Today was my first day in Nicaragua and I am really really excited for the next couple months. Granada is so beautiful. So beautiful. The building are all different colors ranging from a golden yellow to a mint green and there are some really cool looking cathedrals. I also checked into my hostel/house (I'm not sure what to call it) and my roommate is from Finland! Her name is Tooey (I am totally making up that spelling) and I actually in my little house there is actually another girl named Tooey who is from Finland! there is also a couple from the states and another guy. I am really excited!
Well, I think I should mention that I have a goal that I have been working on for just about my entire life. I have tried many times to complete it and failed many times resulting in much pain and sometimes humiliation. People told me I couldn't do it but I never quite gave up. However, during my first walkabout, I somehow managed to finally. . . . . GET A TAN(ish)!!!
Mar 30, 2008
Catching up (part three)
March 23
Well, Easter was low key. I went to church and they hardly even mentioned it. After church, we served lunch to the MEI kids and their homestays. This was originally going to be the time when the MEI kids and their homestay families would say goodbye but so many families wanted to have the afternoon to do things (They had Friday to do this but just about everything was closed) so Delynn said that the extra afternoon was optional. Every family chose to spend the afternoon with their homestay kids. It was pretty sweet to see how attached they had all become after just a week. It makes me think about how sad I will be to leave my homestay family.
March 24
I'm back at Bella Flor's. And guess what, I am shoveling more dirt! What a surprise! I don't care that much anymore though. I'm just glad to be back and to be hanging out with people. On the way to Bella Flor's, Gloria and I talked about my whole walkabout (it's the last time we were going to see each other because when I am back at the base for the last time the Hoover's are going to be out of town). She said that she was impressed with how I was with the groups and how I always seemed to put myself into whatever needed to be done. That made me feel really good. I definitely think my work ethic improved while I was here- I'm not sure I had the best work ethic before walkabout. It was really cool to hear that she thought I did a good job with the groups because half the time I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I felt like one of the kids in the groups because I was their age but I was also kind of part of staff. It was kind of weird but I guess I did OK at it.
Gloria told me an interesting story about the first time she saw Little Miss Sunshine (a really good movie, if you haven't seen it). Delynn, Carmelinda, and her were going to see Night at the Museum and they had already bought their tickets when they were told that the projector wasn't working but that they could pick another movie to see. Little Miss Sunshine was one of the movies listed and they didn't know what it was about so they asked the lady at the ticket counter who said it was about a little girl who enters a beauty pageant. Gloria and Delynn thought that might be something Carmelinda might like to see so they picked it. Carmelinda was probably six then and Little Miss Sunshine is rated R. The whole movie they kept debating whether to leave or not but it was so funny they ended up staying for the whole movie. They had a long discussion with Carmelinda afterwards about all they things in the movie (They had a lot of things to discuss: suicide, drugs, homosexuality, etc.) and Gloria is actually glad they did see they movie with her because many of those topics are ones that kids hear about at school before they hear about it at home and the movie was a funny way to introduce Carmelinda to them.
March 25
Yesterday, A big dump truck dumped a huge pile of dirt that we had to haul. Well, that was big, but today FOUR big dumptrucks dumped dirt so there is a HUGE pile of dirt down the street. I can't believe it! I asked Bella For, and she said she doesn't have any groups coming in the near future and tomorrow is my last day so only the people in La Tabla with their three wheelbarrows are going to hauling this dirt. Hopefully this will finish up the wall!
Today is my last full day in La Tabla. Tomorrow will be different because my mom will be here so I felt kind of like it was my last day. I am really going to miss everyone here.
In other news, My mom is here! Here flight was delayed 40 minutes and she had to wait in line for 2 hours at customs, but she made it!
March 26
I had to say goodbye to everyone today. It was really hard but I didn't cry or anything (I was expecting to but because my mom was here I think my brain was kind of in two places at once). My mom brought stuff for the kids to play with. The kids had a lot of fun playing with all the stickers and drawing and it was a good last afternoon.
After La Tabla, my mom and I took a bus to Cahuita, a small town on the Caribbean. I picked it out because it was small so we could walk to most places in town, it was on the beach, it had a coral reef, and it was on the Caribbean which I had always been told how different that part of Costa Rica is and I wanted to see a different side to Costa Rica. Anyway, on the bus ride there, I checked out a little map I had of Cahuita and realized that the hotel that we picked wasn't actually in the town but down the road a couple kilometers by the playa negro. This wouldn't be a problem except we were arriving at about 9 (sunset is about 6) and we were unfamiliar with the territory. Uh Oh. When we got there, the bus station was empty except for a security guard (At least that what we assumed he was because he had a uniform and a gun) who after hearing that we needed a taxi handed my mom's huge suitcase to this guy who he said was a taxi. Now, in my reading in preparation for this trip, I learned that all registered taxi's had a red vehicle with a taxi number on the side and that it wasn't recommended to go with non red "taxis". Well, this guy didn't have a red car so I was a little nervous. My mom, who didn't want to walk and figued that if the armed security guard trusted him, we could too. My mom was right. It went fine, the guy was nice and we got to the hotel ok. Whew!
March 27
Today was sweet! This guy Johnny (the brother of Cesar, who drove us last night) drove us around and we went to the Bribri Indian reservation and saw authentic native americans, hanging out it their house, cooking food. One of them was a 108 year old guy sleeping with a parrot on a shoulder. It was cool! We were really close to the Costa Rica/Panama border so we went to the river that divides the two countries and so we saw Panama! Then a Bribri woman showed us how chocolate is made (it comes from a fruit!) and we bought some really good black pepper chocolate from her. After that we went into Cahuita, grabbed some lunch at this Pizza place that named it's pizzas things like Marilyn Monroe, LSD, and John F Kennedy (we ordered "The Doors" pizza). We then walked along the beach in the National Park. We saw iguanas, white faced monkeys, and a beautiful beach. It was such a great day. It was beautiful and the people were nice. The beach was amazing and I got to see the Caribbean part of Costa Rica. it was a great vacation.
March 28
We took the bus back to San Jose and I realized how much I have learned about agriculture while I have been here. I learned that gourmet coffee is grown at high altitudes, pineapples don't grow on trees, and that chocolate comes from a fruit. In coming here I didn't even consider that I would learn anything about the things that are grown here and I just realized that in fact, I have.
March 29
I spent most of my day in a bus. It was my last day in Costa Rica. I think I have grown a lot while I have been here, my Spanish has improved a lot (and my willingness to make a fool out of myself while trying to speak Spanish), my work ethic has improved, my ability to have my things semi-neat when I am sharing a room with someone has developed, and I feel like I am more independent from my family now and more my own person. I also know more about the struggles of people in poverty and how we have so much more in the states than we really need. I am so glad I came here. I wouldn't be the person I am now if I hadn't.
