A quieter week this week. I had a late night on Tuesday, watching the American elections. The results caused great celebration in the teacher's lounge as news of the Republican's rout came through. There were also elections in Nicaragua and a couple of weeks ago, there was a referendum in Panama
Future Plans
---------------
You may remember that my plan was to finish in Intercultura in December, and to move to the coast in the new year. However, given the recent upheaval, I now feel that another semester in the comfort of the school and without a move is in order. So I've changed my plans by six months roughly. I'll stay in Intercultura until June, and then move to the coast after that.
Buses to Nicaragua
-----------------------
Last Sunday was election day in neighbouring Nicaragua. Lots of Nicaraguans live here in Costa Rica, and there were special buses ferrying people home for the poll. They saw it as a very important election, and it's good to see such a commitment to democracy and voting. Daniel Ortega, the former Sandinista leader, was the favourite. There seemed to be groups frantic to vote either for or against him. In the end, he won on the first round.
Panamanian referendum
-----------------------------
A couple of weeks back I neglected to mention the Panamanian referendum. They had a vote on whether to increase the size of the Panama canal. It was built in 1914, and ships are a lot bigger now. The economy of Panama revolves around the income from the canal. There is now more competition from land routes across Central America. Here in Costa Rica, they are building a megaport in Limón to compete. The vote was passed by 78% to 22%. There will now be new locks built, and the canal widened and deepened. It will finish in 2015. An interesting piece of trivia: Because of the S-shape of Panama, the Pacific entrance is east of the Caribbean one.
Mayoral elections
---------------------
Not to be outdone in the democracy stakes, the mayoral election campaigns for the cities in Costa Rica have just kicked off. The vote takes place on December 3rd, and I'm fearful that this means 3 days of no alcohol!
Summer's Nearly Here
---------------------------------
We're in the final weeks of the rainy season. It's been so much easier than last year. It's been a few weeks since we've had really torrential rain. As we get into the second half of November, we should feel the change to summer. Very little rain, lots of sun, but cooler nights.
-----
Well, that's it for this week. I've just finished my Saturday rotation, and so it's four day weeks for the rest of the semester.
Until next week,
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Today's headline from La Nación: CCSS (Department of Social Security) loans teams and buildings to companies at no cost.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Goodbye Clara
Folks,
Clara and I got back from Manuel Antonio on Wednesday, and she left on Thursday. We had (another!) bank holiday on Sunday, Culture Day, so it's a long weekend.
Manuel Antonio
-------------------
I've been to Manuel Antonio more often than any other place in the country. It's so beautiful down there, with a wonderful beach, and it's also just beside the Manuel Antonio national park.
The only problem is that it's well-established on the tourist map. However, that wasn't so much of a problem on this trip, because we're off season now so it was quite quiet.
Rain
------
We're at the height of the rainy season now – October should be the wettest month. At the start of this season we were told it would be even worse than last year, because of the La Niña weather phenomenon.
But it's been nothing like last year. Last year, we didn't have one dry day in October. This year, we have had some lovely sunny days. It's quite hot too - we've the fan on in the apartment most of the time. There have only been 9 named storms this season, with 5 of them minor hurricanes. The season isn't over until the end of November, but this compares with last year when there were 28 storms, with 15 hurricanes, including Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
American apologies
------------------------
When we were a bar in Manuel Antonio, during (ironically, given my comments above) a really heavy tropical rainstorm, the group at the next table sent us over some shots from a bottle of rum they had. Two were locals, and the third was a guy from California called Casey. He came over and talked to us. About two minutes into the conversation he told us that he needed to make clear that although he was American, he didn't support the Bush government or their policies – I'm from California. We're very liberal. I've never voted for Bush and I don't support this administration. I just want you to know that.
It's something I see again and again here, and find also working with so many Americans. There is a need to apologise and disassociate themselves with their government. It's terrible to be abroad knowing a government that is hated internationally controls your country. It's a sweeping generalisation, and apologies to Americans reading if I'm not correct, but it seems to me that the pro-Bush Americans don't travel. And the people who travel, in particular to work somewhere poor like Costa Rica, are bearing the brunt of it.
Farewell night
------------------
With Thursday being a holiday, and because we don't work on Friday, we decided to go out on the razzamatazz on Wednesday, Clara's last night. The razzamatazz means that it was similar to most nights when we go out after work. We went to Mulo.
Clara got on very well with the teachers, some of whom she'd met before. The bar officially closes at 12, but we had a lock-in and didn't leave until after 1.30.
