Post-trip reflections by Jacob

Wow, what a trip! ¡UURica! was an outstanding success in every respect. We did some important work for the community of La Promesa. We bonded emotionally with Costa Ricans of every stripe, from our host families to the people we served to the guides on our boat trip, and we shared each others’ culture and knowledge. We connected deeply with each other in the group, and there were no major conflicts between anyone as far as I could tell. We learned, saw, and experienced a great deal. We lived our UU values and have returned home from a voyage that none of us will ever forget.

I can’t begin to summarize all my thoughts and feelings about the trip, but here are a few comments:

Among the Costa Ricans, I was constantly impressed by what UUs would call respect for the interdependent web. From my host father expounding about global dependence on oil, to the shaman apprentice describing the medicinal uses of every plant, to the excited children who wanted to look for critters under rocks with me, I was constantly reminded of the importance of nature. These enlightened attitudes and values of ordinary ticos are reflected in Costa Rica’s progressive national government, with its universal health care, widespread system of parks, and no military. Our country could learn a lot from them.

I am so proud of all of the youth who went on this trip. I am always amazed by the magnitude of their hearts, brains, and spirits. They stepped out of their comfort zones to interact with both children and adults. We didn’t always have detailed instructions for our construction projects, but the youth always rose to the challenge and figured out what to do, then worked hard to get the job done. They made sure everyone in the group was getting along and having a positive experience.

So many of the people we met have led such inspiring lives. The women of La Promesa who have risen above oppression, family abuse, drug addiction, and a host of other problems to form their increasingly healthy community. Gail, who has dedicated her life to serving the poor, and who seems pulled in all directions by the many commitments she has made, yet keeps her sanity and remains smiling. The indigenous people, who are facing the very difficult task of holding onto their traditional wisdom while joining with modern society. Perhaps most of all, the children such as little Keyla, who have already faced so much injustice, and yet keep their spunk and positive attitude and keep on growing.

The departure scene on Wednesday was touching. It was Mother’s Day in Costa Rica, and everyone had gotten flowers for their host mother. There were many, many tearful eyes as we said our goodbyes. I was struck by how closely we had bonded in two weeks with people of another culture, with whom some of us could barely even communicate verbally. It occurred to me that I was observing what peace looks like. If two distinct groups of people can become so connected in our hearts in so short a time, there is hope for the world.

Finally, as biologist I was overjoyed at the sheer diversity of life in Costa Rica. If anyone is interested, I’ve written in more detail about our encounters with wildlife during ¡UURica! on my blog, Salamander Candy.

A few photos:

Heather with toad

Amanda and Emily shoveling

Starting the roof

patting down the dirt

soccer stars!

waiting for the grapefruit

the fruits of our labor being used

Thank you so much to everyone who made this trip what it was!

Posted by Jacob

The "Mama Ticas" with the flowers we gave them for Mothers Day.

This is our group at La Promesa where we worked

This is after we all played soccer

This is at Las Musas

We all arrived safely back from a wonderful trip.

Nathan

Writing from Tortuguero

Hello all,
Here we are in Tortuguero - our expedition outside of Piedades. For the last two nights, we stayed at a place called Hotel Happyland! It was wonderful to travel from there to meet the indigenous people, hear their language, buy their crafts, and see their way of life.
I don't feel that I've heard altogether new information, but to actually see and hear about it in person is amazing. To meet a man who makes $2 a day working for Dole in order to feed nine children is so different. This is so much more human than hearing about people who are starving or in poverty through the media. We constantly hear those stories, but on this trip the reality is bringing connection rather than guilt. Here, we also see these people happy where they are -enjoying a different culture and often more spiritual way of life. Money goes so far for some of these people we are meeting, but the connection is different than just making a donation from home. We also see many schools sponsered by the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation - which I have noticed directly translates to being sponseried by Gail. Gail's guidance on this trip is inspiring to me. I love this group and all I experience in beautiful Costa Rica.
Much love,
Kayla

