The volunteers and I were much smarter today when it came to picking out activities for the kids. We found a 300 piece Tinkerbell puzzle which was filled with lots of colors and designs. When we arrived, I started out by playing karate with Juan Carlos, a boy I see most days who is probably about eight. He would karate chop me and I would slowly fall to my knees. "Yo gano!" He would shout, and a victory dance would follow. He then would pull me to my feet and we would play all over again.
Eventually, we broughtg out the puzzle and everyone was in awe. A puzzle with small pieces and blasts of color, how amazing. Some smaller kids would pick up a bunch of pieces and give them to us, pretending like they were food. "Yum yum," we would say. There was this one little girl, maybe six or seven, who got very into the puzzle. She would get very upset when the kids would play with the pieces because she was extremely determined to finish. We worked hard on the puzzle, and didn't allow any distractions. Some of the smaller girls lost interest. But this girl and I were going to finish. I used my limited spanish to talk to her about the puzzle. "Uno pieza," I would point to an empty spot, "donde?" "No say!" She would reply. After two hours, we completed the puzzle, only to discover it had nine pieces missing. but we didn't care. It was a tough puzzle and we finished it.
When we finally stepped out of our puzzle world, we looked up only to discover that everyone had gone outside. We were too engaged to care so we headed out too. I helped some younger girls walk across some tires that were sticking out of the ground. Every time they finished, they would go back to the beginning. I was helping Mazy, the cutest little girl I've ever seen. One girl fell off the tires and came to me for support. I picked her up and held her for a while, telling her it was okay. I was also lucky enough to be the victim of keep away with my bracelets and my glasses. All the kids had a great time running away from me, giggling and passing my things back and forth. I played along until I got annoyed. "No mas!" They gave me my things back and we started to play tag.
After a little while, it was time for us to leave. We said good bye to everyone and headed onto the bus. I headed for the Aristan Market, while the rest of my roommates headed home. I met Kenny and helped him work again, and I chatted with other vendors at the market. One boy, Bryan, is going to take English lessons at Maximo so he can travel to America. I'm very excited to see how that goes.
It turned into a very relaxing night with the roommates. We had a nice dinner, chatted, and then stayed in and had a calm evening. Tranquila, indeed.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Uno, Dos, Tres
After spanish class this morning, I headed to Rayito de Luz with the other volunteers. It was their first real day and I was excited to see them really experience it for the first time. We headed over, the two bus rides totaling an hour were filled with small talk.
We arrived and I was immediately greeted by running, smiling children hugging me, grabbing my hands and pulling me to their respective places. This was a common greeting at Rayito. One of the volunteers was really good with the kids and figured out how to play active games with them, such as Simon Says, without knowing much spanish. This was very helpful in getting some energy out.
We read lots of books to the kids and one of my favorite kids, Angie, wanted to read with me. It was a simple Sesame Street book about different book subjects. She wanted me to read it in english and then she would describe the pictures to me in spanish and have me repeat it. "Uno, dos, tres..." She taught me numbers, colors, and animals.
Angie is very sweet and very smart. In general, she is liked by all the other kids, but she tends to get very sassy. She got very attached to me and we did lots of stuff together. Most of the kids at Rayito get very little schooling and barely have anything. They wear the same clothes each day and react to situations with violence, which tends to reflect their home life. They also get excited about the smallest things. I would love to give a few children, such as Angie, the opportunity to go to a college or travel. These kids deserve so much more than they have.
After work, I took the other volunteers to the Artisan Market so they could see how to get there. They stayed briefly and quickly scanned the booths so could come back later. I stayed for a while and helped my Costa Rican friend, Kenny, sell some things at his booth. Kenny sells bottles, jewelry, keychains, lots of different things and he makes it all out of a material that reminds me of clay. With clay you need to cook it to harden. However, with this stuff, it hardens by itself after a few hours. A couple days before, he had shown me the material he uses to make everything and he let me make a turtle! Today it was ready. It's so fun seeing how the vendors make a living here, what people do to support their families.
I can't believe I only have a week left.
We arrived and I was immediately greeted by running, smiling children hugging me, grabbing my hands and pulling me to their respective places. This was a common greeting at Rayito. One of the volunteers was really good with the kids and figured out how to play active games with them, such as Simon Says, without knowing much spanish. This was very helpful in getting some energy out.
