Sunday, June 2, 2013

Sherryl Miller- May 31, 2013


Costa Rica has been amazing since the beginning! My Costa Rican family have made me feel like I’m a part of their family from day one.  My mamatica was excited to know I spoke Spanish which made it easier for us to get to know about each other. She made my stay here feel like a home away from home and I appreciate that greatly.

The trip to Puerto Viejo showed the Caribbean influence in Costa Rica with amazing food. I went ziplining for the first time in Monteverde. Loved it!! Working with the agencies I learned more about myself and what I am most passionate about. Costa Rica has so much to offer and I am thankful to be given this opportunity. I am glad I chose to go on thistrip with the Horizons .

Sherryl Miller


At InBio Parque with my sister Suzette


At the Irazu Volcano

Jessica Leyva- June 1, 2013

Costa Rica has definitely been the experience of a lifetime. Since I was a young child, it was always a dream of mine to see the world. Studying abroad in HORIZONS was a wonderful opportunity. I was able to learn about a new country's culture and customs. I gained personal, educational, and career-oriented growth. Making the decision to study abroad was a very big step for myself as I'd always been close to home. Living in Costa Rica for three weeks definitely put me out of my comfort zone, but I was able to gain a great sense of independence from it. I had the chance to volunteer at ACEFOPAVAS which is an agency working with disabled adults. Having had no prior experience with disabled people, I was further pushed out of my comfort zone. Regardless of the fact, I remained determined to provide the best services that I could. From my volunteer experience, I acquired an openness to uncomfortable and challenging situation. This proved to myself that I had the strength and determination to make it through any challenge that I may face. Alongside the secure learning experience, we also had the opportunity to have a variety of cultural experiences. I had the chance to visit the beaches on the Caribbean coast, Volcan Irazu, the cloud forests of Monteverde, and a waterfall. Costa Rica is an absolutely breath taking country. The sights that I've witnessed are something that will always be near to heart. Every time somebody asked me what I thought about Costa Rica, I told them that I thought it was absolutely beautiful and that I hoped to one day bring my mother to visit because I think that she'd really love it. Although I was only in Costa Rica for three weeks, I was able to build a great bond with my mamatica. I was able to gain a lot of insight about the country through conversations with her. My mamatica even said that she'd gladly welcome my mother and I if we ever did make the trip to Costa Rica together. I wouldn't take back my experience for the world. 
Volunteering at ACEFOPAVAS
Volunteering at ACEFOPAVAS
Our planned physical activity time for the adults
Volunteering at ACEFOPAVAS with Marcos 

At a waterfall with Suzette

In front of our hotel in Monteverde

In Cauhitas with the girls

In our zip lining gear!

At our farewell dinner

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Suzette Miller- May 30, 2013


Traveling to another country I have never been too, can always be nerve-racking. I did not know what to expect on my trip to Costa Rica with Horizons. However, my journey began, once I arrived in San Jose. My first interaction with a Costa Rican was with my mamatica. I clicked right away with my mamatica with the fact that I could speak fluent Spanish. She was very welcoming and eager to know more about me, and likewise. My homestay was a great experience of how true Costa Ricans live their life and I got the chance to help my mamaticawith making traditional meals, as the food here met my expectations, and I felt at home.
Costa Rica, there are no words to describe how thrilled I am to have been a part of such a great experience. My time in another country was spent volunteering in agencies related to my career;as well as enjoying the vast landscape Costa Rica has to offer. I can truly say I went from growing up in the city, to studying in a small town, to traveling to a Spanish speaking country and embracing the sunset, lovely waterfalls, monteverdebeaches, rain forest, volcanoes, zip lining, and eating my favorite plátanos, with every meal. I learned more about myself as I helped at the volunteer agencies and really consider visiting Costa Rica again. In the end, this trip was definitely worth coming too. I made lasting memories, met great people, and grew more into the Hispanic culture. As Costa Ricans would say-PURA VIDA!

