Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Familiar face
Check out Sara Winter, a documentry filmmaker who sat with us on our flight to Costa Rica. She complimented our kids' behavior and wished us a good trip while she went on to do research at the Peace Museum (who knew?) in San Jose. Her documentary project on Leo Tolstoy is called "Tolstoy in the Living Realm." On our flight home, we saw her again!
Back to our bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge as seen from the first van, slightly different from the Chilamate Bridge.
2nd van on the way
Maddie, Gabby, Libby, Sarah, Alanna, Vicky, Isabel, and Eleanor are on the second bus and headed to school. It's 7:45pm and google map says 40 minutes for travel time. See you soon! Brooke
One bus on the way to BC!
Judith, Eve, Julia, Mylana, Elena, Jake, Taylor, and Idriys (along with Ms. Carmody and Mr. Agnor) are in the first bus and on our way. ETA: 8:15/8:30pm. The second bus was circling the airport drive, arriving shortly to pick up the second group.
30,000 ft. test prep
8th graders study for their "Romeo and Juliet" test, which they'll take on the plane.
Ultimo Desayuno!
All packed up and ready to depart! Last breakfast at the Eco-Lodge. Next: board the bus for 2.5 hour ride to San Jose airport. We will not have internet service, so we'll be off the grid as far as the blog goes until we land in Newark.
The kids had an amazing experience and are excited to reunite with their NY families. See you all soon!
Crossing the bridge
Students cross the bridge to the Chilamate Eco-Lodge after another exhausting and fulfilling day. We just ate another delicious dinner, and students are writing their personal reflections. We will close out with a candle light ceremony and then hit the pillow. Tomorrow: a long day of travel and reflection. Breakfast at 6:30am; depart Chilamate by 7:30am. A few students should be able to blog tonight before bed.
Headed Home
In about an hour we'll be departing for San Jose from Chilamate. If there's wifi at the airport we'll update the blog in Costa Rica otherwise we'll see you at 181 Lincoln Place later tonight. Once in Newark we'll update the blog and continue to update it if we're behind schedule because of traffic as we travel to Brooklyn. As of now the only student that I know that is getting picked up at the airport is Matthew. Please text me at the below number if any other parents are planning on picking up their child.
Return Flight to Newark, NJ
March 18, Flight # United 1081, Departure 11:45am - 6:54pm
WLS Emergency Contact Number: 303.679.3412 (toll-free 1.888.831.8109) or 303. 619.1835
Brooke's Cell Number (in the US only): 802.598.5253
Return Flight to Newark, NJ
March 18, Flight # United 1081, Departure 11:45am - 6:54pm
WLS Emergency Contact Number: 303.679.3412 (toll-free 1.888.831.8109) or 303. 619.1835
Brooke's Cell Number (in the US only): 802.598.5253
Monday, March 17, 2014
Some final words...
Today
we woke up at our home stays and prepared for our last full day in Costa Rica.
After having breakfast with our home stay families, we walked to the Chilamate
School to finish our work on the playground. Halfway through our work in the
hot sun, we received a surprise presentation given to us by the kindergarten,
fourth, and fifth grades!
Kindergarteners sang the hokey-pokey in Spanish, fourth graders played a
fun game of soccer and basket ball with us, and the fifth grade saluted our
country and presence with beautifully hand-made cards.
We
parted to finish painting and scraping. After many drips and drops we finally
completed the playground. You could tell by the looks on the kid’s faces that
we had done a great job! When we finished the job we had a refreshing piece of
watermelon and retreated to our home stays for a one last meal together as a
family.
At
3:00, we departed and got ready to stretch out of our comfort zones. Time to
get our zip lining on! We buckled up (don’t worry parents we checked our straps)
and had a blast! We flew over streams and passed herds of cows. Once we went down
the last line we glided into a snack of Costa Rican candy and CHICKEYS (the
best cookies in all of Costa Rica)!
After
zip lining we got on the humid bus, headed back to the main building of the zip
lining company and headed through the forest to the Eco Lodge. Shoving our
faces full with food, we completed a reflection of our experiences and what
kind of leader we have become. Afterwards we came together to share our favorite
moments from the trip and then later walked to the dinning area to write the final
blog and conclude our journey.
~Matthew Justh, Isabel Baum,
and Eve Blank
Terrifying Fun
Despite her expression, Libby quite enjoyed the canopy tour and even gave permission for this photo! Martinez, our energetic and helpful guide, offers support with a smile.
Gracias a Barnie y Juanita!
Left to right: Kennedy of WLS, Ms. Laundon, Barnie (our wonderful faculty home stay host), Mr. Agnor, Ms. Carmody, and Juanita (faculty home stay cook).
Final day with kindergarteners
Some of the young Chilamate students who use the playground BC students have been working to improve.
One last UNO game
Many students shared how the card game UNO was a great way to communicate with host families
Setting is key
Today was the last day we picked students up from their home stays and walked to Chilamate School along this dusty road, which is the main community thoroughfare. This is how the local kids get to school, and it takes between 35-45 minutes. Students were reminded of the settings of two MS English class novels: "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" and "To Kill a Mockingbird."
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Salsa! Bailar!
Check out the moves of Ms. Laundon, Irina, and a number of our MS movers and shakers!
Kiara shows off a coconut
Meet Kiara, the youngest daughter of our wonderful hosts, Megan and Davis who run the Chilamate Eco-Retreat
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