Perdida En Pensamiento

Some parting words...

2009-04-18T13:01:00.001-07:00

So my time in Costa Rica is almost done. I leave on Monday for Panama. I was blessed to have spend the past month in Grecia and made some awesome friendships there that I will never forget. I am back in San Jose now and trying to pack up all my stuff. I am really blessed here as well with a wonderful host mom and sister who I am going to miss. In Panama I will be staying with an indigenous tribe called the kunas (you can google them if you want more info). I was pretty nervous but now I am getting excited. It is gonna be as hard experience but I think it will be beautiful in the end. It is such a cool opportunity to go and live with this people group who have been living the same way of life for hundreds of years who most people don’t even know exist. I am excited but could also use any prayers you can send my way just for strength and that I can keep a good attitude because that is really half the battle (or maybe even all of the battle). After that we are gonna explore Panama City for a day and then I am flying to Miami on the 28th for a debriefing and then back home on April 30th! I am so happy to be headed home but feel so blessed to have experienced all this. This semester has definitely been one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life but also one of the most worthwhile. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me and keeping tabs on me. I couldn’t have done it without you!
I will leave you with this prayer that pretty much sums up my semester here and I pray this for all of you as well:

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out and comfort them and turn their pain to joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.
Amen”

See you soon!!!!

Psalm 73:21-28

2009-04-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but this Psalm seemed to speak to my soul so I thought I'd share:

Psalm 73:21-28
Then I realized how bitter I had become, how pained I had been by all I had seen. I was so foolish and ignorant – I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you are holding my right hand. You will keep on guiding me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. But those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

Grecia

2009-03-31T19:09:00.001-07:00

So I am here in Grecia, Costa Rica and it is lovely, a lot prettier than San Jose that’s for sure. This is a part of my advanced language and literature concentration and I will be here a total of 3 ½ weeks although I’ve already been here about a week and ½. My host family here is great. Although they are kinda quiet talkers and mumble so it is hard for me to understand them sometimes but it is good for me I guess. My host dad Carlos also speaks English very well but I try not to talk to him in English much since this is supposed to be an immersion experience. I work with my host mom Xinia 3 days a week in her kindergarten class and the kids are precious but quite a handful too. I am enjoying it and get to do a lot of drawing and cutting and pasting which is fun cuz I love arts and crafts lol. I also feel like I am learning new words and songs along with the kindergarteners which is kinda funny since I am 21 years old but its fun. I forgot how great kindergarten is… nap time, play time, arts and crafts time, seriously these kids are taking this for granted but I am happy to have returned to it for a little while even if just as a teacher’s assistant.

Here are some of my students who are about to paint:

The other two days of the week I go to Spanish class with all the other gringos at the church we are working with. It is definitely a different style of learning than what I am used to but I don’t mind. It reminds me of VBS. Today one of the teachers asked us a simple question, something about who speaks to our hearts, and everyone hesitated because it seemed too easy, like it might be a trick question. Finally, I responded with the typical Sunday school answer when all else fails of “God” or “Dios” as we like to call Him in Spanish. And it turned out to be the right answer. I looked at my friend Amanda who had said “Dios” at the same time I did and we both started to laugh as I mouthed the letters “VBS” to her. After our first day of class another student turned to me and started laughing. When I asked what was so funny she said I am just thinking about how much I pity people back home who have actual hard classes. I guess we did get to draw Disney characters that day so I can see why this would be humorous to think about. Really though the purpose isn’t for us to learn Spanish through these classes (I mean we already completed 80 hrs worth of Spanish classes back in San Jose) the purpose is to focus on relationships and learning about another culture. I mean I joke about it but the church is really kind and have made us feel really welcome. I went to the actual church service on Sunday and everyone there seemed so joyful and genuinely excited to be there worshipping God together. It was very encouraging to see and it is good to see them working in their community as well.

So ya I am working with the kindergarteners, going to Spanish class/VBS, and just hanging out with my host family. I really love it here but I am also ready to come home. I have less than a month left though so I am going to try to make the most of it. Some upcoming highlights include a sleepover this weekend, going to a volcano on Sat, and having Holy Week off from school (well kindergarten not VBS but still). There should be some good times ahead…

relationship over task

2009-03-20T21:06:00.000-07:00

So I know I haven’t written in a while but I have been quite busy. I was in Nicaragua for 2 weeks and then I got to spend a few days with a group from Geneva who was here on a Spring Break mission trip. It was so nice to see familiar faces and such a blessing to have good friends here with me for a while. I think another reason for slacking on updates is that I have also been really overwhelmed with things to think about and not really knowing how to put them into words so I have avoided posting anything. However, I think this blog is a good place to process and to share my thoughts so that is what I shall try to do.

