This past weekend Ben, Kristen, Brendan (another uVolunteer person) and I went to Zoo Ave, a zoo near Alajuela that contains mostly birds (ave is the Spanish word for bird) but an enjoyable variety of other animals as well. An ongoing theme throughout the park that thoroughly amused all of us was the propaganda of guilt, prevalent throughout the entire zoo. Upon entrance to the zoo, for example, we were invited into a mini theater where we watched a 15 minute movie whose information regarding the positive work the zoo conducts towards the preservation of Costa Rica’s wild animal population/diversity was extremely overshadowed by images of destruction and heartlessness to which we were undoubtedly contributing. A short cartoon segment at the beginning of the film depicted the tragic scene of a poacher (whose dark clothing, slightly twisted moustache, and hooked nose screamed evil) wrenching baby birds (by way of breaking off the branch on which they lived with violent blows of his evil truncheon) from the wings of their loving, heartbroken mommy bird (who begins to weep with tragically large tear ducts) and selling them to greedy heartless consumerists like you who put the baby birds in cold, small cages where they will forevermore lead sad, solitary lives. Welcome to Zoo Ave!
Nevertheless, we did greatly appreciate the natural beauty and diversity of yet one more piece of Costa Rica that adds to this country’s infinite photogenic-ness. Aside from the incredible birds – including toucans, parrots, and all the other birds one would hope to see in Central America, and then some – there were cats, monkeys, iguanas, crocodiles, and more. We couldn’t help but encounter a constant stream of guilt inducing posters and signs throughout the zoo (including a sign whose caption inspired the title of this blog post – see posted picture in the gallery), but thankfully that didn’t seriously detract from the overall experience. Once again I sincerely doubt the pictures we’re uploading really do justice to the real thing. The colors of many of the birds were amazingly vibrant, and yet some of the reptiles gave them a run for their money in that category. As with all zoos, some of the animals were not exactly in plain sight, but we I would say we saw more than enough to call it a successful day. When you’re in a country that’s globally recognized for their diversity of wildlife, this kind of day trip is always a sure shot.
Once again, traveling became an adventure when we decided to go home. After eating at a nearby restaurant, I asked Ben & Kristen how we get back to San Ramón from Alajuela, whereupon they realized they weren’t exactly sure. Hence, I was elected to ask the staff at the restaurant, which turned into a conversation between six different people, all with slightly different opinions on the best route, the cost of getting back, and the schedule of various buses they were considering. Finally they arrived at a group decision, which we more or less successfully followed, and we got back to San Ramón safe and sound mid-afternoon. The next day we managed to catch our parents and grandparents in Sioux Falls with a Skype call in the afternoon, and it was nice to see all of them again.
Tomorrow I will be heading to Panamá for an almost week-long trip with the rest of the students in my program, plus many from the USAC program in San Ramón as well. I’ll try to take plenty of pictures and bring back lots of stories from that part of the world. Until then, take care of yourselves.
Monday, September 29
Monday, September 22
Crushes, Mortified Fishing, and Montezuma
So.
I agree with my brother's musings about the word "home." I think. I'm actually not sure. But I'm starting to mean our "Tico-home" when I say home. I think that was the gist of the last post.
Anyway.
Kristen and I have had a busy week. We begin with Costa Rican Crushes.
There is a cafe up the street. It is named the Nav Cafe. It has a beautiful botanical garden and very good drinks. (Like, fruit smoothies and cappuccinos. Seriously.) It has two plasma tvs and as of two weeks ago wireless internet that doesn't quite work yet. But maybe the best part of Nav Cafe is David. Maybe.
Kristen and I have been there twice. The first was with Fiorella, our uVolunteer coordinator. The second was just the two of us. It was on a rainy afternoon and we just wanted to use the internet and get a couple fruity drinks. It was a slow day at the Cafe, and David, the young, bearded, clean-cut, smiling new manager met us at the door. He informed us that the internet was not working, sadly, but that we could sit wherever we wanted. We said, "How about the couches over there?" David replied, "How about the VIP room over here?" We said, "Ok."
So we get to sit in the VIP room, he gives us the remote to one of the plasma screen tvs, and takes our order. He jokes with me about how tall I am, and then (still smiling) leaves. Kristen's first words after the door to the VIP room closes: "I have a big crush on him."
Uh oh.
David returns with our drinks (still smiling that handsome smile). We drink, watch some TV. David returns. He takes our glasses. As we get up to go, he turns to Kristen and says, "Do you like Thai food?"
Uh oh.
Actually, I didn't put this one together as fast as Kristen did. Her thoughts were, "Seriously? My boyfriend is standing right here..." As it turned out, David was just advertising for their new menu, which includes Thai food, USofA style wraps, and other things. It sounded pretty good, actually. The whole place is cool, actually. So, actually, when our parents come, we're going to take them there.
Kristen assured me that her "crush" was just an "I think he's cute." In the clear.
Then we met Video-Rental-Store guy.
Piracy is completely a non-issue in Costa Rica. By non-issue, I mean that everyone does it. People run businesses renting out filmed-in-the-theater movies. There is a store that we've been renting movies from down the street, and in that store works a young, smiling, dark-gelled-haired Tican boy who talks in very quick phrases that reminds me of computer gibberish. We rented a movie or two once, and after smiling-computer-talking video guy stalled the rental process to make small computer-like Spanish talk with Kristen, we left the store, only to have Kristen smile at me and say, "I kinda have a little crush on him."
Now, seriously. David the cleancut, smiling, business manager I can understand. But computer-speak video guy? Hmm...
TO BE CONTINUED...?
Switching gears to fishing...uVolunteer does weekly report meetings with its volunteers. Which are pretty fun. They're going to be more fun now that Kristen and I aren't the only volunteers in Costa Rica anymore (we have a Canadian running abowt and a Californian coming soon). In addition, every Wednesday they have an activity. This last week was fishing at La Paz (not the waterfall garden). There is a local restaurant (a few miles out of town..) that has pools where you can catch trout on the spot and have then cooked on the spot. All four of us that went caught one. Kristen really didn't want to catch one. To her horror, when she dropped in the hook with cornmeal bait, a fish bit and hooked itself. Surprise..? She reeled it in, the son of the restaurant owner beheaded it on the spot, and then we went to eat our catch. For a great picture of a mortified Kristen with a fish on a line, check the pictures above.
Finally, Montezuma. Finally, a beach.
Montezuma is a tourist town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. In non-rainy season (which it is NOT), I'm sure the place is a zoo. Now, it's relatively quiet.
As a part of our decision to go, we took into consideration Kristen's brother Josh's complaints about our complaining about the orphanage. Kristen told him that we have a steep, long hill to climb every day, and that the kids aren't the greatest. He said that he felt SO bad for us, living in a destination location. So, we took that to heart and went to a beach.
We rode a bus, rode a ferry, and rode another bus, then took a taxi to Hotel Los Mangos, which sits right on the coast with the sound of waves in the background. A short way from the hotel is a (semi)trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall and pool. We climbed behind the waterfall, dove through it, and swam in the pool. Then we headed down to the beach and played in the ocean; my first time swimming in an ocean. We played Cribbage, read, watched the sunset, listened to the waves and the rain.
It was a good weekend.
This week: more orphanage. Going to try activities that distract kids for longer periods of time. Going to hang ouwt with our Canadian friend, Brendon (who speaks no Spanish) and maybe the new volunteer.
Peace to all of you.
