Club A

“I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.” -Benjamin Franklin

At Instituto Estelar Bilingüe, we believe that education can be the greatest fighter of poverty. For this reason, we are excited about an up-and-coming non-profit organization right here in Liberia! Instituto Estelar is proud to support the efforts of Club A, an organization dedicated to helping local underprivileged children continue in school and excel. Club A provides tutoring, English lessons, and a healthy snack to select groups of children from Nazareth Elementary School. In addition, Club A is raising funds to help pay for the expensive books, uniforms, and supplies that can make attending school difficult or impossible for many Costa Rican children. Instituto Estelar is getting involved by providing the space for these activities as well as English-speaking volunteers. We are delighted to be part of this amazing cause and excited to see the amazing work that Club A will do for the children of Liberia!

You can get involved! Donations and volunteers are needed to help the organization grow and to help as many students as possible. For more information, contact ClubALiberia@gmail.com or donate below.

“Yo creo que la mejor manera de hacer el bien a los pobres no es ayudarles a seguir en la pobreza, sino impulsarles o motivarles a salir de ella.”-Benjamin Franklin

En el Instituto Estelar Bilingüe, creemos que la educación puede ser la mejor herramienta de la pobreza. Por esta razón, estamos entusiasmados con una organización sin fines de lucro emergente aquí en Liberia. Instituto Estelar está orgulloso de apoyar los esfuerzos del Club A, una organización dedicada a ayudarles a niños de escasos recursos locales a seguir en la escuela y sobresalir. Club A ofrece tutorías, clases de inglés y un refrigerio saludable para grupos de niños seleccionados de la escuela primaria de Nazareth. Además, el Club A está recaudando donaciones para ayudar a pagar los libros, uniformes y útiles escolares. Instituto Estelar se involucrará al proporcionar el espacio para estas actividades y también buscar voluntarios de habla inglesa. Estamos encantados de ser parte de esta increíble causa y emocionado de ver el increíble trabajo que hará Club A para los niños de Liberia.

Usted puede involucrarse. Donaciones y voluntarios son necesarios para ayudar que la organización crezca y ayude a tantos estudiantes como sea posible. Para obtener más información, póngase en contacto con ClubALiberia@gmail.com o done abajo.

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JB75URVLBD7GW

Camping in Costa Rica!

Forget the luxury resorts and pricy hotels – try camping instead! Camping is a fun, inexpensive way to get out and see Costa Rica! There are many beaches and other beautiful places to camp for FREE! Other spots, like national parks and designated camping zones, may cost up to $10 per night. Although this does require a small fee, these places usually have bathrooms and showers to use so that you don’t have to “rough it” completely. Wherever you decide to camp, you will find that it is a relaxing, pura vida way to spend your next vacation. Get a group of friends or family together and camp out on your favorite beach for a beautiful, unique adventure!

If you are planning to go camping, here are some things you might need:

• Tent – under $20 at Maxi Pali! Be sure to get a rain cover in case of bad weather.
• Yoga Mat or Air Mattress (optional) – for those who can’t sleep on the hard ground, these are relatively inexpensive items that can make the nights more comfortable. Yoga mats are $15 at Jumbo, Air Mattresses are $20-$35 in the mall (depending on the size).
• Sheet or blanket – it depends where you go, but a sheet is usually enough to stay warm at night
• Flashlights – because it gets dark at 6pm in Costa Rica, it is very important to bring a flashlight! They cost $5-10 and can be found in most stores. It is also a good idea to bring extra batteries.
• Pillow – bringing your regular pillow can make sleeping much easier. If you find it hard to pack, try rolling it up and clipping it to the side of your backpack.
• Food – pack food according to the number of days you plan to camp. Some great camping foods include: tuna sandwiches (canned tuna and bread), bean burritos (tortillas and packaged beans), meat (if you bring a grill or build a fire), nuts and chips
• Toilet Paper – even in the places with bathrooms, there isn’t always toilet paper.
• Water – some places don’t have clean drinking water. You should call before your trip to find out if there is water available for purchase nearby.
• Other Items – clothes, swimsuit, towel(s), sunscreen, mosquito repellent, toiletries, plastic silverware and plates, cash, matches, a fold-out chair ($15 in the Mall), a grill and charcoal, a book, cards or games

Happy camping!

