GENERAL INFORMATION TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR MONTEVERDE

Monteverde Community: Monteverde is a rural, mountainous community located in the beautiful Tilarán Mountains of Costa Rica, and surrounded by tropical forest. The Monteverde area is composed of a small and interesting, multicultural group of Costa Ricans, foreign residents, and tourists drawn together by a magnificent tropical ecosystem. This community started out with five pioneering Costa Rican farming families who settled in this unbroken forest in the late 1940’s.
In the early 50’s a group of sixty Quakers arrived, named it Monteverde, and took the initial step toward cloud forest conservation and began dairy farming as a means of livelihood.

Opportunities for hikes in the forest and spotting rare and endangered flora and fauna abound in Monteverde and Costa Rica. Today, Monteverde is one of Costa Rica's main destinations for eco-tourism, boasting the gorgeous cloud forest, the Monteverde Reserve and numerous world-renowned nature and conservation stations amongst limitless adventure tourism options. Monteverde is the perfect place to enjoy the tropical wildlife.

Housing: We are happy to help you arrange a homestay here in Monteverde. A homestay is a great opportunity to become immersed in the Costa Rican culture by getting to know a native family and other members of the community. It is the best option for those interested in developing or improving Spanish-speaking skills. Homestays are arranged with families of students at the CEC. Your hosts will provide a private furnished room, all of your food (3 meals a day), and laundry service. Houses usually have an electric shower and a telephone.

If you decide you would prefer not to stay with a family, you may rent a house on your own or with others in the Monteverde community or stay in a local pension/hotel. While there are frequently apartments or houses available to rent, we cannot guarantee this option. If you prefer to rent or to stay in a pension/hostel, we will do our best to help you arrange it.

Parks and Reserves: Interns (only) at the CEC will receive a letter stating that they are residents of Costa Rica. With this letter, you will be able to pay the local price to enter all national parks.

This amounts to a substantial savings—sometimes free, or as little as 500 colones (about $1.00) in comparison to six to fifteen dollars for tourists. Volunteers will receive a letter explaining their status at the CEC, but we cannot guarantee free entrance to parks.

Food Costs: Food costs in Monteverde are relatively high due to location and availability. We have found food costs close to food prices in the U.S.

Location of School: The school is located on the top of a steep hill between Santa Elena and Monteverde. It is approximately a 20 minute walk from Santa Elena and a 30 minute walk from Monteverde. There is no sign on the main road indicating the location of the school but you can ask anyone in the road for La Creativa or the Hotel Cloud Forest Lodge and they will direct you.

Getting from San Jose to Monteverde. Buses leave San Jose for Monteverde twice a day, at 6:30 am and 2:30 pm. The journey to Monteverde takes approximately five hours. The roads in Costa Rica are not in the best of conditions and can make travelling long and tedious. This bus has NO bathroom facility, and it takes one pit stop for fifteen minutes, about three hours into the ride. We suggest that anyone who experiences motion sickness take preventative medicine. This bus is for the Monteverde Zone, but has its main stop in a small town called Santa Elena. A CEC representative will be at the bus stop waiting for you with a sign saying “CEC”. The bus costs approximately $5. There is also a mini shuttle bus called Interbus that will pick you up at your hotel for about $30. In addition, there are also private minibuses that we can arrange for you. These cost up to $120 one way for the entire bus.

Security Factors: When in San José one should be on guard as in any big city. Be conscious of your belongings at all times, especially at the bus stop. Do not wear loose wallets, cameras or other valuable items. If you are taking the local bus from San José to Monteverde be aware that there is a high incidence of theft near the bus station, which is located in an undesirable section of town. Do not leave your belongings unguarded in the bus station. The bus itself is quite safe but it is never advisable to leave your belongings unguarded when travelling.

The Monteverde/Santa Elena community is very safe and peaceful. There is essentially no history of street violence. Teachers homes are occasional broken into; you should insure all laptops and electronics. While it is safe to walk around at night unaccompanied, and many people do, it is suggested that you do walk with another person, as a precaution.

Health Insurance and Health Care: Monteverde has a health clinic; waits are often very long, but care is adequate for basic medical concerns. Emergencies or severe medical problems are better handled in San Jose or Puntarenas, where the quality of care is comparable to that in the United States. Dental care or gynaecological visits are available in Monteverde for routine concerns.

Alternative health care (chiropractors, massage therapists, herbalist, etc.) is available sporadically. We require all incoming interns and volunteers to have health insurance and to supply their membership information in your application. You will have to pay the clinic about 7000 colones (around $18) for a visit including medicine. If you keep your receipt, you probably can get reimbursed through your insurance company. There are also a few pharmacies in the community where you can buy many medicines over the counter.