So the past few days we have had a former student come and stay with us along with her brother and his wife. I have really enjoyed having them around especially since it has made me learn a lot more about my host family and things I never knew about them. Today at dinner my host mom’s dad ate with us. He is probably about 85 I’d say. Somehow we started talking about their family and how he had five kids. Then I found out he was widowed with five kids before he was even 30. He told us how his wife died in childbirth while and her baby also died with her. Apparently she had wanted to have her baby at home with a midwife since they were from the countryside and that seemed more natural to them. But something went wrong and I think she started bleeding a lot or something so my host mom’s dad took her to the hospital as soon as he realized something was wrong. After she died the doctor told him that if he would have just brought her in 10 minutes earlier he could have saved her.
My heart sunk when I heard this story. Imagine living with that for the past 50 years. Imagine being left with 5 children to raise after that. My host mom was only 4 when her mom died. I never even knew this about her. I never asked. I then learned that the people from the church they went to and their neighbors helped to raise them. This was such a sad story to hear, even if it happened 50 years ago. It just reminded me of how fragile life really is and how small decisions or 10 minutes can change your entire life.

This story also made me think of how we never know what people have been through or are going through and what their stories are. It also reminded me of how strong some people are who I have met down here and how small my problems seem compared to theirs and yet I feel so weak to face them sometimes. My Nicaraguan host mom was a strong person as well. She worked so hard and continues to work so hard so that her children can have a better life than she had. She has been able to send her 3 children who are old enough to university. This is quite an accomplishment considering her husband is illiterate. People in her area can’t afford indoor plumbing much less education. But she told me you have to luchar, or to fight and to keep fighting for what’s important to you. Her strength and kindness really impressed me. This is just one story from Nicaragua but if you want to know more about that trip please do ask as I cannot explain it all here. It was good, it was hard, and it was probably just what I needed.

So as far as schedules go, this week I started my concentration of advanced language and literature. On Sunday I will leave San Jose to live in the countryside or campo of Costa Rica for 3 ½ weeks. I am sad to be leaving because I finally feel comfortable here and am really starting to appreciate my Tica family in San Jose. I will only be back here for a few days after the campo before I leave for Panama so I don’t have much time with them left. Anyway, in the campo I will have readings and reflections to do, Spanish class 2 days a week, and a service project 3 days a week. I will be working at a public elementary school and have no idea what I will be doing there. I never really know too many details here and I am learning to just go with it. The point of this experience is to get us out of San Jose and immersed in more authentic Costa Rican culture. My professors keep stressing that the point of the Spanish class is not to learn Spanish nor is the point of the service project to serve. The whole point is to build relationships, it doesn’t really matter what we are doing. We are supposed to emphasize relationships over task, which is completely opposite of our North American culture but luckily that is something I would like to improve on. I think putting people ahead of goals, schedules, and times is a more Christ-like way to live anyway. It’s not that those things disappear and nothing gets done it is just that the priorities are different. We’ll see how it goes for this gringa.

So please keep me in your prayers as I start over with another host family and another place and experience here. I am nervous and excited about this at the same time but hopefully all will go well. If you've made it to the end of this post, thanks for reading and keeping tabs on me!

some quotes to think about...

2009-02-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

So as I was "studying" for my test tomorrow and realized once again how much I love all the stuff I have been learning here. Tomorrow is my final essay test (although they like to call it a quiz, it is really a final lol) and afterward I will work group project and hopefully finish that up for Friday when we present it. After that I am off to the beach with my friend Amanda! We figured we'd squeeze in one last beach trip before we leave for Nicaragua on Monday. But I wanted to share with you some quotes that stuck out to me from the semester... who knows, maybe they will challenge you as well. Or maybe you will just think I am a socialist hippie.... that's ok too.

“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”
-Dom Helder Camara

These next quotes are all taken from Oscar Romero's "The Violence of Love." If you don't know who Oscar Romero is you should Wikipedia him right now. Seriously, you should.

