Readjustment

I have now been home for about a week.  The adjustment has been hectic and strange.  I have never been away from my home for more than 10 days so returning after a long journey has been a new experience.  I feel I spent just enough time in Costa Rica to get adjusted to living there and then was ripped away to come back home.  I enjoy being home and being around the people I love, but I miss Costa Rica and the way of life there terribly.  I have made a plan to return.  Not only for a vacation to visit, but to move permanently.  I will eventually earn my special education teaching license and from there I plan to move to Costa Rica with a friend of mine who works with special needs children and open up a school there with the focus of Special Education.  I hope for this to happen in the next 2-3 years.  I made connections with people there who will of course be willing to help me obtain the information for start up.  Now I just have to pick the place, and get the ball rolling.  I'm excited for this new adventure and hope to bring all the information from here to the people of Costa Rica.  I've been working on my presentation for my inquiry project and have found it is a GIANT MONSTER of a topic.  Happiness can be looked at from all different angles!! I will post my presentation for all to see when I have it completed and after I have presented it!! PURA VIDA!!!

Seems like just yesterday...6/2/12

The goodbye with my family broke my heart.  I told my mama tica I was going to cry and she said, "Why?" and I told her that it was because I didn't want to go, and she tells me that I shouldn't cry because I will be back!  I love her and the family so much...I plan on keeping in touch and I will be back to see her.  We drove the 4 hours to downtown San Jose to see the town, do some shopping.  We went to the Theater and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so glad we got a chance to see this sight.  Javier (our guide) is such an intelligent individual and knows so much about the sights we see.  He slowly took us through the theater and explained the small details and the back stories.  I could have sat in that theater all day!! We then went to a market and shopped and ate.  It was so fun to see the different things the people made and were selling.  I got to see a man painting on some wood pieces that will be sold later that day.  The paintings were small and intricate it amazed me!! I bought a few of my souvenirs there and cannot wait to give them to my family.  I'm dreading leaving in the morning...although the information, memories, and people will never leave my heart or mind.  I started out this trip extremely nervous, anxious and unsure and now leave it upbeat, more relaxed, and warm of heart.  I will see this trip off with a tip of my hat, and an Hasta Luego.  This was the most amazing experience of my life...UNFORGETTABLE! I thank UNC-Wilmington for giving me the opportunity.

Coming to a close 6/1/12

Between the classroom visits, the service project and the fun zip lining activity...I'm in complete awe of all that we have done this week.  We visited the Montessori school in Monteverdia, Central Educational Creativa.  I enjoyed the campus, our guide JP was adorable.  He actually was considered a student ambassador, and took a class in order to be able to be our guide around the school.  He did a great job giving us information on the school, how it was set up, when it was set up, the changes that have occurred etc.  I enjoyed the school, but I don't feel it would be a good fit for me as a teacher.  I enjoy students learning on their own, and I am all for teachers having more control over what they teach, but I am special education and I feel the students need more of a structured environment.  We also went and did a service project.  I LOVED THIS!! We spent time on a farm fertilizing plants, learning from Guillermo a lot about the plants and how they grow and what they are used for and also how to be sustainable.  We also planted some apple and mango trees.  I wish we could have done more of this, but time didn't permit it.  We also went zipling!! I LOVE zip lining.  I had done it before, and was so excited.  Seeing the view from up above is just a lovely experience.  I am not ready to leave this beautiful country, but I am definitely going to be back.  I have interviewed some people, and have been looking at prices for housing, and of course for groceries to see how this could contribute to the level of happiness in the homes.  I'm so ready to see where this inquiry project will take me, and I truly believe it will assist me in my ultimate decision to move to the country either permanently, or just for a few years. I leave my family in the morning, and I have already teared up.  My mama tica has invited me to come back and live with them for a year, and also to come spend Christmas with them.  She said I can stay as long as I want.  I checked into changing my flight to the following Sunday, but it was a little expensive for me.  Darn!! haha...

Going too fast! 5/30/12

This weekend was AMAZING. I'm upset that we only had one day at Arenal, but to visit a hot spring resort that has a BEAUTIFUL view of the volcano is something I will NEVER forget. There has been so many activities that this trip will be something I will never forget. I have been journaling every night in order to not forget anything. I have spent a great 2 weeks here and cannot believe we are down to the final stretch!! I'm not ready. I have not met one single angry person here...I can understand why, it's too beautiful a country, culture and people!! I have decided to try to research what the average cost of living is here, and what the annual salary is. I think this will be interesting for my inquiry project regarding happiness. I also want to look into what the average spent amount per household is. I think this will add to my happiness scale. It has been eye opening to see how the shops don't really have much STUFF in them, basic necessities. I have been watching the household items bought, and also what the household has inside. They really don't have much so I'm believing the happiness "calculator" has something to do with it!! I know that I will be very sad to leave, but you know you are enjoyed at the house because my mama tica has told me that I am welcome to back. When I told her I would definitely be coming back, she asked when and I said as soon as possible. She said I better come visit!! I really love this place and how welcoming they are. I am ready to see what the rest of the week has in store. I will be extremely sad to leave.