We read lots of books to the kids and one of my favorite kids, Angie, wanted to read with me. It was a simple Sesame Street book about different book subjects. She wanted me to read it in english and then she would describe the pictures to me in spanish and have me repeat it. "Uno, dos, tres..." She taught me numbers, colors, and animals.
Angie is very sweet and very smart. In general, she is liked by all the other kids, but she tends to get very sassy. She got very attached to me and we did lots of stuff together. Most of the kids at Rayito get very little schooling and barely have anything. They wear the same clothes each day and react to situations with violence, which tends to reflect their home life. They also get excited about the smallest things. I would love to give a few children, such as Angie, the opportunity to go to a college or travel. These kids deserve so much more than they have.
After work, I took the other volunteers to the Artisan Market so they could see how to get there. They stayed briefly and quickly scanned the booths so could come back later. I stayed for a while and helped my Costa Rican friend, Kenny, sell some things at his booth. Kenny sells bottles, jewelry, keychains, lots of different things and he makes it all out of a material that reminds me of clay. With clay you need to cook it to harden. However, with this stuff, it hardens by itself after a few hours. A couple days before, he had shown me the material he uses to make everything and he let me make a turtle! Today it was ready. It's so fun seeing how the vendors make a living here, what people do to support their families.
I can't believe I only have a week left.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Salsa, please.
New volunteers arrived at Rayito de Luz today. It was nice to see some new faces but I was definitely missing Arielle, who by now is back in Texas. The kids at Rayito were a little crazy today. There were kids fighting, pulling each others hair, kicking each other, it was probably not the best first impression for the new volunteers. We read books, colored pictures, played karate, in general a good day.
We headed back to Maximo and me and another volunteer who had been there for a while explained what goes on each day at Rayito. I met one of my roommates at Maximo and we headed home. All the roommates wanted to have a quick dinner before salsa class at 6. We inhaled our food and got dressed. We knew we would be headed to a bar after with some friends so we changed out of our work clothes and threw on some nicer clothes.
Arriving to salsa class a bit late made things a little difficult. The steps were definitely harder this week and the random spins were hard to anticipate. We did our best but tended to stumble a bit more than we meant to. After the break, we had to grab a partner. My friend Richard and I decided to try it. Richard was very into practicing and getting every move just right. After a lot of trial and error, we srtarted to get the moves down. We felt so proud since neither of us has much experience with dancing. It was nice to dance with someone who was at the same level as me.
After class, we headed down to the main bar street. After some searching, we found a pretty cheap bar. Some friends from class joined us and we all had a nice time laughing and talking. Our group of seven has become very comfortable with one another in the past week. After people finished up at the cheap, boring bar, we headed next door to the louder, lit up bar. I wanted to go there because they had food, and after salsa, boy was I hungry! After a lot of singing and laughing, we grabbed a cab and headed home. Even though it felt extremely late, we only got in at about 11:00! It was a jam packed day and I loved every minute, even the kids pulling each other's hair.
We headed back to Maximo and me and another volunteer who had been there for a while explained what goes on each day at Rayito. I met one of my roommates at Maximo and we headed home. All the roommates wanted to have a quick dinner before salsa class at 6. We inhaled our food and got dressed. We knew we would be headed to a bar after with some friends so we changed out of our work clothes and threw on some nicer clothes.
Arriving to salsa class a bit late made things a little difficult. The steps were definitely harder this week and the random spins were hard to anticipate. We did our best but tended to stumble a bit more than we meant to. After the break, we had to grab a partner. My friend Richard and I decided to try it. Richard was very into practicing and getting every move just right. After a lot of trial and error, we srtarted to get the moves down. We felt so proud since neither of us has much experience with dancing. It was nice to dance with someone who was at the same level as me.
After class, we headed down to the main bar street. After some searching, we found a pretty cheap bar. Some friends from class joined us and we all had a nice time laughing and talking. Our group of seven has become very comfortable with one another in the past week. After people finished up at the cheap, boring bar, we headed next door to the louder, lit up bar. I wanted to go there because they had food, and after salsa, boy was I hungry! After a lot of singing and laughing, we grabbed a cab and headed home. Even though it felt extremely late, we only got in at about 11:00! It was a jam packed day and I loved every minute, even the kids pulling each other's hair.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
No, I don't need an umbrella, thank you.