Spanish students, who are also English teachers, from Instituto Estelar Bilingüe camping in Manual Antonio.

Olvídate de los caros hoteles y resorts de lujo – trata de acampar en su lugar! Camping es una manera divertida y barata para salir y conocer  Costa Rica! Para acampar gratis hay muchas playas y otros bellos lugares, como parques nacionales y zonas de acampar designadas, pueden costar hasta $10 por noche. Aunque esto requiere de una pequeña cuota, estos lugares generalmente tienen baños y duchas para uso de modo que no tienes que preocuparte completamente. Donde quiera que usted decida acampar, usted encontrará que es una forma derelajación, para pasar sus próximas vacaciones. Reunir a un grupo de amigos o familiares y acampar en tu playa favorita es una aventura hermosa y única!

Si usted está planeando ir  acampar, aquí hay algunas cosas que necesitas:
• Tienda – menos de $20 en Maxi Pali! Asegúrese de obtener una cubierta impermeable en caso de mal tiempo.
• Colchoneta de yoga o colchón de aire (opcional) – para aquellos que no pueden dormir en el suelo, ya que es muy duro, estos son artículos relativamente baratos  que pueden hacer más cómodas las noches. Colchonetas de yoga son $15 en Jumbo, colchones de aire $20-$35 en el mall (dependiendo del tamaño).
• Sábana o manta – depende de donde vayas, pero una sabana suele ser lo suficiente para mantener el calor en la noche
• Linternas – porque en Costa Rica oscurece a partir de las 6pm, es muy importante llevar una linterna. Cuestan $5-10 y puede encontrarse en la mayoría de las tiendas. También es una buena idea llevar pilas de repuesto.
• Almohada – traer su almohada regular puede dormir mucho más cómodo. Si le cuesta hacer las maletas, trate de enrollarla y guárdela en la mochila.
• Los alimentos – planee los alimentos según el número de días que va acampar. Algunos alimentos para camping: bocadillos de atún (pan y atún enlatado), bean burritos (tortillas y frijoles envasados), carne (si trae una parrilla o una fogata), nueces, y papas fritas
• Papel higiénico – incluso en los lugares con baños, no siempre hay papel higiénico.
• El agua – algunos sitios no tienen agua potable. Usted debe llamar antes de su viaje para averiguar si hay agua disponible para saber cuando su compra este cerca.
• Otros artículos: ropa, paño(s), traje de baño, bloqueador solar, repelente de mosquito, artículos de aseo, cubiertos de plástico y platos, efectivo, fósforos, una silla plegable ($15 en el mall), una parrilla y carbón de leña, un libro, juegos o cartas

Feliz camping!

Liberia Trash Pick-Up / Campaña de limpieza en Liberia

Estelar staff participating in the clean-up event.

With the Women’s World Cup starting this weekend, people from all over the world will be traveling to Liberia to watch the games. Before they come, however, a few groups wanted to clean up the city by picking up the trash that litters the streets. Instituto Estelar joined other companies and universities to do a trash pick-up at 7:30am yesterday. We worked for nearly three hours, making our way through various parts of the city.  Before we left, we enjoyed cold water and sandwiches that were donated to the project.

It was rewarding to see the transformation of the streets we covered, and to be thanked by local people walking by. However, it was very discouraging to see new bags of garbage carelessly thrown on the ground in an area we had just finished cleaning.

Picking up trash is a humble task that is great volunteer work, but it will not completely solve the problem. There is a lack of education that needs to be addressed. Many people in Guanacaste grew up seeing signs on the bus that say “Throw garbage out the windows.” Although this is not seen on the buses today, it is this bad education that leads people to continue to litter and damage the beauty of Liberia.

Instituto Estelar Bilingüe plans to get involved in more trash pick-up events. We are also interested in starting an anti-littering campaign, starting with children in our kids classes and upcoming tutoring programs. With greater awareness of the problem and regular clean-ups, we hope that Liberia will be cleaner, prettier, and more appealing in the future.

Buses used to encourage throwing garbage out the window. Thank goodness that is no longer the case; however, old habits die hard.

