Mi amigas!

When I first heard there were only going to be four of us total in the program this summer I have to admit I was a bit nervous. What if I don´t like someone...that´s like not liking half the group. Well let me just say I got very very lucky. There are two other girls Hannah (from Texas) and Lianne (from California) and one guy Mike (from Oklahoma). Lianne and Mike are 22 and Hannah and I are 21. We also are all blondes...we WOULD all have the one trait that stands out the most in Costa Rica. Anyways, we clicked right away. This saying is perfect...its not the things you do but the people that you do them with that make the experience. On our weekend trips when we are all together, I find myself laughing constantly. We have found the most interesting ways to entertain ourselves from pretending to be superman and flying down the beach to the ¨bobby¨game to talking to random people to making pointless videos to helping Lianne develop a country accent....we sure have had some fun. It´s crazy to think we just met 2 months ago. I sure am going to miss these people. Being put in these situations also helps you discover yourself. Sometimes you got to wonder who would I be if I didn´t have ......? Well go do something by yourself and find out!

Puerto Viejo

So this past weekend we traveled to Puerto Viejo with a group of students from Universidad Veritas. We left Friday afternoon on a nice air-conditioned bus (they even played movies for us) haha we were excited for the upgrade. We arrived late Friday night and went out an explored the nightlife. We hung out on the beach with lots of others and danced. The next morning we all got back on the bus and went to a nicer beach close by. We also had the opportunity to go out on a boat and go snorkeling. It wasn´t the best snorkeling, but it was still snorkeling! We also saw lots of monkeys in the trees right near the beach, it was pretty cool. On Sunday, after spending some time on the beach we packed up our things and headed back to San Jose.

life is good in CR

I sat listening to my ipod looking out the window for almost the entire 5 hour bus ride home today. I couldn't fall asleep, but I am glad. I spent the time thinking about this summer and the experience I have been so lucky to have. The people I have met, the places I have seen, and the culture I have witnessed. Sometimes I find myself complaining about the trash in the streets, the rain, and even the food, but I have learned to look beyond that. I stared out the window and saw waterfalls, mountains, and everything was so green. I saw cattle, kids playing soccer, men working in the fields, woman hanging laudry out to dry....and I was happy...thankful. Thankful for my life, for my family, for my friends, and for the opportunities I have had. Did you know that Costa Rica was ranked the happiest country in the world? My life here has been pretty carefree. I have had the chance to escape the everyday stressors of life back home. I am going to miss this place. I still have two weeks left in Costa Rica and I am going to continue to absorb as much of it as I can. To appreciate this beautiful country God has created. This summer I have learned a lot about myself and the things I can accomplish. God has a plan for me and I can't wait to find out what it is.

bocas del toro

so...I had last week off of work because the children are on vacation. I decided to travel to Bocas Del Toro (islands off of Panama) with a friend from work, Brianna. We left Monday morning and rode a bus for about six hours to the border. There we got our passports stamped and made our way across an old bridge to a place where we would then catch a taxi to our next stop where we had to take a boat to the island. We were in the van with about 10 other people and after driving maybe ten minutes we came to a stop. Traffic was backed up and when we asked what was going on they said there was a protest being held. We were stopped for about two hours, but then everything seemed to clear up and we went right on through. By this time it was dark outside and Brianna and I had to find a boat to take us to our hostel Bocas Bound. The first boat we got on the driver ended up taking us to the wrong island. We paid him, he dropped us off, and then we realized this was not right. We were asking around for Bocas Bound and another boat driver said "ooh ooh come with me. its not on this island" so we went. At this time I was kind of scared. Two young american girls on a tiny boat with a guy in the dark not knowing where we were just sounds like the perfect start to a horror movie. But, we got lucky and he brought us to our final destination Bocas Bound on Red Frog Beach. We hung out there for the week (planned on leaving Friday). We went to the beach everyday and pretty much just relaxed. So Thursday rolls around and we are hanging out in the lounge at the hostel with some people trying to decide if we should stay until Saturday or just head back tomorrow when we hear the news...the bananas workers are protesting and the border is blocked there is no way back across the border. So we were stuck. The protestors had tipped over buses and trees and were burning them in the roads. Some people that had left the island trying to get back in to Costa Rica ended up back in Bocas saying there was no way across. It was a mess. People on the island were having to change there flights for a later day and everyone was asking everyone "have you figured out a way across". Basically the only way off the island was to fly, but all the flights were booked by the time Brianna and I realized that was what we were going to have to do. Luckily, we met enough people that were willing to pay to get a flight across and Nature Air scheduled an extra flight out Sunday morning. So after quite the adventure we made it home safely!