“The great need today is for Christians who are active and critical, who don’t accept situations without analyzing them inwardly and deeply. We no longer want masses of people like those who have been trifled with for so long. We want persons like fruitful fig trees who can say yes to justice and no to injustice and can make use of the precious gift of life, regardless of the circumstances.”

“Unfortunately, brothers and sisters, we are the product of a spiritualized, individualistic education. We were taught: try to save your soul and don’t worry about the rest. We told the suffering: be patient, heaven will follow, hang on. No, that’s not right, that’s not salvation! That’s not the salvation Christ brought. The salvation Christ brings is a salvation from every bondage that oppresses human beings.”

“Some want to keep a gospel so disembodied that it doesn’t get involved at all in the world it must save. Christ is now in history. Christ is in the womb of the people. Christ is now bringing about the new heavens and the new earth.”

“Many would like the poor to keep on saying that it is God’s will for them to live that way. But it is not God’s will for some to have everything and others to have nothing. That cannot be of God. God’s will is that all his children be happy.”

“The world does not say: blessed are the poor. The world says: blessed are the rich. You are worth as much as you have. But Christ says: wrong. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, because they do not put their trust in what is transitory.”

“The guarantee of one’s prayer is not in saying a lot of words. The guarantee of one’s petition is very easy to know: how do I treat the poor? Because that is where God is. The degree to which you approach them, and the love with which you approach them, or the scorn with which you approach them – that is how you approach your God. What you do to them, you do to God. The way you look at them is the way you look at God.”

Hopefully you found those to be thought-provoking as well :)

If God calls you to take some risks, don't play it safe.

2009-02-19T16:08:00.000-08:00

Today I gave my final presentation for language school. It actually went really well. At first I started talking really fast but then they told me “tranquila” and I was better after that. So tomorrow I have a final quiz and then we have “graduation” whatever that entails… although I heard it involves pizza so I am totally cool with it.

It’s hard to believe I finished the 5 week language school program, looking back I think it went by really fast minus the weeks when I had sucky teachers. I have an awesome teacher this week though, she is my favorite. I wish I had her the whole time or at least for a longer week since this week is cut short due to presentations and whatnot. Oh well.

This weekend I went to Manuel Antonio with my friends Liz and Amanda and it was amazing! The bus ride down was about 4 hrs long but I loved it. I had the window open and could feel the breeze and look and all the greenery… it was great. I can totally see why dogs like to stick there heads out of the window in the car. Anyway, we arrived on Saturday just in time to see the sunset on the beach and it was gorgeous. We went out to a nice dinner which turned out to be quite interesting (but that’s another story) and later on we went walking on the beach. The stars were so clear and pretty at one point we all just paused and stared up at the sky for about 20 minutes without saying anything. I can’t even describe how beautiful it was but it just reminded me of how much God is an artist. His works, like the stars, fill us with wonder and all we can do is appreciate them even though we can’t really understand it all. It’s like standing awestruck before such a big and awesome God too beautiful and complicated for us to even begin to comprehend.

Then next day we got to spend at the beach until sunset and it was perfect, the water, the weather, everything. What a blessing. Then I came back to San Jo (that's my new abbreve for it) and realized how much work I have to do these next two weeks. But I'm not too worried about it... yet lol.

Today we had a precious man come and speak to us for our core seminar. He was about 80 years old but so smart and wise I think I could listen to him all day long. And when I say smart I actually mean briliant. He is finishing a four volume commentary on the book of Revelation. And he actually once got to sit down with Fidel Castro and explain the book of Revelation to him. Crazy right?
His website is juanstam.com but it’s all in Spanish so I don’t know that it will be useful to many people.
Here are a few quotes I wrote down from his lecture:

“Love God so much that you don’t hate anyone.”
(mainly talking about the US attitude, especially the church's attitude, toward Castro and Chavez but I think it applies generally as well)

“If God calls you to take some risks don’t play it safe.”

And lastly he was trying to get us to be critical, to not believe everything people tell us, and to see things from other people’s point of view. He said, “You must always look at the other side than what you have been trained to do because that is where your blind spots are.” I think that I am learning that my culture has caused me to have a lot of blind spots so I need to see things from the other side in order to truly understand.

He said a lot of other really interesting things but I won’t bore you with further quotes. Just know that I am learning so much here and being challenged and that is good for me.

