Arroz y Frijoles

Today marks our first week as a group in Costa Rica, though it seems like we have been here much longer! Already the students have carved out niches within the group and fast friendships are in the making.

Our first night in our village, La Sierra de Las Juntas de Abangares, was highlighted by a well attended welcome celebration. Traditional dance demonstrations were presented to our group, as well as a hearty, traditional Costa Rican meal.

In Costa Rican cuisine there is a reoccurring theme: rice and beans. Our students have already grown accustomed to these local stables and some have even grown to love them! Besides rice and beans, our daily meals consist or lots of fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, and coffee. We can't even count how many pineapples we have devoured.

We took our first group excursion last Saturday, a day trip to Monteverde, a world famous, mountain top cloud forest. We were given an excellent breakfast and tour at a local, organic coffee farm, then went for an exhilarating zip-line ride through the jungle canopy. After our zip-line adventure, we went to a serpentario, a snake house, to learn about snakes and see live specimines from around the country. Our day was rounded out by delicious, locally-made ice cream and a quiet ride home.

Sunday we headed out on a hike let by a local farmer who also gave a tour of his farm which includes sheep, pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, horses, rabbits, and tilapia! His hike led us through the foothills surrounding La Sierra to the source of the town's drinking water. It was a beautiful, riverside walk through the shade. After our hike we attended a local bull-riding event, a sort of Costa Rican rodeo. It was fun to see this event which brought out much Costa Rican culture.

Yesterday, we began work on the projects that will represent the bulk of our work load. We are putting the roof on a local classroom, fixing-up and painting the local playground, painting the local church, and teaching English to children from the town. The students are working hard and we so far have been impressed with what they have been able to accomplish.

That's all for now!

Saludos!
Sam and Sophie