Flowers...

its good having a host mom with connections in the florist business.

At school, finally!

One of the things we do here at Whitworth South is a lot of internship credits. Pretty much every student has some sort of internship in the area, and in my opinion it is a fantastic way to see yet another side of the culture. Three students are working on different ecology projects with a Cuban neighbor of ours, and they are starting some pretty facinating projects. Other internships are: an afterschool program for a group of our neighbor kids, Habitat for Humanity, local restaurants, or ministries for children.

The school I go to, called Roblealto, is a Christian program with houses on sight for some of the students, and other students from the surrounding area also come in to school there. The classes are very small, between 8 and 15 I would guess, and they teach grades kinder through 6th. If you would like to see more about it, this is the link to Roblealto's website.

Since I am a secondary ed major, the volunteer coordinator thought he would put me in 4th, 5th or 6th grade. We when I finally got to Roblealto on Monday, he wasn't there so I talked with the principal of the school. She didn't have much time, so basically she just told Joanne (the other Whitworth student there) and I to come with her and she would introduce us. At this point I still had no clue what I was doing. That is, until she said, "This is Anne, and she will be helping in first grade" Really?! So that is were I spent my Monday morning (it was only a half day of class). In first grade. The last time I spent a significant amount of time with first graders, I was bitten. No joke. That level is not exactly my cup of tea. Add to that the fact that the last class I was in was a fabulous AP senior lit class, and now you have a better idea of my apprehensions.

Do you remember these guys from Recess? 

Not gonna lie, kind of what I was expecting. 

There were only 8 students in the class, but oh my where those boogers crazy! Yes, they are probably still getting into the swing of things since it is just the beginning of the school year, but they certainly have a mind of there own. Mostly I just tried to keep the students doing what they were supposed to be doing, but I certainly didn't feel like I added to their education at all. My dad told me this was a good experience to make sure I don't want to teach younger grades. I replied that now I am certain I wouldn't even teach first grade at gunpoint. Don't get me wrong, the school is great, the teachers really care for their students, and the program as a whole really helps a lot of people. And I can survive anything, even first grade, if its only for a semester. Besides that, the volunteer coordinator said next week I will probably be moved to an older class.

!Gracias a Dios!

 

(brief disclaimer: the Whitworth Education department is fabulous and prepares us very well. Really)

El Volcan Poaz

Today a group of us drove up to the volcano, Poaz. It is quite gorgeous! Lula organized a buseta for us to go. Six of us from Whitworth met up this morning in the San Rafael park, and two of Lula's nephews came as well. The road up to the volcano was very windy, but over all a pretty nice ride, and the scenery was beautiful. Unfortunately I was in the back with the nephews and my camera with in the front with the other gringos, so I didn't get pictures of the view. A bunch of other people did though, so I might get more pictures later.

 

This is the crater of the volcano. We were there on a very good day, because apparently usually the crater is covered in clouds. In this picture you can kind of see the blue sulfur-water in the center. It was much bluer in real life, of course.

 

This is Oscar, one of Lula's many nephews. And me, of course. 

 

Amy, one of the other students here at Whitworth South, Oscar, and Javier (the other nephew that came with us that day). Amy says that just as I took this picture, Oscar told her she better be careful or she would fall in the crater. Which is a pity, that would have made a great story.

 

This is Lula, my Costa Rican mom. She is quite funny, and I learned on this trip that she loves to put bunny ears on everyone.

 

The boys that came on the trip with us. The center four are Whitworth students, the bookends are the ticos. (From right to left: Oscar, Isaiah, Aaron, Nicholas, Joshua, and Javier)

 

Amy and I in the photo now, behind us is a lake that is a short walk from the volcano.

 

Another view of the lake (lagoon) with the little purple flowers that were my favorite that I saw on this trip.

 

Walking back down from the lake. This is what the majority of the path looked like; tons of trees, very green.

 

Amy and I taking pictures in the gift shop to point out to the world that yes, indeed, we are from out of town.

 

Lula liked the green monkey mask a lot. 

So that was our volcano trip! A long lovely drive, great weather, a good walk, and now I've seen the volcano.

PS: If anyone noticed that in the two group pictures by the lake the sling not only changed arms but changed people, I personally give you kudos. I will throw in a golden star if you can figure out who should actually wear it.

Mi Vecina

The house where I live is a duplex, and the family next door to us has only one child, a little five year old girl. I think I've mentioned Sophie before, but after we had a photo shoot session last Sunday, I figured she deserved her own post. She's a very sweet girl, and super smart, but also definitely has a strong personality! And she is incredibly friendly. Almost every night she comes over after dinner and wants to play, and Lula and I have to set a time limit. Usually we "play cards." The first time this meant that she threw them all over the place and tried to pick them all up as fast as we could. That's right, 52-card-pick-up. Classic. Since then though, future teacher that I am, I have changed the game into counting, making patterns with the colors, or adding. Other times Sophie and I will color together, or she will bring over her little game laptop and we will both be on our computers. But these pictures are all from last Sunday when she wanted to do a photo shoot.

 

Sophie and our dog Manchas

 

Me and the tree. Not sure why, but Sophie insisted that I have a picture with the tree.

 

Sophie also though it was immensely entertaining to take ugly photos of the grates, the ground, etc. I drew the line when she decided it would be a good idea to take a photo of the dog's rear end.

