Costa Rica: the sequel

It seems a little odd to be thinking of sequels before finishing the first story, but we have come to an important moment in the narrative: is it time to bring things to a close and shut the book, or should we hope to continue the story in many more block-buster volumes? I’ve heard that every good author is always looking ahead while they work. While it would certainly not be true to say that this author had the end in mind when she started this saga, it would be true to say that I’ve been giving the “what comes next” question quite a bit of thought. In the end though, it’s come down to this: I have decided to come back to Lincoln School next year and the story will go on. I don’t know what grade I’ll be teaching, but I think it will be in the lower-elementary area. To be honest, it’s kind of exciting to think about really having my own classroom. The idea that I will be personally responsible for 23 small children does seem a little intimidating, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it (in six weeks, actually). I will still be coming home for the summer, but I’ll be coming back here to Costa Rica during the last week of July for orientation. I’m realizing though, that many of you don’t know very much about the school where I’ve just spent the last four and half months of my life. So, here’s a quick overview:

Lincoln School is an American-based school that was set up in 1945. We use an American curriculum and every Monday morning, bright and early, we all sing the U.S.’s national anthem right after we sing Costa Rica’s anthem. There are slightly less than 1,300 students (about the same size as Westmont) and includes grades K-12. Costa Rica also has an extra grade between kindergarten and first called “preparatory,” which means that since students start school at about the same age as they do in the States, almost all of the students are a year older here than what we’re used to in California.

Lincoln has quite the impressive bus system! Over half of the students take the bus because many students live 45 minutes or an hour away. One of the funniest parts of the day is watching the convoy of 35+ busses leave school at the end of the day. It is quite the parade! I also take the bus to school, but I get to ride the teacher bus that stops close by my house.

Because Lincoln charges a fairly high tuition, it has pretty incredible facilities. There are two libraries (one for the elementary, one for the high school), two gyms (again, one for the elementary, one for the high school), and a science lab. Students have “specials” everyday where they go to another teacher for art, Spanish, music, and technology. These facilities are way beyond anything I’ve seen in California. Hopefully with all of the extra support teachers and time I’ll have to teach fun lessons, this will be an easy first year.

Looks like I can’t hang up my blogger’s hat quite yet…

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.