tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72924478512927557842024-02-20T23:09:49.926-06:00Costa Rica Service Program Blog<center><b>Global Volunteers describe work projects and reflect on waging peace through service.</b></center>M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-59166624172909038602013-08-30T17:47:00.000-06:002013-09-16T13:07:13.432-06:00Bittersweet and beautiful<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">My
last day at Colegio was bittersweet and beautiful. It began with an
intimate gathering of about twenty students, as well as Karen, Francisco, and
the principal of the school. We enjoyed a delightful selection of pineapple,
cookies, finger sandwiches, and punch prepared especially for the occasion. We
shared all sorts of different music with each other, and I was impressed and
excited to discover a group of the students listening to one of my favorite new
songs by one of my favorite German rock groups; truly astounding to hear in the
mountains of Monteverde.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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After our snack I was honored with a very official document certifying my
contributions to the school (which I be certain to have framed), and some very
sweet words from Karen thanking me for my service. After these touching
formalities we immediately reverted back to happily enjoying each others’
company, listening to music, and playing a game where one person was lifted up
in a chair as high as the others could get them, something I haven't
experienced in over ten years since my Bar Mitzvah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">There was talk of soccer. I was determined to play on my last day even though I
knew the students would be running circles around me with ease.</span></div>
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While we were waiting for a ball, Karen lead the group in a fun game called
"Buffalo" where one must be quick-thinking and react extremely fast
to stay in. Buffalo turned into "tag" and I got a grim preview of
just how agile and speedy the students were; I was in big trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Playing tag</div>
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Soon a soccer ball showed up and we played for nearly an hour in the blazing
sun. I did not score any goals (big surprise, I blame my dress shoes), but had
a blast nonetheless, as did everyone else. Then it was time for lunch and
before I knew it I was saying goodbye to everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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However, thanks to Maggie and Karen's collective excellence, it was arranged
for me to play another game of soccer with a different group of students after
lunch! After a very quick power nap at the hotel, I returned to campus, went
down to the gym, and was soundly trounced again for the better part of two
hours. My legs are still recovering from all of that running around, but at
least this time I scored a few goals! It should be noted, however, that I only
scored when there were no goalies present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Karen and Maggie</div>
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Justing playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with the students in Spanish </div>
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Piedra, Papel, Tijera! </div>
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I could not think of a more excellent way to end my service trip. I will always
remember the amazing students and staff of C.T.P. Santa Elena. I hope to return
one day and see how the chain of volunteers has furthered the interests of such
a fantastic and productive institution. Already I miss everyone dearly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry
submitted by: Justin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message of the Day
- Maggie: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You give
little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that
you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-54893698378086364682013-08-29T19:41:00.000-06:002013-09-16T12:44:18.034-06:00Capturing creepy crawlies! <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Thursday
morning began bright and early with Profesora Marisela in her gorgeously
painted classroom. I was to enjoin her students on an adventure through the
woods to find and collect as many native insects as we could find. Such an
assignment was both a frightening and exciting prospect considering the
significant nastiness of certain many-legged creatures that, most certainly,
had no interest in being captured and collected for study.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Almost immediately upon venturing out of the classroom, a giant hawk-wasp
darted out from the forest and landed heavily on a nearby leaf, feeling around
frantically with its bright yellow antennae, seemingly daring us to come
closer. Nope. The brute took off and Mario bravely swung at it with a plastic
bag, but just barely missed (perhaps thankfully).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Profe Marisela then divided the group into smaller teams and directed us
towards different sections of the campus; my team ventured up into the shady
trail area. En route I spied a beautiful yellow-and-black-striped moth resting
on a classroom window and gently captured it in a glass vial, taking care not
to disturb the students inside who were evidently engrossed in a test; they did
not seem to mind the temporary distraction. After entering the forest it was
not long at all before our group was uncovering ants, aphids, spiders,
grasshoppers, roaches, moths, butterflies, beetles, and even a few
creepy-crawlies that I couldn't identify.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Soon
we were running out of places to put the bugs and, with the best intentions,
decided to group the more compatible-looking ones together. Unfortunately, this
tactic did not work very well as one tiny bug (</span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">la chincha</i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">) decided to deploy its trademark defense mechanism,
which I learned was an explosive release of its bowels, thereby killing everything
else in the vial except for an ant which was hard at work dismembering a
hapless cricket. By the end of the period there stood several large glass cases
at the front of the classroom within each containing the ensuing chaos from the
collective findings of each team.</span></div>
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After a tasty lunch it was time for English lessons with Profesor Sergio's
class. The students gathered into two teams, each team had one member that
would face the others while I held an English word or phrase over their heads
so the one facing the others could not see what was written. It was the task of
the rest of the team to try and help that student guess the word or phrase
without saying it directly. Each correct answer would earn that team one point,
and each team had 60 seconds to guess as many correct words or phrases as
possible before the next team would take over. I was delighted by the student's
enthusiasm and energetic response to this activity, and soon we had successfully
navigated through nearly six dozen flash cards; both teams were clear winners.
We rounded out the end of class with a few games purely in the interests of fun
and friendship: one in which a "Maestro" was secretly selected by the
<i>profe</i> while a single student was
outside of the room. The Maestro would lead the other students in clapping,
snapping, or tapping gestures while trying not to let on to the
"outsider" who was the leading the group, although they were almost
always found out after the first few guesses. Everyone was in hysterics by the
end of class and before I knew it the school day was over and I was sadly
ending my last full day at Colegio.</span><br />
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Students guessing vocabulary in English</div>
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Students clearly enjoying the guessing </div>
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game in English with Justin</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry
submitted by: Justin </span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message
of the Day – Justin: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"You
must be free from prejudice and fanaticism, beholding no differences between
the races and religions. You must look to God, for He is the real Shepherd, and
all humanity are His sheep. He loves them and loves them equally. As this is
true, should the sheep quarrel among themselves? They should manifest gratitude
and thankfulness to God, and the best way to thank God is to love one another.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Beware
lest ye offend any heart, lest ye speak against anyone in his absence, lest ye
estrange yourselves from the servants of God. You must consider all His
servants as your own family and relations. Direct your whole effort toward the
happiness of those who are despondent, bestow food upon the hungry, clothe the
needy, and glorify the humble. Be a helper to every helpless one, and manifest
kindness to your fellow creatures in order that ye may attain the good pleasure
of God. This is conducive to the illumination of the world of humanity and
eternal felicity for yourselves. I seek from God everlasting glory in your
behalf; therefore, this is my prayer and exhortation." – Abdul Baha</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-7777709263398929102013-08-28T17:54:00.000-06:002013-09-16T11:23:31.633-06:00Proud to be serving<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I began the morning with Don Luis,
where we were tasked with sweeping, mopping, and cleaning the surfaces of the
learning kitchen area. Once this job was completed, we moved on to
collecting trash around the cafeteria and café. I was a bit surprised and
rather disappointed that many students do not seem to have any qualms with
leaving their refuse on the grounds of their beautiful campus. After clearing
the area, we moved on to sweeping and mopping the boy's bathroom as well as the
main corridor between classrooms. Don Luis gently reminded me to keep my
posture straight and upright while cleaning, which I imagine is good for both
the body and the preservation of dignity while performing a job that many
people (especially Americans) would consider "lowly"; I was proud to
have the students seeing me doing this kind of work, as proof of my sincere
devotion to serving them and their school. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Soon enough it was time for the
morning snack break which I enjoyed with Maggie, Farid, Calero, and Henry; the
sweet fresh fruit was very welcome and helped alleviate much of my
sleepiness. Then I headed down to the gym with Karen, Sergio, and a troupe of
students to begin setting up the space for the annual "Traspaso de Poderes",
where the new student government officers will be ceremoniously sworn in. We
brought down 42 chairs from various classrooms (taking care not to disturb any
of the students taking tests) and set them up on either side of a stage
comprised of 34 wood risers that Sergio and I brought out from storage. Karen
led a group of students in making beautiful decorations in the colors of the
Costa Rican flag which were adorned on the recently assembled stage, which
was adorned by both coffee bean sacks (a nice aesthetic touch) as well as a
soccer goal draped in to bright white sheets upon which were affixed shimmering
blue letters bearing the title of the event. Sergio then facilitated my
leading of an English-language game of "Simon Says" which was both
very enjoyable for everyone involved and productive as a teaching
aid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Playing Simon Says! </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After a super tasty lunch,
I returned to Sergio's classroom to assist him in preparing his students for
their oral examinations. The test topics included naming the various parts of a
house (in English) as well as all of the interior rooms and the various
items that might be found in each one. Then we covered an
extremely important topic in both Costa Rican and North American culture:
making coffee. I led the students in reviewing the step-by-step process of
brewing a pot of coffee as well as challenged them to name each individual part
of the coffee-making machine. I noticed that the students had particular
difficulty pronouncing the word "reservoir" (which isn't even
English), specifically the "v" sound, but after slow, clear, repeated
demonstration of how to form one’s lips in the pronunciation, most
everyone caught on. I was pleased that this group of students was much
more engaged, attentive, and respectful than the last class we worked with.
