Community Service: Costa Rica B 2011

Blog written by Nakeya

How do you begin to describe something that comes from your heart and an entirely different community feels it and embraces it as if it were their own? I could only start by saying that it was real, and not only a visible chain reaction but an emotional one too. I began to work on my independent project the minute I came up with it during the first week. I decided to put together a fashion show, a Desfile de Ropa, with the people of San Jose de Rivas. The purpose of my project was to share my passion for fashion and creativity along with the often forgotten fact that you don’t have to buy expensive items to be in style. I was sure things would go just fine.

As planned, the show would be a part of the goodbye fiesta and I would have two days to work with my models. Day one came with practice at 5:00pm. Corey and I walked down the tedious hill and along the trail to the school yard. The sky began to worry me as dark clouds filled the sky and rain began to fall. No one showed up. My hopes were down but Corey assured me that things would get better considering that no one really traveled in the rain in Costa Rica. Day two came and went with new problems. It seemed that the people of San Jose de Rivas didn’t understand what I was trying to accomplish.

Again, Corey came to my rescue with new ideas and strategies. It was time to take things to the next level. I hand wrote invitations to my practice rehearsal and personally visited houses in the community to give them out. Women, men  and children of all ages were my targets. The reactions were awesome and gave me a renewed confidence. I just knew that people were going to show up and have a great time.

After waiting a while, slowly but surely they came and I couldn’t have been happier! Time flew by and before we all knew it, the fiesta had started, rice pudding was served, gifts from some of the children in the community were given to the group, and my models were in position. As the first model hit the runway, the roar of claps and screams sent a shiver up my spine. The feeling of starting a new experience for so many people gave me a sudden drive to do more. And to give credit where credit is definitely due, thanks to Derek for my home made curtains! They were a dramatic effect for the fashion show! Although the night ended in tearful goodbyes, it was an unforgettable one that I will carry with me the rest of my life. I hope the people of San Jose de Rivas took away as much from me as I did from them.

A note from the leaders:

As the trip comes to an end, Derek and I cannot believe the ways that this group has matured, grown, and turned into a little family. We had to say a lot of difficult goodbyes in the town when we left on Wednesday and it was clear from the tears and the comments made to us from community members that our students will be sorely missed. School children gathered and clung to our arms as we got ready to board the bus while older members of the town stood in the background and waved goodbye. We could not have been more proud of the way our group touched the hearts of the community.

Today we spent the day white water rafting on the Rio Pacuare. The kids had an incredible time splashing (and sometimes swimming) in the class 3 and 4 rapids. It was the perfect way to come together as a family for our last day and, as one student remarked, “was a perfect finish because everything and everyone was so calm … except the rapids.”

We ended the day with a wonderful farewell meal and awarded the students their certificates of completing 100 hours of community service! It was a quick month, full of adventure and growth and much laughter along the way. It has been an enormous privilege to be a leader for these students and we sincerely hope to hear from them as their journeys continue, wherever they may lead.

Abrazos!
Corey and Derek

Blog written by Rebecca about weekend adventures from July 22nd to 24th

6:00, time to get up! This weekend’s festivities started with our usual early wake up.  The nearby animals sang along to our wake up song, helping us get out of our warm sleeping bags.  By 6:30, everyone was at the table finishing breakfast, ready to go! The bus rolled up just in time to leave for the weekend at an ecolodge on the Osa Peninsula. Our previous bus driver could not accompany us this time, as he had to return to his normal job bringing the children to school in the morning.  But we welcomed our new bus driver just the same. While Derek went with most of us on the bus, Corey followed behind in the car with Max, Jenny, Emmy, and Maggie.  This bus was much bigger than the last one, giving us more room for the three hour drive.

After a long ride of sleeping, listening to music, and of course, our playing our favorite “car chase” games between the bus and the car behind, we made it! Well, not really. We stopped at a small town and met our captain.  Yes, I did say captain. We actually had to take a boat to the lodge! Shortly after starting, the boat stopped. “Surely, we can’t be there already”, everybody was thinking.  And we weren’t there, we stopped to see a crocodile sitting in the water, inches away from our little vessel! Fortunately, our new crocodile friend was not hungry.  The boat started out again, racing through the water toward the open ocean… or toward a swamp and mangrove.  The large trees on either side made it look like something out of a Disney World ride! Riding through the open ocean, the boat went up and down with every passing wave. Staring out at the clear blue water made us all realize how incredibly lucky we are to be here (and it also made me realize that the next time I visit a beach, it probably won’t have clear,  blue water).

At last, land! We made it to a beach, but where was our ecolodge? After a five minute hike, we were standing in front of our cabins for the weekend.  All four boys were in one, while the girls were split up.  Maggie, Emmy, Liz, Keya, and I were in one girl cabin, and Mary, Sedina, Melina, Jenny, and Anna were in the other.  After a long awaited lunch in the lodge’s restaurant, we headed down to the beach.  We swam in the ocean, found a natural spring, and lounged on beach towels trying to get a nice tan.  We spent most, or all, of the afternoon at the beach.  Some of the girls found beautiful seashells to bring back as souvenirs for their friends and family.  While laying on the beach burying my feet, Maggie asked if she could bury me.  Since I was already sandy, I agreed. Before long, Max, Mary, Sedina, and Keya all joined in.  “Stop laughing!” “Stop Breathing!”, they all jokingly yelled at me.  I guess I was ruining it.  After a while, I was transformed into a very sandy mermaid.  I must have looked like a sand-monster when I emerged, though.

