I hope that everyone is well-rested and has adjusted to the comforts of home! Hopefully everyone received their luggage yesterday... and got their laundry started right away...
I'm currently working on uploading all of the pictures to a Snapfish account. I'm trying to keep the best resolution, so it takes some time. Once that is done, I will go through and edit- crop, rotate, delete. I will e-mail the username and password to you, then you can create your own album and upload the pictures you would like to share. Some of you got fantastic shots that we didn't (i.e. the toucan, howler monkeys, sea turtles, etc.), so please get those in an album! I'll start working on designing a photo book early next week.
Don't forget to check out some of the pictures that were tweeted as well. I tried to use #cf2cr as much as possible. Or you can search for my Twitter account: @CFCoachBA. I didn't use it much after the first 3 days, but there are still pictures there if you want them.
Students- please share your experience with your family and friends! The blog can only do so much. They are curious about what YOU saw and what YOU learned on this trip. Please use this time to reflect on everything that you did. If you enjoyed your travels and meeting new people, then do something about it! Don't let yourself get too comfortable being back in Chagrin- if you feel like this trip changed you, then continue to challenge yourself every day. Don't fall back into old habits! It's hard for everyone, even the most experienced travelers. Take time to be "off the grid"- get off your phone and connect with those around you face-to-face! Try to make the most of every day and do something to help others. Don't forget your time with the families in Uvita- remember how welcoming they were and their positive outlook. Don't forget conquering your fears- heights, spiders, etc- remember how rewarding it felt to face them. Use this experience to make your life- and someone else's!- better!
I'm open to any feedback from the trip- just let us know in the comments or via e-mail. A big thank you to Rustic Pathways at home and in Costa Rica (Chris, Matija, Ricardo, Mauricio, Edguardo, Yendrey, Carolyn), our phenomenal bus driver (Jorge), the great guides/instructors we had during all of our adventures (Diego, Jesse, Cesar, Wayne, Brian, Johnny, Enzo, Jose, Kristen, Brian, RJ, Gonato, Gato and others), our administrators and school board who approved the trip, the teachers who helped to promote the trip (especially Carole Fahey and Lisa Salyers), the parents who helped make the trip of a lifetime possible for these students, Mrs. Wooden, a great friend and laidback travel buddy, and, most importantly, the 20 students who brought the energy and personality to make this trip a memorable one: Alex, Daniel, Garrett, Matt, Patrick, Rem, Peter, David, Allie, Molly, Lou, Victoria, Ryan, Katy, Kayce, Katie, Ali, Morgan, Anne, and Pearson.
Pura vida!!!!
Friday, June 27, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
I'm looking forward to going home because...
1. Ryan: "home has hot water."
2. Rem: "the food."
3. Pearson: "my bed."
4. Matt: "air conditioning."
5. Anne: "my cats."
6. Alex: "my family."
7. Daniel: "to see my little man, Niels."
8. Molly: "Ann."
9. Garrett: "my family."
10. David: "Ginny."
11. Victoria: "warm showers."
12. Katy: "my bed."
13. Lou: "warm water."
14. Allie: "my family."
15. Morgan: "my bed."
16. Ali: "my friends and family."
17. Kayce: "my dog."
18. Katie: "my parents and my dog."
19. Peter: "my dogs."
20. Patrick: "tennis."
2. Rem: "the food."
3. Pearson: "my bed."
4. Matt: "air conditioning."
5. Anne: "my cats."
6. Alex: "my family."
7. Daniel: "to see my little man, Niels."
8. Molly: "Ann."
9. Garrett: "my family."
10. David: "Ginny."
11. Victoria: "warm showers."
12. Katy: "my bed."
13. Lou: "warm water."
14. Allie: "my family."
15. Morgan: "my bed."
16. Ali: "my friends and family."
17. Kayce: "my dog."
18. Katie: "my parents and my dog."
19. Peter: "my dogs."
20. Patrick: "tennis."
I love Costa Rica because...
1. Ryan: "of the beach."
2. Rem: "of the people."
3. Pearson: "of the Pura Vida lifestyle."
4. Matt: "water is wet."
5. Alex: "of the adventure."
6. Anne: "of the whitewater rafting."
7. Daniel: "the Ticos are nice."
8. David: "it has sloths."
9. Victoria: "everyone is friendly."
10. Katy: "it is gorgeous everywhere you go."
11. Lou: "the people have good attitudes no matter what."
12. Ali M: "it's a beautiful place."
13. Allie F: "everyone is friendly and willing to teach us their ways."
14. Morgan: "it is a beautiful place."
15. Molly: "everyone is so welcoming."
16. Kayce: "everyone always smiles and waves."
17. Katie: "everyone was really friendly and polite and I got to practice my Spanish."
18. Peter: "it is a beautiful country with friendly people."
19. Patrick: "there is something for everyone."
20. Garrett: "everyone is so welcoming."
2. Rem: "of the people."
3. Pearson: "of the Pura Vida lifestyle."
4. Matt: "water is wet."
5. Alex: "of the adventure."
6. Anne: "of the whitewater rafting."
7. Daniel: "the Ticos are nice."
8. David: "it has sloths."
9. Victoria: "everyone is friendly."
10. Katy: "it is gorgeous everywhere you go."
11. Lou: "the people have good attitudes no matter what."
12. Ali M: "it's a beautiful place."
13. Allie F: "everyone is friendly and willing to teach us their ways."
14. Morgan: "it is a beautiful place."
15. Molly: "everyone is so welcoming."
16. Kayce: "everyone always smiles and waves."
17. Katie: "everyone was really friendly and polite and I got to practice my Spanish."
18. Peter: "it is a beautiful country with friendly people."
19. Patrick: "there is something for everyone."
20. Garrett: "everyone is so welcoming."
Airport update
We made it through check-in and security in two hours. Yikes. It wasn't that there was a long line- we got here at 10:30 and we were told that they wouldn't check in for our flight until 11. The entire process was slow- departure taxes, baggage fees, checking passports, etc. It didn't help that anyone with first class tickets or online check-in automatically cut in front of us for one of the three lines. We had just one mishap in security- someone tried to take 2 containers of bug spray back in their backpack...
The first thing that the students did in line was start checking Snapchat. 10 days is a very long time for high school students to go without wifi. They are all still alive, but they rejoiced like they had been without water or food all this time.
They will start boarding our plane at 2 PM local time. Until then, students are shopping, using wifi, eating, and enjoying the AC. We've been given special instructions for Charlotte. We will be on the same plane coming in to Cleveland. We have only an hour window to get our backs, go through customs and immigration, re-check our bags, then board the same plane back home. With a group this large, we aren't worried about being late and US Air not holding the flight. The main concern with a group this big is that they stay together and go straight to the gate- don't get distracted by all the food and shopping in Charlotte. It will be a tough task.
Our flight lands in Cleveland at 11:43 PM. Parents can meet us in baggage claim. If arrival time changes, I will try to use Twitter to inform everyone of delays or early arrival- I'm not sure how much time we'll have in Charlotte at this point.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!
The first thing that the students did in line was start checking Snapchat. 10 days is a very long time for high school students to go without wifi. They are all still alive, but they rejoiced like they had been without water or food all this time.
They will start boarding our plane at 2 PM local time. Until then, students are shopping, using wifi, eating, and enjoying the AC. We've been given special instructions for Charlotte. We will be on the same plane coming in to Cleveland. We have only an hour window to get our backs, go through customs and immigration, re-check our bags, then board the same plane back home. With a group this large, we aren't worried about being late and US Air not holding the flight. The main concern with a group this big is that they stay together and go straight to the gate- don't get distracted by all the food and shopping in Charlotte. It will be a tough task.
Our flight lands in Cleveland at 11:43 PM. Parents can meet us in baggage claim. If arrival time changes, I will try to use Twitter to inform everyone of delays or early arrival- I'm not sure how much time we'll have in Charlotte at this point.
Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Last day in Costa Rica :(
Today was a bit of a transition day for our group; a day to tie up loose ends. We enjoyed a late breakfast and some down time, then we went into Turrialba to watch the soccer match between Costa Rica and England.
The restaurant we went to was called Avenida 6, named after its location off of the town square. It was very nice inside- described as a "gastropub & cafe," it was the closest thing that we'd seen to anything back home. Ricardo, the Costa Rica country director for Rustic Pathways, owns the restaurant, so a large portion of it was set aside for our group and another Rustic group. The other group is a 2 week home-stay/Spanish immersion program in Turrialba. It was a pleasant surprise to see that their group had another Chagrin student in it! Everyone enjoyed catching up.
The game started at 10 and the rest of the restaurant began to fill up with locals, all wearing the Costa Rica soccer jersey and toting flags or noisemakers. It was an intense crowd that made an already exciting game even better. The game ended as a draw, but it secured Costa Rica's place as the top finisher in its group, allowing the country to advance in the World Cup for the first time. People spilled out into the streets from where they were watching the game, singing and chanting, and cars drove by honking horns and waving the flag out their window. The entire country was celebrating- and we had a chance to be part of it!
We had a delicious lunch after the game, then had some time to shop in Turrialba. I took advantage of the restaurant's wifi and quickly copied and pasted the blog posts, then caught up with the group at Pops. Pops is a small ice cream parlor located just off the opposite corner of the square. Walking there, people were shouting "hello" and "goodbye," eager to point out how obviously American our group is. Most students purchased large Brownie ice cream milkshakes- I can't get over how much they can eat! The next two things we had to take care of: souvenirs and soccer jerseys. We went to a small souvenir shop by bus, since the afternoon storms had arrived. There were lots of different items to look at, hammocks to purchase, but there weren't any jerseys there. We drove all over town, trying to find stores that had the jerseys in stock- no such luck. The team was popular before, but now that they are doing so well in the World Cup, anything associated with the team is in high demand. We had to give up looking and the students are hopeful that maybe they can find them in the airport...
Around 4 we had to say our goodbyes to Carolyn. She had to head into San Jose tonight because her next Rustic group starts first thing tomorrow morning. This is her first summer with Rustic and we were her first group- you wouldn't know it because she did such a great job. Everyone really enjoyed talking to her and she had the best laugh! She was so welcoming to our group and we hope that she has just as much fun the rest of this summer.
Jorge brought us back to the house for a little down time, but it felt like nap time with the rain and cooler weather. It was pretty quiet in the house until Garrett, Rem, Matt, Patrick, Daniel, and Alex decided to get another competitive game of water polo going. Mrs. Wooden, Edguardo, Jorge and I enjoyed coffee and conversation while we watched the boys play. Rem took an elbow to the eye, which looks like it has the potential to be an awesome black eye. Maybe this is payback for the shovel incident from our first full day here....
We enjoyed a low-key dinner at the house after a day out in Turrialba. Yendrey and Edguardo led the group in "Rustic Ties" afterward. They had bracelets for each of us and we shared something about the person sitting next to us before giving them a bracelet. I was lucky enough to sit between Matt and Anne, two wonderful students of mine that I had the chance to get to know better on this trip. It was a nice activity to wrap things up. The packing started- not without some prodding from the adults, but it started- and everyone had to figure out how to fit all their new/worn/wet/dirty stuff into their bags. There will be some damp, smelly bags arriving in the US tomorrow!!
