By now you have probably discovered my new love of the “Kid Snippets” videos on Youtube. My kids and I watch them all the time and still laugh at every one. One of my favorites is “The Basketball Class” where one kid protests exercising by saying, “I’m serious guys! I have sweaty!” Now I use that line all the time.
Here in Costa Rica I have sweaty all day and all night. We are 9 degrees above the equator, but above 3,000 feet in altitude. So though the temps stay between 70 and 90 degrees year round, the humidity wraps around your head like a wet blanket. Most buildings are made of cinder blocks which are earthquake, termite and (sort of) mold resistant AND have the added benefit of keeping the buildings cool like a basement.
But the classroom building where I teach is not made of cinder blocks. It’s some kind of particle board covered with drywall. It’s about a million degrees in there. I start sweating at 8 a.m. and by noon it’s hard to breathe in there. My students sometimes complain of headaches, and it’s hard for them to concentrate. Often we take our books and search out a cool, back hallway where my kids can lay on the tile floor and read their lessons.
I have asked for an air conditioner for my classroom, but electricity is terribly expensive here. Recently the office informed me that I would need to completely pack up my classroom at the end of the year because they are planning on raising the roof on the building over the summer break. The idea is that with a higher roof, the heat can rise and ventilate out the top instead of pressing down on us. Apparently raising the roof is cheaper than running an air conditioner all year long. In the meantime, I have sweaty.
Monkeys in My Bag 