Some of the wildlife of Costa Rica

Troy

I feel so into the routine of being here already, I don´t think I can leave. Getting to know my host family has been so much fun. Our family has two sisters, Angie and Cynthia and a brother, Steven. Joy and I have gotten to know Steven and his cousin Diego very well. We´ve played uno and monopoly or Monopolio en spanish with them. It´s been amazing to find how much you can communicate with mostly body language. I feel like we´ve gotten to know them really well in such a short time. This seems amazing to me especially with the language barrier. Us speaking little spanish and our family speaking little english has showed me the importance of body language and how much you can say to a person just with the look on your face.

Working at la Promesa has been very inspiring. The first day when the women shared there stories was very emotional and really motivated me to help them. One thing I´ve noticed working with the children is how curious they are about cameras. When they see one of us with one they want to use it themselves and even the mothers love to have their pictures taken. Gail explained to us that none of the mothers have pictures of their children, because it was just be to difficult and expensive to buy the cameras and film and then have the pictures printed. I like most or all of us have grown up with cameras and have always had pictures of our family and friends. I wasn´t surprised that the children were curious about cameras, but the mothers´interest made me realize that there are so many things we take for granted. Overall it´s been so inspiring to see that these women have changed so much and to see how happy and grateful they are for all the things that they do have and for how their lives are now.

Something else that has shocked me is how beautiful it is everywhere you go. For example looking out the window of the building at la Promesa you see this gorgeous green valley just covered in trees. Just above the valley there are powerlines. My first reaction was that they shouldn´t be able to put powerlines in such a beautiful place. Then I realized that the whole country is so beautiful, and they have to put them somewhere. Overall this trip has been an amazing experience, and we´re only halfway through.

Emily Simmons

Kelley

What a great week it has been so far. It is so fun to finally have all the different members of the group that has worked so hard together this past year on fundraising, planning and all the others activities that needed to happen to make this trip possible. I am so impressed by all the youth on this trip. They are such a kind, thoughtful, inciteful and hardworking group. They also know how to have fun!

We have seen both poverty and riches here, often all in the same place. The struggles of the women of La Promesa are hard to hear about, but it is also so wonderful to see all they have accomplished. Our project in their community is really going to help them and their families even more. It will also make their neighborhood a more beautiful palce to live in. Their children are really fun to play with, and it is riot to see Alex and Will horsing around with the little kids. It is also impressive to see Troy, Byron, Nathan, Emily G., Alana, kayla, Elise, Aiden, Heather, Hazel, Elena, Joy, Colleen and Adriel handle rocks, shovels, pick axes and more. Sarah, Emily S., Emily B., Barry, Amanda and Ana are great with projects and activities the kids. Gail Nystrom is an amazing human being. I think we are all learning how much is possible when you have a passion for something in life, what ever it may be.

Thanks to all the members of UUFC, families and more who have made this amazing experience possible.

Kayla´s perspective at this very moment...

Thirty-one of us here in Santa Ana...we´re doing so much together and the question does come up ¨how is it different to be here as UU´s than in any other group?¨ After just finishing a full group discussion I´ve got just a couple of thoughts to share on the subject. Some of us came here never having heard of a chalice before. Some have been in R.E. programs for years. And we also have those in this group who are leaders in the fellowship and have chosen to be Unitarian Universalist so deliberately. So we´re all in our own places with what it means to be UU, but we´re also here through that connection.
Gail Nystrom tells us that this group is different because we have worked all year for this experience! Apparentely she often works with ¨troubled youth¨or whatever term applies for those who are sent here to do community service work. But we are here so differently. We are excited to make this progress, to be here, to see so much! And I am loving all of it.
The work at La Promesa is extraordinary! The plants here have so many colors! We went to a beautiful waterfal yesterday and swam under it. So I am enjoying my time here. I love these people I am with and am learning so much. Never before have I been on an international trip where my perspective is changing and my eyes are opening to another culture so much. I really love where I am!
Kayla

A quick something or other from Amanda

Hello everyone
Just a very short and quick note about how this experience has been for me so far.