After our review I led the students in smaller group learning sessions focused
on identifying and correctly pronouncing English letters, animals, and phrases,
while Sergio called in the students one by one to test them. </span></div>
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Students listening attentively to Justin </div>
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go over rooms in a house in English class </div>
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Justin and Franciny </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After class we
ventured down to the gym and to witness the transfer of powers ceremony,
which included a short skit and speeches from both newly-elected officials and
the principal of the school. As a veteran of Student Government affairs
(Sophomore and Junior class VP, as well as overall school President), I was
touched with vicarious pride for these young leaders and recounted fond
memories of my own experiences. It was wonderful to see the students so
earnestly invested in the betterment of their school. Surely they will
continue to make excellent and upstanding leaders in their community!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry
submitted by: Justin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message of the Day –
Maggie: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“The
highest reward for a person’s work is not what they get for it, but what they
become because of it.” – John Ruskin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-69894990492776118582013-08-27T19:36:00.000-06:002013-09-16T10:45:57.467-06:00Honored, humbled, and feeling part of the community<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Maggie and I were very sad to learn
that Jorge was suffering from back pains this morning. Thus my planned activities
in the vegetable garden were postponed and instead I headed out with Don Chepe
and a group of students to an overgrown spot by the fishpond to carve out a
large composting pit. One student hastily hacked away at the tall grass with a
machete while I attempted to accomplish the same task with my shovel - not as
easy, but definitely fun and enjoyably toilsome. This particular group of
students did not speak very much English at all, but still we were able to work
effectively as a team and enjoy some of the North American rap music that one
of the students was playing from his phone. Almost as soon as we had cleared
the area and dug out a good-sized pit, the clouds swept in over us and
unleashed a torrential downpour, causing us to scurry up the hill and seek
shelter next to the rather stinky pig pens. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div>
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Digging a composting pit</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Once the rain let up enough to
venture down the hill we returned to Jorge's classroom (still without Jorge =(
.....) where the students immediately set to coordinating and choreographing a
dance routine to a Spanish/English version of "In The Still Of The
Night"; I spent the time writing in my personal diary about the past
weekend's activities, which included a beautifully serene solo hike into the
woods where I discovered a tree comprised of spiral-bent branches that formed a
veritable organic portal up into the canopy. Fernando Luis, the young man whom
I became fast friends with during the classroom painting activity, convinced me
with a wide grin to put down my notebook and dance with them for a little
while; he's quite the smooth salesman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After class I enjoyed a scrumptious
lunch with Maggie that comprised of flattened, fried plantains and a colorful
array of steamed vegetables, rice, and beans; I think I am becoming addicted to
the local Lizano sauce! After lunch I headed over to Sergio's classroom where I
reviewed different means of transportation with the students, including written
and oral comparisons (which car is bigger, faster, more expensive, etc.). I was
pleased with the knowledge, proficiency, and progress I witnessed during these
exercises. At the conclusion of this class period I joined Karen in the
teacher's salon to continue working on the bilingual brochure for C.T.P. We
added a sixth and final category to the catalogue: Colegio will offer tours of
the grounds, classrooms, and all four major products that the students are
engaged in. The proceeds from these tours will go towards helping fund the
projects themselves. I am proud to have contributed to such an important
undertaking that will surely benefit the school by offering an English
translation for those guests who would need it. The day was joyously concluded
with a short but exciting game of dominoes between me, the vice principal
of the school, and the accounting teacher. I am continuously honored and
humbled by how wonderfully well the staff treats me; I truly feel like a part
of the community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry
submitted by: Justin <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message
of the Day – Justin: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“No man
will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit
for doing it.” – Andrew Carnegie<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-81276289924427036992013-08-26T20:19:00.000-06:002013-09-16T10:31:30.549-06:00Working on a very important brochure<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today was spent almost entirely in
the teacher's salon working with Karen on one of the most important
tasks so far: creating a bilingual pamphlet detailing the five main
projects undertaken by the students of Colegio. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">These projects include:</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">1) </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">raising and selling both young and mature pigs (for commercial and culinary purposes, respectively) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> 2) </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">caring for nearly 100 ponedora hens (and collecting their fresh and delicious eggs on a daily basis) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> 3) feeding and milking cows (and making cheese, which has an excellent reputation amongst the locals </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">and never stays on the shelf for more than a few hours) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> 4) </span>maintaining the fish pond, which cleanses the water recycled from the pig pens by means of tilapia </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">and oysters </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> 5) the construction of a butterfly/hummingbird garden, the benefits of which will include not only </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">increased </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">beauty but also facilitate the flourishing of plants and animals that are only indigenous to the </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Monteverde region. </span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gULvHIKNmbY/UjculTIyLhI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/sZMTfn5Gcws/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-09-15+at+5.17.10+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gULvHIKNmbY/UjculTIyLhI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/sZMTfn5Gcws/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-09-15+at+5.17.10+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I found that working with Karen, in addition to being a pleasure (as usual!), was extremely helpful in my understanding of Spanish and I believe she was able to bolster her English language skills as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We took a short break to enjoy the
exquisite culinary preparations presented by the students in the Food and Drink
program, which included fresh fruits, sweet snacks, and a colorful array of
garnishes in the shape of owls, butterflies, swans, and other
happy-looking creatures. <i>¡Qué rico!</i>
I have no doubts that each and every one of these students is bound to excel in
their field of choice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tomorrow we shall continue working
on the brochure. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry
submitted by: Justin</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message
of the Day – Maggie: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Travel is
fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need
it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and
things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all
one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-37702725286636115522013-08-23T20:53:00.000-06:002013-09-16T10:07:26.981-06:00Top Ten Favorite Experiences in Costa Rica <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At 5:50 in the morning my mom,
Maggie, and Justin took a spin class. After, we all ate breakfast and walked to
the school. The school prepared a party for our leaving. They had turned
oranges into butterflies and swans. They made and served dips, fruits,
and tuna sandwiches. They presented my mother and me with certificates
for our volunteering. Then the classroom and teachers began to salsa
dance. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Alajuela. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvsJp50rGdo/UjccHz-pbiI/AAAAAAAAAjs/lsDElJLz1XY/s1600/89.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvsJp50rGdo/UjccHz-pbiI/AAAAAAAAAjs/lsDElJLz1XY/s320/89.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Karen with Jen and Lena</div>
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and their certificates</div>
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<br /></div>
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Final Celebration with Rural Tourism students</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gbf1HWYSjyc/UjcgQnJmJZI/AAAAAAAAAkA/xzP9q2LxVOg/s1600/104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gbf1HWYSjyc/UjcgQnJmJZI/AAAAAAAAAkA/xzP9q2LxVOg/s320/104.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Karen teaching Justin to salsa! </div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On our drive down
we visited a black sand beach. They had a truck there that had Churchills
(pronounced Church-<b>e</b>). It was ice cream, fruit, water ice, and
cookie crumbs, layered in a large cup. We also created a list of our top
ten favorite experiences (they are in no particular order).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My Mother's: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maggie
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Justin
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Casem
and the walk home from it <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meeting
Karen and the other teachers <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Santa
Elena Reserve and meeting Johnny <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chocolate
Tour and Night Walk <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Planting/cultivating
a garden <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Service
to the school <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Walking
in Alajuela (exploring a new city and trying new foods alone together) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mother
and daughter time <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
List:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maggie
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Justin
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Casem
and the walk home from it <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Meeting
Karen <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Being
with my mom <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chocolate
tour <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Volunteering
<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Santa
Elena Reserve <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teaching
English <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crepes
and <i>agua dulce</i> (sweet water) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Playa
Porta Caldera<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saturday at the airport:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A family on the same plane as us
(both coming to and going home from Costa Rica) stopped us and said,
"We remember you. You two were so excited to be in Costa Rica on the way down."
