Saturday, June 15, 2013

Final Reflective Blog

It’s hard to believe that exactly four weeks ago today I was boarding my flight to Costa Rica!  Time flew by so fast and I definitely experienced different sights and emotions I never thought were possible.  Rewinding back to the fall of 2012 I remember walking into the College of Education hustling to get to class.  As I walked through the atrium there were posters and tri-folds set up all around promoting education abroad.  I thought to myself that I would LOVE to stop by and read through everything but I would be late to class!  My 1 hour and 15 minute class seemed like forever when all I could think about were the opportunities to study abroad in Education.  I had always wanted to study abroad but I was told it really wasn’t an option being an education major, so when I finally had the chance to read through the posters, pamphlets and stories I knew I had to experience education in a new Country. 
I recall walking back and forth through the isles of posters and I always found my way back to the Costa Rica Immersion program.  After listening to Dr. Powell rave about the program and all it has to offer I was hooked.  I grabbed a pamphlet for my friend Kristen and headed to a secluded space in the lounge to call my mom.  On a normal basis, I call my mom three to four times a day so I was hoping she would pick up so I could tell her all about this trip and how badly I wanted to go on it.  We had a “family conversation” that night crunching numbers, listing pros and cons and reviewing all that the trip entails and what it has to offer for my future in education. 
I picked a winner!  I was thrilled when my friend Kristen and I sent in our applications and fees for this trip.  We gossiped for hours about everything we would learn and accomplish on this trip.  I couldn’t wait to meet the Tico’s of Costa Rica and all of the wonderful children as well as my host families.  I really liked how this trip was balanced with education, learning and service experiences as well as interesting weeked excursions.  Knowing that I would be staying with a host family was a concern of mine.  I get a bit nervous with the unknown and this was a HUGE unknown.  I knew I could handle whatever would be thrown my way so I was confident in myself in most aspects of the trip.
I definitely learned a lot about myself being in a foreign country for three weeks.  I learned that I do not have to be so dependent on my friends and family and that I am content with myself, my life and my attitude towards different things.  Staying with a modest family put many things into perspective for me.  I learned that I can survive without my hairdryer, straightener and designer jeans.   I can live in a small room with bugs and not have a panic attack.  “I can do anything I set my mind to” was my little motto during the trip.  I learned that being materialistic is not a necessity in life and that I was completely content sharing and conversing with my host families instead of watching TV, texting or playing on my iPad.  Internet, internet, internet…… that was a HUGE adjustment.  In our society we are so accustomed to wifi everywhere that when I learned my families did not have wifi I was a little uneasy.  I questioned, “how would I email or talk to my parents?” “how would I get work done”.  Simple, you make it work.  As a teacher, flexibility is key so I really learned the value of being flexible and going with the flow on this trip.   
The hardest adjustment on this trip personally was communication.   It was extremely frustrating not being able to communicate and converse with my families, teachers and people in the community.  For example,  I could not for the life of me figure out how to work my electric shower, and I did not know how to communicate that to my family other than looking like a complete fool acting out with hand motions.  Going through something as silly as that really puts things into perspective.  I took communication for granted before.   I’ve had children in a field experience who could’ve been struggling just like I was to communicate, but I didn’t truly understand until I went through it myself.  I know have EMPATHY for my English Language Learners.  I can share my own struggles and find ways that I overcame them to help future students.  I think that was one of the most significant experiences and connections I made over the course of the trip.
I believe that knowing what I know now, I will be able to teach my future students so much more due to my experiences in various schools in Costa Rica as well as the humbling experience I have gone through. 
Learning a second language is not easy.  It very tough and I applaud all of the children who are bilingual in Costa Rica and around the world.  I wish I could say that I was fluent in Spanish but I’m not quite there yet, someday!  I embarked on this journey will moderate/average Spanish speaking skills.  I could converse for a minute or two and I can understand more than I can speak.  Going through homestays, spanish class and cultural experiences I was able to embrace the language and develop a higher level of speaking skills during my time in Costa Rica.  Prior to this experience I thought that learning a language meant memorizing and reviewing verbs, phrases and facts when in reality conversing and using the language outside of the classroom taught me so much more than sitting at home looking over notes.  That was very significant to me because I will now be able to translate the way I learned into my future classroom for my students.  I wonder how many times teachers tell students, “go home and memorize these vocabulary words” when the teachers could be taking the students outside to actually use the words in their true context using inquiry based learning.
There were many “ah-ha” moments during my time in Costa Rica.  I didn’t realize how hard some of the situations I was put in would be so this trip really challenged me to be a strong, independent person.  One major “ah-ha” moment was not such a great “ah-ha” it was actually walking through the street of La Carpio which Is a filthy, impoverished strip of land where many undocumented Nicaraguans live.  This experience was emotionally and physically draining, but taught me more than I could ever imagine about children, families and living in extreme poverty.  Walking around La Carpio made me completely re-assess my own life, way of living and goals.  Actually seeing poverty right in front of you is a tough experience when I know that I can go home to a warm, clean bed and running water.  Realizing that many if not all of the people living in La Carpio do not have any of those things is saddening.  It makes me want to jump in and help in any way possible.  Prior to this trip I thought I knew what poverty was but I really didn’t.  Yes, I’ve seen homeless in New York City and poor families in Camden but I’ve never seen this many people living in conditions such as those in La Carpio.  My perception of poverty definitely changed after hearing about the women, children and families and what they go through on a daily basis.  Hearing, “Poverty as a Childhood Disease” clicked for me.  It reinforced in my mind that children in poverty are hungry, sick, achy etc… and as a teacher I need to take all of those accounts into consideration in my classroom.  If a child puts his or her head down in class a first instinct for some teachers is to call the student out and discipline them for sleeping in class when in some cases, that child may have been up all night without clean clothes, food or water and did not have a bed to sleep in or had to take care of younger children in the house.  In my future classroom I will remember never to “jump the gun” and assume a child is doing something wrong when in fact they could be struggling in ways we can’t even imagine.
One prompted question asked if I had the choice between two classrooms, one middle socio-economic class with few ELL students or one lower socio-economic class with predominately ELL’s I would say that I would choose the lower class students.  Prior to this trip I’m not sure which I would choose, but after working with students in Calle Hernandez and Santa Elena Primary and I know that I can make a positive impact and difference in the lives of children who come from struggling families.  One of the greatest influences I've had so far are the children.  The students  I met on this trip will stay with me for the rest of my life and I want to reach out to many more students like them one day.  It fills my heart knowing that I can be the change that the students need to succeed and hopefully down the road my students will have brighter, more successful futures because of the opportunities I will bring to my classroom and the empathy I have for my students. 
Overall this trip was an extremely humbling and educational experience that I will take with me throughout my entire life.  I have learned about language, education, poverty, sustainability and much more in only three short weeks which has greatly impacted the way I will live my life from now on.  To anyone who is considering going on this study abroad trip I would highly encourage you to do so.  I have learned things that I would NEVER have learned sitting in a classroom in North Carolina.  My experiences in Costa Rica have shaped me into a better person and future teacher for my students.  If you are looking for an experience such as that, I would definitely recommend the total immersion trip in Costa Rica.  

