For the first time since I arrived to San José de Upala I actually felt cold these last two nights and mornings. Apparently December is their coldest month. Although, cold for here is that now instead of sleeping with one sheet and only my shorts on when I sleep, I put a t-shirt and socks on, so it’s still not exactly cold. It’s amazing that in the day it’s still just as hot. It’s near 90 today, so I’m sitting here sweating like usual.
On Saturday the family bought a small little fake Christmas tree. Although it seems people celebrate Christmas here, there are a few differences. First, there aren’t a ton of evergreen trees here, and it never gets close to snowing. It’s a very different atmosphere. The weather is almost the same as it is the rest of the year, so although it seems people will be celebrating Christmas, not as many people have lights or trees, although some do have lights and trees.
The other difference I found was when I was talking to my old host mom, the one from training. I asked her about Christmas but she said Christmas isn’t a huge deal there for her. The reason is, however, that she is fairly poor and can only afford a little basket of candy for each of her grandkids. I know there are people like that in the U.S., but growing up in suburban Omaha, I didn’t know anybody like that.
With the end of their school year in site and classes ending in the next couple weeks, things are winding down around town. People still pressure me to teach them English, or should I say somehow channel it to them just while being in their presence (who wants to work to gain something anyways?) but with the school year ending, I’ve been telling them we’ll start in February. That gives me time to get the books and do some planning.
One thing that I can say positively is that my health has been good, and that is something I should be more thankful for. I think I wrote about it in another entry about my experience when I studied abroad in Costa Rica and how sick I was. Plus, since I don’t have good eating habits in the U.S, I’ve never felt really healthy as far as my stomach and food goes. But here, for the most part, I feel a lot better, health wise. I’m still used to eating rice and beans twice a day (lunch and dinner). I am eating so much though, and a few people around town have taken note that they can tell, at least in my face, that I’m gaining weight! I keep telling them after my two years I’m going to be fat.
Every moment of every day here is a struggle for me, an effort to push the “hard button.” It’s not enough to think only in today, that I will have a good day, for example. It’s a fight moment to moment as I struggle to determine which activities are best for the community and how to get community involvement. So many have their own agendas or want to use people or don’t understand sustainable development that it’s hard to know who to trust or who to work with each day. It’s really hard to keep the balance between rest and work, because I know that I could let myself slip into doing favors for people all day or overworking myself, and so that’s another struggle—taking the right amount of time out for myself.
Some really good, humble, and simply very nice people live here and have helped me tremendously through these hard times when I let comments from the negative people weigh me down. With the great people that are here, there are also people that seem to have few redeeming qualities, and sometimes it’s hard living and working with them.
With some low moments here I started looking through “Shattered Dreams” by Larry Crabb again. I read it earlier during training but depending on where we’re at in life, we can see very different things when we read or hear the same thing as before but now with different circumstances. What he talks about and what I’ve been thinking about lately has to do with trying to make sense of a seemingly unresponsive God, especially through our tough times. Although I don’t really understand the specifics, people I respect and look up to talk about how the hard times can be good for us—somehow we grow or learn or move forward. It’s really hard to see that right now in the middle of the storm.
One guy I’ve met will be entering his senior year of high school in February. He’s been a very good friend to me and he is very humble. He lives only with his mom in a house that has dirt for a floor and I don’t think any right angles exist in the house—I’m surprised the plywood is holding up. They are poor. Their only form of transportation is that he has a bike. They don’t have a car, landline phone, or cell phone.
He really stands out because he has such drive. Most people out here have little vision or drive to succeed, much of which is passed down from the parents. With little options for jobs in this place, it’s not a far fetch that people don’t have a lot of inspiration or incentive. But my friend (Oscar) has been teaching himself English for the last few years. His dream is to spend a week in the U.S. He wants to be a tour guide here in Costa Rica and he loves the English language and is so eager to see what the U.S. is like. He wants me to bring pictures back of anything—the streets, buildings, people.
I would really like to find an exchange program or a way to help him have his dream come true of spending a week (or more) in the U.S. One thing we take for granted, or at least I do, is that as a U.S. citizen we can travel to so many countries with ease. Yet here, there are so many people in Costa Rica that are turned down everyday for a visa to visit the U.S. And get this—it costs about $100 just to apply for a visa—and if they turn you down, that money isn’t returned. So there are poor people that have to save up just to apply, only to be turned down. Oscar can’t even afford a visa, but even if he saves up, I’m scared he will be turned down. I’ve noticed that exchange programs help, because once accepted, they take care of the technical stuff like visas, and everyone accepted into the program gets a visa and gets to travel. So the hard part is finding and getting accepted into an exchange program.
Anyways, I’m mentioning this story because I’d like to do more research in getting him a program or some organization that he can apply for that will allow him to do something in the U.S. Work or attend school or something. I figure enough people read this that somebody might know somebody who might know of an organization. Please let me know!
