Expectations of a Savory Country

Costa Rica. This unique and highly visited country in Central America conjures bold images for backpackers and desk job day-dreamers alike. Visions a person sitting, plotting, planning or just daydreaming in an air conditioned office may have – particularly while reading blogs in such an office – may be a few of the most common images shown in your favorite travel magazine. Perhaps jungle and a river-cut landscape? If that is the case, let your mind wander to a place where the typical is spectacular.

Come with me to Sarapiqui, and see what it is that surrounds my office. For here the forest is full of trees whose leafy appendages greatly exceed the size of my very tall three year old niece. Some are round, and in their gigantic flatness seem as though they could be the shadow of the greatest pumpkin you have ever seen. Increasing the overwhelming area of foliage are the epiphytes, which grow high in the leaf litter that has accumulated along the heavy branches of the lower canopy. There are as many lively plants perched on the branches of the trees as there are shades of brilliant green. Some, like the strangler fig are hemi-epiphytes and throw their roots down to the ground, taking nutrients from the earth. The vine-like roots of the strangler fig will eventually kill its host tree through strangulation, called girdling, or simply out compete it for sunlight.

And what is there to be expected of night? When you contemplate closing your eyes or walking down the path with a headlamp, what is there to hear after dark when the howler monkeys have gone quiet and put themselves to bed? The screeching sounds of night are owned by insects and amphibians. The high pitched, pulsating sound made by the cicadas and tiny frogs (among a myriad of other creatures I have yet to know) compete with what I expect… the dreamer has yet to imagine. The carretera. Even in the night cars and freight trucks rip down the narrow two lane highway that divides the selva.

It is this reaching highway which allows the jungle to also be a neighborhood. It enables Sarapiqui to be easily and safely accessible, uniquely Costa Rica. The rumbling carretera, with its rapid 18-wheeled trucks and narrow shoulder, is the only true danger in Sarapiqui.

Far less frightening is the ever evolving river at out backdoor. The Sarapiqui ranges from class I – class V, depending on time and location, however behind us it is the changing face of a class II / III. I have seen it run a turbid brown after heavy rains, and listened to the calm ripples call to me on a hot day. It is olive green to sky blue, and almost always chopped with white ripples which expose rocks or debris. Just as the guide books say, it is fast, delivers adventure, and on the river the guides are trust worthy and skilled.

Many people travel to Costa Rica for the outdoors; the lush, easily accessible jungles, navigable rivers, and with luck a zipline view of the tropics. If this is your desktop image of Costa Rica, I wonder, do you also fantasize about the food?

Are images of rice and beans and plentiful plantains dancing through your head? Does your mouth water, or do you wonder how many granola bar wrappers line my waste-paper bin? Maybe you’d pack a pizza, because in this quaint bit of jungle, carved out only by river and carretera, there are no fast food joints.

Think again. Go onto the patio and fill it with a rudimentary but highly functional kitchen. Fridge, sink, stove, and countertops meant to be labored on. This is Doña Hilda’s kitchen and where the Sarapiqui cooking classes are held. Technically it does not belong to Doña Hilda, but to me it holds the fascination, danger and amoré of a grandmother’s kitchen. Meet a broad and grinning woman who feeds worthy visitors not with gnocchi, but with sizzling patacones, empanadas, and delicious guacamole. Think of tasting freshly strained juice, the watermelon so sweet, and the cook so giving that you are whisked from stress, technical difficulties and mosquitoes, to a place of calm, of home, and of family.

In Sarapiqui mighty appetites are satiated – for a little while.

