FOLLOW ME AS I BEGIN MY JAPANESE ADVENTURE!

MAY 2-6  SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Part One of my Japanese adventure is in California.  The U.S. teachers will be meeting with Japanese counterparts, taking part in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) seminars, and getting an orientation to the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program.

See:  http://faucherinjapan.blogspot.com/

JAPAN 2010!!!

It's almost exactly a year since I started the Costa Rica blog (March 9, 2090) and I just found out I was accepted to the Japan Fulbright Education for Sustainable Development program for this summer!!! I'm going to San Francisco May 2-6 to meet my Japanese counterparts, then will be in Japan from June 20-July 6. Yeah!
Visit my new blog at http://faucherinjapan.blogspot.com/

For 2010 Toyota Costa Rica Applicants...

I've received a few comments from 2010 applicants. Glad that my blog and pics help give an idea about the program. If you have any desire to take part in a fantastic professional development activity like this, my advice to you is GO FOR IT! APPLY!

TITP was an absolutely wonderful experience. Learning about a new country and culture, not to mention experiencing a new climate (I do live in northern Maine--CR couldn't be more different!), sustainability, meeting colleagues from around the US, and much much more, was an experience of a lifetime.

If I can help answer any questions, please don't hesitate to email.

Gisele Faucher
gisele@madawaskaschools.org

Day Fifteen Boston

I'm at the Courtyard Marriott at Logan Airport for the night. It's been a long day of flying and layovers. I left my CR hotel exactly 13 hours ago. Almost all CR airport employees wore masks (to avoid H1N1 Virus) and many passengers wore masks up to Newark New Jersey. From there, I did not see anymore masks, and I personally never wore one. This flu strain will probably be classified as a global pandemic in the coming days and scientists will learn much about preventing the spread of disease among populations by studying this case. However, this flu does not seem anywhere near as severe and deadly as the strain in the 1918 worldwide flu outbreak. I've been reading The Great Influenza by John Barry for the better part of the year (I only read this book at school during Team Time, Uninterrupted Silent Sustained Reading, so it's not been a fast read!). I'm enjoying the book because it discusses the progression of our science knowledge concerning viruses in a historical context.

During today's flights, I was able to organize a few more of my photos and add them to the flickr account. However, I have about 12 hours of video to edit and compile into a documentary of sorts. This was part of my impact plan, the application that I wrote for the study tour. One of my goals was to inform my students about Costa Rica's efforts in becoming more carbon neutral and sustainable, and by so doing, encourage the same thinking for our own local community. By showing the extent of deforestation and subsequent reforestation efforts, I hope to communicate to my students the interconnectivity of natural environments to many species, and the significance of the global community's reliance on natural resources. A second goal was to bring back as much documentation (pics and videos) about the various biomes (life zones) seen in Costa Rica. I will also have some readings, exercises, and papers to write, to finish the course for credit, as offered by our tour lecturer, Professor Thomas Dunne (Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California at Santa Barbara). In addition, I have a few tasks and assignments to complete for the Institute of International Education. There's lots left to do as the end of the school year nears! I do hope to complete the video project in time to air it on WOWL-Channel 16 before the end of the school year.

Before I got involved with this project, I had no idea that Toyota was so involved with environmental education. I have greatly benefited by being a Toyota International Teacher and I have also become more informed about Toyota's efforts at always trying to better itself as a corporate citizen. Last night, at our final gathering, we were reminded of the KAIZEN philosophy espoused by Toyota that we learned about on Day One of our journey. I've also learned that Toyota has other programs involving education, safety, land, water, air, and communities. (click here to see Toyota Why Not?) I realize that many large corporations fund environmental projects in their efforts to be good corporate citizens, environmentally friendly and carbon neutral. I can say with sincerity that Toyota's efforts are truly making a difference, as I have seen it with my own eyes, and I know that there are 25 more teachers, in addition to the many who previously took part in this educational program, who are returning to their small corners of the US convinced about the importance of environmental education in all disciplines. As our guest speaker stated at Monteverde Institute, "we must teach our children how intricately connected they are to their environment, to include it in all parts of their education, so that they will be good stewards of their natural resources."

Thank you Toyota.

Day Fourteen How Time Flies!

We will be checking out by 8 A.M. and returning to San Jose for our last night in CR. After our last lecture by Professor Dunne, we will visit Purdy Motors (Toyota, of course) then have our final group meeting and dinner. ☹

On Saturday, I fly out of CR and connect in Newark, New Jersey, then Boston, where I will have to spend the night since no connecting flights leave Boston for Presque Isle later Saturday. I will arrive in Presque Isle at 3 P.M. Sunday.

These last two weeks have been absolutely amazing! We have seen much, learned much, and shared much. We are physically exhausted but mentally recharged. Thank you Toyota and I.I.E., but mostly, THANK YOU to the organizers, directors, tour guides, and all those responsible for putting such a fantastic educational experience together. Rhonda, Mike, Tom, Mar-Destinee, Laura, Julio, Isabel, and Vicky: You are the best!

Day Thirteen Monteverde Institute

Two Advils and lots of sleep were all I needed to start a new day. Luckily for me, my roommate was also exhausted, so she crashed out just as I did last night. Those who know me well know that getting more than 6 straight hours of undisturbed sleep is unheard of.