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Sustainability and Cloud Forest School pictures




Back to the USA

Back to the USA but first.......

This has been such a wonderful experience in Costa Rica and I am so thankful I have been able to live with two very different host families, spend time at CPI as well as three great elementary schools plus excursions and volunteer work.  I would definitely say that this trip would rank as one of the top three best things I've ever done in my life.  I have improved my outlook on life, education and so much more within 3 short weeks and this has sparked an interest in mine to travel around the world learning about education and working with wonderful children of all ages. I'm eager to be back in the United States and relax this summer before a full semester of classes and an internship where I can apply everything I've learned on this trip!!

Xox
Caroline


Thursday, June 6, 2013

Sustainability & ZIP LINING!!!

Today we went to the Life Monteverde farm which is a "green" farm that promotes sustainability.  They conserve energy, use natural compost, collect rainwater and so much more!! We took a tour of the farm and then got our hands dirty manually plowing a few rows of dirt to plant beans and corn.  It was A LOT of work, but rewarding in the end knowing that we are aiding  with sustainability in Costa Rica.   Our guide taught us all about reusing, recycling and reducing our imprints on the earth.  It is so important for communities to get involved and help take steps towards improving our environment, the air we breathe, the food we eat and our ecosystems.  As a teacher I can encourage my students to make a difference such as planting trees as a class which gives each child a sense of accomplishment and pride knowing that they are one by one improving our world. 

