Saturday, November 19, 2011
Three crazy gringos.
Recently, Will and the Pink Princess came to visit me in CR. While we suffered many transportation set backs we managed to have a pretty amazing time. On Wednesday, they were due to arrive at 11:50am. I was regularly checking the American Airlines website for flight updates and was a little nervous, knowing that they had a tight connection in Miami, and of course their first flight had left late. I get the text saying they are on the ground in Miami and just reply, "RUN!" They arrive at the gate, plane still sitting there, and 7 minutes to spare, only to be told they cannot board. I'm going to end that part of the story there, and not rant about how incredibly stupid it is that they weren't allowed on the flight because their last flight was late, not because of anything they had control over. STUPID!!
When they finally arrived at 5pm and all of our plans for that afternoon were shot, I showed them around my (at the time) current place of employment and then we headed across the street to show them my work crew's normal Friday night watering hole. I figured it was a good time to introduce them the local beer. We then headed to house for homemade chifrijo with the fam.
The next morning, we got up way too early and started the drive to
Manuel Antonio. Sadly, the transportation issue continued and we hit nasty morning rush hour traffic. Then, we passed a bike race (which was actually really cool to see up close) which caused traffic to grind to a halt as the cyclists blasted by in the other lane. When we finally arrived at the park, we had less than an hour before we are supposed to be at the marina for our sail boat. So, we ditched the hiking plan, found some food, and headed to the marina.
We hop on the boat with about 20 other people and head out to sea. The boat crew immediately starts passing out beverages ("happy juice") and we enjoy our drinks and the view while desperately trying to stay under the awning to avoid being soaked by the rain which was totally logical given that we were going snorkeling later). On the plus side, I did get some good pics. Though, the pictures can't begin to do justice to the awesomeness of waves crashing on the rocks.
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| Just off the Quepos Marina.... |
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| .... taken from the boat... |
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Super cool lookin' lizard.
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Didn't realize until a couple shots in that this guy had a friend with him. Two for one!!
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We saw several of these guys....
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... but they were always very high in the trees and hard to get good shots of.
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Pretty butterfly that was not cooperating. This is the best shot I could get of its pretty blue wings.
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Lizard hanging out in the hole of tree.
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Pretty bird!
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Lizard
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| Tiny little crab! |
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These little caterpillar type things were hanging ALL OVER the place. Couldn't have begun to count them.
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Took our guide quite some time to find this guy. We were starting to get a little annoyed and ready to move on, but glad he was persistent because this little guy was pretty cute!
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Porcupine Tree (Somehow I feel like that's not the scientific name, but rather the name tour guides use for dumb gringos)
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Because we never see raccoons in Indiana.
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Lizard
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Best shot I could get of the Howler Monkey (or Congo). But we did get to hear them howling a little which is actually the more impressive part of this monkey.
Super cute dude who decided to pose for me. Thanks monkey!
Adorable little pair.
I need a snack!
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| These little guys were adorable and fast! |
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| We got really lucky... |
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| ...A couple of them came down really close.... |
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| And we were able to get some great pics! |
We headed back to the beach house for some of my Tica Mom's delicious homemade ceviche and then drove down to the beach for what was SUPPOSED to be time to relax and swim. After chilling on the beach for a little bit, we decided it was time to get in the water. I've been to this beach many many times and it's usually fairly calm. That day I was a little bummed I didn't bring the surf board down, because there were actually some waves for once. We splashed around for a while body surfing in the waves. At one point a huge family of evil little pizotes (there were easily 15-20 of them) came down threatening to steal our stuff. Pink Princess and I ran from the water to the beach to scare them away before anything disappeared. Will supervised from the water... thanks Will!
We headed back into the water for a bit but finally decided to get out to go for walk along the beach. Again, the waves were pretty strong... Pink Princess and I were walking in when a strong waves came. I jumped, but the force of the wave still knocked me to the ocean floor, which in that area was a little rocky. I came up from the water and had the following conversation with the Pink Princess..
Me: Is my back bleeding?
Pink Princess: No, is my face bleeding
Me: (turning to look at her) YES!! Yes it is!!
