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.

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???

A few things to get used to....

Currently blogging as I am sitting under a volcano... So awesome!!

Now that I've been in Costa Rica for about 2 weeks I've finally adjusted to a few changes such as....

Cold, cold, cold water!!! There is not ANY hot or even warm water at my Homestay.  They have special soap to clean dishes because there is not hot water to kill germs.... And the cool showers, I'm not sure if ill ever really get used to that!!! My normal 40 minute shower in the US has turned into a 3 minute shower here due to the unmanageable coldness.

Our days of sleeping in during summer break have come and gone... My new "normal" bedtime is 8:30pm and I am up for the day at 5.  Our days are jam packed with Spanish class, sight seeing, teaching, hiking, etc, and then spending time and bonding with our host families. So hitting the sheets at 8:30 really feels like midnight to me!!! 

A few negatives about the trip so far has been how extremely busy we are.  Costa Rica is absolutely amazing so I wish I had a bit more time to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment sometimes instead of being rushed to the next activity.  On the weekends (such as right now) we drive to resorts, sight see and go on excursions and then chill at the hotel & swim at the pool. This is an educational trip so I understand the restrictions we have but it would be nice to go out dancing or explore the town sometime!!! 

Overall, I've had many positive and not so great experiences but as a whole I know I will only benefit from the positives as well as the negatives.  

This trip is definitely preparing me for being a teacher and I have learned on many accounts what I do and don't want to do in my own classroom, how I want to treat my students, and the person I  want to be from now on.  

Xoxoxo

Caroline 

La Carpio

First night in Monteverde

We made it!! After a long and bumpy bus ride on a winding road up the mountains we arrived to Santa Elena, Monteverde.  I had gotten very very sick this particular morning so I sat in the front of the bus hoping not to get sick, and it worked!!  It was dark and pouring rain as we shuffled off the bus in an unkown area. I would definitely say i was a but nervous for the unexplexed: a new family, a new neighborhood, would they like me? etc...

I left with a 13 year old girl who walked me home down a muddy road until we reached a sign that said "villa lodge". I remembered that my family mentioned they lived next to a hotel so I was relieved I didn't have to walk too far with by heavy bags.  As I approached the house I could hear many voices and dogs barking.... I am not a huge fan of dogs so I knew this would be a challenge for me, but I was ready!

The family welcomed me into their home with open arms which was a relief.  I have fears and anxiety about being alone, in a foreign country and in a strangers home but they made me feel right at home the moment I walked in.

This family has a young mother and boyfriend as well as six childre ranging from 8months to 16.  It is a mixed family in a rather small, basic home with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for the family to share, plus one extra bedroom for me. It will be a tough adjustment from my last home stay where I had my own private room and bathroom detached from the house, but I'm excited for this new adventure.

My mama Tica's name is Rebeca and papa Tico is Rene.  They are both avid runners and enjoy listening to music and spending time together.  I learned that Rene has two daughters (who attend the cloud forest school & speak English) and Rebeca has two daughters and a son who attend public school in Santa Elena & do not speak any English.  Together they have a sweet and adorable baby!! I wondered why the dads children go to private school while the Mom's children go to public school? 

I will be spending two weeks with this family so I really hope to form close bonds with them, communicate in Spanish and learn about their family values, Tico culture and fun facts about Monteverde!

Poverty as a Childhood Disease

This past Friday our group went to a small village of 35,000 people on a strip of land between a landfill and sewage treatment center.  This land and town is known as La Carpio where undocumented, impoverished Nicaraguans live.  We spent the day with a lovely woman named Gail who has devoted her life to bettering the lives of women and children in this area.  Gail created a Humanitarian Foundation through her own home which educates and supports the people of La Carpio.

I was very nervous as we drove through the streets of La Carpio, finally reaching our destination of a small school where Gail would give us a presentation describing what it is like for children to live in such conditions.  