Full of grace

2009-02-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

So I am realizing that so much happens here it is hard to keep up with this blog. But I guess that is a good thing, at least I am not bored.

So going back a bit…
Last Sunday I got to visit the province of Cartago for a soccer game. It was so beautiful and I think I saw 3 different rainbows. I also got to visit a museum and learn a lot about the indigenous people who once lived there. But my favorite part of the day was when I left with my friend Amanda to go find some coffee. We ended up going in to a store that had a sign outside that said “Drink coffee” so we assumed we would encounter coffee there. The store owner explained that they would make us some and his son went back to the kitchen, about half an hour later our coffee was ready. It was actually good though because we got to talk to the store owner for a while about lots of things our countries, politics, and his single sons that he kept mentioning lol. Finally the coffee was ready but not in to go cups but regular mugs. The owner pointed to a little table in the corner, haha so we stayed another half hour or so. I don’t know why that experience stood out to me but it was just so random. I think that is what this is all about, communicating with people, hearing their stories and learning about their lives and taking time to just sit and have a cup of coffee with a friend. Amanda and I both agreed it was our favorite part of the day.

On Tuesday our group took a field trip to an organic sustainable development farm. I honestly loved it so much…I’m a tree hugger, so you can imagine my excitement. It was just such a contrast to the plantations we visited that only had one plant they grew (which is terrible for the soil) and used chemicals and pesticides to produce mass quantities for profit. Rodrigo (the organic farmer) shared with us how he works with nature not against it. Even though his farm produces about 70% less than it would if it weren’t organic he said for him this was about conviction not profit. He said there should be thousands of organic farms instead of these huge plantations that destroy the land and are not sustainable. When asked why he does what he does he pointed to his 2 year old son that was with him. He said that he does this because he wants his son to have the same earth that he has. Sustainable farming is really all about future generations and to me that is something that seems really selfless and really beautiful. He also told us about his belief in God and that God is the reason he does everything. God has given him everything, his land, his wife, his children and God could take it all away. So he depends on God for everything. He said God is in everyone, we just have to let is show. And God is love so when we love the earth we love God because he is in the sun and the soil and the rain. His knowledge and passion for what he does really spoke to me. It is just so awesome to see someone passionately doing what God created them to do and being so content in that.

On Thursday we visited the US embassy for an US perspective on Latin American relations. It was very interesting and very different from what Otton Sollis told us the week before. Some things made sense to me but others seemed to be kinda twisted to make the US look a little better than it may actually have been. They kinda brushed over the fact that the US doesn’t work fair trade policies into its trade agreements, like CAFTA. They said that free trade leads to fair trade which to me sounds like total BS. I think free trade leads companies to move to countries with extremely low wages and terrible working conditions so they can make more money, and that is by no means fair trade… but whatever that’s just my opinion. The way they talked about CAFTA was way different than what I had heard before and they were pretty frustrated that Costa Rica actually had a referendum to vote whether or not to pass CAFTA since they were the only country that did this and the last to sign the agreement. Because of the referendum they criticized Costa Rica by jokingly calling it a hyper-democracy or democracy on steroids. Interestingly enough they began the speech by saying one of the US goals in the region is democracy. I guess I just find it all ironic.
Don’t get me wrong there were some good things said too but it’s hard to see past all the BS sometimes, actually looking back it wasn’t that hard to see through but I think that’s just because I question everything.

Today we had a “spiritual journey” where we all went around and told everyone a bit of our story. It took about 4 hrs (there’s like 50 people) but I honestly think it really helped me to see everyone here in a different light. You really don’t know what people have been through and are going through and it amazed me to hear their stories. It was good to know that we are all struggling and that we are not alone in that. We all have different stories but when it comes down to it we are all just broken people in need of grace. A common theme was love. We are all learning what that really means in different ways but it is definitely a journey.

So ya I am learning a lot as always. I am learning to be critical and to think for myself. I am trying to not be so concerned about figuring things out our finding answers because I don’t think they are as important as asking the right questions. And of course I am seeing God’s beauty and grace in it all :)

Los duendes

2009-02-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

So this has been a really great week. I got to go to Limon last weekend which was beautiful! We heard from an indigenous Bri Bri woman who had some really interesting things to say about life and God and iguanas too. Ask me about it sometime. We of course went to the beach on Sat which was gorgeous but really overcast and rainy which was disappointing. It’s actually been raining a lot here lately, and kinda cold… I mean not like PA cold, but still cooler than usual. The downside is that I’ve walked to class 2 days in a row in the rain which means I arrive wet and am cold all day. On the bright side, I think I have seen about 4 rainbows the past few days. They have been so beautiful. I saw a double rainbow today and yesterday I saw the most perfect one in San Jose, sadly I did not have my camera (can’t carry any expensive goods with me too often).

