Expect the Unexpected

In Costa Rica, one of the most said "dichos" (sayings) is "Si Dios quiere." Literally, this phrase, means "if God wants it" and is spoken hundreds of times a day and almost as automatically as we say "fine-thanks-and-you?" It often follows an "hasta luego" or "I have to do tal y tal cosa," (such and such a thing) or really anything that implies "i have planned - however so loosely - to do something in the near, not so near, or far away future." Yes, it's vague and multi-functional. However, in my year as a volunteer here in Costa Rica, I have learned that there really is something to it. Whether or not you or I or whoever uses the words "Si Dios quiere" believes that God is behind every event, accident, coincidence, or plan, there is a lot of truth and wisdom in the letting-go of control.
I cannot even begin to count how many times this year I've left school one afternoon only to find out later, and often not until it's too late, that my students wouldn't be coming the next day, that a coworker had gotten sick/injured and would be out for weeks, that there was a last minute event planned or canceled, or that - in the most recent case - a sinkhole on a highway has caused all classes to be canceled. (More on that in a moment). Plans have been made, changed, and canceled so many times and in so many ways that it's hard to keep track of the whys and hows of logistics. It's easier, almost, and oddly comforting, to tack on the "Si Dios quiere" as a way of saying "don't plan your life around this!"

I like to think that a lot of things do have to do with God's will for us, but I also recognize a huge cultural difference in the acceptance of responsibility and control. As a born and raised gringa, who has so far thrived in an overly organized, highly planned, responsibility based society, it's been challenging to adapt to the take-it-as-it-comes attitude that many people, including professionals, adopt in Latin America. Efficiency and responsibility are certainly present in theory, but what I've seen in practice has been a bit different.  I'm not saying they're wrong. I'm not saying I'm wrong. I'm saying these are two really different worlds, with life philosophies that are complex, multifaceted, and influenced by all sorts of historic, religious, and social factors. Each has many pros and many cons, and in a perfect world, we'd find a happy medium. I also happen to think a perfect world wouldn't be all that interesting, so I'm content to keep exploring our current one.

Now, back to that whole sinkhole thing. Today was to be my last day of work on campus at Centeno Guell.  Mid-year vacation begins on Monday, so even though I'll be in Costa Rica for two more weeks, I won't have school. I left my classroom yesterday in a bit of a hurry, intent on getting home to get a head start on writing my thank-you notes, making little gifts for my students, and rehearsing what I wanted to say to the many many co-workers I had planned on despediring today. (That's Spanglish for "saying goodbye to"). I hadn't planned on being on campus tomorrow because my group is planning on having a 'Goodbye Caro/Happy Vacation' party at one of the students homes. Now, even if I did go tomorrow I wouldn't find any of my co-workers because the Ministry of Education canceled all classes for schools in the areas in and around San Jose where traffic may be affected by the sinkhole. Sinkhole, you ask? Yes. After a very strong storm the other night, a piece of the highway between San Jose and Alajuela (where the airport is) caved in. The hole is about 4 meters deep and is causing a ton of traffic issues.  So, naturally, there's no school today. Naturally.

Trust me, despite my sarcasm, I am sensitive enough to the situation to recognize that this is dangerous, people's lives are in jeopardy, and patience will certainly be tested on this highway while it's being repaired. But the other part of me - the part of me that says there are no excuses to be made when it comes to education and supporting student success - is disappointed. And yet another part of me - the selfish part that wanted to say goodbye and thank the many people at Centeno who have made this year what it was - is a little sad and a little bitter. ("Like, really? Today of all days?")
But, oh, Carolyn, don't you know? That's where the lesson lies! Don't put off til tomorrow what you could do today. Expect the unexpected. Let Go and Let God. Go with the flow. Cherish every moment as if it's the last. If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. Okay, okay, I get it. Meanwhile, I'm going to keep working on those thank-you notes and hope that I get to see my students and their parents tomorrow for one last goodbye, si Dios quiere...

The past few weeks have been filled with lots of ups and downs, and realizations that my time here in CR is quickly drawing to a close. Here's a quick update of some of the stuff we've been up to!

