An FYI - If you´ve ever received an address from me, the same one can still be used at least until mid April. If you´ve never received it, or lost it, I would be more than happy to send it to you by email! Just shoot me one letting me know.
Over and out. :)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Worth 1000 Words
Nothing fancy today, just some images from the past weeks.
The view from my window when we are mowing the lawn.
Flowers that have sprung up shouting from underneath one of the garden beds.
Empanadas! Filled with homemade pineapple jelly.
I was so proud of myself.
Taken on the way home from a walk with Nicol. I live here!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Inside/Outside
Today is my four-month anniversary in Costa Rica. Happy monthiversary to me! It´s strange to think that I´ve been here that long - the usual rush and drag of time applies.
Often, people ask me how I learned my Spanish. The answer is sort of drawn out: I took classes in high school and college, and studied abroad in Perú. I always hesitate to add the last bit, due to some serious neglect of opportunity there that I think I´ve mentioned here before. No doubt, I spoke more Spanish in Perú than I do in the States, but given the amount of time I spent there, the boost my Spanish got from the experience is laughable. Similar things could be said about my interaction with real live Peruvians.
I´ve known for years that I wanted to reverse that model the next time I traveled, and planned accordingly for Costa Rica. It´s paid off more than I could have imagined. My Spanish has evolved and is evolving in ways that I am truly proud of. The other day, discussing Spanish with a new acquaintance who is attempting to learn the language, I compared the difference between my Spanish when I arrived and my Spanish now to the difference between cheap boxed white wine and a bottle of Shiraz. (Costa Rica doesn´t produce any wine to speak of - can you tell I miss it?)
More than that, however, I believe the most valuable part of this focusing on the language and the people has come in relationships. Returning to San Isidro the other day, I climbed onto the bus for La Ribera tired and grumpy because the bus was unusually crowded. Standing in the aisle and starting to feel sweat trickle down my back, I felt a tug on my skirt. Luz, my host mom, smiled up at me. From beside me, two of my host sisters said "Caroliiiiiina!" and one popped up from her seat to give me a hug. Space was immediately cleared for me, stacking the youngest daughter on top of the older one. And I burst into a smile. What a difference being welcomed, being named, can mean.
As you all know, I am taking a course a few hours from my home here that requires me to spend three nights a week in Heredia. The first weekend I stayed in a hotel a few blocks from the school and spent my nights wallowing in CNN in English. Important, refreshing, but ultimately lonely. This weekend I was lucky enough to stay with Memo´s sister Ana, who studies there. True to Costa Rican generosity, she welcomed me into her busy life, housed me, fed me, talked my ear off, and celebrated Valentine´s Day with me by buying me an ice cream cone and openly sharing her views on love and machismo. Instead of carrying a styrofoam to-go plate to my hotel room and watching news all night, I snacked on papaya and papusas and listened to the latest work gossip from one of her two jobs. Once again, I was allowed inside.
Walking with my classmates at the TESL institute as we go to lunch has really put this into sharp contrast for me. With them, I am always "outside." We travel in a group, speak English, and generally have a bubble of space left for us as we move from place to place. There is nothing inherently wrong with this - one cannot learn the language for each place he or she wants to visit, nor is there something wrong with traveling with others. But I am more thankful than ever for the moments of everyday Costa Rican life that my choices here have afforded me.
(Happy Valentine´s Day everyone. Hope you let people you love know it!)
Often, people ask me how I learned my Spanish. The answer is sort of drawn out: I took classes in high school and college, and studied abroad in Perú. I always hesitate to add the last bit, due to some serious neglect of opportunity there that I think I´ve mentioned here before. No doubt, I spoke more Spanish in Perú than I do in the States, but given the amount of time I spent there, the boost my Spanish got from the experience is laughable. Similar things could be said about my interaction with real live Peruvians.
I´ve known for years that I wanted to reverse that model the next time I traveled, and planned accordingly for Costa Rica. It´s paid off more than I could have imagined. My Spanish has evolved and is evolving in ways that I am truly proud of. The other day, discussing Spanish with a new acquaintance who is attempting to learn the language, I compared the difference between my Spanish when I arrived and my Spanish now to the difference between cheap boxed white wine and a bottle of Shiraz. (Costa Rica doesn´t produce any wine to speak of - can you tell I miss it?)