A few of us decided to come back to the apartment for a few more beers to finish the night off. It ended up being a long one. We got to bed about 7am, and our guests left us the next day at about 2pm.
Photos
--------
I'm moving my photos to the web address picasaweb.google.com/eamon.mcdonagh. So far, there are just the photos of Clara's trip, and a few from Ireland in July. But over the next few weeks I'll be putting more up.
------
Well, that's it for another week. I'm taking it easy this weekend. Even though it's a long one, the funds are down having done so much travelling recently. So until next week …
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: 61% of professionals graduate from private universities.
Clara and I got back from Manuel Antonio on Wednesday, and she left on Thursday. We had (another!) bank holiday on Sunday, Culture Day, so it's a long weekend.
Manuel Antonio
-------------------
I've been to Manuel Antonio more often than any other place in the country. It's so beautiful down there, with a wonderful beach, and it's also just beside the Manuel Antonio national park.
The only problem is that it's well-established on the tourist map. However, that wasn't so much of a problem on this trip, because we're off season now so it was quite quiet.
Rain
------
We're at the height of the rainy season now – October should be the wettest month. At the start of this season we were told it would be even worse than last year, because of the La Niña weather phenomenon.
But it's been nothing like last year. Last year, we didn't have one dry day in October. This year, we have had some lovely sunny days. It's quite hot too - we've the fan on in the apartment most of the time. There have only been 9 named storms this season, with 5 of them minor hurricanes. The season isn't over until the end of November, but this compares with last year when there were 28 storms, with 15 hurricanes, including Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
American apologies
------------------------
When we were a bar in Manuel Antonio, during (ironically, given my comments above) a really heavy tropical rainstorm, the group at the next table sent us over some shots from a bottle of rum they had. Two were locals, and the third was a guy from California called Casey. He came over and talked to us. About two minutes into the conversation he told us that he needed to make clear that although he was American, he didn't support the Bush government or their policies – I'm from California. We're very liberal. I've never voted for Bush and I don't support this administration. I just want you to know that.
It's something I see again and again here, and find also working with so many Americans. There is a need to apologise and disassociate themselves with their government. It's terrible to be abroad knowing a government that is hated internationally controls your country. It's a sweeping generalisation, and apologies to Americans reading if I'm not correct, but it seems to me that the pro-Bush Americans don't travel. And the people who travel, in particular to work somewhere poor like Costa Rica, are bearing the brunt of it.
Farewell night
------------------
With Thursday being a holiday, and because we don't work on Friday, we decided to go out on the razzamatazz on Wednesday, Clara's last night. The razzamatazz means that it was similar to most nights when we go out after work. We went to Mulo.
Clara got on very well with the teachers, some of whom she'd met before. The bar officially closes at 12, but we had a lock-in and didn't leave until after 1.30.
A few of us decided to come back to the apartment for a few more beers to finish the night off. It ended up being a long one. We got to bed about 7am, and our guests left us the next day at about 2pm.
Photos
--------
I'm moving my photos to the web address picasaweb.google.com/eamon.mcdonagh. So far, there are just the photos of Clara's trip, and a few from Ireland in July. But over the next few weeks I'll be putting more up.
------
Well, that's it for another week. I'm taking it easy this weekend. Even though it's a long one, the funds are down having done so much travelling recently. So until next week …
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: 61% of professionals graduate from private universities.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Clara's Visit
Folks,
Apologies for the radio silence last week. My sister Clara had arrived the previous Wednesday, then we were away for the weekend, and then it was into a really busy week in work with the mid-term evaluations. Apologies also to people who have sent me emails and have got no reply. I hope to catch up next weekend.
Arrival from Cuba
---------------------
Clara arrived last Wednesday week, following a 3-week holiday in Cuba. She had an amazing time there and really loved it. She arrived here on the Wednesday. She had had a stopover in El Salvador, which she hadn't expected. She was most impressed with the views of what she thought was Costa Rica when landing. All was sorted out, however, at the baggage belt, when her luggage didn't arrive and she was redirected to the queue for the flight to San José.
Arte Vive
-----------
We went to Puerto Viejo last weekend. I love this laid-back Caribbean town, and our trip was made all the more memorable by co-inciding with their Arts Festival. We had marching bands, live music and a fire show.
On the Saturday, we decided to hire bikes and cycle to Manzanillo, a beautiful beach 13km south. It was a great journey. An easy flat cycle, and we stopped for a beer in an eco-lodge, which the lady American owner tried to sell to us. The lodge, not the beer. A snip at $350,000.
