Goodbye Monkeys

And so, we said goodbye to the monkeys. If you click on the lower picture of Kaz, you can make out the white-faced capuchin monkey to the right of his hair. That is, what is left of his hair after a drunk chicken got hold of a pair of scissors last week and chopped it all off.

June 10, 2009
A beautiful hummingbird just fed on a red orchid in front of me. I will miss the hummingbirds, especially the mass of them that frequent the hummingbird garden at the school. They were truly spectacular on some days, and you could watch them from the lunch tables. I will also miss being outside all the time. Everything here- classrooms, offices, restaurants, etc. is open to the air because the temperature hovers between 55 (at night) and 85 (on a hot day) all year.
We visited Manuel Antonio Park yesterday, and it is true that the monkeys there will come right up to you. Kaz gave one a banana and another a piece of mango. I wonder if they are still able to find food on their own or if they are completely dependent on tourists at this point.
A friend in Monteverde helped us find lodging here in Manuel Antonio. Our room is really nice and perfectly located. There is a double bed, a trundle bed and bunk beds, cable TV, AC and beach access, and it is as close to the park entrance as you can get- all for $26 per night. Other places we considered run $189 a night for a double room without beach access.
The place is called Cabinas Hermanos Ramirez, and it caters to Costa Ricans, who typically pack five people into the room and split the cost. Others staying here are selling handmade bracelets along the beach or driving tour buses. I don’t believe the Ramirez brothers advertise the place at all, and we could not even find it listed in the phone book yesterday.
People are generally happy here in Costa Rica, even if they do not have much by American standards. They see people on the news on TV in other countries and pity them because they seem so stressed out and unfulfilled.
People here seem blissfully unaware of how the global economic crisis might affect them. “Oh, that will affect people in the United States more than us,” they say. What they fail to consider is that a large chunk of their tourism income comes from Americans who travel here. If the number of American tourists drops dramatically, as it has begun to already, being able to feed one’s family will become very difficult here. The school is already preparing for a drop in enrollment as families discover they cannot afford the tuition, though it seems a mere token by U.S. standards at about $90/month.

No shirt, no shoes, no problem!There do not appear to be any rules that require shirts or shoes at any establishments here. And you have a dog? Sure, bring him right in.
Kaz ate a coconut and heart of palm yesterday that he collected from the beach himself. It’s nice to be able to snag a free snack in between riding the waves.

I can’t believe today is our last day here. I really can’t imagine not being here, but tomorrow we will be traveling home. I am ready to brace myself for the re-entry everyone tells us is harder than the adjustment of coming to Costa Rica. This is not something I am looking forward to, I must admit. Neither of us wants to go home.

What a fantastic experience this has been!

Let it Snow?

June 9, 2009
I think every shirt in the world with horizontal stripes ends up here in Costa Rica, sent in huge boxes to be given away free or sold very cheaply to Costa Ricans. Last night and this morning, I noticed that our plates at a restaurant in Manuel Antonio were plastic Christmas plates. This morning, my plate smiled back at me with the cheery message, “Let it Snow.” These are obviously plate sets that did not sell in the U.S.

We departed from Monteverde yesterday with many tears but without any regrets about how we spent our time there. We are spending a few "transitional" days on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica before heading back to the U.S.

What's to Miss?

June 7, 2009
What a final week in Monteverde we had. There were goodbye parties nearly every day and night. These parties were organized by the school, local residents, students, school staff, international families, neighbors, etc. Some parties included dancing; all had good food and good cheer. Friends also invited just Kaz and me to their homes or out for dinner to say goodbye.
I will miss so many things about this place. Everything from the amazing bird songs I hear every day to the door of George’s car popping open three times while driving from Monteverde to Cerro Plano, a trip of a mere one and a half miles.
Several people told me Kaz and I will be missed, too, as we apparently brought “so much” to the community. One person called me “rock solid” and told me my objectivity and consistent and caring nature will be missed. Another told me she doesn’t think she would have survived the semester without me.
Several people have specifically told me they will never forget Kaz and that they will miss his energy, talent, creativity, and friendship. He made quite a strong impression on everyone here, from little children to his teachers to the cashier at the local grocery (by always chatting with her and sometimes dancing to the music when he walked into the store) to some of the oldest members of the community. His maturity especially showed through when he rose at Quaker Meeting two days ago to say he was holding Wolf Guindon in the light with the hope that Wolf would be strong so as to recover quickly from his recent hospitalization. Kaz went on the praise Wolf for his many contributions to the community, including being one of the Founders of Monteverde. In doing so, Kaz addressed the pink elephant in the room, as no one else had mentioned Wolf’s hospitalization despite the fact that it was on everyone’s mind.
Many people have registered disappointment when they discover we will not be returning after the school break, especially my students and members of the larger community. Most have just said they appreciated our friendship and that we will be missed.

Gatherings

I will miss the gatherings in Monteverde. These pictures show two gatherings at our house, one where the kids played charades, and another where we played Skip-Bo. The third picture shows the preschool class performing on the last day of school.

As they say, community is where community happens. We will really miss this community.

Deb and Friends

Some of the many people I will really miss when I leave Monteverde: the song circle I sang with every Sunday afternoon, the Secretary at the school, Cristina Villalobos, and my wonderful soul mate, Deb Ostergren.

You Can Give a Kid a Drill

Well, we finished making our signs without any of the kids losing a limb or even being injured slightly. Hard to believe with all the power tools being used at the same time. The painting and polyurethaning was a far less dangerous process, but just as important.

Recycling Paper

First, you rip up old magazines and newspapers. Then you soak the pieces for 3 days. After that, you run a screen through the slop and peel off the piece of new paper. Squeeze all the water out with a manual press, then stick the new piece of paper on the wall to dry thoroughly. If automated, this process would be so much more efficient, but this place does it the old fashioned way because they do not have sophisticated equipment. We spent about an hour helping them rip up old papers and books.