Week 3

Well, it´s been a nice relaxing weekend so far. I start teaching the children´s classes this week. They are going to be around the ages of 9-11. It should be an interesting 6 months with them. I have to admit I´m not really looking forward to teaching them. I don´t think I possess that charisma with children.
I spent the whole day yesterday wandering around San Pedro with another teacher, Lola. We saw The Fantastic Four, tried to take some dance classes at a studio called Merecumbé, and wandered around the the San Pedro Mall. After that we had some dinner at a place called Rio which is near the Instituto. I spent way too much money in one day for my little budget. Sigh.... Anyway, as I was riding home in a taxi I saw some interesting city sites. From San Pedro, where I work, I usually take a taxi through what is known as Barrio Mexico. However, on Saturdays there are lots of transvestites/prostitutes that roam the streets. Definitely an interesting sight for my innocent eyes. It also brought to light the seedier parts of San Jose.
Anyway, today I went to church and the homily really hit home. I love the priest at this church - Ernesto Ibarra. He always says things that really matter and that one can relate to in everyday life. Church is interesting here. There aren´t any books stashed in the pews to follow along with. This makes it pretty difficult when you don´t know any of the prayers in Spanish. However, you can buy little pamphlets for 20 colones and at least read the main readings. I try to say the readings along with the person reading them to practice my Spanish. It must look pretty funny to an observer to see this little Asian girl frantically mumbling along with the reader.
As for the homily, Father talked about how capitalism and this idea of always being forced to compete. This competitive atmosphere demands more and more of someone and forces them to become perfectionists to survive. However, when you bring this attitude into the family and the home it doesn´t work because we are humans and beautifully imperfect. We can´t force our families to be something they aren´t and demand that they perform as if they were in a factory, or in my case a warehouse. We have to cultivate patience and wisdom in our lives and let people be what they are. This is a hard thing to do when you live in a culture that celebrates competition, aggresiveness, and materialism. You want "the best" for your brothers, sisters, children, etc. but ultimately you can´t force them into your idea of perfection. It really moved me and made me realize what a terrible place McMaster-Carr was - at least for me. It brought out all my bad qualities and multiplied them by 100. However, the fact that these qualities came to the surface is a good thing because you realize what makes you tick, what pisses you off, and what will make you a better person. Experience is a tough, but wise teacher. Enough blathering on....more to come later!