By 5:00, most of us were ready to go back and shower.  Dinner that night was at 7:00.  Most of us complained because so far, the two meals we had eaten were later than what we’re used to in San Jose de Rivas.  7:00 came, and we couldn’t have been happier, we were so hungry!  We were a little bit spoiled this weekend, with soup, a delicious meal, and TWO deserts! And this was just Friday’s dinner! Derek and Corey decided to have our meeting at the dinner table, but we dropped shout outs and highs and lows so as not to disturb the other visitors dining around us.  By 9:00, we were so tired, that sleep came very easily.

The weekend continued with another early wake up on Saturday. By 6:30, our group made it to the restaurant for breakfast before the day’s activities.  Breakfast was just as delicious as dinner had been the night before.  After breakfast, we were told to put on our bathing suits, if we hadn’t already, and come back to the restaurant.  Why? Because Saturday, we went snorkeling! We got back to the restaurant in a somewhat hurry and waited for our next set of directions.  While waiting, we chatted with some of the other guests.  “Putney Student Travel?!”, one man asked, “I’m from Putney, Vermont!”.  I guess it really is a small world after all.

Soon, we were off.  We walked back down to the beach from which we arrived, with our snorkeling gear in our hands.  We had to board separate boats to get to the area, but we didn’t mind.  It was a half hour boat ride out to a separate island in which many resorts bring guests to snorkel and swim.  On the way there, we even saw a sea turtle! Since our group loves animals so much, Nick decided to name the turtle Shelly.  After saying goodbye to our friend Shelly, we arrived at the snorkeling area.  We put on our gear and jumped off of the boat! The water was so clear! Putting our faces into the water, we could see fish everywhere! For many of us, this was our first time snorkeling, and some kids were afraid that a shark would pay us a visit.  Luckily, no sharks found us.  We swam around in the ocean for what felt like hours!

After we all became sick of the water, we headed over to the island’s beach.  Instead of waiting for the boat to actually arrive at the shore, many of us decided to simply jump off of of the boat and swim in.  The water felt amazing! Especially without the flippers on! We played in the ocean some more and discovered that the floor of this ocean just disappears after a few steps! Well, okay, it doesn’t really disappear, but it gets really deep, too deep for even the tallest kids to reach! We washed our hands and walked over to some picnic tables for lunch. After lunch, we went back into the water for some more swimming.  In case you haven’t noticed, we really love swimming in the ocean.  Many of the kids went back for some more snorkeling.  The rest of us stayed behind to explore the island.  We walked up  the little river hoping to find a swimming hole.  We were disappointed when we didn’t. Not wanting to stray too far, we walked back toward the beach and settled down in a sandy part of the little river.

As it began to get later, we decided to head back.  We met the snorkeling group along the way to pick up a few passengers.  On the way back, the boat suddenly stopped.  Some confused faces looked around until we were told that there was a whale in the water! Costa Rica is the only place in the world where the whales from the north actually meet the whales from the south.  The whale splashed its tale in our faces and then swam under our boat. We could still hear the whale’s calls from our seats in the boat.  And  yes, it does sound like the whale in Finding Nemo.  We continued on and made it back to our rooms in time to reapply sunscreen and go to the beach.   We realized that this was our last time on a beach in Costa Rica as a group.  But, that’s too sad to talk about.  We swam in the ocean and enjoyed a snack while watching the sun begin to set over the water.  It sounds very cliché, but a sunset over the ocean is probably one of the more beautiful things someone will see in their lifetime.  We walked back, washed up, and got ready for another tasty dinner.  Going to bed for many of us was difficult; despite our best efforts, some of us got sunburned.

Sunday’s breakfast was even earlier than the previous day’s! We had to get up at 5:30! Like every other meal of the weekend, breakfast was both much appreciated and enjoyed.  At 7:00, we said goodbye to our weekend home and got ready to head back to our real home, San Jose de Rivas.  The boat came and we all got on, seeing the ocean for one last time.  When our long boat ride ended, we boarded the bus to go back to the village.

About three hours later, we were back!  Most of the village was down the hill (or should I say mountain) playing and watching a soccer match against a neighboring village.  After lunch made by Derek and Corey, we hung out around the table doing what we do best: playing cards.  We spent a majority of the afternoon playing various card games, listening to music, and doodling.  Soon, we were joined by some of the kids in the village.  We tried to teach some of the girls a card game, but it was really difficult!  Instead, we all walked over the the soccer field to watch a “game”.  I’m still not quite sure who was playing whom, but it was fun watching kids from our group play so well with kids from the village.

The game lasted until dinner where we had our nightly meeting and shared our highs and lows from the entire weekend.   At 7:00, we had  dance lessons: part two.  I wish I had some sort of rhythm, those dances are so hard! The local kids make them look incredibly easy.  We learned a new dance and reviewed the dances that we had already learned on Thursday night. The dancing, in combination with the long and eventful weekend, made us all very tired.  I’d say it was a great weekend!

