“If you let go a little you will have a little happiness. If you let go a lot you will have a lot of happiness. If you let go completely, you will be free.”
-Ajahn Chah

A little over a month ago Escuela Camino Claro commenced its first official year of English classes in Pavones, Costa Rica. The year so far has been filled with the joy and sense of accomplishment one finds when starting a new project, as well as the struggles to overcome unexpected barriers. Thus, on this breezy Sunday afternoon, Raphel and I rightfully find ourselves enjoying the weekend and feeling grateful we finally have routine back in our lives. With upwards of 35 students of all ages and abilities, our lives are adequately busy. Never a dull moment.

Upon our arrival in Pavones, the mad search for a location for ECC began. With luck riding on our shoulders, a rundown 4 bedroom house right on the edge of downtown Pavones (yet somehow surprisingly unnoticed) was vacant and beckoning. The old cabinas-transformed-school was mended, swept, mopped, bleached, and bug-sprayed until it was a livable space for two English teachers. Despite the various infestations that rotate nightly between the ants, crabs, bats, and cicadas (or sometimes a combination of all four), the house now has comfortable, spacious living quarters with room for two classrooms; it could even be called charming! An internet and surf board rental shop is our neighbor to the right, with town just a few steps beyond that, the Pavones point break is our front yard, and dense jungle is our backyard. Yeah, it’s pretty ideal.

To give you a quick overview, the classes right now are divided up into two types. The first is home school classes with English-speaking children; mainly working on reading and writing while they acquire all other subjects and accreditation at the local public school. We spent the first few weeks working around their sporadic schedule at the local school to arrange before and after school classes, quite a chore in itself. The second type of classes we offer are English as a Second Language (ESL) for locals; children as well as adults. Most groups have 3-5 students and are anywhere from 3-6 hours per week. All in all, we have about 12 English home school students studying in grades 1-5, and about 25 locals ranging in age attending the ESL classes. Escuela Camino Claro really has started to embody its name: we are indeed a Community Education Center.

In so many words, the real lesson being learned right now is “just let go”… of preconceived notions, ethnocentric values, and most importantly, the need to control. Things happen at a slow pace here, and after winding down from the busy lifestyle living in the US tends to foster, we are becoming more in line with that. Better to embrace it than reject something that is so integral to this culture. Pura vida, for real! For the most part, though, it feels like the community is eager to support and embrace us, but there are definitely certain challenges. It’s difficult to fulfill everyone’s needs and expectations- parents and students alike- while being confident in our own teaching ability. This is where letting go of the need to control comes in almost daily: all we can do is be good people and good teachers and everything else will flow!

Thank you to everyone for your constant flow of love and support; we would not be where we are right now without it. Also, look forward to an updated website with photos and more newsletters in the near future. Pura Vida from Pavones, Costa Rica!

-Haley