It seems like it was just yesterday that I landed in San Jose, but today marks the end of my first month in Costa Rica.
This morning 4 of the volunteers, Mike, Jess, Josh and Chris left for the airport. It was hard to see them go, especially since Mike and Josh had been the ones to show us the ropes during our first few days in Ciudad Quesada. Now I'm where they were four weeks ago, at the half-way point, getting to know a new group of volunteers. Coincidentally, one the new volunteer's name is Mike, and he too is UGA grad from Georgia, so I guess not too much has changed.
This weekend we decided to stay in town, which was a nice change from the last 3 busy weekends of long drives, little sleep and lots of travel. Friday afternoon we went horseback riding right outside the city. We rode through sugarcane fields and rivers and had a beautiful view of Arenal Volcano. Unfortunately, my horse had a mind of his own, and while I was hoping for a leisurely stroll, he had his mind set on cantering, which quickly turned to a full-on gallop; something I wasn't quite prepared for, but still enjoyed when all was said and done and I was tying him up in the stable.
For everyone's last night in town, we met up with some ticos from Mike's and Josh's volunteer placement. They took us to a bar where people salsa'ed and meringue'ed circles around us. My friend Mollie and I ended up dancing with some of Mike's and Josh's Costa Rican friends, somewhat begrudgingly, but because we felt badly saying no. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it at our expense. I think the ticos got the worse end of the bargain though, because Mollie and I both happen to lack any sort of rhythm and can usually be found doing the typical "white girl" dance at the disco.
Dancing soon turned to some sort of karaoke night, much different from any I have ever experienced in the US. My idea of karaoke, which I'm willing to bet is pretty in step with most Americans' is, you get up there, pick some overplayed 80s song or rock ballad and proceed to sing it quite badly, adding your own poorly choreographed moves and generally making an ass of yourself. Here, I'm pretty sure ticos take it much more seriously. From the sound of it, there was serious preparation that went into not only choosing the right song, but perfecting the performance as well. I have to say, I think I'm partial to just getting up there and singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," badly.
I mentioned before that once a week I've been volunteering at Hogarcito, an orphanage here in town. I have to be honest, each week I dread going, but find it just as hard to leave. The negative connotation that the word "orphanage" carries I think holds true here. Don't get me wrong, the Tias (tia is Aunt is Spanish, and it's what the children call the women who work there) do the best they can in an extremely difficult situation. They work 11 hour shifts for two weeks at a time, and then have only 4 days off before starting all over again. The children there are anywhere from days old to 7 or 8. They come from families where they are abused, neglected, or directly from the hospital if their mothers are viewed to be unfit. The Hogarcito has two swing-sets, a rusty slide and a playhouse that I don't even like to let the kids play in because of the missing floorboards and broken windows.
Two of the babies Hermanita and Karencita, should be crawling by now, but sit for most of the time I'm there in a stroller. I have an especially soft spot for Christian, a two year old, head strong little boy. You can tell from his tantrums and the way he aimlessly wanders around that he is so bored and frustrated. His mood can change in an instant and my heart breaks when the Tias have to discipline him, because I know that if he had more to do he would spend less time getting into trouble or bothering the other babies.
Last week, the Hogarcito sent one of the little boys, Jefferson, home with an Aunt. I initially thought that it was good news that they were placing him in a home with his family, but the Tias told me it was probably not the best for his well-being. They said what often happens is family members take the children and then end up giving them right back to the parents. Because there are no follow-up visits, they have no way of knowing where the children end up, and only find out if neighbors or teachers call again about abuse or neglect.
Just as Jefferson was leaving, 6 more children arrived. Three, one little girl Alejandra, who's about 5, and her two brothers Juan Carlos and Clifford, who are about 3 1/2 and 2 were taken away from an abusive home. They also have 4 other siblings all from different fathers who were taken to other orphanages. Alejandra talked to me about escaping and asked if I would take her home with me. I tried to ask her what was positive about the orphanage, and she told me it was nice to be well-fed and clean. Despite her terrible home life, she still speaks fondly of her mother, who has taught her to dislike "Gringas" like me, a barrier which I have tried hard to break down. She hates being at the orphanage because the Tias discipline her younger brothers, who probably should be disciplined, but who I nevertheless feel badly for because they've never had an adult influence to teach them right from wrong.
Three babies also arrived this week, a premature newborn who's only days old, and a 7 and 8 month old. Yesterday I held the newborn for the first time. He little fingers barely wrapped around mine and you would have thought the onezie he was in was made for a 6 month old the way it hung on him.
I have so many emotions going to the orphanage each week. It makes me mad that any child should have to live the way they do. It makes me hate the parents who bring their children into the world that way. Every time they throw a tantrum out of frustration or fight over the few toys they have I empathize with the. When they smile at me or laugh at my Spanish, when they ask me to push them on the swing or reach for my hand, I feel like I am doing something meaningful.
It's an impossible situation even in the most developed country, made worse here by the limited resources and myriad of social problems- from alcoholism to teen pregnancy, unemployment and poverty. I don't know enough about the foster care system in the US to say whether it's better or just different, but from what I've seen of the Costa Rican system I feel like there has to be an alternative.
Katelin, another one of the interns at CCS is working on a Powerpoint presentation in both English and Spanish, which the Hogarcito is going to use to fund raise in the region and abroad, and I really hope that with more funding they can improve the situation at Hogarcito.
Not exactly "pura vida," but this is what I came here for.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Zip-lining,Volcanoes and Haunted Sanatoriums
I feel like this is the first time I have had the chance to stop and catch my breath all week!
My third week in Costa Rica has been the busiest, but most fun yet. This weekend we went to Monteverde, a pretty town, 5 hours northwest of San Carlos. It's known for its eco-tourism, which is why a lot of us were eager to go. The ride there got off to a bumpy start, as most rides seem to here. There was an accident a few kms outside of San Carlos, so we decided rather than sitting for 2 hours until it was cleared, we would take a different route- a route which included an hour on unpaved, winding roads.