Mondays, Mondays, Mondays
Blog written by Max on July 18^th

Today is Monday, not just any Monday but the second to last Monday of the trip. After our amazing, relaxing, beautiful weekend at a sustainable ecolodge, today we went back to work in San Jose de Rivas, but before work we had to eat a filling breakfast. This morning we had an amazing breakfast of gallo pinto y huevos. After our filling breakfast it was work for all. Six of us went to work on the kitchen, four stayed in the house and worked on their independent projects, and the last four worked at the school.

At the kitchen, we had an mostly normal day. We started by making concrete and using it on the wall. After a while of working on the walls, the jefe, Macho, told Nicky, Ross, and I to follow one of the Ticos, Michael. We followed the main road down a large steep hill to a house were we, the Americans, stood slightly confused for about five minutes. Then we took this little trail for about five minutes which led to a man’s coffee farm. We were then instructed to move large planks of wood. Ross and Nicky took one piece while I took one with Michael. We hiked back up the little trail then up the steep hill all the way back to the kitchen. It was tiring but not that bad until we found out that we had only taken 2 of the 10 pieces of wood that we needed! We hiked all the way back down and asked if we can use the pickup truck parked at the house in front of the trail. After finding out that we could use the car, we were all filled with joy but it was short lived because we found out that we now had to move 20 pieces of wood rather than 10. Our group of 4 broke up into groups of 2 as we slowly moved the large pieces of wood up the little trail. The one fun thing that came from this was the discussion I got to have with Michael about his family and the United States.

After our wood moving, we had a snack and then it was back to work. Of the rest of the day not much else stands out besides the wood moving. There was a moment after lunch that I do not think I will ever forget. We were working on the walls of the kitchen when we found a nice sized green tree frog. Maggie decided to catch the frog and show it to everybody on the work site and everybody thought it was adorable except for Nicky. Nicky was then chased around a little, like on the playground when boys believed girls had cooties. Instead of chasing Nicky around, Maggie decided to put the frog in Nicky’s bed temporarily and then set the frog free in the wild.

The rest of the day continued like a usual Monday. After work one group went to the internet cafe where they enjoyed the luxury of being able to email their parents. After the internet there was a shower taken here and there, and then dinner. After dinner things slowed down even more and a few games where played but then nightly meeting was held and most people went to bed. Its 8:20 pm as I write this and the only people who are awake are the leaders and the people writing in the journal!

Moving logs for the kitchen

Pancakes
Blog written by Liz on July 19th.

Hello again.

Today I woke up at 5:40 am super excited for my independent project! For my project I was making a traditional American breakfast (pancakes) for a family I’m in love with. I got to there house around 6 and I was greeted by the oldest daughter Meyssel– the family was so excited I was there. I always had Meyssel by my side when I was cooking, too cute! Eventually I finished cooking the pancakes and it was time to eat! The little girls only had two bites of each pancake, (just like Sophia) but everyone else finished the pancakes. They loved them! I was so happy to make them breakfast.

After breakfast it was time to work. Me, Anna, and Keya worked on the kitchen ALL morning, we moved the huge piles of dirt and leveled the ground. We made so much progress considering there were only three of us (not including Ticos).

Lunch was delicious, we had beans (the usual) with chicken and rice.  After lunch, Anna and I made posters for the English lesson that we were teaching at 6 pm. It was so much fun!! We were teaching English to Ticos who  came by to learn! Lessons went by quickly and when they were over I was greeted by my Tico friends! Love them!

Today was a tiring day, but worth every moment of it.

Hanging the rules for handball

Down by the River
Blog wrriten by Ross on July 20th.

When I woke up this morning I had a feeling it was going to be a great day. My night’s sleep was  probably the best of the trip because unlike every other morning when I wake an hour before everyone else, I was woken from a dream to the music the great Nicki Minaj. I jumped out of my tent already getting ready for a eventful day. Breakfast was great today consisting of plantain chips and gallo pinto and eggs. All was tasty and it definitely fueled me for a great “7-3” work day.

The morning at the kitchen work-site was long but productive as we had the advantage of a pickup truck to carry dirt from across the street. Another job we did was carry good wood and store it in the back of the salon in preparation to construct the rest of the walls of the kitchen. The six of us at the work-site shifted from job to job and got to do a little bit of everything. As the Tico men were stacking cinder-blocks to create the preliminary walls of the kitchen we patched the cracks up with mortar which is a rather tedious task. However, the morning flew by for the group and lunch came in my opinion rather quickly.

Shoveling dirt

The other group was occupied cleaning the church with turpentine and when I went down the observe it seemed that they did an amazing job. Lunch arrived and it was too, great, as there was chicken involved. It was a change of pace from the regular rice and beans to have an actual piece of chicken, but still every meal isn’t the same without rice and beans with Salsa Lizano on top. That was the start to a great afternoon with mostly working with cement and mortar. The teamwork that was exhibited during the afternoon was spectacular to a point where all of us were working on the same thing with efficiency and progress until we and the other Tico men finally completed the cinder-block portion of the walls. It was truly rewarding to finally see all of our hard work come somewhat to fruition

The kitchen has walls!

