Departure approaches!
Well, here I sit - in this internet cafe for the last time til August. At 7:30 tomorrow morning I´ll take a taxi to the local bus terminal and get on the bus to Guacimo - should arrive around 10. My family will be waiting... will be living with Erlinda Quesada, husband Mario Vargas, sons Adrian 20ish, Freddy 23, and daughter Jenny 20ish.
So many thoughts fluttering through my mind but can´t begin to know what to put down. Have been in this sort of lingering state a lot - as if I am trying to remember an important question, though at the same time I know that I never even formulated a question to begin with.
At this moment, I feel ready. Welcoming the newness and unknown - I recognize this pattern from leaving the United States. In the days before I was more emotional and pensive but then when the departure time grew closer I snapped into ready mode. Perhaps - though when I read that over it doesn´t describe my thoughts exactly...but then no words really can. And who knows how I´ll be feeling in an hour. This summer journey is definitely an interesting one for emotion-tracking!
Checked out books today from the ICADS library:
Culture and Imperialism
The Development Dictionary: A Guide to Knowledge as Power
Free Trade and Economic Restructuring in Latin America
Excited to delve in.
Final classes today and then a fabulous lunch at Cafe Mundo. Bread with olive oil, mozzarella and tomato salad, and then the high point a Pecan Pie with Ice Cream (deserves those caps) that I´ve heard much about. Wow...full now but oh so delicious. The coordinators treated us - (somewhat jokingly?) told us to savor the rich food (Que Rico! a common expression here esp in dining situations) since off in the campo we´ll only have rice and beans.
Just did errands in the local supermarket with Jess and Erika after saying goodbye to everyone (how strange-didn´t we just get here?) and then parted ways from them. Indescribable feeling walking away on my own-independence, a little abandonment though perhaps in a positive way, excitement, incredulity. Will hopefully see them in a couple weeks.
Much to say but no words. I feel alive, ready to go enjoy this time with Mary at home, and then ready for what tomorrow will bring! No doubt this first week will be a time of acclimation - Jose a coordinator explained that we´ll probably feel overly sensitive (to sights, sounds, words, everything). That´s a good state to be in I think.
Off to the land of bananas and more as yet undiscovered goodness!
Thanks for reading. More to come--sometime, couple weeks, sooner perhaps? Unsure. Will be thinking of those at home and everywhere.
Guacimo/Africa here I come!
current (semi-fragmented?) thoughts from the city
For the past few days I haven´t really felt like writing, but now that I feel happier...and I have a convenient chunk of time before dinner... the time to update is here. Ha Erika and I laugh that maybe I only write when things are completely peachy, thus giving a one-sided view of life here. It´s true that there are many wonders to take in, but since when I blog there are always more experiences than time to write, I stick to the exciting things - I am experiencing the full range of emotions. Will try to expand on that a little today.
Today has been a good day, the opposite of yesterday. This morning ate special cheese from Turrialba that I love with bread and guayaba jam, and Mary gave me a little Biblical passage card for inspiration. Only half an hour of class time happily, it´s starting to drag - and we left for a nearby soup kitchen. Especially since feeling out of it yesterday, it was great to serve others and not think of myself. On the way over we learned we needed to prepare food for 150 kids. (!) We chopped, cleaned, stirred, sliced in a hurry...and before too long the kids started arriving. This soup kitchen was started by a man (looks around 65 now) who explained that he used to party and smoke cigars, but now his rosary goes where his pack of cigars used to go. He has changed his life and now works to serve the Lord by serving others... used to cook lunch for local kids where he lives in a squatter (very impoverished, many from Nicaragua) community, but has since expanded, found a building, got kitchen appliances donated, and now gets a regular stream of food donations -- oversees lunch for these children every day. For many it´s their only meal. I played games with the kids outside...charades, clapping games... and was in charge of the jabon (soup) for the hand washing line. Amazing to see the meal...especially touched when I walked in to see all the kids sitting with their food untouched before them. I asked one if they were waiting to pray, and they answered yes. Neat to see them still waiting despite the hunger...
Afterwards went to lunch with friends at the nearby college, my favorite, our regular spot, and the mood got even better with an excellent juice and veggie side (always get the same thing, rice/beans/eggs but those are the 2 variables). TCBY next! Yum, mixture of chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt with M&Ms and walnuts... caught a bus to San Jose with Erika, Jess, and Shari. Wanted to check out the ´ropa Americana´-Mary told me that this was a good place to go for really cheap hot-weather clothes, which after inspecting my closet she told me I need to stock up on for the country. Yay for thrift stores, love em, found 5 shirts for around $5 total. Happy time, those are the 3 friends that I think I´ll be traveling with for probably 3 weekends while we´re all separated. Temporarily planning on Puerto Viejo in Limón, an active volcano somewhere, and the national park Monteverde. I´m glad about those trips...they make the imminent embarking somewhat less scary.
Okay, so about yesterday - not even sure how to explain it. I think others are also noticing a change in the atmosphere. Today Jess described that the vacation seems to be ending; the country is still just as beautiful but not everything has that new shiny glow. We´re realizing that we´re here for a long time yet. Questions... how do we balance classes and soon work/spending time with host family, other ICADS students/keeping up with people from home? For me, how many stories should I/will I be able to relate to people who I´m used to telling so much to... and how much will I be experiencing for the most part completely individually (strange)? What will the next 6 weeks hold? So much unknown.
Yesterday I felt spacey during class... almost physically sick, very much lacking energy. Long talk in the afternoon that though interesting I had trouble enduring - afterwards tried to go shopping with Erika, Ceci, and Tara but after taking a taxi to the recommended store found out it didn´t sell clothes. Oops, annoying. Ceci asked if I was ok...maybe dreamy is a word to describe how I was, but in an impatient way. Another potentially scary walk by myself and then taxi ride left me more frazzled. Mary wasn´t home though other family members were... heated my food, did homework... fragile. Tried to go to sleep early but tossed and turned... worried about relationships, leaving for the country, not even sure what completely. Luckily I gave up and tried to read because Mary returned. She asked how my day was and I ended up crying. ¨Es bueno llorar¨she comfortingly told me. Though relatively late for us I ate soup with her and watched part of a movie. Going through the stages of being in a new country? Suppose so.
