End In Sight

As some may have noticed, my blog title concerning the previous weekend’s adventures included part uno, suggesting there was to be more written. Well, I have decided to no longer tell you anything more about my epic weekend.


(Red squirrel. That is all.)

Kidding… well sort of.

I am just going to sum up the rest of the events from the weekend because I feel that this week has been much more important in respect to the ultimate purpose of my trip.

Saturday, I hiked up a real trail in the woods actually meant for hiking. This led the group of us on an intense adventure complete with three waterfalls. I took a swim at the bottom pool of the falls and even jumped off the smallest of the beautiful creations. Along with this jump included another from a rope swing and a daring leap off of a tree branch. The rush of adrenaline made the feeling of wanting to pee my pants from anticipation completely worth it. I therefore deem the weekend a success.


(A crazy man jumping off the second waterfall.)


(Another crazy man climbing up the rocks of a waterfall.)

Now back to the week.

Finding out that the past week was essentially the last week of working at my actual project site, I wanted to make the best out of it.

(Just a heads up. Next week is designated for exploring the country and what not but I am skipping out on some of the adventures to sneak in more time to work at another orphanage. It is what I came here to do and although it is nice that all of these fun things have been planned for the last week, I would rather do more of what I am enjoying, which is helping out kids.)

The new girls, Genesis and Rebecca, are gone already. I was baffled when I came into the orphanage on Monday and did not see their lovely faces. Word from DaKell, who I depend on to answer all of my questions, is that the sisters were taken to another house. I was also informed that Javier was taken to the same location. Apparently there are two homes for project Pani that I was unaware of. At least I know they are still being watched over by people who care.


(The original Genesis in the house is still around though.)

I have learned that motivation is a tough thing to spread around when no enthusiasm is present in the kids. Video games filled many of their interests for the beginning of the week. The strange thing was that I realized even games played on the television screen help the kids to learn English. It may not be the typical grammar and word choice lessons, but it is learning nonetheless.

The wide range of ages in the Pani house makes it difficult to focus on solely teaching English. Much of the work has ended up being child care and providing the children with someone that can take them away from their problems, even if only for a few hours a day.


(Arini keeping himself entertained with toys.)


(Genesis being fed her yummy cookies. So cute!)

My visits to Carpio have proved to be more focused on the teaching of English. The children are much closer in age, which makes the process easier. Handouts asking the kids to label the parts of the face in English, practicing the “Head, shoulders, knees and toes” song, and reviewing common phrases in English have all been included in the weeks activities.


(One of the boys filling in the parts of the faces.)

The kids, similar to those at Pani, are all willing to accept us into their group and include us in their activities. I even have a special handshake with one of the boys, named Ricardo.


(Ricardo showing off one of his guns. Haha.)

They all look up the volunteers with such respect that it makes it almost impossible to leave. I even let them use one of the cameras and they went absolutely crazy. Maybe they had never been able to use such a device before because they seemed so thrilled to be holding one.


(The kids were often entertained by taking a photo of me taking a photo.)


(Boys from Caprio enjoying the limelight in front of the camera.)

The kids fought over the use of it, but all of them seemed to be able to snap at least a few pictures during the day. I took the opportunity to use my nicer camera and capture some of the moments.

The same reaction occurred every time that I brought out my camera at Pani.


(Some of the kids showing their best poses for the camera.)

I was told at the beginning of my volunteering not to take pictures of the children at my project site. This did not go over well with myself and I decided that I could not leave without at least getting photos of some of my kids that I have worked with. It was the last week, so that means it is okay to do. Right? (I am obviously wrong but I am a photographer. What do you expect?)


(Alejandra and Alana fooling around and being goofy for a photo.)


(Jose and DaKell posing for the camera. Such goofs.)

Just showing the pictures I had taken of the kids made them so happy and giddy. I was amazed at how interested they were in the art of photography. Taking the risk, I let some of them use my nice camera. (But believe me I was walking along side of them the whole time with my hand under the lens. Haha.) The pictures they took were impressive and I applauded them for their works of art.