My first walkabout is now complete.
Well, Easter was low key. I went to church and they hardly even mentioned it. After church, we served lunch to the MEI kids and their homestays. This was originally going to be the time when the MEI kids and their homestay families would say goodbye but so many families wanted to have the afternoon to do things (They had Friday to do this but just about everything was closed) so Delynn said that the extra afternoon was optional. Every family chose to spend the afternoon with their homestay kids. It was pretty sweet to see how attached they had all become after just a week. It makes me think about how sad I will be to leave my homestay family.
March 24
I'm back at Bella Flor's. And guess what, I am shoveling more dirt! What a surprise! I don't care that much anymore though. I'm just glad to be back and to be hanging out with people. On the way to Bella Flor's, Gloria and I talked about my whole walkabout (it's the last time we were going to see each other because when I am back at the base for the last time the Hoover's are going to be out of town). She said that she was impressed with how I was with the groups and how I always seemed to put myself into whatever needed to be done. That made me feel really good. I definitely think my work ethic improved while I was here- I'm not sure I had the best work ethic before walkabout. It was really cool to hear that she thought I did a good job with the groups because half the time I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I felt like one of the kids in the groups because I was their age but I was also kind of part of staff. It was kind of weird but I guess I did OK at it.
Gloria told me an interesting story about the first time she saw Little Miss Sunshine (a really good movie, if you haven't seen it). Delynn, Carmelinda, and her were going to see Night at the Museum and they had already bought their tickets when they were told that the projector wasn't working but that they could pick another movie to see. Little Miss Sunshine was one of the movies listed and they didn't know what it was about so they asked the lady at the ticket counter who said it was about a little girl who enters a beauty pageant. Gloria and Delynn thought that might be something Carmelinda might like to see so they picked it. Carmelinda was probably six then and Little Miss Sunshine is rated R. The whole movie they kept debating whether to leave or not but it was so funny they ended up staying for the whole movie. They had a long discussion with Carmelinda afterwards about all they things in the movie (They had a lot of things to discuss: suicide, drugs, homosexuality, etc.) and Gloria is actually glad they did see they movie with her because many of those topics are ones that kids hear about at school before they hear about it at home and the movie was a funny way to introduce Carmelinda to them.
March 25
Yesterday, A big dump truck dumped a huge pile of dirt that we had to haul. Well, that was big, but today FOUR big dumptrucks dumped dirt so there is a HUGE pile of dirt down the street. I can't believe it! I asked Bella For, and she said she doesn't have any groups coming in the near future and tomorrow is my last day so only the people in La Tabla with their three wheelbarrows are going to hauling this dirt. Hopefully this will finish up the wall!
Today is my last full day in La Tabla. Tomorrow will be different because my mom will be here so I felt kind of like it was my last day. I am really going to miss everyone here.
In other news, My mom is here! Here flight was delayed 40 minutes and she had to wait in line for 2 hours at customs, but she made it!
March 26
I had to say goodbye to everyone today. It was really hard but I didn't cry or anything (I was expecting to but because my mom was here I think my brain was kind of in two places at once). My mom brought stuff for the kids to play with. The kids had a lot of fun playing with all the stickers and drawing and it was a good last afternoon.
After La Tabla, my mom and I took a bus to Cahuita, a small town on the Caribbean. I picked it out because it was small so we could walk to most places in town, it was on the beach, it had a coral reef, and it was on the Caribbean which I had always been told how different that part of Costa Rica is and I wanted to see a different side to Costa Rica. Anyway, on the bus ride there, I checked out a little map I had of Cahuita and realized that the hotel that we picked wasn't actually in the town but down the road a couple kilometers by the playa negro. This wouldn't be a problem except we were arriving at about 9 (sunset is about 6) and we were unfamiliar with the territory. Uh Oh. When we got there, the bus station was empty except for a security guard (At least that what we assumed he was because he had a uniform and a gun) who after hearing that we needed a taxi handed my mom's huge suitcase to this guy who he said was a taxi. Now, in my reading in preparation for this trip, I learned that all registered taxi's had a red vehicle with a taxi number on the side and that it wasn't recommended to go with non red "taxis". Well, this guy didn't have a red car so I was a little nervous. My mom, who didn't want to walk and figued that if the armed security guard trusted him, we could too. My mom was right. It went fine, the guy was nice and we got to the hotel ok. Whew!
March 27
Today was sweet! This guy Johnny (the brother of Cesar, who drove us last night) drove us around and we went to the Bribri Indian reservation and saw authentic native americans, hanging out it their house, cooking food. One of them was a 108 year old guy sleeping with a parrot on a shoulder. It was cool! We were really close to the Costa Rica/Panama border so we went to the river that divides the two countries and so we saw Panama! Then a Bribri woman showed us how chocolate is made (it comes from a fruit!) and we bought some really good black pepper chocolate from her. After that we went into Cahuita, grabbed some lunch at this Pizza place that named it's pizzas things like Marilyn Monroe, LSD, and John F Kennedy (we ordered "The Doors" pizza). We then walked along the beach in the National Park. We saw iguanas, white faced monkeys, and a beautiful beach. It was such a great day. It was beautiful and the people were nice. The beach was amazing and I got to see the Caribbean part of Costa Rica. it was a great vacation.
March 28
We took the bus back to San Jose and I realized how much I have learned about agriculture while I have been here. I learned that gourmet coffee is grown at high altitudes, pineapples don't grow on trees, and that chocolate comes from a fruit. In coming here I didn't even consider that I would learn anything about the things that are grown here and I just realized that in fact, I have.
March 29
I spent most of my day in a bus. It was my last day in Costa Rica. I think I have grown a lot while I have been here, my Spanish has improved a lot (and my willingness to make a fool out of myself while trying to speak Spanish), my work ethic has improved, my ability to have my things semi-neat when I am sharing a room with someone has developed, and I feel like I am more independent from my family now and more my own person. I also know more about the struggles of people in poverty and how we have so much more in the states than we really need. I am so glad I came here. I wouldn't be the person I am now if I hadn't.
My first walkabout is now complete.
Mar 28, 2008
catching up (part 2)
March 20
Today I went with the MEI group to the semi-Mennonite church that we attended earlier in the week. We were doing maintenance stuff like painting and pulling weeds. At lunch, I had a conversation with Chad, one of the interns at PVM, and Javier, a member of the church who has been assisting us this week at La Quinca and today at the church. Javier has had a difficult life. He is from Nicaragua and was involved with the Sandinista guerrilla forces. I don't know all the details but I do know that he had been brainwashed to believe all North Americans (aka Americans and Canadians, here they don't consider Central Americans a part of North America) were bad. Now, he is really involved in the church and even leads worship. It was really interesting to meet him. Before this trip I had never met someone like him. I have found it really interesting to to hear about Nicaraguans in Costa Rica and the relationship between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Because of the conflicts in Nicaragua, many Nicaraguans have immigrated to Costa Rica. They have better jobs there and they have more stability there except many of them are so poor that they end up living in neighborhoods like La Tabla and La Quinca. I didn't even realize it at first but many of the people who I have been working with are Nicaraguans. I have even learned Nicaraguan Spanish vocabulary. Another thing that I have found to be interesting is how similar the relationship between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is with the US' relationship with Mexico. There are so many Nicaraguans in Costa Rica that Ticos don't want any more of them coming to Costa Rica. They feel like they are taking jobs and raising the crime rate. I haven't talked to Bella Flor about her views on it but I am definitely going to look into it more when I get to Granada.