-Shala Racicky
May 2010

Earthday Celebration

The day was Earth Day, a day for celebrating our planet. Therefore it was absolutely
necessary for Erin Peot and I , Joanna Colon to join in the protest against the Gold Minery here in Costa Rica. The protest in San Jose was filled with extreme energy and the air reverberated with enthusiasm. It was an amazing experience for us both. I personally was honored and rewarded in coming together with so many others, who truly believe in this very important cause. As we all continue to put forth our efforts, let us stay positive and believe that we will be heard. On this note I say aloud “All our hopes of success will impact this Governments final decision, and keep the Gold Minery out of Costa Rica.” Let’s do it! Let’s do all we can to prevent the Gold Minery from moving forward, and from making a great waste in this land of paradise. Oh yes! We can all live without gold in our lives but for the love of God, we cannot live without clean waters, nor can we live without the trees in the forest . Every wrong action has it’s consequence. Destruction to the land will cause massive global climate changes. The lives in the forest as well as our lives are affected. So therefore this fight is necessary and will continue to the end. Our Paradise and great planet is worth it. So stand with us and send your energy as we join together with CECOS to preserve our Paradise!



-Joanna Colon
April 23, 2010

Warm Welcome

After arriving in Sarapiqui just over one week ago, I already feel as though I´ve become part of a new family. Not only within a Tican (Costa Rican) host family, but also as a member of a family of volunteers and SCLC staff, working together to improve the local community and surrounding environment. The work completed by my fellow volunteers is outstanding; I´m already amazed at some of the projects started and executed by my motivated and dedicated peers. For example, JoAnna, the after-school program coordinator, works seemingly endlessly to provide local students with opportunities and activities that wouldn´t be possible without her consistent energy, inspiration, and hard-work. Everyday here at the center, is another opportunity to see how individuals are capable of making a positive impact within their community and, importantly, within the lives of community members.

At first glance, the town of Sarapiqui seems like just another small, rural community. However, after arriving at my host family and meeting the students and community members that the SCLC programs serve, the small town really springs to life and one can see how active and involved the town really is. On top of the weekend rafting trips, endless hiking opportunities, and trips with my host family, it really does become difficult to get bored here. On my first weekend in Sarapiqui, my host family invited me to travel to the neighboring town of San Telmos for a family wedding. I was lucky enough to meet everyone in the family (and extended family) as well as have the unique opportunity to experience the everyday life of a Costa Rican family. The feeling of community and togetherness was overwhelming, and I was able to see first-hand how special a community Sarapiqui really is.

Although I originally arrived at the Center with the intention of acting as the ESL teacher, I ended up working on various projects and programs that the SCLC offers instead. Several of these projects, aimed at eco-tourism and community development, allowed me to work within Sarapiqui on activities such as painting schools and assisting with community development projects. The student groups that the SCLC hosted worked very hard to complete the various community service and development tasks and the students really seemed to understand the positive impact they were making. Their work, as well as the organized and impressively-executed projects arranged by the SCLC, has really inspired me to become involved within future community development projects both abroad and in my own home-town back in the U.S.

With all the experiences I´ve had at the SCLC and with my host family, it´s hard to believe that I´ve only been here for little over a week. Next week, I will be returning to the U.S., but hope to return to Sarapiqui to volunteer once again in the future. I feel I have learned much about the SCLC, the Sarapiqui community, and the dedication of my fellow volunteers during my stay here and, importantly, I feel lucky enough to have helped make a difference within such a wonderful Costa Rican community.




