Escuela Puente Casa

First of all, thank you guys for commenting. It sounds super dorky (but let's be honest, it IS a blog) but it is really nice to know someone is reading this thing and following along with me. The notes always make me smile.

So, days one and two at Escuela Puente Casa. The first day was definitely tough on a couple of different levels. Ronald, our driver, takes all of us to our placements. I was one of the last stops. Before we got to Puented Casa, we drove by the neighborhood where the majority of the students live. I almost started crying just looking out from the van. I called it a neighborhood, but that's not exactly accurate. We would call it a shanty town, or worse. The land was bought illegally, and so the government tries to discourage this by denying services like electricity and running water. The "homes" are about 13 x 13, house anywhere from 4-8 people, and they are made of found materials (discarded tin acts as a roof, rotting wood makes walls, e.g.). It's an odd juxtaposition: these almost uninhabitable dwellings sit right in front of a strikingly beautiful landscape - plush, green mountains capped with clouds. Fanny, the volunteer coordinator, who is incredible by the way, told me she will take me some time next week to visit the neighborhood. I need to go with other people and during the day, as it's known for its violence and rampant prostitution and drug use. It is shocking that any of these kids grow up and overcome this, or even grow up at all.

There are four teachers at Puente Casa, and at any given time, three are there. Ruth, Sandra (who is both a principal and a teacher), Natalia (teaches "kinder" or pre-school), and Channel, who is a very attractive male first and fourth grade teacher. The schedule is incomprehensible. Randomly kids will leave the room. Some kids take tests, some don't. At some unknown signal, students will get up and mop the front floor. Not knowing Spanish has made it very, very difficult to communicate with the teachers and the kids, but everyone has been patient with me. The first day I felt in the way and out of place. The second day - today - went much smoother. I observed Channel's class, played with the students at recess, chatted with the teachers during their break, and even got to run an activity with Ruth's class because she had to finish an administrative task. I had the estudiantes draw pictures of their familias and label the members in Spanish, and then taught them the colors and names in English. It definitely wasn't earth-shattering, but I felt useful. Sandra is going to cull a group of motivated students who really want to learn English from several classes for me to teach English to in the morning. Because the schools are so crowded, students come in different shifts, and thus it takes coordinating to organize a class for me to teach. That should begin Thursday or Friday. An aside regarding Sandra: she is an amazing head of the school. She is enthusiastic, compassionate, and generous. She keeps her school clean and safe and tries to set an example of another way of life. She has few resources but makes the most of what she has. I'm looking forward to getting to know her and learn from her.

Tomorrow, however, instead of going to Puente Casa, I'm going to another school in San Carlos because there is a soccer tournament, and PC has some teams participating. Channel thought I would enjoy coming along, because I told him that I coached soccer in the States. I'm really pumped because I can dress down too. Not that it matters, I sweat through whatever I wear. It's really hot here. I sweat no matter what I'm doing. I sweat sleeping. I sweat in the shower. I'm getting used to it though. Sort of.

Well, that's a lot of blog. I know that exceeded most attention spans. Especially Margaret's :). Just kidding. I can't wait til you get here, Margaret. You'll love the kids - they are so affectionate and energetic. When I get more comfortable with my placement, I might try and take some pictures and put them up. Thursday we're going to the waterfalls at La Fortuna (CCS organized and will execute the trip) so there will definitely be pictures of that, as well as our weekend trip to Manuel Antonio which we planned as a group.

I miss you guys!