Written by Austin Murphy
Edited by Julia Rippel
Today we went to La Carpio, where we finished working on the road we started on Day 3. We split into three groups. Each group had a different task. One group worked on mixing and pouring cement. The second group worked on leveling and smoothing out the ground. Finally the third group worked on digging out the draining ditch. With us, City Charter High School, working to create roads in La Carpio, we are helping the people to get titles for their land.
The community is made of squatters. The population ranges from poor Costa Ricans to immigrants from surrounding countries. The people are very friendly. While we were working they came up to us, talked to us and even helped us work. In our class we studied Latin American cultural patterns, such as expressiveness of emotions. After we completed the work we had been doing in La Carpio, the President of La Libertad, ChiCho, was very emotional and said that we are great workers and thanked us for helping the community. He said he was honored to have us doing this work and will continue to welcome City High Students in La Carpio for future trips.
In the afternoon we went to the Legislative Assembly building to meet with the President of the Legislative Assembly, Juan Carlos Mendoza. Mr. Mendoza is the youngest person ever to be made president of the Legislative Assembly. While meeting with Mr. Mendoza, we learned about some political issues in Costa Rica, such as the need for people who have different ideas to come together in order to change what Costa Rica is, low communication within communities, and racism. We toured the Legislative Assembly building and found that there was a session of congress being held. We went to the public viewing area and saw some people who were watching the session of congress. We learned that they were there to support free trade with the United States as this would create jobs for the people. Also the protesters said that the state department is giving jobs, drugs, and other things to people to get their votes.
After doing four interviews, we have learned a lot about Costa Rica's culture. Some things that we have learned so far are that the people value family more than material possessions. In one interview in La Carpio, they said that: When we work together like a community, we are family. I personally found this to be an amazing way of summing up our entire trip so far. We go to school with each other but that can only bring us so close to each other. Actually being in Costa Rica we are growing closer together. We are learning each other's strengths and weaknesses through many things that we do such as: learning to salsa dance, paving roads, digging a ditch for a pipe, speaking Spanish and much more. As said in an interview with the Minister of Culture, Manuel Obregon, on day 3, for us to forget our own problems and to help others solve their problems generates happiness for everyone.
Edited by Julia Rippel
Today we went to La Carpio, where we finished working on the road we started on Day 3. We split into three groups. Each group had a different task. One group worked on mixing and pouring cement. The second group worked on leveling and smoothing out the ground. Finally the third group worked on digging out the draining ditch. With us, City Charter High School, working to create roads in La Carpio, we are helping the people to get titles for their land.
The community is made of squatters. The population ranges from poor Costa Ricans to immigrants from surrounding countries. The people are very friendly. While we were working they came up to us, talked to us and even helped us work. In our class we studied Latin American cultural patterns, such as expressiveness of emotions. After we completed the work we had been doing in La Carpio, the President of La Libertad, ChiCho, was very emotional and said that we are great workers and thanked us for helping the community. He said he was honored to have us doing this work and will continue to welcome City High Students in La Carpio for future trips.
In the afternoon we went to the Legislative Assembly building to meet with the President of the Legislative Assembly, Juan Carlos Mendoza. Mr. Mendoza is the youngest person ever to be made president of the Legislative Assembly. While meeting with Mr. Mendoza, we learned about some political issues in Costa Rica, such as the need for people who have different ideas to come together in order to change what Costa Rica is, low communication within communities, and racism. We toured the Legislative Assembly building and found that there was a session of congress being held. We went to the public viewing area and saw some people who were watching the session of congress. We learned that they were there to support free trade with the United States as this would create jobs for the people. Also the protesters said that the state department is giving jobs, drugs, and other things to people to get their votes.
After doing four interviews, we have learned a lot about Costa Rica's culture. Some things that we have learned so far are that the people value family more than material possessions. In one interview in La Carpio, they said that: When we work together like a community, we are family. I personally found this to be an amazing way of summing up our entire trip so far. We go to school with each other but that can only bring us so close to each other. Actually being in Costa Rica we are growing closer together. We are learning each other's strengths and weaknesses through many things that we do such as: learning to salsa dance, paving roads, digging a ditch for a pipe, speaking Spanish and much more. As said in an interview with the Minister of Culture, Manuel Obregon, on day 3, for us to forget our own problems and to help others solve their problems generates happiness for everyone.
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