update on work

So this is my last week of work until July 21st...the kids are on break from school and Fundavida is following their school schedule so we are on break as well! Looks like a great time to travel! Next week I am planning to go to Panama (this is where we will be staying www.bocabound.com ) with another girl that I work with, Brianna.
Work has been going well. I have enjoyed getting to know the children and watching their excitement when they actually understand something in English. I have been doing a little bit of tutoring with a few students that are behind in the English program and I think that has really been beneficial for them. It is hard though because sometimes I will set up times for them to come in and get help and then they dont show up. I do not know if they just forget or what. It is also a daily struggle since my Spanish is slacking. I wish I could just snap my fingers and I would understand it all haha. Two days ago, Monday, the founder of Fundavida took the volunteers out to lunch at Applebees. I had salmon and lets just say it was the best thing I have eaten since I have been here...I really needed that meal. He talked to us about of experiences so far and asked for any suggestions we had. Yesterday, after the class at viente cinco I went to Conce to help tutor and organize the kids notebooks. I met one little boy named Royer who is the son of Juri (the lady who cleans viente cinco and enjoys braiding my hair). Royer is 13 years old and was on the verge of becoming very involved in the drug scene. A former computer teacher at Fundavida took him aside and began mentoring him and now he is doing great! That is what Fundavida is all about.

Canopy Tour & more

This past weekend we headed to Puntarenas to go ziplining over waterfalls! We all met early Saturday morning and drove about 2.5 hours to Puntarenas. When we got there the guides gave us an overview of what we were going to be doing and then we headed down to hop on a horse. My horses name was Mariposa (butterfly in english). We rode the horses for about an hour up to the top of the mountain where the ziplining begin. It was a gorgeous ride up! We saw lots of cows some pretty big lizards and just a great view of Costa Rica. There were 25 ziplines altogether. We started at about 9 o clock on the horses and gone done around 2 oclock. When we were half way done the ziplines we took about a 45 minute break and got to swim in the waterfalls. We had to jump off a rock about 10 feet high and into the middle of this pool like area where one waterfall ended and before a new one started. It was pretty scary because the current was very strong in this area and it was about nine feet deep. After we were done with all the ziplines they served us a typical Costa Rican meal (chicken, rice, beans, and vegtables). Since we had the rest of Saturday free and Sunday free we decided to go back to Jaco (it was only an hour away from Puntarenas). Eric and Carol went back to San Jose and me, Lianne, and Hannah headed to Jaco. Eric had gotten us a hotel and lets just say it wasnt what we expected. No air conditioning, lots of ants, an electric shower, and located in a scary part of Jaco. We made the best of it though and survived! We met some guys from Florida later on that night and hung out with them for a while before we headed back to the hotel. The next day we spent on the beach. It was very nice and relaxing! We headed back to San Jose around 4 and this time I did not get sick on the bus whoo hoo!!

Job Position at Conce

One of FundaVida´s sites is in desperate need for a teacher. Thought I would go ahead and post this just incase anyone out there is interested....

Description of Position: Concepcion:

* A Christian Believer.

* Preferably a 1 year commitment to serve.

*Desire to teach young people English ( ages 10 to 14 years) from the community of Concepcion (San Jose area of Costa Rica), with the goal of them becoming bilingual, which will open the doors to employment opportunities; reaching these young people for Christ by covering verses from the Word, in English, during the classes.