Today was probably the laziest day I've had so far. All the girls slept in late and had a nice breakfast/lunch. We then headed down to the Maximo Nivel main office building. Our new roommate had arrived last night so we wanted to show her how to take the bus and get to Maximo. We dropped her off at her orientation and headed out. My roommate, Kendria, needed find a supermarket to buy some stuff for her project site, which helps kids whose moms are recovering from alchohol addiction.
Once we headed out, we decided to stop at a Papa John's because Kendria was craving pizza. As we were eating our cheese pizza, it started to pour outside. We wanted to wait it out so we stuck around and chatted. We thought the rain was slowing down, so we headed out. As we stepped outside, a thunderstorm began, the worst I had seen since I had been there.
One of my roommates, Paige, came prepared with a rain poncho, but Kendria and I were completely unprepared. Costa Rican people are always prepared for storms so everyone carries an umbrella. However, being a stubborn American, I never carry one. Kendria and I popped off our flip flops and ran barefoot through the streets. The sides of the streets were flooded, creating huge puddles everywhere. I did my best to avoid them, especially after seeing a dead rat in one. We couldn't find the grocery store so we headed back to Maximo.
When we walked through the doors, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us. "...What happened? Where is your umbrella?!" Kendria and I took off our cardigans and hung them over the side of chairs, knowing plenty well they wouldn't dry. We stayed at Maximo for while, talking about different topics and then decided to go back home. The weather was bad, it was chilly, and we were tired so we really didn't want to do much.
When we got back, we all lazed around until our new roommate arrived. Illona is from Canada and it was super fun to chat with her and talk about her previous travel experiences. We all had to wake up early in the morning so we went to bed early.
Definitely a nice, relaxing, rainy day in Costa Rica.
Once we headed out, we decided to stop at a Papa John's because Kendria was craving pizza. As we were eating our cheese pizza, it started to pour outside. We wanted to wait it out so we stuck around and chatted. We thought the rain was slowing down, so we headed out. As we stepped outside, a thunderstorm began, the worst I had seen since I had been there.
One of my roommates, Paige, came prepared with a rain poncho, but Kendria and I were completely unprepared. Costa Rican people are always prepared for storms so everyone carries an umbrella. However, being a stubborn American, I never carry one. Kendria and I popped off our flip flops and ran barefoot through the streets. The sides of the streets were flooded, creating huge puddles everywhere. I did my best to avoid them, especially after seeing a dead rat in one. We couldn't find the grocery store so we headed back to Maximo.
When we walked through the doors, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us. "...What happened? Where is your umbrella?!" Kendria and I took off our cardigans and hung them over the side of chairs, knowing plenty well they wouldn't dry. We stayed at Maximo for while, talking about different topics and then decided to go back home. The weather was bad, it was chilly, and we were tired so we really didn't want to do much.
When we got back, we all lazed around until our new roommate arrived. Illona is from Canada and it was super fun to chat with her and talk about her previous travel experiences. We all had to wake up early in the morning so we went to bed early.
Definitely a nice, relaxing, rainy day in Costa Rica.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Un baño, por favor?
Today was our girl's day. Arielle, Paige, and I all went out on the town together. We walked downtown and looked in all the shops. I got a super nice dress, and Arielle ended up getting the same one. I loved walking down the streets, seeing the culture, hearing the music, it was great. After a while, we decided to head to the Artisan Market.
I was so excited to be back! Some of the guys remembered me and I hung out with people. I had one man tell me all about his life, about how he fights for everything he has, how his wife left him, and what's important to him. I was also able to see guys from yesterday. "Claire! You're back! Hola!" I especially became good friends with this boy Kenny. He's nineteen and he makes all this stuff out of a sort of clay. He's really talented and we chat a lot when I'm at the market. Today, he let me come to the "VIP box" behind the counter. He let me make stuff and sell to customers. It was a lot of fun! I love walking through the market and hearing people say, "Hola, Claire! How's it going?" "Hey, Claire! High five." "I'm so happy you're back!" This is one place I will be so sad to leave.
