Voluntariado 2

Stardate 63957.1
18:51 - Hoy, tuvimos voluntario a la escuela para ensenar Inglés. Nosotros se enseñamos acerca de palabras de naturaleza y acampar. Todos los veranos, mi familia y yo vamos acampar en Estados Unidos, especialmente Colorado. Este verano, yo no puedo ir con mi familia. Que triste! Cuando nosotros ensenamos los estudiantes, yo pensé acerca de los tiempos con mi familia. Mis estudiantes saben muchos palabras en ingles; por ejemplo: flashlight, tent, fire, and camp site. Ellos son profesional oradores ingles.  Entonces, yo se enseñé a Marlon como decir los palabras de caminar, colores, bailar y zapatos en Inglés.  Cada clase, nosotros les leíamos unos cuentos en Ingles. Hoy, Marlon y yo les leíamos un cuento, se llama "Ferdinand" acerca de un toro muy famoso. Yo le dije que "Ferdinand" fue uno de mis libros favoritos cuando yo fue su edad. – 
Today, we had volunteering at the school to teach English. We taught them about the concepts of nature and camping. Every Summer, my family and I go camping in the United States, especially Colorado. This Summer, I can't go with my family. How sad! When we taught the students, I thought about the times with my family. My students know many English words, without our help, such as: flashlight, tent, fire and camp site. The are professional English speakers. I taught Marlon to say walking, colors, dancing and shoes in English. Each class, we read stories in English. Today, Marlon and I were reading a story called "Ferdinand" about a very famous bull. I told him that Ferdinand was one of my favorite books when I was his age.


"I am a big believer in first impressions, and he did not leave a good one." -C.S.

Captain John Smith

Stardate 63987.7 
23:17 -  We met Captain John Smith (or Juan Chico in Central America) en el 19th dia de Junio o stardate 63968.5 en the town of Puerto Viejo. Our group and Captain John Smith were staying in hammocks at the "Rocking Js' Hostel ($5 a night) and ran into each other while we were splitting a bottle of rum on the back patio. What followed was one of the most interesting conversations I have ever taken part in and a relished chance encounter with Caribbean history.  Captain John Smith's history as told by himself is riddled with tidbits of truth and (as I researched later) stories. What I want to share with you is the highlights from that evening.


Captain John Smith claims to have 64 summers, not years; a fact he shares along with stories about his Mother's Native American Heritage. He also advises you to not mix the unnatural with the natural. When he walks on the grass or the beach with his bare feet, he will not fall because it is his natural feet on the natural grass. But when he goes to walk on tile, he slips on the "man-made surface".  He repeatedly reminds you that his original home port is in Connecticut and that he has four sisters, "but he loves the women folk." When he was younger, he was a member of the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. I did not bother to fact-check this because I am not a hundred percent sold on John Smith being his real name. During his tenure in the Navy, Smith was assigned to train dolphins to blow up ships by tying explosives to them and having them swim close to the enemy ships. Upon further research, I found out that the U.S Navy  and others have in fact used dolphins in Vietnam and Iraq for their ability to detect mines with SONAR (War Dolphins). However, the U.S. Navy does not uphold that the dolphin soldiers detonate said mines.  Still, Smith appalled by the idea of sending his sea friends to their deaths was discharged from the Navy "on an account of [him] being crazy but [he] wasn't crazy, mon, they were." Since that time, he has sailed the seas for forty years except being stranded in a St. Bart's cemetery for a period of time. He has never been married because the women you marry don't want to sail with you.  He once was close to being tied down to a girl in France in 1992, but it did not work out, and he left on his boat.  Since that time, Smith has never been more than a mile from his boat with exception of that night with us.

