In the end, we only ended up going to the Island of Ometepe for the week. It was a lovely vacation that didn't go by quickly and every moment, besides scaling one of the volcanoes, was enjoyable. Basically the island has two volcanoes on it in the middle of a lake and was gorgeous. Most of the time we spent on the beach enjoying the lovely view. Here are some photos to sum up the trip:
Some of the volunteers and I walking to catch a bus to our next destination with the ever present Volcan Concepción as our backdrop.
Mis compas at Playa Santo Domingo enjoying the view of the other volcano Maderas.
Beautiful white-throated magpie jays (or urracas) flying EVERYWHERE at ALL times. Facinating.
Happily hitching a ride. Totally legit!
Halfway point up Volcan Concepción with the group and our lovely guide Levy who's smile lights up the world. Always people on horse (as the roads are HORRIBLE) and cows somewhere.
It has been a while since my last entry and a lot has happened since. Between a month of struggling to maintain an internet connection here at the Center and just being plain busy, time has flown. It feels like I have been here for ages even though a couple of months have only passed. I feel a comfort here that I haven’t felt in a really long time, almost as if I was always here.
The one thing I am really grateful for is the tight group of friends I have made here. The variety of volunteers has proven to be beneficial to speaking Spanish all the time instead of talking solely in English. My roommate is from Argentina and does a great job of making sure we talk in Spanish. We’ve adopted a good friend from Colombia who is doing his internship as a forest engineer for the Selva Verde Lodge next door. It is a great dynamic between all of us and between the two I just mentioned we have a great group to play guitar with. Most of the time we just sit around drinking mate and exchanging songs we know. We are going to learn a bunch of songs in English and Spanish to perform at a bar near my house to try and help the owner bring in more business. It should be fun and I pumped to learn more songs in Spanish. We also have many Costa Rican (Ticos) friends through the family that two of the volunteers live with since the son is around our age. A couple of them who work for canopy and rafting companies were awesome enough to welcome us to Sarapiqui by taking us on a night canopy under the bright light of the February’s full moon. Zipping through the treetops was the most exhilarating feeling and the night was perfect under the bright moon and starry sky. Unreal. Here is a pic of my roommate Ana and I on a venture to a different river nearby:
A couple of weekends ago we ventured off to the beach in Jaco on the Pacific coast. I met up with one of my yoga instructors from Buffalo to do some classes as he was there on a retreat. Jaco isn’t the prettiest beach, but we did find a nicer beach 5 km away that was a lot more chill and less Americanized. We mostly laid low catching rays and hanging out on the roof of the hostel we stayed at. The weekend after, we helped out with some bird activities at the Museo de Oro in San Jose. We ended up spending a couple of hours making bird masks with children and doing bird origami. We spent the weekend in San Jose and saw some fantastic reggae the night before. Seeing live music is one of the things I miss since I was always so accustomed to checking out different bands at local bars. Living in a small town does not offer much in terms of entertainment and culture. You basically either end up at a friend’s house or at a bar, which can leave you wanting some variety after a while. It is usually okay since the people I hang out with are pura vida and we get along really well. A different weekend I went back to San Jose to visit a friend I met before coming to Costa Rica, and again I got my fill of music as there was a free music/ art festival in the parks that are all within a two block radius of each other. We saw everything from hip hop, prog rock, and experimental electronic to capoeira. It was a great event to stumble upon. Although I really don’t like the city, it is good for getting a shot of whatever you are missing.
After a week delay, I FINALLY started my after school program the first week in March. I have two groups that come to the Center after their classes. The morning group is my biggest challenge. Because the group is for 2nd to 4th graders, it is hard to keep them focused and have them follow directions. It has been stated that I have to keep this group very structured and activity based, but when I give basic instructions it is hard to get and stay on track. It is very exhausting working with them for only an hour and a half! I have a lot of reassessing to do with this group and am going to take my vacation time to think of new ideas that will work better. On the other hand, my afternoon group is such a joy. I have a small group of girls in 5th and 6th grade who are so much fun to work with. Because they are a bit older, they take instruction better and I have more time to get through what I actually planned for the day. I am really grateful for this group and I think that at this point they are my saving grace for keeping me sane when it comes to work. In general, the students in both groups are very sweet. I’m always greeted with hugs when I go pick up the students at the school. When they see you walking around town your name is often shouted, accompanied by a huge wave and smile.
Another one of my responsibilities is working with the Bird Club on the first and third Saturday of every month. I really love it and am really getting into birding. I get to see some incredible birds and get really excited when I can correctly identify what I see and also when I see a bird I’ve never seen before. I’ve also been working with Bird Sleuth curriculum made by a student doing her thesis at York University in Toronto. She has been here in Costa Rica to observe how well the students respond to the lessons that she has made and I have already completed the unit with my afternoon group. It is a really fun to take the students out of the classroom and get some hands on skills. Their enthusiasm is contagious and they always ask me when is the next time we get to go and look for birds. Look at what I get to see on a daily basis:
Exciting news! The river is taking a turn for the better and has been recuperating very well. It is a lovely shade of greenish blue and is no longer murky brown. We are finally experiencing summer as it practically rained for the entire month of February (what a drag) and the heat drives everyone to the river. We have been finding a midday dip in the river is essential at times. Needless to say our time on the river has increased abundantly and makes life here that much more enjoyable. I even say little fishes in the river on Sunday, which is a great sign that it will make a full recovery. Yay!
