some funny bits

--I saw a lone chicken cross the road this morning. I found it really entertaining.

--They have Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in syndication here, and this is what the commercial for it says (in Spanish, claro): "Your opportunity to cry every day of the week".

the future, the irrelevant, and the unhealthy

--I've pretty much officially decided I'm not staying here in C.R. It's a great place, but I just don't see myself living here. I'm currently looking at jobs in Europe (U.K., Switzerland, Russia, Italy, Spain), mainly summer camps as a way to get my foot in the door. It's been interesting to see what my classmates' plans are so far, some people want to stay here, some want to head to Asia where all the good money is, some have no idea (and I don't honestly see them ever doing this after the course). If people keep their eyes and ears peeled for jobs around them and let me know, I would seriously appreciate it. There's currently one ESL teacher need in the PCSSD but it requires about a billion certifications I don't have. Still looking and we'll start working resumes tomorrow.

--I am coming to a clearer (visual) conclusion of my dream guy, thanks to the following celebrities: Andrew Lee Potts--my new major actor crush, Alejandro Sanzo--my little bit of Latin, and Brandon Flowers--lead singer of The Killers. These three guys actually look similar, which means I'm making headway, right?

--Finally, I am turning into my former roommate: I put mayonnaise on my french fries. I used to think it was so gross, but I've got my favorite fry spot here (Jardin Marino), and ketchup here tastes SUPER different, it's sweeter and I can't stand it. They have more mayo than ketchup, and they've got mayo with lime! Mayo with lime is my new favorite!

My roommates and I have been hanging out our landlady's son's house (he lives next door) because he can really cook. They grow practically everything and anything they eat, so a couple nights ago we had fresh squeezed orange/some fruit I can't spell juice, and last night he had made us a crema (soup) of ayote, cheese, chile powder, corn, mushrooms, and sweet cream. It was soooo good. And we had cookies! Totally spoiled. I taught last night and I'm done for the week, so I've been getting to town early and laying on the beach. One week until my mom gets here for her vacation!

more pictures

costa rica, you spoil me--4 things

1.) Liquor--Let's be frank, I'm legal and I'd rather do my partying while I'm younger. The booze here is much more easily accessible and cheaper. Last night we decided to do a little pre-gaming on the way into town, and I was able to get rum and coke in a can for just under $2 U.S. and we were able to drink it as we walked. At the bar we go to, you can get a beer for about $2 U.S., plus it was Ladies' Night so we (as ladies) got the Costa Rican equivalent of trashcan punch for free. It's good to be a drinker here.

2.) Nightlife--Sure, there are only about 4 bars here that people go to, and you might fall into a routine of Tabanuco on Thursday and Friday, and Olas or Tutti Frutti on Saturday, but the guys here can dance and they're not afraid to dance. I've almost gotten to where I like having multiple couples dancing around me and we all share the same bubble; there's no sense of personal space here, and even foreign guys pick up on that pretty quick. Last night some German-sounding guy kept tentatively trying to dance with me, it was pretty funny since he was essentially just standing behind me. Anyway, the point is that you're going to have fun when you go out, enough that it negates the twenty minute walk to get to the bar.

3.) The Beach--The bars that we go to are all right on the beach, so when you want a break from the dancing, you can just go sit on the beach, or walk around in the surf under the stars. I've already had some pretty spiritual moments on the beach at night, it's really hard to not be affected by the environment here. The road to our house meets up with the beach and the tide was super low last night, so we ran towards the water for a solid twenty seconds before we even touched the water, then we walked home along the beach. It was fantastic, just me and Jana and Crystal walking in the dark along the beach. Very cool.

4.) Fruits and Vegetables--I've said it before and I'll say it again, fruits and veggies are cheap and easy to come by here, and last night we were all hungry by the time we got home. My go-to post-party food is Taco Bell, but last night I discovered that an avocado half is a perfectly good substitute. Then I had a tasty apple on my way into town this morning.

This morning I came in a little early and spent about 30 minutes on the beach soaking up the sun. Our school is literally a 5 minute walk from the beach, so I just brought a change of clothes. But I'm exhausted today. Hopefully I'll get up some more pictures tomorrow here and on Facebook. Time to head back into class to observe.

first solo teach: success!

