Escuela

I haven't done the most fabulous job updating this recently but that doesn't mean that a LOT hasn't happened. Today I took pictures so that things I say have some substance. Even though I leave on Saturday, I will continue to post stories and project updates until I run out of pictures.

Leigh Anne and Jacqueline left yesterday, my girls who have made my time here. I miss each of them so much but know that they are having an amazing time with their respective families and also that it is only two days away for me :)

Every Thursday I taught English at the elementary school in San Rafael. We played games and learned the names of fruits, days of the week, basic conversation, a review of numbers, and soccer words. Today was my last day with them and they showered me with cards that I didn't deserve...because truth be told, they are little rascals and I often didn't get to half of my lesson plan because I was too busy telling them to listen or sit down.

They are precious children though and I sat to eat lunch with them so I could become more than a teacher but a friend. Today, one of the 5th graders told me she had gotten into a fight with her best friend and didn't know what to do. I played the role of counselor as well.

The school meets in a series of shacks (shown below) that were crafted after the earthquake as a temporary solution. Two and a half years later, they are still operational. Thankfully it was summer vacation during the earthquake and the school wasn't occupied because it slid off the mountain and all that is left is a small slab of concrete.

There is a special ed teacher at the school who I've gotten to know. She comes to help the kids that have learning disabilities or need extra help. She is an amazing Costa Rican woman of priveledge but travels daily to this little community to help the kids. As I mentioned before, there is a little boy from the school who was admitted to the hospital for post-traumatic stress disorder after he had a major outburst one day recently during school. He watched his brother and cousin die in the earthquake.

I teach the kindergarten kids first. There are a few and they are absolutely adorable. We mostly did puzzles and spent each week learning the numbers in English over again. Although they didn't really need me there, I couldn't resist their hugs that ushered me into their classroom to show me their projects. They made card type posters with their hands on them. It will be a wonderful way to pray for them.

Then I go onto the 1-3 graders who have class together. They are so eager to learn but little busybodies with a 100 questions each. They are precious and they tell me their crushes on each other as little whispers in my ear. Their smart, cunning, funny, stealthy, innovative, and cute. There are about 18 of them and it proves to be quiet a handful. 

The 4-6th graders come in the afternoon. There is only one teacher, bless him, so they have to take turns. They are the most interesting bunch. Two of the boys are too cool for school even though they both come up to about my elbow. The girls are so sweet and after bringing my journal the first week, I had company for writing during breaks as they had all brought notebooks to journal in right alongside me. I peaked over their shoulders and they wrote about the boys they liked and the friends they were mad at. Somethings do not transcend cultures.

I never wanted to teach, even though I thought growing up I would teach my younger sisters a thing or two. However, I have a makeshift bucket list and on it is teaching English abroad. I proudly crossed it off because at times I think I have nothing to bring. Even in our blackberry cooperative meeting last night, they men sitting around the table with their sun spotted arms knew more than I ever would about crop propagation and some of them hadn't finished 6th grade. I can speak English though and in my broken Spanish we can figure out some words together and share in the learning.

Adventuras durante Vacciones

This past week was the first week of a two week vacation for the whole country. Since this is their winter, this is a mid-year break if you will. That means we get to do all kinds of things...its more of a vacation for us. On Monday to celebrate the fourth of July we went to Manuel Antonio beach on the Pacific coast. It was beautiful and just what we needed. In the patriotic spirit, we all ordered hamburgers for lunch. We even caught a glimpse of some fireworks over a touristy town on our drive home.

Sunshine!

Leigh Anne with Nadia and Jordan atop a rock

Fourth of July burgers!

On our way to the beach we tried to be as touristy as possible and stopped at a popular place to look at crocodiles. These were no joke. They were HUGE. 

Continuing to be as touristy as I could, I wore my new Pura Vida tank top to the restaurant after we left the beach. When Leigh Anne and I were in Heredia last weekend I could resist something that had "blonde haired blue eyed tourist" all over it...as if I needed any help. I think I succeeded. 

The emphasis is suppose to be on the sunset in the backdrop but I was in need of a new profile picture so I made the most of the opportunity. We stopped at a restaurant called El Avion on the way home named for the large fighter plane the restaurant is built around. As a small new NGO, ADE couldn't afford the whole meal so we stuck with coffee, batidos, and dessert. Keeping with the fourth, we ordered apple pie. We saw a sloth, moving nonetheless, and many toucans in addition to the gorgeous view over Manuel Antonio as the sunset changed colors from blue to orange to purple (progression of sunset shown below). 

Apple Pie

Celebratory

This island definitely makes the view

Got a picture with every stage of sunset. Poor Leigh Anne. 

Becoming beautiful

Over the restaurant

Roomies!

Beginning twilight

Turning all shades of purple

My three favorites

Group shot

It was a really great way to celebrate the fourth and a pre-birthday celebration. Loved every minute of the hot sticky car ride. Definitely worth it. 

