End of June

As a whole, June has been a busy month for both myself and CREAR. I skyped my mother last night and she commented that I have been in Costa Rica for such a long time when really I have been debating on staying here longer and possibly returning to this area in the future.

Attendance is still small, at least in the CREAR location in Samara. (There are more kids at the El Torito location.) Having a host brother who is in elementary school gives me insight into what schooling is like here and also why attendance is low in Samara. For students school is tedious and repetitive; it lasts a couple of hours every weekday and is generally in the afternoon. There is not much of an opportunity for creativity or critical thinking and it appears that the students that have parents involved with their education are more likely to have higher grades. When there is a lot of rain, as in torrential downpour and lightning, kids do not come to CREAR and it is easy to see why; there are only two main asphalt roads and dirt roads leading to everyone's homes. One cannot expect an eight year-old to walk a couple of kilometers to CREAR in the pouring rain - it's unsafe and inconvenient. Unfortunately, despite this being "winter" and the dry season, it rains frequently. Another factor preventing higher attendance are test days and days when school is cancelled; on both occasions, students (note: elementary school-aged children) are expected to study, which equates to watching television or playing video games.

CREAR has a small staff and its two administrators are both Americans who have lived in Sámara for at least three years. People in the community are familiar with CREAR so there is no issue in advertisement. CREAR also participates in community events like the Caravana Tica last weekend and there are charlas (chats) in the local schools on various topics. Our library is very popular, mostly because it is the only library in the town and perhaps one of the few in the region. Different groups, like the Mareas school (a bilingual school for children), utilize the library and other resources of CREAR.

Overall, since discovering CREAR in January much has changed. The focus on academics and specific themes has been discarded in attempt to raise a more consistent group of children on a daily basis. It's almost funny that many people in the community are confused when CREAR operates or what it does; CREAR hosts U.S. volunteer groups to complete service projects in the area, so at times it can be difficult for some people to know CREAR's exact purpose when CREAR hosts volunteers who renovate a clinic. I do not know how pervasive of a problem this is, but it is something that an administrator told us one day.

CREAR has a two week camp in the first two weeks of July and the focus will be on health. There is a lacrosse team from the U.S. that will be helping out for a week so we will definitely have extra people to help the event. Camps are popular CREAR events so I am excited for it!