Volunteering in Costa Rica and Learning Spanish
Breakfast at Escuela Puente Case
My First Visit: Escuela Puente Casa
Back in 2006, I visited Costa Rica when I volunteered at a primary school for Cross-Cultural Solutions. The name of the school was Escuela Puente Casa. Fascinated with the Spanish language, I attempting awkward conversation by making use of what I remembered from my high school and college Spanish classes. Grammar and vocabulary that I'd presumed lost suddenly returned, but also having a small Spanish-English dictionary helped.
I taught a couple English classes, organized paperwork, and helped with other miscellaneous tasks. The children at the Puente Case school invited me to play jump rope with them at recess. While spending so much time with them, it was easy to forget that they lived in poverty and many of them came from troubled homes. Many of their parents were immigrants, who had fled from Nicaragua to escape the war.
Click here to read more about my experience in Transitions Abroad, a magazine about living and volunteering overseas.
During my visit, I also had the opportunity to explore many beautiful places on the weekends with other volunteers. I fell in love with Costa Rica: its rugged terrain, tropical landscape, and lush forests.
Cloud Forest at Monteverde Reserve
View of Volcano Arenal from La Fortuna
Take Two!
During April vacation of 2012, I had the opportunity to visit Costa Rica again. This time, I stayed in Puerto Viejo, a beach town that is also a popular surfing destination for tourists. Costa Rica, famous for its ecotourism, has been developing at a rapid pace. Yet, Puerto Viejo has neither shopping malls nor skyscrapers. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is situated on the Caribbean coast. Due to the historical influx of immigrants, it also has a distinct Jamaican cultural influence.
I had two goals that I hoped to accomplish during my vacation:
1. Take Spanish lessons at the ¡Claro! School (now know as Spanish School Pura Vida)
2. Visit the Jaguar Rescue Center, a place where orphaned and injured wild animals are cared for by volunteers. Click here to read about my visit to the rescue center.