And even better news because of all the rainbow talk I learned the word for leprechaun in my Spanish class. It’s el duende in case you were wondering. And yes I did actually get to use it today. I pretty much had the best Spanish teacher ever (except for Wendy of course) this week and have really been learning a lot, sadly we change teachers every week… I will miss her. But she let us play taboo in Spanish this afternoon. We decided our team name should be los duendes de la muerte, which of course means leprechauns of death. Sadly though the Leprechuans of Death were split up and I had to join the other team, las mujeres sofisticados, or the sophisticated women since we were an all girl team (I know not quite as fear-inspiring as the duendes de la muerte but oh well). And yes of course my team kicked butt or pompis which is another word for butt that I learned today… apparently there are many. Needless to say, my class was a blast.

On a more serious note, I got to hear from an interesting speaker on Tues. his name is Ottón Sollís and he is the leader of the People’s Action Party here in Costa Rica. He actually lost the last presidential election by only 1 % and could possibly be the next president of Costa Rica if he wins the election next year. He talked about US and Latin American relations and it was so interesting to hear it from the perspective of a Latin American. Next Thurs we are going to hear a US perspective when we go to the US embassy to hear a speaker. Anyway, he said some really good things that made me think. He talked a lot about economics which is always fascinating to me and he strongly opposes CAFTA which now the more I think about it I am pretty sure I oppose it as well; I mean unless some changes are made to it. It’s pretty eye opening to see how your country has in a sense bullied other countries around especially when it comes to economics. It’s hard to hear but I think it is a good thing to be aware of. Our economic system isn’t necessarily the best way for other countries with completely different characteristics than ours. Anyway, ask me more about that later if you are interested.

I think that is all for now, I have had some adventures with getting lost, and the bus, and almost falling into storm drains and nearly getting hit by cars but nothing too out of the ordinary for this place. I’ve had a lot of homework this week and have a lot for these coming weeks too. Sometimes (ok most of the time) I wish I could just be here without all the work so then I could enjoy it more but it’s ok, I just have to learn to manage my time so I can get it done and still have time to take it all in.

