Blog 10:  Post Travel

            Well I am headed back to Missouri today. Costa Rica was an incredible experience and definitely life changing. I experienced several new opportunities and met a ton of great people. I also learned a new beautiful language and made several friends from Missouri State University. I am really excited to say that I met all three of my goals.

My first goal was to be able to speak and understand main words and terms in Spanish by the end of my trip. I surprised myself and met this goal. My first day with my Mama Tica in Heredia, I literally could only tell her my name, say hi, and say goodnight. By the end of the week I could at least get across a point to her using a mixture of broken Spanish and charades. When I arrived at my second homestay in Monteverde I could say some very broken sentences but we still had trouble understanding each other. By my last day in Monteverde I could understand and even speak in a conversation my Mama Tica. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I am extremely proud of myself for learning so much and doing so well at speaking Spanish compared to my first week in Costa Rica.  

My second goal was to try new things. I definitely met this goal. I tried several new foods. Some new food I tried included arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), casado (the marriage of rice and beans), papaya (fruit), cas (fruit), guanabana (fruit), and fresh queso (cheese). I also tried working with children that spoke Spanish. I found this to be difficult at first, but accomplished it as my Spanish got stronger and I became better at charades. When I worked with children at Calle Hernandez Primary school, it was extremely hard to speak in Spanish because my Spanish was still very underdeveloped at that point. By the second time we went to San Luis Primary school in Monteverde I could at least say enough Spanish words to get my point across to them, which was a victory for me.

I also tried living with insects. This was something I hadn’t really anticipated. At my first homestay in Heredia I had a couple of lizards in my house which weren’t a big deal because I like lizards. I rarely saw insects in the house because my Mama Tica didn’t like insects. My second homestay was a whole new story. My first night there my Mama Tica told me that seeing scorpions in the house was a high possibility. Luckily for me, I never saw any. I told them I was really scared of spiders and they started laughing and pointing. I turned around to see what they were pointing at and there was a huge spider on the wall behind me. Immediately I felt really nervous about my new homestay. Over the past two weeks I learned to accept spiders. My first week in Montevede I took a shower with a spider that was at least 1 and ½ inches long (talk about a near heart attack experience).  A couple days later I found a spider about the same size cuddled up next to my lap top. The following week I found a tarantula in my room. I screamed for my Mama Tica and she just laughed and then scooped it up and put it outside! The following day I nearly stepped on one when I climbed out of bed. A couple days later I dumped one out of my shoe. I would definitely say I have adapted to spiders!  I also tried zip lining on this trip. It was amazing and by far the most frightening thing I have ever done for fun. I am very glad I had this amazing experience and I can’t wait to zip line again. I also went to see Arenal Volcano, Manuel Antonio National Park, a beach, La Paz Waterfall Gardens, and the national museum. They were all amazing to see. Arenal Volcano was definitely my favorite weekend activity.

My third goal was to learn about literacy in the school systems. Literacy in Costa Rica is completely different. The students learn reading and writing while they are in Spanish. I found out that the students are all kept at one level. If a student falls behind or is advancing they are just kept them with the rest of the students. This is done because there is a limited amount of resources, staff, and time. I also found out that the students do not have text books. They use the resources donated to them and they fundraise money for supplies. The government does not provide funding for the necessary materials in the school. The students are taught reading using phonics. It makes me sad to see that there is not a huge emphasis on reading in the elementary schools.

Something I learned on this trip that was by far the most beneficial thing I have learned about ELLs in all of college so far, was how to work with them. After being a SLL for 3 straight weeks, I understand what does work and what doesn’t. I can start by saying that repeating yourself over and over to the student does not work. The best thing to do is to just start talking to them. My teachers in my classes would ask me every day what I did that morning and I would have to reply in Spanish. At first it was very difficult for me but as time went by I just really wanted to tell my teacher about my fun morning and would just start trying to say what I wanted to say. She would coax me and help me get out what it was that I was trying to say in Spanish. She would then ask me things about myself and my family. I told my teachers all about my family, what we do for fun, my horses, where I have been, what I am majoring in, and what I love. The thing to remember is that most people, children and adults, like to talk about themselves so if you can get them talking about themselves, they are likely to be engaged. Engagement when teaching a second language is very important. I can remember times in Spanish when I felt very unengaged and those were the most difficult days for me. Also when teaching a second language to a student, the teacher should try to play games. Children love games. Memory and charades are both fun and cheap games to play with students that can be extremely beneficial to learning a second language. After learning how I want to be taught and treated as a second language student, I look forward to trying out these strategies on my second language students. I have also promised myself that I will learn the basic words of their language to show them that even as the teacher, I am trying and to help them feel more comfortable and at home in the school.

