The Prologue

There are many wonderful things about opening a new book: the cracking sound the spine makes as you open the book for the first time, the smell of the paper and ink, the anticipation you feel for the many happy reading hours in store, and the slight feeling of apprehension as you wonder whether or not you’ll like how the book ends. Of course, most people want to rush right into the book itself and skip all of the fluff that comes before. Forget reading the introduction; it’s by somebody that you’ve probably never heard of anyway. Besides, their gushing analysis usually just gives away the plot. Next, the dedication: why waste the time on a one-liner that’s probably an inside joke between the author and the dedicatee? Finally, you arrive at the prologue. Now here’s a section of the book that appears a bit more promising than the rest of the rubbish you've already passed over; here is where the author sets the scene. It may not be a lot of scene, or really much more than a sketch of a fleeting moment that in some way shapes the rest of the entire book. Sometimes this prologue flows naturally into the first pages of the first chapter. On the other hand, sometimes this moment seems to have absolutely no bearing on what initially happens and you don’t discover the connection until you've almost given up hope of there ever being a connection.

In terms of this post, my guess is that these musings will have almost no bearing on the events immediately following in subsequent posts. This entry, standing as it does before the trip even begins or I have anything noteworthy to report, works as the prologue to all of the blogging to come. To the dedicated few who actually choose to read these types of introductions, let's take stock of where we are. We haven’t gotten to the action yet, and we’re not even sure who the main characters are going to be. I flatter myself that I will have a fairly prominent part, but I’m not sure who the rest of my (ahem) supporting cast will be. However, we can establish at least some concrete facts:

Setting: Heredia, a northern suburb of San Jose, Costa Rica
Beginning of the adventure: Thursday, at 11:30 pm when I board my all night flight
Traveling companions: four other girls from the Westmont teaching credential program

With such sketchy information do we begin the story. In fact, the title of this blog, Cuentos de Costa Rica, means stories of Costa Rica. Of course, these aren’t just any stories from Costa Rica. These will be my stories of the everyday events, the inevitable cultural blunders, and the life in a third grade classroom that will make up my experience in Costa Rica.

At this point, we don’t know how the adventure will turn out. To be honest, the heroine hasn’t even begun packing her bags yet, so we’re off to a bit of a nail-biting beginning. However, spirits are high and I’m looking forward to an incredible five months.

Thanks for opening the book.