Firsts

I've don't this job for 5 years now, skipping only one year (last year). In total, I've spent 6 summers in Costa Rica either as a student or working for CPI, yet every year brings new experiences. 

This year:

1. The first time I've only spent 4.5 weeks here. That may be a lot for some, but it's not enough for me. 

2. The first time I've been in a country that celebrates soccer as a segunda religión. What an incredible experience to be a part of such energy and love for their sports team. When La Sele arrived back in Costa Rica on Tuesday, the airport was packed with thousands of people and the streets were lined the whole way home for these national figures. It was incredible. 

3. The first time I've ever done zip lining at Hacienda Guachipelín. The zip line runs you through a gorge with a river flowing beneath you. It's one of the most breathtaking zip lines I've done based on sheer beauty. It also has a repelling and rock climbing section!

4. The first time I've seen my friend, Pim, in nearly three years! It was great to have him back with CPI. 

5. The first time I've asked my boss to pull me from a group. This one wasn't necessarily a positive first but nonetheless, still a first. I spent five days with the most challenging group of teenagers I have ever encountered--and I teach high school kids! I had finally reached my breaking point and called my boss to tell her I wanted to be taken off the group. By some miraculous turn of events, the kids (on their own) decided they were being incredibly disrespectful and needed to get it together. They even apologized to me. I spent the final five days being grateful that I stayed on. I wouldn't have changed those last days for anything! The first five days? I think I'll try and erase those from my memory. 

-----------

Getting ready to board my plane soon. I'm not ready to go home just yet. This visit was much too short.

I went to dinner last night with my boss and her middle son at a place called, Octavo, on the eighth floor of the Sheraton overlooking the city. The sangria, seared red snapper and guava lava dessert were amazing. Not to mention the view!

I still have a few things left to blog about, so I'll try and accomplish that on the plane!

Boarding soon!

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Learning Japanese

...is not as easy as you might think.

Because I'm going to Japan in a month to visit my brother, I figured I should learn some basic Japanese phrases before going. At this point, I have learned "Yes", "No", and "Please." I have zero frame of reference for this language, so when all else fails it comes out sounding like Spanish. Oh boy.

This will be the first time that I have traveled somewhere where I truly do not know the language. I'm excited, yet a little nervous, for it all! Kristen is coming too, so we'll figure it out together! I'm hoping "Big Tuna" (aka John) can help us out enough to get by.

Here's to climbing Mt. Fuji and eating the best sushi in the world!

Upcoming world travels: San Jose to Jacksonville, Augusta to Dayton, Cincinnati to Tokyo.

Pura vida (or maybe it's さようなら)
Jessica Lynn

Last Week in Fotos

A few pictures to sum up the last 10 days with my group!

1. Last group of the summer: West Coast 10 Day Service Group

 2. Sir, you are offending us all in that tanga.

3. Sign in Tamarindo.

4. Legitimate gelato. My villa was located 50 meters from it!

5. The most beautiful school in Potrero. The whole outside is a mosaic.

6. Service work in Haucas. Painting the inside and outside of the house for a family in need.

7. This is why I don't do my laundry at hotels. A $1.50 for socks?! No gracias. I'll use the sink.

8. Thanks to free beer tickets, I had myself an Imperial or two one night at the hotel.

9. I love the towel designs in the hotels.

10. Las Chorreras Waterfall in Rincon de la Vieja National park.

11. Yet another strange bug bite I've acquired down here.

12. Final ceremony with the West Coast Group.

13. The best breakfasts are made with gallo pinto, eggs, and plantains.

14. It's hard to read, but #10 states my exact role for these West Coast Groups who, by the way, bring their own chaperones for the group. I am just the one that actually does everything for the group. I think I want their job.

To West Coast Chaperones about CPI's role in their trip:
"CPI will serve as your host -- they have made all reservations with suppliers, service partners, bus companies, drivers, restaurants, hotels -- everything.  You and your staff just have to take care of the trip members and run programming when indicated and evening programs.  The trip planning and confirmation calls and directions and issues with reservations are all handled by CPI. A guide or chaperone from CPI will accompany you just about everywhere. You need to have a good dialogue and get along well."

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Oh, Near Da Beach, Mon

I finally made it to the coast last Friday! Yay!

Friday, was spent in Tamarindo with surf lessons and hanging out with Diego, my boss's son. I went to the surf lessons with the group, but I got the "big kid" board--not the beginner board that everyone else gets. I'm always grateful for this. I got up every time and surfed quite a bit! The currents were really strong that day too!

