Teaching English in a Foreign Land

Another New Journey Begins:

I was scheduled to meet Bernal Cespedes, the Director of the ESL program, at 10am sharp in Heredia. Politecnico a 30 minute bus ride from my house in Rohmoser. Luckily my roommate Evan is a veteran bus rider and had a class that morning. Evan taught me what route to start on and where get off and switch buses. I have been using a “Burger King” as a landmark for my first stop (pull the string at the Burger King). Part of my commute goes past Parque La Sabana, a beautiful park where the national soccer stadium, Estadio Nacional was recently built. The Chinese Government gave it to Costa Rica as a “gift” for establishing a free trade agreement with China instead of Taiwan. Nothing here says “Made in Taiwan.”

The Heredia campus was a former mansion owned by a wealthy coffee baron. He was also an advocate for education and upon his death, the estate was donated and converted into a school. The campus is small but very beautiful. 

The staff seemed very happy. I was given a brief tour of the facility and payed close attention to the names of the lunch ladies. Julie and Ana later gave me a heaping plate of pinto gallo y pollo for lunch:)

My meeting with Bernal went great. He was excited to hear that I'm a sports fan because he loves American sports. He listens to “The Herd,” hosted by Colin Cowherd of ESPN, every morning. Bernal briefly explained the guiding principles of adult language learning and reassured me that it would become clearer as I complete my TEFL certification. My certification course is from 9am – 3pm, Monday – Friday. I'll also be teaching part-time in the evenings, as well as Saturday mornings from 8 – 12, at a local high school. Bernal asked me to come back the next day to go over some paper work and start working on a lesson plan.

The next day I went back to school and started going over some information. During lunch with some co-workers, Bernal came up and asked if anyone could cover 2 hours of an upper-level class because the teacher had called in sick. The others had their own classes to teach, so I said I would give it a shot. A few minutes later he returned and asked how my "subject/verb agreement" knowledge was. 

I replied, “Pretty strong.” 

He said “Great, you can get started in a few minutes."

So I went to my laptop and Googled “subject/verb agreement,” as its apparent from my blog, my grammar is on a 2^nd grade level (American 2^nd grade).

The class was comprised of future Bank of America Call Center Reps who are fine-tuning their English. I taught the class for 2 hours and had a great time. After we finished subject/verb agreement, I had to explain how Americans use “otherwise.” 

I asked the students to pair up and create their own sentences using “otherwise.” When they finished I went around the room , eaching reading their sentence. I came to a pretty dark haired student with big brown eyes, who starred intently at me and said “I don't know how to cook, otherwise I would cook you dinner.” I thought it was pretty funny but showed no reaction and quickly moved on to the next student.

Meeting my Saturday class for the first time was a delight. I will be teaching grade 6, which for Tico's is equivalent to junior year of high school. CoTePeCos has a reputations for producing the brightest students in San Jose. These students have elected to take an extra eight-weeks of English instruction. The class's workbooks haven't arrived yet and the photocopies I requested were all messed up. I had no choice but to improvise Chapter 1 for four hours. 

I wanted to meet everyone and rate their English proficiency, so I decided to start the morning by having each design a “Personal Logo” that represents who they are. I then then had each student present their logo to the class. Most were very cute. The girls drew hearts and musical notes, the boys drew soccer balls and weights. My logo was a swan with a lacrosse stick and a football beneath it. 

That activity ate up about 50 minutes of clock and the remaining time was quick and fun. The kids laughed everything I said, so it made me feel like a really funny stand up comedian. I wanted to assign homework because that kind of power is easy to abuse, but because of Holy Week I wouldn't see the kids for 2 weeks, so I  resisted the urge. When class concluded, each student came up and said goodbye, thanking me. I was impressed, maybe because my only teaching experience thus far, took place in Golversville, NY.

After my Saturday class I was on vacation until Monday the 25^th. Then things would really pick up. I had met some other teachers who were going on a "visa run" to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, and thought it a good idea to renew mine as well, while I had sometime off from work. 

Other than a six hour bus ride to a third world country I had no idea what to expect. At the time, the thought was very inticing...That story will be posted within the next day or two. But, just as a teaser...My new friends from the UN Sailing Team Andres, Nils, Wilem and Alex, were addressing me as Captain America by the time I left that God forsaken town.