The weekend was definitely worth the trip though. On Saturday we went zip-lining, one of the coolest and most frightening things I have ever done. The feeling is indescribable-- you're in a harness hundreds of feet in the air attached to a cable holding on for dear life as you fly over the rain forest. At first I was so focused on surviving that I didn't really enjoy the view, but once I got the hang of it, positioning myself correctly became like second nature and the view was incredible! At one point we were 500 ft in the air and could see Nicaragua. (Well, at least one of the guides said we could, I'm not sure I would know what Nicaragua looks like) The zip-lining course also included repelling 90 ft. and a Tarzan swing. The swing was optional and I don't know what possessed me, but I decided I really wanted to do it. With everyone waiting below, and clinging to a rope, I took a step off the ledge and went flying over the jungle. The first few seconds were pretty terrifying, but after that it was a thrill, and one of the most amazing things I have ever done.
The rest of the weekend was a little more low-key, which was needed after the adrenaline rush of zip-lining. On Sunday we went horseback riding through the hills outside Monteverde. It was my first time, but luckily, Linda, my horse, took it easy on me. From the trails we had amazing views of the cloud forest and mountains around Monteverde and could even see Lake Arenal. Toward the end of the ride, I even got my horse up to a trot!
It was also a great week at AMURECI. Monday and Tuesday we had our English lessons in the afternoon. This week we focused on directions and places around town. I'm trying to make the lessons as meaningful as possible with the ultimate goal being that they'll be able to converse with tourists who may stop in. Next week we're going to start with personal information, and work on past and present tense. I really love volunteering there. The women at AMURECI have been so kind to me; they're patient when it takes me a bit to come up with the right word, they always make sure I eat enough at lunch and will stop and try to explain their conversations when I seem lost, and they always greet me like a friend, with a kiss on the cheek. On Monday when Mayra and Mayella saw my sunburn from the weekend, they immediately asked what happened, and in the afternoon when Mily came in, the first thing she did was grab a leaf from an aloe plant and rub the gel on my arms for me.
Yesterday we went to Cartago for the 4th anniversary of the CCS base there. There are three bases in Costa Rica, Puriscal, Cartago and San Carlos. We left at 7 am and made a couple stops along the way, one at a several hundred year old Spanish colonial church and the other at the Irazu Volcano. I liked Irazu even more than Arenal because we got to see the actual crater, and at one point we were so high we were actually above the clouds! After Irazu, we stopped at what appeared to be an old, abandoned building. We learned that it had been a sanatorium in the early 1900s, and had been home to children with tuberculosis. After that, they turned it into a juvenile correctional facility, and now it is rumored to be haunted. With a past as depressing as that, it's not hard to imagine why people might believe it to be haunted. People come from all over to see if they're brave enough to stay for a night. I'm not sure I believe it's haunted, but it was definitely creepy. Fanny and Greivin, part of the CCS staff, jumping out of dark rooms trying to scare us didn't help. The walls in the sanatorium were covered with graffiti, bible passages, anarachy symbols, creepy, cryptic messages and paintings of children. The floor boards creaked beneath our feet and in certain rooms were missing all together.
The Cartago home base is much different than ours, and maybe I'm biased, but I think ours feels more like a home. It was neat to meet volunteers from different programs though, but it did make me appreciate our group even more. After lunch we went to the Basilica de la Virgen de los Angeles, which was the prettiest church I've seen in Costa Rica. Every year on August 2nd, Costa Ricans from all over the country make a pilgrimage to see the church. Greivin told us he walked for 3 1/2 days all the way from San Carlos despite torrential downpours and mudslides!
The story goes that prior to the church's construction, Catholicism wasn't very popular with the indigenous people. One day an indigenous girl was walking in the forest and found a statue of the Virgin Mary on a rock by a river. She brought it home and locked it in a box; the next day she was walking in the woods she came across the rock and saw the doll again. This happened two nights in a row. After that she went to the local priest and he took the statue for a night. Again the next day, the statue was back on the rock. They decided it must be a miracle that the Virgin was there and so they built a church around the rock. Today you can still see the rock sitting below the church. People make the pilgrimage to ask for the Virgin Mary's help, whether it be a cure of an illness, or couples asking for a child, or farmers asking for help for their crops. The church has displays upon displays of charms, trophies and certificates that people have brought over the years to represent miracles of the Virgin Mary.
After that we walked to the ruins of another church in Cartago. People joke that Cartago has a church on every corner, and it doesn't seem to be too much of an exaggeration. This church too had a unique story. Apparently the land it was built on had been cursed. A priest had fallen in love with his brother's wife and brought him there to kill him. Later they tried to build a church there, and three times earthquakes knocked it down. After the third time, they finally decided to give up. The church remains unfinished today, sitting in a busy plaza.
Later we headed back to the Cartago base where we had a barbecue with the other volunteers. From what I saw, yesterday I think Costa Ricans might throw a better barbecue than we. For most of the party everyone was salsa-ing and merengue-ing and then the staff brought out a guitar and sang a song about friendship to the head of the Costa Rica CCS program. I know it sounds pretty hokey, but the CCS staff was genuine. They seem to really enjoy what they do and working with each other.
It's been an exhausting week, and tomorrow we head to Puerto Viejo, a beach on the Caribbean side to hang with some surfers and Costa Rican rastas. ;) Hopefully we will have a chance to try the salsa and merengue moves we've been learning the last few weeks!
Tomorrow I'm headed to the orphanage again, but that will have to be a post for another day.
Pura Vida!
My third week in Costa Rica has been the busiest, but most fun yet. This weekend we went to Monteverde, a pretty town, 5 hours northwest of San Carlos. It's known for its eco-tourism, which is why a lot of us were eager to go. The ride there got off to a bumpy start, as most rides seem to here. There was an accident a few kms outside of San Carlos, so we decided rather than sitting for 2 hours until it was cleared, we would take a different route- a route which included an hour on unpaved, winding roads.
