Finalmente, estudiantes!

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  Puriscal, Costa Rica
Friday, September 5, 2008

We finally got to work with some students today!

Alli and I went to Ruth's class, which has a mix of students aged 14-19. The teacher gave us some guidance, giving us books with exercises to read aloud for the class, but I think we could have done better with more information about their ability level going into it. The lesson was on ecological damage, and used some advanced vocabulary; since vocabulary wasn't the focus, I assumed those words were already part of their arsenal and proceeded accordingly by asking the reading comprehension questions the text provided. We had to stop and back up to define things like "industrial waste" and "chemical fertilizers," and even, for some of the kids, "oceans" and "disappear." They were very quiet; I guess they were a bit shy, but it made it difficult to assess the point of disconnect. Were they unfamiliar with the words I was using? Did they understand the vocabulary, but not the concept of species becoming extinct as a result of their habitats being destroyed? Were they simply unable to answer the questions in English? Or did they get it, and know the answer and how to say it, but were too shy to speak up, or afraid of being labeled nerds by their classmates, or something like that?

Before I left the States, I said a little prayer to my nonexistent personal deity that the kids I'd be working with would be nothing like me when I was their age, because if I recall correctly, I was simply intolerable. It appears my nonexistent personal deity has an ironic sense of humor; the kids seem so unlike me at that age, I can't figure them out.

One thing several of us have noticed is the apparent lack of structure in schools here. Classes begin and end at different times, and students can leave campus in between, so there are always kids in uniforms walking around town at every hour of the day. Start and end times are approximate, too, in stark contrast to the religious deference to almighty school bells in the U.S. In the classroom, we had to shout over the din of students hanging out just outside the door, whose voices drifted in through the windows that are always open. Students carry on side conversations while the lessons are taking place, and the teachers don't try to stop them. I don't see any students carrying textbooks, only blank notebooks which they had to be prompted several times to use, and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a formal lesson plan. This is going to take some getting used to.

The rest of the afternoon was busy, which was just as well, because it was pouring. I had time to go shopping with the girls just before lunch, and bought a nylon messenger bag-style purse. I needed something bigger than my little passport carrier, but smaller than my backpack, for hanging out around town. I had a lovely conversation with the woman in the store (I don't know if she was the owner or just a sales clerk); she told me she lives just outside San Jose, and has a little forest in her backyard. I told her about CCS, and praised the beauty of Costa Rica; she complimented me on my Spanish. I felt a little thrill as I departed with my purchase. Of all the doors that studying another language can open, the opportunity to spontaneously connect with another person, without any third-party interference or assistance, is perhaps the most inviting. 

After lunch we had a meeting to discuss our progress and our feelings about the program, then a guest speaker to tell us about the history and geography of Costa Rica, then a cooking class (rollitos with local cheese!), then a Latin dance class after dinner. The teacher and I chatted afterward about our respective dance experience; she was especially intrigued by my belly dancing classes, and says she plans to take some herself.  

Unfortunately, I realized later that the velcro tab on my new purse was hanging on by a thread. But I was able to borrow a needle and thread and fix it myself. While I was sewing it back on, Bishnu and I started talking about everything from crime in our hometowns and gun control, to my issues with factory farms, to the foundation of ethics, to the best way to make a margarita and a mojito. I showed LaVerne the "Meatrix" film, and she laughed out loud. I always seem to connect better with older adults. It's a shame they're both only staying two weeks.

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