Last Entry--Saturday, July 19

The last two days have been packed with both fun and bittersweet goodbyes.  On Thursday, July 17, we visited the local technical collegio (high school) in Puerto Viejo.  The school serves students from the Sarapiqui area in grades 7 through 12. Open since 1972, the school added options for students to specialize in fields of study relevant to potential job needs in Sarapiqui in the 1990s.  Beginning in tenth grade, students can choose one of several majors, such as ecotourism, accounting and hotel/event management.  These studies give them practical experience in these areas within their school day.  Hotel/event students set up lunch buffets and run events on campus to gain experience.  Ecotourism students create outdoor learning spaces and use the expansive campus as their classroom.  Some of their projects include building and maintaining trails, monitoring a mariposario (butterfly garden), finding new and interesting ways to repurpose materials and studying native wildlife and their behavior.  Additionally, students gain the English skill appropriate to each of their disciplines.  A teacher and several students led us on a tour of the ecotourism grounds.  We spotted several green macaws and an iguana!

After our last lunch at Chilamate, we got a chance to talk about what we each are thinking about bringing back to our schools in both small and large ways.  We each talked about the challenges at our schools and how to broaden our global contributions within the constructs of our home institutions.

Our conversation had to close in time for our community celebration.  The fiesta began at 3 PM and lasted until 7 PM.  There was dancing, karaoke, laughing and even a few tears.  We all felt embraced by the community of Linda Vista -- particularly its women.  It was fun to see everyone let loose and enjoy themselves.  After the party, we all walked home to our last night in homestay.




On Friday, July 18, we each had our last breakfast with our families and then headed back to Chilamate for one last goodbye.  We boarded our trusty Chilamate bus and began the drive to  San Jose.  The drive was beautiful -- finally a sunny day!  On the way, we all reminisced about funny moments over the past two weeks.  Chino and Davis guided us safely to downtown for lunch and a few hours to explore.  Some of us ventured into a local market for last minute gifts and souvenirs, while the rest of us wandered through the national museum.  On the way to our hotel, we made one last stop at a MegaSuper for snacks.  Upon arriving at Hotel Brilla Sol, we enjoyed our first hot shower since our arrival in Costa Rica!  We then gathered for our last meal together.  Over dinner, we each shared moments we would take back -- from the powerful to the hysterical -- and how we grew during the trip.  We all discussed the value of being an adult learner.  We each had moments when we were cared by our hosts in touching ways.

If we had chronicled this trip on social media, these would have been some of the highlights:

#MuchaAgua  
(Because, well, it rained A LOT)

#MuchaLluvia  
(See above)

#DondeEstaLaIguana
(So, as it turns out, wildlife can be very hard to see as Mother Nature is no fool.  And not everyone is as good at locating these animals.  And it's really hard to explain to others which branch of the thousands of identical branches contains the elusive creature)

#Plantains
(Because they were present at nearly every meal, and as it turns out, are quite large -- some might even say huge)

#BugsBugsBugs
(Just so many bugs ... biodiversity and all ...)

#ColdShowerOrNoShower
(They daily conundrum ... many of us opted for no shower)

#SmellyNorthAmericans
(See above)

#MuchoGusto
(Because everyone was a pleasure to meet)

#ExpectTheUnexpected
(Because much of this trip challenged the ideas in our head in positive ways)

#PuraVida
(Because Costa Ricans say this, believe this and live this everyday!)

Today started much like many others, full of rain. We were forced to extend our morning coffee time to wait for some lightening to stop. It was nice to simply sit around and share stories over a cup of great Costa Rican java.

Once the thunder and lightening lightened up we head out and across the street to Chilamate Escuela, a primary school, where our good friend, and former host, nine year old Lluvia attends. Lluvia is a delightful and goofy girl, we met during our time at the Chilamate Eco Lodge. The school has roughly 160 students, who attended classes in half day shifts. Many of the teacher teach one grande in the morning then another grade in the afternoon. The school recently added Art and Music classes and about a year ago added a computer lab. They hope to soon add a covered auditorium space for the kids to congregate when its raining or to hold community or school meetings.

We then headed back to the Eco lodge for another delicious meal.

In the afternoon, 4 brave souls set out for a canopy tour/zip lining adventure. By some small miracle the clouds parted and the rain stopped!! We were able to zip around without any issues from the weather. The course consisted of 13 cables with two lines being over 400 meters. After a quick safety lesson away we went! SUCH FUN!! Our guides were really energetic, funny and they made it look so easy. While we struggled ungracefully with each platform landing, they skillfully and seemingly without much effort simply hoped off. About half way through the course we found ourselves sharing the tree with a group of Howler Monkeys!! Our guide, Walter, was quick to remind us that when you get this close to monkeys, they pee on you. To be honest, that somewhat killed the vibe of seeing monkeys. So a quick photo and on to the next branch. (No one was peed on during the course of this tour)

The rain has not yet returned, and we have hopes for a rain free day............literally as I typed that, thunder rumbled in the distance. I spoke too soon.

