Climbing to the Top of Our Hearts

Everyone woke up with excitement for our first whole day in San Jose, which also happened to be our day of service to the community. Four years ago Bryant’s Latin America SIE program formed a relationship with The Holy Spirit Association of Costa Rica and has spent a day volunteering every trip since. Upon our arrival early in the AM, we were warmly greeted and given a tour of their organization. The organization is mostly focused on children with lesser opportunities. At no charge, The Holy Spirit Association runs a food court that feeds 72,000 people a month, in which 42,000 are children. The amount of children they feed is comparable to more than twice the population of Smithfield Rhode Island. Other services include education, health, homeless shelter, consultancy, human development, and entertainment. Needless to say, they do a lot for the community and boy did they put us to work!

Gabe getting a nice bicep and shoulder workout in

After the tour we were put into groups and began our work, which happened to be more like a workout! Los niños were filled will never ending energy and constantly asking for “caballitos” (piggy back rides). They seemed to love being carried and some of the more daring children even enjoyed “the helicopter” (where we spun them on our shoulder until they we got dizzy). Andreas even taught a dance to a large group of girls, who seemed to be all over him! Legos, jump roping, puzzles, playgrounds, and horseplay brought out the kids in all of us, even the professors.  Besides playing with the kids, the females went to an orphanage, while the men went to the kitchen...... and cleaned. We stopped briefly to refuel, and then went back to our services until 4 PM.

Even Professor Z participated in some jump roping

Concluding our day of service we presented the organization with a small monetary donation and school supplies that we had collected throughout the semester. The Priest, who also founded the organization 12 years ago, told us how thankful they were to have us and wished that we could have stayed. He also mentioned how much we have touched the kids and how we will always be in their hearts. But it seemed as if they have touched our hearts even more. They showed us that friends, smiles, and love, is all that we need, which not even a language barrier could impede. As James M. Barrie once said “Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.”

By Alex Smolenski and Krystin Sinclair

I Heard It Through The Zip Line

When people discover you’re going to Costa Rica, most will eagerly ask: “are you going zip lining!?” Well today was the day we’ve all been waiting for: zip lining in the beautiful rainforest canopies of Costa Rica! We left the hotel nice and early to drive from Fortuna toward the mountains, slightly tired but anticipating what was ahead.  One hour and many winding roads later, we unloaded from the bus in a slight drizzle and piled under the shelter of “Canopy Zip Lining Company”. As we began the process of signing the liability waiver and putting on harnesses and helmets, some students became nervous while others bounced around with unmatched excitement.
 

After a tutorial on the overall zip lining procedure of knees up, braking, and how to recover from getting stuck (otherwise known as the contingency plan), we began our journey up the mountain to the first of nine different stations. Our camaraderie shined while we all stood in line and cheered on those who tentatively approached the platform to go, the first being Nader. About halfway through the line, the first “WOOHOO!” of the day rang through the trees, setting the tone for what would be one of the most adventurous days of our SIE trip.

We started to approach each proceeding cable with more courage than the last both in technique and style, all of which became significantly longer and increasingly faster. By far though, the most pleasant surprise and favorite part of our excursion was the Tarzan swing—a gigantic, hanging cable in the middle of the rainforest that you swing back and forth on three times over. A trill of enthusiasm reverberated through our group, as we pulled out cameras and phones to take videos of each other experiencing this once in a lifetime opportunity. For most of us, the first swing was used to adjust to the new sensations of being a real-life Tarzan or Jane, while the following two swings consisted of striking poses and catch phrases being yelled out.

After the Tarzan swing, we continued down the zip line cables only to approach the grand finale, a 750 foot-long stretch back to solid ground. We all breathed in the fresh rainforest air, and took mental pictures of the most gorgeous views Costa Rica has to offer.  When the journey came to its conclusion, some traded breathing the fresh air for sighs of relief, and the others joined in chants of “let’s do it again!”

Regardless of the trepidations felt ahead of time, zip lining truly became the essence of Pura Vida—living the pure life. Which can only explain the content, sleeping faces on the bus ride afterward heading to San Jose that are looking forward to what else Costa Rica has in store.

 

Safari on the Rio Peñas Blancas and the Rio San Carlos

We finally made it to Costa Rica! We arrived at our hotel at 3 am with only 2 hours to sleep…NOT OKAY! Don’t let the fact that we are college students deceive you, we were literally walking zombies in the morning. After successfully arriving in Costa Rica and having the shortest amount of sleep possible, we woke up before the sun to get a good breakfast, then embarked on our first adventure in Costa Rica. Our first quest consisted of a guided safari on the Rio Peñas Blancas and the Rio San Carlos.  Our group of 23 divided into 4 rafts, each with a tour guide who would help us spot the wildlife. The views, foliage and wildlife we saw were unbelievable; it was evident we were not in Panama anymore.  Not only did our guides show us the nature of Costa Rica, they also shared very interesting facts about the sights.