(Ruth grabbing for the camera. What a clown.)

Some accomplishments for the week include Arini and Estavon both being able to correctly state their age in English. Lindsay and I showed the girls some of our salsa moves. (The guys were too cool for things such as dancing.) All they wanted to do after was have us spin them constantly until they were falling on the floor. Jump rope was a new interest and was played often, with the children counting the number of jumps in English rather than Spanish.


(Alejandra going crazy in front of the camera. Haha.)

The kids also learned common phrases and reviewed the months and parts of the face all in English.


(Alena showing that she understands the word “eye” in English.)


(Estavon drawing and writing with the materials that were given to him.)

Their hard work was finally repaid when Lindsay and I brought out the gifts. Notebooks, pens, pencils, stickers, lollipops, and silly bands were all included. (Yes… silly bands. What better way to learn the names of the animals in English?)


(Jose apparently enjoying the taste of a silly band?)

Soon enough, more of the stickers found their way onto the kids rather than the paper.


(Arini covered in stickers. He looks so angry! Haha.)

Sadly, the time eventually did come when goodbyes had to be said. I choose to remain positive and say that I would see them later. I can only hope that in the time that I am gone, the kids continue on the positive path that they have been placed upon. Each of them has a unique personality and a mind that can be used in amazing ways. What they lack in a typical family is made up for in the love and passion they have for others.

I have come to realize that although I wasn’t put into a stereotypical orphanage for the entirety of my stay, the kids I worked with are just as alone as other orphans. They have no structured family to turn to in times of needs. The walls may not be crumbling down around them, but they are suffering the same ways as those children found in such conditions. They all need help and need to be strong and rise above their situations. The volunteers that come and allow them to have fun and learn are a helpful part in their process. We provide an outlet for the kids to turn to and rely upon.


(Teaching one of the Carpio boys the alphabet.)

This experience has undoubtedly changed my life. My plans for the future remain unclear but I know that volunteering in such a way is something I plan to continue. The kids have taught me so much about life and what to appreciate. The only way to truly repay them for all that they have done for me is to reach out again and again. My helping of others will continue and I hope that you stay along for the adventure.

Weekend Part Uno

Epic.

Honestly that is the only way I can describe the past weekend. No other word even comes close to doing the days justice.

Where to begin? Perhaps with thinking it was a good idea to go out dancing the night before I have to catch a 6 am bus. My intelligence amazes me sometimes. Upon the clock reaching 2:00 am, Lindsay and I finally decided that we could get home and have just the perfect amount of sleep to wake up by 4 o’clock to pack and leave the house by 5 via taxi to reach the bus station.

My equally intelligent housemate Lindsay had set the alarm for 4:00 prior to going out that night, so when we came home after 2:00 am we figured everything was good to go to wake up in the morning.

Wrong. The alarm had actually been set for 4 o’clock in the afternoon rather than in the morning. We woke up to our amazing host mom shaking us awake at 5:24 am.

Yikes. A taxi was called and we somehow managed to pack everything we needed while still basically asleep. We left the house by 5:30 am to head to the bus station. By some miracle we made it on the bus and both had seats to immediately pass out in. (Often times people will end up having to stand on the long bus rides because too many tickets are sold. That would have been quite a painful experience on three hours of sleep.)

The trip to Montezuma, which was our ultimate destination, included a ferry ride.


(Muy bonita.)

Then we hopped back on our original bus until we reached some random town where those destined to Montezuma boarded an even smaller bus. Along the walk to the hotel, Lindsay and I made a friend from Germany, Svenja, who joined us in our adventure. We began to put our luggage in our room only to be interrupted by a random man claiming to be ‘Ronnie Sunshine.’ He explained that the room I was checking in to was the room he had hoped for and asked if he would be able to leave his luggage there for the night. Absolutely not creeper, but thanks for the offer.

Lindsay and I then thought it would be nice to take a short hike through the woods. Emphasis on the short, which was what it was intended to be. A “trail” was visible passed a barbed-wire fence so we obviously felt it was safe to approach.