There are many needs in this community and the children are at high risk - on many levels. We have 2 Intensive classes in English ( total at this time, of around 15 children) and are in the process of setting up a Satellite Program with 2 classes, for around 20 children ( this is a class geared to learning English on a less formal basis with the use of games, song, crossword puzzles etc. ) We hope to extend this program to the community of Linda Vista

The position would also ideally include the overseeing and coordinating of the short term volunteers who help out at Funda Vida, as well as overseeing the Satellite program at Linda Vista

Having a grasp of Spanish would be very beneficial, (but is not a requirement) and would help facilitate the forming of relationships with these children. Although the program is essentially focused on teaching English, the goals are much wider, as we seek to bring Hope to these children to rise above their circumstances and to know and experience the New Life in Christ.

The candidate does not have to be ESL trained, the program is structured from the ESL books "Side by Side" which is very user/teacher friendly.

* The candidate will serve under the organization Funda Vida, alongside other Believers who will provide an encouraging foundation from which to gain support while serving.

* Accommodation will be paid for - either food and accommodation with a Tico (local) family, or accommodation only, up to a maximum of $350 per month.

* The candidate must be willing to exit the country every 3 months for visa renewal purposes.

* The new semester will begin toward the end of July.

This past weekend we had a free weekend so we decided to go see what Jaco Beach was all about. It is a black sand/rocky beach thats about 2 hours away and is known as a surfer town. We caught the 11:00 am bus on Saturday morning and headed that way. We stayed at a hotel a friend, Vivi, had recommended called Flamboyant. It was beach front and right in the center of the town of Jaco. Perfect! We then headed straight for the beach. Not long after we made ourselves comfy we were approached by a guy Freddy aka Salsie Boy hah trying to sell us surfering lessons. We got to talking and he told us about a surf competition that was going to be held later that evening in Hermosa (just a 10 min cab ride away). With no other plans we decided to check it out. It was really cool! It was held right outside a bar/restaurant and there were a bunch people just hanging out cheering the surfers on. The waves were huge! We had dinner there and stuck around for the awards ceremony and after party. They had a live band and everyone was dancing having a good time. We met some people we later hung out with and just made the most of our weekend away from San Jose! The next day the sun was shining and we hung out on the beach the entire day. We saw a guy riding his horse along the beach and another guy going off on a rampage about how police drive nice cars and he has to ride his rusty bicycle. He also thought it was a good idea to tell the world that he sold drugs to pay his father. There sure are some interesting people out there. Overall, we had a great weekend and now it is back to life in San Jose...

Here are a few pictures of the neighborhood where I live and where I work.

Oh what a morning!

Okay so far I have been working at viente cinco and I got that bus route and walk down, but this morning they decided to change it up on me. I was supposed to go to Concepcion this morning to tutor a few kids that are behind and to help them get their notebooks in order. So earlier on this week I met Wes in San Jose and he showed me where the bus was that I needed to take to get to Concepcion but I did not get shown exactly where to get off - he said umm you go like down two hills and then you will get off (like that really helped when there were 500 hills ha). I later was told just tell the bus driver "Por favor, bajame Canaan" and he would know where to drop me off. So I got on the bus told that to the driver and he replied "si" so I thought all was good. Well he took me to the very end of the route. I guess he forgot. (side note- the bus system is like a tire and the spokes so san jose is the main part and each bus goes out and then comes back to san jose) So the driver realized he forgot and put me on the next bus that was going back in to san jose and told that bus driver Canaan. This time he did drop me off at Canaan and I saw a sign for Fundavida, but just because there was a sign for it right there it doesn't mean the building is right there. I started walking down alley ways and stuff and could not find the building for the life of me! I was pretty scared because last night at dinner I told my tico mom and dad where I was going and they just said muy peligroso muy peligroso (very dangerous) and told me to keep my eyes open and stay on guard. So walking around by myself with my blonde hair and looking lost was no bueno! I found the nearest store and stood outside it waiting for the next bus to come by. I got on it and just came back to San Jose. Ooh what an adventure -lets just say I was praying the entire time! Guess I have the day off of work though