The weekend excursion to Puerto Viejo was an amazing time filled with good food, relaxation and amazing tropical scenery. Sunday we all went to Cahuita, which is north of Puerto Viejo, and hung out on Playa Blanca near the Cahuita National Park. The beach's sand was a nice white-tan color and the ocean was a darker deeper blue because of the ocean floor being stirred up form a front moving in. The weather was mainly overcast but we were able to throw the frisbee and enjoy the warm air. I said "I can't believe I live here now," several times that day. 

Playa Blanca

After the beach, we went back to the condo, showered and went out to eat in Puerto Viejo proper. The night life was very lively because all the Ticos, which is what the Costa Ricans call themselves, had a national holiday on Monday.

The highlight of the trip was Monday when we went south to Punto Mona (Monkey Point) by way of Manzanilla. We drove along the beach and through the jungle to the main beach in Manzanilla. From there, Melissa's brother Alejandro was able to negotiate with a local fisherman/tour guide named Denry to ferry us to Punto Mona, which is only accessible by boat.

Denry is a Nicaraguan who grew up on the ocean. He looked to be in his mid forties and had a weathered and hardened face. He went to get gas while we waited for him near his fishing boat. The “Kai 1” has a 26 foot fiberglass hull with a 75 horsepower, outboard engine and four benches. There were a few old life jackets thrown onboard among several empty bottles of Imperial (one of the most popular beers). He returned with a Marlboro and full Imperial in one hand and a full tank of gas in the other, and we were off.

The Kai 1

That was my first time on the open sea in a smaller vessel and it was very intense. The waves were massive and as we approached them, and there was a slight feeling of weightlessness as we crested the waves and rode down the back side. In an open hulled boat it is impossible to stay dry. The sun was pounding down on us. The saltwater, splashing on my face and body, felt refreshing. Along the way, Denry turned the boat away from the assumed destination down the coast, and out to sea. We were about a mile of shore. It was at that point I realized we were completely at his mercy, defenseless touristas.

Denry and Evan

However, Denry didn't intend to rob us on the high seas, he was taking us to see the dolphins that regularly feed in the area during early afternoon. We looked for the seagulls circling above, which indicate the dolphins may near by. We watched and waited but saw nothing. After sometime, we asked Denry to take us to Punto Mona, ending the dolphin tour. So he started the engine and headed towards shore.

On our way inland, six Guyanan dolphins and one bottle nose dolphin surfaced alongside the boat. Their dorsal fins were cresting above the waterline intermittently and I rushed to find my camera. Just as I stooped down, the bottle nose jumped out of the water and pirouetted in the air, showing off for us. The dolphins continued their display, flopping around in the ocean 30 feet from our boat. It was an amazing experience I'll always remember.

After the dolphins' performance, Denry brought us to the beach at Punta Mona. Alejandro had explained that Punta Mona is a self sufficient, organic farm and education center. I was picturing something like the movie “The Beach” in my head, and wasn't very far off. When we arrived I noticed the small houses built on stilts set back near the edge of the jungle. Beyond the houses began a path into the thick jungle. Our group of seven laid down our towels on the sand and enjoyed the amazing view of the ocean and a view of Panama to the south.

I decided to check out the farm and meet its inhabitants. There was a very old native man sitting on the front porch of the hut. The front of his hut was covered in pictures of Bob Marley and naked women. I waived hello and ventured down the jungle path. 50 meters into the bush, I was greeted by a short, chubby American man who looked to be about 35. Steven had very thick curly hair and a scraggly beard. He was shirtless with ragged cargo shorts and flip slops. He was drinking a can of Imperial.

The main education building at Punto Mona

Hammocks on the porch looking out on the jungle

I later learned that he was the director of the education center and had been living in Costa Rica for over 12 years. He had graduated from University of Wisconsin, moved down here, opened a farm and started teaching Costa Ricans about sustainable living. There are several buildings and greenhouses on the 84 acre farm. I was blown away by the quality and design of the architecture. www.puntamona.org

After digging the farm for a bit I headed back to the beach and was ran into Denry. He had a 30 foot bamboo pole in his hands, at the end was a “J” shaped blade. Denry was using it to cut bunches of coconuts from the pam trees along the beach. I helped him gather the coconuts and bring them to a stump near by. He picked up a machete and lopped off part of the coco leaving a perfect quarter-sized opening. He handed me the coco and I drank from the husk, the milk was clear and fresh. It tasted like water with a sweet coconut flavor. Denry said coconuts are great for the liver especially after a lot of Imperials. I drank four coco's and rolled them down the beach like bowling balls.

