Oregon Partners welcomed with open arms during February visit
Every year, as part of the Oregon/Costa Rica Partners of the Americas, there is a cultural exchange. A group of Oregonians visits Costa Rica, and then a group of Costa Ricans visits Oregon.
In February, 12 Oregonians, including three from Brownsmead — pictured, from left, Carol Newman, and Lulu and Ned Heavenrich — spent three weeks living in Nicoya, San Carlos, Guapiles and San Jose.
“We enjoyed speaking Spanish with our limited vocabulary,” Ned wrote, “singing and dancing with our hosts (that’s Carol, inset), and spending four days at the beach, two of them at the Pacific Ocean, and two of them at the Caribbean.
“We also loved eating different foods and main dishes and desserts made in the hosts’ homes. … Visual delights surrounded us daily in the form of monkeys, scarlet macaws, parrots, sloths, the exotic orchids and the different flora and fauna in each region we visited.
“All of these experiences were made richer by the fact that we were in the company of our hosts, learning from them about their culture, their sense of place and personal histories. We got a profound sense of how important families are in Costa Rica.”
“In every place we stayed,” he added, “we were welcomed with open arms, and when we parted company we were invited to return again. Each of us made numerous new friends on this trip.”
Interested in participating?
Check out oregonpartners.net or call Ned Heavenrich at 503-458-5182.
Oregon + Costa Rica 