La Carpio and Leaving Heredia

Today we went to La Corpio, a small immigrant village of Nicaraguans that sits right outside of San Jose. We visited the Montessori school there and played/worked with some of the students. There were babies and kids up to 10 years old all in the same room. We sat down and sang songs with the students and then partnered up with a child and played with them for a while! I had an eight year old boy named Deidric who was so excited to show me everything he knew and to teach me as well! He was so smart and well behaved, but when he talked to me I couldn't understand much of what he was saying...because of my lack of Spanish! After a while of playing, we took a tour of some of the areas that Gail (the Peace Corps lady from NY has been working through donations to get up and running for the community) including another school, a clinic, and a workshop where volunteers help make bunk beds for families who need them! This was the most poverty that I have ever seen...in comparison to other countries I've seen on TV it was not the worst of the worst. There was trash sitting out in the streets, the houses were small with tin roofs, there were children playing on the roof of one house, and we had to be sure to lock up everywhere we went in because of crime issues. We went back to the Montessori School and the women there fixed us lunch: rice with a sort of lentil soup with fresh watermelon and pineapple. It was actually really good! After lunch Gail told us the history of the Nicaraguan people and why they left Nicaragua, which is absolutely heartbreaking.  Many of the women are single mom's and work in a co-op to produce artisans to sell for profit!

A mural on the one of the walls in La Corpio!

Me and Deidric!

A picture of the city from a second story window!

Working with these students really opened my eyes to see that you don't need a lot of materials to foster student learning! These kids don't have very many resources, but they still are learning and engaged in what is going on! When we visited the other classroom our tour guide told us that they have up to 50 students in that one room and the teachers only get paid $100 a week and they have to pay out of pocket some for snacks and materials for the kids. And yet we complain! This experience really showed me that you don't have to have a lot to teach/learn and that money is just money...it doesn't have anything to do with your personality, ability to learn, motivation, or intelligence!

 I just finished packing to move out of my first house! I  leave at 7:00 am to go to Manuel Antonio (the beach!). I was talking to my padres de tica and they told me that they have loved having and that I will always have a family in Costa Rica! This made me feel so good, but it also made me sad! I gave them each a little gift to say thank you and I took a picture of them so you all can see my wonderful familia tica and so that I can remember their kindness/openness always!

Mi mama y papa Tica. Alfonso (67 yesterday) and Patricia (57). 
They have been so great taking care of me, making me comfortable, and being patient with me as I learn Spanish! I will miss these guys!

Papa Tica sporting that UNCW pride! We had to google image a seahawk so he knew what I was talking about! haha He loved this hat!