Suzette Miller

Jumping with the girls in Monteverde

At Irazu Volcano

A beautiful Costa Rican sunset

Karla Armenta- May 30, 2013

After sipping over 6 delicious kinds of coffee today I've reached a level of contentment and peacefulness that I didn't think was achievable. I’m very glad I decided to come to Costa Rica. It’s gorgeous and filled with interesting sights, smells and tastes. This experience has allowed me to open my eyes and see the beauty that expands beyond the materialistic objects that consume most of our attention back home.

I’m thankful that I was able to find a service-learning site that complemented my career aspirations. I’m also very pleased with my host family. They were, much like everyone else here in Costa Rica, shocked to learn I speak Spanish fluently. As much as I like helping others understand Spanish by translating I’m glad I didn't have to do it 24/7.

When I saw the Monteverde trip on our calendar I though we would only be touring the cloud forest. I never imaged we would be zip lining yet alone swinging like Tarzan. It was very out of my comfort zone but a once in a lifetime experience that I will cherish forever. It was the greatest feeling to be flying through the cloud forest. I was terrified but excited and thrilled at the same time.

The coffee tour today was delightful and very worth my time. I learned how coffee is naturally grown, cultivated and fermented to produce the coffee we drink. It’s a shame some people don’t know how to properly prepare and enjoy it.

 The coffee roaster at the Britt coffee tour
 Our tour guide Juan and I when we got back from Puerto Viejo
I'm taking a few minutes to acknowledge the fact that Juan looked exactly like John Locke from the TV show LOST!


Andy Head- May 29, 2013

There are a few life differences in Costa Rica than in the United States. Firstly, in Costa Rica, one is to throw his/her used toilet paper in the trash, but no one will tell you. You have to figure it out yourself. Second, a lot of the infrastructure and amenities are a little behind. The sidewalks slope, there are big gaps between the sidewalks and the roads for sewage, and public bathrooms have odd locking mechanisms and flushers.  Thirdly, if you are looking for somewhere, don't even bother to explain to whoever you find to ask. You just name the place, and if the stranger knows it, they will tell you.

LANGUAGE

1.      There are a number of English names used for items that consist of multiple words in English in which one only pronounces the first word in Costa Rica. For example, "basketball," is called "basket," "Facebook," is referred to as "Face," and any Play Station console is called "Play."

2.     I am thinking unique to Costa Rica, one says here two items in order to express "you're welcome," and "Don't worry about it" respectively. They are "Con mucho gusto," and "Tranquilo."

3.      Perhaps because it's easier to remember, but what I and anyone else who has had Spanish classes with me learned for "banana" was "la banana." When I got to Costa Rica that got turned completely turned on its head when I was doing my service learning at the zoo and had to reference the generated cookbook while preparing meals for the animals. The word for “banana?" "El banano."

4.      Since we're talking about fruit, let's move on to grapes. One of the boys in my homestay loves Jell-O (or "gelatin" here, though the Internet's telling me that it's more commonly referred to in Spanish as "gelatina"), so we have had it multiple times at dinner. One time, the flavor was grape, or "de uva." I did a double-take when my Mama Tica told me though, because she said "oo-ah." She aspirated (i.e. didn't make) the "v" sound at all, which I firstly didn't know ever happened with "v," but had also never heard happen when it meant that two vowels would have to be pronounced in sequence. I had read a Wikipedia article that talked about in some sections of Puerto Rican Spanish that with participles (e.g. "ronronado," "danzado," "quebrado"), the "d" acting as the penultimate letter gets aspirated so that the words would have endings pronounced as "ah-o"  instead of "ah-doe," but since our Puerto Rican director hasn't seemed to aspirate her "s"s when it would mean that two vowels would be pronounced in succession, I have had reservations about the existence of the pronunciation of words in which vowels must be pronounced in tandem. (e.g.She'll say "Estamos" without pronouncing either "s", or "misma" without the "s," which still leave consonants between vowels, but I've only ever heard her say "cosa" with the "s," and her actual name is always "Rosa" with an"s.")

