The last few days in Bonanza were full of work, and fun. Starting Monday, we had three full days of work at the construction site and finishing up independent projects. The school’s floor is looking great. It was great to see the progress from the first day. It also motivated the students to continue to work hard despite being tired, as they could witness the fruits of their labor. We also got a cement mixer, which really helped move things along.

It was really inspiring to see the development of the independent projects. The goal with these projects was to help the students deepen their relationship and understanding of the community of Bonanza. We already shared the projects of Caroline, Edie, and Max, but there were many more to go. Bryce photographed and interviewed some of the community members and their families. We learned a lot from their experiences, and we were really grateful for how open they were with us. We framed photos and presented them as gifts. Logan, Alice, and Ellika learned how to make t-shirts from Maria Elsie. It was interesting to see the process from fabric to the finished product. They painted the shirts with the theme of Bonanza, and they came out really cool. Rachel, Sabrina, and Boyce learned how to cook various traditional Costa Rican meals from Yesenia, and Maria Elsie. Each of them made their own cook books with the recipes they learned. They even helped cook for all of us! Noor did a research project on mental health in Bonanza. She interviewed members of the community and presented to the group what she learned. It provided insight into an important aspect of the community. Lia made a Tico dictionary where she compiled all of the distinctly Costa Rican slang words, and sayings. (For example, teja, mae, tico, and que tu aniz, and many others.) Ashley also photographed and interviewed members of the community. She then did her own version of “Humans of New York,” called “Humans of Bonanza.” Sierra compiled a bunch of items to put into a time capsule for the next Putney group! The time capsule includes photos of all of us, personal letters, advice, memories, and some other mementos. Lily took music lessons with a local community member, and learned how to play some Costa Rican songs on the guitar! She even played a concert at the goodbye party (la despedida)!

The goodbye party was both really fun and emotional. We were happy to celebrate the relationships that we made, the progress at the construction site, as well as everything we learned. But we were sad because we knew we would be leaving the next day. We did not want to say goodbye. Many members of the community came to the party. We ate, we danced, we laughed, we took pictures, we played, and we ate some more. After the party, we got together as a group, including the members of the community who helped us so much—Comino, Carlos, Maria Elsie, Yesenia, and Salomon. We used this time to express our thoughts about each other and our gratitude. It was a very moving and powerful experience. Then we presented the shirts we had made to the students, and the members of the community that worked with us so closely.

The next morning, we packed, we said all of our goodbyes, and got ready to go to the next step of this adventure in Kokoro.

Pura Vida!

– Juliana & Sam