Virtual Costa Rica: You’re invited to a long weekend at the beach

Posted on by stanleyobando

There are so many virtual activities right now, it can make your head spin – but this one really called to me, and not just because a friend is behind it.

The folks at the amazing B Corp Bodhi Surf & Yoga in lovely Uvita, in the Bahía Ballena region (you might remember them from the amazing children’s cookbook they put out recently), have put together a virtual beach weekend for all those of us pining to put our toes in some salt water. For a $50 donation to help them keep their hard-working team afloat, you gain access to a happy hour and cooking class with Adriana on Friday evening, an intensive yoga lesson with Pilar on Saturday, and a surf lesson with Travis on Sunday. If you’re wondering how on earth you’ll be able to take a surf lesson from your home, Travis says we’ll use some tape to make a surfboard shape on your floor, and he’ll give us tips that will come in handy one day when we’re actually in the water. Honestly, this sounds like the way I would want to start to learn about surfing anyway.

The course fee also includes a downloadable copy of The Bodhi Cookbook, where the recipes and ingredients for Friday’s cooking class are listed. (Looks like we’ll be making patacones, refried beans and a Bodhi Mule. Yes, please.)

I’ll be there and hope to see you there, too. Bodhi exemplifies the impact that a small tourism enterprise can have not only on its clients, but also on the environment and community that surrounds it. Even if you can only attend part of their offerings this weekend, your donation will have a profound impact on one of Costa Rica’s loveliest coastal communities.

Read more and sign up here.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; learn how to join my Overwhelmed Writers’ League, every Saturday at 1 pm EST; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! To learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.

Virtual Costa Rica: A walk on the wild side

Posted on by stanleyobando

Ok: this is a cool one. I mean, they all are. But you know, this one’s got monkeys.

You can now purchase a ticket for a 13-minute virtual tour of Sibú Wildlife Sanctuary in Nosara, on Costa Rica’s northwestern coast. As someone who has had the good fortune to take a tour of Sibú in person, I can tell you you’re in for a treat. It’s a place where wild animals in dire need of care roam in comfort in an ethereal setting, safely observed by lucky humans who stroll through breezy structures that feel like giant treehouses set into the side of a hill. It’s truly a place I’ll never forget.

Now you can view it in a short format perfect for your next coffee break, or your next “OMG my kid needs to see something truly amazing NOW or we are all going to lose our minds” moment. Your ticket will support the refuge’s continuing work with animals, which, like so many nonprofits’ work around Costa Rica and the world, is at risk because of the lost income from cancelled tours. And you can choose from a wide range of tour times.

Join me in buying a Sibú ticket at their Amigos of Costa Rica fundraising page! And join me tomorrow for a little Daily Boost Live over coffee at 8 am CR time/10 am EST.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.

Virtual Costa Rica: Learn how to make an organic indoor or outdoor garden!

Posted on by stanleyobando

I’m late to the party, but as I type this, Green Communities of Los Santos, Costa Rica is live-streaming bilingual tips for creating an organic garden. If you follow this incredible rural tourism organization, they will be sharing regular tutorials, including how to create organic window-box gardens.

Many of us are trying to find our green thumbs during this crisis, so if you are one of those people, please consider joining Green Communities and sharing this news with gardening friends.

To read more about Green Communities and how they are helping Los Santos coffee farmers to protect their region’s ecosystem, visit my earlier post here. 

Virtual Costa Rica: Introducing the Costa Rica Corps

Posted on by stanleyobando

My Boost today is a new effort I launched this morning: the Costa Rica Corps. It’s an initiative created by a small group of friends, all volunteering our time virtually during the COVID-19 crisis, hoping to celebrate and connect others who are doing the same.

From the start of the COVID-19 crisis, I have been working as a virtual volunteer, donating my time and expertise in communications and grantwriting to nonprofits and a small business devastated by the crisis. I know I’m not alone. Lots of us who have the privilege of staying at home, and who, in many cases including my own, have lost tons of clients and income because of the crisis, want to do something, anything, to help.