PS: We have a real address!!! Send fanmail to:
Ben Eisele & Kristen Wilcox
uVolunteer
Apartado 130-4250
San Ramon, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Next time, on SDinCostaRica: Ben&Kristen: What does this new, video-guy crush mean for Ben and Kristen? For how many consecutive minutes can a three year old cry? Will Gretel continue to forbid dish-washing? And, introducing Herb the Cucarracha! Stay tuned...
I agree with my brother's musings about the word "home." I think. I'm actually not sure. But I'm starting to mean our "Tico-home" when I say home. I think that was the gist of the last post.
Anyway.
Kristen and I have had a busy week. We begin with Costa Rican Crushes.
There is a cafe up the street. It is named the Nav Cafe. It has a beautiful botanical garden and very good drinks. (Like, fruit smoothies and cappuccinos. Seriously.) It has two plasma tvs and as of two weeks ago wireless internet that doesn't quite work yet. But maybe the best part of Nav Cafe is David. Maybe.
Kristen and I have been there twice. The first was with Fiorella, our uVolunteer coordinator. The second was just the two of us. It was on a rainy afternoon and we just wanted to use the internet and get a couple fruity drinks. It was a slow day at the Cafe, and David, the young, bearded, clean-cut, smiling new manager met us at the door. He informed us that the internet was not working, sadly, but that we could sit wherever we wanted. We said, "How about the couches over there?" David replied, "How about the VIP room over here?" We said, "Ok."
So we get to sit in the VIP room, he gives us the remote to one of the plasma screen tvs, and takes our order. He jokes with me about how tall I am, and then (still smiling) leaves. Kristen's first words after the door to the VIP room closes: "I have a big crush on him."
Uh oh.
David returns with our drinks (still smiling that handsome smile). We drink, watch some TV. David returns. He takes our glasses. As we get up to go, he turns to Kristen and says, "Do you like Thai food?"
Uh oh.
Actually, I didn't put this one together as fast as Kristen did. Her thoughts were, "Seriously? My boyfriend is standing right here..." As it turned out, David was just advertising for their new menu, which includes Thai food, USofA style wraps, and other things. It sounded pretty good, actually. The whole place is cool, actually. So, actually, when our parents come, we're going to take them there.
Kristen assured me that her "crush" was just an "I think he's cute." In the clear.
Then we met Video-Rental-Store guy.
Piracy is completely a non-issue in Costa Rica. By non-issue, I mean that everyone does it. People run businesses renting out filmed-in-the-theater movies. There is a store that we've been renting movies from down the street, and in that store works a young, smiling, dark-gelled-haired Tican boy who talks in very quick phrases that reminds me of computer gibberish. We rented a movie or two once, and after smiling-computer-talking video guy stalled the rental process to make small computer-like Spanish talk with Kristen, we left the store, only to have Kristen smile at me and say, "I kinda have a little crush on him."
Now, seriously. David the cleancut, smiling, business manager I can understand. But computer-speak video guy? Hmm...
TO BE CONTINUED...?
Switching gears to fishing...uVolunteer does weekly report meetings with its volunteers. Which are pretty fun. They're going to be more fun now that Kristen and I aren't the only volunteers in Costa Rica anymore (we have a Canadian running abowt and a Californian coming soon). In addition, every Wednesday they have an activity. This last week was fishing at La Paz (not the waterfall garden). There is a local restaurant (a few miles out of town..) that has pools where you can catch trout on the spot and have then cooked on the spot. All four of us that went caught one. Kristen really didn't want to catch one. To her horror, when she dropped in the hook with cornmeal bait, a fish bit and hooked itself. Surprise..? She reeled it in, the son of the restaurant owner beheaded it on the spot, and then we went to eat our catch. For a great picture of a mortified Kristen with a fish on a line, check the pictures above.
Finally, Montezuma. Finally, a beach.
Montezuma is a tourist town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. In non-rainy season (which it is NOT), I'm sure the place is a zoo. Now, it's relatively quiet.
As a part of our decision to go, we took into consideration Kristen's brother Josh's complaints about our complaining about the orphanage. Kristen told him that we have a steep, long hill to climb every day, and that the kids aren't the greatest. He said that he felt SO bad for us, living in a destination location. So, we took that to heart and went to a beach.
We rode a bus, rode a ferry, and rode another bus, then took a taxi to Hotel Los Mangos, which sits right on the coast with the sound of waves in the background. A short way from the hotel is a (semi)trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall and pool. We climbed behind the waterfall, dove through it, and swam in the pool. Then we headed down to the beach and played in the ocean; my first time swimming in an ocean. We played Cribbage, read, watched the sunset, listened to the waves and the rain.
It was a good weekend.
This week: more orphanage. Going to try activities that distract kids for longer periods of time. Going to hang ouwt with our Canadian friend, Brendon (who speaks no Spanish) and maybe the new volunteer.
Peace to all of you.
PS: We have a real address!!! Send fanmail to:
Ben Eisele & Kristen Wilcox
uVolunteer
Apartado 130-4250
San Ramon, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Next time, on SDinCostaRica: Ben&Kristen: What does this new, video-guy crush mean for Ben and Kristen? For how many consecutive minutes can a three year old cry? Will Gretel continue to forbid dish-washing? And, introducing Herb the Cucarracha! Stay tuned...
Friday, September 19
philosophical revelations, including conversations with Pork Chop
In a couple days I will reach my one-month mark of being here in Costa Rica. After that, it will be the longest time I’ve ever spent outside the United States (followed by my months in Germany and China), and it soon will surpass any period of time I’ve been away from home.
The word “home” is something I have thought about frequently while here in Costa Rica. My home is certainly the United States, with my family, but the definition has certainly expanded. Of course when I first arrived here I thought to myself, “This is my new home,” but the truth of the statement varies for different perceptions of the word. From day one, this house in which I sleep and eat is where I live, and thus is my home. Having been here for some time now, I feel a stronger connection. After a long day, a trying experience, or even a weekend away, I am beginning to feel more and more the comfort and relief one can only get with a place that they truly call “home,” on so much more than a superficial level.
And yet, this particular sentimental profundity is but one example of how my perspective on daily life has changed here. Perhaps even more importantly, I have found new meaning in its smallest aspects (that is, those of daily life). Adapting to an entirely new culture, particularly when it involves use of a different language, brings the most subtle parts of my day out of the woodwork. A casual conversation with my host family, sharing a bus seat with a stranger, or simply walking throughout Heredia for no reason in particular are all experiences for which I exert an elevated level of concentration. In other words, the intensity of new experiences has not waned in the least. Because of this, I find myself in awe of the significance one finds in such “superfluities” or “accessories” of life, if only given the appropriate attention. I realize I’m waxing philosophical in attempting to describe this vague revelation (and probably failing), but it’s certainly worth noting, and certainly worth experiencing. I really don’t know how to explain it.
On a less complicated note, things are still going very well down here. I’m starting to get heavier workloads for my classes (something I do not lament….yet), and I also can tell I’m regressing into a familiar schedule – doing homework much later than I ought, and being disappointed the following morning upon realizing class times have not been rescheduled to fit my sleeping needs.
Life at home (there’s that word again) continues to treat me well. The neighborhood dogs still bark at me pretty much every day, but we get along. Since I don’t know the owners (yet), I’ve taken the liberty of naming some of them. My favorites thus far are Pork Chop, who lives a few houses away and lets me know how unwelcome I am every day I come home from school, and the Capitan, who is something of the neighborhood sentinel, sitting at the entrance of our barrio (neighborhood). Unlike Pork Chop, the Capitan has become more or less accustomed to me, although the first few times I walked past him alone (that is, with no one he recognized) he bared his teeth and growled at me in something of a doggy death threat. He now allows my passage in silence.
