The UNCG HHS group spent their second week in Monteverde and they loved it! They just came to Monteverde to bring the nice weather back and enjoy the different activities and adventures waiting for them in this wonderful place.

Día 9- LLegada a Monteverde

After spending a wonderful weekend in La Fortuna, students were ready to meet their Familias Ticas. The papás y mamás Ticas welcomed them with big hugs and a lot of emotion. They loved their families!

Día 10- Conociendo Santa Elena

The group walked to Santa Elena for a Treasure Hunt and they were able to enjoy a nice time in the city, buy some nice souvenirs for their families, and discover new things about Costa Rica. After a nice walked through Santa Elena and Monteverde, they went to CASEM to eat a delicious lunch in La Cuchara de La Abuela and enjoy again a typical Casado.

Día 11- Reserva Santa Elena

It was time to connect with nature and to learn more about the species and the nature surrounding us. The group went to Reserva Santa Elena and they were able to see the Quetzal!! They were so lucky! A group of biologists also showed them different kind of birds and share with them their new projects. After a nice hike, students went to the tower where they enjoyed a panoramic view of the reserve and were able to see the volcano.

Día 12- Escuela y clase de cocina

On Thursday, students had the opportunity of going to a local primary school and to share some time with the students. They learned about the educational system in Costa Rica and talked to the speech-language therapist. Kids really enjoyed their company and they were able to ask and answer some questions and to play some soccer with them! Unfortunately, they lost :(  

Día 13- Life Monteverde

The group felt very excited about Life Monteverde since they heard about it and the experience was definitely not disappointing at all! They explore the “finca” and got to try the delicious food and, of course, the coffee. They did some volunteer work at the farmer by planting trees and vegetables.

Fin de semana- Aventuras

The weekend was full of adventure and adrenaline: canopy tour, waterfalls, river tubing, horse riding…

The group definitely enjoyed the weekend and the wonderful weather by taking part in some adventure activities in nature. On Friday, the had the opportunity to soar across the spectacular cloud forest in Monteverde, the views were astonishing!

On Saturday they said bye to their wonderful Familias Ticas in Monteverde with some sad faces, but ready for the adventure in Flamingo beach! On our way to Flamingo, we stopped in the waterfalls and in Hacienda Guachipelin, where we ate a delicious lunch and got some energy for the adventure! In the afternoon they learned how to ride horses and how to ride the rapids! It was such a nice afternoon for the whole group.

The group already arrived at Flamingo and is looking forward to enjoying their last days in Costa Rica.

Pura Vida UNCG

Once the group arrived at Heredia and got to know their families, they walked through San Joaquin and were able to visit the market in Heredia. They participated in community projects and the group enjoyed learning Spanish in their CPI afternoon classes.

Día 2

One of the most unforgettable experience for our group UNCG HHS was to be able to help Gail at the Humanitarian Foundation in La Carpio. On Tuesday last week they went to La Carpio for the first time in their lives and they learned how to see the world from a different perspective. They got to know Verónica and her family, and the group worked on a project to remodel the floor and to set up a bathroom for the family.

Día 3

After the hard work in La Carpio the group got a break to know more about Costa Rica and Heredia by walking through the city center, enjoying “un copo” and “un granizado”, and discovering some new fruits in the Mercado.

As a group, we went to try the real coffee in Café Britt, and they showed their interest and enthusiasm by participating as “catadores de café”.

Días 4 y 5

The UNCG HHS group did a wonderful work in La Carpio. They really helped Verónica and her family and worked hard to make the life of the people living in La Carpio better. They cleaned the streets and finish the house project in just three days! Wonderful job!

More than just the physical work, they were able to work with the children living in La Carpio reading them books and talking to them and their families about different experiences. They also learned good lessons that they will never forget.

Fin de semana

During the weekend they got some time to relax and enjoy together at La Fortuna, the group enjoyed their weekend in the hot water springs, La Fortuna Waterfall and the Sendero del Silencio.

Now they are ready to spend the next week in Monteverde and they are looking forward to meeting their new families, instructor and keeping learning in this wonderful country.

PURA VIDA!

During the first week in Costa Rica students knew their host families in Heredia, also they made a tour in Heredia down town two know some important places in that city for our History, like the Fourtain, the central catholic church, and the museum Aberto González Flores.

Figura 1. Missouri State University en El Fortín, Heredia 2019

We visited one school in Heredia to know how our national education system works, they made some activities with children who are learning English, in the afternoon they went to Spanish classes, and bought some handicrafts made for some group or aboriginal people called Bourkas, who visited us in CPI.

Figura 2. Mascaras hechas a mano por Borukas.

On Saturday the went to La Carpio that is one of the poorest places in the country to make voluntary work in a take care center, where some citizens look after the children of many mothers while they are working.

Figura 3. Estudiantes de MSU trabajando con los niños de La Carpio

 Students tried some typical foods, learn to cook arroz con pollo in their cooking class, and received Spanish class every day.