Our work day ended a tad early as Derek had to leave to go work with Max for his independent project. The sun was shining still and with work done that only meant one thing: a trip to the river down by Richard’s farm. Corey was exited to go and so were we. The seven of us traveled down to the river/waterfall to see that it was crystal clear. I especially was eager to get in and as I got down to the water I felt that it was frigid. Despite the temperature I decided to jump in and ‘wow’ it felt great after being covered in dirt and concrete the whole day (not saying that’s a bad thing). The others jumped in too, and some with more hesitance than others. Specifically, Nicky took almost 20 minutes to finally make the literally leap of faith into the water. Corey too was pleasantly surprised when she got in by making quite a funny face.

After dinner tonight we had our second day of English lessons which went extremely well as we all split up into small groups. Each of us got to teach the same amount; we taught each kid important and specific things they wanted to learn. Judging from the laughter and English coming from the Ticos, it was a total success! Our group meeting was quite normal tonight as everyone had great shout-outs and other fantastic things to say about another magnificent day in the mountain village of San Jose de Rivas.

Pura Vida
Blog written by Corey and Derek on July 21st.

As you can tell from the student blogs this has been a busy week! Today we continued to work on the foundation of the kitchen project in hopes to be ready to pour the cement for the floor before we leave. The students are also working hard on their independent projects and Derek and I have been impressed and inspired by their willingness and enthusiasm to become involved in the community and get their hands dirty , whether it be by working in gardens, while building swing sets, or by painting murals.

Learning to make empanadas for an independent project

A mural created for an independent project with hand prints from the group and the local children

Learning about the organic garden for an independent project

We have also been getting more involved in the community at night by teaching English lessons. The students rose to the occasion by coming up with their own lesson plans, creating visual aides for the classes, and then leading small group tutoring sessions. We also led a benefit soccer tournament to raise money for a woman in town who has 5 children and is struggling to make ends meet. Tonight we will have some fun while learning the national dance of Costa Rica—La Cumbia—with the help of some local teens.

I think I speak for all of us when I say how excited I am for our last excursion to the Osa Peninsula tomorrow, although I cannot believe that the final weekend is upon us. Time has flown by and even the people of San Jose de Rivas have started to approach us lamenting the reality that will be our departure next Wednesday. Members of the town’s governing body, La Asociacion, told Derek and I in a meeting the other night that they hope to stay in touch with the group members and that they want us to all feel welcome to visit whenever we would like.

Every day continues to push us to get to know ourselves and each other a little bit better, and we could not be more pleased with how the students are truly drawing exhaustively from all of the daily opportunities to immerse themselves in the culture and the Tico life.

Three weeks in paradise down, one last exciting week to go.  Pura vida.

-Corey and Derek

This is a series of blogs written over the course of the last week by several students and the leaders.

Blog excerpt written by Putney leaders Derek and Corey on July 13th

This morning we headed up the hill to Rigo’s farm with the whole group. Our students took lots of pictures and marveled at our altitude and the length of the hike. We talked about how Rodrigo, who is in his mid-seventies, walks over a mile every day to tend his coffee crop. Rigo led us to his nursery field where hundreds of coffee plants about two feet high were waiting to be transplanted to over 400 holes he had dug in the preceding days .Each student helped gather plants, learning to how to carefully uproot the coffee seedling, shake off the dirt, and prepare it for transport to the field. We created 17 neat bundles, one for each member of our Putney team, and carried them another half mile to the field where Rigo had prepared holes for planting. He then showed the students the proper technique for planting coffee and the students did well despite the slippery, steep terrain. We could see rain rolling in from the valley below (yes, below, since we were about a mile above sea-level at this point) so we tried to work faster. We ran out of coffee plants so a small group went back to the nursery field to gather more and as they returned the clouds engulfed us. We had a few more precious dry minutes in which to plant before the heavens opened, but we managed to plant all of the seedlings we had uprooted and then the kids ran for cover down the mountain. The rain was drenching but warm and most of the students enjoyed getting soaked! Rigo and his son brought up the rear, having stopped to harvest some yucca to supplement our dinner.

Everyone made it down the mountain to the casa and some changed into dry clothes while others opted to continue splashing in huge puddles outside. The rain never let up, and prevented us from returning to the jobsite for the afternoon as originally planned. Instead, we got started on our independent projects and made signs to post at the pulperia to get the word out about upcoming English classes for adults, to be held at the school. With the help of Richard and his wife Mariana, we have now created a schedule of all independent projects, dancing lessons for the students, a community soccer tournament to benefit a needy family, and English lessons for community adults. We had a productive afternoon before it was time for half of the students to head to Rivas with Corey to use the internet. We decided to go today instead of tomorrow because there is a church service and community bingo event happening in town tomorrow afternoon.

The community kitchen is coming along! It doesn't look like much but the first week and a half required tons of work to ready the site for the expanded foundation- moving rocks, digging trenches, fastening rebar reinforcements, and mixing concrete. We're finally erecting the walls and we can see the brand new community kitchen taking shape.