• Nicole and I went to a concert at our friend Josue's church to see Tapon, a Costa Rican reggae/reggaeton artist, perform. Apparently he started out as a pretty mainstream singer but in the last decade or so has been producing Christian music. The show was good (and we got to see Josue play at the end too!) and certainly different...how many Christian reggaeton concerts have you been to?  
• Margie, Arthur (the volunteer at St. Francis for the summer) and I took a bus to Coronado one Saturday just for kicks. We got on a bus that passes by our house all the way to the end of the line, got off, and navigated our way to the center of Coronado on foot. It was really fun, and a neat way to see a new town. The church in Coronado is strikingly different from most others we've seen here, and the park in  town was pretty hopping, which made for great people watching.
• Jordan came to town for a week! He was here for a few days before our Summer Retreat, which took place at a cute retreat center up in the mountains. Friar Jorge accompanied us for part of the retreat too, which was very special. 
• The day after the retreat, we went to La paz, a waterfall garden that has been turned into a huge tourist hot spot, complete with a beautiful hotel, various restaurants, and all sorts of other attractions - jungle cats, birds, butterflies, snakes, etc.   It was a beautiful day together!
• Nicole turned 23! To celebrate, we made ice cream sundaes and went out to our favorite Mexican place, in that order :)
• Margie, who had been pretty sick, decided to head home a little early to recuperate before our final retreat in Syracuse in July. It was sad to see her go, and it's weird to have only two people in this big, beautiful house, but she's doing better now that she's home. 
• At Centeno, my students were out of school for about 3 weeks because Guiselle was sick, so I was working with the group next store. I was so sad that my kids were out because it was last few weeks of work with them, after having spent about 8 months with them every day.  Fortunately they found someone to fill in, finally, so they should all be back next week.  Working with the other group was fun, but there were usually more adults than students since anyone who would have been working with my group was there.  
• Yesterday my coworkers threw me a surprise goodbye lunch, which was so sweet. Through a series of very sneaky plans, they decorated the room, collaborated on a delicious meal, and sent me home with some pretty gifts and memories (ictures to come!).    

That's it for now...one more week of work left then a bit of traveling before heading back to the states...updates to come, I promise!


Enjoy some photos :)

Jordan's buddy

pretty!

true friendship

birthday girl!

And then there were three...

proudly sporting Lonestar shirts

This past week, Molly left us for Notre Dame, where she will spend the next two summers working on a Master's of Education while teaching full-time in Brownsville, TX during the school year. To send her off in style, we had many "goodbye" activities with various friends of our community. The first in the series of events was a trip to Lonestar, a tex-mex restaurant in Coronado. We went with Friar Michael, Marta, her son Charlie, and our new friend Arthur, a US college student who is staying at the friary for the summer.  Later we were joined by most of the friars and Yamy! We shared a lot of laughs and some delicious margaritas.

The next evening, Molly and I were invited to dinner and a sleep-over with Marlyn and Juan Gabriel. Juan Ga is a student in my class at Centeno as well as a patient at the clinic where Molly has worked. He and his mom, Marlyn, are two very special people who we have grown to love a lot this year. Marlyn insisted on having us over for the night as a way to say thank you. Sure enough, she spoiled us rotten with lasagna, presents, and a delicious breakfast. We loved being able to spend time with Juan Ga as well!

last group shot!

Last Saturday evening, we had a community night out on the town to celebrate Molly's departure. We went to an Italian restaurant in the center of Moravia and enjoyed some fantastic food and wine and community time.  Before dinner, we enjoyed preprandials (the fancy friar word for cocktail hour) at home and reminisced about community memories, silly stories about Molly, and other random and funny things that have happened this year. Arthur was along for the ride, so I think he got to know us pretty quickly. (Thankfully, we didn't' scare him away...he must be brave.)

Collage for Molly

The "last supper" with Molly on Wednesday was an assortment of all her favorite foods...or at least the ones we've eaten most frequently in Costa Rica. We made plaintains, yuca fries, mac and cheese, and frijoles molidos in her honor. Now she's safe and sound at Notre Dame...and we miss her already!

