Sunday, June 30, 2013

Costa Rica Weeks 1-3

Today marks the end of my third week in Costa Rica.  I was worried that 2 months of attending classes and volunteering would actually wear me out more than give me a break before the next school year's start in August.  I'm realizing this will unlikely be the case.  Will the daily full plates of fried this and that double my waist size?  ...Far more likely.
My first two weeks were spent in the "suburb" of Heredia, north of the capital city San Jose.  Here I lived with a spunky grandmother affectionately called my "Mamá Tica."  (Tica or Tico is the name for any and all things Costa Rican.)  Since it is winter here, it means it rains everyday.  I don't mind this, though, since I often check the Texas weather report and witness dry days of 100+ temperatures.  
I attend classes Monday-Friday for four hours.  Class sizes are never larger than 6 students, so I am always staying engaged and vocal.  The school (interculturacostarica.com) also provides daily enrichment classes in Costa Rican dance, cooking and culture, which I attended often in Heredia.  After enrichment classes, I would either meet up with friends for a chat, work on homework or hop on a bus to San Jose's rock climbing gym.  Those of you that know me, I'm sure, find it unremarkable that I am willing to ride a stuffy bus 30-60 minutes to tear up my hands in a dimly-lit boulder gym for a few hours.  As it turns out, Tico climbers are just as chill, inviting and crazy as climbers in the states.  
The original plan was to spend weeks three and four at Intercultura's Pacific beach campus at Playa Sámara.  I assumed I would take a 4 1/2 hour sketchy bus from downtown San Jose to the coast on the Sunday following my second week in Heredia, but while the school staff was prepping me and a couple Montessori teachers about to head to Sámara with their ninth grade class, my plans took a turn for the awesomer...
The Montessori group was heading to Sámara for their next week of classes, as well, but they were getting a shuttle to Monte Verde for the weekend prior.  This was all I had to know to use my dimple powers to find myself a seat on their shuttle.  Over the course of 30 minutes, I reserved a bed at the field station they were staying at, approved my spot in the van, sprinted 10 blocks home, packed my bags, scrawled a hasty, poorly written Spanish explanation to my Máma Tica, and hauled back to the school to jump on a roadtrip with 6 ninth graders and two vibrant teachers.  
As it turned out, were were staying at The Children's Eternal Rainforest (http://www.acmcr.org/childrens_eternal_rainforest.htm) on of THE MOST biodiverse places on the planet. After an insanely beautiful drive, we hike an hour through the rain to the field station we would be sleeping at for the next two nights.  The field station was set upon a mountain bald overlooking the regularly-active Arenal Volcano, or as we called it "The Lonely Mountain."  It was absolutely breath-taking.  At the forest, we went on a couple guided hikes (one at night) and were blessed with the fortune of getting to listen to a FASCINATING presentation on amphibian decline by the leading frog expert in the world.    Never have I been so inspired and captivated by science!  We also got to go rare frog "hunting" with two of the other leading frog experts and found a rare glass frog two nights in a row!  We even got to see his little heart beating through his skin.  On our day hike, I spotted an elusive umbrella bird as well.  A woman that had been working the in park for 3 years had never even seen one!  On that Sunday morning, we hiked out of the forest and head to Monte Verde's original zipline canopy tour, which was, of course, a total ball.  
After what seemed like an entire week's worth of adventures, the group of my eight new best friends and I arrived by shuttle to our new home of Playa Sámara, and boy have I been enjoying the beach-life since then!  Classes here alternate between morning and afternoon to allow for plenty of beach time around the daily rain.  My new Famila Tica is wonderful, and I am living at a soda (small restaurant) on the beach with a large garden always needing to be weeded.  I walk or ride my bike (loaned to me by a new Tico friend) down the beach to classes every day.  My Máma Tica is an INSANELY great cook, and the coffee here has healing properties it tastes so good.  
I am actually trying to arrange an extra week of classes here before returning to Heredia for three weeks of volunteering at a local school for my final 3-weeks in Costa Rica.  As a surprise to no one, I have made gobs of new friends here from about 6 different countries and all different ages and backgrounds and have concocted about 4 more future career paths to consider.   hahaha  
Basically, life is the same as usual in the strange life of Audrey Speicher, and I am loving and breathing in every minute of it.  It will be a bit of a shock returning to Texas after this whirlwind, but I already feel refreshed and ready to mold the minds of all those little crazies coming to me next year.
I can't receive calls, but can ring you in the US for free or would be happy to video chat or otherwise if you would like to talk/scheme/muse/giggle, so just get at me!
Until next time.... ¡TUANIS!

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Ch-Ch-Changes

Geez.  There are so many things I could write about... my summer in New York, my incredible trip to Colombia, the incredibly difficult process of deciding not to take a teaching job in Colombia, my road-trip home to Texas with my best friend Katie, my upcoming student teaching, my oh, so up-in-the-air decisions for my future, Cindy Guidotti... and the list goes on...
When I'm not feeling particularly poetic (or I find myself trying to blog at 2am, ahem.), I tend to find lists fulfill the purpose of passing on pertinent information just fine.