The weekend was definitely worth the trip though. On Saturday we went zip-lining, one of the coolest and most frightening things I have ever done. The feeling is indescribable-- you're in a harness hundreds of feet in the air attached to a cable holding on for dear life as you fly over the rain forest. At first I was so focused on surviving that I didn't really enjoy the view, but once I got the hang of it, positioning myself correctly became like second nature and the view was incredible! At one point we were 500 ft in the air and could see Nicaragua. (Well, at least one of the guides said we could, I'm not sure I would know what Nicaragua looks like) The zip-lining course also included repelling 90 ft. and a Tarzan swing. The swing was optional and I don't know what possessed me, but I decided I really wanted to do it. With everyone waiting below, and clinging to a rope, I took a step off the ledge and went flying over the jungle. The first few seconds were pretty terrifying, but after that it was a thrill, and one of the most amazing things I have ever done.
The rest of the weekend was a little more low-key, which was needed after the adrenaline rush of zip-lining. On Sunday we went horseback riding through the hills outside Monteverde. It was my first time, but luckily, Linda, my horse, took it easy on me. From the trails we had amazing views of the cloud forest and mountains around Monteverde and could even see Lake Arenal. Toward the end of the ride, I even got my horse up to a trot!
It was also a great week at AMURECI. Monday and Tuesday we had our English lessons in the afternoon. This week we focused on directions and places around town. I'm trying to make the lessons as meaningful as possible with the ultimate goal being that they'll be able to converse with tourists who may stop in. Next week we're going to start with personal information, and work on past and present tense. I really love volunteering there. The women at AMURECI have been so kind to me; they're patient when it takes me a bit to come up with the right word, they always make sure I eat enough at lunch and will stop and try to explain their conversations when I seem lost, and they always greet me like a friend, with a kiss on the cheek. On Monday when Mayra and Mayella saw my sunburn from the weekend, they immediately asked what happened, and in the afternoon when Mily came in, the first thing she did was grab a leaf from an aloe plant and rub the gel on my arms for me.
Yesterday we went to Cartago for the 4th anniversary of the CCS base there. There are three bases in Costa Rica, Puriscal, Cartago and San Carlos. We left at 7 am and made a couple stops along the way, one at a several hundred year old Spanish colonial church and the other at the Irazu Volcano. I liked Irazu even more than Arenal because we got to see the actual crater, and at one point we were so high we were actually above the clouds! After Irazu, we stopped at what appeared to be an old, abandoned building. We learned that it had been a sanatorium in the early 1900s, and had been home to children with tuberculosis. After that, they turned it into a juvenile correctional facility, and now it is rumored to be haunted. With a past as depressing as that, it's not hard to imagine why people might believe it to be haunted. People come from all over to see if they're brave enough to stay for a night. I'm not sure I believe it's haunted, but it was definitely creepy. Fanny and Greivin, part of the CCS staff, jumping out of dark rooms trying to scare us didn't help. The walls in the sanatorium were covered with graffiti, bible passages, anarachy symbols, creepy, cryptic messages and paintings of children. The floor boards creaked beneath our feet and in certain rooms were missing all together.
The Cartago home base is much different than ours, and maybe I'm biased, but I think ours feels more like a home. It was neat to meet volunteers from different programs though, but it did make me appreciate our group even more. After lunch we went to the Basilica de la Virgen de los Angeles, which was the prettiest church I've seen in Costa Rica. Every year on August 2nd, Costa Ricans from all over the country make a pilgrimage to see the church. Greivin told us he walked for 3 1/2 days all the way from San Carlos despite torrential downpours and mudslides!
The story goes that prior to the church's construction, Catholicism wasn't very popular with the indigenous people. One day an indigenous girl was walking in the forest and found a statue of the Virgin Mary on a rock by a river. She brought it home and locked it in a box; the next day she was walking in the woods she came across the rock and saw the doll again. This happened two nights in a row. After that she went to the local priest and he took the statue for a night. Again the next day, the statue was back on the rock. They decided it must be a miracle that the Virgin was there and so they built a church around the rock. Today you can still see the rock sitting below the church. People make the pilgrimage to ask for the Virgin Mary's help, whether it be a cure of an illness, or couples asking for a child, or farmers asking for help for their crops. The church has displays upon displays of charms, trophies and certificates that people have brought over the years to represent miracles of the Virgin Mary.
After that we walked to the ruins of another church in Cartago. People joke that Cartago has a church on every corner, and it doesn't seem to be too much of an exaggeration. This church too had a unique story. Apparently the land it was built on had been cursed. A priest had fallen in love with his brother's wife and brought him there to kill him. Later they tried to build a church there, and three times earthquakes knocked it down. After the third time, they finally decided to give up. The church remains unfinished today, sitting in a busy plaza.
Later we headed back to the Cartago base where we had a barbecue with the other volunteers. From what I saw, yesterday I think Costa Ricans might throw a better barbecue than we. For most of the party everyone was salsa-ing and merengue-ing and then the staff brought out a guitar and sang a song about friendship to the head of the Costa Rica CCS program. I know it sounds pretty hokey, but the CCS staff was genuine. They seem to really enjoy what they do and working with each other.
It's been an exhausting week, and tomorrow we head to Puerto Viejo, a beach on the Caribbean side to hang with some surfers and Costa Rican rastas. ;) Hopefully we will have a chance to try the salsa and merengue moves we've been learning the last few weeks!
Tomorrow I'm headed to the orphanage again, but that will have to be a post for another day.
Pura Vida!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Costa Rica 101
If any day of my trip so far could epitomize the Costa Rican experience, today would be it.