This week at work was a little crazy, but hasn't every week been? We had classes Monday and Tuesday per usual where we have been working on Father's Day art projects. On Wednesday, I helped out with the class next store since my kids didn't come in. On Thursday, I joined Guiselle and Ale (the teacher and assistant I work with) on a home visit to two of the families in my group. It was really interesting to see where my kids live and what their home lives are like. I've now seen 4 homes and they're all so welcoming. I really enjoyed the day, especially because it was something a little different than usual.

Also this week, I joined Nicole at the afterschool program she helps organize with students from St Francis. Twice a week, a group of about a dozen students loads into a mini-bus to go to La Isla, a community in Moravia that is markedly different from the area that St. Francis is in. The community is extremely poor, which is evident in everything from the homes, the roads, the schools, and the way people dress. In this program, St. Francis students help tutor little kids from La Isla and teach English classes to the older kids. I helped Nicole with English...it was so much fun. I hope to continue helping out for the few weeks we have left!

I'm down to four weeks left of work, and they'll certainly fly by! Hope summer is off to a great start back home. Sending much love up north!

 Fun picture:

Gecko showdown in the kitchen sink

 

Beginning the Bucket List

A few weeks back, my community created a Bucket List of the things we wanted to do together before leaving Costa Rica. We wanted to get an early start since Molly is leaving us at the end of May (ack, that's next week!) for ACE. The first item on the agenda was a visit to La Capilla de la Negrita, the national Marian shrine. We went with Yamy's family, Friar Michael, who has been staying here for the past month to learn Spanish, and Marta.

The basilica, which is located in the colonial city of Cartago, was absolutely beautiful inside and out. The story of the basilica goes that a young woman, Juana, found a black statue of Mary atop a rock one day when she went to fetch firewood. She brought it home with her, only to discover it missing later. She returned to the stone and found the statue was back in it's place. She took it home again, only for the same thing to happen over and over again. Eventually when the story reached the Bishop, the church was built around this miraculous stone. Every year, people make a pilgrimage on foot from all over Costa Rica to visit the Basilica on August 2, the day the statue was first discovered. After making the walk, they enter the church on their knees bringing all sorts of offerings and bathing in the holy waters to heal their ailments. Even during mass, men and women enter the church on their knees and 'walk' from the entrance to the altar as a prayer of intercession to the Virgin. At first it stuck me a bit odd that people coming down the center aisle on their knees mid-mass, but it's an oddly beautiful devotion.

After hearing mass and exploring the grounds of the basilica, we got back on the bus that Yamy had rented for the day and headed to some beautiful miradores (look-outs). We were on and off the bus seeing ruins of old churches, breathtaking views, and even ended up in the midst of a feast day procession in the rural Valle del Orosi. We found ourselves stuck in the traffic, so the five gringas and Yamy hopped off the bus to see what was going on. We landed ourselves in the line for a spalsh of holy water from the parish priest. He was actively yelling at us to get out of the way, but his right hand man implored him to "Echele a la gringa, Padre" (Get the gringa, Father!), so we ended up with a blessing after all.

Echele!

the girls :)

Later last week, we threw another despedida (goodbye party) for some of our gringo student teacher friends whose time is up here in CR. We're sad to see them go, but grateful that we have such a beautiful house and yart to host a fun little sendoff for them.


At school last week we celebrated Dia del agricultor (Agruculture Day). My group and our neighborhing class were responsible for coordinating the assembly for the whole department. After the traditional flag salute and singing of the national anthem, two of our students put on a puppet show about farming; they did a great job! Afterwards we had a little "feria" where students went around to different tables tasting fruits and veggies. I must say, the moms outdid themselves and provided an incredible spread of fruits. The day was certainly a success, and we all looked the part in our "campesino" costumes!

The set and trees we gave away to all the students

Puppet show!

This past weekend the four of us were super busy painting a mural at the daycare where Margie works. Nicole comissioned some students from St. Francis to volunteer their time and talents to plan and paint two walls in the daycare - one of an underwater scene and the other of a Costa Rican jungle. Though they took care of the preparations drawing of the scenes, we all helped paint. I must say, they turned out great! Even though painting is not one of my strongest suits, I realized that two years of doing daily arts and crafts has certainly paid off!