At breakfast, I learned that 11 of the 25 teachers had taken ill during the night: headache, stomach flu (the runs), and vomit. Our guides provided a special electrolyte drink and gave advice on what to eat and not eat to hasten their recovery. Some, after spending a very long night, were weak, but OK to take part in the morning lecture at Monteverde Institute. However, most opted out of the service learning project that followed. Our guides determined that it was not food or water that had caused the illness since we all ate at the same places and many were not ill. The culprit, they think, is likely a rotavirus, common in groups of people that travel together, often on cruise ships. My anti-bacterial hand gel and wipes, used throughout the trip, have come in handy! I’m crossing my fingers that this will pass without affecting me.






service projects

Our talk at the Monteverde Institute focused on sustainability efforts the community has undertaken and local water resource issues. The Monteverde Cloud Forest watershed is 35 km long, furnishes water to 18 communities, has 5 headwater streams and 3 main tributaries. Visible problems include grey water (as in sink and washing machine discharge), black water (septic systems), solid waste, agricultural run-off, and erosion. On top of that, eco-tourism has created the need for a large service industry in this very small population community, leading to an influx of people who have come to work at the large hotels, that have also been built to service the growing tourism industry. There is no municipal infrastructure (i.e., sewer lines) and large hotels have their own treatment systems (!). Most places request that toilet paper not be flushed. We are instructed to use the bathroom waste paper receptacles for TP, so that the flush contains only organic waste. So, you can understand the concern the community people have about preserving their environment, their watershed, yet maintaining a healthy balance with the largest part of their economy, tourism. One of the speakers today spoke about how some farmers, who sold their land for tourism growth 20 years ago are now questioning whether they made the right decision. Many now believe that tourism should not be the only economic resource in t heir community and that they should grow their own food, like they used to just 20-30 years ago, instead of shopping for food at the grocery store. The community is very young in the sense of organization, but it seems to have a lot of the pieces needed to help move forward. They are now officially a municipality, have several community development and conservation boards. They are lacking zoning codes and homes are being built on small lots or close to waterways.



Service Learning: the teacher group, though 8 or so fewer due to illness, was divided into three project groups. One group cleared a pathway, leveled it, and built a small walkway bridge. Though it was true hard labor, they felt really good about their accomplishment. Another group went to a tree plantation and helped move seedlings and fill bags with dirt for other seedlings. The third group, including yours truly, headed to the local stream for a water analysis activity. We measured turbidity, stream flow, temperature, pH, and collected macro-invertebrate samples that were brought back to the Institute for identification and data analysis. I hadn’t done any water testing since about 1995 when I used to bring classes to the St. David cross area and the Frenchville town line (above and below Fraser). Today was a good kick-in-the-butt reminder that our students need to be re-introduced to this activity and taught about the value of our natural resources in northern Maine.

Day Twelve Cloud Forest

(Happy Birthday Marcel and Pierre!)


This morning, we went to the Centro de Educacion Creativa ( aka Cloud Forest School), a private, innovative, bilingual K-11 school serving Monteverde CR. Founded in 1991 by local parents responding to the need to increase educational opportunities for local children, Cloud Forest School emphasizes an environmental education, integrating ecology in all facets of the curriculum. The campus sits on a 106-acre parcel of pastureland and rainforest in the Tilaran mountain range. Several students shared their field class work with us then we hiked up a mountain to view the valley below. Much of the staff consists of American teachers who come to CR for a few years to work as teachers or education consultants. (Anyone interested? I have contact names!)

A visit to the Monteverde Conservation League followed. A few facts:
-25% of Costa Rica is now under some type of protection.
-much of the protected land has been purchased with money that the government was able to keep after certain debts were “forgiven” by other countries (including the US), who agreed to swap debt to protect land.
-another large swath of land was paid for by children, starting in Sweden, then from across the world, who donated pennies and other change for the rainforest cause back in the 1980’s. This is now the Bosque Eterno de Los Ninos, B.E.N., or Children’s Eternal Rainforest.
-in 1961 , 53% of CR was deforested
-B.E.N. contains 6 of the 12 life zones that exist in CR
-the cloud forest (BEN and MV) is the water source for many communities in the area

Later in the afternoon, we took a hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest in the Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde. This was truly a fantastic hike! We walked through forests with giant ficus trees (that grow as parasites on other trees, eventually wrapping completely around the host and killing it), long and thick vines (just like in the Tarzan movies!), and the beautiful music of birds and insects. We walked through showers, and then we walked into the clouds! At one point, we reached “the window”, the top of a mountain where the Continental Divide is. Imagine being on a somewhat narrow mountain ridge and being able to look on one side and view the Caribbean coast, and on the other side, the Pacific Coast. It was cloudy so we could only see part of the forest on either side, but we could definitely see the fast-moving clouds coming from the Caribbean Trade Winds and our guide pointed out the different plants that grow on the Pacific side. Pretty neat!

