TEFL Con Ticos

Megon and I slipped back into reality this past week after nearly a month of what seemed like a constant state of transitions – in-service training, visiting family and host family outings. And there was no better way to reconnect with La Otoya than by celebrating Semana Santa , or Holy Week. The majority of Costa Ricans are Catholic, so students and teachers around the country have the week off to enjoy Easter. Many vacation at the beach or go to the river, but most spend the time with family. We used Semana Santa to get to know other members of our community, go fishing and swimming in the rivers, do some planning for the next topic of our community English class (Costa Rican and U.S. cuisine), catch up on some reading, and take long walks in the sweltering heat. Months ago, everyone kept telling us April, especially Semana Santa , is the hottest month of the year. They weren’t kidding. Temperatures soared into the low to mid 90s last week and it doesn’t seem to be letting up any...

Q: What do you get when you combine 6 gringos, one Mitsubishi Montero, a barracuda, a few sloths and a couple bold Capuchin monkeys? A: A wonderful Costa Rica adventure! Kevin and I hosted our very first visitors from home last week: my uncle Dawson, aunt Shelly, and cousins Ben and Katie. We were able to cram an incredible amount of adventure and fun into our eight days together! The story begins in San José, where the four Seattleites arrived late Sunday evening. Their arrival into the country was marked by a spectacular fireworks display at the new national soccer stadium, which Kevin and I took to be a good omen for their spring break trip. By midday on Day 2, we had rented a hearty SUV and were on our way to Sarapiquí, the beautiful part of the country Kevin and I get to spend most of our time in. The Selva Verde (Green Jungle) Lodge was everything we’d hoped it would be – beautiful, green, wet and crawling with tons of interesting creatures – and served as a great home bas...

King-sized bed. Warm showers. Big screen TV. Delicious food. Workout facilities. Abnormal as it sounds, that was our Peace Corps life for nearly 10 days. Every Peace Corps volunteer is required to attend an In-Service Training (IST) three months into service. IST serves two purposes: 1. Gives volunteers more technical training after gaining a better understanding of their jobs and communities; 2. Gives them a mental health break. Most ISTs last only a few days, but our Pre-Service Training was cut short one week because our late arrival date, so we tacked that week to IST, which meant we got to spend nine and a half days reuniting with our fellow Tico 21ers. Peace Corps Costa Rica and Crowne Plaza in San José apparently have such a good relationship, 44 volunteers were allowed to invade one of the nicest hotels in the capital city. Most volunteers slept three to a room. Megon and I were spoiled and got a room all to ourselves. When we checked in, we immediately went to the gym and ...