I am really enjoying both the experience of a new culture and the feeling that I am doing work that will actually impact and improve the lives of many people. I think it is also a good thing that we are going out into the world to see and work with different levels of poverty and get to experience the people of other lands from a different perspective. I am really enjoying my host family as well and I find it so cool that I can communicate with people who do not speak my language, and to put my years of spanish into practical use; with this family we are staying with, Alana and I have had many exciting adventures including nightly hours of playing uno, 80's music, and one frankly hilarious incedent involving an ant, a napkin holder, and hot chocolate. I really love the plant life and the wildlife here - everything is so colorful! The humidity is killing me, but apart from that it is one of the more amazing things I've done in my life. The place where we are working currently (as I´m sure all the other posts state as well) is La Promesa and working to better the quality of life for the women and their families there is really rewarding, wether it be making paths, digging, hauling rocks, plaing cards with the kids (which is a lot of fun, even when they cheat) or any number of other things. The food here is lovely, even though we are overloaded with it everytime we even hint that we are hungry. Well, that was my short entry that turned out to be not quite as short as I was hoping for; I guess I just had more to say than I thought I did. Anyhow, that's all for now. Hasta Luego!

-Amanda

Post by Alana Schaffer

Already the trip is half way over and I´ve gotten so used to the rhythm of life here. There are so many differences and so many similarities. I was struck by how much a community the people in Santa Ana live in. When they drive me to places, they honk and wave at almost everyone. On Saturday night I went with them to mass at the local church. They introduced me to so many people and were excited to show me their culture and way of life.

It´s so hard to know how to help people. And what´s so amazing about working with Gail is that she knows. When I see us making a difference and giving something back to the people of Costa Rica, it blows my mind. I feel like I´m actually making a difference.

Everything is so colorful here. So bright and full of new and exciting surprises and possibilites. We walked down a street in La Carpio and each house front was paintd a different color. To the people living there a sense of ownership and also maybe a feeling of being different and standing out. Rather than blending in with all the other hodge-podge house fronts made of anything they can find. And then I thought about how in the U.S. most of us paint our houses with light faint colors so as to bland in and not stand out. Something about this has always bothered me. Why don´t people paint their houses in bright colors? To me that is so much more beautiful.

Hi from Ana

Hey everyone!
This trip is amazing. I'm having the best time. I can't believe it's already been a week! I've been helping plan this trip for a year, and now here we are! Wow.
I've been working with the kids at La Promesa every day. It's so much fun. I can understand only about two-thirds of what they say, but I still have such a connection with a couple of them. I can't believe we only have two days left at La Promesa. It will be so weird never to see these kids again. They won't even remember me. But I know I'll remember this experience forever. Tomorrow I'm going to work at building and painting, because I want to do that once, but I know I'll miss hanging out with the kids even that one day.
My other favorite thing was probably the indigenous community we visited. It was such a calming, peaceful place. They're so connected to nature. I really wish it was possible for everyone to be so wise about how to live in relation to the earth, and to other people.
Yesterday we visited Las Musas waterfall. It was beautiful. We got to swim underneath the waterfall, which makes one feel incredibly alive.
We're busy constantly, which is why I haven't gotten a chance to email anyone, and all my postcards will get to Corvallis after I do, if I ever do write them. Every day seems to take about a week. But know that I'm having an amazing time here, and I'm thinking of you! (sometimes...)
Love,
~Ana

Still more photos

Here are some more pictures. Be sure to scroll down to my previous two posts to see the others.

