This morning we woke up with sun and
the smell of pancakes filling the room.
It was an early wake up call, but we had Nutella and it was all fine. We
made a quick drive over to Escuela Portalon where we spent the morning playing
with precious Costa Rican chicos. A little timid at first, we introduced ourselves
in Spanish and they introduced themselves in English. By the time recess rolled
around, chaos ensued. Good chaos. There were soccer games, sack races (Madeline
lost to kindergarteners), jump rope, and other exchanges of Costa
Rican/American games. When the bell rang for them to go back to class, we said “Hasta
manana” to our new amigos. About to go to our next activity, we overheard
familiar tunes of our childhood—“The Monkeys on the Bed”. We ran into the
classroom of second graders just in time for “If You’re Happy and You Know It”
followed by “The Wheels on the Bus”. Little Diego fell out of his chair
watching Michael do his best lamb impression on the outset of “Old McDonald”. It was a good note to leave on.
We went across the street to the
school garden, a project by their ecology club. Cost a Ricans put a large emphasis
on protecting their environment, integrating topics of ecology into the
classroom setting. Here in the garden, the kids are encouraged to get involved
by growing plants for their community. In the garden, we helped Gato and Jorge
with some garden upkeep. We moved plants, sanded the rust off a shed (to be
painted tomorrow), cleaned out and prepared two beds for planting. After two
hours of hard work, we put our projects on hold until tomorrow when we return.
Worn out from our busy morning, the
beach beckoned us.. Some lounged on the beach while others tumbled in the tide
until the sun set on the horizon of the Pacific; a lovely sight that was the
best sunset yet. We showered up and headed to dinner in town. One might guess
what we had—beans and rice—a favorite here in Costa. We are not complaining.
Especially now that we are sitting on our back patio eating Costa Rican
chocolate while we watch a thunderstorm light up the night sky. Another delightful
day in paradise. Goodnight.
-Annabelle and Hailey
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