Tomorrow we look forward to another school visit and a celebration dinner with all of the host families!

Tuesday, July 15

We started today with breakfast with our homestay families. We find ourselves over and over again complimenting our Costa Rican hosts on the delicious food!

We had two school visits this morning, which were both very close to our home stay families and the Chilamate Eco Lodge.  The first was to a primary school, Cristo Rey, which is the largest school in the region. The neighborhood the school is in is a poor area that struggles with drug addiction, crime, and other problems.  The director of the school was very welcoming to us, and was extremely proud of the school. He showed us several trophies that the girls' soccer team has won!

A kindergarten class at Cristo Rey Primary School.

At this school, we were able to visit many classrooms and talk with several teachers. They were all very receptive and willing to talk with us about their experiences teaching here. Because this school has many more students, they receive more funding for school resources from the government than the schools we visited yesterday.  They had a library, special education rooms, a computer lab, garden, and a music teacher.  In this building, each grade level group stays in one room and the teacher teaches all subjects to them. Students either attend in the morning, or the afternoon. The students were overall very well behaved and engaged in classroom activities.  A kindergarten class sang us a song about the days of the week, and a sixth grade class was very curious about life in the U.S. and Canada.  We were happy to answer their questions and ask some of our own!

In talking with the staff, their caring commitment to the students was very evident.  They discussed with us the struggles of some of the poorer families.  For example, if a family does not have an umbrella, their students may stay home from school if it is raining. Many students were missing today for that reason.  One teacher at the school is dedicated to helping those students who have failed a grade level  (perhaps multiple times), in hopes of accelerating those students to the appropriate grade level.  They also described their participation in the special olympics.  They have about 15 students who will participate in that soon, and they are very excited for it!

Secondly, we visited a much smaller school, Linda Vista.  This is a one teacher primary school, that has all students in grades 1-6 in one room.  The class room contained approximately 15 students, and were grouped by grade level. The groups work on an assignment and the teacher rotates between them.  This school has less resources available, but had a very warm, welcoming atmosphere.  After getting a tour of the school, which included the classroom, a space for eating, and a garden, we were able to spend some time getting to know the students.  We talked with them, asked them about what they were learning, what they liked to do, and they were very excited to see our cameras and help us take some pictures.  Spending time with these children was a very heart-warming experience for all!

The farm where we ate lunch.

Lunch today was at the home of Sergio and Mayra, who are a home stay family who has a beautiful farm.  They cooked delicious fresh food for us which included yellow and white yucca, a delicious paste made from a type of squash, rice with chicken, fresh vegetables, freshly cooked pork rinds (from a pig roast they were preparing for a group of high school students who were coming for a cooking lesson that evening), and sugared figs for dessert. Sergio gave us a tour of his farm, which had many animals, and a beautiful view of the hillside.

In the afternoon we went on a "Chocolate Tour," which we were all very excited for.  The tour guide was very engaging and funny. He first showed us the tree where the cacao grows, and we headed into a shelter where the rest of the tour took place.  He described and demonstrated the process the indigenous people would use to take the seeds from the cacao fruit to create Cacaoa, the "drink of the gods." During the process from seed to what we know as "chocolate," he let us sample several different stages and they all were delicious!  Several of us purchased some chocolate to bring home with us.

Enjoying a drink made from a mixture of ground cacao seeds, and more.

The evening was spent with our host families again.  Some activities included cooking lessons, a card game called "Tonto," watching a funny television show called "Combate," and more time spent getting to know each other better.

Monday, July 14

After a wild stormy first night at our host families, the clouds parted and we were greeted with sun and heat!! We reconvened at the Chilamate Eco Lodge and set out for the day.

The schools that we visited are somewhat isolated, so we needed to rely on our driver Chino to navigate the winding and narrow roads. The first school we visited is a primary school (Kindergarden to Grade 6) called Escuela Republica De Trinidad Y Tobago. The name may sound a bit odd, but the school is so named because of where its situated so closely beside the high school, organizers thought it resembled the island countries of Trinidad and Tobago. To add a bit more flare to the school, the students have chosen Bengal tiger as its school mascot, something that one does not naturally find in Costa Rica. And just for a bit more fun, the tiger's name is Max. The primary school and its mascot have benefited from a number of students from across the USA who have visited the school on service projects. The students have painted walls, built roves and helped to build a storage space. The hope for the next project is to build an administrative office for the head of the school and for basic administrative functions as well as building a green house.

