Anna Sung's Blog 2

I forgot to write my blog yesterday, so I will write two today. Yesterday was our last day at the Juan Antonio de Sucre School. After 5 days of visiting that school, I noticed that I have become more fond of that place than I have expected. It was a pleasure meeting everyone at the school; especially all the students. It was very sad seperating, and I miss the kids and the school already! We were also visited their music performance at 2:00, and although it was brief, I felt the effort they put into their performance. Felipe was there too.

After the performance, we all had free time for... about 3 hours, I think, and we hurried off to buy the souvenirs we missed on the other days. Even though this volunteer experience was only for a short period of time, I feel like this really helped me change. BTW I am definately coming back to volunteer at the school!

Next day: Today. I had so much fun today, but at the same time, I have a feeling this was the most tiring day for me. We left the base at 7:30 and had a long ride down San Carlos (1600m above sea level to a forest about 1000m below). It was a beautiful trail, with many many many bridges. Some of them were really high up, I felt like I was going to fall! I took lots of pictures, but 3/4th way through, my battery ran out, just when we encountered a few wild monkeys! I was so sad. The forest showed me that Costa Rica is a beautiful country full of green.

Next, we had lunch... at a pretty buffet! The food was good. Soon after leaving, we reached the parking lot for the mountain area. The active volcano was so big and was smoking a lot. We walked up the path for a while, then, in the forest, we saw giant birds. After that, we reached the rocky side of the mountain. The rocks were originally from the previous eruption, and are very light in weight. When we reached the top, we saw a beautiful scenary of mountains and the lake. I took lots of pictures with my spare battery. We also listened to the eruption of the volcanoes, and those eruptions are so cool! They sound like fireworks or the jet of the plane, and it was wonderful. These eco tours showed me that you really don't need much to enjoy the natural beauties of Costa Rica!

Sarah's blog 2

Volcanos are awsome. We visited one. While we where there, it released a lot of pressurized gass, which made a wierd noise. You could see the volcano spewing rocks out, and you could see them tumble down the side leaving a trail. It was pretty cool, but the most surreal thing was that there were orchids growing out of the old lava flow.

Elliott's Blog 4

Today the group had another great day. We went to Arenial volcano which was absolutely stunning. It was great to listen to the pure power of the volcano. It sounded like thunder. We also took a tour of the rain forest which was also amazing because we got to see all sorts of new animals and really get a sense of how important the eco system really is in any environment. While in the rainforest we got to go over suspension bridges hundreds of feet high and really get a good look at the wildlife. We spent most of the day doing this which was absolutley the right decision and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Today is also the final day we will be here at CCS and I am going to miss it a lot. This place the experiences I have had have been truly awesome.

Minami's Blog 4

Today I was so sleeply because Rashna kept me up late last night- we went to bed at like ten. Today we left home base at 7:30 to go to the forest/ jungle. The canopy walk was so exciting and amazing because I saw a lot of animals and trees. The trees were so pretty and green they made me feel soft. We also walked on suspension bridges and that was so fun they were so high I was slightly scared but I survived. After lunch we went to the volcano and I heard lava exploding and rolling out and down the volcano side this was really cool because I had never hear or seen lava before. It was not what I had expected because I thought that there were no volcanos in Costa Rica let alone and an active one. Today was a really nice day for touring Costa Rica the sun was not too powerfull but the clowds did not get in the way. I hope to visit here again.

Rashna Blog 2

Today we went to look at the volcano called "Arenal". The first half of the day was spent on a canopy walk which was very intresting. During the walk one of the guides spotted a snake and decided to try and catch it, unfortunately Ms. Moodie and I were standing near him and the snake fell out of his hand and Ms. Moodie freaked out and used me as a human shield to protect her from the 15 inch snake. It was a highlight of the day. After that we also went to the base of the volcano and stayed long enough to hear a eruptation it was definetly a very cool exprience. Overall it was a nice and different way to see the natural beauty of Costa Rica.

Shawn's Blog 4

Today was our last day in Costa Rica. It was another early morning; however, today we got to go to the 14th most active volcano in the world. The first activity that we did was go on a tour of the Costa Rican rainforest. This meant that we got to go on hanging bridges, which were spectacular. After a full lunch, we were off to the volcano. It was amazing how serene the volcano seemed from a distance. The closest we got to the crater was two kilometers, and that was close enough to hear minor eruptions and see rocks fly down the volcano. It was truly a spectacular experience. This was an amazing day, and it was truly the perfect way to end the trip. We are an extremely blessed group, and we have all had a splendid experience.

