CAIPAD San Carlos

I have so much to share regarding my first day at CAIPAD, my job placement here in San Carlos. I met some many lovely, friendly people. But before I go into more detail about each of them I really want to get to know them better. Presently language is a barrier. I am the only person who speaks English there, so communication is challenging at times. They really want me to learn Spanish and are eager to talk to me no matter if I understand or not.

The students there are all special needs and very sweet. I really enjoy the staff there. They are funny and caring and seem to really enjoy their job (which I think is so important).

I have been assigned to work in Arts and Crafts which is tremendous. As many people know, I am very skills in A&C. They have asked me to come up with some A&C ideas that can be used with the program and to give them a list of materials. I already have like 12 ideas. Plus if I have recipes that would be easy to teach, they would enjoy that too. Basically I will be aiding in teaching them life skills (crafts to earn money) and cooking so that they can cook for themselves. They also have a recreational period with exercise and games, and I will most certainly be able to pitch in and help there. I know lots of games and can definitely lead group exercise. It keeps them and healthy and me too. It's very much about self-sufficiency.

I know I will learn Spanish quickly since I am being fully immersed. They want to learn so much about me and I about them. I will be taking lots of pictures and creating a bio for all my new friends. I think this placement is perfecto!

More to come! Pura Vida!