Erin Taylor
SCLC Volunteer; April 2010

50 Days In....

When I arrived in Costa Rica about a month and a half ago, I have to say that my first thought was “What have I done?” I was overwhelmed by the noise and the crowds and the traffic of San Jose, such a change from the tiny farm town I had last been in, and completely exhausted from my trip – and it was only halfway done. I grabbed a taxi from the airport to the bus terminal and wearily tried to force my brain to convert to Spanish as I attempted to convince the bus driver that no, I did not want to pay $100+ to go directly to Sarapiqui. When we got to the terminal I dragged all of my luggage inside and tried desperately to figure out which ticket window was the one I needed. I managed to obtain a ticket for a bus that I desperately hoped was the right one, double- and triple-checking the directions that Kaity, the Volunteer Coordinator, had sent me. I went outside and there was a whole line of buses – and I had no idea which was mine. I knew that my bus wasn’t going to leave for an hour, so I plopped on one of the benches and tried to surreptitiously figure out which one I should get on. As I was sitting there, a woman came up to me and started talking to me in Spanish. At that point my brain wasn’t working in any language and the only thing I could make out was something about how a woman such as myself shouldn’t be traveling alone her. Great. The clock ticked closer to when my bus had to leave and I finally worked up the courage to ask one of the drivers which bus I needed. He pointed me on to his own bus and threw my luggage in the compartment at the bottom. I climbed up and grabbed a window seat and about a half hour later, we headed out. Once we got out of San Jose, something wonderful happened. I started to see the true beauty of Costa Rica as forests, waterfalls, and animal life flickered by my window. Some of the views were absolutely breathtaking, especially the ones off the edges of cliffs that we passed. Those were also breathtaking in a different way, as I tried to focus on the scenery in the distance and not the mere inches between the tires of the bus and the terrifying absence of land.
When I got to Puerto Viejo, Kaity and her friend met me at the stop and informed me that I still had one more leg of public transportation on my trip. They very kindly helped carry my bags onto another bus. Since this one had no compartment underneath, my first contact with the people that I was perhaps going to be teaching was comprised mostly of excuses as I knocked into them with what by then definitely felt like the biggest piece of luggage that anyone has ever traveled with. As I completed the last step of the beginning of my journey I started out the window once again, this time at the community that would be my home for the next six months. It was nothing like how I had pictured the rainforest to be but enchanting in an entirely different way. After one last muddy walk, for it had been drizzling all day, we reached my host family’s house and after quick introductions Kaity and Daniela left and I sank onto my bed, staring around me while processing the events of the day.
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful and I headed out with Joanna, another volunteer who also was living with the same host family, for my first walk to the Center. As we walked we skirted around pipas, a type of coconut, that littered the ground and tried to talk over the blare of trucks and tractor trailers barreling down what we now affectionately call the “Death Highway”. After about 15 minutes, the Center came into sight and I fell in love immediately. It is located back from the road in the cool and shady jungle with a breathtaking view of the river, an outdoor kitchen, gorgeous balcony, and howler monkeys and lizards galore. Everyone I met was super-friendly and welcoming and the stresses and frustrations of my previous day traveling started to melt away.
The first few weeks here I organized all of the ESL supplies and information both in the office and on the network and began creating the syllabus and curriculum for each level of English that we offer here at the Center. I also was here to greet the other ESL teacher and the Scholarship Coordinator when she arrived a few days after me. I had been a little nervous about meeting Leah since I was going to working so closely with her for so long but once we started talking we clicked almost right away. We have now been teaching classes for about three weeks and it’s been a great, if challenging, experience. The levels of the students weren’t quite what we expected and we had to scrap all the lesson plans that we had spent the previous weeks creating, learning a valuable lesson ourselves in the process; there is only so far ahead you can plan if you want to be a truly good and flexible teacher. The Center also experienced a huge increase in students after the first couple days of classes which was a great feeling, knowing that word was really getting out about the Center, but also another challenge to undertake. The students themselves are great and really want to learn. For a lot of them, their livelihood depends on it. Most work full-time jobs and care for their families in addition to making time to attend our night classes here. I can’t even begin to say the respect and admiration I have for them and I use their example to inspire me as a teacher and make sure I provide them with the best education that I can.
The end of the day so far usually finds at least Leah and I fairly exhausted from a day of planning lessons and a night of teaching, as we have not yet been able to get too far ahead in our planning what with enrollment only just recently ending, but we get to nurse our exhaustion in some fairly fantastic ways. Some nights we take off to Selva Verde Lodge next door for a drink or two on their beautiful ledge overlooking the river as we talk about our day and our classes while listening to the sounds of the jungle that surround us and the rushing of the river. Other nights we might meet friends at Portones or Chilamate Jungle to hang out, or stay in and have a Movie Night with whatever movies or shows that someone was able to get their hands on. With working at the Center, classes, talking to my host family, and hanging out with my friends at night my Spanish has started to improve a lot. There always seems to be a mix of native Spanish and native English speakers so everyone is constantly switching languages, asking vocabulary questions, and generally having a good time.
The weekends since I have been here have pretty much all been amazing. Whitewater rafting literally in my own backyard, ziplining, hiking, swimming at some gorgeous local waterfalls, visiting the old cocoa plantations and the unbelievable biological reserve, and to top it off, celebrating my 24th birthday with jumping off a bridge into the Sarapiqui River, a delicious meal and drinks at a restaurant over in La Virgen, and a bonfire, fire twirling, and delicious homemade cake at Chilamate Jungle. At times I have to stop and remind myself to sit back, look around, and appreciate where I am.
However, there have also been miscommunications, language barriers, cultural differences, homesickness, and immeasurable adjustments to be dealt with on a daily basis. Coming from the United States to a third world country that has a different language, culture, and norms has not been easy by any means. Not to mention how intimately I have come to know the insect world – we have even shared the same clothes! Sometimes even simple tasks, such as going to the bank, getting mail, or even taking a shower in the morning can become huge ordeals. Yet I try to look at a lot of these events from the viewpoints of students I have had, or will have, who are immigrants to the United States. I know that having the experience of trying to adjust to a completely alien world far from my loved ones will help me identify with my students, even though my experience is still next to nothing compared to theirs. However, even these daily frustrations pale in comparison next to what I dream to take out of this – a second language, amazing friends, wonderful adventures, and perhaps most importantly another step on my way to becoming a great teacher and having a better understanding of the world and the people in it. Hopefully, I will be able to give something even half as valuable back while I am here.