Breakfast will be at 7:30 tomorrow and we will make the 2+ hour drive to San Jose right after. We want to allow plenty of time to drive there, get bags checked, turn in departure taxes, go through security, etc. Our flight is scheduled to depart from San Jose at 2:30 our time, 4:30 EST. We are still expected to arrive in Cleveland close to midnight, but I will update everyone from Charlotte on our arrival time.
It has been a great trip and one that I hope the students won't forget. From community service to adventure, we accomplished a lot. I hope that it was an eye-opening experience on all levels and that the students have a greater appreciation for travel and culture, as well as their lifestyle back home.
Pura vida!
The restaurant we went to was called Avenida 6, named after its location off of the town square. It was very nice inside- described as a "gastropub & cafe," it was the closest thing that we'd seen to anything back home. Ricardo, the Costa Rica country director for Rustic Pathways, owns the restaurant, so a large portion of it was set aside for our group and another Rustic group. The other group is a 2 week home-stay/Spanish immersion program in Turrialba. It was a pleasant surprise to see that their group had another Chagrin student in it! Everyone enjoyed catching up.
The game started at 10 and the rest of the restaurant began to fill up with locals, all wearing the Costa Rica soccer jersey and toting flags or noisemakers. It was an intense crowd that made an already exciting game even better. The game ended as a draw, but it secured Costa Rica's place as the top finisher in its group, allowing the country to advance in the World Cup for the first time. People spilled out into the streets from where they were watching the game, singing and chanting, and cars drove by honking horns and waving the flag out their window. The entire country was celebrating- and we had a chance to be part of it!
We had a delicious lunch after the game, then had some time to shop in Turrialba. I took advantage of the restaurant's wifi and quickly copied and pasted the blog posts, then caught up with the group at Pops. Pops is a small ice cream parlor located just off the opposite corner of the square. Walking there, people were shouting "hello" and "goodbye," eager to point out how obviously American our group is. Most students purchased large Brownie ice cream milkshakes- I can't get over how much they can eat! The next two things we had to take care of: souvenirs and soccer jerseys. We went to a small souvenir shop by bus, since the afternoon storms had arrived. There were lots of different items to look at, hammocks to purchase, but there weren't any jerseys there. We drove all over town, trying to find stores that had the jerseys in stock- no such luck. The team was popular before, but now that they are doing so well in the World Cup, anything associated with the team is in high demand. We had to give up looking and the students are hopeful that maybe they can find them in the airport...
Around 4 we had to say our goodbyes to Carolyn. She had to head into San Jose tonight because her next Rustic group starts first thing tomorrow morning. This is her first summer with Rustic and we were her first group- you wouldn't know it because she did such a great job. Everyone really enjoyed talking to her and she had the best laugh! She was so welcoming to our group and we hope that she has just as much fun the rest of this summer.
Jorge brought us back to the house for a little down time, but it felt like nap time with the rain and cooler weather. It was pretty quiet in the house until Garrett, Rem, Matt, Patrick, Daniel, and Alex decided to get another competitive game of water polo going. Mrs. Wooden, Edguardo, Jorge and I enjoyed coffee and conversation while we watched the boys play. Rem took an elbow to the eye, which looks like it has the potential to be an awesome black eye. Maybe this is payback for the shovel incident from our first full day here....
We enjoyed a low-key dinner at the house after a day out in Turrialba. Yendrey and Edguardo led the group in "Rustic Ties" afterward. They had bracelets for each of us and we shared something about the person sitting next to us before giving them a bracelet. I was lucky enough to sit between Matt and Anne, two wonderful students of mine that I had the chance to get to know better on this trip. It was a nice activity to wrap things up. The packing started- not without some prodding from the adults, but it started- and everyone had to figure out how to fit all their new/worn/wet/dirty stuff into their bags. There will be some damp, smelly bags arriving in the US tomorrow!!
Breakfast will be at 7:30 tomorrow and we will make the 2+ hour drive to San Jose right after. We want to allow plenty of time to drive there, get bags checked, turn in departure taxes, go through security, etc. Our flight is scheduled to depart from San Jose at 2:30 our time, 4:30 EST. We are still expected to arrive in Cleveland close to midnight, but I will update everyone from Charlotte on our arrival time.
It has been a great trip and one that I hope the students won't forget. From community service to adventure, we accomplished a lot. I hope that it was an eye-opening experience on all levels and that the students have a greater appreciation for travel and culture, as well as their lifestyle back home.
Pura vida!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Rio Pacuare!
Right after I finished the post and turned in for bed, the skies opened up and it just poured. Absolute torrential downpour. This continued for about an hour, took a rest, then continued at almost hour intervals throughout the evening. It was nice to listen to the rain hit the tin roof and to drift in and out of sleep. A very nice night after a very long day.
We woke up to foggy skies, but no rain, for breakfast at 7:30. It was still humid, but it seemed to be much cooler this morning. The plan was to eat then prepare to leave for rafting at 8:15. We talked about how it can get hot and be sunny on the river, but it was hard to plan for what could happen when the sky looked so dreary. If we didn't get soaked by the rain, we would definitely get soaked in the boat, so we planned for a little of everything. Many of us were cold on the bus ride and it started to rain once again. I was a little worried that we would be miserable- cold and wet- on the river all day. Then I heard that some groups were cancelled the week before because the water level was too high and I got really worried that we wouldn't get to go at all... but since we continued to drive, I became hopeful that we would still be able to raft.
After about an hour drive, Jorge reached the turn off for the rafting headwaters. This man drives the bus like it is a Fiat. It was unreal how well he could navigate a narrow road, complete with hairpin turns and steep sections. Just driving into the valley and to the river took about 30 minutes. Don Jorge kept us safe and got us there on time. He is wonderful!
We were met by our rafting guides, safety kayakers, and photographer at the bottom. They gave us our helmets, lifevests, and paddles. We had a safety lesson on what to do if you fall out of the boat, what happens if the boat flips, how you pull someone back on the boat, etc. Then they split up our group of 25 into 4 boats. I had the good fortune of going with Rem, Alex, Lou, Katy, Mrs. Wooden, and our guide, Johnny.
The Pacuare is the best rafting in Costa Rica and it is the #4 rafting river in the world. It ranges from Class I to IV rapids- and when the water level is high enough, several Class V rapids. There were sections of the river that had beautiful rope bridges roughly 50 feet over our head- Johnny said that sometimes the water gets high enough that the river is very close to the bridges. Hard to believe at first, but when you take into account rainy season and how fast the river flows... it would be a scary sight. There were beautiful places between steep cliffs were the water was calm and we could swim. There were also waterfalls in several locations that our guides would point out. Our boat had the opportunity to go into a "cave," which really only fit half of our boat. But it was great because we got to see nests made by black phoebe birds and carvings in the rock wall. Johnny explained a lot of the different plants and birds on the river. He also told us the names for the different rapids in English and Spanish, including "Rodeo," "Double Dip," and, our personal favorite, "Cemetery," a Class IV rapid.
About two hours into our trip, we pulled the rafts off on a sandbar for a rafting lunch. Each raft carried a waterproof barrel filled with supplies. One of the rafts gets overturned as a table, then the guides go to work setting up lunch. You don't realize how hungry or tired you are until the raft stops. The guides prepared all the necessities for a great sandwich, made fresh guacamole, cut up pineapples and watermelons, mixed up an orange drink, and had Cremas, a Costa Rican cookie, for dessert. Many students went back for seconds- they made impressive and creative sandwiches. All of the trash gets put back into the barrels and it's like we were never there. We headed back out into the river for a few more rapids, but all of the Class IV rapids were behind us for the last part of the trip.
Our raft was very quiet, but great to work with! We didn't have a single person fall out of our boat the entire time. Morgan took the honors of being the first person to fall in and Patrick was the only person to fall in twice. The rain stopped for the entire day and the only time the sun really came out was around lunch- it didn't look like there were many sunburns. Jorge picked us up at the end of our run and he already had trashbags down on all the seats so we wouldn't get them soaking wet. Our bus smelled awful! We thought it was bad after the cave, but it was really bad after all the river water. A vote was taken and we drove with the windows open, instead of the AC on, back to the Rios Tropicales rafting headquarters in Siquirres, where we could shower and change. Students cleaned up, purchased some souvenirs and photos, enjoyed the complimentary juices and coffee, then we made the long drive back into Turrialba. The timing couldn't have been better because the torrential rain started all over again.
We stopped at Maxipali on the way into town. It's basically a combination between Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. The students asked Edguardo if we could stop because they wanted more snacks. The guides have marveled at how much this group has spent on junk food. I'm just glad that we're transitioning away from Milanos and Oreos and the students are branching out to try the Costa Rican snacks. They've been eating plenty of fruits and vegetables at meals- no worries. I took advantage of the stop so I could pick up a flashdrive to save all of Yendrey's photos- there are far too many for the capacity of the Chromebook. I'm REALLY excited for everyone to finally get to see them!
Jorge brought us back to the house around 5 and it was still raining pretty hard- it didn't deter the boys and Pearson from playing a game of water polo in the pool! It was fun to watch- they get fired up :) Other students took naps or showered before dinner at 6. We had a chicken lasagna with salad and rice pudding for dessert. None of the cookies ruined our dinner- all of them must have been really hungry after a day of rafting...
It was refreshing to hear the students' reactions after a day on the river. For most of the trip, they haven't interacted with the adults much and most of what we've heard has been all of their dislikes. Parents- you'll have to pump them for information when they get home! Anyway, I was so happy to hear that they had fun on the river. Each reaction and answer was genuine when they were asked about the rafting. It ended up being a nice adventure to wrap up the trip.
Tomorrow we'll eat breakfast at 8, then go into town to watch the soccer game at 10. The Rustic Pathways country director owns a restaurant in Turrialba and they are shutting it down just for our group and the language immersion trip so we can watch the game. I'm glad that we'll get to watch it in town AND it won't be super chaotic with all the locals. In the afternoon we'll have the opportunity to explore some different shops around the town square.
Bug bites and bruises are at an all-time high. Sunburns are either peeling or fresh from the river. Pura vida!
We woke up to foggy skies, but no rain, for breakfast at 7:30. It was still humid, but it seemed to be much cooler this morning. The plan was to eat then prepare to leave for rafting at 8:15. We talked about how it can get hot and be sunny on the river, but it was hard to plan for what could happen when the sky looked so dreary. If we didn't get soaked by the rain, we would definitely get soaked in the boat, so we planned for a little of everything. Many of us were cold on the bus ride and it started to rain once again. I was a little worried that we would be miserable- cold and wet- on the river all day. Then I heard that some groups were cancelled the week before because the water level was too high and I got really worried that we wouldn't get to go at all... but since we continued to drive, I became hopeful that we would still be able to raft.
After about an hour drive, Jorge reached the turn off for the rafting headwaters. This man drives the bus like it is a Fiat. It was unreal how well he could navigate a narrow road, complete with hairpin turns and steep sections. Just driving into the valley and to the river took about 30 minutes. Don Jorge kept us safe and got us there on time. He is wonderful!
We were met by our rafting guides, safety kayakers, and photographer at the bottom. They gave us our helmets, lifevests, and paddles. We had a safety lesson on what to do if you fall out of the boat, what happens if the boat flips, how you pull someone back on the boat, etc. Then they split up our group of 25 into 4 boats. I had the good fortune of going with Rem, Alex, Lou, Katy, Mrs. Wooden, and our guide, Johnny.