As we approached Manzanillo itself, the heavens opened and we were drenched in a tropical rainstorm. Even though we were soaked, myself and Jack went for a walk on the beach, leaving Clara happily in the bar. Jack tripped over a tree and broke his flip flops, so it was difficult for him to walk in them. Then on the way home he got a puncture. So he had an inoperable bike and unwalkable flip flops. He had to walk most of the way home in mine, which were way too big for him.
Mr Lava Lava
----------------
This weekend, myself and Clara headed up to La Fortuna for the Arenal Volcano. We met a hostal owner when we got off the bus, called Mr Lava Lava (slogan: Feel the Heat). He was a wonderful find. The hostal was cheap and clean, and he dropped us to a wonderful hot springs for the afternoon. For the price of the hot springs entrance he'd drop us there, collect us, bring us to the volcano, and drop us back for an evening in the springs. He said that if we still hadn't seen the volcano, he'd collect us at 10pm, and bring us back to the volcano.
The springs were fantastic. They weren't the same ones I'd been to before, but it's the height of luxury to bathe in hot springs sipping your cocktails. I've been to La Fortuna three times now, and we had the best view I've seen of the volcano from the town during the day. But you can only see the lava at night. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be that night. For our trips at 7pm and at 10 there was really low cloud, and we didn't see a thing. It's amazing that we could get a great view of the beautiful full moon that night, over 380,000km away, we couldn't see the volcano only 1km away.
Manuel Antonio
------------------
After the disappointment of the volcano we decided to head to Manual Antonio, my favorite village on the Pacific Coast. It's off season, so quite a bit quieter. But we had a a really beautiful relaxed day today, just lounging on the beach, reading, and popping in for a swim in the very powerful waves every now and again. I saw the lifeguards have to go into action several times.
Clara got dreadlocks in her hair earlier, so now, after a few beers on our hotel balcony, we're off to have a meal in the old Oliver North plane smuggled into Costa Rica to help the contras during the civil war in Nicaragua.
-----
I have a couple of days off, Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday is the Culture Day bank holiday, so I've an easy one-day-week ahead. So until next week,
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: Alterra (airport development contractors) confirm that they don't have funds to pay the banks
Apologies for the radio silence last week. My sister Clara had arrived the previous Wednesday, then we were away for the weekend, and then it was into a really busy week in work with the mid-term evaluations. Apologies also to people who have sent me emails and have got no reply. I hope to catch up next weekend.
Arrival from Cuba
---------------------
Clara arrived last Wednesday week, following a 3-week holiday in Cuba. She had an amazing time there and really loved it. She arrived here on the Wednesday. She had had a stopover in El Salvador, which she hadn't expected. She was most impressed with the views of what she thought was Costa Rica when landing. All was sorted out, however, at the baggage belt, when her luggage didn't arrive and she was redirected to the queue for the flight to San José.
Arte Vive
-----------
We went to Puerto Viejo last weekend. I love this laid-back Caribbean town, and our trip was made all the more memorable by co-inciding with their Arts Festival. We had marching bands, live music and a fire show.
On the Saturday, we decided to hire bikes and cycle to Manzanillo, a beautiful beach 13km south. It was a great journey. An easy flat cycle, and we stopped for a beer in an eco-lodge, which the lady American owner tried to sell to us. The lodge, not the beer. A snip at $350,000.
As we approached Manzanillo itself, the heavens opened and we were drenched in a tropical rainstorm. Even though we were soaked, myself and Jack went for a walk on the beach, leaving Clara happily in the bar. Jack tripped over a tree and broke his flip flops, so it was difficult for him to walk in them. Then on the way home he got a puncture. So he had an inoperable bike and unwalkable flip flops. He had to walk most of the way home in mine, which were way too big for him.
Mr Lava Lava
----------------
This weekend, myself and Clara headed up to La Fortuna for the Arenal Volcano. We met a hostal owner when we got off the bus, called Mr Lava Lava (slogan: Feel the Heat). He was a wonderful find. The hostal was cheap and clean, and he dropped us to a wonderful hot springs for the afternoon. For the price of the hot springs entrance he'd drop us there, collect us, bring us to the volcano, and drop us back for an evening in the springs. He said that if we still hadn't seen the volcano, he'd collect us at 10pm, and bring us back to the volcano.