Tengo hipo

2009-01-28T09:24:00.001-08:00

So let’s see if I can update you all on my week thus far,
This weekend I got to go to a dance class on Sat with some girls who live near me. We danced Salsa, Meringue and Kumbia and it was really fun. It was also slightly awkward because there were some young guys there but also some old ones that we had to dance with which was funny. Also, most American girls are at least half a foot taller than tico men so that made for some interesting dancing as well. On Sunday I went to church and the service was el culto de Milagros which is means miracle service. At first I was a little weary by the title cuz it seems super crazy charismatic but it actually wasn’t that bad and was much better than last week’s service. Most of it was praise and worship and they have a really good praise and worship team so I enjoyed that.
After church I went with my mom and her sister and her sister’s husband to the province of Alajuela which is like an hour away or so. Yep I was chillin with the old people again but I don’t mind. The province was so beautiful, a big contrast to the city of San Jose which well… really isn’t pretty at all. We ate at a tipico restaurant where the food came on banana leaves. Then we went to visit some gardens that were so amazing and colorful it made me happy, especially cuz I really like plants. I wanted to take some home with me but I know that would never fly with customs and all so I had to just settle for some pictures. Then we got this ice cream type thing called a granizado which is the weirdest combination ever but strangely delicious. All in all it was a fun day. Oh and I went with my sister to watch the Costa Rica Guatemala game at her boyfriend’s house. Costa Rica won and then I thought we were gonna leave cuz I was getting tired. But no we went to the movie store to rent a movie and they picked Lord of the Rings 2 which as you know the Lord of the Rings movies are probably the longest movies ever. I just wanted to go to bed but I was able to stay awake for about an hour and then fell asleep which I guess they picked up on cuz they took me home shortly after that. I realized it was only like 10 o clock. I am so lame.
I have a new Spanish teacher this week who I love. Her name is Marbella and she is super animated cuz she studied theater and I also think she is a feminist hippie as well which of course I love. We talked about Obama and global warming and sadly I seem to be the only one out of our group of 4 with an opinion on those things. This was sad to me and also sucked because when no one talks she moves us on to grammar stuff which is boring! We did end though with an interesting discussion on marriage which everyone participated in. Did you know that the divorce rate in Costa Rica is 65%... crazy right? I thought the US was bad.
We had a lecture on Tues for our core seminar and Javier (who works for the program) was the guest speaker. He is also my advisor for my research paper and I love him. He always gives me articles and sources so I never have to look them up myself plus he speaks really loudly and clearly all the time which makes him super easy to understand. Anyway he talked about the history of Costa Rica and a lot about economics which was interesting. He said that Costa Rica used to be so ahead of its time… the most stable country in Central America because of its beneficiary system of government. That just means they had good healthcare and education for all people which allowed people to move up the social ladder which is rare in Latin America. This means that if you are born poor you have hopes of moving up into the middle or high class. His dad had 15 brothers and lived in a rural home with a dirt floor and still got an education. Because of this Javier got an education too. The rich and the poor received the same education and were part of a community. Costa Rica also eliminated its army in 1949 and used all that money to pay for quality social services. They believed that education is the key to getting out of poverty and by eliminating the army they were creating an army of teachers.
Now all that has changed and the poor all go to public schools of poor quality while the rich can afford a good private school education. The same thing happened with healthcare. Both education and healthcare have become businesses instead of services. He says the reason for this change was that after the cold war it was clear that capitalism had won over communism. Costa Rican’s more socialist form of government was working but then in the 80’s they decided to adopt the neoliberal politics of the US and become more capitalistic. Since then there has been a downgrade in the public services and the country has become increasingly poorer with a lower class that is growing while the middle class shrinks. People are no longer able to move up the social ladder. There were a lot of other interesting things he shared but that is just a little tidbit about the country where I am studying. He said we have this image that capitalism and democracy go hand in hand because they do in the US but it doesn’t have to be that way and it doesn’t work like that for every country. Look at the socialist Scandinavian countries that are democracies as an example. It is just interesting to think about. He said he favors a mixed economy keeping some things nationalized and privatizing others. I just love all this political and economic stuff so sorry if I’m rambling and this is getting boring but just know that I am learning a lot of interesting things here from a lot of different perspectives.
Yesterday I was able to hang out with some friends from Moravia who live near me which was fun. We went shopping and out to dinner in San Jose. This weekend I am going to the province of Limon which should be really fascinating. I will be sure to post when I get back. I’ll also be going to the Caribbean which I am excited for! Just one more thing I never knew how to say “I have hiccups” until yesterday and it turns out its tengo hipo (sounds kinda like hippo right?) haha I don’t know why but that made me chuckle.

Some things I'm learning

2009-01-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

I guess I haven’t updated since last weekend so here goes. I had my first week of classes. I have Spanish class from 1 to 4:30 everyday and I have my core Seminar with LASP on Tues and Thurs from 8 to about 12. So this has been a very busy week. Luckily there are about 6 students who also live in my town so we have been traveling and taking the buses together and everything so that has been really good especially while I am still learning how to get everywhere. For my Spanish class we have been split up into small groups based on our level of Spanish. My group has 3 other students. Basically we just talk all class or listen to our teacher talk because she really likes too. It’s not bad though, just long. Sometimes we talk about really interesting things which I like and other times we talk about boring everyday stuff but whatev it is good practice. My teacher says that we have already had the grammar so we don’t do much of that. She just wants us to keep talking and conversing to practice and improve and as she says “refinar” or refine our Spanish. Every week we switch teachers thought so I will have a new teacher next week and 5 different teachers altogether… hopefully my new teacher will just let us talk too!