What else... I am really treating this like a journal, sort of strange to post these personal thoughts on the internet but throwing care to the wind. This 3 weeks has been good for me to adjust from being away...helps me prepare for the rural land.
Quick rundown of past weekend.
Saturday-arrived at organic farm, holding adorable puppies automatically made me happy, farmer there explained to us that their idea is that if the gates were closed the farm workers would have all they needed there. He told us to enjoy the fresh air, take in the sights of flora and fauna. Toured medicinal plants garden, got new host family, stayed with Erika. Awkward there at first. Slipped on the ladder coming down from the bunk bed with my socks, hit the ground and my arm and though it never hurt much now have a huge green and purple mark on my arm. I like looking at it. People keep asking me what happened. 3 hour soccer game-so much fun. Cool to see how once we started playing Costa Ricans just appeared... close to 6 people started getting tired and asked a local when it would end - he responded well if you start pressuring people at 6 they´ll say one more goal, one more goal! Sort of surreal, people on horseback rode by, palm trees surrounding field, cows mooing in background. Got lost with Erika on our way home, could have been bad when the sun set but luckily a sequence of miracles occurred and 5 kids ended up escorting us home. Whole thing took an hour and half. At least that story broke the ice with the family. Dinner, sleep-exhausted.
Sunday-up at 5, ate breakfast (mound of rice, beans, eggs, plantains, juice) then took off down the gravel road. Laughed at the change in surroundings, wondered where am I as the roosters crowed etc. Worked to cut down and bundle a tall herb til 11 then prepared maybe the most delicious lunch I´ve ever had. All food from the farm - heart of palm, a salad with tomato, radish, avocado, ayote, yuca, a homemade tortilla, guava, rice, beans. Drove back before too long-enjoyed the bus ride and then the evening with my San Pedro family. Sad to leave them, does feel like a home already.
Whew okay there´s the update! Tomorrow after class we have workshops to prepare for leaving, Friday will be goodbyes, and then Saturday we´re off. No telling what thoughts and emotions the next days will inspire.
I think this was a different sort of post from others. Que será, será just came to mind. True that. Hope all´s well for you!
short and sweet
Not going to get into the full update now - sun setting and Costa Rican deliciousness (aka rice and beans) calling my name, but I am back safe and sound from the country once again. Stories to relate - of minor injuries, confusion, miracles, and other such topics. Parting question for now: what is needed for a life to be happy and fulfilling? Inspired to think about this after a taste of life with less. Important question as we daily shape our individual existences and think of the future. I sometimes get caught up in feeling as though I´m on a track towards something - but then when I stop and have one of those grain of sand by the ocean type of awareness moments - I remember that there isn´t necessarily a ´something.´No hard and fast rules...as one of our speakers mentioned, as we grow older we´ll realize that we must shape our ways of living. (she said it more eloquently) Enough of this, darkness spreads... have a wonderful night!
Salad Days
rainforest
San Jose
Mary attempting to entice Jael into eating in the morning
with friends yesterday in San Jose - Jess, Erika, Shari - in a bookstore waiting after paging our other lost friends
*****
ok safely inside the internet cafe! As you can see from all the umbrellas in the bookstore pic - definitely the rainy season here. It´s raining harder now than it has thus far...got my wettest on this most recent trek to the cafe, pants soaked. ICADS just closed down for the day but I´m happy I was able to post some pictures! So many to choose from but this medley does show a lot. The plantation pictures are from Limon, in the same area where I´ll be working starting the 24th!
Ahh, the weekend. Tomorrow morning at 6:30 the next adventure begins - back to the province of Limon to visit ANDAR, an organic sustainable farm. Itinerary includes work on the farm (weeking, fertilizing, terracing, planting), lunch with our new families there (short homestays), soccer game with community (ha should be interesting!), dinner... Sunday 6-11 am more work on farm, then we ¨collect elements of the lunch, begin preparation of food¨(how cool!). We´ll get back Sunday around dinner time. I love these trips - beautiful scenery out of the bus windows, bus rides with groups like this are always fun, and I laugh so much with friends here. :)
Wednesday night finished Old Man and the Sea, talked to Mom briefly, watched Smallville with Mary. Went to bed early so I could get up and RUN Thursday morning a little before 6! Mary showed me a local soccer field I can run around... that felt great, especially in the not-always-a-guarantee bright morning sun.
Thursday after classes took off with 5 others for San Jose! We ate lunch at a Lonely Planet recommended place called Nuestra Pueblo (yummy, took rice and beans to a new level). Then wandered the streets for several hours - going in local markets, bookstores, and for a long time (maybe 3 hours) asking for directions and going on a wild goose chase for the elusive Mora Books that we randomly decided we wanted to go to (again courtesy of Lonely Planet - sounded like a cool used bookstore). Towards the end it was the principle of the matter and not the store...none of us were really even committed on going there. Fun of the chase! Lots of people gave us completely opposite directions, and also the streets aren´t clearly labeled here- directions are given in the form of go 100 meters that way and then 700 meters to the left...ha. Finally found it hidden on the 2nd floor of a building-accomplishment! I bought a Theresa of Avila book-want to stock up on reading for the campo.
We´d decided to go to dinner at a place called Cafe Mundo that my professor recommended. Called Christian and he took a taxi to meet us there. We started out walking towards it but when the streets changed dynamics, we asked a policeman if the neighborhood was safe for walking. ¨At night? No.¨We asked if they were ever safe to walk in. Received another emphatic no. Ha umm ok... flagged a taxi and luckily he agreed to squeeze the 6 of us in. Good thing, the restaurant was kind of far and secluded! We laughed at ourselves. Loved the ambience (as Rolando promised we would) - it´s in a restored old mansion, dimmed lights, sort of fancy. Could tell a noticeable difference in the comfort level of our group with eachother- not any more superficial niceties! (can lead to funny confrontations) Cool to see a Duke face also! After dinner went to meet Christian´s fellow Embassy workers/roommates at Henry´s Sports Bar. Different crowd than the ones I´m hanging out with, nice though crazier. Took a taxi back by myself for the first time, prayed and yes luckily did get back smoothly.