March 21
Today I went with the MEI group and we went to see a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Jesus. It was really strange. It's supposed to a religious experience but if felt more like a play. It wasn't a part of a worship service which I think would make it a lot better and I kept getting distracted by the fake punching and the dramatic music. I still don't totally know how I feel about it but it didn't feel worshipful to me. This is the only big Semana Santa (Holy Week) event that we have done. Because it such a huge catholic holiday, most other churches seem to shy away from it so the things I have observed are the fact that there is hardly anyone on the road, the sound of roman soldiers marching, and the big stage in front of the Catholic church in town (it was set up for burning Judas at the stake- I think).
March 22
Today I went with the MEI group and we did and activity with the youth group at the church. We rented a soccer Field for a while and played soccer for an hour and then played octopus (it's like fish and minnows or british bulldog, kind of) It was so much fun even though we played Canadians versus Costa Ricans and the Costa Ricans won most of the time. I can just say that I am terrible at soccer. You would think that I could channel all my dutchness and pull some skill out but apperently it doesn't work like that. I promise that I try, but I just have trouble with the whole execution. I think it out, I try to study what people are doing but when I actually get to a point where I can do something, my foot eye coordination becomes zero and I have no balence and I feel really stupid. Maybe it's because when everyone else was learning sports, I was learning ballet (although I wasn't a very good ballet dancer either). The thing I am the worst at is the head butt thing. No matter how hard I try, I don't know that I will ever be able to willingly stick my head towards a speedy ball. It just doesn't work. Oh well, I guess I'll stick to Camp Luz rec games and really competitive games of spoons.
Today I went with the MEI group to the semi-Mennonite church that we attended earlier in the week. We were doing maintenance stuff like painting and pulling weeds. At lunch, I had a conversation with Chad, one of the interns at PVM, and Javier, a member of the church who has been assisting us this week at La Quinca and today at the church. Javier has had a difficult life. He is from Nicaragua and was involved with the Sandinista guerrilla forces. I don't know all the details but I do know that he had been brainwashed to believe all North Americans (aka Americans and Canadians, here they don't consider Central Americans a part of North America) were bad. Now, he is really involved in the church and even leads worship. It was really interesting to meet him. Before this trip I had never met someone like him. I have found it really interesting to to hear about Nicaraguans in Costa Rica and the relationship between Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Because of the conflicts in Nicaragua, many Nicaraguans have immigrated to Costa Rica. They have better jobs there and they have more stability there except many of them are so poor that they end up living in neighborhoods like La Tabla and La Quinca. I didn't even realize it at first but many of the people who I have been working with are Nicaraguans. I have even learned Nicaraguan Spanish vocabulary. Another thing that I have found to be interesting is how similar the relationship between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is with the US' relationship with Mexico. There are so many Nicaraguans in Costa Rica that Ticos don't want any more of them coming to Costa Rica. They feel like they are taking jobs and raising the crime rate. I haven't talked to Bella Flor about her views on it but I am definitely going to look into it more when I get to Granada.
March 21
Today I went with the MEI group and we went to see a reenactment of the Crucifixion of Jesus. It was really strange. It's supposed to a religious experience but if felt more like a play. It wasn't a part of a worship service which I think would make it a lot better and I kept getting distracted by the fake punching and the dramatic music. I still don't totally know how I feel about it but it didn't feel worshipful to me. This is the only big Semana Santa (Holy Week) event that we have done. Because it such a huge catholic holiday, most other churches seem to shy away from it so the things I have observed are the fact that there is hardly anyone on the road, the sound of roman soldiers marching, and the big stage in front of the Catholic church in town (it was set up for burning Judas at the stake- I think).
March 22
Today I went with the MEI group and we did and activity with the youth group at the church. We rented a soccer Field for a while and played soccer for an hour and then played octopus (it's like fish and minnows or british bulldog, kind of) It was so much fun even though we played Canadians versus Costa Ricans and the Costa Ricans won most of the time. I can just say that I am terrible at soccer. You would think that I could channel all my dutchness and pull some skill out but apperently it doesn't work like that. I promise that I try, but I just have trouble with the whole execution. I think it out, I try to study what people are doing but when I actually get to a point where I can do something, my foot eye coordination becomes zero and I have no balence and I feel really stupid. Maybe it's because when everyone else was learning sports, I was learning ballet (although I wasn't a very good ballet dancer either). The thing I am the worst at is the head butt thing. No matter how hard I try, I don't know that I will ever be able to willingly stick my head towards a speedy ball. It just doesn't work. Oh well, I guess I'll stick to Camp Luz rec games and really competitive games of spoons.
Mar 26, 2008
catching up (part 1)
March 14
Today we (the Plain City group and I) continued to work at La Tabla. I spent the morning shoveling dirt from one side of the wall into buckets so it could be hauled to the other side. I they are trying to fill in the space between the wall and the bank of the creek. After lunch we continued with our work but it began to rain (and it Costa Rica it doesn't sprinkle or drizzle, it pours). We all were forced to come inside (which was a bummer because we couldn't work) but then we got to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with kids (which was really really fun). We played lots of different games and it was so fun just hanging out. After it was raining for a while I looked outside and the river was huge. All the water was rushing down and it looked really dangerous. It was shocking to see it transform like that. It really made me think about what they have to deal with. It has to be so scary to think that not only could you home be flooded, but if you home isn't sturdy enough it could get washed away. I can't even imagine that but is a reality for some of the people here.
March 15
It is crazy to think that I have been in Costa Rica for over a month and I have only 2 weeks left. Time has flown by! And while I am looking forward to Granada and seeing another part of Central America, I have realized that I am really going to miss everyone here in Costa Rica. The people have been so amazing to me and giving, especially Bella Flor and her whole family. I feel like I have families in three countries now- US, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica. Not only that but I have another church community that I care about. Before this trip I would have never thought that I would like going to a pentecostal-y church but not only do I not mind, I actually like it. It's not really my first choice and I have attended churches here that I like the worship style better but the people here are so amazing and so strong it totally makes the church.