Harry's Blog 4

Today we discovered a different side of Cost Rica; rather than focusing if the cultural side of the countery we decided to wear our tourist hats and explore the country side. We started off early leaving the home base a 7:30am and we finaly arrived at our first destination for day at 9 am, a canopy tour of the rain forest. We hiked up and down the mountian side, crossed over rivers on suspension bridges some as high as 45m off the ground. The forest was moist and alive with snakes, ants, birds and monkies. We enjoyed looking at the canopy which was thick and came in an asortment of different shades of green. We all had fun crossing over the long suspension bridges which provided us with an over head veiw was the forest as well as a great veiw of the land scape. This morning was a beautiful and enlightening experience

Shawn's Blog 3

Today was our last day at la escuela de Sucre. It took until today for the experience to truly settle in. We are getting the opportunity to change peoples lives, simply by being caring. All that these children want is someone who clearly care about helping them. And today, as the children bombarded us with an array of pens and pieces of paper for our email, I realized that for the children, we are extraordinary. For them, we come from a "utopia". The land of Canada, where it snows, and where "everybody is rich". For these children, we are a ticket to a better life. And for myself, these children were a ticket to further understanding my intentions in life.

Minami's Blog 3

Today we went to the school; it was the last day for volunteering, I thought it was going to be a long week but insted it flew by and the end of the week came too fast. Today I was with the kindergarden kids for one class- they just wanted to talk to me in Spanish but I don't speak Spanish. So I switched classes to teach music- it was so fun because we used our body parts to sing and I think we should do this at Stratford Mr. Grealy. Then we had an assesmbly they sang us a song which was really thoughtfull. They also gave us a participation certificate to thank us for our efforts. The kids were really nice to me and showed me this by giving letters, drawings, braclets, necklaces and earings all of which were really heart warming gifts. When we left school I felt so sad and alredy missed the kids, they had been so kind to me that I wished I could have given more back and hope they keep in touch via email. Today was a bitter sweet day and the memory I will take away with me is that of the kids and their kindness.

Elliott's Blog 3

Today has been great. I taught the kindergarten class with Minami Akita and Harry Armstrong. The kids were great and it felt good to have a sense of play back in you. After teaching the kindergartens they had a whole school assembly honouring the students who came and volunteered. It felt good to be appreciated for the hard work we had put in. I also got cards from tons of kids. It was great to know they appreciated what we did for them. Today like every other day in Costa Rica has been Awesome!

Harry's Blog 3

Today was our last day at the school and I will atempt to give you an overveiw of our activities. During first block some of us finished the planting in the garden, some of us assisted in the music class by singing an English song and following along with the Spanish ones, others painted a cartboard house that was built durring the night for a deminstation of the Costa Rica cival war on the weekend, and others played with the kingergardens assisting with their puzzles.

During second block we had the same activities but we switched around the stations, we also added a station where we made laminated signs for the herbs and vegetables that we planted earlier in the week. During third block we had a special presentation, where the whole school congregated for a presentation to thank us for our hard work this week. They gave us all a certificate to symbolize their gratitude.

Finaly for fourth block we all did whatever needed to be done, be it painting rocks, laminating the herb cards, watering the plants or playing with the kids. Durring the whole day we constantly had kids comming up to us getting either our e-mail adresses or signatures. Today was fun and a good way to end off the volunteering portion of our tip.

Ana Sung's Blog 1

Costa Rica's AWESOME! We are having so much fun. Today, at Sucre Primary School, I gardened a little and taught 3 English classes with Elliott! It was my first time teaching English to a real class, it was an awesome experience.

Today, April 8, is LocoPelo's Birthday! ---and our Spanish teacher's :P ---and right now, Ivy and Elliott and Shawn are making and signing his 1 day-late birthday card! Its in the shape of an star.! It's really cute.

Every day, there were different activities for us, and every single one of them were very fun and interesting.
Its the last day volunteering at the school tomorrow, and I'm really sad :( I hope it'll be the best day for us!!