The springs were fantastic. They weren't the same ones I'd been to before, but it's the height of luxury to bathe in hot springs sipping your cocktails. I've been to La Fortuna three times now, and we had the best view I've seen of the volcano from the town during the day. But you can only see the lava at night. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be that night. For our trips at 7pm and at 10 there was really low cloud, and we didn't see a thing. It's amazing that we could get a great view of the beautiful full moon that night, over 380,000km away, we couldn't see the volcano only 1km away.
Manuel Antonio
------------------
After the disappointment of the volcano we decided to head to Manual Antonio, my favorite village on the Pacific Coast. It's off season, so quite a bit quieter. But we had a a really beautiful relaxed day today, just lounging on the beach, reading, and popping in for a swim in the very powerful waves every now and again. I saw the lifeguards have to go into action several times.
Clara got dreadlocks in her hair earlier, so now, after a few beers on our hotel balcony, we're off to have a meal in the old Oliver North plane smuggled into Costa Rica to help the contras during the civil war in Nicaragua.
-----
I have a couple of days off, Monday and Tuesday, and Thursday is the Culture Day bank holiday, so I've an easy one-day-week ahead. So until next week,
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: Alterra (airport development contractors) confirm that they don't have funds to pay the banks
Monday, September 25, 2006
Student Night Out
Folks,
This week, I had a lovely night out with my students, we were able to follow the Ryder Cup coverage from Ireland, and we've been having a few power cuts during storms.
Night out
------------
One of my classes suggested that we go out on Wednesday night. I rarely socialise with students, and I immediately thought that it would be a great way to practice Spanish. So we went to a bar called Cunningham's (sounds Irish, but it isn't) in a suburb of Heredia called San Pablo. We had good food and drink, and a bilingual chat. They said that my Spanish isn't as bad as I'd said and, as usual, it improved with the beer.
One of the students said that he felt like a real Irish man having meat and potatoes as his meal.
The bar was playing a DVD of a Bon Jovi concert from London. It really reminded me of the beautiful evening light, which you never get here. I tried to point it out to my students, but they didn't really get what I was talking about.
The Ryder Cup
-------------------
We get some of the US network stations during the day, but not during prime time. So I was able to watch the NBC coverage of the Ryder Cup. It was interesting to see it from the American perspective. They were extremely complimentary about the Irish organisation and the fans.
They found the weather hilarious. "And now it's a real downpour. But here if you stick around for a few minutes there'll be sun. There's no such thing as a forecast around here." Although I have to say that the beautiful evening light did make an appearance on the final day.
When they went to ad breaks, there would be some sort of Bord Fáilte clip showing tourist Dublin or other parts of the country. St. Patrick's Cathedral or the Wicklow Coast. One clip showed the Luas in various locations around Dublin. "Well," said the commentator, "they sure have some pretty buses in Dublin."
Power Cuts
---------
I think we're inclined to take our electricity supply for granted in Ireland. I have had power cuts in many countries when I've travelled, including in Australia and the US. We're in storm season now, so they're becoming more common here. It's one of the problems I had when I was teaching with English Horizons on the internet.
It surprises Students that I've hardly ever had experience of power cuts at home. I remember some during strikes when I was a kid. But since I bought my house 19 years ago I don't think I can remember a time when I lost electricity.
We've had a couple of cuts in the past week. They rarely last for more than half an hour, but you don't know when it's going to come back. The other night I woke up in the early hours to hear the TV blaring in Spanish. It had been on standby, and started up full blast again after a power cut.
------
Well, that's it for another week. My sister Clara arrives some time this week, I'm still not sure when! So hopefully we'll have a bit of travelling while she's here. So until next week.
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: Patients suffer torture in St. John of Gods
This week, I had a lovely night out with my students, we were able to follow the Ryder Cup coverage from Ireland, and we've been having a few power cuts during storms.
Night out
------------
One of my classes suggested that we go out on Wednesday night. I rarely socialise with students, and I immediately thought that it would be a great way to practice Spanish. So we went to a bar called Cunningham's (sounds Irish, but it isn't) in a suburb of Heredia called San Pablo. We had good food and drink, and a bilingual chat. They said that my Spanish isn't as bad as I'd said and, as usual, it improved with the beer.
One of the students said that he felt like a real Irish man having meat and potatoes as his meal.
The bar was playing a DVD of a Bon Jovi concert from London. It really reminded me of the beautiful evening light, which you never get here. I tried to point it out to my students, but they didn't really get what I was talking about.
The Ryder Cup
-------------------
We get some of the US network stations during the day, but not during prime time. So I was able to watch the NBC coverage of the Ryder Cup. It was interesting to see it from the American perspective. They were extremely complimentary about the Irish organisation and the fans.
