Apart from the fact that we are all getting pretty excited because the CARRERA CHIRRIPÓ (Chirripó Race) is just around the corner: February 25th, there have been some special things happening in San Gerardo recently:

• El Descanso Hotel has recently opened a new service for their clients and visitors to San Gerardo. A sauna might be EXACTLY what you want after your descent from Mt Chirripó or Cloudbridge Reserve. The sauna has capacity for a family or around 6 persons and costs $10 for a 20 minute session. You don’t have to be staying at El Descanso to use the sauna – just pop by the front desk and inquire. (And write and tell us how wonderful it was!)

• Costa Rica Holiday Homestay has just opened their new bilingual website brimming with useful information, photos, ideas and costs about how to get the most out of your Costa Rica vacation including Spanish classes, local tours, coffee picking (for fun!) artesania, cooking and much more. If you want to experience the REAL Costa Rica take a peek and see what a homestay offers. The San Gerardo families will give you a huge welcome and an unforgettable experience.

• Cafe Bambu has begun a series of “Musical Dinners” with the success of their Christmas event that sold out. Their second event in early January, in conjunction with Reserva Cloudbridge, featured a mouthwatering dinner of papoosas, chimichurri, filled platinos washed down with lemonade, and followed by traditional tamal asado and coffee. At the same time a local musical trio played rancheros, ballads and even international Latino favorites for everyone to join in with. It didn’t take long for the dinner guests to get out of their seats and begin dancing! Everyone voted it the best time and a rare chance to experience a traditional Costa Rican evening of food and music.

The next event, again in collaboration with Cloudbridge, will be this Thursday, February 2nd at 6 pm. There are a few spots available so get there early and enjoy a meal as well as the musicians AND a demo by local dancers Las Mariposas.

• Recently it came to our attention that a young Cabécar girl was winning national marathons! 13 year old Clara Salazar placed first in two marathons recently and has decided running is her passion. Living as she does much of the year in the Talamanca interior she and her community spend days walking from place to place and running, playing football and staying fit on their natural and wholly organic diet. It’s no wonder the Cabécar always place well in the Carrera Chirripó – women and men – and Clara is more than keen to enter this race, though she will have to wait until she’s 18 to be allowed to.

Thanks to Andy Jones Cox (Owner and Director of Vancouver North Shore’s Tutor Doctor), Maroulla Haile, Veronica Loat (President of North & West Vancouver’s Soroptimist Club) and Keith Nicoll of North Shore Athletics who helped with advice for Clara’s running as well as generous donations of running shoes to enable Clara to run even faster! We will be watching for her in the upcoming months when she competes both locally as well as in San Jose, Cartago and elsewhere – future Olympiad? Why not!

• Cloudbridge Reserve’s Linda Moskalyk, an arborist, ardent environmentalist and painter, announces her first Costa Rican exhibition of stunning paintings opening Thursday February 2nd at the National Gallery, San Jose. Known for her portrayals of trees and what they mean to us, in collage, oil and other media, Linda conveys a message of hope to all who value the forests as part of our natural heritage. At the same time Linda has arranged for the exhibition of children’s art from Escuela San Gerardo de Rivas that also describes our community’s love for the natural world. Both exhibitions continue until February 29th – don’t miss it!

• Lastly – Chirripó news! Bookings to climb the mountain and stay overnight during this summer season are very full. It’s still worth your while phoning and checking because apparently there are odd days available, but for many people your best bet will be to arrive in San Gerardo a day or two ahead of your schedule and make your reservations directly at the Parks Office that opens at 6:30 am. There are 10 tickets available each day for in-person reservations. Prices have also gone up slightly to climb the mountain. Increased costs of services as well as the recent upgrades account for this.
Please see the FAQ’s –on the Activities page for more information.
Remember – you can always buy a day pass that allows you to enter and hike the mountain whenever you like – it’s the lodge that fills up. It’s still recommended to stay overnight if you want to reach the peak, but if you are happy just exploring the park then a day pass will do it.
PURA VIDA!

It’s that time of year! You’re back from vacations and it’s time to plan the year ahead. And we’re wondering if volunteering might be in your plans… Here at Proyecto San Gerardo we’re busy doing the same – planning for next year and the busiest teaching/volunteering season that happens in January – May every year.

Costa Rica attracts many volunteers each year – to teach English, work on conservation projects and help out on community projects. Many volunteers end up in the city and miss out on discovering the real Costa Rica – the mountains, the birds and animals, the traditions and hospitality of a rural community. Here, at the base of Mt. Chirripó, you can have it all! Here’s a look at a typical day with Proyecto San Gerardo:

• Get up around 6:30 (yes you can because the sun and the birds will be willing you awake!)
• Have a delicious breakfast of ‘gallo pinto’ with your host family
• Enjoy a free morning to hike, photograph, meet friends, go to the hot pools or swim in the river, check your email, visit San Isidro for supplies or just laze away with a book. (Oh, don’t forget to plan your class!)
• Afternoon – teach class. You could be teaching Conversational English (ESL) to small groups of adults or youth at our school if you have your TEFL or TESOL qualification or similar. Teach Beginner French to local hotel/tour staff – if you speak French and have some experience teaching or tutoring. Or you could volunteer to teach basic computer skills at the community school to adults, youth and kids if you speak Spanish and know your way around a computer. Other volunteer opportunities include helping out in Proyecto San Gerardo’s village bakery: Café Bambú, First Aid Instructors, and Website and Computer Maintenance volunteers.
• Around 6 pm enjoy dinner with your family and relax. Not a whole lot to do around here and it gets dark about the same time, but there’s volleyball at the Community Salon, soccer or Frisbee in the plaza, other volunteers to hang out with, and at weekends there’s always a fiesta going on at one of the neighboring villages.

What is Proyecto San Gerardo? We’re a community based non-profit organization registered in Costa Rica as well as in Canada to provide skills training and job opportunities via volunteers to rural communities in the Rivas sector of south-central Costa Rica. Our main activities are: English and Computer Training, Café Bambú Apprenticeships, First Aid and Disaster Preparedness training, a scholarship program for high school and university students, and this website.

Where will I live? Proyecto San Gerardo provides subsidized or free homestay accommodation including all food for qualified volunteers of 6 weeks or more (3 months for those teaching English. Our volunteers always find staying with a family a truly special experience; here are some opinions:
‘it was a lovely experience and I would live with the family again in a heartbeat. They were wonderful and made me feel just like one of their own.’ (Amber, Volunteer in 2009)
‘Our home stay family was fantastic. They included us very easily and warmly into their house and family. We went on a tour of their farm, and we talk a lot to practice our Spanish which is very much appreciated. The community is very welcoming, always greeting you when you are seen and allowed me to take part in their football training as well.’ (Kwame, Volunteer in 2011)

Cafe Bambu volunteers enjoy selling delicious pastries and coffee!

What are the costs? volunteers pay their travel to Costa Rica and bus to the neighboring town of San Isidro where they can be picked up. Apart from that there’s health insurance to take care of and a monthly $250 for accommodation/food/laundry if you don’t qualify for a subsidy. No fees! Proyecto San Gerardo prefers to attract qualified, motivated and capable volunteers and raise its funds elsewhere.

What type of person is best suited to volunteering with Proyecto San Gerardo? In a nutshell people of all ages who want to discover more about their own potential at the same time as giving to the community. Says one volunteer: ‘I have also learnt a lot about myself. Mainly that I need not worry so much and that I do not NEED lots of material THINGS in my life. It has been a great experience!’ Potential volunteers should be in good health and enjoy an outdoors life without missing internet, entertainment and shopping – because there isn’t any! We accept volunteers from 20 to 70, and can arrange rental accommodation if a family wants to volunteer but would like to stay together.

Volunteer Jessica with small group of Intermediate students January 2011

When does Proyecto San Gerardo need volunteers? For some voluntary positions like Café Bambu and website volunteers – all the time; for ESL classes we recruit volunteers for January – May and September – November. For computer classes and First Aid instruction our main need for volunteers is January – May. Check out the rest of this website for information about the weather, events and opportunities at different times of the year.

What else can volunteers do? San Gerardo is 1.5 hours by car (3-4 hours by bus) from the beach at Dominical. This unspoilt surfing destination is popular with young people and offers great opportunities for a weekend away. Other destinations relatively close include Parque Nacional Bailena, northern Panama including Bocas del Toro, and of course Mt Chirripó and the Talamanca Mountain Range. There is local mountain biking and horseback riding and in February many of our volunteers get involved in the national 4-day Carrera Chirripó (Chirripó race) – hosted locally – as participants or volunteers.

How do I volunteer? To get involved request an application form by writing to proyectosangerardo@gmail.com , or send your inquiries via the Contact Form at this website. We’ll get back to you quickly with more information and a Volunteer Kit if you are interested.

Welcome to the Proyecto San Gerardo team! From our supporting committees in Costa Rica and Vancouver, Canada and from all the community here – we can’t wait to meet you!

Computer classes for adult beginners March 2011

Welcome to a great new addition to San Gerardo: Café Bambú.

The bakery/pizzeria opened on Easter Sunday and serves up dishes to please early risers as well as visitors later in the day. We sampled the delicious banana nut muffins along with a cappuccino and noted the total price was just over 1,000 colones ($2) – now that would be hard to come by back home, or even in other parts of Costa Rica. Other items on the menu include whole-wheat bread, cookies, empanadas and of course pizza. You can choose 3 sizes of pizza, or buy it by the portion – and choose your toppings as every one is made fresh.

The café also offers internet (just spend 500 colones or more) and a small library of books and magazines to browse. It’s a great place to meet a friend or collapse after a grinding hike. Half of the business is baked goods and pizza to take away and soon Café Bambu hope to provide a pizza delivery service.

The café is run by Proyecto San Gerardo as the building also houses English classes and soon the non-profit plans to offer an apprenticeship course for young girls not attending high school. They will learn how to bake, how to serve the public, manage money and run a restaurant. In exchange for the training they will assist Café Bambu’s new staff person: Ana Chavez, who comes from a hotel and restaurant background.

We give it 10/10 – come and try yourself!

Hours: Fridays & Saturdays from 9:30 am, Sundays from 9:00 am.
San Gerardo de Rivas – opposite the village school.

Bandera Azul raises 5 flags in San Gerardo

Saturday May 21st San Gerardo saw 5 flags raised in recognition of the efforts of many to protect our precious environment. The stars are awarded for the conservation of natural resources such as pure water, reforestation, and efforts to combat pollution through garbage pick-up and recycling programs. The five flags were awarded to the community of San Gerardo, the School, Cloudbridge Reserve, MINAE (Chirripó) and Hotel Pelicano. The two last entries are new and the community is keen to encourage other groups and businesses to sign up with the Bandera Azul program to increase conservation in San Gerardo.

Representatives of each entity spoke at the awards ceremony organized at the Salon Comunal and entertainment was provided by the traditional dancers: Las Mariposas, the school choir and Toni Pizote himself! The day was rounded out by the opening of a new gallery of sculpture at Hotel El Pelicano where Rafael Elizondo’s carvings have at last found a place to be shown to the public along with the history of their creator Don Macho – one of the pioneers of the area and especially Chirripo, and a great football enthusiast. “Galeria Arte & Cultura El Pelicano” is accessed through the hotel. Inquire at the hotel to look around.

Karol Fernandez wins the PSG scholarship fund to go to university

*Proyecto San Gerardo is very pleased to announce that Karol Fernandez is the first San Gerardo student to receive a scholarship through the new Proyecto San Gerardo Fund.

Karol has been studying computer skills with Proyecto San Gerardo since January 2009 and English since September of the same year. She passed her high school diplomas this year through studying at home, proving she has very good study skills and motivation to succeed at university.

Karol will study English and plans to be a high school teacher. She will be attending Universidad Latina starting in September. Without assistance from the Proyecto San Gerardo scholarship fund Karol would not have been able to consider going to university, so this new fund has made a world of difference in her life.

The new scholarship fund, brainchild of a former English volunteer teacher, started this year through various donations from Friends of Proyecto San Gerardo and fundraising events locally and around the world where the volunteers live. The plan is to offer assistance so that high school students don’t need to drop out of school for financial reasons or so young people with the capacity to study at university, but without the resources to pay for it, can apply for a scholarship (becca) as part of their financial planning. About 20 years ago it was highly unusual for children to go to high school, or even complete primary education. There wasn’t a high school nearby and the pressure for youngsters to help out at home or on the farm was intense. Typically children went to school for three – five years, but by the time they were ten they were working, contributing members of the family.

Nowadays nearly everyone completes primary school and about 80% start high school at the nearby colegio in Canaan – a mere 20 minute walk for most. The curriculum is demanding though – all Costa Rican students must graduate with a full slate of 13 materias (subjects), and the school day is long – from 7a.m. to 4p.m. So many of the students drop out: to work, to start a family or to stay home. Of young people between the ages of 14 and 25 in San Gerardo more than half fail to graduate. And their prospects for finding decent jobs beyond farm labourer or cleaning houses for gringos are few. It is for this reason Proyecto San Gerardo has set up the scholarship fund, and we hope in a small way to make a bit of difference for some of these smart, self-sufficient young people who deserve a better opportunity in life.