The warmth of Costa Rica

It is a privilege to be facilitating this truly experiential learning opportunity. We are really impressed with the student's openness and willingness to learn all they can while they're here. The week volunteering at the school has enabled them to be risk-takers and teach English lessons, art, music and Canadiana. Our gang has really taken a liking to the warmth of the Costa Rican children and culture.

This afternoon we were invited to a family's house high up in the hills where we learned about their traditional farming, harvesting and food preparation. We shared a delicious assortment of cakes, cookies, traditional dishes, sugar cane tea and strong coffee. We all partook in Spanish Karaoke afterwards. This family's kindness warmed our hearts and our experience with them represents that true cross-cultural connection that brought us here.

Michael McGuire and Melahnie Moodie

Shawn's Blog 2

The children at this school really know how to make your morning. Every morning you are greeted with the worlds biggest smiles. Today, I was working in the kindergarten classroom, and yes, that meant I had to speak Spanish. As a ex-Spanish student and a current French student, this was a daunting task; however, it was met with great aplomb. It was truly an enriching experience. I never thought that little 5 and 6 year olds would be teaching me. They didn't just teach me about Spanish, which they did, they taught me about life. Seeing young children, some of which come from poverty and broken households, having fun was truly amazing. It showed how they were able to have fun, in any situation. It also showed their love for school, because even at a young age, they know that their education is the key to "a better life". This experience is not only teaching me about Spanish culture, but also about life in general.

Minami's Blog 2

Today, we went to school for volunteering as usual. Rashna and I taught English to grade 4,5 and 6. We taught them vegetables and fruits. I thought they are not going to get it, but they actually understand a lot of things. Also, they taught me Spanish. One kid said something fruit in Spanish then I repeated three times in the class.

After we had lunch, we went to farm and ate some like pumpin cake and some like circle sweet cake and sweet tea. It was really good, I wish we could eat these foods in Vancouver. I was still hungery so I had dinner after that we looked through some of the photos from the trip and I minimized them to put on the blog.

Ivy's blog 1

Today, I taught the kindergardeners of San Juan Antonio de Sucre. Although I did not understand much of what they were saying, they made an effort to speak with me anyway. I helped the kids with puzzels and we played with playdo. I also taught them a few English words like 'playdo'. We sat down and listened to a story, which the teacher presented in Spanish. We also played tag and sung 'twinkle twinkle little star' to them and they really enjoyed it. The kids were all very friendly and it was a very fun experience, I would love to do this again if I had another chance.

Shawn's Blog 1

Today was quite the day. While it was not hot, the work was tiresome. When we got to the school, we were once again bombarded by a swarm of "holas" of big smiles. Today we were faced with the job of digging up a long rectangular path. It was an arduous task, but with great teamwork and dedication, we were able to accomplish the task. It is amazing how open and inviting the students are. They have been giving out pictures that they have drawn, and little toys that they have made. It is an amazing school, full of amazing children, and we are lucky to be able to work with them. We all realize that this is a privilege and it is something that we are all cherishing, because realistically, how many people get to do something this amazing?

Harry's Blog 2

Last night, being Wednesday, a select group of the most adventurous and talented members of our group participated in a traditional dance lesson. Harry, Ms. Moodie and Mr. Mcguire learned a range of basic to extream Merengueedancing moves. We all had a great time laughing at each other's non existent dancing skill. Our coach, Luis Diego, was a very talented and a very comprehensive coach. After the class we were all much better dancers than before but that is not saying much.

The next morning we all went back to the school where the kids greated us with hugs and laughter, they have now memorized all our names and we have given them our e-mail adresses to keep in touch. Today we had some people working in the garden, some people playing with the kindergardens and some people teaching English. I worked in the garden digging up large patches of grass to become flower beds, planting flowers, and watering. During their recess and lunch we all took turns spinning the large skipping rope, playing soccer and trying to communicate with the kids in spanglish. We all had a great time with the kids and the garden.

Adios from Costa Rica!

Elliott's Blog 2

Today was another great day on the trip. I gardened and taught English in the school again which somehow I never get tired of. I taught with Anna Sung and together we made a great team. I could tell by the children's faces and reactions that they really enjoyed our teaching. We played soccer and played jump rope with the kids. It turned out to be one of the kid's birthdays so I ended up giving him a piggy back ride all across the school. It felt good to know the kids were filled with fun and happiness. After leaving the school we soon left to have a cooking class with a really nice local couple. The food was great and it was really nice to embrace the culture. Today was awesome!