Kudos to my brother and cuñada** in San Ramón for their accurate, descriptive, and at times poetic blog posts. It´s true about their host mom. She´s great, in a hospitably confining way (although I too had the privilege of washing dishes once when I was there for the weekend…but don´t tell Gretel, she doesn´t know).
As far as the much-discussed fiber issue, I´m not sure what kind of beans they eat in San Ramón, but here they work just fine. And that´s all I´m going to say about that.
I’ve started to receive some letters (of the tangible sort) at my university, much to my delight. Hearing from any and everyone makes my day, regardless of the medium of correspondence. Thank you to all of you for your kind words, and as always I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Until next time, take care. Say hi to the cold when it gets there =)
¡Pura Vida!
**Interesting culture note: cuñada is the Spanish word for sister-in-law, and while here, to be culturally correct, I refer to Kristen as such. The first the locals said this I quickly explained that Ben and Kristen are not married, but that doesn´t matter here. Brother´s got a girlfriend? She´s your sister-in-law. Daughter´s got a boyfriend? He´s your son-in-law. Etc, etc. We all found this to be an interesting cultural difference, so I thought I´d share it with you all here.
The word “home” is something I have thought about frequently while here in Costa Rica. My home is certainly the United States, with my family, but the definition has certainly expanded. Of course when I first arrived here I thought to myself, “This is my new home,” but the truth of the statement varies for different perceptions of the word. From day one, this house in which I sleep and eat is where I live, and thus is my home. Having been here for some time now, I feel a stronger connection. After a long day, a trying experience, or even a weekend away, I am beginning to feel more and more the comfort and relief one can only get with a place that they truly call “home,” on so much more than a superficial level.
And yet, this particular sentimental profundity is but one example of how my perspective on daily life has changed here. Perhaps even more importantly, I have found new meaning in its smallest aspects (that is, those of daily life). Adapting to an entirely new culture, particularly when it involves use of a different language, brings the most subtle parts of my day out of the woodwork. A casual conversation with my host family, sharing a bus seat with a stranger, or simply walking throughout Heredia for no reason in particular are all experiences for which I exert an elevated level of concentration. In other words, the intensity of new experiences has not waned in the least. Because of this, I find myself in awe of the significance one finds in such “superfluities” or “accessories” of life, if only given the appropriate attention. I realize I’m waxing philosophical in attempting to describe this vague revelation (and probably failing), but it’s certainly worth noting, and certainly worth experiencing. I really don’t know how to explain it.
On a less complicated note, things are still going very well down here. I’m starting to get heavier workloads for my classes (something I do not lament….yet), and I also can tell I’m regressing into a familiar schedule – doing homework much later than I ought, and being disappointed the following morning upon realizing class times have not been rescheduled to fit my sleeping needs.
Life at home (there’s that word again) continues to treat me well. The neighborhood dogs still bark at me pretty much every day, but we get along. Since I don’t know the owners (yet), I’ve taken the liberty of naming some of them. My favorites thus far are Pork Chop, who lives a few houses away and lets me know how unwelcome I am every day I come home from school, and the Capitan, who is something of the neighborhood sentinel, sitting at the entrance of our barrio (neighborhood). Unlike Pork Chop, the Capitan has become more or less accustomed to me, although the first few times I walked past him alone (that is, with no one he recognized) he bared his teeth and growled at me in something of a doggy death threat. He now allows my passage in silence.
Kudos to my brother and cuñada** in San Ramón for their accurate, descriptive, and at times poetic blog posts. It´s true about their host mom. She´s great, in a hospitably confining way (although I too had the privilege of washing dishes once when I was there for the weekend…but don´t tell Gretel, she doesn´t know).
As far as the much-discussed fiber issue, I´m not sure what kind of beans they eat in San Ramón, but here they work just fine. And that´s all I´m going to say about that.
I’ve started to receive some letters (of the tangible sort) at my university, much to my delight. Hearing from any and everyone makes my day, regardless of the medium of correspondence. Thank you to all of you for your kind words, and as always I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Until next time, take care. Say hi to the cold when it gets there =)
¡Pura Vida!
**Interesting culture note: cuñada is the Spanish word for sister-in-law, and while here, to be culturally correct, I refer to Kristen as such. The first the locals said this I quickly explained that Ben and Kristen are not married, but that doesn´t matter here. Brother´s got a girlfriend? She´s your sister-in-law. Daughter´s got a boyfriend? He´s your son-in-law. Etc, etc. We all found this to be an interesting cultural difference, so I thought I´d share it with you all here.
Thursday, September 18
el desfile fue estupendo!
The title is for you, Jeff. It's Kristen, adding just a tiny bit to Ben's recent post. I know, I know, it certainly doesn't need any more length, but Ben wants me to put in something about this last weekend, (apparently his creative juices have been drained,) so I will fill you in as concise a manner as possible.
Sam came to San Ramon to spend the weekend with us, which was great, except for my being under the weather. Our Mama Tica took very good care of me, although when she offered to make me a tea of "la buena herba" (the good herb) I had images of a drug-induced trip to fantasy land. Alas, buena herba doesn't quite have the magical properties I was hoping for, but I did get better quickly. We explored the city a little, went to the neighboring town of Zarcero for an afternoon, which is famous for it's highly unusual garden in the central square. This garden has giant bushes that have been cut into shapes. According to our guide book, these shapes included a monkey on a motorcycle, an elephant with light bulbs for eyes, and a bullfight with a matador and charging bull. This may or may not have been the case, but one would need a view from an airplane, an ability to find meaning in the abstract or a highly-active imagination to see any of these shapes. Luckily, Sam has just such an imagination, so we found all sorts of things that may or may not be what the artist intended...We'll post pictures soon.
Monday was Independence Day here in Costa Rica, which is a huge deal. The festivities started on Sunday night, and the three of us went downtown with our host family to check out the first of two parades. We missed the parade (typical Ticans) but had a good time wandering around and watching the aftermath. Monday morning was the big parade, complete with marching bands, floats, baton-twirlers and traditional Costa Rican dance. However, as this was a Tican Parade, a few things were different: 1)The people are told that the parade begins at 9:00 so that everyone will get there by around 10:00, so the parade can start by 10:30. 2)The marching bands are mostly composed of elementary-school kids who play a snare drum, cymbals or a xylophone, all with great enthusiasm. 3)The float were mostly pick-up trucks with something set up in the back. My favorite was the large truck that crawled down the street, emitting black fumes every ten seconds and boasting a display of recently-picked plants and some kids sitting in costa-rican dress, waving signs about their environmentally-focused school...4)There was anywhere from 6 feet to 600 yards of space between the participants, so the parade was rather slow going. We enjoyed the first hour and a half and walked away with our fill of parade for the next long while...
Okay, less concise than it could have been, but we really enjoyed having Sam here and being a part of the celebrations. Walking around downtown it was clear that we were accepted as a part of the community, which was a great feeling.
Hoping you are all experiencing similar great feelings- please send a line and let us know how you are!
