I completed my TEFL course in Samara (which was an incredibly intense but worthwhile course) and was based for that month in Playa Samara. Absolutely loved that little beach-town but because of the hours required with the course didn't really get the time to enjoy it. I took the option to volunteer in Punterenas for a short term contract with the Government run program called Aliarse, because I was only staying for a total of 6 months and most other contracts were too long. The induction was a little rushed and instead of being 3 days was squashed into one day. Derek the leader was very thorough but was under the pump to get teachers out to a couple of locations. He was incredibly supportive and encouraging throughout.
On arriving in Punterenas I was met by the social worker and a couple of students and then taken to my host family house. It was a long hot trip on a bus with no air conditioner but I didn't mind mixing it among the locals. My Host family were truly beautiful and included me in a couple of social activities including a weekend away. Even though I spoke no Spanish I enjoyed the time with them.
The house they lived in was very humble and my actual room had the bare minimum. No air conditioner, just a wall fan, a very small desk and chair and a single bed. Unfortunately there was no outdoor area to relax and no real lounge room, so once home of an evening I was pretty much confined to my room other than for the family dinner. I also shared a bathroom with the daughter which was very tiny. The food however was lovely!!
The University itself was fairly minimal also and consisted of a about 5 classrooms and a toilet. There was no staff room so I felt a little isolated from the other teachers, who were all male while I was there. To be honest I found the curriculum to be quite dry and unlike the way I had been taught to teach during the TEFL training. I spent most evenings trying to adapt the curriculum to make it more enjoyable but in the end I gave up and just taught it as it was presented.
The class were adults (between 18 and maybe 30) and were initially hard to win over but I enjoyed teaching them and felt like I made a difference, which was a great feeling. I struggled with clear communications with the social worker and would often become stressed because the wrong pages were photocopied etc and then had to wing it for a couple of hours until she was able to get to the printers to do the right ones. She was a lovely lady and tried her hardest to make things work for me.
The other staff were supportive but I was hoping they would be more social and inclined to go out occasionally. Luckily another person with similar expectations arrived and we were able to organise a couple of weekend trips away which made the time spent there much more fun.
While I haven't painted a pretty picture of some aspects of my work and home-life in Puntarenas, I am extremely happy I went there and often think about the people I met and the things I experienced during that short contract. Despite being challenging at times I will always remember how the people enjoyed the small things in life and how devoted they were to their families. Most of the people I taught lived in varying degrees of poverty and lacked modern appliances and technology which I have come to expect in my life and yet they managed to make the most out of everyday. I would highly recommend taking on something like this, but just be prepared for things to be different to what you might expect.
What would you improve about this program?
Maybe the accommodation options could be improved as I lived about 45 minutes from the school but depending on traffic that could push out to an hour or more. Social get togethers to welcome new staff might help also.