In the airport, two people independently complimented my mom on her Spanish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry
submitted by: Lena<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message of the Day - Lena: </i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">"Do all the good you can, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">by all the means you can, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">in all the ways you can, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">at all the times you can, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">to all the people you can, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">as long as you ever can." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> - Jon Wesley</span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-49444773988459857912013-08-22T20:41:00.000-06:002013-09-13T12:15:50.893-06:00Extra special bonding time <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today we painted one
wall of the outside and one wall of the inside of a classroom. We worked
through our breakfast break but broke early for lunch, which was capped by
delicious fried plantains with butter and cinnamon. The chipping off of the old
paint before applying the new paint was the hardest of the work. The vapors in
the small space were hard, too, but we had face masks we could wear. (The
students did not, but thought we were funny to want ours.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QrhR7qm6MKk/UjNUZ4pbC4I/AAAAAAAAAjI/Qp3C75a_lfU/s1600/157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QrhR7qm6MKk/UjNUZ4pbC4I/AAAAAAAAAjI/Qp3C75a_lfU/s320/157.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Getting ready to paint! </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-As0i4Rrodg0/UjNR96xvKVI/AAAAAAAAAik/Z0PLB_0oMg0/s1600/33.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-As0i4Rrodg0/UjNR96xvKVI/AAAAAAAAAik/Z0PLB_0oMg0/s320/33.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Scraping away</div>
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<br /></div>
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Karen sharing her expertise </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T3gYw3YRP2A/UjNTxBPzsfI/AAAAAAAAAjA/YnPU3nGPB7U/s1600/193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T3gYw3YRP2A/UjNTxBPzsfI/AAAAAAAAAjA/YnPU3nGPB7U/s320/193.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Profesor Jorge, Lena, Jen, and Justing on a painting mission </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We finished just in
time before the rain swept in. The morning had been the prettiest weather of
the week and there were gorgeous views of the water from the top of the hill
where the classroom that we were painting perched. It was mesmerizing watching
the fog roll in, bringing the rain with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nfx4t-YXKyk/UjNSZ3C2d3I/AAAAAAAAAis/o_cZKP1TZ4U/s1600/29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nfx4t-YXKyk/UjNSZ3C2d3I/AAAAAAAAAis/o_cZKP1TZ4U/s320/29.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The view from the classroom we painted in the morning </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_PzmHOfjxU/UjNS7EbKNBI/AAAAAAAAAi0/vwsZ1DvOBDo/s1600/55.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q_PzmHOfjxU/UjNS7EbKNBI/AAAAAAAAAi0/vwsZ1DvOBDo/s320/55.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The view in the afternoon </div>
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Freshly painted! </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the rain halted us,
we played games and listened to music. There was greater comfort between the
volunteers and students then, which was nice. After dinner we went to the snake
tour and had crepes and prepared for the next day’s activities. As half the
team is leaving, it was extra special bonding time, having the last night
together. What a unique and amazing week, trip, and experience.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry submitted by:
Jen <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message
of the Day – Jen: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“When
I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” – Abraham
Lincoln <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-49552540799053649692013-08-21T10:51:00.000-06:002013-09-13T11:47:54.952-06:00Fun interaction with students<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This
morning we woke up and had breakfast. Then we walked down to the Colegio. We
started off the morning by helping them with building a butterfly garden. It
turned out to involve carrying concrete blocks up the hill for the garden site.
First we each carried a block up the hill. Then we formed a line with the
students to bring them up. It began to pour rain and we went inside the
classroom. Justin and I showed the students magic tricks. Then we played
tic-tac-toe. Two girls and Maggie (who loves salsa) taught my mother how to
dance salsa. Justin explained to a few students how to play dominoes and I
joined their game. It was very fun to interact with the students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jen being taught how to salsa! </div>
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Lena and Justin with the ecotourism class</div>
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Team #224 with Karen and the fun ecotourism class</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
lunch, which consisted of rice, beans, salad, and fish, we taught English. I
was very happy because it was with seventh graders who were my age. Justin
played a game where they said their names, favorite colors, and favorite foods
in English. While my mom and I had conversations with students. They were very
interested in the World Trade towers. We explained the story of what it was
like and how it affected America. We also turned their names with different
pronunciations to English ones. My mom spoke in English and Spanish and the
teacher translated. By the end of the time I had made friends with three girls
– Kiley, Kimberly, and Melanie – who were particularly interested in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
their recess we worked with Jorge on his vegetable garden again, taking out
weeds and planting beans and coriander. After work we headed to Casem, the
local women’s art center. There we had <i>agua
dulce</i> (sweet water) in their restaurant. We walked back to Santa Elena and
had a delicious dinner at Morphos, which had beautiful paintings of trees and
butterflies all around it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tasting the delicious <i>agua dulce</i></div>
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Team #224 on a very memorable walk<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Entry submitted by:
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7292447851292755784" name="_GoBack"></a>Lena<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Message
of the Day - Lena: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“I
expect to pass through life but once. If
therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any
fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass
this way again.” - William Penn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-60781932393301764082013-08-20T20:28:00.000-06:002013-09-11T10:03:50.416-06:00Feeling spoiled by our team leader in Costa Rica <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Our
scheduled plan to paint a classroom today had to be postponed as the pain had
not yet arrived. (It is an oil-based paint they use and the machine to make it
required repair.) So we will plan to paint later in the week. In preparation
for the afternoon classroom (ecotourism), we went up to the Santa Elena Preserve
(altitude 5,000 feet) in the morning. Maggie worked hard to make the logistics
work and the effort was more than worth it! To make it happen, we met at 6:00
a.m. for breakfast to take a 6:30 van to the reserve. We had a great guide,
Johnny, who led us around with a telescope! He showed us indigenous and endemic
birds, owls, beetles, butterflies, and tarantulas. We climbed to the top of the
observatory tower for a magnificent view - too many clouds to see the five
volcanoes one can occasionally view from these, but that’s why they call it the
cloud forest!</span><br />
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Santa Elena Preserve </div>
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Santa Elena Preserve</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We had lunch at the school and then helped Sergio teach English to one of his ninth grade classes. The theme was modes of transportation. We broke up into small groups. Some kids spoke some English, some not at all. Like any school in existence, the students displayed varying levels of interest, engagement, and excellence. Almost all seemed to feel nervous in our presence (but it’s only our second day in the school and I think we feel nervous, too).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Justin had a great icebreaker after class with a hacky sack – over half the class spent recess playing with us. Justin seems to have already developed a great sense of commitment, involvement, and approachability. I predict his second week here without us will be quite different and even more rewarding as I almost guarantee students will find his big brother approach and charm irresistible and inspirational.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We ended our day at Colegio with Karen and her ninth grade rural tourism classroom where the students were giving PowerPoint presentations on First Aid. First we had introductions (which lasted over 30 minutes). Then we heard two presentations. The kids presented information they had gathered on the internet (some of which they understood more or less). Their teacher explained to them in gentle, supportive, and incredibly informative ways the proper techniques in dealing with various injuries and accidents, infections, and illnesses. The emphasis in the teachings was everything a tour guide would need to get a tourist to proper medical attention in a timely fashion (i.e. basic EMT for a tourist guide). I was impressed with the fund of knowledge of the teacher and her ability to convey information to her students in a way they seemed able to accept and absorb. She is one of the most superb teachers I have had the pleasure to witness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We met for dinner at 5:30 p.m. so we would have time to go to the snake tour and shops in town (but half the team needed to go to sleep instead). At this point in the trip I am feeling comfortable with the hotel, with the daily routine, with the food, and with my Spanish (albeit NOT fluent).