We asked Costa Rica volunteers to describe the towns in which they live and schools where they teach. We hope these samples will give you a picture of life as a WorldTeach volunteer in Costa Rica, but please keep in mind as you read these that every site is unique. Your experience will be what you make of it!
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La Entrada de La Lucha, by Dawn Spiggle
Host Community
La Lucha is a friendly, laid-back town with a population of about 500 people. There is a factory down the hill in La Lucha where they make rope, where most people work. The high school is also in La Lucha. It is quiet, only one road, and definitely tranquila. There are about three pulperias (small stores), a church, a nice gym and a couple of bar/restaurants. It is surrounded by beautiful rolling mountains and often magnificent cloud formations. There is a strong sense of community, and the biggest social activity is visiting families in their homes. It is a historical location in that it was the site of the revolution for independence in 1948. The home of former president Pepe Figueres is on the way to La Lucha and his family is still highly involved in the community.
Host School
The school has about 120 students ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade and my average class has about 15 students in it. They have had English for many years now and know quite a bit. The classrooms are large with bug windows and chalkboards. In addition there is a TV/VCR and a computer with Microsoft programs and a fax that I am able to use if I need to.
Teaching Assignment
My schedule is 7:30-10:00am and then 12:40-3:00pm which I like because I can go for a walk, plan lessons or go home for a few hours during the day. There are two main vacations during the year (Semana Santa, a week for Easter and a two week "Spring Break" in July) and there are various other days that the volunteer will have off according to the national holidays.
Living Arrangement
I live in a comfortable, large house. It feels a little bit like living in a rustic get-away cabin in the mountains and my family is kind, laid-back and stable. Although I have three host brothers and sisters, I have my own room. The house has hot water shower and many of the amenities of home like a CD player, TV, VCR and microwave. My host dad has 14 siblings and therefore I have 14 aunts and uncles who are so welcoming and fun to be around.
Language Issues
I had a basis of Spanish before coming which helped a lot. I learned quickly due in part to necessity, but also because my family and the school are so patient and help me on a daily basis to continue improving.
Greatest Challenges
The biggest challenge for me in the school is that they have had many years of English and know a lot of vocabulary, but the problem is in grammar and how to use all of the vocabulary that they know. I need to try hard to be creative and find ways to help them jump this plateau.
Greatest Rewards
The kids in my classes are so sweet and enthusiastic and it redeems what I am doing on a daily basis. They make me smile and have become my friends.
WorldTeach History at Site
I am the seventh volunteer.
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La Violeta, by Kate Schneider
Host Community
La Violeta is located about an hour and a half south of San Jose in the central valley. The approximate population of the town is 350 people, the majority of whom work in the surrounding coffee fields. The town doesn't have a true center since it runs along a single 2 km road, but the soccer field, school and Catholic church are all located together almost exactly halfway between the entrance and the exit. La Violeta also has two pulperías as well as a recycling center and a bakery which are both run by a collective of women. The nearest town is Frailes, 2 km away uphill (about a 45 minute walk), where there are 2 grocery stores, internet, a clinic, pharmacy, a Red Cross, a gym, the nearest high school, and a few stores.
Host School
La Violeta's school currently has 45 students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The class sizes range from 3 – 10 students. The school has a long history of WorldTeach volunteers and the students are relatively advanced. There are three other teachers in the school: a kindergarten teacher who comes in the mornings and two classroom teachers who teach three grades each. The school recently received a donation of 10 computers and is in the process of constructing a computer lab. I have my own classroom with a large chalkboard and access to a small library with children's books in both Spanish and English.
Teaching Assignment
I teach four classes every morning from 8:40 am to 11:20 am and two classes every afternoon from 1:40 pm to 3 pm. I teach five days a week and while schedule changes are frequent and the other teachers often miss school for meetings and appointments, the teachers are good about letting the kids know in advance. My director is very supportive of English and she makes sure that the students know they are expected to come to school for English even if they don't have classes with their regular teacher.
Living Arrangement
My host family consists of a couple and their four children. The oldest son is 26 and studies in San José, but comes home almost every weekend. The other three siblings, 24, 15, and 4 all live at home. My host dad works in the coffee fields and my host mom is the cook at the school as well as one of the members of the women's collective that runs the recycling center and the bakery (which is in our garage). We live across the street from the school and I have my own room set off from the kitchen and separate from the main part of the house. We do have a warm shower. High-speed internet connections have recently become available to certain towns in the area, but it is still extremely rare for people to have internet at home.
