3
Location: San Jose
Hi Friends and Family!
Thanks for tuning into day 3 of our Costa Rica Blog! Our day started with a delicious breakfast of toast, eggs, fresh fruit, and coffee (for those of us who were feeling a little drowsy.) After we had loaded the bus, we set off to La Carpio again. We passed the 30-minute bus ride with our question of the day: “If you had three wishes, what would you wish for?” The answers varied and lead to some good conversation, which left everyone with thoughts about their own priorities in life. After Hugo (our driver) dropped us off, we walked to the preschool to work with the kids. After the teachers there gave us an introduction to the school, the kids started trickling in. We sat on the floor in a circle with the kids and went around saying our names and favorite foods. Then we sang a song in English to the kids, and they sang a song in Spanish to us. The kids were shy at first, but then we started playing, and they opened up more! Some of us drew with them, others played blocks, and many had paper airplane races. Being at the school was an extremely fun experience for us and the kids alike, even though there was a language barrier. After the kids got picked up (school here is only 3 hours) we traveled to the house we were at yesterday to continue working.
Today’s projects were painting, and adding to the wax; we put on yesterday. We decided to do the waxing before lunch. Waxing floors were learning, is an art. We were told yesterday that the women here take a lot of pride in how their floor looks, which I thought was very interesting. Some of the wax we did yesterday needed a second coat, so we went over that and put the first coat of wax on the part we didn’t do yesterday. After we were done waxing, we walked back to Gail’s community center and had a great lunch of rice, beans, roasted vegetables and chicken, and garlic bread. Then we had a treat. Some of the older women in La Carpio, who were Nicaraguan refugees, are in a theater group and out of a play for us. Their plays, based on their own experiences, all had lessons to them. The play they performed for us, about addiction, taught us some valuable lessons.
After saying our goodbyes to “los abuelos” thanking them for the play, we walked back to the house. The color for the outside of the house was a pretty light purple. The painting was a long progress made fun by the presence of the kids who live at the house. Their painting skills weren’t great, but their presence made everything more fun! We also painted the inside of the house a darker purple which everyone agreed, made the house look great. Although the painting was long work, it looked so good in the end; it was all worth it.
After taking many pictures with the kids at the house, we walked back to the bus. We all got to experience the crazy traffic of Costa Rica rush hour! After a quick shower, it was time to go to dinner. Tonight was special because we were eating out! As we walked to the bus, we all got a little shock from the huge frog lurking in the shadows on the path. The ride was about 10 minutes (a little longer then it should have been due to the pouring rain), and we all ran inside to avoid getting soaked. Our dinner started with a vegetable and chicken soup, which everyone devoured. Then we had rice, beans, a meat of choice, and corn. After an intense discussion about how everyone crosses their arms, we had a coconut flan. After the bus ride back, some of us played cards while getting bombarded by the giant frogs. After we ended the card game, we dispersed and got ready for bed. We emerged from our room in a panic later hearing screams from the other room, only to learn a gecko was trying to become their roommate.
Stay tuned for more updates on this incredible adventure!
Kendall