"POVERTY AS A CHILDHOOD DISEASE"

She gave us an analogy of being sick and a child in poverty.  You feel stressed, depressed, emotional, and many other symptoms every day.  

Many children go without proper meals, clean clothes, a warm bed, a roof over their heads or fresh water. It was eye opening listening to Gail explain the extreme poverty that these children live in everyday, and it lit a spark in each of us, wanting to help out in any way possible.

The grandmothers of La Carpio met with us and told us their stories of immigrating, and their struggles living in La Carpio.  Although it is a tough place to live, they want to make it better for their children, grandchildren and future generations.  Due to the fact that La Carpio is a town of undocumented people, the government does not acknowledge them in any way or service such as trash removal etc...  So, the streets are full of trash because people will just throw their bags on the side of the road, making La Carpio a very dirty place.  The Grandmothers have created a movement which will hopefully educated the people of La Carpio on how to recycle, dispose of trash and keep their community clean.  Gail made a very good point during her lecture about how we associate poor people with being dirty people.  They do not want to be dirty but they do not have a choice.  They do not have running water to bathe, they do not have proper trash disposal... So many times, being dirty is not a choice... It's what children are born into, what they know, and what continues until someone breaks the cycle.

As educators we can help break the cycle of impoverished children by educating them, keeping them off the streets and ensuring that they have food to eat, clean clothes and know their potential.  Many women, children and teens in La Carpio feel stuck because all they've ever known is living in a tin hut, poor, hungry, tired and depressed.  Many men in La Carpio feel empowered and abuse their property, the women.  The humanitarian foundation is trying very hard to educate women and give them the opportunity to break away, feel strong, independent and worthy of a better life. 

After all of our education on La Carpio it was time to walk around the streets and meet the people in is community.  To my surprise, everyone was friendly, welcoming and interested in listening to what we had to say in regards to improving their community.  I met amazing children, one special needs boy in particular who completely melted my heart.  He lived in a small tin hut with plastic walls.  He emerged from the front of his home and immediately grabbed a girl named Christy.  He embraced our group with a bear hug and had a smile ear to ear.  I will never forget this little boy who must've been 5 years old or so.  He was just so happy to see us and we danced in the alley way with him for a few minutes which was magical.  Due to his disability he couldn't really speak but that didn't matter, his joy filled the air and I knew from that moment that I want to make a difference, use my resources and help children like him who need an advocate in education.  

Costa Rica is a catholic nation so sex education is not discussed or mentioned at all in schools, especially La Carpio.  Young girls are not educated at all on this topic and it is becoming a huge problem in their town for teenage pregnancy.  As we walked the streets we saw at least 15 young girls who were pregnant which sparked an interesting group conversation.  We wondered what healthcare was like for these undocumented people? Do they have proper medicine, healthcare and opportunities for immunizations etc..??? 

Spending the da in this town was completely shocking, eye opening and reflective. It was physically and emotionally draining, and left me extremely grateful and blessed for what I have.  A few of us though about how we spend excess money on clothes, shoes and materialistic things like phones, iPads etc.. And these people don't even have fresh running water, food or shelter for their families.  It's a rude awakening, but very important.  I a so glad I had the opportunity to witness La Carpio and I have a whole new outlook on life due to my experience. 

As a teacher, I will have children who will go to bed hungry, who will not have clean clothes or a roof over their head.  I need to take that into account at all times and help as much as a can. I will teach lessons on hygiene because a student may have never seen soap before.  I will teach lessons on self respect, and give my students opportunities to keep them off the streets.  I need to pay special attention to cues that a child is hungry, abused or without clean clothes.  

 I need to remember at all times that I was very, very fortunate to have a family and all of my belongings and that many people are not as fortunate, so giving back, donating and spending time with children such a those in La Carpio is not only rewarding for myself but imperative to those people as well.

During this trip I have felt so many emotions so far, this day in particular the most.  I know what I am doing with my life, I am educating the future, I am educating children who may not know what tomorrow will bring and I know I will make a difference.