Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Frustrating
Warning: This is just a long ill-flowing rant. Feel free to bypass.
I went to the school this morning to talk with the director about Dane being in 2nd grade. She wasn't there but the Kinder teacher who speaks so-so english tried to help me. I questioned why Dane was in 2nd grade when he was only 6. She explained that the school year starts on February 15th and that a 1st grader needed to be 5 years & 9 months by that date (or so I understood). Perfect I said. His birthday is April 1st, so he is over 5 years and 9 months by then. In fact he is 5 years and 10.5 months to be exact. But no. She said they have to be younger than 5 years and 9 months by that date. We went round and round because I thought I misunderstood her. I asked why there were 8 year olds in the 2nd grade with him. I have no idea what she said. Then she told me he could go in Kinder. Apparently he is too old for 1st grade, but he is not too old for Kinder.
And therein lies my frustration.
If they had just put him in Kinder from the beginning there would be no problem. Dane wouldn't have known anything else. But now, the thought of going from 2nd grade (that he doesn't belong in) to Kinder, is a blow to the little guys ego. In fact, he is telling me he won't go. I think a big part of it is that he doesn't want to go to the unknown. He already got the first day of being the new kid over with, and doesn't want to do it again.
The kicker in this whole ordeal? Kinder has a different uniform. Which would mean another hour long bus ride to Nicoya, and even more money on uniforms.
Honestly, I think he would be bored in Kinder. I think they are covering preschool material. But in his current class, there are 2 8-year-old english speaking kids (maybe from France?), and the little girl is nice enough to "help" Dane with all his work. And all his work comes home in her handwriting. I'm afraid he is not getting the spanish interaction that we came for in that class.
Why oh why can't they just place him in 1st grade?
I went back this afternoon with a big box of donations I brought down. Secretly, I was hoping the gift might win me some favor from the principal to get this grade thing fixed. Sadly, she wasn't there and I handed it over to the teachers. Who knows where it will end up and if she'll even know we brought it.
I think I might force him to try Kinder tomorrow. Being that his 2nd grade teacher has a meeting in Nicoya, and none of the 2nd graders have school, it's a perfect day to try the class. Yes, you read that right. The teacher is busy, so school is cancelled for 2nd graders.
Welcome to Costa Rica. In so many ways it is not 3rd world here. But in some ways, it so is.
I went to the school this morning to talk with the director about Dane being in 2nd grade. She wasn't there but the Kinder teacher who speaks so-so english tried to help me. I questioned why Dane was in 2nd grade when he was only 6. She explained that the school year starts on February 15th and that a 1st grader needed to be 5 years & 9 months by that date (or so I understood). Perfect I said. His birthday is April 1st, so he is over 5 years and 9 months by then. In fact he is 5 years and 10.5 months to be exact. But no. She said they have to be younger than 5 years and 9 months by that date. We went round and round because I thought I misunderstood her. I asked why there were 8 year olds in the 2nd grade with him. I have no idea what she said. Then she told me he could go in Kinder. Apparently he is too old for 1st grade, but he is not too old for Kinder.
And therein lies my frustration.
If they had just put him in Kinder from the beginning there would be no problem. Dane wouldn't have known anything else. But now, the thought of going from 2nd grade (that he doesn't belong in) to Kinder, is a blow to the little guys ego. In fact, he is telling me he won't go. I think a big part of it is that he doesn't want to go to the unknown. He already got the first day of being the new kid over with, and doesn't want to do it again.
The kicker in this whole ordeal? Kinder has a different uniform. Which would mean another hour long bus ride to Nicoya, and even more money on uniforms.
Honestly, I think he would be bored in Kinder. I think they are covering preschool material. But in his current class, there are 2 8-year-old english speaking kids (maybe from France?), and the little girl is nice enough to "help" Dane with all his work. And all his work comes home in her handwriting. I'm afraid he is not getting the spanish interaction that we came for in that class.
Why oh why can't they just place him in 1st grade?
