FrancisCorps Family Fun Weekend

Last weekend was the first in a month that all four of us were home in Moravia, so we scheduled some serious house bonding. We began on Friday night with homemade margaritas in our new blender, brownies, and homemade tortilla pizzas. The preparation was quite the team effort, and made dinner all that much more enjoyable. Later, we were in the mood for a chick flick (but let's be honest, when aren't we?) so we watched Leap Year to celebrate, well, the leap year!

Earlier in the week we had compiled a list of possible activties for Saturday - everything from hitting the beach to an art fest in San Jose to a picnic in the park. When we woke up to a cloudy, windy morning we opted for an indoors activity and hit the road to the San Pedro Mall. There, we treated ourselves to a double feature beginning with Beauty and the Beast (in 3D!), and followed by The Artist.  The Beauty and the Beast was dubbed in Spanish which was really fun. I didn't know anything about The Artist - more specifically, I didn't know it was a silent film - until I got there. I'm glad we saw it, especially since it won Best Picture the following night!  On our way home we stopped in a park for a quick photoshoot with some of the doves who have resided all around San Jose for the past few months; they are part of the "Peace Parade." We don't know a lot of details about Peace Parade, but we know that the doves are really cool pieces of art!

We got this very clever Valentine's Day gift from Friar Rick...as if we need a reminder ...

We wrapped up our bonding weekend with mass together at St. Francis and then a gourmet pancake and fruit brunch at home. [Sidenote: summer in Costa Rica = lots of yummy summer fruit for wicked cheap. We have had some of the sweetest, tastiest watermelon, cantelope, and pineapple I've ever tasted in my life lately.  Since it's mango season now, you can buy 4 mangos for $1.  It's delicious, local, and well within our food budget!]  After brunch we worked together to give our house a good spring (er, dry season?) cleaning which made us all feel better.

At Centeno this week, we are finally back in the swing of full days. All 9 of my students have yet to show up on the same day, but honestly I'm a bit nervous for the day they do. We have a really wide range of needs, energy levels, communication abilities, and aggression levels in our class, so I think we're all a little nervous about the new group dynamics.  In the meantime, though, I've had a blast with Guiselle and Ale and the students. Juan Gabriel is such a love; he practically won't let me talk to him in Spanish anymore...he's all about practicing his English with me.

Volcan Irazu

This week has been all about getting acquainted at school school. The students have been coming for just two hours each day so Giselle, the new teacher I will be working with, can meet with parents to learn more about each students' needs and abilities. We will have nine students in the group this year with an even wider range of ability than last year. Most are blind and visually impaired but some have perfect vision; most have limited mobility but some can walk and run faster  than me; most are nonverbal but some can hold full conversations; most are pretty calm but some are really active or aggressive. Since the days are so short, only a couple kids have been coming each day. This has given me a chance to get reacquainted with them and work one on one with them, which is always fun.

At home, it's been pretty quiet. Literally. With only four people in our fairly spacious house, it seems a bit empty. Plus, Molly has been away with her parents for most of the week so it's really only been three of us! On Tuesday night we celebrated "El Dia del amor y la amistad" at the friary. Friar Jorge, who was visiting from Rome, made a delicious dinner. He is originally from Argentina and dazzled us with all sorts of Argentinean-style BBQ.  It turns out that he is the Assistant General of Latin America, which basically means that he is responsible to the Minister General in Rome for all the Conventual Franciscans in Latin America. Big deal! We were excited to be able to share a little bit about FrancisCorps with him, since (as far as we know) we are the only Franciscan volunteers (within the Conventual order at least) in Latin America.

Volcan Irazu

Yesterday, Molly, Nicole, and I, along with two of our new student-teacher friends, took a bus trip to Volcan Irazu for the morning. It was a really easy trip from San Jose to the national park, where we spent a couple hours enjoying the view of the crater lake. We met some interesting folks - other tourists, local nuns, etc - and were really happy to finally see a volcano without a view obstructed by clouds! (Pictures below!). Hope all is well with you at home!  

Back to School

It's strange to experience the Back-to-School season in mid-February. Although the weather is reminiscent of late August back home, it is just odd to see school supplies lining shelves next to Valentine's Day gifts and decorations. During my few weeks of work in San Jose with Margie, I saw dozens of stores advertising huge sales on books, uniforms, school supplies, shoes, and other sorts of back-to-school necessities.

All the public schools in Costa Rica started on Wednesday, including Centeno Guell. Staff reported on Monday for some general meetings and re-organization of classrooms. I arrived on Monday morning to find out that the Ministerio de Educacion Publica (MEP) has still not named a department director for us. At that time, none of the teachers even knew which groups they would be working with for the school year. I was shocked. I thought back to all those years of going up to the doors of Bret Harte and Rosa to see what teacher or team I was with at the end of the summer, or waiting anxiously for my class schedule to come in the mail from Cherry Hill East.  That is just so not the case here! 

Anyway, I spent this past week at school helping get the classroom ready (which really just meant unpacking everything I'd helped box up in the same room two months ago!). I will be working with the same group of students for the next few months, but the group is growing from 6 to 9 students. Alexandra is returning as the assistant, but the teacher is new. Giselle will be in her first year at Centeno but has spent many years working at Helen Keller, a high school for blind students and integration center for adults with multiple disabilities. It sounds like many students from Centeno end up at Helen Keller after they turn 21 and end their cycle at Centeno. I'm looking forward to working with her!

At home, we've had two great weeks of co-minister dinners. Last week, Juan Gabriel joined us on the eve of his 28th birthday, so we made him a cake to celebrate. Nicole decorated it with the symbol for his favorite soccer team, La Liga. This is just a sign of how much we love him...as a house, we have become Saprissa fans, and our two teams are the biggest rivals in the country!

