Nicaragua!

Laguna de Apoyo

Mountains, volcanoes, lakes, oh my!

After landing in Costa Rica on Saturday afternoon and spending the night at home with Molly, the two of us took off at the crack of dawn for our trip to Nicaragua. We boarded a bus from San Jose at 7:30 am and settled in for what we expected to be an 8 hour trip to Managua, where my good BC friend Tony was planning to meet us.  Our trip was more than a bit delayed by our three hour border experience crossing between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. On the CR side, we had to get off the bus and wait in line to have our passports stamped with our exit stamp while men and women smacked piles of cash in our faces asking if we wanted to exchange money. Knowing we would probably be a little ripped off but would need some bus/cab money, we exchanged $5 US for Nicaraguan Cordobas.  We then boarded the bus and crossed the border where we we then told to get off the bus again with all our luggage. We were pointed to a waiting area while the bus official took our passports to the immigration window to be approved for entry. It was hot and chaotic and no one seemed to have any clue what was going on. I think it's safe to say this was the "low" of the trip! Once we were on the bus, the trip to Managua was pretty quick, and Tony - ever the trooper - was waiting patiently for us after being there for two and a half hours. What a champ!

Tony!

At this point, Molly and I parted ways. She and her Notre Dame friend, Clare, had reserved a spot "couch surfing" in a local professors home. (I was doubtful, but couch surfing is actually a pretty legit network! They had a good time). Meanwhile, I headed back to Tony's home in Ciudad Sandino, just outside of Managua. Tony is a member of JVC International and lives in a community with 4 women who were incredibly gracious and fun hosts. I really enjoyed getting to know them, hearing about their work experiences, and being back in a JV community! We stayed up late catching up on the details of the past year that don't fit into our occasional Skype sessions; it felt great - as always - to talk to him! 

On Monday morning, Tony and I took a couple buses to Laguna de Apoyo, a crater lake about two hours from his home. We had a great afternoon, swimming, eating lunch, and hiking around a little bit. We also found an abandoned property where some of the previous JVs in Nicaragua had gone camping...they must be pretty brave souls. After getting back to his house, we hung out with the two new members of his community who had their first day of work on Monday. Their energy was really inspiring! 

Mural in Tony's house

Later in the evening, Tony and I headed to an education center that hosts volunteer groups that come to Nicaragua. It just so happened that one of BC's Arrupe trips was there this week and had invited the JVs to dinner to share their experience! I tagged along, hoping that being an FJV and BC alum and current international volunteer, I'd be welcomed. When the group walked in, I was greeted with the very loud scream of a friend, Kate, who had actually been on my Arrupe trip to Puebla, Mexico two years before! She was now leading this group!! It was so wonderful to catch up with her and talk to the students about their experience in Nicaragua. Many of the upperclassmen were interested in JVC - both domestic and international - so I was able to share a bit of my experience in LA with them. I was so happy to be there!

On Tuesday morning, Tony and I met up with Molly in Managua since Clare had hit the road back to San Jose early. We had wanted to explore Managua a bit, but our plan was a little foiled; all the roads in the historical district were closed off because the Presidential Inauguration was happening later that afternoon! Since we were there for a pretty politically exciting time, Molly and I spent a lot of time picking Tony's brain on Nicaraguan history and politics. He is a fountain of knowledge and has really learned and reflected a lot on the country in his year there. I was really impressed. 

Muneco, the house dog

So instead of exploring Managua, we headed back to Ciudad Sandino where we had lunch and had got a tour of Tony’s stomping grounds. The school where he is an English teacher is absolutely beautiful. It is a member of the Fe y Alegria Network of schools and prides itself on its environmentalism and beautiful murals. The rest of the pueblo was pretty different from where we live in Costa Rica in many ways; it’s much poorer, much hotter, and we stuck out a lot more. Actually, when people started hollering “chela!” at Molly and I, Tony explained that this is a Nicaraguan term for “gringo” or fair-skinned person. I chuckled; Chela was my name in Spanish classes through middle and high school!

Tony and Me!

In the evening, Molly and I cooked for Tony’s community and then participated in an awesome community night, planned by Bianca. We played Two Truths and a Lie (a game that Tony and I have played many a time together on Salt and Light retreats at BC!) and then played a series of “minute to win it games”  which were so silly and so fun.

