Lo que voy a extrañar de Costa Rica

After 25 days in Costa Rica and just 6 more to go, I have to admit, it's hard not to look forward to my own bed, my own house, my own tv, my own... you get the idea. BUT at the same time, there are some things I will most definitely miss.

1. Cheap public transportation. I go two ways by bus to class every day for about $1. When you think about car payments, insurance, gas, etc, it's quite a deal if this is your main source of transportation! I can get to the city and back for the same price, and a bus ticket 3.5 hours to Manuel Antonio beach was $16 round trip.

2. The weather. Wow. I don't think the highs have been above 80 degrees Fareniheit. And that's with 10 mph winds. The beach was definitely hot, but here in the Valle Central, your average temperature is 70 degrees this time of year. Note to travelers: bring pants and cardigans! I did not bring enough! It does rain just about every day, but not too long (usually), and instead of turning into a sauna like in southwest Georgia, it cools down even more after the rain.

3. The music. The radio in our house is on constantly. I have learned all of the popular songs and I am going to miss "la hora de tortugas"-- a pretty funny radio show that we listen to most evenings with mama tica. 

4. The language. Yes, I teach Spanish, but there is a big difference in teaching and day to day speaking. I have learned so many "costaricanisms". I definitely need to find a group of native speakers back home to keep it up! 

5. La UCR. What a wonderful university. My teachers are graduate students in language and linguistics and their knowledge is through the roof. It is clear that education is not lacking here in Costa Rica. I would recommend UCR AND MLSA to anyone! 

This has most definitely been a very challenging, but rewarding experience. Friday is the last day of class. Pretty bittersweet. I am going to try my best to enjoy every moment until then. 

Manuel Antonio

Midterms are over! And went better than I thought! I am happy with my grades. Linguistics continues to be tough and a lot of info at once!! But very interesting too!

To celebrate this weekend, some friends and I went to Manuel Antonio Beach, a very touristy place in the tropics in the province of Puntarenas. It was beautiful! But a little expensive given it's a tourist town.

We saw monkeys, sloths, iguanas, tons of different species of birds, and lush vegetation. The best part was zip lining through it all!!! So much fun! 

Nevertheless, we were happy to get back "home" to San José! We have clearly grown accustomed to "our city". I love la Universidad de Costa Rica! From the teachers, the campus, the people and their friendliness to the overall integrity of an amazing Central American university, I am privileged to have this experience. 

It is quite humbling to be in the role of student once again. I now completely understand the distractions my students have in today's world given the constant use of social media. I've also learned a lot from my teachers and their methodologies. I can't wait to utilize some of the things I've learned indirectly in my classroom!

12 days to go! I am missing home, but going to enjoy as best I can everything we have left! 

Side note: this was quite difficult to write in English. Words are coming to me quicker in Spanish than English at this point. Total immersion. I love it! Can't wait for the "reverse culture shock" when I return :)

Estudios

Will catch up on all the fun stuff later once midterms are over and I can breathe for a minute...

For now this...

Cartago

Today we went to Cartago, a province and the original capital of Costa Rica, after class. It's only about 18 miles from San Pedro, but because of the traffic in the area of campus, it takes a while to get out of the city. 

First, we saw Las ruinas de Cartago (the ruins of Cartago), dedicated to St. James, the apostle. The area has been rebuilt many times after several earthquakes over hundreds of years.

Then we went to la Basilica de Los Angeles, a church and the national sanctuary, built in the early 1900s. It was extremely moving because mass was in session, and we were able to sit for a moment and see the devotion of the people. 

It was a great afternoon. Four classes in, and I am struggling a bit with Linguistics. It is a lot of information in a short time, and I've forgotten A LOT since grad school! But the teachers are amazing and so passionate and helpful. I don't have a lot of homework tonight, but I am going to make some flash cards to study for a midterm I'll have next week. 

¡Hasta pronto!

El Poas, La Paz, y el primer día de clases

Yesterday morning we left around 7 am to head up into the mountains to see Poas Volcano. Unfortunately, it was cloudy, so we couldn't see it, but the hiking was great and it was still really cool to be in the cloud forest. 

After we left Poas, we road down the mountain to La Paz waterfall gardens. It was beautiful seeing all of the wildlife native to Costa Rica.

The most beautiful part of course was the waterfalls. Our legs were literally shaking by the time we got to the bottom from all of the hiking we did, but it was totally worth it! 

Today was our first day of class. My teachers, Gina and Mariana, are great! Composition class is more relaxed. Gina is super fun and excited to have a more advanced class. Mariana, my linguistics teacher, is clearly passionate about her subject and I realized how little I actually remember on this topic! 

Time for homework! I have reading to do for linguistics and I am going to do some reviewing on my own of things we saw today on our diagnostic test that I know I should know!!! 

¡Qué lluvia!

It's been raining off and on for about 24 hours now. From misty to downpour to nothing. Still, the weather is wonderful because the rain cools everything down even more. We are about 4,000 feet above sea level, so there is always a breeze and it's not hot at all. A big change from South Georgia!! Currently at 6 pm it is 71 degrees and breezy :)

Last night we went to see "Intensa Mente" (Inside Out- the title does not translate equally) with our madre and her two daughters (Shirley, 35; Laura, 23) and it was great! 

Today we took the bus all by ourselves to and from campus :) for orientation! 

Tomorrow we have our fingers crossed for good weather because we leave early to visit Poas Volcano in the cloud forest as well as a waterfall.

Hasta luego... Es la hora de comer otra vez :) 

En el bus yendo a la U 

Encontramos este lugar bonito en el centro de campus.

El girasol -- al frente del campus 

Se come, se come, se come

Been here less than 24 hours and we have eaten so much amazing traditional Costa Rican food! This morning we had gallo pinto with breakfast, a traditional dish made with black beans and rice and a sofrito of peppers and onions. ¡qué rico!

Last night we had a chicken dish with rice, beans, potatoes, and carrots, maduros-- super ripe bananas/platanos, and a juice made with a fruit called cas, similar to a guava. Yum!!

We are getting ready to head to the bank to exchange some money and then to our first day of orientation on campus...

...en el aeropuerto...

I have made it to the Atlanta airport! My flight leaves in about an hour, so I currently sit chatting with a young college aged girl who is heading to Costa Rica for a volleyball program. It is fun to see her excitement as I too did this at her age. 

It's funny. Ten years ago as a student in college I was fearless. Today, as an adult, I felt so anxious getting through security. Now, though, waiting at the gate, my excitement is building. Hannah Sullivan from Tuscaloosa Academy is connecting here to Atlanta and will be on my flight, so that should ease my anxiety.

When we arrive in San José today, a bus will take us to the University of Costa Rica where our host mom will be waiting for us. I am eager to learn more about her! We have orientation Friday and Saturday, a trip to Poas Volcano on Sunday, and classes will begin on Monday. 

Pictures to come soon! 

¡Adiós!

...it will be here sooner than I think...

Exams have been made, reviews have been done (and done.. and done), and it's time to wrap up another successful school year. I can't believe I have just completed my fifth full year teaching! What a journey it has been! You think you know it all in the beginning, but looking back over the past five years, I realize how much I have grown. Being an educator isn't about just teaching; it's about learning to adapt and adjust, roll with the punches, and enjoy the little "teachable moments". 

In just 41 days, I will be heading to the Atlanta airport to board my flight to Costa Rica. I am looking forward to the next month of rest and relaxation, but excited to embark on this journey. I will be taking Spanish Linguistics and an Advanced Composition Course at the University of Costa Rica. I am eager to learn who my host family will be, but have discovered a fun fact in preparation for my adventure that makes you remember just how small the world can really be. Hannah Sullivan, the other recipient of the NSE Scholarship to Costa Rica, sat right next to me at the AP Summer Institute at Walton High in Atlanta last summer, the very place where Ken Stewart, AP Spanish goo-roo and extraordinaire, expressed to us how important it was to take advantage of scholarship opportunities... oh, the irony.  As soon as our pictured were published, I immediately recognized Hannah and reached out to her via email. We are both excited to have someone we sort of know to make this trip more comfortable... 

Until next time... 

speechless!

So it was just after 2:00 on March 3rd, and I had finally made it to the end of Monday, a feat in itself. With one more class to teach, Jennifer Ricks, our administrative assistant, came into my room and handed me a note to call Kevin Cessna, National Spanish Exam Director. Stunned. I knew it would be this week, but never expected Monday afternoon!

Imagine the tension I felt trying to finish that last class, discussing the wonders and awes of the preterite and imperfect tenses :) Finally, the bell rang, and I was able to return Mr. Cessna's call. 

I got it! I am a 2015 recipient of the National Spanish Exam MLSA Teacher Study Abroad Scholarship to Costa Rica! WOW! I applied on a whim, thinking this could be a great way to spend my summer and get some experience, and now I am really going to Costa Rica!!! Mr. Cessna was so nice, and made my excitement even greater, discussing his personal experiences as a teacher with MLSA. 

So here we go!!!...time to renew my passport! :) 

¿Quién soy yo?

...mi pasión: enseñar...

Aquí estoy con mis estudiantes de segundo año repasando para un examen sobre el imperfecto y la niñez con un juego de Jeopardy.

During the 2014-2015 academic year, I am a teacher at Deerfield Windsor College Preparatory School where I teach one section of Spanish I, two sections of Spanish II, and two sections of Spanish III. This year I have a total of 73 students. All of these students are taking the National Spanish Exam this year. 

...mis estudiantes trabajando...

Aquí se puede ver algunos de mis estudiantes trabajando en el sitio www.lingtlanguage.com/jessica_marshall donde ellos practican de escuchar y hablar. En este momento de la foto, están tomando parte de un examen en la clase de Español II. 

¡Soy finalista! : I am a finalist!

My name is Jessica Marshall, and I am a finalist for the National Spanish Exam Teacher Study Abroad Scholarship in Costa Rica.