TEFL Con Ticos

When asked what our legacy would be here in Costa Rica, TICO 21 TEFL volunteers put together this funny description of our service during our recent Close of Service conference in San José. The video -- entirely filmed at the Corobici Hotel -- is intended to make light of some of the challenges volunteers have faced and to humorously celebrate our successes.  We TICO 21 TEFL volunteers care deeply for the country and for the Tico people we have lived and worked with over the past two years. The scenes in the video are simply meant to be funny; they are in no way meant to be derogatory or overly critical of the country and the people we have grown to love. Part I Part II

A huge thank you to Government Hill Elementary, Darien Book Aid Plan, Alaska RPCVs, and Diana Daniels for making our elementary school library a reality.

Since the 1970s Peace Corps Costa Rica has published a magazine called La Cadena, which means the chain in English. The news, stories, photos, poems, recipes, etc. are submitted by staff members and volunteers around the country. I’ve had the pleasure of working as an editor for this tri-annual publication throughout the past year. Our August issue —my final as editor— included a story I wrote called La Pata Chancho. It's not a cheerful story, but perhaps you could take away a thing or two about keeping you and your stuff safe. We laughed our way home from community English class, recapping a hilariously funny lesson plan on diagnosing health problems. Megon, two Tico 24 volunteers and I each took turns playing the “sick patient” while our students played “doctor” and diagnosed us. It was a great start to the PCV visit weekend. Then, as I unlocked the front door to our apartment and went to go unlock the back door, everything changed. Chunks of wall on the floor....