Juan Chico now tends the wheel of a magnificent wooden boat, se llama Mermaid of Carriacou. He was insistent that it did not have a motor and that Carriacou was spelled with two 'Rs". He asserts that he has never once owned a car or boat motor in his life. Also, "[he has] never been in a plane; [he] doesn't like to get that type of high, if you know what [he] means." But as the rum bottle dwindled, he admitting to having a motorcycle early in adulthood.  He also mentioned that we could google "John Smith Mermaid," and check to see if he was being honest about the boat. So, I obliged him the next Monday (63972.6 Mermaid of Carriacou). He was right! The captain did indeed save this ship, which was marked for destruction, and returned it to its former glory. Now, he cruises upon the sea, not commands the sea, submitting to her demands and bidding his time on this earth.  In my opinion, one of the surprising características de Juan Chico es his ability to quote poetry of all types. Smith delighted his audience with verses from Walt Whitman to Bob Dylan. A writer himself, Smith has authored four books starting with  "Letters from a Sinking Ship" to his most recent "Big Fish Little Pond" ( Amazon). When questioned about his favorite book, he replied with "Omeros" by Derek Walcott, a Pulitzer Prize winner from St. Lucia. Omeros written in the style of the Iliad or the Odyssey is a modern epic poem about the Caribe.


Our conversation trolled up four 'claims-to-fame' for Smith. Primero, Chico can speak four languages: English (his native tongue), Spanish, French, and some language that sounds 'Native' to somewhere. We assume it was a Native American language. Smith refused to comment further about the language in English or Spanish. He simply continued on in this mysterious dialect. Segundo, Chico claims to be the fifth place winner of the 1968 U.S. Olympic trials for the decathlon. His story to back this claim was that he was in the Navy and training simultaneously. Well, I had my good-friend Broderick Morgan fact-check this tidbit, and there seems good reason to doubt this. The winners are as following in order:  Bill Toomey, Rick Sloan, Tom Waddell, Jeff Bannister, and Jeff Bennett. The name John Smith does not appear on this list.. Then again is his real name John Smith? Trecero, we were discussing Led Zeppelin when Smith chimed in with an account of him having Robert Plante on his boat. Plante and his girlfriend were aboard, refused a joint, and only drank Guinness. Smith also recounted the meal of fish and lemon he grilled for them. Now, another new found companion from a small British island near France, named Adrian, claims Smith mentioned Guinness because Adrian was wearing a Guinness shirt and that a British guy would not drink the frothy Irish beverage...? However, Adrian, a Brit, was wearing a Guinness Shirt... So, point 1 Captain John Smith. The benefit of the doubt is yours.(Side note: do not attempt to argue about currents or trade winds as Adrian did with Captain Smith. "[He] knows what he is talking about. [He is] a sailor.")  Ultimo, Smith described the person he was most proud of hosting on his boat as a man with a scarf and hat so no one would see his face and traveled with a body guard. "That man was Bob Dylan." Even more so, because of the time Dylan and Smith spent together, Dylan wrote a song inspired by Juan Chico himself.  He began singing the song that Dylan wrote: "Like a hobo sailor does, But it was just a funeral parlor, And the man asked me who I was..." As I researched later, I came across the song of Dylan's, se llama "115th Dream."

Throughout our time with Juan Chico, we saw his stories rock back and forth blurring the horizon between truth and practiced story-telling. We were anchored to our seats unable to not believe him, but too skeptical not to laugh. Back at my home in Heredia, Costa Rica, I am left reading his poetry and reflecting on that night. I vividly remember standing ankle-deep in the Caribe staring up at the stars long after the Captain disappeared and thinking there could not be a better place in the world than seeing stars crop out over palm trees, hearing the waves, and feeling the ocean. Captain Smith told us that he despised the 'electric' world. For him the most liberating feeling was sitting on his boat in open water without one single light and gazing up at the stars. Smith couldn't tell you how to get where you wanted to go by roads. All he needed was a clear view of the stars, and he could get you there with only his boat and ability to fish. Capitan John Smith is a man of almost too many words. Therefore I will let him have the last word in this post, even though he still owes me a promised drink of rum at the bar:

"Ideas are thoughts you have not experimented with yet. When you are in an airplane, are you ready to jump without a parachute? Will the ideas that you have when you are young carry you when you are old?"  --Captain John Smith

Rio Pacuare

Stardate 63947.7 

18:43 - Hoy, nosotros navegamos en los rápidos del rió Pacuare. Nosotros tuvimos dos balsas; yo estuve en una balsa con mis amigos: Chad, Clint, Rebecca, el padre y tío de José Pablo, y un guia. Nuestra balsa no tuvo un nombre, pero la otra balsa se llamo "Bitchin' plus one" porque en la balsa, Brian estuvo único hombre. El rió Pacuare se considera el quinto mejor rió en el mundo a navegar en los rápidos. Porque, el rió tiene muchos rápidos (clase 4) y el paisaje es muy bonito con muchos flora y fauna. En facto, el rió Pacuare ocupa el primer lugar por paisaje. Para describir el paisaje para ti, el rió corta a través de un bosque con montanas en cada lado del rió. Cada lado del rió es como las paredes de los bosques.  Nosotros vimos Montezuma Oropendolas, Tucans, y colibrís. A mitad de nuestro viaje, bastamos en el lado del rió para caminar a la cascada. Nosotros nadamos en la piscina de la cascada y subimos la cascada.  Nosotros subimos una roca y saltamos en la piscina. Entonces, nosotros volvemos a la balsa y continuamos para navegar en los rápidos. Cerca de la una en la tarde, nosotros bastamos para almorzar. Nuestro almuerzo consistía de burritos carne, queso de Turrialba y tostados. Que delicioso! Después, nosotros volvemos al rió una vez mas. Este tiempo, nosotros tuvimos la oportunidad para nadar en el rió. Nosotros estuvimos en un cañón. Todo el viaje fue muy divertido y quiero volver el rió pronto.

Today, we white water rafted down the Pacuare River. We had two rafts, I was in a raft with my friends: Chad Clint, Rebecca, the father and uncle of Jose Pablo, and a guide. Our raft had no name, but the other raft was called "Bitchin 'plus one" because in that raft, Brian was the only man. The Pacuare River is considered the fifth best river in the world to raft. Because the river has many rapids (class 3 and 4) and the scenery is beautiful with a lot of  flora and fauna. In fact, the Pacuare River is first place for scenery. To descruibir the scenery for you, the river cuts through a forest with mountains on either side of river. Each side of the river is like the walls of the forest. We saw Montezuma Orioles, Tucans and Hummingbirds. Halfway through our trip, stopped on the side of the river to walk up to a waterfall. We swam in the pool of the waterfall and climbed the waterfall. We climbed a rock and jumped in the pool. Then, we returned to the lunch and continue to raft. About one in the afternoon, we stopped for lunch. Our lunch consisted of beef burritos, Turrialba cheese and chips. Very delicious! Then, we return to the river once again. This time, we had the opportunity to swim in the stream. We were in a canyon. The whole trip was fun and want to return the river soon.

Playa Hermosa

Stardate 63934.2 

El primer fin de semana en Junio, Fui a la Playa Hermosa. Nosotros tocamos un autobús al pueblo de Playa Hermosa. Una billete cuesta 3,500 colones o 7 dolares. El bus dejo nos en el lado de camino; fue cerca de nada. Así, caminamos al lado del camino hasta que buscamos nuestro hotel. Nuestro hotel se llama 'Las Arenas'.

Playa Hermosa fue muy bonita y magnifica. Las arenas en la playa son negras por lava rocas erosionaron en la playa. Las ondas fueron muy fuerte. En el pasado, Playa Hermosa fue el sitio de Torneo de Sorfeo. Esta temporada, es el óptima estación para sorfeo porque en invierno, hay mucha llueva. Llueva hace la ondas muy grandes y fuertes. Nosotros aprobamos nadar en el mar pero es muy peligroso. En la noche, fuimos a la restaurante con una banda.

