Redhead in Rica

Reflections

2011-06-19T10:58:00.000-06:00

Well, the time has come. I am just a few short hours away from leaving Costa Rica behind. I will be boarding a plane bound for Antigua, Guatemala for 2 months before eventually returning back to MN to teach 3rd grade. So I leave CR with some random memories and great experiences that will last a lifetime:

1) Meeting my ladies at the airport in Huston before we all boarded the plane bound for CR. Little did we know what the next two years held in store for us. I love you girls.
2) Trying to make our first home cooked meal with Molly. It all turned out white and tasted just as bad as it looked. Maybe that's why Papa Johns became such a staple for us!
3) Tracking down some random wood dude to make us a TV stand and myself a shelf for my room.
4) Making it from Escazu to San Jose in all of 10 minutes to catch our bus to the beach for Liz's birthday. (We may have overslept a little...)
5) Having a local bar, Arenas, open early for us every Friday for happy hour.
6) Traveling all around Costa Rica and seeing all the beautiful sites.
7) Heading to Nicaragua for a long weekend with Steph and climbing that damn volcano...couldn't walk for a week.
8) Going to Panama with Molly and deciding to head to San Blas because I read about it online. Neither of us knew where we were headed when we got in some man's truck early one morning. Took us a few hours to figure which ocean we had ended up on as well!

9) Driving to Rio Celeste with Kelly and Al in our little sedan...an SUV was highly recommended. After pushing the car and bottoming out a few times, we fully understood why!
10) Holding monkeys and seeing the baby sloths with Jess...the cracked windshield is something I'd rather forget though.
11) Seeing the baby sea turtles hatch in Tortuguero...so cute!
12) Hiking Diamante Falls with my brother and sleeping in a cave behind a waterfall. That, complete with cliff jumping and repelling down a waterfall...priceless

The list could go on and on...all in all, it has been a wonderful two years. I can only hope my next two months in Guatemala will be half as amazing.

Oh How Time Flies!

2011-05-16T18:18:00.000-06:00

Our staff party

Fear not, I am still here! It's been a crazy past few months but luckily it is all coming together and slowing down a bit. Within the past two months I decided not to return to my school, I went on a crazy job hunting spree, got a job, found a new roommate, and we found a place to live! Oh, and in-between there I did some enhancing of young children's' minds.

Well, this is it. I'm in my last month of teaching abroad. Honestly, I have such an amazing summer coming up, I can't wait for the year to be over! Plus, the kiddos get a little squirrly at this point in the year..as do the teachers. For example, last week one student was playing around at lunch and he "accidentally stepped" on the faucet outside my room where a water fountain used to be. Luckily for me, the pipe connected to said faucet was inside my closet. Thankfully I happened to be in my room at the time and hear a nice "Wshhhhhh-ing" sound. As I get up to investigate, I am greeted with water...a lot of water, inching across my room. After the water managed to get 3/4 the way across my room, we got it turned off. Now...the boy who stomped...oops, I mean accidentally stepped....on the faucet got the lovely task of mopping up the mess. Enter the clown show. These kids have never held a broom before let alone actually mopped something up! It was HILARIOUS to watch. We had water spraying this way and that, kids getting sloshed on, ceilings getting whacked as they rung out their mop. Needless to say, I could barely breathe as I sat and watched them clean. I tried to upload a video but it didn't want to work. (It's also not letting me upload pics.) Sadly, I wasn't filming when the boy got a great idea to slide across the floor on his knees...only to slam face first into the tile... oh boys!

The Ladies

Speaking of water, as I type this our kitchen is being pulled apart. Apparently our dishwasher separated from the hook up thingy and therefore was continually leaking water all over our kitchen for a day. Well, this got under the tiles and such so they are currently pulling up the tiles to our kitchen. (As he left, he told me to tell the guards ASAP next time so they can call him and he'll come right over. OOPPPSS!)

So on Wednesday I am about to embark our the last class trip of the middle school...the 8th graders. These lovely students are the ones who supply about 99% of my kids quotes...this should be interesting. We are going to Manuel Antonio; it should be a great trip. I agreed to take a slew of the shall I say, less mature, kids in my group. By the way, less mature is a nice way of saying crazy. This should be an experience!

The Ladies and I have also planned a couple of fun getaways. So, my weekends are all full until August when I shall return, for good?, to the US!

I have had some great kids quotes these past months, I hope you enjoy:

"Ms. K, is it true you aren't coming back next year?"
"Yeah."
"Why, is it because you can have red hair in the US?"

"Ms. K, you look feisty today."

I was teaching my tutoring boy how Helen Keller learned to read by finger spelling and then holding an object:
He sits and thinks a moment..."So, when she learned the word for poop...?"

"Ms. K, I messed up when picking my roommates for the class trip. I forgot to put you on my list!" (this coming from a boy)
"No comment."

"Ms. K, I just wanted to give you a hug and tell you how beautiful you look today." (He was about to take a test.)

"Erin, you don't just look down at your crotch and smile." Ummm....

"Luis, please let me go."
"No Ms. K, I will not stop hugging you until you hug me back! A nice hug!"

"Listen up kids, I have some exciting news!"
"You're getting married!"
"No."
"You're pregnant!"
"Umm, NO! Maybe it's just best if I told you."

Travels..with kiddos

2011-04-03T11:49:00.000-06:00

Before I get into my lovely 7th grade field trip to Tortugero, I must take you back to a wonderful day called Dia del Gallo Pinto. The Day of Gallo Pinto. For those of you who don't know, gallo pinto is a typical dish here in Costa Rica. (Costa Rica and Nicaragua actually argue about where the dish originated.) It's a rice and beans dish that is served at every typical Costa Rican breakfast. Some families also eat it during most meals. Well, Jen, Liz and I went to San Jose to see what it was all about. There was Gallo Pinto everywhere! Oddly enough, we didn't eat any that day...the lines were too long and/or we were too impatient. We did get some amazing masks though!

Well, I just returned from a 3 day trip to Tortuguero with the 7th graders. All in all, it was a good time. We did have some interesting times. My group was the first to go kayaking. Well, 3 minutes into it, one of my girls has gone overboard! We were in a canal before getting to the bigger canals full of caimans and other creepy creatures. I looked at one of the guides and asked, "If I get in, will I be eaten?" She said no so I jumped in to help my student. Her and I were just laughing away. After we both got settled again, we had a great time. Then, my second group got to go. There were about 5 of us who had gotten to the end of the first little canal and attempted to turn left. (The kids were still learning how to maneuver their kayaks so this created a lot of crashes.) As luck would have it, a boat was coming our way. I had to get 5 kids to back into the canal we came from so the boat could pass. A girl was stuck right behind me so I stupidly turned over my shoulder to try and push her and FLIP, over I went! The kids sure loved this part! I assured them I had seen a cool animal and was just trying to get a closer look...That evening Erin and I get a knock on our door. It's Scott and Miguel, the other teachers who were on room checks..."We can't find a student." Super. So, we embark on a journey to find a missing 13 year old girl. Luckily, when I went to one room another girl had heard her say she was going to sit in a hammock. So, flashlight in hand, I went up to each and every hammock hoping to find her. I was worried I was going to flash a light into some un-expecting traveler. As luck would have it, I found her passed out in the very last hammock. Another comical part was watching the monkeys poop all over my students on our boat tour. They didn't find it that funny, but Erin and I sure did!

That following Saturday morning, a few friends and I had book a day trip to Isla Tortuga. It's just a beautiful island about an hour and a half from Punta Arenas. We sailed on a catamaran through the Pacific before getting to the island. It was an amazingly beautiful day. We all got plenty of sun! Towards the end of the stay on the island, the crewman set up a game of soccer. With a little pushing from Jen, I got the nerve to join them. I had to represent for my fellow females. It is hard to tell from a still picture, but I was clearly the MVP. I mean, I did score the winning goal for my team. We returned home exhausted, and a little pink. But it was a great day trip.

I shall leave you with the weirdest quote heard upon the 7th grade trip. This is also another reason I will never understand adolescent boys and why I am scared to have a boy myself.
The boys were in their room, but all could be heard next door.
Boy 1: "Guys, come here, I want to show you something!"
Boy 2: "What? Are you going to masturbate?"
Boy 1: "What?! No?!!"

Mi Cumple y Mas

2011-03-27T11:07:00.000-06:00

Well folks, the time has finally arrived. I have hit my, gulp, late 20's. Now that I am 27, I have a much more refined outlook on life. Por ejemplo, my birthday celebration. It all began with the usual, "What do you want to do for your birthday?" talk. Well, I decided I'd like to just get away for a nice beach weekend. Sit at the pool/on the beach, take in the ocean, and relax....then my birthday got closer. I realized, "Heck, my mid 20's are about to pass me by! I need to celebrate!" Enter: the dinner extravaganza. The new birthday plan had us going to dinner Friday night and then heading to the beach Saturday morning. Dinner was fabuloso! The food was good, but the company was great. After the 5 of us ladies finished our 4th bottle of wine we decided we should move onward with our celebrations. Although one of returned home that night one cell phone and one red jacket less than what she came with, she somehow had an extra maraca...

Needless to say, a few of us weren't all the chipper the next morning for our drive to Esterillos. However, we sucked it up like the true champs we are and quickly recovered. The place we stayed at was great. It had a nice pool with a view of the ocean. I napped in a hammock while listening to the sound of the waves, laid on the beach, and then went to the pool when I could no longer take the heat of the sand. To top it all off, Katie brought a pinata for me! Strawberry Shortcake to be exact! We had a great time beating the crap out of that thing! Don't worry, I saved Strawberry before the beating began. So, to sum it up, I had one of the best birthday weekends I have ever had. It was also made amazing by the awesome package my MN Ladies sent me. The Kit Kats didn't last long though!

One of the nice things about the newbies this year is that they love to play soccer. We managed to reserve our school's field each Saturday to play. It's odd to think it took me a year and a half to finally play soccer here! I thought I'd be playing all the time!

At the time I'm faced with deciding what to do next year. I'm torn between a few things. Do I stay, do I return to the US, or do I go somewhere new and unknown? I have loved my time here in Costa Rica, no doubt. This is an amazingly beautiful place to live. However, part of what has made it so amazing, is the people I'm here with. That being said, most of them are leaving next year. And my students...they are umm, charming? I do adore them and I would miss them greatly. Teaching abroad is a complete 180 compared to when I taught in St. Paul. Here, I am able to be the type of teacher I want to be. I can have fun with my kids, joke around, but also get our work done. In the US, I had to stay much more formal and strict with my students in order to get our work done. However, those kids in the US needed me. The students I teach now will be successful regardless. (Ok, so this paragraph was mainly for my own benefit. I am done rambling.)

Today I am about to head to the new soccer stadium that China built for Costa Rica. Why would China build Costa Rica a soccer stadium you may ask? Well, I'm not really sure. Taiwan built CR a Friendship Bridge awhile back and apparently China wanted to be on their good side too, so they one upped Taiwan with a stadium. Others say it 's because China and CR now have an unwritten agreement to let China hunt sharks off the coasts of CR. As much as sharks scare the willies out of me, I hope this isn't true. But, one of my friends in running the race and there is supposed to be other events set up, so we're going to check it all out.