Con la Copa mundial de Fútbol Femenino empezando este fin de semana, la gente de todo el mundo, estarán viajando a Liberia para ver los partidos. Antes de empezar, sin embargo, algunos grupos querían limpiar la ciudad y recoger la basura de las calles. Instituto Estelar se unió a otras empresas y universidades recogiendo la basura ayer. Trabajamos durante casi tres horas, caminando a diversas partes de la ciudad. Antes de irnos, disfrutamos agua fría y bocadillos que fueron donados al proyecto.

Fue muy gratificante ver la transformación de las calles que cubrimos, y ser agradecidos por algunos Liberianos en la calle. Sin embargo, fue muy desalentador cuando vimos un par de bolsas de basura tirado de nuevo en una zona que ya habíamos limpiado.

Recoger la basura es una tarea humilde y un gran trabajo voluntario, pero no soluciona completamente el problema. Hay una falta de conciencia que debe ser mejorado. Muchas personas en Guanacaste crecieron viendo los rótulos en los buses que dijeron “Tirar basura por las ventanas.” A pesar de que este no se vea en los autobuses hoy, esta es la mala educación que influye a la gente a seguir con malos hábitos, dañando la belleza de Liberia.

Instituto Estelar Bilingüe va a participar en más campañas de limpieza. También estamos interesados en iniciar una campaña contra el abandono de desperdicios, empezando con los niños en nuestro programa de inglés para niños y un programa de tutoría que tendremos próximamente. Con una mayor conciencia del problema y limpieza regularmente, esperamos que Liberia sea más limpia, más linda y más atractiva en el futuro.

The Women’s World Cup in Liberia! / ¡La copa mundial en Liberia!

Liberia’s stadium has been getting a face-lift and is now ready for the World Cup! It is the pride of Liberians and truly spectacular.

It is finally here! The Junior Division Women’s World Cup has come to Liberia and the first game is THIS SATURDAY!! Right here in our town there will be action-packed soccer games as young women from all over the world compete for the trophy.  Don’t miss out!

Buy your tickets at http://fu17wwctickets.fifa.com/en/single_match.html or at Maxi Pali in Liberia.

The following games will be held at Edgardo Baltodano Briceño stadium in Liberia:

Date	Time	Teams
March 15	17:00	Ghana vs. Korea DPR
March 15	20:00	Germany vs. Canada
March 18	17:00	Ghana vs. Germany
March 18	20:00	Korea DPR vs. Canada
March 23	17:00	Paraguay vs. Spain
March 23	20:00	Colombia vs. China

On March 27th and March 31st there will be final matches for qualifying teams.

There are so many chances to get out and see a game, so buy your tickets today!

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Finalmente está aquí! La Copa Mundial Femenina Sub-17 ha llegado a Liberia y el primer juego es este sábado!!!! Justo aquí en nuestra ciudad habrá partidos con jóvenes del todo el mundo que se disputarán el trofeo. No se lo pierda!

Compre sus entradas en http://fu17wwctickets.fifa.com/en/single match.html o en Maxi Pali en Liberia.

Los siguientes partidos se realizarán en el estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño en Liberia:

Fecha	Hora	Equipos
15 de marzo	17:00	Ghana vs Corea DPR
15 de marzo	20:00	Alemania vs Canadá
18 de marzo	17:00	Ghana vs Alemania
18 de marzo	20:00	Corea DPR vs Canadá
23 de marzo	17:00	Paraguay vs España
23 de marzo	20:00	Colombia vs China

El 27 de marzo y el 31 de marzo habrá partidos finales.

Hay muchas posibilidades de salir y ver un partido, ¡así que compre sus boletos rápido porque se están agotando!

Making a Difference with Backpacks and Shoes!

It is easy to forget that there is poverty in the world until you see it first-hand. If you live in the center of Liberia, Costa Rica, you might not see it every day – you might never see it. But if you go to Martinas Bustos just outside of the city limits, you will see a different world of people who are living in rundown shacks without floors, electricity, running water, or toilets.

