Carly: De Alumno a Profesor

       El Lunes, me mudé a una casa diferente con la familia de alguien en mi clase. Me gusta mucho su familia, y es interesante para vivir en una parte diferente de Nosara. Debido a que estamos hablando más español que en mi casa anterior, decidí hacer mi primer blog en español.
       Ha llovido unas pocas veces hoy y ayer. Aparentemente, esto es muy extraño. En Houston, es común tener lluvia durante todo el año, pero aquí, hay una estación húmeda y una estación seca. Es muy interesante cómo estar más cerca del ecuador hace que los patrones climáticos sean tan diferentes.
      El Martes, empecé enseñar una clase de canto con otra estudiante de Del Mar. Fue divertido, pero también difícil. La clase tuvo muchos estudiantes de Del Mar, entonces ya conocía muchos de ellos. Pienso que sera una experiencia buena para enseñar los clases (también ayudo enseñar un clase de teatro) y también es una manera buena para pisar afuera de mi zona de confort y conocer personas diferentes en la comunidad de Nosara. Aparentemente, las noticias viajan rápido, porque un mujer ya ha me preguntado a enseñar su hija, cual es emocionante para mi.

Carly: Fiestas and Goodbyes

       Andrew and Ilan left on Thursday and the whole school was sad to see them go. This is a testament to how quickly we bonded with everyone and formed such a tight community in the three weeks they were here. I feel like we have already made friendships that will last a long time. Shockingly, the person who misses them the most, besides me, is Dr. Gabriel's son Ricky. While very shy at first, Ricky quickly warmed up and became very attached to all of us. After the boys left, he told me that he wished they were his real brothers. I know he, along with the rest of the school will be thrilled if they ever come back to visit.
       While this was a sad week for most of the high school at Del Mar, they were also very excited because Las Fiestas was this weekend. I would describe Las Fiestas as a mix between a carnival and rodeo. It lasts three or four days and comes once or twice a year, I think. I went on Saturday night. There were many different activities, and it was also just a great time to hang out with friends and meet new people. It felt like a good look a the community and culture of Nosara because it was the most people I have seen gathered in one place here and it seemed like more of a local crowd.
       Overall, this has been another great week in Nosara. I'm thrilled that I still have two more months here, but I wish the boys could have stayed too.

Coming To An End: Ilan

Today was our final day of a full school day because Wednesday’s are half days here at Del Mar Academy. As I look back on the trip, I just keep thinking about the humbleness and caring the people here are. I truly feel like I have become a part of the community here, and I will be very sad to be leaving it all.
Reflecting on our second to last day, today we had IB course classes (EE work time, CAS work time) which was really interesting to get to attend because I got to see how differently the same curriculum is taught here in Costa Rica. One of the main things I noticed from these clases was mainly in CAS, how focused they are on completing their service section out in the community by picking up trash on the beach, or helping people to develop a good method to recycle. I thought this was really cool to see first hand and will be something I definitely take back home with me.
After school, I ended my day with another surf session which was spectacular today, and as I am now much better than when I first got here, it is really enjoyable to catch waves and have fun with friends in the water.

Today’s sunset after an amazing surf session!

Carly: Our Happy Environment

       In Nosara, the three "main activities" are surfing, horseback riding, and yoga. As of today, I have officially tried two of them. At the end of another amazing weekend, I went riding with a new friend of mine whose family owns several horses. They live in a part of Nosara that I had not yet been to, and riding horses was a great way to explore that land. One of the many amazing things about Nosara is that you are always only about 20 minutes from both the ocean and the mountains. Both of these environments offer different exciting activities as well as different looks at the beautiful land. Riding was my first "mountain experience," and it was a blast. Watching the sunset while we were riding was incredible and completely different from watching it from the beach. I can understand why the people living here try to be very eco-friendly and focus on protecting their environments. They live in such a beautiful place, and they want it to stay that way in years to come.
       This has been mentioned in several previous blogs, but it can't be stressed enough how much people love their lives here. I think the environment really contributes to how much joy people feel living here. I have read that being in nature, or even just seeing trees can improve your mood, and in Nosara it almost always feels like you are outside surrounded by nature. Even at school, the campus is mainly outdoor space. I think that being near other people who feel this joy in their environment is contagious; positive, happy people make you happier, so the overall effect is a feeling of connectivity and happiness in everyone. I feel so lucky for the opportunity to be living in this community of people and this beautiful nature. I hope that Andrew, Ilan, and I will bring some of the peace and happiness we feel back with us to Houston to share with others.

Andrew: The Social Environment

Now that we are two weeks into our trip, our social interactions with students at Del Mar have changed greatly... For the better. Understandably, there was some awkwardness as we first started to integrate ourselves into Del Mar's and Nosara's environment, but it feels like we've almost fully merged into the school and friend groups here. 

As I wrote about in my last post, the lifestyle and environment here seems to have a huge impact on the people. Specifically, their attitudes and interactions. Despite being in a high school environment, the complications of teenage social interactions seem lessened significantly. The social situation at Del Mar has stood out to me as one featuring extreme inclusion. 'Friend groups' exist, as they do in other high schools, but each student integrates into the entire community more than I have ever seen at home.