Sam came to San Ramon to spend the weekend with us, which was great, except for my being under the weather. Our Mama Tica took very good care of me, although when she offered to make me a tea of "la buena herba" (the good herb) I had images of a drug-induced trip to fantasy land. Alas, buena herba doesn't quite have the magical properties I was hoping for, but I did get better quickly. We explored the city a little, went to the neighboring town of Zarcero for an afternoon, which is famous for it's highly unusual garden in the central square. This garden has giant bushes that have been cut into shapes. According to our guide book, these shapes included a monkey on a motorcycle, an elephant with light bulbs for eyes, and a bullfight with a matador and charging bull. This may or may not have been the case, but one would need a view from an airplane, an ability to find meaning in the abstract or a highly-active imagination to see any of these shapes. Luckily, Sam has just such an imagination, so we found all sorts of things that may or may not be what the artist intended...We'll post pictures soon.
Monday was Independence Day here in Costa Rica, which is a huge deal. The festivities started on Sunday night, and the three of us went downtown with our host family to check out the first of two parades. We missed the parade (typical Ticans) but had a good time wandering around and watching the aftermath. Monday morning was the big parade, complete with marching bands, floats, baton-twirlers and traditional Costa Rican dance. However, as this was a Tican Parade, a few things were different: 1)The people are told that the parade begins at 9:00 so that everyone will get there by around 10:00, so the parade can start by 10:30. 2)The marching bands are mostly composed of elementary-school kids who play a snare drum, cymbals or a xylophone, all with great enthusiasm. 3)The float were mostly pick-up trucks with something set up in the back. My favorite was the large truck that crawled down the street, emitting black fumes every ten seconds and boasting a display of recently-picked plants and some kids sitting in costa-rican dress, waving signs about their environmentally-focused school...4)There was anywhere from 6 feet to 600 yards of space between the participants, so the parade was rather slow going. We enjoyed the first hour and a half and walked away with our fill of parade for the next long while...
Okay, less concise than it could have been, but we really enjoyed having Sam here and being a part of the celebrations. Walking around downtown it was clear that we were accepted as a part of the community, which was a great feeling.
Hoping you are all experiencing similar great feelings- please send a line and let us know how you are!
Less Albergue, more...fiber?
Hello everyone. It's been a whole week now since I've posted ("I" being "Kristen or I"), and Sam's well-written post about Volcan Barva and 'having a splendid little chat about the jovial things in life, as only the very best of friends can do' was a whole week ago now (jolly good work, chap). So we're updating.
Life here is good. Life is challenging at times. Well, more like the Albergue (orphanage) is challenging at times. Not necessarily bad challenging...(insert exclamatory cough here)...oh, okay, so not every challenge is a welcome one. But life is proceeding.
The orphanage has 14 kids (and climbing). It is supposed to have around 10, but as most places in this line of work seem, they have a surplus of children in need. Kristen and I work from about 8:30 to about 12:30. The "about" is due to bus schedules that fluctuate within a 15-minute window and due to hours that change depending on the childrens' needs. We initially were 'just' occupying the kids with games and our attention. Now, as we become more familiar with the kids' schedules and the "tias" ("aunts" who live/work there) we have been asked to put together a more consistent schedule that includes doing homework, teaching English, and playing.
Sounds simple enough, right? Well...
As it turns out, the ages at the orphanage range from 3 to 13ish. The different age groups have different school schedules, as most Costa Rican students have classes either in the morning or in the afternoon, alternating every week. Our kids have such different schedules that predicting who will be there is a difficult task. Furthermore, the kids seem to rarely have homework, and often only one or two will have anything to work on. Likewise, teaching English is challenging because the kids are all at very different places with what they know. Some have only a Sesame-Street level, some know more. So the whole 'organized schedule' thing kinda goes out the window (and over the gate, down the street, out of town and into the nearest active volcano). But hey, Pura Vida ("Pure Life") eh? Schedules are....well. "Schedules aren't," is more accurate.
There are days at the Albergue when we leave with kids holding onto us with hugs. There are other days where we leave and the kids are holding onto each other in a fight to the death. They are very possessive of everything, disrespectful to others, and deaf to me. But they need attention, and a safe environment. We're doing our best, but patience wears thin at times. We'll see where we are in a month or two.
Aside from Albergue frustrations, life is very good. Our host mom is pretty awesome, as Sam can attest to (he was here this last weekend). She refuses to let us clean our dishes, the floors, the bathroom. She dislikes it when we clear the table. She even insists that it's her job to make our beds.
I like her. :)
But life is getting more reasonable. At first, we literally could not move our dishes. Now when we clear the table, we get an eyebrow raise and a playful scolding, but we are permitted to do so. We can even get away with cleaning the occasional dish. The first time we made it into the kitchen and cleaned something (well, Kristen cleaned something...), Gretel was conversing with a visitor in the living room. We finished the dishes. Kristen went to our room down the hall, and from there she heard:
"*GASP!* She...she cleaned them?! What shame!" I was standing too close, and she turned to me and said (with her expression and maybe her words (??): "Why? Why did you let her do this?" But things are more reasonable now....It's more of a joke, because at first (and now) she always would say, "This afternoon, this afternoon" or "tomorrow, tomorrow" or "Later. There is time." Which distracted us for awhile, but we're catching on.
So, by now you're wondering what the "fiber" in the title is all about. Well, the truth is, we're running short on it. Whole grains and whatnot are not a big thing here. Rice and beans and corn are. So (and those of you who were in China with me remember this) instead of having the problem of just going with the flow, it's been pretty slow going. We've been healthy though, except for a two-day Kristen vs. digestive system battle. But that's over.
Other than those couple minor complaints, we're great. The people are great, our family is great, the uVolunteer people are great, the food is great, the blackberry smoothies are great, the frozen chocolate cappuccinos at the Aroma Cafe are great...
Pura Vida.
I've written a lot.
Blessings to ya'll in the midwest and wherever else. Thinking of you, and our thoughts and prayers are with you as your's are with us.
Life here is good. Life is challenging at times. Well, more like the Albergue (orphanage) is challenging at times. Not necessarily bad challenging...(insert exclamatory cough here)...oh, okay, so not every challenge is a welcome one. But life is proceeding.
The orphanage has 14 kids (and climbing). It is supposed to have around 10, but as most places in this line of work seem, they have a surplus of children in need. Kristen and I work from about 8:30 to about 12:30. The "about" is due to bus schedules that fluctuate within a 15-minute window and due to hours that change depending on the childrens' needs. We initially were 'just' occupying the kids with games and our attention. Now, as we become more familiar with the kids' schedules and the "tias" ("aunts" who live/work there) we have been asked to put together a more consistent schedule that includes doing homework, teaching English, and playing.
Sounds simple enough, right? Well...
As it turns out, the ages at the orphanage range from 3 to 13ish. The different age groups have different school schedules, as most Costa Rican students have classes either in the morning or in the afternoon, alternating every week. Our kids have such different schedules that predicting who will be there is a difficult task. Furthermore, the kids seem to rarely have homework, and often only one or two will have anything to work on. Likewise, teaching English is challenging because the kids are all at very different places with what they know. Some have only a Sesame-Street level, some know more. So the whole 'organized schedule' thing kinda goes out the window (and over the gate, down the street, out of town and into the nearest active volcano). But hey, Pura Vida ("Pure Life") eh? Schedules are....well. "Schedules aren't," is more accurate.
There are days at the Albergue when we leave with kids holding onto us with hugs. There are other days where we leave and the kids are holding onto each other in a fight to the death. They are very possessive of everything, disrespectful to others, and deaf to me. But they need attention, and a safe environment. We're doing our best, but patience wears thin at times. We'll see where we are in a month or two.
Aside from Albergue frustrations, life is very good. Our host mom is pretty awesome, as Sam can attest to (he was here this last weekend). She refuses to let us clean our dishes, the floors, the bathroom. She dislikes it when we clear the table. She even insists that it's her job to make our beds.
