Richmond, VA Students and Adults Team Up With School Without Walls students in San Martin, Costa Rica

Students and adults from Richmond, VA teamed up with DC's School Without Walls students and traveled to San Martin, Costa Rica for a week they'll never forget.To say I was changed by this experience and the community of San Martín is anunderstatement. I do not think there is anything that could have prepared me for the magnitudeof impact that this trip would have not only on my perspective of the world, but on my everydaylife. This trip was so much more than building a sport court; It was a cultural exchange thatuniquely impacted each individual who was involved. I think I can speak for all twenty of uswhen I say that we arrived to the airport unaware of the physical toll this week would have onour bodies; but I can also say that the physical ailments of the week were trivial in comparisonto the relationships and the accomplishments that resulted from our time in San Martín.After thirteen hours of travel, our group of 15 from Richmond finally made it to San Joseand met four additional volunteers who came from Washington D.C., accompanied by ourCourts for Kids representative Jordyn. We were anxious to see what the week had in store forus, so we loaded a bus and headed for San Martín, four hours north of San Jose. We weregreeted by Sarah, the female leader of the community, who cracked a joke about how they hadbeen waiting for us, which they had due to some maintenance issues and an ultimately delayedflight. Still we were welcomed with smiles, an authentic Costa Rican dance performed bystudents from neighboring towns, and of course food.At about 9:30 p.m., which felt like 11:30 p.m. to all of us, we were given houseassignments and parted ways for the night. I think staying in a stranger’s home was the aspectof the trip that I was most apprehensive about, but it quickly became one of my favorite parts ofthe entire experience. I, along with what eventually became six others, stayed with a lovelycouple who greeted us with open arms and immediately treated us as their own family. Eachmorning Eida, who we called Abuela, made us breakfast even though it was also provided at theworksite, Carlos greeted us with his sense of humor, and together they sent us off to work.Our first day of work was a bit rocky as many of us had never done manual labor before,or at least at this level of intensity. The contractors were ready to work and we were slow to findour bearings, which caused some frustration along with some unconventional methods of mixingand pouring concrete, proposed by the contractors, but the group persevered and we were ableto finish one row on the first day. What amazed me the most about the first day was the supportfrom the community: the women in the kitchen came out and shoveled after they were done withthe dishes, men came after work to help mix concrete and lift heavy buckets, and even thechildren came to help, some of them just wearing crocs.After a long day some of the students organized a soccer game with the children from the community. Although we were tired and it was rainy, we played our first of many soccer games that week. The post-work soccer gamebecame one of the highlights of the trip for me because each day more people joined and itbecame a way for me to connect with community members without a language barrier.My greatest frustration after the first day of work was the language barrier. I took sixyears of French prior to the trip, which was not helpful in this Spanish speaking country, but withthe help of some of the other volunteers and community members, I was able to learn a fewwords and phrases to help me communicate. By the end of the trip these phrases were uselessas we were communicating without the use of words. Another student volunteer bragged abouthow he could “communicate with just aggressive whistles and hand motions,” which truly wasthe way that our well-oiled machine was conversing on the last day of work.I arrived having no experience with construction work and I frequently reminded othergroup members that this was my first endeavor in manual labor. On day one I was shocked bythe strength that it took to simply move buckets and pour them into a cement mixer, not tomention that I was too short to actually pour the buckets into the machine. Still, I persisted andcontinued to work as hard as I could even though I was unable to do some of the jobs. I thinkthat it was important for the community to see females working alongside males, and each daymore women showed up to help us shovel sand and gravel.On the last two days, although I was tired, I volunteered to help lift buckets into the mixer. What this meant for me was that I would be lifting buckets to taller volunteers and contractors who then poured them into themixer. I am a relatively small person, so the contractors seemed concerned about my ability toperform the task at hand. After about two mixes they appeared to be more comfortable with mypresence on the team, and by the end of the day they were commending me for my strengthand endurance. Not only was I proud of myself, but I think that our female volunteers were ableto challenge gender stereotypes that existed within the community prior to our arrival.We finished the court in just four and a half short days, and the final pour of cement wasbitter-sweet. We were excited that we had completed our goal, but we also realized that thisweek was never about building or completing the court, it was about the connections that wemade and the cultural exchange that had occurred throughout the week. One of my favoriteexperiences of the week was our dance night at the plaza. The locals along with some of thePeace Corps volunteers taught us a dance native to Costa Rica called Bachata and we taughtthem how to do the Cotton Eye Joe. The next night at the inauguration of the court one of thekids asked me if we could show the rest of the town the dances we had learned the night beforeand of course I agreed. The inauguration became the perfect time to show the community thegreat relationships that we had created throughout the week and to show off our soccer skills bytaking part in the first of many games on the court.This community gave me so much more than I could have ever imagined. They showedme immeasurable love and generosity. Our host Carlos works tirelessly on his farm to providefor his entire family, yet he and Abuela were so selfless. They gave us everything they could,which was more than we could have ever expected. Abuela said she would host 100 people ifshe could and I believe she would. One day I hope to have a giving attitude that could beconsidered half as generous as the people of San Martín. Each member of the community washappy to have us and the underlying joy within the community was apparent throughout ourstay. This experience was so transformative and I have made friends for life. I have fallen in lovewith the country of Costa Rica and I cannot wait for my next visit, but first I’m going to have tolearn some Spanish. - Sarah Eaton"I guess my only low point would be that I had wet socks for one day… but it’s hard to pick a specific highpoint because there were so many (talking with the locals, the food, our rain showers, playing tag…)" - Teagan"This community showed me that acceptance and love are two very important aspects in welcoming a stranger, or a few, in someone’s home." - Emma"The love we all experienced over 1 week will be talked about back home and I hope it inspires others to step out of their comfort zone and explore different cultures, people, customs, and lifestyles." - Cheryl"We don’t need new shoes or fancy cars to be happy, all we need is people who care for us and love us. This trip and being with the people in the community taught me this about the world." - Maddie"I can say with complete confidence now that each member of this community has become a part of my family as I have become a part of theirs. I thought this trip was about building a court, but it was so much more." - Sarah