Back row from left: Geoff, Stephanie, Michael, supervisor Mary. Front row: JiHye, alumnus Katsuhide Yagata, un amigo tico, Lara.
Hello from Costa Rica!
For three weeks now the five of us have been in a village called El INVU (Instituto Nacional de Viviendas y Urbanismo) which is about two hours from the national capital, San Jose. In the community where we are living, we have been teaching two evenings a week in addition to teaching English to Costa Rican teachers of English at a local university during the day.
We are all enjoying growing as professionals through practice in the classroom and feedback from our students and supervisor. Group reflection time has proven to be a wonderful way for us to process what is going on in our classrooms and get advice for improving our teaching.
Here are some of our first impressions of Costa Rica and the internship.
Geoff: The words that come to mind are intense yet laidback. I’m learning everything from lesson planning to salsa dancing. I’m experiencing teaching raw beginners and advanced speakers of English. Pura vida!
JiHye: My first impression is of friendly people and many dogs!
Lara: I think I want to move here!
Michael: I’m really happy I’m doing my internship abroad with such amazing people. The experience of being “a foreigner” while teaching has been an eye-opening cultural experience!
Stephanie: The things that have stood out the most to me are the friendly community, an excitement to learn, amazing flora, and tons of bugs!
As they say in Costa Rica, “¡Pura vida!“
Tags: Mary Scholl, MAT, SIT, Stephanie Wilton Kumagai, World Learning
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