This morning the other intern Jess, and I had a meeting with Allan, our intern coordinator. He had given us a reading early last week on the history of Costa Rica. We spoke a lot about Costa Rica's institutions, its history, and how it got to be the wealthiest country in Central America. It's pretty extraordinary that while other countries in the region struggled in civil wars for decades, Costa Rica had a fairly short civil war in 1948 which paved the way for a democratic transition to a peaceful country, known as the "Switzerland of Central America," for its constant state of neutrality. Interestingly, it's also one of the only countries I can think of that has no standing army- only a police force. Today the amount of poverty is anywhere from half to a third as much relative to its neighbors, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Their health care system is one of the best in Latin America and is completely public. Private clinics do exist, but they are very expensive and most Costa Ricans prefer to go through the public system rather than incur the cost of private treatment. Education is compulsory until the age of 12, but many students go on through high school and take Costa Rica's version of the SATs, which determines whether or not they can attend private or public university. If they do not pass those exams, students can retake them or opt to take a more informal route and attend technical schools.
Today education in Costa Rica faces some of the same issues as education in the US. Families who can afford to, send their children to private primary and secondary schools, which better prepares them for their exams and guarantees them placement in any university of their choosing. Unfortunately, as a result, almost 80% of public universities are students from private school backgrounds, creating a disparity between the lower and middle class and the upper class, which has lead to a shrinking middle class.
Costa Rica also has a huge immigration problem surpassed by only that of the US and Spain, and has sustained a huge influx of Nicaraguan immigration, which has flooded their public schools, their public health care system and has lead to an increase in crime. As a result there is a great deal of animosity between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans and a certain amount of prejudice is evident.
Economically, though wealthy relative to neighboring countries, Costa Rica is still struggling to catch up with the developed world. In the 80s the government adopted the neoliberal policies of the IMF and the World Bank and made itself more appealing to foreign investment. Today, Costa Ricans lament over the parts of Costa Rica that are no longer their own, like the beaches of Guancaste which have been bought up by hotel chains and foreign investors, and the Intel factory which, though it makes its chips here, has not invested much in the country. In order to attract Intel, Costa Rica had to offer free electricity, water, and build a reservoir of fresh water solely for Intel's use. It's a trade-off for the jobs Intel provides, but the instability of foreign investment means without costly concessions, companies could easily set up shop elsewhere. Costa Rica's hands are tied also when they borrow money from the IMF and World Bank because the organizations' prescriptions are often geared more toward the market and less toward the social programs that have been the foundation, and a source of pride for Costa Ricans. As a result, education for example, is currently severely underfunded.
Anyway, I guess a bit of a rant, but just some of the things I find most interesting about a very unique country.
After volunteering, we took a field trip to a coffee plantation in Naranjo, which was very cool. Coffee is one their more important exports, and the coffee plantation we saw sold all of their coffee beans to Starbucks. Starbucks gives them a three year contract with a pre-set price, so no matter how much the coffee market fluctuates, they're still guaranteed the original price. Maybe I'm naive, but I think that's a pretty socially responsible business negotiation given the declining cost of coffee and the high prices Starbucks is able to charge regardless of the market.
I'm starting to think though, that our field trips are cursed. Last week it poured while we were at the Volcano and this week on the way back we got stuck behind a huge accident. In Costa Rica, as I may have griped about before, their infrastructure is fairly limited. Often there is only one road to get anywhere, so if there's an accident, you're pretty much stuck. Tonight we waited for 2 hours while they cleared up an accident between a truck and a car, though we did get an opportunity to see the beginning of the lunar eclipse while out in the middle of nowhere.
Tomorrow I'm headed back to AMURECI and on Friday I'll be volunteering at one of the local orphanages to get a different experience. I'm really looking forward to it, though I know it will be sobering.
Pictures to come soon, I promise! My Internet access is really slow and it takes a while to upload pictures. Oh well.... Pura Vida!
This morning the other intern Jess, and I had a meeting with Allan, our intern coordinator. He had given us a reading early last week on the history of Costa Rica. We spoke a lot about Costa Rica's institutions, its history, and how it got to be the wealthiest country in Central America. It's pretty extraordinary that while other countries in the region struggled in civil wars for decades, Costa Rica had a fairly short civil war in 1948 which paved the way for a democratic transition to a peaceful country, known as the "Switzerland of Central America," for its constant state of neutrality. Interestingly, it's also one of the only countries I can think of that has no standing army- only a police force. Today the amount of poverty is anywhere from half to a third as much relative to its neighbors, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Their health care system is one of the best in Latin America and is completely public. Private clinics do exist, but they are very expensive and most Costa Ricans prefer to go through the public system rather than incur the cost of private treatment. Education is compulsory until the age of 12, but many students go on through high school and take Costa Rica's version of the SATs, which determines whether or not they can attend private or public university. If they do not pass those exams, students can retake them or opt to take a more informal route and attend technical schools.
Today education in Costa Rica faces some of the same issues as education in the US. Families who can afford to, send their children to private primary and secondary schools, which better prepares them for their exams and guarantees them placement in any university of their choosing. Unfortunately, as a result, almost 80% of public universities are students from private school backgrounds, creating a disparity between the lower and middle class and the upper class, which has lead to a shrinking middle class.
Costa Rica also has a huge immigration problem surpassed by only that of the US and Spain, and has sustained a huge influx of Nicaraguan immigration, which has flooded their public schools, their public health care system and has lead to an increase in crime. As a result there is a great deal of animosity between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans and a certain amount of prejudice is evident.
Economically, though wealthy relative to neighboring countries, Costa Rica is still struggling to catch up with the developed world. In the 80s the government adopted the neoliberal policies of the IMF and the World Bank and made itself more appealing to foreign investment. Today, Costa Ricans lament over the parts of Costa Rica that are no longer their own, like the beaches of Guancaste which have been bought up by hotel chains and foreign investors, and the Intel factory which, though it makes its chips here, has not invested much in the country. In order to attract Intel, Costa Rica had to offer free electricity, water, and build a reservoir of fresh water solely for Intel's use. It's a trade-off for the jobs Intel provides, but the instability of foreign investment means without costly concessions, companies could easily set up shop elsewhere. Costa Rica's hands are tied also when they borrow money from the IMF and World Bank because the organizations' prescriptions are often geared more toward the market and less toward the social programs that have been the foundation, and a source of pride for Costa Ricans. As a result, education for example, is currently severely underfunded.
