January 31, 2012
(Please see slide show below!) Arriving at the Community Center in Naranjo: Later in the afternoon after visiting coffee farms, we arrived at the community center in Naranjo where the Kids Share program got started. Some of the GMCR employees decided to join Winston horse back riding through the coffee farm while others stayed to volunteer with children from the communities of Naranjo and San Ramon.
Our second day (2+ hour) program was very sweet. The children really enjoyed the attention they received from the GMCR employee’s and Coffee Source team. Everyone worked together very well.
What we did in two hours: 
1. Played a fun game of Futbol/Soccer to help us all get to know each other. 2. A quick presentation was given to help everyone visualize what KSW (Kids Share Workshops) is about. 3. Setting up and learning how to be careful with our friends while painting. 
4. Painting and hanging artwork 5. Learning how to decorate recycled containers 
6. Awards & Snack
Each school KSW reached some art supplies were left thanks to the generous donations made by many of the GMCR employees and Winston Rost, who wanted to leave something behind. At this community center the computers the employees brought from Vermont were also donated and very appreciated. To give back to children, especially those who receive little enrichment learning in rural and developing countries, this was a very rewarding experience for all of us. GMCR employees made a big difference in these kids lives and they will never forget you!
On the last morning with GMCR I said goodbye to the employees and thanked them for their very hard work and generous support with the kids. I wanted to do something fun as my thank you, so I gave two of my artist prints away in a name raffle. I wish I could do more for my appreciation of their help. Volunteering with children is so rewarding for me, especially when others want to pitch in during their vacation or free time.
I also am grateful they were so patient with me since my Spanish is a work in progress (started learning at 40!) and I have taught very few 2 hour programs. It was a bit of a challenge for me to figure out how to give an enrichment program I had created in two hours which was designed for two-five weeks, but I felt with the support of others the kids were left happy and got a sense of how we can all work together cross culturally through art and exploring.
A Special Thanks to the GMCR employee photographers; Reid Greenberg, Steven Caggiano and Michael Yaeger and Lorena Frias from Sister Schools. Their photographs are making it possible for the 2012 Costa Rica blog to cross culturally share!
Stay Tuned! I will be taking you for the next two weeks to the Sister Schools with Partners of the Americas!
The photo slide show below is a wonderful and quick step by step visual in cross cultural sharing during our time at the Community Center in Naranjo. Please take a moment and enjoy the day with us!
Please visit this link to see the slideshow! Thank you!
Great Experience!!!!
Well done Kristina, Keep doing that, give smile who need it!!!!!! well done, im so proud of you, i really do.
Thank you Juan, your support means a lot to me! You would have loved working with the kids. I am grateful for all your support the past two years. I could not have done this without you. 🙂
It was very encouraging to read about all your kind work your doing for those kids from a community of Nicaragua!. I, as a nicaraguan woman appreciate all this for our better future, the Kids!
Thank you Isabel! My hope is to return someday so that I may continue my work. I am developing my blog reporter skills in order to expand on the cross cultural sharing. Take care, Kristina
Muchas Gracias Isabel! Quiero regresar y trabajo con los ninos(chicos) pronto, pero necesito ayuda para regresar. Abrazos, Kristina