It is hard to believe that already I have to leave the country to renew my visitor visa. Tomorrow, I am venturing to Nicaragua with three other volunteers. We will be heading first to the island of Ometepe to check out a permaculture farm, some volcanoes and relax on the beach. On our way back towards Costa Rica, we hope to stop off on the Solentiname Archipelago to see what the artisan culture is like. It should be an adventure as our plans are very loose and we will be camping wherever we are allowed.
Much love to you all and hope you enjoy Easter vacation. Pura vida.
After a day delay and many packing travesties, I finally made it intact with all of my thing. It feels really good to be here with a great team of people to work with. Most of the volunteers are from the U.S. with the exception of two girls from Argentina and England and a guy from Japan. Here is a photo of the Center and also a link to our blog we will all help to manage over the next six months:
http://www.sclcseeds.blogspot.com/
I am living in Chilamate which is a small town out in the country about an hour and a half north of San Jose. There are is a big hill behind my house where all the cows go to graze, lush green plants and beautiful flowers everywhere. I've taken the option of walking to the Center instead of riding my bike since there is a busy main road that cars, buses and large semi trucks drive very fast on. It is very dangerous so I only think I will ride my bike when I get up enough courage. I do enjoy the walk in the morning (when it is not raining) and like the peace it provides me before I start my day.
The family I live with the really pleasant. Xinia and Pedro have a 3 year old daughter Alexandra and a 22 year old son Alejandro who live in the back of the property with his wife Gabriela and son Duván. I often spend my mornings chatting with Xinia over breakfast. She has such a lovely way of telling me stories that reminds me of what a magical place Latin America is. Many of the stories she tells me reminds me of the magical realism movement in Latin American literature I studied throughout college. I immediately become entranced and always leave with a great sense of satisfaction.
My room I stay in is perfect for what I need. They have separate cabin that is not attached to the house for volunteers. It is really nice and completely enclosed, as most houses here don't have walls that connect to the roof, leaving it open for bugs to filter in and out. I have my own bathroom and really only go into the main house to eat and spend time with the family. It is a perfect set up and am really glad to have been place in the house!
On a more serious note, Costa Rica suffered a 6.2 magnitude earthquake on January 8th that destroyed the town of Cinchona and the Sarapiqui River that runs behind the Center. The river was a main source of life for the town as many people used to cool off in it on a hot day, rafting companies had their tours and most importantly animals had a main food source. When the landslide fell in, the earth completely depleted the river of oxygen killing all the fish. The locals were smart enough to act quickly and get down to the river and take fish home and eat. It was a devastating blow to the life of the people here. The river used to run clear blue and now it is brown from the landslide that fell into it. On my walk home last night with my host brother Alejandro and wife Gabriela, he said everyone talks about the river as if it were someone in the town that died and fondly looking back on the great memories they had together. Here is a picture of the current state of the river looking MUCH better than a few weeks ago:
For my first couple of weeks here, I have been spending my days preparing for my program that doesn't start officially until February 23rd. Getting the first two weeks together is all that I have accomplished as I don't need to do anymore than that at this point. I have been helping out the other volunteers with odds and ends as need be and will start teaching some private classes to a few people who want to learn English and can't make it to the scheduled classes at the Center and also will be teaching an elderly German lady Spanish. I try to get out for at least a half hour a day to accustom myself with identifying birds as part of my job entails being in charge of the Bird Club two Saturdays out of the month. The birds here are incredible and I see everything from varies types of toucans to turkey vultures. Many howler monkeys hang out in the trees around the Center making tons of noise and serving as entertainment for us. A few of us usually go nextdoor to the Selva Verde Lodge after lunch to chat and look at birds in these really great rocking chairs on the "wildlife platform" overlooking the river.
I really love it here and couldn't have asked to be in a better place.
Life mission to see as much of the world as I can and learn about as many different cultures as possible. Teacher, musician and yogi on the move to unite people through music and movement. Let's groove!
Some of the volunteers and I walking to catch a bus to our next destination with the ever present Volcan Concepción as our backdrop.
Mis compas at Playa Santo Domingo enjoying the view of the other volcano Maderas.
Beautiful white-throated magpie jays (or urracas) flying EVERYWHERE at ALL times. Facinating.
Happily hitching a ride. Totally legit!
Halfway point up Volcan Concepción with the group and our lovely guide Levy who's smile lights up the world.
Always people on horse (as the roads are HORRIBLE) and cows somewhere.
Colorful, pimped-out buses.
