Pura Vida

I spent three months in Liberia, Costa Rica, volunteering as an English teacher in a public arts experience. I choose Costa Rica because I wanted to improve my Spanish skills and the country is beautiful. I had the most amazing time! My host family did not speak any English, but I arrived knowing enough Spanish to speak with people. When I arrived in Liberia, I was met by a staff member who took me to my host family. The family was very accommodating and cook vegetarian meals for me. I really did feel like part of the family. Everyday, I would come home from work and we would have a family lunch together. Luis would always come in yelling "Charlotte, Pura Vida" and his daughter, Maria Jose, would ask me about my day. Carmen was very accommodating to the fact that I am a vegetarian, and also tried to give me some traditional Costa Rican food. Of course, this involved lots of rice and beans, but I got used to that. On night she even made me plantain ceviche as a substitute for the raw fish version. Since I really did not want gallo pinto for breakfast, Carmen would just cut me some fresh fruit, which was always delicious!

I work at Colegio Felipe Perez with students from the ages of 13 to 18. They often had problems maintaining focus in class but they were happy to practice with a native English speaker. They always invited me to sit with them during the breaks or in assemblies. One of my students even taught me traditional Costa Rica dances so I could perform with her at the English Festival. I had a lot of responsibility in the classroom. I helped my teacher grade exams, created activities, and even taught the class by myself if my teacher had a meeting. I also was able to experience Costa Rican culture as the school would host assemblies on holidays and showcase traditional dances and songs. The kids were all really talented.I even got to help stand up for the rights of students in my school. When I first arrived, the school didn't have access to potable water or clean bathroom facilities. They administration needed more money from the Department of Education to fix the problems. Off and on for two weeks, classes would stop and we would march around the "barrio" or the town in protest.

I also worked at the Parque National Barra Honda for my final week. The park is famous for the many limestone caves in the area. As part of the project, I got to go into the caves and see the amazing formations. I also helped to clear trails and work on the construction of a waste recycling system. The volunteers lived in cabins in the park. The bathrooms were a bit dirty but it wasn't too bad. The staff was amazing and they always made an effort to come over and chat with the volunteers in our down time. I really wished I could have stayed longer as I did not get to work on the butterfly or bat project. After Liberia, traveling from Barra Honda on the weekends was more difficult. There was only one bus that ran from the national park into the nearby town and it took a very long time. To get back to the park on Sunday evening, I had to get a taxi, which was expensive.

I also had an amazing time traveling on the weekends with the other volunteers. We really had the chance to see all of Costa Rica, but we arranged it ourselves. We would either take the public buses or rent a private bus, neither of which were that expensive. I traveled to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side, to the cloud forest of Monteverde where I went bungee jumping, to Jaco and Manuel Antonio, and to the numerous beaches on the Nicoya Pennisula. While I was in Liberia, there were always about 15 to 20 other volunteers from the ages of 17 to 35. All of our crazy adventures exploring the country bonded us together and we still keep in touch even though we live all over the world. I am so glad that I took the time to work and live in Costa Rica. I had the most fantastic time!