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am feeling spoiled by our team leader, Maggie, as she takes care of everything for us with a smile and makes everything fun with her laughter and giggles, and inspired by our teammate, Justin. He clearly feels the commitment and devotion of serving others and I feel the world is a better place for having him in it. I know he will continue to make a difference in the world and I suspect will inspire many in his lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Maggie - our team leader who spoils us - with Lena and me </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">I must confess I am feeling homesick. We finally figured out how to use Skype to call home without phone service (thanks, Justin!). I miss my younger daughter and husband very much having never traveled without them both. But I cannot regret one moment of precious time I have with my first born, exploring the world and its vastness and strangeness and beauty together. I remain committed to our mission of serving those who have not been as fortunate as we. And when I am not sure exactly how much I am impacting, I remind myself it is not <b>what</b> I am doing to help others, it is <b>that</b> I am helping others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Entry submitted by: Jen</i></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Message of the Day – Justin:</span></i></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve." –Albert Schweitzer </span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-54184850154295600702013-08-19T22:00:00.000-06:002013-09-11T09:31:54.602-06:00Our first day volunteering at Colegio<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We
woke up and had breakfast in the hotel. Then we walked to the Colegio. We
walked to the principal’s office where we were greeted by Karen. She took us
around to each classroom and answered all of our questions. After we saw the
classrooms, we moved on to the farm. We saw the dairy (which later in the day
we would clean). The women in the cafeteria gave us some fruit – pineapple,
papaya, watermelon, and bananas – as a snack. The group went to the pig pens.
There we saw the largest pig any of us has ever seen and some little piglets.
Following we saw the hens. Maggie told Justin and me about how they are called
hen’s eggs in Spanish and people used to laugh at her when she was learning Spanish and said "chicken eggs."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the tour we went to lunch at the soda. My mother and I had a
lunch of beef, rice, beans, and salad. Justin and Maggie had fish, rice, beans,
and salad. Justin was wearing very nice clothes (he looked very presentable for
introductions) so he and Maggie went back to the hotel to change. Then we went
to Jorge’s classroom. There we did introductions with the students. Three
students came with our team to power wash and clean the dairy building. We
began one wall at a time. We began to clean some of the inner walls as well as
the sides and back of the building. After that we mopped the floor and swept
the excess water into the gutter. Don Chepe brought in the cows so he could
milk them. I was quite excited when I was able to actually milk a cow as well.
After the team had all had a chance to milk the cows, we saw where it was
stored and we saw the fresh cheese they made every day, but we didn’t eat it.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Don Cheme letting the cows in to be milked </div>
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Jen milking a cow </div>
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Lena having a go </div>
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And, of course, Justin, too! </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Proceeding we went back to Jorge’s classroom. With his eight grade
class we went up and helped them plant cilantro in the beds. We turned the soil
and drew lines in the dirt for the seeds to be planted in. The teacher then
left for a meeting with parents and we had a chance to interact with the
students. </span></div>
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Working in the school vegetable garden</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Justin tried to teach
everyone (wih Maggie translating) the Rubik’s cube. We had an early dinner of
rice, beans, cauliflower, carrots, and chicken. Maggie left her phone in her
room, so Franciso came to see if we were alright. They needed to discuss the
plans for tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">We then went on a night tour at the coffee and chocolate
plantation as a team. We learned that the coffee berries have four layers and
how to remove each layer. We also learned about cocoa beans. Then we had a
discussion about the difference between light roast coffee and dark roast.
Light roast has more caffeine, but also has more flavor. Dark roast has a bitter
taste because it is dried for longer. Afterwards we were given samples of
coffee and the best-tasting chocolate in the entire world. They were so nice
and gave us extra chocolate. The night tour followed and we saw sloths,
millipedes, spiders, crickets, and toads, and we heard a frog we couldn’t see.
We saw a banana tree and a few bananas dropped so we were able to eat them. I
told the tour guide, “Your friend says he likes dark roasted coffee best.” He
replied, “He also might drink it with milk. He is part of the 99%.” The day was
full of lasting memories and we were able to complete many of our goals in the
first day.</span></div>
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Cacao - where the deliciousness comes from </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0stP--qg42U/UjCLMYtmg2I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/WPATnxasf_4/s1600/79+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0stP--qg42U/UjCLMYtmg2I/AAAAAAAAAgQ/WPATnxasf_4/s320/79+small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Deemed the best-tasting chocolates </div>
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in the whole world by Team #224 </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Entry submitted by: Lena</i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><b style="font-style: italic;">Message
of the Day - Maggie: </b>"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love." - Martin Luther King, Jr. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-9423043591441065392013-08-18T20:49:00.000-06:002013-09-10T11:23:53.106-06:00Learning about Costa Rica<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">The
day began with a lovely group discussion in the semi-open air dining room,
complete with chirping humming birds flitting about. After breakfast we began
our official orientation to our service program, which went exceptionally
smoothly due to our diligent study of the Volunteer Manual before our trip actually
began. We then set, discussed, and agreed upon a list of nine goals that we’d
like to accomplish by the week’s end – ambitious, absolutely, but entirely
doable:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />1) To explore the cloud forest and
its wildlife </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">2) To go on an excursion as a team </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">3) To make
meaningful contributions, including a tangible improvement</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">4) To build
positive relationships and/or friendships </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">5) To interact
with locals in a non-structured way, possibly being invited to somewhere
outside Colegio </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">6) To be active </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">7) To try new
foods and learn new customs </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">8) To become
more proficient in Spanish </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">9) To visit
CASEM </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />We also discussed the types of qualities and
characteristics we need to display in order to achieve these goals:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">flexible respectful responsible dedicated </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">energetic open positive optimistic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">friendly punctual hardworking mindful </span><br />
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br />After
this session Maggie guided us to a lovely open-air café-restaurant where I got
my first (but definitely not last) taste of Costa Rican coffee - <i>¡muy bueno!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IBxZpwNmq24/UhzLLmotnWI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/iyIffrpdksM/s1600/IMG_1334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IBxZpwNmq24/UhzLLmotnWI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/iyIffrpdksM/s320/IMG_1334.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Maggie and Lena with their drinks at lunch </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Upon
our arrival back at the Hotel 1915, we were greeted by Don Félix, who was to
take us up through the mountains to Monteverde. The drive was gorgeous, albeit
bumpy and extremely curvaceous, but Don Félix, clearly a master of the terrain,
guided us safely and quickly through the misty trail and to our destination. I
was impressed and humbled by the sight of so many Costa Ricans living right in
the midst of the majestic mountain, many in modestly-made homes of metal and
wood; surely their backyard views are unmatched across the whole world. Don
Félix was kind enough to stop the van and let us out to photograph a couple of
monkeys that were hanging out on the power lines; they seemed entirely
accustomed to the attention and paid us almost no mind at all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p76p5BBZSvk/Ui5oxC6M53I/AAAAAAAAAfE/d_sHO4jH9hE/s1600/52.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p76p5BBZSvk/Ui5oxC6M53I/AAAAAAAAAfE/d_sHO4jH9hE/s320/52.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">Our lively
conversation carried us through the rest of the journey, all the way to the
lovely Mar Inn. We were introduced to the proprietor (Ánthony) and his mother
and little sister before settling into our rooms. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;">After
showering and changing, we met back up for a cursory overview of important
Spanish words, phrases, and concepts, which I found to be extremely helpful.