During our adventure, we hiked up steep “paths,” depended on tree trunks to save our lives, and climbed up rocks where a waterfall had once been present. One of my cuts reopened during the journey and Lindsay used her survival-skill-thinking to wrap a bag around my leg so that the blood wouldn’t attract mosquitoes. (Did I mention that we forgot bug spray and the mosquitoes in Costa Rica literally bite through clothing? Ah yes… fun times.)


(There were convenient piles of twigs placed in sections of the forest.)

At some point we realized that we had actually climbed above the waterfall, being able to hear the running water below us. Eventually finding the creek that leads to the fall, I felt accomplished and deemed the hike a success. Soon the daylight began to disappear and we struggled with the idea that we could really be lost.


(Part of the creek that we discovered.)

Could such expert hikers as us, who forget bug spray and any form of light to see in the dark, really not know our way around a vast rainforest? Yes.

Discovering more barbed wire, we conveniently “found” an opening and walked until we reached a road with a car traveling up ahead of us. Finally! We see the possibility of human life other than ourselves and headed in that direction. This led us to a gigantic gate that we proceeded to pass through via a side opening under barbed wire.


(The massive gate.)

Noticing such a large gate, one would assume that the property must be equally as vast and rich. Wrong once again. Lindsay and I encountered people that may possibly be living in the rainforest all-year round. I could only use the term village people to give you a somewhat description of what they looked like. There was not even a stable building past the gates. It looked more like a picnic area to me with a shanty roof and a cement floor, complete with no walls surrounding the structure. They knew no English and must have thought we were completely crazy. We took their directions, which I could only understand as turning right multiple times, and traveled in hopes of finding another house.

A house painted white with bright red steps, no door handles, and a Rottweiler standing guard was the next building we approached.

Do not act scared if the dog charges!

Those were the directions to follow. Guess what happened? The dog began to run straight towards us. In my head, life as I had known it was about to be over.

If you are aware of the main dog from the movie Up, then you will understand my reference. The charging dog was the equivalent of Doug, the silly mutt who automatically falls in love with people the second he approaches.

Now armed with such a dangerous guard dog, we ventured to yet another house. This time, life was visible and people could be seen moving around under a picnic canopy.

Success. Although the newly found friends clearly stated with their facial expressions that Lindsay and I were crazy for walking so far, one of them spoke and understood English. And even stranger was that a few of the group were actually about to venture past Montezuma to pick up food to be included in a 50th birthday celebration.

I would have accepted their invitation to the birthday party, taking place on the next day, if I had any idea how I actually got to the house. My best bet was to travel into the woods and get lost again.

Fear not, though, because we did back it back alive and managed to avoid sleeping in the rain forest for a night.

A day I will truly never forget.


(Lots are for sale in the forest if you are interested. Just saying…)

Loco Loco Loco

This week with the kids has been a roller coaster ride. Crying over missed parents and fights over card games, along with playing jump-rope and sharing grapes, have all been a part of the events that have occurred.

Monday was a rough day to say the least simply because I left Manuel Antonio that morning at 6 am and did not return to my host family until noon. I fell asleep departing the bus station with a maximum of 6 or 7 people on board only to awake to a bus filled past capacity not even halfway through the trip.

Despite my lack of energy initially, the week has been eventful and tear-jerking.

Lindsay and I worked at teaching the kids English by showing them different colors and numbers and asking them to state what they were in English. The activity became somewhat of a game as they raced to say the answer. Jose really impressed me with his skills in English. DaKell (as I have discovered his name to be spelled) has also helped in being my translator from Spanish to English.


(Jose on the left and DaKell on the right. They are loco!)

Common phrases such as “Happy Birthday” and “How old are you?” have become quite simple for some of the children. Others, at younger ages, are still working at numbers but seem very willing to learn. Books to help teach the kids more English were dropped off at the orphanage and the children jumped on that opportunity. Soon they were carrying around the books and looking at them together. Estavon even went through one of the books with me, counting pictures of various objects to help learn the numbers in English.