I have to, I mean get to, go on the 7th grade class trip next week to Tortuguero. Now, Tortuguero has been one of my favorite places to visit in CR so far. However, I was with great friends and I got to see adorable little turtles. This time I get to go with a great amount of 13 year olds and there is nothing adorable about that. HOWEVER, the following weekend is a 3 day and we are heading to Bocas del Toro in Panama and the following week is Semana Santa!!! That means I'll be spending a week in the Dominican Republic at an all inclusive with my mom and brother!!! AND, for my birthday, I GET TO SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS! I get so excited about this, I almost pee myself each time I think about it! (Was that an overshare?)

I shall leave you with some amusing happenings:
One morning in the cab:
Katie asks the driver: "Como naciste?"
Paige is like, "Did you just ask him how he was born? Isn't that personal/really weird?"
Katie: "No, I asked him how he woke up. (How is your morning the non-literal translation.)
Paige: "Umm, nope, pretty sure you asked him how he was born. Como amaneciste is how did you wake up."
-If you say these two words aloud, they sound very similar.

After I got a haircut, so therefore my hair was straight:
"So, the graph is an upward opening parabola. Questions?"
"Your hair is different! You planchared it!" (Planchar=to iron or straightened)
"Um, yes I did. Any questions though?"
"It looks so different!"
"Ok, can we talk about my hair later please and focus on our lesson instead?"

Also, the science teacher showed the 7th graders the video of my operation last week. They got to see Gil up close and personal. One kid enjoyed it so much, he wanted a copy of the video!

The Wonders of Traveling...

2011-02-22T18:18:00.000-06:00

Well, thanks to our lovely Presidents, I had a three day weekend! Translation: beach time! Some of the girls had family in town so Jen and I decided to head to Nosara, a beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula. I was excited because, with the exception of my trip last year with the kiddos, I had never been to the Nicoya. Since this was a 5 hours excursion, we decided to leave right from school on Friday. We got held up slightly at the car rental place because neither of us had brought a credit card, only a debit. (They put a $1000 hold on your card, so it's much better to have a credit card.) As we are pulling out of the rental lot, Jen asks, "Did you tell the hotel that we'd be getting in late?" "Oh. Nope." And we were off.

10:00pm rolls around and we pull up to the Nosara B&B. It is dark. Really dark. Except for this little lamp left on in the main room. "Look Jen, I can see our two little towels sitting on the table, waiting for us!" Problem, there was no one there to give us said towels. After about 30 minutes of honking, yelling, and looking at each other, we decided to head out and find another place to stay. Now, Nosara isn't really set up with a row of hotels so we took a lot of random turns down the crazy dirt road looking for hotels. Each one we found was dark. At one point, one of us said, "These roads are actually pretty creepy. I hope the car doesn't break down."

We had no other choice...back to the hotel. Jen had been calling the place nonstop since we left, but there was still no one there. So, we kicked back our seats and settled into the car to sleep! "So Jen, it's going to get pretty hot in here. Do you think it's ok to leave the air on?" We eventually decided to start with the car on and to turn it off sporadically. After we finally stopped laughing at our crazy predicament, we "went to sleep." I awoke to this, "AHHHHHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHHHHHH" Oh how I wish you could hear this noise as I did! I, of course, started screaming in response. I thought a possum or something had gotten into the car. Then, I turn my head to the left and notice a man with a flashlight standing next to the car. Luckily, I did not have to go to the bathroom at this time, or I probably would have soiled myself. I slowly open the door and was like, "Hi! Umm, we have reservations." So, we got into our room sometime after 1am. The next morning we had a lovely time at the beach, doing nothing.

We went to sign in like they asked us to and the woman changed the date from Friday to Saturday. "Oh, how nice, she's giving us last night for free," we both thought. We come back to pay and the man is there. "You guys owe for three nights, not two." "Well, she changed the dates and had us sign the form for two nights." After a bit of arguing, he went to go get the lady. She comes up. "So sorry, it was a mistake. You only owe for two nights." So we pay and start our way back to the beach. "Have a nice journey," she says.

"Ummm, Jen, I think she thinks we're leaving today. She just told us to 'Have a nice journey.'" We just shrugged it off and headed to the beach. We decided it made more sense for us to drive home on Sunday, today, instead of the next day so, at 11:30, we went back to the room to pack up. We were meet with the owner woman putting our stuff into bags. "Umm, girls, check out was 11:00." "Yeah, but we have this room for 3 nights."

After about 15 minutes of mass confusion, the lady finally got it straight in her head. "Oh my goodness! I want to give you girls a free night! Please, let me give you a free night!" "Actually, we're leaving. Maybe if we ever come back..."

So we quickly packed up, showered, and hit the road. We had to get gas, so we pulled into a station. The attendant guys comes up and says, "You ladies have something stuck in your wheel." Of course we do. Turns out, I ran over a rather large nail and it lodged itself into our wheel. An hour later, our wheel was patched and we were back on the road! We managed to make it home in one piece, with a great story to tell!

Now, some wise words from the boy I tutor:
"Ms. K, I get up at 5am each morning."
"Why do you get up so early?"
"To milk my goat!"
"You honestly expect me to believe you get up at 5am to milk your goat?"
"It's true. My grandpa comes and gets me on his moto and we go to my farm. I eat my cereal with the milk I get."

"Oh my gosh, I have a beard, right?!?!"
"Ummm, yeah....I see one hair."
"YEAH, this is awesome! It must be because my birthday was yesterday and I'm so manly now."
5 minutes later:
"Stop trying to see your "beard" in the reflection of your computer and get back to work!"

The Bird is the Word...

2011-02-10T18:51:00.000-06:00

Ok peps, time to get serious. I am being driven insane...by a bird. It all began around the first week of school, so a month ago. Molly, my roommate, mentioned this annoying sound coming from outside. Low and behold, I am awoken to this mystery sound the next day...at 4:30 AM people! Then it stopped, until 5:30. The preciseness of this "bird" led me to believe that perhaps someone received the most annoying alarm clock possible for Christmas. It is also suck a strange sound, we couldn't place it. Well, after many investigations (Molly has actually gone out to the pool at 4:30 to track down the sound, twice.) we have come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, a bird. This is the most annoying bird I have never seen. I have also been wondering: If I shoot a BB gun randomly into the unknown, it wouldn't actually cause too serious of harm to whatever it hit, would it?

On top of the crazy bird, we also have our bathroom fan. Now, this fan has been running since we moved in. It doesn't seem to be attached to any switch and it just always makes noise. Day by day, I noticed it had been getting louder. In my room, it sounded like a washing machine off track. Then, one night I wake to what sounds like a Mac truck about to plow through my bedroom door. The fan is out of control. When I get up for the day Molly goes, "I almost woke you up. I thought we were going to have to evacuate before our place blew up." We talked to Tio, our handyman, and he "fixed" it...it has been getting louder each day...

Sorry, I have no pics for you, just a nice venting session! I shall leave you with my wise words from the classroom:

(We have been graphing quadratic equations-they are parabolas with vertexes.)
"Ms. K, I think I graphed this quadratic wrong. I can't seem to find the climax."
"Yeah, that happens sometimes."

One boy, who has broken English, was drawing on my board while his friends kept trying to erase it:
"HEY, don't touch my thing!"
Took about 5 minutes for my boys to stop laughing...

The Joy of Visitors!!!

2011-01-14T13:33:00.001-06:00

Well, my vacation Stateside was a short one this year due to the fact my ladies had booked a flight to come visit!!! I had given Kelly and Al strict instructions about finding the legit orange airport cabs and how to get to my place (in both Spanish and English.) So 10:30 roles around and my cell rings...it's the cabbie calling because he's lost. After many instructions, the girls finally pull up...in an unmarked blue van. Go figure. Some rando on the plane told them to find a pirata taxi (the illegals) cause they're a better deal. So, instead of listening to their wise friend, they took the rando's advice! But, they finally arrived and were in one piece! Apparently Kelly was too nervous to let them know she didn't speak Spanish, so instead she pretended to be deaf...(insert head shake here.)

Repelling

So the next morning we headed to pick up our car and embark on our journey. First stop: La Fortuna to see Volcan Arenal. The arrival went smoothly and we set off to see the waterfall. The next morning we had signed up to go Canyoning. This consisted of repelling down 5 waterfalls; the highest being 220 feet. Our guides were charming and cute and I'm sure they appreciated us three ladies and all of our inappropriateness we brought with us! For example, one the guides taught me a new slang word for 'dude.' When Kelly was getting detached from a harness I was quietly telling her to use the new word with him. Somehow she interpreted "Say mop" as "Slap his ass." The guide next to me found this quite entertaining!

Pushing Bessie

The next morning we set off to find Rio Celeste. Now, if you are an avid blog reader, you may already know I attempted to see this celestial blue river last year. However, due to the torrential downpour, the river was a beautiful brown. This time, I was sure we'd see it blue! One fact I was aware of but chose to keep from my passengers was that an SUV is recommended. When we got to the "Unpaved Road" as our GPS told us, I said, "Alright ladies, if at any time any of you think we should turn around, say so!" And we set off! About 10 minutes into our journey, we are stopped by a giant truck just chillin in the road. So we sat and watched the guy on the side of the road finish his apple before he finally got into his truck. We drove for about one minute and then got to the contraction site with even bigger trucks blocking the road! 5 minutes later we were on the road again! What do we encounter this time? A tree in the road...complete with a machete man! He finally chopped and moved the pieces and we were free again! This time, we the only obstacles we encountered were steep hills, boulders that came out of nowhere, and mud. We only got stuck two times! Luckily Kelly and Al are amazing pushers and we got up those beasty hills! After each terrifying scraping sound, Kelly would look behind us and say, "Nothing fell off!" I had Al hyperventilating in the front seat and Kelly choking back laughter in the back, but, we FINALLY got to the river station thingy and looked around. The parking lot was full of SUVs, and our sedan! A man came out and immediately said, "Did you have to push?" "Oh, just a few times!" We hiked to the river and it was blue!!!

After our less than relaxing drive to Rio Celeste, we headed to Tamarindo, the beach. We enjoyed laying on the beach, taking it a little sun, and taking in even more cervezas! Luckily, Kelly had regained her ability to speak and was no longer deaf so we made lots of new friends! On our trip back to Escazu, I had noticed Bessie, our car, was being a little louder then our trip up. Worried that she may have punctured something, though I couldn't imagine how, we pulled into our rental place in Liberia. As soon as the maintenance man got in to try it out, she was quite again! Go figure! I think Bessie just wanted to feel respected and cared for and getting her checked out was just what she needed to buck up! We got back to Escazu in great time, thanks slightly to my lead foot. I think it's safe to say that we all had an amazing time!

Home For the Holidays!

2011-01-13T14:32:00.000-06:00

Well Winter Break came before I knew it and my girls and I were off to Drake Bay. It's in the southern part of Costa Rica and is supposed to hold a whole lot of wildlife and such. Well the start was a little, shall we say, shaky...we arrived at the airport and all was good. We checked in and then the dude made ME step on the scale! You know you're riding in a small plane when they also have to weigh the passengers! So we go to actually get on the plane and they recheck our passports and such and then we're put into the "waiting area." Well, three of us got through fine and then I noticed the fourth wasn't coming. "Maybe she went to the bathroom???" So I peaked my head out of the area and looked around. Nadie. Then, my phone rings. I pick up to hear nothing but hysterics...I go back out to the main room and immediately this large dude goes, "You need to go get on the plane. I will not have it wait any longer." And I'm like, "Chill out dude, no one has even boarded yet. By the way, nice to meet you too." Through a lot screaming and tears, I finally realize that they are saying she is in the country illegally. You are only allowed to be in CR for 3 months and then you need to leave. I have a work Visa so I'm fine. My friend is new this year and had yet to receive her Visa...I try to explain what's going on when the man takes my passport and tries to find something wrong with it. He finds and old stamp and I hear him say something along the lines of, "She's illegal too." To which I, slightly snottily, respond, "Yeah, but if you look at my VISA, you'll see I'm legal!" So, long story short, they assured me my friend would be able to get on the 11:00 flight and I HAD to get on the plane. Me and the other 2 girls arrive in Drake Bay and I check my phone. I received texts such as: "I hate this Fing country. I wish they would have just deported me." And "I almost got arrested." Apparently being snotty to the immigration people isn't the best idea...BUT, she arrived and we were reunited once again!