how to survive in costa rica

1. Do not slam (or shut doors how we do in the U.S) taxi doors...or any door for that matter. you are considered an angry person if you do and people get very upset.
2. Do not give a strong handshake. You will once again be considered an angry person.
3. Do not pay for something with large bills (colones) if it is something cheap. Costa Ricans do not like to give you change and may refuse to. They will scowl at you and could refuse to let you buy the whatever it is you are trying to buy.
4. Walk with you bookbag or purse in front of you. Yes, I feel like a ninja turtle walking to work everyday with my backpack on my stomach but hey I havent been robbed yet.
5. Maps are pointless...know places or landmarks instead of road names.
6. Be extremely careful when crossing the street...cars do NOT stop or slow down.
7. ALWAYS carry an umbrella & a raincoat. If it is beautiful in the morning yes it is still going to rain in the afternoon. - I carry my umbrella in my hand even if its not raining just incase I need to use it as a weapon : )
8. Do not stand in the doorway when getting on a bus. Keep walking until you are all the way inside the bus. There are bars with sensors on them and if you stand between them or go back and forth you are being counted multiple times and bus drivers get very angry.
9. Learn to love rice and beans.
10. The police have different jobs. So you may run a redlight in front of a police but if its not a traffic police than he can't do anything about it.
11. If you have light colored eyes it might be a good idea to wear colored contacts or sunglasses all the time haha my eyes have drawn a lot of attention. Also to all the blondes...dye your hair dark.
12. Also just to throw it out there....every fast food place has a seperate counter/line for icecream. it is a big hit. and the taco bell gives you fries with your order

Just got back from Volcano Arenal and the hot springs! We had a great time...we left Saturday morning drove about 3 hours to a hotel near the volcano and hot springs. We had a nice lunch watched some of the USA soccer game and then around 3 pm went to the Baldi Hot Springs. It was really nice and relaxing there. They had wet bars, waterfalls, pools....it was cool! Each pool was a different temperature they are heated by the volcano. We went all the way to the very top pool and the water temperature was too hott to even get in. We had some drinks and stayed there for a couple of hours. Then we went to a nice italian place for dinner. After dinner we walked around the town and hung out with some people we met...who were actually from Charlotte (small world). Today the plan was to hike and go in waterfalls but it was raining so we thought it would be better to head to this funky hotel close by. It had aligators, butterflys, frogs, pools, waterslides, and was just very pretty. After that we went to lunch and then headed home. It was a really nice and much needed weekend!

I am a gringo

So today the plan was for me to arrive at viente cinco at 11:30. I woke up around 6 this morning...the rooster was crowing and it gets bright here so early that waking up at 6 is no problem. I left the house at about 9 because I wanted to give myself plenty of time in case I got lost...today was my first day traveling by myself and I was very nervous. I walked from the house to the first bus ( 10 min walk) and then waited til it arrived. That bus took me to downtown San Jose. I was then off to find the second bus. I had a map to kind of go by but it doesnt really help when there are no street signs. I tried not to look confused but that was kind of difficult. Being blonde draws a lot of attention...i get lots of honks, stares, and yells. One guy popped in my face out of nowhere and was like ¨´baby baby¨´ yea a bit scary. Just have to learn to ignore them and keep moving. So I finally found the second bus and rode it all the way to the last bus stop. When I got off I wasnt quite sure where to go. I was supposed to look for a big gate and yell Judy so she could come let me in. The first gate I tried..there was no Judy. I tried another one and no Judy but a lady did come to the gate and I was able to communicate where I needed to go and she pointed me in the right direction. So I am here! I am 30 mins early so I am just sitting in the classroom waiting for others to arrive. We have an orientation at 1130 and afterwards I will kind of have a better idea of my schedule and which site I will be at. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I continue on my journey!