Today is Nick’s birthday, so Corey searched far and wide in San Isidro to find a delicious cake and all the supplies we needed. We had a relatively early dinner to allow for birthday celebrations to ensue, but thanks to an extra round of coffee we had to push us through the doldrums of a rainy afternoon, our crew was off the walls. To remedy the hyperactivity the group played a game of Wah and we then promptly ordered them to put on the most ridiculous outfits they could find and line up the door. Donning our most ridiculous outfits, we turned up some music and charged up the mountain in the dark to help get rid of all their extra energy! At the top we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and took some great pictures before returning to an amazing cake, courtesy of Corey. The run mellowed the kids out just enough to have a delicious dessert before a birthday dance party, and they were plenty tired by bedtime. All of the hard work has our students tired out every night and they often ask to go to bed before evening meeting because they’re so tired! Most nights we’re all in bed by 9:15 pm, which makes sense because we wake up every day at 6am! That’s what we call Pura Vida!

Saludos,
Derek and Corey

Blog excerpt written by Nick on July 13th

Today, July 13, is my birthday!! I have been awaiting this day for a loonngg time because I have always been  ‘the baby’.  Today I was able to go to the coffee plantation. It was really good. I learned how coffee is made and also how it is planted. When I got home I played card games while some other group members went to the internet cafe. After dinner, I was surprised when we had to run up the mountain to sing “Happy Birthday”! When we got back I was greeted by two cakes (one was a traditional birthday cake and the other was a lemon pound cake) followed by dancing. The dancing was very fun because it brought the whole group together!  All in all, it was a good day. I am very excited for tomorrow, as we are attending a church service, and also playing BINGO!

Blog excerpt written by Emmy on July 14 at 9 pm

Today was easily one of my favorite days of the trip. It started out with working at the school in the garden.   When we arrived it was filled with weeds, looking unkempt and messy. However, after an efficient few hours, we left the school looking better than ever, with not a weed in sight (we also each picked up at least 30 pieces of trash). After a delicious lunch of the popular tunafish pasta salad, were able to immerse ourselves in the culture of the people of San Jose de Rivas in a unique way. We headed down the hill to the Church at around 2pm to attend a community chapel service. Despite the fact that the mass was in Spanish, making some parts difficult to comprehend, I truly felt  connected to the people of the community. After the service, we stayed at the church to play Bingo. Even though it was a 5×5 board with a free space, we only needed 4 in a four, not consecutively, and the free space did not count. After many attempts and multiple  almost-wins, Jenny finally brought home the win for our group. This was especially lucky because even though many people had gotten “Bingo” prior to her win, they would then go up to the front and get handed a ball with a  number on it. So, whoever got the ball with the highest number would then win the final prize. The prizes were all donated by members of the community, being mostly food and tupperware. Between the mass and bingo, I felt that I got a real sense of the community that I had never seen before, something that I do not see on the worksite. By this I mean the humor, love, care, and hospitality that the Ticos share with us that really differs from the seriousness of the worksite (even though that is always fun). Tomorrow we have a big day ahead of us with a 2 hour drive to La Cusinga for a weekend full of adventures.

Blog written by Mary and Melina on July 17^th

Tunnel beach at Uvita - 10 minute hike from La Cusinga!

The Captivating and Curious Chronicles of Cusinga

We continue our story on the mysterious coastline of the awe-inspiring Cusinga.  You may recall our thrilling adventures at the hacienda, but they were nothing compared to what we encountered at the coast of La Cusinga.  Filled with certain perils such as howler monkeys, humpback whales, and even the world’s deadliest spider, we had no idea what to expect of our next destination.

We arrived at La Cusinga at the crack of noon.  The second the old bus door opened, a wave of heat threatened to smother us, but it was a welcome change from the chilly air of the mountains.  The open air communal building had such a breathtaking view of the ocean and secondary forest that we could scarcely believe our eyes.  But come to believe it we did, as we would venture into it just minutes after our arrival. Even though our room had yet to be prepared for our arrival, the staff invited us to journey through the rainforest to the beach and take our lunch on piles of driftwood, and we happily obliged.  The beach was a curious one, in that during high tide there was no beach; the ocean reached the forest’s edge.  Unfortunately, we were just nearing high tide during our first excursion, and many shoes could have been lost, had it not been for the bravery of Corey and Max, who valiantly dove headlong into the churning sea to retrieve our precious flip flops!

Beach at Uvita.

More beach.

Following our brief scuffle with the waves (we’re calling it a draw), we headed to our gorgeous rooms, filled with bunk beds galore, and settled in to our new living space.  We hurried to dinner at 6:30, where a huge buffet was set down on banana leaves for all of the guests at the ecolodge.  Although the numbers were few, everyone packed away plenty, especially the visiting tourist families (who really needed to learn to wait their turn), often devouring four or five plates in a matter of minutes.  The food was nonetheless delicious, and soon everyone was looking forward to mealtimes at the lodge.

Accommodations at La Cusinga EcoLodge for our latest weekend excursion.

Before we went to sleep, Ross began a bedtime story for us on the spot, full of jaguarundi’s, leader demotions and promotions, adventures and gruesome deaths, but that story is for another time.  Bedtime was, as per usual, 9 o’clock, and thoroughly exhausted from the day, we were all glad to have it come so soon.

The second day proved to be even more eventful than the first.  A small group of fearless students (Keya, Max, Rebecca-AKA-Bex, Liz, Anna, and your respectful authors) followed Derek to Pargo Point, a rocky point were it was rumored that (ninja) turtles could be seen at the wee hours of the morn. But they lived up to their nickname and, like true ninjas, were invisible; even to the sharp eyes of yours truly.