The Pacuare is the best rafting in Costa Rica and it is the #4 rafting river in the world. It ranges from Class I to IV rapids- and when the water level is high enough, several Class V rapids. There were sections of the river that had beautiful rope bridges roughly 50 feet over our head- Johnny said that sometimes the water gets high enough that the river is very close to the bridges. Hard to believe at first, but when you take into account rainy season and how fast the river flows... it would be a scary sight. There were beautiful places between steep cliffs were the water was calm and we could swim. There were also waterfalls in several locations that our guides would point out. Our boat had the opportunity to go into a "cave," which really only fit half of our boat. But it was great because we got to see nests made by black phoebe birds and carvings in the rock wall. Johnny explained a lot of the different plants and birds on the river. He also told us the names for the different rapids in English and Spanish, including "Rodeo," "Double Dip," and, our personal favorite, "Cemetery," a Class IV rapid.
About two hours into our trip, we pulled the rafts off on a sandbar for a rafting lunch. Each raft carried a waterproof barrel filled with supplies. One of the rafts gets overturned as a table, then the guides go to work setting up lunch. You don't realize how hungry or tired you are until the raft stops. The guides prepared all the necessities for a great sandwich, made fresh guacamole, cut up pineapples and watermelons, mixed up an orange drink, and had Cremas, a Costa Rican cookie, for dessert. Many students went back for seconds- they made impressive and creative sandwiches. All of the trash gets put back into the barrels and it's like we were never there. We headed back out into the river for a few more rapids, but all of the Class IV rapids were behind us for the last part of the trip.
Our raft was very quiet, but great to work with! We didn't have a single person fall out of our boat the entire time. Morgan took the honors of being the first person to fall in and Patrick was the only person to fall in twice. The rain stopped for the entire day and the only time the sun really came out was around lunch- it didn't look like there were many sunburns. Jorge picked us up at the end of our run and he already had trashbags down on all the seats so we wouldn't get them soaking wet. Our bus smelled awful! We thought it was bad after the cave, but it was really bad after all the river water. A vote was taken and we drove with the windows open, instead of the AC on, back to the Rios Tropicales rafting headquarters in Siquirres, where we could shower and change. Students cleaned up, purchased some souvenirs and photos, enjoyed the complimentary juices and coffee, then we made the long drive back into Turrialba. The timing couldn't have been better because the torrential rain started all over again.
We stopped at Maxipali on the way into town. It's basically a combination between Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. The students asked Edguardo if we could stop because they wanted more snacks. The guides have marveled at how much this group has spent on junk food. I'm just glad that we're transitioning away from Milanos and Oreos and the students are branching out to try the Costa Rican snacks. They've been eating plenty of fruits and vegetables at meals- no worries. I took advantage of the stop so I could pick up a flashdrive to save all of Yendrey's photos- there are far too many for the capacity of the Chromebook. I'm REALLY excited for everyone to finally get to see them!
Jorge brought us back to the house around 5 and it was still raining pretty hard- it didn't deter the boys and Pearson from playing a game of water polo in the pool! It was fun to watch- they get fired up :) Other students took naps or showered before dinner at 6. We had a chicken lasagna with salad and rice pudding for dessert. None of the cookies ruined our dinner- all of them must have been really hungry after a day of rafting...
It was refreshing to hear the students' reactions after a day on the river. For most of the trip, they haven't interacted with the adults much and most of what we've heard has been all of their dislikes. Parents- you'll have to pump them for information when they get home! Anyway, I was so happy to hear that they had fun on the river. Each reaction and answer was genuine when they were asked about the rafting. It ended up being a nice adventure to wrap up the trip.
Tomorrow we'll eat breakfast at 8, then go into town to watch the soccer game at 10. The Rustic Pathways country director owns a restaurant in Turrialba and they are shutting it down just for our group and the language immersion trip so we can watch the game. I'm glad that we'll get to watch it in town AND it won't be super chaotic with all the locals. In the afternoon we'll have the opportunity to explore some different shops around the town square.
Bug bites and bruises are at an all-time high. Sunburns are either peeling or fresh from the river. Pura vida!
Trek to Turrialba
Believe it or not, much of the group was stirring before 6 AM. The sun rises so early here and, as dark as it was last night, it was bright early in the morning. Light was pouring into the cave. Many of us tried to sleep a little more, but it was difficult when you felt sticky and your cot wasn't the most comfortable bed out there...
We all had to get used to the creatures from the night before and we were sharing our stories. It definitely smelled like a skunk- I had convinced myself that our group smelled that bad, but it was, in fact a skunk, our guides confirmed it. We heard bats all through the night and many of us saw cave crickets. It was rustic but beautiful- perfect.
Breakfast was at 7, then we made the hike back to the bus. The visibility was too poor for a hike to another waterfall. With the higher elevation, the clouds and fog just hang in the air during rainy season. We didn't know for sure if it was 1) safe and 2) worth the trip if you couldn't see anything. Also, the traffic back to Turrialba would be terrible if we waited too long to get out of there. A 4 hour bus ride has the potential to take 7 1/2 hours if you leave too late.
The hike back down went by MUCH faster. Some of us with older knees (i.e. me) took our sweet old time going down, with frequent stops to admire the view. The path was very soggy and muddy from the rain the night before, making for some muddy students and a lot of laughter. At the bottom, we put our flip flops back on and boarded the bus- which smelled AWFUL. Wet shoes, sweaty clothes, ice cold showers without soap the night before- we were quite the group.
Jorge kept the A/C going for us so we could cool down and it wouldn't smell as bad. This then led to a stinky bus filled with children wrapped up in stinky sweatshirts or towels to try to keep warm. We're basically a disaster at this point, but made it to a cafeteria to stop for lunch. We thought it would be nice to get off the bus where it was warm again- nope! We were at an even higher elevation and it was very, very chilly (chilly for Costa Rica- we quickly forget how cold Ohio can be). We were well-fed, bought some more snacks, then continued our journey...
There are no interstates or tollways in this entire country. It's all two lane roads and it winds around national parks and biological preserves- it doesn't go through them. You go up and down mountains- one section of the road was actually called "Peak of Death" because it winds, it's narrow, and it is typically foggy. We also got into a "Costa Rican traffic jam," stuck behind a truck with at least 12 horses in it. It wasn't a trailer- a normal flat-bed truck with some wooden slats on the sides and ends. You can't pass it on a road like what we were on, so you end up following it, slowly, for 30 minutes before you have the opportunity to pass.
One of the cool places we went through, which was also a bit of a traffic problem, was Cartago. I was there 4 years ago, so I don't remember much of the details, and I don't have wifi for Google right now, so just bear with me... Cartago is kind of between San Jose and Turrialba. For some reason, I think because of a miracle, it is a Catholic pilgrimage site. Ticos from all corners of Costa Rica will WALK to Cartago during a holy week. There are ruins from one church in the town square and there is also a beautiful "new" (200 years old?) church just a few blocks away. There were people everywhere! No church service going on, but on a Sunday afternoon, people were at the town square and all around the plaza in front of the church. The church is gorgeous inside- a stark contrast to the community around it- but unfortunately, time wouldn't allow for a stop.
In the hour between Cartago and Turrialba, there were tons of greenhouses and fields planted right into the side of the mountains. The sugar cane, coffee plants, and banana trees were easy to spot. But a lot of the plants had a black netting over the top of them. It almost looked like they were growing flowers to ship out. I'll have to look it up later- just acres upon acres covered with netting or tarp...
The students were counting down the kilometers to Turrialba, doing a very poor job of converting it into miles... they were driving each other (and their chaperones) a little crazy. But we finally made another turn around the mountain and saw the city in the valley. We didn't go right through the middle of the city, so I'm looking forward to the students' reaction on Tuesday. We headed back up into the mountains a little bit, then onto another dirt road. At the very end of it, we arrived at Mau's family's vacation house. His family still lives in Turrialba, but they purchased the land several years back so they could get out of the city. On the trip 4 years ago, the group came up here for a cookout right after they bought it. None of it was finished, the pool didn't have water, but it had the potential to be a great hangout. It is AWESOME. The downstairs has a family room, just completed kitchen, two rooms with bunkbeds for the guides and the boys, and a bathroom. The upstairs has one large bedroom with plenty of bunkbeds for the girls, a bathroom, and incredible outdoor patio, complete with hammocks and a pool table. The pool is finished and their is an outdoor kitchen. Edguardo said that a few of the Rustic Pathways groups will use the house over the summer. It is in a nice, quiet area above the city with just enough amenities from home.
Boys and girls quickly split up to their rooms and the girls were the first ones to race to the pool... and back out. It isn't heated. After some rain, it feels very "refreshing." The boys, however, had a very competitive game of water polo going, which was a lot of fun.
We had dinner at 6. I don't know if we realize how spoiled we are to have such a nice private house to stay in AND we don't have to cook dinner- a restaurant from in town came up to cater it. They will prepare our breakfast tomorrow as well.
All of the students are currently lounging in hammocks or playing pool. I'm trying to catch up on the blogging from the last two days and trying to get to bed early! Tomorrow will be a grueling day- we will raft the entire day on the Pacuare River! Physically challenging and in the sun all day- should be exciting!
We all had to get used to the creatures from the night before and we were sharing our stories. It definitely smelled like a skunk- I had convinced myself that our group smelled that bad, but it was, in fact a skunk, our guides confirmed it. We heard bats all through the night and many of us saw cave crickets. It was rustic but beautiful- perfect.
Breakfast was at 7, then we made the hike back to the bus. The visibility was too poor for a hike to another waterfall. With the higher elevation, the clouds and fog just hang in the air during rainy season. We didn't know for sure if it was 1) safe and 2) worth the trip if you couldn't see anything. Also, the traffic back to Turrialba would be terrible if we waited too long to get out of there. A 4 hour bus ride has the potential to take 7 1/2 hours if you leave too late.
The hike back down went by MUCH faster. Some of us with older knees (i.e. me) took our sweet old time going down, with frequent stops to admire the view. The path was very soggy and muddy from the rain the night before, making for some muddy students and a lot of laughter. At the bottom, we put our flip flops back on and boarded the bus- which smelled AWFUL. Wet shoes, sweaty clothes, ice cold showers without soap the night before- we were quite the group.
Jorge kept the A/C going for us so we could cool down and it wouldn't smell as bad. This then led to a stinky bus filled with children wrapped up in stinky sweatshirts or towels to try to keep warm. We're basically a disaster at this point, but made it to a cafeteria to stop for lunch. We thought it would be nice to get off the bus where it was warm again- nope! We were at an even higher elevation and it was very, very chilly (chilly for Costa Rica- we quickly forget how cold Ohio can be). We were well-fed, bought some more snacks, then continued our journey...
There are no interstates or tollways in this entire country. It's all two lane roads and it winds around national parks and biological preserves- it doesn't go through them. You go up and down mountains- one section of the road was actually called "Peak of Death" because it winds, it's narrow, and it is typically foggy. We also got into a "Costa Rican traffic jam," stuck behind a truck with at least 12 horses in it. It wasn't a trailer- a normal flat-bed truck with some wooden slats on the sides and ends. You can't pass it on a road like what we were on, so you end up following it, slowly, for 30 minutes before you have the opportunity to pass.