Rashna Blog 1

Today I was teaching English to the grade 4-6's with Minami Akita. We taught four classes about vegetables and fruits and they were all great except for a few exceptions but that is expected when teaching young children. It was a great learning experience and taught me some new Spanish words I did not know. Every break was spent talking and playing with the kids. The day was very fun and was filled with lots new perspectives.

Sarah's blog 1

I am tired. all the weeding is really getting to me. I appreciate that the kids want to help, but sometimes they really get on my nerves.

Cooking was interesting. I really liked those doughnut-bagel-cookie things. and the pumpkin loaf-y thing was good too.

The kids all speak really fast. It can be really hard to undestand them when they don't use full sentences. However, they do seem to like my drawings. It's kind of cute.

Elliott's Blog 1

The last few days in Costa Rica have been amazing, the group and I have had so much fun in my opinion. We've done so many things and experienced so many new ways of enjoying life. It has been truly awesome. I've enjoyed every aspect of this trip, especially the fact that we get to do international volunteer work at the ages of 14 - 15. In my eyes that is incredible. I really enjoyed teaching English to the kids.

Minami's Blog 1

I'm tired today because it's wednesday.
We did volunteer, and we took Spanish class. The class was so hard:( but volunteer was so fun. We planted a lot of kind flowers. I liked red flower but I don't know the name.
Oh!! We went outside to eat ice cream. I had chocolate chip ice cream. It was super good.
Then we had a nice time.

Harry's Blog

Today we went to a coco plantation which was really fun. We walked through the rain forest and over the longest suspension bridge in Costa rica. The rain forest was really moist and warm full of vibrently green trees and plants, we found a bulet ant, a red frog and a large animal that looked like a bunny; we also got to hear howler monkies. We saw coco pods and we ate raw coco beans. We learnt about the drying and roasting process of creating chocolate. Then we ground the dryed coco beans added some brown sugar/cinimon and ground that mixture up more. We added some hot water and had really tasty dark chocolate hot chocolate. We also tryed some chocolate that was 75% coco. The plantation was a fun and enlightening time.

Mid Week in Costa Rica

Already at our half way point and I feel that we are just getting into the groove! Our community work at the school has been quite rewarding as the community garden has really taken shape with over 70 plants planted and many more to go. We have also started a seed and vegetable garden in the front of the school which will be tended by the grade 6 class. What made today so magical was the fact that we planted in the clouds - clouds descended and hovered around us all morning.

One of the highlights of the week for me has been watching our students become the teachers! Our students have paired up, prepared lesson plans, developed teaching materials and actually delivered some pretty amazing english lessons much to the appreciation of the children at the school. There is little down time afterwards as we are participating in history lessons, dancing lessons, and spanish lessons each afternoon or evening. Experiential education at its finest!

A highlight for me has also been the field trip to the Cocoa plantation yesterday afternoon. In a tropical downpour we walked amongst rainforests thick with vines and brambles to arrive at a small cocoa plantation set deep in the forest. Howler monkeys yelled from the tress and bullet ants treaded underfoot as we sat memorized while the guide ground cocoa beans and then boiled them into arguably the best chocolate I've ever come across. These cocoa beans were traditionally so precious that were were used as currency amongst the rain forest tribes. I can't think of a better world!

Michael McGuire

Welcome to our Adventures in Costa Rica

Hola,

We've been in Costa Rica for a few days now and we're feeling settled in our home base in Ciudad Quesada, San Carlos.

Home base is truly a home away from home! Everyone here is warm, welcoming and very helpful. The food is delicious with loads of fresh fruit and veggies and of course rice and beans. The rooms are clean and comfortable with bunks for the girls in one room and boys in the other. There is an open air common eating and meeting area with a cactus garden.

Our service work at the elementary school has come together well with students working on the garden, teaching English and playing with the kids during their breaks. There is a real strong emphasis on cross cultural understanding and sharing.

Today we had an awesome experience visiting a coco plantation/ ecological reserve where we learned all about the history of chocolate, how to harvest and create it and best of all tasting it in all its many forms: nibs, powder, liquid and bars.

Students have also taken their first Spanish lesson and are doing a great job with teaching their English lessons.

Students will be sharing their experiences on this blog so please check it out daily!

Pura Vida

Melahnie Moodie and Michael McGuire