Afterward, I met up with Diego and wandered around Tamarindo for a while. I was so grateful to get to spend time with him. Diego was 12 when I first started working at CPI and he came along to help out with my first group that I ever chaperoned. He's now nearly 18, fully grown, and a wonderful young man. I had had a pretty rough previous five days before getting to the beach, and the time spent with Diego was just what I needed. I can't believe how grown up he is! : )

Diego!

Tamarindo in the evening.

I also spent a little time at Playa Penca, a quiet, local beach with great sand and warm water. Life was good.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Self Defense

Mom, Kristen, and I all took a Women's Self-Defense class in Moraine this past spring. Without receiving any kickback from this promotion, I would highly recommend the program that we participated in. Denise and Mike, our instructors, were wonderful! Dad signed us up for the class to give us more tools than just pepper spray to fight back should we ever get into a bad situation. It was an incredible experience!

Anyway, while I was staying at my villa on the coast by myself, I had a man try and follow me to my room and get in. This was after I assertively told him that, "No, you do not follow me to my room." when, in broken English, he stated, "I go with you to room. I, how do you say, accompany you to room. You stay alone?"

I got a bad feeling from him when he first approached me in the courtyard and got away as soon as I could. When I reached my villa, I dead-bolted the door, closed all windows (which I hadn't known were open), and turned off the lights. I grabbed my cellphone to call 911, my mace/tear gas, and my utility knife. About 10 minutes after getting into my room, the man knocked on my door. When I didn't answer, he knocked much harder, and called out, "You open up door now?"

Obviously, I didn't. He soon lost interest and went away, but I remained vigilant for a couple of hours afterward. I heard the next morning that he tried to get into another chaperone's room as well that night.

I told someone that I grabbed my mace and knife as a safety measure, and they laughed and said, "I think the pepper spray would have been enough." What I learned from the self-defense class is that you look for anything that can be a weapon. You are fighting for your life.

Despite how scared I was, I began running through self-defense moves in my head in case I had to use them. The guy worked in reception at the hotel, so I felt like he could get a key to my room if he wanted. I was grateful that I had physical skills to rely on outside of my mace and knife.

I have a feeling I'll be back in the class in the fall just to sharpen my skills.

Inside layout of my villa.

Sort of pura vida that night,

Jessica Lynn

Earthquake!

I woke up delirious on Sunday morning (July  6) to my bed shaking. I was also feeling mareada from being dehydrated, but I definitely felt an earthquake. Later in the news, I saw that it registered a 4.9, and the epicenter was close to where I was staying!

I knew my bed had to be shaking for a reason...

Contrary to what everyone asked me, I did not evacuate my room. Why? Well, I have zero training in how to react to an earthquake. If it was a fire or tornado, I would know exactly what to do. Having not lived in an earthquake-prone area, my first reaction was think, "Huh. I wonder what that is?"

This now means that Dad, John and I have all experienced an earthquake while being out of the country this year. Is that a good stat to have?

The villa where I was staying when I felt the earthquake.

The fancy toilet in the villa that has little relevance to this post.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Cows and Construction

If you're an avid blog reader of mine, you'll have read the last blog post and the reference to sleeping next to the horses.

Most of the time, guides and choferes get to 1. Share a room and 2. Sleep in the 'humbly' furnished rooms that are a far cry from what everyone else is staying in. I'm not asking for sympathy. I get why they put us there. We are often non-paying guests.

However, Hacienda Guachipelin takes it to a whole new level. They put us right next to the horse corral. So no matter what time of day it is, you can always smell (like) a horse. In fact, as I sit here in the Central Valley hundreds of kilometers away from the place, I am pretty sure I just caught a lasting whiff of it coming out of my luggage.

Anyway, this morning I had to wake up at 2:45AM to see part of my group off to the airport. I got up, did my job, and went back to bed around 3:15AM. Promptly at 5:00AM, I hear this awful bellowing coming from a whole herd of cattle who apparently were less than pleased that they, too, were being woken up at that time of day. I guess the horse corral is also used for cattle. Super.

Shortly following the incessant mooing that was keeping me awake, the hotel decided to begin construction right next to Gabby's and my room. Who doesn't like the sound of a rotary saw and belt sander before the sun is up? I know I don't.

So that being said, I'm a little tired this evening. I have a feeling that my first evening off is going to be celebrated by an early bedtime. I already had my celebratory beer(s) last night. : )

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Perks of Being a Chaperone

Perks:

1. The official chaperone seat in the front of the bus.
2. Free coffee in places

3. Free snacks in place

4. Beer tickets at Hacienda Guachipelin

Not a Perk:

1. Sleeping in the ‘servants’ quarters next to the horses.

(Which leads me to the next blog post...)

