Camino Claro Blog

One step closer to an eco-friendly community

I hope we didn’t give the impression that getting Pavones to evolve into a recycle-minded community was going to be an easy or quick process. Did we? Haha. Well, don’t worry, we ARE making progress at an expectedly slow pace in this tiny, rural beach town. As usual we have big dreams but we have learned to be patient as everything falls into its place as it should.

The good news is that the mayor has approved and agreed to fund a community recycling facility in Pavones! Apparently the paperwork is being processed and we are on our way. Though this sounds very positive, it will be a little while until we actually see any results. It is sort of funny but the local government has an awesome ability to operate so slowly that it almost seems as though they are moving in the other direction.

Since the construction and implementation of a real functioning recycling center in Pavones might be a complicated and tedious process, Haley and I have found a way to appease our dreams…

Escuela Camino Claro now has its own (small and adorable) recyclng center!

We are able to recycle plastic, glass, and aluminum cans at our “center” (look at the pictures and you might question whether or not I can call it a “center” yet).  Haley and I have been teaching our kids about recycling and making sure they understand WHY it is important. I don’t think they understand the concept just yet but at least they are aware.

Currently, we are still collecting the town’s recycling at our building once a month. The truck is scheduled to come and pick it up…yesterday. So, we’ll see how long these black plastic bags and pyramid stacked wine bottles adorn our building. Hopefully they are picked up sooner than later because I am pretty sure that ALL of tourists must think that Haley and I REALLY like to drink.

On that note, stay posted for more updates in the near future!

Becky, you are a star!

Teaching English to a group of three to five-year-olds is not an easy feat, especially when a) you don’t know how many will show up on any given day, b) they all speak different levels (and versions) of English and Spanish, and c) their parents work next door so they can, in fact, decide to leave halfway through the class, with no real consequences. Which is why, on behalf of everyone here at Escuela Camino Claro,

Our hats go off to you, Becky!

Our pre-K class is designed to merge native English and Spanish speakers, ages 3-5, into a bilingual environment where basic English communication and comprehension are the objectives. The class is held three times a week for one hour. Throughout the 2009 school year, this class has been very consistent with between five and nine students per class, making it one of our largest classes. This success is hopeful for us because these children will easily be able to integrate into our more advanced ESL and Home School classes in future years. What a joy to hear all the little ones saying their colors, numbers, and even a “please” and “thank you” when cookies and juice are served.

Becky has been our wonderful and dedicated pre-K teacher all year and has done a GREAT JOB keeping everyone motivated with her good energy and creativity. Thank you for all your great work, and just look how cute they are!

Apologies for the delay in posting the fabulous FINISHED MURAL, which is displayed on the wall of Pavones’ public school.

We all agree that the final product looks amazing and that it was a huge success. Thank you to Alex and Hadas and all the little helping hands, all of whom made the mural an aesthetically pleasing and culturally-inspiring piece of art!

Día de los Árboles

Who knew Costa Rica had a national tree day? Figures, considering 12% of the country is made up of National Parks and the tourism industry thrives off the rainforest and its diverse flora and fauna.

So here we are in Pavones, celebrating our bounty by sembrando árboles (planting trees) around the recently-installed playground! It was quite a spectacle last Monday, beginning with a parade leading from Pavones’ public grade school down the half mile path to the plaza in the center of town.

The children marched with signs, bearing seedlings in their arms and smiles on their faces (or where they just happy to be out of class and in the sun?). After a brief opening to reiterate the importance of Tree Day, they eagerly filled holes dug by a few parent volunteers and planted around 50 small trees and plants all around the newest addition to Pavones’ centro. Many members of the community also came to support the efforts and donate their small plants.

It was certainly a refreshing sight to witness so many young people get excited about planting trees and beautifying their town, which, inevitably, fosters a heightened respect for the environment. Indeed, the future is hopeful!

Escuela Camino Claro’s littlest ones got their hands dirty, literally: ECC’s pre-k teacher, Becky, with some of her class planting a palm tree.

A Mural Project

After several consecutive Saturdays of preparation, our amateur artists were finally ready to get their hands (and feet) dirty and start painting the mural on Pavones’ public school, Escuela Las Gemelas.

Over the past month, varying groups of children have showed up for weekend workshops with Hadas, a parent and local art teacher, to learn about patterns we find in our environment. With Hadas’ artistic expertise, and some help from the ECC teachers, children were encouraged to think about the uniqueness of the Costa Rican culture and, more specifically, their home in Pavones. With a bit of practice, the children easily discovered how colorful patterns can be and how abundant they are in all areas of our life.

With a professional touch from mural artist Alex Lanau (website), the wave backdrop was a perfect palette for the kids to let loose and find their pattern. I was impressed with their dedication, originality, artistic skills: it really is turning into a piece of art that represents the essence of Pavones.

The mural is looking good so far (as Hadas and Raphel are demonstrating), but stay tuned next week for the finished product.

Take a closer look… ¡Qué lindo!

Mural Painting Project 2009

Last Saturday, Escuela Camino Claro initiated its yearly goal of collaborating with Pavones’ public school, Escuela Las Gemelas, in a project to beautify one rather dull wall.

In the first session of a three-weekend workshop, our crew of ECC participants, Raphel, Haley, and several students, showed up to help out with this community service project. Seeing at least a dozen kids at the school’s Biblioteca (library) on a weekend was quite inspiring: it was a muggy, hot day with a new swell in town and a few soccer partidos going on in the plaza to boot. But, afterall, who wouldn’t want to play with colors, read stories, and make human patterns?

Thanks to Hadas, the art teacher volunteer and co-founder of Pavones’ first library, the project was orquestrated beautifully and the children spent the first session learning how to recognize patterns, find that they are abundant in everyday life, and appreciate patterns throughout different cultures. With the help of Pavones resident and skilled muralist, Alex Lanau (check out his surf art at http://www.myspace.com/alexlanau), the currently bare wall will soon be covered in an aesthetic mesh of unique patters and designs painted by the children. Stay tuned in a few weeks for the final project and in the meantime check out some photos…

Human patterns are FUN (and a little challenging)!

Some of the students designing their own patterns on paper

Raphel and Alex are displaying some of the examples of a finished mural: come back and check in a few weeks for the real thing!