Welcome to Sarapiqui

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 2^nd to 4^th 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 5^th and 6^th 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.