Vaccinations: Some doctors will recommend Hepatitis (A & B) vaccinations and be up-to-date on your Tetanus vaccination. You do not need to take any other special health precautions before coming to Monteverde. Neither malaria nor cholera is present in the highlands or in most of the rest of Costa Rica. Although there are isolated malaria and Dengue fever regions in the Caribbean. In general, Costa Rica has on-going and very successful public health campaigns against contagious diseases, and the standard of living in terms of health concerns is quite high. However, talk with your doctor if you are planning to travel to other parts of Central America during your time here. You might need certain vaccinations for other countries.

Water: The water in Monteverde (and most of Costa Rica) is potable and of excellent quality. You do not need to further purify it or buy bottled water.

Electricity: You do not need any converters to use electrical devices in Costa Rica if you are coming from the USA. Coming from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, you will need adaptors.

Banking: There are three ATM machines in Santa Elena. Between them they accept Visa, Visa plus, Mastercard, Cirrus, Maestro. You can also go to the bank teller to withdraw money with your debit card. Have your account number and passport ready to deposit or withdraw money. It is not unusual to wait in line for at least 30 to 60 minutes. Most banks accept all ATM cards in San Jose. Credit card withdrawals can be made as well, most easily with a VISA card. Credit cards are not widely accepted in Monteverde. Some restaurants accept VISA. Restaurants and many stores also take dollars.

Mail: Although mail is relatively reliable, it is not advisable to have your credit card bills or other bills forwarded due to delays and occasional disappearances. If possible, have some reliable person take care of your bills from outside Costa Rica. Both incoming and outgoing mail can take anywhere from five days to five weeks to arrive. Please do not have any boxes mailed to you at the CEC! All boxes are delayed at customs in Caldera, a port town three hours from Monteverde. You will have to pay per day while your packages wait in customs, arrange to get down to Caldera, and then pay again to receive the items. Smaller packages in envelopes are generally fine, but be aware that even large envelopes are sometimes delayed in Caldera. We have a relatively steady stream of visitors coming and going who are often willing to “courier” items to you if you have them sent to the courier.

Your friends and relatives can write to you at the school. The school’s address is Centro de Educacion Creativa; Apdo 23-5655; Monteverde, Puntarenas; COSTA RICA. They can contact you at the school at 506-645-5161. You will have internet access at the school

Visa information: Unfortunately, due to the time and cost related to obtaining special visas, the school cannot offer visas for interns or volunteers. When you enter the country, you will automatically be allowed to enter the country for three months as a tourist. Most interns will be working for longer than 3 months. You can leave the country to Nicaragua or Panama for three days and when they re-enter Costa Rica, you will receive another 3 month tourist visa. If you over-stay the 3 months without leaving, you will be charged about $40 at the airport when you leave.

Suggested Reading: The school uses positive discipline techniques for classroom management. We currently follow the models proposed in positive discipline books by Jane Nelsen and recommend you read at least one of them. These books outline the use of classroom meetings and conflict resolution techniques to solve problems. It will help if you have some familiarity about this before you come.
We recommend doing some reading on Monteverde, and Costa Rica to familiarize yourself with our community and location.

Clothing List: It is helpful to bring high quality, durable hiking boots or sneakers. Tevas or sturdy sandals are usually worn during the warmer months (February to June). You will probably be walking anywhere from 20 - 30minutes to and from the school on unpaved, mountainous roads each day. The school has three buses that bring the students to and from school daily. You are welcome to take the bus, if you like. Monteverde is at a high altitude and can be cool (65oF) in the early morning and evening. On the other hand, it is also located close to the equator and can be quite warm (85oF) at midday. It is best to dress in layers. Rainy season lasts approx. 6 months of the year from about July to December. Bring a waterproof raincoat and rain pants. Bring comfortable pants and shirts for work. Dressier clothes are not needed and are impractical for work. If you would like you can bring “Nicer” clothing for a special dinner or a night out on the town. Shorts are worn in Monteverde and are appropriate. Warm clothing such as fleece jackets, sweaters (not cotton or wool), pants and polyester socks are suggested for October-December months, as temperatures fall at night. We recommend that you do not bring much clothing made of cotton or wool as the weather can get damp and these materials take longer and are harder to dry. Fleece, polyester, nylon and other synthetics are the most useful. It also tends to be damp and sometimes chilly during the rainy season. You will receive a more detailed list of what to bring upon confirmation of acceptance.

We know that you will find Monteverde to be a fascinating and rewarding place to live and work! Please don’t hesitate to contact us with further questions.