Daily Archives: August 15, 2014

Reflecting on our Journies

Rivers of LifeFor the last three groups who have completed their GVI experience and are now back in their homes or are continuing their travels, I asked them to draw a River of Life of their time working with GVI Quepos. This activity is challenging because it forces us to think of a journey in terms of movement along a river. I asked the volunteers to draw their highlights, low-points, challenges, adventures, changes of opinion, memorable moments and where they are going from here. I have been very impressed with the level of artistry and reflection that have gone into these Rivers of Life. Each time, the volunteers hurry to get their emotions out onto the paper, and then find a rhythm as they add details to their rivers. In the end, everyone is happy and excited to share their experience with the group.

Facilitating these activities has also helped me reflect on my journey with GVI so far. I came as an eager, somewhat knowledgeable staff member, learned a lot very quickly through multiple training days, and had my ups and downs as I discovered (and am still discovering) my leadership style and my place in Manuel Antonio. Now, I am taking on a new challenge as the new Base Manager for GVI Quepos/Manuel Antonio. Everyday I am greeted with a new challenge and a new opportunity to learn and grow. Luckily, my river so far is mostly calm with a few currents here and there, but no huge waterfalls, and I am traveling in a steady boat with a very supportive team. I look forward to every new challenge and developing in my new role.

That’s how my culture thinks?

For our fourth Intercultural Communication workshop, we explored how different cultures reason, regulate, and relate on a scale ranging from very rigid, facts based and individualistic to very loose, emotion based and collective. The material for this workshop came largely from my class Environmental Sustainability Across Cultures with Professor Peter Fordos. In the workshop we had representatives from Australia, the US, Columbia, Spain, and the UK. After learning about the different scales and seeing some examples of how the majority of people in a culture tend to reason, regulate, and relate based on the cultural values they are brought up with, we challenged ourselves to place the members of our group’s countries on the scales and then respond to where our countries had been placed. By the end of the workshop, we all gained new awareness about ourselves, our home culture, and the cultures of our friends in GVI. Thank you everyone for another great workshop!!!

When English class is cancelled…

fruit saladWhat would you do when English class is cancelled? First, some parameters: 1. The English Teacher has an unexpected meeting in a different part of the country. 2. The English classroom and regular classroom for the grade you are meant to work with are both in use for community programs promoting healthy habits such as brushing your teeth and getting regular eye exams. 3. It is raining, quite hard.Our resourceful volunteers took the antsy sixth graders to the covered patio and played Simon Says and Fruit Salad while reviewing all the vocabulary from the current unit. The kids (and volunteers) loved running around and learning through movement. Even with limited Spanish, our three English, Classroom Assistant and Sports volunteers came together and led an engaging lesson for 40 minutes. As their program manager, I was very impressed with their determination, creativity, and energy.

teeth brushingAs a reward, after the class was finished, they were invited to observe the workshop on how to properly brush one’s teeth. I remember a similar presentation in Elementary school called Smile and Style. After talking to the volunteers I learned that these types of presentations are also common in Australia and the UK. It turns out we all learned how to brush our teeth differently! I wonder if there really is one right way…. 🙂

Yes, We DO Love To Learn!

JessicaAfter all the walls were painted, the desks and chairs were sanded, given new wood and painted, the electricity was wired, the ceiling was finished, and the students were begging to enter, there was just one more detail to be added to the new English classroom at Damas. With the help of of stellar arts volunteer, Jessica, and the hard work of the the Damas GVI volunteers, we painted a cool graffiti style mural on the wall of the new English classroom.

P1070906It says “We (symbol of a heart) To Learn.” To make the mural even more special, we had every student from kindergarten to sixth grade place their hand print inside the heart. But, before they did, I explained what the words meant and by placing our hand prints, we agreed that we really do want to learn. One little boy in second grade thought about this and said, “Oh, so this is our signature.”  🙂 The whole project was lots of fun and very motivating for the volunteers and the children. Even though our volunteers come and go, their work lives on. Thank you everyone! Every time I see the mural I think of all the happy times we spent painting it and laughing with the kids together.

Damas Mural-group

Teens and Construction

P1070733Two weeks ago GVI Quepos welcomed a special group of Under 18’s. Fourteen teenagers from the United States and the United Kingdom gave up two weeks of their summer to help us perform maintenance and paint several rural schools.

 

 

 

Under 18I worked with them as they sanded down metal desks and chairs, repainted them, worked on a second coat of paint in a recently built English classroom in Damas, and brighten two more schools with beautiful murals and fresh paint.

 

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At one of the schools, Villa Nueva, the students and faculty wanted to say thank you by dancing a traditional dance for the Under 18’s, and even getting them involved! As a reward for all of their hard work, the group spent the weekend at Manuel Antonio National Park and went surfing. Then, they went on a week long rafting trip. Great job guys!