Liga Liga Liga!

This week, Katherine and Fray David joined us. Fray David has recently moved into the friary here in Moravia. He's about 30 and will be working with the elementary school st St. Francis. We are excited to have another friar around to get to know!

Super Bowl spread

Last weekend, as promised, Nicole, Margie and I went back to Jaco. We went just for the day, which was perfect. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate as well as last time, but that means no sunburn (always a plus!).  The following day, John joined us for a little Super Bowl celebration a la Tico. We made tortiallas and then tortilla pizzas, along with frijoles molidos and chips and such. Our watch party was pretty tranquilo but very fun. Also this week had the pleasure of having both the Connell family AND the Boyle family join us for dinner. Amanda and Molly's parents were both in town and came over for dinner (on different evenings). It was so fun to get to know them!


Finally, sadly we took Amanda to the airport this morning to head home to Spokane, WA. She's been having some pretty significant health issues here, so it's best for her to go home and recover. We will miss her terribly but all know that our experience as a community of five is not over, and that this is absolutely the best decision for her. We appreciate the support of Friar Rick, Jordan, as well as all the friars here in Moravia who have been so attentive to her (and all of us). The house will feel empty with only four of us here until July!

Jaco

After a week at daycare with Margie, I was ready to hit the beach this past weekend and take advantage of the beautiful weather. Chasing around 20-odd kids between ages 1-5, while fun, is draining! I spent the week cleaning buggers, persuading children to nap with backrubs, and - best of all - plucking lice out of kids hair. Yep. Unfortunately, the daycare has had a couple outbreaks of lice this year. Margie is now an expert at prevention and at combing through hair, and I learned too by going through her hair earlier in the fall. Don't worry about us; we take all the appropriate measures to keep those little guys from getting anywhere near us, but my heart breaks for the kids who aren't appropriately cared for at home. A few come to daycare without being bathed or in dirty clothes.   

After work on Friday, we met up with our new gringo friends, a group of students teachers who just moved into our neighborhood. We boarded a 5pm bus for the beach, and spent Friday and Saturday nights in Jaco. Jaco is a pretty touristy beach, and we stayed in a really cool hostel full of backpackers from all over the world. We enjoyed some awesome food, beautiful sunshine, and a very warm ocean. In fact, the water was so warm and the sun so strong it hardly felt refreshing! Best part? We found an express bus that gets there in an hour and a half (instead of 3) so we might go back on Saturday!   

Margie and I camped out ALL day on the beach until the sun went down

sunset!

ReOrientation

After returning from Nicaragua, I came home to one of the more eventful days we've had as a community in Costa Rica. Early on Thursday morning, I got up early to work out and realized when I was done that our water had been shut off. Awesome. It's early, I'm sweaty and thirsty, and no one else is awake. Slowly everyone got their day going, and we got in touch with the right people at St. Francis to call the water company. Then, next thing we know, Amanda comes running and screaming into the living room because she had spotted our 6th roommate: a rat. (Or maybe a giant mouse? We're not sure. Gross either way!). It was perched on top of a curtain rod on the kitchen and appeared to be sleeping. Rodents move pretty quickly though, so we think it may have been on its way to its end, even without our help. So, next thing we know, all five of us are closed in the kitchen area with all sorts of tools in hand to try to catch and kill the little guy. It was quite a dramatic, traumatic event, but Margie and Molly bravely got the little guy into a box and took it outside to end him.  Now we were desperate to bleach all the surfaces in the house where it had been...but didn't have any water to start cleaning. So, we wait. Finally, a few hours later the water is turned on and the house is torn apart and rat poison is scattered in various parts of the house. Later than night, we accidentally left our gate open (a remote controlled gate that leads to our driveway). Around midnight, our neighbors come up our walk yelling at us to close the gate. The woman was pounding on our door telling us we should check our backyard for intruders. Terrified, we called the convent and Jordan and Fray Victor came over to search the yard in the dark for us.

Overall, I think Costa Rica kicked our communal butt that day, but it was certainly an exciting way to start off the rest of our time together!

Last Friday, we headed back to Alajuela with Friar Rick and Jordan for our ReOrientation retreat. We spent three days with the friars there learning more about Franciscan spirituality and revising our community goals for the year. We put together the following presentation for Rick and Jordan when they asked us what we planned to do for the second half of our year...and it took them a while to realize we weren't being serious at all!

Volcanic hot springs!

On Sunday, we all went on a little trip to La Fortuna, a town at the base of Volcan Arenal, an active volcano. La Fortuna is home to natural hot springs and has turned into a tourist hot spot. After checking into a hotel outside the town, FrancisCorps treated us to an afternoon and evening in one of the 'spas' where the hot spring run. It was an absolutely beautiful place, filled with people from all over the world and beautiful springs. We spent a couple hours in the baths and even hit the wet bar for a drink! 

The next morning we went to a series of suspension bridges and walked through all different levels of the rain forest that looks out on Arenal. Again, it was absolutely beautiful .We saw some cool wildlife and had great weather. Unfortunately we never got to see the top of Arenal because it was so cloudy. We seem to have bad luck as a group with clouds and volcanoes! Nevertheless, it was a great trip :)

Suspension bridges

Me and Margie!

Since Centeno is still closed, I went to work with Margie and Molly this week. I spent most of the week at Margie's day care hanging out with the little ones. They're so fun to be around and simply shower us with affection and silliness. They remind me of my Urban Compass kids, but are even younger. I'll be there for the next two weeks until the school year starts!  The highlight of being back has been that the weather has certainly changed...it's sunny every day and hasn't rained much at all. FINALLY! I'm hoping to 'aprovechar' (take advantage of) the good weather as much as possible in the next few months before it changes back to rainy season again!  

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!