Jan 2006

So life here is wonderful but hard on the legs. I walk about 4-10 miles a day, most of it which seems uphill. Marlon, my 4th grade hermano costa ricense walked to school with me this morning and it was not wise to race to the top. I arrived to orientation completely flushed and pretty much of of breath.
More about my family; I couldn´t type much yesterday because the boys were reading the email aloud to me as I wrote it. Anyways, the house is tiny, but immaculate. Though cucarachas (cockroaches) roam free in Costa Rica. I´ve already found two in my bags (one was my lunch bag). Anyways, for the past two nights I´ve been sleeping in a room with Yuri and the four boys because there is another exchange student in the other room. He left today, so I think I won´t have to nestle in a bunkbed with Juan Pablo tonight. The boys are awesome. Roy is 10 and obsessed with soccer. He´s amazing and is being recruited by the San Jose farm team so he travels to San Jose, all by himself(!) about three times a month. They want him to practice full time and go to school in the city but Yuri thinks he is too young! I can´t even believe he boards the local bus to San Jose and braves the five hour ride all by himself. Marlon is 8 and much quieter than Roy and loves being outside. He is very proud of his school and walked me around many of the trails connected to the campus. The school is huge and sits in the middle of preserved cloud forest land. There are tree houses, and gardens, and outdoor classrooms. It´s such a contrast from most schools in the states. Sebastian may be my favorite. He´s five and is so sweet and curious, but also shy. He´ll just stare at me, or come sit on the bed next to me really close without saying anything. He wakes me up for school in the morning, seeing as though he´s sleeping about 5 inches away from my face. Juan Pablo must be part American because he´s an animal. He´s two years old and the loudest little man in the house. He calls me muchucha at the top of his longs, and he careens down the driveway in his tricycle when I come home. He also feels free to rummage through my bag and carry my belongings around the house. Yesterday I woke up from a nap with him pretty much sitting on my back.
The school seems like a great place to work and the interns an interesting and fun group of people. A lot are here for student teaching credit, or are interested in conservation work. Half of the full-time teachers are American. There are 220 students total. Approximately 1 student from each graduating class goes onto to college after high school. 1 from a class of about 20, which seems low, but actually many Costa Ricans stop formal education after 6th grade. They are trying to create a study exchange program in the U.S. for graduating seniors. I´m really interested in helping with this project, so all my teacher-friends out there, I may be contacing you for information.
I stopped by the Monteverde Institute today which is a research institute in town which works on mostly environmental, reforestation and sustainable development projects, but they also have a few (unforutnately dwindling) public health programs. I´m excited about the opportunity to help them with some grant writing proposals. They have some domestic violence and HIV prevention projects in place that are sorely underfunded.
Went to a Flamenco show at a bar last night, which was awesome. It made me realize how much I can´t dance. Still, we´re starting salsa lessons at school next month and I intend to take full advantage. We also can take yoga and Spanish free of charge. Going camping this weekend and to the Nicoya coast for some beach next weekend. Until then, I´ll be eating rice and beans and trudging up hills.

Adios. Voy a escribir mas luego!

Kat

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

I made it to Monteverde safe and sound last night. I just about missed my bus out of San Jose, but thanks to my "loco" cab driver we chased the bus for almost two miles and convinced it pull over. Ten minutes after I got on, we got a flat tire, so the trip was a little longer than expected. I met my very special familia costa ricense. Roy and Yuri (mom) were the only ones awake when I arrived and thankfully Roy´s English is very good! The house is very close to school and to town, though the hill leading to the school is at a 180 degree incline. We all bunked together last night and had pancakes for breakfast this morning. The boys showed me the school a little while ago and it´s beautiful; set in the middle of the mountains with lots of trails and gardens. My first day is Monday which is Cien Dias de escuela - a celebration commemorating 100 days of school. I´m lucky because the weather is beautiful today, sunny and warm and the boys are taking me around town.

Ok, that´s all for now. I will write more later. I already have some pictures to attach, but I´ll figure that out another time.

Hasta luego,
Kathryn

Hola!

I'm gearing up to begin my three month adventure in Costa Rica. I'll be living in Monteverde, a colorful and unpaved little town about five hours northwest of San Jose. The Monteverde area is actually made up of two small towns; Monteverde (where my school is located) and Santa Elena (the town center). I'll be living somewhere in the middle. The poor road infrastructure makes for a bumpy ride from San Jose, but also helps to preserve the natural beauty of the area. Monteverde is famous for it's cloud forest reserve. I intend to make good use of my raincoat and flip flops - the area often boasts 100% humidity, which supports an amazing habitat for many diverse plants and animals. The reserve is home to several endangered bird species and consequently Monteverde attracts lots of bird watchers, ecotourists, and conservationists. It's so beautiful, but I'll have to make a concerted effort to practice my Spanish because English is widely spoken. I'm excited to spend much of my free time (the hours outside of school, spanish lessons and salsa) exploring the park, gladly with any of you if you come to visit! I'll be living with an undoubtedly energetic family of 4 boys and their mother, Yuri. Roy is in 5th grade, Marlon, 4th, Sebastian, kindergarten, and Juan Pablo is 2! I'm so excited to meet all of them. I land in San Jose on the 28th and will be making my way north to Monteverde that day (provided I catch the local 2pm bus). My first day at the Cloud Forest School (www.cloudforestschool.org) will be Monday, January 30th. I'll be serving as a classroom assistant at the K-12 school, not sure which grade level yet, and will also be tutoring the 9-12th graders in English. The school appears to be a really interesting place. It's curriculum emphasizes environmental conservation and sustainable development which is important in light of the rapid globalization Costa Rica is experiencing. Not much else to fill you in on at this point. I'm beginning to pack and wrap things up here in Boston. I hope to send you pictures and stories from south of the border very soon.

Adios por ahora.

Kat