happiness....finally :)

this week i FINALLY got what i wished for....to work in a school! it's weird because before i arrived here, i was under the impression that i would be working in a school teaching english the entire 3 months i am here. however, once i got here, i realized i was very wrong and very far from a school setting. i actually don't know of anyone that signed up to "teach english" that was actually placed in a school---all the other volunteers work in orphanages or soup kitchens for kids. so when this opportunity came up to switch projects, i jumped at it and i am so so so happy that i did! i now am working at "el carmelo" which is a school run by nuns in one of the neighborhoods on the outskirts of san jose. it is technically a "private" school but from my understanding, most of the kids attend the school on scholarship so they don't have to pay for the school. carmelo starts with a pre-k class for 4-5 year olds and goes up to 7th grade. there is only one classroom for every grade so you can only imagine what it is like....every class has 30-40 kids... and no that is not a typo! FORTY kids! and here we are at home complaining if there is any more than 25 kids in a class! it is so crazy and at times incredibly frustrating in the classroom because its really difficult to control the class...especially working with the young ones!
i am working with two different women that teach english at the school. one woman, jessica, is really experienced and speaks great english. she works with 3rd-7th graders. the other woman, annette, is a different story---she has only been studying english for about 6 months and somehow was given a job to teach english to 4 year olds-2nd graders. granted, she does have to spend most of the class giving directions in spanish but still....its funny how she constantly turns to me for clarification on words or to actually lead the class in practicing english words. i do really enjoy it though, because i get to work with kids of all ages and because we are constantly moving around and changing classes, the days go quickly.
working here is so much different from my other projects because there is an actual daily structure and schedule. the only downside of working here is having to get up SO early! i have to be at the school by 7am and it takes about an hour on the buses so wakeup is some time between 5-5:30am. :( i love teaching and love the kids though so most days, getting up doesn't bother me too much....it's days like today when i have to stay at school till 3pm (i stay till 1pm mon-wed and till 3pm thurs-fri) that i am completely dragging in the afternoon.
i am so amazed at how good some of the kids' english is. even the 3rd and 4th graders can ask and answer questions...it's really cool to see. it's kind of weird because a few days this week i feel like working with the little kids is kind of a waste but i think in the long run every little bit helps and they keep building on their vocabulary and knowledge each year, just like learning any other subject. with the younger kids, it's a lot of repetition of basic words and sounds and a lot of songs and movements. the older kids (3rd grade and up) work more with readings and workbooks, listening activities, and practicing conversations.
i honestly could not be happier and am so excited that i get to spend my last 4 weeks in costa rica working at carmelo because i wanted to work in this kind of setting since i got here! so far i love it---the kids are great, so cute and very polite, and all the teachers are very welcoming as well. obviously the whole language barrier thing comes into play in a huge way being in a spanish school but it's still a cool experience---hopefully another line on my resume to help me get a job in the fall?! :)

p.s.....if you're in need of a good laugh and an entertaining look into our costa rican life, read my friend chris's recent blog post "L-Pack, Toto, and other Important Players".... http://www.xtinegoesabroad.blogspot.com/)