Being sick like this makes me really miss home.
Well it took it's time getting to me but it's my turn to have the nasty stomach bug that is traveling around Lincoln School. On Monday I felt great but then around 9pm while I was taking my shower it was like a huge semi slammed into me. I ended up taking Tuesday and today off to sleep and get my body back to normal. This couldn't have been worst timing. My parents fly in tomorrow and edTPA (the huge semester assignment) is due tomorrow. Send good thoughts my way... I need them :(
Being sick like this makes me really miss home.
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Our house parents wanted us to experience sugar cane in its pure form! This week my first grade class went on a field trip to a Toucan Rescue Ranch. This place is owned by a Tico and his Wife (who is from Atlanta). They take in sloths (two and three toed), hawks, toucans, parrots, porcupines, otters, owls, monkeys, wilds cats, and other various animals. A lot of these animals had sad stories - hit by car/bus, shot, kids throwing rocks, people taking them from the wild, etc. FUN FACT: If you see a toucan with a blue beak then you know they are dehydrated. It is best to call an animal rescue place if it is found in the wild! Do not take them yourself! The property was beautiful, and the chicos had a lot of fun. The students raise money for the Toucan Rescue Ranch and the money goes towards helping the animals. They now have an area that they can train certain animals to survive in the wild again. This will allow them to release them back into the wild! This was such a beautiful place and I am so glad I got to go there to see all the amazing work they do for these animals. :) Check out the Toucan Rescue Ranch's website! They also have a Bed & Breakfast on the property. I have posted all of the photos I was able to get while there in the photos section, so don't forget to check those out as well. We had to stay in town this weekend because Lincoln was having their Community Day - which means we had to sign up to work during part of the day.
Homesickness hit me a little bit. I was feeling pretty down for a few hours that day and when we got home Nicole and I decided to walk up to Lincoln Plaza (the coolest mall ever). Nicole really wanted to get her nails and toes done so we searched for the salon there. (Took us awhile to find it...Lincoln is around 5-6 stories talk...to be honest, we have no idea!) Once we found it we realized how late it was and it looked as though it was going to be pretty expensive. So Nicole and I made the most logical decision and went back upstairs to the food court area and got us some Pizza Hut! I think that is what I needed. It was a little but of home and some time to walk and think. It was so nice! If only y'all understood how much we were craving pizza before we curved that need with Pizza Hut. The struggle was real. A huge challenge for me this past week was working on getting my students to be patient. This seems to be a hard concept for them. In the middle of a quick lesson I will have students standing up and walking over to me just to ask if they can go to the bathroom, get water, or just to tell me something that has happened to them recently. This is a huge distraction for the other students and for myself. So I am looking at new management strategies to implement in our classroom that will help this “madness.” The students also feel as though I am ignoring them when I don’t acknowledge them right away, or go to the student that is sitting quietly with their hand raised first. A lot of these students are used to having someone there at all times at home whether it be their parents, grandparents, or maids. They get what they want no matter how they act. This is a huge shock to them when it is not like this at school. I never ignore my students but I do go to the ones behaving appropriately. It is my way of showing the students that when they behave then they will be responded to in a timely manner. This will take time but isn't that what education is all about?! Something about Lincoln that I love - The teachers are encouraged to try new things in their classrooms. EVEN IF THEY FAIL. Woah, this does not happen back home. Education is always changing and if schools don't allow the teachers to try these new methods then how are we supposed to know what works and what doesn't? This school is so much more laid back compared to those in the states. And here is the crazy part...the students graduate - bilingual AND not to mention a lot of these students move onto prestigious colleges in the States. They do not worry or rush to "teach to the tests" here either. So the teachers are much more relaxed and willing to take their time on making sure the students truly know the content before pushing onto the next topic. On Wednesday, I struggled with extreme exhaustion. It really made me realize just how important sleep can be when you are a teacher. That night I went to bed at 8:30pm and woke up on Thursday feeling like a new person. I won’t be able to do that everyday but I will try to do so at least twice a week. Just so I can give the students my all, because it is what they deserve. This week Nicole and I went to the Library to check out children’s books in Spanish. We got them to read each night before bed to work on our Spanish. This week I have barely had anytime to start reading them but this weekend I plan on focusing in on at least two stories. Nicole and I keep trying new ways to learn Spanish and this is our newest tactic. The students here at Lincoln are teaching me so much more than I ever imagined. I am growing as a person and as a teacher. Even in this short amount of time here I have learned so much about myself as well.
Nicole, Timi and I decided to have a quiet weekend in San Jose before the students returned back to Lincoln. On Saturday, we told our house mommy that we wanted to go into San Jose (we live just outside of there in Moravia). She told us how to catch the bus and briefly explained that we will get off the bus when everyone else gets off the bus. The bus stop was just a 3 minute walk from our house and it was right outside the Police station - which was nice! The girls and I waited for about 10 minutes at the bus stop. That was the easy part of the trip. Now we had to pay close attention to where we were going and watch the other people getting on and off. The bus stopped a few times and each time more and more people got off. This was making us nervous. Our house mother told us that we needed to get off with everyone else but those instructions/directions weren't the best. Finally, the bus stopped on a road that seemed to be the end of the line. So we got off and started our day adventure! We walked all around San Jose and saw the National Theater, a Catholic Church, random sculptures, Chinatown lookalike, and a ton of birds!!! Seriously, birds are everywhere! DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY PICTURES IN THE PHOTOS SECTION (I will comment on some of the photos to let you know what they are of!) It cost us around $1.50 round trip Coffee at Alma de Cafe about $4 Tour at the National Theater $7 El pan at a small store $1.50 and a drink (similar to a Sprite) $1 Such a cheap day! Today, our house Mommy drove us around the neighborhood so we could get an idea on where we are. Everything we need is in walking distance! - I’m in love! After the drive, Nicole and I decided to take a nap and then head out on our own to explore the city surrounding us. We were told how to get to three different shopping areas (one of which looks like malls we have at home – if not better) and the two places the bus for work will pick us up/drop us off. The main grocery store is Mas X Menos/Mas por Menos (More for Less) so Nicole and I trekked off to see what they had - It looked like a Kroger/Publix. We got a few things in Mas X Menos and headed back home to relax a little before heading to Lincoln Plaza (the mall similar to those at home). Overall, great first day! My posts might be a little all over the place but it is because I have limited access to internet at the moment. I’m here!
Nicole, Timi and, I arrived in San Jose around 9pm last night. We were so excited to land and get off the plane. And talk about overwhelming… As soon as we walked out of the airport we were bombarded with paparazzi – aka Taxi Drivers. We were a little nervous getting into the taxi since we could hardly communicate. BUT – we made it home safely! We met our house Mommy (Anabelle) and got settled into our rooms. Nicole and I decided to watch some TV before heading to bed and one of the first things we found was a music video channel. Literally the first three songs we heard were old school Backstreet Boys! |
I am 22 years old. Teaching and traveling in Costa Rica.
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