BINGO: Was that 55 or 15?

Written by: Ilene Solomon

Sundays are good for lots of things here in Potrero: taking a nice walk on the beach, participating an action-packed game of soccer, enjoying a delicious batido (smoothie) in the mid-afternoon, and also for playing community-wide BINGO games!

The newly formed El comite del Club de Ninos (think PTA) of our Abriendo Mentes kids had a mission to raise money for the repair and maintenance of the Kids Club. What better way to do so than put together a couple rounds of BINGO? After a few weeks of planning, and securing a total of 35 prizes, our AM BINGO day began without a hitch. We sold approximately 125 BINGO cards, and hosted around 200 people! The group El comite del Club de Ninos provided sodas, Tico snowcones, and lots of good eats like arroz con pollo and meat on a stick. Looking around the Salon that Sunday, one could see many-a-hopeful face(most eyeing the prize of a brand new fan!).

Meradith, Rebecca, and Addison collecting Bingo tickets

As Leo, the father of AM students Austin and Justin, drew out the first number of the day from the hand-powered-number-shuffler, complete silence fell upon the group. “Setenta y cinco,” he called. “What? Did he say 75 or 67?” asked a confused AM volunteer at my table. “I thought he said 56,” said another volunteer. Not only is deciphering numbers in a second language challenging, it seemed that over the course of the day, Leo increasingly sped up his calling pace. During about 5 hours of our best attempts at playing BINGO in a second language, our conversations continued on like this: “Wait, what? 48 or 84?” “No, I think he said 18.” “What was the number before? 13 or 30?”

Ilene, Birgitte, and Addison

Truly, it is a surprise that volunteers Drew, Peter, Rachael, Addison and Birgitte were able to win a couple rounds! But they proved their solid Spanish skills and walked out of the Salon afterwards with gift certificates to local restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops along with food baskets and fine dishware. For the rest of the AM crew, we’re convinced that being lost in translation prevented us from winning at least one round, but are determined to brush up on our Spanish numbers for the next BINGO Sunday.

Peter picking up his prize

Rachael showing off her big win

After the final BINGO card was put away and the last prizes were traded—in fact, staying after the games to swap the blender for a food basket is part of the fun—we chalked this BINGO event up as a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. Lost in translation or not…a winner or loser, we raised about $600 to go towards TLC for our Kid’s Club. Fun was had by all and the best part? We spent the day as a community.

AM’s First Annual Career Fair!

Written by: Addison Hill 

Last Thursday, May 3rd, was a special day for Abriendo Mentes and community members alike. We hosted a career fair in the Salon featuring stations with various career representatives. The kids broke into small groups and rotated throughout the stations, talking to local adults about their careers and asking questions. (There were even prizes for correct answers at some stations!) There were many different options for the kids to learn about, including a dentist, a nurse, a teacher, a nutritionist, a hotel manager, and a chef.

Our own volunteer, Carolina, was the nutritionist representative and was able to put her expertise to good use by talking to the kids about healthy food options. She had an interactive presentation that focused on the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and choosing healthy options like water or fruit juice over sugary sodas. The kids loved raising their hands to answer questions about healthy choices and their own eating habits.

The career fair was a valuable experience for the kids because it allowed them to explore some of the options open to them. Getting them excited about the possibilities they have for their future is critical in getting them motivated to learn and explore. It was great for them to talk to people in their own community about different careers. Learning about what is needed to be successful in a career they are interested in provides motivation to keep up their studies and work toward a goal. The career fair also helped establish ties between the kids and other community members. Bringing local volunteers in to teach the kids is a great way to help people form connections with the children and with Abriendo Mentes as an organization. We were lucky to have such helpful career representatives; they were animated and informative. Overall, the career fair was a successful opportunity for the Abriendo Mentes students to get excited about their futures.

Adam’s Song: Potrero Sojourn

For most of March and April, Potrero and the surrounding areas have been plagued with a smothering red tide.  The combined smell of the ocean and dead fish made a venture on the beach into a somewhat nauseating experience.  The ocean that is normally so inviting and a fundamental part of life here is now alarmingly absent.  Thankfully, suprising April rain and the passing of days finally rid us of the oppressive tide, and the beaches and sea are again free to be enjoyed fully.