*Proyecto San Gerardo exists to provide opportunities for the local community to acquire skills to access secure and better paying jobs within the region. By teaching computer skills and English Proyecto San Gerardo ensures students are in a better position to compete for jobs in hotels, as guides to Cerro Chirripó, or with other attractions in the tourist sector. This website, developed by Proyecto San Gerardo, also ensures more people get to know about San Gerardo and helps visitors plan their stay here. The Information and Services page promotes small micro-enterprises and Proyecto San Gerardo volunteers all stay with local families, a wonderful experience for them and also a financial boost for the local community. For more in formation about Proyecto San Gerardo, or if you would like to make a donation to assist us with the classes or towards the scholarship fund, please visit the Get Involved page on this website.

Other news:

On Saturday 21st August we enjoyed a wonderful day celebrating the 35th anniversary of the commemoration of Cerro Chirripó as a National Park (Parque Nacional Chirripó). Communities bordering on the mountain: San Gerardo de Rivas, Herradura, San Pedro, San Geronimo and Cedral met with representatives of the UNESCO since Chirripo is located within the world heritage site: Parque de la Amistad, here in the Talamanca Mountain Range. Representatives from MINAE and the Asociacion de Arieros, Guias y Porteadores hosted the event. Dancing, traditional games, football, clowns and of course lots of wonderful comida tipico made this a great day to remember. Enjoy the photos!

IMPORTANT: Mt Chirripó is closed for annual maintenance from October 1st – 31st. Please make your visiting plans with this in mind if you have set your sites on the peak!

We’ve just had to say good-bye to two terrific volunteers at Proyecto San Gerardo – and our reflections on their time here made me think it was about time I wrote a piece on volunteering in San Gerardo.

Before living here I thought I knew all about volunteering and committees; but I had never lived in a small community that is moreorless self-sufficient when it comes to running itself. I was used to government departments responsible for roads, security, recreation, events, and maintenance. When I arrived here I noticed the plethora of meetings, groups and the activities that flowed from this communal effort. It’s true! Without local volunteers San Gerardo could not function – so everyone does their part and volunteers on committees large and small to make San Gerardo the beautiful place it is. It’s very social too – a wonderful way to meet your neighbours and make new friends, and for me a new way of practicing my Spanish!

On our Get Involved page we focus on four opportunities for volunteering in San Gerardo, but truth be told there are many more. Coming up soon (February 27th) is the Carrera Chirripó (fiesta time!) and many, many volunteers are needed to help with preparing food, selling food and drink, cleaning up and generally ensuring the 4 day event goes on without hassles and without the load on too few shoulders. If you give just a four hour shift you will experience a slice of the real Pura Vida! Working alongside local community members, joking and laughing, your vacation here will be something to remember forever as you make new friends. If you would like to sign up to help out in anyway visit the Get Involved/Carrera Chirripó page and contact us.

Helping out with food preparation for a local fiesta and making new friends!

Back to our volunteers who just said good-bye! They were here to teach English at various levels mainly to adults in the community who would like to enter the tourism business but lack language skills. The classes focus on conversation rather than reading and writing, and for many it is their first time back in the classroom for many years as high school education is a comparatively recent acquisition here. Typically shy and nervous about speaking aloud in the eight week course most of the students learned to initiate conversations in English or at least make themselves understood. Says Kevin: “A lot of the students didn’t have the opportunity to go to high school, as they were working from a young age. This made me realize how I had taken my education for granted. All my students were genuinely interested in learning, they were there because they wanted to be there. There is nothing more gratifying for a teacher than to have students who are eager to learn as I was to teach.”

Teaching English to adults in San Gerardo de Rivas

Teaching computer skills...

We finished the session that also included computer skills classes, with a graduating party for everyone. Over 80 people turned out: students and their parents, homestay families, teachers and community supporters. It was great to see the pride with which each student received their certificates and hear how 100% want to come back again in the new year when we resume classes.

Volunteering is always a two-way streak. People, communities, the environment benefit when others donate their skills, creativity and time. But those same volunteers benefit immeasurably from the welcome they receive here in San Gerardo and the lessons for life than can be drawn from living in the community. Soon we will be expanding our volunteer recruitment to include arts and crafts teachers for a new women’s group, and we are always on the lookout for First Aid instructors, as well as our core ESL and computer skills teachers.