I finished my first solo teaching job an hour and a half ago, and apparently I did pretty well. One of my classmates told me, "You're going to be the best teacher", alot of them said I did well, so that makes me feel good. It's hard to assess as you're going, because you're all in your head about what's happening, but even my teacher trainer said it went well. I'm super hungry right now, my head has been hurting since last night, I just want to eat something that I don't have to make for myself! Whine whine whine! But things are still going well, class is still fun, although I'm pretty jealous of the whole half price chocolate today thing in the States.

My next two ideal vacation spots are: Costa Rica (of course), and Canada. All these Canadians are making me want to visit! (Nancy, you can tell me some cool spots to check out.)

Hasta luego!

feliz dia de san valentin!

I keep meaning to update, but when you have to walk twenty minutes to get internet, it kinda jacks up your blog schedule. I'm having serious procrastination issues right now when I should be working on my lesson plan for class tomorrow. I feel like I'm on Grey's Anatomy: I got the first solo class! I don't know if it means anything, but I think it's kind of exciting--I'm teaching likes and dislikes to the Beginner I class tomorrow from 3:30-5. I've already team-taught two classes mostly successfully and without injuring my partner (don't get me started on her, I could go on for hours about my feelings toward her). It's really weird to think that I've already been in class for a week; it's actually been really interesting. And I've always loved being in school, because I'm actually really good at being a student. I'm settling in and adjusting a little better everyday, but I'm going to be really excited to come home, I already know it.

Here are some fun facts about Samara and Costa Rica for you.
-A week ago today they elected their new president--Laura Chinchilla. Yes, a woman.
-At least here in Samara, there is no hot water and the plumbing system cannot take toilet paper, so that goes in the trash can. Kinda weird, tough to get used to.
-Last week it poured overnight. It was the first time in at least a month and a half that they've had any rain.
-Modesty goes out the window when the average high everyday is 97 degrees Fahrenheit.
-Costa Rican drivers don't like to share the road with anyone. You can tell foreign drivers apart because they will give you space on the road instead of driving right at you.
-I have learned that they get shows like Glee and American Idol, just behind the States (I saw Charity on Hollywood Week last night and got to brag to all my housemates!).
-You think it's easy to get distracted during class at home? Try ignoring the monkeys playing in the trees right outside the window.
-It's cheaper to buy fruits and veggies from the stand on the side of the road than in the store. I got a mango and two bananas for about $1 U.S. the other day. I'm totally spoiled on produce forever now.
-Ticos love foreign women, particularly tall ones, skinny ones, and blondes. I'm safe.
-The national tree of Costa Rica is the Guanacaste tree, after which the province I'm living in is named.

That's it. I've had a killer headache and I'm about out of ibuprofen, and I seriously need to finish this lesson plan because there is no time tomorrow before I teach.

Ciao!

lunch break

I'm on my last big break before I teach my first class tonight at 5:30! Definitely nervous. Here are some pictures I took this past weekend.

pura vida

I am still pinching myself constantly--I am in Costa Rica! It seems like so much has happened in just a day and a half. I got in late Wednesday night, and although it was nice and breezy outside, it was too hot to really sleep. That's the main thing here: it's really hot and humid, like Arkansas in the summer except instead of hopping in a car, people walk or bike everywhere. The people are really friendly, except the girls in the program call the local guys "tico perros", and from the drama that I've already seen go down, I think that's true. But the people I've met from the program are really cool, there are a few from last month who are still looking for jobs in the country and I've met one guy who's in my group. So far I'm the baby, and I definitely feel like it. Last night we went to one of the local bars for Ladies' Night, and I was in total culture shock...until they started playing Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas, then I started dancing and it was all okay. I'm just gonna say one thing that's really bugging me though, and I never thought I'd say it, but it really sucks being an American female here. Unless you're with a group, you can't stay out after dark, so that essentially means being stuck at the house, and having to be back there by sundown. My classmate Rafi is able to just walk down the beach and hit up the bars whenever he wants. It also kinda sucks that my house is a twenty minute walk from town, and I've yet to find a bicycle to rent. But on the whole it's great, and I finally slept for 8 good hours last night, I'm feeling a nap coming on right now.

Hasta luego!

well, here I am!

One and a half hours down, three hours to go! Have you ever been to the Houston airport? It's crazy! They have Best Buy and Sephora vending machines! Now that the hardest part is over (leaving my family in L.R.), I'm really ready to get to Costa Rica. Since I'll be directing friends and family to this blog throughout my trip, I thought I'd post the link to the program's website so people can find out more about what I'm doing.

http://www.costaricatefl.com

As they say in C.R., pura vida!