Today-class, lunch once again at beloved Architect College w/Erica, Jess, Kim, Shari, incredibly exciting excursion to Pop´s, a nearby ice cream place I´ve been hearing about-- don´t eat ice cream that much but when I do I like to go all out! Pasión Queque (cake) in a chocolate dipped cone with peanuts. General rule for me is to add as much texture/variety to my food as I can! Ha, mixing cereal, add nuts to things... more fun that way. A consultant came in and gave a talk on fair trade, and now here I am.
Going to send some e-mails and then head back for dinner. ¨Secure ¨has come to my mind several times today...without even reading too much into that, that´s my word for current feelings. :)
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I look forward to checking back in when I return...
--Like this, word of the day, could refer to this time as ¨salad days¨
\salad days\, noun:A time of youthful inexperience, innocence, or indiscretion
plantation pictures
more pictures!
2 of banana plantation - one of my new mentor in Guacimo! - and pineapple plantation
snapshots of my current life
Picture time!! The order´s getting a little crazy - but these include...
adorable boy Jael that Mary babysits
Spanish romance novel story time with Shari and Erika at Manuel Antonio beach (w/my new sarong!)
Mary! cooking
Jess, Erica, Kim, and I in ICADS on game day! (note the cool shirt)
Kiersten and I in airport before takeoff
my room!
typical delicious meal at home (rice, beans, vegetables, fresh juice)
rest of the house
May the rain wash away your worries...
As I look out the window and see the heavens opening up, reminded of this line in the Apache blessing written on my journal.
Realizing that for now this blog is taking the place of my journal - by the time I get home and eat, all I want to do is eat, talk with my family, read...not recount my experiences for a second time. I suppose this is a (faster for one thing) kind of journaling, and I do like how people can share in this time with me... also, starting June 24th when I move probably won´t have any kind of reliable access to the internet (will take adjusting for sure!) so might as well embrace these virtual connection opportunities as much as I can for now.
Wonderful day. Woke up at 6 (surprisingly, though I went to bed early last night) - hadn´t planned to get up til closer to 7. Considered running but as Mary was still laying in bed, and I didn´t have quite that much energy, I stayed in my room... it was so peaceful. At first the light wasn´t working so I laid in the semi-dark, stretching and enjoy that new day feel. Opened up my book of Emily Dickinson poems and read parts of a couple sections (Life and Love - big themes) until I read a couple that especially touched me. Maybe I´ll post some later. Showered a little after 7 and then joined Mary at the table for breakfast: bowl of cut up fresh pineapple, pineapple juice (quite a constant presence in my life lately), and then an egg concoction with cheese and spinach on top of tortillas. Ate while talking with Mary about my experiences yesterday... she was supportive of my choice to try the campo - she pointed out that while it would be difficult for her to try a completely different life now, at the point of my life I´m in it´s very easy and therefore no reason not to explore.
Soon the little boy that Mary babysits during the day arrived-can´t remember his name- can´t wait to post pictures of him!! He is
so adorable, with his glasses, spiked hair, and inquisitive stare. He doesn´t seem to like eating, smiling, or talking. So far we hadn´t really bonded (lack of smiling and talking kind of a barrier in relationship-building) but this morning he followed me into my room. I took a couple pictures which he enjoyed, especially when I showed him his own pictures. After brushing my teeth to head out the door, a precious moment ensued... He took my hand and walked with me to the door, and when Mary interceded to grab him, he started crying! The neighbor in the room kept exclaiming, ¨Que linda!¨Little kids just grab the heart (right along with the hand)...because of him, walked with warm fuzzies (ha) to ICADS.
--Coldplay just came on. How exciting! Have started trying to recreate my songs in my head, note by note.
Enjoyed class again with Rolando--often feel more secure/comfortable during a day´s beginning when I have such a peaceful and early start. Lunch again at the college of engineers/architects - what a great deal! Got my plate of vegetables, rice, beans, eggs, and a fried plantain-this time with cranberry juice- for the grand total of $2.80.
Bus ride again after that - went to visit a small community called Familia Sagrada, known locally as a very dangerous and ruined place. 15,000 people live there. Saw the most poverty that I´ve seen so far. In this area exists an amazing organization called Vecinos: after a tour of some of their current projects (biological development, butterfly gardens, an art and community center), we talked with some staff. Vecinos´goal is community development, specifically for the children of the area (of which there are many - 30 some percent of Costa Rica´s entire population are youth) so that they don´t drop out of school, engage in illegal activities - can hopefully develop a skill they´ll feel proud of and therefore up their self esteem... One way they work on such goals is through providing artistic outlets for the kids of the community. An example we saw was a mural painted over a wall: when a group of people built a new neighborhood nearby, they put up this wall to separate themselves from the degradation and danger. Vecinos helped residents of Familia Sagrada paint a mural that depicted hands breaking through the wall under the word ¨Igualdad¨- and the backs of a diverse line of people (those dressed for church, Rastafarians, a gov´t official slipping money to a little girl and a policeman silently watching, soccer players, students...) Neat to see. I was very impressed with the mission of this organization, and am becoming more and more interested in different tactics of community development. (glad to be exposed to all this-realizing why the D and S in ICADS stand for Development Studies)
That was it for the day- just now in ICADS worked with others to try to find a local theater for tonight that plays Spanish movies. Sadly, no such luck -- very interesting, cultural imperialism... pretty much all of the movies are Hollywood hits in English. Only dubbed option was X-Men. I had seen a supposedly hip little theater in my Lonely Planet book that showed independent classics from Latin America and so we wanted to go there, but when we asked an ICADS staffer he told us ¨Se quemó!¨It burned down! We found another online that looked promising: Cinema Treasures. The goal of this nonprofit was preserving classic Latin American movies and making them available to this area -- however, when we again asked Denny (the knowledgeable ICADS travel planner) he told us that this organization did exist 35 years ago, but has since become a KFC!! Ahh. Tomorrow planning to go into San Jose with friends for museums etc - and then we´ll explore the nightlife options anew.
I´m going to try to post some pictures! A friend Emily posted some to Facebook so I can borrow from hers - can´t wait til I get a chance to post a few of my own. I think I have around 250 right now. :)
Enjoying the moonlit beach with Erika and Laura! What a carefree time... (Are we really here?)
