Sep 7-13: My Last Classes, Running Club Goodbyes, and a Tico Movie

Our recommendation from Peace Corps was to wrap up our classes and projects with around a month left in our service. While I finished reporting my acitivities at about a month remaining in Costa Rica, I pushed my classes a bit further out because I didn't want to rob my students of PE time. It's also not like I have anything else more important to do in my community besides saying goodbye and packing. So, in the colegio, I stopped by a couple of English classes and made sure I had everything prepared for my students to submit community service hours after I leave. At the escuela, I conducted the aforementioned PE classes and let students pick what they wanted to play since it may be their last chance to do so in school for the foreseeable future. They also finished off the pick up soccer tournament, the series of mejengas I organized, which was a big hit. The following week is a busy one celebrating Costa Rica's independence, so it made since to wrap up my classes during a "normal" week. One particularly fun thing at the escuela this week was that Wednesday was Dia del Niño (kid's day). To celebrate, they had a big assembly with lots of games and activities. I was in charge of helping hand out hot dogs to students. 

I had quite a few commitments outside of classes too as I prepare to leave. On Thursday, my girlfriend Keily and I ran with a running club based in Desamparados that I accompanied for a few races during my first year in Costa Rica. Although I haven't spent a lot of time with them the past year, I thought it was important to stop by to say goodbye and to show my appreciation for them. On Friday morning, I took an online exam on Keily's computer because it wasn't compatible with my own laptop nor was it offered at any testing center in Costa Rica. She was extremely clutch for lending me hers to do it. On Saturday, I visited the gym in my community for the last time before my monthly subscription expires (it's not worth renewing it for a week and a half). On Sunday, Keily helped organize a group run with some of my friends in San Jose who I met through Club Secreto. Although the club has been inactive for several months, my time with Club Secreto was a highlight during my time in Costa Rica, and was where I met Keily, so it was great to grab one last run with that group. That evening, Keily and I went to San Jose's independent cinema, Cine Magaly, to watch a newly-released movie called "Abril" which was made by Costa Rican director and comedian Hernan Jimenez. The line was out the door for the movie, and honestly, it lived up to the hype. I'm really hoping it gets a nomination at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film next Spring.