Heredia, Costa Rica - A Lasting Experience (Written 8/1/10)

As my Costa Rican experience comes to a close, I feel as though I have grown both as a person and as an IB student. Coming to Heredia, I was very worried about my ability to speak Spanish and adjust to a culture very different than the American culture. I think IB Learning Outcome #2 "Undertake new challenges" really applies to my trip. I had struggled to speak in Spanish class last year and I was really proud of my ability to put myself out there and feel comfortable making oral mistakes. In the end, I think my Spanish has improved, but more importantly I have a new found confidence in my ability to speak (which should have untold benefits come AP Spanish time).

I have also successful immersed myself in learning outcome #3: “Plan and initiate projects". At many times during the community service portion of my trip, I found myself leading the group and planning how we would accomplish each goal. Though we had a plan the whole time for what we were going to accomplish at Calle Hernandez, I thought I did well to lead us through the road bumps in achieving our ultimate goals.
Learning Outcomes #5 and #8 go hand in hand. I would not have learned all my new sanding and painting skills as well as my teaching skills if I had not stuck with the program and fell back into my comfort zone. I pushed myself into unsure places and came out stronger because of it.

Beside all of the IB learning outcomes, I enjoyed meeting people from all over the US and all over South America. I enjoyed spending nights talking to my host family just as much as playing soccer with the kids. One of the most important lessons learned is that there is more than one way to live your life. Though the lifestyle in Costa Rica was much different than in the US, the people there enjoy a unique living experience which is just as beautiful and loving as that in the US. More than anything, a respect for differences in culture springboards intercultural understanding and bridges the gap between Latin American culture and United States culture.

Heredia, Costa Rica - Jugando con los ninos (Written 7/24/10)

Today we began the day with a 6:20 wake up and the usual breakfast of eggs and fruit. After a 30 minute bus ride to la escuela, we began our work on the bars (again). I never knew de-rusting iron could be so difficult! As a group, we split up the work and got it done by 2 PM (after 3 and 1/2 exhausting hours of sanding). The work was more enjoyable after we began to converse in Spanish with LPI member and the students. We told funny stories about the Manuel Antonio weekend and continued work under the hot Costa Rican sun. After another lunch of turkey sandwiches, (on a side note, the cooking from Mama Tica has been consistently phenomenal) we spent an hour playing silly games in the storage room doubling as a gym. I was pleasantly surprised with my ability to communicate and understand the students and teachers (though I would like to string more than 10 word sentences together in future). I am surprised at how much I enjoy the children’s' company; I am very receptive to their smiles and attempts to speak with me.

As an IB student, I have begun to recognize the global implications of my work here in Costa Rica. Leaving North America for the first time in my life, I see now how less fortunate people then I need help from those that can offer it. It should be an obligation of those who have had academic and health education to help people in any way possible. Like I have mentioned in previous posts, the most insignificant knowledge that sees obvious to us needs to be imparted on to these people, information that could change their lives for the better

Heredia, Costa Rica - Day 2 of Community Service (Written 7/20/10)

Another great day of community service! While we spent our first day starting the arduous task of sanding the desks and rusty bars on the classroom, today was spent finishing off the bars, a precursor to the painting we will do tomorrow. It took me a while to understand the significance of this painstaking work. I realized that even the slightest aesthetic alteration to the school (whether that be freshly painted desks, non-rusty school bars, or a clean white board) betters the learning environment for these kids. I can tell from my interaction with them during the game and learning time how important school time is to them. Coming from impoverished or violent homes, these young children (aged 5-15) appear so happy despite their tumultuous home life. I realize now how lucky I am to attend a fantastic school like DCDS. I take for granted the clean bathrooms, freshly painted walls, and manicured athletic fields that DCDS has provided for me since Junior Kindergarten. The school has placed me in a safe, sanitary learning environment, which allows me to focus on my school work, not where I am going to take my next bathroom break. This is why every scrap of rust off the bars or every marking of graffiti off the beaten up desks means one little step closer to making their impoverished "Calle Hernandez" school closer to becoming the premium school I have attended all my academic life.

The children themselves are so delightful and eager to meet the mysterious foreigners who get to do the cool yard work. I only hope that a intelligent, polite young girl like Pricilla can beat the unfair odds stacked against her and have success with her academics. The highlight of my day was seeing her smiling face after a funny moment during a game of "Telefono". After giving her candy when we finished the game, she kindly thanked me in English, her second language and pranced off to do more school work. She may learn at a poor school in Heredia, but I know a potential DCDS star when I see one.