Language Learning: Costa Rica 2011

Hola a todos,

It’s pretty hard to believe that this is our final blog and that today we are flying back to the USA!! After Chirripo, we headed to the Sierpe River and then to the Osa peninsula where we snorkeled and took a hands-on tour of the manglares (mangrove swamp)! On Wednesday evening we made it back to San Jose. Thursday was the big whitewater rafting day! We had a blast! The guides were great, the river was warm, and there were lots of places with deep water where we could jump off of rocks.  It was really cool to see the group work together as a team as we paddled 14 km down the river. We got back to the hotel for a quick siesta then headed into the city to buy some last minute souvenirs and of course stop by the supermarket for those who wanted to buy authentic coffee and other foods. We ended our last day in Costa Rica with a typical meal at a restaurant high in the mountains. The restaurant had a breathtaking view of the sparkling city at night. Lastly, we had our final reunion (group meeting) and headed to bed!

Some memories from the trip remembered at the last reunion:

-Noche de la Alacran!
-Ray Charles
-Crema de Mani!
-Noche de baile….LUCIA
-Facundoooo!
-TDBank
-Musica/jamming out during equipos de limpieza
-Bano afuera con la vista preciosa!
-Cumple de Samuel
-Bananagrams!
-Daviiiid
-Los ninos de Las Mesas
-Darliiiiin!
-AVENTURA/Prince Royce!!!!
-S’mores
-Fiesta de bienvenida/despedida
-Beto’s
-Libro Magico )
-Clase de baile en San Jose
-Rollo de papel
-Hamacas
-Duchando afuera
-Surfing lessons
-Ordinar vacas!
-Trekking to Chirripo….!!
-La Pulperia
-Stacey/Greivin

…y mucho mas!

We want to wrap things up by highlighting what an incredible four weeks we have spent with our group in Costa Rica. We really have become a small family and it will be very different to be in the US without each other. Antonio and I have loved spending these four weeks with each and every one of our students for they are curious, adventurous, helpful, fun, happy, and pura vida. We also want to tell you, and them, just how proud we are of them and their incredible struggles, efforts, and successes over four weeks of intense language immersion and community service.  Thank you all for a phenomenal time in Las Mesas! It wouldn’t have been the same without you!

And just a little reminder from “el libro magico”:

Being a Pilgrim
To journey without being changed
is to be a nomad.
To change without journeying
is to be a chameleon.
To journey, and be transformed
by the journeying is to be a pilgrim.

-Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening

Good luck with everything and stay in touch!

Con amor,
Antonio (Oso perezoso) y Carolina (tome chichi!!!!!)

Blog written by Aleena and Neha

We were all very sad to leave Las Mesas, but we’re excited for the final week of adventure and have been keeping ourselves busy. We arrived in Chirripo on Saturday, and we started off the week with a guided tour of the Jardines Secretos (Secret Gardens), a short walk from our cozy eco-lodge. The flowers and ponds were breathtaking, and the fresh bananas were delicious. After returning for dinner, we visited a museum of carvings and art made totally out of wood, all made by Rafael Elisondo Badilla, who has been creating this art for decades.

On Sunday, we headed out on a trek to see the cataratas (waterfalls). The trek was supposed to be about an hour or so, but we took an accidental detour and started climbing Mt. Chirripo, the highest peak in Central America. It was an adventure, but at least we got some exercise! Once we found our way back to the waterfalls, we were taken aback by the beauty of the view. We then went to a Fabrica de Queso (Cheese Factory). It was a small, family run business of creating cheese, and we got to see the entire process, learn about the farm, and create and try our own cheese! Everything was organic, home-made, and self-sustainable.  Que rico!

Early Monday morning, we left for Osa, a southern Costa Rican peninsula. To get there, we had to take a boat to our hotel, which is located in a beautiful and scenic location close to the beach. They say that this is the only place in the world where whales from the north meet whales from the south. We also saw toucans and monkeys! We walked down to the beach and jumped in the waves, before having una cena tranquila (a tranquil dinner), and settling in to our comfy cabins for the night.

