In the classroom

Proof that I don't just sit around in a hammock all day. And that homemade haircuts are never the way to go.

Nice to meet you, too

Hot hot heat

Finally, I am able to check in and say hello. I’ve been super busy of late, mostly planning for classes and finding other things to do to take my mind off the unbearable heat. Here’s a rundown of what’s been going on.

It’s so hot.

A group of women from DeWitt (my hometown) came to Costa Rica to relax and do mission work. I spent a few days with them, joining their search for the Scarlet Macaw. It was one of the best weekend trips I’ve taken in Costa Rica.

At my insistence, my 15-year-old host sister hacked my hair off, straight across, right at my chin. It looks really, really bad, but at least my neck isn’t all hot with sweaty hair stuck to it.

The president of the state-owned, monopolized utilities company landed on my town’s soccer field in a helicopter the other. It was the most excitement the town has seen ever. He was there in support of a new book about the history of my town.

A fellow volunteer came to visit and observe me in the classroom. We swam in the river, went to the local bar and made a quick bus adventure to visit other volunteers. One of the guys has Wi-Fi in his classroom. No fair!

I made plans to attend an interview with Texas Teaching Fellows in Dallas on March 28 to be a bilingual teacher. I’ll be in Dallas through April 6, so if you happen to be around, let me know.

I was flipping through flashcards in class when I had a bad dizzy spell. The room just kept spinning. Shortly it passed and someone yelled, “Un temblor!!!” It had been an earthquake, not a dizzy spell. I’ve felt two more since then.

I’ve decided to boycott the Internet café in Buenos Aires. The Internet is too slow, the room is too hot and the girl who works there isn’t very friendly. I’ll show them.

Yesterday I was going through my box of medicines when I found nearly $200 worth of Costa Rican bills that I had forgotten about. Woo-hoo!

That’s pretty much it. I was supposed to go to San Jose today to shop for a better haircut, a black cardigan sweater and faster Internet café, but we had no water this morning, and it’s entirely too hot to go anywhere without first bathing. Finally, I took a bucket bath, but it was too late to get to San Jose, so now I am in another town called Palmar Norte. It costs a little more and takes a little longer to get here, but it’s better than Buenos Aires. I’ll show them.

I have a ton of great pictures to share, too, but the Internet here in Palmar doesn´t seem to be that much better. I can´t get the photos to load. This is so frustrating. I´m going now to take deep breaths. Bye.