It is 73 days, 18 hours, 14 minutes and 26 seconds until Saturday, December 15, 2007 at 9:00:00 AM (San Jose time).

I jinxed myself. My class got down to 2 students, and the school's owner decided it was no longer profitable to keep it going. So they kicked the students to the curb, explaining that it was too expensive to pay their teacher. It's a harsh reminder that private English schools in Costa Rica are all about the money, not the education. I'm left to scrape by on substitute gigs until they find more students. Luckily, I think I have enough money saved to pay rent and bills for the rest of the year.

As if to add salt to the wound, my glasses broke on Sunday. Snapped right in half. I have another pair, so I can still see. But I really liked those glasses. I'm noticing other things are wearing down, too. Some tshirts have little holes. I've had to sew a few pairs of socks. I replaced a button on one of my work shirts. And one pair of khakis is currently held together with a safety pin. So, while it's possible to live for almost a year with a very limited wardrobe (5 work shirts, 2 khakies, 1 jeans, 2 shorts, 4 tshirts, etc), the clothes do suffer.

I can feel the days counting down. I've gotten a lot out of this experience. In fact, if I had to leave tomorrow, I'd feel like I wasn't missing anything. There's more to see and do, of course. And there are plenty of things I'll miss. But I'm building up my goodbyes for Costa Rica.

Labels: costa rica