I am writing this email from Joal, a small fishing village on
the Pacific coast of Senegal, about 70km south of Dakar, the capitol.
We (the Walking Tree guys) are about 10 days into our month-long West
African adventure and it is shaping up to be a good one.

We spent four days in Dakar upon on arrival and it was immediately
clear that Senegal is vastly different from anything I previously
knew.  Until yesterday, the 95% of the population that is Muslim was
acknowledging Ramadan.   In additional to five daily prayers, almost
everyone was abstaining from food or drink from sunup to sundown (we
tried this one day and by 4pm were brain-dead and bickering like
little boys).  Despite their fatigue, the Senegalese have been some of
the friendliest people I have encountered.  From little boys playing
soccer, to women selling amazing French bread, to Gabriel (pronounced
Jabril), our fantastically named French Teacher to Jean, the guy
working at our first hotel who took us out for a night on the town and
later invited us to have dinner with his family, people here have
welcomed us with wide grins, warm handshakes and patient conversation.
Like other developing countries, life here flourishes on the streets.
People sell everything from canned meat to mosquito zappers to the
legions of impossibly full, exhaust-spewing busses, cars, horse
carriages (different kind of exhaust) and scooters stuck in congested
highway traffic, so you can imagine what markets and sidewalks are
like. Oh, and it’s hot, very hot.

Our time here is twofold: we are traveling the country to get a feel
for the land and make contacts for a future Walking Tree program, and
to get organized for the business year that lies ahead.  Much of our
days in Dakar were spent exploring the city and cooped up in our hotel
revamping our brochure etc.  Our first night, we had drinks with a
handful of Peace Corps volunteers and, despite warnings that Ramadan
was taming the otherwise thriving nightlife in Dakar, went out in
search of action.  Paul found it in the form of a small electric fire
that broke out shortly after entering a sparsely populated bar.  No
one was injured, but it was proof that we weren’t in Kansas anymore.

Our next destination was St. Louis, the first French settlement in
Africa.  It is a small island in the Senegal River, in northern
Senegal.  The four-hour journey took us eight.  We spent the time
gazing through broken windows as the green landscape became
progressively more arid and marveling as our driver, a true
renaissance man, fixed a flat tire, electric problem and broken
radiator, serenaded us with his booming singing voice and even stopped
to feed us.  St. Louis reminded me a bit of a French version of
Havana: amazing colonial architecture that generally hasn’t seen
paint, construction or improvement since first being constructed.  The
effect is surprisingly aesthetic. We took two days of French class,
explored dusty side streets and made time for the occasional bottle of
reasonably good French wine. Who would have thought that 99 in French
is 4 x 20 + 19?!?!

Yesterday we toured Gore, an island off the coast of Dakar, which was
the capitol of the West African slave trade.  The brilliant pastel
buildings and refreshing sea breeze could almost leave you forgetting
the island’s dark past, but touring a “holding house” gave insight in
to the brutality that took place.  We were pleased to see a large
monument atop the island presented to Senegal by none other than Bill
Clinton.

Because the moon was visible, last night was the start of Eid, the
celebration signaling the end of Ramadan.   We thought most of the
action was to take place today and decided to take a night taxi to
Toubab Dialoa and enjoy the festivities here.  What we learned
instead, or think we learned, is that the celebration started last
night.   The 60km voyage was the ride of a lifetime.  We left Gore,
got into a taxi at 9pm and almost immediately hit choking traffic.
The highway was particularly full with overcrowded buses and along the
highway were stalls, shops and stands overflowing with people.  Our
driver did his best to find a shortcut and instead wove through
neighborhoods where we were literally swallowed up by the masses of
brightly dressed, spirited people taking to the streets.  It sensory
overload.  It seemed like a dream as hours passed in the surreal
labyrinth of alleyways and dirt roads. The most vivid images were of
goats being slaughtered, busy food stalls, cars getting stuck in deep,
muddy pools (our driver got us stuck in an uncovered part of the sewer
until a few young Senegalese men literally picked the car up), and the
smiles of innumerable youth enjoying the night.

Tomorrow morning we are off to a game park hoping to see rhino,
giraffe, gazelles and more. We plan to follow the coast south, passing
through The Gambia and take a ferry back to Dakar before our departure
on October 21st.  It has been a great adventure so far and our hopes
are high for it to continue and hopefully be a good place to bring
students on service learning programs in a couple years.

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Forward

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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…