Hanging with the children is not always as intense as book reading and phrase teaching.

Field trip! Yes, the children at the orphanage were able to go for a walk to a local church where an activity was planned for little ones from all over the area. Their faces lit up as we strolled through the neighborhood, umbrellas in hand as storms are very common at this time of year.

I discovered that the kids are part of the Methodist church. They all seemed very interested in the event and behaved as little angels. They created lions out of paper and bags and played games such as a bag toss outside while snacks were served.


(The kids crafting the lion bags. Rawr!)


(Arini standing in front of Luz Maria with Stephanie on the side)

I enjoyed seeing the kids get away from the walls of the orphanage. The trip was well worth the stormy adventure back to their home.

Finding ourselves trapped in a thunderstorm, we took shelter under a roof and somehow managed to get a ride from an anonymous person. Perhaps the savior knew the tia (which is Spanish for aunt and what the women who take care of the orphans are called), however I did not. Still, the ride was welcoming and allowed me to only get half-drenched instead of completely.

All this week, however, little Ruth has been very touchy and emotional. That all ended when her father came knocking on the door and greeted her with a huge smile. Ruth’s face lit up so much as she jumped into his arms. It was really an emotional event to witness and I felt the struggle that the father must feel with not having his daughter by his side.


(Ruth is such a cute little girl but she can definitely be a handful.)

The orphanage has also seen some changes this week. Naomi found a family and has gone to live with them and hopefully be happy finally having a stable environment to grow up in. Upon her departure two new girls have arrived along with a little boy. Javier, who is timid but adorable, a second Genesis and Rebecca are the new additions to Pani. The two girls are sisters and both full of energy and smiles. You would have though they had been there for weeks by the way that they were interacting with the kids. It is really amazing to see how accepting the children are of others. If kids can look past differences in others so easily then why cant the rest of the population?


(The new boy, Javier, is very humorous in front of the camera.)

Rebecca has a slight disability in that her eyes both point outward which must make it challenging for her to see. This does not stop her at all, however, as she proved when she was determined to succeed in jump-roping. The girls continue to swing the rope until she finally jumped over. Such an achievement would seem simple to the common eye but it was a big feat for her and the girls applauded and surrounded her with hugs. She was right at home with the others and had no problems fitting in with the rest.

All of the happiness and joy does come with some issues. Go-fish gone wrong occurred at Pani this week. Who would have ever known that such a simple and fun card game could be so disastrous? Confusion about the order in which the kids are to play their turn left half of the group gone. Upset with being told they were wrong and not having the other children listen to what they were saying, they decided enough was enough.

I had the opportunity to visit another project site this week along with my regular work project. Carpio is a site that is located typically at a church where underprivileged children come to interact with volunteers, learn English, and simply have a fun and healthy environment to enjoy. This particular day the kids were taking a field trip to a park to have an eventful day. The children, even without ever previously seeing Lindsay or I, immediately accepted us into their group and were pulling us from side to side wanted to play Frisbee and futbol (soccer).


(So perhaps they weren’t all completely excited. Haha.)


(At least the girl was expressive, yes?)

A few of the girls even took us into their beauty shop where they styled our hair. I had the classic look of pigtails that the girls were more than excited over.


(Got my hair did. Looks good right? Haha.)

Upon seeing the camera that I brought, the kids jumped for the opportunity to take photos. They were so interested in the object that I let them borrow the camera for the rest of my time at the site.


(This boy stole the camera for the majority of the time.)

The photos were humorous and the kids were nothing but happy.


(The kids on one of the playground rides, taken by the anonymous boy.)

I definitely plan on going back to visit the children, as they were already asking if we would return manana (tomorrow). Sadly, I had to tell them no but that I would be back the next week to have another crazy day.

What meets the eye is sometimes deceiving. Yes, the kids are adorable and generally get along wonderfully with each other, but they are still capable of having fits and tantrums. I never realized that working with kids could be so complicated. Perhaps the difficulties in such a job are why one of the tias strongly warned Lindsay and I to never have kids.