The river was lined with 100s of different types of foliage. The guide on my boat, Edson, explained that all of the trees along the water have at least 500 different types of plants growing from the trees’ branches. Those that were most interesting were the strong, tall bamboo branches and the “Tourist Tree.” This tree is very tall and its branches are very white and clean. The tree gets its name because a few times a year, the trees’ bark turns a reddish color and then peels off, like a tourist with sunburn.  These trees are in the best position for their roots to receive the most amount of water in the Costa Rican heat. However, it was evident that on some areas of the shore line the root systems were suffering from erosion due to farmers and logging.

Not only do the branches hold over 500 plants, they also were perching areas for most of wildlife we came across like:

-          The “Piano Bird” is a waterfowl that gets its name from its appearance. When the bird opens its wings, the feathers are black and white stripped, like piano keys

-          The Hummingbirds were seen feasting off of bugs along the eroded shore line as opposed to consuming nectar as we usually see

-          Three Howler Monkeys perched high up in the tree eating breakfast

-          Two Spectacle Owls, which are the second largest owls in Costa Rica

-          Twisted tight around the branches was the King Oriel Snake. Although most of us are deathly afraid of snakes, this snake is our friend. It feasts on dangerous snakes as its body is resistant to the other snakes’ poisonous venom. It hangs from the branches when it is ready to attack, leaving its tail dangling and using it as a whip, sharp enough to cut through flesh of attacking predators

-          The Long Nose Bats (about 11) were sleeping soundly upside-down on the trunk of a tree. The bats were so small they literally look like bumps of a log. The bats come out at night and feast on thousands of mosquitos.

Needless to say, this safari was a great welcome to Costa Rica.

 

By: Olivia Rustic

Explosive Excitement

After an exciting adventure down the San Carlos y Peña’s Blancas River, our risk taking group hiked a path of volcanic rock in search of a close up view of the very active Arenal Volcano. Along our path we came across a plant known to the Costa Ricans as the “Planta Dormilona” aka the sleeping plant. This name comes from the crazy fact that if you swipe your fingers through the plant, it will close up and it will not spread open for many hours. This is a defense mechanism to trap prey such as small insects. Another interesting find was the Gurarumo plant. This plant is eaten by our lazy Costa Rican companions, the sloths. This plant produces toxins that give them a veerrrrrrryyyyyyyyy slooowwwwwwwwwwwwww sensation.

 

After about 45 minutes of hiking up volcanic remains, our group reached our designated observatory point. The view was astonishing. The volcano was so close we could almost touch it…JUST KIDDING!! Although, we did have the best seat in the house! Arenal is a breath taking, cone shaped volcano. Our destination was approximately 5000 feet above sea level! And the tip of the volcano is often covered by clouds. Good thing we called ahead so he could clear his cloudy schedule and show us his entire shape. The Arenal volcano is over 7,000 years old! And that’s fairly young! - In volcano years that is.

The volcanic material that has covered the land of Costa Rica has added the minerals necessary to produce the delicious coffee that most of us drink at our beloved Dunkin Donuts of Starbucks.

The volcano stopped lava activity about two years ago for an unexplained reason. Geologist have not been able to determine the cause of this phenomenon, although maybe it got tired of working for free and not getting paid by the local boat tours that would bring tourist into the Arenal Lake to witness the oozing of the lava down the side of the fire mountain. 

The last massive eruption by the Arenal volcano was in 1968, so there isn't one due for hundreds of years, but you never know!! It could be tomorrow.

 

La Fortuna - Costa Rica

After going from Panama to Costa Rica (via El Salvador), we took a 2 hour bus ride to a beautiful Arenal Paraiso in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

Even though we arrived to Fortuna at 3AM we were set and ready to go at 7AM for an unbelievable river safari and a tour of the local volcano.

Detailed reports about those two visits are coming your way shortly...

Panama Vieja Y Casco Viejo

This morning, our last morning in Panama, we first headed out to Panama Vieja (Old Town).  The district may be in ruins, however the history is far from. Our very own Esteban led us through the beautiful commons and structures while explaining the events that occurred in the exact same place that we stood hundreds of years ago.  The community was built in 1673, a few years following the pirate invasion and destruction of the old city.    