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Official chaperone seat in the front of the bus.

What free beer tickets and a little extra coin get you.

Signs From God

There are funny “Signs from God” around the Flamingo area promoting a Beach Community Church service on Sundays. They are plain and simple and scattered throughout the area along the roadways. They’ve been around for quite a few years, but they seem to step up their game every time I’m here!

A few of my favorites from this trip:

1. Well, you wanted a sign.               -God

2. I want full custody of my children, not just weekend visits.          -God

3. The next time you want to take someone’s name in vain, use your own.                 -God

And…my personal favorite:

1. Honk if you love Jesus. Text if you want to meet him!     -God

Very funny, Costa Rica, very funny. : )

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Volunteering

I don't have many pictures from the last few days of volunteer work. I decided to see with my eyes instead of my camera.

However, here is the recap of the last week in volunteering:

1. La Carpio—City of Hope. La Carpio is a slum outside of the Costa Rica’s Capital, San Jose. CPI has work the Humanitarian Foundation there for years. It’s an incredible story of Nicaraguan Immigrants pull themselves up by their own hard work and faith despite the hardships and poverty they’ve had to endure. Our goal in La Carpio was to play with children at the Model Education center and paint houses. The idea behind painting the houses is that the brightness and cheerfulness in the colorful house instills hope and positivity in whoever sees it. It’s kind of a cool concept. However, on this day, I spent most of my time with Fatima (a Nicaraguan immigrant), the Model Education’s teacher. Her job is to develop the curriculum for poverty-stricken children from ages 2-6. If you think daycare is difficult in the U.S., you should see this undertaking. It’s incredible what Fatima does! I spent a good hour with her talking about how she is more than a teacher to a lot of these kids who come from broken families and no food. She showed me her entire curriculum and how she develops it. It was amazing just to talk to her about what she does.  I had this beautiful moment where I felt like I learned so much more that day than I ever could have if I didn’t know Spanish. I was so grateful for my ability from God to speak another language so that I could just talk and learn from someone else.

2. Kids Camp. Our group met up with 25 boys, ages 10-14, at a Sports Camp. These boys were on a soccer league that is in La Carpio and having been winning most of their games. This is a big deal considering how much pride it has instilled in the community, so as a reward, the kids got to go to a Sports Camp featuring soccer, basketball, and….the pool! Let me tell you, it is the hardest thing in the world to get these guys out of the pool! It’s a luxury rarely seen by these guys, so when we offered to go play bola (soccer) at one point, the most adorable kid name Esteven (pint-sized, big ears, tiny belly poking out, missing his two front teeth) looked at me and yelled, “Bola, no! Piscina, síííííí!” as he double fist-pumped his hands. (Soccer, no! Pool, yessss!). He was so excited to be near a pool. It was so cute that I nearly took him back to the pool myself. J On a side note, it was really cool that once the boys knew I spoke Spanish, they would regularly just ask questions or start conversations knowing that I understood them!

3. Flamingo. We painted a house for a family that wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. I was so proud of the group and the effort they put into doing a quality job. Our site manager, Diego, was amazing as a well. Diego is actually my boss’s son who helped me out on my first group ever at CPI. Since then, he’s kind of been a little brother to me. Of course, given that he’s nearly 18 years old, I’ve never seen the girls in our group so motivated to work! I also haven’t seen the boys so motivated to work either. After Diego asked one of our guys to start painting a huge section of the house, the guy looked at our chaperone and said, “He’s just too good looking to say ‘no’ too.” Haha.

We also worked in a school where we painted and played with children, but the top volunteer moments were listed above. What started out as a struggle to get kids working at the beginning of the week ended as a really well-done project and the kids seeing their project through to the end. If nothing else, I wanted the kids to learn the importance of finishing what they started and not just walking out at 1:00PM because the schedule says we should.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Exhaustion

Exhausted. That's what I am.

And when that happens, I end up calling the surf shop asking for dance lessons, and I flash a truckload of workers while on the highway.

The surf shop is self explanatory and everyone got a good laugh on the phone. 

The flashing incident was actually pretty harmless because I had my swimsuit on and had pulled my t-shirt up to put on sunscreen. I just don't think the workers knew that based on the waves, winks and smiles I was getting. Whoops. Happy 4th of July, boys!

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Rafting!

From my rafting trip with UD in 2008!

My life has been a blur since Sunday when I picked up my group.  I’ve barely had time to breathe!

