More Than Just the Court

Original Court

It all started when a group of fifteen students from Colegio Técnico Profesional de Sabalito (Sabalito Technical Professional High School) created a virtual business for their final class project. I received a survey in class asking what sports I would like to see offered in their new Recreational Center in Sabalito. Basketball? Voleyball? Tennis? Growing up having all of these sports easily accessible, I wanted them all to be accessible for my community.

 

Sabalito’s basketball court was built in 1985 making it almost 30 years old. Grass grew out of the cracks on the court and players would avoid a corner section where concrete was missing to avoid falling. Although dangerous, Sabaliteños played on the court because there was nowhere else to go.

 

Shortly after taking my students survey in the high school, I received an email from Peace Corps which led me to the organization Courts for Kids, a non-profit organization that has helped build over 40 courts around the world. Were the students up for it? You bet they were. We began to have meetings at school in October and got our application ready in November. During December vacation, Courts for Kids notified me that a group would be coming to Sabalito! Now, we just needed to find the funds, organize the trip, and build the court! 

After 6 months of preparing the funds for the court from the municipality, the accommodations, the food, the transportation, the cultural activities, the field trips, the contractor and crew, the materials, and the buddy system, we were ready.

Jesuit High Students

On June 22, 20 students from Jesuit High School in Portland Oregon arrived in Sabalito accompanied by four chaperones—a basketball coach, a religion teacher, and two former Peace Corps volunteers who had done Courts for Kids projects in Peru and the Dominican Republic. Staying in the gymnasium across the street from the court, the group was right in the heart of Sabalito. 

After Mass on Sunday, we began court construction. After working out the kinks of how to make the mix, we poured the first square and realized we had 269 more to go. While people filled buckets of sand and rock and poured them into the mixer, others prepared the cement to pour into the mix. A line of people with wheelbarrows would form to collect the concrete mixture. Then, each person would take their wheelbarrow to the square that we were filling, dump, return and do again. The work was not easy. For many, if not most of us, it was the most demanding physical labor we had ever done.

 

Finished court!

After 4 grueling days, we finished the court! And where did the community support come from? The twenty high school student buddies and other young people in the community trickled in to help with the heavy labor. Showing up in their nice after school clothes and tennis shoes without gloves nor water, they began working alongside us. Throughout the week, I witnessed cross-cultural friendships form. The buddies were shy to talk with each other at first, unsure whether to speak in English or Spanish. After a few introductory questions though, they were talking about their favorite bands, teaching each other to dance, and teaching each other words from their own language(all good, I’m sure…). It was incredible and totally unexpected.

After a few cultural activities—going to the coffee processing plant, learning to butcher and prepare a chicken, learning to make empanadas filled with platanos, merengue and bachata dance class, the week came to a close with the court inauguration ceremony. With dances, music presentations, and speeches, community members came out to recognize the hard work of the students. People could not believe they had accomplished in 4 days what they thought would take 3 weeks to complete.

Hasta luego but not forever.

The last night of the trip was the most powerful of all. The students from the US and the Tico students had one final opportunity to say goodbye after working hard alongside each other and developing friendships for the past week. Many shed tears and gave long heartfelt embraces to each other. Gathered in a circle, students spoke out to the entire group through tears thanking them for the incredible experience that we were all fortunate to be a part of.  Although the week had come to a close, it became clear to us that this experience was not only about providing a safe and accessible recreational area to our community but about creating a community that transcended national and cultural boundaries.

http://www.courtsforkids.org/2013/08/jesuit-portland-students-to-costa-rica/

 

1-year mark

Today marks one year of working, living and being in Costa Rica. From cafecito to gallo pinto to living in Spanish to teaching in English to never knowing exactly what each day will bring, it’s been quite a ride. I remember reading a blog post of my mentor/friend through this whole thing and Returned PCV in Belize, Lilly Berger. In her blog, she wrote about all the things she had become since she had joined the Peace Corps. As I reflect on the past year and all that has happened, I realize that Peace Corps has allowed me to play a plethora of serious and ridiculous roles I never would have thought possible:

• English Teacher—community class, I do like teaching!
• English Teacher Trainer—working in the high school and supporting the 8 English teachers
• English Tutor—helping students to pass their final exam
• High School Counselor—informally during or between classes
• Daughter—to my hostmom Margarita and my previous hostmom Doña Ilse
• Older sister—to my awesome teenage hostbrothers Alvin, Oscar and David
• Younger sister—to my loving sibilings Yeni, Joan, Dimas and Maricel
• Momma—to my doggie Minnie
• Yoga Instructor—shout out to PCV Riley for teaching me everything I know,  I teach mostly in Spanish, it’s a work in progress…
• Aerobics Student—love it except for when crude song in English comes on during class and no one knows what the song is saying except for me…keep a straight face, keep a straight face
• Upcycing Craft Artist—using recycled materials! great for people on a tight budget and for activities with students
• Marathon Runner—still can’t believe this happened after all the miles of training on dirt roads but it did
• Gallo Pinto Eater—rice and beans or is it beans and rice? almost everyday and best with platanos maduros (Jay knows what I’m talkin’ about)
• Tortilla/Empanada Maker—takes skiiiillll, will never be able to do it like my host momma
• Friends of the Environment Group Leader—7^th grade group we had last year and did PC workshops with, we did a school cleanup with the entire 7^th grade and took our students to a recycling plant in our community for their final fieldtrip!
• Swing/Bachata/Cumbia Dancer—working on refining my skills this year
• Assistant to Vet Clinic—helped out at a Neuter/Spay Clinic but mostly held on to Minnie as she underwent major surgery, I realized then that I would never leave her side
• Bilingual MC/Presenter—Local and Regional English Spelling Bee (my freestyle presentation Spanish still needs some work…)
• Surfer—don’t worry snowboarding, I’ll never leave you
• Bird Watcher—it was a casual relationship but it might get more serious this year
• Camp Organizer/Counselor—JumpStart English camp for 7^th grade was the most rewarding experience I’ve had in PC thus far
• Community Development Facilitator—upcoming Courts for Kids project, 20 high school students from the US are coming to help us build a multi-use court in my community in June! 
• Gender and Development Committee Member/Activist—GAD, we help volunteers around the country access resources to facilitate workshops and trainings focused on gender in Costa Rica

• 

  Co-Teaching with Hellen at our JumpStart Camp

   
 

Bird Watching & Camping Adventure with Tico friends and teachers

My eight Co-teachers and I

 
 
 

Marathon in Panama with so much Support!

Host Sibs: Yeni, Joan, Alvin, Me, and David

Alvin, Jay, and David reppin' CO!






Momma Margarita and I making rosquillas






Visiting my first Host Mom Doña Ilse






























Making Tamales with Doña Teresa and Host Mama Margarita



Momma with Minnie





























































































All in all, it’s been a good year, the best I’ve had so far. Many people told me before Peace Corps to come into this experience without any expectations. And I’ve found thus far that my experience really has been like a box full of chocolates: unpredictable, delectable, breathtaking at times, frustrating because I really never know what I’m going to get, and challenging because I don't always get what I wanted, but I savor the best parts because hey, I get to eat a box of chocolates!

Something MAGICAL happened on the first day of school...

We finally started classes (well some of them). Diego, Hellen (the other JumpStart teachers) and I were all co-teaching a 7th grade class. We reviewed some basic interview questions and phrases in English. We did a Bingo activity where students had to ask other students their names. We asked the students to present themselves. Out of 23 students, the majority of whom have had six years of English prior to entering high school, which students were jumping out of their seats to participate first? The JumpStart students. Without fail, the same thing happened in three different 7th grade classes in the same day. Even a very shy student in our JumpStart camp volunteered to go third to present herself in front of the entire class. And she was confident and excited about it. Hellen, Diego and I were quietly jumping up and down in the corner of the room and whispering to each other, "Look at our JumpStart students, look at our JumpStart students!" All in all, it was a great first day of classes.

I am a student, I am strong, I am young

JumpStart Camp B!

Richard and Diego helping the students make sundials.

After four weeks, our JumpStart camps finally came to a close. This last week was extra fun because we had a special visitor from Programe Adopte un Talento from Mexico, Richard, who came to incorporate science and math into our English language learning. From making sundials, to playing a counting game with buttons, to making a mess with giant bubbles on the floor, the students had a blast learning science and math at the same time as English. What a great opportunity it was for our JumpStart camp to have Richard, the kids learned so much. Thank you Richard!

At the end of the camp, all the students wrote Thank You letters to the people who sponsored us and made our camp possible. One student, William, complained about writing a letter to someone he had not even met yet. His letter said, "Thank you for helping me to learn English. My name is William. I am fifteen years old. I live in Santa Teresa. I am tall. I am a student. I am strong. I am young. (Translated from Spanish) For me, JumpStart was a camp where I learned to share, to work in a team, and to be a more open person. Thank you to all the people who donated, you helped me learn a new language. Sincerely, William" Another student, Alonso wrote, "For me, the camp was something unforgettable that you all donated your time to us. We learned English before entering high school. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have done for us."