Travel Writing

It rains a lot here. Every afternoon from about 1pm-5pm to be exact. Up here in the mountains the moist air from the Caribbean and the warm moist air from the Pacific stop right above us and pour out of the heavens everyday. While the lush biodiversity of a cloud rainforest could not be possible without these rains, it leaves me with lots of time on my hands in the late afternoon. I've decided to pick up some travel writing for small travel blogs...my favorite being the Lost Girls travel blog. Right now I am writing about my travels abroad starting at the age of 17 with my two very best friends. 

China

Colorado

Zambia

London

We've been all over together, and we're barely even 20. We have so many more adventures planned in our future and can't wait to share adventures again. We've been harassed and held at the airport in Beijing, been abandoned in a broken down bus in the middle of Zambia, and shared some amazing times with amazing people together. 

I'm also working on some Costa Rican things...obviously. So far we have been to three (free) swimming holes on the sides of the road.

 Near Volcan Arenal at the bottom of the La Fortunada waterfalls. Beautiful and awesome rope swing!

Hot Springs

Rio Celeste colored beautifully by volcanic minerals 

(also the place I got soaked)

 They are beautiful and part of the Costa Rica that I wanted to get to know. I've seen most of the famous volcanoes and been to both coasts, so there is a lot of information to write about. I'll post some of the articles here before they go off to the editors. If they don't make online, they'll be posted here for your reading enjoyment and I won't regret reflecting on those experiences at all. 

Updates

This week we've all been kept on our toes despite the Colegio (high school) having Thursday and Friday off along with no internet over the weekend. 

On Friday we headed to Alajuela. The first store we walked into was a nice Ropa Americana store covered in old Goodwill tags before being shipped south for a try at the Ticos. It wasn't look before I heard a guy mutter in English, "What big eyes you have, baby." Ok big bad wolf, I can see past your sheep clothing. I got a lot of stares with my long blonde hair and big sunglasses screaming tourist and innocent. We were quite a group...two Americans, one blonde, on black from the Caribbean, one tico and two half Koreans/half American-Costa Rican. My face flushed about a hundred times before the rain started and I could hide from staring men in my big green rain coat. It was great though and I snagged a bag a Pequeno Mundo for 4 US$. 

We also had some delicious fruit at the farmer's market. Our favorite was one accurately described as a strawberry crossed with a dragon. You peel off the skin and underneath is a delicious grape-type covered seed. They brought me joy and Angeley back to her childhood. The market was wonderful. It was fresh, local, large, and everything tropical. 

Last week Tomas, Ben, Jordan, Fabian, and Fabian's dad drove down to Cartago to look at a blackberry co-op we're trying to emulate here. The drive was gorgeous but I have nothing to show for it. Bummer. We visited two farms, both very different. Personalities definitely come out in farming techniques. We're getting together a community meeting this week. Things are good here at the homestead. I have pictures of the house and my room! 

Our house and my load of brights

Barn 

 The newest additions to our family, Pirata and Elephante

Bed

Room

Grocery store

Looking forward to the two week Colegio break next week! (And my birthday). 

Terremoto

I suppose it would be appropriate to reflect on why I am here in the first place...and how I got connected to ADE and how ADE began only 2.5 years ago. 


So...from the top,


Tomas Dozier and family moved back to Tomas' hometown of San Rafael de Vara Blanca shortly after the 6.4 low-lying (strong) earthquake that struck along the fault lying between San Rafael and Cinchona. Tomas was in the International Development masters program at Eastern and came down with his class to conduct a census of those living in the town post-disaster. One of the major requests was a high school in the area and so after finishing his masters, moved his family down to the land he had inherited from his father. 

We got to visit the town, Cinchona, that used to exist on a slope that was abandoned after the earthquake. Some of the pictures are below but cannot grasp the depth of the destruction as 2.5 years have passed. On the contrary, you can see how much hasn't been done in this community in the past 2.5 years. Its hard to imagine something like this happening in 13 seconds. Everything gone before you can even have time to figure out what is going on. 

The volcanoes in the background are beautiful but you can't appreciate them for all the destruction

Checking out the waterfall from up above

Debris left in its place, 2.5 years later

The doors to the church, waiting for someone to come in

Pictures of San Rafael from the earthquake

The hole looked over by the Barva volcano chain

The hole caused by the massive landslide as a result of the earthquake

The road ends here. You can see a kitchen sink down below.

Most of this house fell over the edge

Couldn't quite catch the literal and figurative depth of the hole

Wanting to do something with the community to help develop it (using all of his higher education) they created the non-profit organization called ADE, Association for Development through Education. It is focused on asset-based development and working with the community, not for the community. They moved down here with no money and found themselves living a life much more similar to their neighbors. This model is focused on relying on the Lord through the efforts of the community to provide basic needs. 


ADE started a high school and employed some other gringos, looking forward to the day when their staff and board can be made up entirely of ticos. Through connections with Eastern, Dr. Unander brought down the AuSable Course to Costa Rica with plans to involve ADE in the missions part of Tropical Ag and Missions. When Dr. Foster, my adviser sent me the info for the class, I started looking into ADE and applied for an internship to use the knowledge that I have learned from the class the rest of the summer. Really how I got involved with ADE and my summer here was completely orchestrated by God, because after a long standing battle of not knowing whether or not I was even going to be able to get here, he made it very clear he wanted me here..in Vara Blanca, with ADE.