One of the cool places we went through, which was also a bit of a traffic problem, was Cartago. I was there 4 years ago, so I don't remember much of the details, and I don't have wifi for Google right now, so just bear with me... Cartago is kind of between San Jose and Turrialba. For some reason, I think because of a miracle, it is a Catholic pilgrimage site. Ticos from all corners of Costa Rica will WALK to Cartago during a holy week. There are ruins from one church in the town square and there is also a beautiful "new" (200 years old?) church just a few blocks away. There were people everywhere! No church service going on, but on a Sunday afternoon, people were at the town square and all around the plaza in front of the church. The church is gorgeous inside- a stark contrast to the community around it- but unfortunately, time wouldn't allow for a stop.
In the hour between Cartago and Turrialba, there were tons of greenhouses and fields planted right into the side of the mountains. The sugar cane, coffee plants, and banana trees were easy to spot. But a lot of the plants had a black netting over the top of them. It almost looked like they were growing flowers to ship out. I'll have to look it up later- just acres upon acres covered with netting or tarp...
The students were counting down the kilometers to Turrialba, doing a very poor job of converting it into miles... they were driving each other (and their chaperones) a little crazy. But we finally made another turn around the mountain and saw the city in the valley. We didn't go right through the middle of the city, so I'm looking forward to the students' reaction on Tuesday. We headed back up into the mountains a little bit, then onto another dirt road. At the very end of it, we arrived at Mau's family's vacation house. His family still lives in Turrialba, but they purchased the land several years back so they could get out of the city. On the trip 4 years ago, the group came up here for a cookout right after they bought it. None of it was finished, the pool didn't have water, but it had the potential to be a great hangout. It is AWESOME. The downstairs has a family room, just completed kitchen, two rooms with bunkbeds for the guides and the boys, and a bathroom. The upstairs has one large bedroom with plenty of bunkbeds for the girls, a bathroom, and incredible outdoor patio, complete with hammocks and a pool table. The pool is finished and their is an outdoor kitchen. Edguardo said that a few of the Rustic Pathways groups will use the house over the summer. It is in a nice, quiet area above the city with just enough amenities from home.
Boys and girls quickly split up to their rooms and the girls were the first ones to race to the pool... and back out. It isn't heated. After some rain, it feels very "refreshing." The boys, however, had a very competitive game of water polo going, which was a lot of fun.
We had dinner at 6. I don't know if we realize how spoiled we are to have such a nice private house to stay in AND we don't have to cook dinner- a restaurant from in town came up to cater it. They will prepare our breakfast tomorrow as well.
All of the students are currently lounging in hammocks or playing pool. I'm trying to catch up on the blogging from the last two days and trying to get to bed early! Tomorrow will be a grueling day- we will raft the entire day on the Pacuare River! Physically challenging and in the sun all day- should be exciting!
Casa de Piedra
We had an early wake-up call to leave for the cave. The hike up there is a strenuous one, so we wanted to start before it got to hot. We had breakfast at 7, said goodbye to Mau, then left promptly at 7:30. We had about an hour drive north past Dominical, on up to the highway that led to San Ipsido.
Diamante Verde is in an area of land that has been set aside by a family of ex-pats. Their son, Jesse, runs most of the tour groups through this dense jungle. We start out at their house, trek through lowland farms, then straight up the mountain through the rainforest. It is a steep climb with narrow, muddy steps most of the way. Many people choose to take horses up, so their path criss-crosses with the steps on the way up. It makes no difference whether or not you're in the shade; it is so humid that you are drenched in sweat. When the students hear that it is only a mile or so up, but could take almost 3 hours, they get a little confused. Once you head out though, it becomes painfully obvious...
Along the way Jesse and our other guide, Diego, would stop for water breaks at spots that had edible plants. We got to try all kinds of items and the two of them explained what ailments they cured. There was a garden halfway up the hill that provided a nice break for us all. We had mango juice, straight from the mango, had fresh sugar cane sticks, tried cacao beans, ate peppermint leaves, etc. Jesse asked if the students wanted to try a plant that would make their mouths numb- about 6 readily volunteered. Turns out the fruit was noni, which tastes like curdled cheese! Lots of spitting and drinking water after that one. He did, however, explain a practical use for it- fermented it is used in a juice to help cancer patients.
After a 30 minute break we continued on to the waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking and definitely a sight for sore eyes after such a long, hot hike. We took stone steps up between two small parts of the waterfall, then walked under the cliff toward the cave. They had all of our cots already set up and two people were working hard to prepare lunch. We hung out for a little, waiting for another group of travelers, Girl Scouts from Colorado, to join our group for the evening. For lunch we had chicken tacos with beans and fresh cheese & salsa, and chips with guacamole- all prepared in the full kitchen inside the cave.
Jesse and Diego prepared the lines for rappelling at 1:30. We received our safety instructions, then the Girl Scout group, Mrs. Wooden, and Katy, Lou, Kayce, and Katie were all fitted for their harnesses and helmets. They allowed the rest of the group to leave the cave and congregate around the bottom of the waterfall to watch the rappelling. We cheered on the first group, took mental notes of what worked and what didn't, then the second group got their gear & hiked up to the top for their turn. Finally, the 3rd group of 10 got their turn to go.
It was overcast the entire time, but I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe we could get everyone in ahead of the rain. Each group took about 45 minutes to go. We were able to get down before the heavy rainfall; however, like last time, there was thunder and some lightning in the distance when I went last. I must be bad luck. I was so thankful for the group that stuck around for EVERYONE & cheered me on at the end- Patrick, Kayce, Peter, Katy, Katie & Lou. And Mrs. Wooden, who took everyone's photo going down when I couldn't for that last group. It was nice to have that extra bit of encouragement when you're rappelling a 90 foot cliff in a thunderstorm :)
The total downpour started once we were all safely in the cave, as dry as a cave can get, and our guides started preparing dinner. Many of the students opted for a cold spring water shower after a gross day of hiking. We didn't smell as bad- more of a musty smell now- but it was impossible to feel dry. It was a weird feeling because it was so humid, but it was very cool. People put on sweatshirts and rainjackets and we had tea made from herbs in the garden to try to keep us warm. Dinner didn't disappoint either- pasta with homemade sauce, garlic bread, and salad. Again, all prepared in the cave kitchen.
There were two really cool things about it getting dark so early. First, they set up candles everywhere in the cave. All of the railings have candles and the tables have 2 or 3 candles as well. It looks so pretty. The other part that was neat was right by the waterfall. Diego brought groups out there right as we were getting ready for bed. He asked us to turn off our flashlights. The ground was glowing like stars in the sky. Diego told us that the fireflies lay their eggs on the ground. Their larvae has the same bioluminesence as the adults. He put the flashlight on one and it looked like a tiny black caterpillar. It was incredible.
We settled in for the night much earlier than the students were accustomed to, but it was so dark and such a full day that our bodies were so ready to call it a day.
Diamante Verde is in an area of land that has been set aside by a family of ex-pats. Their son, Jesse, runs most of the tour groups through this dense jungle. We start out at their house, trek through lowland farms, then straight up the mountain through the rainforest. It is a steep climb with narrow, muddy steps most of the way. Many people choose to take horses up, so their path criss-crosses with the steps on the way up. It makes no difference whether or not you're in the shade; it is so humid that you are drenched in sweat. When the students hear that it is only a mile or so up, but could take almost 3 hours, they get a little confused. Once you head out though, it becomes painfully obvious...
Along the way Jesse and our other guide, Diego, would stop for water breaks at spots that had edible plants. We got to try all kinds of items and the two of them explained what ailments they cured. There was a garden halfway up the hill that provided a nice break for us all. We had mango juice, straight from the mango, had fresh sugar cane sticks, tried cacao beans, ate peppermint leaves, etc. Jesse asked if the students wanted to try a plant that would make their mouths numb- about 6 readily volunteered. Turns out the fruit was noni, which tastes like curdled cheese! Lots of spitting and drinking water after that one. He did, however, explain a practical use for it- fermented it is used in a juice to help cancer patients.
After a 30 minute break we continued on to the waterfall. It was absolutely breathtaking and definitely a sight for sore eyes after such a long, hot hike. We took stone steps up between two small parts of the waterfall, then walked under the cliff toward the cave. They had all of our cots already set up and two people were working hard to prepare lunch. We hung out for a little, waiting for another group of travelers, Girl Scouts from Colorado, to join our group for the evening. For lunch we had chicken tacos with beans and fresh cheese & salsa, and chips with guacamole- all prepared in the full kitchen inside the cave.
Jesse and Diego prepared the lines for rappelling at 1:30. We received our safety instructions, then the Girl Scout group, Mrs. Wooden, and Katy, Lou, Kayce, and Katie were all fitted for their harnesses and helmets. They allowed the rest of the group to leave the cave and congregate around the bottom of the waterfall to watch the rappelling. We cheered on the first group, took mental notes of what worked and what didn't, then the second group got their gear & hiked up to the top for their turn. Finally, the 3rd group of 10 got their turn to go.
It was overcast the entire time, but I was keeping my fingers crossed that maybe we could get everyone in ahead of the rain. Each group took about 45 minutes to go. We were able to get down before the heavy rainfall; however, like last time, there was thunder and some lightning in the distance when I went last. I must be bad luck. I was so thankful for the group that stuck around for EVERYONE & cheered me on at the end- Patrick, Kayce, Peter, Katy, Katie & Lou. And Mrs. Wooden, who took everyone's photo going down when I couldn't for that last group. It was nice to have that extra bit of encouragement when you're rappelling a 90 foot cliff in a thunderstorm :)
The total downpour started once we were all safely in the cave, as dry as a cave can get, and our guides started preparing dinner. Many of the students opted for a cold spring water shower after a gross day of hiking. We didn't smell as bad- more of a musty smell now- but it was impossible to feel dry. It was a weird feeling because it was so humid, but it was very cool. People put on sweatshirts and rainjackets and we had tea made from herbs in the garden to try to keep us warm. Dinner didn't disappoint either- pasta with homemade sauce, garlic bread, and salad. Again, all prepared in the cave kitchen.
There were two really cool things about it getting dark so early. First, they set up candles everywhere in the cave. All of the railings have candles and the tables have 2 or 3 candles as well. It looks so pretty. The other part that was neat was right by the waterfall. Diego brought groups out there right as we were getting ready for bed. He asked us to turn off our flashlights. The ground was glowing like stars in the sky. Diego told us that the fireflies lay their eggs on the ground. Their larvae has the same bioluminesence as the adults. He put the flashlight on one and it looked like a tiny black caterpillar. It was incredible.
We settled in for the night much earlier than the students were accustomed to, but it was so dark and such a full day that our bodies were so ready to call it a day.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Pictures!
Since I have too many pictures to go through and organize, I decided to slowly put together my favorite pictures of each person from the first full day. Hopefully the pictures will hold you over through the day and a half that we are at the cave without wifi! Enjoy :)
Alex
Daniel
Katy
Peter
Garrett
Lou
Patrick
Allie
Pearson
Victoria
Molly
Katie
Kayce
David
Ryan
Ali
Anne
Morgan
Rem
Matt
Mrs. Wooden
Chaotic group shot
Alex
Daniel
Katy
Peter
Garrett
Lou
Patrick
Allie
Pearson
Victoria
Molly
Katie
Kayce
David
Ryan
Ali
Anne
Morgan
Rem
Matt
Mrs. Wooden
Chaotic group shot
Friday, June 20, 2014
Fútbol!
