the realization that you are going to be in a foreign country for another 5 months, with people you don't really know yet, in a house that's not yours, unable to actually communicate your feelings, and having your body finally react to the incredible amount of stress you've been putting it through does not make for a good week. More of a...curl up on your bed and read a book or watch a movie kind of week. Luckily, we had been warned that culture shock would be creeping up on us about this time, and although it wasn't any fun, I knew not to worry. Luckily I found the perfect cure, and am now fully in the swing of Tico life.
For any of you planning on spending a good deal of time in a foreign country, here's my recommendation for culture shock...go to the beach.
Preferably with some people you really like. And pick a beach that's not too crowded or touristy.
Spend your first afternoon lounging on the beach and playing in the waves, to help get rid of that stress and really let it hit you that you're in an amazing place. Top that off with a good dinner, and then head to the only bar in town. It helps if you know how to dance, or at least enjoy attempting to dance, because you can plan on spending the next few hours with regaton, salsa, and meringue music and some exceptional dancers...they live in a small beach town and have lots of time to practice.
Don't stay out too late though, because the next step is to take surf lessons. If you're in Montezuma, Costa Rica, like I was, I highly recommend Chris, a fifty-something hippie who had a mid-life crisis and decided to move to Costa Rica and become a surf instructor. He'll pile you and your friend into his car, drive you along a beautiful coastline, feed you delicious snacks, teach you how to surf, and ensure that you get a couple of pictures looking good on a board.
After this, spend some time taking care of yourself, I recommend a big lunch and a nap on a porch overlooking the ocean. Some afternoon ice cream may be in order, and then find a nice spot on some beach rocks to watch the sun set over the ocean. When you get hungry again, bring your dinner out to the same spot and spend a few hours talking with your friends.
After a good night's sleep, head out the next morning to walk to the waterfall and enjoy the beauty around you. In the event that you have a 2 o'clock bus back to reality, like I did, finish off your weekend with a round of fresh fish tacos and pack up and head for the bus stop.
You will know if you've adjusted to culture shock by your ability to handle the ride home. If you miss the first bus, but are able to communicate and find a taxi to the next town up the street, and are able to get home with no other major setbacks, this is a good sign. It also helps to make some new friends, such as a Lebanese philosophy professor on a speaking tour and an Australian prosthetic's specialist in town for a conference. People like this help to keep the 8 hour journey home a little more bearable.
Arrive home, happy, and not too sunburned, eat a big dinner and go to bed. You'll find that when you wake up for your class the next morning that you're still faced with the same problems you had the week before, but this time, you've got it under control.
At least, that's what worked for me...
For any of you planning on spending a good deal of time in a foreign country, here's my recommendation for culture shock...go to the beach.
Preferably with some people you really like. And pick a beach that's not too crowded or touristy.
Spend your first afternoon lounging on the beach and playing in the waves, to help get rid of that stress and really let it hit you that you're in an amazing place. Top that off with a good dinner, and then head to the only bar in town. It helps if you know how to dance, or at least enjoy attempting to dance, because you can plan on spending the next few hours with regaton, salsa, and meringue music and some exceptional dancers...they live in a small beach town and have lots of time to practice.
Don't stay out too late though, because the next step is to take surf lessons. If you're in Montezuma, Costa Rica, like I was, I highly recommend Chris, a fifty-something hippie who had a mid-life crisis and decided to move to Costa Rica and become a surf instructor. He'll pile you and your friend into his car, drive you along a beautiful coastline, feed you delicious snacks, teach you how to surf, and ensure that you get a couple of pictures looking good on a board.
After this, spend some time taking care of yourself, I recommend a big lunch and a nap on a porch overlooking the ocean. Some afternoon ice cream may be in order, and then find a nice spot on some beach rocks to watch the sun set over the ocean. When you get hungry again, bring your dinner out to the same spot and spend a few hours talking with your friends.
