Immersion C - Leaves Pueblo Nuevo

August 5th, 2008. 5:58am, Pueblo Nuevo, Alajuela, Costa Rica

One by one and in pairs, sleepy-eyed figures emerge through the morning mist. They gather on the steps in front of the gymnasium and begin to chat in English and Spanish. They appear ready to work with full water bottles, mugs of coffee, work gloves and sunscreen. Once the local maestros de obra, or foremen, arrive, the gym is unlocked and the group gets to work like seasoned veterans. Some bring out wheelbarrows, shovels, pick axes and levels while others mix yellow, light blue and navy blue paint. Soon the sounds of work mix with conversations such as, “Would you rather be able to fly as fast as you can run, or hold your breath for 10 minutes?” The two large projects, painting the entire gymnasium and adding a drainage system to the central soccer field, look great and are nearly complete. As citizens of Pueblo Nuevo pass by, they consistently comment, “qué valiente,” how brave. By 10:30am, the day before its scheduled departure, Immersion C fulfilled its community service commitment.

The second week in the village seemed to fly by. Students were more comfortable with their homestays, their Spanish had improved and the projects were advancing rapidly. On our day off, we walked along scenic hills to the community’s water source, an underground reservoir protected by land the community has bought. To contribute, each of our students planted a tree. Our time in Pueblo Nuevo culminated last night during our fiesta de despedida, or going away party. Host families, members of the village council, local youth and many of our new friends came to help us celebrate. We hired a karaoke machine and DJ, ate local cuisine and danced the night away. Village members, our leaders and a few of our students addressed the party to exchange thanks for the entire experience. Music echoed off the surrounding hills until late into the night and we returned home tired and elated.

It was difficult to leave our temporary home. This morning we said our final, misty-eyed goodbyes and boarded the familiar “baby bus.” After the emotional departure, we set off as a group to the beautiful and lush cloud forest of Monteverde. On the way, we all enjoyed a picnic lunch devoid of rice and beans. The road was long and unpaved, but the destination was well worth the journey. Students were taken aback by the tranquility of the town founded by American Quakers in the 1950’s. After settling into the accommodations, some students relaxed and recharged their batteries. Others ventured out to explore the town’s coffee plantation, were they sampled various types of delicious homegrown coffee.

Today we are taking to the canopy of the cloud forest where we will explore via hanging bridges, zip lines and swings. Our group seems tighter than ever and some have already commented how much they miss Pueblo Nuevo!

Anna and Gabriel
Immersion C leaders

Immersion C - Our Pueblo Nuevo

Hola,

As Immersion C reaches our half-way point we find ourselves in La Fortuna, a small town dwarfed by the Arenal Volcano, one of Costa Rica’s most recognizable sites. We arrived this morning after eight nights in Pueblo Nuevo, our gracious home away from home.
Our time in the host village is what makes our experience in Costa Rica so memorable.  Our days have been spent working with community members on two large projects.  The first is painting the community gymnasium.  Although the gym is humble, it is one of the most important structures in Pueblo Nuevo as it hosts nightly soccer and volleyball games and seems to be at the heart of the village’s nightlife.  We started by removing old paint and smoothing surfaces for primer.   Using rollers, brushes and diligence our group has completed over half of the gym, leaving it sparkling with celestre (sky blue), azul (deep blue) and armarillo (yellow) paint.  The other project is creating a cement drainage system for the outdoor soccer field.  The field marks the center of the village and due to the amount of rain Pueblo Nuevo “enjoys,” it tends to flood.  Under the guidance of a local foreman, our students began by digging a canal, leveling the ground and sectioning it off.  The next step was mixing water, rock, sand and 100lbs sacks of cement to pour into the sections.  It is labor intensive, involves heavy lifting and leaves our students hungry for more rice and beans.
Speaking of rice and beans, we eat every meal in the village with our host families and food has been a frequent topic of conversation.  Overall, people seem very happy with the food and many should return home with a few recipes in hand.
When not working on the projects, our students have taken full advantage of cultural outlets.  Whether it be playing soccer and communicating with Costa Rican teammates in Spanish, dancing salsa, milking cows, making tortillas, going to local markets or just conversing with our families over locally grown coffee,\\ the last week has been amazing.
Tonight we will bathe in luxurious hot springs created by the volcanic activity of Arenal and tomorrow we return to Pueblo Nuevo recharged and ready to continue all that we have started.