During this time, the focus was shifted inwards towards community, family, friends, and togetherness.  In record numbers people were flocking to the fields for futbol and sheer enjoyment of the beautiful Costa Rican day.  Abriendo Mentes was especially busy, with field trips to multiple places, swimming, and simply having fun together.  Everywhere people were living with ‘pura vida’ in their hearts, making the most of each day together here in this amazing town.

With the passing of Semana Santa and the gradual transition into the rainy season, our community begins to shift again.  The number of tourists and visitors decreases, and many locals end their tenure in paradise to return to their homelands.  But while these changes happen, the community itself continues to grow and become stronger, thanks to projects like Abriendo Mentes and other volunteers.  The rainy season brings people together even further, strengthens ties between neighbors and families, and knits a much tighter group of people into a larger whole.

While this season plans to be different with the completion and continued growth of  the Las Catalinas development, and the continued growth of Costa Rica, a few things are certain.  The sun will still shine over the mountains, the waves will still crash on the beach.  The wind will still blow through the fields and trees, and the roosters will still ring the day in.  The children will play futbol on the field still each day, and a each face will be graced with a smile.

Adam Lanka is a freelance writer living in Potrero, Costa Rica. He volunteers his time to write for Abriendo Mentes. Contact Adam at lanka.adam@gmail.com or follow his blog The Wanderlust.

AM Kids Learn to Swim!

Written by: Anna Hergt

Can you imagine living in a hot, dry town right on the ocean, but never going past the palm trees to get into the water? Me neither. I’m writing this with salty skin and sandy toes. Potrero is dreamy for someone who grew up spending summers turning into a prune and being called “little fish.” I started swimming when I was still a baby, and could barely move my chubby legs enough to get from the couch to the coffee table. Regardless, I plopped into every body of water that proved big enough to fit those chubby legs. Most likely because of this upbringing, one of the biggest shocks I encountered coming to this sleepy ocean town was that a vast majority of the women and children couldn’t swim.

I always associate swimming with some of the best times in my life. The first day of (hopefully!) a series of monthly swimming lessons with the kids at Abriendo Mentes was no exception, from the very beginning. We started off the day by walking together to the pool space so graciously donated to us by Villas Estival. We were fortunate to be close enough to not need transportation, but we sang wheels on the bus as we walked along anyways.

When we arrived the kids were asked if they knew some pool rules, which elicited some perfect responses; no peeing in the pool, no running, and no biting. Such wisdom! That was good enough for me, so one-by-one we slid into the pool along the wall, each pairing up with a volunteer and getting ready to swim. Altogether on the wall we practiced kicking, putting our ear into the water to “listen to the fishes,” blowing bubbles, BBBBBBBBBBB, and bobbing under.

 

After a quick break from all that excitement, we spread out into the pool for some more exercises. Most of the kids clung tight to their partner, but a few took off underwater and surprised us! Going back and forth from one side of the pool to the other, we practiced kicking, arm strokes, floating, and bobbing to “pop goes the weasel.” I had the pleasure of working with Leyci, a tough, sassy little girl I never expected to be so afraid of the water. Letting her cling tight when she wanted to, it was incredible to see over the course of an hour that she could finally loosen her grip, laugh, and have fun!

 

We ended the lesson with the kids on our backs as we all played sharks and minnows across the pool, having our little sharks yell “ONE, TWO, THREE, MINNOWS GO!” Though this was not the primary aim of the activity, as their teacher I couldn’t help but get excited that they were learning English words too! It gave us the chance to teach and reiterate words like kick, swim, under, other side, fish, shark, and more! To top it all off, during the five minutes of free time in the shallow children’s pool after the lesson, I heard them giggling as they yelled the English words out and practiced swimming some more on their own.

       

Stay tuned, as we are hoping to expand this program by offering additional lessons for the children and adults, and by teaching more about ocean safety and avoiding riptides.

