Jade Museum and Salvation Army Daycare

Today was an eventful second to last day in beautiful Costa Rica.

We started off our day by touring theJade Museum. We learned that America only has 4 jade museums and 3 gold museums. Costa Rica on the other hand has only one of each and we were lucky enough to take the tour.

The jade carvings were beautiful and we all agreed we would love to own some of the displayed pieces. We learned that the indigenous people used to trade them for various goods when Europeans sailed over later on. Jade was used to symbolize power and royalty. Many of the jade owners were Shamans. The Shamans would adorn themselves in thick, large pieces of jade in the form of necklaces, bracelets, nose rings and even ear gauges. They also had crafted pipesfrom the jade to smoke hallucinogens from in order to communicate better with the spiritual world.

It was interesting to learn exactly how to tell where different materials originated from. For example, the metate, which is a stone table used for various purposed including grinding corn and yuca in to paste, was carved differently in different areas. The square metates were more common on the northern side and the oval metates were found on in more southern regions.

We learned about the process of carving jade as well. Since jade is such a hard rock (around 4-5 on the Mohs scale) it was difficult to carve unless it was done so using a material harder than the jade its self. To carve stone spheres, theindigenous people would first cobble the stone in to a rounder shape. Then, they would chip away the rougher edges, and eventually polish it smooth and free of impurities.

(Metate)

Another thing we learned was that jade was not just for beautiful jewelry. Upon excavation, archeologists have discovered that jade is also used for making teeth in some situations. Imagine having jade dentures.

Next, we traveled to the Salvation Army Daycare. We brought along plenty of Playdough, hulahoops, Koosh balls and building blocks. Needless to say, the room was a big mess when we were through playing!

Personally, I found that when you have such hands on play things like the ones we brought, language is obsolete. The children made us playdough glasses, patch eyes and even purple nailpolish! Sometimes the jump roping got somewhat dangerous.

The daycare was designed for families with limited funds. The children's ages ranged from babies to about first grade. The upstairs was limited to the older children and the downstairs was for the young ones.

The only complaint from today? We needed more Koosh balls! Who knew they would be so popular? We all now know the Spanish word for "share" (compartir!) and how to tell them "Un Momento, por favor!"

-- Sarah

University Visit

Today we were lucky enough to be able to visit one of the largest universities in Costa Rica, Universidad Latina. We were given a tour of the university that is tiny in comparison to the size of Arizona State. It consisted of two relatively small buildings filled with classrooms. We then received a presentation from the director of the social science school at the university. We learned all about the strengths and weaknesses of the education system in Costa Rica. The literacy rate of Costa Rica is 95%-- one of the highest rates in the world, which is extremely impressive considering all of the countries surrounding Costa Rica have significantly lower literacy rates. The strength of the education system is credited to the fact that Costa Rica eliminated it's military and uses that funding towards the education system.

However, there are some weaknesses with the education system, Costa Rica has 59 universities crammed into the small country that is the size of West Virginia. This causes an dilemma because the mass quality of universities spreads out the talent of students and professors not allowing for a strong centralized education system. This opportunity was so amazing and so much fun to be able to compare this private Costa Rican university to the universities back home.

We spent the rest of the day getting some last minute activities done in Costa Rica before we went home. Some of the girls went to the mercado to finish shopping for their last minute souvenirs while the others went to get some fun hair wraps!! We are so sad that our trip is winding down and do not want to leave Costa Rica!!

-Jimena

June 8th

Today we left the gorgeous beaches of Manuel Antonio, headed back to San Jose. This morning we visited a bilingual public elementary school and were able to observe classes. I sat in on a fourth grade classroom and noticed some differences with this school compared to the other public schools we visited. First, students seemed to be more disciplined in this school. They would stay seated during the class period, raise their hands (for the most part) to answer questions and all actively participated in discussions. In the other schools I noticed students would wander around during lectures, chatting with friends and barely listening to their teacher's requests to return to their seats and be quiet. Another thing I noticed was the quality of food provided at this school. In the other public schools, students bought snacks from a soda (a small vending stand) and most bought unhealthy options. In this school, students had sandwiches as options, as well as tea and empanadas. Overall, we were happy to have another school to observe and compare.