Then we enjoyed a tasty dinner prepared by Ánthony’s mother, met the directors
of the Colegio, and discussed our free time plans for the week - all the while
enjoying the sounds of a mariachi band playing next door. Now it is time to
sleep; tomorrow is a big day! <i>Buenas
noches. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: small;"><i>Entry submitted by:
Justin</i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<![endif]-->M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-45928816173856382002013-06-14T21:05:00.000-06:002013-07-18T12:47:50.363-06:00Saying goodbye in Costa Rica<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today
was a bittersweet day. It was our last day in Santa Elena working with the
students. I am excited to be going home, but it was really hard knowing I
probably won’t see any of these students or teachers again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We
started the morning off with one last delicious breakfast from the Mar Inn. We
then walked to the school and met Liz to go work in the trails. We raked the
trails and chopped down overgrown weeds. After this job was done, we went down
to the gym to play more basketball and soccer with some of Jorge’s students.
This was fun, as always, but I got worn out very quickly. My body is sore from
all of the work we have done around the school these past two weeks, but it
reminds me of how much help I have been able to provide for the school. The
soreness will go away in a day or two, but I will have this memory for the rest
of my life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After
our games, we listened to and watched some performances by some of the
students. This included songs and a very funny skit about going on a road trip.
Then we ate lunch. Our friends in the cooking department prepared us a
delicious lunch with desert. They worked really hard cooking and serving our
meal and I can tell that Liz has trained them well. After serving our food,
they joined us for lunch.</span></div>
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Karen, Matt, Justin, Jorge, Wilmer, and Ellie</div>
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Justin and Wilmer </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQl8yVGf3bM/UduaqXX5d5I/AAAAAAAAAJI/MkBMfY6EQnU/s1600/94.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQl8yVGf3bM/UduaqXX5d5I/AAAAAAAAAJI/MkBMfY6EQnU/s320/94.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We
then received certificates from the school as well as lots of thanks and praise
from the students and teachers. We were able to take some final pictures with
our new friends and then it was time to say goodbye. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Saying
goodbye to the students and teachers and town of Santa Elena was very hard for
me. I am really going to miss these people. This has been such a wonderful
experience and I want to continue providing them with my service and friendship.
I hope that I was able to make the same impact on them as they made on me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Ellie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message
of the Day - Justin: </i></b>"Tell
me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I will
learn." - Benjamin Franklin</span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i> </i></b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-36061165137558100212013-06-13T22:58:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:27:36.819-06:00Leaving something that will last<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today
was our last full work day at Colegio. We were assigned to work with Jorge. I woke
up sore from the work we had done the day before, but looked forward to working
with Jorge again. We went back up the hill and continued to shovel and rake the
land to build a garden. Today wasn’t nearly as hard as yesterday, since we got
most of the hard work out of the way. We worked on this hill with Jorge and his
students and were able to take breaks to enjoy some recreational activities
with the students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Jorge
brought some of his students down to the gym and we played a game of
basketball. Jorge even hopped in the game to play in his rain boots! Our
friends in the cooking department also joined us, which made for a very fun
game. I could tell that they were impressed with our knowledge of the sport.
After basketball, I asked the students if they wanted to show us how to play
soccer. They were very excited to show off their skills and definitely wore us
out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6i-9jFW81Pk/UduYqZnXXOI/AAAAAAAAAIA/AqX7XcUD2R4/s1600/83.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6i-9jFW81Pk/UduYqZnXXOI/AAAAAAAAAIA/AqX7XcUD2R4/s320/83.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We
took a break for lunch and went back to work on the hill. Once we were finished
working on the hill, I could hardly believe how different it looked! Just
yesterday, it was all tall, packed in grass. I was amazed at how much we were
able to accomplish only with a few shovels and rakes. The land is almost ready
to have seeds planted into it. The blisters and sore muscles were definitely
worth knowing that someday, there’s going to be a garden there that will
provide for the school long after we have left. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After
working with Jorge, we went to the gym to watch the student’s intramural soccer
tournament. We saw some students we had never seen before, as well as some of
our close friends we’ve made over these two short weeks. I love how soccer
seems to bring the whole school together. Watching the games was so exciting.
We were very impressed with the athleticism of some of our friends, like Henry
and Calero.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To conclude our night, we
enjoyed our last dinner in Monteverde at Bon Appetit. The food was great and
the dinner conversations were even better. We were reflecting on all of the
people we have met through this experience. From Jorge, the most easy-going,
hardworking person you will ever meet, to Dulce, one of the most passionate
activists I’ve ever encountered, the small town of Monteverde is full of
wonderful people who I will always remember. I am really going to miss this
place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Volunteers talking with Profesora Dulce</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Ellie <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message
of the Day - Ellie: </i></b>"Only
if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help,
we shall be saved." - Jane Goodall</span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-52426105175573475852013-06-12T22:51:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:26:33.257-06:00Basketball and soccer in Costa Rica<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today
Ellie, Justin, Maggie, and I continued to provide our services to the students
and teachers of Colegio. Our day started around 6:45 this morning when we had
breakfast prepared by the Mar Inn. Coffee was drunk and fresh fruit consisting
of pineapple, banana, and watermelon, coupled with granola and raisin cereal
were consumed. After breakfast, the message of the day and the journal entry
for the previous day were read. Then we departed the hotel with Colegio as our
destination. Upon reaching the school, we were informed that we would once
again be working with Jorge (the agriculture instructor who we have determined
to have a strong resemblance to John Lennon). However, once we received news
that we would be partnering with him, we knew that it was going to be a
physically demanding work day. Our main project consisted of digging up the
soil on the side of a hill near the school. The purpose of this digging was to
uproot all of the grass and create a foundation for a garden to be constructed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
After working for a few hours, our group took a mid-day break from our workday
to eat lunch. After lunch was eaten, we were surprised by Dulce that we would
be joining her classroom in the gymnasium for a game of basketball! Dulce
informed us that sadly enough, for over a year and a half, the school has not
had permission from the board of education to utilize the gymnasium for
basketball-related purposes. Hearing this news made Ellie, Justin, and I very
excited to play with the students and demonstrate the rules of the game to
them. We were then divided up, girls against boys. The students’ respective
soccer backgrounds allowed them to have quick foot movement and quick hands.
