First Day In Costa Rica
Location: La Carpio, Hotel Dos Palmas
Today we woke up at 7:40 and got ready for 8am breakfast. We all met up in the outdoor eating area for toast, fruit, and eggs. At 9, we got in our bus and left for La Carpio, the poorest area in San Jose.
We arrived at a daycare center and were greeted by smiles all around and hugs from many of the children. Gail, or Giselle, gave us an introduction to the work we will be doing for the next couple of days. She explained her theory of human development: that there is no stairway to success, but a spiral.
Next we moved to the public library and learning center. We were given the task of designing a mural with the kids. Some of us started to paint while the rest of us played with the kids. After lunch, we went to an indigenous reserve. We learned about the uses of many plants and the shaman's healing methods. He does a treatment in which a person goes into a small hut that is 120 degrees to heal the body. Our guide also gave us a blessing using feathers of a rare bird and incense placed on a hot stone.