They found the weather hilarious. "And now it's a real downpour. But here if you stick around for a few minutes there'll be sun. There's no such thing as a forecast around here." Although I have to say that the beautiful evening light did make an appearance on the final day.
When they went to ad breaks, there would be some sort of Bord Fáilte clip showing tourist Dublin or other parts of the country. St. Patrick's Cathedral or the Wicklow Coast. One clip showed the Luas in various locations around Dublin. "Well," said the commentator, "they sure have some pretty buses in Dublin."
Power Cuts
---------
I think we're inclined to take our electricity supply for granted in Ireland. I have had power cuts in many countries when I've travelled, including in Australia and the US. We're in storm season now, so they're becoming more common here. It's one of the problems I had when I was teaching with English Horizons on the internet.
It surprises Students that I've hardly ever had experience of power cuts at home. I remember some during strikes when I was a kid. But since I bought my house 19 years ago I don't think I can remember a time when I lost electricity.
We've had a couple of cuts in the past week. They rarely last for more than half an hour, but you don't know when it's going to come back. The other night I woke up in the early hours to hear the TV blaring in Spanish. It had been on standby, and started up full blast again after a power cut.
------
Well, that's it for another week. My sister Clara arrives some time this week, I'm still not sure when! So hopefully we'll have a bit of travelling while she's here. So until next week.
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: Patients suffer torture in St. John of Gods
Monday, September 18, 2006
Día de la Independencia
The week felt very long, as it always does when I do Spanish. I've now completed book 10 of 13, but with lots of practice needed on speaking to actually use it.
Hard luck, Mayo
--------------------
I got up today at 8.20 so I could listen to the All-Ireland on the RTÉ radio, streaming by internet. Although I regretted seeing Dublin exit in the semis, I support Mayo as my second team because of our many family links with the county. Unfortunately, the match didn't go to plan. I cringed on the couch as Kerry went further and further ahead. Hard luck, Mayo, it wasn't to be.
Día de la Independencia
------------------------------
Costa Rica celebrated its Independence Day on Friday. They achieved independence from Spain in 1821, initially as part of the Central American federation, and a few years later as a fully independent nation. All week the country has been decked out in the red, white and blue colours of the national flag.
Celebrations kicked off on Thursday night with a torch ceremony – the news of independence arrived by runners carrying torches from Guatemala. That's a pretty long run!
As a Spanish student this week, I had to participate in the celebrations in the school on Thursday. A rather embarrassing affair with local music, masked clowns and dancing. I also had to give a presentation, in Spanish, on the geography of Guatemala!
On Friday, we woke up to the sound of loud canon-like explosions marking the start of the parades, at 9am. I popped out for a look. The marchers are mainly bands representing the local schools, and it took 2 hours for them all to go by. The kids hold up signs they made saying things like, Liberty, Democracy, Freedom, and The Rights and Responsibilities of Children. The sun shone down strongly on the parade. Despite the torrential rain we get most afternoons now, the mornings can be very hot. I got sunburnt on my head and neck. The teachers had to mount a huge operation to get little bags of water to the marching kids regularly. It reminded me of the Irish soccer team in USA '94.
George
---------
Anyone who has been over to stay with us has met George. George works as the car parking guy in the street outside our apartment. Like most car parking guys, his job seems completely unnecessary, as everyone can park their cars unassisted. He also takes great interest in everybody's lives, and knows the comings and goings from everybody's houses and apartments. Myself and Jack have to give him an obligatory 'high five' when we leave to go out.
Our landlord, Carlos, doesn't trust him, and won't even let me pay the rent in view of the window if he sees George outside. So it surprised us, when we arrived home from the local bar last night, to see him inside the gate of the apartments. He was sitting very comfortably on the stairs with our new neighbour, Jackie from Aruba. They seemed quite embarrassed when we interrupted.
------
Well, that's it for another week. This is an easier week without Spanish. I'm delighted to be writing again on Sunday, because I've been late for the past few weeks. So until next week.
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Today's headline from La Nación: University students face saturated labour market
Hard luck, Mayo
--------------------
I got up today at 8.20 so I could listen to the All-Ireland on the RTÉ radio, streaming by internet. Although I regretted seeing Dublin exit in the semis, I support Mayo as my second team because of our many family links with the county. Unfortunately, the match didn't go to plan. I cringed on the couch as Kerry went further and further ahead. Hard luck, Mayo, it wasn't to be.