After playing for around twenty minutes or so, a student on the boys’ team hit
the game-winning shot! It was fun to share this experience with the students
and I'm sure it is one that they will remember for a long time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Profesor Jorge, Matt, and Justin picking seeds</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bHMScaYMoAk/UduXPpOCPsI/AAAAAAAAAHo/qE8Uz9BajFU/s1600/77.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bHMScaYMoAk/UduXPpOCPsI/AAAAAAAAAHo/qE8Uz9BajFU/s320/77.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After
we finished at the gymnasium, we returned to our previous labor area for the
remainder of the work day. Our day came to a close when we ate dinner at a
local restaurant, where movie trivia was discussed and <i>horchata</i> was thoroughly enjoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Matt <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message
of the Day - Matt: </i></b>"Those
who are happiest are those who do the most for others." - Booker T.
Washington<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-15298424201934192382013-06-11T20:44:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:26:00.611-06:00Leaving a community feeling prouder<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hello again!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After an awesome weekend exploring
areas outside of Monteverde, today we finally made our return to Colegio. Matt,
Ellie, and I began our day with a brisk three-hour period of shoveling dirt out
of old garden plots, which quickly got us back into the spirit of volunteering
with the students. As we were working with the cooking class that we'd met the
previous week, we were all quick to become friends again and work
cooperatively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When it was almost time for lunch,
we were invited to watch a quick match of intramural soccer, which was exciting
despite the fact that the odds were heavily stacked in the older team's favor.
Following lunch, we joined students from another class in transporting garbage
both large and small from the main level of the school to a "dump"
area behind the gym. This is how we spent much of the rest of our day, and at
the end of it all, we were just as dirty and sweaty as ever. That counts as a
successful day in my book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Later in the evening, we took our
second night tour at the Santa María forest area. Our guide was both witty and
intelligent and this made for a night of laughs and more interesting animal
sightings with good friends. Hungry and exhausted, Matt and I had no choice but
to ravage a large pizza before heading back to the inn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h9qbUQfRdaE/UduVjzBfFoI/AAAAAAAAAHA/xUjgQ6ceA3I/s1600/202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h9qbUQfRdaE/UduVjzBfFoI/AAAAAAAAAHA/xUjgQ6ceA3I/s320/202.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A side-striped palm pit viper we saw on our night nature hike</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NLAPR-lY3YE/UduV5fPl9BI/AAAAAAAAAHI/R0ZDsRm1LhA/s1600/135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NLAPR-lY3YE/UduV5fPl9BI/AAAAAAAAAHI/R0ZDsRm1LhA/s320/135.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> A mama and baby sloth cuddling </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-BJdL7DG6o/UduV9ey1TtI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/x2qHg1Ztwbo/s1600/138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-BJdL7DG6o/UduV9ey1TtI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/x2qHg1Ztwbo/s320/138.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Only three days remain in our
journey and the time has absolutely flown by. I'm anxious for when we will have
to leave our new friends, but I only hope that we leave them feeling prouder
than ever about their school and their community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Justin <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Message of the Day
- Maggie: </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“You give
little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that
you truly give.” – Kahlil Gibran</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-76278009564182871042013-06-10T20:19:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:25:29.961-06:00Volunteering is a universal good<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today
was our second and final day volunteering at the Santa Elena Nature Reserve.
The day started off with a very full bus ride to the reserve with some other
volunteers from other organizations. Once we got there, one of the tour guides,
Donald, gave us a much-anticipated tour of the reserve. He was a great tour
guide. He was very funny and knew a lot about the wildlife. While on the tour,
we were actually able to see a quetzal! Donald was so excited he could hardly
contain himself. This bird is so beautiful and such a big piece of Costa Rican
culture. I felt very honored that we had the chance to see one! After the tour,
we ate a delicious lunch. Then it was back to work. Our group had to be split
up to do different jobs, so I volunteered to work with another group of
volunteers I had met earlier at the reserve. We walked along the trails raking
leaves and pulling weeds. I saw even more beautiful birds while I was working!
I really enjoyed the work I did today. I got to bond with other volunteers from
various countries including Finland, Switzerland, and even guys from other
parts of the U.S. Working with them reminded me about why it’s so important for
you to volunteer. We all come from different backgrounds, yet we all decided to
come to Costa Rica to help better the community. Volunteering your services is
a universal good and anyone can help. Today, I not only learned more about the
culture of Costa Rica, but I learned about the places the other volunteers come
from. It makes me want to travel and volunteer even more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A huge stick bug we happened to find on a hydrangea</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Ellie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message
of the Day - Ellie: </i></b><span style="background: white;">“If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be
better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on
floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn
from them – wherever you go.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> - Anthony
Bourdain</span></span></span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-69518769576741950112013-06-07T20:12:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:24:08.778-06:00Volunteering right in the cloud forest<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Earlier in the week, Ellie, Justin, Maggie, and I were informed
that on Friday, instead of volunteering at Colegio, we would be providing our
services to the Santa Elena Reserve. So on Friday morning the four of us
departed by van for the aforementioned location. It was about a 10-15 minute
van ride to our destination. But, being subject to challenging aspects of this
country such as poor road conditions and the inconsistency of wireless Internet
connections has really opened my eyes to the luxuries that I enjoy and take for
granted in the United States. This has become my primary motivation to put
forth the effort to volunteer my services to better this community.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once we reached Santa Elena Reserve, we were put to work with
cleaning the area surrounding the welcome center. While working I was able to
appreciate the natural beauty of the environment that I was working in. Observing
the exotic plant and wildlife was an indescribable experience that will
hopefully stay in my memory for the remainder of my life. Being in this type of
setting has really changed my overall outlook on the environment by providing
me with a first-hand experience of the beauty of Mother Nature at its finest.
After we worked to clean up the welcome center area, we walked about twenty minutes
away from the reserve to an area just off the road. There we helped in
unloading 1,500 baby trees that were to be planted throughout the area by other
volunteers. It is very rewarding to know that I volunteered my time, energy,
and money to enhance the beauty of this area of rainforest. I hope that others
can follow in our footsteps by volunteering themselves to better the world that
we live in!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Sombrilla" leaves - great for shade! </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3HqPGQeakw/UduTsX5A9mI/AAAAAAAAAGY/s95hbavre0g/s1600/18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3HqPGQeakw/UduTsX5A9mI/AAAAAAAAAGY/s95hbavre0g/s320/18.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A koati at the reserve who let us watch him for quite a while!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Matt <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<b><i>Message of the Day - Matt:</i></b> "Love is not patronizing and charity isn't about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same -- with charity you give love, so don't just give money but reach out your hand instead." - Mother Teresa </span><br />
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-92106794074928649242013-06-06T21:50:00.000-06:002013-07-18T10:50:43.814-06:00The amazing science fair! <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Buenas noches.</i>
Today was, at long last, the science expo at Colegio. Much of our work before
now has been leading up to this event and I'd like to think it was executed
just as fantastically as it was envisioned. With dancing, awards, and important
members of the Monteverde community present, this was definitely a day to
remember for both us and the students of Colegio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We volunteers were humbly asked to be honorary judges during this time of ceremony. Our task involved inspecting and evaluating different science projects or research studies performed by the students, and, although the language barrier made us feel a little distanced from the process, we were still able to appreciate the fun and importance in the hard work that was performed. In the end, a winner was declared and awards were distributed accordingly, but all of the students should be proud of the hours they put into making these presentations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">A Costa Rican folkloric dance performed at the opening of the science fair </span></div>
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Ellie discussing the science projects with another judge </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-07O88_aApbM/UduSeRxcOtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/mC2-IDHeWAg/s1600/55.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-07O88_aApbM/UduSeRxcOtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/mC2-IDHeWAg/s320/55.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Matt, Justin, and Walter evaluating science projects</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AW7lDQQ4gc/UduSk26sDeI/AAAAAAAAAF4/_g0kymGmI_s/s1600/56.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AW7lDQQ4gc/UduSk26sDeI/AAAAAAAAAF4/_g0kymGmI_s/s320/56.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Our new friends Daniel and Wilmer with their science project </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">At the end of the day,
Francisco assured us that we would indeed be working at an actual reserve
tomorrow. We even discovered that we would also be at the reserve Monday
because of a region-wide strike, of all things! I’m not complaining. I'm ready
to see some animals.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At the end of the night,
we went out to get some pizza (my favorite), and afterward we met Francisco at
a local hangout to relax. Now comes the sad news. I bailed on my comrades early
to head back to the inn and try to get a WiFi connection, but to no avail. That
makes this the first night that I haven't been able to talk to my mom or a
certain special someone who I'm used to talking to almost all day, every day.