For the second time in two months, the students at Instituto Estelar Bilingue came together to donate supplies and essential items to the people of this neighborhood. In December, we delivered boxes full of food and sanitary products to 12 families desperately in need. We also joined forces with Souls Helping Soles to deliver shoes to children and teens of this community. This time, we did a donation drive with the students of Martinas Bustos in mind. Together we filled 15 new backpacks with pens, paper, notebooks, colored pencils, and other materials that are required for students who attend public school. Going to school in Costa Rica is very expensive and it can take a toll on a family, even a middle-class family. For this reason, we wanted to help support the parents that are struggling to send their children to school and to reward the students who are working hard for their education.

We gave 15 backpacks full of school supplies to these children in Martinas Bustos, a needy neighborhood just outside of Liberia.

On February 14, a team of 17 people – students and staff of Instituto Estelar as well as volunteers for Souls Helping Soles – met at the institute to make the delivery. We loaded the backpacks and shoes into two cars and a donated micro-bus from a local tour company called Offi Tours. We drove to the school near Martinas Bustos, but found out that all of the students had gone home and would be returning in the afternoon. So we made our way into the neighborhood and stopped on the main road where we saw children playing.

Estelar English teacher, Sharai, gives a backpack to this appreciative boy!

We handed the first backpacks to two girls in school uniforms who smiled from ear to ear, and quickly a crowd began to form around our cars. Children of all ages were gathering around, asking if they could have one as well. Our team worked together to give backpacks to school-goers and shoes to any child with a foot that fit one of our pairs. It was a little hectic and it did take a lot of teamwork on our part, but it was so rewarding to see the smiles on the kids faces when they received their backpack or slid their foot into a perfect pair of shoes.

Lisa Garrett, founder of Souls Helping Soles, puts shoes on kids’ feet so they can go to school. She receives donations primarily from North America and within Costa Rica.

Although it was a small gift to give, we made a difference in the lives of dozens of children and students living in poverty. It is our hope that we can do many of these donation drives in the future and that people from all over Costa Rica and the United States will get involved so that we can further help the poor communities around us.

If you want to get involved, please contact us!

Souls Helping Soles: http://www.soulshelpingsoles.org

Instituto Estelar Bilingüe: http://www.estelarcr.com

Third Annual Thanksgiving Feast at Estelar!

Last Friday night, we celebrated Thanksgiving at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe with our friends in the community – around 200 of them! As always, it was potluck style, so each person brought food to share. The English teachers and school director prepared the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, like stuffing (we found Stovetop!), mashed potatoes, greenbean casserole, pumpkin pie, etc. We substituted chicken for turkey since turkey is really pricey here, but no one seemed to notice the difference.

We opened the event by explaining that Thanksgiving in the United States is a time to reflect on what we are thankful for. It is also a time to be with family, and since we (the gringos) are alone without our families here in Costa Rica, we invited the community to be our family.

After dinner, we had a lovely graduation ceremony for English students (not all attended the ceremony).

Finally, we surprised the kids with a Turkey piñata, which was handmade by two of our English students, Silvia and Kattya Alvarado!

Our guests really enjoyed the event and told us so repeatedly. It was a really special time, and we will do it again next year!

¡Estelar en la comunidad! – Estelar in the community!

¿Ya sabía que cada semana en el Instituto Estelar Bilingüe tenemos actividades gratuitas para la gente en la comunidad que quiere practicar el inglés con nuestros profesores nativos hablantes de inglés? ¡Infórmese!

– Estrellitas Club de Niños – todos los miércoles, 5-5:40pm, en el instituto. Leemos libros a los niños y hacemos muchas actividades. Es para niños de 4 a 11 años.

– Spanglish Social – todos los miércoles, 8-9pm, en Restaurante Las Baulas (100 metros del instituto). Hablamos inglés por media hora, y español por media hora. ¡Nos ayudamos a mejorar!

– Superstar Club de Conversación en inglés – todos los martes, 8-9pm, y viernes, 5-6pm, en el instituto. Dividimos los participantes según su nivel de inglés, y conversamos en inglés.

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Did you know that every week at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe we have free activities for people in the community who want to practice English with our native English speaking teachers? We very much appreciate volunteers to help us run these programs!

– Estrellitas Kid’s Club – every Wednesday, 5-5:40pm, in the institute. We read books to the kids and do lots of fun activities. It’s for kids from 4 to 12 years of age.