This morning students were given the option of sleeping in or going surfing early. If we were surfing, breakfast was at 7:30. If we chose to sleep in, breakfast was at 8. I got up early to work on the 1,000(!) pictures that we have so far and when I went to breakfast, I found Mrs. Wooden with her coffee in her favorite spot on the patio, watching all the birds. It's so cool to see parakeets flying around everywhere in their natural habitat! Katy, Lou, Katie & Kayce were returning from a run to Uvita village and back. As early as it was, they were brave to run in the sun & humidity! Lou said that for a short run it was a lot of work!
At 7:30, we were joined by our 3 guides, the 4 runners, and Matt, Alex, Patrick, Daniel, Rem, and Garrett for breakfast. I'm so glad that they decided to get up and do something this morning- like true Ticos! The 6 boys, guides Carolyn & Yendrey, Mrs. Wooden & me, and later comer Peter all headed out to the beach at 8. The others slept in and stayed with Edguardo at the hotel to swim and watch the Costa Rica-Italy fútbol match right from the start at 10.
Those of us who chose to surf were not disappointed. We got there right as the high tide was going out; there were really strong waves and they were far enough apart that we had the chance to ride some good ones. Garrett, Matt, and Patrick all had the chance to go out farther with Brian again. They really got to, as Matt would say, "shred some gnar," or whatever it is. The group also got to see a sloth in the trees! First one of our trip!
We got back a little after 10 and the rest of the group was already settled in at the restaurant to watch the game. After a quick rinse to get off the salt, we hurried to join them. We made it back just in time to watch Costa Rica score right before the end of the first half! I think the group was indifferent, but the locals were really pumped :) Basically the entire country was shut down so everyone could watch the game. It was so much fun to be able to take in the culture this way. Costa Rica won for another big upset & it was crazy. People were honking horns, yelling down the street; San Jose was complete gridlock as people spilled into the streets to celebrate. All of the Ticos are in a REALLY good mood this afternoon! Alex was proudly wearing his Italia jersey today, so he had to make the quick change after the game...
Lunch was a little later as the celebration continued. We had a chicken & mushroom lasagna that was really good- kind of funny having an Italian dish after that game. We left for community service around 1:30, heading back to Bahia Adventura. Today's activity was much less strenuous, but it was so humid that you couldn't help sweating even in the shade. Instead of doing construction, we took all of the water bottles used by the patrons of the boat tour and we turned them into trash cans. The group worked really well together. The first step was to remove all of the bottle labels, then sort the bottles by size. This was fairly easy since they've only used 2 different water brands. The next step was to put 2 holes on either side of the top and on either side of the bottom. Then we cut wire and put 40 bottles on each, going cap end first. We took another wire and put it through the bottom of those bottles. We used wire to hold 2 of our bottle loops together, then created a bottom. We had enough bottles to create 2 full trashcans today and 2 partial ones. It is a simple concept, just time consuming.
We are back at the hotel for a little free time before dinner. MOST of us should be packing for tomorrow, but it sounds like everyone is swimming right now... we have a very loud group.
Tomorrow we set out for the cave! We'll leave right after breakfast at 7, then we have a hike up the mountain. It's not a long trip, but it is straight up and very humid, so it will probably take us all morning. After lunch we will rappel, then dinner and stay over night! Sunday morning we'll wake up and swim, then make the drive to Turrialba.
There won't be any internet access for the next day and a half, so I will post again on Sunday night! If we make a stop on the way to Turrialba, I'll try to get a post up, but no promises. Have a great weekend!!
Healing sunburn, healing bruises, and no bug bites! Pura vida!
"Ole, ole, ole, ole, Ticos, Ticos!"
At 7:30, we were joined by our 3 guides, the 4 runners, and Matt, Alex, Patrick, Daniel, Rem, and Garrett for breakfast. I'm so glad that they decided to get up and do something this morning- like true Ticos! The 6 boys, guides Carolyn & Yendrey, Mrs. Wooden & me, and later comer Peter all headed out to the beach at 8. The others slept in and stayed with Edguardo at the hotel to swim and watch the Costa Rica-Italy fútbol match right from the start at 10.
Those of us who chose to surf were not disappointed. We got there right as the high tide was going out; there were really strong waves and they were far enough apart that we had the chance to ride some good ones. Garrett, Matt, and Patrick all had the chance to go out farther with Brian again. They really got to, as Matt would say, "shred some gnar," or whatever it is. The group also got to see a sloth in the trees! First one of our trip!
We got back a little after 10 and the rest of the group was already settled in at the restaurant to watch the game. After a quick rinse to get off the salt, we hurried to join them. We made it back just in time to watch Costa Rica score right before the end of the first half! I think the group was indifferent, but the locals were really pumped :) Basically the entire country was shut down so everyone could watch the game. It was so much fun to be able to take in the culture this way. Costa Rica won for another big upset & it was crazy. People were honking horns, yelling down the street; San Jose was complete gridlock as people spilled into the streets to celebrate. All of the Ticos are in a REALLY good mood this afternoon! Alex was proudly wearing his Italia jersey today, so he had to make the quick change after the game...
Lunch was a little later as the celebration continued. We had a chicken & mushroom lasagna that was really good- kind of funny having an Italian dish after that game. We left for community service around 1:30, heading back to Bahia Adventura. Today's activity was much less strenuous, but it was so humid that you couldn't help sweating even in the shade. Instead of doing construction, we took all of the water bottles used by the patrons of the boat tour and we turned them into trash cans. The group worked really well together. The first step was to remove all of the bottle labels, then sort the bottles by size. This was fairly easy since they've only used 2 different water brands. The next step was to put 2 holes on either side of the top and on either side of the bottom. Then we cut wire and put 40 bottles on each, going cap end first. We took another wire and put it through the bottom of those bottles. We used wire to hold 2 of our bottle loops together, then created a bottom. We had enough bottles to create 2 full trashcans today and 2 partial ones. It is a simple concept, just time consuming.
We are back at the hotel for a little free time before dinner. MOST of us should be packing for tomorrow, but it sounds like everyone is swimming right now... we have a very loud group.
Tomorrow we set out for the cave! We'll leave right after breakfast at 7, then we have a hike up the mountain. It's not a long trip, but it is straight up and very humid, so it will probably take us all morning. After lunch we will rappel, then dinner and stay over night! Sunday morning we'll wake up and swim, then make the drive to Turrialba.
There won't be any internet access for the next day and a half, so I will post again on Sunday night! If we make a stop on the way to Turrialba, I'll try to get a post up, but no promises. Have a great weekend!!
Healing sunburn, healing bruises, and no bug bites! Pura vida!
"Ole, ole, ole, ole, Ticos, Ticos!"
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Boat Tour!
Promises of an early bed time were made yet again, but it just didn't happen. We were fortunate to go without a thunderstorm during the afternoon and the evening, leaving us with a beautiful, clear, star-filled sky. You can see so many more stars down here, plus a few different constellations since we are further south in the northern hemisphere. The lightning from storms in the mountains lit up the sky every few minutes. I enjoyed the star gazing on the patio, while many of the students made a shoulder massage train to ease the aches of shoveling and pushing up on the surfboard.
The morning came too soon, but we had an exciting day planned. We had an early breakfast at 7 because we needed to be at Bahia Adventuras by 8. Rustic Pathways actually helped Bahia Adventuras start up. They gave the guides a loan for their first boat, now they have 3 boats and several employees from the Playa Uvita area. Their guides really do a fantastic job working with our students- they speak English very well, are knowledgeable about the geology and the plants & animals of the area, and they have a great sense of humor for working with high school students. We were split into groups of 10 and 15, given our lifejackets, and we met our guides Cesar and Wayne. The bus took us the short distance to the national park and the boat launch area, right next to the river. Cesar pointed out the termite nests and talked about what they do and also talked about the ibis with us- before we even got on the boat. We took off our sandals at the shoreline and put on our lifejackets, then waded out into the water and hopped on the boat.
We were told beforehand that we had a 98% chance of seeing dolphins today, but we probably wouldn't get to see any whales because humpbacks are typically in the area for migration in July and August. We followed the different seabirds because wherever they were feeding, there are usually dolphins. Our boats followed frigates, brown booby, and pelicans out farther and farther. We started to lose hope when the only thing we found was a dead dolphin floating among the debris. I had a proud teacher moment (and I was a little grossed out) when Alex and Garrett pointed out the visible bones on one of the dolphin's fins and said it was like the homologous structures we discussed in biology class... yeah, we're kind of nerds. But in a good way.
Our boat started to leave the area when the assistant guide on our boat, Jose, pointed out a whale surfacing in the distance. We followed it for a ways, trying to get closer. It turns out that it was a Bryde's whale, which is very uncommon. Cesar has been working with tour boats for 14 years and it is only the 3rd time he has seen one. I asked him if they were endangered and he told us that it is so rare to see, that there isn't enough information to determine where it belongs on the conservation list. Bryde's whale is about 50 feet long and it is a baleen whale, which means it filter feeds for krill and smaller fish by swallowing 500 liters of water several times in order to eat over 1,000 kilos of food a day.
In the middle of our pursuit of the whale, we also found 2 olive ridley sea turtles "having some fun," as Cesar said. Olive ridley turtles are vulnerable species, not threatened, but can still be affected by poaching and pollution. Cesar said that they only mate every 3 years, but when they do, they remain together for 35 hours. They weigh about 50 kilos, but appeared to be only 2 or 3 feet wide. Cesar also said that the female may wait a while to lay eggs- she can delay it based on the environmental conditions.
We continued on our way to the island, passing more seabirds and some puffer fish. Cesar explained the geology of the island and Costa Rica, describing the interaction between the Pacific and Caribbean tectonic plates. Some of the shoreline and islands are actually cliffs from the Caribbean plate being pushed upward, then as you move out into the ocean, the type of rock changes with the Pacific plate. I found it interesting, but I may have been the only one listening... We were hoping to snorkel at the island, but two scuba divers told us that the visibility was poor, so we moved on. The boat took us to a small lagoon on the coastline where we could see two caves eroded into the cliffs by the crashing waves. The trees from the jungle spill right over the edge of the cliffs. During low tide, people can actually walk through the caves.
Another attempt was made to snorkel. The boats took us to the whale tail reef formation. The tide was slowly moving out, so we could see people walking along the whale tail. Visibility still wasn't great, but most of us still grabbed snorkels and decided to give it a try. The water was pretty murky, but we could still see coral, sea urchins, parrot fish, and some smaller fish. I think that we were just happy to be in the water. When we got back on the boat, we had fresh pineapple and watermelon to snack on and hold us over until lunch.
The boat came back to Playa Uvita and by this time it was low tide- the group couldn't believe how much more beach there was than when we left. We said thank you to our guides, rinsed off all the sand, then came back to the hotel for lunch. Many students agreed that today's lunch was the best meal yet, which makes sense, since we have so many Chipotle fans- make your own tacos/burritos. They had seasoned chicken, fresh salsa and guacamole, lettuce, beans, and rice. For dessert we had some type of citrus flan. No need for parents to worry- we are eating well!
At 1:30 we left for more surfing at the beach. At this point in the trip, half the group is fired up for surfing and the other half is so tired that they are content to just swim. And that's what happened today. About 15 students decided to surf this afternoon, but by the time the hour was up, there were only about 8 students still out there. After a break for water and sunscreen, one of the surf instructors, Brian, took Matt, Garrett, and Patrick out further off the coast for more surfing. Everyone else opted to swim for the last part of the afternoon. The waves were a little different today and we were constantly being told to swim closer to shore, closer to this flag or that flag, etc., but we still made the most of it. We watched as the storm clouds started to build up on the shoreline, then gradually grew darker and darker. The surf guides cut our afternoon short at 3:30 so we wouldn't get rained on. As we were coming in, Patrick rode a wave all the way to the shore, looking like a natural.