Cafe Brit & Work

Yesterday we took a tour of Cafe Brit and were able to see how they grow and make coffee. It was really cool. The tour was pretty entertaining too - it was put on by hired actors. We then had lunch with Steve the founder of Cafe Brit. It was cool hearing his story of how he got to be where he is now. His best advice was to just be open to new ways of doing things and other cultures. Do not be too quick to judge.
Today I woke up at 5:30 and met Eric at the Univeridad Versitas where we hopped on a bus in to San Jose and met with Jeff who is kind of my boss. He s 23 and works for Fundavida. He is currently trying to start a program that will teach kids about getting a job and such after they graduate high school. Fundavida has three different sites in CR. This morning we went to Linda Vista and he just kind of showed me around. He was trying to familiarize me with the bus system and the city. It is very confusing because they have no street names. People just know where things are in relation to other buildings or parks and such. The bus rides are very cheap, usually just like 30 or 40 cents. We then made our way to Concepcion (another site) and that is where I am now. Jeff had a meeting or something so I am just hangin out in an office until a class at 1 which I will sit in on. It is an english class like the ones I will be helping teach. Fundavida seems very laid back and I have realized flexibility and patience are a must because plans change often. For example, we were supposed to head to 25 (another site) but there was a murder in the town and it is currently closed down and surrounded by police and helicopters -so we quickly hopped off one bus and got on another and headed this way. Not sure where the rest of the day is going to take me but hey i can be flexible!

met our families today! me and hannah are living with the same family-we got pretty lucky. the house is surprisingly nice! the mom and dad do not speak english at all but the 19 yr old girl can translate pretty well. they also have a dog, fish, and a parrott. they also have a bar in their house-they like to drink haha. tomorrow morning two more exchange students move in so its goin to be a full house!

Made it to Costa Rica today! Carla (one of the leaders) picked me up from the airport and we all met up at a hotel in San Jose. Eric and Carla are awesome! I am so excited to begin. There are only four of us here in the program (hannah, mike, & leanne). I think it is going to be a good thing though because we are going to be able to really get to know one another. Today we basically just walked around the city and Eric and Carla tried their best to fill us in on everything we need to know. ...did you know that here the people only can drive their cars one day a week??-the day they get to drive depends on what their license plate number is. pretty crazy ha I can't imagine that being a law in the United States! I also found out they eat rice and beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...not sure what I am going to do about that but hey let the adventure begin!!! Tomorrow we meet our families and the orientation continues....

Ahh I can't believe it's already time to head to Costa Rica! Thanks for the goodbye dinner tonight girls. I'm going to miss everyone soo much! Waking up at 5 in the morning, driving to Myrtle Beach airport with Hannah (you rock!), then flying to Florida and then to CR! whoo hooo I cannot wait for the adventure to begin : )

4 days til I leave for Costa Rica!!! Just thought I would give a little background info to what I am going to be doing...

In the fall I started looking around online for summer internships and came across a program called University of Dreams. I wasn't sure if it was legit or not so I contacted my advisor and asked if she new of any students that participated in this program in the past. She was aware of two students who had gone to NYC with this program and had a great experience. I decided to just go for it. I decided on Costa Rica because I wanted to work with a non-profit organization in a third world country. I had traveled to Guatemala in the past and volunteered at an orphanage and had a great experience. It is definitely a cultural shock, but really makes you appreciate everything we have here in the U.S.

I was put in contact with a man by the name of Eric who is in charge of the program in Costa Rica. I told him kind of what I was interested in and he started asking around and finding different opportunities that fit what kind of internship I was looking for. I finally decided to work with a non-profit organization in Costa Rica called Fundavida. They work with at risk children in hopes of intervening and stopping the cycle of poverty. Many children that grow up in poverty are led to drugs, prostitution, and violence. Fundavida works to bring hope and opportunity in to these kids lives. I can't wait to help make a difference!!

Here's my address in Costa Rica if you would like to send anything!! I will be here until July 31st.

Casey Caron
D.P.I-Universidad Veritas
Apdo. 1380-1000
San Jose, Costa Rica
Central America