Anyway, I guess a bit of a rant, but just some of the things I find most interesting about a very unique country.
After volunteering, we took a field trip to a coffee plantation in Naranjo, which was very cool. Coffee is one their more important exports, and the coffee plantation we saw sold all of their coffee beans to Starbucks. Starbucks gives them a three year contract with a pre-set price, so no matter how much the coffee market fluctuates, they're still guaranteed the original price. Maybe I'm naive, but I think that's a pretty socially responsible business negotiation given the declining cost of coffee and the high prices Starbucks is able to charge regardless of the market.
I'm starting to think though, that our field trips are cursed. Last week it poured while we were at the Volcano and this week on the way back we got stuck behind a huge accident. In Costa Rica, as I may have griped about before, their infrastructure is fairly limited. Often there is only one road to get anywhere, so if there's an accident, you're pretty much stuck. Tonight we waited for 2 hours while they cleared up an accident between a truck and a car, though we did get an opportunity to see the beginning of the lunar eclipse while out in the middle of nowhere.
Tomorrow I'm headed back to AMURECI and on Friday I'll be volunteering at one of the local orphanages to get a different experience. I'm really looking forward to it, though I know it will be sobering.
Pictures to come soon, I promise! My Internet access is really slow and it takes a while to upload pictures. Oh well.... Pura Vida!
Monday, February 18, 2008
La Fin De Semana en Manuel Antonio y el conversacion sobre Britney Spears
What a couple of days it's been!
Our weekend in Quepos y Manuel Antonio was so much fun! We left Friday afternoon at about 1, thinking the ride would take about 5 to 5 1/2 hours. I'm starting to think that what Costa Rica really needs is a good ol' fashioned interstate. The winding roads, while beautiful, make it difficult to get anywhere directly. Apparently, they are also pretty hard on the cars here. Our driver Max informed us about an hour into the trip that the van needed a new part and we would have to stop. He said it would only take about 30-45 minutes. I guess we should have realized that in "ticos time" that could be anywhere from 1-2 hours. We wandered around the town for a bit before finding a permanent spot in la plaza, where after an hour, we started to wonder if we would ever see Max again. I confess I thought the worst --Max had all of our stuff and wasn't coming back and we would be stranded in some out of the way town with no way to get home. How could we be those stupid Americans and trust that he would come back, etc. Needless to say, I felt pretty badly for doubting Max when he returned, much later, but nevertheless with the part we needed.
On Friday night we grabbed a quick dinner before heading to a bar which played live music and then a discoteche. Both were so much fun. Costa Ricans are definitely excellent dancers. They salsa'ed and meringue'ed and never seemed to want to sit a song out. Minus a 50 Cent, Eminem, and Usher song at the discoteche, almost all of the music was Spanish which was neat. I'm still not sure when if ever, the discoteche ever closes.
It's funny, I realized this weekend that no matter where you are or with whom you're speaking, the mutual language always seems to be English. We met a group of German tourists, a bunch of Costa Ricans and Central Americans, and all spoke English. I wish language was as emphasized in the States as it is elsewhere!
On Saturday, we woke up really early so we could spend the whole day at the beach. After applying and reapplying sunscreen, (before even leaving the hostel) we rode the bus down to the public beach. The sun here is definitely much stronger but the beaches are absolutely gorgeous. Vendors line the beach selling towels, sarongs and jewelry, while others sell fruit, pina coladas and coconut milk to sunbathers right on the beach. I spent a lot of the day in the water, and though there weren't many waves to catch, the water was so warm it was hard to get out.
Manuel Antonio was definitely a tourist town. I noticed the prices were much higher and as in La Fortuna, everyone spoke English, accepted credit cards and even US dollars. I also noticed a fair share of Canadians, Americans and Brits probably trying to escape winter.
On Sunday we went to the national reserve at Manuel Antonio, which was beautiful. The trails went right along the beach and into the rainforest. I gotta be honest, 90% of the reason I was there, was to see some monkeys, and after a pretty good hike, I was a little downtrodden when we were heading to the exit and I had only seen a sloth, a woodpecker and a racoon. Two of which I could have found in my own backyard. When we got to the picnic area and saw lots of people frantically snapping their cameras and pointing, I figured we had hit the jackpot. There must have been 7 or 8 monkeys all hanging the trees above the picnic area, biding their time before they could swipe a tourist's picnic lunch. One succeeded in grabbing a bag of fruit out of the trash and ran up a branch to eat it, taunting the park ranger whose job it is to make sure the monkeys don't eat people-food. The monkey proceeded to drop the empty bag on a sunbather's head and throw the leftover fruit at the tourists who were taking his picture.
After a great weekend, I woke up this morning both nervous and excited for my first English lesson at AMURECI. During the morning I helped make paper, and because my lesson was in the afternoon, Mayra, one of the women who founded AMURECI invited me to stay for lunch. During lunch, Mayra talked a lot about her family and I learned that she has relatives living near Lancaster, Pennsylvania! We then chatted about the Amish and agreed that we could never live an Amish lifestyle and give up modern conveniences. We also talked a lot about music, and strangely our conversation ended up on the topic of Britney Spears, and how she could have gotten so loca. Mayra wisely pointed out that you can have all the money in the world but still not be happy.
The English lesson in the afternoon went pretty well. We reviewed what they had been working on for the last few weeks and tomorrow I will begin with new material. From their previous test scores, Mayella and Giselle definitely have the most knowledge of English, but it seems like they all really want to learn. After the lesson we all commiserated on how difficult it is to learn another language.
It's rainy in San Carlos today, but I am glad to be back after a fun weekend and looking forward to the rest of the week.
Pura Vida!
