Here comes the summer

Summer arrived on Monday! It was quite sudden. I was taking Spanish classes this week, so it was off to the school early, and I got sunburnt between walking down and during our morning break. The mornings have been beautiful and summery all week. We still have the odd shower of rain, but there is definitely a feeling that summer is here, and I’ve been back in shorts and flip-flops.

Thanksgiving
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Thursday was thanksgiving in the US, and so was a big celebration in the school. There was a thanksgiving party, so I had my first thanksgiving dinner. On the menu was turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed squash, green beans, cranberry sauce and stuffing. I was the turkey carver. It was a huge turkey that fed the entire school!

Actually, it was interesting, because it didn’t really feel like a celebration for the Gringos at all. Most people were a little down because of it. I didn’t realise that it was such a big holiday in the US, and also, because it’s such a family time, people were quite homesick. I felt that on Thursday night, a lot of them were on a bit of a downer.

Teacher of the week
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I was teacher of the week this week. That sounds like an achievement, but it’s just a rota – we all take it in turns. Teacher of the week means that you have to stay behind and tidy up the staffroom each night, and on Saturday. And you chair the Wednesday weekly meeting. It was my first time chairing a meeting since last December. It was strange because it was something I did so often in Irish Life. I hadn’t realised I was teacher of the week until I arrived in on Monday and saw written on the board – Teacher of the week – Eamon ‘The Irishman’.

Intercultura news
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This was followed by the publication of the school magazine ‘Intercultura News’ which is written by the students and published monthly. The following article appeared.

New Teacher Interview – With Eamon ‘The Irishman’ McDonagh.

The following questions were answered by Eamon’s students on behalf of their beloved teacher:

· What’s his favorite holiday or time of year?
St. Patrick’s Day.

· Describe his ideal partner:
Someone who is friendly, funny and interesting.

· Describe his most embarrassing moment:
The day he gave us a class from Unit 9, but we were on Unit 7. Or, the time he got drunk in Puerto Viejo and tried to dance Celtic style, much to the bewilderment of the reggae enthusiasts on hand.

· What’s his most annoying characteristic?
He speaks too fast

· Does he have any hidden talents?
He always looks happy.

It’s pretty good hidden talent if you ask me!

The best restaurant so far
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I went to a Lebanese restaurant in San José last night with my friends Laura and Leah. It was a fabulous meal. The best since I’ve been here. I had a large main course and three beers in a very upmarket restaurant (there was a picture on the wall of Mikhail Gorbachev on his visit here) for only c7,000, or €9.44.

Today, my landlord had another barbecue, so we had a nice afternoon. It turns out his father was Lebanese, so he’s invited us all back in two weeks when he wants to cook some Lebanese food for us.
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My internet connection is down at the moment, because the government agency, RACSA were billing me to my RACSA email address which I don’t use. So I caught up on my payments the other day and am awaiting reconnection. I’m sending this from an internet café. I hope to be back online tomorrow.

So until next week,

Pura Vida,

Éamon

Today’s headline in La Nación: Aresep raises fares on faulty buses