Over the weekend we took a day trip to Cotoca, a small town outside the city. It was really pretty and fun to get away a bit. On Friday night I had a dinner with the girls from Europe. Afterwards we went to a movie at Cine Center. The movie theater was really nice and I enjoyed it. I have been working with the first grade class all week. I love working with the students I’m finally getting to understand the kids more. The girls I work with finally seems to enjoy learning a little bit and need less of a push. The boys on the other hand have made no progress whatsever. It´s really good seeing the girls improve and knowing I´m making a difference in her life. Today when I went to the cafe for lunch and internet time, a girl asked me If I spoke English and asked me to join her. She lives here as a volunteer and her mom and mom´s friends are visiting. I ate with them and then went with them to an orphanage. It was great meeting Heather and I really loved visiting the orphanage.
Another week has passed in Rural Thailand. Sports Days, Speech finals, Goodbye to a great volunteer and Rat BBQ!!!!! Yes Rat! But first, the children. In the states, sports is taken very seriously. The uniform. The shoes. School Spirit. Here I have observed. Same uniform in the school’s colors, whatever the sport. Hug the winner, ignore the looser. Shoes are not required. The kids wear socks or shoes to the field, then remove them to run barefoot. OUCH!!! Speech finals went well. Some of the children are off to the next level on Monday. They are so proud and happy of their accomplishment and their school. It is still an uphill battle to teach them, but for these children the world is waiting. “Goodbye” to David. David came for two weeks and had the time of his life. With no experience of teaching, he dove in and had a blast. Each evening as we watched the sun go down over the Mekong, we chatted about our day, always laughing, sharing ideas. This is one of the perks with volunteering, meeting people that you might pass by unless you are in this situation. Becoming good friends.
The rainy season has finally ended and summer in Costa Rica has begun. The Christmas season here coincides with summer break; school is out and many businesses slow down for the holiday festivities. Costa Rica seems to have an abundance of holidays and the Christmas season is no exception. On December 7, San Ramon celebrates El Dia de Maria. Women and girls with the name Mary make sweets to give out to the whole town. December 8 is a Catholic holy day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. La Fiesta de los Negritos is celebrated the entire week of December 8; ancient Indian rituals are combined with honoring the Virgin Mary through costumes and music in the Indian village of Boruca and firework displays nationwide. On December 12, Nicoya hosts La Fiesta de la Yeguita, a festival with music, dancing, fireworks and bull fights. In Costa Ruca, the bulls are not killed in the fights. Sometime during the second week of December, the Christmas season truly commences with La Festival de la Luz in San Jose. People line the streets to watch the colorful floats and bands parade through San Jose’s center. December 15 marks the beginning of the caroling season. Carolers go around from house to house, sharing the joy of Christmas through their music. All of these festivities are of course leading up to Christmas. Catholicism is the predominant religion in Costa Rica, thus Christmas is widely celebrated. Leading up to Christmas day, houses are donned with lights, Christmas trees, and other decorations. One of the most important and popular symbols of Christmas is the the Portal, or Nativity Scene. Families take time and care to make and arrange their portals each Christmas season. The Baby Jesus is not added to the portal until midnight on Nochebuena, Christmas Eve, to represent the birth of Christ. Midnight mass, or Misa de Gallo, is popular in Costa Rica. On Christmas morning presents, which were brought by the Baby Jesus not Santa Clause and his reindeer, are opened. Christmas dinner typically consists of a leg of ham and traditionally tamales. Families gather prepare tamales before Christmas in a way similar to the tradition of making Christmas cookies. San Jose holds two more festivals after Christmas, on December 26 and 27, complete with ox cart parades. The uVolunteer house has joined in with the Christmas spirit of San Ramon and Costa Rica, purchasing a Christmas tree and poinsettia from the weekly farmer’s market. The volunteers are looking forward to taking part in many of these new Costa Rican traditions, and sharing in the Christmas spirit that is present no matter where one is in the world.