Failure failed to deter us from enjoying yet another enticing meal. Your authors were especially pleased that the coffee motif was upheld in this part of Costa Rica as well. Breakfast was quickly followed by another, and possibly even more wonderful, visit to the beach; low tide style. We were anxious to settle our beef with the Pacific and as wave after wave failed to keep us down, there was hope for a victory. However, as Mary astutely advised us, ‘water will always win” and a particularly determined wave managed to toss us around just enough to consent to a armistice.

Your authors, unwilling to remain dejected for long, found a new pastime in discovering that Costa Rica’s name was indeed fitting, as evidenced by the many sand dollars we managed to find. Maggie and Anna were also successful we they decided to join our expedition.

Sandcastle crew.

Sand dollars!

Derek led a quest through a small cave at the end of the beach. It was only a conveniently fallen log and your balance between you and a horrible fate of two feet of water. It was a wonder we all survived but we did …well, everyone except two of my sand dollars!

Rebecca, after playing queen of the rock with Corey and Jenny, was struck my the brilliant idea to build a sand castle. After combining forces  with the rest of the group, she was able to construct possibly the greatest drip sand castle this side of the universe has ever seen.

Alas our salt water rendezvous  was cut short by the lunch bell. But we were back in action right afterward with an intense soccer game; complete with various and creative celebrations.

Another quick dip in the natural spring refreshed us for an educational (but still interesting) talk with the founder of the fine establishment, La Cusinga, of which we had become very fond. He enlightened us on the unique ecology of the area.

Blog written by Maggie on July 13^th

Aside from the fact that it’s raining so hard that we’re huddled inside and finished with work at only 1:00, and that I just spent the last half hour sweeping so much dirt off of our floor that we could have filled in one of the trenches we dug out yesterday, today has been one of my favorite days of the trip.

As always, it started with an amazing meal- the typical but always welcome gallo pinto, platanos, scrambled eggs, and coffee. Then we did something different; instead of splitting up and going off to work on the kitchen, the whole group followed Rodrigo, the extremely fit (despite his age) town mayor, up to his coffee fields to help out. The hike to the fields is challenging, made harder by the fact that many of us had climbed twice as high yesterday to the very top of the mountain after digging trenches in the morning. The view was incredible, and we had a grand time hanging out until we were blinded by white fog and rain, forced to scurry back down to our house. And by scurry, I mean trip and slide on the wet clay as we play games of 20 questions.

At work again in the coffee fields today, I was a little shy to talk to Rodrigo at first, but his steady pace of voice made it easier to understand and once he was started on a speech, there was no stopping him. I planted alongside Melina and Rodrigo as he enlightened us with all of his wisdom. After I asked him if he was content with his life, he gave a brief pause and began a tangent about how he was very pleased with his life because he had figured out the key to living it to its fullest. He told us, “To have a good life, you must know how to live it.” He then continued to tell us that we must get rid of all of the bad people in our lives and anything bad in our past, and only surround ourselves with positive and kind people who we can benefit from. He told us how important family and community is, and how you must help people and work together to build good, solid, close-knit relationships. Or at least, that’s what I think he was saying as he rambled on and Melina and I nodded our heads every time he asked if we were following him. Let’s just say, we were semi-blown away with all of this new information. It then began to pour, and we quickly finished work and headed back down to our house, getting soaked the entire way. We cleaned up eventually, but not without playing around in the rain until we were utterly sopping wet and had splashed each other countless times, learning the best way to fling the water from one of the local boys. Then it was lunchtime, and out came another incredible meal of rice with chicken, beans, and salad. Then sweeping, now writing, and I’m about to get another cup of coffee.  Life is good.

Rodridgo, center

Blog written by Nicky on the weekend of July 8 -11

After an exhausting Friday at base camp in San Jose de Rivas, the group of young American travelers settled in for an early night. The week had seen the construction of a solid foundation for a new community kitchen, with the students signing their names in the freshly laid cement; the transformation of a flashy blue church into a soft and modest creme, complemented by a smooth dark red; and a bunch of American teenagers become united in common purpose. The students, stepping back and looking at their accomplishments, realized that they too had cemented a foundation and bond together and how over the last week they had all blended their various colors into one, shining out, clear and proud and together.

Rising on Saturday morning, the group had a new, invigorating energy because they would shortly be heading off to a beach front resort to the south west. With the bus loaded and the “Stallion” filled, the adolescents were off on another adventure. Less than two hours away, a gorgeous hacienda awaited with its intriguing rain forest, warm pool, soft sand, and fantastic range of fauna. The kids sprang off the bus, excited to see more of Costa Rica. Saturday was a pleasant relaxation for us after the week’s work. After a few hours at the pool, tanning, and lying in the hammocks, we quickly devoured a long-awaited dinner of hamburgers, sandwiches, and pasta!

