There are 15 days before I leave for Costa Rica and I have been in overdrive with preparations for the trip. I've been reading my Lonely Planet guide for potential weekend excursions. Took a trip to MEC to buy myself some water purification drops and trail shoes. I also got a nifty little hidden wallet which hangs around your neck under your clothes so you can keep your valuables safe from pickpockets. This will probably come in most handy around the "Coca Cola", which is San Jose's sketchy bus terminal near a now defunct Coca Cola plant. I also bought a gift for my host family at a Vancouver tourist shop. I didn't want to get anything too tacky so I got them a little black box with Native designs on it. I hope they like it.
I've also got to give a Big Thanks to my family, who have been really supportive of my trip. My parents bought my plane tickets using their airmiles. My relatives have been very generous with donations to the orphanage and to help me pay for the trip. Thanks to you guys and everyone else who has donated or wished me good luck!
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
My Host Family
Well, I've received some info about my host family. Here's what IFRE sent me:
Olga (Gina, 50-60) likes to cook and talk, Ulises (50-60) likes nature, Esteban Avila (17) is studying physical education and likes sports. They like to spend time with the family.
So I still know almost nothing about them. Not even the womans name... Is it Olga or Gina? That might be awkward when I get there but I guess I've got a 50-50 chance of getting it right. From the looks of it, everyone but Ulises might be disappointed when I get there. Let's see... Cooking is not a strong suit of mine. Talking, lol, my Spanish is pretty weak. I hate sports and am completely useless at them. I do like nature though.
Joking aside, I really hope they're nice and friendly. Fingers crossed.
Olga (Gina, 50-60) likes to cook and talk, Ulises (50-60) likes nature, Esteban Avila (17) is studying physical education and likes sports. They like to spend time with the family.
So I still know almost nothing about them. Not even the womans name... Is it Olga or Gina? That might be awkward when I get there but I guess I've got a 50-50 chance of getting it right. From the looks of it, everyone but Ulises might be disappointed when I get there. Let's see... Cooking is not a strong suit of mine. Talking, lol, my Spanish is pretty weak. I hate sports and am completely useless at them. I do like nature though.
Joking aside, I really hope they're nice and friendly. Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Hogar de Vida orphanage
Here is some more information about the Hogar de Vida orphanage.
Hogar de Vida was established in 1995 and is located in the small rural town of Atenas, Costa Rica. The orphanage began to provide homes for children who grow up in Costa Rican hospitals after being abandoned there. It is run by Tim and Dena Stromstad and partnered with Children of Promise International and World Orphans. There are currently two homes housing about 13 children each and a third home is being built. Children are aged 0-10. From what I can tell, there is a staff of 5 working at the orphanage along with volunteers.
Children placed in the home have been removed from their homes due to abuse of neglect and are placed at Hogar de Vida for 6-12 months while Child Services investigates. Following the investigation, children are either returned to their family, placed with extended family or remain at Hogar de Vida but become available for adoption into a new family. Many children stay longer than a year due to delays in the social system, difficulties placing large sibling groups or physical or mental disabilities. Child Services of Costa Rica provides about half the estimated cost to raise each child so Hogar de Vida relies on donations from individuals and organizations.
You can check out the websites for Hogar de Vida in Links. I'm getting really excited after looking at all the photos of these kids and reading past newsletters! They are so cute!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Welcome
Hi Everyone,
In a little over a month, I am going to Costa Rica for 4 weeks to volunteer at Hogar de Vida, an orphanage for children who've been taken from their home due to abuse or neglect. I'm keeping this blog for a couple of reasons. The first is to keep friends and family posted on what I'm up to without having to write a ridiculous number of emails each week. The second is to raise a bit of money for supplies at the orphanage and possibly to help with the cost of the trip. And the third is just to put the information out there for people who might be interested in volunteering in the future.
I've been looking forward to taking this trip for a while now. I've spent so much time at UBC that I really wanted to make the most of my year off. There are a lot of reasons why I wanted to take this trip, not the least of which is that I love a good challenge. Some people might not find it too appealing to travel to a foreign country by themselves, stay with a family they've never met before and chase after snot-nosed kids all day but I really can't think of anything better. I want to spend some time helping kids that didn't get all the opportunities I did. I want to get to know a different country and culture from the inside. And hey, maybe the experience will help steer me towards a research area I am really passionate about for grad school. Also, I think everyone can benefit from stepping outside of the familiar and away from all the things we let define ourselves, to find out what we're really made of. Often, we are pleasantly surprised.
