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I've decided I want to volunteer with WorldTeach
I'm so excited! It's a program to go to another country and teach English!
Since I'm in school now, I want to do it this summer. I mean, what else am I going to do this summer? LOL
I know it's a but pricey, but I asked my mom if she's okay with me doing it. If she says yes, I'll do all that I need to do to be able to go!
So, so excited.
Thank You WorldTeach Costa Rica 2012!
Wednesday, I will make my way to Orosí, where we started our WorldTeach journey in January. Orosí was where we got orientated, took Spanish classes, taught Practicum lessons and sat through many charlas to get us ready for Costa Rican life. It's also where we got to know each other and make friendships to support us throughout the year. Before Orosí, I was under the impression that while we might hang out sometime, we would pretty much be on our own as volunteer teachers. Some of us are very far from each other, that is true. But I never imagined that my friendships with my fellow WorldTeachers would be the thing I treasure most about this experience.
Flynn, Meggie and I will be here next year but the rest of the volunteers will head out in search of new adventures. I wanted to take the time to thank them all individually with some memories and remarks:
Aeriel: Practicum teaching buddy! You have such passion for life and travel. If I could learn to speak Spanish half as well as you, I'd be satisfied. I know you will go on to do incredible things and see the world.
Cassandra: Oh, Cassandra. You are one of the most hilarious people I know and have kept us laughing this whole adventure. Even though you prefer to 1820 to La Violeta's coffee, I still love you. Thanks for all the random questions, great stories and Pops trips.
Melly: Spanish class buddy! Thanks for being my friend in the Spanish learning adventure. I think we've both learned a lot and have improved since our classes in Orosi. I love your weather facts and passion for site visiting (did you make it to all of them?). Let's keep our gchats going next year!
Kiana: Site buddy! Thanks for all the great advice about teaching and Spanish. Your love for dancing and language makes me smile. I know you are ready to get back to New York life but I'll keep you up to date on crazy Costa Rican bugs and such. You've done such a great job this year and I really admire you!
Anne-Marie: SUPER STAR! Lion King director! I just want to be like you when I grow up (it's creepy but it's true). You're an incredible teacher and person. Thanks for the life advice. Come back to Costa Rica when you get the ganas to see more sloths!
Drew: The last man standing. Drew, you've put up with crazy women the whole ride and I appreciate that. I enjoyed our time in Monteverde and random times at Bekuo. Hope you get to travel to all of Central and South America...then give me the recs on where to go!
Meggie: Dancing queen! The sweetest girl I know. Meggie, you are such a joy to be around and lift up everyone's spirits. I couldn't be more pleased that you'll be here in January. You and Flynn will do a fabulous job. Costa Rica 2013, my friend!
Kylie: Sassy Ky. Beauty queen and hair stylist. You're a great friend and so fun to hang out with. I'm glad we've gotten to know each other more as the year as go on and really want to keep in touch! I AM coming to your town to try some of that rico watermelon.
Claire: My other Practicum teaching buddy! Claire, you are awesome with kids and I hope whatever career path you take allows you to harness that talent. You are such a kindhearted and open person. I can't wait to see what you do next!
Chloe: Quintessential American girl. You are always so positive. I know you did fabulous work at your site and I'm glad you got to visit La Violeta a little bit!
Steph G-H: Second year Steph. Sassy Gringa/Tica girl. Thanks for all your tips about learning Spanish and dating a Tico. You are a spitfire with a heart of gold and I can't wait to hear about all your Canadian adventures.
Sara: Sara, I loved our talks about teaching during charlas. You are an amazing teacher with so much knowledge to share. Thank you for your kind heart and words of compassion. If you do come back to visit next year, please let me know!
Jeff: I just got your email that you can't make it to EOS. I am disappointed and wish we could see you! We will definitely Skype. Thanks for being my Spanish learning buddy and sharing your smiles with us!
Stef: My southern friend! I have missed you so much as the year has gone on but I know you did what was best. You are a kind hearted person and I love hearing about Bunny Foo Foo. Message me and let me know what you've been up to!
Caitie: Yoga Queen. Thanks for encouraging me to go on and do Halloween American style. You have so much wisdom to share and passion for life. Can't wait to see what you do next!
Hayden: A little facebook stalking told me you are home already! Congrats on all the wonderful things you've done in Costa Rica. There are too many to list! Thank you for being a shoulder to learn on. You gave so much spark and energy to Orientation and the year. I will truly miss you.
Erin: Erin, you did SO much for us. As the year as go on, I have realized just how well you prepared us for this year and life in Costa Rica. Thanks for everything. I am so ready to be your facebook friend and see what you've been up to since you've been home.
Graceann: Orientation neighbor! Thanks for encouraging me when I was really struggling with this whole learning Spanish thing at the beginning. You have so many good ideas for community outreach and I'm very impressed by the work you've done at your site. If you stay in Costa Rica, please let me
know because I would love to steal some inspiration from your ideas and stay friends.
Rachel: Rachel, I love your passion for language and life. Some of your comments throughout the year have really changed the way I look at language learning. You've given me the encouragement to keep studying Spanish even if you didn't know it. With such talent in language, writing, photography and more, I know you'll go very far!
Kristina: My Virginia friend. Thanks for the laughs and great teacher advice. I can't imagine how fun it is to be in your classroom! I just read your blog about making s'mores and am kind of jealous I never thought of that idea. Keep up the great work, lady! You're the best.
Flynn: Ok, so we'll be together next year but I am still thankful for all the help and advice you've given us. I love your enthusiasm and I can't wait to brag to the 2013 volunteers about how awesome you are.
Overwhelming Amounts of Love
So0o0o0o, normally I will not do 2 posts in one day, because it will get annoying haha.
But I wanted to give some updates on where I stand financially.
