"La voluntaria y estudiante de español en Intercultura Claudine Wildschutz tuvo la oportunidad de conocer a la mandataria costarricense durante el tiempo que pasó en nuestro país. Conoció a Laura Chinchilla durante la Feria del árbol en Guápiles, mientras llevaba a cabo un voluntariado en la finca La Argentina de esa región."

Mayo-Junio, 2010

Intercultura has been invited to the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010: Building a New Era of Sustainability, to be held on 24 - 25 June 2010 in New York. This is the largest high-level Summit ever convened by the United Nations on the issue of corporate responsibility. At this challenging time for the global economy, the Leaders Summit will provide a unique platform for business leaders to discuss and demonstrate how the private sector can help lead our economies and societies into a new era of sustainability – in economic, environmental, social and ethical terms. Building on the unique insights and experiences of top executives from around the world, the Leaders Summit aims to set the sustainability agenda for the coming years, define responsible leadership in advancing the UN Global Compact principles and strengthen the role of business in addressing global challenges and advancing sustainable development.

Intercultura Language School and Cultural Center has always been devoted to assisting its surrounding communities, mostly in Heredia and Playa Sámara where the school is located. The school regularly contributes to environmental, social, and developmental projects, giving scholarships, money donations, and/or practical supplies to many non-profit organizations. However, in February, the month of love and friendship, Intercultura went beyond its neighborhoods to support the victims, specifically the children, of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The world was moved by the disaster in Haiti, and the English teachers at Intercultura acted swiftly and generously to raise funds to help. They found a trustworthy non-profit organization, called KIDS (Kids In Distressed Situations), to which to donate the proceeds of their efforts.

First, teachers donated their teaching hours to the cause, and Intercultura matched their donations! From this creative approach, authored by English teacher Brady Thomas, Intercultura donated an impressive total of ¢343,540.

Second, teachers organized a “Love Day,” a school-wide event in which fun and educational activities took place: speed-dating, face-painting, and karaoke, to name a few. During these fun activities, students bought baked goods that the teachers had contributed, and ¢45,340 was raised as a result!

Intercultura plans to continue its outreach to Haiti where help will be needed for some time, as well as keep on assisting with causes on its home turf. The collaborative efforts of Intercultura, its teachers, and its students go to show that working together, we can make a difference in the lives of others.

The New York Times

On the Ground
January 6, 2010 Nicholas D. Kristof , Op-Ed Columnist

Hmmm. You think it’s a coincidence? Costa Rica is one of the very few countries to have abolished its army, and it’s also arguably the happiest nation on earth.
There are several ways of measuring happiness in countries, all inexact, but this pearl of Central America does stunningly well by whatever system is used....
(read more)

(read more) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/opinion/07kristof.html?sudsredirect=true

From:Ively Kitler, Canadá.
To: lucie@samaralanguageschool.com
Cc: laura@interculturacostarica.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 4:03 PM
Subject: Video / "Poem"

Hi, there! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a great beginning to 2010! As promised, I have enclosed a copy of the "poem" I wrote for my graduation, December 4. Feel free to pass it along to everyone who works at the school, as everyone played a part - directly or indirectly - in making my time at Intercultura an amazing experience. I can't wait to go back and see you all again! I also wanted to let you know that I have posted Julio's segment of the video in the Intercultura group site on Facebook. Let me know what you think! If there is anything I can do for you here in Canada, just let me know. I fell in love with Costa Rica the first time I visited in 2004; this last trip just served to reinforce those initial feelings. And you are all so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country. I am so jealous... Wishing much happiness, health, prosperity, and love in the New Year. Take care of yourselves and stay in touch.
Until we meet again,
Ly

Read article

Jane's Costa Rica experience.
By Jane Gantz

Jane fue estudiante de español del 31 de setiembre al 02 de octubre de 2009. A continuación se muestra un artículo que ella escribió sobre su experiencia.