Overall my experience in Costa Rica was an amazing one. I strongly advise anyone who ever has the chance to study abroad to do so. I learned more about myself in the past three weeks than I have in the last year. I learned how I learn and how I work with others when I am surrounded by them 24/7. I also learned how to live in a culture where the atmosphere is completely different than the one I am used to. It was a great experience living with Spanish speaking people and being one of the few English speakers around. I loved living in Monteverde and would really love to go back. I am definitely going to get information about the six week internship program the private school in Santa Elena offers. I definitely would be interested in doing an internship there and living with my second host family again. Before I go back I want to broaden my Spanish so that I can work better with the ESL in the classroom and communicate with their parents. I will definitely miss Costa Rica, but I plan to go back at least some time in the future. 

Dinner at my first homestay/arroz con pollo

 

Spider I found in my room/Graduation at CPI

 

 My second homestay in Costa Rica

 

Zipline in Monteverde, Costa Rica

 Manuel Antonio National Park Beach

 Top of the world! - Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve

Blog 9:  Sustainability

            My experiences at Life Monteverde Sustainable Farm were interesting, especially since I live on a small farm in Missouri. The sustainable farm grew coffee plants, various fruits, and trees. The farm also had two pigs, a calf, goats, dogs, and chickens. A sustainable farm in Costa Rica is similar to a farm in Missouri, yet very different. They were similar by means of producing food and animals. They were different because the sustainable farm in Monteverde was much more conservative. They stored all the manure from the pigs and used it to created methane gas. They would then later use the methane gas to create fuel for cooking. I also thought it was really interesting how the farm tried to stick with plants that were native to Costa Rica. For example, our tour guide said they would cut down the Cypress trees in 5-10 years because they are making the soil too acidic. They will then be replaced with native trees.

            One important life lesson I learned while we were there was reduce, reuse, and recycle. This is something I feel like nearly all of Costa Rica abides by. The United States very rarely reduces, reuses, and recycles. In Costa Rica in general they constantly reduced things, such as water, electricity, and spacing in houses. They reuse things such as food (left overs) and laundry (towels). I saw tons of recycling bins while I was in Costa Rica. There were bins for paper, plastic, and glass. Also my second family always gave our half eaten food, such as the leftover food on our plates, to the dogs. In America we throw away left overs and use electricity and water as if it were free. After my experience in Costa Rica and on the farm I would like to be much more conservative in American and follow the reduce, reuse, and recycle rule. Another important lesson I learned was that growing your own fruits and vegetables can make you feel like you are a part of the community. At Life Monteverde Sustainable Farm, they grew crops that went straight into the community. In the United States I would really like to do something like this. Even if I can just grow some tomato plants and zucchini for my family, I would feel like I was doing something to contribute to my family.

            These lessons will definitely impact my teaching in the classroom! I would love to have an outdoor classroom in my future classroom. The students could plant some fruits, veggies, or other plants and watch them grow throughout the year. Once the plants are ripe they could sell them in the school. They would then be providing for their classmates and other students in their school. Another thing I would like to do would be to have the students Skype a guide from the farm. The students could structure interview questions to ask the guide about sustainability, planting, harvesting, and how they could improve their own community by adding plants here and there.  I will definitely implement reducing, reusing, and recycling in my classroom. We will reduce the amount of paper we use and when we do have scraps of paper leftover, we will have a scrap paper box for reusing. I will also have a plastic and paper recycling bin in my class and make it the students’ job to turn it in each week. This will get them involved in the reduce, reuse, and recycle rule and help them acquire responsibility. Overall the trip to Life Monteverde Sustainable Farm was a great experience and has helped me to alter some things I will do in my classroom in the future.

