La Ciudad de los Ninos (Wednesday, April 8th)What a great day we had today! Due to the fact we have to wake up at 3:15am to start our trek towards La Fortuna & Arenal, this will once again be a short post but with plenty of fun pics :)
We headed to La Ciudad de los Ninos (The City of the Children) in Cartaga, which is a boys home for troubled teens run by the Catholic Church. They currently serve 375 teens, and m
ost have some background of abuse that they have experienced (physical, sexual, treated like a slave to work in the fields, etc.). While some still have contact/visits from their parents, others either don't have relationships and/or parental involvement. Once they arrive at the "city," they live with host parents and other teens in a house on the grounds for one year. There, they learn the rules of the "city" and what is required of them. After a year, they then move into the dormitory where they will finish out there stay.
ost have some background of abuse that they have experienced (physical, sexual, treated like a slave to work in the fields, etc.). While some still have contact/visits from their parents, others either don't have relationships and/or parental involvement. Once they arrive at the "city," they live with host parents and other teens in a house on the grounds for one year. There, they learn the rules of the "city" and what is required of them. After a year, they then move into the dormitory where they will finish out there stay. 
At the boys home, they are all required to be awake and working by 5am. After finishing their morning chores, they go to school from 7am-4:30pm. While they have typical studies, they also learn trade skills (carpenty/wood working, auto mechanic skills, etc.) that will help them once they leave the home.
While we painted different buildings most of the day, we still had time to chat and interact with the students. They were very eager to practice their English and were thankful that we had come all the way from the US to help improve their home. The experience we shared with the
teens made us all appreciative of our families and the numerous blessings that we have in our lives.
teens made us all appreciative of our families and the numerous blessings that we have in our lives. Along with the great visit to The City of the Boys, here are some more highlights of our day:
-An awesome authentic Costa Rican meal overlooking the city of Cartaga
-A trip to La Bascillica de Cartaga, the most famous church in Costa Rica (and where locals say the Virgin Mary appeared in the 1600's)-Experiencing a morning mass at the City of the Boys
-having a new team member for a day, Alexandra, a volunteer from Holland working at the City for 2 months
-Continued bonding and fellowship among our group
-An extremely safe yet fun night hike through the river
As we venture to another part of Costa Rica, were not quite sure if we will have internet...but we will do our best to update you on the rest of our life-changing trip!
PURA VIDA!
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