Manuel Antonio...on the beach

Being good stewards of the land is cultural and learned early: There is constant awareness of how our actions impact the land. Costa Ricans are so close to natural resources; having an economy that so heavily depends on those resources for production and for tourism really makes them aware of the importance.

Manuel Antonio National Park is an example of careful protection of the flora and fauna that live in Costa Rica!

Marvin was our guide for the day. We had gotten the advice to hire a guide who has a super powered telescope and can spot things you might not normally see. Our guide Marvin was wonderful. He had studied biology and was very warm and helpful. Below are some of his finds.

A mama bat with her baby up high on a tree.

Green iguana

Monkeys get close to you to see about food. Our guide Marvin said he isn't sure whether the people come to see the monkeys or the monkeys come to see people. 

These monkeys found us while we were on our walk around a point in Manuel Antonio National Park.

Me by the cove at Manuel Antonio National park. The waves were extremely big this weekend...we didn't know any better, but many people commented. I definitely got tossed around by them.

Giant brown grasshopper...this one was about 4 inches long.

Things to learn in Costa Rica

We are in staying now in Quepos/Manuel Antonio on the pacific coast of Costa Rica. We have a "suite" upstairs from our host family with private rooms and bathrooms. 

This lime green is our house. The open gate is for stairs that lead to the guest area. There are 5 rooms w/bathrooms and a little sitting area. This is just enough room to be comfortable, have privacy, but still feel part of the family. We eat with the family in their dining room below. Last night we sat in chairs on the sidewalk to get the breeze and watch the people go by.

My travel companion Karl made a good observation, that we Americans have ancestors for whom a claim to land was important. Most of us still do it...a yard, a fence, a big space that is ours.  Here, the spaces are smaller, the little patio or grass area (if there is one) is inside the small fence.  But LIFE happens outside the fence...people on the street, going to the market...different habits.

Here are some things I learned so far

Eating fresh and good is a habit: All our food here has been fresh, organic and natural. Typical meal is a “casado” meaning married; some people think because rice and beans are often married; some people think because this is a typical lunch a wife would make a husband.  Anyway, they consist of white rice, dark beans, a meat (grilled chicken, fish, beef) and fried plantains and often a fresco to drink.  Every meal has lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our landscape influences our diet, for sure!

More to come...

Minnesota State University, Mankato comes to Costa Rica!

I journeyed to Costa Rica with Karl Matz (professor at Minnesota State Mankato) to visit our three teacher candidates who are about to graduate with degrees in elementary education (Alyssa and Emilee) and Special Education (Cynthia). They are capping of their full-time student teaching experience with 6 weeks teaching in Costa Rica. Actually, they spent two weeks in Spanish classes (at their level) and conducting service learning at a childcare center and in a public school in Manuel Antonio, a town on the beach.

I'm catching up on all the daily blogging I thought I would do, so after this, I hope to be able to post more each day!!! Only 1/2 way through the journey.

Phase1 of our journey: San Pedro

We spent Monday night to Thursday morning in San Pedro, a suburb of the capital San Jose. Here we connected with staff at COSI-Maximo Nivel, the wonderful language school who is our partner for this project.

The entry to COSI-Maximo Nivel where our students took Spanish classes and did service learning. They are coordinating the experience and doing a great job. Alyssa and Emilee even have an advisor who is from Minnesota...thanks, Paula!

Of course, aqua en Costa Rica, in the lobby there is always free coffee for students!

We visited Emilee and Cynthia in their school home here, Marian Baker School, a wonderful English-speaking private school that is very student-centered.

Emilee in 1st grade at Marian Baker School - San Jose

Cynthia at Marian Baker School - San Jose

What did we learn? Our students are very well prepared for this experience. They were complimented by their mentor teachers and by the principal, who made sure we knew they work with many universities and Emilee and Cynthia are some of the best they have worked with!

A student-centered enviroment with many resources can do a lot for students. Marian Baker School has small class sizes and well-trained staff who are committed to helping their students reach excellent. Cynthia's group of kindergartners were even working on knowing Habits of Mind.

AND, Karl and I still like teaching! Emilee let us each take a station in her 1st grade classroom....we loved it!!

ACCOMMODATIONS

We lived with a host family, like our students do so they can improve their Spanish and experience life in Costa Rica while they are here.  Thank you to Senora Aracely Acosta, who was a great host for our time in San Jose. We ate meals with her and had fun learning about her family.

Phase 2: Manuel Antonio/Quepos...to the Coast!

We took the bus from San Jose to Quepos/Manuel Antonio to the south. The two towns are very close together...Manuel Antonio is more of a touristy/beach town and Quepos is where most of the families in the area live.  COSI has a school here, so we were greeted by Kim and Karin!

We visited Alyssa in her Colegio de Manuel Antonio. She is teaching kindergarten and English classes and has been our tour guide here! Here you see me, Susana (English teacher), Alyssa, and Dr. Matz in the English classroom.

My family and I had just visited the Minnesota Zoo and were amazed to see a sloth up close. Little did I know, I would encounter this guy on the way to lunch one day. He was just hanging out in the tree, back against a branch, claws casually wrapped around the tree.  There were several of us down below taking pictures and he couldn't have cared less!

Alyssa al Colegio Publico de Manuel Antonio. Juan is the principal. This school is a pilot site for the Costa Rica Ministry of Education as a bilingual public school.

On Monday we get to see Alyssa work with her students...and maybe do a little teaching ourselves!