More than that, however, I believe the most valuable part of this focusing on the language and the people has come in relationships. Returning to San Isidro the other day, I climbed onto the bus for La Ribera tired and grumpy because the bus was unusually crowded. Standing in the aisle and starting to feel sweat trickle down my back, I felt a tug on my skirt. Luz, my host mom, smiled up at me. From beside me, two of my host sisters said "Caroliiiiiina!" and one popped up from her seat to give me a hug. Space was immediately cleared for me, stacking the youngest daughter on top of the older one. And I burst into a smile. What a difference being welcomed, being named, can mean.
As you all know, I am taking a course a few hours from my home here that requires me to spend three nights a week in Heredia. The first weekend I stayed in a hotel a few blocks from the school and spent my nights wallowing in CNN in English. Important, refreshing, but ultimately lonely. This weekend I was lucky enough to stay with Memo´s sister Ana, who studies there. True to Costa Rican generosity, she welcomed me into her busy life, housed me, fed me, talked my ear off, and celebrated Valentine´s Day with me by buying me an ice cream cone and openly sharing her views on love and machismo. Instead of carrying a styrofoam to-go plate to my hotel room and watching news all night, I snacked on papaya and papusas and listened to the latest work gossip from one of her two jobs. Once again, I was allowed inside.
Walking with my classmates at the TESL institute as we go to lunch has really put this into sharp contrast for me. With them, I am always "outside." We travel in a group, speak English, and generally have a bubble of space left for us as we move from place to place. There is nothing inherently wrong with this - one cannot learn the language for each place he or she wants to visit, nor is there something wrong with traveling with others. But I am more thankful than ever for the moments of everyday Costa Rican life that my choices here have afforded me.
(Happy Valentine´s Day everyone. Hope you let people you love know it!)
In which I rediscover Miss Caroline
For the past two weekends, I´ve been traveling to Heredia (just outside of the capital) to complete a certification for teaching English as a second language. Long before coming to Costa Rica, I had set aside money to get certified while I was abroad, but had sidelined that plan in the haze of the daily joys of farming. Sometimes, however, opportunities fall into your lap in a way that is not to be ignored. Jeff, a friend of mine in San Isidro, recently took this same course and we fell to talking about it. He highly recommended it, and told me some of the aspects of the class before mentioning the price. At the number he gave, my mouth fell open. It was well, well below what I had come up with during internet research while still in the States. Call him, Jeff said. There may not be room left soon. So I did. And there was. A dream deferred was suddenly waiting on me only a few days and several bus hours away.
David Blake runs a teacher training facility in Canada for most of the year, and winters in Costa Rica. He gives his certification classes at much more routine rates in Canada, but offers two sessions of class here during his "vacation." He´s taught all over the world, has an ear constantly open for business and money ideas, smokes like a chimney, and is married to a delightful Japanese woman named June who provides patient and insightful feedback as an English language learner herself.
My classmates are an interesting hodgepodge of people. Priscilla, a seventy-something lady who landed in Costa Rica because a housing development desperately wanted her lot and offered to buy her a house anywhere in the world, has a big heart but can´t fathom the way some young people speak these days. Jackie, a beautiful mom of three who lives in a suburb of Costa Rica that can be compared to LA in the states, comes from a special education background in the States and found herself at a loss when trying to do demonstrate "scowl" to June because of Botox. Kevin owns a fancy bed and breakfast by the beach in Uvita, and taught Kindergarten in the States for thirteen years. And so on. It makes for a very interesting class experience - I have learned a lot from the students as well as the teacher.
Each hour that I spend in class, I am reminded of the joy and hardship and friendships and stress I found last year teaching ESL in New Orleans. I have realized over and over again during lessons what an important experience that was for me - with help from Sarah at Literacy*AmeriCorps, my Corps members, and the Even Start Family, I received and created a quilted education in how to teach ESL. I made mistakes, I made progress, I taught. It´s been easy to feel distant from that experience here in Costa Rica, but this course has reopened my heart for the work of teaching English. I am finding it easy once again to imagine a future of teaching.
I have one more weekend to go before I finish the course - this coming weekend I will be doing my two final practicums and learning about international job opportunities and resume writing. The bus hours are brutal, San Jose is loud and the men obnoxious, but I believe this class is well worth it.
David Blake runs a teacher training facility in Canada for most of the year, and winters in Costa Rica. He gives his certification classes at much more routine rates in Canada, but offers two sessions of class here during his "vacation." He´s taught all over the world, has an ear constantly open for business and money ideas, smokes like a chimney, and is married to a delightful Japanese woman named June who provides patient and insightful feedback as an English language learner herself.