The next morning was no change for the group: up at the sunrise for there is work to be done! This weekend, however, the day’s activities included ziplining deep within the jungle and ascending hundred foot tall trees to hover at the forest’s canopy. Drenched with bug spray, we bravely tackled these exhilarating feats with poise (and a few screams). After finding the way out, the kids followed their leaders on a short hike to the beach. This was a favorite outing for many of us this weekend; the endless beach was completely deserted. With frisbee and bathing suits, everyone enjoyed the breeze and the sparkling sea—the Pacific was a first sight for many. This weekend exceeded all of our expectations, as we had merely hoped for a warm shower and possibly a mattress, but we received an astonishing adventure and restful relaxation.

The excursion came to a close Monday morning after another incredible meal at the restaurant consisting of an assortment of fruits, eggs, bacon, omelets, best of all, the soft French toast. We had expected to visit a coffee farm in the afternoon, back home on our mountain, but further adventures were put to a halt by rain. Like clockwork, the rain began pouring down just after lunch and continued all through the night. We were incredibly grateful for the weekend get-away, and we now had time to prepare ourselves for the upcoming week of work on the job-site. This week we will build walls, dig trenches, touch up the church, and assist in any way asked, so we wisely went to bed early and peacefully. Now that we have experienced more of this country’s rich culture, seen poisonous frogs in the middle of the jungle and shells on the shore, we are in tuned as to who we are helping and why we are here. We, as a group, have unified our mission.  We understand that our problems are tiny in comparison to the struggles of some in this country.

Monday July 11, 2011

We’re just back from our weekend excursion to a beachside hacienda! We’ll have a full recap of the weekend written by our students to post sometime after Thursday, but in the meantime we wanted to let you know briefly what we’ve been up to!

We left Saturday morning headed for Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast.  We drove two hours south to find beautiful cabins and 250 acres of primary and secondary tropical forest awaiting us. Our group occupied five cabinas with kitchenettes near the gorgeous swimming pool and a 10-minute walk from a completely pristine and undeveloped beach. The kids had a great time at the pool Friday afternoon followed by a nature walk through the rainforest to the beach and an awesome dinner at the restaurant – rice and beans were temporarily replaced with burgers or delicious pasta!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early, ready for some awesome rainforest adventures.  Corey and I surprised the kids with breakfast for lunch, featuring real American pancakes, and then we hit the beach for the afternoon. The warm tropical rain didn’t stop us from enjoying frisbee on the beach and sitting in the shallows.  We ate another delectable dinner Saturday night, held our nightly meeting in the open air hammock hangout spot, and retired to bed early because everyone was exhausted.

We are back home in San Jose de Rivas this morning; today, an extremely rainy afternoon kept us off the worksite but not off of the school’s soccer field, which is an open air court with a huge roof over it for rainy days! Tomorrow it’s back to work building walls for the community kitchen and digging some drainage trenches to help with mountain farming during the soggy rainy season. Everyone is healthy and happy and looking forward to another week of work before our next excursion on Friday. We will send a full update on our weekend adventures soon!

Saludos!
Derek and Corey

Blog written by Sedina on July 7th

On this fabulous day, the seventh of July, I think about how amazing this trip is. All of us have the opportunity to meet new people, practice/learn Spanish, and embark on independent projects that involve the culture that is our new home. As I look across the room I see people writing in their journals, dodging moths, brushing their teeth, playing card games, and altogether interacting as if they’ve known each other for ever.

For me, the magic of Costa Rica is the feeling of family, the flavor of the food (aka life), and the beauty that is the Spanish language. As I ask Liz what she thinks the magic of Costa Rica (TMCR) is she responds with: the amazing things that can happen (e.g. the fireflies twinkling in the trees).

This prompts me to ask everyone else in the group…  whose answers are below:

Ross: the connection/unity with the people

Anna: the food, the fireflies, the environment, the pretty landscape, the coffee, and the people

Eddie: the soccer players

Jenny: PAPAYASANDMANGOSANDWATERAPPLESANDCOFFEE!

Nicky: friends forever

Keya: the people and how welcoming they are

Rebecca: the friends that turn into family

Nick: the climate and the elevation

Emmy: the people and the culture

Maggie: CBD

Max: sleeping… (he was asleep because for us 9:00 pm is too late to be up!)

Mary: the humungous moths

Melina: the food

Corey: the stars at night

Derek: the mountains

… and finally back to  me.

I thought that getting everybody else to answer would be all too appropriate because it shows just how much we all need each other to get the job done. This experience isn’t even over yet and I already feel like we’ve accomplished so much. Today we added concrete to the kitchen and managed to avoid a minor paint crisis involving a certain Texan’s (Jenny) iPod. I have to take a tinty break while I’m writing this to observe the swatting of moths by Eddie, Nick, Emmy, Maggie, Anna, and Jenny. Rebecca sits next to me patiently hanging out with me while I write this. Keya’s handwriting distracts me for a moment as Ross wanders off to look for his book. Melina, Mary, and Liz are already in our room no doubt spreading positive energy before we go to sleep. Emmy and Maggie have just returned from an outdoor adventure in the dark. Max is still sleeping and Nicky is reading an article about a baseball player I should probably know (Derek Jeter). Corey and Derek are keeping watch over us like shepherds over sheep. I’m am so thankful that we have the two of them as leaders and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my trip with them.

Hasta Luego padres, We all hope you’re all doing well y les vamos a ver on the 29^th.

Wish us buena suerte.

Love,
Sedina

P.S. Nicky says “what up dog?”

