Click here to view our Picture GalleryEscazu, Costa Rica April 14, 2005.
Hola! Me gusta mucho esta semana!
I have had an amazing time working with the Country Day School these past few days! I have only good things to say about CDS and I'm not just saying that because CDS people could be reading this. In all honesty, this school and these students are
incredible! I have never seen youth leadership put into practice and thriving in so many ways. From what I have seen so far, the students here are interested, excited to learn about new things, anxious to take action, and have the practical intelligence to back-up their planned actions.
Jenny said that in Costa Rican culture independence, tolerance, peace, and understanding are emphasized. If that is the case, these students are most definitely embodying what it is to be Costa Rican!
Everything about Costa Rica so far I have liked: beautiful environment, wonderful
weather (though a bit on the hot side, but that is coming from someone who lives near Boston), and friendly people.
One of the things I find most interesting is that Costa Rica has disbanded its army.
There has been no military for years now. The funding that would normally go toward
an army, is instead spent on education, environmental programs, health care (hospital
stays of up to 3 days are all free, and the healthcare system is of high quality).
In many ways, being here in Costa Rica, feels like looking into the future. Or, another version of the current reality of the world. Like saying: "see, this is
how it could be." Now, of course there is still crime here and I'm sure corrupt
government policies (as there are in any country). But, they do have a lot of things
right. It is as though, Costa Rica is setting an example for the world. But, is the rest of the world paying attention? One of the students today said, "I feel like sometimes people don't even know where our country is, or that it exists, and they don't know who we are."
* * *
Yesterday all the students watched the documentary from their sister-school in Danville, Virginia. They loved seeing their sister-school students on film!
Even though all the Country Day students speak fluent English (classes are taught
in English, many of the students had a hard time understanding what the Danville
youth were saying. The combination of a southern USA accent and slang made it difficult. I kept having to pause the film in order to translate.
They were very interested by everything the Virginia students were talking about. And, they loved the music that was put to pictures during the film.
Next, we opened the cultural exchange box from Virginia. Everyone wanted to look
at each item. Things were being passed over heads and shoulders... they were fascinated! One of the boys took the car magazine back to his seat to look through more closely. Many of the students put on the little American flag pins and waved the American flag around. After, everyone had looked at everything, the box and its contents were set up by the front of the classroom for all students and teachers to see.
* * *
Today the students worked on writing the declaration to the United Nations describing
what it is like to be their age living here in Costa Rica.
Another group also worked on the documentary to send to Virginia. Many of the students had a natural talent for filming and interviewing. They came up with interesting visual scenarios and asked great questions of their classmates and teachers. Some of them also stayed in for lunch to finish up parts of the film.
It was fun walking around with the students and learning about their school and community. Plus, the weather is just absolutely gorgeous... strikingly sunny. The
green grass of the soccer field looked particularly inviting under the sun. Soccer is a very popular sport here!
* * *
I walked out the brass back door and into the refreshingly, cool tropical Costa Rican
air. I had to duck under what I believe was a guava tree. Its fruit hung heavy and waiting... bits of pinkish-orange shown through the fruit skins. It was dusk and getting dark fast. I tip-toed on the cement walkway in bare feet. Everything smelled so alive. Birds chirped all around. At the end of the walk was a white
hammock. I didn't intend to lie in the hammock- but merely get to the end of the
walk and look up and all around. The sky was still a foggy orange mixed with quickly
descending gray. There were two houses on either side of Jenny's- both set back a bit from the road. The one on the right was taller. It had two medium-sized windows with ruby red curtains. The lighted house looked so inviting...its cloth
curtains tucked to one side. All glowing inside. I could hear muffled talking sounds, mixed with some music, and the chatter of birds. I walked slowly back to the open brass door, liking how my feet felt on the cool cement.
* * *
Yesterday I saw a hummingbird outside my window. Its wings hummed and fluttered, as one would expect. Its body moved with a multitude of tiny vibrations. Like a flying electric toothbrush it had a frantic, shaky flair about its metallic red
and green body. Yet, this constant motion was the norm for this little bird and it seemed to fall back in relaxed acceptance of this destiny.
* * *
The environment here is green. One of the students today said that was a stereotype:
"Everyone thinks Costa Rica is just green, green, but we have buildings and cities too." And, she is very right. But, there is also a lot of green. There is just no denying it. The environment is lush and sprawling. Sprawling onto and into houses in the form of vines and flying black ants. Sprawling down mountain-sides like an unrolling carpet of bushy trees and sweet smelling flowers. Sprawling and flowing around the sides of the modern, unique, and numerous houses. Yep, green.
* * *
Today I almost made a very stupid mistake. There was a water cooler in the science
room. In the heat and with my increasing thirst it looked so inviting. So, I went to fill up my water bottle. For some reason I didnÃ't see the floating green algae
and settled brown dirt enclosed in the cooler. All I saw was nice, refreshing, cold water that would satisfy my dry mouth. I was happily filling up my water bottle
when one of the students yelled, "Wait! No! You can't drink that! That's bad water! It's for a science class! Not to drink! Stop!" In alarm, I stopped, looked more closely at the contents of the cooler and what was now in my water bottle, and promptly threw my bottle away... much to the students amusement! But, how could you not laugh at how stupid I was! ( I was laughing too... and also picturing the horrible sicknesses I might have inflicted on myself if that nice boy had been paying
attention to his work rather than watching me fill up a water bottle!