Around noon we headed back for San Jose. We were able to stop at one point and walk across a bridge. Below, ten or so crocodiles were laying in the mud. We were all surprised at just how large they really are. From there we headed back to our previous hotel from earlier in the week, Las Orquideas. We then settled into our rooms and nursed our sunburns from the beach.

-Lindsay

Manuel Antonio National Park and Beach

On this bright and sunny morning, we visited the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (the National Park), which was just a short walk down the road from our hotel. Our tour guide, Juan Luis, lead us through the forest where he set up his telescope to point out some of the hidden treasures among the trees, including a sack of frog eggs on a leaf, howler monkeys, sloths, and toucans. We also encountered several spider monkeys who were not at all camera shy, coming within only a few feet of the tourists. At one point along the path, Juan surprised the group by shaking out a handful of termites from a tree; he then invited the group to eat one, but Samantha and Sarah were the only ones brave enough to accept the offer. After walking through the forest for about an hour, we arrived at the beach and laid down to soak up the hot Costa Rican sun. There were more monkeys lurking in the trees, so we had to be cautious not to fall victim to their hungry, thieving hands.

We returned to the hotel for lunch and naps. Joanna and Lauren rented boogie boards in the afternoon and caught some great waves with a few of the local kids. We ate dinner at the hotel that night, exhausted and sunburned, but glowing just the same as we reminisced about the fabulous time we've had here in Costa Rica and the breathtaking scenery here in Manuel Antonio.

Republico de Korea

Today we woke up bright and early and ate breakfast at the Villa Bosque Hotel. All the girls were eager to start the day as we loaded on to the tour bus. After a 15 minute ride, we arrived at the Republico de Korea school where we all split up into various different groups to observe classes. On the front of the school was a sign that read, "Un buen libro no solo se escribe para multiplicar y transmitar la voz, sino tambien para perpetuarlo." In English it says, "A good book is written not only to multiply and transmit voice, but to perpetuate it as well." I believe this quote is very powerful if students are able to truly value their education and actually use what they learn. Alana and I went to the pre-school classroom where the students started their day by relaxing on blankets and having quiet time. Once nap time was over, the children lined up and headed to a new classroom where they were able to play and interact with various different toys and supplies. Alana and I decided to get our hands dirty and make different shap

es and configurations with the kid's Play-Doh. Some of the kids decided to make empanadas con queso, enchiladas, flowers, and even dinosaurs with their Play-doh. The other students exerted their vivid imaginations while playing with puzzles, computers, and dolls.After their individual time was over, the students gathered together to sing songs with their teacher. Once in a big circle, each student turned to the neighbor to give them a farewell hug. Alana and I were sad to say goodbye to the children but we also felt good to know that we made many little friends that day. When everyone was finished with their observations, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for an awesome time on the beach. While some of the girls went to eat lunch, Sarah, Alana, Samantha and I were eager to get in the water. After a couple hours at the beach, we all returned to our hotel and got ready for our next day! Hopefully the National Park will be as beautiful as everything else that we have seen thus far!

-Alana and Joanna

Canyoning

Today we all got up bright and early to start our exciting day of canyoning and hiking to the Arenal volcano! We first had a delicious breakfast our hotel provided for us which was fruit, eggs, pancakes, etc... Priscilla then directed us to the bus that would be driving us to the canyoning site. The drive was about 30 minutes. Once we arrived at the site we got into our proper gear and listened to the safety instructions. After listening to our guide’s instruction we hiked two minutes to the first rappel down which was 120 ft. We were not the only group who went canyoning; another ISA group went which made it 60 people total. The wait for the first rappel felt like the anticipation of the drop of a roller coaster. Most of the girls were pretty nervous once they saw how far down it was; however, once we were securely fastened into the ropes the real adventure begun! After the first rappel we were pumped for the other 4 rappels that waited for us. We all got soaked while we rappelled straight down a waterfall. It was an amazing experience! Our first drop was the highest while the second one was half of the first and the third was about 90 ft and the last was only about 50 ft. After completing all four rappels we hiked for about 20 minutes uphill to the trucks waiting to take up back to the site for lunch which we had rice and chicken.

