Day 4: Tuesday 4-18
Wow, it's hard to know where to begin to describe the day we had today. I think for many of the students, this was their favorite day by far. We once again had an 8 am ready to go time, and made our way to the school that was arranged for us in the small town of Monterrey. We visited the Escuela San Antonio there. From the moment we arrived and saw the excited faces of the children that go there, I knew it was going to be a special visit. The principal and head teacher had a few words for our group about the school, and all the children introduced themselves to us. The older students introduced themselves in English when they could. This school is from kindergarten to 6th grade, with 53 students total. We then did a song and dance together (which was Zumba- right up my alley) and then three of the girls showed off 2 traditional dances for the group. We brought our suitcase and bags of supplies out while they were having their snack (watermelon). The students all gathered around and were so excited to see all the supplies. We then had some free time to play soccer together, and some of the students learned children's game in Spanish with another group. We visited each classroom, and had time to interact with the kids. Then, they asked us to help with a painting project where they painted tires for use as a playground. Everyone got a little messy, but really enjoyed it. All in all, we were at the school for over 3 hours, and it was hard to drag us away. This was a truly amazing experience, and I think the visit will have a long lasting impact on us all.
We stopped for lunch at a very local restaurant in Monterrey, and a brief pitstop in the town of La Fortuna. Most of the students tried the local ice cream chain, "Pops." Next we were on our way to our Ecoglide Zip Line experience. The zipline was 13 platforms, and included the option of doing a tarzan swing in the middle of it. I am proud to say that all of us did the tarzan swing, including the chaperones :). Although my life flashed before my eyes, I'm glad that I completely embraced the Costa Rican motto of "Pura Vida" and just went for it. I do have to say that I was glad to be back on the ground, but it was quite a lot of fun.
We then had some time to relax, and have a nice dinner at the hotel. Tomorrow is another early wake up call. The students were so tired, I had bed check done by 9 pm. They were completely worn out!! Hoping to put zipline pics up soon.
We stopped for lunch at a very local restaurant in Monterrey, and a brief pitstop in the town of La Fortuna. Most of the students tried the local ice cream chain, "Pops." Next we were on our way to our Ecoglide Zip Line experience. The zipline was 13 platforms, and included the option of doing a tarzan swing in the middle of it. I am proud to say that all of us did the tarzan swing, including the chaperones :). Although my life flashed before my eyes, I'm glad that I completely embraced the Costa Rican motto of "Pura Vida" and just went for it. I do have to say that I was glad to be back on the ground, but it was quite a lot of fun.
We then had some time to relax, and have a nice dinner at the hotel. Tomorrow is another early wake up call. The students were so tired, I had bed check done by 9 pm. They were completely worn out!! Hoping to put zipline pics up soon.