Yesterday we went to the Cloud Forest School which is a private school in Monteverde.  It is a small school that promotes English Language learning for all of their students in every grade and every subject excluding Spanish and Social Studies class.  Almost all of their teachers are from America and all of the students are basically fluent in English and Spanish.  I think the school is offering wonderful opportunities for these students in education, language and sustainability.  The school is practically 100% green, and each student plants a tree in one of their nature preserves. We were able to tour a few of their greenhouses with herbs, vegetables, trees and flowers.  They plant in decomposable milk or juice cartons which once planted, disintegrate into the soil.  The students take great pride knowing that they are taking positive steps towards a clean, green environment.  

Both of these experiences have aided in my knowledge of what it truly means to be "green" and has caused me to think deeper and look closer at the decisions I make and what surrounds me.  For example, we learned that's tree is not just a tree.  It has 12 uses in our ecosystem such as a home, food, play, materials such as paper etc... 

I want my students to be able to think the same way when they discover new things while learning... opening the book instead of just reading the cover or picking a flower to examine the parts and uses instead of just looking at the beauty.  I want to aid my students in figuring out on a higher level how people, plants, and insects contribute to our environment/ecosystem instead of killing a bug because its "bad" or spraying insecticides or herbicides to kill things. 

Personally I would like to start small and begin growing my own vegetables in a natural way in my own yard.  We've had problems in the past with deer and rabbits eating everything so I would like to research new ways to protect my garden without harming the surrounding environment.  

Our group went on an AWESOME adventure to a canopy tour and flew down 9 zip lines! It was such a great experience having fun, viewing the luscious rain and cloud forests as well as a spectacular view of arenal volcano!! Some would say I'm a bit of a dare devil... I am terrified of spiders and bugs but have absolutely no problem at all jumping off a platform held by a wire and zipping through the air.  It was such a rush and was the perfect ending to our trip.

 


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Santa Elena Primary




Reflection on learning

So far this has been a very educational trip and I feel so blessed that I have been able to share this opportunity with my friends and family.  As the trip comes to an end (3 days) I think about all of the experiences I've had, and it makes me feel confident that I will be able to have empathy for my future ELL students and communicate with parents and students better.  If I have a student who does not know English well and is struggling learning in my class, I will be able to share my experiences and teach him/her to make learning in a new language easier.  

I have had so many different struggles learning a new language and communicating with local people as well as my host family.  It is incredibly frustrating when I cannot comprehend what someone is explaining or they cannot understand my Spanglish, but we find other ways to communicate and make it work.  I have found that inquiry based learning is great for me and when I can do hands-on things and explore I learn a lot more than memorizing facts and information.  

There are so many different ways children learn and I hope that these experiences in Costa Rica will help me facilitate new ways to learn for ELL students in my classroom.

Monday, June 3, 2013

I made it through the wilderness, somehow I made it throughhhhhh.....

After a WONDERFUL weekend at arenal springs, hiking, swimming in the hot water and relaxing in the sun it was time to get back on our tour bus and head back to Monteverde which is a 3.5 hour drive.  Our guide Javier put on bridesmaids & silver linings playbook to waste away time but as our bus started to make its way up the side of the mountain, many of us began to feel a bit car sick so we shut the curtains and as we all began to fall asleep my friend Carolyn and I shot up due to the sensation of our bus rolling backwards.  We felt a jolt because our driver attempted to drive around a muddy area but ended up getting stuck in a bit of mud from all the rain we had. We didn't really know the severity of the problem, or if it was even a problem yet until our guide made an announcement.  To ensure our safety we collectively exited the tour bus from the rooftop emergency exit and hopped from the bud to a pasture that was conveniently next to the bus.  It was a bit scary but we worked together and showed great teamwork through the whole incident.

We followed our guide and had to trek through the mountain until we found a way to get back onto the road. It started to pour rain as we waited for our school to send transportation but luckily we had our rain gear with us.  We waited about 40 minutes and finally a small bus/van picked us up and we got home safe to our host families!!

What a trip!! I know that in a few weeks ill look back and this will be one of the craziest memories I'll have, who else will be able to say they hopped out of a bus stuck in mud in the Mountains of Monteverde???