Monday was spent rafting the Pacuare River. Did you know ‘Pacuare’ means ‘little toucan’? I didn’t.

I love the drive to rafting because we pass over a place where the “Rio Sucio” (Dirty River) and another river converge and run side by side.  It’s beautiful because the Rio Sucio is orange/brown in color from the volcano that runs from and the other river is crystal clear coming from the mountains.  It’s a gorgeous sight to witness the two rivers merging into one, and yet, maintaining their own identities. It’s one of my favorite views in all of Costa Rica.

Anyway, the rafting trip was a one day excursion that took us 18 miles down the river and fed us lunch half way. It was an awesome trip! We did the same section of the river that I did with UD as a student, so I remembered a lot of the rapids and views.  My raft had a great river guide as well, Roberto, who impressed us with this back flip off the raft. I think I impressed him too with mine. : ) Roberto also let me sit in back and be the guide for about a half mile of river…although I’m pretty sure he was actually the one still steering.

Toward the end of the trip, I got to witness a second favorite view in Costa Rica. As we were finishing our rafting through the canyon, the river narrows to about 50m wide. Your raft takes you between two lush, green covered canyon walls that are hundreds of feet above you and have small waterfalls lining the entire half mile stretch of river. The sight is breathtaking.

It’s been a couple of years since rafting here and I hope and pray I don’t have to wait another couple of years!

Pura Vida,

Jessica Lynn

"Yesica and Kely"

I got to meet up with my good friend, Kelli (or "Kely"), in Heredia yesterday!

She and I studied Spanish and Foreign Language Education together at UD. We also lived with the same host family, Loli and Jesus, when we studied together in Spain.  Our host mom in Spain always called us "Yesica and Kely", and so, the names stuck. 

Kelli has actually been living in Costa Rica since we graduated college, so every year I'm down here, we try to meet up and at least get lunch! We grabbed a cereva and some pizza at local restuarant/bar called Bulevar. It was too short of time together, but it was wonderful seeing her! Until next year... : )

A couple of noteworthy things:

1. I successfully took the public bus there and back! There is no need to take a taxi in the middle of the afternoon when a bus costs a total of $1.19 round trip.

2. I needed another set of pants for volunteer work with my next group. I stopped by the ropa americana store and bought a pair of Old Navy jeans for $11.90. I probably could have had "Hollister" for the same amount if I wasn't worried about my dignity being attached to a brand designed for 14 year olds.

3. I had to sleep on the sofa cama last night at the apartment. My feet actually hung off the end. Who is doing the designing around here?!

Pura vida : )

Jessica

Sewage Sardines

Two nights ago I was staying in a Bed and Breakfast called, La Dehesa, with my group who was about to return to the U.S. the next morning. I was lying in bed reading when I got a soft knock on my door.

Voice: "Jessica?"
Me: "Yes?"
Voice: "Um...Mike* had an accident."
Me: "What?!"

I shot out of bed. Usually when I get a knock on my door like this it means we are going to the hospital.

I opened the door.

Male group member: "Well... we were playing "sardines", and there was a big tank, and Mike..."
Other male group member: "No, no it's okay! In case you're wondering Mike was safe! He's in the shower right now cleaning up."

In my mind, I'm picturing blood, head trauma, the worst of the worst.

Me: "Is he bleeding? Is he injured? Do I need to call a doctor?"
Group of boys: "Hahahaha. No, it's nothing like that. He just fell through the ground into a sewage tank."

Lord.

Chalk that one up to a new chaperone experience. Apparently, this boy had found a great hiding spot for the game of "sardines". That is, until the ground gave way and he found himself plunging into a tank of bottomless, brown, murky water.

He seemed to be able to laugh about it though. He said it wasn't scary, just confusing. One minute he was hiding from his classmates, and the next, he was emerging soaking wet and covered in brown water. He said his feet never touched the ground but that he managed to grab the sides of the tank to keep from fully submerging.

I think we were all grateful for that.

I think we all tried to convince him it was just rain water as well.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Mi trabajo

If you've not been a long-time follower of my blog you may wonder what I actually do down here besides eat ice cream and speak Spanish.

The following was copied from one of my blog posts a couple of years ago. As any good teacher would do, why reinvent the wheel?

Official CPI Grupos polo. I apologize for the "Costa Rica" hair.

