The time change meant nothing to our students. They were so tired from the night before that they slept every possible minute they could... 7:15 didn't feel like 9:15 to them at all. Some rooms woke up with the sounds of monkeys and birds at 4:30 AM; other rooms woke up at 7:13 when I knocked on their door before breakfast. We had a "typico" breakfast at the restaurant: rice and beans, eggs, queso blanco, and fresh fruit (papaya, pineapple, watermelon). Some students stuck with more familiar items like pancakes, toast, and Froot Loops. The coffee and fresh squeezed juice was also outstanding. They quickly cleared their plates and we received our instructions for community service.
At all times, students are required to carry the "Big 5." This is VERY different from the Gurney "Big 5," and the consequence of forgetting them isn't "getting benched," but instead being exhausted and ill equipped for the day's activities. All students must have the following: 1. Close toed shoes (for hiking and construction work) 2. Sunscreen (it's full sun every morning) 3. Raincoat (it's pouring every afternoon) 4. Bug spray (there's always insects) and 5. A full water bottle (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate). We constantly remind each other to continue to reapply sunscreen and bug spray, as well as to keep drinking water. So far, everyone is doing a good job.
Anyway, this morning we went to Senderos Mau, a small village that is named after our friend Mauricio Carazo, a program director for Rustic Pathways. He found this small community that needed help with construction projects. In Costa Rica, everything is very expensive for the locals due to tourism. There are several families living on this small parcel of land, but it is difficult for them to find the time and materials to build their homes. We helped here two years ago and the changes are astounding: 3 more houses have been built, 2 houses are finished with improvements, and the 2 houses that we worked on our completely finished. It was incredibly rewarding to see how the hard work paid off.
Upon our arrival we met with Oscar, who is a community leader. He helped to split us up for several projects this morning. We mixed concrete for several projects: flooring, constructing cement block walls, and for applying stucco finish. Some students worked with drills to help put up dry wall. Others sanded walls and started painting with primer. It was HOT. Personally, I drank at least 4 liters of water in about 3 hours of work. We took frequent water breaks to sit in the shade and students were on or off rotation for completing the tasks. We also took a game break in the middle of the morning: I can't believe how many of them have never played "Boom Chicka Boom!" Another favorite was a version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Spanish.
Everyone thought they were stuffed after breakfast, but they all came back to the hotel hungry for lunch. We had 15 minutes to change for surfing in the afternoon, then enjoyed a delicious lunch of rice and beans, potatoes with ground beef, and salad. Yet again, plates were clean. After lunch, we were right back on the bus!
Marco, our bus driver, took us 20 minutes north to the town of Dominical to surf. We were met by our guides in town and followed them out to the beach. The tide was starting to come back in, so there was plenty of space on the beach AND large waves coming in- great conditions for surfing. We had a lot more space and more guides to work with this year; there were 2 or 3 students to each guide- plenty of one-on-one instruction. The two hour lesson started on the beach. We drew surfboards into the sand and practiced our technique: do you get up with figure 4? Hawaiian style? What foot is placed in front? Once the students were ready, they grabbed their boards and headed out to catch the waves!
This group is SO impressive! ALL of the students managed to stand up on their boards! I have never seen a group pick it up so quickly. Ben was particularly impressive: he could jump and change his foot position while on the board! Kelly and Emma rode waves all the way into the shore. Colin and Alex worked on venturing out a little farther. Justin and Katie got to the point where they could pose for pictures on the board. Mikala was also a talented surfer. She was so into the surfing, so didn't even notice that she cut her chin... and kept surfing. Her instructor sent her in and she still didn't even feel it. After checking her out, our guides decided it would be best to take her to the clinic to be checked out. Smiling the ENTIRE time, she got 3 stitches in her chin. AND she's excited to put a waterproof band-aid on and surf again tomorrow. Now Mikala has an awesome story to tell after "shredding gnar," or whatever it is the boys keep saying. What a tough girl! We finished surfing in the pouring rain and it didn't seem to phase anyone. They are very excited to get back out there again tomorrow!
The crew stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel. The workers laughed at our weak attempts to order in Spanish, but they were very proud of the students for trying. We learned what "scoop" is in Spanish and got a little grammar lesson. I forget everything because 6 years of German isn't doing me any good down here... props to our students for practicing their Spanish during the summer!
Most of the group decided to swim when we came back to the hotel, even with the rain. They played a rowdy game of Marco Polo, then headed to their rooms to shower for a presentation on Costa Rica. Eva & Adrian explained the history of Costa Rica, the culture, the government, and the importance of the environmental movement. It was very informative and they shared a lot of information that the students didn't know... so when they come back, quiz them on why it's called Costa Rica (from Christopher Columbus in 1502, the indigenous people wore gold and jade on the Caribbean coast), what the money that used to go to the military is used for (Costa Rica got rid of the military in 1948 and now the money goes toward education and health care), or which of the 3 R's is most important (reduce: cut back on the use of a resource FIRST, then be concerned about reusing it... recycling is expensive and energy intensive).
They had a few more minutes to play card games, then we dodged raindrops to head over to dinner. Tonight, they had chicken with rice and a tomato sauce, black beans, and salad. The juice this evening was a refreshing lime/basil/mint concoction. Everyone was eager to return to their card games for free time before lights out.
We'll meet briefly at 9 PM and get to bed early since everyone is worn out from community service work and paddling during surfing. Breakfast will be even earlier tomorrow so we can get to our surf lesson by 7 AM. We'll surf for another 2 hours in the morning, play at the beach, then come back for lunch. We'll be back at Senderos Mau for community service in the afternoon.
We have a few bruises, scrapes, bug bites, and stitches, but all is well! They are doing a wonderful job of embracing the Tico culture and Pura Vida lifestyle.
Goodnight!
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