She was joking of course, but the point of the message was greatly understood. Those cute, little kids can be more than a handful to handle so have children at your own risk.

Full Of Surprises

A drunk man attempting to teach me how to dance, mosqitos taking over the planet, and people flying through a rainforest sums up my weekend. Feel free to use your imagination.

Okay… or I guess I could explain.

During the weekends, the volunteers are given the opportunity to travel out of San Pedro and explore the rest of the lovely country of Costa Rica. The night prior to departure, I met up with some random strangers (kidding… they were friends) at a place called Feng Sheng. While there, a drunk man named Frank felt it necessary to introduce himself to us. He kept hounding us to get up and dance salsa, which we eventually agreed on. It was not, however the fun experience you would imagine. My partner, Wesley, and I, were continuously yelled at by the man for not dancing salsa “correctly.” His directions were to follow his lead, even though he was barely picking up his feet. I guess the lesson learned is to not dance near a drunk man, especially one named Frank.

On Friday, madness occurred. I woke up extra early to volunteer in the morning at the orphanage. My wounds are healing but they have proven to be quite impressive with the amount of people asking what happened. The orphanage was more relaxed, as some of the kids were in school at the time. I spent the hours keeping them entertained with drawing and coloring, as well as just giving them the attention that they crave. It is hard to deal with seeing them in such a beautiful house because they all lack the parental presence that is so crucial in development. I hope that the volunteers are helping at least a little in building their confidence.

Afterwards, I was off to Manuel Antonio for the weekend, which is famous for a world park and lovely beaches


(View of the beautiful beach.)

The bus trip, which was 4 hours long, was only approximately 7 US dollars. I love the travel costs here. A typical city bus is typically $.50. At dinner, my friends and I figured out our life plans, which include making a movie surrounding around the idea of mosquitoes taking over the planet. (lets say bug spray is an essential for the area)

My group decided to relocate and switch to another hotel on Saturday. Previously we had stayed in a large room filled with bunk-beds and a single bathroom to share. The idea of a hotel closer to the beach with rooms having at the max 5 beds was much more appealing.


(Spider monkeys were all around the hotel, which clearly made it worth switching.)

Body surfing turned into body crashing, with the waves proving to be more powerful than meets the eye.


(A father with his son, spending time together at the ocean.)

The group ate on the beach, traveled to nearby areas, and ended up back at the hotel to play a card game called presidents. i now can successfully play and teach others 3 card games (go fish, bullcrap, and presidents) Haha

We decided it was appropriate to go out dancing and we did just so. With barely anyone there at the time of our arrival, our fun was still not stopped. It was really interesting to hear at least the majority of the music be latino based, compared to the typically booty shaking music at the clubs in the good ol’ United States. The club did manage to slip in techno infused lady gaga songs, but most were location appropriate.

Considering it was the 4th of July on Sunday, i obviously celebrated by attending a cookout filled with hotdogs and hamburgers and watching the fireworks at night…

Not at all. As I would hope you would understand, such a holiday is not a big deal in Costa Rica, at all. I did, however, spend a portion of the day flying through a rain forest.


(A new friend enjoying the view of the forest.)

ZIP LINING was beyond amazing and the view while sailing over and in the forest is breathtaking.

Pura Vida for sure.

Update Numero Dos

My first international volunteer experience has begun. (Dun dun dunnn)

I have been welcomed into Pani, the orphanage and I will be working at for the next few weeks. Each child there has an entertaining and unique personality. To name a few:

-Estayon: extremely playful and a ladies man with the women who are volunteering
-Ruth: adorable but very emotional, one minute she is crying and the next she is giggling
-Natan is one of the young babies who always has a smile on his face
-Gensis is learning how to walk and often refuses to be carried anywhere

I never know what to expect when I arrive each day. The kids are muy loco (very crazy) but all in a good way. The two oldest boys, Juan and Decal, find it amusing to pick on the volunteers, seeing as we don’t know what they are saying most of the time. I guess that is just part of their fun while we are visiting.