March 16
Today I went to church with a different group that is at PVM from the Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) in Canada. The church is really close to the area they are going to be working in, a neighborhood called La Quinca (I don't really know how it's spelled, I am guess guessing). After church, all the students went to their homestays and I went with Delynn and the leaders of the MEI group (Rick and Nancy) to La Quinca to look at where we (I will be joining them) will be working. When I went there, I was actually quite overwhelmed. It is a lot bigger than La Tabla. La Quinca has about 800 families and from where we were, we just kept seeing more and more little shacks that were peoples homes. The size is just staggering. La Tabla is much smaller and the houses (for the most part) are actual houses. In La Quinka, all of the houses are made out of sheet metal that is kind of patch worked together to make walls ceilings, etc. However, in La Tabla, I am much more aware of the presence of drugs. Maybe in La Quinca, there is more space for drug dealers to live out of the main pathways, I don't know. It will be interesting to compare and contrast the two areas and to observe the differences and to try to figure out why they occur.
March 17
Well guess what I am doing in La Quinca? Yep, shoveling dirt and gravel to make cement. I seriously can't get away from this! It turns out, one of the jobs that we are doing here is moving a bridge that PVM build over the summer. the sides of the creek are eroding away so they are making a concrete base a few feet from where it is now and moving it there. So , because of this, I spent the majority of my day up at the top of this hill watching the dirt to make sure no one took it (it would all be gone if no one kept an eye on it) and then shoveling the dirt for the people who were wheelbarowing. It was kind of a dull job and it was really hot when the van wasn't there for me to sit in while I was waiting but I think that one day of boring work wouldn't ruin my trip but if someone from the MEI had to do it, it could put a damper on the three days they would be at La Quinca- especially when they could be making a irrigation ditch for sewage water!
March 18
Well today was pretty sweet. I went with the Plain City group for their last day in Costa Rica and we went to see a volcano! It was so cool! We were up so high and we looked down but instead of lava in a little hole in the bottom of the crater there was a pond of green (acid?) water. It was totally not what I was expecting but it was really awesome. One kind of freaky thing is that in the parking lot everyone has to park with the front of their car facing out so that was if something happens everyone can scatter quicker! That information freaked me out a little (volcano kind of scare me since a saw this movie about a volcano erupting and people melting in acid water and dying in boiling hot springs and dying in lava) but nothing really exciting happened so it was all good.
After we were at the volcano we went into San Jose and went to this souvenir market. It was pretty nifty. . . but we had to barter. Uh oh. I haven't covered bartering in my spanish class or in the spanish I was speaking here and I have suffered humiliations from when my dad made comments to people about thins being to expensive and now I was supposed to do the same thing! Yikes! A couple times I got the leaders from the Plain City group to help me because the were both fluent but I did use my skills once to get a three dollar magnet down to 2 dollars! I was a really touristy day but I got to see some sweet things (like a hat for sale that had dreadlocks attached to it) and I had a lot of fun hanging out with the PC group.
March 19
I was back in La Quinca today.and I can just say, If there is any project involving cement when I am on SWAP (a mission trip I am taking with my youth group in Kentucky), It is totally going to be no big deal. All morning I mixed cement. We didn't wimp out and use a mashing either, we did it Costa Rican style and mixed it on the ground. It was really hard work but, it made me fell really hard core, so it was all good.
We packed our lunches but when lunch time came, the homestay family of three of the boys brought up lunch! It was so nice of them! Apparently, they were the poorest homestay family but they wanted to house three boys and they bought lunch for us! I can't believe how giving they were. It makes you think of things you think about doing but you find an excuse not to, These people just gave so much to people that they hardly know. I know we didn't do that with when we had a study abroad student in our home.
Today we (the Plain City group and I) continued to work at La Tabla. I spent the morning shoveling dirt from one side of the wall into buckets so it could be hauled to the other side. I they are trying to fill in the space between the wall and the bank of the creek. After lunch we continued with our work but it began to rain (and it Costa Rica it doesn't sprinkle or drizzle, it pours). We all were forced to come inside (which was a bummer because we couldn't work) but then we got to spend the rest of the afternoon playing with kids (which was really really fun). We played lots of different games and it was so fun just hanging out. After it was raining for a while I looked outside and the river was huge. All the water was rushing down and it looked really dangerous. It was shocking to see it transform like that. It really made me think about what they have to deal with. It has to be so scary to think that not only could you home be flooded, but if you home isn't sturdy enough it could get washed away. I can't even imagine that but is a reality for some of the people here.
March 15
It is crazy to think that I have been in Costa Rica for over a month and I have only 2 weeks left. Time has flown by! And while I am looking forward to Granada and seeing another part of Central America, I have realized that I am really going to miss everyone here in Costa Rica. The people have been so amazing to me and giving, especially Bella Flor and her whole family. I feel like I have families in three countries now- US, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica. Not only that but I have another church community that I care about. Before this trip I would have never thought that I would like going to a pentecostal-y church but not only do I not mind, I actually like it. It's not really my first choice and I have attended churches here that I like the worship style better but the people here are so amazing and so strong it totally makes the church.
March 16
Today I went to church with a different group that is at PVM from the Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) in Canada. The church is really close to the area they are going to be working in, a neighborhood called La Quinca (I don't really know how it's spelled, I am guess guessing). After church, all the students went to their homestays and I went with Delynn and the leaders of the MEI group (Rick and Nancy) to La Quinca to look at where we (I will be joining them) will be working. When I went there, I was actually quite overwhelmed. It is a lot bigger than La Tabla. La Quinca has about 800 families and from where we were, we just kept seeing more and more little shacks that were peoples homes. The size is just staggering. La Tabla is much smaller and the houses (for the most part) are actual houses. In La Quinka, all of the houses are made out of sheet metal that is kind of patch worked together to make walls ceilings, etc. However, in La Tabla, I am much more aware of the presence of drugs. Maybe in La Quinca, there is more space for drug dealers to live out of the main pathways, I don't know. It will be interesting to compare and contrast the two areas and to observe the differences and to try to figure out why they occur.
March 17
Well guess what I am doing in La Quinca? Yep, shoveling dirt and gravel to make cement. I seriously can't get away from this! It turns out, one of the jobs that we are doing here is moving a bridge that PVM build over the summer. the sides of the creek are eroding away so they are making a concrete base a few feet from where it is now and moving it there. So , because of this, I spent the majority of my day up at the top of this hill watching the dirt to make sure no one took it (it would all be gone if no one kept an eye on it) and then shoveling the dirt for the people who were wheelbarowing. It was kind of a dull job and it was really hot when the van wasn't there for me to sit in while I was waiting but I think that one day of boring work wouldn't ruin my trip but if someone from the MEI had to do it, it could put a damper on the three days they would be at La Quinca- especially when they could be making a irrigation ditch for sewage water!
