Changing the World

We talked a lot in Costa Rica about being an active member of society, living in a way that perpetuates peace and limits injustice, vs. being a passive member of society, merely standing by as injustice takes place in the world around us. Some of the injustices that come to my mind as I think about this are poverty, lack of opportunity, disparity in income, discrimination. The list is probably unfortunately endless. I am still reflecting upon how I live my life and what simple things I could do to be more active instead of passive. I really liked this quote from one of our week's readings:

"Instead of solidarity and fighting for justice, we would sit back and wait for a better world without work, without efforts, without conquests, without sacrifices... But it shall become a reality if we pray, only by our pure and sincere desire of changing the world. As Paulo Freire taught us, changing the world is urgent, difficult, and necessary. But in order to do so, we need to know, read the world, understand the world, not only scientifically but emotionally, and above all, become involved in it, organizationally."
-Pedagogy of the Earth and Culture of Sustainability by Moacir Gadotti

Something to think about.

And here are some butterflies from Costa Rica:

Cloud Forest School in Costa Rica

"We don't learn to love the earth by reading books on the subject, nor books on integral ecology. Our own experience is what counts. To plant and live through the growth of a tree or a plant, walking the city streets, or venturing into a forest, feeling the birds’ chirping on sunny days, or who knows, watching how the wind sways the plants, feeling the warm sand on the beaches, gazing at the stars on a dark night.”
-Pedagogy of the Earth and Culture of Sustainability by Moacir Gadotti
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On Friday we visited the Cloud Forest School, which was by far my favorite of our field visits. The mission of the school is "to encourage a new generation of ecologically aware, bilingual individuals with the skills and motivation to make environmentally and socially conscious decisions on a local, national, and global scale." The school is located in the cloud forest of Monteverde:


The playground built by volunteers:


The school strives to be sustainable in various areas. These are their school buses next to the shed that is home to their bio diesel laboratory.
They also have a green house where students bring in species of plants that have fallen over after heavy rain.



They have a vegetable garden, which is enriched by the school's compost pile, where students bring in scraps of food from home to add to the mix.
The school has a tree nursery as a part of their reforestation project. Every person that visits the campus gets to plant a tree.
All twenty people from our class planted trees at the campus, including me:

Planting a tree on a school campus in Costa Rica was a spiritual experience for me and many others. All week we have been discussing the interconnectedness of humanity in addition to our relationship with the environment, and participating in and walking around the Cloud Forest School exemplified this. As I planted my tree, I thought about how I would forever have a relationship to this school, how I could further my personal practices of sustainability, and how I could try to further their mission by inspiring my future students in these same areas of sustainability.

The finished product:

The Justice League (AKA my fellow master's students):

The visit to the Cloud Forest School provided a stark contrast to the public school, Escuela El Rodeo, that we visited earlier in the week. First, it is a private school. The budget of the Cloud Forest School is about $300,000 per year, excluding salaries. The budget of the public school is $1,000 per year, excluding salaries. Most students are on partial financial aid, but it still costs money to attend the Cloud Forest School, which provides a challenge for some families.

Public schools are becoming less and less prominent in Costa Rica, as families are opting to use their money to send their kids to better schools. This is creating an interesting dynamic and provides less opportunities to the children who do attend public school. Because tourism is the number one industry in Costa Rica, those who go to public school are at a disadvantage upon graduation due to their lack of English skills.

While the discrepancy in education was discouraging to witness, it was inspiring to see a school as innovative and unique as the Cloud Forest School. It was one of the most impressive schools I have seen anywhere in the world. The average class size is 16 students, with a maximum of 22 students in high school. Students interact constantly with nature and the environment, taking ownership over the activities that I have mentioned here. If only this school could become a model that is duplicated throughout Costa Rica and the world.

Zip-lining!!!

Today is our last day in Costa Rica. There were so many wonderful educational and cultural experiences, some of which I will post about in the next few days. We have been busy from early morning till night, but today was our one day where we got to do a purely fun activity, so we went zip-lining through the rain forest. I was scared, but after the first line, I was hooked. Next step, skydiving! Just kidding, dad.

Getting harnessed... a little nervous and excited:
Helmeted and ready to go:
Climbing up with our class:
Here I am flying through the air:

The best part was called the Tarzan Swing. You have to jump off a platform, free fall for about 10 feet, and then you swing through the jungle like Tarzan. It was amazing. Can you spot me soaring amongst the trees?
The adrenaline high we got from the zip-lines lasted throughout the afternoon and into the night.

Getting out of one's comfort zone can be so rewarding. That is one of my greatest lessons of the summer.

(All pictures on this post courtesy of Cassidy. Thanks!)

Schools, Friends, and Sunsets in Costa Rica

It is now 9:52 p.m. Costa Rica time, and I just finished my homework, although I still have four articles to read before tomorrow. Is something wrong with this story? I think so. Our time has been full, rich, and busy. But as you can see in the pictures, not really too rough. We have had a good mixture of learning and enjoying each other's company.

To sum it up, we have been in schools, with friends, and enjoying sunsets in Costa Rica.

Schools in Costa Rica:

The University for Peace (where we study):

Anu kissing Gandhi:
The following quote says: "Happy is the Costa Rican mother who knows that her son will never become a soldier." This is because there is no army in Costa Rica. I am a fan of countries without a military.

Our Visit to a Local School, Escuela El Rodeo:






Friends in Costa Rica:

The Justice League (that is what our master's program named itself):
Marcia, Serena, me, Anu, Cheryl, and Cassidy
Enjoying a break at the University for Peace:

Sunsets in Costa Rica:

Sunday night, sunset over San Jose, view from our hotel:
Monday night, sunset over the University for Peace:
Tuesday night, view from our restaurant:

Quite beautiful.

I Am Now in Costa Rica

I have arrived safely and soundly in Costa Rica. After arriving at 5:30 a.m., taking a four hour nap, a long walk, and reuniting with some friends in my master's program, we are now sitting on a deck drinking some rum and coke, laughing, reading, having fun. I am glad to be here. I look forward tomorrow to starting our class at the United Nations' University for Peace: "Educational Leadership for Peace and Sustainability."

Our hotel with a view of San Jose, Costa Rica:
Enjoying drinks with my friends (from the left: Anu, Tony, me, Cassidy, Cheryl, Marcia):
Once again, my friends:
Me, Cassidy, and Serena (with San Jose, Costa Rica):