So ‘Gracias’ to all our volunteers and host families of the past three years, as well as the community for supporting volunteers here in San Gerardo. Last word to one of our volunteers:

“The two months that I stayed in San Gerardo was a once in a lifetime chance to experience a culture from the inside rather than viewing it from the outside in the traditional tourist sense …I am sure I will stay in touch with my family and the friends I have made in San Gerardo, and I thank Proyecto San Gerardo for giving me the opportunity to volunteer” – Jed, 2009

Independence Day celebrations here in Costa Rica are definitely worth blogging about. September 15 happens to be the anniversary when almost all Central American countries celebrate their independence: Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica.

The tradition goes that a torch is lit in Guatemala City and carried throughout the towns and villages of Central America, and throughout Costa Rica. On Monday 14th the torch reached our local town: San Isidro de General, and traveled up the long road to San Gerardo de Rivas via Guadeloupe, Chimirol, Canaan to our Salon Comunal.

During the day the school children made faroles – little wooden or cardboard houses to represent their homes, containing a candle and mounted on a pole. At 5:30 p.m. as it grew dark, we all came together and the children paraded their faroles around the plaza, singing the traditional songs for 15 de setiembre: “Himno de 15 de setiembre”, “La Patriotica Costariciense” and “La Diana”. In the Salon there were traditional dances performed by the children, and stories retold of how Costa Rica attained its independence and the flag and the crest came into being. The torches traveled home with everyone as tired and ready for the holiday the next day everyone dispersed.

At 5:30 a.m. on September 15th itself the children assembled in the School and sang “La Diana” once again. It was a very special opportunity for everyone to display a pride in their country and their traditions.
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Grupo Wak Tsuri in San Gerardo de Rivas

Gilberth Dondi assists with First Aid Instruction

During the same week Proyecto San Gerardo helped out with a group of Guides and Scouts (girls and boys) from all over southern Costa Rica who came to San Gerardo to practice their skills in anticipation of a national competition in Guanacaste in December.

They came to San Gerardo to work with Gilberth Dondi – an adventurer and volunteer known throughout the country for his outdoor skills in rafting, kayaking, mountaineering and survival. ‘Dondi’ is a Red Cross volunteer of some 30 years and is called upon regularly to lead rescue operations for downed planes in the remote mountain ranges, or coordinate disaster responses, such as the recent earthquake near Alajuela (January 2009). He was joined by Red Cross instructor Jorge Flores and group leader Mercedes Vázquez.

Wak Tsuri member practises CPR

In San Gerardo the youth practiced their life saving skills including mountain rescue – rappelling, how to improvise stretchers, splints and bandages in the wild, and other survival skills. Proyecto San Gerardo was happy to provide the mannequins for CPR practice and we aim to work together to provide more First Aid and Disaster Preparedness training to the community in the future.

¿Usted está buscando una oportunidad voluntaria en Costa Rica? Proyecto San Gerardo necesita a los profesores de la computadora para un mínimo estancia de 6 semanas.

¡Si usted habla español y podría enseñar a habilidades básicas del teclado y del programa entonces queremos oír de usted! La prima sería una cierta experiencia en la enseñanza o el entrenamiento.

Nuestro curso de computadora pasado era un gran éxito y esperamos continuar. Todos nuestros voluntarios deliran sobre su tiempo en San Gerardo y las familias maravillosas que permanecían con.

Compruebe hacia fuera más información en la página PARTICIPE, y utilice la FORMA del CONTACTO para conseguir en tacto y le enviaremos por correo electrónico un paquete sobre esta oportunidad única en Costa Rica.

Are you looking for a volunteer opportunity in Costa Rica? Proyecto San Gerardo needs computer teachers for a minimum 6 week stay.

If you speak Spanish (a must) and could teach basic keyboarding and program skills then we want to hear from you! Bonus would be some experience in teaching or training.

Our last computer course was a great success and we hope to continue. All our volunteers rave about their time in San Gerardo and the wonderful families they stayed with.

Check out more information on the GET INVOLVED page, and use the CONTACT FORM to get in touch and we will email you a package about this unique opportunity in Costa Rica.

Estimado amigo

¿Usted quiere practicar computación?

¿Usted quire buscar informacion de internet?

¿A usted le gusteria una direccion de correo electronico?

Todos pueden venir a Sala de Computación por practicar gratis

→ Cada Martes y Jueves 1p.m. – 4p.m. Sabado 9a.m. – 12p.m.
→ a la casa de Jenny frente a las Aguas Termales