I like her. :)
But life is getting more reasonable. At first, we literally could not move our dishes. Now when we clear the table, we get an eyebrow raise and a playful scolding, but we are permitted to do so. We can even get away with cleaning the occasional dish. The first time we made it into the kitchen and cleaned something (well, Kristen cleaned something...), Gretel was conversing with a visitor in the living room. We finished the dishes. Kristen went to our room down the hall, and from there she heard:
"*GASP!* She...she cleaned them?! What shame!" I was standing too close, and she turned to me and said (with her expression and maybe her words (??): "Why? Why did you let her do this?" But things are more reasonable now....It's more of a joke, because at first (and now) she always would say, "This afternoon, this afternoon" or "tomorrow, tomorrow" or "Later. There is time." Which distracted us for awhile, but we're catching on.
So, by now you're wondering what the "fiber" in the title is all about. Well, the truth is, we're running short on it. Whole grains and whatnot are not a big thing here. Rice and beans and corn are. So (and those of you who were in China with me remember this) instead of having the problem of just going with the flow, it's been pretty slow going. We've been healthy though, except for a two-day Kristen vs. digestive system battle. But that's over.
Other than those couple minor complaints, we're great. The people are great, our family is great, the uVolunteer people are great, the food is great, the blackberry smoothies are great, the frozen chocolate cappuccinos at the Aroma Cafe are great...
Pura Vida.
I've written a lot.
Blessings to ya'll in the midwest and wherever else. Thinking of you, and our thoughts and prayers are with you as your's are with us.
Sunday, September 7
We´re cold, wet, tired, and hungry.....and it was an awesome day!
This past weekend was incredibly fun for all of us. On Friday, Anna, Ben, and Kristen all came over to my part of the country – Heredia – to socialize, explore, and do whatever else we felt like for the weekend. Once again, I managed to make everyone wait for me, as I was late in finding both Anna (15 minutes) and the Ben/Kristen pair (allegedly an hour and a half). We’re obviously adapting to the culture down here quite well – la hora tica!
After we all found each other, we headed back to my home to introduce my friends to my family and to have some dinner straight from the increasingly famous kitchen of my host mother Elizabeth. I can’t even begin to describe how cordial and welcoming the families we’ve encountered here are. Anna’s family greeted us extremely warmly for the night we were in San Pedro, and my family here was more than delighted to shack up all my friends (and feed us, offer us car rides, feed us, arrange bedding, feed us, etc…). Ben and Kristen are very excited for Anna and me to meet their host family. After a lovely meal Friday evening, we decided to head to bed early for the following morning’s travels. There was hardly room for all four of us in the two rooms that we had, but we managed.
We decided to go to Volcán Barva, a volcano here near Heredia which has long been inactive. Most people recommend seeing Volcán Poás because you can drive straight to the top (in other words, no hiking required) and it’s more organized for tourists. Well, we prided ourselves as more adventurous people than that. =)
Getting to Barva was an adventure in itself. Despite getting up at 5:30 Saturday morning, we missed the bus we needed to take to get directly to Sacramento, a small village near the entrance to the Volcano Park. After navigating through a maze of buses (and the usual scrambled directions from helpful locals, of course), we finally found a bus to San José de la Montaña, a small town a little farther away. Once there we looked for a taxi rojo (the official, licensed taxis of Costa Rica), but not being able to find one we were forced to take a taxi pirata (pirate taxi) which was expensive, slightly illegal, and probably not entirely safe. Nonetheless, we arrived safely.
By arrived, I mean our driver took us up a road that made a sudden transition from paved street to 4WD terrain only, and he told us that was where we get off. We had read that one must either take a 4WD vehicle or walk to the ranger station/park entrance, but we didn’t know that this would be such a middle-of-nowhere switch. This was about 8:30 am, and so began our walking. Getting to the ranger station itself took about an hour, and hiking through the park another four hours or so.
The park was absolutely incredible. The beauty of the paths was well worth the mud that we trudged through. The pathways are surrounded by incredible flowers, trees, and other plants we’d never seen before, including sombrillas de pobre (poor man’s umbrella), whose leaves are unbelievably large (see posted pictures). After reaching an observation point (from which we saw mostly cloud, but plenty of green lands stretching far below as well), we trekked to a small lagoon. The lagoon was absolutely tranquil, and surprisingly majestic for being so small. Starving at this point, we rested and ate our soda crackers with PB&J we had packed. Shortly thereafter the clouds rolled in – we watched as a cloud gracefully descended the hillside and filled the lagoon. Not five minutes later, we literally watched rain approach us from across the lagoon and it did not cease until after we had past the ranger station on the way back to Sacramento. This made for a somewhat miserable hike back, but I don’t think my companions would disagree in saying the natural beauty surrounding us made up for the cold feet and wet clothing.
After finally getting some hot chocolate and food into our stomachs from a couple restaurants in and around Sacramento, we made our way back to Heredia (an even more adventurous myriad of means of transportation). Following a wonderful dinner at home – a meal whose taste was augmented by our fatigue – we spent the evening at a relatively quiet bar discussing all the important things in life, as only close friends can do.
I’ve certainly written too much for a single post, but as this weekend was shared by all of us, vale la pena (it’s worth it). Pictures of the weekend will be streaming in as soon as we can post them. We hope all is well with you back home. ¡Pura vida!
After we all found each other, we headed back to my home to introduce my friends to my family and to have some dinner straight from the increasingly famous kitchen of my host mother Elizabeth. I can’t even begin to describe how cordial and welcoming the families we’ve encountered here are. Anna’s family greeted us extremely warmly for the night we were in San Pedro, and my family here was more than delighted to shack up all my friends (and feed us, offer us car rides, feed us, arrange bedding, feed us, etc…). Ben and Kristen are very excited for Anna and me to meet their host family. After a lovely meal Friday evening, we decided to head to bed early for the following morning’s travels. There was hardly room for all four of us in the two rooms that we had, but we managed.
We decided to go to Volcán Barva, a volcano here near Heredia which has long been inactive. Most people recommend seeing Volcán Poás because you can drive straight to the top (in other words, no hiking required) and it’s more organized for tourists. Well, we prided ourselves as more adventurous people than that. =)
Getting to Barva was an adventure in itself. Despite getting up at 5:30 Saturday morning, we missed the bus we needed to take to get directly to Sacramento, a small village near the entrance to the Volcano Park. After navigating through a maze of buses (and the usual scrambled directions from helpful locals, of course), we finally found a bus to San José de la Montaña, a small town a little farther away. Once there we looked for a taxi rojo (the official, licensed taxis of Costa Rica), but not being able to find one we were forced to take a taxi pirata (pirate taxi) which was expensive, slightly illegal, and probably not entirely safe. Nonetheless, we arrived safely.
By arrived, I mean our driver took us up a road that made a sudden transition from paved street to 4WD terrain only, and he told us that was where we get off. We had read that one must either take a 4WD vehicle or walk to the ranger station/park entrance, but we didn’t know that this would be such a middle-of-nowhere switch. This was about 8:30 am, and so began our walking. Getting to the ranger station itself took about an hour, and hiking through the park another four hours or so.
