My Last Friday in Costa Rica...

Hello again! I must admit that I really enjoy writing these updates. By the time I finish writing each entry, I feel like I’ve just finished having a conversation with you…


Yesterday, I got back from my November home: Heredia, Barva, San José de la Montaña, Paso Llano, which is up in the mountains, and absolutely gorgeous (and cold). I lived on a family compound in which the grandparents, and each of their five adult children and their families each have a house within about 15 second walking distance of each other. I lived with my host mom, Shirleny, my host dad, Rafa, and 4 sisters, Cindy, Daniela, Saray, and Bárbara. I really enjoy the culture of having all of your family close. Everyone constantly visits each other in order to borrow sugar, talk some gossip, or coo over the youngest baby. Since most of my extended family live at least 1 ½ away from my hometown, I enjoyed getting to experience a really close-knit family.

Before arriving in Paso Llano, my professor asked me in what capacity I wanted to work during this community experience. Everything I mentioned he said that I wasn’t really able to do. I finally mentioned that I didn’t really want to work with kids; they’re just not my calling in life. So he found me a job…in an elementary school.

The school was quite different from my elementary education experience, and I learned a bit about the educational system here in Costa Rica, and formed a few opinions, but I won’t bore you with those here. I mostly ended up working with my host mom in the kitchen. She was the cook for the school of about 50 kids, although no more than 25 or 30 were there at a time. On the second or third day, Shirleny told me that I was the best cook of the students that she has hosted. Granted, the only thing she’d seen me do was chop some fruits and vegetables, but I’ll take the compliments where I can get them. I was able to learn how to cook a few tasty Costa Rican dishes, which was exciting. I also helped out with the kinder class, and one day taught the 1st grade. The teacher told me to work on math for about 2 hours, so I prayed, and was able to hold their attention for that long. After lunch, she said, “Ok, now it’s time for you to teach them Spanish!” That was interesting, since they speak Spanish about 132 times better than I do.

At one point, I went to a 4x4 track cut into the side of a mountain with some family members, and it was SO redneck. I felt quite at home. There was a kind of bar set up, about half of the people were wearing cowboy boots, and the DJ (who was the best DJ I’ve ever heard) played country mix that began with “Achy Breaky Heart.”

To give you a little slice of the last 3 weeks, here’s a little story: On the last night, we had a going-away/birthday fiesta for me and my host dad. I was leaning up against the counter in the kitchen chatting with my cousin and my grandpa. I said I would like to come back to visit someday, and my grandpa said that the door is always open. It was a sweet moment which was interrupted by my cousin Pablo pointing to the door and saying, “Actually, it’s closed.” My family was quite entertaining.

I learned a lot about the differences between my reality and theirs, but I think I learned more about myself, as I tried to work through difficulties and frustrations. God taught me several things, and I’ll share one thing that is extremely cliché. But let’s face it, clichés become clichés because they’re accurate, right? I take my education for granted. I went to a (generally) good public school system, and now I’m able to live on a university campus and study. However, this is not the case for many people both inside and outside of the United States. At the school where I worked, one teacher was in charge of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and she lamented to me about how she’s not able to give them the attention that they really need. My 22 year old host sister got up at 4:30 every morning in order to go into San José to the university and to work. Each night she returned about 8:30, just in time for everyone to go to bed. And I complain when I have to roll out of bed at 7:53 for my 8 o’clock class. And because many people do not achieve a university-level education, they are often unable to get better jobs.

I have a couple of days left here in Costa Rica, and on Sunday I am off for Cuba! I’m pumped about that. I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn about another reality that is so far removed from my own. Pray that it is a fantastic learning experience, and pray for safety, as my mom is a teensy bit worried :-) We fly back to San José on Monday, the 7th, to Miami on the 8th, stay there for some debriefing, and then I fly home on Thursday the 10th. Please pray for safe travels for everyone. I love yall and so appreciate your thoughts and prayers. See you in the States!

P.S. Happy late Thanksgiving! In order to celebrate, some friends and I had lunch at KFC yesterday. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits are pretty American, right?