We took a day tour snorkeling and Joanne went scuba diving. I got to snorkel with sharks! There were two white tips chillin at the bottom of the ocean right above us. Twas very cool...not as scary as I thought it would be. The next day we were planning on going to Corcovado National Park. We awoke to rain, lots of rain. "Do we still go?" "Ummm, why not!?" So we got into the boat and set off. It was an amazing hour long boat ride filled with giant rain drops pelting us in our faces. So the hike was, shall we say, slightly muddy and very wet. We did get to see a tapir though! I was about 3 feet away from her while she was taking a nap. She woke up and looked at me. Then I thought, "Hmm, if she gets up and charges, I'm toast." Luckily, the rain let up and our boat ride back was much more tranquilo.

After our lovely vacay, it was time to pack up for the States. For once, my trip home went as planned and I arrived in NoDak at the butt crack of dawn on Christmas Eve. I got to chill with the fam for Christmas and then head to MN to see my friends for New Years. Now, it wouldn't be a true trip back for me without any problems. I was planning on driving back to ND on New Years Day to catch my flight the following day...enter the snow. The highway was closed. Go figure. After many, many calls and trying to figure out all my possibilities, I ended up book and emergency flight to Bismarck. Meaning, my mother's car was left in Minneapolis. Nothing like adding a little extra adventure to an otherwise smooth vacation! Luckily, in the end, it all worked out! Pura Vida!!!

Thanksgiving!

2010-12-06T09:12:00.000-06:00

Well Paige, Joanne, and yours truly rented a car and headed to Guanacaste for our long weekend. Joanne's aunt and uncle just moved to Playa del Coco and they graciously took us in! They live in a beautiful development right in the town. The place has a few pools, but we never tried them out. Instead, we walked about 15 minutes to the Beach House and we were in heaven. They had huge square beds for you to lie on and a staff to bring you drinks; who wouldn't love that! We took full advantage.

The evening of Thanksgiving, we all went to a "restaurant" for a buffet of all things Thanksgiving. The food was delish...that day. The next morning brought wonderful surprises for many of the folk who consumed the turkey. We went to Tamarindo to go surfing the next morning. Let's just say it was a rare occurrence if all of us were on the beach and no one was running for the bathroom...nonetheless, Paige and I were able to do a little surfing. It was the perfect day for it! (Minus the creeper who stood about 10 feet from us and just STARED the entire time.) I mean, I know I have mad surfing skills so he was probably just looking for some pointers...

Well, it's that time of year again. The time when all your students are driving you mad and they are no longer cute nor funny. Last week I was dreading teaching my Math 8 kids. So, in the half hour I had before class began, I quickly typed up a project and instead of teaching the next chapter, they are all making their very own Math Raps, complete with a music video! For those of you who know my love of math songs, I am ubberly excited! They are coming along quite well. I shall try to post one here once completed; I know you are dying to see them as well! Some are coming along better that others:

"Your song is not appropriate."
"What!?! Why?!!?"
"Well, for starters, the first line says 'I'm going to kill you, you idiot.'"
"SIGH, well, can I at least keep the 'peeing on a hobo' part?"

The other day I also had this conversation:
"Did you just bite my shoulder?"
"Whaaaaat? Noooooo..."
"It is NEVER okay to bite a teacher!!!"
"Why not?"

So, the countdown is in full force: 7 more full days! Then I'm off to beautiful Bahia Drake (Drake Bay) before coming back to the States!

November Shenanigans

2010-11-21T16:08:00.000-06:00

Well November has come and it's just about gone! Before I know it, I'll be on the plane back to the US to spread some Holiday cheer! We actually had a long weekend a few weeks back with CR was overcome by a lot of rainfall. San Antonio, which is right up the hill from my school and 5 minutes from where I live, was heavily affected. We have to cancel school for 2 days, we lost power and water, and more than 20 people lost their lives. It was quite sad.

We celebrated Jen's birthday yesterday, the Big 3-0! Well, Jen is quite the avid dancer so, naturally, she wanted to go dancing for her birthday. Liz contacted a dance school and signed us all up for a private lesson! It was actually a lot of fun! Even our Tico boys learned a thing or two. We focused on the salsa and the merengue. I could actually hold my own! Dancing with the instructor was quite danting and he kept telling me to stop bouncing. I was thinking to him, "I'm not bouncing! I'm moving just like you!" Clearly his judgement was slightly off. There was also his "assistant." When I danced with him he must have instinctively picked up on my natural ability cause he kept throwing in all these advanced moves. Naturally, I was able to keep up and throw in my own "special" moves. AKA, I had no idea what he was doing so I tried to do something too. Luckily, this kid was such a good dancer, he was able to get us to "recover" and continue on as though we had it all planned. If only he were older than 17...

I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving break this week!!! Joanne, Paige, and I are renting a car and heading North for the beach! I have not been to the beach in ions and I am quite pasty! After Thanksgiving Break, we only have 2 and a half more weeks before Christmas! I. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Hmm, I feel as though I am out of things to say. I shall leave you all with some more Kid Quotes:

"Your hair looks different today. It looks more orange."
"You realize that is not a compliment. I hate orange."
"Oh. Well you also look really purple today. Is that better?"

"Say bag."

A kid sneezed all over the side of my face this week. It was awesome. (insert sarcasm here)

My Tortuguero Adventure!

2010-10-20T18:38:00.000-06:00

This past week we had a 3 day weekend due to Columbus Day; we had to celebrate it a week late for some reason I don't really understand. So myself and four other friends embarked across the country in search of tiny little turtles! The Green Turtle has a nesting season from July-October in Tortuguero with August and September being the best months to go. So, I was a little nervous we'd fail our mission since we were arriving at the end of the season.

At 6am we were picked up and we began our journey. As soon as our tour guide, Maria, started taking our names and details about us, I knew I was in for a long ride. She went all around the bus introducing one another and giving little facts about us all. Then she wanted us all to say why we were coming to Tortuguero. "Isn't it obvious?" I was thinking in my rather crabby state. I just wanted to listen to my music and sleep but all I could hear was her loud voice telling me all about Costa Rican facts. Luckily, she eventually stopped talking and I fell asleep. When I awoke, we had stopped at a banana plant (factory? farm?) I learned that bananas do not grow on trees! They are from a herb...didn't really understand that translation, hierba, but whatever.

When we finally reached the point of transfer, I was ready for our boat ride. It takes an additional hour to get to the lodge going on the river. We left at 6am and we arrived at Mawamba Lodge at 2pm. Surprisingly, it didn't feel like that long of a journey. We quickly had lunch and then we went on a tour of the place. We got to see a Red Eyed Tree Frog! He was soooo cute!!!! I had just put on bug spray though, so I was unable to touch him...tear. After the tour, I went to take a siesta while the others went for a beer. When we all joined back up for dinner I heard the news: A little baby turtle got lost looking for the ocean and somehow scampered into someone's cabin! My friends got to see him because a worker brought him around before taking him back to the ocean. Poor little guy, needs to work on his directions. I'm pretty sure that, if I were a turtle, that would be me. I was convinced I had missed my chance to see a baby turtle and felt sorry for myself all through dinner. Luckily, we had signed up for the Turtle Tour that night so I still had hope.

We left at 9pm in search of turtles. You aren't allowed to take any pictures at night so as not to disturb the turtles. The turtles come to lay eggs every 4 years. During the year, they come to the beach about 6 times. During their first visit, the whole process takes them about 2 hours 30 minutes and they lay about 120 eggs. By their last visit, it takes them about 1 hour 45 minutes and they lay about 60 eggs. The sad part, only about 1 or 2 out of every 1000 will ever grow to be adults. :( We got really lucky and there was a mama turtle laying her eggs when we arrived. We were a little late so we didn't actually see the egg laying process but we watched her bury her eggs and then head back to sea. It was amazing. She was so big! Probably 3-4ft long and 2-3ft across. Our guide told us that the Leather Backs are twice as big! (They nest in January in Guanacaste and April-June in Tortuguero.) He also told us that the night time is not the time to see the babies hatch. You have to come at either sunrise or sunset. They hatch throughout the day but then they rest underground until the time is right for them to make their escape to the ocean! So our group decided to get up at 5am the next morning to see the little tykes. 5am came...and went. We continued sleeping...

The next day we went for a boat tour through Tortuguero National Park. It was VERY wet. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked due to the fact that I was drenched and worried my camera was going to get wet. I did get to see the Jesus Lizard, I think that's his name. The one that can run across water on his hind legs. That was cool. We returned back just in time to head to the beach in pursuit of babies! As soon as we got to the beach we saw a big group hudled around about 200 meters away. We started walking faster, then one of us would run for a few feet and then walk. Finally, I just took off running. There were babies everywhere!!! It was the most precious thing I have ever seen. These little guys were so adorable. They kept getting stuck in our feet prints and some got a little turned around while looking for the ocean. They would scurry for a bit, quickly rest, and scurry some more. I put my hand down and let them run over it. We got to see three sets of turtles hatch and go to sea! Loved it!

This has, by far, been my favorite experience in CR thus far. I get to come back in April with my students and then my Bro and I are coming in June. Can't wait!!!

On the Road Again

2010-10-12T19:36:00.000-06:00

This past weekend myself and 4 other peps decided to head to Manuel Antonio for some much needed sol. We had been sick of the torrential downpours occurring 24/7 in Escazu. It has been raining so much, we have been finding mold on some of our things! Ew. Also, all this rain has really been taking a toll on my shoes. Double Ew.

Our journey to the beach was rather uneventful, if you call almost being squished between two giant semis and fearing the brakes were going to go uneventful. The new highway is closed because, in the 30 years it took to construct the thing, they did it poorly. Shocking. With all the rain, there are a lot of mudslides and falling rocks. So, they closed it until they can make it safe once again. Translation, we had to take the route through the mountains. This road is so twisty I often get car sick. The good thing about this road is that, on the inclines, there are often passing lanes so you can get around the really slow cars and trucks. Well, Mike was in one of these lanes passing a semi when another semi came around the corner. It was such a tight fit, I don't know how we kept our side-view mirrors. The moment after was full of awkward laughter and terrified looks. Also, since we are up and down so much, Mike started to notice a change in his brakes. I was waiting for the moment they would fail and we'd go soaring into the mountains. Thankfully, they remained intact and we arrived safely!

It was a gorgeous day on the beach! Joanne and I dazzled onlookers with our amazing soccer skills while the rest of the crew soaked up the sun. Molly claims she is now proud to be able to say she received her first jellyfish stings! At the time however, she was not too thrilled. She didn't want to get into the ocean after that. Scott, telling her she has nothing to worry about, went swimming and came back with some stings of his own! I was also filled with a desire to swim. As I was floating up and down with the waves, a crab bit my toe! As soon as that little critter attached to my toe I started flailing and kicking all the way back to the shore. Although I couldn't see the crustacean, I'm sure he was ginormous!

