Camino Claro Blog

Go, Raphel, Go!

It’s almost 10 pm on a Monday night. Eyelids are getting too heavy to look at the fluorescent computer screen much longer. Way past my bedtime, especially on a school night (notice fragmented sentences). Nevertheless, my lemongrass ginger tea and I are still perched on the living room couch finding humor in close-up pictures of Raphel playing soccer from last weekend. At the moment she is walking around the house in a tired haze too. Our conversation just went something like this:

Haley: Raphel, I’m putting a picture of you in the blog

Raphel: Blog? Oh, yeah, okay

Haley: Do you have any insightful quotes to include about your game?

Raphel: uuuhmm, “ECC teachers’ community involvement transcends the classroom.” (Then walks off to her room)

Haley: Wow, eloquent, well said. I think I should not be trying to do something requiring brain cells at this time of night. I’m losing it.

Run like the wind Raphel! Transcend the classroom! I am your biggest fan.

Anyway, too bad they lost… and good thing the waves were breaking on the other side of the soccer field (they only THOUGHT we were diligently watching the game!).

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!

Now we can say we’ve successfully pulled of a bilingual and multicultural baby shower. Add that to ECC’s resume!

Figuring out how to explain the next baby shower game in two languages

Mama- to- be, Katie, shoveling cotton balls into a bowl with a blindfold on. Apparently this type of humor is cross-cultural.

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!