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Location: La Carpio, Piedades Hike
This morning we woke up at our host families in Piedades. Then we went to Mora’s house, climbed into our van and headed to La Carpio. Upon arrival, we stopped at the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation daycare before heading off on a walking tour of the neighborhood led by Gail. The tour was nice because we got to see parts of La Carpio other than the two children’s centers we had been to. It also taught us the severity of the situation in La Carpio as we witnessed the widespread reality of addiction, poverty, and houses on the brink of collapsing. We saw children playing in a river consisting of 90% raw sewage. I think we all felt a bit guilty but also hopeful upon seeing a school that provides extra help to children. In the afternoon we met Francis, a woman who was able to escape the intense control of her husband by selling homemade dolls. After the tour, we went back to our usual stomping grounds in La Carpio and split into groups to paint houses, finish the mural, and play with preschool kids in the library. Before we knew it, it was time for lunch, and we ate quickly to go for a hike in the mountains behind Mora’s house. On the way up, we watched the skies anxiously as it began to rain, followed by lightning and thunder. Before having to turn back, we were able to admire the view of San Jose and the rest of the valley. Then we excitedly ran onto the soccer field outside of Mora’s house to play soccer and hacky-sack. Then we hopped in our host families’ cars and sped off to their homes to enjoy authentic food and watch the Copa America Final.