On Sunday afternoon we reluctantly packed up to head back to Escazu. Joanne and I had a soccer game at 5 that we wanted to get to. Mike has a GPS to help us on our way. But, since the Highway is closed, it always tries to get us back on it. So, we were ignoring "Amy" and Mike was just asking Molly and I for directions...for those of you who know me well, you see the mistake Mike has made. Apparently how you get to the beach isn't the exact way you get home so we ended up taking a beautiful scenic detour. On this lovely excursion, the car kept getting louder and louder. Then, it started having troubles getting up hills. Luckily we got back on the correct route and managed to make it to a town before blowing up.

There must have been some luck shining down upon us because a tow truck came along! He put the car onto the bed of his truck and said he'd tow us back to Escazu. Only problem, there were 5 of us and his car could only hold 3, including him. So, Mike, Scott, and I jumped back into Mike's car and rode in there! It's often fun thinking of all the crazy things we do in CR that are quite illegal in the US! (Don't worry Mom, he promised to go really slow.) Around 5:30, we had made it home! A trip that took us 2hrs 40min to arrive only took us 5 and a half to get home! (We did stop for Subway though.) Sadly, Jo and I missed our soccer game...

The randomness of children:

‎"Ms. K, I came out on TV this weekend!!!"
"Umm, what?"
"I came out on TV!"
"Do you mean you were on TV this weekend?"
"Yeah, that's what I said!"

‎"Ms. K, what would you do if you woke up in Africa?"
"Um, go on a safari?"
"What would you do if you woke up and Folke....oh, haha, maybe I shouldn't say that..."
*Glad to know that, by 8th grade, they are learning to control themselves to some degree...and also glad he didn't finish that statement

Assignment: Create a graph and write a story explain the changes in your graph.
I received a story about Jersey Shore and how ratings increase/decrease according to the cast members antics complete with details of said antics. I also received a story titled "Poopie Paulie" all about farts.

"Ms. K, will you marry me? I'll give you an M&M."

This week we get Monday off for Columbus Day (a week late, but don't get me started on that) so we are heading to Tortuguero! I am really hoping we get to see the little turtles hatch! Until next time...

The Adventures of Gil!

2010-09-13T08:59:00.000-06:00

As I eluded to in my last post, I found I needed to have my gallbladder taken out this summer. I affectionately named it Gil, the Gallbladder. I'm so creative! I got lucky and learned that an elementary teacher had her's taken out the week before school started. I contacted her and got all the info on her doctor. I arrived at 6 for my appointment and by 7:15 I finally met the handsome dude. I liked him immediately. He scheduled some bloodwork and yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, flash forward a few weeks and we scheduled my surgery.

The surgery was scheduled for this past Thursday. I had tried to get ahold of my doc a couple of times beause it was now Monday and I still hadn't been able to talk to him about the actual surgery. I called his cell yet again and finally got him...for 1 minute because he was about to go into surgery. He said we were still on for Thursday and he'd call me back...Now it is Wednesday and I haven't heard from him. I call again. Get him just long enough to ask if my surgery is still tomorrow, he says yes, and he'll call me...

My phone rings Wednesday afternoon and it is his Spanish speaking secretary. She is telling me I should come in tomorrow for an appointment. "Wait a minute, isn't my surgery tomorrow!?" "No, it is on Friday at 4." Turns out they forgot to secure the operating room and there was no longer space on Thursday. I had a mini meltdown and then realized this is CR for you!

Jen was ever so nice to accompany me to the hospital before my surgery. After a whole lot of waiting, I was off! Only to sit and wait in anethesia for over an hour. The worst part, I could see the clock, so I just watched it tick. FINALLY they came for me! I was honestly waiting for them to come tell me I was here on the wrong day and that I'd have to come back. Once in the operating room, no one said a single word to me except, "Make a fist." I had no clue what was happening. What ever happened to telling your patient everything so they're more relaxed?!?! Guess they thought I wouldn't understand them.

Upon waking up I hear this nurse trying to talk to me in English. Then I hear another nurse go, "She speaks Spanish." Nooooo, I'm too drugged up to think in Spanish, I wanted to say. Somehow I managed anyway. I think the tears helped convey that I was in pain and needed the magical meds. They made me so warm and nice feeling! Sadly, it didn't last long.

They wouldn't give me any water and I was still hurting. They told me it was from the gas they pumped into me to inflate my stomach. I was told walking is the only thing that will get rid of that pain. "Can I walk around in my room when I get there?" "Yes." This woman must have been trying to kill me! When I got back to my room, my friends were waiting for me! I sat up and told them I needed to walk around. Suddenly, the room started spinning...hmmm, I think I'll walk around later.

Molly was ever so nice to stay the night with me to keep me company. My friends from home even managed to get flowers delivered to me! They came to my room at about 9:30pm. Only in CR would a flower man still be working at that hour! I was told I would be able to leave around 11 or so...1:00 rolls around and we are finally out of there! I am feeling better and better each day. Last night I could actually sleep on my side! What a relief for me! The incisions are starting to itch like crazy, which means they're healing, I believe. I have 4 lovely holes in my stomach now! The best part, they sent me home with a DVD!!! Molly and I watched as little Gil was sucked dry of all his bile and then suck right out of my stomach! Pretty cool! I gave the DVD to Erin, the science teacher. She is a little too excited about showing it to the kids!

Kid Quotes:

"I'm going to be out next week because I need to have my gallbladder taken out."
"Oh no!"
"Umm, Ms, K, will you still be able to pee ok?"

"Yes I will. Thank you for your concern."

"Why are you going to be gone?"
"I have to have surgery."
"Are you having a baby?!"
"Yes, right now I am currently 9 months pregnant."

A New Year...Well, School Year

2010-08-22T18:31:00.000-06:00

As expected, my summer vacation came and went too quickly. I am still feeling a little jipped on that. I only get 6 weeks vaycay here versus my 9 or so in the States...poor me. It was a fun filled vacation nonetheless. I got to travel with my mom to Europe, went to MN to see my friends, got to watch my munchkins for a few weeks, went to NoDak to see my pops, and even got to go to OH to visit my brother (we made amazing sushi!) Lucky for him, I brought with me my amazing softball skills that I have kept hidden up until he and his team needed another girl for their games. Yeah, I don't want to brag or anything, but let's just say the trophy they won should really just be shipped to me...

Well, like I said, it all ended too quickly and before I knew it, I was back at MSP Airport awaiting my flight. Now, I took a shuttle there because my friends were unable to take me. It got me there 3 hours before my flight! What is one to do in an airport for 3 hours you may ask?! Well, there is only one logical answer: Drink! Let me tell you this...it sounded like an innocent idea at the beginning. I stroll into Rock Bottom Brewery...or rather Roll in with my wonderful new luggage...and I find a great spot at the bar. I'll have a few beers, then get dinner, and before I know it, it'll be time for my flight I thought. HaHaHa. I started with a wonderful beer, a tall of course, and soon had another. In that time I made some fine friends at the bar. I quickly noticed that a lot more men travel alone than women. Or maybe it's just that a lot more men drink in the airport than women, hmmm. Anywho, Mr. Man decides that, before he leaves, we should do a shot! Well, 3 shots later he missed his flight! I then ask the time: 6:40. My flight leaves at 6:50. I casually stroll to my gate, which is all but deserted except for one woman at the desk. "Uhh, can I still get on the plane" I ask while I hand her my ticket. She pulls out the walkie "Load Knudson's bags, she's here." I looked at Mr. Man behind me and he and I started laughing. Whoa, she did not like that! "It isn't funny! We're going to be late because of you!" This of course broke me into a fit of hysterics, but I was wise enough to turn around while I laughed. So, yep, I was "that girl" who everyone glares at while entering the plane. BUT, we got to Denver on time, so I didn't feel so bad! And, shocking, I slept the whole way!

Upon arriving in CR I realized it felt as though I had never left. I quickly organized all my stuff...aka, my new shoes...and was ready to hit the beach! We went to Manuel Antonio for a little R&R before our Work Week started at school. While Jen and I are lounging on the sand, some man dressed in palm fronds approaches and asks me, "Would you like a fish for your computer?" I look up to see him dangling a little fish made out of fronds in front me. "Ummm, how exactly would you hang this on your computer?" "How about a boat for your car instead?" The persistent man then pulls out this magnificent boat, complete with an attached palm thingy to hang from your rear view mirror! Thinking he wanted money, I was skeptical to actually hold these brilliant creations. But, he thens looks at Jen and says, "Ugh, I have a funky onion left. You can put it in your kitchen." He throws it to her and then off he goes. I am left only with my vision of him and his palm frond hat...and of course my new decorations for the apartment!

Well school is officially in full force for the year. I am now teaching all 8th grade: Math 8, Algebra, and Geometry (to ONE kid) and a Pre-Algebra class to 7th graders. So far, so good. There is a big difference between the 8th graders and my 6th graders from last year though! I was not blessed with the silent first few classes while the 6th graders adjusted. Instead I got, "Ms. K!!! What's up?? I'm sure you missed me lots over the summer, right? I sure missed you!" "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear anything you said because you just punctured my ear drums." Oh how I missed them! Although it has only been a week, I do have a few new funny encounters:

-While doing my lunch duty two of my former students were talking to me about my hair..how it was blonde and now it's red.
"I liked you with blonde hair Ms. K."
"Well, it'll turn blonde again soon because of the sun."
"The sun doesn't turn my hair blonde."
"Well, that's because your hair isn't naturally blonde."
"Oh."
The other girl chimes in: "I can see your blonde hair starting to grow."
"Yeah, I'm starting to get roots."
"Does it hurt?"
I just gave her a look on this one and luckily she realized what she said and we all burst out laughing.

I have the great pleasure of getting my gall bladder removed here in CR and I mentioned it to my kids because we were having Dessert Day in Advisory and my stomach was hurting so I had none.
"What does a gall bladder do?"
"It helps you digest fats."
"Oh. Well, you don't need that, you're already so slender"
Ahhh, even if it's not true, it still brightens your day to hear it! Then one of my boys goes:
"Ms. K, what if someone would have said, 'Wow, I can really tell yours isn't working!' I'm not really saying that though!"

Goodbyes and Panama!

2010-07-23T16:37:00.000-06:00

Well just as quickly as the school year came, it also went. I can't believe that it all ended a month ago! I apologize to all my faithful fans; I know I have been absent so quite some time. In my defense, I've been a tad busy! Well, let me rack my brain and think back...

The end of the school year was mostly a happy one. The only sad part was saying goodbye to my Math Department CoChair. (There are only 2 math teachers at the middle school so her and I designated our own roles.) Stephanie is leaving me for a boy, typical! She only came on a one year contract and I shall miss her deeply...she was always down for a pedicure and made a great travel buddy to Nicaragua! I shall be taking her job next year and teaching the older of the middle schoolers...which mean more algebra (yay!) but also geometry (eek!) I decided to throw my kids for a loop and I dyed my hair back to red for the last day. I decided that, if she messed it up, I'd just get it fixed in the US! Now I know I can color it in CR and not turn out bright orange!