PEOPLE

I had the idea when I came to Costa Rica that ticos were very amicable and greeted anyone they might see walking down the street. My mama tica assured me that that happens when she walks around, but as a stranger, I have not been greeted as such and just walk by people as I might in a
larger U.S. city. That said, people are still a lot more hospitable than what I've seen prior in the United States. The first day that I volunteered, a chap from another volunteer's host family was driving us to the volunteer location, but didn't know how to get there. He asked at least 10 different people, and always asked by just naming the location, like it was given that the person would help him if he/she could. Also, last night, I found out that relatives of the family with whom another girl in our group is staying live next door to me, and they invited me to dinner for no reason and spent an hour teaching me to salsa and meringue dance and then took me and a different group member out and paid for everything.
ADDITION: Upon returning from the Irazú volcano, nearly every farm worker in the vast network of farming fields paused from working to wave at our bus.

VOLUNTEERING

El Zoológico Simón Bolivar is the name of the National Zoo. It has around thirty different animals, including a lion, a jaguar, raccoons, and a whole host of animals of which I'd never heard. (Look up the white-nosed coati!) While volunteering there, I worked in various sections in four hour blocks. In doing the "Felines" and "Birds" sections, I spent time scrubbing any hard-grounded surfaces in the animal cages between rinses done by one of a few zoo keepers. It was interesting to note the thought that went into the construction of the zoo. The cages are arranged as such so that water flows to sewage, and spouts and pathways to cages were made with elaborate thought, in that one can arrive with ease from one cage to another.  In doing the "Feed Preparation” section, I weighed different amounts of fruits, dead chicks, and dog food, cut up each as necessary, and placed each in bowls and then put the resultant bowls on different tables to be taken to animals in different parts of the zoo.

Significant Interaction

A zookeeper asked if I had a job in the US and I answered how I work 12 hours a week for $9.75 at a theatre. He told some patrons exasperated about me, and then we talked about how he makes $240 a month working 70 hours a month, or about $3.43 an hour. While life in Costa Rica seems preferable than other places of which I have heard, the discourse has made me more grateful for all of the privileges I have enjoyed being born into the system that I was.

VETERINARIAN OFFICE

My first week in Costa Rica, my partner and I volunteered at a veterinary clinic in the afternoon as a supplement to our time at the zoo. Our time was principally occupied by cleaning cages of different sizes, as well as cleaning used doggie bowls. While the doggie bowls were more routinely cleaned, I have more reservations about the cages ever really being washed, so I feel comfortable saying that my partner and I did a real service there.
"LA FINCA"

The father of my mama tica has a "finca" in Sarapiquí, Heredia. The day after returning from Monteverde, I went with my mama tica to his finca to enjoy the place with her family. (Glenda and Amanda came as well, as their mama tica is also the daughter-in-law of my mama tica's dad.) While there, I was able to swim in a swimming pool that had the clearest water that I have ever seen, while I also partook in viewing of all of the plants that are grown on the property. You see, while the house is normal sized, it sits on what I'll guess is about three or four acres of land, in which there are also grown all of the fruits I had no conception of until I came to Costa Rica. (Speaking of which, did you know that pineapples grow out of the grown!?! I had no idea. There are patches of them, and they form in the center of plants with leaves that resemble the pineapple stems.) I would like to note the kind of immense respect I have for my mama tica's mother and father. The father gathered us all together before eating and said no matter what your religion, it was important to thank God for all He gives. The father of my mama tica and his wife then recited from memory the longest prayer I've ever heard in my life, one that was probably around eight minutes long. I asked my mama tica, and she says they recite that prayer every day before eating breakfast, usually at around seven in the morning. If nothing else, their conviction is commendable.

