Let me catch you up

Cherie, 17

I have barely blogged this whole time, so theres going to be a lot I have to catch you up on.

Day 2 - Yesterday was a pretty amazing day. We went to La Carpio in the morning, and though I felt really sick from not eating anything, I still had a good time and got work done. I think I spent a good hour or two trying to "beat the rock," as Mr. Oliver would say. It took a lot of work and time, but eventually Alyssa and I got this huge rock out of the dirt. Then we took a bus ride to the high school, where we played games and spoke to our penpals. That whole experience was interesting and exciting too! I didn´t eat dinner but I did have some chicken at lunch!

Today - Today´s experience at La Carpio seemed to be more signifgant than yesterday. I felt a lot better eventually, so I felt good enough to do more work. It was really hard mixing the cement and shoveling the rocks over and over again, but it felt good. I don´t think I´ve ever worked that hard in my life! We did an interview before we went, and though it was kind of awkward, it went great! 

Now it´s time for the really exciting news! At dinner, I thought I wasn´t going to eat again, but I decided that that wasn´t a good idea, so I tried the fish, and it was delicious! I also had a good amount of chicken at lunch and they gave us cake in La Carpio, so today was a really good eating day.
I got a lot of good photos from yesterday and today, that I hope to be posting later on when I have enough time. For now, I need some sleep because apparently building a road is tiresome!

P.S Hello to everyone at home! I miss you dearly! I hope you're not all crying from my absence, I will be home soon. (Ms. Wilds, you owe me a box of teddy grahams! :))

Ah.....

Daontay 18

Today I woke up early again, which is nice. I think it's something about being in a beautiful new place each morning that causes my body to wake up with the Sun. We interviewed a member of the PLN at the Legislative Assembly. We had deep questions, but the answers we received were about the history of Costa Rica as opposed to the personal beliefs and thoughts we were hoping for. We also took a brief tour of the building, and heard more about the history of Costa Rica.

The work in La Carpio has ended, though it remains incomplete. I didn't find it life changing or hard. When something needs to be done, you just do it. I was pretty sweaty though I must admit. My shirts have never been so wet. We worked pretty well together. I wish we could have finished though.

We had our first encounter with the rain, which I find to be very soothing. Standing in the entry way of the small market, trying to keep out of the rain, I watched the people as they walked by. That is also something I find soothing. I like to imagine what their thinking, where they're going, or what there about to do. My imagination now has new stories to feed off of.

And the weather is amazing. All of the people who went last year talked about how hot it was but I don't think it's hot at all.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day. I need to rest. Ah, sleep and showering have never felt this good.

At the Legislative Assembly

Facing Realities

Ryan Oliver, Social Studies Teacher

As you will read from the postings below, the last 24 hours was an intense, sometimes tumultuous introduction to the people, culture and food of Costa Rica. Extremes have so far been the norm.  We went from the relative wealth of a suburb of San Jose where we are staying to the abject poverty of La Carpio. We transitioned from dirt, sweat and pigs to polite conversation in an air-conditioned school building. And we went from Spaghetti to rice and beans three meals a day. We are encouraging everyone to be as fully conscious and present in each of these experiences as possible, and the students seem to be taking this to heart. As Courtney says, "I keep saying THIS is my favorite part of the trip, but I think I will probably say that about everything."

After an exceptionally long day students were asked to do some difficult mental work in preparation for our two interviews this morning with leaders of both the ruling and opposition political parties at the Legislative Assembly, Costa Rica's version of Congress. A small group of students was asked to put in extra work based on their experience with the Politics and Civics interviewing process and showed incredible stamina and leadership. They developed some of the best questions I've ever seen on one of these expeditions and modeled the depth that we are hoping for in these conversations with leaders of Costa Rican society. Others are doing their best to jump on board and facing their challenges with courage.

We are impressed by the depth of energy, intelligence and good will this group is showing so far, and look forward to continued great results as we delve deeper into the work, the interviews and the interactions with our friends at Liceo JJ Vargas. At the moment we are fully immersed in the rush of activity and new experiences. Look for more reflections and more pictures once we catch up with ourselves.