On Tuesday morning, we walked to breakfast, heart broken that we couldn’t go snorkeling in the pouring rain, but the sun came out soon after! We took a boat ride to la Isla de Caño, where we had a picnic on the beach and snorkeled in the clear waters with schools of fish. We returned for dinner and a fiesta de baile (dance party) to celebrate Antonio’s cumpleaños. On Wednesday, we traveled the waters of Osa by boat and saw dolphins, crocodiles, sloths, monkeys, birds, and a forest of “mangler” trees. Manglers are a special species of tree that root themselves in the water creating a type of filtration system. We will arrive in San José late Wednesday night, and on Thursday we’ll have our final hurrah, a group white-water rafting trip. Sadly, we leave early Friday morning, but we’re savoring our final moments together and preparing ourselves to return to the States and our bittersweet goodbyes.

¡Nos vemos muy pronto! (We’ll see each other very soon!)

Aleena and Neha

Muy buenos dias familias!

WOW what an incredible last week in Las Mesas! On Wednesday after a day of independent project work, we gathered around what has been called by the locals “the biggest project that Putney has ever contributed to Las Mesas!” The “inauguration” of the corral was a complete success. Everyone who heard about it was there. The atmosphere was incredible; local kids showed up in traditional rodeo dress, there was granizado (slushie) for all, loud music, families and friends laughing and smiling, and people who passed by on the main street from other towns cheered as they passed and some even stopped to watch!  The director of the school let the schoolchildren out early so they could attend! The corral or “rondal” is a very important and prideful part of the “campesino” (farm/country) culture. Not only is the structure a magnificent sight to all who pass through Las Mesas on the main street, but it has multiple uses for the town: horse shows and trotting competitions, buying, selling, and donating of animals, announcements of big events for the town, and one or two rodeos each year. In addition to entertainment and practical uses, the corral will attract people from other towns to attend various events which will help to bring money to Las Mesas.  From our perspective, it was incredibly powerful event because all who attended were so happy and very, very thankful to Putney and our group.  Locals talked about the event for days afterward! Antonio and I are so proud of our group and all of their hard work, GO TEAM! ).

Thursday was marked by a trip to a family-owned farm. We walked about 2km through beautiful cafetales (coffee plantations). When we arrived at the farm we got the chance to milk a cow, feed pigs, and ride horses! This is another example of just how carinosas (warm) the families of Las Mesas are. This past week the host families have literally opened their homes and shared with us their family, their food, their culture, and their daily life.  We wrapped up our second to last night in Las Mesas by showing off our moves at a dance party at one of the host family’s houses.

Friday was our final day in Las Mesas. Our students spent time with their host families. We had a big fiesta de despedida (goodbye party) during which there was a lot of dancing, picture taking, hugging, and very nice words exchanged between the group and the town. We ended the night at a local  restaurant where there was a TV and we were able to  have a viewing of Aleena’s independent project: a documentary on the people, culture, and history of Las Mesas. It was fantastic!

Saturday morning was a very tough and sad morning for a lot of the kids and families. Each one of us has connected with our families and other people in the town. It really was a beautiful moment just before leaving to see just how strong the friendships each one of our kids had made with the people from Las Mesas. It was so hard to leave. After about 30 minutes of goodbye-ing, we hopped on the bus and set off to our first excursion and our final week in Costa Rica!! This weekend we are in the mountains, hiking, exploring “secret gardens,” and enjoying the tranquility of the selva (rainforest) and the beautiful river that runs right by our hotel. Next stop Osa Peninsula!!  We were sad to leave Las Mesas but are happy to be back together as a group and ready to have a blast this week as we finish up our trip!

Hasta pronto!
Carolina y Antonio

Blog written by Jordan, Taylor, and Gabi

Hola Padres,

Ay Dios Mio! What a week! We continued our work at the escuela painting and laying down tiles. As we sanded down bathroom doors, we made new friends with locals Lalo and Herson. As work began to slow down in the escuela, we began to focus on our proyectos individuales. These projects include: working at the local convenient store, running a mufti-faceted day camp for students, building a table for the health center, a bed for a family, and revamping a clubhouse. We continue to work hard on these projects and hope to complete them by Friday.

Lo siento padres pero nosotros tenemos familias nuevas! (Sorry parents but we have new families!). On Thursday we gathered at the church to finally meet the host families we would be living with for the next week. Our fears were eased when each one of us received a warm and welcoming hug from our families. The first few days were challenging as we adjusted to a new culture, but now we feel comfortably integrated into our families and our “Tico” lifestyle.

To maintain our group mentality as well as bond with our families, we got together to participate in a dance class put on by Carolina and two locals (and great dancers!), Eva and Alonso. Some of us also trekked to the waterfalls on Sunday morning. We have grown attached to the community in Las Mesas and we know we will be sad to leave on Saturday morning.  However, the adventure forges on as this weekend we will travel up to the mountains of Chirripo, then head down to the Rio Sierpe, and then on to the beaches of the Osa Peninsula.