I was exhausted and even a bit nauseous Wednesday night after having had two mountain hikes during the day, so when the bus dropped us off at our hotel, I headed straight for bed. It was only 6 P.M.! Our days have been filled with a variety of lectures, hikes, and sightseeing tours, and we have had very little free time. Tonight was to be a free night, but my feet and stomach were dictating the need for a rest.

Day Eleven Monteverde

We drove from La Fortuna to Monteverde today. Knowing that we would have a 3-4 hour ride in dirt roads (think rocks and potholes), up and down hillsides, and back and forth on the winding roads, I took an anti-motion sickness pill because I knew I wouldn’t make it without getting sick. I had run out of Dramamine, so a fellow teacher gave me one from his WalMart supply of no-name brand. Let’s just say that my non-drowsy Dramamine formula does not compare to the WalMart stuff! I was knocked out for close to 4 hours and never noticed that the bus stopped twice for bathroom breaks. So, my ride felt like it was nice and short, while a few teachers were green at the gills when we arrived at Monteverde.

Monteverde is located in Puntarenas and is surrounded by huge land reserves, the most famous being the Cloud Forest of Monteverde. What I did not know and found fascinating was how the Monteverde village was settled. In 1951, a group of American Quakers, pacifists and opposed to the military draft in the US (a few were actually jailed in the US for being objectors), moved to Costa Rica, a country that had abolished its army in 1948. They settled in MV and developed the famous Monteverde Cheese Factory which sells $50 million worth of cheese each year. Today, a few of those original Quakers still live here, as do many of their descendents who have since married Ticos (people of Costa Rica). MV is a small community that still reflects a North American influence. After checking into our hotel, El Establo (translates as “the barn”—but definitely NOT a barn), we attended a lecture by Mark Wainwright, a British naturalist who has resided in CR since 1991, and is a famous author of several field guides. A field guide and instructor of tropical ecology, Mark also is famous for having rediscovered the green-eyed frogs after they were assumed extinct for over 20 years (due to changing climates and fungal infections). His lecture was very interesting as he shared excellent slides of the plants and animals of the MV cloud forest.

A few tidbits: one third of the 3000 or so vascular plants in the cloud forest are epiphytes (plants that grow on others), there are more than 500 species of orchids (more than anywhere else in the world), approximately 800 species of trees (10% or 90 of which are avocado species), there is a great variety of humming birds (30 types) and therefore many colorful flowers, specifically designed for humming bird beaks. The forest, with an average temperature of 64 degrees F, is too cool for many snakes and other reptiles, however there are hundreds of thousands of insect species. The Caribbean side of the cloud forest is caused by Trade Winds that carry moisture and the Pacific or downside, where conditions change rapidly. The “Christmas bird count” a count done around the world boasts 350-450 different species. In comparison, a teacher shared that in his Vermont town, the count was 75 different bird species. I know some birders do this in northern Maine, but I don’t know their count.

We also learned about the problems this valuable and fragile forest is experiencing: water, trash, pollution, and other social issues. One of the major problems is the lack of biological corridors between various reserves around the country and even the ocean. The MV cloud forest is like an island surrounded by deforested areas. Animals require these corridors to move from one area to another and allow them larger territories, but with all of the deforestation that has occurred in CR since the 1940’s, there are large isolated areas that are still in need of connectors. For example, one single jaguar requires 40 thousand hectares of land! All of the plants and animals are interconnected in these forests and removing one often cause many other species to be doomed. For example, the three-wattled bell bird, of which only a few hundred exist, eats avocados from the cloud forest trees, and is responsible for dispersing these seeds. Other animals that eat these avocados drop the seeds in their feces, where the tree is already located, without dispersing them too far.


We took part in a night walk in the Cloud Forest Tuesday evening. We had been told to pack flashlights or head lights, so we were prepared to walk in the dark. I can say it now that it’s over: this was the activity that I dreaded the most. Spiders and I aren’t friends, and even though I can tolerate insects, I usually don’t go looking for them. My farm stay prepared me (a bit) to accept a few bugs, but I kept my mouth shut (literally!) and followed the leader (right on his heels, actually!). I can’t tell you how many spiders I saw crawling on the ground, and it seems that I’m the only one who would see them, since I was looking out for them. We did see some pretty neat insects though, including a clicker beetle that has two glow-in-the-dark spots and firefly larvae, which blink just like the mature fireflies. We have fireflies in Maine, but I had never seen the glowing larvae. We saw spittle bugs and their spit piles, various crickets, a tiny frog, and other organisms. One teacher in another group had fire ants crawling up her pants. I was happy to have taken part in this trek, but I was also relieved it was finished. There was something spooky about being in a noisy rainforest, in the dark, always paranoid that some insect would fall on my head from the forest canopy or jump up from the plants.

Day Ten Arenal Volcano

We hiked Arenal Volcano today, one of the top ten most active volcanoes in the world. 5,437 feet high, Arenal has daily eruption activity, usually accompanied by slow lava effusion and occasional pyroclastic flows (streams of hot gas, rocks and lava that can travel up to 80 mph!). While I did not see any light shows, a few teachers said they saw some orange flare ups during the night. We could hear the rumblings from the hotel, but we heard them much better during the hike. We could also see boulders rolling down the west side of the volcano and stirring up some lava dust. The hike up the mountain to view the volcano was very interesting as we passed areas of previous lava flows and other parts of old growth rain forest. Our guides were invaluable, identifying a poisonous snake ( yellow eyelash viper), plants, and the geography of the area. They even taught some teachers how to taste the termites growing in a tree trunk. NO, I didn’t taste them, but I’m told by those who did try them that they were minty or tasted like mint or cinnamon. As if that would make me change my mind to taste them!!