Just some fun in the sun...

The first set of ruins we walked through belonged to the once standing Dominican Brother's convent.  Next, we were guided through a shady path surrounded by gorgeous trees stemming from crazy looking roots to a wide sunny common.  The multi-story cathedral and the Bishop's house looked over this common.  As explained by Esteban, the Spanish brought Indians from several different tribes and cultures to mix and form a new community in Old Town.  These Indians were not considered people by the Spanish and were not allowed inside the cathedral until they had learned the Christian document inside and out.  Until they completed this task, they could be used as slaves to the Christian residents.  

 

Next, we put our fitness to the test as we climbed the steep staircase to the top of the cathedral.  I think I can speak for myself and the rest of the group when I say that the view of the city across the water from the top was absolutely breathtaking.  The pair of beautiful scenery and intense history made this trip one of a kind. 

Our final stop of the Panama leg before heading to the airport was Casco Viejo (Modern City).  Observing the transformation from the old to the new city was quite the culture shock.  We stepped off the bus onto a street parallel to the ocean and a city skyline view. 

Our bus driver, Jaime, briskly led the way into the French influenced city, making sure we would return to the bus on time.  We strolled through the narrow streets, taking in the detailed French architecture.  Esteban brought us into the Iglesia San Jose (church) which contained an alter made of pure gold.  After gazing at the stunning stain glass windows and the incredible sculptures and alters, we headed back out into the blazing Panamanian sun.  This kind of heat called for a pit stop at the snow cone stand.  The group gathered around the seller as he skillfully transformed ice from an enormous block into a perfect snow cone.  Although I, personally, was a bit skeptical of the condensed milk used in the treat at first, it was actually the best thing I had tasted all day. Delicious!

Jaime requested the group to start making our way back to the bus quickly as the time was ticking.  The mix of history, beauty, and sun made for a perfect last day in Panama.

The Embera Quera Village

Warm welcome by the locals...

Today our journeys in Panama took us to a place more special than any other, the village of Embera Quera. Before arrival, we traveled by boat through the river and encountered a vast amount of plantain trees.

Boating in Panama Bryant style

Looking for alligators

We had the pleasure of giving a banana to Tony the monkey, a rescued animal with amazing branch-hopping skills.

Tony the monkey

We then continued on the village which was truly a sight to see at first, and we were greeted by the entire village with song and dance.

After a warm welcome, the medicine man of the village was the first speaker for our group. His skills and knowledge has been passed down by oral tradition, and many of the village’s home grown plants are used as natural remedies for certain illnesses. There were plants used to remove parasites in animals, control diabetes and cholesterol, and other illnesses such as fevers and colds. We viewed a house that had not yet completed its roof, and they explained to us that it takes only a few days to complete an entire roof using the trees from the forest. The problem with the houses is termite buildup, and after a certain period of time, the houses must be torn down and rebuilt so the homes will not collapse.

Medicine man at work

Tasting the medicine leaves

The village’s classroom was very interesting. The children will receive schooling in Spanish by a teacher provided by the Panamanian government, and they learn their native language from their parents. All students were taught to write with their right hands, even if left is their preference.

Gabe and Mark teaching the locals our games

When lunchtime arrived, we received a short speech from the second Indian chief of the village. He was very young, 27 in fact, and chosen to lead because chiefs have to be highly involved with the people at all times. He was chosen out of three possible candidates by election to lead his tribe. He gave us some basic facts, such as there are 17 families consisting of 47 people. People married at the age of 14-15 normally and the way a man married a woman was far different from what we expected. The two would meet in secret and when a man showed he truly wanted to marry a woman, he would sneak into her room and wait until morning for the father to walk-in, demonstrating his commitment to her.

We ate amazingly cooked fish, along with plantains and pineapples while conversing with many of the villagers. They had given many of us temporary tribal tattoos with the dye that they make.

Jordan getting inked

Alex and Elle tried on their outfits, and looked very stunning.

They were almost kept by the locals...

After eating, the village came together to perform a series of songs and dances for us. After a few dances, they then invited all of us up to dance with them. Steph was chosen as the first person to dance, which was a considered great honor. After the dance, some of us played with the children while others viewed their shop full of hand-carved wooden art and hand-made jewelry. We had an amazing day and most of us did not want to leave when it was over. This was far different from any other tour or presentation we had been a part of, and we all have experienced some of the richest culture that Panama has to offer. 

We met some great little friends

Mark left quite an impression on this little future chief

Jaewon and her new Embera friend

Stephanie checked this off her bucket list - "find the toucan within arm length"

What a trip!