That’s why I’m launching the Costa Rica Corps in alliance with some like-minded friends. We hope to achieve a national virtual volunteer movement so people in Costa Rica and around the world who love this country can donate our time and talent to the hardest-hit sectors.

Are you a writer, editor or translator? Are you a lawyer, CEO or graphic designer? Do you have skills you can share or teach in a webinar or video call? We want to hear about your interests and abilities so we can connect you with an entity that needs your help.

If you’re already a virtual volunteer, we want to hear from you, too. Maybe you’ve never thought of yourself in those terms, but you’ve been advising a small business, or writing posts to share the efforts of a nonprofit, or doing some pro bono legal work to set up new entities, or teaching yoga for free so people in affected areas can destress.

If any of this applies to you – or if you or someone you know in Costa Rica needs a volunteer right now – then please visit the Costa Rica Corps website to fill out our survey. And please follow or like us on Instagram or Facebook (both @costaricacorps) and tag friends so our brand-new community can grow.

Thanks, today and always, for reading!

 

 

Virtual Costa Rica: Have breakfast with scarlet macaws via Parrot TV

Posted on by stanleyobando

I mean, the headline pretty much says it all. But the Macaw Recovery Network is tackling the COVID-19 crisis head-on with a YouTube channel full of lectures, bird footage and, yes, a chance to watch scarlet macaws frolic around their eating platform on Sundays while you have your own breakfast.

The Recovery Network’s mission is “to recover endangered neotropical parrot populations through leading a network that develops and implements best practices in conservation.” Tours at their Punta Islita Wild Macaw Reserve, on the Nicoya Peninsula, are suspended because of the COVID-19 crisis, so like many nonprofits in Costa Rica, they are suffering an economic impact. This is a great way to check out their work, plan a future tour and even support them, if you’re so moved!  You can “adopt a macaw chick like Walt” or “help Elvira and Scarface breed in the wild.” (Honestly, I’ve never heard a better donation pitch in my whole life. Read more here.)

So subscribe to Parrot TV… and if you’ve got some beans and rice in the pantry, whip up some gallo pinto this Sunday and join the macaws for their morning nosebag. Let me know if you watch Parrot TV this week!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.

 

Virtual Costa Rica: Keep vulnerable kids entertained without leaving your house

Posted on by stanleyobando

There are lots of amazing online lessons, stories and songs for kids these days, but there’s no substitute for paper to draw on, crayons, yarn, and all the other odds and ends that parents like me are repurposing for entertainment during these quiet days. In houses with fewer resources, the situation for parents is much tougher.

Nonprofit leader Gail Nystrom, founder of the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, has a great idea for how people can benefit kids such as her more than 800 beneficiaries in the incredible binational (Nicaraguan-Costa Rican) community of La Carpio, in western San José: pull together a “rainy day box” of any fun stuff you can spare and little notes to brighten the day of a child who’s cooped up inside. Local conditions and restrictions permitting, you can drop it off or send it to an organization that can distribute it to local families.

Here’s how Gail describes it: “Imagine yourself as a mother, living in a two room shack. You barely have money to buy rice for your three kids to eat. You are then told not to leave the house because of a deadly disease. You have water only two hours a day. The only entertainment your kids have is the TV. You have to keep them inside for two weeks. I fear that this exact scenario has the potential for some abusive treatment of the kids. They are bored, tired, hungry and cranky. So is mom.”

Gail requests “shoe boxes filled with things to do…crayons, paper, old Christmas cards, markers, glue, books, coloring books, scissors, little puzzles, activity books, beads to make necklace, small scraps of fabric. Sequins, popsicle sticks, cotton… and little messages to read every day… this is a great project for Virtual Volunteers. Even if you cannot come to work with the kids, you can go through your desk drawers and organize the materials listed above and give us a call. Our Driver, Pedro Roa, is available to come to pick up your boxes. Please help us to keep kids safer during this very strained time.”

