Week 2!

Hello Everyone!

     So, it is a little past week 2, and everything is still going pretty well. Last week was yet another week of school (minus the earthquake) and waking up at 5:20 each morning (and sleeping in is considered 7:30-8am). The previous sunday did happen to be my birthday, so the day consisted of eating wonderful food all day and I did receive a Costa Rican bag that I can add to my collection of grandma bags. Now, I do not want this to sound like I am dissing my host mom, I am very grateful for the bag, it is just a little grandma-esque. : ) . That very same weekend, I had the opportunity to ride a motorcycle for the first time! I was being picked up by an acquaintance of mine who is known through someone that I know in the states and since his car was being borrowed by someone, he gave me the option of picking me up by motorcycle or through a borrowed car. I said that I didn't really care which one it was (even though inside I was very nervous if he was going to come with the motorcycle), and he came with the motorcycle. The whole way there I held on for dear life while praying non-stop that we would get there safely and not crash. He was not a crazy driver what-so-ever, but it was definitely a new experience for me, and later he laughed at the fact that I was so stiff while riding.
   

     School has been going pretty well. But, since I teach a subject that is "extra" to the student's home classroom, I do get all of the elementary school students which means 15 classes throughout the week. There are still so many names to learn, and I don't even know where to begin. To help with the matter, I may only see these children once or twice a week. So, we will see where the name memorization goes. But, I love my students! One has already come up to me saying that she doesn't want me to leave because the music teachers never tend to stay long-term at this school. It just broke my heart. The week also consisted of singing some more karaoke classics while responsibly accomplishing the tasks that needed to be done for each class (of course : D ).             

     One of the awesome opportunities that I get is helping to build the curriculum for the music program. The program is still very young, so all of the music teachers from Pre-K, Elementary and High School are coming together to make sure that they have curriculum that builds off of one another. The other two teachers are wonderful to work with, even though there is a bit of conflicting views when it comes to music education. Let's just say one view says we should learn the technical side of music including notation, forms, etc. while the other view thinks that the experience and self-creation is more important than the "technical" side. The second point of view is very Costa Rican regarding music education because they are taught through a lot of pop music and not taught about notation or anything of that sort. You are actually able to receive a college degree in music education without knowing how to instruct the different instruments or voices! Very different!

     This weekend, I took a little adventure to the beach in Jaco with the girls that live right down the street  from me, and it was a lot of fun. Since this is rainy season, we did have to leave early and take a 6:30 am bus from Santa Ana that would eventually connect to other buses. It was definitely too early for the weekend. There were a few short sprinkles here and there, but the day turned out to be pretty nice. The girls told me that this was the "bad" beach in Costa Rica, so I look forward to what a "good" beach looks like! This was my first time swimming in an ocean (the pacific ocean, to be exact) and I totally forgot that it was salt water until some splashed in my mouth, and I remembered right away. At the end of the day, I did not wear a lot of sunblock, so I now look like a shrimp that is in a little bit of pain. But, that is all my fault. What a wonderful day! I also took some pictures on the bus ride, which included a lot of beautiful scenery.

 Hopefully everyone is doing well, and I will update you as my adventures happen!

Pura Vida!