So I realize that starting this blog at this moment in time makes me a bit of a liar (as I’m not actually in Costa Rica yet), but chances are that you’ve gotten over more egregious lies before. The main point of this blog will be to keep people informed about my upcoming year in Costa Rica. Hopefully, I can do it in a way that’s both educational and entertaining, but chances are that I’ll accomplish neither of those and just bring shame upon my family name. It’s OK, I’m used to it.
Seeing how I’m not actually there yet, how this is going to work is a bit of an unknown. I don’t find out where I’ll be living until a few weeks before I leave, and I probably won’t find out how “connected” I’ll be until I actually arrive to my actually host family’s house in early-ish February. I could have relatively easy internet access and be able to update this thing whenever I feel like, I could have to travel to the nearest city and update it at an internet café every week or so, or I could be completely isolated and only see a computer once every month or two. Then again, if the only thing you have to look forward to in life is me updating this blog, you might need to find a new hobby. (The preceding statement does not apply to my mother, Patti Perkins, who will undoubtedly account for 94.3% of this blog’s hits and 100% of the “why are you so ungrateful, all I want is one call” messages I receive.) My other problem has to do with audience… this is going to be read by family, friends, former students, co-workers, and maybe a stalker or two, so I have to keep this at least slightly appropriate and professional. Do not despair… I’m sure the majority of the content here will wind up being stories of me making a fool of myself, but the goal is to keep things kosher, both in my posts and your comments.
To get started, here are a few (not so) Frequently Asked Questions about what I’ll be doing for the next year. Feel free to ask questions I didn’t think of.
(Note: To make this part more entertaining, imagine each question being asked by a worried 82 year-old grandmother from Queens. Think Edith Bunker, only not as dead.)
What exactly are you doing in Costa Rica?
GOOD QUESTION! In early January, I’ll be moving down to Costa Rica to be a volunteer English teacher for a year.
You’re moving to Africa?! But it’s so dangerous there!
In one form or another, the "Africa" question seems to be the one I get asked the most. Costa Rica is not in Africa. It’s in Central America. Map time!
-------------------------------------------------- Right here. --------------
And it’s one of the more peaceful/safe countries in the world. In fact, it doesn’t even have a proper military, only a few branches of national security forces that patrol domestic issues like border patrol and emergencies. Just think of it as the Lichtenstein of Central America... there, that should clear any confusion up.
Don’t they speak Spanish there? You got a ‘C’ in Spanish in high school.
They do speak Spanish. And I was a sub-par Spanish student in high school. BUT: I’ll be teaching English in English to my students there, and I’ve been reviewing my Spanish in preparation. Plus, I got an ‘A’ when I took Spanish in college. So take that, you worthless nonbeliever. The language barrier is going to be an issue to start, but I feel as though I know enough of the vocabulary/grammar… I just need to adjust to the speed at which they speak it. I’m fully prepared to go through a month or so of embarrassment in order to adjust.
Why Costa Rica?
Well, I’ve always wanted to devote a bit of my time to volunteering. I thought about doing it out of high school, but one’s options for philanthropy without a college diploma are restricted to digging ditches and licking envelopes. Five years later, I’ve decided on teaching as a profession, and the people at WorldTeach happen to specialize in volunteer teaching programs. WorldTeach offers a number of year-long programs, but Costa Rica was the best match as far as who I’d be working with (kids, as opposed to adults), what I’d be teaching (English, a language that I’m relatively familiar with, even if I sometimes degrade it by telling agonizingly long, awkward, and unfunny stories), and culture I’d be living in (mostly food-oriented issues here– I don’t like Asian cuisine, and there have been a number of 3-4 week spans where I only eat rice, beans, and flour tortillas.) I had originally applied to the program in 2007, but ended up taking my job at Cohasset Middle School instead. Meanwhile, my good friend Becca had taken a WorldTeach position in Costa Rica. I was lucky enough to visit her during my April vacation and keep in touch with her throughout the year, and decided that Costa Rica was still a place that I wanted to volunteer at. Considering that I’m teaching them English, and a number of my former students are learning Spanish, I feel as though it’s a good opportunity for a little bit of cultural exchange. At the very least, both sides will learn how to make fun of me in two different languages. "Senor Perkins tiene una barbilla muy grande."
Where will you be teaching?
I’ll be placed at a public school, probably in a more rural area of the country. (Sorry, I probably won't be living in a giant sand castle on one of their tropical beaches. You can cancel those travel plans now.) Costa Rica has mandatory public school through 6th grade, and English is part of their national curriculum. Students can continue with their education after the 6th grade (about 40% do), but I’ll be in a 1st-6th school.
Where will you be living?
I’ll live with a host family in the village that I teach in. The host families sign up to have a volunteer live with them, and are compensated by WorldTeach to provide me with food and shelter. I don’t know who I’ll be living with yet, but I do know that I’m guaranteed my own room. This is a good thing, because I doubt the average Costa Rican family likes listening to Lil’ Wayne mixtapes at 2am.
When is this post going to end? You’ve been talking for way too long.
Good point. I’ll end it here. If there’s any other pertinent questions, feel free to post them in a comment or e-mail them to me.