Pura Vida,

Anna and Gabrie

“Our salsa lesson came in handy when we went to a local disco and danced with locals!”
April Hayden

“Now I know why cement mixers were invented, yet it is very rewarding to do it by hand.”
Aubrey Dilbert

“My senora’s pancaques are the best!”
Brooke Maynard

“Playing futbol with the Costa Ricans has been an awesome way to practice Spanish.
Drew Forseth

Immersion B: Service Projects, Volcanos and Hot Springs

For this posting, we asked several of  the participants to write it for a different perspective. Enjoy!

Friday
Friday was the first day we began work at seven. It was the most challenging yet most successful day so far. To add to our morning tiredness, we had to re-level a large portion of the sidewalk from our previous days work due to a friendly cow taking a nice midnight stroll over the entire thing! Although we were so lucky to have a cement mixer, Paul decided it was a good learning opportunity to mix the first cement batch by hand (fun!). After our first batch was laid we began to use the mixer, which sped things up dramatically.

Although it was easier to use, we had to carry the cement to the sidewalk in wheel-barrows, which caused many spill incidents and a partially paved road! After lunch, we were so determined to work because of the lack of rain. Because of the amount of determination in our group as a whole, we continued to work until 5:30 without any complaints and finally finished the first section of the sidewalk. Before going home, Paul asked us what time we wanted to start work tomorrow because of how much we had worked today. Paul and Alissa suggested 8am but Grace piped up and requested to start work at 7am! We all went home to enjoy a delicious dinner, shower, and sleeeep!

Saturday
On Saturday, a few families went to the market to sell and buy goods. The members of the group that were still in the village went to work at 7am, thanks to Grace. We spent our morning finishing painting the fence of the school and continuing to dig the area for the sandbox.  Everyone went home at lunch to eat with their families. In the afternoon many of us returned for a volleyball match against a local high school team. It was a close match- we won the first game but they came back and just barely beat us in the following two rounds. After the match, we mixed up the teams and played together with our Costa Rican neighbors for a few more rounds.

Sunday
Each group member did something different with his or her family. Each of us will share our day with you.

Miriam: Today I was supposed to go fishing, and although it was a nice day, my father said that there were no fish. My family then decided to spend our beautiful sunny day at the zoo. There were many different types of animals, however the animals are treated much differently here. The cages are much smaller and dirtier, and the locals that go to the zoo do not respect the animals. After the zoo, I went to a funeral of a family friend that died because of cancer. Funerals are very different here, and people pray out loud. Overall Sunday was a great cultural experience for me.

Kelsey:  Today I thought that my family was telling me that they were taking me to go meet Orlando’s (my father) uncle.  I was very mistaken.  Once I got to the uncle’s house I realized that the uncle had passed away and we were coming to pay our respects.  The situation was very sad and a little awkward.  However, my day improved drastically after that.  My family took me to San Carlos for a super good lunch.  We also visited a cathedral and a park.  We continued on to San Ramon where we went into another church for part of a mass.  In San Ramon, my family also showed me a shrubbery park.  Then they took me out for ice cream and we headed for home.  On the way home we also saw a sloth on the side of the road.  It was a very eventful day

Monday
On Monday we left town at 8:30am for La Fortuna. The drive only took 2 hours and we arrived at 10:30am, which was much earlier than expected. Once we arrived, the view of the volcano was spectacular. We spent the rest of the day wandering the town and spending too much money. Around 4:00pm, we all returned to the hotel and sat around the pool. One of the highlights of the afternoon was when Madeline, one of the pickiest eaters on the program, ate a bug in front of the whole group, continuing a disturbing trend within the group! 

At 4:30pm, we all got on the bus to head to the hot springs for a fun night. When we got there, we explored the hot springs for the first hour. At 6:00pm, we got dressed and saw the first American food since we’ve been here. Not to mention it was an all you can eat buffet. Sadly, no one ate less than three plates! The dinner was so good that it inspired someone to blurt out “THIS IS THE BEST MONDAY OF MY LIFE!” After stuffing our faces, we returned to the awesome water slide and amazing hot springs where we all hung out and relaxed until closing time. After leaving the hot springs, we decided to get a closer look at the volcano, where we saw the lava flowing down the side. It was awesome!!