Oh, Leo

Samantha, 18

Today we went to La Carpio and our job was to dig out a sewage drain. I used a pick-axe for the first time and it was intense! I took a break for water and there were two young girls playing with their dolls near our break spot. I tried talking to them the best I could, but my Spanish level is dreadful. One of their mother´s told us she had pet pigs and our whole group went running through her house and into her back yard. She kept the pigs in pens and once we were all in the yard she let them out to roam free with the dogs. They were so cool and I remember thinking how bizzare of a situation I was in when I was leaving the yard full or roaming pigs to dig in a sewage pit as a rooster walked by crowing.

We went to visit our Tico pen pals after digging and that was fun. Mat and I were left sitting at our table when everyone´s pen pals came pouring in. Ours had not showed up and we felt stood up and sad, but before we started to shed tears Leo and Pepe (Our penpals) came in all sweaty and said that they were playing a game of soccer. Pepe knew some English and Mat knew some Spanish and then there was Leo and I. We were both obviously the people who slack off in foreign language class because we couldn´t understand eachother at all. I got paper and tried drawing things and that kind of worked. He showed me pictures on his phone of his motorcycle and I pointed out his eyebrow piercing which I thought was cool. We talked about that kind of and then we just went on about our pets. Apparently he has a cow, a dog, a beaver and a tucan. One day his dog bit his beaver, but the beaver is okay. Just typing that sentence made me reevaluate whether or not I really translated what he was saying correctly..

We played this game that was basically Monkey in the Middle only with soccor incorporated and it was really fun. Leo betrayed me by putting me in the middle, but it was all good. We explained that in the USA their game would be called ¨Monkey in the Middle¨ and Pepe laughed and started making monkey noises and acting like a monkey in the middle which made me laugh because I had never thought of the game title so literally.

Before we left everyone was taking pictures with their pen-pals so I got a picture with Leo and I was smiling and he made this really tough scowl. I then began (very patiently and kindly) yelling at him to smile and not be such a macho jerk. I´m not sure if he understood, but needless to say I have a picture of us both fully smiling and looking like two peas in a pod! Nate was taking these pictures and he got one of me yelling at Leo and it makes me laugh every time I see it.

That was basically my day. We stopped at the bank and exchanged our money so now I´m rollin in the colones.

Food Update: I´m doing better than I thought for being such a picky eater. All I need is their salsa/hot sauce and I´m good to go. I have become an official vegetarian as well. Some aren´t feeling as well as I. I know of one person who has been literally living off her secret stash of Teddy Grahms and there is talk of another girl who is planning to make a jail-break tonight for the grocery store down the street that sells junk food. If you were to walk into someone´s room right now and mention food you would think you were at a fat camp; it´s so funny!

Pura Vida!

Visit with Liceo J.J. Vargas School Pen Pals

What an interesting day!

Alyssa, 17

Well, Day 2 is pretty much over now, but I'm definitely not counting the days until we leave. I am so excited to be here, and these 12 days are going to fly by too fast. We started working in La Carpio today, which wasn't too bad. We started to dig out pipes that need to be replaced. Cherie and I conquered this huge rock that was stuck in the ground near one of the pipes. When I finally pulled out the rock after digging and using the pick axe to get it out, we felt so accomplished. In Mr. Oliver's words, we beat the rock. When we returned to our hotel, we had only 30 minutes to shower, get changed, and leave for lunch. While getting ready, Danielle and I suddenly heard a huge CRASH in the bathroom, followed by Shalyce screaming. At first, I thought it was just a bug that they were trying to squish. But then, I heard her, and Siena say that something fell, and I thought they just meant the shower head or the sink faucet. Once they ran out of the room, Danielle and I realized the entire sink literally fell off of the wall, and there was water squirting everywhere. Danielle went to tell the hotel, and I went to tell Ms. Arenth. When I got back, I realized the wall to the bathroom was just soaked and it looked like a waterfall.

We're waiting to see if we will have our hotel room switched, due to our lack of a sink, a slightly essential bathroom amenity! I'm really tired and can't wait to get to sleep. We have our first interview tomorrow, which means we have to go prepare soon, when all I want to do is go to bed!

Can't wait to see what unfolds on our journey next. Hasta luego!

Dirt, Sinks, Boys, and Banks

Shalyce, 17

Hola!