After a quick stop at the supermarket (Milano and Nature Valley consumption is at an all-time high), we are back at the hotel. There was a little rain, no downpour for as ominous as the clouds looked. The students swam in the pool and are now showered and running around from one patio to another. They are such a fun group.
We'll have dinner at 6 tonight. There is talk of changing the plan for tomorrow just a bit, but Edguardo has to run it all by Mau. Costa Rica plays a World Cup game at 12 tomorrow, so we may try to surf at 8 tomorrow, eat lunch, watch the game with locals, then do our community service project. Tomorrow will be our last night in Uvita- hard to believe!
Short notes:
- Katie, Peter, and Mrs. Wooden had "Gato," a local who's been helping us out at the beach, prep coconuts for them to drink from this afternoon. I'm pretty sure it may have made Katie's day :)
- Rem told the group that I was going to be a nun(???) instead of a teacher. Not sure where he got that from, so now I'm trying to avoid being called "Sister Anderson."
- Victoria is probably the least sunburned here, so we applaud her sunscreen efforts. However, today on the boat it was decided that she is a terrible photographer. Win some, lose some.
- The guides think that Lou should become a tour guide in Costa Rica: guides that speak French are currently in the highest demand here.
- Matt & I have frequent chats about the Browns. His idea of encouragement is to tell me several times a day to "do it for Alex Mack." Slightly embarrassing.
- Anne is the screamer of the group. We can't figure out what is so scary, but she screams. All the time. Screaming and yelling. Morgan is getting close to her level, but we're trying to curb it.
- Ryan is the hairstylist of our team. Not sure she could even tell you how many braids she's done this trip. But everyone goes to her for the perfect French braid.
Still a little sunburned, bruises, but no bug bites! Pura vida :)
The morning came too soon, but we had an exciting day planned. We had an early breakfast at 7 because we needed to be at Bahia Adventuras by 8. Rustic Pathways actually helped Bahia Adventuras start up. They gave the guides a loan for their first boat, now they have 3 boats and several employees from the Playa Uvita area. Their guides really do a fantastic job working with our students- they speak English very well, are knowledgeable about the geology and the plants & animals of the area, and they have a great sense of humor for working with high school students. We were split into groups of 10 and 15, given our lifejackets, and we met our guides Cesar and Wayne. The bus took us the short distance to the national park and the boat launch area, right next to the river. Cesar pointed out the termite nests and talked about what they do and also talked about the ibis with us- before we even got on the boat. We took off our sandals at the shoreline and put on our lifejackets, then waded out into the water and hopped on the boat.
We were told beforehand that we had a 98% chance of seeing dolphins today, but we probably wouldn't get to see any whales because humpbacks are typically in the area for migration in July and August. We followed the different seabirds because wherever they were feeding, there are usually dolphins. Our boats followed frigates, brown booby, and pelicans out farther and farther. We started to lose hope when the only thing we found was a dead dolphin floating among the debris. I had a proud teacher moment (and I was a little grossed out) when Alex and Garrett pointed out the visible bones on one of the dolphin's fins and said it was like the homologous structures we discussed in biology class... yeah, we're kind of nerds. But in a good way.
Our boat started to leave the area when the assistant guide on our boat, Jose, pointed out a whale surfacing in the distance. We followed it for a ways, trying to get closer. It turns out that it was a Bryde's whale, which is very uncommon. Cesar has been working with tour boats for 14 years and it is only the 3rd time he has seen one. I asked him if they were endangered and he told us that it is so rare to see, that there isn't enough information to determine where it belongs on the conservation list. Bryde's whale is about 50 feet long and it is a baleen whale, which means it filter feeds for krill and smaller fish by swallowing 500 liters of water several times in order to eat over 1,000 kilos of food a day.
In the middle of our pursuit of the whale, we also found 2 olive ridley sea turtles "having some fun," as Cesar said. Olive ridley turtles are vulnerable species, not threatened, but can still be affected by poaching and pollution. Cesar said that they only mate every 3 years, but when they do, they remain together for 35 hours. They weigh about 50 kilos, but appeared to be only 2 or 3 feet wide. Cesar also said that the female may wait a while to lay eggs- she can delay it based on the environmental conditions.
We continued on our way to the island, passing more seabirds and some puffer fish. Cesar explained the geology of the island and Costa Rica, describing the interaction between the Pacific and Caribbean tectonic plates. Some of the shoreline and islands are actually cliffs from the Caribbean plate being pushed upward, then as you move out into the ocean, the type of rock changes with the Pacific plate. I found it interesting, but I may have been the only one listening... We were hoping to snorkel at the island, but two scuba divers told us that the visibility was poor, so we moved on. The boat took us to a small lagoon on the coastline where we could see two caves eroded into the cliffs by the crashing waves. The trees from the jungle spill right over the edge of the cliffs. During low tide, people can actually walk through the caves.
Another attempt was made to snorkel. The boats took us to the whale tail reef formation. The tide was slowly moving out, so we could see people walking along the whale tail. Visibility still wasn't great, but most of us still grabbed snorkels and decided to give it a try. The water was pretty murky, but we could still see coral, sea urchins, parrot fish, and some smaller fish. I think that we were just happy to be in the water. When we got back on the boat, we had fresh pineapple and watermelon to snack on and hold us over until lunch.
The boat came back to Playa Uvita and by this time it was low tide- the group couldn't believe how much more beach there was than when we left. We said thank you to our guides, rinsed off all the sand, then came back to the hotel for lunch. Many students agreed that today's lunch was the best meal yet, which makes sense, since we have so many Chipotle fans- make your own tacos/burritos. They had seasoned chicken, fresh salsa and guacamole, lettuce, beans, and rice. For dessert we had some type of citrus flan. No need for parents to worry- we are eating well!
At 1:30 we left for more surfing at the beach. At this point in the trip, half the group is fired up for surfing and the other half is so tired that they are content to just swim. And that's what happened today. About 15 students decided to surf this afternoon, but by the time the hour was up, there were only about 8 students still out there. After a break for water and sunscreen, one of the surf instructors, Brian, took Matt, Garrett, and Patrick out further off the coast for more surfing. Everyone else opted to swim for the last part of the afternoon. The waves were a little different today and we were constantly being told to swim closer to shore, closer to this flag or that flag, etc., but we still made the most of it. We watched as the storm clouds started to build up on the shoreline, then gradually grew darker and darker. The surf guides cut our afternoon short at 3:30 so we wouldn't get rained on. As we were coming in, Patrick rode a wave all the way to the shore, looking like a natural.
After a quick stop at the supermarket (Milano and Nature Valley consumption is at an all-time high), we are back at the hotel. There was a little rain, no downpour for as ominous as the clouds looked. The students swam in the pool and are now showered and running around from one patio to another. They are such a fun group.
We'll have dinner at 6 tonight. There is talk of changing the plan for tomorrow just a bit, but Edguardo has to run it all by Mau. Costa Rica plays a World Cup game at 12 tomorrow, so we may try to surf at 8 tomorrow, eat lunch, watch the game with locals, then do our community service project. Tomorrow will be our last night in Uvita- hard to believe!
Short notes:
- Katie, Peter, and Mrs. Wooden had "Gato," a local who's been helping us out at the beach, prep coconuts for them to drink from this afternoon. I'm pretty sure it may have made Katie's day :)
- Rem told the group that I was going to be a nun(???) instead of a teacher. Not sure where he got that from, so now I'm trying to avoid being called "Sister Anderson."
- Victoria is probably the least sunburned here, so we applaud her sunscreen efforts. However, today on the boat it was decided that she is a terrible photographer. Win some, lose some.
- The guides think that Lou should become a tour guide in Costa Rica: guides that speak French are currently in the highest demand here.
- Matt & I have frequent chats about the Browns. His idea of encouragement is to tell me several times a day to "do it for Alex Mack." Slightly embarrassing.
- Anne is the screamer of the group. We can't figure out what is so scary, but she screams. All the time. Screaming and yelling. Morgan is getting close to her level, but we're trying to curb it.
- Ryan is the hairstylist of our team. Not sure she could even tell you how many braids she's done this trip. But everyone goes to her for the perfect French braid.
Still a little sunburned, bruises, but no bug bites! Pura vida :)
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Community Service & Surfing- Day 2!
Last night after another delicious dinner (surprisingly pasta- not rice and beans), we had some bonding time to learn more about one another and to build each other up. After seeing the homes during community service yesterday, we were asked to name 3 things that we were grateful for. For some of us (i.e. Mrs. Wooden and me), it was a very emotional experience. A lot of students talked about their families, about their home, and about their school and community. It was nice to see that we were already gaining some perspective after just one full day here. A few card games got started afterward, but most of the students were in bed by 8:30- definitely the sign of a full day!
We were thrilled that we would have an extra 30 minutes to sleep this morning. It seemed like a few extra hours after all the work we did the day before. The thunderstorms continued through the evening and early morning hours, helping to drown out the sounds of the barking dogs and roosters. I took advantage of the extra time in the morning to take the 3 km walk down to the beach. It was nice to have a little time on my own to reflect and take it all in; I hope that the students are taking the time to do the same. One of the students that I thought about on the walk (and forgot to blog about yesterday) was Kayce. She is happier than a Tico here. The first thing she said when she walked out of her room yesterday was "Wow. This is so beautiful!" and that basically set the tone for the day. She picked up surfing so quickly, had the opportunity to drink coconut water straight from the coconut on the beach- she ALWAYS had a smile on her face. Seeing students this happy makes the entire trip worth it.
After a "typico" breakfast, we flipped our day around and went surfing at 9. Surfing started with howler monkeys and diving pelicans the afternoon before. Today was just as exciting. There was a toucan eating in the same tree that the howlers were in the day before. The consensus was that toucans are much bigger and more beautiful than we thought. Then as we got into the water to surf, we were able to spot the stingrays cruising through the tide. This reinforced the safety tip to shuffle our feet through the water!
Patrick and David were giving Allie a run for her money with the surfing today- both were doing extremely well. Everyone got up on their board today and I'm pretty sure that all did so without their instructor right by them. So much progress in just two lessons! It was the perfect morning and no one wanted to get out of the water- our sunburned faces are evidence... But again, everyone was happy and our spirits were high.
We came back to the hotel for lunch- fresh fish caught off Playa Uvita, along with rice, beans, squash, plantain chips, and the best pineapple anyone has ever had. The guides gave us just enough time to rinse off the saltwater and change before heading out to the small village for more community service.
Our tasks this afternoon were a little different. We had one group pulling rocks from the river to use for walls and drainage, one group was finishing yesterday's trench, another group moving dirt into the new cinder block house to even it out for a cement floor, and the last group was working in a house to take down the wooden walls. It was much hotter this afternoon than the morning before. Most of us had already sweat through our shirts just standing in the shade BEFORE we started working. But the guides commented that the energy was different today. Everyone seemed more in sync with one another and determined to get the job done; there weren't any accidents and everyone worked so well together.