We saw a Jesus Christ lizard, so named because it can walk on water. Though this one was just sitting pretty on grass, we did see other lizards like this scurry across water on their hind legs when we were at Earth University.

We also saw a coati on the side of the road, on our way back to Hotel Kioro.


We had another interesting lecture by Professor Dunne (Environmental Consequences of Land Use) and took part in a canopy tour before dinner. The canopy tour was either a zip line or a tram ride through the rainforest, above the canopy. I chose the tram (I had no desire to dislocate my shoulders!) and am happy I did—we were able to film the trip, stop and identify flora and fauna, and enjoy the sounds of the rainforest. The tram riders also had an additional forest hike at the top of the mountain, in the cloud forest. It’s pretty neat seeing the creatures and plants that grow in some of Earth’s wettest places. Think about getting over 200 inches of rain per year!

Day Nine Hotel Kioro

We arrived back at Earth University after the home stays and reloaded the buses for our next leg of this journey: La Fortuna, a small town in the province of Alajuela, located at the foot of Arenal Volcano. Our directors had hinted that we would really appreciate our new location after having stayed at rustic (!) farms. Little did we know they were not exaggerating!

The drive to La Fortuna was very scenic as we went through small villages and farmland (pineapple and hearts of palm plantations). We had a rest stop at the “iguana bridge”, where the locals set food out daily and green iguanas have learned to get free food, then bask in the sun, sitting on tree limbs. We were lucky to also see a howling monkey in the tree, swinging from branch to branch with his prehensile tail, as he found and ate leaves (or fruit?) in the trees. Tres cool!

Arriving at Hotel Kioro, we immediately knew that we were in a posh location. My new roommate for this stay, Abby, and I walked into a very large suite, decorated with fresh cut flowers (birds of paradise) and the most spectacular view of Arenal Volcano! We also had a 5-7 person hot tub, two balconies, front view and volcano view, and the most comfortable beds yet. This was way more than making up for the farm stays! The hotel boasted 7-8 hot springs, just off one of the pools.

After another fantastic meal, 25 happy teachers spent the better part of the night hot spring “hopping”, starting at the top (hottest) and making our way to each of the springs.

Day Eight Finca La Virgen

Second 5 A.M. bird watch this morning.

After visiting Earth University’s sustainable farms, we were off to the “home stays”. This is the first time that Toyota does this part of the trip and our directors were anxious to hear about our experiences. There were five teachers in my group.

The bus ride there was a challenge as we were climbing steep hills with dirt roads in worse condition than ANY potato field road I’ve ever seen. We’re talking BIG rocks and MAJOR potholes. I don’t think they have ever passed a grader on the road, either because the communities don’t have one or because the road gets destroyed during the wet season. Even walking in these very narrow roads is a challenge.

Anyway, my home stay was at a cacao farm called Finca La Virgen (The Virgin Farm). We were greeted by Chipita, an elderly woman who is trying to organize her eco-tourist business by letting travelers stay with her and learn about the process of cultivating cacao, which is the bean used to make chocolate. Chipita’s home was very modest: no windows just chicken wire with shutters, cement floor, wood board walls with daylight (or twilight!) cracks, and a very small, ancient cast iron wood stove on the porch for cooking. Chipita did have a refrigerator, but that was about the only convenience.

We had all of our meals at her son’s home, just 20 or so feet away. Fernando, the son, was actually our bus driver (so he knew the road and every obstacle!). His house was much more modern, painted stucco, nice tile floors, flat screen TV, modern appliances, etc. That is the difference between someone who drives for Earth University and someone who is trying to make a living with a small farm. Chipita, Fernando, Bibianne (wife) and Yorkin (son, spelled phonetically) were very welcoming and tried to make their five guests as comfortable as possible. Chipita gave us a lesson on how to make tortillas, which we ate with the dinner Bibianne had prepared for us.

After dinner Saturday night, we played a game with Yorkin, trying to teach him a few English words. Luckily for us, one of the teachers, Karenina, originally from Mexico but now living in Missouri, translated the entire time of the home stay. We shared pictures of our homes, families, and schools, and Chipita just kept saying that she wanted to visit each one of us, but besides the cost, getting a Visa to come to the US was very difficult.



I went to bed that night, dressed in my clothes and wrapped in a bed sheet, as there were may bugs in Chipita’s house. I had also brought Wet Ones (small towelettes) because I knew that bathroom facilities might be limited.

In the morning, we started visiting Chipita’s farm. She had all kinds of fruit trees: bananas, star fruit, oranges, coconuts, guava, but her farm was mostly cacao trees on a hillside. We learned about the various species of cacao, the growing season, how to collect the seeds, ferment them, dry them, and roast them. Chipita made hot chocolate for us and prepared chocolate “candy”. She then showed us how she packages the product to sell. I’m happy to say that the five teachers staying at Chipita’s stimulated the economy in that part of the world—she was very happy to have sold some of her cacao, nicely packaged in banana paper with a hand-painted logo.