The park was absolutely incredible. The beauty of the paths was well worth the mud that we trudged through. The pathways are surrounded by incredible flowers, trees, and other plants we’d never seen before, including sombrillas de pobre (poor man’s umbrella), whose leaves are unbelievably large (see posted pictures). After reaching an observation point (from which we saw mostly cloud, but plenty of green lands stretching far below as well), we trekked to a small lagoon. The lagoon was absolutely tranquil, and surprisingly majestic for being so small. Starving at this point, we rested and ate our soda crackers with PB&J we had packed. Shortly thereafter the clouds rolled in – we watched as a cloud gracefully descended the hillside and filled the lagoon. Not five minutes later, we literally watched rain approach us from across the lagoon and it did not cease until after we had past the ranger station on the way back to Sacramento. This made for a somewhat miserable hike back, but I don’t think my companions would disagree in saying the natural beauty surrounding us made up for the cold feet and wet clothing.
After finally getting some hot chocolate and food into our stomachs from a couple restaurants in and around Sacramento, we made our way back to Heredia (an even more adventurous myriad of means of transportation). Following a wonderful dinner at home – a meal whose taste was augmented by our fatigue – we spent the evening at a relatively quiet bar discussing all the important things in life, as only close friends can do.
I’ve certainly written too much for a single post, but as this weekend was shared by all of us, vale la pena (it’s worth it). Pictures of the weekend will be streaming in as soon as we can post them. We hope all is well with you back home. ¡Pura vida!
Thursday, September 4
Dirreciones? Go 8 blocks, then go left, down the hill, then ask someone else...
Wow. Today was a long day. Not necessarily a bad day, just a long day.
We started this morning like we´ll start most mornings. We went to the bus-stop and waited for the bus. We´re still not sure when exactly the bus comes...there is about a 10 minute time differential accross the last 3 days. At least 10 minutes. And it was raining, which isn´t a surprise anymore. At all.
Well, the last time we went to Naranjo, someone from the office of orphanages and other not-so-good situations drove us to the orphanage. Dirrections in Costa Rica are hit and miss, as you will soon see. For example, the directions to (and actual translated address of our house) are:
Costa Rica, Alajuela, San Ramon. Park, 50 blocks east and 50 blocks south of the dental clinic, on the right-hand side, the house with the light-green color inside.
No Joke.
We were driven to the orphanage on Wednesday.
Today, we thought we would remember how to get there.
We didn´t.
Turns out that you take a right at the Muebleria, not go straight. As a result of this little error, we spent the next hour and a half walking around (still in the rain) trying to find our way to wherever it was we were supposed to be. Turns out that asking for directions is about as hit-and-miss as stepping outside and hoping to stay dry. We asked 6 people for directions. The first five over the course of an hour and a half had very helpful things to say:
-¨Go a block that way and ask someone else.¨ Well, we were just that way.
-¨Go to the other side of town, you cant miss it.¨ Well, that was the office building that we were at the day before, which we only realized after walking accross town and reaching the top of a very steep street.
-¨Go 8 blocks that way, and then go right.¨ This was from a taxi-driver. After 6 blocks in the designated direction, we ran out of street, out of buildings, and out of town. So that was a big miss.
-¨Go to the end and turn left.¨ This was from an elderly gentlemen who was on his front porch. At the end of the street (from whence we had just come) and to the left was a large puddle of mudd and some bushes. We then asked the nearest stop-sign where to go, and it proved more helpful than anything else we had previously asked.
Finally two gentlemen told us to go down the only street we hadn´t been down yet, and behold, the orphanage appeared. Victory.
The orphanage was good, although it continued to rain the entire time (which is supposedly because of Costa Rica´s proximity to Hannah right now). Then more events:
My recently purchased (like, yesterday purchased) umbrella broke, which I decided to string back together with thread from Gretel (mama-tica´s) supplies. BUT when we arrived home after this long morning, we were informed that something was wrong with the water supply, so the water wasn´t working. At all. This was perhaps the most puzzling thing to me thus far today. The mere thought that we are indeed suffering from a water SHORTAGE of all things is mentally staggering.
Then my sunglasses broke. Not like I´ll need them, I guess.
So, that was the long day. But we rebounded quickly, found some 2-dollar flip-flops and good bakery-goodies, and got to email and check up on all of you. Kristen even got to talk to her parents for a while, which was encouraging for both of us. (Mom and Dad: this is not a guilt trip for not answering the phone. I know you love me very much, and rest assured that I still love you too.)
As for tonight, we´re going to find something in english to watch on tv, or a movie to rent. Then we´re going to eat a dinner of something, depending on the water shortage situation (????). Then Kristen and I will play some Cribbage, read and write, then fall asleep.
Tomorrow, more orphanage. But nowwe know where it is. Along with everything else in Naranjo.
We started this morning like we´ll start most mornings. We went to the bus-stop and waited for the bus. We´re still not sure when exactly the bus comes...there is about a 10 minute time differential accross the last 3 days. At least 10 minutes. And it was raining, which isn´t a surprise anymore. At all.
Well, the last time we went to Naranjo, someone from the office of orphanages and other not-so-good situations drove us to the orphanage. Dirrections in Costa Rica are hit and miss, as you will soon see. For example, the directions to (and actual translated address of our house) are:
Costa Rica, Alajuela, San Ramon. Park, 50 blocks east and 50 blocks south of the dental clinic, on the right-hand side, the house with the light-green color inside.
No Joke.
We were driven to the orphanage on Wednesday.
Today, we thought we would remember how to get there.
We didn´t.
Turns out that you take a right at the Muebleria, not go straight. As a result of this little error, we spent the next hour and a half walking around (still in the rain) trying to find our way to wherever it was we were supposed to be. Turns out that asking for directions is about as hit-and-miss as stepping outside and hoping to stay dry. We asked 6 people for directions. The first five over the course of an hour and a half had very helpful things to say:
-¨Go a block that way and ask someone else.¨ Well, we were just that way.
-¨Go to the other side of town, you cant miss it.¨ Well, that was the office building that we were at the day before, which we only realized after walking accross town and reaching the top of a very steep street.
-¨Go 8 blocks that way, and then go right.¨ This was from a taxi-driver. After 6 blocks in the designated direction, we ran out of street, out of buildings, and out of town. So that was a big miss.
-¨Go to the end and turn left.¨ This was from an elderly gentlemen who was on his front porch. At the end of the street (from whence we had just come) and to the left was a large puddle of mudd and some bushes. We then asked the nearest stop-sign where to go, and it proved more helpful than anything else we had previously asked.
Finally two gentlemen told us to go down the only street we hadn´t been down yet, and behold, the orphanage appeared. Victory.
The orphanage was good, although it continued to rain the entire time (which is supposedly because of Costa Rica´s proximity to Hannah right now). Then more events:
My recently purchased (like, yesterday purchased) umbrella broke, which I decided to string back together with thread from Gretel (mama-tica´s) supplies. BUT when we arrived home after this long morning, we were informed that something was wrong with the water supply, so the water wasn´t working. At all. This was perhaps the most puzzling thing to me thus far today. The mere thought that we are indeed suffering from a water SHORTAGE of all things is mentally staggering.
Then my sunglasses broke. Not like I´ll need them, I guess.
So, that was the long day. But we rebounded quickly, found some 2-dollar flip-flops and good bakery-goodies, and got to email and check up on all of you. Kristen even got to talk to her parents for a while, which was encouraging for both of us. (Mom and Dad: this is not a guilt trip for not answering the phone. I know you love me very much, and rest assured that I still love you too.)
As for tonight, we´re going to find something in english to watch on tv, or a movie to rent. Then we´re going to eat a dinner of something, depending on the water shortage situation (????). Then Kristen and I will play some Cribbage, read and write, then fall asleep.