It's not the end of the world or anything, but it does put into perspective how
far away you are when you lose the ability to communicate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I have a bittersweet
day as I prepare to close out my first week in Costa Rica. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Justin <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message
of the Day - Justin: </i></b>"The
world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page." - St.
Augustine of Hippo</span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-57729464945911715832013-06-04T21:19:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:17:27.005-06:00Meeting Profesora Dulce and her students<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Around 7:15 am Maggie, Justin, Ellie, and I convened in the hotel
lobby for a delicious breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, pancakes, and
coffee. Upon finishing breakfast, I felt energized and eager to return to
Colegio and see what tasks that the school staff had prepared for us. We then
met at our usual meeting area to hear the Message of the Day and Justin's
account of the day before. It was quite intriguing to reminisce on the previous
day because I had already forgotten some details associated with it. But, once
we were finished discussing the plans for the day, we left the hotel to once
again volunteer our services to the students and teachers of Colegio.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When walking outside of the hotel, I immediately noticed the warm
temperature, even though it was so early in the day. In the two days that we
have been guests in the Monteverde region, I have observed that there seems to
be very warm mornings with relatively clear skies; however, as the day progresses
the scattered rain showers and the presence of the fog cools everything down. Upon
arriving at Colegio we made our way to Profesora Dulce's eighth-grade
classroom. There we introduced ourselves in Spanish to the students and we then
learned that we were going to help the students clean their gymnasium in order
to help prepare for their science fair that was to take place later in the
week. But, we were surprised by Profesora Dulce when she informed us that we
would be joining some students in a hike along the nature trail that surrounds
the school. We ended up walking about two hours through the forest and were
able to see an environment that was home to many very interesting organisms
such as sloths, transparent butterflies, and leafcutter ants. We were able to
take many great pictures and Professor Dulce was a fantastic guide who had vast
knowledge of all of the plants and animals that we encountered. It was also
entertaining to be able to interact with the children in this environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Once we returned back to the school we ate lunch in the cafeteria
and then walked down to the gymnasium. We showed the students how to properly
utilize the pressure washer to clean the gym floors so that they would be able
to become familiar with operating it by themselves. After cleaning for a few
hours, the Monteverde Fire Department arrived and assisted our cleaning
efforts. Once we were finished working for the day, it was very entertaining to
watch the students burn excess energy off by running around barefoot and
throwing water at each other. We had a great day in Colegio and I made some
memories as a volunteer that I will cherish! <i>¡Pura Vida!</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y3KlGHuK4kQ/UduQE752I1I/AAAAAAAAAEo/sgXcbPOmAGo/s1600/11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y3KlGHuK4kQ/UduQE752I1I/AAAAAAAAAEo/sgXcbPOmAGo/s320/11.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQdgK97CxiE/UduQP1DWbcI/AAAAAAAAAEw/v2TkrvkJQrE/s1600/14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OQdgK97CxiE/UduQP1DWbcI/AAAAAAAAAEw/v2TkrvkJQrE/s320/14.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry
submitted by: Matt <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message
of the Day - Matt:</i></b>
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of
others." -Mahatma Gandhi</span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-87510190483705629892013-06-03T18:46:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:16:08.638-06:00First full day in Monteverde! <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>¡Buenas noches!</i> Today was our first full day in Monteverde, and, as expected, it
has been an adventure. I mean, when you wake up at six in the morning and the
sun is out in full force, you know the day is at least going to be interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today was our first
arrival at Colegio and we were given the grand tour of the premises, which
mostly consisted of giant-sized livestock and more food than we were prepared
to eat. Our job was almost completely focused around cleaning a tool shed and
the area surrounding it, and we were able to work very closely with the
students and their teacher, Jorge. Thankfully, this situation allowed us to
develop a working relationship and, perhaps, a blossoming friendship with these
kind and enthusiastic people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After our work day was
over, there were still things to be done before we returned to our rooms for
the night. Our merry band visited a local shop and bought lots of pants, and we
then went back to the hotel for dinner and our Spanish lesson. I think Maggie
may not think my attempts at humor are any good. At least she laughs and smiles
a lot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also believe it
pertinent to mention that, among the students we met, we have already made
our first "friend." Wilmer, the Machete Master, tried to play the
role of the shy little boy at first, but he showed us that he can be funny,
friendly, and just as hard-working as anyone. Also, I think he likes Ellie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Ellie and Wilmer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">So ends our first day in
Santa Elena. We worked our volunteer tails off for a few hours, and we returned
to the inn beaten, muddy, and exhausted. But we will return tomorrow morning to
do it all over again, because that's what the students of Colegio will do for
their school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">P.S. Ellie went into the
boys' bathroom. Also, she said "buenos días" when it was evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">View of Colegio from forest trail</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry submitted by: Justin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Message of the Day - Maggie Bjorklund: </i></b>“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” - William Penn</span><br />
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-71744734302707239302013-06-02T20:06:00.000-06:002013-07-08T23:14:22.197-06:00First full day in Costa Rica! <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Today we woke up early and left the hostel in Alajuela. We
hopped into a van to ride to our destination, Monteverde. Along the way, we
stopped and got a very delicious breakfast. The ride up the mountain was
unreal. I’ve never seen mountains so high, or land so dense with forestry. The
roads were very bumpy and often, we were very close to the edge, which turned
out to be really exciting. We arrived at the Mar Inn and Ánthony showed us our
rooms. They are very nice and will be a pleasure to spend the next two weeks
in! We then walked into town to get lunch. Everyone was very impressed with the
delicious fruit smoothies! After lunch, we walked back to the Mar Inn and began
orientation with Maggie. We read over the Volunteer Manual to get a better
understanding of the Philosophy of Service. We then met Francisco and Karen,
who both work at the school. They were very welcoming and made me feel much
more comfortable about visiting the school tomorrow. They explained to us some
of the work we will be doing, which includes helping teach lessons on
conversational English. We will also be working outside to clear paths to the
forest around the school, beautify their garden, and possibly make a compost
pile. I have a feeling that we will be at no loss for jobs to do at the school.