Molly and I decided to head to Panama City for 5 days before heading back to The States. What was supposed to be an hour flight, turned into 7+ hours in the airport waiting for our delayed plane. We bought Cosmo en Espanol to entertain ourselves. Then, when that got dull, we went into Duty Free and tried everything we could find that had samples! Upon arrival, we headed to our lovely hostel...a square room with a bed...very posh. We decided to upgrade for the following nights! After chilling in the city for a few days, we decided to go to San Blas, this island I had read about. So, at 4:00am, our driver arrives to take us there! At one point we were stopped so that the police could make sure we weren't being kidnapped. Well, lucky me was sitting closest to the cop so I was fortuante enough to be the one to talk to him. The peps in Panama talk much differently than my fellow Ticos and I was having a hell of a time understand the cute cop. I caught part of it and "inferred" the rest. After I answered him, his response was, "Wow, I thought you were foreigners." Yep, I told the man I was a Panamian!

Right after Panama, I was headed for the US! I arrived in Minneapolis for 2 whole days before embarking on a journey to Europe. More on that later!

The Four Seasons y un poco mas

2010-04-29T12:14:00.003-06:00

Ahhh, The Four Seasons. My friend Liz was ever so lucky to win a free night stay at the ever so posh Four Seasons!!! Well, Molly, Jen, Liz, and myself rented a car and headed to claim the prize! One may think that, being a $600/night (for the cheapest room) kind of place that they would have SIGNS telling you how to get there. HAHA, nope! Welcome to Costa Rica. We got to a rotunda and weren’t sure which little road to take so I followed the bus in front of me. Apparently that was for buses; for VIPs such as ourselves, we were supposed to take a different road. As we are approaching the hotel, we all start laughing at the obviousness as to how well we are going to fit in. When we get to check-in, a man is trying to direct me where to go, but I got confused so I just sort of pulled up. He tried to hide his laugh while saying, “This spot is perfect!” We weren’t allowed to remove anything from the car ourselves; they “have people for that.” A woman then offered us a cold towel and some juice.

When we got to our rooms, we very professionally waited for the bellman to leave before freaking out! We would have been content if it had rained all day and forced us to stay inside. However, it was a great day and we headed to the beach. Hmmm, should we choose the beach that is in the peninsula or shall we go for the open sea beach? Once we were sanded out, we went for the pool. Sadly, we only hit 2 of the 3 pools.

After some rest and showers, I call Jen and Liz in their room. “What are you guys doing?” “Um, just laying on our beds, in the robes, watching TV. What are you guys doing?” “Umm, just laying on our beds, in the robes, watching TV. We don’t want to ever get up.”

We eventually dragged our booties out of bed and headed to dinner. The Gods were shining down upon us this night. We run into a parent from school. He tells us he is going to take care of our first drink. Apparently first drink is really code for entire bill! He signed for our whole dinner, somewhere around $200 we estimated. Man, I love rich, generous people! As checkout approached, we made sure to pack any free item we could find! I vow to return…someday.

Change of topic: onto the gym. Well, Jen and I go a workout class each Monday evening. The instructor is, well, interesting. I fear as though he is quite comfortable with us now that we have been coming for a few weeks. It is a circuit class with different stations. Usually, he’ll just stand next to you, check himself out in the mirror, tell you to go faster, and move on. Well, this past Wednesday he decided to spice it up a little. I’m doing burpies at a station when he approaches. I stand there and look at him. He then looks at himself in the mirror, checks out his butt and looks at me. Then he looks at my butt and tries to stick his out to match mine! Not really sure how to react, nor do I have the words in Spanish that I’d like to say, I just say, No. So he sticks it out more and finally leaves. Only to return some stations later to say something along the lines of, “I’m going to put something there so I can compete with you.” I just told him “good luck!” Apparently, my instructor has butt envy.

Lastly, the kids. They have been creating miniature versions of themselves using different ratios. They constructed them out of paper mache. Each morning, I would look them over to find which new and oh so inappropriate arrangement they have been left in. Such creativity my kids have! Quotes include: “Ms. K, will you be my girlfriend?” “No, she’s already mine. Why do you think I have such good grades?”

While walking up to the snack shack: “What should I get?” “A boyfriend.”

“Ms. K, I’m going to teach you English. Say bag…” (This one will never end!!)

Semana Santa con Mi Mama

2010-04-29T11:48:00.001-06:00

Ahhh, it has been so long! A little birdie told me that I am long overdue for a new post. So, I am happily obliging. I shall scrounge my brain to remember all the way back to Semana Santa (spring break.) I was visited by mother for this wonderful break. Wanda y yo drove all around the lovely country of Costa Rica, well, actually, we had someone drive us all around! Our first stop, La Fortuna. We went white water rafting and my mother threw me from the raft! (Ok, so maybe I got myself thrown out.) One dude offered to give me free kayaking lessons the next time I return. Being the stupid person I am, I gave him my number. After he called me CONTINUOUSLY 12 times in a row, for 2 days, he finally gave up. Something tells me he was expecting some sort of “payment” for these lessons….

Mother and I then mounted some horses and headed to Monteverde! While in Monteverde, my mom and I got massages. This would go at the top of my list as the most “unique” massage I have ever received. Upon arrival, I surveyed the scene. I quickly realized that this chick is one with the world. The massage was normal, until she started massaging my stomach. I almost burst out laughing; luckily I am so amazing at restraining myself. When I thought the massage was over she asks, “May I find your chakras?” “Umm, ok.” I had no idea what the hell a chakra was or if she would be able to find mine. She starts placing colored stones on my stomach and head telling me all about their amazing healing power. It went something like this: “This is the healing stone. Feel it’s green spirit all over your body and feel how it is healing you.” This went on for 7 or 8 stones…again, had to swallow the laughter. When I thought for sure I was done, she asked if she could “sage me.” I said ok not sure what Mother Earth had in store for me. After I was “saged” she went outside to let me take it all in for a few minutes. She told my mom and the other massage lady that she “just had to sage me. I was so full of emotions!” I was then warned that I may be suddenly overcome with feelings and that I shouldn’t fight them, I should just let them come. “Great, thanks. Yep, feel SOO much better. Those chakras really did it for me!” I waited and waited…the overflow of feelings never came L

We wrapped up our vaycay with a trip up to Rincon de la Vieja. FYI this place is in the middle of nowhere!!!! Bring booze…lots. Lastly, we went to the beach! I was quickly able to find my mamasita on the beach cause when I scanned everyone; she was the “porcelain” looking one! Love ya mom!

Pi Day y Mas

2010-03-21T17:59:00.000-06:00

Well Pi Day was a hit...literally. All 6 teachers got pied! We started with a contest to see who knew the most digits of Pi. Then we moved onto a Pie Eating Contest. This was hilarious! We gave the boys 7 pieces of pie. It was whoever finished all 7 or finished the most in 5 minutes. Approximately 3 minutes into it, a boy had already finished! I could not believe how much pie he shoved down and how quickly he did it! The second place boy had only gotten to piece 3! After the contest, we revealed how much money we raised: 276.000 colones! (about $500) The money goes to help underprivileged kids attend school. Well, since we hit our goal, all the volunteering teachers got pied...including yours truly. I smelled like sour milk for 2 days! It was worth it though.

This past weekend I embarked upon a journey. 30 some 6th grade band students, 5 high school band students, an overly devoted band teacher, and another teacher and myself. This overnighter was supposed to be only a 5 hour drive...8 hours later, we arrived. While getting room assignments, the girls are saying things like, "Ms. K, I'm sticky." "I thought we'd be staying somewhere with at least 2 stars" "I would have rather slept with the cows we passed."

The hotel turned out to be fine. No AC, but there was a pool, thankfully. So we got there, the kids had to quickly change, they played a concert, and then we all went swimming. The next morning we went on a beach walk which was beautiful. After that, I was ready to go home. The kids had an intercambio with another music school. Long story short, it took an hour and a half and at the end, they played one song. I sat and sweated. By 11pm that night, I was finally home in my bed. Montezuma was beautiful, my circumstances were not.

Today Molly y yo went to the MultiPlaza, the mall. I bought Harry Potter en Espanol!!! Case in point that I need to practice mi espanol: I was checking out and she asked me if I have their card, I said no. Then she put my book in the bag and asked me something else. I didn't understand so I was 'processing.' She looks at me and goes, "Si?" So I respond, "Si." I'm thinking she asked if I wanted the receipt in the bag. She then removes my book. Hmmm, she must not have asked about a receipt...Next thing I know some man takes my book and starts wrapping it! She assumed, because my book was in Spanish, that it was a gift! How rude!!! Molly comes strolling over and gets a weird look. I give her a second to realize what happened and she burst out laughing, "You answered the wrong question, huh?!" The man then asks, "Is this for a man or woman?" To which I reply, a woman. Molly is practically gasping for air and I'm unsuccessfully trying not to laugh as well. So now, on my bed, lays a beautifully wrapped Harry Potter book just waiting for me to open!

Kid saying of the week: "Ms. K, you look really nice today. Do you have a date?" "You know, it is hump day."

Mi Cumple y Mas

2010-03-08T19:37:00.001-06:00

I have just past my second birthday in a foreign country...the first being my 18th in Brazil. It was quite nice to be able to hang out in my swimsuit in March!!! The Friday before my bday we went to a wonderful Brazilian restaurant, Fogo del Gaucho. They didn't have my most favoritest food, pao de queso, but they made it especially for me! The next day, to celebrate my 26 years on this lovely earth, a friend and I decided to hold the First Annual Beer Olympics! Events included: beer pong, flip cup, fondo blanco (chugging,) beers be (spelling?), Drinko, beer bong, and relay races in the pool! Imagine the surprise to the guests when everyone was eventually thrown into the pool. Honestly though, who didn't see that one coming? It was quite fun showing all the Ticos how Gringos spent their college years!

My students have recently discovered the wonders of my skin. If you poke my arm, it stays white for a few seconds before turning back to its beautiful golden hue. This will amuse a 6th grader for at least 3 minutes. This will annoy a teacher in at least 3 seconds.

I think it is time to have a "boundaries" talk with the kiddos. Reasoning: "Hi Ms. K! Will you be my girlfriend?" "Umm, NO." New boy: "Will you be my girlfriend?"

I have enjoyed how my girls are realizing just how gross and immature the boys are at this age. (There is such a developmental difference around 6th grade.) We do Mad Libs in my Advisory sometimes. When I ask the boys for words I get farting, licking, smelly, butt...

I have a class called Just For Boys where we play different sports each week. Well, last week I told them if they didn't put all the baseball equipment away, we wouldn't be playing baseball on Thursday. The equipment didn't get put away, SHOCKING. So, Thursday rolls around and I told them they had to think of a game to play that didn't involve ANY equipment. "What, like tag?" one 8th grader sarcastically asks. "PERFECT! Tag it is!" So I made the boys play tag. It was quite comical! The next day the boys were talking about a kid who is really quite in my Boys class, but really loud in Math. "Yeah, he has two personalities, like you. Normally you're fun Ms. K, but yesterday you were mean Ms. K. We want fun Ms. K back!"

Next week we are celebrating Pi Day at school...the teacher with the most money in his/her jar gets pied...