March 18
Well today was pretty sweet. I went with the Plain City group for their last day in Costa Rica and we went to see a volcano! It was so cool! We were up so high and we looked down but instead of lava in a little hole in the bottom of the crater there was a pond of green (acid?) water. It was totally not what I was expecting but it was really awesome. One kind of freaky thing is that in the parking lot everyone has to park with the front of their car facing out so that was if something happens everyone can scatter quicker! That information freaked me out a little (volcano kind of scare me since a saw this movie about a volcano erupting and people melting in acid water and dying in boiling hot springs and dying in lava) but nothing really exciting happened so it was all good.
After we were at the volcano we went into San Jose and went to this souvenir market. It was pretty nifty. . . but we had to barter. Uh oh. I haven't covered bartering in my spanish class or in the spanish I was speaking here and I have suffered humiliations from when my dad made comments to people about thins being to expensive and now I was supposed to do the same thing! Yikes! A couple times I got the leaders from the Plain City group to help me because the were both fluent but I did use my skills once to get a three dollar magnet down to 2 dollars! I was a really touristy day but I got to see some sweet things (like a hat for sale that had dreadlocks attached to it) and I had a lot of fun hanging out with the PC group.
March 19
I was back in La Quinca today.and I can just say, If there is any project involving cement when I am on SWAP (a mission trip I am taking with my youth group in Kentucky), It is totally going to be no big deal. All morning I mixed cement. We didn't wimp out and use a mashing either, we did it Costa Rican style and mixed it on the ground. It was really hard work but, it made me fell really hard core, so it was all good.
We packed our lunches but when lunch time came, the homestay family of three of the boys brought up lunch! It was so nice of them! Apparently, they were the poorest homestay family but they wanted to house three boys and they bought lunch for us! I can't believe how giving they were. It makes you think of things you think about doing but you find an excuse not to, These people just gave so much to people that they hardly know. I know we didn't do that with when we had a study abroad student in our home.
Mar 13, 2008
Warrior Kate, the spider killer
March 11
One thing that I have been thinking about lately is what the kids I help take care of will be like when they grow up. I am really scared for them. There is one boy, Johnny who I play with almost every day (when I am at the church). Ironically, he is the stubborn little boy who behaved really badly when I did childcare for the bible study. Anyway, I am so scared that growing up in the neighborhood he does, that he will rebel against his parents (he has a rebellious attitude) and start to sell or use drugs. As I get to know the kids I just am so worried about them. They are so smart and clever, and many of them have parents who are involved in the church and really love them. Take Johnny as an example. His dad works at an auto repair shop, his mom helps out at the church. His family lives on church property. But there are drug dealers who live down the street. He might go to school with their kids. If something happens and he breaks away from his parents, He doesn't have another church to turn to. He could make more money selling drugs. It could be a very tempting option for him. As I learn more about the reality of La Tabla, I am more and more worried about what will happen to the people I care about here.
March 12
I think I should give an update on the food. The food has gotten a lot better (or maybe I have gotten used to it) and I eat more than I did the first week though I still have not quite managed to eat enough to satisfy Bella Flor. I am on what I would describe as the Rice-and-beans-all-day-every-day diet. Actually it's not quite that bad but I would say I eat some form of rice and beans at least twice a day. The other staples are bread and coffee (without cream but with sugar). The bread they get fresh, almost every day in baguette form. The one thing I with the ate more of was fruit. I love fruit (and mangoes hold a special place in my heart) and I thought that here they would just eat fruit all the time (it makes perfect sense to me) because they produce so much fruit here and there are stands all over that sell it but unfortunately, they don't eat much more fruit than most people do at home. Bummer.
March 13
Today has been eventful. Pura Vida Missions brought a group from Plain City today and it was neat to talk to people from close to home. Actually, a second cousin of mine was there. I don't see a lot of my more distant relations (or even some of my close ones- I have only visited with one of my grandparents in the past two years) and I haven't been to a family reunion in years so it was kind of cool to talk to her again. I did more manual labor and tried to work with a pick-ax (I was terrible at it!) and so right now, I am so tired!
Gloria came with the group and she asked Bella Flor to talk about some of the history of the church. Here is some of what she mentioned: Bella Flor started the church 12 years ago. back then, La Tabla was worse off than it is now and there was more drugs. Drugs is easiest way to make money in La Tabla and it is hard for people to stuggle to get a good, normal job and to continue to keep that job once they get it because people make more money faster when they sell drugs. When Bella Flor started out, she didn't have the support of her husband or her kids but she felt very strongly that this was where God wanted her. Many times she didn't have money for the church or her family and herself. It's kind of a work in progress but her family started to support her and she also has gotten assistance from a few organizations. There is one organization that supplies food so she can serve food to kids and to families that need it, and another helped her get a computer lab to help children learn. One thing that is hurtful to the kids is that many parents don't place much value in a good education and don't support them very much. Bella Flor is trying to change that mentality. Also, she tries to help teenage girls who have babies because often father has abandoned them and the don't have the means to take care of their child. She tries to get women to marry before they have kids because it offers them protection and their children. Bella Flor has seminars for preventing domestic and child abuse. She also has campaigns where she gets people to come in and take care of people's health and hygiene. People have their eyes checked, teeth cleaned, even their hair cut! Last year there was a lot of flooding. The creek basically turned into a river and caused a lot of damage. Bella Flor said that when you looked down the river, you could see big trees floating down and their roots had big clumps of dirt that got washed down as well. Even a couple houses got washed out. When that happened, a bunch of people feared that church would leave. Bella Flor said this made her feel good to have to reassure them that the church wasn't going anywhere, it made her feel needed. She has been able to withstand a lot, and she has even made a sort of truce with the drug dealers - she leaves them alone and they leave her alone. She feels the God wants her there and even when there were terrible things happening, she felt God's presence. Because of this, she named the church Jehova Shama which means God is here in Hebrew.
Hearing all of this amazed me. Bella Flor has such strength! I have had a hard time with the short amount of time I have been here and she has withstood so much. She is such an amazing woman! She risked everything for this church and she has helped so many people. She has helped the whole neighborhood. Her life is like the the kind of lives that movies are based on. Seriously, she has my total admiration.
Okay, so a quick little side story (sorry if I have ruined my meaningful mood). I am in the middle of writing this journal when I glance to my left and on the wall, is a HUGE spider! It wasn't as big as the one I talked about earlier, but by my standards, it was pretty big. so I quickly jump up get my camera (of course) take a picture, and then I realize, I am home alone. There is no one to help me defeat this beast, I have no one to turn to. I AM HOME ALONE WITH A HUGE SPIDER!!! I probably would have let it go (as I said before, I am fine as long a they aren't going to touch me) but it was climbing down the wall, not up and it was heading to it's right (my left) right towards my stuff (if it hangs out there, it significantly increases the chance that we would touch). It started to crawl, so I banged the wall (with Bellita's flip flop- my best weapon against spider attacks) so it would stop crawling, which it did and we kind of stood there at a stand still for about 7-ish minutes and then it started to crawl again. I banged the wall. This didn't work, the spider kept going. I knew what I had to do. I counted to five (out loud) and at five I smashed, as hard as I could (I did not want to do it again) and killed it.
