Mis Cumpleanos
Trip Start
Aug 08, 2008
1
13
42
Trip End
Oct 12, 2008
Puriscal,
Costa Rica
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The main factor in the timing of my decision was the plan to close the restaurant where I work for remodeling. The two months the store would be out of commission offered me a rare opportunity to get away without inconveniencing anyone. But the chance to enter my second quarter-century far from the daily grind, in a setting where I might be doing something more substantial with my time than trying to placate someone who found a bug in his salad, was tempting, too. I imagined myself working with a student struggling to comprehend some inane facet of our quirky language, and seeing the light of understanding suddenly flash from behind his eyes as I finally found a way to explain it.
Of course, fantasies are just that. Today is allegedly the last day of testing; tomorrow, the teachers insist, things will be back to normal. (Whatever "normal" means here.) But today, none of them had students. Also, tomorrow is the Day of the Child celebration; I don't know what exactly it will entail, besides the fact that Christian won't be there and the students don't have to wear uniforms. So I can guess. Then Monday is the Independence Day parade; classes are cancelled so students may perform in or attend the celebration. By the time things settle down here, my volunteering term will be half over.
So after I spent an hour at the nursing home (where the other volunteers thoughtfully attempted to lead the residents in a round of "Feliz Cumpleanos," which I'm not sure is celebrated with the same tune down here, but whatever) Alli and I ended up going to the school where Bishnu is volunteering. The students there study English from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day, and hope to get jobs in call centers after they graduate. When we walked in, they were rewriting sentences in the passive voice. The teacher is fluent and has only the faintest trace of an accent; she studied the language intensively for over a decade and taught in the U.S. for a few years. Although there was still evidence of a less regimented culture (the desks were in clusters, not rows; the students openly traded snacks and chatted amongst themselves; lunch break was signaled by growling stomachs rather than a bell) there was certainly much more order than we've seen so far. (They also knew the "Happy Birthday" song in English, and serenaded me when Bishnu ratted me out.) After observing the in-class exercise and Bishnu's very informative Powerpoint presentation on India, Alli and I weren't totally mystified as to how these kids learn anything.
Perhaps when Bishnu leaves at the end of this week, at least one of us can help out there instead. It would be nice to feel useful.
This afternoon we had a field trip to a Bamboo Workshop. The owner makes jewelry, wind chimes, and other cutesy things from locally-grown bamboo and seeds, and we had a chance to make our own necklaces and earrings. I got another round of "Happy Birthday" with Ismael on the guitar before we left, then my fourth rendition after we finished our jewelry, when they presented me with a cake (with two candles. Guess that's not so old to not have my life figured out!) Allowing myself to eat animal products has definitely made things easier.
We had a cooking class with Marta when we got back; she taught us how to make arroz con leche, or rice pudding. She made it with cinnamon, raisins, and coconuts. It was surprisingly good, hot or cold.
I had called John last night, but lost the connection after a minute and couldn't get through again. Tonight I had better luck. I don't usually miss people too terribly when I go away (when they go away, it's another matter) but he's been on my mind a lot lately. My seventeen minutes and six seconds were over before I knew it.
As much as I appreciate the kind gestures of my new friends here (and the wonderful people back home who sent emails), I have to say that talking to him was the best part of my day.