Because I did not want to disappoint any of my friends or family, I did receive my first injury of the trip. A helpful hint to others: playing chase on cement floor is not always the greatest idea. Minor cuts and scraps plus a somewhat-worthy-of-at-least-a-low-five scab on my knee have helped me to achieve such a difficult goal. (I hope my sarcasm is still evident on a computer screen)

Life with my host madre is very welcoming and relaxing.


(Outside view of the home. Muy bonito)

Cameron has an adorable dog, clearly the same model as the famous “Yo quiero taco bell” pooch. Chicky is her name and being timid and shy is her game. Regardless, she is sweet and I admit I am jealous because she understands far more Spanish than I do. My mission to find a Spanish tutor is now complete.


(The dog is beyond adorable.)

Cameron’s granddaughter, Camila, resides upstairs with her madre y padre (mother and father). Taking after the dog, she is somewhat shy but she opened up to me quite easily after I asked her “Café por favor?” (Coffee please? I hope you are enjoying my unnecessary additions of Espanol… Oops I mean Spanish)


(Such a cute girl. She kept hiding her face behind the guitar.)

A walk through San Pedro proved to be an adenture in itself. Locals walking behind Lindsay and myself noticed our cameras and continued to chant “Foto! Foto!” until we would talk their picture. And to think I was wondering if people here would want their picture taken. Problem solved.


(They were perhaps overly excited but I did not mind at all.)

I am off to Manuel Antonio this weekend to explore more of what Costa Rica has to offer. Stories of enjoyment and most likely injury will be soon to come.

Buenos dias.

Reached my destination

Yesterday, I began my first of hopefully many more adventures out of the country that is the United States. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy the life that I have been fortunate to live, but there is much to see in the world and my time is limited.

My adventure actually started a few days ago when I left my small village of Nisbet to head towards Callicoon, New York. The name had been completely unfamiliar to me but the friendly faces of those that greeted me there assured that my presence was welcomed.

Being treated to a lovely stay in the woods of Callicoon, I was able to relax and mentally prepare myself for the journey ahead alongside Lindsay, my partner in crime for this adventure.

This calmness ended when we hustled to New York City to stay for the day prior to boarding the plane. Amusing road rage both made me pray for my life as well as thank the driver for quickly getting to where we needed to be.

Eating like kings and queens, we stuffed our faces until we could barely move multiple times throughout the day. Japenese and Indian foods filled my tummy on the last day in the states. I went to bed that night not knowing what to expect when I boarded my flight.

The flights, including the layover is Miami, Florida, went as schedule and we arrived on time to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. We, including another girl arriving at the same time, were kindly flagged down by a representative from the volunteer organization and driven via taxi to our respective host families.

The house is filled with beauty and Cameron, our host “madre,” has been nothing but nice to us. Communication has proven to be difficult due to language barriers but everyone is finding their patience and going on the journey together.

Cameron showed us San Pedro, which is the section that I am living in for the next month. I have come to realize that I will be viewed as an attraction to most of the locals of the area. It has proven impossible to fit in with blonde hair, light skin, and blueish green eyes. The reactions have been mixed but I take it all in as a learning experience.

I am now winding down on the top bunk in my lovely host family’s home and playing in my ear are the sounds of World Wrestling being commentated in Spanish. The only thing that may top that television oddity is seeing a preview for Los Simpsons.

I kid, of course, as the most amazing part of the day was finally exiting the plane and stepping out onto Costa Rican land. I am at my home, even if it may only be for a month.

I LEAVE THIS MONTH

I cannot believe how fast time is going! I leave the country in less than a month and I'm not sure if I'm prepared or not but I am going to find out! Haha I cannot wait though to finally arrive and start my volunteering.

I called my doctor and informed him that I would need to receive a few shots in preparation for the trip.  I am still waiting to hear back but I am looking forward to getting prepared.  Luckily I can handle shots and this aspect of the trip will not be a problem for me.

Thanks to everyone who has offered words of wisdom for the trip.  Everything and anything is appreciated.  This would not be possible without the selflessness of other people.