Blog 8:  Second Language Learning

            After reading the two articles and experiencing what ELL students feel like, my thoughts about teaching ELL has drastically changed.  I will begin with how my thoughts have changed using Cambourne’s Conditions. First off my students need immersion in learning English. This will be accomplished by bringing them into the English classroom and listening to their peers and I talk. Along with immersion, they need to have engagement. This can be a little tricky because I don’t want to emerge them in the class so much that they lose engagement. I will make it my goal to allow at least thirty minutes a day to sit and talk to them about themselves and what they like to do. I will ask them questions about themselves in English and ask them to answer in English. I will also take the time to learn the basics of their language so that they do not feel isolated.

            Another part of Cambourne’s Conditions I will use is expectations. I will expect my ELL to at least be trying to speak English. In return I will learn the basics of their language so that I can understand them and use a little bit of their language to help them feel “at home.” From my Spanish class in Costa Rica, I know that four hours of a language I am unfamiliar with can be very tiring and slightly frightening. It makes me feel more comfortable and better when the teacher understands some English and even says a little bit back to me. I also think feedback is extremely important. Students need to hear both positive and constructive feedback. As a student learning Spanish I like to hear that I am doing well and what I need to work on. It is important to remember to always have equal amounts of constructive and positive feedback or more positive than constructive feedback. Too much constructive feedback can make the student feel bad about themselves and their learning.  Lastly the most important component of Cambourne’s Conditions is trust. The student has to feel trust with you when learning. They need to be able to know that they can make errors and will not be criticized. If my teachers criticized me in my Spanish classes, I would not want to try new words.  Trust is very crucial in a classroom especially for ELL.

            I plan to use all components of Halliday’s Seven Functions of Language. Instrumental will be used in the beginning when I am asking the students what they need. It will be used especially in the morning and the afternoon when recording if students need a school lunch or if they brought their lunch. As mentioned above with Cambourne’s Conditions I will use the personal function when trying to reach out to my students. I will talk to the students about what they like and have them even tell the class. (Each student will talk about themselves so the ELL does not feel singled out.) The imaginative component is also very important for ELL. We will tell stories and play games using English. I may give them a topic and then let them tell a story. We did this in my Spanish class and I absolutely loved it. Making up your own story is always fun. After three weeks of learning a second language I have learned that it can be difficult at times but as long as my teachers use these different conditions and functions, I am able to learn and enjoy myself in doing so.

These are my Mama Tica's grandchildren. They speak very little English so I got a ton of Spanish practice when I hung out with them.

Blog 7: My Second Homestay

            My second homestay has been an awesome experience! I love love love it. I live on a small farm with Mama Tica, Papa Tico, my sister Tiffa (17), and my brother Ariel (8). They have chickens, chicks, two dogs, a 5 month old puppy named Kitty, a 9 month old cat named Marley, and while I was living here 7 puppies were born! My first night here was really scary. They family made me aware that scorpions do get in the house sometimes and it is likely they could be in my bedroom since it is close to the back door. I was scared out of my mind. I quickly learned to check the room for scorpions and then shut the door before I go to bed. I have not seen any scorpions as of yet. I have however seen several huge spiders and insects. After learning that dealing with scorpions might be a possibility, the insects don’t really bother me.

            Another challenge I have faced at this homestay has been the shower. Mama Tica made it very clear to me that my showers should only be five minutes. I take my phone with me in the shower every morning and set a timer and as of yet I have only reached my goal of five minutes once. The longest it has taken me was seven minutes and I power shaved my legs that day. I never thought trying to take short showers would be something I would struggle with in Costa Rica!

            I love to spend time with my family. In a way they remind me of my family in the United States because they are loving, they like to laugh, they live on a small farm, and their ages are all similar to my family’s ages. Sometimes Tiffa and I will sit in my room until midnight using Google Translator to talk. I absolutely love talking to her. It is great bonding time. Oddly enough, Ariel is bilingual. He is very fluent in English for an 8 year old child. Any time the parents really want to say something to me and I can’t understand they will go get Ariel. Tiffa’s boyfriend (18) is also bilingual and will translate for me sometimes. My Mama Tica and Papa Tico will also ask me how to say things in English and that is comforting. We teach each other.

