Things I've learned about Costa Rica

I was having trouble finding the exact address of where I'll be staying and where I'll be teaching.  After researching it a bit, I found out why.  Try to read this if you can...

And, after looking for additional blogs about Costa Rica, I found this on someone else's blog.  I thought it was pretty interesting.  This other person says....

"Did you know that Costa Rica doesn't have traditional street addresses? Most of the roads are unnamed, making it muy difícil to assign street numbers. So how the heck do you find anything? You use a combination of local landmarks, rough distance estimates, and cardinal directions.

Por ejemplo, here is the address for Epson, the printer company, in Costa Rica:

In English, the dirección is: 100 meters south and 300 meters west of the American Embassy, San Jose, Costa Rica. Well, that's helpful, as long as you know where the Embassy is!

Does someone actually measure the number of meters in these addresses? Of course not! The rule of thumb is that 100 meters is approximately one city block.

Want to see a couple more? Here's the address for Unilever, another international corporation:

Translation: From the cross in Belén's San Antonio district, go 400 meters west and 800 meters north.

And here's my favorite! It's the address of a local potato chip company:

The company's located in Ciudad Colón. To find it, head to the old folks home (Hogar de Ancianos), then go 100 meters south, 400 meters west, and another 100 meters south. Apparently, the initial southbound road that runs next to the old folks home doesn't go through, since the directions tell you to go south twice."

So...let's hope I'll be able to find my way around once I get there!

On another note...It looks like my 16 year old son, Layne, will be going with me!  We are extremely excited about the opportunity for him to experience another culture.  Unfortunately, he will not be able to attend the school where I will be teaching.  He'll continue to take his classes through the local high school that he already attends, he'll just be doing them online.  We're a little worried about that since one of his classes will be Geometry and another one is Chemistry, but we'll just have to stay on top of his assignments.  This is just a chance of a lifetime for him to experience life in another country and we know it will be nothing less than "top of the chart" positive for him and for his life.

This upcoming week I'll be going to a "re-entry" meeting where I'll get to meet several students who are coming back from where I'm going.  I am looking forward to meeting them and hearing all about the details of life there.  More to come....

Oh My Gosh!!! It's getting real!

Well, it appears that Costa Rica is really going to happen!  I bought my ticket today to leave Atlanta on January 18, not to return until April 28.  I am excited and scared at the same time.  This is going to be an amazing experience, but I am scared about leaving my family.  At least we know there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that this separation will only be temporary :-)

Getting my paperwork in order

Hello friends and family (and strangers too, I guess!).....

I am so excited to be completing my student teaching in Costa Rica during the Spring semester of 2014.  It's going to be an amazing adventure and I can't wait to tell you all about it!  I've turned in all of my paperwork and I've received a placement in a 5th grade classroom at Country Day School in Escazu, Costa Rica. Click on the name of the school and it should take you to their website.  If it doesn't, just Google them and you'll find them.  I'm a little surprised at the 5th grade placement since I'm middle grades, but I guess since my certification will be 4th - 8th, it'll work out.

 

Escazu is a suburb of San Jose and from what I understand, it's a pretty affluent area.  I've been told that there is a movie theater, many restaurants, and a Wal-Mart (yes, a Wal-Mart) just half a mile away from my temporary residence.  We have already paid my first month's rent in a place called Hummingbird Bed and Breakfast located in a gated community that has diplomats and politicians as neighbors.  I guess that means it's supposed to be safe (or quite the opposite!)....we'll find out!  Now it's time to start shopping for my airplane ticket :-)  My tentative travel dates are January 18, 2014 - April 28, 2013.  The university has set May 13-15 as the tentative graduation dates for the spring.  Subscribe to this blog so you can keep up with it when I post updates.