Of course, there’s a lot to consider here. First of all, I usually urge people to donate money rather than objects since that’s often what nonprofits need most; too often, donation drives like this turn into a chance for people to clean house and get rid of things in not-great condition, or create more work for overburdened nonprofits. However, these are extraordinary times when it really might be more useful to get a box of great supplies, than money that can’t be immediately spent in a store because of the virus. And lots of us have had our own budgets slashed during the crisis. Still, everything we include needs to be in great condition, scrupulously cleaned and carefully packed, and should only go to a person or organization that actually wants it and can put it to use – none of us wants to create additional burdens or tasks right now.

If you want to collaborate with Gail, you can donate money here or, if you’re in Costa Rica and would like to donate a “rainy day box,” you can message Gail via WhatsApp at 8390-4192 – the Foundation driver is available to pick up boxes when possible. If you have done something like this or found other ingenious ways to connect with kids where you are, let me know!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.

Virtual Costa Rica: Live yoga from an incredible changemaker in Monteverde

Posted on by stanleyobando

Good morning! As you know, I’m sharing slices of Costa Rican life that you can enjoy from anywhere, along with related causes that urgently need support. So far, this little trip has taken us to turtle-nesting beaches, Volcán Arenal, the Melico Salazar Theater and a Sloth Ironman. Not too shabby.

Today it’s green, lush Monteverde, where you can join yoga instructor Katy VanDusen for a free live yoga class every Monday until further notice at 4:15 Costa Rica time (that’s 6:15 EST, 3:15 Pacific). Not only will you be doing something good for your body and mind, but you’ll be in the presence of a truly inspirational environmental leader whom I’m proud to have met in person. Katy is a longtime Monteverde resident, a community organizer, environmental advocate and promoter of women’s empowerment. She’s a former leader of the Monteverde Friends School and leads CORCLIMA, an outstanding nonprofit that’s making this Costa Rican community a hub for best practices in climate resilience.

Katy is asking, as payment for her free classes, that you do something nice for someone else. However, I invite you to consider supporting CORCLIMA here through Amigos of Costa Rica. (Note that the donation is for CORCLIMA in the comment box.) You can also contribute to a special Emergency Fund set up by the Monteverde Community Foundation at Amigos of Costa Rica to support families during the COVID-19 crisis. And remember that you can browse other ways to give back during the COVID-19 crisis on my dedicated page, including newly updated emergency funds and other efforts, here!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly – or for ways to enjoy Costa Rica from afar, visit Virtual Costa Rica.

Virtual Costa Rica: Save a baby turtle and entertain your kids!

Posted on by stanleyobando

For the first time I’m doing TWO Daily Boosts in one day because this is just too cool not to share immediately. As I’ve shared on my Costa Rica COVID-19 page, the nonprofit Latin American Sea Turtles (LAST) is in danger of cancelling all its spring programming because its volunteer groups – which help support the organization financially while also doing the grunt work of protecting baby turtles from poachers and harsh weather – all had to cancel their Costa Rica visits. Therefore, LAST is doing an urgent fundraising drive that can also entertain your kids and transport your family, at least for a few moments, to a Costa Rican beach!

Here’s how, taken from the LAST Facebook page:

1. Select a name for a #babyturtle 🐢 with your kid(s), draw it ✏️ and color it 🖍️ together.
2. Post it on social media with the hashtag #mybabyturtlecr and tag Latin American Sea Turtles – LAST.
3. Tag 5 other parents you know.
4. You can also #adopt the turtle by donating through this campaign in collaboration with Amigos of Costa Rica: https://buff.ly/3aYaqZY.

LAST will share the 5 most liked drawings on Tuesday. Please join in and share this with parents you know, or teachers who might like to have their students participate! (The kid in my house has already named her turtle: Turty the Tortoise.) 