My amazing co-teacher, Diego, and I

All in all, I just wanted to thank everyone who helped make this camp possible for us. It was one of the most rewarding things I have done in my service here in Costa Rica. I could see the students learning and improving in only two weeks! They built confidence, friendships, and developed a base for English. In their comments, the students asked for more days of camp and more activities. At the end of the camp in a survey, when asked what they would say to the incoming students next year who might participate in JumpStart, one student, Adriana wrote that she would tell them, "They should go because it is a very good opportunity and they have to take advantage of it." I'm ready for JumpStart 2014, are you?

New Paths

Group Work!

I can’t believe we have already finished one JumpStart Camp and we are in the second week of our second camp! The month has flown by. The students have been a blast to have in class and we have laughed a lot. This summer camp has been a unique opportunity for them. When I asked the students what they normally do during their summer vacation, their answers ranged from picking coffee to help with their family earnings, to visiting family members in nearby towns, to watching TV at home.

Snack Time :)

Numbers game like "Musical Chairs"

In our first JumpStart camp, the students came bounding off the buseta (minibus) after up to an hour and fifteen minutes of transport from their homes, ready to learn. When I asked if they were having fun during the camp, they all exclaimed, “YES!” One of their favorite games was learning numbers and walking around circles on the ground similar to “Musical Chairs.” We had a final count of 14 students who finished the JumpStart camp. They learned how to present themselves in English and ask each other basic questions. Hellen, Jay, and I were incredibly proud of the progress they made over the course of two weeks and only three hours a day. We went from having some students not speaking a word of English to all of the students being able to present themselves in front of the class in English for over a minute on graduation day. They told us they felt ready to enter high school. One student, Estiven told us after JumpStart he felt, "more prepared to enter high school and experience new paths."

Camp A Graduation!

Our second group of different kids has presented a different dynamic in the classroom. We now have 18 students in our camp and I am working with a different co-teacher, Diego. This time, our students’ favorite game has been learning professions with charades. They loved acting out the professions in front of their peers and guessing, “He is a doctor!” while the student acting would respond, “I am a doctor!” I told them, “You are all actors!” For this camp, we also have the opportunity of having a teacher-training expert from PAUTA (“Programa Adopte Un Talento”), an incredible Mexican organization that does science training for talented high-school students, to come to Costa Rica and work with our JumpStart students. The teacher-trainer, Richard, will be here for the week helping incorporate science into our English language learning. Today he led the students in a math and English activity strategy game with buttons and the students loved it. It will be fun to see what he has in store for them for the rest of the week.
 

Over the last three weeks, I have developed an even more profound respect for what it means to be a teacher. First off, I am co-teaching a summer camp course of three hours with an already prepared curriculum and mostly prepared materials. Second, there are no exams, no grades, no papers or tests to grade…Third, it is not even comparable to what teachers do on a daily basis not to mention that they teach for eight hours a day and not for a month, for ten months! What an exhausting job. During this last month, I have gained a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be teacher and how much teachers give of themselves. Thank you to all the teachers out there who show up each day and try to do their best and give their students the best learning experience they can.

It's nice to meet you too too toooo!

Today was Day 1 of our JumpStart Camp A in Sabalito. We had 16 students come from rural elementary schools, which do not have English. Students in Camp A came from four different elementary schools, the furthest being an hour and a fifteen minutes bus ride from the camp. Sabalito is primarily a coffee region so many of the students’ parents are farmers and agriculturalists. I am working with my co-teacher Hellen who has been teaching English for 15 years. My little sister, Jaden, who is studying English in college came from Denver, Colorado to help us with the camp for the week! Although shy and nervous at first, the students opened up quickly and we tossed a ball around and asked each other "How are you?" and responded. By the end of the day, students were practicing full conversations and presenting them in front of the class! My favorite part of the day was when one student, the class clown, Walford, said, "It's nice to meet you too too toooo!" We had a blast. Can't wait for Day 2!


Hoy fue Día 1 de nuestro Campamento A de JumpStart en Sabalito. Tuvimos 16 estudiantes de escuelas rurales que no tienen inglés. Los estudiantes en Campamento A vinieron de cuatro escuelas diferentes, lo más lejos fue una hora y quince minutos del campamento. Sabalito es un región de cafetales entonces la mayoría de los estudiantes tienen padres que son agricultores. Estoy trabajando con mi co-teacher Hellen que ha enseñado inglés por 15 años. ¡Mi hermana menor, Jaden, que está estudiando inglés en la universidad, vino de Denver, Colorado para ayudarnos con el campamento por la semana! Aunque al principio eran tímidos y nerviosos, ellos empezaron jugar y practicar con nosotros. Tiramos una pelota y nos preguntamos "How are you?" y contestamos. ¡Al fin del día, los estudiantes estuvieron practicando las conversaciones enteras y estuvieron presentándolas en frente de la clase! Mi parte favorito del día fue cuando un estudiante, el payaso de la clase, Walford, dijo, "It's nice to meet you too too toooo!" Nos divertimos mucho. ¡No puedo esperar para Día 2!