I went back this afternoon with a big box of donations I brought down. Secretly, I was hoping the gift might win me some favor from the principal to get this grade thing fixed. Sadly, she wasn't there and I handed it over to the teachers. Who knows where it will end up and if she'll even know we brought it.
I think I might force him to try Kinder tomorrow. Being that his 2nd grade teacher has a meeting in Nicoya, and none of the 2nd graders have school, it's a perfect day to try the class. Yes, you read that right. The teacher is busy, so school is cancelled for 2nd graders.
Welcome to Costa Rica. In so many ways it is not 3rd world here. But in some ways, it so is.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The scoop on school
While the big kids were at school we took the opportunity to explore town with Zeke. We took a long walk, and ended up seeing some wild horses. The tide was high so we couldn't make the loop along the beach that brings you back into town. So we made a U-turn and high-tailed it back to get the kids on time. We had a nice refreshing drizzle. We haven't seen much sun yet, but the warm weather makes up for the lack of sunshine.
We picked up the kids from school and found out 3 interesting things.
1. Dane was put in 2nd grade. He just finished Kindergarten at home. I requested that he be put with kids his own age (6). I asked another girl in his class how old she was and she said 8. Dane can barely write, so this should be interesting. (Genevieve was put in 3rd grade)
2. Genevieve was called Jennifer all day by both the teacher and classmates. She said she tried to correct them at first but they didn't understand, so she let them continue to call her Jennifer.
3. They fed the kids lunch at school. The kids said they had rice, salad, and potatoes. And they said they ate it (that might be the bigger surprise).
Genevieve said she made some friends. A girl named Amanda stayed with her the whole time. At recess she even bought Genevieve a snack from one of the street vendors that comes up to the school fence selling stuff. Ay yay yay! I never thought to tell the kids to not eat off the street because I didn't think it was a possibility for them. Lets hope those probiotics are doing their work!
Dane gave us less info, but that is par for the course. Genevieve complained that all they did was write all day long. The good news is, even if they don't especially like school they get done at 11:20, so they have the rest of the time to enjoy the beach, pool, and town.
All in all, I don't think they loved it, but I don't think they hated it either.
Here we are having a first day of school treat of helados!
And now a dip in the pool. I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty spoiled.
We picked up the kids from school and found out 3 interesting things.
1. Dane was put in 2nd grade. He just finished Kindergarten at home. I requested that he be put with kids his own age (6). I asked another girl in his class how old she was and she said 8. Dane can barely write, so this should be interesting. (Genevieve was put in 3rd grade)
2. Genevieve was called Jennifer all day by both the teacher and classmates. She said she tried to correct them at first but they didn't understand, so she let them continue to call her Jennifer.
3. They fed the kids lunch at school. The kids said they had rice, salad, and potatoes. And they said they ate it (that might be the bigger surprise).
Genevieve said she made some friends. A girl named Amanda stayed with her the whole time. At recess she even bought Genevieve a snack from one of the street vendors that comes up to the school fence selling stuff. Ay yay yay! I never thought to tell the kids to not eat off the street because I didn't think it was a possibility for them. Lets hope those probiotics are doing their work!
Dane gave us less info, but that is par for the course. Genevieve complained that all they did was write all day long. The good news is, even if they don't especially like school they get done at 11:20, so they have the rest of the time to enjoy the beach, pool, and town.
All in all, I don't think they loved it, but I don't think they hated it either.
Here we are having a first day of school treat of helados!
And now a dip in the pool. I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty spoiled.
Escuela
Genevieve & Dane just left for school. Praying for a good first day!
and this little guy is
Actually he just woke up as I was uploading this pic.
Let the games begin!
and this little guy is
Actually he just woke up as I was uploading this pic.
Let the games begin!
Monday, June 7, 2010
My spanish is no bueno
First, a few words.
Hot.
Sticky.
Sweaty.
We have had sporadic rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. I hear this is typical of the rainy season.
This is the view from our patio with the sun peaking through.