Language Issues
I had a pretty solid basis in Spanish before arriving, but it was still a challenge at first to get the words from my brain and out my mouth. My host mom talks incredibly fast and usually forgets to slow down, but is always patient when it takes me ten minutes to tell a 3 sentence story. The family, teachers, and the community are used to having volunteers and love to help us improve our Spanish.
Greatest Challenges
My biggest challenge has been teaching, since I've never taught before. My students are advanced and know a lot of vocabulary but little grammar, and it has been really challenging for me to figure out how to break down the grammar to teach it to them.
Greatest Rewards
My greatest rewards have been the moments when my students who have the hardest time in English yell out the correct answer before anyone else. I am still not completely confident in myself as a teacher and these moments make me so proud of both my students and myself because I am reminded that my presence really does matter and is having an impact.
WorldTeach History at Site
I am the seventh volunteer and the eighth year of English in La Violeta. I am the fourth volunteer to live with the current host family.
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La Javilla, by Paul George
Host Community
I lived in a different town than the host school. I lived in Playa San Miguel and taught in La Javilla. These are two rural towns located on the Nicoya Peninsula of Guanacaste, the northwest-most province of Costa Rica. I was one of the most remote volunteers, with the bus ride from San Jose to the site taking about seven hours. The towns are located about two km apart, though the house and school are more like three km apart. There are several ways to get to school: walk (which I did), ride a bike, take the high school bus, or catch a ride with someone. However you get to school, the trip is beautiful, along the beach and just outside of patches of tropical dry forest. The walk to and from school was always one of my favorite parts of the day; it is a great way to start off the day and wind down from classes.
Playa San Miguel, where I lived, is a small beach town of about 90 people. There is one main road in the town that runs parallel to the beach, with houses on either side of the road. The large tides and relatively flat surface of the beach allow one to walk, job, or play soccer. During the summer months you will often find the men of Javilla and San Miguel playing soccer in front of an absolutely beautiful sunset. Because San Miguel is located between two points that jut out from the peninsula, the ocean is not as rough as a typical Pacific beach, allowing for surfing and swimming. Further adding to the allure of San Miguel is that the beach is a nesting ground for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
La Javilla is a community of about 80 people. There are three pulperias (small stores) in La Javilla that sell basic commodities such as basic food and drinks, soap, candy, etc. La Javilla is a very poor community; every house owned by a Costa Rican except one was paid for by the government. The vast majority of the population of La Javilla, and San Miguel for that matter, belong to the same set of families.
Host School
The school had 25 students my year, ranging from pre-kinder to sixth grade. The school had four classrooms and only three teachers (myself, the teacher for first through sixth grade, and the kinder teacher). My classroom was the computer room, which was great because I had access to three working computers. Also, the classroom was huge, allowing for many different sorts of activities and games.
Teaching Assignment
I taught five classes, forty minutes each. Generally, I would arrive at school at 7:00 am and leave at 12:30 pm, although like all things Tico this schedule was subject to change.
Living Arrangement
I had my own room, which was detached from the house (about two meters from the house). The walls of the room didn't go all the way to the roof, in order to allow air flow in and out of the room, although there was netting covering this gap which kept out the bugs. In the room there were two beds, one single and one double, as well as a few nightstands for clothes and other belongings. I also had my own bathroom with a shower and toilet.
The main house (where the family lives) has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room with a washing machine. The family does a good job of keeping the house as clean as possible, considering the proximity of the house to the beach (about 50 meters) and the number of people in and out of the house. There is indoor plumbing without hot water, although it's hot here year-round so no one really misses hot water.
Language Issues
I didn't speak much Spanish coming here, and this wasn't a problem at all because the people here were all very friendly and patient with my beginning Spanish. Also, due to the beach, tourists are starting to come to Playa San Miguel, so the residents here are becoming accustomed to seeing gringos wandering around San Miguel.
Greatest Challenges
My biggest challenge was teaching. Being that I had very little teaching experience coming into the program, I had trouble coming up with activities that were both fun and educationally valuable for the kids at first. However, after a while I got the hang of the whole teaching thing.
Greatest Rewards
One of my biggest rewards is seeing a student, whether it be a kid or adult student, explaining something in English to a tourist who doesn't speak Spanish and thinking, "Wow, I taught them that English."
WorldTeach History at Site
I was the third volunteer at La Javilla.
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Marbella, by Ellerbe Irwin
Host Community
Marbella is located on the Pacific coast in Guanacaste Province. The approximate population of Marbella is 250-300 people. This beautiful little remote town is centered around the soccer field; the houses surround it. There are 2 pulperias (small general stores), 1 bar and salon, 1 church, 1 elementary school, 1 high school for distance learning, a half court for basketball, and there is talk of a pizzeria going in soon. It is located 1 kilometer (or a 20 minute walk) from 3 beaches. They are picturesque deserted beaches and great for experienced surfing (although there are some others nearby for swimming). It is also near the Ostional Wildlife Refuge (there is a turtle refuge located there), as well as several other beaches. The nearest big town is Santa Cruz (about an hour and a half in bus). Most people do manual labor or work in construction. The community is poor but friendly, supportive, and appreciative and the kids are always excited to have the volunteers around to hang out with.
Host School
The school consists of roughly 55 students ranging in grades kindergarten to sixth grade and their levels vary (this community has had a volunteer for about 5 years). The school is small and the teachers switch in and out of classrooms to teach their classes; there is also a computer room and dining hall. The main resource in this school is the chalkboard. There are a TV and VCR in the high school that I can sometimes use. The previous volunteers have left some English supplies like; Dr. Seuss books, English-Spanish dictionaries, teaching books, markers and coloring supplies. There is a computer lab in the school with 5 computers with Microsoft office.
Teaching Assignment
The teaching schedule is lighter because there are not many teachers nor many students to have a full day of classes. The schedule is split in the morning and afternoon classes and then rotated each day according to grade.
Living Arrangement
The host family consists of a middle aged couple who have four grown and married children who live nearby for the most part, the family likes to share time together and always makes me feel like I am part of the family and not a guest. They are joyful and easy-going. My host father enjoys fishing and often invites me to go with him and my host mother really likes to talk. I have my own room with a separate entrance, but I send most of my time in the main part of the house with the family. I don't miss having hot water, because it is hot here and the refreshing cold shower is a welcome gift when not at the beach! My house is located literally across the soccer field from the school and takes me about 1 minute to walk over to it in the morning.
Language Issues
When I came to Costa Rica, I spoke very little Spanish and now a few months into the program I am starting to dream in Spanish and am able to converse with my family and the community members and form friendships. My host family is very patient with me and they take interest in helping me learn.
Greatest Challenges
One of the biggest challenges at first was the fact that I didn't know anyone, but since it is such a small town, I was able to get out and meet people quickly.
Another challenge was the fact that the community is rural and there aren't always special items readily available like in a city, but I started to realize that a trip into town every weekend or every other weekend was a simple pleasure I have come to cherish!
Greatest Rewards
The children and my family are so wonderful.
WorldTeach History at Site
I am the sixth volunteer.
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Potrero Grande, by Jennifer Turner
Host Community
Potrero Grande is a small yet growing town in the southern zone of Costa Rica. The residents work on nearby cattle or crop farms, producing pineapple, yuca, rice and beans, among other things. The Costa Rican government recently constructed low-income housing in the community, which raised the population substantially and contributes to the economy of the town. The relatively flat pueblo is nestled in a low valley with several big rivers crisscrossing the landscape and with cloud-covered mountains lining the horizon. It doesn’t rain as much in Potrero Grande as it does in some parts of Costa Rica, and it is always, always hot.
The town is laid out in a grid formation, with two churches, a soccer field and the elementary school forming its center. There are also four pulperias, a small soda, two bars, a small motel and a high school. A ranger station for Parque Internacional Amistad is also located in Potrero Grande, but the station doesn’t see much activity – tourist or otherwise – as very few people brave the unchartered territories of the nature reserve.
Various organizations within Potrero Grande host festivals and dances throughout the year. At least once a month, the community building is vibrating to the sound of Latin hip-hop or traditional Cumbia beats. The town also hosts rodeos and roller-skating parties a couple of times a year.
Host School
The school has about 150 students ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. There are seven teachers, including the school’s director, a special-education teacher a kinder teacher and myself. Class sizes range from 13 students to 25. Second- and fourth-grade classes are divided into two groups. Although the school building is fairly large, with five classrooms, the student population is outgrowing it quickly. Two classes now meet in an outside dining/kitchen area with chain-link walls, concrete benches and a small, marred chalkboard. The English teacher does not have a classroom but travels from room to room to give lessons.
Teaching Assignment
The English teacher gives eight 40-minute lessons per day, one lesson each for first, third, fifth and sixth grades, and for each of the second and fourth-grade groups. My school day starts at 7 a.m. and goes until 2:40 p.m., with two 40-minute breaks.
The school year begins in February and ends with a graduation ceremony in December. There are two main vacations during the year, one week for Semana Santa, or Easter Week, and two more weeks for a mid-year break in July. Classes are canceled periodically for teacher meetings or national holidays.
Living Arrangement
I live in a sprawling wooden house right across the street from the school. On the front of the house is the family’s pulperia, where students rush everyday during recess to buy candies, chips or ice cream. At night, it is a sort of town hangout, where people come to play the pinball-like machines or just to visit.
The rest of the house is a hodge-podge collection of rooms, thrown together over the years to accommodate a growing family. The family of six shares two bedrooms and one bathroom, while I have my own small room and bathroom with a toilet and cold-water shower.
The house has a TV, a PlayStation and a computer with a printer. There is also a microwave and refrigerator, although neither are hardly ever used or even plugged in. I have access to the family’s washing machine and hang my clothes to dry either outside or on a clothesline in my bedroom.
The family has three dogs, two of which are allowed inside occasionally, as well as chickens and a parrot that lives in a wall and is free to fly around or perch on the heads and shoulders of unsuspecting family members.
Language Issues
I had taken Spanish classes in college, but my usable knowledge of the language was minimal. The Spanish classes offered during our month-long orientation in January helped a lot, but I definitely arrived at my site unable to say much of anything.
Greatest Challenges
Not speaking Spanish has been my biggest challenge. Being unable to communicate clearly has affected nearly every area of my life – making friends, chatting with my coworkers and integrating into my host family. I know I spent the first few months here with a confused, almost panicked look on my face. With much patience and help from the community, I am now able to communicate sufficiently, and I am getting better everyday. My greatest difficulty is becoming one of my greatest accomplishments.
At school, my greatest difficulty has been teaching so many students per day. Sometimes my patience runs out after the sixth or seventh lesson, and the students who have English at the end of the day have a frazzled teacher with little left to give.
Greatest Rewards
When I came here, I knew that even if I hated every minute of the experience, it would be a good one nonetheless. But the experience has proven to be better than I ever expected. I really enjoy living in Costa Rica and find myself daydreaming often of spending another year here to keep learning Spanish and become a better teacher.
My greatest rewards come when a struggling student “gets it.” Take, for example, when fourth-grader Rafael won a heated numbers contest against his classmate. Rafael had been the slowest student in class, failing all of his tests and struggling to speak English in class. But on the day of the numbers contest, Rafael came ready. He beat one student after another, until he had the attention of his classmates. I saw them exchanging glances as if to say, “Rafa's winning?” They were obviously proud of him and began chanting his name. But the look on Rafa's face, he was just as surprised, and as pleased, as anyone. In the end, Rafa won the contest and went home with huge smile on his face. I did, too.
WorldTeach History at Site
I am the sixth volunteer at the school and with my host family.
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Zeta Trece, by Lindsay Barton
Host Community
The town of Zeta Trece, or Zeta 13, is located just outside La Fortuna on the main road. The area is surrounded by lush greenery and a spectacular view of Arenal Volcano. Zeta 13 itself is a small town, however it is only about 4 kilometers from La Fortuna (a larger and touristy town). There are 2 small convenience stores and an Evangelic church. Majority of the population are workers who are renting apartments while they work in La Fortuna or in the hotels. Nearby are Arenal Volcano, waterfalls, lakes, hiking trails, and a river.
Host School
The school at this site is a Ministry of Public Education Pilot School for bilingual education. That means that I am working to help plan and develop a program in which eventually the Ministry of Education wants to implement in many public schools across the country. I teach Kindergarten and First Grade and each year they add another grade into the program. I teach alongside another volunteer and we share the responsibilities of each grade. I teach English and Science (in English). This school, because it is a pilot program, is only one of two schools like it is Costa Rica. My hours are 7-10:30 and 12:10-3:40.
Teaching Assignment
The school follows the plan of teaching that I mentioned above. My director is very motivated and she is always thinking of new ways to make the school and our experience better. She is very supportive of us in and out of the school as are the rest of the teachers.
Living Arrangement
My host family consists of a couple and their three children (two live at home with us, they are 8 and 16 years old and my other sister is 23 years old and married). My father works during the week and my mother stays at home. They are very supportive and loving. I feel like I have the perfect balance of private and family time with them. We live in front of the school and the walk probably takes me 30 seconds in the morning to get there!
Language Issues
I came to Costa Rica speaking Spanish well; I studied in Spain for a year. But I realized that the difference in accents, vocabulary and just being immersed challenged me and I am therefore learning so much more than I had thought that I would.
Greatest Challenges
Sometimes it is difficult to be the foreigner in the town because everything is new and you need to figure out the customs and appropriate actions in situations, but it is also fun to be constantly learning at the same time!
Greatest Rewards
Being a part of the bilingual pilot program and knowing that I am helping to develop a new program in Costa Rican public schools is exciting and challenging for me. I enjoy the constant feedback and brainstorming that goes on between the teachers, director and myself to try new things and improve consistently on the program.
WorldTeach History at Site
I am the second volunteer.
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