Tuesday
Tuesday we all got to sleep in as late as we wanted for the first time. We spent the morning in the town hanging out and getting our last necessities before heading back to La Legua. On our way home, we stopped at La Fortuna waterfall for which the town was named after. It was not nearly as long of a hike as our first waterfall hike, but it was still beautiful. The water was very cold but extremely blue. We had fun swimming with trout and floating with the current. After hanging out for about an hour, we hiked back up to the bus and headed home to La Legua.

Wednesday
On Wednesday we began our day at 7 am. We stretched to some awesome 80’s music and then proceeded to start our project for the day: Leveling the sandbox, where we are going to build the new community playground. Most of our day was spent shoveling dirt from one side of the sandbox to the other. A few select people were chosen to paint the basketball hoops. (which look quite nice!) On an unfortunate note, Diana, Jourdan, and Paul were feeling fairly ill.

However, they have recovered and are feeling much better today (Thursday). Unfortunately, our work came to a sudden end when a huge storm blew in… massive amounts of lightening, thunder, and rain ran through the village of La Legua. (It was sweet!) Due to the rain, none of the children of La Legua chose to attend the English lesson. Therefore, we brought back an old tradition of playing the game of mafia! As usual, Akash was god and the usual victims were killed off. ☺

Following our games of mafia, many of the group walked to Paul and Alissa’s host family house to make some delicious cookies, while some went to play pool at the cantina. After a hard work day and a lot of rain, the group headed for home for a warm dinner and a good nights rest!

This blog was written by: Kaley, Kelsey, & Miriam

PS, a special hello to the families of Miriam, Kaley, and Kelsey! We miss you a lot and can’t wait to see you again!

IMMERSION C: Vamos a la playa!!

Hola Amigos,

As we complete our first week in Costa Rica we are amazed it has only
been seven days. Since we last checked in with you we have left the
rainforest for the surf, sun and laid back vide of Manuel Antonio, our
beach destination on the Central Pacific coast.

After a bus journey up the coast we unpacked, broke out the sunscreen
and hit the beach. Drew, April, and Aubrey showed the group how to
body surf and eventually we retired poolside to catch more rays.
Yesterday we explored Manuel Antonio National Park, one of Costa
Rica’s most famous attractions. We began with a nature walk where Ray
spotted a number of sloths and eventually we found our way to a
beautiful beach. After swimming, observing monkeys with their babies
in tow, raccoons, iguanas and more we had a picnic lunch and went on
another hike. We walked through the tropical jungle and listened to
waves crash in the distance until we reached the park exit where we
floated a lagoon in small lanchas, or boats, to the main beach. We had
a nice dinner and a meeting to talk about the upcoming homestays in
the evening.

This morning we hit the beach early for our surf lessons. After some
practice on the sand we went into the water to hang ten. Max, Ray,
Brooke and others were able to stand up and ride the waves, quite a feat for novices. Although
not quite ready for the professional circuit, the instructors were
impressed with our group.

In a few hours we are departing for Pueblo Nuevo, our host village.
The group seems anxious about this next stage in our adventure, but
spirits are high, and we are confident Immersion C will bring the
enthusiasm, skill and sense of adventure that it has come to embody
to our largest challenge yet.

Pura Vida,

Anna and Gabriel
Immersion C

“I’m nervous, but excited for the homestay. I think it will be fun
to learn about Costa Rican culture by living with a family. I am sure
it will be a great experience and we will all learn a lot from it.”
April Hayden

“I can’t believe how magical Finca Pura Suerte is. We were surrounded by nature, ate amazing food and were well off the typical tourist track!” Jenna Hamilton

“Surfing was gnarly!!” Perry Nunes

Immersion B: First Week in La Legua

Sunday – Goodbye Beach, Hello La Legua!
Sunday morning was dedicated to bargaining with beach vendors and getting the best possible deals on souvenirs, dresses, and other Costa Rican “recuerdos.” After a last dip in the ocean, we packed our bags and hit the road. The trip was a long afternoon haul and into the evening, but we made the most of it by practicing important Spanish words and phrases and role-playing the first conversation with host families. We were all very excited at first, but as the road became dimmer and the surroundings grew humbler, the nervousness set in. At least two participants anxiously blurted out “I have never been this nervous before in my life!” The emotional rollercoaster continued as we pulled into La Legua and dozens of children of all ages ran into the street to welcome us and the nervousness turned to utter delight. We got off the bus, said see ya later to Hugo our driver, and entered the La Legua Community Center where we were greeted with applause and welcome signs. Participants were introduced to their host families and shortly after everyone headed “home” for dinner, conversation, and rest.