Today was a good day! We had a leisure morning and then went over to the school to talk about the kids attending. The director didn't speak any english, and Genevieve was too embarrassed to translate. I really thought I could get by with my sucky spanish, but there are not too many people here that speak any english. Talking with the director today (and I use word "talk" loosely as there was an awful lot of miming going on) was motivation for me to really work on my spanish. So yah. If you want an immersion experience for yourself or kids, I think Samara is a good choice!
Luke took the kids to the beach while I took the bus to Nicoya to get the rest of the kids school uniforms. It was a 1 hour bus ride through beautiful lush foliage. I found the tienda and bought the supplies and headed to the super mercado grande for some groceries.
From the bus....
Some pics of Nicoya....
They actually have real grocery stores there. Shopping back in Samara is like shopping in a campground store. Small, over-priced food, and not quite everything you need. The store in Nicoya has most everything, but a lot of it is crazy prices. For example, a block of parmesan cheese was $25! Needless to say, I didn't buy it!
We had a nice dinner of spaghetti, garlic bread, and watermelon on our porch.
The bugs here are huge and plentiful. If I could just get used to the occasional sighting of these guys both outside and inside our villa, I'll be fine (does a dozen in 24 hours qualify as occasional?).
I know there was more excitement today, but it all runs together. I'll try to post more often when it's fresh in my memory.
I'm off to bed since the kids start school at 7:00 am tomorrow. No, that wasn't a typo. Siete!!!! (which is like 6:00 am until our bodies adjust to the time change). Did I mention we don't have an alarm clock?
They are in school from 7:00 to 11:20. The older grades go in the afternoon. Hoping for a good day for the kids tomorrow. Genevieve was a little nervous tonight, and I don't blame her. I hope the little niños are nice to my kids!
Buenos noches!
Hot.
Sticky.
Sweaty.
We have had sporadic rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. I hear this is typical of the rainy season.
This is the view from our patio with the sun peaking through.
Today was a good day! We had a leisure morning and then went over to the school to talk about the kids attending. The director didn't speak any english, and Genevieve was too embarrassed to translate. I really thought I could get by with my sucky spanish, but there are not too many people here that speak any english. Talking with the director today (and I use word "talk" loosely as there was an awful lot of miming going on) was motivation for me to really work on my spanish. So yah. If you want an immersion experience for yourself or kids, I think Samara is a good choice!
Luke took the kids to the beach while I took the bus to Nicoya to get the rest of the kids school uniforms. It was a 1 hour bus ride through beautiful lush foliage. I found the tienda and bought the supplies and headed to the super mercado grande for some groceries.
From the bus....
Some pics of Nicoya....
They actually have real grocery stores there. Shopping back in Samara is like shopping in a campground store. Small, over-priced food, and not quite everything you need. The store in Nicoya has most everything, but a lot of it is crazy prices. For example, a block of parmesan cheese was $25! Needless to say, I didn't buy it!
We had a nice dinner of spaghetti, garlic bread, and watermelon on our porch.
The bugs here are huge and plentiful. If I could just get used to the occasional sighting of these guys both outside and inside our villa, I'll be fine (does a dozen in 24 hours qualify as occasional?).
I know there was more excitement today, but it all runs together. I'll try to post more often when it's fresh in my memory.
I'm off to bed since the kids start school at 7:00 am tomorrow. No, that wasn't a typo. Siete!!!! (which is like 6:00 am until our bodies adjust to the time change). Did I mention we don't have an alarm clock?
They are in school from 7:00 to 11:20. The older grades go in the afternoon. Hoping for a good day for the kids tomorrow. Genevieve was a little nervous tonight, and I don't blame her. I hope the little niños are nice to my kids!
Buenos noches!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
We really made it!
Our flight was delayed in Dallas by about an hour and a half but we made it!
Not without a code 4 emergency though.
The kids were playing at the gate while we waited for the plane to be ready. And somehow, some way, "blue blanket" and "puppy" disappeared. We didn't realize it until about 15 minutes into the flight.
