Hello all!
We are happy to report that we had a successful first day in San Jose, Costa Rica! With a delayed flight out of Miami, the group arrived hungry and a tad tired, but still in great spirits and excited for a pizza dinner. . . which, in typical Tico (Costa Rican) time, arrived late! This provided extra time for getting to know each other.
We are happy to report that we had a successful first day in San Jose, Costa Rica! With a delayed flight out of Miami, the group arrived hungry and a tad tired, but still in great spirits and excited for a pizza dinner. . . which, in typical Tico (Costa Rican) time, arrived late! This provided extra time for getting to know each other.
Yesterday, we began the day with an early 8:30 AM breakfast (and no complaints from this great group about waking up early!) We then headed over to the Parque Nacional for our big orientation meeting. We talked about general expectations, dynamics, goals, rules, cultural differences between the US and Costa Rica, and more. Jake described life in our project village, Tujankir, and the service projects that we will begin soon. In Tujankir, our main projects will be finishing a community kitchen, building locker rooms for a soccer field, teaching English classes, running a bingo night, setting up a town volleyball court, and mapping the town.
After our orientation we checked out downtown San Jose, which happened to have various events going on for the 60th anniversary of women´s suffrage in the country. Everyone made their way through the crowded and bustling streets, staying together while taking everything in. Students then explored the mercado central and returned with tales of strange pet shops and fish for sale!
After our orientation we checked out downtown San Jose, which happened to have various events going on for the 60th anniversary of women´s suffrage in the country. Everyone made their way through the crowded and bustling streets, staying together while taking everything in. Students then explored the mercado central and returned with tales of strange pet shops and fish for sale!
After the mercado central, we had our first delicious lunch of comida tipica (a typical Costa Rican dish) which consists of rice, beans, fried plantains and a meat. In the afternoon, we took a bus tour of San Jose. The kids asked many questions, and learned about the economy, agriculture, politics, and environment of the country. We ended the day with an exciting and invigorating dance class where we all learned to dance the basics of merengue and salsa.
It has been an action packed first few days here and we are excited to see that the group is getting along well with many friendships blossomming. Tomorrow morning we leave for our village and home for the month, Tujankir-- it is about a five hour drive from San Jose. The town is planning a surprise party for tomorrow night where our students can practice their new dance moves!
That's all for now. We'll be in touch next week with an update on life in Tujankir.
Saludos!
Jake, Shiri and Costa Rica Community Service A
That's all for now. We'll be in touch next week with an update on life in Tujankir.
Saludos!
Jake, Shiri and Costa Rica Community Service A