Welcome Home

 Well we've been home for almost a week now. I'm starting to settle back into my routine here at home. It's nice to be home. Nothing makes you appreciate your home more than being away from it in another country. I loved my tica family, but I was ready to be back with my own family.
  Now being back at home, I've noticed that I've been reflecting a lot on my time in Costa Rica. When people ask me to describe the ticans and the way of life "over there", I struggle for the words and in the end I just say that it is completely different in every way because they as a whole just have a whole different mindset than we do. And it's not that it's a right or wrong mindset or a good or bad mindset, it's just different. Their priorities are different, their attitude is different, the way they live life is different.
   On a materialistic side, we are definitely the more material driven country. We have a lot of extra "stuff". Something I noticed while being in Costa Rica was that they don't just have useless things lying around like we do, everything has a purpose, everything is in their house for a reason. If they have a TV, they have one, not one in every room. If they have a car, which most don't, they have one, that they all share (and it's not a gas guzzling SUV). They don't have lavish decorations hanging on the walls or closets bursting at the seams with clothes. They have what they need and that is all. And for some, it's not because they can't afford it, they just know they don't need it, so why get it? We on the other hand, we see it, we love it, we have to have it, and we'll find a purpose for it later (or we may not). It might never get used and eventually will be just thrown out. Not in Costa Rica, nothing goes to waste.
   This ties into my Inquiry Project on sustainability. Nothing in Costa Rica just gets thrown away and nothing is wasted. People use composts, they recycle, they eat leftovers, they conserve energy, they conserve water, and they are conscientious of the fact that the world has limited resources. Here in the States, we would like to think that we are the same way. And sure there are a few, but not like in Costa Rica where it is the country as a whole. This goes back to the difference in mindset. They are sustainable because they know they need to be and the reality of our country is that we would like to think that we are the same way, but we're not.
  I really enjoyed my time in Costa Rica. I learned a lot and had amazing opportunities that if I had never gone on this trip, I never would have had. It is definitely a place a highly recommend travelling to. The people are so nice and friendly and it's gorgeous everywhere you go, whether you're in the mountains or on the beach. I would like to give a special thanks to Dr. Crawford and Mrs. Bramley for leading us on this amazing journey. We couldn't have done it without you!

Pura Vida!

It's All So Peaceful Above the Tree Tops

  This morning we went ziplining! The scenery was amazing and you get quite the view from above the tree tops. We could see Arenal volcano which was incredible because that is quite a distance away from Monteverde. It really confirmed that from that height we could see for miles. I was so glad that everyone went too. Some had a little anxiety, but everyone was brave and conquered their fears. We were pros by the end! The staff at Sky Trek was so nice and helpful and really made the experience worthwhile. I got some great pictures and videos, but it will be something that I never forget.
  This is our last day at CPI. We don't have Spanish class tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow morning has always been a scheduled free morning. We are going to take the time to enjoy our last day in Monteverde, walk around the town, spend time with our families, work on our Inquiry Projects, and just enjoy one last day of being immersed.
  Tomorrow I hope to begin organizing my paper. I have gotten a lot of really good information over the past 3 weeks. I plan to look over all of my research and to start drafting my paper. I would like to plan out the organization and layout and how I want to present all of my information. Through this process I will also be able to see which areas I need to do more research on once I get back home.
  I'm sad to leave my host family. They have been so great and welcoming. Floirella is so funny and brings so much life and energy to the family. I will be sad to leave her. We have had some really good conversations and since she knows English, she is able to explain things to me that I never would have understood in Spanish. She has taught me so much and my time with her has been really insightful.
  It's a bittersweet ending. I am sad to leave my host family, but I am ready to see my own family. I am so glad that I came on this trip and I will really take a lot from it. I have learned so much and really value the time I have spent here.

Pura Vida!

MonteVERDE

   Well we're in our last week in Costa Rica. We have been extremely busy though. I have learned so much just right here in the last few days. I have gotten a lot of good research for my inquiry project. On Tuesday we went to the Cloud Forest School, or Creativo Educacion. The school was incredible. We got a tour from a student ambassador, JP, who was so knowledgeable and great. Some things that stood out for me on the tour as far as sustainability was their organic garden, the compost where they put unwanted food, and their efforts towards reforestation.
  Before the school was founded 20 years ago, it was farm land. Since the school has been established, the school has an agreement with the nature conservatory in that they will attempt to restore the forest that used to be there. 1/3 of the land has be forest and the students there are making that possible. It was also interesting to hear about all of the different sustainability projects that the different grade levels do throughout the school year.
  I'm learning so much about sustainability here in Costa Rica that now I think that will be my main focus for my paper. I might mention sustainability in the States, but I really think that now I would like to talk more about what is going on here. It has been really interesting and I'm really glad that I chose this topic because I have learned so much in my time here.
  On a curriculum level, I also really admired the school for what it is doing. They don't begin testing until the 4th grade, which I thought was amazing. You could also really tell that they valued their teachers. They have standards that they follow, but they really encourage the teachers to teach the material with the resources and knowledge that they have, which from a teacher's perspective is what we all dream of. In the States, everything is so regulated and micromanaged and teachers do not have the freedom that these teachers did. You could really tell that the students were excited to be there and were excited to learn. In the States, school is a more of a chore for the students and that is something that we as teachers really should try to change.
  On a different note, we had an amazing weekend in Arenal. The volcano was incredible and truly breathtaking. The hot springs were relaxing and just what we all needed. Javier also showed us plenty of wildlife on the way there! We got to see a sloth, Howler Monkeys, and Toucans! He's always full of surprises. He has been a great guide.
  Tomorrow morning we have the canopy tour! Can't wait!