After swimming in the mild surf, it was time to head back to Manzanilla. When we returned to the boat I was surprised to see Steven and his female acquaintance, and three other travelers waiting for a rife back to civilization. We loaded their luggage into the boat and shoved off. The boat was riding much lower in the water with our additional passengers and cargo. A few of the females were outwardly concerned with the ride back. Especially after Steven and Denry got into a debate over the odds of making it through the pass between the island and point during high tide with that much weight on board. Denry assured everyone we would be fine, he had carried 27 people before during similar circumstances, 13 of us should be a cinch.

Denry turned the boat into the oncoming waves and gunned the engine, they were breaking just as we drove through and down the backside. As we continued through the narrow pass I could see outcroppings of the coral reef just feet below the hull. The rest of the ride back to shore took about half an hour and everyone applauded Denry for his skill and out of relief to be back on solid ground.

The island off the point. We passed through the narrows on the left side

My first weekend was nearing an end as we drove back to San Jose. I was so grateful to have enjoyed such a surreal experience so early in my time here. I silently promised myself that if I ever questioned what the hell I was doing in this far away land, I would take a weekend and come back to Punta Mona or somewhere similar. After all Costa Rica has about 2000 kilometers of beach to explore. I quickly fell asleep, knowing I would soon have to confront the treacherous city of San Jose and start a new job...

Arriving and First Weekend

Leaving America, Arriving in Costa Rica:

I landed in San Jose on Saturday morning after a long day and night of traveling. My friend Jesse, in New York City, let me stay at his house. I scheduled a cab to pick me up at his high-rise in China Town at 4:30am and take me to LaGuardia. I boarded the plane and fell asleep on the runway before take off. The details of the flight from LaGuardia to Ft. Lauderdale are very fuzzy, primarily because I didn't have my contacts lens in. I slept the whole way. I switched planes in Florida and went back to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of an Australian flight attendant doing some comedy bit he uses when the flight passes over Cuba. I needed to use the bathroom and put my contacts back in, so I went to the rear of the plane. I had to wait in line, while I was standing there an overly enthusiastic American guy from Milwaukee or something, bought a round of rum for everyone waiting to use the restroom.

When I returned to my seat I was awake and started up a conversation with my isle mate. I had a window seat and the man to my left was a slick looking guy with olive skin and jet-black hair. He was already dressed in the stereotypical tourist outfit...Cargo shorts, flip flops and a surfer/designer polo shirt. He was a producer for a major company out of Australia hired by a real estate company to photograph their property for publications throughout the world. His job was to get the lay-of-the-land and figure out the logistics of the project; man power, equipment etc. Seemed like a cool job.

As we approached the airport, I was impressed with the landscape and the mountains. The mountain range in the Central Valley is very steep with sloping rock faces. I had to admire the fortitude of the Spanish settlers and their "native servants" for the ability to build a thriving city throughout such rugged terrain. I was able to get through customs and immigrations in about 45 minutes without being interrogated as to why I had a one-way ticket.

Evan and his girlfriend Melissa were waiting for me outside the airport and I was quickly whisked away into the thick of the San Jose traffic. The country is infamous for its underfunded and poorly maintained roads combined with impenetrable gridlock.

We were all hungry, so they brought me to my first fast food joint called The Roasty Pollo. I was admittedly intimidated by the menu and still very groggy so I pointed at the item that looked like chicken nuggets and said "Por favor." They were good. We ate fast while Evan explained what the plan was for the weekend. Melissa and her brother Alejandro had a gringa friend from Texas, named Jodi, who is also a teacher in Costa Rica. Jodi's sister and brother-in-law were on vacation and staying in Puerto Viejo, a cool surfer town in the south eastern part of the country. 

The Caribbean coast is known for its chill lifestyle beautiful beaches and jungles and Afro-Caribbean reggae population. Melissa took us to her mother's house in Heredia where I was able to take a much needed shower and leave me luggage. After packing a small weekend bag and practicing my Spanish with Dona Ellena, Melissa's mother, we were ready for the weekend. 

Read my next blog to learn about my first experience with coconuts and a close encounter with some sea creatures.