Once we all returned to our hotel we had three hours to relax and hangout until our next excursion to the volcano. Despite our three hour break, we were all still exhausted for our next excursion. However, we went with the best attitude possible! On the way to the site we stopped twice to see a sloth and a toucan.

Sarah was most excited because she loves sloths and she really wanted to see one before we left! After about a 20 min drive we finally started our hike. On the way, we encountered a leaf that closed when touched as a defense mechanism. Also, we saw a snake that scurried across the path and not to mention a bunch of spiders! Once we reached the top of the lava fields the view was beautiful! We saw a lake and got a better view of the volcano with smoke coming out. Overall both experiences were great and I can’t wait to see what Manuel Antonio had to offer!

VOLCANO ARENAL!

Today we woke up bright and early and began our journey to La Fortuna. After 3 hours on the road, we finally arrived. First, we headed to the to waterfall just outside of the town. After hiking down to the water, we spent the next couple of hours exploring the scenery and enjoying the hot Costa Rican sun. We ate lunch at a soda in town and then left to check in at our hotel. Los Lagos Hotel, Spa, and Resort is located just on the edge of the Arenal Volcano, making for a beautiful back drop. We spent the rest of our afternoon enjoying the resorts pools and hot springs, as well as the exotic scenery. We ate a delicious dinner with fellow ISA members and ended our night in each others' company. Overall, it was a exciting day full of Mother nature's wonders and new friends. We can't wait to see what else La Fortuna has to offer!

Public School

On June 2, we visited the public middle school in San Jose. Although we arrived earlier than they expected us to, we got to sit in on their first class and watch the teaching in action. We were all very surprised buy how relaxed the school environment here is. The students are allowed to get up and walk around the classroom while the teacher is speaking. We were stunned by how the teacher was able to still teach around the chatter of students.

We took notice of their lack of school books and class materials, and their

uniforms color coordinated by grade level. After we observed the classroom for about an

hour, we went to the dining hall where a few of the students put on a play for us. Although we couldn't understand Spanish so well, the acting was still amazing and they made use of their limited materials.

We followed an English teacher around the

school while she brought us to a kindergarten classroom. There, we observed them playing during free-time, which was very different than the play time at the Montessori school. In the Montessori, they children were extremely organized and put everything back the way it was where as here, it was a bit more chaotic.

We then moved to the 9th grade math room, where they proceeded to ask us questions. A lot of the questions were general (where are you from, what is your major, how old are you ect..) but some were quite random and very funny. Each time they asked a question, they recieved a t-shirt, so the questions were rapid fire. We felt very honored that they were so excited to see us.

Despite the language barrier, we got along with the school group very well and made amazing friends! It was a great day in San Jose.

- Sarah & Joanna

First School Visit!!

Today we woke up bright and early to go to our first school visit of the trip! We went to a montessori school called, Hometwo Montessori, which school children ages birth to kindergarten in a montessori philosophy. A montessori philosophy is a child directed curriculum where the teachers as guides in their education, rather than instructors.

The school was absolutely beautiful! It consisted of two yellow houses surrounded by a beautifully landscaped yard. There were three separate playgrounds, that are separated by age group, between the two houses. The school consisted of around 150 young, bright children. Each classroom has two instructors and anywhere from 7 to 14 students depending on the age group. Each one of us were placed in a different classroom where we were able to interact and learn this interesting way of teaching that was new to most of us.

In the preschool classrooms they started the day by changing their shoes into slippers, so that they could be in a more comfortable setting. They then proceeded to spend two hours in montessori time. Montessori time consists of two hours of student directed hands-on activities that the children choose, they are not directed by the instructors. Most of the activities were math, science, and life skill based. For example, some of the students were cleaning and cutting vegetables and then serving them to their classmates. The students decided what they wanted to do and all of the activities were educational. After montessori time, they changed their shoes into rain boots and went outside to snack, which was a banana and cookies with orange juice. The then proceeded to have recess outside for about 45 minutes! Unfortunately, we had to leave after recess so I was unable to see what happens in the classroom after recess. A few of the children were laying down for nap as we were leaving.

We met with a director of the school afterwards who explained the philosophies and policies of the school with us before we left.

Over all it was a spectacular day!

-- Jimena and Alana