I believe that, despite the largely positive outlook in our posts, I feel that we acknowledge should some of the perspectives of the Del Mar students as well. They seem to agree that the social situation is more casual and the Costa Rican environment has a positive impact on their lives, but there are certainly trade offs from living in a city like Houston. The students have mentioned difficulties with their college and career paths; They say that Del Mar (and IB) prepares them for college in America, but that isn't a realistic path for everyone, despite their education. It's important to recognize these distinctions as short-term exchange students, as we still have a relatively limited perspective.

Despite any of the negative aspects, it still seems that every student loves Nosara, as do I, Carly, and Ilan. This has been an incredibly valuable opportunity and I feel a bit sad thinking about our departure date. In the future, I hope that this exchange program will continue, and by the time I am in college, I hope Del Mar students will have the opportunity to come to Houston.

Ilan: After School Activities

I have been so impressed with the passion students here have for the activities they do after school. I say this because here in Nosara, there are many less options for things to do after school than in Houston, and the motivation they have to make the most of the activities is amazing. So far, I have committed most of my after school time to surfing which I am very happy with. I have been going with the other students that surf and I have been learning from them. One of the things I really like about surfing after school with the students is that they are very patient with me, giving me tips in the water, and they also help me understand the important details of surfing. From the beach it may look simple, but I have been learning how to read the waves to understand when a good set of waves are coming, and how the wind is moving the waves, and how to anticipate the size of a wave and where it will be best to surf all from the water. I would not have known any of this without the help from the students, and I am really glad I get to surf with them after school because it turns into a very social activity as well (we also surf during sunset which is amazing!!).
Today was the first day of soccer practice which is another after school activity. Although it is practice for their competitive  soccer team, the happiness and joy On the field while I played with them was something I had never experienced during a sport team practice which made me realize how important it is to enjoy whatever I’m doing to the maximum.
Just from these two activities that I have been doing after school and on the weekend, I have learned so much about the ocean, about myself, and about the people I am with and it is allowing me to make amazing new friendships I would not have without these activities.

Carly: Our First Weekend

       We have officially been in Nosara for a full week, and the time has flown by. It is such a joyful community to be a part of, and it seems like the kids at Del Mar never get sick of each other. We spent our whole weekend with students from Del Mar at la Playa Guiones and the surrounding town, which is about a 20 minute walk from our house. Just like the school week, weekends here are a shockingly different environment to be apart of than in Houston. No one is stressing or running from one activity to another, instead they are surfing, swimming, eating, playing games, and enjoying each other's company. Everyone just goes with the flow and has a blast.
       Andrew, Ilan, and I have all noticed after only a week how happy everyone here is. There is no stress or pressure or competition; everyone supports each other. The lifestyle also feels healthier, which I think adds to the overall happiness of everyone. Additionally, everyone at the school is very welcoming. They all seem genuinely pleased to have exchange students at their school, and I already feel like I've known some of them much longer than just a week.
       Del Mar Academy is a fantastic partner institution for Post Oak, and I am so thrilled that we get to pioneer our exchange program with them.

Andrew: One School Week Done!

We’ve now finished our first school week at Del Mar! 

At Del Mar, we're taking some classes that we didn't originally take at home, like IB's Environmental Systems and Societies, and we're getting a unique classroom experience from a Costa Rican perspective. 

Our 7:30 arrival to school is an earlier start than we’re used to, but we’ve begun adjusting to the Costa Rican environment. Our school days end at 3PM, and by 7PM, the night time activities are already wrapping up. It’s certainly a huge shift from our lives in Houston. 

It has been noticeable that we seem to live according to the sunrise and sunset. Even Ilan, Carly, and I have started to prepare for bed from 8-9 PM. Without the light pollution, it’s a whole lot easier to center your sleep schedule around sunrise and sunset. Overall, we’ve observed that those who live here are connected to the natural environment.  

In Nosara, surfing is a huge, culturally important activity. Almost daily, students at Del Mar make their way to the local surf club and go out to watch the sunset on the water. We’ve taken part in these activities and begun to truly connect with the students. The last time that Post Oak visited Del Mar, we were amazed with the calm and positive attitudes of everyone here. I feel that this difference between our lifestyles in Houston and here in Nosara are specifically due to our connections to our environment. Following these natural cycles and immersing ourselves in nature daily, it’s a lot easier to have the free flowing attitude we observed last time.

We have our first weekend ahead of us now, and we’ll soon be uploading some photos from our adventures! 

Ilan Day 3: Happiness in Nosara

Today was our Third day at Del Mar Academy and I am really enjoying the classes and the exposure to the new people and cultural customs. The first thing that stood out to me here in Costa Rica is the happiness people live by. Today at school we had an activity called crew which is divided by each grade, and it is a time to just enjoy the company of your piers and talk about school activities and play games. To me, this really stood out to me, because it really showed how the students love where they are and they love who they are with, and that connection they all had was really special to be a part of. 

After school, the main activity is: Surfing. Almost everyone surfs, and if they don’t, they are hanging out at the beach watching their friends surf. Today, we went with our new friends to the local surf club and went surfing and it truly was a bonding experience. The waves were small, and so we all decided to use long boards and tried to all ride the same wave (they call it a party wave). It may not sound very interesting, but the collaboration and teamwork it requires to have ten people all together surfing, is something that words cannot describe, but I can confidently say that the reward is without a doubt worth it.

Afterwards, we all got dinner together at a sushi restaurant and just enjoyed each other’s company. Tonight’s dinners just made it clear to me that the calmness and joy that the people of nosara live with is truly a special thing to witness because they are all happily willing to share it with me which you do not find in many other places.