CONCLUSION
I have reaped a number of benefits from having been able to Costa Rica. While not as much as I wanted (though that amount was likely unachievable), I became faster in forming Spanish constructions and gained a better sense of when to use certain tenses based upon observations of native usage. In addition, I garnered more experience working under the direction of a supervisor, an invaluable resource for me given my limited work experience. On a personal note, I learned that I will be the only one out to ensure that I am having a fun time, and that voicing issues is the only way to move into normal intercourse with others, for one cannot live in the moment with his/her mind forever occupied by the same unvoiced thoughts. I would like to
give shout outs to Donna Head, Dawn Stinchcomb, Ryan Favors, Alejandra Umaña Arce, and Rosa Acevedo Villarreal for helping to make this all possible for me. You're all awesome, and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

PURA VIDA


I'm closest to the camera on the left





Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Troyce Heath- May 28, 2013


My overall experience in Costa Rica has been not just amazing but an eye opening!  There have been some good and some bad experiences here but I’d rather focus on the good ones in this blog. The trip to Monteverde gave me the chance to mark three things off my bucket list; zip lining, see a tranachula without killing it and walk through the clouds.  I was also able to meet people from different walks of life who within themselves have had great experiences at their service learning sites and homestays. I’ve found that no matter the environments we come from or are currently apart of we have a lot in common with each other. Anyone that knows me knows that I love childrenmy service-learning site was perfect. I got a chance to interact with elementary students during their English class. I was a little shocked by how much of the English they were able to pick up without grammar or phonetics both of which are prohibited by the broad of education. I learned even more about myself that I either didn’t know or didn’t understand about myself, I meet some wonderful Costa Rican people and I learned the true meaning of “love” during my stay here in Costa Rica. I could go on and on about my experience here in Costa Rica but for now Pura Vida!

I'm in the middle of Meagan and Sarah (right)

The courtyard of the school

Students playing during recess

With our students!


Autumn Clark- May 28, 2013


Hola, from Costa Rica! I can’t believe that we only have three more days here! Time is flying by!
Today was my final day at the Escuela de Felix Arcadio, the elementary school where I have been volunteering. Although working at the school was tiring, I really enjoyed all of my time spent with the smiling, curious children, the English teachers and other girls from HORIZONS that also worked at the school. Each day was just as exciting as the one before and the children were always thrilled to ask the other girls and I TONS of questions. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to everyone there knowing that I may not see any of them ever again, but it is an experience I will cherish forever.
I can honestly say that Costa Rica has been nothing like I expected, but absolutely fantastic. I guess in my head I pictured this giant tropical island where everyone sat around drinking from a coconut in the hot sun. Although parts of Costa Rica fit this description (like Puerto Viejo, where we went for our first free weekend,) there is a lot more to this country than that! Santo Domingo, Heredia, where our homestays are located, is surrounded by mountains. It is supposed to be rain season here, so it is either raining or sunny and breezy and actually pretty cold compared to Indiana around this time! I have enjoyed this weather though, knowing that unbearable humidity is waiting for me in Crawfordsville, Indiana, my hometown.

Besides the location, the food is different too. I do eat a lot of rice and beans, just like everyone said I would….But I also eat a lot of random things, like PIZZA (crazy, I know, but I eat more of it here than in the US,) Frito Lay’s cheddar “munchies,” fresh, handmade corn tortillas, and fruits and vegetables. All of it is delicious and I am probably going to try to bring some of the Costa Rican flavors to my own cooking when I return home.

Overall, I feel like I have seen a lot of Costa Rica and gained a lot of insight about myself and the cultureMonteverde was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and I think that zip-lining over the treetops is going to end up being my favorite part of this trip. Of course, I do miss my home and my family and friends. Being out of the country really made me appreciate the beauty of America and all of the wonderful places, foods and people I have there and I’m sure that returning will be just as exciting as the last three weeks have been!

Pura Vida,
Autumn Clark

At Cauhitas Beach (I'm second from left)

At the elementary school during a party

Eating at pops with Stephanie and Rosa