A Year In Monteverde
And so- amazing as it may seem- we have come to the end of the school year here in Monteverde. Michael and I have been living here now for almost a full year- and we've loved every minute of it. As I look back at these many months, I realize how very much I've learned about life, living abroad, and more...Here is my list...
What I've Learned From Living In Monteverde
1) Nature never ceases to amaze, even when you've walked the same path for many months. There is also something incredible and new to see.
2) There is no coffee like Costa Rican coffee.
3) Hot water is overrated. Dryers are overrated. You get used to what you don't have.
4) Running water at ALL is overrated. You learn to survive with days upon days upon weeks of very little water.
5) Rain is beautiful.
6) It's okay to arrive at work covered in mud.
7) Yes- the electricity will go out a lot- but reading or dining by candle light is fun. Also, romantic.
8) You WILL survive as a teacher when the power goes out and you can't make copies all day.
9) You WILL find creative solutions to finding all the things you need for a science experiment, even if you have to call students parents to find wax paper.
10) Cooking is actually fun.
11) When you crave something you want to eat-- you can just COOK IT.
12) There is no rum like Nicaraguan rum.
13) Hablar espanol, mas o menos...
14) How to teach when it's pouring down rain so hard you can't hear yourself speak.
15) How to catch a scorpion in a jar and not get stung.
16) What is edible in the forest.
17) Jeans dry really, really slowly.
18) That all the "stuff" you thought you wanted and needed suddenly seem so unnecasary. All those things stored away in the storage unit in Philadelphia seem so silly and useless now.
19) Silence is beautiful.
20) Quaker schools are great places to work.
21) You can have a fun evening just hanging around someone's house, making pizza, playing charades, playing cards.
22) There is no one friendlier than a Costa Rican.
23) "Pura Vida" is more than a phrase- it's a whole philosophy. After a year here, I find myself less anxious, less neurotic, more in touch with the joy of life itself.
24) I am not a first/second grade teacher.
25) Science is my favorite class to teach, ever. (Okay. I also enjoyed leading history classes at TPS. But science is a close second.)
26) I am more confident than I thought I was. I am less afraid than I thought I was.
27) The different calls of a howler, capuchin, and spider monkey.
28) Walking 10 km round trip to the store doesn't seem so far after a year of walking it.
29) It's fun to go somewhere on a trip with no hotel reservations and no plan and just see what happens.
30) You CAN find a place to stay that costs 8 dollars a night and has only one light bulb but is STILL one of the most amazing places you have ever been.
31) I can actually run a 10k.
32) Yoga and meditation are better than therapy.
Okay- that's all for now- gotta go to work. More later.
What I've Learned From Living In Monteverde
1) Nature never ceases to amaze, even when you've walked the same path for many months. There is also something incredible and new to see.
2) There is no coffee like Costa Rican coffee.
3) Hot water is overrated. Dryers are overrated. You get used to what you don't have.
4) Running water at ALL is overrated. You learn to survive with days upon days upon weeks of very little water.
5) Rain is beautiful.
6) It's okay to arrive at work covered in mud.
7) Yes- the electricity will go out a lot- but reading or dining by candle light is fun. Also, romantic.
8) You WILL survive as a teacher when the power goes out and you can't make copies all day.
9) You WILL find creative solutions to finding all the things you need for a science experiment, even if you have to call students parents to find wax paper.
10) Cooking is actually fun.
11) When you crave something you want to eat-- you can just COOK IT.
12) There is no rum like Nicaraguan rum.
13) Hablar espanol, mas o menos...
14) How to teach when it's pouring down rain so hard you can't hear yourself speak.
15) How to catch a scorpion in a jar and not get stung.
16) What is edible in the forest.
17) Jeans dry really, really slowly.
18) That all the "stuff" you thought you wanted and needed suddenly seem so unnecasary. All those things stored away in the storage unit in Philadelphia seem so silly and useless now.
19) Silence is beautiful.
20) Quaker schools are great places to work.
21) You can have a fun evening just hanging around someone's house, making pizza, playing charades, playing cards.
22) There is no one friendlier than a Costa Rican.
23) "Pura Vida" is more than a phrase- it's a whole philosophy. After a year here, I find myself less anxious, less neurotic, more in touch with the joy of life itself.
24) I am not a first/second grade teacher.
25) Science is my favorite class to teach, ever. (Okay. I also enjoyed leading history classes at TPS. But science is a close second.)
26) I am more confident than I thought I was. I am less afraid than I thought I was.
27) The different calls of a howler, capuchin, and spider monkey.
28) Walking 10 km round trip to the store doesn't seem so far after a year of walking it.
29) It's fun to go somewhere on a trip with no hotel reservations and no plan and just see what happens.
30) You CAN find a place to stay that costs 8 dollars a night and has only one light bulb but is STILL one of the most amazing places you have ever been.
31) I can actually run a 10k.
32) Yoga and meditation are better than therapy.
Okay- that's all for now- gotta go to work. More later.
posted by Rebekah at 6:48 AM
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