Boston --> San Jose --> Monteverde

Hola!

I'm gearing up to begin my three month adventure in Costa Rica. I'll be living in Monteverde, a colorful and unpaved little town about five hours northwest of San Jose. The Monteverde area is actually made up of two small towns; Monteverde (where my school is located) and Santa Elena (the town center). I'll be living somewhere in the middle. The poor road infrastructure makes for a bumpy ride from San Jose, but also helps to preserve the natural beauty of the area. Monteverde is famous for it's cloud forest reserve. I intend to make good use of my raincoat and flip flops - the area often boasts 100% humidity, which supports an amazing habitat for many diverse plants and animals. The reserve is home to several endangered bird species and consequently Monteverde attracts lots of bird watchers, ecotourists, and conservationists. It's so beautiful, but I'll have to make a concerted effort to practice my Spanish because English is widely spoken. I'm excited to spend much of my free time (the hours outside of school, spanish lessons and salsa) exploring the park, gladly with any of you if you come to visit! I'll be living with an undoubtedly energetic family of 4 boys and their mother, Yuri. Roy is in 5th grade, Marlon, 4th, Sebastian, kindergarten, and Juan Pablo is 2! I'm so excited to meet all of them. I land in San Jose on the 28th and will be making my way north to Monteverde that day (provided I catch the local 2pm bus). My first day at the Cloud Forest School (www.cloudforestschool.org) will be Monday, January 30th. I'll be serving as a classroom assistant at the K-12 school, not sure which grade level yet, and will also be tutoring the 9-12th graders in English. The school appears to be a really interesting place. It's curriculum emphasizes environmental conservation and sustainable development which is important in light of the rapid globalization Costa Rica is experiencing. Not much else to fill you in on at this point. I'm beginning to pack and wrap things up here in Boston. I hope to send you pictures and stories from south of the border very soon.

Adios por ahora.

Kat