Can´t get the others to post now so that´ll have to do. Until next time mis amigos!
Day of clarity!
Ahh, nice fresh new blog. Just returned from a day of travelling - internet stopped working at ICADS but luckily the internet cafe down the street exists for times such as these. It´s 5 here now and so I safely can stay up to an hour! Que bueno.
Much to write about! Want to get to today so will go through the weekend quickly (try anyway).
Friday--4.5 hour bus ride to Manuel Antonio at night. Missed my American people, world, and music a lot. Enjoyed the bus time talking with Erika though unfortunately it was too dark to see outside-stopped at a curbside restaurant and ate (what else? love it) a big $1.80 plate of rice and beans-then continued to our hotel. Felt a little sick with all the curves combined with the smell of warm bananas wafting up from the bag of food we´d bought for our room, so exciting to arrive. Lovely place! Many of the ICADS Spanish Language kids drunk upon arrival...ha they´re a different crowd, vastly different from our Internship program. One of my roommates broke her hand on a glass table within the 1st 5 minutes so an ambulance soon took her away-sad esp since it was her bday. Ha she handled it contentedly though (alcohol probably helped that). The rest of us got ready for la discoteca down the road! At first thought I was too tired but very glad I went... looked like the scene from a movie with this covered but wall-less dance floor played reggae beats right next to the ocean. Had fun dancing, esp glad to move around, more exercise than I´d had in a while! Week´s worth of rice and beans to work off. Bought my first legal alcohol-piña colada. :) Played and skipped around by the ocean yet luckily didn´t go in--waves were strong, wasn´t far away where the Americans died this weekend...
Saturday--omelot breakfast at a local restaurant, hiked in the rainforest (had to keep reminding myself yes that was what I was doing)-saw monkeys, sloth, tons of bright red peering crabs. Enjoyed getting to know other ICADSers better on the beach - we took turns reading from a cheesy Spanish romance novel I bought under the influence of others. great way to learn vocab! ha that was funny. pool-internet cafe-shower-dinner-hung out at hotel mostly, we were tired and it was rainy-cooked spaghetti with sauce and avocado, mmm. rested up for a day of excitement:
Sunday--treated myself to banana pancakes! delicious. we all packed up and then got on the bus-a friend Jessica made sure that a canopy tour for a group of us happened (on the way we´d talked about wanting to do this). Fun fun! Got harnessed in and then Carlos the guide along with his friends who all had animal names helped us through the platforms--basically you are connected to a zip line like strong wire and fly from platform to platform through the beauty. Will have pictures soon. Though slower than I anticipated I enjoyed it, especially a few key moments where I soared in the sunlight above the trees! Took off for home after that-got back after dark, luckily safely in a taxi, and was happy to see Mary again. She quickly cooked up some rice, beans, tomato, fried plantation, and we traded weekend stories.
Yesterday--
new Spanish professor who is incredibly friendly and vocab-obsessed (Opa!=oops, Guácala!=yuck) - reminds me of Mr. Weasley with his obsession with us Gringoes and any new English expressions he hears. Invigorating to be around such energy. Lunch at the wonderful local architect college we often go to--lunch is $2.80 for a full plate of rice, beans, veggies, eggs (or meat for those that want it), fried plantains-there are TVs showing the current world cup games, and the waiters are dressed up. Classy yet oh so cheap place, great combo. Interesting, no tips in Costa Rica. Great night of connecting with people - talked to Amanda in the internet cafe, Mom and Kiersten called the house, and then Adam got Skype to work out! Thank you Skype. Loved all that.
On to today--
Today got up at 5:50 (woke up happy) and quickly packed my things for Limon. Mary called to me soon to let me know that breakfast was waiting (¡ya está!) - went to the table for watermelon juice (yum), coffee, and two little bean-filled sandwiches. Only had time to drink and then eat one of the sandwiches (I´m often a couple minutes late but no time to mess around today with a waiting bus...ha on the topic of lateness Mary told me that in Costa Rica when people want an event to start at 2 for example they tell others that it´s starting at 1) - on my way out the door Mary handed me the other sandwich and some fruit she had packed for me...touching. :)
Bus! I love these rides-the window views are incredible. I have pictures, someday I´ll manage to upload some. I read more of Evita, impressive all she did to ensure the success of her man! Little entreprenurial action on the road...bought a cool Costa Rican flag colored bracelet from a friend, her Tica madre is selling them to pay for someone´s bus fare back to Columbia. We stopped at a small roadside open-air shop for breakfast-I ate what Mary had packed, and tried others´gigantic red grapes. Soon continued on to el campo...I was excited, and a bit apprehensive because my reaction to the upcoming sights was important. Knew that today would be crucial in deciding on my job location. Happily, I felt incredibly comfortable and at peace as we entered into rural Costa Rica! Interesting how that works-reminds me of advice given about college-hunting: ¨When you step onto the right campus, you´ll know.¨ (didn´t work out that way at first for Duke, almost went the opposite way-but ultimately I did feel while standing on the grounds that it was right. not sure what to take from that-but there is a meaningful relation between a physical place and one´s emotional state) ha I digress: loved the campo! I really like observing people living in ways that are simply beautiful (emphasis on simple there...without much of the material) Also, there is something so strong (can´t think of a word here to do it justice) about manual labor and living right in nature, not simply on top of it like many do.
We first stopped on a road within a Chiquita banana plantation - though we didn´t have permission, Carrie, a US born woman turned ICADS professor and Tica who has done much on the ground work with the rights of plantation workers, got out to ask the workers if we could talk with them. They graciously agreed and a couple walked us around showing us their methods. They had gotten up at 5 and would be in the fields til around 5. Fascinating-felt like another world in there with a ceiling of huge green leaves, banana trees all around, and the scrap (/bananas unsuitable for sale) lining the ground. Awe-inspiring how far these fields stretched.
Next went on to a pineapple plantation. The work on these plantations is physically tougher, for one reason because they lack the shade banana trees provide-but it also pays better. A manager there showed us around - to the packing plants first. Saw thousands of pineapples today... very sweet smelling in the buildings, though no doubt not so much anymore to the workers. The processes there were very mechanized-of disinfecting, cutting, putting stickers on... we had to wear huge boots and hairnets. Outside the packing facility some workers cut up fresh pineapples for us-by far the sweetest I´ve ever had. The pieces kept on coming and coming-we all enjoyed a juice-covered pineapple overdose.