My Excursions

2010-02-22T19:06:00.000-06:00

Well about 2 weeks ago the ladies and I decided to hit up Jaco again for Liz's b-day. She really wanted to go surfing. The trip started like this: I wake up to my phone ringing, "Kelsie, it's Paige, I'm in the taxi on the way to your place." "*!#@" I jumped out of bed and ran to Molly's room. She was still sleeping as well. She wouldn't listen to me so I run to my room and start shoving whatever I could find into my backpack. The time: 6:57. Our bus was leaving at 7:10 from San Jose. Paige comes up to our place and I put her in charge of getting Molly's ass out of bed. She succeeds and somehow we were out the door. Our cabbie, bless his heart, starts tearing through the streets trying to get us there on time. We hit traffic. "Everyone out! Start running!" I'm the first one out and I start booking it for the bus terminal about 3 blocks away. Everyone is staring at the crazy gringas and all I can do is laugh and keep on running! At one point I turned around to make sure they other two were coming. I hit the bus station just as I see a bus leaving. "Is that going to Jaco?!?!" I asked some guy standing there. YEP. AGHHHH, I run towards the bus and get them to stop. I step on the bus to see Jen and Liz sitting comfortably in their seats. "Nice of you to make it," they say. Then, they get a glimpse of us and just laugh. (I may have left out the small detail that we didn't get home until 5:00 am that same morning. Darn those happy hours that never end!) So we made it to Jaco and had a lovely weekend of sun and surfing! (Surfing is used loosely here.)

Last weekend we had an extra day off for President's Day. To truly honor the dead white guys, Steph and I headed to Nicaragua! We flew into Managua on Friday and took a taxi straight to Granada. The next morning we went in search of the bus to take us to Ometepe Island. It was a yellow school bus! Luckily the man in charge asked us where we were going because we never really thought about asking where we get off. We both assumed the bus would just stop there and we'd get off! So we get to one stop along the side of the road and some people get off. We stay. Then the guy comes to us and is like, "You need to get off here." "Yes, of course. Totally knew that."

We get there, make our ferry ride to the island and head to our hotel. The island is in the middle of the largest lake in Central America, Lago Nicaragua. It is made up of 2 volcanoes. We got to our hotel around 3 and decided to try and find something to do that afternoon. How about kayaking? The flyer looked neat. Note to self: Flyer may be misleading. While the kayakers in the flyer seemed to be gliding beautifully through the water, Steph and I couldn't even manage to go straight let alone glide anywhere! I blame the wind on the lake though! As we zigged and zagged through the water, I kept glancing at our guide. "How come he takes one stroke for every 3 of ours?" I asked Steph. The overall goal of kayaking was to make it to a river and see the wildlife there. I'm sure the wildlife is amazing, I'll never know. We couldn't make it; our arms were too tired! When we decided we wanted to turn around, neither of us wanted to say it to our guide so we just sat in the kayak, doing nothing, for about 5 minutes. Finally I said we wanted to go back and then I quickly looked the other way so he'd think Steph said it! I think he was really disappointed in us because he asked us about 4 times if we were sure cause, "We're really close to the river." Trust me, we were sure. If I really need to see the wildlife, next time I'll visit the zoo.

The next day we knew we needed to get back to Granada so we schedule the Hike from Hell at 6:00 am. We were going to climb one of the volcanoes. One, Concepcion, is still active so you can only go so far up it. Being true 'adventurists,' we went for the other, Madera. 6km up, not too bad I thought. That's around 4 miles. Piece of cake...hahaha. We get to the Mirador, the viewpoint, and it's really pretty. That is where we should have turned around. At the point where Steph and I were talking about how exhausted we were, he told us we were at the 3km mark! Then we got to the part of the volcano labeled, "Exhausting." No joke. And it was! We felt like we were contestants on The Biggest Loser! We were dying and wanted to quit so badly! But we were worried about our reputations since we had quit kayaking early, we couldn't quit this too. By the grace of God we somehow made it to the top! Then we also went down into the crater and had lunch. Somehow we managed to drag our butts down the mountain and back to our hotel to get our stuff and head back on the ferry. Only to sit in front of a group who apparently has a hard time with rough water. Thank goodness they had good aim though and made it into their plastic bags!

We made it back to Granada and meet the strangest man ever! Long story short, he kept following us wherever we went and we eventually had to get a bartender to kick him out! Granada is a really pretty city. It had a fun little plaza area with a lot of vendors set up. Steph and I bought some rockin' t-shirts there. All the houses are full of color! I decided there must be a city law that you can't paint your house the same color as your neighbors. The streets are full of blue, orange, yellow, pink, red, and sadly, no purple that I saw. We made it successfully back to San Jose on Monday. By Thursday I could finally walk normally again. Apparently my legs were not adequately prepared to handle a 7 hour hike!

And I'm Back!

2010-01-19T17:06:00.001-06:00

Ok peps, I know you all must be DYING to hear about my latest shinanigans! I hadn't realized it had been so long! Let me think back...way back. Well, the ladies and I took a trip over Thanksgiving break to Rio Celeste. Now, this river is supposed to be amazingly blue due to the run off from the volcano (or something like that.) We rented a car, got our GPS, and proceeded to take out the antennae within the first hour! That bush came out of nowhere!

On the way we stopped to see some cute cows! I decided I wanted to pet one and we hopped the barbed wire fence...then we realized the cute "cow" was a bull! We quickly got our asses out of there! When we finally arrived at our quaint destination, we were treated to a horseback ride! I, of course, got the rebel horse who always wanted to be first and did not like following the beaten path. I later waddled up to our cabin to lie in the hammock. The next morning we head to find the river. During our walk through the park, it starts pouring; of course this happened just as we got to the steep decline in the "path." I trudged on being the guinea pig. I'm sure we looked like idiots. We could barely see in front of ourselves, yet we were determined to see the damn river! Well, it wasn't blue due to all the rain! We proceeded to drag our drenched asses back to the cabin and we packed up and headed for the beach! There we had an amazing time! I brought back a souvenir as well (see photo taken just after the dude finished.)

One interesting thing the school does before winter break is have a middle school water fight! Steph and I raided Lost and Found and got some school uniforms to participate! It was a lot wetter than I had anticipated!

Then, before knew it, winter break came! I packed up my belongings and headed for the US. I struck up a convo with the guy directing traffic and boy am I glad I did! I soon found out I had packed 10lbs too much in one of my bags; opps, totally forgot to check that. So I had to transfer my things or pay $150! The guy grabs my bags for me and throws them up on this table. Mind you this is at the point where everyone in San Jose is checking in and I just so happened to pack all of my bras and underwear last! Awesome. Well the dude helped me move my coffee and jeans into my smaller bag and I was off...only to get stuck in Denver for the night. But, I eventually made it to ND, only to get snowed into my house for two days. Then, I managed to make it Mpls to see all my friends and finally go snowboarding, only to have Erica hurt her elbow on the 5th run down. I did get to see my Bro in Ohio though, only to get the most amazing shoes ever!!! As I was returning back to CR, the man at security goes, "Finally some color, all I have been seeing is black!" I should probably tell you now that my new sneaks are purple and pink! (Shocking, I know.)

The latest problem has to deal with our maid. As we were heading to work yesterday, I thought she asked Molly if it was ok that she brings food to eat. Molly thought she said she sometimes eats our food when she stays later. Molly was right. We returned home one less avacado and fewer brownies...until next time...

Un Buen Viaje

2009-11-24T12:17:00.000-06:00

Well, my kiddos continue to be as frustrating yet charming as always! Daily classroom experiences are something like: "Ms. K, say the word 'bag!'" (Apparently it's funny I say it 'beg.') "Ms. K, you remind me of orange"...no, not AN orange, just orange! He assured me this was a compliment (I didn't get to the fact I abhor that color.) Me-list some things you like about this class. Some responses: Your shoes, the way you say 'bag,' your accent, your patience (thank god someone noticed!) Also, some boys were playing around so I called them over: "Yes, Ms. K?" they ask, looking ever so angelic. "You have really cool eyes!" "Do not try and butter me up when I'm about to talk to you!" So, yes, they drive me crazy, but I love them for it.

So last weekend was Jen's birthday so we decided to go on a grand adventure to celebrate. Liz planned the tour to Paos, a volcano. The trip started something like this: Molly gets in with coffee and bagels for her and I. Tour guide Mike immediately freaks out talking for about 5 minutes (no joke) how he keeps his bus really clean, yadda, yadda, yadda. We promise not to drink it until we stop. Then, his OCD intensifies. We had to drop someone off at the bus stop first and he proceeds to go into grand detail as to all the locations Andrew could wait for the bus. At the coffe plantation we sat on some oxen! I'm going so save you some of the painful details and fast forward to Paos. It was a foggy day. "I don't think we'll be able to see the crater today. Hmmm, maybe we should just wait here until people leave and we can ask them if they saw anything." We tell him that we just want to leave and go somewhere else instead. OH NO. We park on the side of the road and stalk people as they leave! After flagging his second car, he is finally convinced we wouldn't be able to see anything. BUT WAIT, before he'll let us leave, he makes us get out to see "the poor man's umbrella." Apparently one has not lived until they have touched it. (It truly changed my life.) He kept wondering why none of us would sit in the front with him!

When we got to La Paz waterfall garden, we were SO excited to see he was going to follow us around! Liz and I attempted to go right but we were quickly corrected and told we must go to the left. While looking at the butterflies we were yelled at from across the room to start on the other side first! We saw some very cute animals: macaws, sloths, butterflies, leopards, lions, snakes....then we went to the waterfall. I was very sad that Mike did not descend the stairs with us. Finally left on our own, we enjoyed the peaceful beautiful of the waterfalls.

I am quite excited for my four day weekend coming up. We are renting a car and attempting to drive in this crazy country! Fear not Mom, we got the car with a GPS! Until next time...

Mis Erroritos

2009-11-09T20:17:00.001-06:00

First of all, I don't even know if 'erroritos' is even a word but in my mind it is! (There I go, already making up words in Spanish! I have decided to give you all a laugh...at my expense of course. I have committed a few "tiny errors" aka, erroritos con mi Espanol.

Lucky for me, both errors have occurred with my Spanish teacher. (This actually just makes me wonder how many more blunders I've made and the person was too embarrassed to correct me...naw, best not to think about that!) El Primero: "Ok Kelsie, let's practice the preterit. Tell me when you spoke Spanish yesterday." So I was all prepared to tell him that, "Yesterday, I ordered food." (Ayer, ordeni comida.) What came out was, "Ayer, orini." So apparently, omitting a single 'D' will take you from 'I ordered' to 'I urinated.' Yep, that's right. I told my tutor, "Yesterday, I urinated." He was very happy to hear the news! Then he scooted further away from me...

That was last week. Today, I trumpt myself. We were talking about my swimming and I was telling him all about it. He asked me what the strokes were called. Now, I have a hard time remembering what you call the breaststroke in Spanish (can you predict where this is going?) I know it starts with PECH and I can never remember if it ends in an O or an A. Well, it being the breaststroke, I assumed it was feminine and put an A at the end. WRONG!!! He looked at me and asked again..then one more time...then was like, "OHH, pechO." So I was like, "Ah, si, pecho." Then he asks me if I know what the other word means. Of course I did not, I thought it meant breastroke. He tells me it is a bad word, but he won't tell me what it means!!! I still don't know! None of my Spanish speaking friends are on Facebook for me to ask them either!

Then, I started thinking...I really thought I had had a similar talk with one of my students...then it hits me. I was talking with one of my boys about swimming and he didn't know the name of the strokes either...so I told him. Yep, probably called him a Vag-hole or something! PURA VIDA MAE!!!
Until next time...

November?!?!

2009-11-01T20:12:00.002-06:00

Where has the time gone? I have already been in lovely Costa Rica for 3 months! Mi vida esta bien. (Life is good.) Mi espanol: poco a poco... School is good; kids are still sweet, for the most part! One of my favorite students (yes, all teachers have favorites just like all parents have favorites) told me the other day, "Ms. K, you're like a second mom to me. Besides her you're the only other girl I trust." (insert AWWWWWWWW here) The other day the students were writing down some steps for writing equations. While everyone is silently copying them down, this same student calls out, "Ms. K, are you my friend?" Ah 6th graders...