My classmates are an interesting hodgepodge of people. Priscilla, a seventy-something lady who landed in Costa Rica because a housing development desperately wanted her lot and offered to buy her a house anywhere in the world, has a big heart but can´t fathom the way some young people speak these days. Jackie, a beautiful mom of three who lives in a suburb of Costa Rica that can be compared to LA in the states, comes from a special education background in the States and found herself at a loss when trying to do demonstrate "scowl" to June because of Botox. Kevin owns a fancy bed and breakfast by the beach in Uvita, and taught Kindergarten in the States for thirteen years. And so on. It makes for a very interesting class experience - I have learned a lot from the students as well as the teacher.
Each hour that I spend in class, I am reminded of the joy and hardship and friendships and stress I found last year teaching ESL in New Orleans. I have realized over and over again during lessons what an important experience that was for me - with help from Sarah at Literacy*AmeriCorps, my Corps members, and the Even Start Family, I received and created a quilted education in how to teach ESL. I made mistakes, I made progress, I taught. It´s been easy to feel distant from that experience here in Costa Rica, but this course has reopened my heart for the work of teaching English. I am finding it easy once again to imagine a future of teaching.
I have one more weekend to go before I finish the course - this coming weekend I will be doing my two final practicums and learning about international job opportunities and resume writing. The bus hours are brutal, San Jose is loud and the men obnoxious, but I believe this class is well worth it.
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Chinchilla in Charge
So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, Sunday was also the day of presidential elections here in Costa Rica. I am so glad that I was able to be here over an election period. I found it illuminating to see another country (especially one that is seen as a bastion of democracy and stability) go through elections in their own way.
Many things were the same. TV and newspaper ads got progressively more acusatory as election day grew closer. Conversations couldn´t seem to avoid ending up on politics. Ridiculous promises were made. The works. But many things were different as well. Costa Ricans, while they employ secret ballots, are much more upfront about both asking and answering the question of "Who are you going to vote for?" The style of personal propoganda use was different - no signs in yards, few bumber stickers, but lots (and lots!) of flags and banners. But more than anything, I was struck by the sense of excitement and happiness that went along with the election process. Little kids would have an answer right away if you asked them who they would vote for. Old men and teenage girls would get into teasing debates over who was best. While some people would simply shrug and say "votes are secret for a reason" when asked about the subject, the subject was more open and less cynical on the whole.
All of that, though, didn´t hold a candle to election day. Granted, I was in class most of the day (more on this later!), but there was no escaping the fact that it was election day outside. Traffic came almost to a standstill as cars decked out in flags, banners, stickers, T-shirts, and hats crusied down the street, honking up a storm. The combined noise was so loud that I was reminded of my hometown´s annual fire parade. I had so much fun watching the Costa Ricans have fun. Here are a few pictures of the street in front of my classroom:
Many things were the same. TV and newspaper ads got progressively more acusatory as election day grew closer. Conversations couldn´t seem to avoid ending up on politics. Ridiculous promises were made. The works. But many things were different as well. Costa Ricans, while they employ secret ballots, are much more upfront about both asking and answering the question of "Who are you going to vote for?" The style of personal propoganda use was different - no signs in yards, few bumber stickers, but lots (and lots!) of flags and banners. But more than anything, I was struck by the sense of excitement and happiness that went along with the election process. Little kids would have an answer right away if you asked them who they would vote for. Old men and teenage girls would get into teasing debates over who was best. While some people would simply shrug and say "votes are secret for a reason" when asked about the subject, the subject was more open and less cynical on the whole.
All of that, though, didn´t hold a candle to election day. Granted, I was in class most of the day (more on this later!), but there was no escaping the fact that it was election day outside. Traffic came almost to a standstill as cars decked out in flags, banners, stickers, T-shirts, and hats crusied down the street, honking up a storm. The combined noise was so loud that I was reminded of my hometown´s annual fire parade. I had so much fun watching the Costa Ricans have fun. Here are a few pictures of the street in front of my classroom:
(sidenote: the guy in the blue shirt kept "eyebrow raising" at me - who does that?)
Secondlining in Spirit
GO SAINTS!!
Let me tell you, the moment that the Saints intercepted the ball for a touchdown last night was one of the most exciting moments of my time here in Costa Rica. I realize that might seem silly, but I had such a blast getting to participate in a fun American tradition and see a team and city I care deeply about win. (And then show the rest of the country what it means to celebrate!)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
SuperTazón!
ahem: WHO DAT?
Costa Rica has been rude enough to schedule a presidential election the day of the Super Bowl! They have, however, been kind enough to lift a long standing law about closing all bars for the 72 hours surrounding the event. Thank goodness!