Our weekend in Quepos y Manuel Antonio was so much fun! We left Friday afternoon at about 1, thinking the ride would take about 5 to 5 1/2 hours. I'm starting to think that what Costa Rica really needs is a good ol' fashioned interstate. The winding roads, while beautiful, make it difficult to get anywhere directly. Apparently, they are also pretty hard on the cars here. Our driver Max informed us about an hour into the trip that the van needed a new part and we would have to stop. He said it would only take about 30-45 minutes. I guess we should have realized that in "ticos time" that could be anywhere from 1-2 hours. We wandered around the town for a bit before finding a permanent spot in la plaza, where after an hour, we started to wonder if we would ever see Max again. I confess I thought the worst --Max had all of our stuff and wasn't coming back and we would be stranded in some out of the way town with no way to get home. How could we be those stupid Americans and trust that he would come back, etc. Needless to say, I felt pretty badly for doubting Max when he returned, much later, but nevertheless with the part we needed.
On Friday night we grabbed a quick dinner before heading to a bar which played live music and then a discoteche. Both were so much fun. Costa Ricans are definitely excellent dancers. They salsa'ed and meringue'ed and never seemed to want to sit a song out. Minus a 50 Cent, Eminem, and Usher song at the discoteche, almost all of the music was Spanish which was neat. I'm still not sure when if ever, the discoteche ever closes.
It's funny, I realized this weekend that no matter where you are or with whom you're speaking, the mutual language always seems to be English. We met a group of German tourists, a bunch of Costa Ricans and Central Americans, and all spoke English. I wish language was as emphasized in the States as it is elsewhere!
On Saturday, we woke up really early so we could spend the whole day at the beach. After applying and reapplying sunscreen, (before even leaving the hostel) we rode the bus down to the public beach. The sun here is definitely much stronger but the beaches are absolutely gorgeous. Vendors line the beach selling towels, sarongs and jewelry, while others sell fruit, pina coladas and coconut milk to sunbathers right on the beach. I spent a lot of the day in the water, and though there weren't many waves to catch, the water was so warm it was hard to get out.
Manuel Antonio was definitely a tourist town. I noticed the prices were much higher and as in La Fortuna, everyone spoke English, accepted credit cards and even US dollars. I also noticed a fair share of Canadians, Americans and Brits probably trying to escape winter.
On Sunday we went to the national reserve at Manuel Antonio, which was beautiful. The trails went right along the beach and into the rainforest. I gotta be honest, 90% of the reason I was there, was to see some monkeys, and after a pretty good hike, I was a little downtrodden when we were heading to the exit and I had only seen a sloth, a woodpecker and a racoon. Two of which I could have found in my own backyard. When we got to the picnic area and saw lots of people frantically snapping their cameras and pointing, I figured we had hit the jackpot. There must have been 7 or 8 monkeys all hanging the trees above the picnic area, biding their time before they could swipe a tourist's picnic lunch. One succeeded in grabbing a bag of fruit out of the trash and ran up a branch to eat it, taunting the park ranger whose job it is to make sure the monkeys don't eat people-food. The monkey proceeded to drop the empty bag on a sunbather's head and throw the leftover fruit at the tourists who were taking his picture.
After a great weekend, I woke up this morning both nervous and excited for my first English lesson at AMURECI. During the morning I helped make paper, and because my lesson was in the afternoon, Mayra, one of the women who founded AMURECI invited me to stay for lunch. During lunch, Mayra talked a lot about her family and I learned that she has relatives living near Lancaster, Pennsylvania! We then chatted about the Amish and agreed that we could never live an Amish lifestyle and give up modern conveniences. We also talked a lot about music, and strangely our conversation ended up on the topic of Britney Spears, and how she could have gotten so loca. Mayra wisely pointed out that you can have all the money in the world but still not be happy.
The English lesson in the afternoon went pretty well. We reviewed what they had been working on for the last few weeks and tomorrow I will begin with new material. From their previous test scores, Mayella and Giselle definitely have the most knowledge of English, but it seems like they all really want to learn. After the lesson we all commiserated on how difficult it is to learn another language.
It's rainy in San Carlos today, but I am glad to be back after a fun weekend and looking forward to the rest of the week.
Pura Vida!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
La Dia de Amor y Amistad
I guess I should start by wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! :) Costa Ricans have their own take on the day. La Dia de Amor y Amistad, translated means, The Day of Love and Friendship. Personally, I think it's a nicer, more inclusive holiday. The boys in our group were nice enough to get the girls Valentine's Day candy which instantly put them pretty high up in my book. :)
Today the women of AMURECI invited another group of female business owners from neighboring San Carlos over to discuss challenges they face and share ideas to address these challenges. Currently, AMURECI makes enough money to break even, but they're having difficulty making a profit, which seems to be representative of a larger problem in the region. Tourism has become Costa Rica's most profitable industry. Unfortunately, many tourists visit the beaches on the Caribbean and Pacific shores, but never venture inland. Typically, only eco-tourists, or those who raft, hike, or come to see Volcano Arenal, ever make it to the central region. It's a shame because in a few short days here, I've already seen there's so much more to the country than it's beautiful beaches.
Other issues the women spoke about were those that transcend culture. The difficulties of managing a household, making time for children, and finding ways to grow a business were a few of the concerns that I caught in between painting bookmarks and drying paper. It's disheartening in a way, you want so much to see small businesses succeed, especially those with worthwhile missions, like AMURECI's -- and that's in a developed country, let alone a developing one! At the same time, I found it hopeful that in a region where poverty is so crippling, these women are not only trying to help provide for their families, but they're facing the same challenges as women in the developed world. Hopefully that means they're on the right track.
After the morning at AMURECI, all of the volunteers went out to Volcano Arenal. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too cooperative. It absolutely poured the entire time we were there, which made it difficult to see much of the volcano. We did climb up to see the lava rocks from the last eruption in 1992, which was really neat. From higher up on the volcano, we got a brief glimpse of Lake Arenal. The town around Volcano Arenal, La Fortuna, is a huge tourist destination, which was evident from the higher prices and the Burger King and King's Chicken restaurants. Many of the residents of Fortuna also spoke English with us (with barely a trace of an accent) and had a pretty good handle on American slang. It made me appreciate out-of-the-way San Carlos, and I think next time I struggle to come up with the proper Spanish phrase while around town, I won't mind nearly as much. :)
Last night we went to the hot springs, which are a short ride out of San Carlos. The pools are towards the bottom of the dormant volcano which sits right outside of the city, and which I can see from my bedroom window. It was my first time ever being in hot springs, and I absolutely loved it! Though the weather wasn't perfect, the rain held out long enough for us to spend a couple of hours at the springs.