– Spanglish Social – every Wednesday, 8-9pm, at Las Baulas Restaurant (100 meters from the institute). We speak English for 30 minutes and Spanish for 30 minutes, helping each other improve!

– Superstar English Conversation Club – every Tuesday, 8-9pm, and Friday, 5-6pm, in the institute. We divide people according to their English level and converse in English!

Our weekly reading club for kids ages 4 to 11 years old!
¡Nuestro club de lectura para niños de 4 a 11 años!

Our weekly English conversation club!
¡Nuestro club de conversación en inglés!

Spanglish Social is a great way to meet new people and practice the language you’re studying (English or Spanish).
Spanglish Social es una oportunidad excelente de conocer a gente nueva y practicar el idioma que está estudiando (inglés o español).

Things to do in Liberia: visit UCR

Continuing our theme of things to do in Costa Rica, Greta, an English teacher at Instituto Estelar Bilingüe, tells us about a recent experience she had here:

One of Costa Rica’s public universities, La Universidad de Costa Rica, has a campus here in Liberia.  It is a tranquil place to visit, full of colorful buildings and lush vegetation.  Upper level English students put on plays toward the end of each semester, and they are always interested in talking to native English speakers – they might even ask to interview you for a class assignment!

The UCR Dance Group

Other university groups are active in the community as well.  The modern dance group, Grupo Danzarte, recently showed off their choreography to the community through a dance interpretation of a famous Costa Rican novel, La unica mirando al mar, by Fernando Contreras Castro.

What to do in Liberia: Volunteer!

I, like many English teachers, came to Costa Rica with the goal of doing volunteer work in the community. Once here, I realized that if volunteer work wasn’t organized already, only requiring me to show up and help out, I wasn’t likely to organize it myself (although I did try a few times). Here in Liberia, I’ve been fortunate to participate in two volunteer events that were well-organized and quite successful.

The most recent volunteer event was a Christmas luncheon with a non-profit organization called Manos Abiertas, which works in one of the poorest communities in Guanacaste, Martinas Bustos. Many households in the town of 3500 people do not have running water or electricity, and some dig through the trash to find their next meal. Manos Abiertas volunteers go every Saturday to teach literacy and vegetable-growing classes, as well as do various activities with the children.

An adorable resident of Martinas Bustos!

The Christmas event was for those who participate in Manos Abiertas’ educational programs throughout the year. More than 30 volunteers came early on a Sunday morning to help clean, play games with the kids, cook and serve the lunch, and distribute presents to each of the 180 or so kids there. In fact, something that really impressed and moved me was that each child received a present with his/her name and picture on the gift tag! Many individuals and businesses in Liberia, including Instituto Estelar Bilingüe and its awesome students, donated food, funds, and supplies, so there were many ways to be involved in this beautiful event.

Manos Abiertas volunteers

Another event I participated in a few months ago was a roadside cleanup organized by several tourism agencies in Guanacaste. Around 40 people participated! The volunteers were given trash bags, gloves, and plenty of refreshments, and we spent a Sunday morning picking up trash along the highway that goes from Liberia to the beach with the goal of keeping Guanacaste beautiful and clean.

Trash pickup volunteers

Volunteering in Liberia is a great way to meet its people, practice Spanish, and make a difference in the community.

The Guanacaste Museum

Although Liberia is small, there are things to do here! Here is another blog, by our Estelar teacher Greta Phillips, about something she recently did in Liberia.

The Museo de Guanacaste, right in the center of Liberia, hosts a variety of cultural events.  This month there were art exhibits featuring artists from all over Guanacaste.  About ten artists were featured, mainly painters and photographers.

Beautiful paintings in the museum

As we signed the guest book, we noticed some Australian and German visitors had recently visited the museum, too.  Reading the artist bios and descriptions of the paintings was a fun way to practice Spanish, and the art certainly gave us an interesting perspective of Guanacaste.  One theme, for example, was beautiful, colorful laundry hanging out to dry.  There were bold portrayals of bull fights and people on stilts, as well as stunning photographs capturing the sun setting over the Pacific beaches.

Greta (in the middle) with her fellow Estelar teacher and her Tica friend relaxing in Central Park after visiting the museum.

Thank you Greta Phillips for this contribution!