A stones throw from the primary school is the neighborhood high school. Many of the students from the primary school graduate and attend this high school. The high school works hard to ensure that the kids it teaches has every opportunity to remain in school and further their education. The school provides meals as well as free transportation to its students. The grade 12 students that we spoke with  all wish to further their studies once they graduate high school. Some are interested in veterinary medicine, criminology, engineering, business and medicine.

After our time at the school we headed to a local organic farm run by a man named Daniel and his family. Daniel had worked for years at some of the large pineapple plantations. After witnessing some of the atrocities against nature and suffering himself from major health issues, Daniel purchased his own land and became an organic farmer. Daniel's dedication to organic farming and preserving the land is truly inspirational. After another amazing meal provided to us by the family, Daniel proudly toured us around his land showing us his pigs, pepper plants, vanilla plants and goats. For the past 15 years he has been successfully growing a number of products organically.

After touring the farm we all sat down to a warm cup of coffee and heard Daniel's story. From starting to work at the age of 12,  to the hiccups of starting a new business to his future plans for the land and his goals for his children, it truly was a moving story. Daniel soon hopes for his products to be given the "certified organic" label and with any luck will be able to export his products and take his small business globally.









After a few photographs and some shopping to support the farm it was time to return home for another night with our home stay families.

Sunday, July 13

We enjoyed one last morning and breakfast at Chilamate Eco Retreat.  Right after breakfast, we embarked on a much-anticipated guided nature hike in the rainforest. Our guide was William, who carried with him binoculars and a telescope to help us see wildlife from afar.

We began by the edge of the Sarapiqui River where we saw an iguana overhead! After that, we headed into the rainforest near where we had previously seen howler monkeys.  The trail into the rainforest was well marked but very muddy. The wide variety of plant life is remarkable.  William showed us several varieties and explained more about them.  One acts as a natural insect repellant; another can be used in lieu of toilet paper, and many other interesting varieties (including one that has pink hairs lining the leaves, others that belong in the pepper family, and more). Along the trail we saw several types of frogs (such as the black and green tree frog, the "blue-jean" tree frog who has a red body and blue legs, and a non-poisonous frog with excellent camouflage), various insects (millipedes, centipedes, spiders, crickets, cicadas, walking sticks, and bullet ants--whose bite and sting can be very painful), we heard many birds and saw several (black throated trogon, a wood creeper, and chickadee), as well as a sloth curled up high in the threes! We were all very excited to see a sloth at last.

After the hike, we gathered our things and got ready to head for our home stays.  Before leaving, we organized some donations we brought to donate to the local schools and the community.  Once we left the Chilamate Eco Retreat, we were in pairs or groups of three to join a local family for the week.  As we arrived, the families were very welcoming. They greeted us warmly with hugs and excitement!  We felt very grateful that these families had opened their homes to us and welcomed us in.

Many of us are non-Spanish speakers, which makes communication a challenge. We are, however, eager to learn and communicate, so we are picking up on things quickly!

We spent the remainder of the evening with our families, and did a variety of activities.  We got to know each other, learned about the families, made home-made empanadas, made sugar cane juice from natural sugar cane, played card games, watched the world cup, and spent the rest of the evening together. It was a great start to the week of getting to know each other, the families, and the community much better!

Saturday, July 12

After yet another delicious breakfast (which this morning included fried yucca with sour cream, a new group favorite!), we geared up for an all-day teacher summit here at the Eco Retreat.  Two primary school teachers from a local school in nearby Puerto Viejo joined us for 6 hours of workshop training on intercultural communication for educators led by Leila Mata Alvarez, the deputy head and director of residential life at United World College Costa Rica.  Founded by Kurt Hahn in the years after the second World War, the United World Colleges are a network of 14 schools around the world that offer a 2-year International Baccalaureate program for students from diverse backgrounds.  Leila was accompanied by an intern from Mumbai who graduated last year from United World College in India and just finished her first year of college at Trinity College in Connecticut. 

Some of the goals of the workshop, which was hands-on and very engaging, included recognizing the effects of our perceptions on intercultural relations and identifying aspects of non-verbal communication that affect intercultural interactions.  During the workshop, we played interactive games in small groups, participated in several hands-on activities, discussed the difference between description, interpretation, and evaluation, and took a break to enjoy a tasty lunch of tamales in banana leaves (yet another group favorite).  We got to practice our Spanish with the two teachers from Puerto Viejo, who added a wonderful perspective to our conversations and activities.