The job that stands out the most was when the group was working in a house to take down their wooden walls and flooring. Yesterday we put in the concrete floor on the right side of the house, so all the boards were already gone. So today we just had to prep the other side for another group to come in and do the floor. There were a lot of screams, yelps, and shouting as students pulled up the beds and the floor to reveal cockroaches, termites, and rats. But then it started to sink in: the children watching them do all this work slept here. All of these creatures that we find disgusting are a part of their every day lives- this is reality for them and this is how they live. It didn't become a less disgusting thing to do; however, the group worked swiftly and cautiously to get the job done. MVP for the day was Ali M. She worked with the hammer to knock out all the floor boards and she wasn't scared of anything. Everyone was impressed by her work ethic and willingness to step up when others wouldn't. She also did a great job with the family and their kids.
All day the group was begging to go back to the supermarket. Chiky's, a Costa Rican cookie, have become a quick favorite with our students. There are many other treats that they still have to try, like Trits (ice cream sandwich) or Cocanas (cookies), but we still have a week :) I thought they'd have full stomachs before dinner after all the cookies and crackers, but everyone managed to have a clean plate by the end of it.
We're going to go through all of our donations to the community in a few minutes, then I think most of us will be in bed by 8. Everyone is very tired and sore, plus we have an early day tomorrow. We will be going on our boat tour at Cano Island, which includes snorkeling and a picnic lunch at the national park! It will be another fun- and sun-filled day.
I already have over 500 pictures from the trip, thanks to Yendry, one of our guides. We have been so busy surfing and building that we haven't had much time to take pictures of our own. I can't crop or edit on the Chromebook, but I will try to sort through and add a few to previous posts this evening... if I don't fall asleep first. I'm also trying to tweet pictures too, like I did after my beach walk this morning. Keep checking for them!
Sunburns, some bruises, but no bug bites! Pura vida!
We were thrilled that we would have an extra 30 minutes to sleep this morning. It seemed like a few extra hours after all the work we did the day before. The thunderstorms continued through the evening and early morning hours, helping to drown out the sounds of the barking dogs and roosters. I took advantage of the extra time in the morning to take the 3 km walk down to the beach. It was nice to have a little time on my own to reflect and take it all in; I hope that the students are taking the time to do the same. One of the students that I thought about on the walk (and forgot to blog about yesterday) was Kayce. She is happier than a Tico here. The first thing she said when she walked out of her room yesterday was "Wow. This is so beautiful!" and that basically set the tone for the day. She picked up surfing so quickly, had the opportunity to drink coconut water straight from the coconut on the beach- she ALWAYS had a smile on her face. Seeing students this happy makes the entire trip worth it.
After a "typico" breakfast, we flipped our day around and went surfing at 9. Surfing started with howler monkeys and diving pelicans the afternoon before. Today was just as exciting. There was a toucan eating in the same tree that the howlers were in the day before. The consensus was that toucans are much bigger and more beautiful than we thought. Then as we got into the water to surf, we were able to spot the stingrays cruising through the tide. This reinforced the safety tip to shuffle our feet through the water!
Patrick and David were giving Allie a run for her money with the surfing today- both were doing extremely well. Everyone got up on their board today and I'm pretty sure that all did so without their instructor right by them. So much progress in just two lessons! It was the perfect morning and no one wanted to get out of the water- our sunburned faces are evidence... But again, everyone was happy and our spirits were high.
We came back to the hotel for lunch- fresh fish caught off Playa Uvita, along with rice, beans, squash, plantain chips, and the best pineapple anyone has ever had. The guides gave us just enough time to rinse off the saltwater and change before heading out to the small village for more community service.
Our tasks this afternoon were a little different. We had one group pulling rocks from the river to use for walls and drainage, one group was finishing yesterday's trench, another group moving dirt into the new cinder block house to even it out for a cement floor, and the last group was working in a house to take down the wooden walls. It was much hotter this afternoon than the morning before. Most of us had already sweat through our shirts just standing in the shade BEFORE we started working. But the guides commented that the energy was different today. Everyone seemed more in sync with one another and determined to get the job done; there weren't any accidents and everyone worked so well together.
The job that stands out the most was when the group was working in a house to take down their wooden walls and flooring. Yesterday we put in the concrete floor on the right side of the house, so all the boards were already gone. So today we just had to prep the other side for another group to come in and do the floor. There were a lot of screams, yelps, and shouting as students pulled up the beds and the floor to reveal cockroaches, termites, and rats. But then it started to sink in: the children watching them do all this work slept here. All of these creatures that we find disgusting are a part of their every day lives- this is reality for them and this is how they live. It didn't become a less disgusting thing to do; however, the group worked swiftly and cautiously to get the job done. MVP for the day was Ali M. She worked with the hammer to knock out all the floor boards and she wasn't scared of anything. Everyone was impressed by her work ethic and willingness to step up when others wouldn't. She also did a great job with the family and their kids.
All day the group was begging to go back to the supermarket. Chiky's, a Costa Rican cookie, have become a quick favorite with our students. There are many other treats that they still have to try, like Trits (ice cream sandwich) or Cocanas (cookies), but we still have a week :) I thought they'd have full stomachs before dinner after all the cookies and crackers, but everyone managed to have a clean plate by the end of it.
We're going to go through all of our donations to the community in a few minutes, then I think most of us will be in bed by 8. Everyone is very tired and sore, plus we have an early day tomorrow. We will be going on our boat tour at Cano Island, which includes snorkeling and a picnic lunch at the national park! It will be another fun- and sun-filled day.
I already have over 500 pictures from the trip, thanks to Yendry, one of our guides. We have been so busy surfing and building that we haven't had much time to take pictures of our own. I can't crop or edit on the Chromebook, but I will try to sort through and add a few to previous posts this evening... if I don't fall asleep first. I'm also trying to tweet pictures too, like I did after my beach walk this morning. Keep checking for them!
Sunburns, some bruises, but no bug bites! Pura vida!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Hard Day's Work
Following last night's blog post, we had our first dinner at La Fogata and it was absolutely delicious. In just 2 meals here, the students have quickly learned to expect to have rice and beans and "some sort of meat" each time we eat. Several students went back for seconds and we THOUGHT that after a long day of travel and a full stomach, one would want to go straight to bed... we thought wrong. There were several requests to swim in the pool- at one point there were 18 out of our 20 swimming. They had a football, they were talking- a good time had by all. The only scare in the evening was when the power flickered out twice. Life off the grid? Thunderstorms? Too many air conditioning units running? Who knows ;)
It was tough to sleep in when you're still on Ohio time. Or when the sun comes up before 5. Or when you hear dogs barking. Or when the rooster crows more than once. Mrs. Wooden and I went for a walk before our 7:30 breakfast so we could get our bearings in this area. We saw a sign for Bahia Adventuras, the company that does our snorkeling tour, and since we knew where they were located, we decided to walk the 800 m down that road and figure it all out. We had so much fun watching all the school children walk with their parents. One girl and her father rode by on bikes, the father wearing his daughter's pink backpack. If we would have had enough time, we would have kept going to figure out where the school was. We also passed 2 surfers walking down the road, then all of a sudden, we became more familiar with our surroundings and realized that they were walking back to Casa de la Surf, the place we stayed last trip. Our hotel is just half a mile from there; it was nice to finally get an idea of where we were staying.
We had a "typico" breakfast- rice, beans, eggs, and fruit. They also had toast, cereal, and pancakes for us. They are doing a great job of making us feel at home! We packed our bags and met up at 8 to go do community service. We made a quick stop at the market for some Powerade and snacks, then followed Mau to a very small community.
Rustic Pathways has found that a lot of the schools in the area have had their major needs met. A lot of the community service there is now cosmetic- just painting or minor improvements. Mau has done a fantastic job of getting involved in Uvita's community and found some families that are really in need. The little "settlement," if you'd call it that, where we worked had 6 houses and a chicken coop. The houses there are mostly made of plywood sheets and corrugated tin. There are anywhere between 8 to 12 people living in each house, with rooms as small as 4x7 feet. It was like taking a college dorm room and splitting it into a kitchen, then 4 other rooms, and fitting your extended family in there. The houses are extremely hot and the kids often stay outside as much as possible to stay cool. Most of the houses have dirt floors, which is a major problem during rainy season- water rushes into their homes and can flood them. One of the families has two young children that are constantly getting sick because of the dirty water. They need concrete walls and floors to keep the water out. The students didn't have a chance to go inside the houses today, but Mau and Edguardo brought Mrs. Wooden and I through so we could get an idea of what we'd be doing tomorrow. It was a very emotional experience to see how these families are living and to hear their stories. We're going to talk to the students about it after dinner tonight so they can be prepared for working directly in and around the homes in the morning... anyway...
We had several projects to complete today, mostly helping with three houses. One house had its concrete foundation completed. They used drywall for the walls because it is less expensive than cinder block, but it is more susceptible to the elements. One of our jobs was to paint the drywall with a special treatment to seal it. Another job was mixing cement to complete the floor in another house. We mixed one bag of cement with 10 buckets of stones, then loaded wheelbarrows full to empty and spread inside. After the first load, one student said "That's all it covers? That was so much work!" to which our guide, Carolyn, responded "Yes. So imagine the one man that lives here doing all this himself. Think about how much you are helping!" The other projects involved a new house being built entirely out of cinder block. One group mixed a smooth, watery cement to spread on the outside of the cinder block house to seal it. Another worked to dig a trench behind the house to re-direct rushing rainwater.
It was HARD work. We took plenty of water breaks and frequently re-applied sunscreen, but you could tell we were exhausted. Mud all over our clothes, concrete mix in our hair, rosy cheeks, shirts that were absolutely drenched. Everyone was impressed with how hard the students were working! We had just 2 mishaps today, one that occurred about 5 minutes in. Morgan and Rem were digging the trench just a little too close together, resulting in Morgan getting hit with the shovel. She is TOUGH. We checked her out, got her water, and she bounced right back into work- it didn't bother her at all. She's sporting a cut on her lip, but no swelling or bruising. After we cleaned up, it became evident that Peter worked a bit too hard and he was dehydrated. He took some time to rest this afternoon and he is doing much better now.
The guides gave us just 10 minutes to shower quick, get ready for surfing, and get down to lunch. This group was determined to shower- I wish some of them would move that quickly during the school day! Lunch consisted of, you guessed it, rice and beans, a special type of pot roast, potatoes, plantains, and watermelon. Again, students went back for seconds, and they definitely earned it. Sunscreen was reapplied and we headed down to the national park to surf! There isn't much of a beach there- the rainforest goes right up to the shoreline, so we only have a beach when the tide is low. I told the students that you can find howler monkeys in the trees here and David was the expert spotter- he found 3 of them hanging out in the trees. The best part about it is that when you call out to them, they answer!
Three Rustic Pathways guides work at the Uvita surf school during the summer. We were split up into 4 groups on the beach, discussed safety, and went over the basics on surfboards we drew into the sand. Once we had the moves down, we grabbed our boards and headed out to the water. Some of us were better than others. By some of us I mean everyone and by others I mean me. Our group is filled with naturals! I think I saw everyone get up on their board. Allie F was probably the best one out there, although you will hear plenty of argument from the boys... We surfed and swam until about 4:45, which is incredibly fortunate, since the storms typically roll in around 4. The sky opened up and the lightning was in the sky by the time we all got back to our rooms.
That's plenty for now. Dinner is in 5 minutes. We will probably hang out and play games this evening, but I'm sure we'll be in bed before 9:30 this evening, unlike last night.