I was in my classroom the other day when another teacher comes in and tells me I have a package in the office! I rush over there and find a surprise from some of my lovely friends!!! I open it to find an array of purple products all perfect for Halloween! I was showing some students and I gave them some of the stickers. They kept saying things such as, "Wow, your friends are SO nice!" "I wish I had friends like that!" "Wow Ms. K, you have really great friends." It was darling...then we got on the subject of how much we miss Target! (Side note: my kids are totally right, my friends rock! For those of you 'friends' who have yet to send me a package, fear not, I won't defriend you until December. You still have 2 months! That goes for family members too!)

One of my fellow teachers swims on a team here. She was telling me all about it so Jen and I decided to check it out. We show up and ring the bell. The door is opened a teeny tiny crack and someone looks at us. "Ugh, we'd like to swim?" I say in my amazing Spanish. She proceeds to tell us it's closed. I try to tell her we want to swim on the team to try it out. She proceeds to tell me it's closed; come back tomorrow morning. My Spanish has run out so we say fine. Then I ask her to call us a taxi, "No puedo. Mucho gusto." (I can't; my pleasure/thank you) I looked at Jen and was like, "Did she just 'mucho gusto' us and then slam the door in our faces?!" We left in search of our own taxi. We did decide to return though and we were almost turned away again but this time I refused to stop talking to her. WE SUCCEEDED! We swam and I joined the team! An Olympian is also on this team; luckily she trains in the afternoons!

The weekend we went to Jaco to celebrate Guy Fawkes (look him up; I'm too lazy to type his background here.) A British family at CDS plans it and invites the teachers so I rounded up a group of 13 and we went! Our place was amazing; especially compared to the hostels we've stayed at every other time we travel. I never left the hotel! We had a great casita right on the beach overlooking the ocean. I played in two tournaments: darts and horseshoes. We also rented some surf boards. NOW, I don't know what happened between now and last month when I learned how to surf, but I came to the realization that I need more lessons! Granted we had much lighter and smaller boards but the scene went something like this: Paddle, paddle, paddle, stand....and, if I managed to stand successfully, go no where. I literally would just stay anchored on the water while the wave crashed to shore. I came to the conclusion that the ocean cannot lift my ass!

Lastly, I know my Spanish isn't that great but apparently my English is crap too (I know, shocking, right?!) The other day I was having my students solve a story problem and it was much easier to understand with a picture. So I was walking around and a group needed help. "Where's your 'picture?'" I asked. "Pitcher? My pitcher?" one of them ever so innocently responded while not so successfully trying to hold back her giggles. They were, and still are, so entertained by the fact I say "pitcher" instead of "picture." Every now and then one of them will ask, "Ms. K, where's your PITCHER?" Nothing like getting English lessons from an 11 year old who speaks it as a SECOND language! Until next time...

Somebody Say Scuba?

2009-10-13T20:40:00.000-06:00

Well this Monday we celebrated Columbus Day and even though I think this day is a crock, I still welcomed the day off! A hefty crew of us decided to set sail for the Caribbean this time: destination, Puerto Viejo. We had quite the ride, a bus for 20 or so; there were only 14 of us on the way there. Naturally, I did what I do best and slept most of the 5 hour ride. Sadly, I was unable to sleep the last 45 minutes due to the fact that the so called 'road' was less than ideal to drive upon. Somehow I managed to hold down my dinner and we arrived! Just in time for me to go to bed...again.

Then next morning we embarked on our adventure. After talking to our host, Pedro, all about scuba diving, we headed to the beach. After the beach someone got the grand idea of renting bikes and biking to Puerto Viejo. (We were staying in Manzanillo which is about 14km from Puerto Viejo.) It's funny how you don't notice the hills when you're driving! Before P.V., we were determined to find the chocolate farm we'd past on the the way in. We found the sign and made the turn and then looked up...far. Needless to say, the bikes got locked to a few trees and we started huffing it...literally. Good ole Pedro had assured us we didn't need to make a reservation because "this is Costa Rica." We finally found the place up on the side of the mountain. As soon as one of us were able to catch our breath and ask about a tour we were informed we needed a reservation. Damn you Pedro. Back to the bikes...

We never biked to P.V. thanks to the fact that someone smartened up and realized it'd be quite late and quite dark on our bike back. So, we headed back to Manzanillo. The next morning we headed to breakfast. I asked the man if they had cafe frio. He looked at me for a sec and said sure. Towards the end of our meal, I finally get my coffee. Turns out he was just keeping it in back to cool off before he gave it to me! The next morning we ate there as well. I ordered a regular coffee...it was probably 5 degrees warmer than my cafe frio! Pura Vida!

After the beach once again, we headed to scuba! We had our 'baptism' with our three instructors. It was an interesting experience. Too bad visibility was crappy that day; I only saw a few little fishies. It was rather cute to see Jen and Liz in front of me, swimming hand in hand the entire time! It was impossible to laugh though. As soon as we surfaced, poor Liz lost the Doritos she had eaten beforehand. Then, the ride home brought more of it up! She puked and rallied though! What a trooper!

We're taking a weekend off before heading back to Jaco to sharpen our surfing skills! Until next time...

Surf's Up!

2009-10-05T20:57:00.002-06:00

I shall begin with a quick recap of the soccer game against the Varsity. Now, call me naive, but I really didn't expect to be one of two girls playing in the game. Well, JoAnne and I convinced one other chica to play; she then convinced the boys to let her be the 12th player on the field since she 'just takes up space.' (Her words, not mine!) There was only one small injury...caused by yours truly, go figure. In my defense, I cannot help it if my cleat hits his calf! The next day one of my students comes up to me, "Ms. K, my brother told me you kicked him!" Go figure, had to injure someone related to my student.

This last weekend we decided to head to the beach at Jaco. Now, we didn't really know too much about this place except for the fact that it wasn't supposed to be too nice. Well, it's only about 2 hours away and we decided to give it a go. Our bus pulls into the town and now we have our first decision...when do we get off? My call was to just get off at the next stop and walk till we found a good place to stay. Either the bus driver didn't like us or just enjoyed laughing at our attempts to get off the bus, because for two stops, he wouldn't open the back door to let us out! Luckily, by the third attempt, the door opened and we left the bus while the Tico behind us just continued to laugh at our expense.

We pass this interesting looking place while on our way to get breakfast. Liz goes and investigates. She returns to inform us that Jaco Joe has a place for us! Now, Jaco Joe is from Flordia, he has a curious black eye, a beer belly, and, of course, a beer in hand. Oh, and to top it all off, he has a tattoo with Pura Vida and Jaco Joe interwoven into it. As we walk to our place "Ken" catches our eye. We end up asking "Ken" about surf lessons. He makes a call and we've got ourselves lessons! I also convinced the guy to put our pic on the wall because we were his first customers! (The place was just opening and the office furniture was being delivered while we were there.)

Little to my surprise, I am just short of a surfing pro! I was successful in 'catching a wave' all by myself! No need for Mike, my instructor, sadly (see picture explanation to the right.) Liz and I really took to the whole Surfer Girl image and went and bought ourselves rash guards! In two weeks we are returning and we're just going to rent boards and take on the waves. We may not be the best surfers on the water, but damn it, at least our outfits will be cute!!!

This weekend we have a 3 day so are headed to Puerto Viejo. We hope to scuba and continue our exploration of this fine country! Until next time...

Side note: some of you have expressed difficulty in commenting on my wonderful entries. I found it easiest to just publish as annoymous and sign your name at the end of what you wrote. Good luck, ahem, Mom. ;)

Action Packed

2009-09-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

So myself and two other muchachas decided to head to the stadium where the soccer games are played. It was a really important World Cup qualifying match against Mexico. We thought we'd watch it in a nearby bar and just soak up the excitement. Well, after Jen bought her soccer shirt (little boys by the way) we decided to scalp us some tickets! We got them super cheap and proceed to the enormous line. There, a man tells us about the special line for women up front...sounds fishy, I know. He was very convincing and answered all our questions so we went on a quest...and failed. Fools. So, we got back into the line and eventually got in! After Mexico scored their second goal, I mildly started to fear for my life. By their third goal, the only words out of people's mouths were those too inappropriate for me to type here. Needless to say, CR lost.

Ellen came down here for work the past weekend so she and I headed out to Manuel Antonio. We had the cushiest ride ever down there. Our own bus! The next morning we get up at the crack of dawn to go white water rafting. Now, here is where Ellen's story would differ from my own. Too bad for her, this is my blog! Elle and I were in front, cause the guide could tell we had skills. We hit this huge rock and I flew left, Ellen flew left. Too bad for her, her left meant the raging water! She claims I threw her overboard! HOWEVER, it was I who saved her ass, and her paddle!!! Some people are so ungrateful...

So the other day was CR's Independence Day. We celebrated the day before at our school. Another teacher and I had bought authentic CR outfits in San Jose and we were going to wear them to school this day. So I'm sitting at my desk, using the computer before the kids come. I look down and notice I can sorta see my leg through my dress. I run over to Steph's room..."Steph, I have a very personal question for you. Look at my ass, can you see my underwear?!" "Sorta," she said. Then she tries to tell me that you "can't really see it." Right, like I'm going to walk around a Middle School in a see through dress! Needless to say, I just wore the top that day. Some of my students arrive early and had already seen me in the dress though. "Ms. K, what happened to your skirt?" "Don't ask..."

Well this weekend we have our All School Family Picnic. The last event is a soccer match: teachers versus the Varsity team! Until next time...

La Fortuna

2009-09-04T09:08:00.000-06:00

First of all, my battery charger for my laptop died. I have been without my computer for 2 weeks! Luckily, my lovely roommate is coming to visit this Sunday and bringing me a replacement! I am hoping she is bringing a really big suitcase because my "needs" list is rather lengthy!

School is going quite well; my kids are really fun. The other morning some boys were playing at the window (I'm on the first floor.) One boy was 'attempting' to pull the other through the slot in the window. Well, in walks one of my students with the pane of glass in his hands. "Ummm, Ms. Knudson, I think the glass broke." "Really, you think it broke?" Boys.

The one tricky thing thus far has been the pharmacy. The problem probably comes for the fact that we just walk in without thinking anything through. Well my first encounter went something like this: Molly and I walk in and she tells the woman I need a pill. Then they both look at me and I say, "No bebes." It got the point across!

So the crew took our first vacaction this last weekend. We went to La Fortuna to visit Arenal, an active volcano. The ride up there was quite an experience. We took the city bus and there were moments when the woman next to Liz was praying for the bus driver to slow down. I mean, we only almost went off the edge about 3 times. Pura Vida!

Ahh, Pura Vida. The official slogan for Costa Rica. We have taken to saying it for any odd occurrence. -Should my chicken be this color? Pura Vida! -What exactly is this I'm about to order? Pura Vida! (turned out to be stomach! Thank good we didn't get it!) -Is the water safe to drink here? Pura Vida! You get the point!

Our trip was amazing. We first went to a waterfall and swam in the rain. After that, we went on a hike to see Arenal. It would have been the perfect clear evening to see the lava flowing down at night, but one of our crew got bit by ants and poofed up!!! We took an emergency trip to the pharmacy where they'll take you behind a curtain and shoot you up! Luckily he made a speedy recovery and was able to join us at the hot springs. We went to Baldi where they have lots of pools full of water from hot springs. The higher up you go, the hotter the water. That was a lot of fun. We ordered our first round of drinks and the bartender never really returned. "Should we just leave without paying?" Pura Vida! That night we took a 'party bus' to the bar and danced the night away! For some of us, the ride home the next morning wasn't so pleasant!

