The Ticklish Teacher in Ridiculous Rain Boots

If I don't make it as a teacher, it's possible I could have a career in acting as plan B. Not saying that this is going to happen, but I think my students are truly entertained by my acting skills during various lessons. So far, my favorite was when I pretended to be Angelina Jolie (it was for Oral English and the theme was being yourself). As much as I'm sure they would love to have Angelina Jolie as their teacher, it was obvious that they were getting a little intimidated when I every now and then busted out a "stunt".. and of course they missed the real me :-) Tuesday's reading lesson was a fun way to put my acting into play again, though, because it was about traveling to the moon (I've always wanted to be an astronaut, too). It was interesting because I really wanted them to read in groups or pairs depending on their reading level, but that's still a work in progress here. Since the comprehension isn't that strong with the story being in English. So I stop every now and then to explain/act - the best part was pretending to eat in space when my food kept floating away from me.. some of them were trying it, too. Not only does it help them understand the story better, but it also keeps their attention.

I'm so proud at how much more my students are putting their creativity into more of their classwork. At first, writing class was such a struggle for them to get ideas about topics and descriptions, so I started using more starter sentences, examples, and pictures to get them inspired. Their work is improving so much and I can tell they are proud to share them with me and each other (we have an Author's Chair for them to read to the class). On Monday I knew they would love the topic because the topic was "comic strips". (Sebastian actually already had created his own comic series in Spanish and English - they are soo impressive, I couldn't believe it.) A lot of the students have apparently been previously making up their own comics actually, so this was an area of high interest and they were very excited.

I took copies of easy Scooby Doo stories that I found randomly, just used the pictures and pasted some of the dialogue on each picture. Then, they had to read the dialogue and use the picture clues to put them in order. I also did an example of creating a cartoon character. I told them that I like mysteries and monkeys, so I was going to have a monkey who solved easy and silly crimes. I took some of their suggestions (like naming him after one of the kids in class, so he ended up being called Dennis the Monkey). They also helped me decide what he should say whenever he solved a crime... "Banana!" It doesn't sound that great, but they loved it, and it really motivated them.

Last Friday some of the students who were completely anticipating getting their reward for not having lost any stars through out the week came up to me at the end of the day. Not only did they laugh at me as I changed into my black rain boots with white polka dots, but they wouldn't stop asking what their reward was. So, without really thinking it over, I told them that since they were laughing at me their lucky reward was going to be... TICKLES! I did the trick that my dad does to me, where you move your fingers around in front of the person and only pretend to tickle - it worked because they were laughing without actually being tickled. Well, baddd move, because this sparked their curiosity... and they all started actually tickling me. I was stuck in the corner laughing uncontrollably as the rest of the class stopped getting ready for the end of the day to watch me, completely helpless.

Yet another lesson learned: Don't show your vulnerability to your students, especially if you're ticklish. (It's not very professional).

*Not proving anything to anyone - just showing up with a pure heart*

It was a pretty movie-worthy last weekend in Costa Rica. Alison and I met up for dinner in San Jose where we ate at "our place", the National Theater. It's gorgeous and has an elegant little restaurant inside with new displays of artwork each week and our table is right in front of a window that looks out at a little garden. We both had pumpkin soup to make it feel more like fall for us in the constant spring/summer-like weather here with winter-ish decorations already welcoming in Christmas (seriously, Costa Rica is all set for the holidays with fake snowmen and all). We stayed the night at her house, worrying the whole time that her roommates' class pet that she decided to bring home for the weekend would escape. The class pet, by the way, is a lobster who already escaped his cage once, and to make everything more reassuring for us, his name is Flash.. Luckily he stayed put for the night. We left early in the morning for Play Hermosa because it's not very far and it's secluded from a lot of touristy-ness... and there's gorgeous teal colored waves and black sand :-) We found a hotel right away right next to the beach where I accomplished my goals of having a completely relaxing and sun-filled (absolutely no rain) weekend. There was a live band playing at the place we went to for some ceviche where we ended up making friends with a young married couple from Colorado and their Australian friend. They do not ride kangaroos to school in Australia, in case you, too, were wondering. On Sunday I couldn't make myself realize that it was the last time I was going to be on the Costa Rican coast (for awhile anyway). It was scorching hot and burned my feet to walk the short distance from my towel to the tides washing up on the shore, but I took my time letting every little moment sink in so that I can always remember it. Being there is a step out of reality - it's almost too beautiful to take it all in - it's hard to believe that miles and miles away the leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground. I decided that I love both places equally as much - each place has its own kind of beauty, but the most beautiful part of each place, are the people I'm there with. That must be why I have more than one soul mate, assuming soul mates can be places. Costa Rica has made itself one of my soul mates, wether its along the coast or in my home and school in Tres Rios: because the people I've gotten a chance to meet, travel with, work with, or teach have all offered me something genuine that has helped to fill in the four months of my life here. Maybe it's a blessing that I attach myself so strongly to the places I go to and the people I meet - it's happened in back home in Eau Claire/Lake Wissota, and it's happened in Mexico on my mission trip; it's happened in North Carolina each time I go and clearly in Winona, as well - and now here. It's a blessing because now I have more than one place I can call home and more than five people who I can call family. It's actually kind of fitting that the reading lesson - my last reading lesson - that I have to teach my fourth graders here is about a boy who has found Japan and the U.S. to be home for him. I'm scared that I might start to cry on Tuesday when we read the last line of the story when he says,

"The funny thing is, no matter what country I'm in, I'm always homesick for the other."

PS, If you're curious how umbrella #4 is holding up - the handle somehow broke off, which makes it uncomfortable to hold, and a lot of times I get the feeling that it's not water-proof.. but other than that, I think it will survive for the next few days!!