Apr 6-Apr 12: Post-Semana Santa and Transitarte

I bid farewell to my friends visiting Costa Rica last Sunday, and quickly got ready to settle back into reality. On Monday, classes were back in session. At the colegio this week, things still weren't that busy. On both of my regularly scheduled days at the high school, at least some teachers were out for teachers' union days. So, hardly any students and teachers were there those days, although I was able to help out with a special education English class on Monday.

On the other hand, I had an incredibly productive week at my elementary school, or escuela. Prior to last week's school break for Easter, the site visit from my Peace Corps supervisor provided a substantial breakthrough: my counterparts agreed to help me create a more consistent, weekly schedule for my workshops. Previously, I'd been on my own to schedule classes with each teacher. Under this new routine, I'll be able to conduct a PE class for each student on a weekly basis, which is a marked improvement from the door-to-door system I ran previously. I started this new schedule this week, and although it's quite a bit more work, it went well, and I'm super happy that I'll be able to see each student every week. 

Although it was a busier week at school, I was able to enjoy my time outside of class as well. On Wednesday, I was thrilled to go to a running club in San Jose with my girlfriend Keily. We initially met through this group, but the running club went on an abrupt hiatus starting in November and hadn't met again until Wednesday. I'm not sure how often the group will organize runs again going forward, but it was really fun to grab a night run with a few familiar faces, and to return to the club with Keily. Then, over the weekend, Keily and I went to another art festival in San Jose called Transitarte. There, we enjoyed exploring some parks near downtown, perused some art displays, and listened to live music. This week felt like the perfect balance of fun and productivity, and I'm grateful for the life I have here.





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