Is your community doing creative stuff to drum up support for those affected by the crisis? I’d love to hear about it! Comment here or write me at kstan.cr@gmail.com, because you know what? This LAST campaign came about because one overwhelmed mom mentioned the problem to another overwhelmed mom who mentioned it to another and she to another. Seriously. This is how we’re going to get through this.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! During the COVID-19 crisis I’m focusing on slices of Costa Rican life that people can enjoy virtually during these tough times. If you see a great Costa Rica cam, FB Live, online class, photo series or other gem being shared from Costa Rica, let me know! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly.

 

Virtual Costa Rica: Turn your house into a Costa Rican club, music fest or concert hall

Posted on by stanleyobando

(Featured image from Jorge Drexler via Facebook. Photo credit @john.duran.969.)

No doubt, we’re in the middle of a nightmare: but one silver lining is that for a music lover (particularly an introverted, broke music lover), it’s a bit of a dream. There’s a host of Costa Rican and Latin American music to be had on YouTube, Facebook and other platforms as artists hunker down during the 2020 Quarantine. Here are a few:

  • One of the firsts artists on this bandwagon in Costa Rica was the extraordinary Uruguayan singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler, who carried on his March 13 concert at the Teatro Melico Salazar as scheduled – just without an audience. You can watch it in its entirety on YouTube, and I highly recommend you do.
  • Costa Rican group Buena Calle is performing its third-anniversary concert on Facebook tonight at 8 pm.
  • Costa Rican comedian and director Hernán Jiménez put his latest comedy show, Se Despichó Tere, on on YouTube for free during the crisis.
  • There’s an entire online Costa Rican music festival this weekend! The #SoloPeroJuntos Festival (#AloneButTogether) offers a lineup of musicians via Instagram Live including Debi Nova and Pedro Capmany. Basically, you can just start streaming at 1 pm Saturday or 2 pm Sunday; hop from musician to musician (schedule and handles below); go about your so-called homeschooling/working from home/reorganizing your sock drawer life; and hear a whole range of Costa Rican music. At least, that’s my plan.

  • The following weekend will see Latin America’s first-ever online music festival, La Unión Hace la Fiesta (best name ever?). You can see and hear Costa Rica’s República Fortuna and other bands from around the region.
  • And the list will probably continue to grow. Happy viewing, everyone…

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! During the COVID-19 crisis I’m focusing on slices of Costa Rican life that people can enjoy virtually during these tough times. If you see a great Costa Rica cam, FB Live, online class, photo series or other gem being shared from Costa Rica, let me know! If you want to learn more about how to support Costa Rica during the crisis, visit my COVID-19 section, updated regularly.

Virtual Costa Rica: Park your kids in front of the Sloth Ironman

Posted on by stanleyobando

If you’ve never sat down to watch the Sloth Ironman, a delightfully whimsical sloths-doing-slothy-things video series from the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica, now is most definitely the time.

Events like the 1-Meter Dash, the Poop-Off, and Hibiscus Eating actually have a purpose: they showcase whether these rescue sloths have mastered abilities they’ll need if they are to be reintroduced into the wild. What’s more, donors vote during the Games to raise money for the nonprofit project that takes care of these animals. However, the videos are also just very cute and immensely watchable. Here’s the trailer for the 2019 Games:

So just subscribe to The Toucan Rescue Ranch YouTube channel, cue up any of the orange-labeled Ironman videos (the others on the channel are really cool, as well), and put yourself and your kids in front of it for awhile to enjoy Costa Rican wildlife. If you like what you see, consider donating to support the Ranch’s mission of rescuing, rehabilitating and re-releasing wildlife. They’re open and active but will surely be affected by COVID-19, since educational tourism and volunteers are an important part of their model. Connect with them and help them continue to take care of sloths, toucans and other animals!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! During the COVID-19 crisis I’m focusing on slices of Costa Rican life that people can enjoy virtually during these tough times. If you see a great Costa Rica cam, FB Live, online class, photo series or other gem being shared from Costa Rica, let me know!