After a good night's sleep, head out the next morning to walk to the waterfall and enjoy the beauty around you. In the event that you have a 2 o'clock bus back to reality, like I did, finish off your weekend with a round of fresh fish tacos and pack up and head for the bus stop.
You will know if you've adjusted to culture shock by your ability to handle the ride home. If you miss the first bus, but are able to communicate and find a taxi to the next town up the street, and are able to get home with no other major setbacks, this is a good sign. It also helps to make some new friends, such as a Lebanese philosophy professor on a speaking tour and an Australian prosthetic's specialist in town for a conference. People like this help to keep the 8 hour journey home a little more bearable.
Arrive home, happy, and not too sunburned, eat a big dinner and go to bed. You'll find that when you wake up for your class the next morning that you're still faced with the same problems you had the week before, but this time, you've got it under control.
At least, that's what worked for me...
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tica/Tejana
So, one of my goals for this trip is to attempt to live my life like a Costa Rican (a Tico...or in my case, Tica, since I'm a girl), while I know that I'll always be a "Gringa" and a "Tejana" (meaning both Texan and Cowgirl...) I have made some significant strides in achieving "La Vida Tica".
1. I know, and can follow, every plot line on "Soy tu Dueña" (I'm your boss), a primetime telenovela with a semi cowboy theme, starring a prominent Mexican singer.
2. I have gone to the bank and the post office, communicated only in Spanish, and successfully accomplished my errands.
3. I can now navigate my city. This involves a strong knowledge of landmarks, because instead of using street names here, everyone and everything is located 1 block (100 metros) south/north/east/west of a church or a school or a park. For instance, my Texas address is 406 Riley Rd, but my Heredia address is: 25 meters south of the school, in the neighborhood "la suiza".
4. I can successfully ride the city bus! And when in a taxi, if the driver asks me for directions, I can give them to him.
5. Starting tomorrow, I attend the local university, and I already have a few Tico friends that I can only speak to in Spanish.
6. I know the appropriate times to use phrases like "Que Tuanis", which more or less means "cool". I also know that "Mae" means "Man" or "Dude".
7. I know the names of the prominent Costa Rican soccer teams, and can now more or less understand a game of soccer.
8. I drank starfruit juice today, which was awesome.
9. I went to the neighborhood farmers market to buy produce with my host mom and now know the names of more fruits.
10. A car driving down the street stopped to ask me for directions, which must mean that I look like I know where I'm going...and I knew where to send them and how to tell them that in Spanish!
So the adventure continues...I think I lose Tica points for this afternoon, as my plan is to go to a bar and watch the Superbowl with some other Americans...but oh well, there's still some Texas in there :)
Tomorrow I start classes, so more to come on that front!
Ciao!
Meche
1. I know, and can follow, every plot line on "Soy tu Dueña" (I'm your boss), a primetime telenovela with a semi cowboy theme, starring a prominent Mexican singer.
2. I have gone to the bank and the post office, communicated only in Spanish, and successfully accomplished my errands.
3. I can now navigate my city. This involves a strong knowledge of landmarks, because instead of using street names here, everyone and everything is located 1 block (100 metros) south/north/east/west of a church or a school or a park. For instance, my Texas address is 406 Riley Rd, but my Heredia address is: 25 meters south of the school, in the neighborhood "la suiza".
4. I can successfully ride the city bus! And when in a taxi, if the driver asks me for directions, I can give them to him.
5. Starting tomorrow, I attend the local university, and I already have a few Tico friends that I can only speak to in Spanish.
6. I know the appropriate times to use phrases like "Que Tuanis", which more or less means "cool". I also know that "Mae" means "Man" or "Dude".
7. I know the names of the prominent Costa Rican soccer teams, and can now more or less understand a game of soccer.
8. I drank starfruit juice today, which was awesome.
9. I went to the neighborhood farmers market to buy produce with my host mom and now know the names of more fruits.
10. A car driving down the street stopped to ask me for directions, which must mean that I look like I know where I'm going...and I knew where to send them and how to tell them that in Spanish!