Monday – First Day at Work
We began our first day of work with scraping down the rusted fence around the village schoolhouse and painting it a cheerful shade of green. At noon, each of our host families brought lunch to the schoolhouse and we compared the colorful and sometimes unidentifiable vegetables, fruits, and meat. As we were eating, the afternoon rain settled in and brought our work day to an early end, so we all headed over to the gymnasium to play soccer, volleyball, and cards with our new siblings and other local kids. We had some fun and then everyone headed home around dinner time to eat and spend time with their families. The relationships between participants and their host family siblings is absolutely heartwarming. The kids really love the participants and follow them around wherever they go. They truly view them as new brothers and sisters, even after the first day.

Tuesday – Painting and Digging
Tuesday morning we met again at 8am to resume painting the fence around the school. As is typical this time of year (Winter in Costa Rica), the rain came and we paused the painting again. By this time, our construction manager, Orlando, was ready to show us how and where to dig for the sidewalk project. Last year, another Walking Tree group built a 1.5mile long sidewalk in La Legua that leads up to the school from the houses up the hill. This year, we are continuing the construction of the sidewalk from the school down to the homes on the other side of the village. This project is particularly special because this portion of the sidewalk leads up to the house of a handicapped child, Sebastian, who uses a wheelchair to get around. All of the participants have grown very fond of Sebastian and they are thrilled to be working on a project that will have such a positive impact on his life. This project is a joint effort between La Legua, the municipal government, and Walking Tree. The government donated many of the materials, La Legua designed the project, and the Walking Tree participants are doing the construction work. We will post a video of this soon.

Wednesday – Power Hosing, Bug Eating, and Teaching English
Today the group took great initiative and divided into various groups to take on the work at hand, despite the consistent foggy and rainy conditions. Many participants worked on digging out and leveling the ground where the sidewalk will be built. Another group worked at the school, cleaning out layers of garbage, scraps, and dirt behind the kindergarten and using a “power hose” (rubber tube with thumb in end) to wash and uncover the pavement that probably hasn’t been seen in years. There were also a few helpful participants that were on call to paint as soon as the sun would shine through. It was a good day for hard work and perseverance. A couple of students provided comic relief to all of the hard work by eating authentic Costa Rican insects. For Adam, this was the second or third bug (we are beginning to lose track) that he has consumed so far. As for Grace and Diana, this was a first for them. All were amused, or grossed out, but laughing nonetheless! Today was also the first day of English classes for the local children. Our group has created lesson plans and games to spend an hour each day teaching English to the village kids. Today they taught them body parts and ended with the song “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Feet” (Oops- we forgot to teach them toes!).

Thursday – Feeling Better and Making Pizza
Our time in Costa Rica has been a healthy one so far. Up until this point, only a handful of participants have felt ill or injured, which is actually much less then normal. The few that have come across the typical stomach upset or minor injury are already feeling better and back on track. The first few days in the village were tough for some. Each of the families is unique in the food they prepare as well as their communication and clarity in the Spanish language. All of the participants are also unique in regards to their eating habits and level of Spanish comprehension. The combination of these factors made some of us more homesick and under the weather than others. In order to address these situations and concerns, we got together again as a group for a meeting and made pizza at Sebastian’s house. The pizza was phenomenal and the group discussion was even better. Everyone wrote down one concern and one suggestion on separate pieces of paper and put them in the middle. The participants then read and discussed them one by one. It was great to observe them helping each other with their concerns and difficulties. Akash asked the group how many of them are actually thinking in Spanish now and nearly everyone raised their hand. Many of them also admitted to having to translate back to English at times! This group truly continues to impress us and grow closer and tighter with each passing day.

But enough from us, let us here from the students:

“Lots of the kids in the group, including myself, had doubts going into the homestay. Now, after five days in La Legua, I think it is safe to say that all of these doubts are gone. So far, all that I have experienced has been incredible, to say the least. The kids are awesome, the work, although very difficult, is quite satisfying, and the general atmosphere in the village is awesome.”
-Adam Schreiber