After the manager treated us to sodas (while drinking the refreshing water, I felt grateful for all I´d seen), we were off to the women´s cooperative for lunch! Here was the especially pivotal time for me. After driving for a while we parked and walked right into beautiful greenery - lunch was cooking under an open-air shelter. Ate first (yum) and then was introduced to Erlinda (not sure about spelling) - my potential (and now real) mentor! She is a part of Pastoral Social, and helps head AMUDA: Asociación Mujeres Unides para el Desarrollo de África (Association of Women United for the Development of Africa). Still need to learn more about this town, but she explained that Africa is an area where many Africans were originally brought/basically enslaved...they originally worked with the hopes of gaining money to return to their native land. However leaving proved impossible-and so they set up this town of Africa to preserve what culture they could, and establish a sort of sacred space. I talked with Erlinda about working with her, told her of my desire to, and she was excited! She said there is much work to be done and the women are waiting for me... actually, the timing was perfect because the very day before my coordinator called her to ask about an internship, a group of women recently out of abusive situations had contacted her expressing their desire for talks on self-esteem and post-violence options. (not sure about everything Erlinda said, but this was the gist) How wonderful, glad for the potential to help out! I can also work with children at the local school (doing what exactly not sure but I think related to violence...), attend meetings (she´s a local city councilwoman), work on the farm, and then she´s going to ask to find out what else. (oh also there are opportunities on the pineapple plantations...she´s been very involved with working to up enforcement of laws ensuring environmental protection and worker safety) I feel very good about all of this...was happy on the way home, this is all coming together well. Erlinda struck me as a focused and passionate yet jovial woman who clearly has a strong personality and beliefs. She smiled a lot too. :) One option is living with her-will work that all out soon. Looks like I´ll definitely be living the rural life I´ve always wondered about!
She told us there are three things we must know about-if we do any of them in Limon, we´ll never leave the area.
1-eat rice and beans
2-swim in a river
3-kiss a boy
bus ride back - read almost all of Hemingway´s The Old Man and the Sea - enjoyed the vivid imagery and reading about life on the sea...reading about fishermen makes me think of the same things working on the land does--simple wonders of hard work. The bus driver had a random mix filled with lots of soft rock romantic songs--upon hearing me sing along Cesi, in front of me, turned around to ask how I knew them all. made me laugh, thanks Delilah!
Ok I should end this because it is getting muy muy largo. :) Almost dinner time! Got out most of my recent details...head feels clear, excited about developing options. Miss you back home and think of loved ones
constantly - though I simultaneously feel very right being here. Until next time! Adios for now. :) with love, Colleen
las piñas
bus is here - off to the pineapple plantation now - big day for me, Guapiles is where I might work! lunch with the women´s cooperative I can join with... more details soon :)
¡que tengan Uds un buen dia!
Siempre Bailando
First of all, halftime now in the first World Cup soccer game! If you´re reading this Friday afternoon, go watch -- what excitement! Score now Costa Rica 1, Germany 2. Gotta get back to it - but how fun to be in Costa Rican air today, jubilant atmosphere... all through the night last night I could hear groups of people chanting`Ole, ole, ole, ole -- TICOS, TICOS!!!' Today at ICADS during the 2 hours of class we had could hear horns honking, people yelling... right before classes they gathered us all together and an ICADS staffer stood before us holding a coveted red 'Viva La Sele - Es De Todos!' shirt - told us all to choose a number between 1 and 30 and call it out... after a couple other guesses I yelled '22!' and was rewarded with this fabulous shirt!!! How exciting! Got it on now, may it bring more luck. We´re all watching the game downstairs in a conference room. Such a big deal, Daniela even got a day off school today.
Only other thing to write now - we had a dance class last night that was ridiculously fun!! Merengue, reggae, salsa... when I get back to school I definitely plan on pressuring people to sign up for dance classes with me. Hoping to take more here, we´re looking into that. The title of this post is a phrase that our very Costa Rican instructor kept yelling out - made me think, what a good motto - always dancing. Taught us some moves that were according to him 'muy muy sexy!!'
Off to the beach tonight through Sunday! Who knows what adventures lie in store. Can´t wait!
sights of the city/early internship thoughts
Time to update! Ok, where to begin. Ha I luckily snagged a spot in the computer lab – and though I have a delicious veggie pita tempting me on the table, I´m excited to write.
We just returned from our first trip into San Josè! I was a little confused upon arrival to Costa Rica and thought that I was living in the city itself, but I´m actually living in the smaller town of San Pedro. When I got to ICADS this morning (ready for the day´s adventures, full from mango, a sandwich with egg and cheese, and as always fresh jugo/juice), I knew there was a tour lined up but thought it would be after some class time – to my surprise and excitement we headed straight for the bus! Took a bus to the city, about a 20 minute bus ride… ha it made me smile to hear the music playing. Definitely all American, picked out `Heal the World` by Michael Jackson (same song though done by native Spanish speaker in English…) So much eye candy within the city! My head was constantly spinning. We all (14 of us and our professors) traveled in a group which led to some interesting experiences – ha such as when a friend Erica (will be a sophomore at Wellesley, very sweet girl, we laugh at our bloopers and obsessions together) and I accidentally followed 2 random women instead of the group. Luckily one of the staffers roped us back in. Guess I still have some city-navigation skills to acquire! We went into bustling and narrow markets, loaded with colorful fruit and handiwork all the way to the ceiling. We went to a stamp museum and walked the main streets, stopped in a book store where I bought a better Spanish dictionary… loved taking it all in. Just rode the bus back and had a great conversation with Erica. We feel lucky that we don´t have to fill any requirements when choosing our internship like others (for senior theses etc)…basically talked about the joy of life – and occasionally marveled at the sights out the window such as Quizno´s (Queeeznohs), Office Depot… many familiar stores speckling the otherwise (linguistically at least) unrecognizable terrain.
