Why I Created This Blog

¡Hola, Bienvenidos a todos!

I am in my fourth year of school majoring in Education and Spanish. I'm from Minnesota and am about to embark on a life changing experience, immersing myself in the language, culture, and pura vida of Costa Rica!

My ultimate goal of going to Costa Rica is to become fluent in speaking Spanish. But along the way, I am going to be visiting a very close friend from high school, experiencing Costa Rican Independence Day and Christmas, traveling to three countries and living on the beach. Oh, and I am taking classes in a university in the capital city, but it goes without debate, most of my learning will be experienced when I am not in a classroom but around the friendly Ticos (name Costa Rican's call themselves) and being out on adventures.

If you're reading this, I miss you, so do your best to let me know what you're up to! And I'll do my best filling you in on my adventures :)

Monday, October 24, 2011

Museo de Los Niños

Children's Museum!!


The second to last Friday of my intensive Spanish class, us and one other class went on a field trip to the children's museum! (How lucky, right? In Costa Rica, they might say ¡Qué lechera!) We took a small bus that fit exactly the number of students in both classes and our professors (about 26 total).  The main objective was to collect information for a presentation we would give the final Friday of class. My group's topic was..El Banano y El Tren- The history, production, transportation, and use of the Costa Rican banana, which if you didn't know, are ranked as the best bananas in the world as far as quality and taste. Only Ecuador beats Costa Rica in the exportation of more bananas per year. Also on our way to the museum, we were told there was a surprise, but we weren't going to find out until we got there.

If getting giddy and excited over a surprise wasn't enough to make us feel like a kid again, the museum itself definitely did.

As you can see, the museum is shaped like a castle, perfect for kids right? Well, the crazy things about this building, is that at one point in history it was a prison. But you could never tell now, it looks like a dream and adventure land to kids! (and me...and the other college students and professors that went on our field trip)



Here we have a paper airplane slide. Keep looking at the pictures! This was one of the most fun museums I have been to! We didn't even get to see all of it either. I heard that have an inclined house among many other fun displays and interactive rooms.


This was really fun! Story time was led by this museum tour guide who leaned up against a small wall of mirrors. So his "right" side of his body that you see, is the reflection in the mirror. It looked so silly! I know I enjoyed it just as much as the kids.



In the room where we had to do research about the banana and the train, there was this banana shaped foosball table, and the players were diseases vs. the good bugs (natural biological control, right? Is that what you call it? ) that you can find in the banana plantations.

Here's a quick view of the players in the foosball game.


This long dark hallway lit up from one end to the other nonstop in bright neon colors- so much fun!


Learning how to brush my teeth...




A view inside the mouth! We thought it was a great space to sit and chat.


This is the tongue and its taste buds! I like how they include coffee, a lemon and an orange.


SuperIntelligente= The WalMart Look Alike


Here is their reading area, unfortunately, that day it was closed. But no worries. I definitely plan on going back! "Había una vez...," it says. "Once upon a time...."


Can you imagine if every bookstore looked this? Or every library? Or every classroom?! That in itself would create such a welcoming, exciting environment for kids!


A mini-sized WalMart for the kiddies to learn how to shop smart!


Practicing good shopping habits...


Three of us were in this room flying in the flight simluator cars (obviously made for young children, not college students..) But in we went anyways! The door was behind us. A little later on, in walked some museum tour guides with a group of about 30 kids and we turned around as they looked in on us sitting in the planes, waiting for their chance to have a turn. It was more of a..."we caught you!" moment. (¡Les pescamos!)


This picture I took for my own good- I think I'm going to have to remember these ideas if I become a teacher! These below are made from a half of a plastic gallon milk jug, yarn, bottle caps, pop can lids, and pom poms, how fun!





This display reminded me a lot of my grandpa Fred because even when I was really little we would paint together at his apartment and our favorite thing to paint was on rocks. He was a very good painter, hand painting every piece with care and perfection!

A little photo to show a cultural piece of Costa Rica. I've seen this pretty often. I don't know who the objects belong to, but often at cash registers, I have seen pictures of family members, rosaries, statues of Jesus of Mary, and other religious items. And they are usually on display more for the customer rather than the worker. I guess it could mean a lot of things, but a reminder to the workers who they are working for, to remember their faith and their family members. I don't know, but I like it!



And our surprise of our field trip was...a RACE!

Each class numbered off, so we were paired with another student from the other class. We were given a list of six questions of facts about Costa Rica in which the answers were scattered throughout all the rooms of the museum. Whoever was first to find the answers, obtain the signature from the worker of the room, and return first to the cafeteria to the professors won a prize! I was paired with Vincenzo...a good Italian...and our strategy was to start from the back and work our way to the front.  We looked at our map and wrote down all the numbers of the rooms near the question.

We lined up at the entrance of the museum, all 24 or so of us. And my professor counted to three "1....2....3!" And we had to literally, SPRINT, through the museum! So much fun!!! We were sweaty.

...And we won!!

So we got a little goody bags of treats and Costa Rican candy. This is going to last me for the rest of my trip...sweet!

1 comment: