5/25/2012

Since my last blog post we have been to the primary school Santa Elena twice, once on Tuesday and once on Thursday. On Tuesday I observed a preschool class, they also had similar materials one could find in a preschool in the states; however they did not have as much equipment as we do due to their budget. I later found out that my hemelas (twin girls) ticas attend that class at 11. I discovered that the ages in Costa Rica are the same as they are at home. Materno is four years old, Kinder is five years old, and Premario is six years old. The children were in play time when I was observing them so I could see the different centers in the room.

            I forgot to write about giving my family their gifts in my last post. I made the girls sparkley headbands with leopard print pink or purple ribbon and got them some coloring books with Tinkerbell on them. The girls absolutely loved the gifts and I think it meant a lot to the parents that I handmade the headbands.
           Oh and just as a side note; as I’m writing this I’m sitting in the living room watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, in Spanish and actually understanding most of it. This is probably one of my proudest moments yet, make what you will of it, but I’m thrilled to say that I’ve learned enough Spanish to understand what is being said.

So far we have been to many different and interesting places. Friday we went to a Montessori school in La Carpia. It was really interesting; I’ve read about them but had never seen one before. The students ranged in age from two to eight and there were a few sets of siblings. I really wanted to know more about the school but the teacher was busy taking care of at least twenty children. I learned that the school does not have any set standards as far as learning goes because it is private. I was talking to my hermana tica two days ago about preschools in Costa Rica and actually learned they are pretty similar to preschools in the United States. She is a second grade English teacher in a private school that has a preschool in it. They have different levels of preschool; maternal, kinder, and one more (that I can’t remember), then the students go to kindergarten. The public preschools have government mandated standards and curriculums and all students going to a public elementary school have to take an assessment of their skills before they can go. I also learned that if a student is advanced enough as soon as they meet the age requirement for the next grade level they will be moved into that classroom.

            We are now in Monte Verde and the home I’m staying in has two four year old twin girls that are in maternal right now so I should be able to find out a lot more about the preschool system while I’m here.

La Paz and Poas Volcano

This weekend we went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Poas Volcano. I saw a lot of indigenous animals in La Paz that I had never seen up close before. We saw Maccaw parrots, tucans, jaugers, panthers, and many different species of hummingbirds, just to name a few. Poas Volcano was amazing! When we first got to the volcano it was cloudy but it cleared up after about a minute of waiting; I never thought I would see a volcano in person. We walked to a lake after the volcano but the clouds had come back so we were unable to see the lake. After we left Poas Volcano we went to CPI for a little bit and took placement tests for our classes tomorrow and then met our host families. I was so nervous to meet mine and was terrified I would not be able to communicate with them. I was, and still am, really surprised at how easy it was to talk to my mama tica. I understood about 80% of what she said to me and was able to respond back in a sufficient manner. I did not realize I had learned so much Spanish in high school. Buenas noches for now!

Pre-departure

I am now a junior at UNCW, my major is Education of Young Children. This is the second time I have been out of the country but the first time I have gone without my family. I do not know much Spanish but I am better at listening to it than I am at creating it myself. That is probably the thing I am most nervous about as far as this trip goes. I am really excited to immerse myself in a culture different from my own. I have decided to do my project on the types of early childhood education Costa Rica offers their residents, if they even offer any. I hope you enjoy reading my blogs! I'll try and post some pictures when we get there!