Pura Vida!

Learning More and More Everyday

  We had another school visit this morning. It was a lot of fun and very insightful. The first part of our time there was spent observing a class. I was observing a 4th grade classroom. It was interesting to see the different dynamic between the students and the teacher. The teacher was very personable and the students were excited to see him and be in the class. As soon as he began teaching, I saw why. He didn't just stand at the front of the classroom and lecture the whole time. He let the kids provide feedback and have discussion about what they were learning. He let the students guide the class, but he had control of the classroom at the same time. It was refreshing to see.
  Another observation I have made about the education here in Costa Rica has been the difference between the level of English proficiency among the students in the private school and public schools. I have a new host family for my time in Monteverde. They have one little girl who is 9 years old and attends a private school. She is nearly fluent in English and can hold a conversation with me with no problem. In contrast, with my family in Heredia they also had a girl who was 12. She attends a public school and takes English classes as well, but she could only say a handful of basic words. I thought that this was really interesting and really showed a bug difference between the private schools and public schools in Costa Rica.
  Yesterday morning we went to Trapiche Farm, which is just right up the road from where we all live. They had a lot on sustainability. I wish I had know before hand, I would have gone more prepared. They had recycling bins everywhere and signs reminding people to turn lights off when they left the room. They also talked about how they do not use any pesticides or chemicals on their plants or crops. Everything that they use is organic and natural. Our guide told us that he didn't know if that was true for all farms in Costa Rica, but it is something that is very important to them and is something that they take great pride in.
   I hope that when we go to the Cloud Forest school next week, I can arrange to talk with someone while I'm there. The Cloud Forest school is known for being the "green school". Sustainability is one of their main focuses. I would really love to have the opportunity to meet with someone and maybe have a short interview. It would be a great source for my Inquiry Project.

Sorting Out/Going Further...
  I have been able to answer a few of my questions that I had initially since being in Costa Rica. I have been able to answer these by observing the people and environment around me. One question I had was "Do the people in Costa Rica see "going green" as something that is important?" Through careful observation, I have concluded that it is definitely something that is important to them. Everyone has eco friendly lightbulbs and is very conscientious of turning off their lights. They don't let anything go to waste either.
  At this stage of my project I am feeling confident about my findings. I am eager to learn more, but so far there has been no discrepancies in my findings, everything is matching up.
  I am excited to visit the Cloud Forest school next week because I think I will be able to get a lot of good information from that visit.
  I have also decided to organize my project differently. Originally I was just going to compare and contrast sustainability between Costa Rica and the States. Now, I have decided that I am going to compare and contrast Heredia, Monteverde, and the States. I have found that there is also a big difference in sustainability between Heredia and Monteverde that I didn't expect.

Pura Vida!

1st Week Living in the Cloud Forest

 We're now in Monteverde. It is a very different atmosphere from Heredia. It is a small little mountain town, where Heredia had more of a city feel. We all live a pretty good distance from CPI. My host family is also very different from the one I lived with in Heredia. We will see how it goes.
  Today we visited a primary school. Something I have noticed here in Costa Rica is that the schools are a lot more relaxed than the schools in the states. We have to be more willing to go with the flow when we arrive to do lessons because anything can change at any point from which grade level we will be with, to how many students, to how long we will have with the kids. It can be a little chaotic be we are learning to be more flexible. This morning we had a whole lesson planned only to get there and have our plans changed. We ended up observing classes for 40 minutes and then doing a modified version of our lesson with the preschoolers. They enjoyed it. I was observing a 5th grade math class. The class was very teacher directed. He wrote information on the board and the students copied it and worked alone at their desks. Towards the end, they did go up to the board to write their answers and share with the class, but there wasn´t alot of discussion. It was very black and white. Either you had the right answer or you had the wrong answer, there was no explanation.
  Also I have gathered some more information for my Inquiry Project on Sustainability through observation:
1. Less water pressure=hot water in the showers
2. Eco friendly lightbulbs everywhere
3. People are very conscientious of turning off lights in the house when they aren't in the rooms
4.People don't shower everyday
5. Food doesn't go to waste
6. Recycling is everywhere
7. Seem to be more eco friendly in Monteverde than Heredia

Pura Vida!