Excited about much right now! We were supposed to go to a banana plantation tomorrow at 6:45 to spend the day there before going to the beach for the weekend – but though I am very much looking forward to going to the plantation, I was sad that I would miss the huge game. Luckily though they just found out that no one will even be working at the plantation tomorrow b/c of the rivalry – and so instead, after a couple hours of classes tomorrow, we´ll get to break for the game! Woohoo! We´ll leave for the beach tomorrow at 5 and go to the plantation next Tuesday instead. Best of everything as now we get to see the game and also have the field trips spread out. Awesome. Go Costa Rica.
Last night: could hardly sleep since I felt (maybe for the first time since last summer) the same excitement coursing through my veins that I felt at the end of my internships last summer when considering public service law… I couldn´t stop thinking about the incredible organizations that I am choosing among for the internship… don´t have the info with me now but I´ll post it later. ICADS is a wonderful organization for many reasons, but I especially like their social justice slant. Yesterday we had 2 eye-opening lectures, the first on local music history and then the second on banana plantations. I wasn´t expecting to really enjoy the banana plantation talk, though I would be moderately interested – but I was fascinated. I naively had NO IDEA what current working conditions are in the plantations. Cursory overview… 12 hr days are the average and they made $18 a day if lucky. Most workers are young men who work all day and then, as the lady explained with a half –smile, well, they´re in the middle of a banana plantation, so there isn´t much to do. Most drop out of school because they don´t see a point and then turn to alcoholism, drugs, or prostitution – with the San Jose women brought in BY THE COMPANY!! Ahh. Women don´t have it any better – they mostly work in the packing plants and are there exposed to dangerous chemicals. (this leads to miscarriages and children born with birth defects…) Men who are out in the fields have to gather 40-60 pound `manos` of bananas and place these one at a time on a pole structure called a train. Once they have 20 gathered (used to be 35, then 25, now this), they attach all of them to their WAIST with some sort of cord and then pull them all to the packing house. Ugh. So many human rights violations occurring…very very interested in learning more about the reality out there.
My thoughts on the internship changed a lot from Tuesday to Wednesday – on Tuesday had starred many placements such as children´s homes but now I don´t want to work somewhere that I could easily work at the English version in the U.S. I want to work with a human rights activist organization with these specifically Costa Rican issues… possibly exploring gender at the banana plantations? Still many unknowns, and haven´t met with the internship coordinators (tomorrow). I´ll have to post these organization descriptions at some point – amazing things going on.
This is long but here´s the info for Caritas – very interested in working with Pastoral Social, a Costa Rican branch. So cool!
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations working to build a better world, especially for the poor and oppressed, in over 200 countries and territories. Caritas works without regard to creed, race, gender, or ethnicity, and is one of the world’s largest humanitarian networks.
Caritas provides a beacon of hope for tens of millions of women, men and children in times of hardship and contributes to the development of social justice in times of peace. Caritas’ mandate includes integral development, emergency relief, advocacy, peace building, respect for human rights and support for proper stewardship of the planet’s environment and resources.
The Caritas approach is based on the social teaching of the Church, which focuses on the dignity of the human person. Caritas’ work on behalf of the poor manifests God’s love for all of creation.
Caritas believes that the weak and oppressed are not objects of pity, but agents of change leading the struggle to eradicate dehumanizing poverty, unacceptable living and working conditions, and unjust social, political, economic and cultural structures.
What makes Caritas unique is its ongoing presence in communities, before, during and after crisis situations. Important, too, is that being part of civil society and incorporating the perspective of the poor, Caritas can continuously adapt its strategies to an ever changing environment.
Caritas fights poverty, exclusion, intolerance and discrimination. More importantly, it empowers people to participate fully in all matters affecting their lives, and it advocates on their behalf at national and international forums.
Caritas promotes partnership: local autonomy is paramount in ensuring effective teamwork for the good of all. By pooling expertise and resources, Caritas is able to identify issues at the grassroots, analyse them at national and international levels, and then take action locally, regionally and globally.
I´m so excited. Right now I feel ready to sign a contract with them, work there forever. Caught myself a couple nights ago – when I was more in the overwhelmed stage of thinking about the internship – focusing completely on the future/planning. A degree of this is good and necessary but I´m glad I realized the obsession and instead turned my thoughts to the present. There is much to appreciate right now (at that moment this consisted of watching Spanish CSI with Mary and Daniela). Only thinking of what´s to come is no way to live. That night it ended up just being Mary and I at the house and we had a long and very present (not sure if that adjective makes sense here but I mean the kind of talking where two people are completely focused, love it) conversation about religion. I asked her how her religion differs from Catholicism… found out she was Catholic until 14/15 years ago but didn´t feel a sense of community in her church. Now she goes to a church that feels like a family – unlike her real brothers and sisters, if she doesn´t show up they call to ask if she´s sick… the main difference is that there are no images/saints. Her church is characterized as evangelical Christian. She looked at me with her warm eyes and told me that all that matters is one´s personal relationship with God, for as she said la religion estaba hecho de humanos, ¿verdad?
Ok that´ll do for now… started reading an Evita biography last night. Fascinating woman, more on her later.
It makes me happy to think that anyone is reading my ramblings, so thanks, especially if you´re at the end of this long entry. Much to process here.
My veggie pita awaits. Hasta pronto. Hope all is well for you on the receiving end of this. :)
I learn by going where I have to go.
Quote courtesy of Mom - she saw it in the front of a cookbook and passed it along yesterday. Attributed to a man named Theodore Roethke.
I´m sitting in an internet cafe now for the first time ever, after hearing about them for years and envisioning the cosmopolitan people inside, deftly recording their thoughts and travels. Very cool to finally be in one. The internet was just down at ICADS - sad to discover, but luckily I heard mi madre mention that this one existed and so here I am with a friend from the Spanish immersion program (different from mine which focuses on the internship). It´s just down the street from ICADS - a short walk yet filled with much rain and car-dodging (San Jose is the vehicle accident capital of the world).