Fieldtrip to Conchal!

On the 17^th and 19^th of April the 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders set off on an exploratory field trip to Conchal Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre. This was the first of four excursions to Conchal, which have been organized so that the students can investigate and measure the changes in their local ecosystem throughout the year.

The first part of the trip consisted of a brief overview by Rocio Rojas and her assistant about the forest we were about to enter and what we needed to look for. The kids were all given magnifying glasses, rulers and clipboards for the forest tour and relished the opportunity of becoming scientists for the following 2 hours.

      

During our walk the kids recorded temperatures, weather, water levels and  the abundance of specific plants and wildlife. We were lucky enough to see different species of birds, crabs, insects and plant life, much different to those found in Potrero, which typically has a much drier climate.

  

Although we weren’t used to the cooler climate and the incredible mass of mosquitoes everyone really enjoyed exploring and learning about the forest ecosystem. We are all looking forward to the following field trip at the end of the session and examining the differences that the following months will bring.

Semana Santa…Latino Style

Written by: Ilene Solomon

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, corresponds to the last week of Lent (the week before Easter), and down here in Latin America, represents one of the most significant weeks of the year.

Prior to the Spanish and Portuguese explorations in the late 1400s, however, much of Latin American religion centered on animistic, polytheistic, and ancestor worship. With the increase of European voyages to Central and South America, Christian missionaries soon followed. Thus, began the spread of Christianity—primarily Catholic and Protestant sects—and the start of Semana Santa (of course, with a Latin flare).

Countries from Mexico down to Argentina commemorate this important holiday with their own unique flavor. For example, Abriendo Mentes Co-Founders, Meradith and Drew, spent this Semana Santa in Cusco, Peru. They watched a huge parade in the Plaza de Armas, where the Regional army marched and bands performed. With the famous Catholic Cathedral in the background, they were reminded of the religious spirit of the holiday, among the festivities.

 

AM volunteers Rachael, Miriam, and Shannon had the opportunity to spend their Semana Santa in Granada, Nicaragua, where they take their Catholic traditions very seriously. While touring a Cathedral, locals prepared statues of Mary and Jesus for what appeared to be a play. The volunteers later realized that it was for a parade. Rachael explained that sound of drums beating loudly, yet slowly, began before trumpets and other brass instruments started playing a slow, sad melody. She said, “it made me actually feel like I was walking with someone to their death.” Behind the marching musicians came the rest of the parade, with people dressed in head to foot purple robes, and a cone shaped top. Above their heads they held a statue of Jesus carrying a cross and another of Mary. The parade traveled around the entire city of Granada and finished at a Cathedral for Mass. “It was an interesting experience to see how other cultures celebrate Semana Santa. It opened our minds to different things other than Easter candy and egg hunts!” Rachael reflected.

But here in Potrero, Costa Rica, crowds of tourists from San Jose lined the beaches and filled the dirt roads with SUVs. Because most Ticos get Semana Santa week of from work, it is the perfect excuse to rent a beach house and spend time with friends and family. On the other hand, some families still honor the religious roots of Holy Week, like first grader, Jose Arturo, who celebrated by going to church with his family. Even though Potrero is such a small town, no Latin American community is complete without a church…and a soccer field.

Another interesting fact about the Costa Rican Semana Santa: without fail, the first rain of the season falls during this week. When chatting with a San Jose-turned-Potrero resident, Adriana, she said, “The Ticos believe its God’s way of speaking to us. He sends the first rains down during Semana Santa to show us He is here with us.” This year did not disappoint! The gray skies opened on the Tuesday of Semana Santa, and let out a huge shower of refreshing rain.

So whether praying in church, participating in a parade, watching marching bands, relaxing by the beach, or enjoying the fresh rain, Semana Santa is a week filled with tradition and celebration in Latin America. Latinos spread throughout the Americas can thank their Spanish and Portuguese ancestors for this holiday, and thank themselves for adding their own unique flare.

Volunteer weekend in Nosara!

