Diay! Part 2

Are you still scratching your head wondering how I came to be a teacher of aerobics in a foreign country? Sorry to have left you hanging on that one. I was asked by one woman on my first site visit if I was going to be giving aerobics classes like a previous volunteer. She told me that there had also been a class given by the technician at the health clinic but that, unfortunately, for a number of reasons, including an unwillingness on the part of the students to contribute to the light bill for the space, it was no longer offered. How did I revive it? I suggested we have class an hour earlier, at 4pm, so that we would not have to use the lights. What did I do? I pooled all of the knowledge I have acquired from kickboxing, yoga, and step classes with that from Kennebunk High School pre-season and free personal trainer sessions for new gym members. In addition, I lucked out and had the help of twelve gringos studying Public Health at Temple University, who first started sending students to Ortega in 2002. My goal is to turn the class over to a tica so that their attendance is not dependent upon mine-- although, where I thought it might soon become more of a chore than an activity seeing as how we meet every day, I have come to really look forward to the class and already feel a strong sense of camaraderie among the women. One woman told me this morning that the class has already helped her tremendously, as she had been struggling with depression-- a result of spending so much time alone in her house, with her son in school and her husband at work. Other women are extremely dedicated to the cause of losing weight for health reasons such as high blood pressure and suggested that we have regular weigh-ins in coordination with the health clinic. Two more images to complete the picture- one, imagine that I arrive at the salon comunal already sweating (the temperature hit 97 the other day); two, picture a group of mischievous- looking male youth observing the class on their bikes. My goal for the class is to incorporate other themes relating to overall health such as: nutrition, self esteem, alcoholism, and domestic violence. I was also thrilled at the suggestion of one of the founding members that we form our own mini association and take up a collection to raise money to throw ourselves a small party for Mothers; Day. She also suggested that we take the initiative as a group to plant flowers in the new cemetery.

Margaret and Erin (and my mom) will be pleased to know that the "say yes policy" is in full effect here in Ortega. I accepted an invitation a few weeks ago to speak to university students about my project with the Peace Corps and my studies at Fordham. The teacher lives in Ortega and has a class entitled "National Reality", which addresses the social, economic, and political realities of Costa Rica. We thought it might be beneficial, not only for the students, but for me as well, as I have to complete an analysis of my community before I begin my work. I put together a powerpoint presentation that began with my studies at Fordham, continued to describe my work with CMMB, and finished to explain the Peace Corps and my project as a volunteer. Little did I know that the professor had allotted two hours for my presentation and the students' questions (which were few and far between); however, my Spanish served me well, and I was able to communicate my initial observations of Costa Rican culture, Guanacastecos, and life in Ortega. I was reluctant to speak candidly about the "national realities", recognizing that my initial observations are no more than that-- initial observations. At the same time, I was more interested in the reflections of the students on their own culture. They talked about complacency, resistance to change, bureaucracy, and dependency, and asked for my perspective as a U.S. citizen. I explained a bit about our recent election and the push for change, noting that a big effort was made by youth and young adults. We also talked about overcoming obstacles to change-- the most common of which appears to be money-- or, at least, this is the answer one is often given when they suggest a new idea or project. I explained that my role here was not to finance projects (a common misconception), but that it had more to do with offering support and guidance-- troubleshooting, creative thinking, problem solving.

I have begun giving English classes to members of a nearby municipality two nights a week for two hours each. While at first I was flustered to find that the students were not all beginners as I had previously been told, I am starting to get the hang of teaching a mixed level class, and actually like the fact that I am able to talk about rules and exceptions to rules and compare and contrast spelling and pronunciation of English and Spanish sounds. Next week I will start working with a group of youth and adults who are studying to pass their high school exit exam for English. Students range in age from 17 to 40+; some are preparing to graduate in December and are facing the test for the first time, while others have only to pass this one lingering exam, and have tried previously with no success.

On Sunday the "active women of Ortega", an association of about thirty women, planned and threw a party for the fathers in Ortega complete with food, games, and prizes. It struck me funny that the women brainstormed the entire list of 137 fathers-- well, their nicknames. (Everyone in Guanacaste has a nickname, by the way.) The women plan Fathers' day, children's day, and, to my dismay, their very own Mothers' day. I told them that they deserve a surprise just as the fathers do and, while they agreed, they laughed.

In closing, I would like to speak directly to Jeannine and Moot. Jeannine was kind enough to introduce me to the wonderful world of Bannanagrams via an extremely thoughtful care package. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of crossing Scrabble with Crossword Puzzles, let me explain briefly: the object of the game is to create as many words as you can in the form of Scrabble while your competitors are doing the same independently. Players have the option to trade in letters for a penalty of three letters, and other rules, etc. The first person to use all of their letters wins. Anyway, I was thrilled to see that the game had directions in Spanish and shared it with my host parents. (My host father and I often share the crossword puzzles in the Teja, a cheapo newspaper full of bikini-clad models and classified ads.) When we sat down to play, I suddenly realized that I had agreed to play in Spanish--Right, I live in Costa Rica now. My host mother was quick to give up and decided instead to help my host father make sense of his letters. "No puede ayudarle! Ustedes hablan Espanol!" I exclaimed. (You can't help him! You guys speak Spanish!) Minutes later... I won... twice. I am not sure how much longer these games will continue; however, as I challenged him three times tonight on the spelling of his words-- I have found that some members of my community spell words according to how they pronounce them. If he weren't so competitive himself, I would let it slide, but the way he says "Bannanograms" with a big smirk makes me want to remind him that he is playing dirty against a non-native speaker. You better start practicing for summer 2011, Mom. After two years of Bannannograms in Spanish, Scrabble should be a walk in the parque, a piece of queque.