No one is sunburned, no bug bites, but we're all definitely sore. Hope all is well in Ohio!
Pura vida :)
It was tough to sleep in when you're still on Ohio time. Or when the sun comes up before 5. Or when you hear dogs barking. Or when the rooster crows more than once. Mrs. Wooden and I went for a walk before our 7:30 breakfast so we could get our bearings in this area. We saw a sign for Bahia Adventuras, the company that does our snorkeling tour, and since we knew where they were located, we decided to walk the 800 m down that road and figure it all out. We had so much fun watching all the school children walk with their parents. One girl and her father rode by on bikes, the father wearing his daughter's pink backpack. If we would have had enough time, we would have kept going to figure out where the school was. We also passed 2 surfers walking down the road, then all of a sudden, we became more familiar with our surroundings and realized that they were walking back to Casa de la Surf, the place we stayed last trip. Our hotel is just half a mile from there; it was nice to finally get an idea of where we were staying.
We had a "typico" breakfast- rice, beans, eggs, and fruit. They also had toast, cereal, and pancakes for us. They are doing a great job of making us feel at home! We packed our bags and met up at 8 to go do community service. We made a quick stop at the market for some Powerade and snacks, then followed Mau to a very small community.
Rustic Pathways has found that a lot of the schools in the area have had their major needs met. A lot of the community service there is now cosmetic- just painting or minor improvements. Mau has done a fantastic job of getting involved in Uvita's community and found some families that are really in need. The little "settlement," if you'd call it that, where we worked had 6 houses and a chicken coop. The houses there are mostly made of plywood sheets and corrugated tin. There are anywhere between 8 to 12 people living in each house, with rooms as small as 4x7 feet. It was like taking a college dorm room and splitting it into a kitchen, then 4 other rooms, and fitting your extended family in there. The houses are extremely hot and the kids often stay outside as much as possible to stay cool. Most of the houses have dirt floors, which is a major problem during rainy season- water rushes into their homes and can flood them. One of the families has two young children that are constantly getting sick because of the dirty water. They need concrete walls and floors to keep the water out. The students didn't have a chance to go inside the houses today, but Mau and Edguardo brought Mrs. Wooden and I through so we could get an idea of what we'd be doing tomorrow. It was a very emotional experience to see how these families are living and to hear their stories. We're going to talk to the students about it after dinner tonight so they can be prepared for working directly in and around the homes in the morning... anyway...
We had several projects to complete today, mostly helping with three houses. One house had its concrete foundation completed. They used drywall for the walls because it is less expensive than cinder block, but it is more susceptible to the elements. One of our jobs was to paint the drywall with a special treatment to seal it. Another job was mixing cement to complete the floor in another house. We mixed one bag of cement with 10 buckets of stones, then loaded wheelbarrows full to empty and spread inside. After the first load, one student said "That's all it covers? That was so much work!" to which our guide, Carolyn, responded "Yes. So imagine the one man that lives here doing all this himself. Think about how much you are helping!" The other projects involved a new house being built entirely out of cinder block. One group mixed a smooth, watery cement to spread on the outside of the cinder block house to seal it. Another worked to dig a trench behind the house to re-direct rushing rainwater.
It was HARD work. We took plenty of water breaks and frequently re-applied sunscreen, but you could tell we were exhausted. Mud all over our clothes, concrete mix in our hair, rosy cheeks, shirts that were absolutely drenched. Everyone was impressed with how hard the students were working! We had just 2 mishaps today, one that occurred about 5 minutes in. Morgan and Rem were digging the trench just a little too close together, resulting in Morgan getting hit with the shovel. She is TOUGH. We checked her out, got her water, and she bounced right back into work- it didn't bother her at all. She's sporting a cut on her lip, but no swelling or bruising. After we cleaned up, it became evident that Peter worked a bit too hard and he was dehydrated. He took some time to rest this afternoon and he is doing much better now.
The guides gave us just 10 minutes to shower quick, get ready for surfing, and get down to lunch. This group was determined to shower- I wish some of them would move that quickly during the school day! Lunch consisted of, you guessed it, rice and beans, a special type of pot roast, potatoes, plantains, and watermelon. Again, students went back for seconds, and they definitely earned it. Sunscreen was reapplied and we headed down to the national park to surf! There isn't much of a beach there- the rainforest goes right up to the shoreline, so we only have a beach when the tide is low. I told the students that you can find howler monkeys in the trees here and David was the expert spotter- he found 3 of them hanging out in the trees. The best part about it is that when you call out to them, they answer!
Three Rustic Pathways guides work at the Uvita surf school during the summer. We were split up into 4 groups on the beach, discussed safety, and went over the basics on surfboards we drew into the sand. Once we had the moves down, we grabbed our boards and headed out to the water. Some of us were better than others. By some of us I mean everyone and by others I mean me. Our group is filled with naturals! I think I saw everyone get up on their board. Allie F was probably the best one out there, although you will hear plenty of argument from the boys... We surfed and swam until about 4:45, which is incredibly fortunate, since the storms typically roll in around 4. The sky opened up and the lightning was in the sky by the time we all got back to our rooms.
That's plenty for now. Dinner is in 5 minutes. We will probably hang out and play games this evening, but I'm sure we'll be in bed before 9:30 this evening, unlike last night.
No one is sunburned, no bug bites, but we're all definitely sore. Hope all is well in Ohio!
Pura vida :)
Monday, June 16, 2014
Hola from Luz de Luna!
We made it & we're settled in! Dinner will be at 7, so I'm going to try to post something quickly...
The landing in San Jose was a smooth one. There was a little concern about thundershowers in the area, but other than a few clouds, everything went alright. Upon landing, we went straight to immigration and customs. This was a new process for us- 2 years ago, the airport was under construction, so we walked past all the gates, then went downstairs for processing. Now the international flights are completely separate, which really limited our distractions along the way. All the luggage made it in one piece and we were quickly greeted by our Rustic Pathways guides.
We have 2 Ticos (native Costa Ricans) and 1 Canadian with us the entire time :) Edguardo is from Turrialba, Yendy is from San Jose, and Carolyn is from the Canadian Rockies. They are all so nice and full of energy- GREAT for our students! I was also thrilled to find out that our bus driver was Jorge, the driver that we've had the last two trips. He remembered us and spoke very fondly of his good friend, Carole Fahey :)
After a 4 hour plane ride, it's tough to stomach a 4 hour bus ride, but that's what happened. We took off from the airport to head to Uvita by way of Jaco, Quepos, and Dominical. The guides had boxed lunches for us and I think it was the first time a lot of us realized how hungry we were. An hour into the ride we stopped at a little rest stop in San Ramon. It was the nicest tourist/souvenir shop that I've seen here (aka the bathrooms are really nice). We had about 20 minutes to pick out items and get refreshments. The 6 freshmen boys picked up some AWESOME hats (pictures to come later) that make them look like real adventurers. I appreciated that several of the students were concerned with what I was going to get for my niece- they ultimately decided that a stuffed sloth was too scary for an almost 1 year old, so we should try again another time. It's nice to have a group that already knows each other so well, but I'm still looking forward to getting to know everyone better.
Three more hours on the bus winding through farms and along the coastline. At any moment there would be a break in the trees and a gorgeous view of the rocky beach and the waves. We drove through a lot of rain- at times not so much, other times a total downpour. I was told that the Ticos call this a "car wash." The lightning picked up in intensity as we arrived at our hotel, Luz de Luna.
Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Mauricio, a guide of ours from the last two trips. It was so nice to see another familiar face. Room assignments were settled, with girls taking the top floor of the hotel and the boys the bottom floor. There are 4 students to each room- each room has its own bathroom, a small AC unit, and a small tv- perfect for catching the end of the US-Ghana soccer game! Some students are cooling down, others are running around just enjoying stretching their legs. The accommodations are very nice.
I think that's it for now. We'll find out the plans for tomorrow at dinner. All of our meals in Uvita will be at La Fogata, which apparently has some of the best pizza in Costa Rica?? Not sure that's what we came all this way for, but probably something we have to try.
Everyone is happy, healthy, and no bug bites or sunburns just yet- let's hope it stays that way!
Until tomorrow- Pura Vida!
The landing in San Jose was a smooth one. There was a little concern about thundershowers in the area, but other than a few clouds, everything went alright. Upon landing, we went straight to immigration and customs. This was a new process for us- 2 years ago, the airport was under construction, so we walked past all the gates, then went downstairs for processing. Now the international flights are completely separate, which really limited our distractions along the way. All the luggage made it in one piece and we were quickly greeted by our Rustic Pathways guides.
We have 2 Ticos (native Costa Ricans) and 1 Canadian with us the entire time :) Edguardo is from Turrialba, Yendy is from San Jose, and Carolyn is from the Canadian Rockies. They are all so nice and full of energy- GREAT for our students! I was also thrilled to find out that our bus driver was Jorge, the driver that we've had the last two trips. He remembered us and spoke very fondly of his good friend, Carole Fahey :)
After a 4 hour plane ride, it's tough to stomach a 4 hour bus ride, but that's what happened. We took off from the airport to head to Uvita by way of Jaco, Quepos, and Dominical. The guides had boxed lunches for us and I think it was the first time a lot of us realized how hungry we were. An hour into the ride we stopped at a little rest stop in San Ramon. It was the nicest tourist/souvenir shop that I've seen here (aka the bathrooms are really nice). We had about 20 minutes to pick out items and get refreshments. The 6 freshmen boys picked up some AWESOME hats (pictures to come later) that make them look like real adventurers. I appreciated that several of the students were concerned with what I was going to get for my niece- they ultimately decided that a stuffed sloth was too scary for an almost 1 year old, so we should try again another time. It's nice to have a group that already knows each other so well, but I'm still looking forward to getting to know everyone better.
Three more hours on the bus winding through farms and along the coastline. At any moment there would be a break in the trees and a gorgeous view of the rocky beach and the waves. We drove through a lot of rain- at times not so much, other times a total downpour. I was told that the Ticos call this a "car wash." The lightning picked up in intensity as we arrived at our hotel, Luz de Luna.
Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Mauricio, a guide of ours from the last two trips. It was so nice to see another familiar face. Room assignments were settled, with girls taking the top floor of the hotel and the boys the bottom floor. There are 4 students to each room- each room has its own bathroom, a small AC unit, and a small tv- perfect for catching the end of the US-Ghana soccer game! Some students are cooling down, others are running around just enjoying stretching their legs. The accommodations are very nice.
I think that's it for now. We'll find out the plans for tomorrow at dinner. All of our meals in Uvita will be at La Fogata, which apparently has some of the best pizza in Costa Rica?? Not sure that's what we came all this way for, but probably something we have to try.
Everyone is happy, healthy, and no bug bites or sunburns just yet- let's hope it stays that way!
Until tomorrow- Pura Vida!
We're here!!
We are finally here! Smooth trip & the flight came in early. We are in the middle of a 4 hour drive to Uvitas. We made a quick stop for restrooms, souvenirs & WiFi :) I hope to post more this evening. Pura Vida!
P.S. Carole & Lisa- Jorge is our driver again!!! ♡
P.S. Carole & Lisa- Jorge is our driver again!!! ♡
Saturday, June 14, 2014
World Cup!
BIG win for Costa Rica over Uruguay this afternoon. Get to know the team here. The game against England is a travel day for us, but hopefully we'll have the chance to catch the Italy game with some Ticos!
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