So today is day 2 our of our 12 days here in Costa Rica, and man has it been a long day. So let's start from the beginning with breakfast. Last night a few of us said we were a little upset that we didn't have beans and rice; well today for breakfast, lunch, and dinner we ate our words. For breakfast we had the most delicious rice and beans, then we got coffee, which it was sad to say was a little to weak, but it was also very good. After coffee, and layers upon layers of sunblock we got in the vans and headed to La Carpio. Driving through the city I saw so many things that reminded me of Pittsburgh it was really amazing. As we got closer, we started to see La Carpio; in movies you see shanty towns, but when you see it in person, and then go work in one, you really get a feel for what it's like. Its almost like a slap in the face, but in a good way. So after a while of digging and moving wheelbarrows, we were invited into one of the houses. It was amazing to see that these people have made so much stuff from nothing. The back of the house was even more of a treat. They had at least 3 pigs! They also had a few piglets in the very back. It was a lot of work in La Carpio but I'm really happy that we did it and I learned a lot.

Sinks: well after we got back from La Carpio we only had a half hour to get ready to go out to lunch, so Siena and I ran up to our room to get ready, well in the midst or that the sink broke off the wall, fell, hit the floor, giving Siena a small cut. I got hosed down like in a comedy movie, it was so scary, and I screamed and every one thought I saw a spider, and Larry started laughing. Goodness, it was embarrassing and scary and funny.

Boys: after all this crazy and amazing stuff happened we were lucky enough to go meet the amazing high school students here. It was really hard at first, but soon enough everything got better. We all went out to play soccer or volleyball, and talk. I thought it would be hard and awkward, but it turned out to be more fun than ever. Siena had a fun time also because she finally meet her pen pal who she thought was the bees knees, and they hit it off. It was so funny, and cute.

Banks: After meeting the high school kids we went to the bank to change money. In a line that seemed like it lasted for a mile, I had to go to the bathroom so badly, but I couldn't leave. So Ashlee, Sam, Shai, Cherie, and I were all talking, and Sam says "I'm hungry too, but I'm to scared to do anything." Ashlee's smile wipes off her face and she goes "I'm not". It was scary and funny, and the rest of the line went that way Ashlee got a little aggressive with her words, but nothing bad, just really funny, and I swore I was going to pee myself, but luckily I made to the end of the line and changed my money just in time. So today was a great day. I learned so much, I laughed a lot and met interesting people.

Another day down..

Melina, 17

Today had its ups and downs, but ended up turning out pretty positive. The first day of service work really wasn't bad at all, not nearly as hot/hard as everyone who went in the past made it out to be. Whenever we first arrived at the local high school, I must say I was quite irritated and annoyed and didn't want to talk to anyone. I can't speak Spanish very well at all, at least not nearly enough to have a drawn out conversation with kids who are completely fluent. Towards the end of our time there, things got a lot better and I did end up enjoying myself quite a bit, surprisingly. I don't have much else to say for now, so hopefully tomorrow will be an exciting day yet again.

Day 2: Lifelong Memories

Patrick, 17

Exhausted from the day before, I woke up refreshed from a good night slep. I ate breakfast which was amazing; I hope we have that everyday. It was rice, beans, eggs and toast. Then we made our ways to a little village called La Carpio. It was amazing there. Even though it was a poor town, we made the experience worth living. It was really hard work and we sweat a lot, but I'm excited to return there tomorrow for another new experience. I thought it was really cool how this little girl invited us into her home and we seen her pet pigs. That was amazing.

We returned to the hotel from La Carpio for lunch, for we had a half hour to wash (if we wanted to), change and go to lunch. Lunch was good. This was the first resturaunt in which we visited, so I was pretty excited. I had chicken, rice and beans, and some salad stuff. It was good.

After that we went to the bus stop, and took a public bus to meet the high school students. For me personally, it was akward just sitting there face to face talking to them. My experience didn't go very well because I don't have strong Spanish skills. I had fun when we were playing the game that we played. It was something like monkey in the middle with many people and a soccer ball. My pen pal didn't show up, so that was kind of a bummer, but in the end, everything was ok. I dont know why, but I got really depressed on our way back from meeting the high school students. It's like everyone was talking to them and having a good time but me. We went to this version of Chinatown where all of these shops were and I wanted to buy something, but I couldn't. We waited a long time to exchange our money, but for some reason the money looks really cool. Sam, Cherie, Courtney, Ashlee and Shalyce were laughing obnoxiously loud. Overall, my day was filled with many memories that I won't forget, and I cant wait to see what happens next. Its kind of hard to believe that I am even here, but I am and I'm loving it here. I'm having some trouble embracing everything and taking it in, but that will change for sure!!!!

