Friday was the first day of Spring Break for us lucky duckies. We had our final presentations about our final research papers and then after class we had nothing! Woohoo!
A few of my classmates and I accompanied Heidi to a free concert in the Multiplaza, a large mall near to our homes. Apparently the minister of culture here in Costa Rica set it up to promote the arts. There were three pop/rock bands present, Editus, Gandhi, and Marfiel (I think), combined with the National Symphony, which made for some really awesome music. And immediately afterwards there were fireworks too!! Then we decided to stop inside the mall for ice-cream before heading back to Heidi's for a movie night. It was a wonderful way to start off our Spring Break.
In other news, on Saturday evening I went to church with my host family for a carry-in. There was a bonfire to roast marshmallows and many games, as well as dinner. Some of the games included: a sack race, a hula hoop toss, something with a balloon, and several others. It was fun to watch the various church members interact and I appreciated the chance to participate in the activities and get to know some of the people, although I do admit I felt a bit out of place there. Perhaps that will change with time as I become more involved with the youth group.
Sunday morning I attended church with my host family. The sermon was about the parable of the talents and, consequently, how to manage money. Later I accompanied my host mother and father to the grocery store and that's really about it.
Plans are falling into place for the Valpo Spring Break trip to Costa Rica/Nicaragua, so I'm becoming quite excited for that to happen. I'll be acting as an interpreter for them while they're in San José, but after that I go my own way with other plans to visit Nicaragua.
Much love,
~Nola
Monday, February 24, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Field Trip!
Man oh man, we had quite the field trip this past weekend. Early Friday morning (around 7 or 7:30am) we were picked up from our host homes and made our way to an organic farm for a tour.
There was a little bridge to cross before we actually made it to the farm, and our tour guide (one of the men who operates the farm) explained that before the bridge was built they had a pulley system to transport all the building materials for the house and equipment for the farm. Furthermore, he said the bridge is pretty much in need of constant repair. Personally, I felt very safe crossing it (I was more scared of the spider webs on it), but several members of our group freaked out a little.
Anyway, after our mini tour of the organic farm and a tasty lunch, we continued our field trip to the province of Limón. In class the week before we learned about Afro-Costa Ricans and that a majority of them live in Limón because many migrated from other Caribbean countries to work on the banana plantations once upon a time. We took a tour of the city (which reminded me quite a bit of New Orleans) and afterwards found our hostel.
The next morning we visited a reserve for indigenous people in Talamanca. They grow cocoa, so we learned about the chocolate forming process and got to participate in it.
We also took a walk through the woods learning which plants form dyes and which are edible. We even had the chance to practice our hunting skills with original weapons of the tribe. Only two of our group of 9 actually hit the target though.
Then, in the afternoon, we took a trip to Puerto Viejo, which is a small tourist town. We wandered around looking at the shops and spent a little time walking along the beach, although it was a rather small and dirty beach.
Sunday morning we were up bright and early to visit Cahuita National Park. We really just spent the morning on the beach there, playing in the large waves. I can now proudly state that I have been to 2 oceans, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic, in that order. Woohoo!!
This is the beautiful sand castle we built after a few hours in the ocean. After lunch at a rather overpriced restaurant near Cahuita we returned to San José. The return trip was about 4.5 hours and we were all quite exhausted.
There is much more to say and many more pictures, but I'm rather short on time at the moment. Perhaps I'll find time to blog again soon.
Much love,
~Nola
 | ||
| Pineapple plant!! For real, they're not grown on trees... |
Anyway, after our mini tour of the organic farm and a tasty lunch, we continued our field trip to the province of Limón. In class the week before we learned about Afro-Costa Ricans and that a majority of them live in Limón because many migrated from other Caribbean countries to work on the banana plantations once upon a time. We took a tour of the city (which reminded me quite a bit of New Orleans) and afterwards found our hostel.
The next morning we visited a reserve for indigenous people in Talamanca. They grow cocoa, so we learned about the chocolate forming process and got to participate in it.
Then, in the afternoon, we took a trip to Puerto Viejo, which is a small tourist town. We wandered around looking at the shops and spent a little time walking along the beach, although it was a rather small and dirty beach.