“Unfortunately, the queasiness that I felt when I first arrived in the village wasn’t just nervousness. It wasn’t nervousness the second day either…or the third. If it wasn’t hard enough trying not to freeze and shake uncontrollably in my “mother’s” house (as to not offend her of course), I had to explain to her why I didn’t eat any of my lunch. To quote her, “Mi comida es fea”. For the first two or three days I was completely convinced that my “mother” hated me. Luckily, my sickness peaked and I was cured by the town mother Yorleni and my own “mother”. Once I felt 100%, La Legua became the most incredible experience of my life; and even though I still have the occasional upset stomach, I have bonded with my family, I am having fun paving sidewalk, and I am having the best time that I have had on this trip so far.”
-Madeline Davies

Until next time,

Alissa Hoffenberg and Paul Laurie

Discovery B: San Jose

Walking Tree’s Discovery B program has arrived in Costa Rica in a big way! From mastering Costa Rica’s fancy latin dance steps, to literally getting our feet wet in the rapids of the River Pacuare, we have ambitiously taken on every challenge Costa Rica has thrown at us. Despite being such a large group, we have gotten to know each other well in the first couple of days, and have developed a strong group dynamic. This positive and adventurous spirit has helped us sort through all of the exciting cultural differences we’ve been presented with. Grocery shopping introduced the students to condiments in pouches as opposed to jars, and together we’ve racked our brains to decipher the many street signs and billboards filling the San Jose skyline. An inspiring thing to see has been group members relying not on the group leaders for support, but instead looking to their peers for help. On our whitewater rafting trip, for example, Kenny became the designated mosquito killer, which greatly reduced Olivia Song’s anxiety about bugs, and if vocab is your weakness look no further than Riley who seems to ace any vocab quiz we throw at the group. The great thing is that we have been able to really put our Spanish vocab to use. After a tiring day of rafting the students applied their Spanish skills by ordering pasta and pizza in Spanish at an Italian restaurant for dinner. From talking with the students, the highlights of these first two days seem to have been the fancy footwork of our Costa Rican dance instructor Alex, and our full day spent rafting the River Pacuare, which slices through some of Costa Rica’s most beautiful rainforests. Pepito, one of our rafting guides was an especially big hit on the river by decorating his group’s helmets with leafy plants, I can only assume for the purpose of camoflouge. When asked to reflect on our first two days here is what some of the students wrote:

So far in Costa Rica I have had so many incredible experiences, I could write for pages. really what stands out is the complete immersion in the culture I have experienced. I have been able to interact with people from totally different lifestyles. I try my best to communicate with them and I am so glad so many of them appreciate the hard work that it is. =) I loved the rafting, there was so much scenery and so many new things to take in. I can’t wait to see what else Costa Rica has in store. - Lindsay Cameron

Okay, so my favorite part of the trip so far would have to be river rafting with Pepito. It was SO amazing and it gave us a great opportunity to see Costa Ricaand to be able to enjoy its beautiful sights and nature. -Olivia Cunningham

These first two days have been really fun. It is really exciting experiencing a new culture since the only country I’ve been to is Canada. It’s cool that San Jose has broken the mold for me. Seeing the crazy salsa dancer move his feet was very cool and rafting has been life-changing. -Riley Fitting

yesterday morning I arrived in Costa Rica for the first time. We got into the hotel extremely tired and we all colapsed on the bed for a couple of hours. That afternoon we all took a salsa lesson which was a highlight for me because at first I was thinking the worst but it turned out to be not that hard and very enjoyable. We learned multiple dance moves and I hope to have a chance to use them. The next day we were up early and took a three hour bus drive on windy roads to go rafting. The drive was definitely the bad side of the day. But it was worth it because when we got on the rafts and started down the river, it was one of those events that I will never forget, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Then when we got back we all enjoyed our counselor Jonathan’s pasta dish. -Dominic Evans

Today I went rafting with Pepito! It was SO much fun. The river was really warm and nice and swimming in it was amazing. It felt so cool being right in the middle of the jungle like we were. Costa Rica’s amazing and I’m really excited for tomorrow. - Natalie Kahn

Immersion C: From the big city to the rainforest farm on the “baby” bus

Hola Familias y Amigos!

Upon arrival in San Jose we were immediately greeted by Gabriels (sorry I cant figure out how to do an apostrophe on this foreign keyboard!!) jokes, which might have been funny had we not been so tired and groggy from the flight! We had our first of the now famous gallo pinto (beans and rice) after arriving to the hotel. We spent two relaxing days in San Jose, which included a group orientation of the trip and a lot of getting to know each other. One of the highlights of this time was the dance lesson, in which we attempted to dance merengue, cumbia (traditional Costa Rican dance and music), and salsa. While we had a great time, worked up a sweat, and learned some new moves, we were shown up at the end by the professionals who gave a great show.