The Explosion!

Danielle, 18

Today was a very interesting day! After we came back from a hard day's work in La Carpio we only had a half hour to get ready before lunch. My two roomates decided to go take a quick shower. While they were going to get a shower I started getting ready when all of a sudden I heard a loud BOOM! My two roomates come running out of the shower and are screaming the sink broke! I look in the bathroom and all I see is the sink all over the floor and water spraying everywhere. I go and get someone from the hotel to tell them. They came to our room to stop the water and clean up the pieces of sink that were all over the floor. All of this happened within the half of hour that we had to get ready. And by suprise everyone in the room was ready on time.

A day with the locals!!!

LaShai, 17

Well today was a pretty exciting day. In the beginning of the day we went to La Carpio, which is a poor squatter community. We had to dig out and shovel dirt so they could lay cement down. My favorite part was talking to the children in the neighborhood. There were these 3 little girls who had dolls, and all the doll's names were Stephanie. One of the little girls also showed us the pigs she had in her back yard. It was fun until the biggest pig stepped on my foot, but overall I had a lot of fun in La Carpio.
After La Carpio, we went to meet some high school students that were our pen pals. At first it was very weird because no one really wanted to talk to anybody, but after ten minutes we were talking to everyone, even the students who weren't our pen pals. I was really surprised when my pen pal knew English and just wanted to talk in English, and I wanted to talk in Spanish. After talking for a while we played games like soccer, and other games involving balls. Everyone seemed to be having fun. We get to see them again on Thursday when we go to the volcano. I can't wait to get the chance to talk to both the locals and the high school students again.

Colones, Tico's, y American Food!!!

Courtney, 17

Today was so fun!!! We started the day off early and went to La Carpio to help out the community with getting the titles they need. I felt really fortunate that I was capable of being apart of something that I wouldn't have in another country. It also felt amazing to complete volunteer work without recieving anything in return!

After a well needed shower, the group and I headed out to lunch at "La Bien Comer" where Sam and I enjoyed the best beans and rice yet. It is true to those of you who are wondering, in Costa Rica...you eat beans and rice with everything!!! No complaints here though, because I love beans and rice. Shortly after we headed to meet the class we contacted through Skype sometime back, and I finally met Paula. She was so nice and friendly like I expected. We played volleyball and talked about the similarities we share...with the help of Mrs. Thomas of course.

We also went to the bank today and exchanged money, the lines were extremely long! However, some of my group members and I made plans to get American food as soon as we hit the airport! Once I recieved my colones, things felt very official. I could now buy whatever I wanted. Tomorrow we have our first interview, and tonight we're working on preparing. I'm looking forward to question the officals about the conditions in La Carpio, as well as hearing their responses.

The First Day of Something

Larry, 16

I think that today was a good day. Throughout the short time we've been here, it's been fun. We got to go to Liceo Vargas which is a school located here. At first it was pretty awkward just because of the language barrier, but after a while all the nervousness went away and we were all yelling "Papi Chulo". You'd think that we wouldn't have a lot in common, but we all do. Friends were made, Arnold and Siena hit it off, and it was awesome overall.

We got to go to La Carpio, which is a town that needs a lot of work. It was pretty cool to see the work that previous City High students have done, in addition to the work that we'll be doing. It put a lot into perspective, like even though the people there didn't have much, they were just happy in general and it makes you realize that...all of your material possessions don't mean anything, and shouldn't affect your overall happiness.

I'm looking forward to everything that this trip is going to entail, and if this is only the second day, there are sure to be more memories and life changing moments to come.

Papi Chulo.....out.

Day 1

Matyas, 16

Well I made it here to the hotel room!
Even though we traveled hundreds of miles, I don't have that feeling that I traveled as far I did. Today we walked through an apparently affluent neighborhood, and talked to Jose about his teaching institution.

I thought it was great how even though Jose didn't have much, he was still optimistic about it all and looked forward to the future of it.

When we were walking through the neighborhood I noticed that it was pretty poor-looking compared to what we are used to, and would think of as a financially stable neighborhood in the states. Regardless, I really like the feel of it here; it's simpler and happier, and the tropical breeze doesn't hurt either.