Kate-1 Spider-0
One thing that I have been thinking about lately is what the kids I help take care of will be like when they grow up. I am really scared for them. There is one boy, Johnny who I play with almost every day (when I am at the church). Ironically, he is the stubborn little boy who behaved really badly when I did childcare for the bible study. Anyway, I am so scared that growing up in the neighborhood he does, that he will rebel against his parents (he has a rebellious attitude) and start to sell or use drugs. As I get to know the kids I just am so worried about them. They are so smart and clever, and many of them have parents who are involved in the church and really love them. Take Johnny as an example. His dad works at an auto repair shop, his mom helps out at the church. His family lives on church property. But there are drug dealers who live down the street. He might go to school with their kids. If something happens and he breaks away from his parents, He doesn't have another church to turn to. He could make more money selling drugs. It could be a very tempting option for him. As I learn more about the reality of La Tabla, I am more and more worried about what will happen to the people I care about here.
March 12
I think I should give an update on the food. The food has gotten a lot better (or maybe I have gotten used to it) and I eat more than I did the first week though I still have not quite managed to eat enough to satisfy Bella Flor. I am on what I would describe as the Rice-and-beans-all-day-every-day diet. Actually it's not quite that bad but I would say I eat some form of rice and beans at least twice a day. The other staples are bread and coffee (without cream but with sugar). The bread they get fresh, almost every day in baguette form. The one thing I with the ate more of was fruit. I love fruit (and mangoes hold a special place in my heart) and I thought that here they would just eat fruit all the time (it makes perfect sense to me) because they produce so much fruit here and there are stands all over that sell it but unfortunately, they don't eat much more fruit than most people do at home. Bummer.
March 13
Today has been eventful. Pura Vida Missions brought a group from Plain City today and it was neat to talk to people from close to home. Actually, a second cousin of mine was there. I don't see a lot of my more distant relations (or even some of my close ones- I have only visited with one of my grandparents in the past two years) and I haven't been to a family reunion in years so it was kind of cool to talk to her again. I did more manual labor and tried to work with a pick-ax (I was terrible at it!) and so right now, I am so tired!
Gloria came with the group and she asked Bella Flor to talk about some of the history of the church. Here is some of what she mentioned: Bella Flor started the church 12 years ago. back then, La Tabla was worse off than it is now and there was more drugs. Drugs is easiest way to make money in La Tabla and it is hard for people to stuggle to get a good, normal job and to continue to keep that job once they get it because people make more money faster when they sell drugs. When Bella Flor started out, she didn't have the support of her husband or her kids but she felt very strongly that this was where God wanted her. Many times she didn't have money for the church or her family and herself. It's kind of a work in progress but her family started to support her and she also has gotten assistance from a few organizations. There is one organization that supplies food so she can serve food to kids and to families that need it, and another helped her get a computer lab to help children learn. One thing that is hurtful to the kids is that many parents don't place much value in a good education and don't support them very much. Bella Flor is trying to change that mentality. Also, she tries to help teenage girls who have babies because often father has abandoned them and the don't have the means to take care of their child. She tries to get women to marry before they have kids because it offers them protection and their children. Bella Flor has seminars for preventing domestic and child abuse. She also has campaigns where she gets people to come in and take care of people's health and hygiene. People have their eyes checked, teeth cleaned, even their hair cut! Last year there was a lot of flooding. The creek basically turned into a river and caused a lot of damage. Bella Flor said that when you looked down the river, you could see big trees floating down and their roots had big clumps of dirt that got washed down as well. Even a couple houses got washed out. When that happened, a bunch of people feared that church would leave. Bella Flor said this made her feel good to have to reassure them that the church wasn't going anywhere, it made her feel needed. She has been able to withstand a lot, and she has even made a sort of truce with the drug dealers - she leaves them alone and they leave her alone. She feels the God wants her there and even when there were terrible things happening, she felt God's presence. Because of this, she named the church Jehova Shama which means God is here in Hebrew.
Hearing all of this amazed me. Bella Flor has such strength! I have had a hard time with the short amount of time I have been here and she has withstood so much. She is such an amazing woman! She risked everything for this church and she has helped so many people. She has helped the whole neighborhood. Her life is like the the kind of lives that movies are based on. Seriously, she has my total admiration.
Okay, so a quick little side story (sorry if I have ruined my meaningful mood). I am in the middle of writing this journal when I glance to my left and on the wall, is a HUGE spider! It wasn't as big as the one I talked about earlier, but by my standards, it was pretty big. so I quickly jump up get my camera (of course) take a picture, and then I realize, I am home alone. There is no one to help me defeat this beast, I have no one to turn to. I AM HOME ALONE WITH A HUGE SPIDER!!! I probably would have let it go (as I said before, I am fine as long a they aren't going to touch me) but it was climbing down the wall, not up and it was heading to it's right (my left) right towards my stuff (if it hangs out there, it significantly increases the chance that we would touch). It started to crawl, so I banged the wall (with Bellita's flip flop- my best weapon against spider attacks) so it would stop crawling, which it did and we kind of stood there at a stand still for about 7-ish minutes and then it started to crawl again. I banged the wall. This didn't work, the spider kept going. I knew what I had to do. I counted to five (out loud) and at five I smashed, as hard as I could (I did not want to do it again) and killed it.
Kate-1 Spider-0
Mar 10, 2008
test run
One good thing about my sharing a room with Bellita is that I get to do a little "test run" before I actually have to be roommates with someone for a whole year in college. I mean, I know that there is supposedly some system that comes up with a good roommate for you, but who knows, if I put on the form that colleges give you to find your perfect roommate that I am a morning person, I could end up with a roommate who gets up at 5:00 in the morning to watch the morning news at full volume or, if I put that I am a messy person, I could end up with a roommate that is as messy as me! That would be terrible! However, assuming that I get a normal roommate, It is good that I will have had some experience sharing a room with someone. I mean, the last time I had to share a room with someone, it was my sister, and we were both feeling territorial. Now, that I have been sharing a room with Bellita, I feel a lot better. For one thing, I am putting a bigger effort into not having clothes strewn all over the place so I know that it is possible that I can be slightly neat and we haven't had any major problems arise. I totally lucked out with my living situation!