At the end of our orientation, Matt, Justin, and I came up with five of our own
individual goals of this volunteer experience. From there, we agreed on five team
goals:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">1) To appreciate nature through observation and exploration<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2) To
experience another culture and its people by immersing ourselves in our
surroundings<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3) To become more familiar with the Spanish language<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4) To enhance our outlook on life through our volunteer
experience<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5) To have a profound memory of this experience<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We also discussed the types of qualities and
characteristics we need to display in order to achieve these goals:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">cooperation charisma<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> flexibility<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">humility<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> sociable outgoing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">energetic<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>patience<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> enthusiastic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">optimism <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>motivated<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>open-minded<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The night concluded with a walk to the town and a very
delicious dinner back at the hotel. Anthony told us about some of the local
tours, which I am very excited to go on during my free time. Overall, yesterday
was very productive. I now feel comfortable and ready to go to the school and
meet the students and faculty. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store
for us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Entry submitted by: Ellie<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Puntarenas - the beach we stopped at on our way to Monteverde</span></div>
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M Bjorklundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09655158329111563615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-51522632758543719332013-01-03T09:51:00.000-06:002013-01-06T09:52:37.792-06:00Thursday, January 3rd 2013<br />
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<u>Message of the day</u>: "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." -Dr. Seuss (in honor of Andrew's favorite writer)<br />
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<u>Daily Journal</u>: Today was sadly the FINAL work day at CASEM. Breakfast of fruit, eggs and toast were served at 7:30 sharp along with the option of my 99th cup of coffee or 50th cup of tea. I gladly chose tea due to an earlier threat of a Latin America "bug" that caused my Wednesday to be cut short. As usual we picked up Patricia and made quick stop to the local hardware which amazingly had quite a bit of merchandise. No Home Depot though! On the way to CASEM, Amy and I learned that the during this time cows are not producing milk so trucks had to deliver the "leche." Hmmmm, I wonder if this has anything to do with that "bug." We finally arrived to our destination to find two familiar dogs, one of which who was known as the group bully. Not only are the dogs present but also was two sprinting tourists heading into CASEM saying, " This place has the best stuff!"<br />
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With in an instant of walking through the door, it was if all the members radars went off alerting all mothers of my condition throughout the building. Today might of been my lucky day as the members present were in the double digits. The women of CASEM quickly came to my aid and prepared me a local lemon-herb tea. Being the good mothers they were, I was not allowed to work until the finished the boiling hot tea.<br />
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In the meantime, Nery, Patricia and Amy discussed some possible signage for the restaurant which somehow quickly came for fruition. Patricia put her computer skills to the test and carefully designed a template, while Amy and I prepared the recycled materials. Visiting tourists from Alaska and Colorado were relieved to see this project take place as they were not aware CASEM had a restaurant. The signs were soon completed and now was the task of placement. The interior sign was strategically mounted by the good luck, holographic Jesus while the other sign replaced the much older, rotted, paper-like outdoor sign. <br />
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With the day flying by our work was concluded for shopping, photos and the community Thank You. Lets just say that Julio might no longer be the king of CASEM, as the members, one in particular (Marina) was anxious for photos. Emotions were high as I could tell the members genuinely appreciated all of the work of the past two weeks from Rodney, Cassandra, Bridgett, Owen, Jody, Bella, Joanna, Cate, Andrew, Nancy, Willie, Jesse, Amy and myself. Amy and I were then picked up by the local transport and headed back to the always welcoming Mar-Inn. As I stepped out of the taxi, it only seemed fitting that the sun was shining and a light mist was falling reminding me of new friends and the simple things in life that can mean so much. -EdAmy Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03531256029101073260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-76473625209474059932013-01-02T10:21:00.000-06:002013-01-06T09:39:06.362-06:00Wednesday, January 2nd 2013<br />
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<u>Message of the day</u>: "The ultimate expression of generosity is not in giving of what you have, but in giving of who you are." -Johnetta B. Cole<br />
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<u>Daily Journal</u>: This morning started out with a trip to the hardware store to pick up some last minute project supplies. The goal for today was to repaint the main CASEM COOP sign that sits atop of the building. They did not have the same orange that we used for the sign by the road but we did find a very nice red color that would be perfect. Upon our arrival we were again greeted by the morning dog posse that has its regulars but inevitably, a new face seems to arrive at some point in the day. Ed continued to work on and finally master, to his satisfaction, securing the piece of roofing that has been plaguing the women at CASEM each time the wind blows, which for anyone who has been here, is often. The two cans of spray paint did a great job in covering the sign and all the women who saw it were excited for Nery's return to see how nice it looked. Coffee, lunch and then more coffee followed. Ed took on some organizing of the tools and made sure that future groups could find what they were looking for. We sat in the beautiful sunshine enjoying the last of our remaining days here. Dinner at the Mar Inn complete with a great conversation with Anthony's dad, Felix, about some family history in Santa Elena. Amy Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03531256029101073260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-48431224057951426862013-01-01T17:00:00.000-06:002013-01-03T19:02:24.152-06:00<div>
Tuesday, January 1st 2013<br />
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<u>Message(s) of the day</u>: Picked by Andrew (even though he is home) & Ed - sports themed</div>
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"Service to others is the rent you pay here for your room on Earth"-Muhammad Ali (Ed)</div>
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"For what we get, we can make a living, what we give, however, makes a life." -Arthur Ashe (Ed)</div>
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"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen." Michael Jordan (Andrew)<br />
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<u>Daily Journal</u>: Today is New Years Day and it started out as any other-breakfast and my 75th cup of coffee for the trip. The wind was strong and there was a slight mist in the air which would quickly dissipate to make room for a clear day at CASEM. Upon arrival to CASEM, the feeling was slightly different as there was only one dog to greet Patricia, Amy and I. Work started shortly thereafter including painting, re-organizing and cleaning. Exterior-wise the building was finally starting to "shape up" to welcome all visting patrons. Being that this was New Years Day, the visiting crowd was considerably less as I suspect Bar Ammmmmigos(as Andrew would say in a bad announcer voice) had something to do with it. Regardless, the work day continued and the doors stayed open-literally because of the famous rain forest wind.</div>
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Patricia, Amy and I enjoyed typical Costa Rican food from the CASEM restaurant as Patricia informed us on the some the history of Santa Elena. Amy and I were also introduced to a very nice couple, that had infact made Santa Elena their home since the mid-1970´s. Lunch was soon followed by the re-stocking of some much needed hummingbirds and painting the entry-way roof. Time quickly went by and it was time to conclude another successful day at CASEM. On our way out we were generously treated with empanadas, tea and of course, coffee. -Ed</div>
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Amy Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03531256029101073260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7292447851292755784.post-476535332103619692012-12-31T16:59:00.000-06:002013-01-02T17:00:20.814-06:00<span style="font-family: inherit;">December 31st, 2012</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Message of the day</u>: Picked by Ed "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it, and that is an encouraging thought. " Gandalf- Lord of the Rings</span><br />
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"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile"- Albert Einstein</div>
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<u>Daily Journal</u>: Our return Sunday night to Santa Elena was very
welcomed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice to spend time at
the beach in Tamarindo, but getting back to more familiar sites was comforting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were also sad to see the rest of our team
leave but there were conversations had about seeing each other again, and there
was still work to be done!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a beautiful day so Ed took advantage and got many of
the outside work done under the watchful eye of the local dog posse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sign posts got their second coat of paint
and the fascia was brought back to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gutters we cleaned up and a new task of tackling the CASEM sign at the
top of the building began. Two people, two ladders and two levels of roof to
navigate, and a plan was forged to start this work project that we weren’t sure
we would be able to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Before we knew it is was time for lunch, which was an
amazing casado con pollo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both
enjoyed it and were ready to return to work!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The rest of the day went fast and Ed even managed to secure the
piece of roofing that had been flapping all week in the wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know everyone was glad to not have to
listen to that anymore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We returned to the Mar Inn and decided to go out and
celebrate a bit of the New Year with a walk to some of the local watering holes
and a nice dinner; getting back to the Mar Inn just in time to see the New Year
arrive in New York City. -Amy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Amy Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03531256029101073260noreply@blogger.com0