Tuesday morning we headed off on a long trip, in what has been termed our baby bus by Jenna, to Finca Pura Suerte (Pure Luck Farm). The views were sweeping as we passed through misty mountain peaks and even saw a few Tucans along the way. We are staying in “Jungalows,” or bungalows in the jungle and are eating amazing food made with local ingredients.

Yesterday was spent hiking through the rainforst to Niyaca Falls, where we frolicked, caught some rays and watched Perry and Lisa destroy Gabriel in the swimming contest. After a beautiful day of sun and swimming, we ¨panted, huffed, suffered, ached, and worked our way back up the jungle¨ as described by Gwyn and Ellen in last nights group journal entry, but it was definitely worth the effort!

This morning we drove into San Isidro, the closest town to the farm, and went to la feria (farmers market). The farm chef, Merrick, came with us and taught us all about the different, exotic fruits and vegetables that can be found in Costa Rica. We were each then given colones (the money down here) to buy whatever we wanted and thought would be good and Merrick is going to take all of the ingredients and make us a wonderful meal tonight! Tomorrow we head to Manuel Antonio for some much anticipated beach time and hiking in the national park, where we are expecting to see the famed sloth!

Hasta Pronto!

Anna and Gabriel

Immersion C

Immersion A: Buena Vista, Siempre Te Queremos

Our lower backs hurt. For the most part, we are speckled with four different colors of paint and have dreamed at least once of drowning in a pile of wet, heavy cement. Our fingernails will never again be clean. Yet in spite of it all, we are happy, giddy even, at the realization that our time in Buena Vista was a smashing success.

That said, our joy is tempered by a dash of nostalgia. For two weeks this idyllic Costa Rican village was our home. We quickly came to feel part of the community as families took immediately to our students and incorporated them seamlessly into their daily lives. While the majority of our days were dominated by repaving a giant playground and painting the school inside and out, we also attended birthday parties, played in local soccer games and traveled to new parts of the country on family vacations. All of this in Spanish, of course.

In our last installment, we wrote at the midway point of the village time, having begun the massive project of mixing over 100 bags of cement by hand. During the second week, the weather improved and we were able to put the final touches on the courtyard a day before we said goodbye to Buena Vista. About five days ago, as the cement mixing was taking up less of our time, we began painting the classrooms, kitchen, office and roof of the school which stands at the center of town. Although classes were out for two weeks of vacation, packs of kids and a handful of adults showed up on a daily basis to help put the finishing touches on the much needed makeover. Yesterday morning, after a fun fiesta de despidida full of music, too much a food and a homemade piñata, it seemed the whole village descended upon the school to see us off. Children cried and host moms hugged hard, prompting some unexpected emotions from our students and making that last drive down off the mountain a little quieter than most would have preferred.

We are three days away from our departure back to the States, and will take the time that remains to enjoy the canopy tour in the cloud forest and white water rafting, but will also be sure to reflect on the unique experience of living and becoming part of a truly amazing community.

Look for more from us as our departure draws near…

Luke

Immersion A

Immersion C: Has arrived!!

Hola Amigos,

I just wanted to write and let you know that Immersion C has arrived safely in Costa Rica and is in high spirits. We will have a relaxing day to recover from the red-eye flight, but it looks like everyone is eager to start our adventure. More soon…

Immersion B: Pura Suerte, Manuel Antonio

Hello from the lush pacific coast of Costa Rica! The past 5 days have been filled with exciting adventures and growing friendships.

On Tuesday morning we left the city life of San Jose and headed towards Finca Pura Suerte to spend 3 days surrounded by the serenity and wildlife of the tropical rain forest. We arrived at the finca in the afternoon, dropped off our bags in the very cool “Jungalows” (friendly geckos included) and headed out on a brief nature hike. After walking around the farm and admiring the exotic plant life, we headed down to the restaurant where Chef Merrick prepared the first of our gourmet jungle fusion dinners. The delicious mix of organic, jungle grown vegetables and American-style cuisine left everyone with a full stomach and a happy face. After dinner we hung out in the Jungalows and played multiple games of Charades and a game called Patterns.

On Wednesday we started the day with an organic breakfast prepared by Chef Merrick. We were also joined by 2 new temporary group members, Mark and Max. Mark is our professional camera man and came along to capture some of our adventures on film. He quickly became an integral part of the group. Max is a volunteer at Finca Pura Suerte that is spending the summer there and studying the snakes and spiders of the rain forest. His knowledge and expertise were greatly appreciated and admired by the group.

