What made you decide to spend your summer in Costa Rica? I wanted to spend my summer in Costa Rica because I knew that I wanted to be teaching abroad this summer and I thought, that Costa Rica offered an experience that I would value and enjoy. At first, I was conflicted between choosing internships in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Nicoya, Costa Rica, but I ended up applying for the internship in Costa Rica because Nicoya is a very small town and is very connected to it's heritage and I wanted a place where I could not only get a true Latin American experience, but also a place where I would absolutely have to speak spanish and to also be able to connect to the people and their history. Also -- in June and July it's really cold in Argentina and I don't really like cold weather :-)
When did you arrive in Costa Rica? How long will you be staying?I arrived in Costa Rica on June 13, and I'll be staying till August 15 (9 weeks)
Where are you living? Will you be traveling anywhere else?
Right now, I'm living in a house with my Costa Rican mom (Isabel). It's a really nice house compared to all the other houses here-- its very clean, and I have my own closet and bathroom. It's also great because a lot of Isabel's family lives really close by, so I've met a lot of people through them.
What does your normal day look like?Well, it's been kind of crazy recently because the schools in Costa Rica were on vacation for the past two weeks, and now, because of the swine flu scare, they've shut down again. However, prior to these past two weeks, I would wake up early and eat breakfast with Isabel, then go to Spanish classes in the morning and receive Spanish instruction. We worked our way through grammar workbooks, talked about a couple of short stories, and talked about how daily life in Nicoya worked. Then, usually at around 2, I would leave the institute to start working at the Elementary School (The Cacique School of Nicoya) There, I worked with 4th 5th and 6th grades to help improve their English language instruction. We worked a lot with pronunciation, listening skills, and a little with writing, but not much. I love the kids, and I see them all over the place when I walk down the street-- No matter what, they always stop me and tell me how their days are and what they are doing. However, recently, because the schools have been shut down, the Institute where I received Spanish instruction decided to provide free english language instruction to the community. Currently, I'm assisting in the development of this project. Right now, I'm working as a receptionist, administrative assistant, curriculum planner, and next week, I'll be a teacher. It's been a pretty hectic week, but I'm so excited about next week, and all the kids that will be here. We've had a pretty big response from the community already, so I'm excited for the project to get under way.
What has been the best part of your trip so far?
So far, the best part of my trip has been my weekend getaway to Monteverde. I went with a couple of my friends to Monteverde (which is in the Cloud Forest) to go on a canopy tour of the rain forest. We did the Selvatura zipline tour and it was AWESOME! We were literally on top of a mountain in the middle of the clouds, flying through the air. We did one zip line that where the fog was so intense that you couldn’t see anything around you but the line about a foot in front of you… (we have a video of someone disappearing into the clouds, it’s pretty incredible) I was pretty scared when we first started going because we’re up EXTREMELY high, and there’s nothing really to hold onto except this skinny cable and a harness—but I’m so glad we did it.
What has been the most challenging part of your trip?
The most challenging part has been being away from my friends and family in the states--I absolutely love getting updates from everyone whenever I send out emails. However, my friends here have helped me out a lot with being lonely-- When Ellie left, I was a little sad, so a bunch of them called me and invited me to go watch the sunset over Nicoya on top of a mountain. That was really special to me.
Are there any things in particular that you miss from the U.S.?
There are two very specific things that I miss from the US. I miss air conditioning, and I miss my own bed. I used to really miss hot showers, but recently, it's been so hot that I really look forward to a nice cold shower in the evening.
Any other messages that you want to pass on to your teammates and/or other blog readers?I miss yall ssooooooo muuuuuucchhhhH!!!!! I can't wait to get back to Lex and hang out. KEEP ME UPDATED ON YOUR LIVES! I hope everyone is having an amazing summer, and I can't wait to get back to the states and see your shining faces :)
Love, Nat
