costa rica – Teaching Abroad- American Teacher Overseas

Written before the move…

Within a few days, I will be off to my new adventure. This summer was super short. I literally had 3 weeks off. I spent most of this time preparing for the move. In between, I did get in a 5 day trip to Panama (more on that coming up in a future post), some quality time with family and a little down time to do some research. So, here are 10 facts about my soon to be new host country.

A lot of people think Costa Rica is an island but actually it is not. It is a part of Central America and borders Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south. However, it does have several uninhabited islands. Can’t wait to explore them. (costarica.org)

Costa Rica does not have a military. The Military was abolished in 1948, and money was reinvested in education, social security and health care. The standard of living has been steadily on the rise since then, the country’s literacy rate is 98%, and the infant mortality rate is the second lowest in the region. (ticotravel.com)

It is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with 5% of the world’s biodiversity and 500,000 species of wildlife. (trafalgar.com)

Costa Rica has a high life expectancy and is home to one of the 5 blue zones in the world, Nicoya. (asuaire.com)

You can see the sunrise on the Caribbean side and sunset on the Pacific side in the same day (visitcostarica.com). It is possible to drive across the entire country and catch them both.

There are about 750,000 species of insects that live here, including 20,000 different spiders, and 10% of the worlds butterflies. (bahiaaventuras.com) I almost declined the offer to move here because of this fact .

There are more than 121 volcanic formations and seven active volcanoes. Most of the volcanoes are in the northern part of the country. (bahiaaventuras.com) Costa Rica’s soil is rich in minerals due to many eruptions over the past millennia.

The country is about the size of West Virginia or slightly smaller than Lake Michigan (puravidamoms.com)

It is the most visited country in Central America due to its rich biodiversity and ecotourism. (worldstrides.com)

Costa Rica was ranked one of the happiest country in the world in 2012. (hidden lemur.com)

Hopefully you enjoyed reading some facts about Costa Rica and learned something new. Do these facts motivate you to visit this country?

Just because I left Qatar doesn’t mean I’m done. And now that I’ve closed that chapter of my book, it’s time to start a new one. So where is the setting of chapter 2? That is the question. Well it begins in another country, a little closer to my original home. But before I get into that, I have to tell you where and how it began so that if you’re considering being adventurous like me, you will have an idea of where to begin.

When I resigned from my job in Qatar, I actually had no idea where I was going. I knew I didn’t want to stay in that country and apply to another school. I just knew I wanted a change of scenery and a change in my position.

So I created a profile on Search Associates and was prepared to pay a fee for this but I lucked up with going through the UK division because it was free. Creating a profile through them is relatively easy and you’re assigned a contact person. Through Search Associates, I was able to see postings from schools all over the world. For some I could apply directly through the website with just a cover letter and directing the hiring representative from the schools to my profile. For others, I was directed to apply straight through the schools website. I knew that finding a position in leadership would be more difficult than a typical teaching position and it proved to be very competitive. Apparently a lot of teachers were displaced during Covid and were now seeking new opportunities. Sure, I have a pretty good resumé with a competitive educational background but I lack in leadership experience within a school setting. Most schools, I didn’t even hear back from. I was only invited to a couple of interviews in leadership and wasn’t offered a position. I even interviewed for a classroom position in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, if you call a virtual interview where you answer 3 questions and are recorded, an actual interview. Needless to say, that didn’t pan out and it was probably for the best, as it wasn’t what I really wanted. I only interviewed there because the pay was impressive and I have friends there. Feeling defeated, I had resolved to go back home and take some time off. I had been out of the interviewing game for a while, was making mistakes and was not used to hearing no.

I was tired of applying and I was excited about going home for some respite and quality time with loved ones.

But then, I saw this position with a significant lower pay than what I was used to but in a country that I’d considered retiring. I didn’t know much about this country and still don’t really but I’ve heard some wonderful things. I also did not know much about Qatar but that didn’t stop me and look how that turned out. Not feeling very optimistic, I decided to apply. Within a few days, I received a response from the Director of this school and I instantly had a good feeling. We met on Google Meet and talked about the position, school, country, pay, etc… Next I interviewed with the Principal and Vice Principal. The Vice Principal who happened to work in Qatar just a year prior. Following this interview, I also interviewed with a panel of teachers. This impressed me. An organization that values the opinions of all, even those not in leadership, I wondered if this was real or just a facade. Within a few weeks, I was offered the position of ECE Coordinator- Early Childhood Education Coordinator. I went back and forth with my decision to just go home and take some time off or accept the position. In the end I decided to accept. This position may not come back around for me again, and if it doesn’t work out, then I can go home. If you never try, then you’re always left wondering.

The pay was an issue too, but during my time in Qatar, where I was making significantly more, I spent most of that money on paying off bills which put me in a good position. A position where I can accept a lower pay. A position that I desire and can possibly catapult my career in different directions where I will be able to make more money later, if I desire. Besides, this almost felt fate-like. I was ready to give up and it showed up out of nowhere. The process was quick and I got a good feeling in my gut. I love this part of the world and now I will live in it.

Chapter 2 will begin in…