            So far one of the best experiences at my house has been getting to see the farm. My Mama Tica is awesome! We went out walking and she carried a machete. She then cut down sugar cane like a boss and we made a drink out of it using a machine. She also showed me all the coffee plants on the farm. They even have a little wood shop where they make really cool wood crafts. I really want one! There may be several bugs in the house and even scorpions, but I don’t care because I love my family and this small farm.

            This homestay will be one of the things I miss the most about Costa Rica. If I ever come back, I am definitely calling them and asking if I can stay with them again!

Kitty

Me and Tiffa

My Mama Tica making a drink out of sugar cane.

Blog 6: Costa Rican and US schools

Costa Rican Schools are very similar yet different than United States schools. Like US schools they have around 20-30 student in a classroom with desks, chairs, whiteboards/chalkboards, and a teacher. Surprising they also had technology. Calle Hernandez Primary school had a projector playing a video of the alphabet on the whiteboard. San Luis school had small laptops for all the children. They both also had at least one classroom, a gymnasium, a cafeteria, a flag pole with a Costa Rica flag, and a playground. Something that made them both different from US schools was the lack of school supplies and text books. Both schools get supplies from donations and fundraisers. I thought it was really interesting to see that both didn’t have text books for the students. Similarly to US schools, Calle Hernandez Primary school had different teachers for the different grades. San Luis school had the same teachers for all grades.

The two schools were different and similar to each other in several ways. One way they were different was by amount of children. Calle Hernandez Primary school has several more children than San Luis school. They were about the same in size (besides the fact that Calle Hernandez Primary school had more classrooms).  Another difference was Calle Hernandez had a class time just for learning English. In schools that have over 90 students, an English teacher is provided. San Luis has less than 90 students therefore the woman that teaches English is only there once or twice a week and they are not getting the amount of English they need to be getting. While Calle Hernandez Primary school had over 90 students, San Luis school had less than 30. Calle Hernandez also had several teachers and a principal. At San Luis school the principal, main teacher, and the administration is all one man.

Teaching in these two schools was definitely a challenge for me. It was easier in Calle Hernandez Primary school because the students had more practice with English. This made it where they could understand what I was saying and even talk to me a little bit. At San Luis school I found that I played charades a lot because the students had no idea what I was saying and I had no clue what they were saying to me. If I were to teach in these schools I would definitely want to be more fluent in speaking and comprehending Spanish. A challenge to teaching in these schools would be the limited amount of supplies and money. I would have to do lots of games that didn’t involve supplies, such as singing. Another challenge would be working with more than one grade level at a time. As a teacher I would have to learn how to accommodate all students so that they are all learning and not confused.

 I think it would be difficult to be a child in these classes. For example a struggling child would become irritated and frustrated with schools in Costa Rica because they are behind and everyone is taught on one level. A gifted child would also experience frustration because they would be bored. In United States schools this problem is less likely to occur because most instruction such as reading has different levels for different children.

Overall my experiences in the two different schools were great! I loved both schools and the children.  I hope that all of the children continue their education past sixth grade. I also hope the books we donated to the schools are helpful and beneficial to the children. I strongly encourage anyone reading this blog to visit foreign schools to see how they are alike and different from United States schools. It really makes you appreciate the little things!

Blog 5: Learning About Learning

            Being totally emerged in a culture where Spanish is the primary language has been a challenge for me. I spend my mornings shopping in stores and going to elementary schools where the people do not understand me since I speak English. I then go to four hours of Spanish every afternoon five days a week and listen to a teacher that doesn’t speak any English. Spanish for four hours is extremely long and I feel mentally exhausted afterwards.  After Spanish I go home and sit with a family that speaks very little English. Honestly I find it very frustrating. I constantly feel irritated that I can’t tell my family and teacher how I really feel because I don’t know how to say what I want to say. I always get really excited every morning when I get to see my friends from Missouri State because I know I will finally get to talk to someone and they will understand me. 

            Anytime I am able to communicate with my family it is a small victory. It may only be one sentence and that sentence may be very choppy, but if they understand what I say to them then I feel really excited. I also feel like the family gets a little bit frustrated with me when they have to keep repeating what they are saying because I do not understand. Although I have had these struggles with learning Spanish, I am very pleased to be emerging myself in the culture.      

