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!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Pictures from Monteverde!
Thought those of you not of Facebook might want to see some pictures of my adventures in Monteverde
Here's Brittney and the waterfall
Getting ready for ziplining!
Sarah landing on a zip line
Waiting for the next line, everyone looking adventurous
Look at how beautiful the rainforest is!
Eating with my host brothers, Luis and Fernando. Fernando didn't want to participate in the picture taking process.
Me with my host mom and sister in Monteverde
Dance class with Javier!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Monteverde (The Green Mountain)
Monteverde is home to a strange meterological event. In the mountains of Costa Rica, the winds from the Pacific and the Carribean meet and form a cloud forest on top of the mountains. In short, there is a beautiful rain forest on top of a mountain, and you actually get to be IN the clouds.
For this week of orientation, we have been living with host families. Mine is VERY sweet. There´s a mom, a dad, and three kids, a 16-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old boy. They have been nothing but wonderful to me, and so welcoming, the littlest one even put on a dance show for me!
Speaking of dancing, during the day we have two classes as part of orientation, one is a Latin dance class, with our instructor Javier (yes, I have a dance instructor named Javier, and he´s exactly what you are probably picturing right now). So far we´ve learned Salsa and Merengue and tomorrow we are performing a dance for our families at a fiesta! Our other class is an intensive Spanish class, with Gaby, our fabulous Spanish instructor, that manages to keep us interested for 4 hours straight.
Let me take this chance to appologize in advance for any spelling or grammar errors that may occur, switching constantly between two languages is really difficult, and I´m at the point where I don´t really know which language is going to come out when I open my mouth. Luckily everyone in my group is going through the same thing, and we have spent the past few days communicating in a strange Spanglish mix. Also, I´m typing on a Spanish computer, so spell check is absolutely no help!
Yesterday, we had a free afternoon to explore Monteverde, we went to the Cheese Factory, the founding business of this town, where we had delicious ice cream! After that, we went to explore a waterfall! It was so incredibly beautiful, and all of us kept looking at each other and saying "are we really here?!?". Afterwards, we meandered our way down the winding mountain road to a coffee shop/restaurant that had a tree growing in the middle!!! It was awesome, and it was fun to just hang out as a group and get to know each other.
Today, we got to experience the main tourist attraction of Monteverde, zip-lining through the cloud forest! We were strapped into rock-climbing harnesses, and attached to a pully/handle which we rode above vast expanses of green forests. It was exciting and so much fun! There will be pictures to come as soon as I can get them!
Today, I also had the chance to interview someone who works at the Monteverde Institute (the place where we are currently taking classes). I had a long conversation (in Spanish) with a woman who is in charge of all of the Institue´s logistics and got to know a little bit about the person that she is and the work she does. I was struck with a feeling of such respect and connection to her, and she just confirmed that this was the place I want to be right now, meeting people like her. It was a good feeling to have a couple days into the trip, just as it´s hitting us all that we´re going to be here for a while.
I love the people I´m here with too, we all seem to be in similar frames of mind, even though we come from all over the US and have all sorts of different experiences. I´m excited to spend more time with them, and more time in this incredible country!
Tomorrow night, we have a goodbye party with our host families, then this weekend it´s off to Arenal (a volcano!). On Sunday, we return to Heredia, and get to meet our long-term host families! More to come soon!
Con Mucho Amor,
Meche
For this week of orientation, we have been living with host families. Mine is VERY sweet. There´s a mom, a dad, and three kids, a 16-year-old girl, a 14-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old boy. They have been nothing but wonderful to me, and so welcoming, the littlest one even put on a dance show for me!
Speaking of dancing, during the day we have two classes as part of orientation, one is a Latin dance class, with our instructor Javier (yes, I have a dance instructor named Javier, and he´s exactly what you are probably picturing right now). So far we´ve learned Salsa and Merengue and tomorrow we are performing a dance for our families at a fiesta! Our other class is an intensive Spanish class, with Gaby, our fabulous Spanish instructor, that manages to keep us interested for 4 hours straight.
Let me take this chance to appologize in advance for any spelling or grammar errors that may occur, switching constantly between two languages is really difficult, and I´m at the point where I don´t really know which language is going to come out when I open my mouth. Luckily everyone in my group is going through the same thing, and we have spent the past few days communicating in a strange Spanglish mix. Also, I´m typing on a Spanish computer, so spell check is absolutely no help!
Yesterday, we had a free afternoon to explore Monteverde, we went to the Cheese Factory, the founding business of this town, where we had delicious ice cream! After that, we went to explore a waterfall! It was so incredibly beautiful, and all of us kept looking at each other and saying "are we really here?!?". Afterwards, we meandered our way down the winding mountain road to a coffee shop/restaurant that had a tree growing in the middle!!! It was awesome, and it was fun to just hang out as a group and get to know each other.
Today, we got to experience the main tourist attraction of Monteverde, zip-lining through the cloud forest! We were strapped into rock-climbing harnesses, and attached to a pully/handle which we rode above vast expanses of green forests. It was exciting and so much fun! There will be pictures to come as soon as I can get them!
Today, I also had the chance to interview someone who works at the Monteverde Institute (the place where we are currently taking classes). I had a long conversation (in Spanish) with a woman who is in charge of all of the Institue´s logistics and got to know a little bit about the person that she is and the work she does. I was struck with a feeling of such respect and connection to her, and she just confirmed that this was the place I want to be right now, meeting people like her. It was a good feeling to have a couple days into the trip, just as it´s hitting us all that we´re going to be here for a while.
I love the people I´m here with too, we all seem to be in similar frames of mind, even though we come from all over the US and have all sorts of different experiences. I´m excited to spend more time with them, and more time in this incredible country!
Tomorrow night, we have a goodbye party with our host families, then this weekend it´s off to Arenal (a volcano!). On Sunday, we return to Heredia, and get to meet our long-term host families! More to come soon!
Con Mucho Amor,
Meche
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Welcome to Heredia!
It's actually here!
The flight was pretty simple, made even better by the fact that I found two other girls on my program on the flight! We stuck together to get through customs and to the hotel.
I am currently sitting in the Hotel Bouganvillea in Heredia Costa Rica!
The flight was pretty simple, made even better by the fact that I found two other girls on my program on the flight! We stuck together to get through customs and to the hotel.
After a few hours of exploring our hotel and a taxi drive from the airport, I can officially say that this country is insanely beautiful!
There are flowers everywhere and the weather is incredible (yay for skirts in January!)
Tomorrow we head off to Monteverde (the rainforest) for a week-long orientation full of fun activities. The week after that, we are back in Heredia, meet our host families and start school the week after that!
If you can't tell, I'm incredibly excited to be here, and can't wait to continue the adventure.
~Meche
Also for your entertainment, some pictures from our hotel and our favorite billboard so far...
There are flowers everywhere and the weather is incredible (yay for skirts in January!)
Tomorrow we head off to Monteverde (the rainforest) for a week-long orientation full of fun activities. The week after that, we are back in Heredia, meet our host families and start school the week after that!
If you can't tell, I'm incredibly excited to be here, and can't wait to continue the adventure.
~Meche
Also for your entertainment, some pictures from our hotel and our favorite billboard so far...
Alyssa (a girl in my program) and I in the garden at the hotel
Pretty flowers!
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