On Saturday the family bought a small little fake Christmas tree. Although it seems people celebrate Christmas here, there are a few differences. First, there aren’t a ton of evergreen trees here, and it never gets close to snowing. It’s a very different atmosphere. The weather is almost the same as it is the rest of the year, so although it seems people will be celebrating Christmas, not as many people have lights or trees, although some do have lights and trees.
The other difference I found was when I was talking to my old host mom, the one from training. I asked her about Christmas but she said Christmas isn’t a huge deal there for her. The reason is, however, that she is fairly poor and can only afford a little basket of candy for each of her grandkids. I know there are people like that in the U.S., but growing up in suburban Omaha, I didn’t know anybody like that.
With the end of their school year in site and classes ending in the next couple weeks, things are winding down around town. People still pressure me to teach them English, or should I say somehow channel it to them just while being in their presence (who wants to work to gain something anyways?) but with the school year ending, I’ve been telling them we’ll start in February. That gives me time to get the books and do some planning.
One thing that I can say positively is that my health has been good, and that is something I should be more thankful for. I think I wrote about it in another entry about my experience when I studied abroad in Costa Rica and how sick I was. Plus, since I don’t have good eating habits in the U.S, I’ve never felt really healthy as far as my stomach and food goes. But here, for the most part, I feel a lot better, health wise. I’m still used to eating rice and beans twice a day (lunch and dinner). I am eating so much though, and a few people around town have taken note that they can tell, at least in my face, that I’m gaining weight! I keep telling them after my two years I’m going to be fat.
Every moment of every day here is a struggle for me, an effort to push the “hard button.” It’s not enough to think only in today, that I will have a good day, for example. It’s a fight moment to moment as I struggle to determine which activities are best for the community and how to get community involvement. So many have their own agendas or want to use people or don’t understand sustainable development that it’s hard to know who to trust or who to work with each day. It’s really hard to keep the balance between rest and work, because I know that I could let myself slip into doing favors for people all day or overworking myself, and so that’s another struggle—taking the right amount of time out for myself.
Some really good, humble, and simply very nice people live here and have helped me tremendously through these hard times when I let comments from the negative people weigh me down. With the great people that are here, there are also people that seem to have few redeeming qualities, and sometimes it’s hard living and working with them.
With some low moments here I started looking through “Shattered Dreams” by Larry Crabb again. I read it earlier during training but depending on where we’re at in life, we can see very different things when we read or hear the same thing as before but now with different circumstances. What he talks about and what I’ve been thinking about lately has to do with trying to make sense of a seemingly unresponsive God, especially through our tough times. Although I don’t really understand the specifics, people I respect and look up to talk about how the hard times can be good for us—somehow we grow or learn or move forward. It’s really hard to see that right now in the middle of the storm.
One guy I’ve met will be entering his senior year of high school in February. He’s been a very good friend to me and he is very humble. He lives only with his mom in a house that has dirt for a floor and I don’t think any right angles exist in the house—I’m surprised the plywood is holding up. They are poor. Their only form of transportation is that he has a bike. They don’t have a car, landline phone, or cell phone.
He really stands out because he has such drive. Most people out here have little vision or drive to succeed, much of which is passed down from the parents. With little options for jobs in this place, it’s not a far fetch that people don’t have a lot of inspiration or incentive. But my friend (Oscar) has been teaching himself English for the last few years. His dream is to spend a week in the U.S. He wants to be a tour guide here in Costa Rica and he loves the English language and is so eager to see what the U.S. is like. He wants me to bring pictures back of anything—the streets, buildings, people.
I would really like to find an exchange program or a way to help him have his dream come true of spending a week (or more) in the U.S. One thing we take for granted, or at least I do, is that as a U.S. citizen we can travel to so many countries with ease. Yet here, there are so many people in Costa Rica that are turned down everyday for a visa to visit the U.S. And get this—it costs about $100 just to apply for a visa—and if they turn you down, that money isn’t returned. So there are poor people that have to save up just to apply, only to be turned down. Oscar can’t even afford a visa, but even if he saves up, I’m scared he will be turned down. I’ve noticed that exchange programs help, because once accepted, they take care of the technical stuff like visas, and everyone accepted into the program gets a visa and gets to travel. So the hard part is finding and getting accepted into an exchange program.
Anyways, I’m mentioning this story because I’d like to do more research in getting him a program or some organization that he can apply for that will allow him to do something in the U.S. Work or attend school or something. I figure enough people read this that somebody might know somebody who might know of an organization. Please let me know!
1 comment:
Nick! I sent you a package yesterday. I don't know if you'll get it before you come back to the States or not. If you do, you'll have reading and listening material for your flights. If not, something to look forward to upon your return. Merry Christmas!
I am totally bummed I will miss you when you are back in the US of A, but you should give me a ring so we can chat in person!!!
Miss you!
Kelley
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