We have been trying so many new things and foods and we cannot wait to share our stories with y’all!

Besos y abrazos,
Joya (Jordan), Irene (Taylor), Gabi (Gabi)

P.S. Expectopatruim! Our brooms and wands are ready for the war against he-who-shall-not-be-named! (aka we saw Harry Potter today as a group! FUN!)

Hello, Hello from the leaders!

We are busy here in Las Mesas; our homestays are well underway and we are finishing up our projects.  Although time is flying by and it will be tough to leave this beautiful green mountain town, we are all excited to finish up this week in Las Mesas with some exciting cultural experiences.  On our agenda this week is a trip to a host family’s farm where we will learn how to milk a cow and explore on horseback, a gathering at the corral (our biggest project) for a mini rodeo, a Thursday night dance party, and a big fiesta de despedida (goodbye party) on Friday!

Hasta pronto,
Carolina y Antonio

Blog wrriten by Lily and Jordan

Buenos dias familias! We took a break from our work in Las Mesas to travel and relax at some of the most beautiful locations in the world (we think!). On Friday morning we drove two hours to a sustainable ecolodge located on Costa Rica´s southern Pacific coast. When we arrived, we were greeted with American-style organic food, beds, and hot water showers! It was a big change from life in the village! We started the afternoon with a canopy tour, gliding through the jungle on eight different ziplines. One group was even lucky enough to spot a sloth! We spent the rest of the day swimming in the pool, relaxing, and chatting- in Spanish of course! We got a good night´s sleep in our cozy beds, woke up to a delicious breakfast and a tour of the butterfly garden, and then headed to our next destination along the beach, Manuel Antonio.

After dropping off our bags at the gorgeous Hotel Mandarina, we got to the beach and took a surfing lesson from some local guides with long, sun-bleached hair. After some trial and failure, some of us were able to catch a small wave!  We took the rest of the day to enjoy the beach, buy items from the beach vendors, swim, and relax in the sand. After another much-appreciated hot shower, we changed into nice clothes and headed to dinner at a restaurant with a mariachi band; we were even able to show off some of the dance moves we had learned in San Jose! The next day, we enjoyed a late wake-up and a leisurely breakfast before we were off to Parque Nacional de Manuel Antonio. We walked almost two kilometers to reach some beautiful and less crowded beaches for swimming, frisbee, gymnastics in the sand, and relaxing. Along the path back to the main street, we saw several monkeys swinging around in the trees above us. We were able to do a little bit more shopping before lunch, and we purchased a hammock to bring back to our home in Las Mesas! At the end of the day, we headed back to our home in Las Mesas and went straight to bed to rest up for a big day of work.

On Monday, a small group of students finished up filling in holes and building a roof for the feeding area of the corral at the church. The rest of the group went to the local school to begin a series of restorations of the school’s nursery and daycare building.  They began with cleaning and soon we will repaint and tiled the outside of the building. We look forward to another great week here in Las Mesas as we finish up projects, start independent projects, and begin our homestays on Thursday!

Muchos abrazos,
Liliana y Joya
(Lily and Jordan)

Hola a la vuelta!

We have to agree with the girls, there is nothing better than hot showers and a beautiful beach. Carolina had a blast surfing with the group and Antonio was loving the canopy fun! Today we put the final touches on the corral and it looks beautiful! It was very hard work and we hope to be able to put some sand in the center for the animals so we can see how it will be used before we leave. We also met with the students to talk about their independent projects that they will begin soon.  Focus areas include building swings for the school, fixing up a cement soccer/basketball court, making a documentary film about the people of Las Mesas, and starting an afterschool camp for children at the school involving sports, music, and theater.  Spanish speaking is in full-swing and we are all excited for home stays and independent projects!

Besos,
Carolina y Antonio

Blog written by Conner, Sarah, and Taylor

Hola padres!

This was our first full week of work in Las Mesas. We split into two groups: one group to repaint the fence and main building of the cemetery, and the other to build a corral for donated animals near the church. It was difficult work, but we have finished in the cemetery and we expect to be finished in the church on Tuesday.