When I was planning my visa run to Panama, my original plan was to go to Bocas del Torro on my way back to Costa Rica. I have heard that the islands there are beautiful and that it has turned into a backpacker hot spot for surfing and partying. While in Panama city, after talking with other travelers I decided to visit the San Blas Islands instead, known for their relaxed atmosphere and beautiful beaches. The string of more than 300 islands is inhabited by the Kuna indigenous people. My journey began at 5 am and after a three hour jeep ride through the mountains of Panama we arrived to the Kuna Islands. I was taken to one of the village islands of Carti, Yandup. I was the only visitor on the island that night. One of the Kuna took me on a walk around the island which is packed with the huts of the families. Accommodations are very simple, shower with bucket of water and fish and rice for meals. The Kuna women wear tradition dress and make molas while the children fish and swim off the end of the dock. It is so peacefulhere. The husband of the woman who runs the cabinas and two little boys took me to another island for the afternoon. I relaxed on the beach before going back to Carti for dinner. As I lay in my cabina, I fell asleep to the sound of the water and the quiet chatter of conversation and songs of the Kuna in their native language.
The end of last week I was beginning to fell better. Kattia took me to buy a cell phone and show me a few cafés with wifi. I have been to the café several times. I t was good to get back to teaching this week after being sick all last week. It felt like a long time. When I got to school on Monday the director told me there was not school because a teacher had died. I have been working with the first grade more lately and I like that better because I do more. I also like it because it helps me with my Spanish.
Yesterday, uVolunteer hosted an end of the year party for the San Ramon’s Adult Community English Classes. The students have been enrolled in classes, from pre-beginner to advanced, since March. During these past nine months, the students and volunteer teachers have spent four hours a week in the classroom. Classes were held two days a wek, either Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Most uVolunteers to not come to San Ramon to only teach the night classes, but many find that the time spent teaching is a worthwhile addition to their daily projects. Volunteers end up learning just as much from the students as the students learn from the volunteers. Besides practicing their Spanish, volunteers are interacting with the community and getting a real feel for Costa Rican culture. Students also enjoy learning about the volunteers and their lives abroad. The students have had the chance to meet many volunteers as they have come and gone from San Ramon over the last nine months.
The party began at the school where the night classes are held. Volunteers, staff, and students gathered in the school’s gym for a game of indoor futbol. After over an hour of intense yet friendly play, the game was decided by penalty kicks. The volunteers ended up winning on the last shot! Everyone then walked over to the uVolunteer dorm for a BBQ dinner. Certificates were awarded to each of the students for their completion of the course. Gifts were also presented to Dayton and Danilo, two local University students who have been teaching classes with volunteers since March. The party ended at a local bar with great conservation, in English and Spanish, and some karaoke!
I have been involved in several project in San Ramon through uVolunteer since I arrived in August, but teaching the night classes has been one of the more rewarding experiences. The students are serious and excited about learning English and are eager to help me with my Spanish. Interacting with people of all ages from in and around San Ramon has really made me feel like a part of the community!
uVolunteer would like to congratulate the students who completed this year’s course and thank all of the volunteers who helped teach the classes over the past nine months!
The Christmas season has officially begun in Costa Rica! Although lights, nativity scenes, Christmas tress, and other decorations have been slowly going up in cities and towns around the country for some time now, for Costa Ricans, the season officially commences with the annual Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light) in the capital city of San Jose. The highly anticipated festival took place this year on Saturday, December 12. Families began gathering in the streets of San Jose’s center in the early afternoon to get a spot with a good view of the festivities. The evening began with a dazzling fireworks show and a performance by Latin American Idol’s runner up, Costa Rican Eduardo Aguirre. Eight floats, ten bands, and twenty cheer leading groups paraded with lively music and colorful costumes through San Jose’s Paseo Colon and Avenida Segundo. There was also a special tribute to the National Under-20 men’s soccer team who finished fourth in the World Cup this year. Those in attendance enjoyed welcoming in the Christmas season, which does not officially end until Sunday January 3, with neighbors and friends.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception in celebrated by the Catholic church all over the world each year. Costa Rica, being a predominantly Catholic country, shares in the observation of the feast day on December 8. The city of San Ramon has a unique tradition of recognizing the Virgin Mother.
