San Jose--National Museum and Theatre

 

      After spending the past two weeks in the small town of Santa Elena, I was surprised at how busy San  Jose seemed.  In some ways, this area reminded me of Times Square.  There were so many people and the pigeons...it's actually legal to kill them as they are so abundant here and considered pests.

     Our first stop was the theater.  It's an old landmark here but still active as a working theater.  The architecture is very interesting as is its history.  To be sure, Javier was once again a wealth of information as he pointed to many paintings and works of art in the building.  This was a landmark that President Obama came to see on his recent visit as well.

Eating at the market.

     After touring the theater, we walked for about 15 minutes to a downtown central market area.  This building was filled with many different vendors and the open market of meat and fish was a sight to see!  Herbs and spices and just about anything you can think of were being sold as we made our way to an open area eatery.  By this time, I had learned a traveler's trick and I sat down and pointed at some people who were already eating.  I told the waitress that I would have the same and I was one of the first to get served.  It was a hustle-bustle area and I enjoyed the people watching opportunity very much.  After eating, I walked around the market and kept thinking how much it reminded me of the Ferry Building Market in San Francisco!

Canopy Tour...Zip Lines

    

All geared up!

Last summer, my friend and I went to the zip lines on Hwy 65 near Branson, MO.  That was my only experience with this activity but I felt like I would be able to handle the zip lines of Costa Rica.  After we all watched a live demonstration of the safety protocol and how to prevent spinning, we all rode a short zip line down to the lower level of the park.  At this point, I thought the experience might not be as intense as the one in Branson.  Boy was I wrong!  We all rode a lift up to the top of the mountain and I began to look out and see some other people zipping.  I was shocked at how high these lines were and how incredibly long they were!  On the lift, we could see some of the volcanoes of Costa Rica and the beautiful landscapes. I manged to stay calm and at least act like I wasn't worried but I was getting a lot of butterflies in my stomach by the time we reached the top.  From there, we climbed a three or four story tower and got our first view of a zip line that made the ones back home look like the childrens' rides section of the fair.  Phew!  This was a big test on my nerves! That first zip line (actually the first three) was a little rough as I kept thinking too many "what if" questions.  But eventually, I got over it and had a great time there!  There's something about trusting the equipment for me that was my biggest obstacle.

     I met a man named Justin who was in Costa Rica with his wife and they were from Canada.  He was fun to speak with and we shared a lot about our CR adventure.  Like us, they were thrilled with the country and very happy to be here.
     I'm still wondering how they ever stretched all those zip cables up there!

       

Service Learning Project on a Sustainable Farm

    

 

     Today, we met Guillermo (which is Spanish for William).  I've spoken with three other people here in Costa Rica whose name is also William and it is much easier for Spanish speakers to say as opposed to "Grady."

In the coffee field with Guillermo

     Life Monteverde is a sustainable 42 acre farm that grows coffee and vegetables.  The farm is owned by a group of family members and one friend.  The farm's main focus is conservation and organic agriculture while always keeping in mind how to minimize the farm's impact on the environment. Guillermo invited us all to walk around the farm for 15 minutes asking us to notice how the farm attempts to be sustainable.  After this, we all met back at area that they use as a cafeteria and classroom.  We talked about the many things that we had seen such as composting areas, rainwater collection, alternative energy in the form of methane gas (collected from the pig droppings),  reforesting and much more.  There was even a machine used in coffee production that is operated by a bicycle! 

My new friend at Life Monteverde

Shannon!

     Guillermo asked that we form groups and come up with questions for him about the farm.  There were lots of great questions and he wrote them all down.  He divided our group in half and sent us to work on the farm!  My group worked a little garden area while I used a machete to cut plants to feed the farm animals.  It felt good to be outside working and learning with our new friends.  Afterwards, we toured the entire farm with Guillermo as he educated us all about sustainable farming and ecology in general.  We ended the day with a group discussion in which he addressed all our questions while we drank the coffee from the farm and snacked on fruit and goat cheese!

Maggie!

Cloud Forest School

 
Today, we visited the Cloud Forest School which has 230 students who study English much more extensively than the public schools do.  The school is also focused on sustainability and reducing the environmental impact which I found to be a common theme here in Monteverde. With grade levels from preschool to 11th grade, the facility is diverse both in ages and population. It is located on 106 acres which are protected from development by a permanent easement. The children learn much here, and our two guides were well versed in English as well as ecology.  The school has many native plant gardens and a nursery, organic vegetable gardens, a greenhouse, recycling centers, a worm composting house and a biodiesel shed.  All in all it's a wonderful model for ethical living as even the germination beds use biodegradable containers.  Dr. Powell pointed out some trees  (reforestation) that were planted by her students from earlier visits.  These students learn not only how to meet the needs of their local community but also the process of becoming a "global citizen" in our world. I can't overemphasize how well they meet the requirements for teaching our youth to understand the necessity to reduce our global footprint on our world.
     More than 90% of the students are from the local community, however the school is an open door to children from all around the world.  International students come to learn here and English/Spanish is taught regularly.  While most of the natives can't afford to pay full tuition, there is an opportunity for scholarships and 75% of the students receive financial support.




composting

the garden and using biodegradable containers

No cafeteria and eating

the soccer field with astro turf

the steps with staained glass

teachers

La Fortuna...Arenal Volcano

    

Learning with Javier.