My List of Things Too Emotionally Exhausting to Go into Detail About Right Now

1.  I loved my job in New York as the Adventure Bound Trip Coordinator.  I felt like I stepped into a tricky situation with a lot of potential for failure, but I feel like I did the best that I could, learned a ton about supervision, organization and the overall dependency of children.  The person that had my job before me (and was the only person to ever have the job) also happened to leave the position with an entire-camp fan club unofficially dubbing me as "The New John Weir."  (That was his name.)  Some tiny spark inside of me hopes that next year's Trip Coordinator will at least once be referred to as "The New Texas Audrey" rather than just "The New New-John Weir."  One can hope.

Storm King Mountain viewed from my favorite hike, Breakneck Ridge, Cold Spring, NY.
2.  I don't think I have the perspective, yet, to accurately describe how I feel about my week-long visit to Colombia and the implications of that trip. That will be for another time. But, I can say that I met some of the most lovely people, visited some of the most inspiring schools, experienced positively memorizing culture, explored a fantastic city and practiced a wonderful language all in just one week.  Even though I made the extraordinarily difficult decision to turn down the job offer I had there, I am SO GRATEFUL for the chance to visit and have the people there confirm things about myself that I am so rarely reminded of in my day-to-day life.
I don't know why my life isn't going down this path, but what I do know is that if it is the right decision for me to turn down this opportunity, I can't even comprehend how incredible the opportunity in its place is going to be.  ---But, so help me, if it is marriage, I will have such a bone to pick with God! hahaha  I sincerely would rather be a nun for the rest of my days than have some dude keep me from having all the crazy, free-as-a-bird experience I want to have. ;)

Bucaramanga, Colombia


3.  So, my bestie Katie came to meet me in New York to take an epically epic road trip back to Texas with me.  It was so much fun.  We saw just about every tourist attraction on the East Coast, had a killer road trip soundtrack and met some great friends along the way.  Now she is all moved into her new home in Austin, and I am back in my eternally gracious family's home in Houston for 3 more months as I finish my teaching certification program.

Katie and I taking over NYC

4.  I start student teaching on Monday in a fourth grade English Language Arts/Social Studies/History class.  I am beyond pumped.  I feel like I should be nervous, but considering the other big ol' life decisions I have been facing lately, this just seems like a lot of fun!  YIPPEEE!

5.  I am looking for jobs at schools with outdoor adventure programs, and focus on experiential education and travelling schools, but if I don't stumble across a miracle and get a job by the time my student teaching ends in December, I am planning to move in with some friends in Austin and substitute teach there, do some networking and keep making moves there til life takes me elsewhere!

6.  LET ME START BY SAYING THAT CINDY GUIDOTTI IS THE GREATEST PERSON ALIVE.  I WISH HER ALL THE MOST WONDERFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD.  SHE IS A SHINING STAR IN THE DARKEST NIGHT AND I ADORE HER WITH ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD.  EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS A TERRIBLE MCDONALD'S HABIT, OCCASIONALLY (ALWAYS) THREATENS TO HARM SMALL CHILDREN AND HAS NO OUTDOOR SKILLZ WHATSOEVER, I WOULD STILL CHOOSE HER TO BE ON A DESERTED ISLAND WITH ME BECAUSE WE WOULD NEVER RUN OUT OF THINGS TO DO. WE COULD ALWAYS SING KARAOKE, SNEAK AWAY FROM PARTIES, HARASS WAITERS AT ISLAND DINERS, LAUGH INAPPROPRIATELY, ILLEGALLY BURN STUFF, GET SICK ON ISLAND SWING SETS, LINE DANCE, EMBARRASS THE FAMILY, EAT ISLAND FROYO, BE ISLAND FROYO NUNS, ROLLERBLADE AROUND THE ISLAND WEARING 80'S ATTIRE... AND SO ON AND SO ON.  CINDY IS WINDY.  (EMPHASIS ON "WIN".)
My brother from another mother (but not a brother and also someone else's twin.)

Monday, February 20, 2012

Lists: Favorite Words

peregrine
iridescent
eager
belfry
antithesis
smidgen
hallelujah
hushabye
gusto
Utopia
tabernacle 
revolution
daffodil
peppery
moot
abandon
rendezvous
scrumptious
gumption
tawdry
redemption
satiate
opus
poignant
ransom
ragamuffin
paradox
wrinkle
chutzpah
kismet
darling
filigree
wonky
whimsy

Monday, February 13, 2012

1000 Gifts...

42. Having a back-up plan.
41. Postcards.
40. Crepes.
39. Warm, rainy days.
38. Realizing community.
37. Passing a test.
36. Secrets leading to surprises.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

1000 Gifts...

35.  Muscle soreness as a reminder of hard work.
34.  Friends getting married.
33.  The smell of birthday candles and cake.
32.  Nag champa incense.
31.  The feeling at the end of a countdown.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

1000 Gifts...

30. Grocery store samples.
29. Braided pigtails.
28. Very large, very soft pillows.
27. Watching someone else see a shooting star.
26. Silent laughing with someone else.
25. Jumping into freezing cold water.
24. Passing-on a great book.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sunshine, Silhouettes & Mason Jars

I found a bunch of vintage mason jars in a junk pile in my parents woods, so I washed them up and took these photos.  Nostalgia.  August 2011.