The day before the feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 7, San Ramon celebrates “El Dia de Maria” (Mary’s Day). On this highly anticipated holiday, any Ramonese with the name Mary distributes candy to the whole city. In preparation for the night, the “Marys” make and wrap up small candies. On the night of ‘El Dia de Maria’ the people of San Ramon, old and young, gather in the center at around six in the evening. The crowd then walks through the streets, collecting the candies being thrown to the people by the Mary’s of each household. As the last of the candy is collected from the streets, the people of San Ramon return home to enjoy their sweets and prepare for the following day’s events.
Last Weekend, uVolunteer’s Project Coordinator Fiorella took a trip to the turtle conservation project in Camaronal, Costa Rica. After a long six hour bus ride from San Ramon, Fio and three volunteer arrived in Carrillo. They were greeted by the project manager who drove them from the bus stop to the project site at Camaronal beach. They were given a tour of the site which includes the main building with accommodations for six volunteers, kitchen, laundry area, small office, two bathrooms, shower and general area for eating and hanging out. In addition, there are three other buildings; the park ranger cabin, another building with accommodations, bathrooms and community area, and a camping area with roof and floor. The accommodations are simple but clean and provide a telephone, lights, power outlets, mattresses and pillows. Volunteers are encouraged to bring sheets or a sleeping bag and a mosquito net. There are two staff members on the project, the project manager and the cook. Volunteers are provided with three meals a day from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays the project manager usually leaves the site to go to one of the near by towns, Carrillo, Hojancha or Samara. Volunteers can go with him if there is room in his car, or walk 45 minuets to the Carrillo bus station. There is access to wireless internet in Carrillo. Fiorella thoroughly enjoyed her time in Camaronal, making it hard to leave when the weekend was over. Check back for a blog about a typical day at the Camaronal turtle conservation site. For pictures of Fio’s visit to the Camaronal project, check out the uVolunteer photo gallery.
Day four of my Panama adventure was an early wake up to a beautiful view from my dorm bunk. Today, I decided go to Soberania National Park just outside Panama City. I took a local bus which dropped me off too soon at a smaller park, so I walked around there until the next bus came which could take me back to the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. There were toucans, acracaris, and several other species of birds. The Toucans were beautiful! I have not seen them yet in Costa Rica. I arrived to the Miraflores Locks visitor center at the Panama Canal a little after nine. There, I walked through the four floor museum and watched a short video on the history of the canal. As if the history of the canal wasn’t enough, I went up to the fourth floor observation area where one can watch the boats go through the three Miraflores locks with commentary about the ships. Around mid day, a yacht went through one side of the locks with an enormous cargo ship while another massive ship was passing through in the other lane. There is a lot of history behind the canal dating back to 1534 involving many countries. It was not until 1999 that Panama assumed control of the waterway from the United States. On the way back to Casco Viejo I stopped at the Mercado de Mariscos. You’ll know your close when you can start to smell the seafood from blocks away. Huge fish, lobster, crabs and more shellfish filled the stalls in the indoor market. One stand had huge tubs of ceviches. I tried one of the shrimp ceviches, so fresh! I returned to the hostel and spoke with my family in Baltimore who were all gathered at my parent’s house to celebrate my uncle’s birthday. Great to talk with them after being away from three months! Baltimore had the Monday night football game tonight, and after not seeing a game all season, I made my way to the heart of Panama City’s modern center to one of the upscale hotel’s bars where I watched Ray Lewis and the Ravens on three different big screens. What a perfect ending to a great day!
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