To me, the Artisan Market has a magical spark. There is something about that place that makes me feel so comfortable. There's so much life and every color you can imagine. There is so much creative energy being thrown around, it's almost overwhelming. Everyone is so open and friendly, they want to hear about you and they want to tell you about them. They remember specific people and love their work. I want to go every day but I don't want to seem like I have no life. As crazy as it sounds, it's probably my favorite place in Costa Rica. I've never experienced such an intense connection with a place before.
After the market, we all headed to food. After searching high and low for a Thai restaurant, we had Japanese instead. The food was good and the conversation was great. After lunch, we headed back to Maximo to get a few things. As we were leaving, we found my other roommates, Kendria and Shawanda! It was so great to see them because they had gone on a coffee plantation tour that day. We all decided to go get Sweet Sensations cupcakes and Arielle and I were maybe going to get a mani/pedi.
However, on our way over, as we were walking, I saw some policemen. Right as I said hello, I felt something. Please, God, let that have been a raindrop. But I knew. I knew what had just happened. I looked at my shoulder, and saw the poop that the bird had so graciously left for me. I didn't want to say anything but I knew it was on my sweater, scarf, and worst of all, on my head. Right when we got to the mani/pedi place, "un baño?" The woman showed me to the bathroom and I tried my best to clean up. When I came back out, everyone was trying to figure out what to do since the shops appointments were filled. "Um... guys? I have to tell you something. A bird shit on my head. I would love to shower." "WAIT WHAT?! WHEN?!" I told them what happened and we headed right back to my house.
I showered and felt so much better. We decided to go to Chicago, which is the bar my host family owns. It was a lot of fun. By this point, we had also met our new roommate who is taking Shawanda's place, since she is leaving tonight. The five of us had a great time at the bar talking and singing. In that moment, I realized how much I loved these girls and just how connected I felt to them. I'm going to be so sad next week when half of them are gone. My host parents also showed up to the bar and chatted with us. My host dad even played a prank on us and spooked us. I loved the culture and the love that I felt in Chicago.
We caught a taxi and headed home so Shawanda could catch her taxi. Ivannia was so cute when we got home. "Home so soon! More beer is better!!!" We all said our goodbyes to Shawanda and have been chilling ever since. I will miss her a lot but I do love our new roommate, who is from Toronto! I'm excited to meet new people and see what the next week will bring!
I was so excited to be back! Some of the guys remembered me and I hung out with people. I had one man tell me all about his life, about how he fights for everything he has, how his wife left him, and what's important to him. I was also able to see guys from yesterday. "Claire! You're back! Hola!" I especially became good friends with this boy Kenny. He's nineteen and he makes all this stuff out of a sort of clay. He's really talented and we chat a lot when I'm at the market. Today, he let me come to the "VIP box" behind the counter. He let me make stuff and sell to customers. It was a lot of fun! I love walking through the market and hearing people say, "Hola, Claire! How's it going?" "Hey, Claire! High five." "I'm so happy you're back!" This is one place I will be so sad to leave.
To me, the Artisan Market has a magical spark. There is something about that place that makes me feel so comfortable. There's so much life and every color you can imagine. There is so much creative energy being thrown around, it's almost overwhelming. Everyone is so open and friendly, they want to hear about you and they want to tell you about them. They remember specific people and love their work. I want to go every day but I don't want to seem like I have no life. As crazy as it sounds, it's probably my favorite place in Costa Rica. I've never experienced such an intense connection with a place before.
After the market, we all headed to food. After searching high and low for a Thai restaurant, we had Japanese instead. The food was good and the conversation was great. After lunch, we headed back to Maximo to get a few things. As we were leaving, we found my other roommates, Kendria and Shawanda! It was so great to see them because they had gone on a coffee plantation tour that day. We all decided to go get Sweet Sensations cupcakes and Arielle and I were maybe going to get a mani/pedi.