We had already planned on, talked up and executed the departure of the binky for this trip (it was beyond time). We have been binky-free for about a day and a half and he's doing great. Now the poor guy doesn't have any of his comforts from home. He's in our bed right now, and all seems well. Praying he will adjust better than we expect.
We would really like to track down blue blanket and puppy, but it's not so easy from here.
If you are so inclined to help with that, Zeke would be indebted to you forevermore!
We think we lost it at gate D20 at the DFW airport on June 6th getting on an AA flight. It was a blue blanket with white trim, and a tiny little tan webkins puppy.
The drive to Samara was beautiful. We stopped in Nicoya at the Maxi Bodega to buy a few groceries, and we hoped to by the remaining pieces of the kids school uniforms. Unfortunately the tiendas that carry the uniforms were closed (Sunday afternoon).
Tomorrow we will go talk to the school about the kids, and hopefully they will start Tuesday.
We had dinner at El Lagarto, a restaurant on the beach. The food was good, but expensive, as is most everything in town. We'll be cooking most of our meals.
We finished off the day with unpacking and a dip in the pool.
I tried to post a video clip but it's not working. Maybe tomorrow.
Buenos Noches!
Not without a code 4 emergency though.
The kids were playing at the gate while we waited for the plane to be ready. And somehow, some way, "blue blanket" and "puppy" disappeared. We didn't realize it until about 15 minutes into the flight.
We had already planned on, talked up and executed the departure of the binky for this trip (it was beyond time). We have been binky-free for about a day and a half and he's doing great. Now the poor guy doesn't have any of his comforts from home. He's in our bed right now, and all seems well. Praying he will adjust better than we expect.
We would really like to track down blue blanket and puppy, but it's not so easy from here.
If you are so inclined to help with that, Zeke would be indebted to you forevermore!
We think we lost it at gate D20 at the DFW airport on June 6th getting on an AA flight. It was a blue blanket with white trim, and a tiny little tan webkins puppy.
The drive to Samara was beautiful. We stopped in Nicoya at the Maxi Bodega to buy a few groceries, and we hoped to by the remaining pieces of the kids school uniforms. Unfortunately the tiendas that carry the uniforms were closed (Sunday afternoon).
Tomorrow we will go talk to the school about the kids, and hopefully they will start Tuesday.
We had dinner at El Lagarto, a restaurant on the beach. The food was good, but expensive, as is most everything in town. We'll be cooking most of our meals.
We finished off the day with unpacking and a dip in the pool.
I tried to post a video clip but it's not working. Maybe tomorrow.
Buenos Noches!
Getting ready to leave Dallas
Here's Zeke showing off his passport.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
On our way!
I've had almost no sleep, no food, my house is a mess and I didn't get
a shower, but we made it!
(I'm most sad about the shower)
Friday, June 4, 2010
Upcoming weather in Sámara
Yikes! Looks like it will be hot and wet!
Even though I knew it was the rainy season when I planned the trip, all my little pictures in my head of how it will be are of sunny 75 degree days =). I think I better start daydreaming in the hot and steamy mode.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The final hours.....and doubt!
minus....?)
And I am officially overwhelmed, and in the crazy cycle.
What was I thinking?
This is nuts.
I can't be a single parent in a foreign country.
I don't know Spanish.
What if the kids hate it?
What if it's nothing like I pictured?
What if someone gets sick or hurt?
What if I didn't pack enough ranch dressing packets?
Yes, my craziness extends to ranch dressing.
Because....going to Costa Rica means eating a lot of salad. Obviously.
Nope, there's no explaining the crazy cycle. It's just where I'm at.
Sleep (lack of) and stress are the culprits.
And I might have cried today when I picked up Dane from school.
Just maybe.
So if you see me weeping in the next 40 hours, there's probably no explanation.