My LASP base seminar class is really interesting. On tues we had a guest speaker talk about the world in Jesus’ day. Mostly about the political, economic and social structures of the time. She talked a lot about the kingdom and how to Jesus the kingdom was based on love and justice. She also said Jesus always gave priority to the needy (not just financially needy but all sorts neediness) and challenged us with what that should mean for how we live. Then on Thurs we talked about colonization and neocolonization which was very interesting and sad too. I had already learned a lot about the cruelties on colonization and especially the Spanish conquest of Latin America but it was still a terrible thing to hear about. Then we read two differing histories of the US one from a US perspective and one from a Latin American and they were completely different. It is so interesting to think about how the rest of the world views our country and how we view it. I think we often paint a pretty picture to cover up bad things we have done or to try and justify them. They showed us this video (some of you may have seen it already) to give us a different perspective of how the rest of the world might view our country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EpbfWnOQrI

Our teachers were quick to remind us that they were in no way Antiamerican but they just wanted to give us a different perspective than what we are used to or have been taught. It is hard to watch a video like that and not feel terrible and guilty. It is even harder to ask yourself what you can do to change things so that these atrocities don’t happen again. I mean we are not directly responsible for these things, it was our government, but still I think we have to share in some of the responsibility since it is our country. If we love our country we should want to make it better. So I guess it is just something I’m still processing and thinking about and wanted to share.

So those are some of the things I’ve been learning in class. Outside of class I’ve been learning a lot too. I think I’ve definitely been learning to trust God more. It’s funny how being in another country away from all that is familiar will do that to you. I’m learning to slow down and to try to just be in the present moment without thinking too much about the future. This is hard since I am an American and used to such a fast paced life but the rhythm of life is much slower and calmer here, so that is something I’m working on. Along with that I am learning to be comfortable in ambiguity. No one in the program ever tells us well really anything except what we need to know. They also challenge us to think for ourselves and never tell us what to believe. They just give us information to chew on. So I think I am learning to be ok with not having any answers… to be comfortable in ambiguity. I definitely started learning that even before I came here but I am being reminded of it.

Also, I think I may be slowly developing something that resembles a sense of direction. I mean I’m not sure yet but it might be happening. Having to walk places and take buses is making me more aware of my surroundings. Oh yes and I also learned how to salsa and merengue and a birthday party last weekend. I think some other students and I are gonna take some classes on Latin dance too so that should be fun. It's part of the culture so you know I just gotta embrace it!

I’m probably learning some other things too that I haven’t self analyzed enough to realize them but I’ll be sure to let you all know if I do. I’m excited for the weekend and to be able to rest a bit. This week has been crazy busy. Please continue to keep me in your prayers if you remember. Being here is really hard sometimes but I also feel really blessed so I am thankful for that.

My suitcase came!!!

2009-01-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Well, first of all my suitcase finally arrived yesterday! Thank God!
Orientation is over as well. We talked a lot about culture and here are a few things I found interesting. Apparently asking someone about their own culture is like asking a goldfish how the water is. You can’t really see your own culture until you are taken out of it. Before we left for this semester we had to read a few chapters from a book entitled, “From the Other’s Point of View” by J. Daniel Hess. Here is one of my favorite parts which I think illustrates very well some cultural differences in conversation between US culture (Yankee as Hess calls it) and Costa Rican culture (Latin American).
He says:

-The Yankee would talk louder, the Latin American faster.
- The Yankee would use his head, the Latin would use his heart.
- The Yankee would talk with his status, the Latin with his hands.
- The Yankee would be “honest,” the Latin would be “convincing.”
- The Yankee would watch the clock, the Latin would watch the face.
-The Yankee would guard his distance, the Latin would guard his honor.

These are just a few examples of differences. We talked about how all cultures have the same values, we just prioritize them differently. I thought that was interesting as well.

So ya orientation is over and I am home with my family to spend the weekend. Its usually my mom and I because my sister is always with her boyfriend. So today we went shopping. We left at 9:30 and didn’t get back until around 5. It was fun though. First we went to a local farmers market. You wouldn’t believe the different fruits and vegetables they have here. Then we took a bus to San Jose and then took another bus to a mall where we walked around, looked at clothes, and ate lunch. I had Subway, it brought back memories from Junior and Senior year in high school when I worked there. It was nice to have some familiar food though. Not that the food here has been bad or anything, its just different. My mom is actually a good cook and she doesn’t make me eat everything either. Some families will get offended if you don’t eat everything but my mom told me to only eat as much as I want and that she wont be offended. Anyway, that’s a sidenote. So after the mall, we walked around San Jose for a long time. Then eventually took a bus back. Then we had cafecito time, which is just a coffee break most Ticos take in the late afternoon… I’m a big fan of the cafecito. So now I just did some homework and thought I would update this blog.

