Adventures in Costa Rica: Things we’ve learned so far….
- The statistics are true: traffic is the most dangerous factor when going anywhere
- Water is more expensive than beer
- There is no scarcity of water in the entire country, except for in La Carpio
- The biggest lie told to Gringos is that everyone speaks English, and your lack of Spanish will not be a problem or embarrassment
- “Límons” taste like North American limes and look like a mix between a North American lime on the outside and an orange on the inside; “Lemons” do not exist
- Our obsession with refrigerating milk is unnecessary
- “On time” is one hour after the time specified; patience is an incredibly important asset
- Mayonnaise is as important a topping as ranch or ketchup for all foods, including salads
- They still comment on the state of the weather even though every single day is sunny with a high of 30 degrees
- The most common thing to find in any corner store or grocery store is packages of cookies
- Honking is an obsessive habit
- There is probably a higher percentage of dogs in the country than there is people
- Eating is a pastime; working out is not
- Rice and beans are evident in every meal—carbo-loading!
- There are bars surrounding 98% of all the houses
- Canada is a very ambiguously understood place—some think it’s a state in the USA, others think it is part of New Zealand…our country is very illusive
- We know very little…
-Sarah Kingstone
In the 2nd semester of her 3rd year at UBC, Sarah Kingstone is traveling to Costa Rica in honour of her humanitarian heart. She has given me permission to post her blog entries as she embarks on what will undoubtedly a life changing experience. Come along for the ride!
Adventures in Costa Rica: A Trip with Gail
It is true, every moment with Gail, the indefatigable founder of the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, is an adventure. We have discovered that whether we are prepared or not, it is more than likely that at any given moment, we are lodged right in the midst of something off-the-beaten-path. It may be an adventure involving mountains, or dangerous traffic conditions, unqualified parents or unstable niños, parks with questionable security or unknown areas during hours of darkness, spirits and angels, new people or eccentric people, or just one of those conversational adventures that places your mind-balls at odds with your mind-holes. Just the other night, we found ourselves rolling along through many of those types of adventures—mountains, dangerous traffic, darkness, new people, and foreign terrain—we found ourselves in the middle of a particularly interesting conversation. And yes, spirits and angels were involved too.
While we were scaling the side of the mountains above Escazu in Gail’s ancient Hyundai van, she began to tell us the story of her friend Beth. Gail had met Beth when they were both in the Peace Corps, working in Costa Rica over 20 years ago. Gail developed an immense respect for her new friend as they grew closer, building schools and working alongside impoverished children throughout rural Costa Rica. They spent hours together, trading personal philosophies and accumulating new ones through their work. After they had both moved down their separate paths outside of the Peace Corps, Gail heard the news of a terrible accident. 12 years ago this year, after missing for a week from a hiking trip, Beth was found dead at the bottom of a cliff. The cause of death was unknown, and Gail was deeply affected by the loss of such a kindred companion. The mountains our van was currently stumbling through had been Beth’s home for many years before her death. “I can feel the presence of Beth’s spirit still wandering these rural mountain villages,” Gail said, her voice betraying its usual serene confidence. It is evident that through her work establishing the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, she has remained loyal to Beth’s humanitarian vision.
The van had been following a large Blue-Morpho Butterfly for a kilometre when we came upon the woman we had been looking for. She had recently escaped to the area in search for sanctuary to write her book—a guide for those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to find peace and healing through the discovery of their personal guardian angels—and had contacted Gail to commend her on her inspiring humanitarian vision and to expand her search for books on angels to Gail’s personal library. We slid out of the van and introductions were passed around as we looked out over San Jose valley, sparkling in the dusk. There were personal philosophies of angels and spirits being tossed about as Claire and I succumbed to the Tarot Cards offered to us by Gail. Each of our chosen cards made sense respectively, including disarming allusions to internal doubt, anxiety, personal control, and the directions to continuously struggle with the adversity of our lives. We all chatted, perched on a dirt embankment surrounded by horses in their paddock and gardens of vegetables, discussed our Tarot Cards, and then went in opposite directions—we rumbled treacherously down the mountain in the beastly Hyundai and our new friend, evidently blessed by Beth’s spirit, plodded slowly upward to her mountain-side nook.
It was certainly ‘one of those days.’ Although looking at it all while it happened may have left everything slightly off kilter, processing the day in the tranquility that settled over a dinner of rice and beans, made us think that maybe, not everything needed to be balanced and real and comprehensible all the time.
-Sarah Kingstone
In the 2nd semester of her 3rd year at UBC, Sarah Kingstone is traveling to Costa Rica in honour of her humanitarian heart. She has given me permission to post her blog entries as she embarks on what will undoubtedly a life changing experience. Come along for the ride!
Adventures in Costa Rica: Election Day
My apologies for the lack of post last week—most of the excitement resulted from a bacterial stomach infection Claire and I were suffering through. Likely originating in something we ate (still not sure), we spent the entire week lying in bed eating small pieces of toast and drinkable yogurt. Thankfully we received fantastic medical care at one of the local private hospitals. Initially unable keep anything down, I was taken straight to the emergency room, where they immediately administered blood tests, intravenous doses of Gravol and pain relievers, as well as rehydration fluids. While I was lying in the hospital bed getting all the fancy treatments, Claire was suddenly hit by the same symptoms. So she was simply diagnosed with all the same goodies. Thanks in large part to the immediate and efficient care we both received, the entire ordeal was oddly amusing. The rest of the week revolved around taking our bundle of medical treats and submitting to the torture of the food network.