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Dia de las Culturas
By Hannah Zimmermann

On Monday, October 12th Intercultura celebrated el Dia del Encuentro de Las Culturas, otherwise known as Colombus Day in the United States, Dia de la Raza in many American countries, Discovery Day in the Bahamas, and Dia de las Americas in Uruguay. This holiday marks the anniversary of Christopher Colombus’s first journey to the Americas, and the merging of different cultures between Europe and the Americas. The celebration took place at Intercultura's beach campus in Playa Sámara, Costa Rica. Colombus began the first of his four voyages to the Americas in 1492. These voyages changed the perception of the world --from the way maps were drawn, to the belief the world was round (not flat), to expanding people’s knowledge of other people and cultures. In 1502, on his fourth and last journey, Colombus arrived in Costa Rica.

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Para vivir la Pura Vida!
by Aaron Rudenstine

Cuando yo llegué a Sámara hace nueve semanas, y el sol estuvo en el cielo y el tiempo estuvo perfecto, yo supe que este viaje fuera a ser buenísimo. Me acuerdo que yo dije “qué arrecho!” Y por ustedes , mi tiempo en Sámara y en la escuela ha estado nada menos de asombroso. Entonces muchas gracias a todos. Me gustaría agradecer a mis profesores—Ilsen, Ruth, Nelson, María Fernanda, Carmencita, Virginia, Julio y Jesús, y un espacio gracias a Ilsen y Jesús por las lecciones en pachuco. No sé cómo lo hacen todos ustedes, pero mientras yo estaba luchando contra agotamiento en la última hora de la clase y me comportaba como su yo fuera un abuelo, siempre ustedes tenían energía y humor. También, me gustaría agradecer a Paola, Lucy, Gaby y Estefanía. Ustedes me ayudaban con todo y me daban leccionitas en español y en la historia de Costa Rica. El ambiente de la escuela es maravillosos en grande parte por ustedes ...

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New Mural at Intercultura's Sámara Campus!

María Fernanda, the Head Spanish teacher at the Sámara campus, just finished her latest artistic creation-- a mural of three manta rays around the building's side entrance. Her previous mural, the octopus on the wall facing the beach, was highlighted in the Nación, with an article and photo on the paper's inside front cover. Future plans include an art exhibit at Intercultura showcasing María's paintings and other artwork.

July is a busy month at Sámara

This July, Sámara will be hosting several community events. From July 6th to 10th at Intercultura is a Book Fair and Independent Film Festival. That same week and the following, the non-profit association CREAR will be running a summer camp, free for all local kids, sponsored by Intercultura and other area business and individuals. Lastly, on July 4th there is the second CREAR surf tournement, with free concerts on the beach, an After Party in Sámara, and food, drinks, games and fun all day long on the beach!

Happy Costa Ricans top global list for the good life

By Simon Briscoe in London
Published: July 4 2009 03:00 | Last updated: July 4 2009 03:00
Costa Rica, the country of fewer than 5m people sandwiched between Panama and Nicaragua, tops a new global ranking for combining a happy and long life with limited environmental degradation.

The country blends beautiful countryside, a great diversity of species and has long since got rid of its army. The merger of its energy and environment ministries has reversed deforestation and helped it produce 99 per cent of its energy from renewable sources. It has also scored highly, relative to other developing countries, in surveys of poverty, press freedom and democracy.

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THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY COSTA RICA 2009 CONSERVATION EXPEDITION

Hello,
This is just a short thank you note to our sponsors to let you know that we have now received sufficient funding to make the trip and will be setting off on the 29th June 2009. Your generosity, especially in this difficult economic climate, has been overwhelming and we cannot thank you enough. When we have completed our research we will, as promised, send you a copy of our report. We have recently met with Dr Angel the world renown Entomologist and he is keen to see the results of our research, as well as our College’s leaders.
Thank you again.
Ben Cowburn
Hertford College
Catte Street
Oxford University
Oxford
OX1 3BW

www.costarica2009.co.uk

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have about the project and our work at the above address, my e-mail:

contact@costarica2009.co.uk

Many Thanks,
Ben Cowburn
Reading Biology at Oxford University