Movie time- Home!

After cooking class we headed to the mall to watch a movie.  I chose the Disney cartoon "Home" for my students at 6:30pm.  I thought I would get some push back from the boys for choosing a "kiddie" movie but surprisingly I didn't have any complaints.  Our tickets cost $1600 colones which is almost $4USD!!! In Latin America movie theatre seats are assigned.  After you buy you ticket the U show you the seating chart and allow you to choose your seat.  Can you guess the cultural reason why? I'll give you a moment to think about it..... On Latin America friends, family, and the people in you life are more important than anything. , movie theaters want to make sure they are not splitting up groups (or even pairs) who want to be together.  Have you ever gone to the movies in the US only to find the movie packed and your sitting between strangers while your friends are not even in sight? That is pretty much unheard of here.  We chose our seat but later had a good laugh because we though we chose the back of the theatre when we really chose the front!! Oh well, you have to learn to laugh at yourself as you travel.  

Sweet and salty popcorn 

Video of our movie experience: http://youtu.be/o4dqBtWAy5s

After buying tickets we bought food.  I chose a fanta drink with mixed sweet and salty popcorn, it was delicious gourmet-like popcorn.  Some of the kids ordered hamburgers, chicken nuggets and other meals. We were done buying food by 6:10, buy them had to stand in a line for the next 25 minutes, waiting for the previous movie to end, for the people to leave, and for the theatre to be cleaned. 

The boys seemed to enjoy themselves.  I'm sure they didn't get every word but understanding everything is not necessary they got the gist and seemed to like the movie.  After it was over we got back on the bus.  The other chaperones and I walked the kids home and are in for the night.  

Another dance class and a cooking class

These boys are JAMMIN'!!!! This is the BEST dance class to date!

Video: http://youtu.be/QsdOhqiCCUc

Our cooking class was amazing!! The boys made it look much easier than it was.  This dish is called "enyucado" yuca is a potato like root that grows under ground.  We made it into a paste then filled it was grated cheese, a few had cheese and retried beans inside. 

Video: http://youtu.be/DyAgZtPSFqc

We are off to the mall and movies now! 

How we get to school in San Jose, Costa Rica

If you read my post yesterday you already know that we are currently taking the public bus to school together.  It's such an authentic experience and I'm grateful that my boys are book smart and street smart enough to do this.  Yet another reason I love my "Bankhead Boys", not all kids can do what they do! 

Here is a video of our morning journey: 

http://youtu.be/6D24V-_zN-c

Today after Spanish classes we will have a cooking class.  After that we will walk to the nearby mall and catch a Spanish- language movie.  There is a Wednesday special 2 for 1!  Pura vida!

Tuesday morning

We just finished lunch and we are back to classes.  During the first session of their classes I got my phone activated with a Costa Rican phone number.  Since the program here gave me a cell phone I have my phone to Jahre and Walter to make sure they could contact me as needed.  That phone can only call and text locally here in Costa Rica.  The other boys have T-Mobile service which offered an unlimited international texting and data plan and have been keeping in touch with me and the chaperones that way.  So now all the kids are connected. 

I also visited the bank during their first session.  We can only change $100 per person per day, and the total amount the group needs changed is more than that. So at 3 (5pm Atlanta time) we will take a group trip to the bank to exchange money.  Followed by a city tour! 

Tuesday afternoon

The poor livingAfter classes at 3pm we walked to the bank to change money.  Each of the students spoke to the bank teller on their own to exchange their own money.  Some were very nervous and didn't think they could find the words to get the job done, but I told them they were smart enough to figures it out, and can do it without my help.... And they did!

After the bank we jumped on our tour bus for a city tour.  We saw the whole city and learned so much here's a quick list:

1. The president lives in his original condo, not a White House type government resident.

2. Costa Rica has a universal health care system.  Incomes are only taxes at 9% to provide free health, dental, vision, etc. free of charge no matter the illness or treatment. 

