Costa Rica lacks many things I’m normally drawn to. It doesn’t have famous historical sites. There’s no thriving theater or music scene. Of course, it’s a natural paradise, but wildlife watching isn’t my thing, and other activities such as surfing or canopy tours get ex[...]
Posts Tagged ‘Puerto Jimenez’
Nonprofit Spotlight: ASCONA aims for “desarrollo sin destrucción”
I learned about ASCONA because I sometimes shared an office with the president, Ifigenia Canet. The group makes simply “being active” look dull; it’s a community force, holding classes in schools, organizing beach clean-ups, and promoting local tourism projects. I’d stupidly [...]
June 16th, 2010 - 10:03 am § in Costa Rica, Volunteer
Nobody Teaches You How to Say Goodbye
Last week was my last of teaching. It made for a week of fun and a week of sadness. In every class, we had a party, which ranged from me bringing cookies to every student chipping in to make food. Some members of my intermediate classes and I grabbed beers afterward, extending our lessons into the [[...]
The Beautiful (and Practical) Game
By the time this runs, most of the globe will have been whipped into a World Cup-induced frenzy. If you’re an American with a scant interest in the game, and if you are planning to or already live in Latin/South America, listen up: This is a huge opportunity for you. The relentless media cover[...]
Ending on a Down Note
What a lousy piece of news to receive at the beginning of my last week. The Costa Rican Institute of Tourism opted not to renew its contract to place a CREST teacher in Puerto Jimenez for the next term. I know these things happen. The tourist season was slow this year, with the recession. I’m [...]
I Can’t Get No Satisfaction
People drawn to Idealist are those who want to improve their corner of the world. We follow Canadian physician William Osler’s maxim that “we are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life.” But it’s important to cast your desire to add to the world in [...]
Wrapping My Brain (and Tongue) Around Spanish
My uvula shook as I said the word despejar.: “Despehhhhar.” My friend Pilar smiled. “You sound Spanish,” she said.* “Huh?” I kind of thought that was the point. “The ‘hhhh.’” she said. “That’s from Spain. Listen: ‘dehar,’” she said, using a shorter a[...]
A Certifiably Vague Industry
I am a certified Teaching English as a Foreign Language instructor, and I don’t know what that means. A majority of teach-abroad placement organizations and schools now require a TEFL certificate, or a related one. This is a change from about 10 years ago, when you only needed to be a native E[...]
May 26th, 2010 - 10:35 am § in Around Town, Costa Rica
Quetzals, Jaguars and Morphos, Oh My!
Man, how about that International Biodiversity Day? I’m sure you’re still exhausted from all the celebrations and events and – What’s that? Never heard of it? Well, you’re probably not alone if you live in an urban environment. It was new to me. However, biodiversity is a m[...]