We also planted several cacao trees in Chipita’s plantation. She told us that she would never forget her new friends because she would have the trees to remind her.

Day Seven Earth University Part II

My last post talked about cimarrona…this is a band typically made of five musicians that play trumpet, saxophone, cymbals, and drums. The word comes from the Spanish word for “wild” and was used to describe a band of self-taught musicians. Mascaradas means masquerade.

Julio Fernandez, one of our guides from the start of this trip, presented a summary of the history of Costa Rica. A history buff, Fulbright recipient, National Geographic guide, and new entrepeneur (chocalatier), among other things, Julio is very knowledgeable and a joy to listen to. I'm bringing some of his chocolate home--it is amazing! Check out his website here.

Day Seven Earth University

This is a private, international university that provides a participatory/experiential education. There are 410 students from around the world who come here to learn about sustainable agriculture in humid tropical regions. I had not expected the campus to be so large and beautiful. We lived in dorms that had private bathrooms and pick-up laundry service (yeah!). The food was excellent--they have their own cattle, pigs, banana plantations, pineapple plantations, etc.

We started the day at 5 a.m. with a bird watch. It had rained on/off and we lucked out, being able to hit the trail at the right time, when many species came out between the showers. In fact, one of our guides counted 32 different species of birds seen within one hour! Besides the lectures we had at Earth University, there are a few highlights to this visit. I was able to check off a few items from my "things to see while in Costa Rica list": green iguanas, toucan birds, and a giant beetle. I have pictures of everything, but am technical having difficulties linking my flickr photo site. Please click HERE to visit ALL of my pictures, or go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/giselefaucher

Earth University recycles everything and is carbon neutral. We were able to tour the entire banana plantation and packaging plant, and the livestock area, where animal wastes produce methane gas that is collected in giant storage bags and is used as an energy source in various capacities. All of the wasted cafeteria food is also collected and fed to the pigs.

Have you ever heard of banana crossings? Seriously! They have a system of cables that large bunches of bananas are attached to, with a lead driver pulling the cable on a motorized contraption that goes from the field to the packaging plant, crossing roads in some locations, where a gate comes down, much like a railroad crossing.


We also had our first school visit on Friday. We spent the morning at a secondary school, grades 7-12, talking with staff and students and sitting in on classes. The CR teachers also joined us for lunch. The school classrooms are open to the environment via the doorways and half walls (no windows, just grates). Students wear uniforms and take similar classes that our students do at MHS. However, there are very little tools, materials, and equipment, and there are no lab facilities. Though poor and very rural, students seemed to be getting a good education.

Friday night's dinner was at Costa Flores Garden. Our directors had a special surprise in store for us. The long driveway into the garden was lined with lit torches, and as we approached the site, we saw an amazing open air "stage" that was built of native wood and dried palm and shaped like a boat. The entire reception area was nicely decorated with fresh flower arrangements, including a few beautifully decorated 5-6 foot pieces hanging from the ceiling. It almost looked like the setting for Survivor, with the torches, hand-crafted boat, swamps and lily pads... Our barbecue dinner was excellent (as have been all our meals). Midway through the evening, we were again surprised with the sound of drums and instruments, sounding almost like a Mardi Gras brass band. This was the arrival of the cimarronas and and mascaradas (music and characters dancing). What a great night!

Day Six Guayabo National Park

Happy 50th Birthday Daniel!!

Guayabo Parque Nacional Monumento Arqueologico ( Guayabo National Park)

On our way to Earth University, we visited this fascinating archaeological site near Turrialba, a small town in the Central Valley of the Cartago province. This site was occupied between 1000 B.C. and 1400 B.C.but then was mysteriously abandoned. This is Costa Rica's only pre-Columbian site that is open to the public. We saw ancient stone carvings of alligator and jaguar gods, ingeniously engineered Pre-Columbian aqueducts where water still flows, and paved roads receding into a lush rainforest.

We encountered leaf cutter ants on the trail:



On our way to Earth University, we stopped for lunch at the Hacienda Tayutic in Turrialba and visited the old sugar mill where we saw how sugar used to be extracted from sugar cane using an ox.

Money in CR

The monetary system of Costa Rica is essentially single-unit based, with the unit of Costa Rican money being called the Costa Rican Colón. The names and relative values of the coins depicted at left are, from left to right:

* Five Colónes - (5 Colónes)
* Ten Colónes - (10 Colónes)
* Twenty-five Colónes - (25 Colónes)
* Fifty Colónes - (50 Colónes)
* One Hundred Colónes - (100 Colónes)
* Five Hundred Colónes - (500 Colónes)

The paper bills are very large numbers compared to American money: The exchange rate is approximately 550 Colones for every American Dollar. That means that for $20, I could get approx. 11,000 Colones; for $100, I would get 55,000 Colones. I've never had FIFTY THOUSAND of anything in my wallet until now!! My ice cream cone tonight cost 1350 Colones, or a little more than $2... ($3 X 550 Colones = 1650 Colones).