However, on our way over, as we were walking, I saw some policemen. Right as I said hello, I felt something. Please, God, let that have been a raindrop. But I knew. I knew what had just happened. I looked at my shoulder, and saw the poop that the bird had so graciously left for me. I didn't want to say anything but I knew it was on my sweater, scarf, and worst of all, on my head. Right when we got to the mani/pedi place, "un baño?" The woman showed me to the bathroom and I tried my best to clean up. When I came back out, everyone was trying to figure out what to do since the shops appointments were filled. "Um... guys? I have to tell you something. A bird shit on my head. I would love to shower." "WAIT WHAT?! WHEN?!" I told them what happened and we headed right back to my house.
I showered and felt so much better. We decided to go to Chicago, which is the bar my host family owns. It was a lot of fun. By this point, we had also met our new roommate who is taking Shawanda's place, since she is leaving tonight. The five of us had a great time at the bar talking and singing. In that moment, I realized how much I loved these girls and just how connected I felt to them. I'm going to be so sad next week when half of them are gone. My host parents also showed up to the bar and chatted with us. My host dad even played a prank on us and spooked us. I loved the culture and the love that I felt in Chicago.
We caught a taxi and headed home so Shawanda could catch her taxi. Ivannia was so cute when we got home. "Home so soon! More beer is better!!!" We all said our goodbyes to Shawanda and have been chilling ever since. I will miss her a lot but I do love our new roommate, who is from Toronto! I'm excited to meet new people and see what the next week will bring!
Friday, July 26, 2013
Where am I?
The spanish teachers decided to use today as their holiday so I got to sleep in this morning! After a nice morning of sleeping and hanging out, I headed to Maximo to wait for Arielle so we could head to our site. While I was waiting there, I started talking to a boy from Costa Rica who was taking English classes at Maximo and wanted to practice. We chatted for a while and I helped him with vocabulary and pronunciation. Eventually he had to head to class and I had to head to Rayito. I still hadn't found Arielle so I decided to just go. It was a bit frightening doing it all by myself, but I just needed to trust in the fact that I do know what I'm doing.
While I was riding the second bus and staring endlessly out the window, I started getting nervous. I had no idea where I was. I kept dozing off and I was really afraid I had missed my stop. I didn't recognize anything and I was nervous I would end up in a neighborhood I didn't know again. Luckily, right as I was about to call Maximo for help, I saw Rayito and jumped off the bus.
As I walked in, I noticed there were no other volunteers there, just the women who work there every day. I was late getting to work because I had to wait for a bus for about a half hour, so I assumed the other people would already be there. I did my best to play with as many kids as I could and we all ate lunch together. Eventually, two other volunteers showed up and we split the job. I headed across the street with some kids and we played in a big field. While the kids were playing football, I saw a big group of people walking down the street. As they got closer, I noticed they were carrying a casket. "It's a funeral," one girl told me. She speaks English really well and helps out since the owner is her aunt. We watched as the group slowly walked down the street.
When work was done, I headed home. Before I took the second bus, I stopped at the Artisan market again. I loved being there and I chatted with so many people. I found gifts and clothes and I could not get over how much I loved it. A lot of the venders know English, so I enjoy hearing about their lives. I was sad to leave again.
When I got back to Maximo, I found Arielle. She had gone to a volcano the night before and had just gotten back. We went to Mundo Loco and got some food and some drinks. It was really nice chatting and after a little while, my roommate Paige also met up with us! I loved chatting with them and hearing about experiences.
It was a nice day, and I'm glad it's Friday. I'm excited for the weekend. We plan on having a girls day tomorrow since it's Arielle's last day. I don't know what I'm going to do without her! We were together all the time and are so similar. It's sad, but I'm so excited for our day tomorrow.
While I was riding the second bus and staring endlessly out the window, I started getting nervous. I had no idea where I was. I kept dozing off and I was really afraid I had missed my stop. I didn't recognize anything and I was nervous I would end up in a neighborhood I didn't know again. Luckily, right as I was about to call Maximo for help, I saw Rayito and jumped off the bus.
As I walked in, I noticed there were no other volunteers there, just the women who work there every day. I was late getting to work because I had to wait for a bus for about a half hour, so I assumed the other people would already be there. I did my best to play with as many kids as I could and we all ate lunch together. Eventually, two other volunteers showed up and we split the job. I headed across the street with some kids and we played in a big field. While the kids were playing football, I saw a big group of people walking down the street. As they got closer, I noticed they were carrying a casket. "It's a funeral," one girl told me. She speaks English really well and helps out since the owner is her aunt. We watched as the group slowly walked down the street.
