Day 3 - Braches, Bingo, and Bubbling Lava!

Day 3 started with another Costa Rican breakfast of rice and beans (surprise surprise) at 6:30 a.m. After breakfast we split up into 2 groups: school and rainforest. We ventured through the rain to our first destination of the day.
The rainforest group started off in a classroom with a Tico (Costa Rican) named Eugenio Gonzalez, who knew almost as much as Alberth when it came to plants. He went over everything we were supposed to be doing, which was some real big kid work. He split us up into two groups to explore the rainforest and the land surrounding the Soltis Center to collect flowers, weeds and other types of vegetation to be recorded in a plant registry for research. Between the two groups, we collected about 37 species of plants. While we collected them, we made notes of where they were found. After an hour of work that seemed like pulling weeds, we all met back up to work on the next step of our project: pressing our specimens! After placing one specimen at a time between newspaper and then cardboard, we stacked the ready to be pressed plants and tied them together suuuper tight between two boards. During this process, a (very unlucky) scribe recopied the location and a detailed description of the plant and organized them into a number system. We placed the entire thing in a container that basically drains the moisture from the plants so they can be manipulated easier and kept longer. This work is very important because the forest is ever-changing, scientists need to follow the increase and decline of individual plants. (I know, SUCH exciting work. But keep reading, it gets better!) After all this hard labor, we did a little bit of gardening. We were introduced to some neon colored flowers that will actually regrow if they're picked, fun fact. Some of us were actually brave enough to eat them (before we found out they were harmless). We are such daredevils in MSC Fish.

Within the education group, we split up into smaller groups that were specific to age groups. Half of us worked with the younger kids, and the rest of us worked with the older kids.
In the older age group, we started out by introducing ourselves, telling our age and an interesting fact-- all in Spanish. We had the students do so in Spanish. This was great because it helped them warm up to us and realize that we're learning too, so this really helped loosen the nerves of the language barrier.
Next, we formed a big circle with the kids, and tossed around a beach ball popcorn style and answered get-to-know you questions. We answered in Spanish and the kids answered in English. We were amazed by how well some of the kids read and responded to the questions on the ball. Next, we broke into smaller groups: two of us circled up with about four students to review flashcards. We halved the deck, giving the kids one half so that we could take turns quizzing each other. They enjoyed laughing at our mispronunciations, and it helped both of us learn together. We also played memory cards, taught them how to play Mancala, colored and made bracelets together. One of the most effective and fun activities was Twister! The kids caught on so well and had a blast! It really helped them learn their colors and body parts in a fun and interactive manner. It was incredible to see how open and accepting these kids are. They truly want to teach us and they are eager to learn. We quickly learned that nonverbal communication goes a long way-- a smile and laughter are universal. It was so great to interact, teach and learn from them, as well as to see that people are still people, despite the many differences between us. Overall, these kids completely blew our expectations out of the water-- they are truly amazing people.
In the group with the younger children, we did similar activities. First, we went up to a covered area, circled up and introduced ourselves in Spanish then in English. The small kids were very quiet at first, but soon warmed up to us as we showed that we were just as insecure speaking Spanish as they were speaking English. We made many errors-substuting "huevos"(eggs) for "juegos" (games) and other similar phrases. We played the beach ball game for a while, getting them to practice saying basic English phrases. We then played volleyball, mancala, and dominoes, as well as talked to the kids in basic Spanish to get to know about their lives and families. They ate lunch extremely early, around 9:30, and then came into the classroom. Inside, we colored nametags and made bead bracelets, and had a blast teaching each other the Spanish and English terms for different colors and shapes. Afterward, we played bingo in which a spanish phrase was called out and the kids crossed out the English counterpart on the cards. Each of the children definitely had some personality. They joked with you, were fascinated with Mr. Altendorf's magic tricks, and wanted your full attention. They also loved pictures-seeing old pictures on your camera from America as well as making their own place in the memory card. We were definitely sad to leave at noon, but we are looking forward to seeing them again on Wednesday!
The groups both met back up at the center for lunch before departing for Arenal Volcano. The hour long bus ride was the driest our clothes have been since arriving in Costa Rica. The drive was terrifying, but beautiful as usual amongst the wild roads and lush scenery. Once we arrived at the volcano trails, Alberth led us deep into the rainforest and up onto a lava flow from 1992. It looked just how you would imagine Jurassic Park - huge boulders, thick vegetation, and a beautiful view of a lake. Once at the top, we could hear the faint rumbling of the lava that was obscured by fog. We took many pictures in this exotic location. On the way back to the center, we stopped in La Fortuna for a preview of tomorrow afternoon's activities in town.
We have been very blessed to be able to come on this trip. All of these experiences are incredibly unique - not what a typical tourist might see - we have been able to interact with the rainforest and the Tico culture in an intimate level that none of us could have imagined.

Love,
Cary, Meagan, Allison, and the rest of the gang