Yesterday was my first day at Lincoln but by the time I finished writing about the farmers´market and San José I was tired. The school is very, very nice. It´s the oldest International private school in Costa Rica (est. 1944) and is very prestigious. To give you an idea, there is a stone wall around the campus with wires on top. At first I thought it was an electric fence but it´s really a security alarm. And the guard at the front gate carries a gun. Apparently, the parents of these students are like UN ambassadors, political officials, or just very wealthy, so I guess it makes sense. All students who graduate from Lincoln (it´s K-12) go on to attend college, so think intense college prep classes. Ex. My fifth graders take philosophy. How cool is that?!
I met my master teacher today, Teacher Mitzi. I love her! She's hilarious and very straightforward and from her stories it sounds to me like she's an excellent teacher. We spent an hour just trading stories about our backgrounds, families, and teaching. She was born in Costa Rica but moved to East Boston with her family when she was ten. She went to school in Massachusetts and after teaching there for five years, she and her family moved back to Costa Rica where they've lived for the last 20 years. I was honestly a little disappointed when Courtney, Deb, and Heather came to get me to go home.
The ASU kids had to stay longer for a video conference, so the four of us Westmonties shared a taxi. One of the girls said "Someone who speaks Spanish, get in the front and tell him where to go," so I hopped in. I told our driver (who was our age) our destination in Spanish and, looking at my americana self he repeated it back to me in English. After a few minutes of driving I asked about the black Lycra sleeve he was wearing on one arm and again he answered slowly in English, so I figured he wanted to practice English with me as much as I wanted to practice Spanish with him. I gave in and asked about the best local beaches ("Tamarindo") and we had a good little conversation. He's from Colombia and moved here 7 years ago to live with his brother. At the end of the ride he gave me his phone number so we can ask him to be our driver again next time. Before we got out we had a little dilemma trying to figure out the fare exchange but he was very polite about it and laughed with us as we laughed at ourselves. Slightly embarrassing, but mostly just really funny.
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Sachi! I couldn't find the teeny print on this dang computer screen for the longest time so I could communicate with you! I'm sinfully boasting to Granma about your blog and also sharing it with people at work. You write like you talk (and that's a good thing.) Looking forward to your next entry. Your Mama
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