So the adventure continues...I think I lose Tica points for this afternoon, as my plan is to go to a bar and watch the Superbowl with some other Americans...but oh well, there's still some Texas in there :)
Tomorrow I start classes, so more to come on that front!
Ciao!
Meche
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
La Fortuna and Heredia
So, to wrap up our orientation fun, we went on a little vacation to a town called La Fortuna. This adorable tourist town is located at the base of the volcano Arenal, and is best known for it's natural hot springs and outdoors activities. After a week cramming Spanish back into our heads and trying to adjust to Tico life, a weekend vacation was wonderful.
To get to La Fortuna, we had an hour and a half bus ride, mostly on unpaved roads, followed by a ferry ride across a huge lake! Saturday we had a chance to wander around La Fortuna and enjoy the town and then we went to the hot springs. They were beautiful and warm and we had fun as a whole group of 16 taking up the majority of one of the pools.
The next morning, we hiked to the La Fortuna waterfall! It was so incredibly beautiful (I feel like I've been saying that a lot this last week and a half) and we got to go swimming in the pool at the bottom of the falls. The water was perfect, the weather was perfect, the scenery was incredible, and I was in heaven :) Great people, beautiful things to see, Spanish and new experiences everyday...this is my kind of country!
By Sunday night, it was time to approach reality...we will have to go to school eventually. The exciting part was we were able to meet our real host families (the Monteverde families were only for a week, this one is for 5 months)! Mine is wonderful. Ana, my mom, takes such good care of me, and has spent the past two days cooking for me and showing me the bus route to school. Ronald, the dad, is hilarious and a generally happy guy. I have two host brothers Juan Pablo (25) and Joshua (21), I haven't been able to spend much time with either of them though, since they work and go to school at hours off of mine. Natalia is 16 and our rooms are across the hall from each other. She is really sweet and fun, and it's nice to have another girl in the house (not that I don't love you Clayton and Travis). Also, my host mom's two sisters live in the two houses next door, so there's a constant stream of people in and out that are all related someho, I haven't figured all that out yet.
This week, we are getting to know our city, and our school, we also bought Costa Rican cell phones, and have had some less exciting classes on safety, health, and class registration. Next week we actually start class, so we'll see how that goes!
To get to La Fortuna, we had an hour and a half bus ride, mostly on unpaved roads, followed by a ferry ride across a huge lake! Saturday we had a chance to wander around La Fortuna and enjoy the town and then we went to the hot springs. They were beautiful and warm and we had fun as a whole group of 16 taking up the majority of one of the pools.
The next morning, we hiked to the La Fortuna waterfall! It was so incredibly beautiful (I feel like I've been saying that a lot this last week and a half) and we got to go swimming in the pool at the bottom of the falls. The water was perfect, the weather was perfect, the scenery was incredible, and I was in heaven :) Great people, beautiful things to see, Spanish and new experiences everyday...this is my kind of country!
By Sunday night, it was time to approach reality...we will have to go to school eventually. The exciting part was we were able to meet our real host families (the Monteverde families were only for a week, this one is for 5 months)! Mine is wonderful. Ana, my mom, takes such good care of me, and has spent the past two days cooking for me and showing me the bus route to school. Ronald, the dad, is hilarious and a generally happy guy. I have two host brothers Juan Pablo (25) and Joshua (21), I haven't been able to spend much time with either of them though, since they work and go to school at hours off of mine. Natalia is 16 and our rooms are across the hall from each other. She is really sweet and fun, and it's nice to have another girl in the house (not that I don't love you Clayton and Travis). Also, my host mom's two sisters live in the two houses next door, so there's a constant stream of people in and out that are all related someho, I haven't figured all that out yet.
This week, we are getting to know our city, and our school, we also bought Costa Rican cell phones, and have had some less exciting classes on safety, health, and class registration. Next week we actually start class, so we'll see how that goes!
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