Molly and I journeyd home on Wednesday and had a much more enjoyable bus and border experience – the border took less than an hour to cross and the bus showed three movies (one of which was The Blind Side…and excellent choice!). Upon arriving back in San Jose, Fray Jorge picked us up and brought us back to the convent where our housemates, Amanda’s parents, Friar Rick, Jordan, and all the friars were enjoying pizza and conversation. It was a great welcoming back to Costa Rica, and got me excited to start our ReOrientation retreat tonight.

   

 So, now I’m back in CR for the duration with lots of visitors to look forward to and good experiences with my community. Sending lots of love, prayers, and warm (it’s 75 here!) thoughts your way :) 

[[Also, sorry the formatting has been a little funky lately here! My keyboard doesn't always cooperate which makes it tricky to format the pictures!]]

Home for the Holidays

Finally back on the same continent!

For the past three weeks, I've been home in Cherry Hill enjoying lots of quality time with family and friends. My family reminded me that this was my longest stretch of time at home since I began JVC! Needless to say, it's been a very relaxing break. It's funny to think that I'm technically on "summer vacation" since Centeno, and all schools in Costa Rica, are closed for the summer until February; celebrating Christmas, New Years, and waking up to snow makes that seem a little strange!

Mego!

My break started off with Thanksgiving, Part 2. Since neither Emily or I were home for Turkey Day this year, my mom recreated our favorite holiday for us on the Sunday after we both returned to the states. It was absolutely perfect! Later in the week, my BC roommate of three years, Mego, flew down for a little pre-Christmas visit. We had a blast catching up, baking, and going to Wegmans...all Mego's favorite things to do in NJ.  I also joined my family and all the other OBX crew families at the Dunleavy's house for a beautiful Christmas parties. Since I've missed the past couple OBX trips it was really nice to see everyone.

Costa Rica & Ireland Christmas Cookies :)

On Christmas Eve, I enjoyed a delicious, very Italian spread for dinner with the Zippilli's. We went to MomMom's church for a beautiful Lessons and Carols service. It was great to see Pastor Jones again, and to share Christmas Eve with her community! On Christmas Day, the Foran family gathered at Uncle Dan and Aunt Caythe's house for a delicious meal and afternoon filled with hilarious stories, lots of new hats, and a pretty wild photo shoot. I'm so glad I got to see all the cousins, though I missed Andrew and Daniela!  

Fun Foran Christmas

Over the course of the next week, I spent time with many of my Cherry Hill friends. I had lunch dates and coffee dates with girls from high school, spent an afternoon with Jackie (or should I say Dr. Feinberg?) and Jason, and went out for dinner and drinks with the Willowdale crew.  It was funny and a little strange to look around the table and see the faces of people I used to walk to school and ride the bus with from elementary school to high school; we're lucky to still be friends so many years later!

Quite literally friends for life!

 Last weekend, I hosted about 16 former JVs at my house for a little reunion. Most of us who were in LA last year are either from the East Coast originally or have recently relocated out here, so Cherry Hill was a (somewhat) neutral spot to gather. We had a BLAST. It was so great to see  the people who were such an integral part of my experience as a JV and hear about what they've been up to in the past few months. Naturally, it wasn't complete without everyone there and a couple rounds of "Colder Weather" being belted while everyone hugged and swayed in DK's dining room, but alas, it came close.

JVs in Cherry Hill!

The next day, a few of us headed up  to NYC for New Year's Eve. They were great sports and followed me to my BC friend's apartment for a party. They had met Erin this summer when she visited me in LA, but they were new to everyone else. I enjoyed seeing some friends from college and loved (selfishly) that I got to bring two of my worlds together for the evening!

BC meets JVs

This last week has been a lot quieter; getting ready to go back has led me to start thinking about what I'll be doing next year and where I want to be. I know I will miss all the people I got to see over break even more, but the next 7 months will go by quickly and will be filled with all sorts of new adventures! I head back to Costa Rica in the morning... hasta la vista, USA!       

Apologies for the delay in posting (especially to you, MomMom! haha) The past two weeks have been filled with Christmas activities. At work, classes were essentially over. We spent the last few days in multi-level activities, which were optional for the kids so very few showed up. We did fun things though, like pitch tents and roast marshmallows, played in an inflatable pool, and held a beauty salon. It was great! We also participated in Posadas, which are activities that act out the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. There is a special song which is then followed by all sorts of typical Christmas carols.

After the kids finished, the assistants and teachers split into groups for workshops and other projetcs. I have been in workshops with the assistants on things like communication, team work, flower therapy, and ergonomics.  This week we have one more workshop and then the Fiesta de Alegria with all the teachers, parents, and kids.

