I cannot believe we are at the halfway point!!!! It makes me so sad and it also shocks me! The time I have had here has been priceless, eye opening and life changing! I have spent the past week and a half taking a look at the Costa Rican culture and myself! I really am planning on making a permanent residence here. One of my favorite things that we have done since the last time I blogged was going to Sainta Elena school. We got to observe for the first 40 minutes. Then we went and taught. I am so lucky to have observed a special needs class. The school has 3 types of classes for special needs. One class is for the conduct behavior (like our B/ED classes), another class for "mentally retarded" (I don't like the term), and also a severe handicapped class. Unfortunately the conduct behavior class wasn't meeting until after we were done observing, so I decided to go to the second class. There was only 1 student in the class at the time (Naizeth). She has severe autism, and is about 7 or 8 years old. She has no language development and she is extremely tactile. The teacher sat her in a chair and sat in front of her. She began the lesson by walking her through the routine of the day. She had pictures and sang to her throughout the routine. It was good to see the social skills lesson similar to social skills lessons in the United States. I enjoyed this observation completely. I saw many things in the classroom that were similar to the posters and activities in the United States classrooms. I have seen so much and done so much but am not ready to leave. There are so many things I want to learn. I've met people and talked to them and have gotten a great insight on the people here and don't want to leave in 11 days! We went to El Trapiche this morning and saw the process of making coffee from the very beginning. I have learned more about coffee here (since it is one of their main exports) than I ever expected to. We also got to make candy. We made 4 types, sugar with coffee, sugar with cocoa and peanuts, sugar with coconut and sugar with mint. All of it tasted so amazing! The spanish lessons are helping so much with my communication with Tico family!!! I have learned more about my family and their likes and dislikes and am so glad I get to stay with them for 2 weeks! I will begin to do research on what it takes to make the transition from the United States to Costa Rica in the next coming years. I would love to be here and take the techniques I learn at UNCW and teach Special Needs here in Costa Rica.

"A whole new world"

I have now spent an entire week here in Costa Rica enjoying every aspect of being immersed in such a beautiful culture! I have really learned that my wants and needs are out of wack! In the United States we WANT so much STUFF but we truly don't NEED much. I look at the houses and the lifestyles of the ticos here and they really have just the necessities. It is just so lovely. I have really began taking a look at what I have (even as simple as looking in my own suitcase) and realizing there is just too much JUNK! Our wasteful country is the reason we are so impoverished, we just have so much stuff that it LOOKS like we have so much. My inquiry project has began to make me look at this adventure in a new light as well. It adds so much to my own attitude, but also to my insights to the way of life here. I interviewed my spanish professor in Heredia after our last class..."what is your definition of happiness?", "what makes you happy?", and "what does it take to achieve it?" The most simple, and what should be the most obvious answers are what she gave. She said, family, work, and love are all you need to be happy! And achieving it is the balance and combination of all 3. "DUH" is my only response! Ha. The pride the ticos have for their culture is lovely. I have considered making the transition to Costa Rica permanantly and will be looking into what it takes to move. I have fallen in love with this country and its people. We have gone to so many places, we got to spend some time in the schools (Calle Viquez Primary School), the public schools San Joaquin de Flores and also in La Carpio (the shanty town of Nicaraguans). The children are extremely beautiful and they just are so friendly and open. They smile so much. The school in La Carpio was more like a preschool and I never once saw a child cry! It was beautiful and they all got along and played together. I also witnessed the children helping each other and taking care of each other more than I witness in the United States. I have spent time at the beach in Manuel Antonio and also the National Park. The complete nature freak/nerd that I am came out and I spent so much time (not enough for me) in the Natinoal Park looking at sloths, white faced monkeys, birds, lizards, frogs, crabs and turtles. Our transition from Heredia to Manuel Antonio, then from Manuel Antonio to Monteverde was a great way to see city to coast, coast to mountain, all the aspects that make this country so unique and beautiful. Here in Monteverde it is peaceful and the people seem to be more connected. Which is hard to believe because of how connected they are in Heredia, but the families here are a lot more open. I believe it has to do with the fact that the people here are further apart and in the country. My new mama tica is just a year older than I am so it makes it a little different than my last home. I feel more like a sister than a daughter. I helped cook lasagna with Karla last night and it was so much fun. I learned so much about my new mama tica and her family in such a short time. I think some of this has to come with understanding the language more as well. I am so glad that I understand more now, but I feel bad for my mama tica Alba because she got me when I had my one word responses. Haha. I will definitely be keeping in touch with her too (I have her email) so I can show her how much I learn! Only two more weeks and the time has been slow but so fast! (The picture is of my Tico family in Heredia).

So much in so little time...

I have no idea where to begin right now...I've been in Costa Rica for 5 days and it feels like I've been here for weeks. We have done so much in such a short amount of time, I cannot wait to see and do everything else on the itinerary! The La Paz Waterfalls were BEAUTIFUL!! Seeing the different Costa Rican plants, animals and insects was like a dream. I held a butterfly, saw some beautiful waterfalls and just fell in love with the adorable sleeping sloths!!! We went to a coffee plantation and it was so amazing to see the plants up close!!! Poas Volcano and seeing the active crater with plumes and plumes of sulfuric smoke, the different plants seen at 10,000 feet above sea level and enjoying the fresh mountain air!!! There truly are no words to describe it. Ecovillas was one of the most eye opening places yet. This is a place where they are trying to build a completely self sustained town. All food will be farmed there, they have solar energy, and they will create methane from their waste (gross, but very green!!!). The different plants they had on the property, the ideas that the founder Steve had all made an impact on me for sure. I would love to come back and see the place in a few years, since it is only in its beginning processes. Meeting my host family was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done!! I don't know these people and I can barely communicate with them! Scary and VERY overwhelming. But I found out quickly it doesn't matter, my Mama Tica is so patient, so friendly and caring...it truly makes the experience so much easier. I do have one thing to say...thank goodness for my spanish classes. These classes have made my communication with my Tico family easier. I am by no means fluent but every day my communication is becoming greater. I have been mentally taking notes on my inquiry topic...happiness. I plan to try to interview some locals and see what insights they can give me.

Pre-Departure

I've begun my packing for this 3 week adventure and realizing there is going to be a lot to take.  I am hoping that I will have room in the suitcase for it all! I also am beginning to feel anxious, excited, and overwhelmed.  I know there will be A LOT of work to do while I'm there, but I'm not so nervous about that, it's the communication aspect of this whole trip.  I'm not a spanish speaker, so communication will be tough for me. I'm up for the challenge or I wouldn't have signed up! I'm looking forward to doing my research there...Happiness.  Who wouldn't want to know more about this?  This topic hits a little close to home since I've had a couple of trying years and have been in the pursuit of happiness as a result.  I'm just ready to get this adventure started!