Except that I am trying to pack up my entire life in suitcases, and tie up all loose ends here (school, business, home, pets, plants, bills, mail, presents, ETCETERA) before we board the plane. In T minus 39 hours.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Packing
Lucky for us American Airlines hasn't done baggage restrictions for Costa Rica. So technically we are each allowed two 50 pound bags plus a carry-on. That's 500 pound for our whole family. I hope to not be anywhere close to that!
However I am bringing down quite a bit of stuff. I have packed some new inexpensive toys and activities for our kids, things we can leave there when we are done.
I am also bringing donations for the school the kids will be attending (paper, markers, colored pencils, rulers, glue sticks, etc),
Lastly, I'm bringing some food supplies. I don't know exactly what will be available to us, but I do know that any "american" products will be very expensive. So I'm bringing down some stuff to at least get us started (don't judge all the processed foods!). I know we will have access to tons of fresh fruit, which the kids will love. But I wanted to bring a few familiar items from home. We will also be celebrating 2 birthdays down there (Genevieve will be 8 on June 24th, and Zeke will be 3 on June 27th), so I want to be prepared with cake making stuff.
My biggest job right now is trying to keep my anxiety in check! I have my To-DO list, and I am actually doing okay on it. But I can't seem to control my anxiety. It's going to be a busy week, and no matter how hard I try the end will be crazy I just know it. I should just plan on an all-nighter the night before we leave. Ugh! I just have to keep reminding myself that this will all be worth it.... Right?
However I am bringing down quite a bit of stuff. I have packed some new inexpensive toys and activities for our kids, things we can leave there when we are done.
I am also bringing donations for the school the kids will be attending (paper, markers, colored pencils, rulers, glue sticks, etc),
and also a bunch of craft stuff for CREAR, which is the day camp they will be attending when the school goes on break.
My biggest job right now is trying to keep my anxiety in check! I have my To-DO list, and I am actually doing okay on it. But I can't seem to control my anxiety. It's going to be a busy week, and no matter how hard I try the end will be crazy I just know it. I should just plan on an all-nighter the night before we leave. Ugh! I just have to keep reminding myself that this will all be worth it.... Right?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Villas Kalimba
I think the number one question people ask is where we are staying. I spent weeks (maybe months?) researching this aspect of our trip. It was hard finding something that had all the things I felt were important. I wanted a kitchen (eating out with 3 kids is less than enjoyable, not to mention expensive!), a pool, a/c, wi-fi, it had to be an easy walk to the school, the beach, and town, and I preferred something with a property owner on site since I will be a single mom for a month. Oh, and it had to fit in my budget!
I found that a lot of places will give you a really good rate for such a long stay. Some of them were even a 40-50% discount! After much contemplation I settled on Villas Kalimba. It had everything I wanted. There are 5 detached villas surrounding a pool.
We are renting a little 2 bedroom/2 bathroom villa with a small kitchen.
The only thing I am nervous about is there is no indoor living area. The kitchen table and "living space" is on the porch.
But, who goes to Costa Rica to be inside, right? The villas are in a gated compound which adds another level security.
It is just a block from the school and the beach, and there is a small grocery store a couple doors down. The owner has been more than helpful answering all my questions, and has even gone to the local school more than once on my behalf to enquire about the kids attending.
I'm really excited to call this place home for 6 weeks! I'm just hoping my kids don't drive the other guests cRaZy!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Costa Rica or Bust!
The countdown is on! We leave for Costa Rica in just over 2 weeks. We'll be living there for 6 weeks, in the small town of Sámara, which is on the Guanacaste coast on the west side of the country. I picked this town because it appears to be quaint, safe, and beautiful. While there will be American & European tourists, it is a popular vacation spot for Ticos. I have spent many months researching and making connections in Sámara. I still feel confident this was the right choice, although only time will tell!
We will be staying in a little 2 bedroom villa with a pool, just a block from the beach. I have gotten the okay to enroll Genevieve and Dane in the local school. I have purchased most of what they will need for their uniforms, and will pick up the rest in Nicoya on the way.
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