Birthday girl!

At home we've been having fun too! We celebrated Margie's birthday with some of her favorite foods...pizza, yuca fries, and cake. We went out the next night for margaritas (the appropriate drink to celebrate Marguerite's 23rd birthday!).   The following day we went to the wonderful Yamy's house for a typical breakfast and to spend time with her family. We brought supplies to make and decorate cut out cookies with her grandkids which turned out to be a blast. Just like Emily and I used to when we were little, the kids lost interest in decorating after the first round of cookies, so we ended up finishing the job. It was great!

Molly and Yamy

This past weekend, Molly and I spent a lot of time with a mutual friend. One of the students in my class, Juan Gabriel, is also a patient in the clinic where Molly works. His mom, Marlyn, took us to a huge Christmas parade in San Jose, Festival de la luz. There were fireworks and some incredible floats and marching bands. The floats were all sponsored by local companies, which made it feel a bit like a huge marketing ploy, but hey, it worked. The floats were enormous and intricate. The next day, Marlyn invited Molly and I to her house for lunch, where she taught us how to make Arroz con pollo, one of the favorite typical dishes here in Costa Rica.  Getting to spend the day with Juan Ga and his mom was very special, especially since we may not see them until February when school starts up again! We had a great day :)

decorating cookies :)

 

Amanda, Wendy, Margie, and Gaby (their friends from work!)

Mulan themed float

creepy floats

Now, just a few more days left of school/work and then home for 3 weeks! Can't wait to see all my friends and family :)

Like a good Zippilli girl, my contribution to our Thanksgiving celebrations this year were the pumpkin products! I made the pies that we took to Marta's house and a couple loaves of bread to share at school. They were a HUGE hit. Molly and I had to go to the fancy supermarket that has all sorts of imported goods to find Libby's Pumpkin. We couldn't find ground nutmeg, so we ground our own which made the house smell delicious! Our Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be wonderful. It was quite an international crowd. Marta, who is from Guatemala, and her gringo husband Paul hosted their Tica and Ex-pat friends for a dinner that was prepared by their Nicaraguan cook. The spread was exactly what you'd find at home...and so yummy! In addition to this smattering of cultures, there was also a lovely lady, Sofie, in attendance; she was born in Indonesia, studied in China, and now lives in Costa Rica. The Chop Suey she made for the dinner was delicious too!   

On Saturday, the five of us went to Volcan Poas, one of Costa Rica's many famous volcanoes. John, pictures to the left, works at St. Francis with Nicole and organizes this trip for the FC volunteers every year. He even wrote a letter to the national park and was able to get us a special discount; instead of being charged like a typical foreigner ($10 entrance fee) we only had to pay what the 'nacionales' (Costa Ricans) pay...about $2!  Unfortuantely, even though it was a beautiful morning in Moravia, the volcano was very very cloudy. It was so cloudy, in fact, that we couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of us. Since we didn't get to actually see much of the great views promised, we'll have to go back again in the summer when the clouds and fog clear.

there's a volcano somewhere behind that cloud...

Margie, Marta, Me, & John

 On Saturday night, we decorated the Christmas tree that Nicole picked up from St. Francis. One of the teachers had it in her classroom and was about to throw it out. Thanks to some quick thinking and some help from the guard, Nicole ran it across the street to put up in our house! Even though we've been celebrating Christmas at school since Halloween, we waited to crank the Christmas tunes at home until this weekend. Now that advent has begun we can get in the spirit.

On Sunday, we hit the stadium again for a big semi-final soccer game. Unfortunately 'our' team, Saprissa, lost to their arch-rival, Liga and are now done for the season. We went with Josue and Jose, who have been two of our best tico guides. It was Josue's first time in the stadium, so we got to show him the ropes.

Margie, Me, Molly, & Josue

"somos morados!"

Cultural Observation: Why no Starbucks?
Everything else from the States seems to have made its way to Costa Rica: fast food, clothes, music, movies, restaurant chains,even words and catchphrases that we use are incorporated into tico Spanish.  So, why not Starbucks? For a while I wondered this; Starbucks and places like it are soooo popular at home, and everyone has their cup o' joe in hand on the way to work in the morning. But here, coffee and coffee breaks are practically sacred. As one co-worker put it, everyone here is a cafetera  (coffee lover). Everyone at school takes a coffee break around mid-morning, and interrupting it is practically sacreligious. A couple of us have noticed that no one will get up from their coffee and pancito (bread) until they're done and ready to get back to work, no matter how much work is lingering. For this reason, coffee on the go a la Starbucks would never survive here! Interesante, no?