Sincerely,
Jessica
I have had an amazing time working with the Country Day School these past few days! I have only good things to say about CDS and I'm not just saying that because CDS people could be reading this. In all honesty, this school and these students are
incredible! I have never seen youth leadership put into practice and thriving in so many ways. From what I have seen so far, the students here are interested, excited to learn about new things, anxious to take action, and have the practical intelligence to back-up their planned actions.
Jenny said that in Costa Rican culture independence, tolerance, peace, and understanding are emphasized. If that is the case, these students are most definitely embodying what it is to be Costa Rican!
Everything about Costa Rica so far I have liked: beautiful environment, wonderful
weather (though a bit on the hot side, but that is coming from someone who lives near Boston), and friendly people.
One of the things I find most interesting is that Costa Rica has disbanded its army.
There has been no military for years now. The funding that would normally go toward
an army, is instead spent on education, environmental programs, health care (hospital
stays of up to 3 days are all free, and the healthcare system is of high quality).
In many ways, being here in Costa Rica, feels like looking into the future. Or, another version of the current reality of the world. Like saying: "see, this is
how it could be." Now, of course there is still crime here and I'm sure corrupt
government policies (as there are in any country). But, they do have a lot of things
right. It is as though, Costa Rica is setting an example for the world. But, is the rest of the world paying attention? One of the students today said, "I feel like sometimes people don't even know where our country is, or that it exists, and they don't know who we are."
* * *
Yesterday all the students watched the documentary from their sister-school in Danville, Virginia. They loved seeing their sister-school students on film!
Even though all the Country Day students speak fluent English (classes are taught
in English, many of the students had a hard time understanding what the Danville
youth were saying. The combination of a southern USA accent and slang made it difficult. I kept having to pause the film in order to translate.
They were very interested by everything the Virginia students were talking about. And, they loved the music that was put to pictures during the film.
Next, we opened the cultural exchange box from Virginia. Everyone wanted to look
at each item. Things were being passed over heads and shoulders... they were fascinated! One of the boys took the car magazine back to his seat to look through more closely. Many of the students put on the little American flag pins and waved the American flag around. After, everyone had looked at everything, the box and its contents were set up by the front of the classroom for all students and teachers to see.
* * *
Today the students worked on writing the declaration to the United Nations describing
what it is like to be their age living here in Costa Rica.
Another group also worked on the documentary to send to Virginia. Many of the students had a natural talent for filming and interviewing. They came up with interesting visual scenarios and asked great questions of their classmates and teachers. Some of them also stayed in for lunch to finish up parts of the film.
It was fun walking around with the students and learning about their school and community. Plus, the weather is just absolutely gorgeous... strikingly sunny. The
green grass of the soccer field looked particularly inviting under the sun. Soccer is a very popular sport here!
* * *
I walked out the brass back door and into the refreshingly, cool tropical Costa Rican
air. I had to duck under what I believe was a guava tree. Its fruit hung heavy and waiting... bits of pinkish-orange shown through the fruit skins. It was dusk and getting dark fast. I tip-toed on the cement walkway in bare feet. Everything smelled so alive. Birds chirped all around. At the end of the walk was a white
hammock. I didn't intend to lie in the hammock- but merely get to the end of the
walk and look up and all around. The sky was still a foggy orange mixed with quickly
descending gray. There were two houses on either side of Jenny's- both set back a bit from the road. The one on the right was taller. It had two medium-sized windows with ruby red curtains. The lighted house looked so inviting...its cloth
curtains tucked to one side. All glowing inside. I could hear muffled talking sounds, mixed with some music, and the chatter of birds. I walked slowly back to the open brass door, liking how my feet felt on the cool cement.
* * *
Yesterday I saw a hummingbird outside my window. Its wings hummed and fluttered, as one would expect. Its body moved with a multitude of tiny vibrations. Like a flying electric toothbrush it had a frantic, shaky flair about its metallic red
and green body. Yet, this constant motion was the norm for this little bird and it seemed to fall back in relaxed acceptance of this destiny.
* * *
The environment here is green. One of the students today said that was a stereotype:
"Everyone thinks Costa Rica is just green, green, but we have buildings and cities too." And, she is very right. But, there is also a lot of green. There is just no denying it. The environment is lush and sprawling. Sprawling onto and into houses in the form of vines and flying black ants. Sprawling down mountain-sides like an unrolling carpet of bushy trees and sweet smelling flowers. Sprawling and flowing around the sides of the modern, unique, and numerous houses. Yep, green.
* * *
Today I almost made a very stupid mistake. There was a water cooler in the science
room. In the heat and with my increasing thirst it looked so inviting. So, I went to fill up my water bottle. For some reason I didnÃ't see the floating green algae
and settled brown dirt enclosed in the cooler. All I saw was nice, refreshing, cold water that would satisfy my dry mouth. I was happily filling up my water bottle
when one of the students yelled, "Wait! No! You can't drink that! That's bad water! It's for a science class! Not to drink! Stop!" In alarm, I stopped, looked more closely at the contents of the cooler and what was now in my water bottle, and promptly threw my bottle away... much to the students amusement! But, how could you not laugh at how stupid I was! ( I was laughing too... and also picturing the horrible sicknesses I might have inflicted on myself if that nice boy had been paying
attention to his work rather than watching me fill up a water bottle!
Sincerely,
Jessica
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