Orchids

A new found fact about Costa Rica is that it hosts 1300 different species of Orchids, which is quite magnificent! In San Jose, cada año (every year), there is a National Orchid Exposition where 300 different Orchids raised from various gardeners get displayed for all to enjoy!

Check this link out:

http://www.therealcostarica.com/costa_rica/orchids_flowers.html

Tidbits about Costa Rica

Population: 4,576,562 (2011)

Currency: Costa Rica Colon (CRC), the colon is subdivided into 100 centimos, but coins are rarely used anymore due to inflation. People of Costa Rica call the 100 colon bill a “teja,” while the 500-colon bill is called a “cinco teja.” “Rojo” and “tucan” are the slang terms for 1,000 and 5,000 colon bills.
500 - 550 colones/ $1. US

Capital: San José

*The city I will be living in is Guácimo, which is in the northeastern province of Limon.  

Airports: The largest, Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) in Alajuela, is located within the Central Valley region north of San Jose.

The other airport, Daniel Oduber Airport (LIR) in Liberia, facilitates access to destinations in the northwestern Guanacaste region. Additionally, many destinations in Costa Rica can be reached by short domestic flights.

Weather: Mild in the central highlands, tropical and subtropical in coastal areas. December through April is considered the dry season.
Much of Costa Rica’s diversity can be attributed to its location between two continents as well as its numerous microclimates, which vary by elevation amid the country’s mountainous and volcanic landscape. The Great Continental Divide runs through the country’s interior, and weather patterns from the Pacific and Caribbean sweep across the divide’s slopes. Costa Rica’s northernmost regions tend to be more flat and arid, with dry tropical forest, while increased humidity and precipitation creates thick jungles in the south. The country’s rainiest months, termed the “green season,” start in May and run until early December.

Language: Spanish with a southwestern Caribbean Creole dialect of English spoken around the Limon area.

School: Costa Rica  is  proud to offer one of the greatest education systems in Latin  America; even the smallest towns  having  their  own  high  school.  Usually students in Costa Rica are very dedicated and take their education very seriously so there are few discipline issues.

Elementary and High Schools are found in every town however small. The students do not have to pay for their education, except for a nominal charge of $20 at the beginning of each academic year.

In Costa Rica Elementary Schools  have  6  year  levels and high schools have 5 year  levels. Each level is divided in two cycles, and upon completion of these cycle, the students are  required to pass tests on all subjects studied during those years. The  most  important of  these  tests are  the  Bachillerato Tests,  which  are  required  to  get  the  high  school  diploma  needed  for  admission to Universities. 

Most community groups also offer opportunities to do sport and to study music, art,  ecology, and many other interests. At the end of High School, each student receives a title in the Arts or in Science. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the regulation of the education in the country.

Political Conditions: Democratic republic.

Principal Government Officials:
President--Laura CHINCHILLA Miranda
Vice Presidents--Alfio PIVA and Luis LIBERMAN
Foreign Minister--Jose Enrique CASTILLO Barrantes
Ambassador to the United States--Muni FIGUERES Boggs
Ambassador to the United Nations--Eduardo Ulibarri

Religion: Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical Protestant 16%, other 6%, none 8%

Biodiversity: Costa Rica contains 5% of the Earth's biodiversity including mammals like the sloth :) or the spider monkey, macaws and toucans, boa constrictors and crocodiles, and sea mammals such as dolphins and humpback whales! 

There are 5 active volcanoes in Costa Rica; Poás, Irazú, Turrialba, Arenal and Rincón de La Vieja. Other notable volcanoes include the Tenorio, Miravalles, Cerro Chato, and Barva volcanoes. 

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

I cannot begin to describe the emotions going through me as I think about my upcoming teaching abroad experience in Costa Rica. I hope through this blog I can unpack in some way to all of you pieces of this journey that is about to begin!

Why Costa Rica?

When I tell people that I am going to be student teaching abroad the first half of my student teaching semester, I am met with the usual eyes-opening-wide and "ooh, ahh" expressions, and I can't wait for them to just ask me "why?" In all honestly, no one has really asked me why or waited long enough to hear me explain my reasons before going on to say "It is so beautiful there!" or "You lucky girl!" Yes, it is beautiful in Costa Rica, and yes, I do feel like a very lucky girl, but let's get beneath the surface.

Originally, it was my intention and desire to student teach in Ghana, Africa, which would bring me a whole different world of experiences that I am sure I would grow immensely from! However, I soon learned that Costa Rica was going to be made a new option and I knew immediately that I was in for a plan change :) After gathering some more details on the placement and contemplating why I could truly see myself there, I made the decision to student teach in Costa Rica.

I have always wanted to travel to wherever this life of mine will allow me to go and I am just so grateful that my first time of out the country is going to entail quite the excursion and challenge! My sophomore year here at St. Norbert I had the wonderful opportunity to have my Sophomore Block placement (5 weeks of field experience) in a bilingual kindergarten class. It was in those 5 weeks that I feel even more deeply in love with Hispanic culture. Those days spent in the presence of a phenomenal bilingual teacher who had such an inspiring influence on her students and on me, along with beautiful little faces looking up to me were some of the greatest in my life so far. They are the largest reason why I chose to student teach in Costa Rica.

I want to uproot myself, test my boundaries, experience a completely different school setting, and gain a broader cultural understanding. These are some other reasons why I decided I wanted to student teach in the first place. For the sake and love of my sophomore block students and their families (and all people of Hispanic background, for that matter, that I have met or not met) I want to not just observe Hispanic culture, I want to be immersed in it, learn from it, and fall even deeper in love with it for all it means to others' lifestyles. I think that I can gain a lot as a pre-service teaching learning from a culture represented in a large population gaining presence in the United States.

At this very moment in my life I feel ready to go and it's only through the strong foundations that have been growing each year with my family, my friends, and the SNC community that I feel confident to test myself. If I didn't feel that I had the love and support of so many communities of people at home, I don't think I would have the courage to take this step in my life, and for this I am extremely grateful!

When I think of what the future will bring to me while in Costa Rica I have a few goals I hope to accomplish and experience:

1. Take in the culture of Costa Rica with a open mind and let all I meet teach me.
2. Be unreserved with my students, cooperating teacher, and host family in a sense that I can be willing to take appropriate risks and try new things.
3. Test my Spanish-speaking ability and hopefully gain more fluency.
4. Apply teaching philosophies I have developed over the past few years and develop even more.
5. Explore as much of Costa Rica's rich nature, history, and what makes it unique, as possible.
6. Reflect on how my experiences abroad are going to benefit my future students and how I can bring my experiences home.
7. Open myself to all God has to show me during my time abroad.

I am extremely excited for this new page in my life and am even more excited to share it with you all! Thank you for your love and support! :)