Tomorrow we are off to take in the excitement of the Costa Rica vs Mexico soccer game! I am sure some craziness will ensue...fear not Mom, I will look out for everyone ;) Until next time...

Learning the Hard Way

2009-08-18T19:48:00.003-06:00

Just wrapped up my 2nd day of teaching some middle schoolers math and I gotta say I think I'm gonna love it! Even though half the city had no power for the entire day and we taught with generators that were only powerful enough to insure we had water, not electricity, I made do! I think my poor little 6th graders are still to nervous to do anything too rebellious yet though! I was rather shocked today when the start of my class went something like this: As kids trickled in I just pointed to the white board and told them to start the warm-up problems. I looked around and, get this, they were ALL doing it!!! AMAZING!

This weekend was Mother's Day in Costa Rica. Here, it is a holiday. If it would have fallen on a weekday, we wouldn't have had school! Molly and I celebrated by visiting la feria in the morning and purchasing some fruits and veggies! (We desperately needed these. Case in point, our first "meal" was a disaster! "We better start the rice first cause it'll take awhile," I said. "Doesn't it only take 10 minutes?" Molly ever so innocently replied. "Uhhh, Molly, I don't think they have minute rice here." So then we also noticed they do not put cooking directions on the package! Apparently if you are Tico, you are born with the knowledge of how to properly cook rice! Well, instead of doing the obvious thing and look it up, we went with the initial idea of equal parts. Wrong! We ended up with 'rice al dente' but heavy on the dente. Then, I also decided to cook the pork we just bought. Molly bathed it in olive oil cause "that's how her Senora does it" (she used to live in Spain.) The meal ended up like this: a mixture of pork and rice which had no flavor so we decided to wrap it in our tortillas. Still sucked so we added some mozzarella cheese. All in all a big ole pile of white nastiness.) After the fair, we hung out at the pool with the families celebrating Mother's Day! We totally fit right in...

So I went on a hike the other day with some teachers from the school. Let me remind you that this is rainy season in Costa Rica. We start scaling away and all is good until the 'paved' part disappears and we are attempting to climb up a mud hill, which is at about a 60 degree angle. Seeing as how I was up in the clouds, I imagine someone heard my pleas and I was able to make it up. This, I thought, was the hard part. Then we had to go DOWN the damn mountain! I stupidly volunteered to go down the mud hill first. Let's just say I brought a small piece of the mountain back home with me! My booty was a little sore the next day. Whether it was from the fall or the actual climb, I'll never know.

And now, as I type, Molly and I are sitting in my room quite content. We have visited one of the most amazing places thus far, Price Smart. It is basically Costco but in Spanish! I came back with two wonderful jars of pickles! Although I am slightly bitter that Molly wouldn't let me buy the ginormous container of cheese balls I wanted! (I let her get her box of brownie mix that could feed a small army!)

Oh, one last thing. Some inquiring minds have wanted to know: I have yet to use any of the meds Marsha prescribed to me! Until next time...

Gecko!

2009-08-09T19:07:00.002-06:00

First let's start out with this: How is one supposed to distinguish between Tico Time and, well, being on time? For example, we were told to be ready at 9, bus came at 9:30. Next day, be ready at 6, bus shows up at 5:50. Ay Dios mio!!!

Ok, ranting aside, the most wonderful thing happened in our apartment! We had a short-term pet! He was the cutest little gecko! Molly did not find him too cute when she woke up to him by her head one morning though! The next day I was recruited to remove the little tyke. Scenario went something like this: "Oh my god, Kelsie, he's in my closet! Get him! AGHHH...he moved."
"Alright, fear not, I've got this. Holy S***, he's a speedy little dude!" So, 20 minutes later and after completely clearing out Molly's closet, I somehow managed to scope Geiky into a ziploc bag and set him free on our balcony...minus part of his tail. Now, to those of you who know how deeply I care for the Geiko Gecko, you can imagine how much this meant to me! I miss him already.

I shall finish with one of my upstanding Spanish moments thus far. We all went out Thursday night before some of the group left to go to their campus up north. Well, we get to the bar and I peruse the menu. I've gotta get my fav drink on my first night out. Looking at the menu I spot it: Tequila Runrise. Interesting translation, I thought. The waiter comes to take my order and I had forgot to practice saying it in my head so it came out something like this, "Tequila RRRRRRRR-un-rrrre-saY" "Tequila Sunrise" the dude says and moves on. So apparently Runrise is NOT Spanish, it is simply a misprint on their menu! Glad I found that one out the hard way! Until next time...

I'm Heeere!!!

2009-08-05T17:40:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I made it! All my luggage and all! When I went to check in the woman immediately knew where I was headed cause 2 other girls went through before me. "Did they have a lot of luggage?" I asked her. "Oh yeah. (Seeing my 5 pieces) Oh...not that much!" Luckily, Molly, my roommate, checked 4 pieces too! Were def the most luggaged roommates of the bunch; it took two cars to deliver us!

My place is so beautiful! I have the master bedroom with my own bathroom and balcony overlooking San Jose! At night it is so pretty all lit up! I have already broken the door off of my closet in attempts to slide it aside. Fear not, I have successfully learned how to tell the maitenence man, "My door is broke and it is under my bed. Sorry!" Oh, don't ask why it's under my bed, Molly and I thought it sounded like a good idea. Turns out it's about 2 feet longer...

So all of us arrived, expect for one...he is lost. All I can say is thank god it's not me cause I'd prob be curled up in a ball somewhere praying to the gods!

Ok, so we went shopping today. "It's sorta like a WalMart" we were told. Hmmm, maybe a WalMart circa 1985! My taste has dropped substantially and Molly and I were forced to remove ourselves for fear of being brainwashed when she tried telling me a floral pastley ugly thing was "kind cute" and maybe I should just get that for my comforter.

Apparently I am also the only one with a shoe problem. Case in point: "I brought a lot of shoes," I said to one of the girls. "Me too," she replied, "I brought 6 pairs." (I actually had this convo with 2 other girls as well!) But on a side note, I have noticed some very cute shoes from the Ticas who work at the school!

Lastly, I am happy to note that I will not completely melt away while here. Although...I can feel my hair expanding as I type! Until next time...

The Joys of Packing

2009-07-27T17:43:00.002-06:00

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...if only it were that easy! Now, one may think the logical way of going about packing would be to follow the guidelines the school gave me. HOWEVER, I have noticed one significant mistake on the packing list: 2 pairs of shoes!!!!! Clearly they forgot the 0 behind the 2! If this is the case, then I am only 4-5 pairs over the suggested amount! Not bad if you know me and my shoes. I just hope the 20 or so I left behind understand...

I have lied; I am not all packed. Apparently my belongings take up a lot more room then I anticipated! Now, you are probably thinking I should leave a pair, or 15, of shoes behind. BUT, in my defense, my shoes only weigh 20 lbs (or was it 30?) Anywho, I am awaiting the arrival of my father, aka more luggage!

Oh, one more thing I did not think through...I couldn't find my pants today!!! Honestly, still don't know where they are. Guess I shouldn't have packed quite so thoroughly yet! Until next time...

The Travel Clinic...

2009-06-27T09:44:00.004-06:00

As I sit here and look at the lovely orange bracelet on my wrist (more on that later) I am taken back...to yesterday. I had my appointment with Marsha at the Travel Clinic. Now, I naively thought I'd go in, be told to wear sunscreen, and then ushered out to make room for the next lucky traveler.

Although Marsha was a wonderful woman, she left no room for side chatter. "OK, let's start talking about traveler's diarrhea," was one of the first things she said to me. Wonderful, I thought, one of my favorite things. She went on to tell me it is normal to have it when first moving somewhere new while your body adjusts, but if it continues for an extended period of time, I should take the prescription she gave me. "So, how long is normal?" I stupidly asked. "Oh, no more than a couple weeks," she nonchalantly replied. TWO WEEKS!!! I nearly crapped my pants right there. How on earth can two weeks of runny pooh be normal?! As if it to make it all better, she doubled my prescription saying I just might need it. Glorious...can't wait.

Now to the bracelet. I also need to take some Typhoid pills. As I type, live active typhoid something-or-others are in my fridge waiting to be digested by yours truly. These pills are taken every other day and they even gave me two stickers, one for the fridge, the other for my bathroom mirror, to remind me. As if this weren't enough, I also got a Lance Armstrong type bracelet, in blazing orange, which reads: Remember Oral Typhoid Vaccine. She assured me that if I wear the bracelet I will not forget the pills. I assured her, I do not wear orange.

Now, this afternoon I face another extremely important decision. I need to decide whether I should attempt to upkeep the red hair while away, or if I should raise the white flag now and succumb to the blonde...until next time

Disclaimer!

2009-06-07T12:01:00.005-06:00

For those of you reading this on a rather frequent basis, I must start with two important rules.
By reading this blog, you must agree to:
1-Ignore all the words Kelsie will undoubtedly use incorrectly (for example, I first had indoubtedly)
2-Pretend not to notice all the spelling errors spell check was unable to catch

ALSO:
It has been brought to my attention, thanks Sweet Cakes, that I will have a hard time keeping my naturally blond hair, red. SO, I also need to add that I shall try my best to fight the sun, but I fear I may lose. If this is true, it is now in writing that I did, in fact, start my adventure as a redhead.

Thank you for your understanding.

Redhead in Rica

Reflections

Oh How Time Flies!

Travels..with kiddos

Mi Cumple y Mas

The Wonders of Traveling...

The Bird is the Word...

The Joy of Visitors!!!

Home For the Holidays!

Thanksgiving!

November Shenanigans

My Tortuguero Adventure!

On the Road Again

‎"Ms. K, I came out on TV this weekend!!!""Umm, what?""I came out on TV!""Do you mean you were on TV this weekend?""Yeah, that's what I said!"

‎"Ms. K, what would you do if you woke up in Africa?""Um, go on a safari?""What would you do if you woke up and Folke....oh, haha, maybe I shouldn't say that..."*Glad to know that, by 8th grade, they are learning to control themselves to some degree...and also glad he didn't finish that statement

Assignment: Create a graph and write a story explain the changes in your graph.I received a story about Jersey Shore and how ratings increase/decrease according to the cast members antics complete with details of said antics. I also received a story titled "Poopie Paulie" all about farts.

The Adventures of Gil!

A New Year...Well, School Year

Goodbyes and Panama!

The Four Seasons y un poco mas

Semana Santa con Mi Mama

Pi Day y Mas

Mi Cumple y Mas

My Excursions

And I'm Back!

Un Buen Viaje

Mis Erroritos

November?!?!

Somebody Say Scuba?

Surf's Up!

Action Packed

La Fortuna

Learning the Hard Way

Gecko!

I'm Heeere!!!

The Joys of Packing

The Travel Clinic...

Disclaimer!

‎"Ms. K, I came out on TV this weekend!!!"
"Umm, what?"
"I came out on TV!"
"Do you mean you were on TV this weekend?"
"Yeah, that's what I said!"

Assignment: Create a graph and write a story explain the changes in your graph.
I received a story about Jersey Shore and how ratings increase/decrease according to the cast members antics complete with details of said antics. I also received a story titled "Poopie Paulie" all about farts.