It was a long bus ride from Monteverde to La Fortuna.  In order to get there, we had to drive around Lake Arenal.  Corey spotted the volcano long before we reached our destination and there was a tiny wisp of smoke that we could see off in the distance.  The drive around the lake was very beautiful and since the road is not paved, we had to drive more slowly which gave us an opportunity to see more of the local homes and even some wildlife.  At one point our driver (now Julio) had to come to a complete stop and navigate around a giant pot hole of mud that nearly covered the entire road.  I watched out the window as Julio carefully guided us around this obstacle and little did I know that we would all come to know why the local inhabitants have been pleading with their government to pave the roads between Monteverde and Arenal.
 

My wonderful lunch!

   After stopping in La Fortuna for an excellent lunch (I had a great pork casada meal) we all hopped back in the bus and headed to our hiking destination; Sendero Silencio.  Javier led us on a narrow path through the forest and once again pointed out its inhabitants (many of which would have otherwise gone unnoticed)!  I have to say again how much he impressed me and I was thinking about how lucky we were to have him as our tour guide.  Here in the forest, we saw several exotic birds and some monkeys as well.  As the path begin to wind around I noticed how our pathway had been very carefully constructed so as to prevent any erosion from travelers hiking here.  Ecology and sustainable resources were common theme on our entire trip and while this is something I actively study, I learned a great deal.  For many of our group these ideas were new and I'm confident when I say they were also impressed and will be thinking of how they can implement some of the strategies we learned once they get back home.  It was a little humid that day and one member of our group began to feel a little lightheaded, so Javier stopped for her and gave her a little bit of candy.  In about 5 minutes her blood sugar came back up and we were off...Javier to the rescue!  He would have made a good member of our boy scout group in Springfield as he was always prepared and knew just how to handle a sticky situation.  As our hike was nearing the end I was walking with Matt at the very back of the group and we saw some monkeys high up in a tree.  While we watched the monkey leaping from branch to branch I was impressed with how agile and powerful he was.  I told Matt that I thought it would be funny if the our driver; Julio had snuck around to the end of our hike only to spring out of the forest and surprise us all!  We snickered about this and much to our surprise Javier had hidden himself behind some trees.  As we rounded a corner (now way behind the front of the group) Javier laughed as he startled us by shaking some branches and making an animal sound.  Ha!  What a great time!

Our cabin!

     After our hike we headed to the Arenal Hot Springs resort that was the perfect ending for our long day.  There are several pools of differing temperatures and our cabin was excellent.  I especially liked our shower which had a skylight that gave it a feeling of being outdoors.

All of cabins were top-notch and the
buffet-style dinner and breakfast were absolutely fabulous!  I could not get enough of the Costa Rica coffee and I must have bought ten bags that I brought back home with me.  The waters of the pool provided us all with some relaxing down time and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking the grounds and admiring the gardens (there was even a greenhouse filled with vegetables used for the resort meals).  Julio took the opportunity to clean the mud off the bus and we spoke for several minutes.  He was very patient just like Andres and was happy to let me have the opportunity to practice my Spanish.  As the sun began to sink and the light was fading, it was time to meet for dinner.  I enjoyed more excellent native food and good conversation with our group members and some of the resort staff.

More Teaching

    

Working on English "family" vocabulary.

     Yesterday, we did an observation at a local elementary school and then worked some students.  The students were working on their English and studying vocabulary for family members.  It was a great lesson to watch as they came to the front of the class and wrote sentences in English.  One boy was very proud of his knowledge and showed off by writing sentences using; "mother-in-law, and father-in-law" yeah!

Recess!

     Most of us taught a lesson on body parts in English outside.  I enjoyed my student very much and he was very interested in the books that we had brought to school that day.  Later, during recess we interacted with the kids and Matt and Corey played a little soccer with the boys!  The lessons went well for all of us, but I was most impressed with some of the girls who sang a "body parts" song to the children!  "Head and shoulders knees and toes" is still rattling around in my brain which shows how effective a song can be.

My student.

Trapiche "Typical" Farm Tour

Our tour guide and comedian; Jairo!

     This morning we traveled to the El Trapiche farm tour.  Our guide was Jairo and he is a university student who is very intelligent in regard to the farm and local history.  Jairo also has an excellent sense of humor and kept us laughing the entire time we were with him.
     Our tour here was one of the best parts of our program as I learned a great deal about the farming of coffee, sugar cane and how coffee beans are dried, roasted and packed on the farm.  I also took advantage of Jairo's good nature to quiz him about the families of Costa Rica and how the children learn English in the schools.  My action research topic was greatly helped by my conversation with Jairo.

Learning with Jairo.

     Coffee plants are cut down to regrow every 5 years because the beans will not grow in the same place twice.  Also, the plants get to tall for the pickers to reach the beans.  The migrant workers from Nicaragua are the people who are responsible for most of the coffee bean harvesting.  A fast worker can make about $2 per hour during the harvest and while this might not sound like much, people in Nicaragua are lucky if they can make $5 per day back home.
     In the past, the school children used to pick the coffee beans and school vacations were scheduled for the harvest.  But as children spend more time learning English in schools and have less vacation, they no longer work on the farm much.  The individuals who learn English well very often work in the tourist industry which pays much more.