3. Costa Rica has top knotch public school system and plenty of excellent private school.

4.  The University of Costa Rica is one of the best in Central America and cost $800 USD a year!!! No I did NOT forget a "0" it's only eight hundred dollars a year.  The school year is March- December, with January and February as the "summer" months.

5. Their old prison is now a children's museum. 

6. Costa Rica doesn't have an army.so all the money that most countries spend on defense Costa Rica uses for nature conservation and education.

7.  All pregnant women and children under 12 years old receive fee healthcare even if they are not Costa Rican citizens. 

8.  Escazú, is a neighborhood wheret the richest and the poorest live side by side with the rich living on the hill tops looking over then. 

9.  The costa Rican presidents live serve 4 year terms and con serve two terms but not consecutively. 

10.  The Costa Rican police department protect the outsider of US embassy.  Not the US military. 

11. China gifted Costa Rica a huge beautiful stadium.  They sent thousands of chinese construction workers to build the stadium and once it was finished they all left and returned to China.  

On the bus

Hospital

Stadium gift from China 

U.S. Embassy

Downtown square

Street art

Here are a few clips for the tour:

http://youtu.be/PBqkJ-U6Weg

About an hour ago we strand a little restaurant then went next door to a large restaurant with big screen tv'so to watch the soccer game. 

We are currently at a restaurant watching the Costa Rican national soccer team play the Panamanian national team in Panama.  

Yesterday's dance class and a rainy Tuesday

Here is video footage from yesterday's dance class: 

http://youtu.be/i8rK8wctWT4

The boys showed all their silly dance moves and learned how to hold their own in merengue.  It was lots of  fun!  

After dancing we all sat and hug out for a while.  At 5pm all the host mothers came to show their babies the way home on the bus.  Originally we paid for a private bus to take us back and forth from our houses to the school, however after seeing how well the boys are adjusting to Costa Rica the program coordinators and I agreed that the boys would have a more authentic experience traveling on the public bus in pairs.  I talked to the kids about it and they also liked the idea.  So each morning from the neighborhood they will pay 300¢ colones ( about 75cent) to get to school and in the evening we will all ride back on the bus together since we all catch the same bus and all our homes are walking distance from each other.  What do you all think of this new arrangement?  Please let us know! 

The host mothers all love the boys.  They are their "big babies" they tell me.  All the boys tower over their host mothers but are still children at heart. They are getting lots of hugs and nurturing from their new moms.  Expect them to come home spoiled rotten! 

The traffic going home on the bus yesterday was heavier than usually and we didn't get to our neighborhood until almost 6:30pm.  By 8 all the kids are their dinner with their families.  The kids do an excellent job of calling, texting, face timing me from their houses.  

At about 9 one of the students called my concerned that their roommate was have an asthma attack and coughing a lot. The other chaperones and I left out house immediately to check on him. He is just fine.  His host mother prepared a home remedy for him to stop the coughing.  I think 2 of the kids are having to adjust to the altitude difference here.  Atlanta is 1000 feet above sea level and sane Jose is almost 4000 feet about sea level.  Altitude sickness usual causes fatigue, headaches, breathing problems, but once your body adjusts after a few days the symptoms subside.  The two student who were having the symptoms are much better this morning and their mighers have already been notified. 

This morning I arrived to the school by bus before the kids but I waited at the bus stop for them to make sure they got off at the right place.  They all ended up in the same bus from our neighborhood and got here without any issues.  Woohoo! II knew they would do well.  They are all in class now.  I'm working on planned an event after or city tour today .  I'll keep you updated! 

Video of Costa Rican Language Academy

Here is a video of the school and is being served lunch.  The boys are now finishing up classes then we will have a dance class.

http://youtu.be/zW6_HZG9g0g

While the kids in class I scoped out a nearby mall and movie theatre I'll make sure we get to those sometimes this week.  Stay tuned for a dance class video.