Sustainability in Costa Rica

Inquiry Project: Sustainability

Tuning In...
   I feel like Costa Ricans will value "going green" becuase of how much natural and diverse vegetation is here. A large part of their environment is also home to the rainforest. I feel like Costa Ricans will be less wasteful and more intune with their surroundings and what they should do to protect it. I am interested in seeing if this is true. I know that in America the green trend is gaining popularity, I would like to see if it is also catching on here, or if it is already established and is just a way of life.

Finding Out...
   I hope to find out more about sustainability by observing the people and environments around me and asking questions to local Costa Ricans. I feel like my host families that I stay with will be able to answer my questions the best because they live here and experience it and will be able to give me first hand accounts. I also will probably do research on my own as well by using the internet to find these such a statistics and for more detailed explanations of what I discover.


  We had our first school visit this morning. It was alot of fun and I think the kids really enjoyed it. We worked with 5th and 6th graders. We sang "Over in the Jungle", read stories with them, and gave them the opportunity to draw a picture of their very own favorite animal. Afterwards, the cheerleaders performed for us in the gym. They were so good! They had a whole choreography put together and they did it all without music, which I thought was interesting. They were so cute in their little uniforms. Then we were able to have a tour of the school and sit in on a class. It was really neat. The kids and teachers were so nice and all of the students were so excited that we were there. It was really sweet.
  Now we are all at CPI working on our Inquiry Projects before lunch.

Pura Vida!

Toucans, And Sloths, And Jaguars Oh My!

 Well we´re 6 days in! I can feel the immersion. Spanish is coming more naturally to me now and even when I am writing in my journal, without thinking I begin to write it in Spanish sometimes. I can´t imagine what I will be like when I leave.
  We have seen so much already in the short amount of time we have been here. Saturday we went to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, which was amazing! I fed a toucan! We also saw parrots, butterflies, jaguars, snakes, and monkeys. It was incredible. Then we hiked to the waterfalls, which were breath taking to see. The whole country is breath taking. Every where we go the view is amazing and gorgeous and you can see for miles in every direction.
  Sunday we went to Poas Volcano. It was really cold, but we were close to 10,000 feet in elevation, so it was understandable. We got to see the crater, which Johnny (our amazing guide) told us we were very lucky to see. Sometimes it is so foggy up there you can´t see more than a couple of feet in front of you. We hiked over to the lagoon, but didn´t get as lucky with it, but I was ok with that. You can only get lucky so many times, right?
  That night we met out host families. They picked us up from CPI at around 5:30 that night. My family is really nice, they don't speak any English though, so it has been a real challenge. I do the best I can to communicate with them, but I guess since I have said a few things in Spanish they assume that I'm fluent, but of course I'm not, so it has been a little difficult, but we´re all doing the best we can. They live in a small apartment above the father´s mother. I  can tell they are a very close family and even the father was explaining that to me the first night. He kept telling me that yes their home was small, but that it brought them closer together and that they spent a lot of time together. I can really see that the more time I spend with them, you can really see the love they have one another. The brother and sister are always playing together and they never fight, even though there is a big age gap between the two (the sister is 12 and the brother is 6). There are never any arguments or tension. They are truely happy. And they have the cutest puppy named Oso, who is a chow and new to the family. They just got him 2 months ago and they absolutely adore him.
  Tomorrow we have our first school visit, which should be interesting. We have been preparing for it all day today. We plan to read to them, sing songs, and do an art project with them. I think the plan is to also leave some of the materials there with them for them to have, because I think it is a school were the children are form a lower socioeconomic status. It´s right down the road from where I´m staying and I think it might be where my kids go to school because the mom told me one day that there school was very close and that they walk to school every morning. I want to ask tonight, because I might see them tomorrow morning. I think we are only working with 5th and 6th graders, so I might see the girl, Aileen.

  Because we are preparing for the school visit tomorrow, we only have 3 hours of Spanish today instead of 4. Yay! 4 hours has been alot, by the time I get home with my host family, I am mentally exhausted and drained from all of the Spanish. At least I can tell that it is working and I really can see improvement in my Spanish.

Pura Vida!

11 Days to Go!

   Only 11 more days until we take off for Costa Rica! I can't wait to be immersed in the culture. I have traveled to Central America before when I went to Guatemala in 2008 and I am interested to compare the two. Guatemala was an amazing trip, but I wasn't fully immersed like I will be in Costa Rica. I am excited to stay with a home stay family. We received information on our families yesterday and I think it is going to be an amazing experience. Both of my families have young kids between the ages of 5 and 13, so it will be interesting to see the family dynamic and what a typical day in their lives is like. 
   Understandably though, I am a little nervous. My Spanish is a little rusty, but I know it will improve the longer I am there. I have never traveled to Costa Rica before and so I am anxious about the cultural differences we will encounter, but at the same time that is what I am most excited about. I know that no matter what, this trip will be unforgettable and I will learn so much from being there.  

Pura Vida!