The new jobs, the next move, and Costa Rica!

So Cena and I got the jobs. She is the new After-School Programs Coordinator and myself the new Program Coordinator and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Teacher at the Sarapiqui Conservation and Learning Center (SCLC) of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica.

Really we will be members of a core team of 5-6 people that run the Center, meaning like every small organisation, we will have a hand in almost everything. Cena doing some EFL teaching, myself helping with the Scholarship Program, both of us helping with the Youth Group. Not to mention helping take turns cooking staff lunches during the week and acting as liaisons with the community.

"The SCLC focuses its efforts in four areas — environmental education, community development, conservation, and tourism — in order to help form future environmental leaders, raise the organizational capacity of local communities, promote sustainable land use, and connect tourists to the local community."

It's located in a rural, less developed region of Costa Rica that despite being only around 100km away from San José, the capital, and less than 200km away from the Caribbean, it was more or less completely secluded from the economy and development of the rest of the country until the highway was built reaching the area in 1957. The town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui wasn't on the map until later when it became a port town, as it has a prime location where the Sarapiqui River and San Juan River meet. 

Have I mentioned that it's also located in the Tropical Rainforest and immediately next to several National Parks and Biological Protected zones that hosts 521 vascular plant, 194 bird, 36 mammal, 17 fish, and 36 amphibian species? Apparently "poison frogs, toucans, iguanas, and sloths are regular visitors (and residents) to the center grounds." 

Despite all this however, Sarapiquí is the sixth poorest county in Costa Rica. Which is the reason for the existence of the SCLC, which has a prime location right next to the Sarapiqui River.

So basically Cena and I are heading in to the jungle and back in to rural South America! And we could not be happier. From all estimates Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui seems to be about the size and development as Puerto Lopez in Ecuador, but far greener. After being in this metropolis ('city' just doesn't seem to cut it anymore) of 9 million in Colombia for about a month now, we are absolutely ready to leave. We do really enjoy being able to go for coffee at Juan Valdez for one of the best cappuccinos of life (and decaf too!), then a microbrewery beer, then sushi, but just the environmental stress of living in a city like this is really getting to us. I hate having to be on crowded, hot, makes-me-nauseous public transport for over 45 minutes just to get to a mall to get more contacts. Or having to fight hords of people at the grocery store. Thank god we have a little tienda right next to us that we can get most of our fruits and veggies from. Or having to plan out in advance an afternoon if we want to go sit in a park or on a bench somewhere. I miss living in rural Latin America and am very excited for this next move. Not to mention I am very excited to no longer be freezing with two jackets at 2600m above sea level, but be in the 30C heat of the jungle, at an altitude about the same as Redvers, SK. We haven't booked our flights yet, but the plan is January 15th. 

So with that in mind Cena and are going over our list we made while having a beer at a cabana on the beach the night before leaving Ecuador. As we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to when we moved to small town Latin America, we made ourselves (and others) a reminder list before leaving of Things to Remember about Ecuador, or rather, Things to Know Before Moving to Rural Latin America. 

(see next blog post for list)