Lets see what else, oh yes I was talking with my mom today about the buses and how I have to find my way to ICADS the language school on Monday and well every weekday after that. I told her how when we did our scavenger hunt in San Jose I would just ask people where the bus stops were so I’d just resort to that if all else fails. Then she told me how her aunt would always say to her as a child, “El que tiene la boca, a Roma llega.” Which roughly translated means if you have a mouth you will get to Rome, I like that little dicha (saying). I think I will try to use it. Anyway, I am enjoying spending time with my mom this weekend. Next week I start classes so I will probably be a lot busier. I would also like to add that San Jose was crazy crowded today. I was so proud of myself I didn’t have a panic attack or anything lol. And the driving… Good Lord I’ve almost been hit by cars so many times and I’ve only been here a few days. Not to worry though, I’ve got it under control. That’s about it for now. I’ll try to keep the updates coming.

I made it!

2009-01-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone,
I made it to Costa Rica!!! However, my baggage did not so please keep that in your prayers. Its ok though you know Im just learning to get by with less. I am pretty tired right now but I wanted to send a few updates. My host family is great so far. My mom Jenni makes purses and I think we are gonna be good friends. My sister Carolina is 27 and plays the violin, shes pretty busy though so I dont think shell be around much. I have my own room which is sweet and the other students in the program seem really nice. Tomorrow I have a Spanish interview to test my skills for placement into a class so pray that I do well. My Spanish seems to be coming back to me although it frustrates me when Im talking and cant rememer something. However, I havent had any trouble understanding people so that is good. I love hearing the Costa Rican Spanish it is really beautiful. We have orientation the rest of this week and tomorrow we are doing a scavenger hunt in San Jose. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed so keep me in your prayers but overall I am enjoying things thus far. The sun was shining this morning and I must say I was glad to be out of the PA cold. I miss all my friends and fam back home already though. I hope you are all well. Sorry this is short I will post more later.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

2009-01-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you, about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn’t it?
It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.
I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave.
Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn’t it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don’t worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed.” – Donald Miller Through Painted Deserts

As most of you know I have had a hard time dealing with leaving Geneva this semester to study abroad. I think the reason for this is because it has been such a good semester and I don’t want to miss out on all the fun next semester. Plus I have such wonderful friends. For that I am truly thankful. So thanks to all of you who have impacted me, been there for me, made me laugh, and helped me along the way. I appreciate you more than you know and I look forward to many more good times together. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end (I do like that Nelly Furtado song). So one season ends and another begins. One chapter is done and a new one is about to be written. But I must say I have really enjoyed this last chapter and I have all my friends to thank for that, so thanks.

Sometimes when I get sad about leaving, or scared, or nervous I read the above quote. It reminds me that I have to leave. It’s part of my story. I have to go, to venture out, to change. So that’s what I’m doing. From Jan 13th to April 30th I will be participating in the Latin American Studies Program (there’s a link on the bottom of this page if you want to check out the program). I will be staying in Costa Rica for most of the time but also get to travel to Nicaragua and Panama. I’ll be learning lots of Spanish as well as learning about the history, politics, culture, and economics of Latin America. The final part of the semester I will be taking classes on Advanced Spanish Language and Literature. I’m pretty excited to be learning about things I actually care about for a change, so I’m just gonna soak it all in. I’m trying to go into this experience with an open mind so I can learn whatever God wants to teach me… and He’s always teaching me new things.

So hopefully I can keep up with this blog and keep those interested updated on my life. I at least have good intentions so that’s a start. I’ll probably be posting stories, pictures, prayer requests, and some of the things I am learning, so stay tuned! If you want to contact me feel free to email or send me a facebook message. I only will get Internet when I go to Internet cafes but I will try and get back to you!

So here I go… I’m a whole mixture of emotions right now happy, sad, excited, nervous, and scared. I still have a week until I leave but I know that it will fly by. I’ve got a lot to do before then and there is probably a lot I should have done already. Oh well. I am definitely looking forward to seeing some friends one last time before I go. That should be good for the soul :)
Keep me in your prayers.
You will be in mine as well!
Pura Vida!

(To those who don’t speak Spanish “Pura Vida” just means “Pure Life.” It’s a popular saying in Costa Rica reminding us to embrace adventure and to just enjoy life! I think it may become one of my new faves.)