http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/meganjohn/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from meganjohn en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:35:39 +0000 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:35:39 +0000 Posted by JohnThis is our last posting... I will explain at the end but read on for now....Time for another border run... Seeing as how our last border run was to Panama we decided this time to head north and see Nicaragua. Our semester teaching has ended and six of us teachers decided to go to Nicaragua together to save on boarding and transport. One of our friends had heard some good things ab http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Granada/blog-430508.html Megan and I went on a great rafting trip with 11 of the other teachers from school. It was an exhilarating trip during rainy season here in Costa Rica. The river Paquare is supposedly classified as class 3 and 4 rapids with 5 being the highest on the scale. I am have no idea if the rapids were that big but they were definitely big enough for us. We stopped half way and had lunch and then finished http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Heredia/blog-416962.html Posted by JohnTime to catch everyone up on our travels again. It has been a while. Megan and I have been on a few trips since we last wrote in the blog.Not long ago we took a short trip to the Monte Verde area. This region in the northern part of Costa Rica is a popular tourist attraction for its zipline tours and jungle canopy bridge tours. We decided to ride the ziplines the afternoon we arri http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Heredia/blog-406620.html Posted by John It has been so long since we have posted. Megan and I have just been caught up with teaching and the daytoday aspects of living here. We have adjusted quite well. It feels now almost like living anywhere else really. We work pay bills grocery shop clean house and all of the other things we would be doing in the States. Now we just have to do them in another language. Needl http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Heredia/blog-389759.html Posted by John118 We have finally moved into our new apartment and are slowly getting settled in our new life. Heredia is the perfect size town. Small enough to walk across but big enough to have all that we need. The terrain weather and overall feel of Heredia reminds me a little of a northern California town cool breezy nights and sunny cool days. During the day I think the temperature here http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Heredia/blog-364780.html Road Trip Posted by JohnThe last days in Samara diminished quickly as many of our fellow TEFL students moved away to their respective jobs peppered all over Costa Rica. There were four of us left each interested in traveling to Heredia near the capital of San Jose. Two of us have jobs waiting one of us is going there to look and the other is flying home to visit family. We decided to leave ear http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-362064.html 122408 posted by JohnSettling in at the farmhellip Yes as Megan stated we are now on a farm and it is quite nice. We have been spending our days exploring some of the other beaches in the area. Yesterday five of us went in search of Playa Izquierda. The hills here march all the way into the sea creating many crescent shaped coves that in time have become a series of sometimes small and almo http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-357701.html Posted by Megan 1227Well Christmas has come and gone but supposedly the party is just starting. The festival starts today. It looks very interesting... they've been setting up rides and getting ready for this for days. It lasts until January I think. They are going to have a big parade on horses all around Samara like 30 or so caballeros. Then on the last day of the festival they are going to http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-357618.html Posted by Megan 1222Well we are officially done with classes. We both passed with an A. And we got moved to the new place... which happens to be a much better place That was the quickest move I've ever lived through. We packed all our stuff up and got it moved over to the new house in a grand total of maybe 2 hours. The new place is on a farm on the outskirts of town. It is such a beautiful p http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-356387.html posted by Megan 1217Well class is almost over We have been so busy the past two weeks with homework creating lesson plans creating our portfolios and resumes and just being in class 9 hours a day. But I taught for the last time last night it went pretty well I think and John teaches for the last time tonight. All we have left after that is our final exam and to finish our portfolios.We http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-355064.html Posted by John A week of class has passed and the weekend is greatly welcomed. I taught Friday night and it went extremely well. My class was very responsive and we all had a lot of fun. Being Friday night and the end of a somewhat stressful week all of us in the TEFL program decided to go and have a beer after class. The other students have found a favorite local bar to frequent near the house http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-350473.html posted by Megan 1126I NEED FOOD I seem to be always hungry lately. Even right after I eathellipWersquore trying to live off 100 a week total and Irsquom not sure itrsquos going to be possible. We went to Nicoya for groceries and spent almost 80 and almost all we have left in the fridge are pasta eggs potatoes rice beans a carrot some celery a couple onions and a half a red http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-349399.html posted by Megan 1127Ok so yoursquove got everything planned out perfectly yoursquove got all your pictures and charts drawn your activities planned out and your lesson plan worked out to perfection. You think yoursquore gonna do just great you think you might just knock some socks off. And then WHAM You get your own feet knocked out from under youhellipTonight I taught my first http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-349396.html Posted by Megan 1124Today was the first day of class. Phew I didnrsquot realize that there was so much information to learn about teaching. We had a lesson on classroom environment and then a lesson on lesson planshellip I have a feeling we just scratched the surface on both of those topics. Then the last 3 hours we worked on building lesson plans for our first class. Which for some of the http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-348840.html Posted by John. Nov. 22ndGetting settled.Everything is falling into place nicely here in Samara. This is definitely a Tico town. The normal touristy feeling you sometimes get while traveling in Latin America is virtually nil here. Aside from the few students that come here to study Spanish it is just a nice relatively untouched Tico town. A rough knowledge of Spanish is a must. I have realized http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-347951.html Posted by JohnWhere do I start I apologize for the lack of photos as of yet... they will come.We flew to Costa Rica yesterday with a short stopover in San Salvador El Salvador say that three times fast.The goodbyes at the airport are always harder than you think they will be.Went through security and they said I was chosen for the naked scan. Wished I could have seen that oneMegan got http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-346976.html Added by John on November 1st. The final countdown begins It is starting to feel real now as the departure date becomes increasingly closer. Megan and I are probably underestimating all that is to be done before we go but overall I believe we have the necessities taken care of ie tickets luggage place to stay money and so on. Work for me has pretty much come to completion. My seniority http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Samara/blog-340597.html