Día de la Independencia
------------------------------
Costa Rica celebrated its Independence Day on Friday. They achieved independence from Spain in 1821, initially as part of the Central American federation, and a few years later as a fully independent nation. All week the country has been decked out in the red, white and blue colours of the national flag.
Celebrations kicked off on Thursday night with a torch ceremony – the news of independence arrived by runners carrying torches from Guatemala. That's a pretty long run!
As a Spanish student this week, I had to participate in the celebrations in the school on Thursday. A rather embarrassing affair with local music, masked clowns and dancing. I also had to give a presentation, in Spanish, on the geography of Guatemala!
On Friday, we woke up to the sound of loud canon-like explosions marking the start of the parades, at 9am. I popped out for a look. The marchers are mainly bands representing the local schools, and it took 2 hours for them all to go by. The kids hold up signs they made saying things like, Liberty, Democracy, Freedom, and The Rights and Responsibilities of Children. The sun shone down strongly on the parade. Despite the torrential rain we get most afternoons now, the mornings can be very hot. I got sunburnt on my head and neck. The teachers had to mount a huge operation to get little bags of water to the marching kids regularly. It reminded me of the Irish soccer team in USA '94.
George
---------
Anyone who has been over to stay with us has met George. George works as the car parking guy in the street outside our apartment. Like most car parking guys, his job seems completely unnecessary, as everyone can park their cars unassisted. He also takes great interest in everybody's lives, and knows the comings and goings from everybody's houses and apartments. Myself and Jack have to give him an obligatory 'high five' when we leave to go out.
Our landlord, Carlos, doesn't trust him, and won't even let me pay the rent in view of the window if he sees George outside. So it surprised us, when we arrived home from the local bar last night, to see him inside the gate of the apartments. He was sitting very comfortably on the stairs with our new neighbour, Jackie from Aruba. They seemed quite embarrassed when we interrupted.
------
Well, that's it for another week. This is an easier week without Spanish. I'm delighted to be writing again on Sunday, because I've been late for the past few weeks. So until next week.
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Today's headline from La Nación: University students face saturated labour market
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Holes in His Pockets
It's a busy week, as I'm back doing Spanish classes, so it's back to long days at the school.
Spanish classes
-------------------------
Both myself and Jack are doing classes this week. I qualify for 4 weeks of free classes because I've been over a year with the school, and I can pass them on to Jack. So he started on Book 1 yesterday.
The Colón
---------------
Despite the fact that the currency, the Colón (with the emphasis on the second syllable, and therefore not the same pronunciation as your colon) is constantly falling, it continues to burn a hole in my pockets. Literally.
The coins are big, chunky and heavy. They range from ₡ 500 (about 76c) down to ₡5 (less than a cent), and I have holes in the pockets of every pair of jeans.
However, the Central Bank of Costa Rica has come to the rescue. The new ₡5 and ₡ 10 coins are tiny, and made out of metal so light that they're like something from a kids toy. They could blow away. And when they issue new coins, they don't recall the old ones. So there are now three versions of these coins in circulation. The big old silver ones, the mediums sized gold ones, and now the new monopoly money ones.
When we arrived a dollar would buy ₡467, now it will get you ₡519, so a fall of 10%. For this reason a lot of our bills and our rent are denominated in dollars.
Engrish.com
-------------------
My favourite website of the week is www.engrish.com. It highlights signs, notices and menus, mainly from Asia, which are in bad English. We were looking at it in the staff room the other day and they're hilarious.
For example the t-shirt that says Elvis is Dead, Sinatra is Dead, and me I feel also not so good. Or the I love NY, California shirt. Or the toy packaging that says A dangerous toy. This toy is being made for the extremely priority the good looks. The little part which suffocates when the sharp part which gets hurt is swallowed is contained generously. Only the person who can take responsibility by itself is to play. And I do like the Cut Throat Hair Salon.
God Save the Queen
------------------------------
When we were coming back from the Hotel Fiesta (this is the third week it's featured, I'm getting great mileage out of it) I was dozing in the bus while a sing song got going down the back. I woke up to hear Julia, from Birmingham singing Rule Britannia, followed by God Save the Queen. When I looked back to see what was going on, my boss Barbara told me I should help her sing it.
I said it wasn't exactly my song. "But aren't you part of Britain?" she asked. "Isn't it England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland?"
Working Saturdays
----------------------------
I've now finished my Saturday rotation. I work five weeks on and five weeks off on Saturdays between 9am and 3.30pm, so now I'm going to have a string of long 3 day weekends until I'm back again on 21 st October. The timing is perfect, as my sister Clara arrives on 29th September for 2 weeks, so hopefully we'll get a chance to do a bit of travelling.
