Overview
With incredible scenery, an environmental ethic, and a tourism infrastructure, what more could Costa Rica offer? One simple word: people. The amazing people of Costa Rica don’t just spout the phrase “Pura Vida”; they live it.
Many of my articles discuss Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) tours. Their focus on meeting local people is a main selling point for me. In this article, I wanted to highlight some of the ways our group experienced the people of Costa Rica in meaningful ways.
Rural School
We visited a small rural school in the village of Juanilama. Supported by the Grand Circle Foundation, part of OAT, the school consists of a middle and high school combined. In Costa Rica, students graduate at the end of eleventh grade. I worked for twenty-five years in US schools until my recent retirement, and Costa Rican students aren’t that very different from US students.
But at the same time, the school was different. I don’t know of any schools with classrooms using chain-link fences as walls. Yes, they do have a roof; it rains a lot, but some of the rooms, separate from the main building, use a low concrete block wall topped with chain-link. I don’t know if it was a joke or the truth; we were told it was to keep the monkeys out of the rooms.
One student told us a story about a snake that crawled into one of his math classes. That caused a quick exit when it was identified as a Fer-de-Lance, one of the deadliest snakes in Central America. The worst I’ve ever encountered were scorpions in a New Mexico school.
The students
Greeting us, an eleventh-grade (senior) student explained the school’s history and mission. In the open-air atrium, students paraded by, showcasing art they created with recycled materials. Another pair displayed traditional Spanish-influenced dances. They participate in competitions with other students around Costa Rica.
Before touring the school, small groups of students practiced their English with us. In my group, we talked about which is better: iPhones or Samsung. They were impressed by a picture of a tree sloth that our group leader took yesterday and shared with us.
The school buildings
The school’s cafeteria interested me. They serve both breakfast and lunch every day. However, the room’s small size requires that students eat in 10-minute shifts.
The use of outside classrooms makes sense when you understand that cooling indoor rooms is not economically feasible. Let the breeze cool the rooms.
Juanilama Women’s Association
Founded by Mari, this group works to improve the lives of women in this small village. Besides using handicrafts as an opportunity to make money for the women, it provided support for the village and advocated for rural tourism.
Behind her house, Mari constructed an open-air building with a kitchen, a dining or meeting space, and a few small offices. In that space, the women of the association showed us how to make traditional dishes for lunch.
I worked with a woman who spoke no English, and I only knew about three Spanish words. Our job was to make fried plantains. She kept warning me that the plantains were caliente, or hot, as they fried in the oil. Years of restaurant work and the tips of my fingers could handle a lot of heat. I had no issues.
Conclusion
I know I sound like a broken record when I hype OAT. I just feel it makes a huge difference in how you can experience a location. Check out my affiliates page for more details.