This week has absolutely flown by, and tomorrow we are getting out of San Carlos and heading to Manuel-Antonio, a slightly less touristy beach destination on the Pacific coast.
Pura Vida!
Today the women of AMURECI invited another group of female business owners from neighboring San Carlos over to discuss challenges they face and share ideas to address these challenges. Currently, AMURECI makes enough money to break even, but they're having difficulty making a profit, which seems to be representative of a larger problem in the region. Tourism has become Costa Rica's most profitable industry. Unfortunately, many tourists visit the beaches on the Caribbean and Pacific shores, but never venture inland. Typically, only eco-tourists, or those who raft, hike, or come to see Volcano Arenal, ever make it to the central region. It's a shame because in a few short days here, I've already seen there's so much more to the country than it's beautiful beaches.
Other issues the women spoke about were those that transcend culture. The difficulties of managing a household, making time for children, and finding ways to grow a business were a few of the concerns that I caught in between painting bookmarks and drying paper. It's disheartening in a way, you want so much to see small businesses succeed, especially those with worthwhile missions, like AMURECI's -- and that's in a developed country, let alone a developing one! At the same time, I found it hopeful that in a region where poverty is so crippling, these women are not only trying to help provide for their families, but they're facing the same challenges as women in the developed world. Hopefully that means they're on the right track.
After the morning at AMURECI, all of the volunteers went out to Volcano Arenal. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too cooperative. It absolutely poured the entire time we were there, which made it difficult to see much of the volcano. We did climb up to see the lava rocks from the last eruption in 1992, which was really neat. From higher up on the volcano, we got a brief glimpse of Lake Arenal. The town around Volcano Arenal, La Fortuna, is a huge tourist destination, which was evident from the higher prices and the Burger King and King's Chicken restaurants. Many of the residents of Fortuna also spoke English with us (with barely a trace of an accent) and had a pretty good handle on American slang. It made me appreciate out-of-the-way San Carlos, and I think next time I struggle to come up with the proper Spanish phrase while around town, I won't mind nearly as much. :)
Last night we went to the hot springs, which are a short ride out of San Carlos. The pools are towards the bottom of the dormant volcano which sits right outside of the city, and which I can see from my bedroom window. It was my first time ever being in hot springs, and I absolutely loved it! Though the weather wasn't perfect, the rain held out long enough for us to spend a couple of hours at the springs.
This week has absolutely flown by, and tomorrow we are getting out of San Carlos and heading to Manuel-Antonio, a slightly less touristy beach destination on the Pacific coast.
Pura Vida!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Un Gran Familia
Today was my second day at AMURECI, and I thought, a perfect opportunity for an update.
I absolutely love it here. I enjoy my days here so much, and though I am exhausted at the end of each day, I wake up each morning excited to do it all over again.
My internship at AMURECI is going really well. Today I met 2 more of the women who work there, and they too seem eager to learn English and to help me improve my Spanish. All the women ask me about my family and friends, and seem really interested in getting to know me, which makes me feel so welcome. All 5 women have children, and call themselves "Un Gran Familia" one big, happy family. Yesterday they showed me around the store and their workshop and let me help out by binding photo albums. Marta, a very eccentric and bubbly member of AMURECI, who sings constantly and talks a mile-a-minute has already informed me that she is a genius and doesn't need to participate in English lessons.
On Monday I will start weekly English lessons with them, but for the time being, I get to help out around the shop. Today, I got to help Martha actually make the paper! It was such a neat experience. Everything they use is all natural and recycled and it's clear that they are really dedicated to their mission. The community seems really involved as well. Neighbors drop in to chat and have coffee and children pop in on their walk home from school.
AMURECI's paper-making process consists of many steps, but the end product is really amazing. First, they take a combination of recycled office paper and newspaper of varying thickness and soak it in water. Then, they place the mix in a blender to grind it up into very small pieces. Next, they add pieces of banana leaves, which they get from the banana trees all around the store to make the paper stronger. Then, they put the mix in a huge bin and use rectangular screens to make it into sheets which they press to get rid of the excess water and then lay out to dry in the sun. The process is amazing to see, and though a little bit hard to get the hang of, I had a great time doing it. Martha was really patient as I clumsily spilled water and had to re-do screens and kept saying "Nina, Nina" and laughing at me. Today we added coffee grinds to the paper to make darker sheets. She and I also talked a little bit about politics and agreed that Barack Obama, in addition to being the best candidate, is muy guapo. ;)
In addition to our volunteer work, the program has lots planned for us in the afternoons. Yesterday we had a Costa Rican sign language lesson, and twice a week we have Spanish lessons. At night without the distraction of TV, we all sit around and play cards, which, though it can get a little crazy sometimes, is lots of fun.
Tomorrow afternoon we're going on a hike up to Volcano Arenal, and this weekend all of us are heading to the beach, with a Rui, an American who is currently living with one of the women from AMURECI.
Pura Vida!
I absolutely love it here. I enjoy my days here so much, and though I am exhausted at the end of each day, I wake up each morning excited to do it all over again.
My internship at AMURECI is going really well. Today I met 2 more of the women who work there, and they too seem eager to learn English and to help me improve my Spanish. All the women ask me about my family and friends, and seem really interested in getting to know me, which makes me feel so welcome. All 5 women have children, and call themselves "Un Gran Familia" one big, happy family. Yesterday they showed me around the store and their workshop and let me help out by binding photo albums. Marta, a very eccentric and bubbly member of AMURECI, who sings constantly and talks a mile-a-minute has already informed me that she is a genius and doesn't need to participate in English lessons.