I cannot believe we are at the halfway point!!!! It makes me so sad and it also shocks me! The time I have had here has been priceless, eye opening and life changing! I have spent the past week and a half taking a look at the Costa Rican culture and myself! I really am planning on making a permanent residence here. One of my favorite things that we have done since the last time I blogged was going to Sainta Elena school. We got to observe for the first 40 minutes. Then we went and taught. I am so lucky to have observed a special needs class. The school has 3 types of classes for special needs. One class is for the conduct behavior (like our B/ED classes), another class for "mentally retarded" (I don't like the term), and also a severe handicapped class. Unfortunately the conduct behavior class wasn't meeting until after we were done observing, so I decided to go to the second class. There was only 1 student in the class at the time (Naizeth). She has severe autism, and is about 7 or 8 years old. She has no language development and she is extremely tactile. The teacher sat her in a chair and sat in front of her. She began the lesson by walking her through the routine of the day. She had pictures and sang to her throughout the routine. It was good to see the social skills lesson similar to social skills lessons in the United States. I enjoyed this observation completely. I saw many things in the classroom that were similar to the posters and activities in the United States classrooms. I have seen so much and done so much but am not ready to leave. There are so many things I want to learn. I've met people and talked to them and have gotten a great insight on the people here and don't want to leave in 11 days! We went to El Trapiche this morning and saw the process of making coffee from the very beginning. I have learned more about coffee here (since it is one of their main exports) than I ever expected to. We also got to make candy. We made 4 types, sugar with coffee, sugar with cocoa and peanuts, sugar with coconut and sugar with mint. All of it tasted so amazing! The spanish lessons are helping so much with my communication with Tico family!!! I have learned more about my family and their likes and dislikes and am so glad I get to stay with them for 2 weeks! I will begin to do research on what it takes to make the transition from the United States to Costa Rica in the next coming years. I would love to be here and take the techniques I learn at UNCW and teach Special Needs here in Costa Rica.

"A whole new world"

I have now spent an entire week here in Costa Rica enjoying every aspect of being immersed in such a beautiful culture! I have really learned that my wants and needs are out of wack! In the United States we WANT so much STUFF but we truly don't NEED much. I look at the houses and the lifestyles of the ticos here and they really have just the necessities. It is just so lovely. I have really began taking a look at what I have (even as simple as looking in my own suitcase) and realizing there is just too much JUNK! Our wasteful country is the reason we are so impoverished, we just have so much stuff that it LOOKS like we have so much. My inquiry project has began to make me look at this adventure in a new light as well. It adds so much to my own attitude, but also to my insights to the way of life here. I interviewed my spanish professor in Heredia after our last class..."what is your definition of happiness?", "what makes you happy?", and "what does it take to achieve it?" The most simple, and what should be the most obvious answers are what she gave. She said, family, work, and love are all you need to be happy! And achieving it is the balance and combination of all 3. "DUH" is my only response! Ha. The pride the ticos have for their culture is lovely. I have considered making the transition to Costa Rica permanantly and will be looking into what it takes to move. I have fallen in love with this country and its people. We have gone to so many places, we got to spend some time in the schools (Calle Viquez Primary School), the public schools San Joaquin de Flores and also in La Carpio (the shanty town of Nicaraguans). The children are extremely beautiful and they just are so friendly and open. They smile so much. The school in La Carpio was more like a preschool and I never once saw a child cry! It was beautiful and they all got along and played together. I also witnessed the children helping each other and taking care of each other more than I witness in the United States. I have spent time at the beach in Manuel Antonio and also the National Park. The complete nature freak/nerd that I am came out and I spent so much time (not enough for me) in the Natinoal Park looking at sloths, white faced monkeys, birds, lizards, frogs, crabs and turtles. Our transition from Heredia to Manuel Antonio, then from Manuel Antonio to Monteverde was a great way to see city to coast, coast to mountain, all the aspects that make this country so unique and beautiful. Here in Monteverde it is peaceful and the people seem to be more connected. Which is hard to believe because of how connected they are in Heredia, but the families here are a lot more open. I believe it has to do with the fact that the people here are further apart and in the country. My new mama tica is just a year older than I am so it makes it a little different than my last home. I feel more like a sister than a daughter. I helped cook lasagna with Karla last night and it was so much fun. I learned so much about my new mama tica and her family in such a short time. I think some of this has to come with understanding the language more as well. I am so glad that I understand more now, but I feel bad for my mama tica Alba because she got me when I had my one word responses. Haha. I will definitely be keeping in touch with her too (I have her email) so I can show her how much I learn! Only two more weeks and the time has been slow but so fast! (The picture is of my Tico family in Heredia).

So much in so little time...

I have no idea where to begin right now...I've been in Costa Rica for 5 days and it feels like I've been here for weeks. We have done so much in such a short amount of time, I cannot wait to see and do everything else on the itinerary! The La Paz Waterfalls were BEAUTIFUL!! Seeing the different Costa Rican plants, animals and insects was like a dream. I held a butterfly, saw some beautiful waterfalls and just fell in love with the adorable sleeping sloths!!! We went to a coffee plantation and it was so amazing to see the plants up close!!! Poas Volcano and seeing the active crater with plumes and plumes of sulfuric smoke, the different plants seen at 10,000 feet above sea level and enjoying the fresh mountain air!!! There truly are no words to describe it. Ecovillas was one of the most eye opening places yet. This is a place where they are trying to build a completely self sustained town. All food will be farmed there, they have solar energy, and they will create methane from their waste (gross, but very green!!!). The different plants they had on the property, the ideas that the founder Steve had all made an impact on me for sure. I would love to come back and see the place in a few years, since it is only in its beginning processes. Meeting my host family was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done!! I don't know these people and I can barely communicate with them! Scary and VERY overwhelming. But I found out quickly it doesn't matter, my Mama Tica is so patient, so friendly and caring...it truly makes the experience so much easier. I do have one thing to say...thank goodness for my spanish classes. These classes have made my communication with my Tico family easier. I am by no means fluent but every day my communication is becoming greater. I have been mentally taking notes on my inquiry topic...happiness. I plan to try to interview some locals and see what insights they can give me.