We head to the lifeguard station and wait as the lifeguard (who I'm pretty sure had NEVER seen blood in his life) and the other random beach employee try to open the bag of plastic gloves, clean the cut a little and proceed to tell Pink Princess that she will definitely need 2-3 stitches. We pack up our stuff hop in the car and after intense security clearance, manage to make it to the little nurses station. The nurse lady cleans it up a bit explaining how to care for it (all in Spanish) while the Pink Princess stares at me waiting for the translation, terrified that we are going to have to go to a hospital to get stitches. As I suspected, no stitches required, just a nice bruised and cut to make the pictures for the rest of the trip extra sexy. (Need permission from Pink Princess to post the damage, it's just mean if she doesn't approve).
We head back up to the beach house and decide it's probably a good idea to take it easy the rest of the afternoon. (Beach run canceled due to Pink Princess face plant!) That evening we have dinner at Los Amigos and head to Le Loft. Pink Princess was (of course!) super excited to "go out" in CR. I could write a whole post about Le Loft, but since this post is already forever long, I'll sum it up like this... If wish you to be the most swankified place in town, bathroom attendants are a good idea, so well done. However, a better idea would be toilet seats!!!
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| Will, enjoying the sunset and fresh air. |
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| Sunset at the beach house. |
The next morning we take it easy and eventually hike down to a different beach with lots of rocks and gorgeous crashing waves.
We finally get on the road on start making the trek up to Arenal. We get to the hotel after a loooong stressful and treacherous drive and they do in fact have our reservation (impressive because I booked it by giving a guy I met on the side of the street my credit card number to make me the reservation - Will totally believes I speak Spanish now!) We spend the evening relaxing in the hot springs sipping on a couple cervezas and call it a night.
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| Arenal Volcano. This was the view from the balcony of our room. |
The next morning we headed to the zip lines, where they did NOT have our reservation (even though I booked that with a travel office - apparently guy on the side of the road is the way to go with reservations) but luckily were able to get us in.
Then it was back to San Jose, with a couple stops on the way for Queso Palmito and other road side deliciousness.
We managed get a little souvenir shopping done in my favorite market and to swing up to visit "base" where I would soon be working an living and then headed back for dinner with family. The next morning was a super early day to catch their flight home. It sucked to say goodbye, but we had a blast.
So... who's coming next?!?
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Labels: Costa Rica
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Getting Settled
After three weeks, I'm finally really getting settled in. I signed up at the gym today. Last week I put a down payment on a car and will get it on Tuesday. Wednesday I'm meeting with a friend who is a doctor to find out if there is anything I can do about my stupid calf. And Thursday I'm meeting with a trainer at the gym so they can do all those terrifying fat measurements and stuff.
Work is going pretty well. I keep myself busy sifting through binders and electronic files and stuff just trying to get everything in order so that I can actually find things when I need them. In the next week or so we should be moving to the new building. I'm very excited about this as there are showers at the new building which will make it really easy for me to go for a run or bike ride during my 2 hours lunches.
Last weekend I participated in a 1500 meter open water swim in the ocean. I had a really great time even though my time was really slow. Arguably, I wasn't really in regular trained condition. One week before the race I swam 3000 meters in the pool, other than that, I hadn't really done any swimming in a few months. I was still a little bummed about the super slow time. Usually I'm not really looking at other people's times, but this time it actually made me feel better. In my age group I finished 11th out of 42. And also finished faster than over half the men in my age group. I was pretty pleased with that.
The gym I joined apparently has a triathlon group and a run club. I'm hoping to be able to join though I don't know that the 8-8 work schedule will really allow for it. Regardless, I'm just excited to finally be able to get back into a workout routine. I started breaking in a new pair of running shoes today on a 40 minute run. The hills and altitude are still a bit of an issue, but too terrible. Once I get going and am really into a routine I want to start training for a race again. The joy of living in the tropics - there's at least one race every month of the year!!!
Labels: Costa Rica
Saturday, April 09, 2011
The Big Girl Job - CR!