Hmm... what to record? Since I wrote yesterday we all went to lunch in a nearby Costa Rican restaurant - got the traditional meal of rice, beans, and vegetables with delicious and completely natural fruit juice. We had our first Spanish classes (was that just yesterday? feels as though I´ve been here for much longer...) - I´m in class with three others: Laura from Chicago, Ceci, 16, whose parents speak Spanish as they´re from Venezuela and somewhere else, but she hasn´t learned all the official grammar rules, and then Jess who goes to U Mass at Amherst and will be a senior (have especially connected with her). Our professor´s name is Hilda (pronounced EE-lda) - she is maybe the most animated person I´ve ever met. She is from an Afro-Caribbean area of Costa Rica, Limon. She has a wonderful and fun to watch method of communicating, and is all about how teaching is not a top-down sort of thing - all about communication, penetration, discussion... An example - we were all a little afraid of the subjunctive tense, but she quickly set the record straight (with many sweeping hand motions and much passion) - this tense in Spanish is her favorite, as it provides access to another entire world, that of feelings, desires, things which aren´t necessarily certain... We spent most of the time going over our placement tests. We had a lecture on the history of Costa Rica - very interesting to hear about the accidental and also intentional isolation which has made this little country what it is. (distinctive approaches such as no military) Walked home for the first time by myself which was luckily uneventful.
---I´m sad that I just lost much of my entry. I don´t know what I´m doing with these Spanish commands! ahh. was trying to save it before I submitted it. darn.
here is what I wrote about-will expand later as I need to leave while it´s still semi light out
last night - games with Daniela
dinner
class today
fruit festival
lunch - first hummus (oomoos) here
internship meeting! so many options. urban, rural? structure, no? could work on organic farm, with women´s rights like in the past, with indigenous cultures, human rights groups in San Jose-anything. world is open. more on this later, must think about myself and passions and whims
off for now. too bad about lost words but que sera, sera. that´s what I get for trying to be cautious. until next time!
Nueva mañana - primera a escuela!
Ooh it´s exciting that there´s a key for ñ on this keyboard. Adam like you said, it is very cool to see that Spanish isn´t just some secret language... I smile to myself when I hear phrases in conversation that I had previously only seen in those random yellow boxes. It is a beautiful language to be immersed in and I´m really enjoying attempting to speak. It´s a letdown to speak English here when I´m with the students! When I´ve been journaling I´ve noticed myself thinking fragments in Spanish, which is fun, and so my entries are Spanglish and constantly switch back and forth. Right now I´m in between placement tests - as always, time in this lab is scarce and so I feel the need to type like a maniac, but I´m trying to slow down. There´s always later. :)
Today has gotten off to a great start. I felt like a bright-eyed naive schoolgirl when walking here, excited about my first day. Got up at 7 (levantate Colleen! said mi madre -- pronounced COLE-een), showered, and then had desayuno. Two biscuit sandwiches with fried cheese, a plate of watermelon (sandilla) that we bought yesterday at the market, a banana (they´re smaller here), and coffee. Delicious! Mi madre sat down and had coffee with me, and we talked to this adorable two year old that she is baby-sitting today. I tried talking to him - told him I liked his spiked up hair, but he just stared at me with these huge beautiful eyes.
My mom walked me to ICADS - glad to be safely here because today would have been the worst day ever to get mugged. (had my passport, all my money, credit cards, id, camera...) Usually I won´t have all that but I needed to put it in my locker here. I´m a little bit paranoid of getting mugged, it happens a lot here and I see watching eyes on the roads - but so far I´ve always walked places with my family. I´ll continue to be really careful with that...
Yesterday was a very full day. I continue to be touched by the generosity of my family... so accomodating. Last night I was a little bit hungry close to bedtime and when I told my mom, Daniela the granddaughter immediately whipped up some gallo pinto (rice, beans, and eggs...). Whenever I thank them they always say ahh, con mucho gusto. (with much pleasure) In Costa Rica showering guests with too much food is a sign of hospitality... it´s funny to hear people´s stories of how the plates just keep coming and coming. I´ve definitely been satisfied, but am also glad that I´ve been walking a lot so I don´t explode. Maybe eventually I´ll curb the eating more but for now es tiempo para disfrutar (time to enjoy). Lunch and dinner yesterday consisted of rice, beans, salad with lettuce, tomato, and avocado - and then fried potatoes for lunch and fried plantains for dinner (mmm). As someone just said in the lab here - the fruits and vegetables here are so rich! With the lack of preservatives etc...
One interesting thing that I´ve noticed is that the only times that I feel uncomfortable and slightly anxious here is when I am with the other American students. It is then that I start to wonder about my future and feel the pressure in the air as people ask each other which schools they attend, what they´re majoring in... I have not felt uncomfortable at all when talking with the Ticos. They are so genuine, gentle, and unassuming. Yesterday there was such a stark contrast - I came to ICADS for my orientation and to talk about the internship selection process. Basically I can do anything, and will most likely be moved out into Costa Rica´s country (el campo) after these first three weeks. Incredibly exciting, but I started feeling a little overwhelmed. Ahh should I work in the hospital? Pre-med? Ha. When I got home (though the orientiation was very well done and all the people friendly), I felt close to tears. My mom asked me to come sit and have coffee with her and her friend, and I soon felt at peace again. Later on last night I walked to Curridabat (a nearby town) with my mom and Daniela - we sat in a mostly dark room with Danielas bisabuela (great-grandmother) on a really comfy couch and shared quiet conversation and laughter... I thought to myself now this is what I like. When I shared my unsettling thoughts with my mom, she told me reassuringly that I have much time here to think and pray to God for answers. (Interestingly, my family is not Catholic. They go to an evangelical church, and Mary wrote a letter to Daniela´s school asking for permission not to attend the mandatory Catholic-slanted religion classes that they have despite the fact that the school is public. Now Daniela is allowed to color and read instead of listen. I am definitely going to ask them more about their religion.)
This weekend we´re going to the beach! Fri-Sunday. I´m looking forward to seeing a Costa Rican beach... have heard of their beauty. I´m trying to remind myself especially when I feel a little overwhelmed that my quest in life right now, beyond finding the place where I can do the most good, is simply to seek out and appreciate truth, love, and beauty. :) (think of those three especially from a sermon we read by Dean Wells in PPS116) For the rest of today... soon I will have my oral Spanish exam, and then classes will begin. We´re going out for lunch in San Jose and then changing money at the bank. Later there will be a lecture on the history of Costa Rica, and then I don´t know what the evening at home holds in store.