Wednesday turned out to be an exhilarating and emotional day for most of the group. We hiked down to the Niyaca waterfall, which is a challenging hike with an absolutely breath-taking destination. When we reached the waterfall, we went swimming and most of the group took on the challenge of the heavy current from the waterfall in order to get behind the wall of water and look out on this gorgeous view of the river. After swimming, we made time for solos. Solos were a quiet time for everyone to find a peaceful place to sit, relax, and reflect on their own. Just before our hike back up started, the rain began to pour down, creating a muddy, slick trail to hike back up. The hike back up was tough, but the group agreed that it was overall a great adventure- once they got back to the dry comfort of the Jungalows that is!

The next day, we went to the farmers market (“la feria”) in San Isidro where Chef Merrick gave a quick tour and some guidance about picking out produce, before having participants shop on their own. We decided to have each student shop around the market and buy an item or two they wanted to see encorporated into dinner. This involved talking to vendors in Spanish, figuring out how much items cost, and looking for the freshest fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, everyone did a great job in their selections and Chef Merrick headed back to the farm to prepare a fabulous gourmet dinner that incorporated everyone’s items (except for the mangos, which we ate for breakfast). That afternoon, Drennan, the owner of Pura Suerte, gave us a tour of the farm and taught us a lot about organic farming, sustainable development, and the rain forest.

Thursday night brought us some unexpected excitement and a deeper appreciation for our new friends Mark and Max. After dinner, a strong storm rolled in and the power went out at the farm. So the girls headed back to their Jungalow and were hanging out discussing their newfound appreciation and oneness with nature and its lovely insects. They had taken in a friendly moth and were playing with it when suddenly Sarah’s flashlight came across a giant, hairy tarantula. The girls kept calm and without any hesitation, several of the girls went out to find our local spider expert, Max. After finding Max searching for snakes in the forest, the group then ran into Mark who had just seen a baby leopard up the path (only one of three leopards that has been spotted by the Drennan, the owner of the farm, in 9 years!). The excitement kept growing and the group made it back to the girls cabin where the fun truly took place. All we can say for now is that Mark caught Max’s heroic spider capture on video and it will soon be available for viewing on youtube. Be sure to ask about it when we get back!

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Pura Suerte, Drennan, Chef Merrick, and the real spiderman, Max. We hit the road early in anticipation of a great weekend at the beach in Manuel Antonio. We arrived at Manuel Antonio midday yesterday and hung out at the beach for the rest of the day, playing in the waves of the Pacific Ocean, getting tan, and shopping around. The Discovery A group, nearing the end of their program, were also staying at our same hotel, so we decided to go to dinner as a big group where we exchanged stories and heard about their experiences in the village. After a quick swim at the hotel swimming pool, and a few games of pool, the group called it a night.

Today was a day full of activity. We started off by having a great buffet breakfast (including pancake and omelet stations) before heading to Manuel Antonio National Park. Manuel Antonio is a beautiful stretch of jungle directly on a white sand beach that is overflowing with wildlife. This morning was a particularly good day for spotting animals, as we saw three sloths (a rare sighting, to be sure!), all sorts of monkeys, iguanas, hermit crabs, birds, raccoons, and all sorts of other cool flora and fauna.

But in the spirit of getting the most out of our time on the beach, the group then headed over to take surf lessons. Over the course of the afternoon, we can proudly say that everyone who tried to surf successfully got up and rode a wave! After thanking Ariel, our instructor and a former Costa Rica National Champion, for a solid afternoon of surfing, we went back to the hotel to regroup and head back over to the national park. But the weather had other plans, and right as we were about to leave the hotel, rain started pouring and we opted to hang out in the pool and lounge playing cards, talking and laughing and cooking dinner.

After a slightly rainy, picnic dinner the group met for a while to discuss each of our individual goals and how they were progressing so far. We had everyone write their goal on a piece of paper, fold it up, and put them in a pile. We then read the goals out load an had to guess who wrote what. Amazingly, after only five days together, the group guessed what goal belonged to who usually on the first try- a great sign of how cohesive and close the group has already become. As we start our homestays tomorrow and enter into the next phase of our program, this group cohesion will be tested, and hopefully strengthened even more. We shall see….

Alissa

Co-Leader Immersion B