This week at Centeno, the Christmas preparations continued in full force. We attended yet another Christmas tree decorating ceremony/party on Tuesday. For this celebration, the local comedy group La Media Docena performed for about an hour for all the students, staff and parents. They were absolutely hilarious! Half the reason I enjoyed the show so much was probably because I was proud I could understand all the jokes; there were a lot of local references and imitations of accents from all over Latin America, and I got it all! I probably couldn't repeat most of their jokes, but hey...I'm not very good at delivering jokes in English :) The one that I did remember is wicked corny...the two Ticos I told it to gave me that "are you kidding me?" face while I laughed my butt off. It doesn't translate at all, but if you speak Spanish, take a peek. Then go ahead and roll your eyes :)
P: ¿Cómo son parecidos los chanchos y los gemelos?
R: Por ser dos. (cerdos!) jajaja    

Chayotes

At home in our community, we were lucky enough to have visits from two of our co-ministers this week. On Thursday, Juan Gabriel joined us for dinner; on Friday, Katherine came over to give us a cooking lesson! She taught us to make two local favorites: Chancletas and Arroz con Leche. Chancletas (which actually means sandals) is stuffed chayote. Chayotes are local veggies that loos like big pears from the outside but are more like zucchini on the inside. They're pretty watery and don't have much flavor, but the sauce we used to stuff them was delicious! Arroz con leche is rice pudding, but a bit different than we eat at home. Here's a pretty standard recipe, though not exactly the one we followed. We made a gigantic pot, so we'll be eating it for days...yum!

Yesterday, Molly, Margie and I planted ourselves in front of the TV to watch the Holy War; that is BC vs. Notre Dame! Since we (strangely) get NBC in our house, and all of Notre Dame's games are on NBC (really?) we got to watch! It was a lot of fun, even though it turned out to be a bit of a boring game. Even though the Eagles lost, it was fun to see them play on TV. I also fondly remembered some of the more epic moments of BC vs. Notre Dame from when I was at BC, like when Emily snuck into Alumni Stadium without a ticket for the game, and when I road tripped to South Bend with my roommates only to breakdown in Cleveland.

One last picture...Jordan took this back in September when we went to the Día del niño celebration at Centeno. This is David, one of Jordan's favorite students from last year. He is about 15 years old, and I get to work with him once in a while when we do multi-level activities. He's a sweetheart!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

I am so grateful to all of you who read along, and to all the people who have supported my years of service in so many ways. I am very blessed and privileged to be here. Although we won't be celebrating Thanksgiving traditionally this year since it's not a holiday in Costa Rica, we may be eating Turkey Day dinner Marta and her gringo husband Paul. I hope you have a great holiday and enjoy times with loved ones :)

 Last Wednesday, to continue the celebration of Special Education Week, we all dressed up at vaqueros. There was a great celebration with a dance performance by some students in my department, a line dancing competition for the Deaf department, and a horse that came to give rides to the kids.

 With Alexandra and Susan!

 On Wednesday evening, a few of the girls and I went to a neaby stadium to watch the the biggest national soccer rivalry...La Liga vs. Saprissa. We dressed in purple to support Saprissa, San Jose's team!

On Friday during the day, I participated in a team building day with members of another department. We went to a little meeting space about an hour away and did all sorts of team building games...charades, races, tree climbing, etc. It was a lot of fun, and a great chance to meet new people who I see every day but don't interact with.

 On Friday night, we danced in the weekend at home :)

 

Saturday:

 On Saturday, Margie and Molly gave a tour of our freezer, where the number of bananas is rapidly declining (which means we've made LOTS of banana pancakes...yum!) You'll also find tastycakes (thanks, Cara!!), coffee, and chicken in there.

On Sunday, Amanda and I joined our co-minister Katherine at a 'theater in the streets' performance in San Jose. It was SO cool. A group of young women performed a pretty abstract but beautiful piece of art that involved moving in and out of streets, plazas, and intersections in San Jose. We followed along by running after the people holding flags to indicate where the actors went. It was so neat, and according to Katherine, something really unusual and untraditonal for Costa Rica.

