Dec 21
Who has lived in Costa Rica for more than three months is quite familiar with the infamous “visa run”. It has nothing to do with running a marathon or winning a race – it refers to renewing one’s visa so that you can return to Costa Rica and stay for another 90 days. Costa Rica is conveniently situated between Nicaragua and Panama, and so one can head to one of these countries for a quick weekend trip. So that’s exactly what I had to do a couple of weekends ago…
A friend and I decided to head to Nicaragua (I had been to Panama last time). We chose to go to San Juan del Sur since it is so close to the Nicaraguan border crossing at Peñas Blancas, and only about 5 – 6 hours by bus from San Ramon. At least that’s what we thought… ! When we arrived at the border after just 3 hours on the bus we were surprised by an enormous queue… at least 200 people were lining up to enter Nicaragua. It was hot and we were lining up at around 30 degrees Celsius in the sun. Read the rest of this entry »
Dec 09
During the last weekend a lot happened in mere 2 days; Joanna always wanted to travel to the South-Western coast of Ghana since the beginning of her volunteering. She was very interested to see elephants, monkeys and crocodiles.
So Annette, Joanna, and I decided that it would be a rewarding expedition if we go and travel to Cape Coast together. Friday 18th of November we ventured off early in the morning and left Koforidua at around 4:30 am to catch the first “tro-tro” to Cape coast.
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Dec 05
In Thailand, Trat is considered one of the smaller cities. It is not considered a tourist destination, which most westerner’s would assume meant that it was lacking in culture and significant experiences. But in my eyes, Trat is the very essence of Thai culture. One of the most rewarding experiences on my journey so far has been the local market.
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Nov 28
Marshall Owen ended his English teaching program yesterday. He worked there for 6 weeks and had a great time sharing time with the kids. Marshall worked at La Sabana kindergarten, which is just a couple of blocks from the volunteer dorm. La Sabana kindergarten is embellished with colorful painted murals, which make you remember your own childhood.
English teaching in Costa Rica is fundamental; Costa Rican students start getting English lessons as soon as they enter the public education system. The Costa Rican government understands the relevance of tourism and business for the economy, and for that reason tries to make sure its people are well educated and prepared for the future.
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Nov 18
On November the 8th I visited Karina Hammond at her construction site. This is her third week of volunteering and building a house for a single mom named Adaleidy. Karina works with a wonderful group of people: Jorge, also known as Goku for his long hair, Carlos, Rafael and Eduardo, the foreman. Jorge speaks English very well and practices with Karina. He struggles a bit with her Australian accent but he understands a little bit more every day. Eduardo himself lived in the US for a little while, so he knows a bit of English too.
The construction project is part of the Costa Rica-Canada foundation and the community development association for Piedades Norte in San Ramón. They provide subsidies to low income families so they can build a house in a rural area which also avoids the overpopulation of cities.
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Nov 15
This week is a very special week for uVolunteer. We are celebrating our fifth anniversary. The company started off in Costa Rica in 2006, after the founder of uVolunteer, Nathaniel Amposah-Manu, volunteered himself in Thailand. He thought that volunteering should not cost a fortune, and that is why uVolunteer offers one of the most affordable volunteer vacations currently on the market. Check out our website for more info: http://www.uvolunteer.org/about-us.php
We celebrated on Thursday, November 10th, because volunteer Marshall teaches the community evening classes from Monday to Wednesday, and that way he was able to be part of the celebrations. We started off having some ceviche at the volunteer dorm around 5:30pm. Ceviche is one of the common national dishes in Costa Rica. It is eaten cold, and consists of fish and a lemon based sauce. Karina, a volunteer from Australia, shared her vegemite with everyone. The reaction to its flavor was not as positive as she expected, but at least we had a taste of one of Australia’s favorite foods. Read the rest of this entry »
Oct 17
On Wednesday October 5th we were contacted by Gail Keller, a counselor from Eugene, Oregon. She was visiting Costa Rica for a few days with her brother, husband and niece, and wanted to share the work she does with an orphanage in the US.
On this day, I met Gail early in the afternoon and took a taxi to the orphanage in San Ramón. The home is managed by Doña Roxiris and four tías (aunts) that also live in the orphanage.The home hosts twelve children who are no older than 13 years old. Our volunteers work in the orphanage helping with babysitting, cleaning, tutoring or just giving a hand with whatever is needed. The orphanage is funded by government resources for the protection of childhood and there is also a community group that also fundraises for the home. Volunteers work with the aim of making these kids life as good as it can be while being institutionalized.
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Sep 21
In Costa Rica, English has become one of the main requirements for most job applications because the tourist industry increases every year. uVolunteer started a project in 2007 in which our volunteers teach English to people in San Ramón according to this economic and social context. The population to which the project is addressed are to those who don´t have the time or money to pay for private education.
The English community class is a great opportunity to interact with the locals and explore Costa Rican culture. The project began with 20 students and two classes. The project opened as a conjunction between the uVolunteer volunteers and local volunteers like Danilo and Daython, and has been growing since then. The first volunteer to teach at the Evening class was Joachim Mowinckel whose experience can be read about at http://www.uvolunteer.org/costa-rica/volunteer-stories/joachim-mowinckel.php. More than 50 volunteers have contributed with the program during the last 4 years. uVolunteer would like to say thank you so much for all your help.
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May 06
Last weekend I went on a trip to Monteverde. It was about a 3-hour bus trip from San Ramon. We stayed at a hostel called Monteverde Backpackers. The gentleman who works at that hostel could not have been more accommodating. When we first arrived, we told him that we were going to a restaurant in town. He asked which restaurant and when we told him, he told us how expensive that specific place was. He then told us about a great little buffet-style restaurant close to the hostel. We thanked him for telling us about it, and went to check it out. The food ended up being incredible and we ate like kings (and queens) for about four dollars each.
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Apr 08
Volunteering at the community education project at Bajo Tejares district in San Ramón is very rewarding. The district is the poorest of the region and people struggle everyday to make enough money for a meal for the next day.
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