After “graduating” from workshop (with certificates and everything!), we had some free time in the afternoon, and most of the group walked into town to purchase umbrellas.  We are happy to report, however, that the rain has stopped for the time being! 

We ate dinner tonight with a group of high school students who are in Costa Rica for three weeks with a New York-based program called Sustainable Summer.  It was fun to talk to them about their trip so far; they seem to be learning a lot about sustainability, and several students said that they think the trip will change the way they live their lives back at home.

After dinner, we grabbed our headlamps, pulled on rubber boots, and went on a night hike through the rainforest on the Eco Retreat’s property (they own 25 hectares of beautiful secondary rainforest!). During our hike, we learned all about the amazing plants in the rainforest, heard an owl overhead, and saw millipedes, long-nosed bats, poisonous blue jeans frogs, poisonous spiders, and a red-eyed tree frog. 

Tomorrow we will all move in with our homestay families and will no longer be eating dinner together every night, so our blog posts next week might be more erratic than they have been thus far.  We will do our best to keep in touch! 

Friday, July 11

Our great breakfast was early today because the white water rafting was scheduled for this morning. The rain did not deter us from taking the opportunity to become close and personal with the beautiful, fast, curvy Sarapiqui River. Our guides were just great. As instructors, on the rafts and in the accompanying kayaks, they showed their professional skills and shared the joy for this fast-paced water sport. We were all excited, paddling as hard as we could, ducking to avoid branches, and were screaming and laughing when waves swept into the raft. This was for sure an unforgettable group activity.

After a long shower and delicious lunch, we started with our afternoon curriculum. We had the chance to take a look at the student curriculum “Learning Cycle” which displays interconnected stages for students on their path to becoming globally aware citizens.

Our program was rudely interrupted by the very demanding voice of a Howler Monkey—a very good excuse for us to take a break and look for the monkeys in the trees. Sure enough, we found the big Howler Monkey right at the top of the biggest tree, howling with great content. A female monkey, nursing her baby, was not far below, and a lot of activity in the trees proved that the Howler Monkey family was quite large. Birds and frogs, including a Blue Jeans Frog, contributed to the variety of animals right next door to us.

Back at work, we concentrated on the “True Colors” game. Choosing three cards with adjectives describing us best created a picture of the person we are and made it possible to determine what categories represent us best. Most of us were familiar with similar activities but again we were surprised how precisely we could find ourselves in one or more of the categories.

More challenging and very engaging was the prioritizing of the Millennium Development Goals. Should more easily obtainable goals have priority over long term goals? Is improving health care more important than education or minimum wage? These are only a few examples of questions we discussed. However, we often found that we did not know enough to come up with the best answers.

At dinner, we had the great pleasure to sit and eat with our three local women and some of their children and grandchildren. Digna was her wonderfully enthusiastic and warmhearted self. Along with her two daughters she was very helpful in providing us with a glimpse into the lives of Costa Rican women. They talked about the limited possibility for education due to unsafe roads and long distances to school. Early motherhood made it difficult to continue schooling or working. Marriages that brought hardship and ended in separation were mentioned. However, progress is being made. Digna’s daughters went to school longer than she did and even went back to school after having their first children. Both work and have high hopes for their own daughters. Education and choices in family planning seemed to be important, and studying abroad seemed to be a long term goal. Talking to the teenagers at the next table showed a lot of similarity with the teenagers in North America. However, chances to go to a university in the US or Canada are still slim.

Our day was packed with exciting, educational, and enjoyable activities and exchanges, it was definitely one of our best days yet!

Thursday, July 10

This morning began with last looks at our home of the past few days – taking some pictures, beachfront yoga and purchasing a few mementos from the store (la tienda).  Just before breakfast, we were alerted to some possible transportation challenges due to the rainfall from Wednesday.  We were crossing our fingers that the rain would hold off long enough to ensure a dry boat ride back to meet Chino, our driver from Chilamate.  After a tasty breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs and mango, we said our thank yous and goodbyes to our gracious and inspiring hosts and headed (barefoot) to the waiting boat.  

With Marga and Marta, turtle researchers in Pacuare

Chino, our bus driver

Our captains made sure that we spotted a mother crocodile and several of her tiny babies.  They also slowed the boat to help us spot some iguanas sunning themselves in a tree.  The rains of the day before had flooded the canals and neighboring lands to a noticeable degree – so much so that the dock we left from was no longer visible.  We were excited to see Chino with the bus and even more grateful to have arrived with dry bags!