------
Well, that's it for another week. The weather continues to get wetter. The mornings are still beautiful, but the rain gets earlier every day, and lasts longer. Last weekend it didn't seem to stop at all. I'm watching the clock now, because I'm working in 20 minutes, so I've got to dash. Oh, if anyone didn't get last weeks mail, filtered because of a bad word, let me now and I'll send you the clean version!
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: Convicts with mental problems spend 20 years in psychiatric hospitals.
Spanish classes
-------------------------
Both myself and Jack are doing classes this week. I qualify for 4 weeks of free classes because I've been over a year with the school, and I can pass them on to Jack. So he started on Book 1 yesterday.
The Colón
---------------
Despite the fact that the currency, the Colón (with the emphasis on the second syllable, and therefore not the same pronunciation as your colon) is constantly falling, it continues to burn a hole in my pockets. Literally.
The coins are big, chunky and heavy. They range from ₡ 500 (about 76c) down to ₡5 (less than a cent), and I have holes in the pockets of every pair of jeans.
However, the Central Bank of Costa Rica has come to the rescue. The new ₡5 and ₡ 10 coins are tiny, and made out of metal so light that they're like something from a kids toy. They could blow away. And when they issue new coins, they don't recall the old ones. So there are now three versions of these coins in circulation. The big old silver ones, the mediums sized gold ones, and now the new monopoly money ones.
When we arrived a dollar would buy ₡467, now it will get you ₡519, so a fall of 10%. For this reason a lot of our bills and our rent are denominated in dollars.
Engrish.com
-------------------
My favourite website of the week is www.engrish.com. It highlights signs, notices and menus, mainly from Asia, which are in bad English. We were looking at it in the staff room the other day and they're hilarious.
For example the t-shirt that says Elvis is Dead, Sinatra is Dead, and me I feel also not so good. Or the I love NY, California shirt. Or the toy packaging that says A dangerous toy. This toy is being made for the extremely priority the good looks. The little part which suffocates when the sharp part which gets hurt is swallowed is contained generously. Only the person who can take responsibility by itself is to play. And I do like the Cut Throat Hair Salon.
God Save the Queen
------------------------------
When we were coming back from the Hotel Fiesta (this is the third week it's featured, I'm getting great mileage out of it) I was dozing in the bus while a sing song got going down the back. I woke up to hear Julia, from Birmingham singing Rule Britannia, followed by God Save the Queen. When I looked back to see what was going on, my boss Barbara told me I should help her sing it.
I said it wasn't exactly my song. "But aren't you part of Britain?" she asked. "Isn't it England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland?"
Working Saturdays
----------------------------
I've now finished my Saturday rotation. I work five weeks on and five weeks off on Saturdays between 9am and 3.30pm, so now I'm going to have a string of long 3 day weekends until I'm back again on 21 st October. The timing is perfect, as my sister Clara arrives on 29th September for 2 weeks, so hopefully we'll get a chance to do a bit of travelling.
------
Well, that's it for another week. The weather continues to get wetter. The mornings are still beautiful, but the rain gets earlier every day, and lasts longer. Last weekend it didn't seem to stop at all. I'm watching the clock now, because I'm working in 20 minutes, so I've got to dash. Oh, if anyone didn't get last weeks mail, filtered because of a bad word, let me now and I'll send you the clean version!
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Sunday's headline from La Nación: Convicts with mental problems spend 20 years in psychiatric hospitals.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Early Mornings
I had an early class this morning. I know a 9am start seems like a bad thing when I'm not a morning person, and usually don't start until 4pm. But it was such a beautiful sunny morning it put me in great form.
Trying early mornings
---------------------------
Some of you will know of Jack Black. He's a personal development guru that was very much in vogue in Irish Life when I was there. One thing that he promotes is an internal alarm clock, which you use to wake yourself up in the morning instead of a physical alarm clock. You just think about the time you want to wake up at when you're going to bed. To my utter amazement, it actually works. Even for me, who needed an alarm clock and the radio at full volume snoozing every 10 minutes for about an hour before I got up. I'm using my Jack Black alarm clock since I came back from Ireland, and although I'm still not a morning person, I am more alert when I get up.
It even worked on Saturday, after a night out at the housewarming of another teacher's apartment when I got to bed after two, and had to be up for class starting at 9. I woke at 7.40 as planned.
