Natasha Montesdeoca, Plus3 Costa Rica Summer 2024
Hi everyone! My name is Natasha Montesdeoca, and this summer, I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica through the Plus3 Program! To end the first week of our trip in Costa Rica, we had the opportunity to visit the Cañitas Elementary School in Monteverde and get to know the children through a beautiful painting service activity. We painted the front fence of the school after being placed into small groups and given our tasks. While there, I was lucky enough to meet four sweet boys, around the ages of 10-12, who told me all about their lives as Costa Rican students. It was here that I truly learned about the lifestyle of students in Costa Rica. Like students in the United States, they start school early, around 7 am, and eat breakfast, snacks, and lunch together throughout the day. They have reading, math, history, and science courses, as well as designated times for recess and physical activity classes. Most of it seemed universal; however, some differences I learned about were that all students, starting from an early age, participate in English classes to learn how to speak English. This is very different from public schools in the United States, where students typically take language courses in late middle school and high school. The Cañitas school was also diverse in student age groups, ranging from preschool to 6th grade. Lastly, I learned that the students in this school were caring and protective towards their school, community, and environment, much more than I have seen in any community in the United States. The older students assisted the younger ones whenever necessary, and the student body seemed like one big, happy family. With Monteverde being a rural province surrounded by greenery and forests, everyone was familiar with one another, and the communities residing there were tight knit. I loved seeing this endearment flourish in the school as I spent more time talking with the children.
After working in our small groups, the staff were sweet enough to give us a lovely snack and some time to play with all the students! Some of us played fútbol with the children, and I, along with other peers, chatted with the children and played recess games with them. We played Simon Says in Spanish, and then they introduced us to a unique game called “Palmas,” which was a mix of Ring Around the Rosie and Tag. I had so much fun; this was my absolute favorite part! After this, we went back to painting, and creativity was unleashed! We were given the chance to paint the alphabet, numbers, and anything we wanted on the front walls of the fence.
It was so fun and heartwarming to see children just being children and enjoying painting with us older kids. This experience was one of my favorites of our entire trip. Speaking to these children allowed me to reflect on my own experience as a child and the experience of young students in the United States. I was filled with happiness, gratitude, and pride as I admired how intelligent and caring these young students were towards one another and their beautiful country. I was inspired by these students, the next generation, and the changes that could be made in the world. They were some of the sweetest, smartest, and most polite children I have ever met, and I am so thankful to have been able to make a positive impact on their community by doing something as simple and meaningful as painting their school.
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