La Carpio, Heredia

I have never in my life seen a place like La Carpio. Our guides warned us that if we thought we’d seen poverty before, we hadn’t. La Carpio is a shantytown 30 minutes out of San Jose where a little Montessori school is located, and where we spent the day the last Friday we were in Heredia. Walking in to the Montessori school I was so excited to see the babies and play with them! They were absolutely ADORABLE, and so smart. They reminded me of my babies at the daycare I worked at for a year and a half so I was so happy to be there singing “5 little monkeys” during circle time and playing “house” in the kitchen area during free time. I was paired with Wilder, a hammy little boy with Pooh Bear socks on. All of the children, although they did not have the resources and materials, were so creative with what they did have. The point of the Montessori school is for the children to learn on their own, to explore and almost teach themselves the functions of each object, game, etc. The expectations for these children were set high; all of them knew the routine for the day while they are only about 2-4 years old. While I believe all students should have equally high expectations, the teachers challenged the students, as they understand how important education is and how to take advantage of the gift that is the Montessori school.

After spending time with the kids in the school, we did a walk about of the city. As hard as we tried to not stand out, we screamed “American tourists,” as we walked around in our big group. Again, I have never experienced a place like La Carpio but I am so glad I did. It honestly made me appreciate all that I have in my life and made me question whether or not certain material objects I own are that necessary. These people are perfectly content in living with what they have- that is the bare minimum, and they live as though they have no idea what else is out there. It almost made me feel guilty for the things I have, and definitely for all the times I have ever complained! I will admit, I was really shaken up by the town as we walked around. Trash was everywhere, it smelled, it was dusty and dirty and the 1-room houses were all falling apart. It made me think that if there were to be an earthquake, the whole place would be completely destroyed. With all of this surrounding us, happy locals were also there, smiling and saying hello as we walked by.

We met Gail, the most incredible and brave woman I have probably ever met, and also the founder and owner of the Montessori school. Gail is from the United States. After traveling abroad for much of her live and then having reverse culture shock when she returned to the states, she moved back to Costa Rica and eventually started the school. She is truly an amazing woman. She told us of the history of La Carpio and I think it’s safe to say all of us were choked up. After telling us of the earthquake that ran many people out of Nicaragua and into Costa Rica to form La Carpio, and other stories of women with disabled children who have to work in the school to help take care of their kids, I left with a lump in my throat that stuck for the rest of the day. This visit has absolutely been one of if not the most powerful experiences of the whole 3 weeks being here so far, and possibly of my whole life.