July 6^th 2011
Blog written by Jenny

Today was another day of hardworking and walking around in San Jose de Rivas. I am continually baffled by the amazing view when I turn around at the worksite to wipe sweat away. Everything here is so lush and surreal; being here is a blessing.

This morning, rather than a musical wake up at six in the morning like usual, we woke to the sounds of a disgruntled cow, a dog barking, roosters crowing their tiny heads off, and a fire alarm (which thankfully was only an alarm clock). The wonderful aroma of empanadas being cooked filled the room at around 6:30 and soon enough, we were happily feasting. We were also very thankful for coffee! Work began at 7:00 like usual and we split up into groups: one painting the church, and one digging trenches at the work site to pour concrete into. I was among the group that worked at the work site and we got a lot accomplished; the trenches are finished and ready to pour concrete into tomorrow! The group at the church painted the first coat of cream colored paint on the once bright blue church. I would call that a job well done!

We finished work slightly early today so that we could visit the river/waterfall again and go swimming. Not as many people got in the water (…this includes me too…), but some people (*ahem* Derek, Corey, Melina, Eddie, Ross, Liz, etc.) washed their hair in the river in replacement of their shower (this makes me happy because I am almost last in line for the shower and this drastically shortens it!). The current was swift, so we did not spend as much time basking in the water. We walked back to our living quarters and some of us visited the pulperia (the town’s small store that sells LOTS of yummy candy… and other things of course). I admit, I did buy a lot of candy, but we all did! It is the closest thing to comfort food that we can get!

Right now it is about 4:30 in the afternoon, but I could fall asleep I am so exhausted. Last night someone asked, “Do we get to go to bed at 8:30??”. Corey was surprised, but pleased; there was no doubt that everyone wanted to sleep! The sun goes down much earlier here in Costa Rica (around five thirty or six), and so it feels much later.

Around our kitchen table, Nick, Melina, Eddie, Mary, and Nicky are trying to learn a new game. From what I am observing, it is not catching on! Nope… not working out. Everyone is meeting with Corey and Derek for their independent projects in turns at the moment and we are snacking on leftover empanadas from breakfast. Rebecca and I are working together on a mural that incorporates hand prints of local children. There are other ideas being pitched around too, such as soccer tournaments, basketball lessons, and cow milking. One that I remember is Liz’s, and she is going to cook chocolate chip pancakes for a family (mmm).  I would drool all over a warm pancake with melted chocolate chips inside, it sounds like heaven and more! I can almost smell it… yum.

Right now it is raining (not surprising!) and we are literally in a cloud, I cannot see 50 feet in front of me. The rain is refreshing though, and much appreciated by everyone in our group. Just grab a raincoat and a soccer ball and we are good to go!

I think we are all have high hopes of going to bed soon, for today was a long day of work. The day is winding down with card games and dinner and then we will have our nightly meeting like always. We will proceed with the “highs and lows” and shoutouts. I know that my high today will be being here in Costa Rica to help a town in need, and my low will be wishing I could only do more.

-Jenny

Hello all! The group has been working hard and living the Tico life for a week now and Derek and I continue to be proud of each of our students for what they bring to the group as a whole. We hope that the updates, written by students, will give you a good idea of what we have been up to! And, don’t forget, every student will have a chance to post for the blog, so stay tuned for more.

Saludos!
Corey and Derek

July 5^th, 2011
Blog written by Mary

Today, we woke up at the merry hour of 6 AM to continue our work on the construction site. The whole group began work together, trying to remove the huge rocks that were embedded in the soon-to-be foundation. However, even the muy fuerte Macho couldn’t remove them, and a crane had to be brought in. The group then split in two, and half of us began working to clean the church so that we could paint it. I was put on Corey’s cleaning crew (that has a nice ring to it!), along with Emmy, Maggie, Melina, Rebecca, Jenny, and Max.

Cleaning the church was tedious, but a welcome break from mud, mud, and more mud! We also made a new friend, a four year old named Camila. She was our supervisora on the project, complete with a plastic whistle and butterfly chair. Near the end of our work, she started a conversation with the group about her juguetes and her plastic kitchen set. She was so adorable that we just had to take a few photos with her. Unfortunately, she had to leave all too soon because of the rain, and it was back to work for the crew.

A very nice man, Macho’s padre, came up to us just as we were finishing (45 minutes early!) and gave us some orange soda. It was such a nice break from the heat. After we drank the soda, we rejoined the group and helped them finish digging the trenches for the concrete walls of the kitchen. I think we are going to get to pour the concrete tomorrow!

After work we played four square which we made with duct tape on the ground–there is now an ongoing rivalry between Eddie and I, but don’t worry, I’m winning , and going to the town store to get dulces.  We have also been playing futbol, listening to music, and playing bananagrams and cards.

Many people from town do not speak English, but all are very nice and receptive to us. Especially one 12 year old girl, Yendry. She has become very good friends with all of the girls on the trip.

Although the days are long and full of hard work, our group has worked through all tension with jokes (especially Nicky!) and we’ve become closer in the long run. We get to play at night, and we all have a blast together:) Overall, it’s been a great trip so far, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of the month with the group and see the projects finished!

Adios para ahora!

Atentamente,
Mary