So, I´ve officially been on the job for 3 weeks now. It´s been crazy but good. I currently have a team of 6 teachers, and will likely be hiring one more in who will start in May. I´ve been asked what my job is exactly, and well... it´s a little difficult to describe right now. My official title is Director of National Programs and Academics. It´s a big title and sounds really important, though I don´t know that I feel quite as important as it sounds. But I am enjoying myself, so that´s the important part.
My job, in short, is to manage the English program. There hasn´t really been anyone in this position for several months. As a result, right now I spend a lot of my time organizing. English classes go in one month cycles and at the end of each month the clients have a test or quiz. I take care of all the record keeping, creating schedules for the next month of classes, reviewing the evaluations that the clients fill out about their teachers, making sure the teachers get paid, making sure the clients pay for classes, all kinds of fun stuff.
I spend a lot of time speaking Spanish, which is fantastic! (Though I probably spend an equal amount of time speaking Spanglish which is less effective for improving my Spanish. My favorite moments are speaking Spanglish with other native English speakers.... this happens ALL THE TIME and really makes me laugh). The part of the job that I have yet to tackle, but am rather excited about, is growing the program. Right now we only have about 70 English clients (Peru has over 1100!!!!) The goal is for the program to have 300 clients by the end of 2012. This is my responsibility to make happen. Super excited about the challenge and what it will mean for my resume if I can actually make it happen. I also have little to no budget to make this happen, so we´re talking grass roots marketing methods... oh the challenges and creative opportunity that lies ahead!
Labels: Costa Rica, Maximo
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Catch up post: the job
Ever since class started here I've been sure to make it clear to both my instructor and the General Manager (one of the owners) here that I was interested in a position at Maximo in Costa Rica. I quickly found out that the CR Maximo is MUCHMUCH smaller than Cusco. I was kinda bummed, but was confident that I would find a teaching job somewhere as there are plenty of language schools in CR.
Right around the first of the month I sent my resume to the GM here to forward on to CR. The next day our instructor tells me that the GM in CR (another owner) called asking about TEFL students because they need a teacher. I was super pumped! So a couple days go by and I don't hear anything so I decide to send my resume and an email directly to the GM in CR to express interest in the job. I receive a reply, almost immediately asking if I can do a skype interview that day.
Later that evening I get the call on skype. I'm expecting a 20-30 minute conversation focusing primarily on how my TEFL class is going and if I have any other teaching experience. 30 minutes into the call we're still talking about my last job, and teaching hasn't even come up. He's also asked me about my Spanish skills and had me talk to him in Spanish for a few minutes.... even though Spanish is strictly forbidden in the classroom. Finally he asks, "So, are you looking for a teaching job, where you will have weekends free and can just kind of relax and enjoy CR? Or would you be interested in something more demanding." A bit taken a back, I reply, "well, I guess that would depend on the job." He then sends me a PDF with the job description for the Director of the National Program and Academics. After picking my jaw up off the ground I tell him that I would definitely be interested in this position.
We continue to speak for about another hour. He emphasizes that the hours are looooong and weekends are often involved. He expresses concern about how my family in CR will handle me working the long hours, asks about my family back home and the likelihood that in a few months I'll be home sick and ready to leave, asks about what happens if my house doesn't and all kinds of other things that he could never ask in the states. Finally, he says that he thinks this is all good and he would like me to talk to the GM here in Peru. I said that was fine and he replied, "You know where his office is right? He's ready for you now." YIKES!
So I hop up and head down for another 30-40 minute interview that seemed to go quite well. I had been told that there would be a 3rd interview with the GM from CR's wife (the 3rd owner) and that it would be in Spanish, and obviously via Skype or the phone. My Spanish is decent, but I HATE Spanish conversations on the phone, so I was pretty nervous.
The next week, I had my interview and actually thought I did alright. And then the waiting started. When I heard from the GM in CR I was told that they were going to check my references, but also send me an offer letter. The next day we talked again and I officially accepted the job. The offer letter spelled out some benefits that hadn't even been mentioned, like a cell phone and service, and reimbursement for my return trip to CR.