Sunday:

Today, we oficially rang in Christmas at school with (the first) Christmas tree decorating ceremony. We sang traditional local Christmas carols and the kids put their homemade decorations on the tree. It looks great, even though it still feels early to be singing Feliz Navidad! The celebrations continue for the next 3 weeks!

Last weekend, Oct 28-30, Friar Rick came down to Costa Rica for our fall retreat. We traveled with him to the nearby city Alejuela, where we stayed at the Franciscan Monastery there. The property they have is gorgeous - there are two retreat centers, fruit trees, a greenhouse, and the convent. We shared all our meals with the dozen or so friars and postulates (guys who are living there to see if they want to be friars). At first the dynamic between 5 twenty-something girls and a dozen men of various ages was a bit unusual, but once we got comfortable talking with them, we had a lot of fun together. It was nice to share about our experience here so far and to learn about the formation process of a friar.

The five of us also appreciated time to be away from work and away from our house to relax, reflect, and spend some quality time together and with Rick.

Chilln' with Francis and the wolf 

We're not nuns, I swear.

Friar Rick loves us. 

On Sunday, we returned to Moravia for a dinner out on the town (in the words of Bro J and Friar Rick, "Thank you, benefactors!"). On Monday, Friar Rick cooked yet another gourmet meal for us. Since Halloween isn't nearly as big of a deal here as at home, he brought us some lights and decorations to make our house feel festive.   I did see some little kids dressed up on Monday (and Tuesday, oddly), but Costa Rica is already preparing for Christmas. I kid you not - for the last week and a half at school, we have been starting Christmas craft projects, talking about Christmas songs, putting up Christmas trees and lights, and planning end-of-the-year Christmas events. To me, this is unthinkable...Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (not to mention the start of Advent!) are just disrespectful to my very favorite holiday!  But alas, Thanksgiving doesn't happen here either; so, Christmas it is!  Also, Christmas is very much associated with the end of the school year. The kids' last day is November 25th, so we're already wrapping up the year!

4 of the 6 students in my class! 

While making all these fun Christmas crafts, I've had the chance to bond a lot with the students in my class. I have funny stories almost every night at dinner about the things the kids do or say in class. I considered it a huge success last week when one of our students, Andrea, kept reaching out to hug me - time and time again for about 15 minutes. Typically, Andrea is easily bothered and pinches or grabs people who come near her. But, when I was little my mom taught me how a gentle backrub can soothe anyone, so I usually start my interaction with Andrea by placing my palm on her back. If she doesn't wince, I'm in! The same goes for Joselyn. She has a reputation in the department for being a bit scary, and can be aggressive towards students and teachers alike. However, I have been working with her a lot and am very comfortable with her, which I think is a sign that she's comfortable with me too!

Today, I participated in my fourth - yes, fourth - parade at school since my arrival. This week we begin "Semana de los derechos de las personas con discapacidad" (A mouthful that basically means a week to celebrate the rights of people with disabilities. Formerly known as special education week, but since that title must now be taboo, it has been renamed. But I digress...). So, since communication isn't one of Cenento's strong points, we didn't know this event was taking place since it was coordinated by another department. But, we went with the flow! However, we missed the memo that the kids and teachers were supposed to dress up in costumes...  We marched to the plaza in the center of Guadalupe, per usual, and returned for a dance party with a band and clowns. There was also a presentation by a group of girls who participate in Rhythmic Gymnastics in the Special Olympics. They were fantastic!  

Clowns and band that joined our parade. Recognize the guy in the yellow?

Let's backtrack a bit to the weekend, shall we? On Saturday, I went with Amanda and Molly to do the week's produce shopping at the market, and then to neighboring town Tibas to go shoe shopping. Between the rain and the long walk to work and the mold (yes, mold) in my closet, I was in need of some decent shoes for work. Success, and for cheap! Later in the evening, we went to mass and dinner and then set out on foot to visit a neighborhood bar with our friend Josue. It was nice to get out and enjoy the beautiful evening. For the first time, we could see the stars at night because it wasn't raining or cloudy. I'm SO excited that 'summer' is beginning here...that less rain! Woo!


On Sunday, we found our way to el Mall San Pedro, a giant indoor mall in a nearby neighborhood with a movie theater. For just about $3 we were able to see a film called El Regreso, which is all about a Tico who has lived in NY for 9 years and his return to his Motherland. I think we all identified with his impression of Costa Rica after being away for so long. It was really a phenomenal film, and I was excited to recognize much of the scenery, colloquialisms, and culture.