Mar 9, 2008
Aragog Jr
March 6
I had a very interesting day today. I had to get up early because a group was coming to help out at the church. They are from a small Christian high school in California and they have been coming to La Tabla every year for 8 years. Impressive! It is really cool that they have been able to come every year. The teacher that leads the group has a relationship with everyone and was catching up. It was really cool to see. The group brought money for supplies so the wall started up again but there were so many people and not enough jobs so I got to play with kids all day (the group also brought arts & crafts stuff). I finally was brave enough to bring out my camera and got some really great pictures of the kids. One of the women from the group (her daughter was one of the students) was taking pictures too. It was nice to talk with her and we swapped tips. She told me that a good way to better understand people speaking spanish is to tell them to use little words. That way they not only are using smaller words but they end up speaking slower because they are thinking about what words they are going to use. I shared with her that one way I get kids to loosen up around the camera is I take a really awful, goofy, weird picture of myself. It was fun talking to her.
After the group left, there was still a lot of work that still had to be done so I ended up working till 8 or 9. It was quite a workout but I don't feel bad about it at all- just a little tired. i do have a couple bruises (who would have thought trying to lift a heavy wheelbarrow with your leg might cause bruising?) which made me feel hard core. Overall, I feel good about my placement now and I know I can stick it out till the end.
March 7
Today was similar to yesterday. I played with kids some more, got some great pictures, but at the end of the day, I went back to the base instead of moving dirt. Later that night, everyone watched a movie together and In the middle of the movie, Delynn saw this huge spider! It was HUGE!!! It was a little smaller than the palm of my hand and it was black and furry and really fat. It looked kind of like a tarantula or Aragog from Harry Potter. In general, I don't think I freak out too much around bugs. . . as long as there isn't a chance they are going to touch me which is why I didn't freak out when I saw the spider, but I removed all the covers on my bed and shook out each layer individually.
March 8
Today was a kind of low key day. I got to sleep in and just hang out and relax which was nice. Later, I went to church (a different one, not the one in La Tabla) and I was so proud of myself because I actually kind of understood the main idea of the sermon! I Kind of feel like I am actually learning a little Spanish!
A new volunteer joined the staff. His name is Chris and he told me that he has never been to Costa Rica , can't speak any Spanish, and agreed to volunteer at Pura Vida missions for about a year and a half! How crazy is that! That is going to be so hard!
March 9
One of the more surprising results of this trip is that I am journaling more. Not for school but for myself. My mom is a big fan of journaling and but I have never been able to get into it. But now, I have nothing else to do in the evenings and it is a good way for me to vent or just talk a little. A few days ago, I wrote 2 whole pages without even trying! Now, I got some interesting news, which prompted me to write more, but I would have never done written about it before this trip.
I had a very interesting day today. I had to get up early because a group was coming to help out at the church. They are from a small Christian high school in California and they have been coming to La Tabla every year for 8 years. Impressive! It is really cool that they have been able to come every year. The teacher that leads the group has a relationship with everyone and was catching up. It was really cool to see. The group brought money for supplies so the wall started up again but there were so many people and not enough jobs so I got to play with kids all day (the group also brought arts & crafts stuff). I finally was brave enough to bring out my camera and got some really great pictures of the kids. One of the women from the group (her daughter was one of the students) was taking pictures too. It was nice to talk with her and we swapped tips. She told me that a good way to better understand people speaking spanish is to tell them to use little words. That way they not only are using smaller words but they end up speaking slower because they are thinking about what words they are going to use. I shared with her that one way I get kids to loosen up around the camera is I take a really awful, goofy, weird picture of myself. It was fun talking to her.
After the group left, there was still a lot of work that still had to be done so I ended up working till 8 or 9. It was quite a workout but I don't feel bad about it at all- just a little tired. i do have a couple bruises (who would have thought trying to lift a heavy wheelbarrow with your leg might cause bruising?) which made me feel hard core. Overall, I feel good about my placement now and I know I can stick it out till the end.
March 7
Today was similar to yesterday. I played with kids some more, got some great pictures, but at the end of the day, I went back to the base instead of moving dirt. Later that night, everyone watched a movie together and In the middle of the movie, Delynn saw this huge spider! It was HUGE!!! It was a little smaller than the palm of my hand and it was black and furry and really fat. It looked kind of like a tarantula or Aragog from Harry Potter. In general, I don't think I freak out too much around bugs. . . as long as there isn't a chance they are going to touch me which is why I didn't freak out when I saw the spider, but I removed all the covers on my bed and shook out each layer individually.
March 8
Today was a kind of low key day. I got to sleep in and just hang out and relax which was nice. Later, I went to church (a different one, not the one in La Tabla) and I was so proud of myself because I actually kind of understood the main idea of the sermon! I Kind of feel like I am actually learning a little Spanish!
A new volunteer joined the staff. His name is Chris and he told me that he has never been to Costa Rica , can't speak any Spanish, and agreed to volunteer at Pura Vida missions for about a year and a half! How crazy is that! That is going to be so hard!
March 9
One of the more surprising results of this trip is that I am journaling more. Not for school but for myself. My mom is a big fan of journaling and but I have never been able to get into it. But now, I have nothing else to do in the evenings and it is a good way for me to vent or just talk a little. A few days ago, I wrote 2 whole pages without even trying! Now, I got some interesting news, which prompted me to write more, but I would have never done written about it before this trip.
Mar 5, 2008
contains major run on sentences
March 3
I am back at Bella Flors and I am feeling a lot better about everything. Apparently, The flood wall is at a stand still because Bella Flor doesn't have enough money to buy the tires and concrete they need to finish. Bella Flor also said that even when they do start it up again, the worst is over so I am not too worried. Tomorrow, the feeding program is starting up so I have a feeling it is going to be a better week.
March 4
Today I went with Bella Flor & Co. to go pick up Abigail from the hospital (her mom is still there). Abigail so cute and so tiny. She even yawns cutely. Bellita told me that Abi's mom is in a room at the hospital with a bunch of other women, some of whom had babies that had stillborns or babies that died. Whenever Abi was brought in the room they would cry and they always would say how lucky Abi's mom was because her baby was still alive. Isn't that so sad? It is such an awkward situation as well. It would be so hard to lose a baby and then see someone else with their baby and it would be difficult to want to be happy and celebratory around your newborn but not want to rub it in the faces of your roommates that are mourning.
After I got home, Bellita and I watched a really good episode of Grey's Anatomy and it was fun to see Bellita's reactions to different things (like a character saying really embarrassing things when on morphine) It's was nice to be able to understand what people were saying in Spanish because I could remember what they said in English. I also came to the conclusion that while voice dubbing is nice for understanding what the characters are saying, a lot of authenticity is lost in translation because you can't hear things like southern accents and other pronunsiation things (I am slightly biased, but I still hold to this opinion). Plus, I always get distracted by the fact that their mouths and words don't match.