He also had me switch my ticket to a couple days later so that I could stay here and train with the directors here for a bit. So I started training this morning and will continue to the end of the week, flying home on Saturday. Today went well and I'm really excited about the job. Many other things have happened in the past week or so as well.... but those will need to wait for another post.
BIG GIRL JOB IN COSTA RICA!!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Labels: Costa Rica, Cusco, Maximo, Peru
Friday, February 11, 2011
Where am I exactly?
It’s come to my attention that many people are a bit unsure and curious about where I actually am, what it’s like here, what I’m doing etc. If you are curious about these things, this post is for you.
At this moment I’m sitting on the back patio of the house where I will likely be living for the next couple years. The family I’m living with is the same family I spent most of my 1999 exchange student year with. The house and family are both nothing short of incredible (pics to come later) and I feel completely at home here. The house itself is located in the province of San Jose, Costa Rica. The city, Curridabat (commonly referred to as Curri), is somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes from downtown San Jose, the capitol. Costa Rica is directly north of Panama and directly south of Nicaragua. It is bordered by coasts to the east and west and is currently on Central Time (if I remember correctly, they do not observe daylight savings time so will switch to mountain eventually, but I could be wrong about that). The country itself is about the size of West Virginia (at least, I'm pretty sure that's what I remember reading years ago when I was studying up on it).
The province of San Jose is located almost smack in the middle of the country and makes up most of the “Central Valley.” Around the Central Valley are gorgeous, plush, teeming with life mountains. Beyond the mountains to both the east and west are virtually never ending coastlines. Depending on the area of the country you are in beaches can be white sand, black sand, or just your average tan-ish sand. In just a few hours I will be heading to Punta Leana, where my family owns a beautiful beach house that I will be chillin’ at for the weekend.
To answer a specific question I was asked, the government is indeed stable here. Costa Rica actually disbanded their military many many years ago (I want to say in the 1940s) and as result is one of the most advanced and most peaceful nations in this area of the world. As a result of being super awesome, they are subject a lot of illegal immigration from other countries in the area, particularly Nicaragua. There is currently a small border issue going on between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. (According to my Tico Mom, GoogleMaps had the border in the wrong spot and apparently Nicaragua decided that meant that the border should be where Google said it was, so they are trying to claim part of Costa Rica’s land. At least that’s the way I understood it – still working the Spanish skills).
Tuesday (Happy Valentine’s Day!) I’ll be leaving Costa Rica for a month to go to Peru. During that month I will be taking a class to get certified to teach English as a second language. The school I’m attending is in Cuzco, Peru. Cuzco’s altitude is about 10k-11k feet. While I’m there I will be staying in the school’s “family house.” While I obviously don’t really know what that means, the website describes it as a hostel style home, exclusively for Maximo Nivel (the school) students and volunteers. They usually have around 10-15 people staying there and rooms are shared by 2-3 students. I’ve been told that the food in Peru is amazing and am looking forward to the 3 meals/day provided at the family house.
There is apparently a train that goes from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, so I am looking forward to taking that trip in my spare time. I really have no idea how my time will be structured while I’m in Peru, but I’m hoping to get to see other parts of the country as well.
Internet access is pretty spotty at the beach house, so I don’t know that I will be able to post again until Sunday or Monday, but as requested, I will take lots of pics of the beach house and get them posted. I will also plan to post plenty from Peru, as the school has wifi available. Pics of the house will probably come when I get back from Peru and am a little more settled in here. I am really going to try to keep this blog thing going this time (I know… I always say that!). Questions and comments are always welcome and help keep my brain on posting.
I have finally downloaded Skype (though have yet to test it). I don't really want to post my user name on here, so if you want to set up a skype date, email me or send me a message on fb. If you have my gmail address, my user name is the same as the address up to the @. Now, my kindle and the hammock in the back yard are both calling my name.
Labels: Costa Rica, Peru
Thursday, February 10, 2011
A Photo Blog: Backyard Life
This post is mostly for my dad, but I hope you all enjoy.
The lovely Matilda (Mother of Oscar and Stella) munching on some berries.
Labels: Costa Rica, Matilda, plants, Stella
