It’s been a busy week and a half, but I finally have a few hours off to update this thing on different happenings.
Spanish classes have been ongoing – three hours a day, Monday to Friday. The exact same thing that happened to me in high school is happening now: I started off really well, but hit a brick wall as more and more information was presented. Not only can I not see to remember any of the new information, but it seems to force out the stuff I was previously good at. On the bright side, I’ve learned enough to navigate through everyday tasks like riding the bus and buying things at stores. Also, Ticos (residents of Costa Rica) are generally helpful, and have been pretty willing to take the time to listened to my staggered Spanish and (in two cases) walk me directly to the place that I’m trying to find. My teacher, Margoth, is great, and I’ve spent a good amount of class time trying to convince her that my fellow classmates are petty criminals and liars. That seems to be the one topic of conversation that I’m proficient at.
I visited my “real” site, Boruca, for the first time over this past weekend. If I had to describe the trip to Boruca in a word, it’d be “long.” If I was allowed a couple of more words, I’d probably say “really friggin’ long.” Here’s the itinerary: 40 minute bus from Orosi to Cartago. Walk to another bus station. Take a 30 minute bus from Cartago to San Jose. Walk to another bus station. Take a 4.5 hour bus from San Jose to a random gas station outside of Buenos Aires. Take a pirate taxi from outside of Buenos Aires to the center of the town. Wait for 2-3 hours, depending on when the bus decides it wants to show up. Get on a dilapidated yellow school bus and take a 1.5 hour trip up a mountain on a dirt road. Also, there’s a pretty good chance that I’m standing for most/all of the bus trips as road safety is not a priority in Costa Rica. (For example, I saw a two year old at the wheel of a car the other day, steering the car as his father (who’s lap he was seated on) took the pedals.)
Boruca itself is actually pretty large considering it’s isolated position at the top of a mountain. There’s a couple of restaurants, a store or two, a soccer field, and a cultural museum. I also saw a couple of Americans wandering around looking to buy some indigenous artwork. I only really got to spend a good amount of time with my host mom, Yaneth. She was extremely accommodating with my Spanish, and her living room seems to be the social Mecca of Boruca. I didn’t get to see the inside of my school (the director was on vacation), but from the outside it looked quite nice.
While I’m talking about Boruca, I’d like to change my previous comment about loving roosters. I like roosters in small amounts, and during the day. When I’m trying to sleep at night and 20 of them are having cross-town conversations with each other… not so much.
After the long trip back, we started a one-week summer school English program for the local kids. I’m teaching 3rd grade with two other volunteers. They’ve done a great job of taking in all of the new information. Three hours of voluntary school a day is a lot, but we fill it with games, songs, and other activities that I couldn’t have pulled off with my 7th graders. (However… for those former students who are reading, you’d be happy to know that I’ve introduced FishBall to a new country. They’re big fans, even though none of them could hit anything higher than the one-point shot.) Recreo (recess) is insane, and basically amounts to 70 kids chasing after a soccer ball and running over anything that gets in their way.
That’s the major news. There’s various nighttime activities that all the volunteers take part in. Last night was indoor soccer, tonight is dance lessons. My host mother here in Orosi is one of the nicest people on Earth, but she’s a “mother” in the classic sense – I’m the only volunteer with a curfew, and a 10pm one at that. Even though I didn’t have to be in that early in middle school, I still find it pretty funny, plus I’m usually sleepwalking by 8:30 anyways. That ends the “big news” update, and I’m gonna try to squeeze in some random thoughts before they boot us out of the Spanish school/free wireless locations. Thanks for all the e-mails/comments/Facebook messages… keep them up!
All the best,
Dan