Last night, we checked off another item on our Bucket List - "wine and chocolate night" came after dinner and while we watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. We talked about the biblical symbols and allegory as we watched and enjoyed some guilty pleasure treats after two longs days of painting. We've still got a few more items to go before Molly ships off to Notre Dame next week, so we better get moving!

One last thing...do you know what this is? I sure didn't before coming to Costa Rica. This fruit is called granadilla. You eat that slimy white part and black seeds on the inside. It's a bit tart but tastes delicious as juice (with lots of sugar, of course, as all the "natural frescos" are prepared). Friar Michael's first reaction to this was that it looked less like fruit and more like space food...I can't say I disagree!

Til next time...thanks for following along as always!  

JVs, meet FrancisCorps

Zach!

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting six friends from JVC in Costa Rica.  You might remember hearing about my housemates from Casa Dorothy Kazel in LA - John, Zach, Julie and Cara. All four of them, plus another LA JV, Ben, and Julie's friend, Rosemary, came down to Costa Rica for their very own Spring Break 2012.  The first crew arrived on the evening of Thursday May 3rd. The following day, we got up early and hopped a bus North of San Jose to a national park where we went ziplining. First we got a little tour of the rain forest, from our trusty guide Juan Miguel. We then spent about two hours flying through the clouds and enjoying the beautiful scenery in the park. I knew that our trip was off to a good start when Rosemary told me that was one of the coolest things she's done in her life :)

Me, Rosemary, Julie, Cara, & Zach

That evening, John and Ben joined us and we threw Zach a birthday party at my house, pinata and all. We invited some of our other friends over, but the JVC crew stuck together, singing Colder Weather and catching up on the past few months. I enjoyed introducing my JVC and FrancisCorps communities to each other, especially because they have both heard a lot about the other and could now put faces to the names and funny stories I've shared. I also really enjoyed being able to share my life in Costa Rica with my JV friends, since they - more than anyone - have a solid context to understand this whole life-in-community/volunteering/being-far-from-home thing.

Reunited with the Pacific

birthday boy!

On Saturday morning we hit the road to Manuel Antonio, the absolutely beautiful national park about 3 hours south of San Jose. As soon as we got to the hostel, we changed into bathing suits and practically ran down to the beach. It was still a gorgeous afternoon on the beach, and the gang was happy to be able to swim and relax on the Pacific. I made friends with a rather pesky man who was trying to get us to buy happy hour drinks from him. Even though we kept declining, he told me I should bring all my friends back to Manuel Antonio (so if you're reading this and still want to come, I've got just under two months left here!)  After a yummy dinner and some birthday flan for Zach on Saturday evening, we hung out at the hostel catching up on life and 'breaking down the issues,'  as Casa JD would say last year. I really miss the kinds of conversations we used to have over dinner and at parties last year - they were ridiculous, intellectual, and hilarious, and passionate - so it felt good to have a dose of that here in CR.

nature walk!

On Sunday, we walked through the park and saw tons of animals: deer, sloths, lizards, monkeys, etc. We camped out on the beach for a while and swam, but eventually had to call it quits because the tide was so strong, and was coming in quickly. Before we knew it, one wave snuck up on the side of us and literally washed us out. Though we initally lost some shoes and books, the boys did an excellent job of chasing everything down. Unfortunately not everything made it back in great condition, so we decided to go back to the first beach for a bit. After a little more swimming, an attempt at drying out our stuff, some monkey-watching, and a brief photo-shoot, we headed out of the park and back to the hostel to change for dinner. Again we found a great happy hour and just sat for hours enjoying each other's company. Everyone seemed quite content.