En La mañana de Domingo, yo me desperté a las seis y media en la mañana para caminar en la playa. La playa en la mañana fue mas bonita que otros tiempos en el día. Yo comí un desayuno muy rico con gallo pinto, huevos, y tostado. Durante mi desayuno, yo mire los surfistas en el mar, escuche a la llueva y bebí mi café. Fueron muy tranquilos. Después, dejamos Playa hermosa a las cinco en la tarde. Llegamos en San José a las siete y en Heredia a las siete y media. 

The first weekend in June, I went to Playa Hermosa. We took a bus to the village of Playa Hermosa. A ticket costs 3.500 colones or 7 dollars. The bus left us on the side of road, it was near nothing. So, we walked to the side of the road until we found our hotel. Our hotel is called 'Las Arenas'. Playa Hermosa was very nice and wonderful. The beach sands are black because lava rocks on the beach eroded. The waves were very strong and big. In the past, Hermosa Beach was the site of surfing tournament. This season is the best season for surfing; in the winter, there is much rain, and  rain makes the waves the very large and strong. We tried to swim in the sea but it is very dangerous. In the evening, we went to the restaurant with a band.

In the morning of Sunday, I woke myself up at six-thirty in the morning to walk on the beach. The beach in the morning was more beautiful than other times during the day. I ate very rich breakfast with gallo pinto, eggs and toast. During my breakfast, I watch the surfers in the sea, listen to the rain and drank my coffee. They were very calming. Then left Playa Hermosa at five in the afternoon. We arrived in San Jose at seven and Heredia at seven-thirty.

Tour of San Jose

Stardate 63905.9
18:30 - Fui a San José a las once en la mañana. Viajé en el autobús publico con mis amigos y Janiva. Primero, viajamos a una iglesia muy bonita, se llama La Merced Iglesia.  La iglesia tiene a estilo en el exterior y Italiano estilo en el interior. Yo me gusta visitar iglesias porque son muy magnificas y tranquilas.  Próximo, visitamos un mercado pequeño pero yo no compre nada. Tercero, fuimos a la catedral muy grande, se llama Catedral de San José. La catedral tiene una estatua de Papa Juan Pablo II.  Hay dos estatuas de Papa Juan Pablo II en el mundo y una estatua es en Costa Rica porque el artista de la estatua es Tico.  Entonces, fuimos almorzar cerca de un teatro. Clint y yo almorzamos en una restaurante, se llama 'Pollo Campero.' Yo pregunté para un 'combo infintil' en español; no ingles fue necesario. Próximo, visitamos al Teatro nacional. El teatro es muy viejo. En el futuro, yo quiero retribuir al teatro para mirar una exposición. Después, caminamos al Museo Nacional para aprender muchos acerca de Costa Rica. Una vieja fortesa renovó crear el Museo Nacional. El Museo Nacional es amarillo.  Aprendamos muchos en el Museo acerca de historia y tuvimos muchos divertidos.  Entonces, vistamos al mercado para comprar recuerdos. A las cinco en la tarde, dejamos para la universidad.

-- I went to San Jose at eleven in the morning. I traveled by public bus with my friends and Janiva. First, we traveled to a beautiful church, called La Merced Church. The church has a German exterior style and Italian interior style. I like to visit churches because they are so wonderful and calming. Next, we visited a small market but I did not buy anything. Third, we went to the big cathedral, called San Jose Cathedral. The cathedral has a statue of Pope John Paul II. There are two statues of Pope John Paul II in the world and a statue is in Costa Rica because the artist of the statue is Tico. Then, we had lunch near a theater.
Clint and I had lunch at a restaurant called "Pollo Campero." I asked for a 'combo infintil' in Spanish, not English was necessary. Next, we visited the National Theatre. The theater is very old. In the future, I want to give back to the theater to watch a show. Then we walked to the National Museum to learn a lot about Costa Rica. An old Fortress was renovated to create the National Museum. The National Museum is yellow. We learned a lot at the Museum about history, and we had lots of fun. Then we visited the market to buy souvenirs. At five in the afternoon, we left for the university.