Sunday morning we were up bright and early to visit Cahuita National Park. We really just spent the morning on the beach there, playing in the large waves. I can now proudly state that I have been to 2 oceans, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic, in that order. Woohoo!!
This is the beautiful sand castle we built after a few hours in the ocean. After lunch at a rather overpriced restaurant near Cahuita we returned to San José. The return trip was about 4.5 hours and we were all quite exhausted.
There is much more to say and many more pictures, but I'm rather short on time at the moment. Perhaps I'll find time to blog again soon.
Much love,
~Nola
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
La importancia de familia
Warm greetings! (Did you get that pun? )
I decided the other day that I really should mention something about the importance of family here.
First, family here in Costa Rica is everything. You take care of your family members, immediate and extended, even if you have little to no resources to share. That's something I've learned firsthand from my host family. Although money is sometimes a little tight here, they still give what little they have to help out a family member in need, whether it's a medical expense that needs paid or something equally important.
Secondly, it is quite common for children to live with their parents well into their 30s or even 40s. Not only is it common, but it's often expected. Many have their own established careers and separate social lives, but they still return to their parents' homes each night. Why is this?
Well, from what I've gathered, it's partially due to the cost of housing, and partially due to familial relations. Parents take care of their children and vice-versa. There is no reason for children to move out of the house (if they aren't married) because they are cared for in their home and housing is expensive here. Furthermore, Costa Rica is a small country, so children can't move far from their parents anyway.
Thirdly, during school vacations, for example, it is very common for kids to visit relatives and stay for awhile. For example, just this past week 2 cousins of my host siblings were visiting our family. They were here for just over a week and we had a lot of fun. I played hide-and-seek, freeze tag, various jump rope games, and hopscotch. I also attended a makeshift drawing class, where a 9 year old cousin taught me to draw a manga girl. She also drew a picture of me, which is posted below.
While there are some broken families here, many single parents, for example, still retain the support of family. It seems as though very few people have to "go it alone" so to speak. Already I've visited distantly related cousins, aunts, and uncles. Sometimes a family supports ex-wives/husbands and their children. It's really quite fascinating that there is so much support of even distantly related people.
Family is incredibly important here, and I've been integrated into my host family like I was born part of it, which has certainly been a blessing. I feel very blessed that I can say that I have a family that extends from the US to South Africa and now to Costa Rica as well.
~Nola
I decided the other day that I really should mention something about the importance of family here.
First, family here in Costa Rica is everything. You take care of your family members, immediate and extended, even if you have little to no resources to share. That's something I've learned firsthand from my host family. Although money is sometimes a little tight here, they still give what little they have to help out a family member in need, whether it's a medical expense that needs paid or something equally important.
Secondly, it is quite common for children to live with their parents well into their 30s or even 40s. Not only is it common, but it's often expected. Many have their own established careers and separate social lives, but they still return to their parents' homes each night. Why is this?
Well, from what I've gathered, it's partially due to the cost of housing, and partially due to familial relations. Parents take care of their children and vice-versa. There is no reason for children to move out of the house (if they aren't married) because they are cared for in their home and housing is expensive here. Furthermore, Costa Rica is a small country, so children can't move far from their parents anyway.
Thirdly, during school vacations, for example, it is very common for kids to visit relatives and stay for awhile. For example, just this past week 2 cousins of my host siblings were visiting our family. They were here for just over a week and we had a lot of fun. I played hide-and-seek, freeze tag, various jump rope games, and hopscotch. I also attended a makeshift drawing class, where a 9 year old cousin taught me to draw a manga girl. She also drew a picture of me, which is posted below.
While there are some broken families here, many single parents, for example, still retain the support of family. It seems as though very few people have to "go it alone" so to speak. Already I've visited distantly related cousins, aunts, and uncles. Sometimes a family supports ex-wives/husbands and their children. It's really quite fascinating that there is so much support of even distantly related people.
Family is incredibly important here, and I've been integrated into my host family like I was born part of it, which has certainly been a blessing. I feel very blessed that I can say that I have a family that extends from the US to South Africa and now to Costa Rica as well.
~Nola
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