The Daily Grind

Apparently I haven't posted in about two months. How do I know? Last time I posted was in Turrialba, a few days after I got here, and yesterday marks 2 months in Costa Rica. Apparently, time flies.
As you may have guessed by the title of this post, I've found gainful employment. The bad news first: while it is, in fact, the rainy season, it is also the low season for tourism. This means no rafting jobs. Turrialba was a great place to hang out. I also met some people who seemed interested in hiring me, had there been some work to be done. I then went to Quepos. The rafting companies there said the same thing. The difference was that after getting turned down for a job, I went to the beach. It's not that I didn't like the jungle. I think the beach is just a better place to be unemployed. It makes lying around all day seem more acceptable.
So where did I find this job, you may ask. In fact, I found two. First, I stayed in the infamous Galileo Hostel. You can check out the web site, but the gist is that it's a party hostel. They got really excited to have someone who doesn't drink, because a teetotaler won't get drunk working the night shift. For a short time, this was entertaining and new. I even learned how to pour a beer properly (still a work in progress with the hoppy beer). Then came the second job.
I don't even remember saying it, but I mentioned that I had my TEFL and had been teaching in Asia. One of the local English teachers was drinking at the bar, overheard me, and offered me a job. So I trimmed the beard, bought some closed-toed shoes, and interviewed. My passport photo almost lost me the job, but I quickly explained that I'd been a rafting guide and that looking grizzled was a part of looking professional. I think what saved me was that I wore a tie.
Anyway, against their better judgment, they've hired me as a business English teacher. I teach 18 hours per week, including two one-on-one classes. So, at the moment, I'm teaching four days a week, waking up at 6 for my morning class with Nestor (the accountant who has a special leaf on his key chain). This has pushed me over to the morning shift at the hostel Friday to Sunday. In other words, I wake up at 6 during the week, and around 4 on the weekend. This has led to consistent and profound napping.
Today is pretty normal, as far as the hostel goes. When I started the shift, there were still two people up drinking. The hardest part of waking up today was that the cutest dog in Costa Rica had curled up with me. She started sleeping by my knees, but by the morning had curled up against my side, slowly encroaching and eventually hogging the middle of the bed. After three cups of coffee, I got the cleaning done earlier than usual, so I played some cribbage online. I also watched a disc of Family Guy and a few minutes of Sesame Street in Spanish. I'm about to reheat some leftovers (all I cook anymore is veggies with Asian sauces, served over white rice). I also have some pineapple. I also just chased a hummingbird out of the bar, which is much easier than chasing the chickens back into their pen (which I've already done twice today). It should start raining in the next half hour or so, and it'll rain on and off for the rest of the day. When I finish working I'll nap, then I'll see if anyone wants to venture out of the sanctuary of the hostel and see what the city has to offer.
So, for those who have been wondering: I'm not dead, just busy. The Spanish is improving, and the English school pays for my Friday Spanish classes. I'm still working on my Peace Corps application. The news on that is that they want to send me to Francophone sub-Saharan Africa as a small business advisor. Casey advised me to go ahead and prepare for Cameroon, as it wouldn't be right to send me somewhere that didn't start with C. I just hope I can get through all the dreaded medical forms and get my placement.
I think that's all the news. Stay posted. The next blog may include some interesting travel plans, as I have to renew my visa within the next 29 days. Can you say "Yay, visa runs!"?