The World as a Classroom: Costa Rica (SJO area)
Immerse, Appreciate, Educate!
Those who know me personally know that some strategies I always use trips for is to immerse, appreciate, and educate. For years, I have said the world is an amazing classroom and have always strived to get the MostPerMile out of life. Want to hear more?
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Have you read the post about my philosophy of education? So what did we do when there was a four-day weekend one October? Attended a parent conference on Friday morning at school, then headed straight to the airport to go to Costa Rica while Curt was having weekend shifts at work. Yes, you read that right: I not only flew to San Jose, Costa Rica alone with two elementary school children but (gasp!) rented a car and drove! For those who have visited in Costa Rica, you know that is definitely a feat, and even more so when flying into SJO versus LIR (Liberia in the Guanacaste region). Additionally, I rely on my oldest daughter to be our translator on our travels as the two years of Spanish I took in high school almost three decades ago are now only utilized on a menu at the local TexMex restaurants! Fortunately we were arriving late in the evening, so I know better than to try renting the car then. We stayed at a local hotel with airport shuttle since arriving late,
and rented our vehicle the following morning in walking distance to the hotel.
Packing Tip: As I do at any airport when traveling, I use my PacSafe sling, carry a backpack as my carryon luggage so I am hands-free, turn my wedding ring around, and have eyes around the periphery of my head for safety purposes that I also instill in our girls when traveling. It can be quite busy at any airport with people offering car services when exiting the main doors after Customs, especially at SJO. When I travel, especially alone with the girls, I utilize my cell phone provider’s international 24-hour passes so that I am always connected should I need the internet or a phone call to make.
Using our navigation skills, our first stop in Costa Rica was to the farmer’s market in Alajuela: Plaza Ferias. Every town in Costa Rica has a farmer’s market (called a feria), but this particular one is the largest farmer’s market in the country. While open-air, it is still completely covered should a rain come down from the Central Valley mountains. We ventured through local foods, eating straight from the hands of the friendly farmers selling their produce, and admired
the multiple rows of vibrant colors. Some carried their purchases while others had carts full of goodies. The girls and I stocked up for our weekend,
grabbed some empanadas, and headed towards the car to learn how we needed to pay for the car parking (thankfully I had local currency!). Once again, we were back to mommy driving, my oldest helping navigate, and my youngest watching the scenery for us.
Upon arrival at our hotel near the Poas Volcano, Xandari, we immediately set out to explore. We were able to use our ears to listen to the local wildlife, explore the trails through a bamboo forest to a waterfall, and visit the gardens on the grounds that help supply the hotel restaurant. We compared the scenery and environment to our past visits to Costa Rica in different climate zones: Arenal volcano area, Monteverde cloud forest area, and Tamarindo on the Pacific beach side. Using our map, we were also able to see the geographical locations yet recall why it can take so long to go from Point A to Point B, such as when we did the car-boat-car crossing from Arenal to Monteverde… a wonderful excursion in itself just in the transportation of changing locations!
As all children love to do, we made sure to test out the on-site swimming pool. Just the walk alone to one of the pools was fun, and our observations on property showed several examples of sustainability. These included a plant-a-tree program, using organic compost, and various energy conservation practices. While the girls swam, with wifi on the property I was able to check in with Curt back home so he knew his girls were okay. The girls had a great time practicing their cannonballs until a quick rain moved in, so we headed to the nearby spa to secure an appointment for later that weekend.
If there is one indulgence I enjoy, it’s a good massage or visit to the spa. This particular spa had a unique couples’ room that included a hot tub. Being a single female traveler with two young girls, there is no way I would even leave them in the hotel room (freestanding casitas) so I inquired about a massage for two plus the hot tub to keep the younger one entertained. No problem, they said! We secured a time where it would be light when beginning the massage but dark at the end so we could see the lights of Costa Rica down the hill, and returned ready for our fun.
This was going to be my 10-year-old’s first massage ever, so we discussed if she wanted to completely undress or not, that we would have female therapists, and it is a no-talking environment. I also reminded my 6-year-old to not put her head under the water so that I could see her at all times. Since we had hiked through a bamboo forest, it was only fitting the type of massage we chose: bamboo! It was only slightly more in cost and was also going to be my first experience as well with bamboo. How is THAT for getting the MostPerMile out of an experience?!? I could not think of a better setting or how to let my oldest experience her first massage. Yes, yes, back in the US most places will not do a massage on a 10-year-old, but through our travels we have seen diverse guidelines around the world with a variety of experiences. We enjoyed our massage, and now I am looking at bringing my husband back!
We ended up staying on property most of the time, and ventured to Poas early one morning only to be let down by the 
clouds that had rolled in. Oh well, a return trip will be on the list! Staying on property meant we could enjoy meals at their restaurant in more of a farm to table fashion. Definitely the best meals I have had in Costa Rica!
Upon checkout, we went back to Alajuela to attend church. Finding a local secure parking facility, we changed in the car into our “Sunday church clothes” and walked to the cathedral. We worshipped at the open-air Alajuela Cathedral (entire service in Spanish), visited the town’s central park, and explored a museum. Being back “in town” we had the opportunity to see more of the “city life” before proceeding back to our same airport-area hotel the night prior to our flight home.
In making the MostPerMile on our trips, tying in education and immersion. Farmers markets, hiking, people-to-people interactions, and religion are some excellent kid-friendly ways to help them learn about as well as appreciate the physical and human features of a destination where discussions can include cultural and social issues as well as authentic interactions with the environment. For those looking to tie travels into your curriculum as a homeschool / worldschool / private / public school family, consult your curriculum documents or state guidelines to see how this ties in. I know being in Texas, I still refer to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills to see what gradelevels our travels may tie into! Being a former secondary mathematics teacher, I am not a history specialist by any means, but utilize the resources available online to look at different gradelevels and ways to connect our travels and learnings… and highly recommend for others to take a peek as well!
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