Rain continued on our route to Chilamate, but luckily enough, cleared again just as we arrived to the Chilamate area – allowing us to see the landscape, unload our bags and get settled without the threat of rain.  Lunch of empanadas was waiting for us – the food we are eating continues to be a highlight!  The staff of the lodge welcomed us with warmth and generosity.  After lunch, we had a little downtime to explore the property.  

Chilamate is a unique and beautiful spot.  Many of us were lamenting leaving the ocean noises of Pacuare, and were pleased to find the soothing sounds of the Sarapiqui River waiting for us here.  The lodge feels luxurious as we have both electricity AND indoor plumbing.  The natural beauty of Costa Rica is around every corner.  The mission of the eco-lodge is noticeable all over the property – from reminders in the bathroom to charming, hand-painted signage identifying recycling containers or the solar energy system.  Both Pacuare and Chilamate make one think about necessity and waste in a new way.

By chance, several of us had the opportunity to meet our homestay moms.  It was touching to see how excited they were to greet us.  We are now even more thrilled to meet the rest of the family on Sunday. 

We reconvened to have a discussion around group processes and frameworks of teaching for global competencies.  We chatted about strengths and weaknesses of each model and how we could see them at our schools.  After dinner (tilapia and lentil soup), we each shared a personal story of a time when we failed to understand someone else’s perspective.  It was a thought-provoking conversation about how important perspectives are in achieving global competencies.  After wrapping up the “official” discussion, many of us continued to talk about our school experiences over the most delicious coffee we have tasted yet.  We all headed to bed excited about the adventures waiting for in the coming days!

Wednesday, July 9

To start Day Three officially, midnight on Wednesday July 9^th was met with a thunderous welcome that kept many of us appreciating that we were dry and, of course, warm in our beds. The storm seemed to persist consistently throughout the night, leaving just in time for a beautiful sunny morning. Alerting us to the beginning of the day was the sound of Howler monkeys; a unique and unforgettable experience. After a deliciously-prepared breakfast of pancakes, Costa Rican cheese and pineapple, the group decided that setting out on a morning hike may be our best option to avoid the downpour we had merely heard the evening prior.

We were, however, treated to an authentic Costa Rican experience after all. Moments after beginning our nature walk into the rainforest, the sky opened up and again the rain fell. Just when you thought it impossible to become more voluminous, the rain flowed heavier. Although given the option to turn around, each member of the group was resolved to embrace this experience and we continued along the path for a few miles into the brush. Although the animals we were hoping to see were more rain-averse than we, the resilience and positivity of the group resulted in a truly wonderful and memorable experience.

After returning from the hike, five of us chose to further embrace this thoroughly soaked state (the rain did not let up for the duration of the 2 hour hike!) with a “swim” in the ocean. Swim in quotations as we were warned, and quickly experienced for ourselves, the waves and significant under toe does not allow for one to be comfortable venturing in much further than knee height. Refreshed and marginally more dry, the group was treated to another amazing meal prepared by the Pacuare Turtle Reserve cooks. Plantains, prepared in their various forms, remains a fan favourite.

The afternoon consisted of some time to reflect prior to a information session from two of the marine scientists, Martha and Marga of Spain. These two fabulous women have recently created an NGO, Nature Oceans of the Americas (www.noaoceans.org) aimed at educating youth on the conservation of turtles, whales, dolphins and choral reefs. We were all quite enthusiastic about the prospects of returning with our own students one day to participate in their programs. After this, Jennifer led an excellent discussion on our vision of a “Global Graduate” – what are the key components for students to discuss, think, experience, share, value and understand when our goal is creating globally aware and responsive citizens. The image of our collective ideas is shared here. This learning experience again solidified what an exceptional passionate and engaged group has come together for this Costa Rican experience.

Our “dinner discussion” shed light on the person that each one of us has come to identify as a “change maker” in our life, in terms of altering our global perspectives and ideologies. It is always interesting to hear these stories and the variety of influences each one of us has experienced, highlighting the ways in which we may have opportunities to be just that person for one of our own students or significant young adults in our lives.

Finally, the day ended somewhat more dramatically for two of the group than it had for others. While many of us opted to read, write, or otherwise stay dry, two brave souls opted to participate in another 8-11pm Turtle Patrol which began during yet another downpour. As the waves crashed high onto the beach, not only did our adventurous group mates have to dodge being sucked into the ocean, the once safe turtle nursery needed much attention to avoid a disastrous loss of their nests (see picture of sandbags preventing the flood). Trudging through the forest, dodging large and varied insects, and admiring poisonous frogs, these two definitely earning bragging rites upon their safe return.