Hello families, welcome back to the blog! Today was community day where we got the opportunity to go visit local families and their homes. We were split into 4 different groups that were led by 4 bilingual speakers; Izabella, Kaitlyn, Emily, Hector.

Hi, I’m Izabella and today my group visited Emilio and his family. We were able to get a more in-depth perspective on the local life from a younger person. It was interesting to learn about the education in Costa Rica and the daily life of locals. Not only did we learn about him we also got to see nature on our hike to the river, we even got to cook some meals with Emilio. I am proud of the effort my group put into speaking Spanish with Emilio as well as having an open mind to learning about their culture. It was an incredible experience to take charge and help out my group to understand Spanish.

Hello, I am Kaitlyn. We visited Kristy, her husband and son. She showed us her home and took us on a tour of her backyard, letting us try more than seven fruits including those in her father’s home. We went to her father’s home business (a pulperia) and bought some snacks with 2000 colones. When we got home we helped prepare a meal including chicken, rice, beans and salad. Her son came home from school and played an intense game of soccer with us in his backyard. After the soccer game we played some card games like “trash” and “slap jack”, we even learned a new game called “tonto”. The group had a lot of fun playing with her son even though there was a language barrier. I enjoyed talking to Kristy and her family. After that, we headed to the local park and we played soccer with all the kids. I met a local named Micheal and talked all about Costa Rica. Later a large group of us played volleyball with some locals and had a great time. It was a pleasure meeting Kristy and her family as well as the locals who allowed us to share some great memories on the court.

Hey! It’s Emily and today we visited Amalia’s house. She invited us to her home and allowed us to play games on the front patio. Then we helped by preparing lunch, eating, and cleaning up around the kitchen. the family taught us how to make cheese empanadas, and towards the end, we completed a sticker puzzle. Afterward, we met up with the rest of the delegation at the park. Being a leader made me realize how much work it takes to direct a group of people, and how much brain power it takes to translate for a whole day. It is not an easy job, but it felt nice to serve others and be in control of my situation. Spending time with the community helped me understand how life works in Costa Rica for people who live here every day.

Greetings everyone, my name is Hector Espinoza and I lead a group that visited the home of Don Pancho and Doña Aida. Shortly after entering their home, Aida showed us many of her handmade crafts, most of which were made through crochet thanks to YouTube lessons. After admiring her crafts, we spoke about the history of Aquiares and their family. After speaking for a while, we grew an intimate connection with the family, even with the tough language barriers separating many members of the group. Next, the group helped prepare lunch, rice, fried potatoes, fish, salad, and an amazing secret recipe for beans.  Then, we learned a card game before trying some coconut flan and preparing cheese empanadas. With the remaining time left, we sat in the living room watching a soap opera named Amor, Logica, Venganza (Love, Logic, Vengeance) while drinking coffee. After we said our goodbyes and reflected on our visit, we all agreed that it was a wonderful way to grow close to the community of Aquiares. I also learned a great deal about how to lead a group, and the benefits of being able to delegate others.

Toward the end of the day, we decided to go to the plaza and played games with the local kids. We learned a lot about the culture and the people of Costa Rica. We are passing the torch to Avery and Radhika.

Fin