Posts Tagged ‘La Vida Idealist’

August 25th, 2010 - 7:14 am § in Costa Rica, Culture, In the Field, Tips & Resources

Lessons of Working in Another Culture

Long-term international development work is a unique experience. It’s quite different than just moving to a new city in your own culture to start a job. Not only do you know no one, but you also don’t know the culture and how they work. Can they work as a team? Can they not? Are they effici[...]

August 9th, 2010 - 7:00 pm § in Costa Rica, Country, Culture, Guatemala

The Centries: Handing Out Awards to Central America

While you read this, I should be on a plane back to the States. As this Latin American production wraps up, I’d like to present the Centries, which honor the highlights of my Central American experience (the marketing department’s working on the name). Best special effects: The Friday me[...]

August 4th, 2010 - 10:17 am § in Country, Culture, Guatemala

Sub-juncting Myself to a Test of Generosity

The subjunctive mood in Spanish twists the mind like overwet taffy. Rarely used in English, it’s a different set of conjugations used to express wishes, doubts or uncertainty. According to my Spanish teacher, Latin America is the best place to learn it: ”La vida aqui es muy duro,”[...]

August 2nd, 2010 - 5:00 pm § in Country, Culture, Guatemala

Nobody (At Least Not Me) Knows the Trouble Guatemala’s Seen

One of the best things about Spanish school is that it’s not just about Spanish. Coming in, I’d envisioned the teacher I currently have, who spends most of our time practicing grammar forms. God knows I need it, but my previous teacher (the school swaps instructors each week, so you can[...]

July 26th, 2010 - 6:00 pm § in Culture, Guatemala

We Dance If We Want To (so why don’t we?)

Having been immersed in Latin culture, I’ve realized just how fantastic the skill of dance is. What’s great about it here is that regular people, not those with training or extensive practice, often break out into dances with style, with form, like the merengue or salsa. As it was explai[...]

July 21st, 2010 - 11:01 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica, Country, Good Ideas, Guatemala, Panama, Tips & Resources

Getting Schooled in Spanish Schools

Well, I’ve done this all backward. More than six months after coming to Central America, I’m finally taking a long-term shot at Spanish school. I decided on the school I’m at – Sol Latino in in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala – after hearing good feedback from some travelers I met. B[...]

July 15th, 2010 - 12:20 pm § in Around Town, Costa Rica, Country, Culture, Event, In the Field

Ode to Costa Rica

In my last post, I don’t think I was very convincing of living la vida idealist, naming all the possible health problems I could get and how I have lots of time in this slower pace of life to sit and think about them. So with this space, I’m going to do the opposite and [...][...]

July 7th, 2010 - 7:00 pm § in Around Town, Culture, Day in the Life, Panama

The Devils of Panama City

A rarely heard utterance: “My favorite thing about the city was the buses.” A Dutch traveler said it to me about Panama City before I left. I inwardly scoffed; she must just think that because they use bikes so much in the Netherlands. But then I got there, and she’d nailed it. Sorry, Karl[...]

July 6th, 2010 - 5:23 pm § in Costa Rica, Culture, Day in the Life, Volunteer

Is Living in Latin America Turning Me Into a Hypochondriac?

Yes.  The answer is yes. I have officially been self-diagnosed with hypochondriacism.  Is that a word?  Surely it must be a disease?  And surely, I have it. I think I first became a hypochondriac when I moved to a village of 700 in the mountains of Costa Rica just over a year ago.  A village fa[...]

June 21st, 2010 - 6:00 pm § in Chile, Culture, Day in the Life, In the Field, Volunteer

Ironies and Self-Indulgence

When a fight breaks out at school,  as a volunteer you neither really know what is happening nor are able to do anything about it.  It’s a bizarre feeling to be such an unwilling and powerless observant. It’s these times, and those when I’m particularly cold, hungry, and exhausted, that for [...]





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