Written by: Birgitte Maarup 

A few weekends ago, we volunteers went to the beautiful beach of Nosara on this year’s first volunteer trip! After a cheerful 2.5 hour bus ride through Guanacaste in a nicely air conditioned bus, we arrived at our hostel, 4 You, ready for a fun get-away.

Our group split into two, one consisting of those staying at the luxury hostel featuring hot
water showers and nice, comfy beds and the other one made up of those cool people who
were tough enough to camp in tents on the beach. After settling in or searching out the
perfect spot for a tent, we met up at the beach to play in the big waves, chat, tan and read
in the sand.

Friday night, we went to dinner without reservations, but were greeted at a restaurant
where they promptly set up a table for us and took our 15 orders! After devouring on
delicious veggie burgers, cerviche, casados, chicken parmesan and more, we continued to
the beach to set up tents and have some fun, before people returned to the hostel for a
peaceful night of sleep while the wind made that a challenge for the camping people.

More or less well rested, we, impressively, fit most of us in Kristin and Juan’s car for a fun,
and for some slightly painful, ride to breakfast at a cute little cafe on Saturday morning.
After breakfast, we split up again, some going to yoga, others strolling down the street
browsing the different shops for good bargains, while others again headed straight for the
beach where we ultimately all ended up for another round of splashing around in the water
and relaxation in the sun. We watched the gorgeous sunset, before repeating 15-people
dinner success, this time with reservations and at a different, but equally great if not even
greater, restaurant. After dinner, we once again split up, most people going to the beach to
celebrate Peter’s birthday Sunday with an early bonfire, while three of us went to Nosara
to check out the local disco!

We started the Sunday (Peter’s birthday, yay!) off with an awesome and fun activity;
laughter yoga which basically consists of laughing while doing yoga exercises. We all had
so much fun during this happy morning exercise. After finishing up and getting the
instructors info (we definitely would like him to come and do a Fun Friday!) we went home
in an extra good mood to cook Peter a special birthday brunch. Lots of great food was
prepared by all the volunteers, everyone contributing with something, and enjoyed in the
hostel kitchen.

The last few hours in Nosara were spent relaxing at the beach or in the hostel’s pretty
outside area enjoying each other’s company and the wonderful Costa Rican weather
before returning home to another exciting week with yet another great experience in the
backpack!

Volunteering at a Dental Clinic Extract

The need for dental care in Costa Rica is big, but dental care is expensive and it is a cost
families choose not to prioritize. Therefore, Abriendo Mentes is proud to have been a part of the temporary, free dental clinic that was set up in Vía Real in the last week of March. A group of highly dedicated American dentists lead by Dr. Tommy Murph travelled all the way down to Costa Rica with the necessary equipment and enthusiasm to help educate the young Costa Ricans on how to thoroughly clean their teeth and to extract lost cause teeth from children as well as adults.

Over a three-day period, more than 500 people came seeking the expertise of the dentists and lots and lots of teeth were professionally extracted. It was amazing to experience the trust and faith Costa Ricans blindly put in these people whose language most couldn’t speak. Our role as AM volunteers was mainly to help translate during examinations, but in the chair the Costa Ricans were for the most part left alone with one or more non-Spanish speaking American dentist. Some refused to having their teeth extracted, clinging to the vague hope that their teeth would somehow be salvageable, but even though many expressed fear, as they have probably never been to the dentist before, the majority bravely agreed to get in the chair and get their wisdom teeth or decayed teeth extracted.

  

One woman visited the clinic on the second day but was too overcome with fear that she
couldn’t go through with the extraction she needed. She returned on the third day and sat
outside the clinic gathering courage for two hours before finally getting up, laying back in a
chair and opening her mouth up wide. Afterwards, she was so proud and happy of herself,
she was grateful to the dentists and the best of all was that she stuck around the clinic and
talked to the people who were afraid. She encouraged them with her own story and became an inspiration to many people.