Tomorrow, more orphanage. But nowwe know where it is. Along with everything else in Naranjo.
Greetings family and friends!
I can hardly believe that I’ve already been here for two and a half weeks. The time has flown in part because the newness and difference of this place is stimulating and in part because the time here has been wonderful so far. It really is a beautiful place; rich in natural beauty. The gates in my neighborhood of Curridabat (near San Jose) spill out plants of deep greens and exotic flowers of all colors. And the mountains that surround the valley of San Jose bulge with abundant trees. It is a very exciting place to be studying for four months!
When I first arrived in San Jose, it was late in the evening and I was taken straight from the airport to my host family’s home. I greeted my family with a confident “Hola,” kisses on the cheek, and a smile—that was about our most effective communication for the evening, as my Spanish is very poor. Nonetheless, I managed to tell them that I am from Dakota de Sur (South Dakota), that it’s very cold there in the winter, and that the mango they fed me was “muy rico!”
In the weeks since their initial warm greetings, my host family and I have already gotten to know each other quite well. They are gracious, welcoming, gregarious, relaxed, and fun. The house is lively, with friends coming and going as they please. As my mother happily admits, they are “muy popular.” Gaby, my host mother, is a sweet, laid back woman who loves to talk, exercise, joke around with her children, and cook. She sets a tone of ease and joy in the house, which puts any of my anxieties about entering into a new family to rest. She is very diligent about helping me learn Spanish. We have informal lessons nightly and I learn so much from her. She calls herself mi mama y mi professora de espanol, and she succeeds greatly at both roles. Among my highlights of the first weeks here have been long, enjoyable conversations with Gaby. Some days I’ll return to the house and she’ll drop what she is doing to talk for up to two hours. It is simply delightful and incredibly helpful. I anticipate learning a lot from Gaby, not only about the Spanish language, but also about how to relax, enjoy life, and be hospitable.
My host father, William, is equally wonderful. He is an affectionate, sweet man, who runs the small, neighborhood supermarket with Gaby. As I continue to stutter with my broken Spanish, he continues to encourage me, saying that Spanish will be very difficult during the first and second months, but by the fourth month my Spanish will be “perfectissimo!” He, too, is full of patience when talking with me and full of excitement for teaching me.
I have three host siblings: Bayrum (pronounced Brian), who is 21 and who I’ve connected with most; Francini, who is 18 and a high school student; and Joan (a boy, pronounced jo-On), who is 13 and also a student. It’s great to have a full house, and all of them are remarkably welcoming and friendly.
My host parents love to exercise, so in my first couple days here I found myself sweating profusely in “la clase de spinning” (stationary biking class) and in “la clase de baile” (dance class, including meringue, swing, and salsa). I also love going running with Gaby and thoroughly enjoyed hiking in the nearby mountains with the whole family.
My first weekend here I traveled on the bus to the Pacific coast with three other students. We had a blast hiking in Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, jumping enormous waves in 80 degree water, searching for and finding monkeys in the wild, enjoying beaches that were neither commercial nor crowded, staying at an inexpensive hostel, and getting to know one another. Last weekend a few friends from my program traveled to the Caribbean coast and had another weekend full of natural beauty and fun. This coming weekend will be filled with me teaching Gaby to make homemade bread and Gaby teaching me to learn more Spanish. Wish me luck with my bread-baking vocabulary!
I must say a few words of gratitude before I close this message. Even as it is becoming commonplace for students in my generation to have at least one abroad experience and exposure to at least one other language, I regard the opportunity to be here as sheer privilege; one that must not be assumed. I am so thankful to be given both the joy and the discomfort of studying abroad. I am thankful for classes that will stretch me in new ways, for the ‘eternal spring’ weather of San Jose, for gracious strangers who accept my daily stumbles as I adjust to the language and the culture, for afternoon coffee break during the predictable daily rain, and for the way this experience causes me to be open to challenges, surprises, and awe-inspiring beauty.
I hope you are all doing well, I think about you often, and I would love to hear about your lives!
Peace,
Anna
Oh dear—I just realized that I haven’t yet mentioned my classes! Very briefly, I’m taking five classes through a Costa Rican organization called Centro Internacional para el Desarrollo Humano (the International Center for Sustainable Human Development). We take classes from international professors at Universidad Latina, Costa Rica’s largest private university located in San Pedro (a 40-minute walk or a 20-minute bus ride from my neighborhood). This week, we’re having our second class sessions and so far the course content is very stimulating. I am taking Human Development and Poverty in Latin America; the Politics of Democracy and Development in Latin America; Current Environmental Issues of Latin America; Justice, Gender, and the Challenges of Development; and Spanish. They’re providing an exciting contrast to my English and religion classes back at Concordia and I’m looking forward to the learning!
When I first arrived in San Jose, it was late in the evening and I was taken straight from the airport to my host family’s home. I greeted my family with a confident “Hola,” kisses on the cheek, and a smile—that was about our most effective communication for the evening, as my Spanish is very poor. Nonetheless, I managed to tell them that I am from Dakota de Sur (South Dakota), that it’s very cold there in the winter, and that the mango they fed me was “muy rico!”
In the weeks since their initial warm greetings, my host family and I have already gotten to know each other quite well. They are gracious, welcoming, gregarious, relaxed, and fun. The house is lively, with friends coming and going as they please. As my mother happily admits, they are “muy popular.” Gaby, my host mother, is a sweet, laid back woman who loves to talk, exercise, joke around with her children, and cook. She sets a tone of ease and joy in the house, which puts any of my anxieties about entering into a new family to rest. She is very diligent about helping me learn Spanish. We have informal lessons nightly and I learn so much from her. She calls herself mi mama y mi professora de espanol, and she succeeds greatly at both roles. Among my highlights of the first weeks here have been long, enjoyable conversations with Gaby. Some days I’ll return to the house and she’ll drop what she is doing to talk for up to two hours. It is simply delightful and incredibly helpful. I anticipate learning a lot from Gaby, not only about the Spanish language, but also about how to relax, enjoy life, and be hospitable.
My host father, William, is equally wonderful. He is an affectionate, sweet man, who runs the small, neighborhood supermarket with Gaby. As I continue to stutter with my broken Spanish, he continues to encourage me, saying that Spanish will be very difficult during the first and second months, but by the fourth month my Spanish will be “perfectissimo!” He, too, is full of patience when talking with me and full of excitement for teaching me.
I have three host siblings: Bayrum (pronounced Brian), who is 21 and who I’ve connected with most; Francini, who is 18 and a high school student; and Joan (a boy, pronounced jo-On), who is 13 and also a student. It’s great to have a full house, and all of them are remarkably welcoming and friendly.
My host parents love to exercise, so in my first couple days here I found myself sweating profusely in “la clase de spinning” (stationary biking class) and in “la clase de baile” (dance class, including meringue, swing, and salsa). I also love going running with Gaby and thoroughly enjoyed hiking in the nearby mountains with the whole family.
My first weekend here I traveled on the bus to the Pacific coast with three other students. We had a blast hiking in Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, jumping enormous waves in 80 degree water, searching for and finding monkeys in the wild, enjoying beaches that were neither commercial nor crowded, staying at an inexpensive hostel, and getting to know one another. Last weekend a few friends from my program traveled to the Caribbean coast and had another weekend full of natural beauty and fun. This coming weekend will be filled with me teaching Gaby to make homemade bread and Gaby teaching me to learn more Spanish. Wish me luck with my bread-baking vocabulary!