My first big goal was to raise $500. This is because the first $500 is my security deposit. It holds my place in the program. This first $500 is due this week and guess what?! I have already raised $350.
My family, my Uncle Tucker and my Nana and Grandpa more specifically, were the ones who donated that money.
I cried.
I also cried when my Dad called me today and asked me what my status was regarding my deposit. He asks because I know he wants me to get this, and I know he wants to help. That is amazing.
I have so much more support than I ever thought I would get. Not that my family doesn't support me! But...it's great to see the support so upfront and center.
I only have $150 more to go:) Then I will get my official "Welcome to Panama" guide and paperwork in the mail. Then...only $4,500 more to go haha
Not A Total Moocher
The other week I sent out some emails, notifications, and created a blog asking for financial help in order to obtain my goal of going overseas to teach for one year.
I need to raise $4,990 in order to do this! Today, I am going to share with you what I am doing on my own time in order to raise money.
Yes, I am also trying my hardest to raise the money on my own time. Regardless of what my younger siblings will tell you, I do try to hold my own every once in a while. To others' surprise, my Dad will vouch for me on that one:)
The day that I was accepted into this program, I was also offered a job, serving, at Red Lobster (Lucky, right?). Once my training has ended, which will be around the beginning of August, I am expecting to make some good money.
The majority (99.999%) of what I make will be dropped straight into my bank account and then immediately deposited (electronically) to WorldTeach. Where will the rest go? You can contact either my Credit Card company, Cook Out, or the local ABC store Book Store to find out my latest transactions:)
Emails have been sent and...
It's so awkward!
I HATE asking people for money. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
I feel like I am begging, which I have done before and let me tell you that it is nothing short of degrading and embarrassing.
However, $5,000 is kind of a lot of money. When I first had the idea of going to WorldTeach I thought I could handle it all on my own. But just like the first time I told my dad I wanted to be a big girl and pay for everything myself...it isn't going to work out like I imagined it!
Having the support of my friends and family is already so amazingly overwhelming and asking for money seems almost too much. So I just want to say thank you to anyone who is planning on donating. And you know what? Thank you to anyone who read my email and is looking at the screen like, "Dude...I have 10 kids and bills I haven't even opened yet." Because even though you cannot or wont donate to my cause...you read the email:) So thanks for reading my email before you even opened those bills. You're great.
My friends and family have constantly been supportive of my decision to go to Panama and teach English. Minus my mom and dad...but congrats on finally getting on board! Thank you for loving me so much. And for trusting me to be my own woman and make my own decisions; no matter how badly they effect my credit score:)
I'll keep everyone updated!!!!
wowowow
Much respect for Audrey Hepburn. I never realized how amazing she was. I only associated her with various movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's and Roman Holiday.
Don't know about her accomplishments? Here's a good summary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Hepburn
My Tican Guardian Angel
In my last post, I forgot to mention the host of characters I encountered at the bus stop in Frailles. Frailles is the nearest “town” to La Violeta, my site for the year. I haven’t made the walk to Frailles by foot yet but I would estimate it takes from 30-45 minutes to get there from La Violeta. There is a grocery store (a supermercado not a pulperia*), an internet café or two, a pizzeria and a church. When I first sat down at the bus stop and saw the number of Ticos, I assumed that they were all waiting for the bus. The hours passed by and I realized I might be waiting for the 2nd bus for quite sometime. Thus, I did my best to study the people next to me and discovered that the bus stop is more a hangout than a stop for busses. People frequently sat down for half an hour or so, chatted with friends and relatives and then walked off. There were many people selling items including a woman with a pile of the gaudiest watches I have ever seen. A man walked by for hours carrying a small bag of toiletries and shouting, “loción y jabón !” I never saw anyone purchase anything from him. You have to admire his persistence.
There were several people from Panama dressed in dark baggy jeans, oversized white tees paired with a matching bandana tied across their foreheads underneath a baseball cap. I also saw a few Ticos with dreadlocks. I’m not even going to comment on how bizarre that was. Though nothing beats the Tico man I saw with a handlebar mustache, 10 gallon hat and cowboy boots. I almost fell out of my “stoop” at the bus stop upon this sighting. After this character sauntered by (the guy had swagger), a toothless man took it upon himself to sit near me and speak to me as if I understand a word of what he was saying. All I could ascertain was that he was asking me something about San Jose. After I gave him the most earnest blank stare, he turned away and carried on the conversation with himself.
I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I got on the bus to Cartago and received a lot of stares for my “gringa-ness**.” I decided to embrace this phenomenon and proceeded to listen to terrible rap my entire ride to Cartago. You have to amuse yourself at times. Once I got off the bus in Cartago and oriented myself (landmarks, guys! No street signs in Costa Rica), I wandered around for a bit looking for the bus stop to Orosi. Not feeling too confident in my directional skills, I asked a security officer outside a grocery store. He was happy to help me and pointed me in the right direction even telling me the color of my bus stop (“the same as your backpack!” He seemed very excited about this fact.). As I walked down the road, an older Tica women struck up a conversation with me about the weather. I agree that it was cold (It wasn’t but it’s always COLD or HOT to Ticos. There is no in between) and she asked me where I was going. In my broken Spanish, I articulated that I wanted to get to Orosi. She said that she would walk me to my stop and told me to wear a sweater. I continued on for a few more blocks with this woman until she pointed out my bus stop to the left and disappeared. My Tican guardian angel, indeed.
*A supermercado is like a small grocery store with most of the essentials whereas a pulperia is a corner store with snacks and other things depending on where you are. La Violeta has a pulperia.
**I have noticed that when you are the gringa people tend to stare at you or look right through you. It is very strange and makes me have more appreciation for people who deal with a feeling of “otherness” in the United States.