 

The front door of my house

 

Manchas, again

 

The view down my street

 

All three of us together

Fruit......mainly fresas

Costa Rica has some great fruit. I have had some pineapple that rivals the fresh Hawaiian equivalent, the best watermelon, and great kiwis and grapes. Oh man, do I love the watermelon. I think maybe when we lazy Americans decided to bread out all those lovely black seeds we sacrificed some crucial element of the melon, the secret source of the watermelon's delicious essence.
   Besides these, I've even a few more strange fruits (although I'm sure there are many many more I have yet to try). Water-apples are very popular here, and they taste a bit like an Asian pear. Also, several street vendors have had lychee, and my host mom's favorite is green mango in sour-orange juice with salt.
   But the strawberries (las fresas) were a little disappointing. This is peak season for strawberries here, so we have then a lot. And don't get me wrong, they are great. Very delicious, but pretty much the same as any grocery store/Cali-strawberries. So, they are fine for what they are, but I just got a little nostalgic for those flavorful summer Oregon strawberries. But the good news is, when I get home it will be just about time for them! So, look out Oregon, in the words of Sophia (the five year old neighbor) "Todos son mios"......all are mine.

La Floristeria

    If anyone was wondering if Valentines Day is celebrated in Costa Rica, that is a definite yes! Although here the majority of people call it "El Dia de Amistad" meaning the day of friendship. My host mom's sister owns a floristeria, or a florists shop for those of you who didn't catch the cognate. So this was a big weekend for the family (and she has a huge family too, everyone is related! I think their family in San Rafael rivals the number Roths in Silver/Pratum area.)
    On Friday night I helped get Gerber daisies ready for bouquets with several of the nieces. Then Saturday morning we put together flower arrangements and I pulled thorns off of more roses than my thumbs could fathom. Sunday, after a morning of playing with Sophie and homework, Lula and I went back to the floristeria to finish a few bouquets and label everything for the morning.  Lindy (the director of the campus and my professor for the culture class) got his wife Dinorah a very nice arrangement of roses that Lula surprised her with this morning. Very cute!
    I learned quite a lot this weekend. How to staple leaves in nice loops as space filler. How many colones each flower costs. Always, always have a man take out the garbage. Spray the flowers to make it seem like they have a nice strong sent. Valentine's Day is just as much about friendship here. And chocolate certainly does taste good, especially after having almost none for two weeks.

 

This is what Lula gave me for Valentine's Day

 

Lovely roses (from the floristeria, of course)

The basics...

I realized that I have not gone over some basic information about how life is going here, so I thought I'd just give a quick general update:

Classes:
Our classes here are set up in month-long terms, with class for three hours in either the morning or the afternoon four days a week. On Monday, we all have some sort of internship credit either here at the Whitworth campus (three students are doing an ecology centered internship and three are doing an afterschool program with some neighbor kids) or somewhere in the surrounding community (restaurant, hotel, schools, etc). Right now I am taking two classes, Spanish grammar/literature in the morning and Latin American culture in the afternoon. It makes for a lot of homework, but it's still easier than my typical semesters have been. The after another couple weeks, I will have a different class. My internship credit is for the education department, and is currently giving me problems. The school where I will work (Roblealto) still has not approved all my paperwork. So sticky about paperwork! Hopefully next week that will all be sorted out.

Campus:
The campus that Whitworth has used to be a restaurant/hotel, but had been empty for several (8?) years before Whitworth bought it. After much reconstruction it now has two classrooms, a eating area, kitchen, library, offices and apartments for the professors and TA's, and a lovely rotunda area in the front. It is up on in the mountains, so we often have very windy cold days, but other times it it just gorgeous. The campus is about a half hour ride from downtown San Rafael, where most of us live. All of the students come up for class on the buss, and then trek up the rest of the hill to the center. The climb makes for an invigorating, but sweaty, way to start the day.

Housing:
The campus that Whitworth has here used to be a hotel/restaurant, so there are "dorm" rooms here. We stayed in the dorms for the first week that we were here, and then meet our families at the end of the week. Now we all live with various host families in the San Rafael/Heredia area. In my host family I have a very exuberant and talkative mom named Eulalia (Lula) who works with her sister in a florists shop, and a 28 year old sister who works in the corporate office of a big central American food company. Also, Lula has 11 brothers and sisters, so I swear everyone I meet is either a sibling or a niece or nephew. Also, on the other side of our duplex we have a very cute little neighbor girl. Sophia is five years old, very funny, and always has an opinion. In the last week I have spent many a "only ten minutes" playing cards or coloring or taking picture with her. Also, we have a dog named "Manchas" (which means "stains").

I think that covers the basics for now. More pictures to come soon!


**Update**
Pictures!

 

My Room

 

Our Living room

 

The dinning table (other side of the living room area)

 

The kitchen

My bathroom (I have my own, I'm quite spoiled)

Pictures from the first week

Hello All!

 It is now the second weekend of my semester here in Costa Rica, and I finally have some pictures, so far all from the first week. I apologize to all you photography enthusiasts, because my photos are no where near "art," but I hope they give you a little insight into what I've been up to.

 

This is the church in the center of San Rafael. I live about a 5 minute walk from here, and this is were I catch the bus every morning for class. 

The inside of the church

This is a mini-fort in downtown Heredia. San Rafael is a small little town, and Heredia is the bigger city just a bit south.

 

This is a view from downtown Heredia as well.

 

 

This very ugly picture is an effort to show the dorm building we have on campus (that use to be hotel rooms) as well as capture a wonderfully vibrant rainbow. A miserable attempt on both counts. In case you were wondering, yes the Whitworth South campus has "dorm" rooms, but we only live in them for the first week. We are all now happily situated in Costa Rican host families.

 

 

These are just some nice fluffy chickens at our neighbors house. 

On our first full day here, we did a "Plunge" in San Rafael and Heredia, and here we are demonstrating to world that, yes indeed, we are gringos.