March 5
When I went to the church to help serve food, I talked with one of the little boys there and he taught me all these words. We went over things that I knew (and forgot) like puerta (door) but then I learned new words like escalateras (stairs- it is kind of like escalator) and barbilla (chin- it is what a barba (beard) grows on). It was a fun game and I think it will help my vocabulary. Another person who will help we with my spanish is Tia, one of the women who works in the kitchen. She is so funny because she makes be repeat everything she says (really loudly) even if it really basic stuff that I know. This is an excerpt of a conversation we had today:
Tia: "Buenas Tardes" (good afternoon) "BUEN. . ."
Katí (my Spanish name):"BUEN. . ."
Tia:" . . .NAS. . ."
Katí: ". . .NAS. . . "
Tia: ". . . TAR. . . "
Katí: ". . . TAR. . . "
Tia: ". . . DES "
Katí: ". . . DES"
Tia: "BUENAS TARDES"
Katí: "BUENAS TARDES"
This always makes me feel a little goofy, but it definitely helps.
I am back at Bella Flors and I am feeling a lot better about everything. Apparently, The flood wall is at a stand still because Bella Flor doesn't have enough money to buy the tires and concrete they need to finish. Bella Flor also said that even when they do start it up again, the worst is over so I am not too worried. Tomorrow, the feeding program is starting up so I have a feeling it is going to be a better week.
March 4
Today I went with Bella Flor & Co. to go pick up Abigail from the hospital (her mom is still there). Abigail so cute and so tiny. She even yawns cutely. Bellita told me that Abi's mom is in a room at the hospital with a bunch of other women, some of whom had babies that had stillborns or babies that died. Whenever Abi was brought in the room they would cry and they always would say how lucky Abi's mom was because her baby was still alive. Isn't that so sad? It is such an awkward situation as well. It would be so hard to lose a baby and then see someone else with their baby and it would be difficult to want to be happy and celebratory around your newborn but not want to rub it in the faces of your roommates that are mourning.
After I got home, Bellita and I watched a really good episode of Grey's Anatomy and it was fun to see Bellita's reactions to different things (like a character saying really embarrassing things when on morphine) It's was nice to be able to understand what people were saying in Spanish because I could remember what they said in English. I also came to the conclusion that while voice dubbing is nice for understanding what the characters are saying, a lot of authenticity is lost in translation because you can't hear things like southern accents and other pronunsiation things (I am slightly biased, but I still hold to this opinion). Plus, I always get distracted by the fact that their mouths and words don't match.
March 5
When I went to the church to help serve food, I talked with one of the little boys there and he taught me all these words. We went over things that I knew (and forgot) like puerta (door) but then I learned new words like escalateras (stairs- it is kind of like escalator) and barbilla (chin- it is what a barba (beard) grows on). It was a fun game and I think it will help my vocabulary. Another person who will help we with my spanish is Tia, one of the women who works in the kitchen. She is so funny because she makes be repeat everything she says (really loudly) even if it really basic stuff that I know. This is an excerpt of a conversation we had today:
Tia: "Buenas Tardes" (good afternoon) "BUEN. . ."
Katí (my Spanish name):"BUEN. . ."
Tia:" . . .NAS. . ."
Katí: ". . .NAS. . . "
Tia: ". . . TAR. . . "
Katí: ". . . TAR. . . "
Tia: ". . . DES "
Katí: ". . . DES"
Tia: "BUENAS TARDES"
Katí: "BUENAS TARDES"
This always makes me feel a little goofy, but it definitely helps.
Mar 2, 2008
more work
March 1
Today started out early. Bellita woke up at about 5:30 and started getting ready so I followed her lead. Normally, she tells me if she is getting up early to go to work but today she didn't say anything. I was totally ready to go and I asked her how I was going to get to the church. she answered that the didn't know but her parents were still asleep so once they woke up I would probably just go with them! So then I went back to sleep and about an hour later Bella Flor came into my room and said that they were leaving now and that once I got up I could just walk there alone. Well, because people had always told me that I probably shouldn't go walking around by myself so since I was already dressed I quickly just got up and said I would go with her then. We got to the church about 8 and that's when I had to do more physical labor it was all the things that I had to do earlier in the week. I had to roll tires, shovel gravel and dirt, and the grossest activity of all which was going down into the gross, disgusting creek and gathering rocks. I don't think I have ever been so unsanitary in my entire life. I was tired from earlier in the week and because of the early start I was grumpy. . .I just didn't have a good day. I called Gloria and made sure that I would get to come up to the base for the weekend. So then about 4 Delynn picked me up and we went to the base. I just feel disappointed. I came here expecting to be serving food to children but instead the feeding program has been discontinued because of all the work going into the wall. I don't really mind the labor I just wish it was supplemented with something else. I don't know how long the work is going to last. . . I just hope its not much longer.
March 2
Today I had a nice low key day. I was able to to sleep in (I slept about 12 hours!) and I just took my mind off things and just relaxed. I feel a lot better after talking with my mom and sister last night. They kind of talked me through it and helped a little with home sickness. I still am having a tough time. I am missing home. I miss being around a familiar setting with people I have known for longer than a month and being able to not have to monitor all my actions in order to make sure I don't offend someone. I miss being able to pick out the foods I eat. I hope in a couple of days I will feel better but today I just am a little sad.
Today started out early. Bellita woke up at about 5:30 and started getting ready so I followed her lead. Normally, she tells me if she is getting up early to go to work but today she didn't say anything. I was totally ready to go and I asked her how I was going to get to the church. she answered that the didn't know but her parents were still asleep so once they woke up I would probably just go with them! So then I went back to sleep and about an hour later Bella Flor came into my room and said that they were leaving now and that once I got up I could just walk there alone. Well, because people had always told me that I probably shouldn't go walking around by myself so since I was already dressed I quickly just got up and said I would go with her then. We got to the church about 8 and that's when I had to do more physical labor it was all the things that I had to do earlier in the week. I had to roll tires, shovel gravel and dirt, and the grossest activity of all which was going down into the gross, disgusting creek and gathering rocks. I don't think I have ever been so unsanitary in my entire life. I was tired from earlier in the week and because of the early start I was grumpy. . .I just didn't have a good day. I called Gloria and made sure that I would get to come up to the base for the weekend. So then about 4 Delynn picked me up and we went to the base. I just feel disappointed. I came here expecting to be serving food to children but instead the feeding program has been discontinued because of all the work going into the wall. I don't really mind the labor I just wish it was supplemented with something else. I don't know how long the work is going to last. . . I just hope its not much longer.
March 2
Today I had a nice low key day. I was able to to sleep in (I slept about 12 hours!) and I just took my mind off things and just relaxed. I feel a lot better after talking with my mom and sister last night. They kind of talked me through it and helped a little with home sickness. I still am having a tough time. I am missing home. I miss being around a familiar setting with people I have known for longer than a month and being able to not have to monitor all my actions in order to make sure I don't offend someone. I miss being able to pick out the foods I eat. I hope in a couple of days I will feel better but today I just am a little sad.
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