The Tico day
----------------
I keep thinking that it would be better if I could move my day to start earlier and to go earlier to bed. That's the Tico way. Most people get up between 5.30 and 6.30. I guess it's because it's bright so early in the morning and dark so early in the evening. But, also, at this time of the year the weather breaks about lunchtime, and it moves from being a beautiful morning into a cloudy and extremely rainy afternoon and evening. Although I have to say it's actually hotter now in winter than in the 'summer' or dry season!
So I'm gradually trying to reposition my day. Not with anything so dramatic as getting up at 6.30, but earlier. You wouldn't believe how many times we go to bed while hearing my landlord and his family get up for the day ahead.
Bodily functions
-------------------
One cultural difference between English speaking countries and Costa Rica is the Tico attitude to all aspects of the bodily digestive process. Students have a huge interest if someone has bowel problems. A lovely Colombian student had such problems on Saturday, and was in and out of the class constantly. The other students enquired how things were after every toilet trip. And she happily shared unembarrassed.
When we were going to the Fiesta Hotel, Marcelo, the head of the school, announced to everyone 'Please do number 2s here before getting on the bus'.
On the way back we stopped, he told us, so everyone can 'make piss'. (I hope that doesn't have this email rejecting from all your work filter programs!)
Ron's party
--------------
One of my fellow teachers, Ron, a surfer from California, has moved to a new apartment. He had a housewarming party on Friday night.
The apartment is very typical of apartments in Heredia, and reminded me how lucky we've been. It's basically one main room, with a living area and a sink. There is no cooker, or indeed any furniture at all. We are the only people I know who have a fully furnished apartment.
------
Well, that's it for another week. I began writing yesterday, Monday, but it's now Tuesday. I haven't been writing all through though! It's coming up to 1pm, and the sky is clouding over.
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Today's headline from La Nación: Oirsa paid the salaries of supervisors in MAG
Trying early mornings
---------------------------
Some of you will know of Jack Black. He's a personal development guru that was very much in vogue in Irish Life when I was there. One thing that he promotes is an internal alarm clock, which you use to wake yourself up in the morning instead of a physical alarm clock. You just think about the time you want to wake up at when you're going to bed. To my utter amazement, it actually works. Even for me, who needed an alarm clock and the radio at full volume snoozing every 10 minutes for about an hour before I got up. I'm using my Jack Black alarm clock since I came back from Ireland, and although I'm still not a morning person, I am more alert when I get up.
It even worked on Saturday, after a night out at the housewarming of another teacher's apartment when I got to bed after two, and had to be up for class starting at 9. I woke at 7.40 as planned.
The Tico day
----------------
I keep thinking that it would be better if I could move my day to start earlier and to go earlier to bed. That's the Tico way. Most people get up between 5.30 and 6.30. I guess it's because it's bright so early in the morning and dark so early in the evening. But, also, at this time of the year the weather breaks about lunchtime, and it moves from being a beautiful morning into a cloudy and extremely rainy afternoon and evening. Although I have to say it's actually hotter now in winter than in the 'summer' or dry season!
So I'm gradually trying to reposition my day. Not with anything so dramatic as getting up at 6.30, but earlier. You wouldn't believe how many times we go to bed while hearing my landlord and his family get up for the day ahead.
Bodily functions
-------------------
One cultural difference between English speaking countries and Costa Rica is the Tico attitude to all aspects of the bodily digestive process. Students have a huge interest if someone has bowel problems. A lovely Colombian student had such problems on Saturday, and was in and out of the class constantly. The other students enquired how things were after every toilet trip. And she happily shared unembarrassed.
When we were going to the Fiesta Hotel, Marcelo, the head of the school, announced to everyone 'Please do number 2s here before getting on the bus'.
On the way back we stopped, he told us, so everyone can 'make piss'. (I hope that doesn't have this email rejecting from all your work filter programs!)
Ron's party
--------------
One of my fellow teachers, Ron, a surfer from California, has moved to a new apartment. He had a housewarming party on Friday night.
The apartment is very typical of apartments in Heredia, and reminded me how lucky we've been. It's basically one main room, with a living area and a sink. There is no cooker, or indeed any furniture at all. We are the only people I know who have a fully furnished apartment.
------
Well, that's it for another week. I began writing yesterday, Monday, but it's now Tuesday. I haven't been writing all through though! It's coming up to 1pm, and the sky is clouding over.
Pura Vida,
Éamon
Today's headline from La Nación: Oirsa paid the salaries of supervisors in MAG
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