I will be cheering on the Saints from gringo bar in San Jose this weekend - I expect it will be the most American I have felt in a good while. Can´t wait!!
P.S. One of the front running candidates for president is a lady - I think that would be quite interesting in this most macho of places.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Emus!
Things here on the Chinchilla farm for the past week or two have been a strange jumble of comforting routine and new developments. I was thinking the other day about how lost and awkward I felt when I first arrived here - I never knew what to do with myself those days. I´d fidget and draw out tasks because I knew that when I finished I´d feel aimless again. These days, the rhythm of the farm is something comforting. I lend a hand when and where I can, and am able to see and pick up tasks that I know need doing without a second thought. The truth is, I feel at home here. While I still have to drag myself out of bed some mornings, I am always happy and in the swing of things by the time I´ve collected the first bucket of eggs or the third handful of weeds.
That said, there is also a lot happening right now that will change farm life at Finca Chinchilla. The Chinchillas just this week negotiated a deal with a man from the Osa Peninsula to bring emus to the farm - 16 in all. They are very excited about the new venture, and if their new business partner knows what he is talking about, it should be a very profitable move. For my part, I am excited to have a whole new project in which I can learn and lend a hand. (And a little nervous! Anyone ever been to the "Safari" in Natural Bridge, VA? Those things are big and hungry!) Construction of the new pasture fence starts this week, with the animals arriving sometime this month. I will be sure to keep you guys updated on our emu adventure here.
That said, there is also a lot happening right now that will change farm life at Finca Chinchilla. The Chinchillas just this week negotiated a deal with a man from the Osa Peninsula to bring emus to the farm - 16 in all. They are very excited about the new venture, and if their new business partner knows what he is talking about, it should be a very profitable move. For my part, I am excited to have a whole new project in which I can learn and lend a hand. (And a little nervous! Anyone ever been to the "Safari" in Natural Bridge, VA? Those things are big and hungry!) Construction of the new pasture fence starts this week, with the animals arriving sometime this month. I will be sure to keep you guys updated on our emu adventure here.
How to Milk a Cow
1. Lasso the cow by its horns and tether it to the side of the corral.
2. Tie the cow´s hind feet together. Be careful - if she doesn´t feel like being milked, she´ll make it hard on you. Also, you are in the "discharge" danger zone while doing this - be aware!
3. Let the cow´s baby out of the other side of the corral. If necessary, help it find the udder. (Little cows are apt to try and suckle knees, pants legs, and tails in an effort to eat the first few days!)
4. Make sure the calf suckles at each teat for at least a few seconds, and then lasso it and tether it to the side of the corral with its mom.
5. Splash water on each teat to rinse it of calf spit, dirt, grass, ticks, and who knows what.
6. Milk! Don´t be afraid to seriously pull - that calf is rougher on her than you will ever be.
7. Attempt to be cool and develop a sophisticated "finger drumming" type technique for squeezing out milk. Realize you´re not that cool and will just have to settle for whatever movement makes milk come out.
8. About halfway through, let the calf nurse again for a few seconds to encourage milk to keep coming.
9. Pour the last of the milk from the pitcher into the bucket, carefully release the cow´s legs, and let the calf nurse in earnest.
10. Use this distraction to undo the cow´s horns and slip out of the corral.
11. Repeat daily.
2. Tie the cow´s hind feet together. Be careful - if she doesn´t feel like being milked, she´ll make it hard on you. Also, you are in the "discharge" danger zone while doing this - be aware!
3. Let the cow´s baby out of the other side of the corral. If necessary, help it find the udder. (Little cows are apt to try and suckle knees, pants legs, and tails in an effort to eat the first few days!)
4. Make sure the calf suckles at each teat for at least a few seconds, and then lasso it and tether it to the side of the corral with its mom.
5. Splash water on each teat to rinse it of calf spit, dirt, grass, ticks, and who knows what.
6. Milk! Don´t be afraid to seriously pull - that calf is rougher on her than you will ever be.
7. Attempt to be cool and develop a sophisticated "finger drumming" type technique for squeezing out milk. Realize you´re not that cool and will just have to settle for whatever movement makes milk come out.
8. About halfway through, let the calf nurse again for a few seconds to encourage milk to keep coming.
9. Pour the last of the milk from the pitcher into the bucket, carefully release the cow´s legs, and let the calf nurse in earnest.
10. Use this distraction to undo the cow´s horns and slip out of the corral.
11. Repeat daily.
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