Last day in San Jose D: (Oh hey, that rhymes)

Attempting to walk through mobs of people in Downtown San Jose.

A helpful pedestrian informed us that the president of San Jose is known to hold meetings in this building from time to time. Whether or not this is true, it gives one a good idea of what some of the downtown San Jose architecture is like.

The boys. Enough said.

The gang waving at one of the parks visited on our walk through downtown San Jose.

One of two street markets the group shopped at today. This, sadly, was the smaller of the two and other was twice this size and twice as hectic.

The last supper. Happy Birthday Paloma (21!!)

Hello, one last time.

The time has finally come. After an amazing two weeks, the trip is coming to end and we must all part ways with Costa Rica. Today was good way to end the trip. We started the day by taking a walk through downtown San Jose were we saw some beautiful architecture and parks. We then begun the adventure which is souvenir shopping. Two markets large markets were flooded with American study abroad students, buying for family, friends, and others. Everyone got a good idea of what a Latin American downtown setting is like, which is crowded, busy, and filled with people. One of the girls on the trip, Paloma, is turning 21 tomorrow so we had our final group dinner at a nice restaurant and celebrated there. Tomorrow morning is going to be an early one being that the taxi to the airport is picking us up at 5 am. Hopefully everyone can sleep on the plane and be well rested to see their friends and family in the afternoon! We hope everyone enjoyed the blog and it kept everyone as updated as possible on our adventures here in Costa Rica. So adios and see you in the United States.

San Jose!

Hola! Today we spent the day traveling from Manuel Antontio into San Jose, the bus ride was long and boring but we're here! We're staying at Hotel Britannia, everyone is pretty wiped out from a long couple days at the beach! Tomorrow we'll spend the day in the center(city) doing some shopping and relaxing, before we leave to come back to the States! :)

Last Day at Manuel Antonia

Some of the group trekking to the National Park this morning. It was hot, humid, and morale was low.

The Entrance to the National Park. By this point, everyone was already about ready to call it day (mind you we had not even started the hike in the park to the beach).

A MONKEY! Yes, yes that black speck you see in the tree is a real life monkey. We got the opportunity to see monkeys about 5 feet in front of us, but the crowds of people gathering around them frightened them before I can snap a good picture. Lo siento.

A bamboo tree on the hiking trail in the park. The camera does not really do it justice, but it helps give a general idea.

The whole gang at the beach in the national park. The water was incredibly clear and sun was shining, which made for an incredible day in the water.

Hola!

Today was the last full day at the beach. D: We woke up this morning and walked to the national park nearby our hotel. It was the first truly sunny day we have had at the beach, as everyone found the hard way as we were panting before we even entered the park, but it made for a great day for swimming, tanning and shopping around. Most of the pictures are from the national park due to the fact the rest of day was spent sleeping on the beach. Hope you enjoy!!

The sunset.

Pooja and Jessica laying out on the beach, enjoying the view.

View from our spot on the beach. Surrounded by beautiful green wildlife

Steven reading on the beach. Behind him is the pathway to the hotel, which is fairly close.

A crab found walking right around the area that we were lying on the beach. (One of many)

Day Two at the beach:

Hey! Today was a very relaxing day. For the first time, we had absolutely no plans. Some of the early risers got up to enjoy breakfast at the beach side restaurant and others enjoyed their pillows. Today is summed up by relaxation. Most of the group stayed out by the ocean for the entire day. Swimming, reading, sleeping and relaxing were the popular activities of the day. Late afternoon, everyone walked over to the town where there were booths set up with all kinds of souvenirs. Everyone is pretty wiped out after a long day in the sun so tonight should pretty calm. Tomorrow is the national park so we will see what that has to offer us!

!Pura Vida!
Cory

Manuel Antonio here we come!!

Getting ready to leave the Costa Verde Inn :*( After a 3 to 4 hour drive (I would not know because I was passed out in the back seat) we arrived at Manuel Antonia and checked into our hotel, Hotel Karahe.


Some of gang after the long, bumpy car ride anxious to set foot on the beach.

Steven and my (Cory's) Bedroom at Hotel Karahe. We have a corner room and rumor has it that it was nicer than some of the other rooms! Score!Studying abroad has its redeemings aspects. This is the view from the the second story balconies in the hotel. Although difficult to see, just past the tree line is the pacific ocean.

Day one at the beach. My name is Cory and I am the last blogger and am responsible for the blog for the final leg of trip. I took a beautiful video of the walk from our hotel to the beach but but in process of uploading the video to the computer, Steven and myself managed to delete it. Don't fret, we are planning to film the same video tomorrow and I will upload it then for your viewing pleasure. After a busy week of school visits last week, it is finally time to relax and enjoy beautiful Costa Rica. After our arrival, everyone made their way to the beach where there was boogey boarding, swimming, and lounging. The beach is beautiful and surrounded by trees. The nice man at the restaurant told us monkeys come out around 5 or 6, so hopefully tomorrow I can snap a few photos. Everyone is gathering in my hotel room waiting for me to go eat, and if I wait any longer I think it may get ugly so I will leave you with this. Expect some scenic photos for tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

Cory

The group with the principal

beautiful murals and paintings on walls

showing pride in their school

Religious oriented

The med garden

Paloma and one of the special needs students.

Yay! Day 8, we went to Escuela PBRO, Yanuario Quesaua. This was the second public school that we visited, and it was an awesome experience. I think I speak for all of us when I say this was an excellent way to end the school visits. This school was low in resources, materials and income, but extremely humble and willing to accommodate to everyone. This was the only school that we went to that actually had a special education program. It was very refreshing and wonderful to hear. The principal was a beautiful lady with a great spirit. She truly cared for all of her students, and made us all feel so welcome. She did everything she could and went out of her way to make sure our experience at her school was the best it could be. I am so happy that I could experience our last visit at this school. I am also relieved the school observations are over and now we have the rest of the week to relax at the beach. I've taken in so much from all the schools I have seen and enjoyed. I will definitely bring home the passion of teaching that I witnessed at each institution.

Montessori School

Today was the last day for school visits. We visited two different schools. The first school was a Montessori school. This school had students from two years old who had just learned to walk up through Kindergarten age. The school was a private school but the tuition was very affordable. The Montessori method of teaching is different than the traditional teaching method taught in public schools. The students did a lot of singing and hands om activities. There were many kinds of activities spread out over the room and the students were able to choose what activity they wanted to do that day. Those activities were not just fun, they also helped teach the students fine motor skills and taught matching colors as well. Even at this early age the teachers were starting to teach the students some English. Although most of the class was in Spanish, they students would learn the days of the week and colors in English.
The day was divided up into two sections so students could come either for the morning session or the afternoon section or even stay for both. Students were provided a healthy snack and got some play time on the big playgrounds and even a P.E. class. For the students who stayed for both sessions they also were able to eat lunch at the school.
The teachers at the school treated these young kids as one of their own. They were always looking out for them and comforting any student who cried or needed help. The students wore shirts for the uniforms that said "Home Two". The teachers' belief was that this was a not just school but a second home for the students to grow and learn in. One amazing thing i learned was the principal of the school was also the founder. She started the school twenty-one years ago and it grew into what it is today. She was very dedicated to her students and was doing everything she could to make sure each student got the best education they could. This school was very different from any of the other schools we visited. It was very helpful for all of us to see this different teaching style and I am sure we all have a better understanding of education and some tools for us to use in our own classes.