Okay, now a little bit about fundraising... As you can see, there are "make a donation" buttons to the right if you'd like to donate a little money to help purchase supplies for the kids at the orphanage or to help me pay for the program fee. I'll post again soon with more information about the orphanage, but basically they're underfunded and I'm trying to raise some money for them before I go. The donation will go towards things like school supplies, diapers, basic medications like Tylenol & cold medicine, craft supplies, etc. The buttons are set up securely through Paypal and any amount is greatly appreciated!
In a little over a month, I am going to Costa Rica for 4 weeks to volunteer at Hogar de Vida, an orphanage for children who've been taken from their home due to abuse or neglect. I'm keeping this blog for a couple of reasons. The first is to keep friends and family posted on what I'm up to without having to write a ridiculous number of emails each week. The second is to raise a bit of money for supplies at the orphanage and possibly to help with the cost of the trip. And the third is just to put the information out there for people who might be interested in volunteering in the future.
I've been looking forward to taking this trip for a while now. I've spent so much time at UBC that I really wanted to make the most of my year off. There are a lot of reasons why I wanted to take this trip, not the least of which is that I love a good challenge. Some people might not find it too appealing to travel to a foreign country by themselves, stay with a family they've never met before and chase after snot-nosed kids all day but I really can't think of anything better. I want to spend some time helping kids that didn't get all the opportunities I did. I want to get to know a different country and culture from the inside. And hey, maybe the experience will help steer me towards a research area I am really passionate about for grad school. Also, I think everyone can benefit from stepping outside of the familiar and away from all the things we let define ourselves, to find out what we're really made of. Often, we are pleasantly surprised.
Okay, now a little bit about fundraising... As you can see, there are "make a donation" buttons to the right if you'd like to donate a little money to help purchase supplies for the kids at the orphanage or to help me pay for the program fee. I'll post again soon with more information about the orphanage, but basically they're underfunded and I'm trying to raise some money for them before I go. The donation will go towards things like school supplies, diapers, basic medications like Tylenol & cold medicine, craft supplies, etc. The buttons are set up securely through Paypal and any amount is greatly appreciated!
Institute for Field Research Expeditions volunteer program
I spent a lot of time choosing which organization I wanted to volunteer with. There are a lot of different companies out there offering volunteer placements. However, a lot of these companies are for-profit and charge ridiculously high fees although very little of the fee actually makes it to the volunteer project.
I chose to volunteer with the Institute for Field Research Expeditions (IFRE), which is a non-profit organization based out of Texas. IFRE places volunteers with various projects in 11 different countries. It has the lowest program fee of all the organizations I researched and offered the most comprehensive placement. The fee for 4 weeks is $1305 USD (compared to $2235 USD for a similar placement from the popular company, I-to-I). Through IFRE I'll receive my volunteer placement, housing, 3 meals a day, free Spanish lessons, a donation to the orphanage, comprehensive travel insurance, and airport pick-up. Also, they didn't have any complaints registered against them with the Better Business Bureau in Dallas- always a good thing.
During the volunteer project I will be staying with a local host family who will also provide my meals for the day. During the mornings I will go to free Spanish lessons to bolster my limited Spanish, and will work in the orphanage from lunch till dinner. There I will be doing a variety of things including helping staff with the children, teaching English, playing games, and helping with homework. I'll probably also do chores around the orphanage like cleaning, laundry, preparing meals and working on the property. Weekends are free time to do whatever you like.
So that's about it for now. There will be some more posts in July with more information about the orphanage and my host family but the majority of posts will be in August during the trip.
I chose to volunteer with the Institute for Field Research Expeditions (IFRE), which is a non-profit organization based out of Texas. IFRE places volunteers with various projects in 11 different countries. It has the lowest program fee of all the organizations I researched and offered the most comprehensive placement. The fee for 4 weeks is $1305 USD (compared to $2235 USD for a similar placement from the popular company, I-to-I). Through IFRE I'll receive my volunteer placement, housing, 3 meals a day, free Spanish lessons, a donation to the orphanage, comprehensive travel insurance, and airport pick-up. Also, they didn't have any complaints registered against them with the Better Business Bureau in Dallas- always a good thing.
During the volunteer project I will be staying with a local host family who will also provide my meals for the day. During the mornings I will go to free Spanish lessons to bolster my limited Spanish, and will work in the orphanage from lunch till dinner. There I will be doing a variety of things including helping staff with the children, teaching English, playing games, and helping with homework. I'll probably also do chores around the orphanage like cleaning, laundry, preparing meals and working on the property. Weekends are free time to do whatever you like.
So that's about it for now. There will be some more posts in July with more information about the orphanage and my host family but the majority of posts will be in August during the trip.
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