May 18-24: A Productive and Fulfilling Week at Site + a Day Trip to Cartago

After coming back in the middle of last week from El Salvador, it was great to have a full week back in Costa Rica and back in my community. This week was a busy one, but it was also an incredibly fulfilling one.

At the elementary school, or escuela, I continued on with PE classes. My theme for all of my PE classes this year has been team work, so I try really hard to incorporate those ideals into everything I do. Several students had requested to play volleyball, so this week I had them play a game related to teamwork with a volleyball I recently purchased. If the students could keep the volleyball in the air for 20 straight touches between classmates, they'd get to choose the next activity. This gave them some positive incentive to work together on a common goal and to support one another. On Friday, I returned to the escuela to help out with FEA, or Festival Estudiantil de Las Artes. This is a government-sponsored competition for all kinds of art: visual, singing, dance, etc. During events like this, the escuela often opens its doors to the public and sells concessions to raise money for the school. At each one of these events, I've been roped into helping pour frescos, (juices or soft drinks) and Friday was no different. 

Meanwhile, at the colegio, I remained pretty focused on Servicio Comunal Estudiantil community service projects. The student-led community running clubs hosted sessions on both Wednesday night and on Saturday morning. Saturday was the first time the students really intentionally spread the word to the community about the club, and in total, there were about 30 people in attendance! Hardly anyone in the group (students included) had a background in running prior, so it was super cool to see that many people come together to run and to promote a healthy lifestyle. 

Outside of class, I had a couple of job interviews and spent some quality time with my girlfriend Keily. We grabbed dinner on Friday night, and then on Saturday, I traveled with her and her family to the city of Cartago. Cartago is one of Costa Rica's oldest cities and was the original capital of the country before the capital was relocated to San Jose. And although Cartago is only a few miles away from my community as the crow flies, there isn't any kind of direct bus from my site there. Because of that, I hadn't spent a bunch of time in the city, but finally got to on Saturday. We first traveled to an old hospital, Sanitorio Duran, that was formerly where Costa Rica housed tuberculosis patients. Today, it resembles a haunted house of sorts and has become a tourist attraction because of its cool setting for photos and its connection to folklore about ghosts. Then, we headed to the Basilicia de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles. This cathedral is Costa Rica's most iconic church and is where millions of Ticos make the pilgramage to each August as part of La Romeria. After hearing so much about the church, it was great to finally see it in-person with Keily and her family. Finally, on Sunday, Keily and I ran at San Jose's Parque La Paz and then went to an Iranian pastry shop next to the park. 




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