Day Five San Jose CR

We visited NatureAir, a carbon-neutral airline. In short, this means that this company, in an environmentally conscious way, is offsetting what it creates in emissions (pollution) and what it uses in the environment (together called its carbon footprint), by purchasing and conserving natural habitat, by recycling, and by minimizing use of resources. Employees of this airline also bring used cooking oil back to the company for recycling and the company purchases used restaurant cooking oil, recycles it, and uses it in its fleet of ground vehicles. This is called biodiesel, and is a cleaner, recycled fuel. Have you seen a the soot released from a diesel engine when started? Biodiesel has no emission, but it does smell like french fries when it exits the exhaust! In doing these things, NatureAir is doing what it can to be a better steward of the Earth. I have noticed a lot of trash near highways and in the city. CR has a way to go before everyone buys in to the recycling movement, but there are some companies that are doing what they can to educate the people.

Costa Rica is known as the Green Republic. Green as in environmentally friendly, eco-tourism, etc. However, there is much work to be done. Their infrastructure (sewers and water) need major overhauls because of lack of upkeep and fast population increases. Much rain forest has been cut to make room for grazing animals (cattle), or for crops. In fact, CR is the #1 producer of pineapple, with coffee and bananas close behind. All of these cash crops require clearing land, which destroys natural habitats, and in turn leads to disappearing animal species.

This afternoon, we visited University for Peace, a United Nations mandated school that was established in the early 80's in Costa Rica. This is a graduate school with students from all over the world studying Peace and Conflict Studies, with its mission "to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence." In today's world, that's a giant undertaking. We visited the campus, had a picnic lunch, and took part in a lecture on Climate Change and the Threat to Peace. The average citizen doesn't fully realize (or believe) just how much the climate is changing (data is the proof!) and what role resources play in world peace. (Think of oil and the war in Iraq, or the Somalian pirates, or the scarcity of water and food in some areas of the world and the wars that it causes...)

The mountains of CR are the perfect location for this small university.

We depart for another part of the country tomorrow: Guacimo. We will be staying at the Earth University for a couple of days. Hopefully, I will have access to the internet. Click on image to expand.

2009 TITP Group Photo at US Embassy Costa Rica

Photo by Regina Reyna, TITP teacher from Texas

Day Four San Jose, Costa Rica

The National Museum was unexpectedly closed today so we went to the Jade Museum instead and got a lesson on Pre-Columbian artifacts. I really enjoyed learning about the history of CR's culture, artwork, and how the people lived. Ms. Provenzano would have gone nuts seeing all the artifacts! I filmed most of it and someday hope to put a clip together for her art classes. You've heard of Stonehenge and Easter Island statues? Have you ever heard of Costa Rica's stone spheres? (Click on each of the colored words to learn more.)

We had a great lunch at El Chicote, a very elegant barbecue restaurant. Yes, it was a fancy restaurant for what they called "barbecue". We are being fed too well!

The US Embassy visit was interesting. We could not bring cameras or other electronics and we walked through a metal detector. One person was allowed to get a group picture on the embassy's front steps, with strict guidelines. I will obtain a copy.The embassy is a beautiful building surrounded by much security--more so than the other embassies we've walked by. Three V.I.P.'s lectured on their jobs and roles in Costa Rica and Central America as part of the Foreign Service. We did not get to meet the ambassador, but the talk was nonetheless interesting. We really see a different view of the U.S.'s role when out of country.

We had about an hour to spare before dinner tonight so a few of us (3 women) decided to go get souvenirs at the open market, an artisan bazaar that one of our groups had visited earlier. While we knew about the dangers of pick pockets, we were warned by a lady on the street to watch out for our bags as she had seen a suspicious man eyeing us. Then at the market, a shop owner told us to take off our earrings (they were nothing fancy but were gold hoops) because thieves come from behind, grab both earrings and say something like, "this can hurt or not", and if you don't give them the earrings quickly, they tear them from your ears! Needless to say, we removed our earrings. This can happen in any large city anywhere in the world, but here, we stand out quite easily as tourists and therefore are good targets.

After dinner, we had a lecture entitled "Peace with Nature" by Dr. Pedro Leon, a scientific adviser to CR President Oscar Arias. He spoke about CR's initiative to be carbon-neutral by 2021. See an article in National Geographic about what carbon-neutral means by clicking here.

Tomorrow, we head out early to Tobias Bolanos International Airport, to visit NatureAir, the world's first carbon-neutral airline and alternative fueling station. Then we will go to La Universidad Para La Paz (Peace University) to tour the campus and hear a lecture by Professor Jan Breitling, "Climate Change and its Threat to Peace".

New photos are currently streaming to the right.

Posts to come

Today we are going to the US Embassy. I don't know if the US Ambassador to CR will be there--he is Peter Cianchette, originally from Maine. We will also visit the National Museum this afternoon.

I added a small post to Sunday's Everglades, but I am not finished. I chose to get to bed last night to try to rid myself of the cold I came down with before leaving. The sleep helped greatly and after today's activities, I should be able to catch up with some posts.

Check out the linked podcasts on Sunday's blog.

