This week I started working at CREAR. Although I made sure to do my research, getting here and seeing everything was different than what I imagined. I knew the area was touristy, but gees - half the time I see ticos/as or I see Europeans. There is also a group of college students working alongside CREAR to redo a clinic in the nearby Cangrejal. (I live in the tico side of Sámara in an area known as Cantarrana; the neighbors are friendly and our next door neighbors always play music.) Although I have met a few ticos, most of the people I end up hanging out with are American or European - I want to change this over time, but first I'm trying to get to know the people I will be seeing on a daily basis.
Attendance this week at CREAR has been low. When it rains a lot, people don't leave their houses. I have also become accustomed to "tico time," meaning that it is socially acceptable to be late to almost everything. I met a couple of the kids who are regulars at CREAR after school lessons in Sámara, but next week I will be going to El Torito (another community CREAR goes to.) Staff at CREAR is very small - resources are limited, attendance is iffy, and lessons have to be deceptively educational to entice kids. Its fun to play with the kids and make small talk and reminds me of how many Spanish words are not in my vocabulary. I plan to spend a couple of hours every day looking over Spanish grammar and different vocabulary words (as relates to the lesson plans I am making).
For everyday living, I do not think I have experienced much of a culture shock.
- I did not really know what to expect from my homestay family and was surprised to know that I essentially have sole access of a bathroom (there are two in the house), have a television in my room, and there is wifi. Texting is becoming popular here and I even saw a guy on a motorbike texting!
- I love the food here. It's not too different than Mexican food. I eat more fruits than I did at home and thus far I have eaten mamons, "Costa Rican" apples, guava, and so on. My host family doesn't eat gallo pinto often, but it's delicious. My host mother is a great cook and tries to make something different every day.
- It's weird living so close to a beach. When I go to CREAR I am literally a few feet away from a beach - so I basically see one beach every single day. Sometimes ticos have events on the beach (which bring a different crowd that CREAR events or other 'foreign' organizations) - on Saturday there was an intense soccer game that I watched with a couple of friends.
- There is no air conditioning but I actually do not miss it. Fans or rain in the afternoon make the heat tolerable. The weather here is tropical so it might be more humid than Florida, but it's only unbearable when I'm riding uphill in the middle of the day (it's happened a lot, actually.)
- Sámara itself is touristy. Next to CREAR is a Spanish language school called Intercultura (where one will find Europeans from various countries, though most hail from Germany.) I've learned that not all ticos know English which is fine with me since I want to try out my Spanish when I can.
- Having internet access is great, but sometimes I have to remind myself to stop going on my computer. I am trying to talk to people back home less (including my parents, sorry!) because I don't want to be too accessible to them...if that makes any sense. Ironically, I started taking an online class on the website Coursea called "Latin American Culture" which I found to be a way to keep myself academically-minded throughout the entire experience. I also brought some light reading - Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America and Greg Grandin's The Last Colonial Massacre: Latin America in the Cold War.
Yet the tico life differs in one fundamental way, which ticos call "Pura Vida." I didn't really know what it meant, other than a description I read in a Lonely Planet Costa Rican Spanish phrasebook. I still do not really know what it means because my perception of the world is a lot different than how ticos view the world. No one really ever appears to be in a hurry, yet no one appears idle. People here are calmer and seem less stressed out; I guess life appears simpler, with a larger focus on day to day activities than wondering about the future or ruminating on the past. One of my friends nearly burnt down her apartment - and her response to everything was "pura vida." Basically I feel like I'm living in the friendliest and most relaxing place! Even when I'm not comfortable, e.g. sticky with sweat after biking and sitting in front of a fan in my room, I feel more comfortable with everything going on in my life than I did in Florida.
Well, I think I have rambled enough! I am excited to meet the kids from El Torito next week (and hopefully more from Sámara) and to create lessons.
Rachel, thanks for this reflection. It's interesting how much the weather impacts attendance. It will be neat to hear more about the classes you teach once (if?) the weather clears up! Perhaps you can think of (other) ways to make the content more engaging--does CREAR keep track of their lesson plans? I saw this mentioned on someone else's blog and it might be a good idea so future volunteers already get a good idea of best practices and what's been covered/what has worked in the past. Regardless, the location sounds fairly awesome and I'm totally jealous! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteSorry for not responding sooner, Latika!
ReplyDeleteEverything here functions on weather and "tico time." If it's raining hard in the afternoon (which is likely) then attendance plummets and typically CREAR cancels a lesson or activity if it is raining hard. Since attendance is not required, it's unlikely for kids to walk to CREAR.
CREAR does have binders of lesson plans since 2012 and I have looked through them. Both administrators here know which lesson plans work and which do not, so if I have any ideas they can tell me if they will work.
For both these issues above and other issues, I have been looking for solutions for improvement.