I must say a few words of gratitude before I close this message. Even as it is becoming commonplace for students in my generation to have at least one abroad experience and exposure to at least one other language, I regard the opportunity to be here as sheer privilege; one that must not be assumed. I am so thankful to be given both the joy and the discomfort of studying abroad. I am thankful for classes that will stretch me in new ways, for the ‘eternal spring’ weather of San Jose, for gracious strangers who accept my daily stumbles as I adjust to the language and the culture, for afternoon coffee break during the predictable daily rain, and for the way this experience causes me to be open to challenges, surprises, and awe-inspiring beauty.
I hope you are all doing well, I think about you often, and I would love to hear about your lives!
Peace,
Anna
Oh dear—I just realized that I haven’t yet mentioned my classes! Very briefly, I’m taking five classes through a Costa Rican organization called Centro Internacional para el Desarrollo Humano (the International Center for Sustainable Human Development). We take classes from international professors at Universidad Latina, Costa Rica’s largest private university located in San Pedro (a 40-minute walk or a 20-minute bus ride from my neighborhood). This week, we’re having our second class sessions and so far the course content is very stimulating. I am taking Human Development and Poverty in Latin America; the Politics of Democracy and Development in Latin America; Current Environmental Issues of Latin America; Justice, Gender, and the Challenges of Development; and Spanish. They’re providing an exciting contrast to my English and religion classes back at Concordia and I’m looking forward to the learning!
Monday, September 1
más detalles
So, apparently Ben volunteered me to offer more details, but I'm not sure where to start. We've been exploring San Ramon a bit, and like it so far, although much of what we've seen has been through veiled eyes as we hurry through lots of rain. Today we were supposed to meet the director of the orphanage and kids themselves, but, in Tico fashion, the director had another meeting and hadn't contacted us to let us know, so we will go back to tomorrow and hope for better luck. We did get to see some of the countryside (the orphanage is in a neighboring town called Naranjo) and it is beautiful!
Our host family is wonderful; Gretel is our host mom, and seems to want nothing more than to keep us happy. She refuses to let us help with meals or cleaning, even clearing the table, and today we came home to a clean room and laundry- Gretel wanted to be sure it was okay that she was washing our clothes for us...Gaby is Gretel's 10-year-old daughter, and already a great friend of Ben and mine. She has shown us a few of the sights in the city, and loves to play games of all sorts. Also, Gaby more than makes up for my lack of a competitive spirit, so that should keep Ben happy. We also have two host brothers, Grebin and Paul, but both are older and work a lot, so we don't see much of them. Yesterday we met Grebin's three-year-old son Joshua, who is learning to say thank-you and is very sweet. And, as you can see from the pictures, we have a host dog- Lucky, pronounced "Luke-y." He is six months old and very much a puppy, which means he is very fun to play with but difficult to discipline.
The uVolunteer staff has been great so far- very welcoming and helpful. We have volunteer meetings every Tuesday, starting tomorrow, so that should give us a better idea of who is who. Other than that, the afternoon rain is clearing, at least until this evening, and we have more errands to run before we head home. We'll blog again soon, and please keep us updated on how and what you are doing.
Un abrazo muy fuerte!
Our host family is wonderful; Gretel is our host mom, and seems to want nothing more than to keep us happy. She refuses to let us help with meals or cleaning, even clearing the table, and today we came home to a clean room and laundry- Gretel wanted to be sure it was okay that she was washing our clothes for us...Gaby is Gretel's 10-year-old daughter, and already a great friend of Ben and mine. She has shown us a few of the sights in the city, and loves to play games of all sorts. Also, Gaby more than makes up for my lack of a competitive spirit, so that should keep Ben happy. We also have two host brothers, Grebin and Paul, but both are older and work a lot, so we don't see much of them. Yesterday we met Grebin's three-year-old son Joshua, who is learning to say thank-you and is very sweet. And, as you can see from the pictures, we have a host dog- Lucky, pronounced "Luke-y." He is six months old and very much a puppy, which means he is very fun to play with but difficult to discipline.
The uVolunteer staff has been great so far- very welcoming and helpful. We have volunteer meetings every Tuesday, starting tomorrow, so that should give us a better idea of who is who. Other than that, the afternoon rain is clearing, at least until this evening, and we have more errands to run before we head home. We'll blog again soon, and please keep us updated on how and what you are doing.
Un abrazo muy fuerte!
"Ayer, Comi Caballo" and Other Adventures
Hello fans.
Kristen and I are alive and well. We arrived at our host-home Friday night and have been surviving well enough ever since. Kristen is going to write more details later, so here are just a few highlights.
We arrived at the right time to party in San Ramon. Granted, we've been so overwhelmed recently that "party" really means "observing craziness." This weekend was the festival of San (Saint) Ramon, and the whole center of the city we live in was made up to be like the county fair, complete with a petting zoo, cotton candy, and lots of music and trinkets. Part of the festivities included a parade of saints, and the parade of oxcarts.
The title of this post is now explained: We walked up and down the street with our uVolunteer staff (one of whom knows EVERYONE...much like Bill from Good Sam) and at one streetside tent we were pulled over. They gave us drinks (which were super strong) and some sausage (which was fairly strong too). When I asked what the sausage was (hoping/fearing to confirm Kristen's suspicions of what word she had briefly caught in Spanish), our vVol coordinator told us we didn't want to know, at which point the other vVol staff person promptly said, "It's horse." Awesome. I ate horse. It's not bad, actually. Kind of tastes like sausage. Polish sausage. Kristen declined, imagining thereafter that she was devouring Mr. Edd, or some pony.
The most interesting food tidbit we've been fed was at breakfast this morning. It was a "Tico sandwich," which consisted (I think) of: Bread, eggs, refried beans, catsup (salsa), mayo, and something that might have been fish (?). You make your own judgments about that one. I had two. I think Gretel is observing (I KNOW she is observing) everything we eat very carefully, so she is lessening the rice and beans count.
That's about it for now. Kristen's up to bat.
Thoughts to you all.
Kristen and I are alive and well. We arrived at our host-home Friday night and have been surviving well enough ever since. Kristen is going to write more details later, so here are just a few highlights.
We arrived at the right time to party in San Ramon. Granted, we've been so overwhelmed recently that "party" really means "observing craziness." This weekend was the festival of San (Saint) Ramon, and the whole center of the city we live in was made up to be like the county fair, complete with a petting zoo, cotton candy, and lots of music and trinkets. Part of the festivities included a parade of saints, and the parade of oxcarts.
The title of this post is now explained: We walked up and down the street with our uVolunteer staff (one of whom knows EVERYONE...much like Bill from Good Sam) and at one streetside tent we were pulled over. They gave us drinks (which were super strong) and some sausage (which was fairly strong too). When I asked what the sausage was (hoping/fearing to confirm Kristen's suspicions of what word she had briefly caught in Spanish), our vVol coordinator told us we didn't want to know, at which point the other vVol staff person promptly said, "It's horse." Awesome. I ate horse. It's not bad, actually. Kind of tastes like sausage. Polish sausage. Kristen declined, imagining thereafter that she was devouring Mr. Edd, or some pony.
The most interesting food tidbit we've been fed was at breakfast this morning. It was a "Tico sandwich," which consisted (I think) of: Bread, eggs, refried beans, catsup (salsa), mayo, and something that might have been fish (?). You make your own judgments about that one. I had two. I think Gretel is observing (I KNOW she is observing) everything we eat very carefully, so she is lessening the rice and beans count.
That's about it for now. Kristen's up to bat.
Thoughts to you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