  

It was heart-wrenching holding the hands of terrified children who needed extractions. The anesthetics might have dulled the pain, but not the fear, and we had nothing else but soothing words. Even though you know that it isn’t the pain that’s making them scream, that they’re anaesthetized and just really, really frightened it’s awful and nerve wrecking. It definitely emphasized the importance of oral hygiene and the need for education in that area, and I hope that the children will remember what they were taught about brushing their teeth and that they will use the toothbrush they were given. Hopefully, the children who had their teeth extracted won’t be scarred by the experience but rather encouraged to take good care of their teeth. In most cases, a smile did eventually make its way on the face of the child, and those smiles were the best.

Most people left the clinic with a smile tugging at the corner of their mouth while biting down on gaze or their eyes lit up in happiness and gratitude with their mouths covered with a handkerchief. We got wider smiles from those who were around a while longer waiting for the free bus provided by Ecotrans. All in all, I believe it is safe to say that the dental clinic was a huge success, and we were honored to be a part of that!

Back to Basics

Written by: Anna Hergt

First session break has commenced, giving us a chance to reflect on the past couple months and how much we have accomplished in our first session. Between the everyday classes, the field trips, and the special visitors, we have learned quite a lot! In Potrero the new school year begins in January, so we went back to the basics. The kinder class started with A, learned words from a new letter of the alphabet each week, and got all the way to I. The main themes of this session for the 1st – 6th graders were introductions, calendars, weather, classroom phrases, and the importance of learning English.

One of my favorite activities for learning introductions was making paper bag puppets. As with anyone learning a new language, our kids are quite shy to speaking out. Though they understand quite a lot, sometimes they need an extra push to use those words on their own. Making puppets did just that! Talking through their paper bag buddies made it less scary, and their knowledge immediately shined through. Another highlight was when the kids interviewed each other and made About Our Friend posters for the classroom.

Our days of the week and months of the year songs made learning about calendars a breeze. We had lots of laughs singing the days of the week to the tune of the Adam’s Family theme song (clap clap!), and dancing to the months of the year Macarena. Racing to step on flashcards, and big game of “duck duck goose” using days and months instead of “duck duck,” also helped their pronunciation. They were even quick to learn ordinal numbers, despite the challenge native Spanish speakers have with the “th” sound.

Learning about weather was especially interesting for the kids, as here in Costa Rica it is almost always sunny and hot. They have never seen snow, or felt the deathly cold weather I remember from growing up in Massachusetts. They also love learning about the world, an inspiring notion for me, and one I want to encourage and foster. Because of this, their favorite activity by far was when I looked up the weather for different places around the world on that day of classes, and they had to draw it on maps. It sparked their curiosity to think about things that were happening in other places, and I was so happy to see them learning new words like warm and cool, foggy and stormy.

The great thing about having established English classes for some time now,  was that the kids already knew a lot of the classroom phrases they needed to know for their exam in school. Every day they hear phrases like “raise your hand,” “come write it on the board,” and “sit down please.” They are also encouraged to speak up, and ask questions politely like “may I go to the bathroom,” and “could I please have a marker.” At the beginning of the session we made bilingual posters for the room to remind us of some useful phrases, and these have significantly helped the kids feel confident in using the phrases every day. Simon Says: Classroom Edition was so easy for them that everybody won!

As our first session came to a close, a big question was posed for all the students; “Why is learning English important?” After giving them some time to think about it, we had many impressive responses that mirrored our mission here at Abriendo Mentes. Speaking English is especially important in Costa Rica because tourism is a huge part of their economy, and holds the most profitable jobs. Being bi-lingual opens up international job opportunities as well. The kids mentioned this, among other incredible insights; making new friends and having pen pals, traveling to other countries, understanding music and movies, and having a greater awareness of other cultures. Their thoughts were a joyful reminder of how important our work really is, and how blessed we are to be a part of opening minds in Latin America.

Mosaic- Watch the transformation!

Watch the transformation from our previously bland and boring Salon to what is now a beautiful community space in Potrero! Thank you to Carrie O’Malley for her kind, patient and extremely talented self and everyone else who was involved in this amazing project!