Manuel Antonio

Stardate 63883.9
08:45 - Este fin de semana pasado, fuimos a la playa de Manuel Antonio. Llegamos a la Un a las ocho en la mañana y viajamos directamente a la playa pero bastamos en un puente. El puente tuvo mucho cocodrilos grandes. Nuestra primera playa fue la playa publica. La playa publica tuvo mucha ondas fuerte. Nadamos en las ondas para aproximadamente tres horas. Entonces, miramos la puesta del sol juntos en el balcón de nuestro hotel. El segundo día, nosotros fuimos al parque nacional de Manuel Antonio. Aquí, buscamos muchos animales. Por ejemplo, vimos monos, iguanas, perezosos, y aves. Después, nos relajamos en las arenas blancas de la playa y nadamos en el agua tranquillo. Fue muy divertido y tranquilizante. -- This past weekend, we went to the Manuel Antonio beach. we left at eight in the morning and went directly there but we made a stop at a bridge. This bridge had many big crocodiles underneath it. Our first beach we went to was the public beach. The public beach had strong waves. We swam here for about four hours. Then, we watched the sunset at the hotel balcony. Our second day, we went to the Manuel Antonio National Park. Here, we found many animals. For example: monkeys, iguanas, sloths and birds. Later, we relaxed ourselves on the white sands of the beach and swam in the clam water. It was so much fun and very tranquil.

09:20 - Dato curioso Uno: Perezosos usa el baño solamente uno tiempo en un semana y capturamos un perezoso en el acto. -- Fun fact 1: Sloths only use the bathroom once a week and we caught one in the act. Enjoy!  

10: 01 - Dato curioso Dos: la playa de Manuel Antonio fue nombrado para un hombre un hombre que vendió el cebo y la cerveza en la zona. Mucha gente piensa que la playa fue nombrado para alguien mas importante pero no. Manuel Antonio fue un hombre común.--Fun fact 2: the Manuel Antonio beach was named after a guy who sold bait and beer in the area. Many people think that the beach was named for someone really important but no. Manuel Antonio was an average guy. But look at his beach:

10:10 - (whoop!) Best quote of the weekend:

"I kick sand in their (monkeys') direction to make sure they have a healthy fear of humans" - Janiva

" Do you bite your thumb at them as well?" - Broski

Voluntariado en la Escuela

Stardate 63846.2 y 63865.4
14:30 - Todos los Miércoles, mis amigos y yo visitamos a la escuela para niños. Nosotros fuimos a la escuela enseñar Inglés. Caminamos con Janiva. Los niños les gusta su clase Inglés. En la primera día, los niños aprendieron acerca de animales y la cadena alimentaria en Inglés. La segunda día, aprendieron acerca de adjetivos en ingles, hecho un proyecto arte, y leyeron muchos libros. También, en Viernes, Nayibe, José Pablo y yo enseñaremos niños pequeños; tienen cuatro o cinco años. -- Every Wednesday, my friends and I visit a school for kids. We go there to teach English; we walk with Janiva because the road is pretty sketch. The kids like their English class. The first day, the kids learned about animals and the food chain in English. The second day, the learned about adjectives in English, made an art project and read many books. Also, on Friday, Nayibe, Jose Pablo and I will teach little kids (about four or five years old). On a side note, it is a really cool opportunity to practice Spanish and see what public education is like in Costa Rica. Many kids in our host families go to private school, but there are a lot of parents who can't afford that. Even more interesting is the dependence of the economy on learning English. Those who know English get better jobs, and only the private schools have decent English programs. It can't really be said if there will be a big gap formed by this handicap, but it certainly will not help the current disparities.