La Pura Vida

Finding paz in different lugares

Saw much beauty today.

Here´s an article to help explain - from 3 years ago, but it tells the story well:
¨All feet are pointing to Virgin de los Angeles¨
http://www.amcostarica.com/073003.htm

Pretty amazing, especially that people are already walking now. I´m so glad that I´m here for this. In these days leading up to the big celebration on August 2nd, each of the (I think) 8 dioceses of Costa Rica has its own day to travel to Cartago and celebrate a Mass. Today was Limón´s day: I went with Mario in the Guácimo bus. We met at 7 this morning and were in Cartago by around 9:30. On the way heard many many stories from Mario/got to know him better than ever - he´s a talker. Learned about his work (as a manual laborer and later as an administrator) for 14 years in a banana plantation (fascinating-especially that he became an adminstrator without even going to high school, unprecedented), his take on different Bible stories, his thoughts on a son´s girlfriend, benefits of meditation...many random things as he often interrupts himself and has several stories going at a time. We parked a few blocks from the church and then got out to walk and join other parishes from around the diocese. Trying to place myself back there now: it was so powerful to quietly walk with this group. The mass of walkers quickly grew. Policemen kept back the cars. We sang and prayed. Entered the beautiful Basilica (have many pictures but no camera cord, but there´s a picture in the above article). Loved the Mass, especially singing songs on the sheet they handed out. The music was jazzy and lots of songs had a cool funky beat (probably the Caribbean Limón influence!). I´m really proud to be associated with this province. It was neat to see all the priests from every parish process up at the beginning. The place was packed: people standing in every aisle, at the front, at the back... what energy! Walking there I was reminded of Take Back the Night, different but the same (sing that Ben Kweller song to myself, especially this part: You gotta be strong, you gotta teach your son, how to stand up straight when you want to run, how to care and love, how to be yourself, to be different, but the same... but back to the point) Awesome to be part of such devoted and take-action groups of people, in whatever form this takes. Looked at the relic itself for the first time (partially underground), as well as many glass-encased medallions nearby: in the shapes of arms and legs for example, people bring them in thanksgiving for their healing to the Virgin. Had lunch with Mario at a nearby restaurant (yay for arroz con leche for dessert) and then took the bus back.

Weekend runthrough:

Friday

• Foro Emaus meeting in the morning, then walked to Guácimo. Waited for the bus for a while, reading I Know This Much is True, journaling, and realizing how much more comfortable I´ve gotten with being by myself.
• Bus to San Jose (first ride of many over the next few days). Arrived there and took another bus to ICADS, where I was just in time to meet Erika, Jess, Kim, Julie, and Shari. As is the norm for ICADS, all of a sudden everything spend up x100 and we were hurried out the door, with some rapid Spanish bantering from Denny the trip coordinating helper, to the taxis. A little bewildered jumped in, and were taken to the Guanacaste bus station. Ha I love that upon arrival an old man took it upon himself to pull Erika aside and explain to her in Spanish that 3 guys (see them over there? he pointed) were thieves who always board the buses to steal from travelers. ¡Ten cuidado! I´d heard that this bus station was sketchy.
• 6 hour bus ride! Picked up Iara along the way (had been told: watch for her out the windows in 1 hour, she might be there but she might not. ha! typical CR directions) Ate cocitos. Laughed with Erika.
• Playa Hermosa! Friday night we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant...got a casado (rice beans and other goodies) because they´re just so darn good. Caught up with the others and Zach, who was already there. Afterwards we started to walk down to the water but stopped...so dark and a little scary, not the very best area. At least we could hear the water...yay ocean.

Saturday

• Up early to hit the beach. 1st breakfast, where we decided to go snorkeling - how exciting! Did that from 11-around 3...30 minute boat ride to the reef/caverns. Strange at first to just breathe through the mouth but quickly got the hang of it-incredible to swim along and look down at the fish and coral! A feeling unlike any I´ve ever experiences. Felt like I was in Finding Nemo. What sights... also got stung by little jellyfish and scraped myself up when I against common sense tried to snorkel near some big rocks just below the ocean´s surface (wanted to see shells and more fish)-ow when the waves pummeled me a couple times and I fumbled on those rough rocks. Good thing there were no sharks, despite what our guide tried to tell us, or that blood would have attracted them. Still, a marvelous experience overall! I love boats.
• late lunch, showers, trashy TV about the sexiest Hollywood stars that was surprisingly satisfying, then dinner/a ¨culinary experience¨ at a sophisticated and romantic ambience place called Ginger´s. Expensive but delicious appetizers, desserts, mixed drinks. So happy to hear Norah Jones and Marvin Gaye´s ¨What´s Going On.¨Fun night.

Sunday

• made our own breakfast, big production lighting the gas stove and everything. bought our supplies at a local supermarket and made tons of scrambled eggs, toast (I took care of that with butter and a pan since the toaster was a flop), yummy cereal...
• bus to Liberia. lunch at an Italian restaurant. 6 hr ride again-5 of us were in the very back and that ride felt heavenly with the breeze. More story catching up with the others.
• kind of a long story but Jess and I slept in ICADS, on the floor of the computer lab, for the night. Banana split, one armed monkey stuffed animals, unlimited internet, new books to read, kindness from Jose a coordinator--many things worked together to make that an experience to remember.

Finished I Know This Much is True. Definitely recommend it. Next 3 books, excited about all: Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood, Barack Obama´s memoir, The DaVinci Code.

Yesterday, freshly showered from a good run, I felt maybe the most peace I´ve ever felt as I sat across the kitchen table from Erlinda. The room was dimly lit and she serenely worked to go through the piles I´d made for her. She´s organizing everything with the hopes of writing a book. Every once in a while she would sing me a song/prayer, pass over reflections specifically for this region, explain a little more about these communities´organizing...

Working to craft these last 2 weeks in the campo, then looking forward to tying it all together with the week of reflection/writing in San Pedro.

The contrasts do continue - after the calm evening woke up during the night after a nightmare about a group assault left me shaken, incorporated different parts of my life here - even a part like these women´s conferences where those of us being robbed were taken to a classroom and had to write our names on a sheet being passed around and then next to that write adjectives for how we were feeling. Terrified, overwhelmed, frustrated. Interesting. Back to peace though once the day began.

Happily it´s meal time once again...

¡Suerte!

posted by Colleen @ 5:17 PM