Day Three Costa Rica

We flew into CR today. We are two hours behind Madawaska, so the day will be a bit longer. The hotel we are staying at for three days has free wireless, so I will be able to catch up with my posts. For now, I'll share my first Costa Rican meal with you. The red salad is a popular Christmas salad here, called the Russian salad (!). It is made with beets and potatoes and mayo. Our group leader said her mother also adds apples and carrots. It was very good! We also had black beans, white rice, beef "stew", chicken, a tortilla, and another side of potatoes. Very good!

The group meets in 15 minutes for a walking tour of San Jose, the capitol of CR.

More later...

Day Two Miami

Everglades National Park

I don't have the time to write a post yet, but I will add a video clip of an alligator we saw at the ENP! Actually, there were several, but one in particular gave us a performance. The bird is an anhinga...more on those later.


It's Tuesday, but I wanted to return and finish the Sunday post. Back to the alligators...listen to an interesting podcast about this fascinating animal by clicking here.

The Everglades National Park was an excellent example of what humans do to change the environment. Lake Okeechobee, a large lake in the south part of Florida is at the north end of the Everglades, which are huge wetlands, sometimes called swamps. It has a multitude of habitats, and is the largest subtropical wilderness in the US, boasting many rare and endangered species. View a great video about the Everglades here.

We discussed how the National Park Service is undergoing a 40-year restoration project to redirect the flow of fresh water to it's more natural route and we learned a lot about the invasive species (plant and animal) that have greatly affected the area. When I return, we'll talk about these invasive species in class. For now, I'll just tell you that the python is one of the species not natural to this area. People have let them loose because they became unmanageable as pets. Now, the area has a large number of pythons (one estimate states in the hundred thousands!), that are now preying upon and greatly reducing the numbers of other species.

Day One Miami

Left Madawaska at 3:30 a.m. to get to the Presque Isle airport for 5 a.m. (No moose sightings on the way!) Flights were smooth and I slept most of the way. I really enjoyed landing in Washington DC and saw many of the monuments from a great vantage point. A driver was waiting for me at Miami International, but my suitcase never arrived. It has been tracked and will be delivered between now and 8 a.m. Improvise for tonight!

I've met the other 24 teachers, the Toyota representatives, and the staff from IIE (Institute of International Education), who are organizing this trip on behalf of Toyota. We took part in a simulation this afternoon on the Japanese kaizen philosophy of constant improvement that Toyota espouses for its management and operations: the Toyota Production System (TPS). We "built" model cars using the typical assembly line method and repeated the activity using the TPS. Pretty interesting results.

Dinner tonight had a Cuban flair: Cuban chicken, carmelized plantains, black rice/beans, and tres leches bread pudding with cinnamon or pistachio creme brule. The waiter had everyone try fried plantains. They were very good, like a think, crisp french fry or potato chip, only made with plantains. A plantain is like a large green banana, but more starchy, harder, and is eaten as a vegetable rather than a fruit.


We will have a lecture by Professor Dunne in the morning then we are off to visit the Everglades.

A porter was just at the door; my suitcase has arrived!

Departure

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go...

Not really, but it is a good song...

Saturday, April 18
Depart from Presque Isle, 6 a.m., connections at Boston's Logan Airport and Washington's Reagan Airport. Arrive at Miami International Airport at 2:20 p.m.

Orientation, lectures, and Tour of the Everglades April 18-20

Monday, April 20
Depart from Miami at 9:55 a.m.
Arrive San Jose, Costa Rica at 10:40 a.m. (local time)

I'm anxious and excited, but also leaving with mixed feelings. I have never been away from my kids for two weeks at a time! They are in good hands.

Speaking Spanish

Being fluent in Spanish was not a requirement to apply for this program, but it would be a big benefit. Sadly I am not fluent in Spanish. However, many words are similar to French, a language I am fluent in! For example, spider = araignée (Fr.) = araña (Sp.)

No me gustan las arañas. I think that means "I DON'T LIKE SPIDERS!", but on second thought, it may mean "I DON'T LIKE TO EAT SPIDERS." Either way, I don't like them and I don't want to eat them! Give me snakes, cockroaches, June bugs, scorpions (!), or any other critter--but do not show me spiders! My brother Marcel told me they are big and hairy in CR. I responded by telling him that I will bring netting to completely cover my body, to which he replied, "Don't bring a net! You'll need a baseball bat!" Augghh.


Anyway, back to not knowing the Spanish language, except for a few simple words...when we take part in the homestay, school visits, and teacher meetings, the whole purpose is to share information about each other, ideas about teaching, etc. Since we don't know how fluent our hosts are with the English language, it was suggested to us that we bring photos to share so that some type of communication can happen. I will bring photos of my family and school. In addition, my cousin Paul Cyr from Presque Isle, an excellent photographer, has provided a ton of pictures for me to share with our hosts. The photos I selected focus on farming, snowy winters, and wildlife. (Click here to visit Paul's pictures, or go to www.northernmainephotos.com and in the gallery, select his name.)

In addition, I am bringing photos of MHS students visiting Roger Lavertu's maple sugar camp in Madawaska. Hopefully, the farming, snow, and maple sugaring will provide enough to "talk" about.