Casa DK Reunited :) :) :)

On Monday morning, we stole a few more hours in the sun and surf before heading back to San Jose. When we got back, Margie - the MVP of the weekend - had dinner all ready and waiting for us. The next morning, everyone but Zach and Cara hit the road back to the airport. I couldn't believe how quickily our time together went! After getting them off safely, Zach, Cara, and I walked the length of San Jose twice seeing some sights, meeting some crazy people (namely the bathroom attendant in La Sabana who hummed the entire US national anthem for us in a way that eerily sounded just like a trumpet)  and filling each other in on life. The both took off the next day and I was quite sad to see them go. JVC was such a beautiful experience for so many reasons, one of which being that my housemates are like four more brothers and sisters. I'm so grateful that of the friends that came to visit, half live in DC and will be a relatively short drive away come this summer. John Don lives in NYC so I hope to see him lots since I'll be right across the river. Zach is a bit farther away in Nebraska where he is in law school. Regardless, I felt like one lucky lady to have so many visitors this spring!  One of the best parts of being in Costa Rica has been sharing my life and this beautiful country with people I love when they've come visit. Now it's back to full weeks of work (this will be my first since February between all the traveling, visitors, and holidays in the last 3 months!) for less than two months. Then it's back to the states and off to Newark, NJ where I will finally begin my teaching career!  

  

FJVs do Costa Rica

 

Border Run!

After our visitors were safely home back in Syracuse, Molly, Margie, Nicole and I embarked on a four day "paid vacation" to Panama. See, since we don't have visas here in Costa Rica, we need to leave the country every 90 days for at least 72 hours to avoid being fined.  Last weekend fell just about 90 days from when we came back from Christmas break in the US and 90 days before our flight home in July, so we hit the road. Er, actually, we hit the road...and the bridge...and the water...and more water.  Our destination was Bocas del Toro, a touristy island off of Panama. To get there, we used almost every form of ground transportation we could...two cabs, a bus, two water taxis, and a slightly scary walk across the bridge that serves as the designated border crossing between the two countries.  The journey took almost 10 hours each was but was totally, absolutely, 100% worth it.

Our hostel was located an a smaller island off of Bocas on Red Frog Beach (yes, named in English). The hostel itself was really cool, and the four of us had our own very tiny room.   The beach was just a 10 minute 'jungle walk' away. The water was so clear that you could actually see through waves as they broke on the shore...it was amazing! There were very few people on the beach for most of the day, so it was quiet and pretty peaceful. The water was warm but refreshing and the surf wasn't rough at all...perfect for floating :) We had two absolutely perfect beach days and some quiet evenings in the hostel hanging out together, cooking dinner, playing ping pong, and relaxing. All in all, great trip! Panama was beautiful, and noticeably cheaper than Costa Rica (and on the US dollar).

our teeny tiny room

perfection.

Last Monday, the day after our trip, marked a brutal to the rainy season. It has been raining every day, just like it did back in the fall.  We've also had thunder and lightning almost every day which is different. I was back to work on Monday and all my coworkers were glad to hear that "everything was fixed" with my visa...they seemed a little concerned/confused that I had to leave the country! I realized also that I haven't worked a full 5 days week since February between my visitors, Semana Santa, Panama, and classes being canceled. On Thursday there was a strike (against a new budget for public employees, I believe) so we had no school. On Friday (and tomorrow and Tuesday) there were all day staff conferences for student analysis that I didn't need to attend, so I've been at the daycare with Margie! Working there is a really fun change of pace and the kids know me pretty well, which is nice.

This is what the street looked like in front of our house during the rain yesterday!

My weekend - the first in a while that hasn't been  on the road or with visitors - was pretty relaxing.  We checked out "la calle," a street filled with bars and clubs near the University of Costa Rica with some of our friends last night. It was hoppin', that's for sure. Even though we didn't stick around too long, it was nice to be around people our own age...the whole street certainly felt like a college scene!

That's all for now...thanks for reading :)

Semana Santa

Most of Costa Rica shut down - or at least slowed down - last week for Holy Week. My school was closed for the week as were the other girls sites so we kept ourselves busy!

Saturday: We had another family movie day. This time we went to Multiplaza Escazu, an enormous, upscale mall about 20 minutes outside San Jose. We went to see The Hunger Games (so good!) because we have all flown through the books in the last few weeks. (I'm team Peeta all the way!)

#1 Fans!

