Carmen Sánchez has been welcoming Proyecto ASIS volunteers into her home in La Fortuna, Costa Rica for 15 years. Warm, family-oriented, and full of life, Carmen’s home gives volunteers an authentic taste of Costa Rican culture — from Sunday breakfasts with grandkids to backyard horses and a little parrot named Tuti. We sat down with her to learn a little more about the family behind the homestay.

Hi, I’m Carmen Sánchez. I’ve been hosting volunteers at my home for 15 years — it’s been a joy, a blessing. I have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. We have a little one with us — we’re on our own now, everyone is married — but we have a baby who keeps us great company.

This is Tuti! One more member of our family. We have 3 more, but this is Tuti, the little companion who’s here with us all the time.

So, Carmencita, what do you all enjoy? What are your hobbies here as a family?

Here in the family, the main thing is horses. My husband is a horseman, so that’s his hobby. On Sundays the grandkids come over for breakfast and we play bingo, cards, things like that. We also go out to watch soccer sometimes — the boys are soccer players, so we go watch them play on Sundays, or during the week too.

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