Oh, about the World Cup! Costa Rica does play against Germany in the opening game... ha, people aren´t too optimistic about the chances but they´re just glad that their country is represented at the games. June 9th will be a huge day: the government has given everyone the day off of work! Isn´t that awesome? Glad they have their priorities straight. I´m looking forward to watching it...
Ha just heard that Daddy Yankee is giving a concert here on Thursday! Maybe I´ll go...
Ok that´s it for now but I will no doubt write more soon. Happy Monday all... take a moment sometime to breathe in the air and think of how lucky we are to be alive. La vida es bonita.
It´s interesting, I´m `so far away` (ha the Delilah song of the same name plays in my head... `doesn´t anybody stay in one place aaaanymore?`)... yet though in some ways I do feel aware of the distance from you all, in other ways I feel that you could be just downstairs or across the hall. Will continue thinking about this... these concepts of distance and relationships are ever present.
Hasta pronto mis queridos!
--glad that I decided right before posting to copy what I´d written. A page came up that said No se puede mostrar la página`...that would have been tragic!
Que linda!
I don´t have much time now to update but want to write a little - we just finished our orientation at ICADS. (This is a little hard to type, the keyboards are different!) Wow. So much already. My flights yesterday were wonderful - the one to Charlotte very short and then while I waited in the airport there I struck up a conversation with a couple who is actually in the process right now of moving to Costa Rica as a result of their daughter interning into the country HER post-sophomore year summer. She and they love it that much! The mom was so warm and shared many tidbits and exciting options with me. On my flight to San Jose, for the last hour I talked to the man next to me who is Costa Rican but now lives in New Jersey and does construction. When he found out I know some Spanish he asked why we were speaking in English, and at that point I quickly had to get over my nervousness of speaking to native Spanish speakers in Spanish. We talked a lot and I felt much better. He was so friendly, as all Ticos have been - at the airport helped me navigate customs etc and then watched to make sure that I met up with the ICADS crowd.
Met with the other ICADS students at the airport and then one by one we stopped at a house and a name was called - time to meet the new families! The houses are different than I would have thought to imagine - all connected, colorful, and covered with bars. I excitedly waited for my name to be called - before long it was and I left the van - greeted by Mary! She is absolutely wonderful. We put my things down in the new (small, very cute) room and then had cafe... talked about her life and mine, values... self-esteem... I was filled with joy - I can´t wait to talk with her more about all of these thoughts - she used to yell a lot and feel ugly, low self-esteem - but in the past few years she has done a lot of work on her self-esteem, thinking, reading - and now she exudes such a strong sense of peace. She´s reading A Purpose Driven Life in Spanish now.
I´ve spent a lot of time with her granddaughter Daniela - watching TV (like Gentle Ben dubbed in Spanish and lots of lucha libre - wrestling) is such a fun way to work on Spanish. I´ve really enjoyed spending time with her and am glad the ice is broken there...
Food is delicious, went to an open market feria today and bought new and exciting fruits and vegetables. love the papaya-pineapple juice Mary has.
Ahh so much I want to write but others are waiting - this country is gorgeous and the pace noticeably different thus far. I eat until I say estoy satisfecha... and am encouraged to sit and enjoy.
Looking forward to dinner and family time tonight. Classes and history lectures start tomorrow. Strange to be cut off from all forms of communication I know. Thinking of you all! More soon.
P.S. Mary and Daniela say Que Linda a lot. (How cute!) I feel a lot more confident about speaking Spanish already...have talked about things like Duke´s hook-up culture, ha.
It begins.
After reading (and being slightly overwhelmed by) the impressive stories from friends currently stationed across the world, time for my own blog! Saturday morning my journey begins. I’ll fly out – first to Charlotte and then to my new home: San Jose, Costa Rica. Fernando, an ICADS (more on this below) staffer, will soon meet me at the airport and bring me to my family(!).
I will live with Mary, a divorced homemaker, her two children (ages 32 and 28) and her granddaughter. Mary “does aerobics and enjoys reading... is a hard working woman and a wonderful cook.”
I am going to Costa Rica through the Institute for Central American Development Studies. More info on this wonderful program here:
http://www.icadscr.com/programs/summ-internship/index.htmlFor the first three weeks I’ll have intensive Spanish classes, go to extra things like talks on the social and political history of Costa Rica, Latin dance classes, banana plantations – and simultaneously search for my internship placement. For the last 6/7 weeks I’ll work full-time.
Sprawled on my living room floor now, one of the last times for a while... though half-filled boxes surround me and to-do lists are scattered, at this moment, I feel ready. Ha just read this quote from Lord Dunsany (writer): “I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full.” I feel like that worm... ready for the sights and thoughts to come.
I’ll be in Costa Rica until August 12. Not sure now how often I’ll write in here, but I’m hoping and planning to write often. Maybe I’ll use it as a sort of journal, though the words from Anna Nalick fill my head (“And I feel like I’m naked in front of the crowd-cause these words are my diary screamin’ out loud.”) I’m excited but in a different way than I usually feel excitement, since this time it’s spurred by things unknown. Last June 3rd (exactly one year prior to this year’s departure) I wrote this: “On the way to work [domestic violence nonprofit], I heard a song and the words really resonated with me. Duncan Sheik sings of, ‘one of those mornings, where everything seems so clear.’ Today feels like one of those mornings. I’ve been feeling this way more here… I always have fleeting moments of this concentrated, pure awareness, but one of my ultimate goals is to figure out what way of life will make it stay. I’m really excited about finding such a future.” Later in the summer I wrote that “there were enough of these moments this summer that I know this is where I belong and what I was meant to be doing. I’ve never felt more sure of my place and my passions. These moments of pure awareness are guiding lights...”
Especially in this formative time of wondering and dreaming about/tentatively planning for the future, I look forward to opening up and hopefully experiencing more of these guiding lights – first in the beautiful country of Costa Rica (can’t wait to see it) and then Argentina with the School for International Training September-December.
Happy summer to you all and thanks for reading. :)
P.S. The address for this blog comes from Rainer Maria Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet," which I love:
"...I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."
As for the title, ICADS explained "Pura Vida" in this way: You will see and hear this phrase everywhere in Costa Rica. Literally, it means “Pure Life.” Ticos (Costa Ricans) use it to say anything from “I’m fine.” to “Life is great.” to “Everything is okay.”
