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!