Wright State students give thanks in Costa Rica

((Contributed by Spencer Brannon))

Robert Rubin, translating for the daycare center's director Dona Marielos Celabria, explains to Wright State students how the Cin Cinai helps to find abuse in families.

Thanksgiving is a time that we usually reserve for getting together with our families to share memories over mountains of turkey, stuffing and pie.

For 19 Wright State students accompanying professor Bobby Rubin to Costa Rica, Thanksgiving was spent in an entirely different way. Students taking Rubin’s Intersession course in travel literature spent the holiday donating clothes, dolls and stuffed toys to Cin Cinai, a state-run daycare center for low-income families in Escazú, Costa Rica.

The students are studying travel literature and are living with families in Costa Rica for 18 days to develop travel experiences, which they will spend two weeks writing about once they return.

The program is the one of the oldest Ambassador travel-abroad programs at Wright State and has earned numerous awards for its depth and breadth of education. Rubin, who has been spending his holidays in Costa Rica since the age of 16, has developed a strong relationship with the community in Escazú, a suburb of the Costa Rican capital San José.

Director Dona Marielos Celabria welcomed the donations from Wright State students, saying short-lived supplies like stuffed toys, balls, and clothes are in short supply at the Cin Cinai daycare center in Escazú, Costa Rica.

Throughout its existence at Wright State, the program has taught students to appreciate world traveling as opposed to tourism. Rubin emphasizes that true traveling requires a bit of discomfort and an understanding of the entire culture, beyond the facade of tourism.

Megan Markl, a sophomore biomedical engineering major, called the experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Not only were we changing the lives of the kids by giving them someone to play with and attention for the day and letting them know someone cares, they are changing our lives too because they are giving us insight into what other people’s lives are like in other countries,” said Markl. “They’re teaching us something about giving back to communities.”

The students presented the gifts to the center’s director before spending the afternoon playing with the 50 low-income children.

The center operates solely on money provided by the government. Short-lived goods like soccer balls, plush toys and clothes are in short supply.

The center provides much needed day-care services for families, enabling both parents to work. It also serves as a child protection center, where social workers cooperate with families to battle cycles of abuse.

The program’s director said that children who pass through the center’s multi-year program often come back to praise the center and give thanks.

“I really enjoyed it,” said Olivia Woodruff, a mass communication major.

“It was nice to see the other side of Costa Rica and know that we made an impact for the whole week and not just for today—not only for that, really, but for a really long time.”