Sunday: For Palm Sunday, I went to mass at St. Francis where we had a little procession through the campus with our palms and a really nice liturgy with Friay Jorge. He says a wonderful mass, and Palm Sunday was beautiful. All the other friars, along with members of the third order, go "on mission" for Holy Week, meaning they go to rural communities that don't have enough clergy to officiate services, so Jorge was responsible for everything in Moravia this week!  Later in the afternoon, we went to another Saprissa game and stood in the craziest fan section.  We escaped early, but the police literally barricade the fans who stand there in until the opossing team has left the stadium to avoid altercations.  Afterwards our friend Mary led us to the original Chifrijo bar/resturant in Tibas, the town next to ours. I had my first chifrijo, which is a dish with pork, beans, and a yummy salsa served with tortilla chips. So good!

Monday: Four of our six fellow Francis Corps Volunteers came down on Monday from Syracuse where they are doing their year of service. We were really excited to spend time with the girls, whom we haven't seen since orientation but who we Skype with about once a month.  We just hung out on Monday and caught up on our placements, community happenings, and what life's like in Syracuse and Moravia.

Tuesday: We hopped a bus to Puerto Viejo, a small town in the province of Limon on the Carribean coast. It was our first trip to the Carribean side of the country and the view from the bus was noticably different than going south! The landscape was distinct and we passed a lot of banana plantations and produce distribution centers. I must have seen hundred of Chiquita Banana logos! When we arrived in Puerto Viejo we walked about 20 minutes to our hostel, a spot called Rockin J's which is just that - rockin'. Literally - we slept in hammocks! When we arrived we put on our bathing suits and walked down to the beach in the rain carrying nothing since the clouds were quite forboding. It's a good thing, too, because we got stuck in a torrential downpour. Margie and I actually played outside in it for a while - I mean, when else do you just happen to be in a bathing suit when it's raining and it's warm out! It was so fun :)

Margie's bed

Wednesday: We spent Wednesday on the beach, which was very different from the beach on the Pacific coast. The shore itself was narrower and the sand was a very different texture. The waves were great, though, and there were a lot of surfers. The sun wasn't out all day which made the heat bareable and saved our skin from getting burned. Later that evening we enjoyed happy hour and a typical Limon dinner of "rice and beans" (yup, it's name is in English), which is an Afro-Carribean dish with rice and red beans cooked in coconut milk. Yum!

left our mark at the hostel!

Thursday: Our bus home was on Holy Thursday since we wanted to be back in Moravia for Triduum happenings. We went to mass at St Francis in the evening. Instead of a whole-community foot washing, Fray Jorge had twelve men in the altar with him throughout the whole service, and he washed their feet. It was a nice service, but of course we were nudging each other and exchanging "where are the women??" glances.  At the end of the service, he pointed out the visiting Syracuse volunteers to the congregation and proudly explained who they were and talked about how FrancisCorps is a great example of living the Gospel. It was really nice to hear and to see him so happy to have us there!

Friday: We rallied early for the Viernes Santo procession in San Jose. We arrived at the starting point and followed the whole procession for about two hours. It ended outside the Catherdral, where there was a little theatrical reenactment of the Passion and some beautiful music. There were SO many people all around, but somehow we managed to have great views of the whole event.  Afterwards we went to Wendy's for an energy boost because it was literally the only place open --besides the other US based fast food chains in San Jose.  Later that evening we went to church at San Vincente in Moravia and watched the beginning of the second procession "to the tomb," which was quite somber.

 

Saturday: On Saturday Molly and I had an adventurous day running around and exploring our neighborhood and collecting firewood from a park. We cleaned the house and did the shopping for Easter while the rest of the girls went zip-lining. When they got home we had dinner and had a little bonfire (our own versin of the Easter Vigil fire!).

Sunday: We all dressed up and went to Easter mass at St. Francis, then came home and cooked and ate away the rest of the day. First we made brunch - mimosas, gallo pinto, pancakes, potatoes, and eggs.  Later in the afternoon, Friar Jorge and Yamy surprised us with a visit, so we whipped up some platanos, guacamole, and pico de gallo, to go with their chicken. Even later (after watching - and crying through - the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) we made homemade empanadas! Overall it was a delicious day, shared with great friends.

Phew, that was long! But it was a busy and very fun week. I hope you had a blessed, beautiful, Easter!