-Heidi Gramlich-

The cycle continues...

Time is funny here in Sarapiqui...days go by slow, peaceful, and tranquil-but my 5 months here have flown by, and I am not looking forward to my departure in April. I have come to love Sarapiqui and have made it my home. I have met so many beatufiul and interesting people here who have greatly effected my life. But we must all move on and explore the many beauties that our planet has to offer.
We have just welcomed 6 new volunteers and one staff member to the center...thing are always changing here at the center which keep things fresh and exciting.

Jennifer Vargas changed roles from Intern to our lovely receptionist here at the center. She is a native from Sarapiqui and just graduated from La Universidad de Costa Rica on the Nicoya Peninsula.
Leah Josephson has joined us from Saint Paul, Minnesota as our "flaca y alta" ESL teacher and Scholarship Coordinator. Heidi Gramlich has moved from Fort Ann, New York and is our new ESL Coordinator. After just 1 week students are already loving classes...we have even had to open up new classes because the word got out that we have 2 awesome teachers now at the center.
Lee Caldwell is our Ecotourism volunteer and is from Forsyth, Georgia. February, March, and April are all full of ecotourism and community service activities so Lee will be busy helping Kattia (the Ecotouism and Community Development Coordinator).
Joanna Colon has joined us from New York, NY and is our After School Program Coordinator...she will be working with not only Chilamate this year, but also with Cristo Rey and Linda Vista.
Our short term volunteers have been great additions to the center. Anne Louise Carney came to the center for 5 weeks and worked with ´Las Morphas´. Las Morphas is a women's group that comes to the center to make their jewelery and crafts and then sell them in our artisan gallery. She taught the women how to felt so that they could sell different products. They loved ´Ana´ and still ask about her daily. Casey FitzGerald has just joined the team as our short term volunteer. He came as a birder but we found out he has MANY other talents as well. He will be working in the schools here on any projects that are needed from a 'handy man'. He's already fixed the bathrooms at Linda Vista and the center's bikes and he has only been here 2days! Awesome Casey. So glad to have them all on board!
It's been great showing the new volunteers around Sarapiquí...taking them to the river, to the Pozo Azul waterfall, to OTS, white water rafting, and showing them the Sarapiqueño social life have all been highlights since my return in January.

Mi Vida en Sarapiqui...