After our first day of work, we celebrated the fourth of July with Tica families. We ate American foods, painted American flags, and taught the locals how to make s’mores (which they LOVED). The people here are incredibly friendly and eager to get to know us. While we were working in the cemetery, we befriended Samuel, Jason, his brother Wilson, and his amigo Wilmer. We became especially close with Samuel, who invited us to his birthday party. We went to his house last night to celebrate. We enjoyed Samuel’s favorite foods, including dulces (sweets), crackers with a sauce made from mayonnaise, tuna, and tomatoes, rice, empanadas, and beans. And a homemade birthday cake! To conclude the evening, we made s’mores with Samuel, as he thouroughly enjoyed them on the 4th of July. He polished off five of them!

Yesterday we played a game that required us to exchange a roll of toilet paper with a Tica family for other interesting and unwanted household items. The team that obtained the most interesting thing won the coveted prize of showering first! Some of the items included orange soda, plantain chips, eggs, a calculator, and a stuffed animal that has become the house mascot. Ultimately fresh milk from a cow contained in an sprite bottle, proved to be victorious receiving five votes from the judges!

As we pack for our mini-vacation to Hacienda Baru, we bond over the hard work we completed this week, as we look forward to the adventures that we will embark on this weekend and into next week. After only one week together, we have concluded that we feel that we have formed our own Tica family by immersing ourselves in the traditional lifestyle of the people from Las Mesas. We are excited to update you on our latest excursions and stories later next week!

Besitos!
Eze (Conner), Sarita (Sarah), and Irene (Taylor)

Note from the leaders:

Hola de nuevo!
Happy (belated) fourth of July from Costa Rica! The group continues to be hard working and curious, we are learning a lot and are very excited for this weekend’s mini-vacation!

Un abrazote,
Carolina & Antonio

Blog written by students Corey and Neha

Hola padres from Las Mesas!

We arrived in San Jose on Wednesday night, everything in order and the excitement bouncing off the ceilings. For two nights we stayed in our hotel which is located near a lot of restaurants and a beautiful park. Everyone was friendly and the hotel was great, along with the food and the amazing courtyard we ate in (see below for picture). We all had a dancing lesson, where we learned the salsa, meringue, bachata, and cumbia (swing-criollo). On Friday morning, Carolina took most of the group to a 7am yoga class right by the hotel! It was a great way to start off the morning. Then we all packed our bags and left for the four-hour journey to our village, Las Mesas.

After our arrival on Friday, we ate a big dinner thanks to our two cooks. The next day, we split into groups and invited the families in Las Mesas to our welcome party at the village’s school (in Spanish, of course!). We then all had a treat- we got to watch Ticos make caldo, a broth made from sugar cane which is only made twice a year!

Our welcome party on Saturday night was a huge success. We had the biggest turnout that Putney has ever seen in Las Mesas. Everyone in the group had a great time dancing with the niños. We had a piñata for the kids and they definitely had a blast.

Sunday morning, we all woke up bright and early to go to Las Aguas Termales (hot springs). It was a long hike to get up there, but it was worth it once we arrived. There was so much natural beauty, and we even got to play a few games with two niñas who were there as well.

Tomorrow is our first day of the town projects, including cleaning and repainting the buildings around the cemetery, and make a corral for animals at the church. We’re all really excited to work with the Ticos and help them as much as we can!

Abrazos,
Corey and Neha

Hello all!

Oh behalf of my co-leader, Anthony, and the rest of the group I want to confirm what the girls said about the excitement and willingness of the group. We are having a blast, learning a ton, speaking lots of Spanish and cant wait to work tomorrow!! More soon!

Un abrazo,
Carolina

We’ve received word from the leaders that the group has arrived in San Jose.

We know that parents love to keep up to date on their kids’ activities during our programs.  While we expect that most of our participants will take the time to be in touch occasionally, we have found that it is helpful to parents for our leaders to post periodic updates on this blog.  Obviously, blog posts will not provide detailed information about your child, but they will let you know about some of the group’s activities, projects, and excursions.

The frequency of blog posts varies from program to program depending on internet access (which can be limited), and each group’s itinerary and busy schedule of activities.  Please rest assured that we can reach leaders at any time and that we will discuss any important issues concerning your child directly them and with you.  As you know, you can reach us by phone at our office during business hours, and on our emergency line 24/7 if necessary.

We suggest that you subscribe to the blog during your first visit so that you will receive e-mail notifications at the end of the day if a new update has been posted that day.  To subscribe, enter your email address under ‘Subscribe to this blog!’ form on the right-hand column of the blog.

Have a fantastic summer!