            Throughout this whole experience I constantly keep thinking about English Second Language students in my future classroom. I now understand the frustration that they will feel when they are at school in an English primary school. I know that while they are at school they will probably keep to themselves because they can’t communicate very well and might feel embarrassed to say the wrong thing. They probably also feel belittled when English speakers keep correcting them. As a student experiencing what it is like to be a second language student, I see that it is irritating when the teacher keeps repeating themselves to me and I have no clue what they are saying. I wish my teachers at school would say things to me in English so that I could understand what they are meaning in Spanish.

When I am a teacher I will make the effort to speak some of their second language to help them understand. I will also try to greet them in their native language and talk to them in their language so they do not feel alone all the time. It is tough to be around only people that speak a different language. As a future teacher I vow to myself that I will learn some of their language and try to communicate with them in their native language in addition to English. 

Blog 4:  La Carpio

       The La Carpio experience was an incredible eye opening experience. Upon arrival we immediately started doing work in the community. Part of our group painted a new railing that goes up a new set of stairs. The other part of the group, including myself, carried buckets of concrete mix up and down the stairs to build a wall. The wall was being built to keep things from falling on the people when they walk up the stairs and to keep them from hitting their head on the things such as sheet metal.  Before the stairs were built people had to go up this steep mountain to get from their house to the top. It was really dangerous, especially when it rained because it created a mud slide. A woman even died going down this steep mountain before the stairs were built. 

I learned that there are still a lot of people that live in poverty. We also went into a preschool where children were learning and getting ready for primary school. It was really interesting because we got to see the town they live in and the school they attended. It really made me think about how they live a life in such poverty yet they get dressed up and look very nice and presentable for school. The children were very sweet and trying to learn. It was extremely interesting to meet and fall in love with these children and then think about what kind of home they would be going back to once school lets out for the day.

La Carpio does not hide that it is an area of poverty. I saw trash and dog poop laying everywhere. At one point I saw a little boy sitting in an area covered in trash and wires strung everywhere. It also smelled really bad in some areas. Many of the houses had pieces of tin hanging on them. Also the sidewalks were less developed in La Carpio than in San Jose. The sidewalks had water drainage ditches everywhere and sometimes it was just a piece of plywood going over the drainage ditch. I found that I looked down a lot as I walked because I never knew what I might step in. I also saw a lot of women and children together. Gail, the leader of Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation, told us that it was common for families in La Carpio to be made up of mothers and their children. The fathers abandoned the family a lot of the time.  

Gail talked to us about the people living in this area and what they were going through and it was very sad. She talked about one girl in particular named Kimberly that had her first child when she was only 15 years old. A few years later she found out she was pregnant again. Both children’s’ fathers left Kimberly. When Kimberly’s mother found out Kimberly was pregnant again she kicked her out and cursed the baby.  When the child was born is was extremely sick (Kimberly believes the mother cursed it). Even after a year old it is still not up to where it should be. Shortly after Kimberly’s second child was born, Kimberly’s father, whom had been financially supporting her, died. She faced the reality of having an extremely sick child, an older child to feed, no source of income, no house, and she found out she had stomach cancer. Although she is going through all these tragic incidents, she still goes out and sells DVDs to make money and works every chance she gets to provide for both of her children. 

This true story really touched me because it made me think about what some children may be going through at home. They may not have the necessary support they need at home and they could be homeless.  I also want to make sure my students always get a snack in my class because they could not be eating at home. It is important that I give each child attention because again they may not be receiving that at home. Children no matter where they come from all want the same things: love and attention. I have to remember that no matter what their families and home life is like, I need to care for them just the same as any other students.

So far on my trip to Costa Rica, visiting La Carpio has been one of my favorite things we have done. I would love to live in Costa Rica and work with Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation in La Carpio. To be able to help these people would be an incredible opportunity. Also working in the preschool would be really fun. All the children were so sweet. I just want to save all my money and buy them things like snacks, books, school supplies, and other necessities. I also really enjoyed helping add the concrete mix to the area where the wall will be built. I felt like I was a part of something and getting to help these people in poverty improve their walkways was incredible. If I come back to Costa Rica, I really want to volunteer at La Carpio. What an amazing experience!