On Monday I will start weekly English lessons with them, but for the time being, I get to help out around the shop. Today, I got to help Martha actually make the paper! It was such a neat experience. Everything they use is all natural and recycled and it's clear that they are really dedicated to their mission. The community seems really involved as well. Neighbors drop in to chat and have coffee and children pop in on their walk home from school.
AMURECI's paper-making process consists of many steps, but the end product is really amazing. First, they take a combination of recycled office paper and newspaper of varying thickness and soak it in water. Then, they place the mix in a blender to grind it up into very small pieces. Next, they add pieces of banana leaves, which they get from the banana trees all around the store to make the paper stronger. Then, they put the mix in a huge bin and use rectangular screens to make it into sheets which they press to get rid of the excess water and then lay out to dry in the sun. The process is amazing to see, and though a little bit hard to get the hang of, I had a great time doing it. Martha was really patient as I clumsily spilled water and had to re-do screens and kept saying "Nina, Nina" and laughing at me. Today we added coffee grinds to the paper to make darker sheets. She and I also talked a little bit about politics and agreed that Barack Obama, in addition to being the best candidate, is muy guapo. ;)
In addition to our volunteer work, the program has lots planned for us in the afternoons. Yesterday we had a Costa Rican sign language lesson, and twice a week we have Spanish lessons. At night without the distraction of TV, we all sit around and play cards, which, though it can get a little crazy sometimes, is lots of fun.
Tomorrow afternoon we're going on a hike up to Volcano Arenal, and this weekend all of us are heading to the beach, with a Rui, an American who is currently living with one of the women from AMURECI.
Pura Vida!
Monday, February 11, 2008
No Artificial Ingredients
"Google" Costa Rica and you will most likely come across the saying "No Artificial Ingredients." It is their pledge to tourists from around the world, and from what I can see, ticos are true to their word. The woman who cooks for the CCS staff and volunteers, Rosa, or Rosita as she likes to be called, always makes sure there is fresh fruit, fresh coffee and fresh bread around and all are so good.
Today was our first day with all of the volunteers together. We started early at 8am, with a tour of San Carlos the "Texas" of Costa Rica, where men walk around in cowboy hats, "machismo" is still very much alive, and saddles can be bought in many of the stores on the main street. The city only has three streets, which run parallel to each other and are connected by rocky side streets. Needless to say, the tour was pretty short, but San Carlos despite its size, manages to offer everything you'd expect in a big city. In addition to the movie theater and mall, there's a public hospital, a gym, many schools, at least 3 internet cafes, and lots of bakeries, restaurants and clothing stores. As one of the largest cities in the region, San Carlos also has three factories for sugar, coffee and milk,their main exports.
The weather has been a mix of morning showers, hot afternoons, and the occasional cool breeze, which ticos say are common during this time of year. The showers pass quickly and leave behind vibrant rainbows, one today, which seemed to stretch from one end of town to the other, but Greivin, CCS staff member and San Carlos resident boasted, "that's nothing, they're usually much better than that." I can't wait to see what a prettier rainbow looks like!
In the afternoon, we had orientation and met the rest of the CCS staff. Rosita made arroz con pollo, which is usually saved for special occasions, like weddings, or communions, but I think she was just trying to make us feel extra-welcome. After lunch, I learned more about my internship, which starts tomorrow. I will be working with AMURECI, an organization of women who take recycled materials from the community and make journals, jewelry and other crafts that they sell to neighbors and tourists. They're hoping to expand their business and want to learn more English so they can communicate with tourists, which is what I will be helping them with over the next few weeks. I'm starting to realize what a challenge it will be to teach English to people when our communication is so limited. The CCS staff said when in doubt, we should fall back on "pura vida." It literally means "pure life," but I'm finding it is appropriate in any situation. The bus is late? "pura vida." "How are you today?" "pura vida." It can mean anything from slow down or relax, to I'm great, thanks. If I can pronounce it without sounding too American, I think I should be able to skate by for the first week or so.
The sky is turning dark, and it looks like it may storm here.
Hasta manana, until tomorrow,
Pura Vida!
Today was our first day with all of the volunteers together. We started early at 8am, with a tour of San Carlos the "Texas" of Costa Rica, where men walk around in cowboy hats, "machismo" is still very much alive, and saddles can be bought in many of the stores on the main street. The city only has three streets, which run parallel to each other and are connected by rocky side streets. Needless to say, the tour was pretty short, but San Carlos despite its size, manages to offer everything you'd expect in a big city. In addition to the movie theater and mall, there's a public hospital, a gym, many schools, at least 3 internet cafes, and lots of bakeries, restaurants and clothing stores. As one of the largest cities in the region, San Carlos also has three factories for sugar, coffee and milk,their main exports.
The weather has been a mix of morning showers, hot afternoons, and the occasional cool breeze, which ticos say are common during this time of year. The showers pass quickly and leave behind vibrant rainbows, one today, which seemed to stretch from one end of town to the other, but Greivin, CCS staff member and San Carlos resident boasted, "that's nothing, they're usually much better than that." I can't wait to see what a prettier rainbow looks like!
In the afternoon, we had orientation and met the rest of the CCS staff. Rosita made arroz con pollo, which is usually saved for special occasions, like weddings, or communions, but I think she was just trying to make us feel extra-welcome. After lunch, I learned more about my internship, which starts tomorrow. I will be working with AMURECI, an organization of women who take recycled materials from the community and make journals, jewelry and other crafts that they sell to neighbors and tourists. They're hoping to expand their business and want to learn more English so they can communicate with tourists, which is what I will be helping them with over the next few weeks. I'm starting to realize what a challenge it will be to teach English to people when our communication is so limited. The CCS staff said when in doubt, we should fall back on "pura vida." It literally means "pure life," but I'm finding it is appropriate in any situation. The bus is late? "pura vida." "How are you today?" "pura vida." It can mean anything from slow down or relax, to I'm great, thanks. If I can pronounce it without sounding too American, I think I should be able to skate by for the first week or so.
The sky is turning dark, and it looks like it may storm here.
Hasta manana, until tomorrow,
Pura Vida!
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