Click here to learn basic Spanish.

Preventative Health Measures

The Center for Disease Control, CDC, reports that malaria, dengue, lyme disease, and other insect borne diseases are present in Central America. Costa Rica does not require any specific immunizations before entering the country, unless a traveler is arriving from countries where yellow fever is prevalent. However, the CDC recommends vaccinations for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, Typhoid, and ensuring that routine vaccinations are up-to-date (MMR, DPT, Polio, and Tetanus). In addition, malaria pills are recommended. In the last two months, I have received the necessary injections and have now started taking the weekly anti-malaria pill.

Many of these diseases are spread via mosquitos, therefore the best preventative measure is to wear long sleeves and pants during rainforest hikes, and use an insect repellent containing DEET.

In addition, I am traveling with a prescription antibiotic (in case it is needed), and various over-the-counter medicines (Advil, Immodium, Benadryl, and Dramamine).

Practicalities in CR

We will have internet service in some of our hotels and internet cafés, though there will be a cost. I intend to organize my writing, download the photos, etc. off-line, so that when I have internet access, I will be able to cut/paste and attach the files more quickly.

There is one state-owned phone company in Costa Rica (it also provides electricity, internet, and cell service!), called Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad, ICE. I will be purchasing a phone card so that I can call and check in with my family back in Maine.

We will be able to do laundry in a few hotels. (Thank God--I have to travel light!)


Accomodations: I'll be sharing hotel rooms with another teacher, will stay at Earth University, and will have a homestay at Finca La Virgen, a self-sustaining farm where we will learn how chocolate is made beginning from the cocoa seed to the final product. There will be several different homestays for groups of teachers at various farms that produce coffee, bananas, cheese, medicinal plants, teas, livestock, and tilapia (fish). Though all farms sound interesting, I'm quite happy with my assignment! (Note: select colored words in text for links to sites)

Weather

There are two seasons in CR: rainy season or invierno and dry season or verano. The rainy season begins in mid to late April and continues through December or so. The wettest months are July and November, while the driest months are February through March.

The temperature on the Caribbean slope of CR changes very little throughout the year. Mean temperature is about 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius). It receives an average of 120 inches of rain per year (that's 10 feet!). We've been told to bring a rain coat and umbrella.

Time Zone

CR has approximately 12 hours of sunlight each day, year round, 6.a.m. to 6 p.m. Daylight savings time is not observed.

Click here for current local time and weather in Costa Rica.

Preparation

The next few posts will be about how I'm getting ready for this voyage. Due to in-country travel, I can only check-in one piece of luggage, 40 lbs. max! The key is to pack multi-use or mix/match pieces that are preferably light weight.

I will also carry a backpack containing my laptop computer, video camera, digital camera and all the peripherals (portable drives, cables, memory cards, etc.). Our itinerary lists clothing expectations for each activity: nice casual (for visiting schools and the U.S. Embassy, and for a few special dinners), casual (for traveling between communities, visiting museums and universities, tours, and lectures), and outdoors (for walks and hikes in the National Parks, and the homestay).

The trip organizers have also sent a list of items that we must bring, including appropriate hiking shoes, rainjacket and umbrella, hat, head lamp and batteries, sunscreen, bug repellent, personal first aid kit, binoculars, wildlife books, and a journal.

I am also packing gifts for our hosts and the students we will be visiting. In selecting appropriate gifts, I had to remember that I wanted the gifts to represent Maine, be small and light weight (remember, 40 lbs!), and not too expensive, as I wanted to bring enough for all students and teachers we will visit. State Representative Ken Theriault of Madawaska made it possible for me to purchase two different pins: Dirigo Maine and a combination US/Maine flags pins. The Augusta office also threw in a bunch of lobster pins. Martha Lavertu contacted the Maine Potato Board and obtained Maine potato pins. (THANK YOU ALL!)

I have also purchased small samples of Maple syrup, small bags of hard maple drops, and two gift boxes of maple sugar candies for the homestay hosts. I do not intend to haul these back to Maine!

Intro. Biology students

This post is for my intro. to biology students who are learning to use the blogspot and the wiki. Your short assignment after you read this is to send a question concerning my future travels...something you would like me to look for in Costa Rica or the Everglades, or something you want to know about concerning the culture, students, food, animals, etc. Students, please send a quick question via the comment link below. ~Mrs. F.

We are 25 Teachers

Some of my students have been asking, "Who's going with you?". We are 25 teachers representing 22 states. If you click on the above diagram, it will open in its own window, then you can "Ctrl + " to zoom in or "Ctrl - " to zoom out. You can also use those same commands to enlarge the maps below. To view other teachers on the Teacher Wiki pages, click here.

Where is Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is in Central America with Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. CR has two coast lines: Caribbean and Pacific.

I'm setting up the blog!

A blog? I thought I'd never do this, but here I am!

As a member of the Costa Rica study tour, I would like to be able to communicate with my students in Maine, while I travel. The Toyota International Teacher Program (TITP) and the Institute for International Education (IIE) have provided all the tools (a wiki, a flickr account, etc.) and I just have to learn to use them! I've got about 6 weeks to practice!