Bienvenidos a Sarapiquí

Wow, my life has pretty much been turned upside down since September 7th when I arrived from Boston, Massachusetts. I am the new volunteer coordinator here...Jenn has left very big shoes for me to fill but I think I will get there soon! So what can I say, I am living in a rainforest- much different than the city life that is for sure. Here you can look out the windows and see monkeys jumping from limb to limb and Jesus Chris lizards at the door step. I have never in my life seen so much green nor wildlife all in one place. It is the nature lovers paradise. There is so much to learn here about medicinal plants, birds, mother natures ways, sustainable living...the list goes on and on.
Life is simple in Sarapiquí. People have their families and a place to sleep, and that is really all that matters here. Most families do not have cars, computers, or hot water but that is the way it is and noone complains. Travelling to the USA and witnessing all of the unecessary materials we have would turn their lives upside down. Ticans (slang for Costa Ricans) are veryyy laid back people who do not worry about any thing. Pura Vida (Pure Life)they say to just about everything that happens, good or bad.
The beautiful Sarapiquí River runs behind the center which we take advantage of on hot days. Our friends who are guides at Adventuras de Sarapiqui take us kayaking, canopying, and hiking throughout the forest. Chilamate Jungle is right down the street from us which is a wonderful place to visit. It is run by a Tican/Canadian family who we have all become very close with. They are eager to help the center and with community development in anyway they can. There are endless trails to hike and things to see on any given day here so you can make yourself as busy as you want to be.
But helping the communities is really what we are here for. There is so much this community needs and we are here to help. Most of the schools here are poorer than you can imagine. We raise money and collect donations for simple materials which they simply can not afford to buy. Although public education is free here, high school puts a strain on their pockets because they need to pay for their books, uniforms, and their bus to get there. Going to work after 6th grade is the easier alternative here. Our Becados program is an amazing thing we have here-generous donors support students all the way from 7th - 12th grades so that they graduate. We have volunteers teach Environmental Education in the schools because it is a very important part of their lives here. Right now we are planting vegetable gardens behind all of the schools to teach more sustainable ways of living as well as saving some money down the road. Due to a lack of income, children only go to school for about 3 hours a day. Our After School Program is another great program we have which gives the students an extra place to learn after their short school days. The children are amazing and very intelligent. They WANT to learn which is a great thing to see. We also do many reforestation projects with them. A big form of income for Sarapiquí is tourism so it is a huge assett to know English here. Our ESL classes therefore act as a form of Community Development. In the past we have had many groups volunteer to do service projects here which is an amazing thing! I am hoping to see more of that in the near future, especially to start a recycling system throughout all of the comunities.
I am now adjusted to living in the rural Costa Rica- it has opened up my eyes to a whole different world. I am so lucky to have this experience and truly feel I can have a big impact on these special peoplés lives. Helping the community of Sarapiquí grow stronger brings us one step closer to world peace.
Much love and peace to all

Pura Vida,
Kaity Fitzgerald
Volunteer Coordinator
Activist for world peace
commdev@learningcentercostarica.org