Running a Marathon for JumpStart!

 “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” –T.S. Elliot

Dear Friends,

For the past six months I have been working in Costa Rica in the Peace Corps as a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Volunteer. I work in a rural technical high school with 850 students and nine English teachers in a coffee-producing community, Sabalito, Coto Brus, seven km (a short run) from the border of Panama. In Costa Rica, 43% of our students do not receive English prior to entering high school. These students are at a disadvantage with their peers who will have had up to seven years of English prior to high school. In order to help, I will be working alongside national initiative and nonprofit Foundation Costa Rica Multilingüe, to bring “JumpStart” camps to 6^th grade students who have not had English during their summer vacation (January) before they enter high school (which starts in 7^th grade).

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Co-teacher Hellen and I planning JumpStart

JumpStart camps will be for 3-5 hours a day to give select 6^th grade students intensive and quality English instruction prior to their entrance to high school in February. In my community of Sabalito, approximately half of our students have not had English instruction prior to high school. I have witnessed first-hand the difference between students who have and have not received English instruction. For example, during their second year of high school (8^th grade), I have asked students, “How are you?” Many who have not had English still answer, “How are you?” because they do not understand the question and they have not been given a base of instruction like their peers. The English teachers with whom I work have expressed the need for English instruction prior to high school for these students to give them a solid starting base, to build their confidence, and so that they can start the year with an equal opportunity. I will be co-teaching two two-week long JumpStart camps for 40 students with two of the 7^th grade English teachers.

So it all sounds good up until this point but what are we missing? Some financial help of course! Our goal is to fundraise $5,000.00 for our two two-week long camps. And what better way to fundraise than to run? Literally, run a marathon!

This Sunday, on December 2^nd, 2012, I will be taking advice from Emil Zapotek when he says, “If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience another life…run a marathon.” After a year of training, I will run the Panama marathon in Panama City alongside five other Costa Rica Peace Corps volunteers who are also doing JumpStart Camps in their communities! Running in Costa Rica has been a challenge. From lack of sidewalks, to dangerous roads, to large quantities of rain, to solo routes through coffee fields, to trucks full of people staring, to people having no idea what the heck you’re doing…it’s been an adventure to say the least. I feel like I have discovered a whole new part of Costa Rica that I never would have known had I not laced up my shoes and hit the road on my own.

I have had so much support from wonderful people on my runs. My host sister and her boyfriend have taken up running in the time I have come here and if it were not for them, there would be many mornings where I would have hit the snooze button and rolled over instead of hopping out of bed at 4:50 to meet them for our 5 AM run. One of my favorite routes is the 6km to Panama and back that we do together. “What did you do today?” “Oh ran to Panama and back, nbd.” Carlos, a fellow volunteer in Osa Peninsula who is also running the marathon, has been a tremendous help running alongside me, providing me with inspirational quotes and texts, and telling me that we will do this no matter what. Jon, a volunteer in Guanacaste who is also running the marathon, gave me continual motivation and ran the beach with me to give me the experience running in a hot climate! And I had a blast running with a new friend who works for the embassy after Thanksgiving dinner at his house. You never know who you will meet along the run in this life…

So here I am running the marathon to try and give students in a rural and often forgot-about part of Costa Rica the chance to a better educational future. Learning English opens up doors to students to opportunities to work in tourism, call centers, international jobs, and allows them to be overall more competitive candidates for jobs all over Costa Rica.

7th grader Daniel presents his project in English class

As one of our students wrote in their essay for their application to JumpStart, "I want to participate in JumpStart because it is an opportunity that can't be missed. I want to be able to enter high school understanding English, to be able to pass every grade, to better myself, and to be someone in this life."

 For only a few dollars pledged per mile of the marathon, you can make a difference for a student in need.

$1 per mile (approx. $25) = Educational materials for two students

$2 per mile (approx. $50) = Snacks for two students

$5 per mile (approx. $125) = Transportation for one group of students

$10 per mile (approx. $250) = Entire cost to send two students to camp!

Elementary School Kids at our Regional English Festival

If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation in the United States, please visit: www.amigosofcostarica.org/get-involved/express-donation and choose “Multilingual Costa Rica: Talking to the World.”

Thank you for your continual support for my efforts in Costa Rica. I am eternally grateful for your help!

Pura Vida!

Darien