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Published: September 2nd 2008
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Butterfly
The view outside my bedroom door. Well, it’s been just about two weeks since I arrived here in Costa Rica and everything is going great. I have been enjoying my time at Saint Clare very much. I spent most of my classroom time last week observing my two cooperating teachers, Alexandra and Rebecca. Both were originally biologists who found that they enjoyed teaching science just as much as they like doing research. They are both excellent teachers as well as great mentors. Today was my first day of teaching and it was somewhat on the fly. Alexandra wasn’t feeling well so she had me take over the class. It was so much fun. The students here often have a lot of energy, some might say too much, but if you can harness that energy the classroom just lights up. I had all of the students engaged in the activity, asking questions, learning and having fun. It was a great first time teaching at Saint Clare. I don’t think I could ask for better students.
Things outside of the colegio of Saint Clare have been fun as well. Last weekend Travis, another student teacher at Saint Clare, and I caught a bus to the city of Cartago
Flower
I see these flowers along my walk to Saint Clare. to meet up with Andrea, another teacher, and her boyfriend. When we got to Cartago and started looking for Andrea all of the power in the city went out. It was pitch black except for the lights from the cars. I had never seen anything like it. We finally met up with the others and decided we were going to check out a local establishment called TK’s. The drive there was about 20-minutes on a road that didn’t seem to get much use or had gotten too much use. Needless to say it seemed a little sketchy when it was pitch black outside. We finally took a turn into a long driveway that didn’t seem too inviting but apparently we had made it to where we were “supposed” to be. We walked into TK’s and I was once again reminded not to “judge a book by its cover.” I don’t know how everyone else found it but this was the place to be. It is here where I discovered the most intimidating but incredibly fun thing to do in Costa Rica…Salsa dance. It was awesome. I think it is the most fun you could possibly have dancing and I recommend
Bananas
This is a banana tree that is right across the street from my house. that it goes on everyone’s list of things to do multiple times. At the end of the night, Travis and I caught a ride with Andrea’s uncle who happened to be a taxi driver. He was a really nice guy and fun to talk to using our broken Spanish.
The following day Steve, a student teacher from Duluth who also lives at the same home as I do, and I made our way to the Terra Mall to exchange our dollars into colones. We had a hand-drawn map to get there so we were set. However, we made our way in the wrong direction. We continued to wonder the streets of Tres Rios until we were thoroughly lost. It was GREAT. We finally turned the corner into one of the unspoken gems of the city. It was a giant farmer’s market that went on for blocks. Venders were there selling all sorts of vegetables and fruits that I had never seen before. It was amazing. After we made it through the gauntlet of fresh produce we found ourselves standing in the Central Park of Tres Rios. Immediately two local guys greeted us so we walked over to them and
Emilia
This is my host mom Emilia. had a great conversation before they gave us directions to the Mall. So far during my trip I have found that Costa Ricans are some of the most genuinely nice people that I have met, especially if you are willing to give a wave or say a simple greeting. Using their directions we finally made it to the Terra Mall. I was blown away. It was huge. The mall is three levels and bigger than most that I have been to in the US. We found a bank surprisingly fast in the huge building and exchanged our money with ease. The day was great.
This past weekend was a little less eventful. Thursday was my birthday and that night after dinner Emilia surprised me with an awesome cake that she had bought earlier that day. The whole family sang “Happy Birthday” to me, first in English and then in Spanish. The cake was delicious and the birthday was one that I will never forget.
I have a few adventures planned for the next few weekends so I will try to post a little bit about each one when I have time. I have enjoyed the comments and messages
Where the Magic Happens
The best thing about Costa Rica might be the food. left on my site so please continue to post. I hope everyone is doing well back home and having as much fun as I am.
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