Wow – just three weeks left at SCLC. How quickly time passes here!

My experience as a volunteer at the Learning Center has exceeded all of my expectations. Meeting new friends from Central America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, becoming bilingual, traveling throughout Costa Rica and Nicaragua – all of these experiences have caused my worldview to expand dramatically. Even the hardships of living here (and being without income for six months) were worth it. I feel tougher and more resilient than I have ever been in my life. I will certainly never again take for granted the opportunities, luxuries, and daily conveniences that characterize life in America. At the same time, I’m confident that I could live quite happily without these comforts. That’s saying a lot for a girl born and bred in Los Angeles, CA!

My tenure at SCLC was unusual in that I did many jobs: Tourism Coordinator, English Teacher, and finally After-School Program Coordinator (the post where I spent the last 4 months.) Without a doubt, my experience as the ASP Coordinator was the most demanding and the most rewarding. Not only did it require me to call upon all of my training as a teacher, it also forced me to quickly develop my Spanish language skills, and to remain positive, focused, and patient, even in the face of stress (the kind of stress that only rambunctious little kids can cause!) Luckily, I had tremendous support from the Director, Volunteer Coordinator, the other volunteers, and especially from local community members.

For example, in teaching children about plant biodiversity, I teamed up with a community member (and a part-time nature guide) to take the kids out on a botany excursion on his family’s nature reserve. Another community member, a senior citizen with extensive knowledge of medicinal plants, came to the Center to give a wonderful charla (informal workshop) for the kids in the Eco-club. And a local business owner helped me organize a reforestation project on his property. With his help, we planted hundreds of baby trees on the banks of the Sarapiqui river, an area which had formerly been brutally deforested.

Another way in which I connected with community members was by visiting some of my students in their homes a few evenings each week. Over time, this allowed me to develop close relationships with specific students and their families. Although “home visits” were not specifically required of me as part of my job, I feel that the hours I spent working one-on-one with kids and their families were vital to my success as the ASP Coordinator. My reason for doing these visits was twofold: first, to get some extra support from parents in disciplining the more unruly kids in my program, and secondly, to serve as an English tutor for my students, their siblings, and anyone else in their families who was interested in learning my native language.

The relationships I developed during these home visits will stay with me for the rest of my life. Many of the kids I visited started out as my “worst” students – the most unruly, and the least motivated to learn. After a few months of spending time with them and their families, I witnessed completely different personalities emerge. One of them, as a result of our time together, developed an interest in learning about rocks and minerals; another is now completely obsessed with reading fairy tales. Yet another is on his way to becoming an artist.

To my surprise, several parents and grandparents were regular attendees for these English tutoring sessions as well. Many of the adults had been working all day (intensive labor in the pineapple and banana fincas), but they always turned off the TV and made room on the kitchen table for us to sit down and work. My efforts at teaching were generously rewarded with gifts of fresh pineapples, plates of fried bananas with butter, and hot cups of coffee. I always left their homes feeling upbeat and positive.

Don’t get me wrong – I did plenty of relaxing, too. Whether hanging out at Chilamate Jungle (a local rainforest lodge with plenty of hammocks) or taking off for trips with the other volunteers, I always managed to have plenty of down time. One of my most relaxing experiences was hanging out at the beach in Montezuma on the Pacific Coast, watching surfers, drinking cold water, and getting tan. That was a fantastic trip. We started out as a group of six, but met so many cool travelers along the way, we ended up with 13!

I hope people reading this blog are able to get a taste of the volunteer experience at the Learning Center. Life down here is by no means easy, but it is rich and rewarding. The key to living happily down here, I think, is to try to experience Costa Rica without judging it. This is not always the easiest thing to do, especially when you come from a place that has vastly different attitudes toward education, treatment of animals, the roles of women, etc. And it is even harder, in some ways, for Costa Ricans not to judge us. But since arriving here in June, I have witnessed firsthand many instances of people with different values working together towards common goals. It’s more than possible – it’s happening!

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