Here is the long and short of it all:
Centro Panamericano de Idiomas (or CPI for short) is a language immersion school that teaches Spanish to students of any age and ability who want to come to Costa Rica and learn. The school is based on full language and cultural immersion so we have small class sizes (max. 4 to a class) and homestays with Tico families. We have three campuses throughout the country--Heredia in the Central Valley near the capital of San Jose, Monteverde in the mountains (my favorite!) and Flamingo on the beach. We have individual students, families, high schools, universities, grandparents, priests, nuns, children, international and local students all attending our school. I first came here with the University of Dayton in 2008 to earn Spanish study abroad credit after being in Spain the summer before.

At CPI, I work in the Groups Office. Any high school, university, community college or other group that comes to CPI goes through the Groups division. Each summer I am assigned numerous groups to 'chaperone.' Essentially, while the group is here, I am in charge of their itinerary and making sure that things go smoothly--checking on homestays, classes, meals, lodging, activities, transportation, volunteerships, etc. I am like a 'fill-in-the-blanks' person for the group. If they want to know what to bring for the day, where we are eating, what to wear, where class is, how long the drive is, and so on, I'm the person they come to. In the last couple of seasons I've also helped train the new chaperones and give guidance throughout the summer. I've been doing this for a while. : )

On the contrary to what most think when I say that I work for a language immersion school, I do not teach in the summer. In a way, it's wonderful. I enjoy teaching Spanish in the States, but this is a completely different venue for me. It's all business and customer service and seeing that the customer (the students) have the best possible experience while they are here. It's also immensely rewarding knowing that I am helping to plant the seed to becoming a global and worldly individual. What they do with it when they leave is up to them, but I've helped to plant it!

Another aspect of my journey down here every year is getting to see the friends I have come to know and adore. I love returning each year and getting to spend with them no matter how chaotic la temporada alta (high season) is. Outside of seeing familiar faces, I get to encounter so many new ones as well! One of the greatest benefits to this job is all of the people you meet! You make connections, build relationships, network, and make friends with people from all over the world. It's amazing the kind of unique individuals I have met and continue to meet while I am here.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Monteverde Mornings

I am unsure that there are better mornings anywhere in the world outside of Monteverde.

During the rainy season it is not always possible to have them, but when you do, they are cool and beautiful.  It's not the cool, Autumn mornings we have in Ohio--those are beautiful too--but rather, cool and sunny with a crispness in the air that you only get by being in the mountains in the middle of a cloud forest. If the hills weren't so difficult to climb, I could run for days.

On the really clear mornings, you can see all the way to the Gulf of Nicoya with only a thin layer of clouds surrounding you.  The air is completely clear and the sun is warm. There is a slight breeze and the flowers are vibrant.

I head down the mountain this afternoon and will dearly miss my mornings like these. I have yet to find a morning more beautiful than the ones I experience here.

I can't really capture what it's like, but this is on my way to school looking out to the Gulf of Nicoya!

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Coffee Beaker

Gabby already reported on this, but our coffee maker in the apartment consists of a coffee beaker instead of a coffee pot. It has been my goal since arriving in Monteverde to use the coffee beaker at some point. Considering that I transfer out to the Central Valley tomorrow, I was running out of real estate in terms of mornings to use the mechanism. Thus, I decided this morning I would use the coffee machine.

I don't claim to know a lot about coffee making unless it's in a french press or Keurig machine, but my attempt this morning failed miserably.  My coffee byproduct looked, and tasted, like diesel fuel.

I was sort of tempted to drink the coffee directly from the beaker, but I'm kind of glad I actually mixed it with leche y azucar. The milk and sugar didn't really help the awful taste, but it was better than drinking it straight.

I didn't finish the cup. In fact, I only drank about two painful sips before dumping it out.

In reality, my only goal was use the coffee beaker so, mission accomplished.

I promptly came to school and got a cup of properly prepared coffee.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn

Girls Night!

Last night, the girls in the CPI Groups office went to dinner. We ate a place called "Belmar" that over looks the Monteverde area. It was a great time!

Gabby, Sarah, Muni, Jonle, Arelys and Me

We ate cheese, steak, coconut flan dessert and flowers. Well, some of us ate flowers. The rest of us were pretty sure they were actually edible.

We had fancy drinks and wine to go along with the wonderful meal. I ate a filet mignon with a coffee glaze. I figured I would treat myself to something other than rice and beans. : )

It was two hours of absolute enjoyment with these women. I am so blessed (or rather, #blessed) to be surrounded by them. (For the record, I despise hashtags, but it was funny moment in conversation last night.)

I'm pretty sure the snake in the woods was about this big.

Our dinner was a great way to kick off the locura of groups about to start here in July. It may be the last time we can all really get together. I live for moments like this down here.

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn