clase obrera

I finally became (not so gainfully) employed! This is my first job since January. Why is it easier to get a job in another country than in the United States right now? Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. But, I know that if I was back in the states now I would be under some underpaid desk job hating my life and sporadically sneaking on Facebook. I do have some friends back home in crummy jobs that don’t have the opportunity of advancement or higher pay, but they need a job. I have other friends who don’t have a job at all and are struggling with a college education just to get a retail job whilst still trying to paying their student loans. On the contrary, I have a few very lucky friends who have jobs they like and are making a decent pay and actually enjoying what they do. I am so happy for those people. I hope that even if I don’t get paid a ridiculous salary I hope to find something I really like doing. It’s definitely a factor in why I tried this. 

So, after a month long TESOL training and two separate job interviews I have been officially (word of mouth) hired. Inlingua has made us attend 4 days of 4 hour (or so) interview/training. On the first day there were seven of us present. We watched videos about Inlingua’s methodology and learned what they expected as well as about Inlingua itself. On the second day we had to make a 2 minute teaching demonstration using five vocabulary words. Two kids from North Carolina who took TESOL training on Nosara beach were first up. Regretfully, each didn’t do so well and I am pretty sure it’s due to the poor training. I followed them and had the most difficult vocabulary with words like “democracy “ and “saber-rattling”. I sucked. But, in comparison to the North Carolina kids I was better. So I thought that’s good, at least. The very next day we were told we would have to do the same presentation. But, we had to actually do a teaching demo. It was from real Inlingua books. The North Carolina kids simultaneously wrote Corey, our boss, an email stating that they weren’t good candidates. And Corey, from the start was right. In the beginning of the training he said that he had too many people and that it would work itself out. That day Corey also told us that the remaining of us was hired.  Such a relief! We had the last of our training today, Saturday. We shadowed current teachers of Inlingua. I followed Byran from Kansas City. He has been here for a year now and is returning home on Monday. Bryan just graduated from College last year and knew he wasn’t going to be able to get a job (he thought) so decided to take a year off and do this. He also studied abroad in Fortuna here in college. So, he is now fluent in the language. When he gets home to Kansas he is planning on going back to school (typical of our economy). It was good to shadow a teacher, but it was the wrong day for it. As class began there was a test given. It was probably almost 2 hours long. After the test a new lesson was begun. They were level 3A, an advanced class, so they had vocabulary like “upgrade” and “modernization” and had grammar like first and second conditionals. The teaching felt more natural like conversation rather than teaching. I think is probably going to be highly effective, but still no good until in actual use.  I begin teaching on Monday and yes, I am a bit nervous. However, I feel more comfortable after witnessing a class and seeing how easy and effortless it can be. I hope I can be a good teacher. More importantly, I hope my students do learn from me.

In the Costa Rican culture there is a phrase said multiple times daily that is the brand to their country, “Pura Vida”. Literally translated it means “Pure Life”. I can’t exactly translate what it means because it has several definitions and is used in a plethora of situations. For example in Puerto Viejo it is used as you’re welcome which they used at the end of every sentence. Young guys will pass you in the night with flyers for bars and as you say no gracias they automatically respond “Pura Vida”. So, in this case it seems more nonchalant and so habitual. It is also used as a greeting and farewell. So, if you travel to Puerto Viejo this word will definitely penetrate to your memory. In more city areas like San Pedro and Escazú it is used infrequently and more often than not randomly  thrown into conversation when talking about Costa Rican lifestyle. Or it is used to express satisfaction. For example, if you are talking about something positive a friend might add “Pura Vida” which here I think can mean “cool” or “this is living!”. In my own life I think of Pura Vida every day. It is how I feel now as I type with the sun indicating its about to go down, water flowing in a stream beside me, sounds of birds and dogs in the air, and the green lushness swallowing me .Here in the origin of Pura Vida I am internalizing the true meaning of this word.