On a very different note, yesterday (Sunday February 9) was the Costa Rican Federal Election. I have never witnessed a more vibrant election process. Literally the entire country is interested and involved in the presidential race. On Election Day everyone is out on the streets decked out in the colors of their favourite party, waving flags, honking their car horns CONSTANTLY—celebrating the entire process. The ruling National Liberation Party elected Laura Chinchilla as their presidential candidate. She held a significant lead in the Opinion Polls since October 2009, and last night just after 9:00, she was elected as the first female President of Costa Rica with 46% of the electorate. She is young, but stunningly articulate (even when you understand only a small percentage of what she says) and gracefully strong and it will be incredibly interesting to experience first-hand the effect she has on the country.
Coming to the end of our first month here, we have a mix of feelings. We’ve scratched the surface of the country, have found the work with the children interesting and increasingly satisfying, have appreciated the opportunities we’ve had to see some of the sights, are feeling the heat is a little more bearable, and sensing that we are slowly carving out a reasonable working and living routine for ourselves. But occasionally there is a creeping sense of displacement, not exactly homesickness, but both Claire and I find ourselves thinking more deeply about what we’ve taken on and making comparisons with our lives at home. This is no doubt natural. For myself, I recognize that to make the experience work effectively I need to devote more time and energy on my language skills; without a functional measure of fluency I am limited in my versatility.
We hope that all is well at home in the lead-up to the Olympics; we will be watching all Olympic coverage that NBC has to offer!
-Sarah Kingstone
In the 2nd semester of her 3rd year at UBC, Sarah Kingstone is traveling to Costa Rica in honour of her humanitarian heart. She has given me permission to post her blog entries as she embarks on what will undoubtedly a life changing experience. Come along for the ride!
Adventures in Costa Rica: “Pura Vida”
Last week presented a host of many new opportunities as we begin to find a routine and a balance between helping in any way we can and avoiding encroaching on the lives of the La Carpio locals. We are also working on our tans in the hope that we will appear less like really pale “gringas.” Although we work in a Montessori school on a daily basis with the kids, we also find ourselves doing odd jobs in the community as Gail reaches out to help anyone who needs it. There is 8 year-old Angie who just completed her chemotherapy after losing her right arm to a cancerous tumour 2 months ago. Doing very well now, she appears to be managing to have a relatively normal childhood. But the entire experience has left her struggling to stay positive now that the adrenaline of basic survival has receded. We attempt to brighten her surroundings, painting the walls of her backyard sky-blue with big white clouds. Angie’s resilience, honed at such a young age, is truly uplifting to both me and Claire—fluffy white clouds, bright colors, a playground in your backyard, and your best friend—we hope these will brighten her toughest of days. Angie is now looking forward to her new prosthetic arm and being able to finally play with her siblings (who will move to La Carpio from Nicaragua as soon as Gail is able to send money to have their papers processed). Every day in La Carpio, Claire and I witness the powerful effects of the simplest gestures.
Today, one of the teachers in the Montessori school, Estella (a single mother of five young children), was noticeably upset when she arrived at school. As the first measure of circle time, the head teacher explained to the kids that some days we wake up and feel sad, and that is what had happened to Estella. Then she had all the children blow a small kiss (un besito) into a little box and then give it to Estella while all 17 kids literally dog-piled her with hugs. The emotional effect on everyone in the room, not to mention Estella, was incredibly moving. It was an expression of love, untainted by cynicism or mistrust.
We are slowly learning to live in Costa Rican style—“pura vida”; anything goes, and it’s all good!
-Sarah Kingstone
In the 2nd semester of her 3rd year at UBC, Sarah Kingstone is traveling to Costa Rica in honour of her humanitarian heart. She has given me permission to post her blog entries as she embarks on what will undoubtedly a life changing experience. Come along for the ride!
Adventures in Costa Rica: January 18, 2010
January 18, 2010
In the last week we have settled in to our home-stay in Santa Anna (a small neighbourhood of the Capital city—San José). Our host family is incredibly kind, welcoming, and helpful. As well, Norma and Fabio are very patient as we attempt to become more accomplished at speaking Spanish (they speak very little English, so the transition to Spanish has necessarily been quite speedy). During the week we are working in La Carpio with the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation (CHRF), headed by Gail Nystrom. This first week has been a very intense introduction to the area, but it is important to describe the history of the La Carpio community, as well as the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, first in order to provide the context to our daily work. READ MORE
Adventures in Costa Rica: Lift Off
Changing simple inspiration into collaborative understanding designed to develop the foundation of sustainable global communities…
Since I can remember, I have felt inspired to seek a career in the humanitarian relief work that I feel is so desperately needed throughout our global community. In grade 11 at Shawnigan Lake School I participated in the EDGE Leadership Program along with 10 other students. We travelled to Ban Ruk Phandin, Thailand to construct a Learning Center for the local people—this solidified my desire to contribute to sustainable communities in areas of our world without the necessary avenues to fully develop their goals. I believe that merging cultural, social, and economic differences can provide solid foundations for sustainable educated communities. READ MORE