When work was done, I headed home. Before I took the second bus, I stopped at the Artisan market again. I loved being there and I chatted with so many people. I found gifts and clothes and I could not get over how much I loved it. A lot of the venders know English, so I enjoy hearing about their lives. I was sad to leave again.
When I got back to Maximo, I found Arielle. She had gone to a volcano the night before and had just gotten back. We went to Mundo Loco and got some food and some drinks. It was really nice chatting and after a little while, my roommate Paige also met up with us! I loved chatting with them and hearing about experiences.
It was a nice day, and I'm glad it's Friday. I'm excited for the weekend. We plan on having a girls day tomorrow since it's Arielle's last day. I don't know what I'm going to do without her! We were together all the time and are so similar. It's sad, but I'm so excited for our day tomorrow.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Happy Guanacaste Day!
Today is a holiday in Costa Rica: Guanacaste Day. After a little research, I discovered it celebrates Costa Rica's annexation of the Guanacaste province in 1824. Because it is a holiday, many places are shut down. I did have spanish class, but I did not have to go to Rayito de Luz today. A lot of people took advantage of the holiday and traveled to a volcano and hot springs, such as Arielle and my roommates. I didn't want to miss spanish though so I stayed behind.
After a successful class, I decided to go to a class that was lead by a clown that taught people how to create balloon animals. I was a bit nervous because blowing up balloons and tying them freaks me out but I thought it could be fun for the kids. The guy didn't speak english, but he was really nice and there were some Maximo employees who helped translate. We first practiced common turns on the balloons and once we got good, we started creating. We first created a dog, and then a flower. Mine turned out pretty well! I was so happy that none of my balloons popped and the guy was so nice, he made me this awesome ladybug bracelet... OUT OF BALLOONS. He was so talented. He made a chow dog, a turtle bracelet, Elmo, a Smurf, I was so impressed.
After the class and chatting with some amigos, I took the bus back to Ivennia's casa. It was nice to be back and have some relaxing time to myself. I was able to take a nap, watch a tv show, chat with some other housemates, and talk to Ivannia after she got home. I love Ivannia. I love the way she speaks and says, "Adios, mi amor" every time I leave. She makes me feel very at home and even though we aren't around each other too much since one of us is always gone, I really enjoy her company. I'm definitely going to miss the family when I leave.
After dinner, my roommates got back from Arenal, which was the volcano. They showed me all the pictures and told me about their adventures. The whole trip sounded amazing and it made me excited for what was to come for me. However, for now, I'm headed to bed. There's no spanish class tomorrow so I get to sleep in past 6am, and I can't wait.
After a successful class, I decided to go to a class that was lead by a clown that taught people how to create balloon animals. I was a bit nervous because blowing up balloons and tying them freaks me out but I thought it could be fun for the kids. The guy didn't speak english, but he was really nice and there were some Maximo employees who helped translate. We first practiced common turns on the balloons and once we got good, we started creating. We first created a dog, and then a flower. Mine turned out pretty well! I was so happy that none of my balloons popped and the guy was so nice, he made me this awesome ladybug bracelet... OUT OF BALLOONS. He was so talented. He made a chow dog, a turtle bracelet, Elmo, a Smurf, I was so impressed.
After the class and chatting with some amigos, I took the bus back to Ivennia's casa. It was nice to be back and have some relaxing time to myself. I was able to take a nap, watch a tv show, chat with some other housemates, and talk to Ivannia after she got home. I love Ivannia. I love the way she speaks and says, "Adios, mi amor" every time I leave. She makes me feel very at home and even though we aren't around each other too much since one of us is always gone, I really enjoy her company. I'm definitely going to miss the family when I leave.
After dinner, my roommates got back from Arenal, which was the volcano. They showed me all the pictures and told me about their adventures. The whole trip sounded amazing and it made me excited for what was to come for me. However, for now, I'm headed to bed. There's no spanish class tomorrow so I get to sleep in past 6am, and I can't wait.
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