The church in Cartago to which millions of Costa Ricans walk in pilgrimage to honor the day of the Patron Saint of the republic:

Inside our bus that takes us around the Santa Ana area: Ana at the fruit market:

Posted by Jacob

Pictures from costa rica

Some pictures from Costa Rica.Inside the basilica in Cartago

Ana holding Keyla. Keyla in a girl whose mom in currently missing.The woman of La Promesa dancing.

A wok for boiling raw sugar cane in.

The children of La Promesa playing in a puddle caused by a broken pipe.

At the sugar cane plantation.

Troy Schaffer

More photos

Here are two more pictures. Scroll down below this post for the previously posted photos.

Colleen with a parrot:

Squeezing the juice from sugar cane the way indigenous Costa Ricans have done for hundreds of years:

Posted by Jacob.

Hello friends!

Costa Rica is fabulous. We are so lucky to have the Humanitarian Foundation working with us. Through the foundation we have been able to take part in activities that normal tourists would have a difficult time gaining access to. Examples include: home stays, taking part in a major community service project along side some locals, visiting an Indian reserve where the emphasis on preserving ones inner spirit and working on natural healing go beyond anything most of us have ever experienced or red about, visiting a sugar farm, and last but not least visiting the poor area of Costa Rica (La Carpio) and seeing an entirely different lifestyle from the one we are familiar with today.

My family is great. From the cold morning showers to the wonderful food, I am really enjoying myself. Living alone with a host family is a golden opportunity for me and I am most grateful that I am able to speak Spanish with my family whenever we are together. My host mother, Isabella, tells me that she would love to take me with the family to see various parts of Costa Rica that are not on our current group agenda. An active volcano, a hill with a good view, and the Pacific Ocean are all on her list of places she would like me to see. For better or for worse, the very busy schedule that UURica has is making extra excursions more difficult than my host mother and I had anticipated.

A quick clarification: the phone cards that we have only last eight minutes, and they are expected to be shared by both youth staying at each house. Calling home is not the easiest thing to do here.

Story time! Last night Berry and Emily Black’s host mother picked them and I up from the ranch that our group was meeting at and brought us all to her house for dinner. I am a neighbor of the girls and because my mama Tica Isabella wasn’t home yet upon my arrival, I went to the girls’ house for dinner. Their father is a true prankster and everyone knows that about him. Naturally, he and I made friends quickly. While we were sitting at the table alone waiting for Emily and Berry to come downstairs for dinner, we decided to play a joke on who ever came down first. We decided to tell whoever it was that the potatoes looking vegetable on her plate was ¨colebra¨ or snake.

Berry arrived and asked me to ask her host father in Spanish ¨what is this¨ and pointed to her vegetable. I did so, and then replied ¨snake. ¨ The look on her face was one of pure shock. I tried to comfort her with the help of her father by telling her that the meat tasted good and by showing her that I had almost finished the generous portion that I had been given. She told me that she actually ate some of it before she knew what it was. I encouraged her to finish it! At that time, her host mother walked into the dining room and realized what was happening. With a laugh followed by a shake of her finger at her husband and I, she broke the news to Berry that the unknown substance in the cooked mixture was merely a vegetable. We all laughed hard. While the father and I tried to repeat the same prank on Emily when she came down from the shower five minutes later, our efforts came to no avail.

I hope all is well in Corvallis. Here I believe that with the exception of a few health related minor technical difficulties, everyone is having a wonderful time. How lucky we are to be able to have such a fabulous time here in Costa Rica while we learn rapidly about what the world is like. I am very much enjoying getting to know each youth and adult better. The ¨inherent worth and dignity¨ of each one makes our entire group unique and fabulous. Thanks to all of you who have made this trip possible for us.

Sincerely, Nathan

P.S. Kudos to Jamie Simmons for taking many great photos.

Message from Michael Molk, Co-DRE for Youth, UUFC

Dear Friends,

Here it is Day 5 already.
After so many months of planning and hard work, we´re finally in Costa Rica!

All the youth and adults are working hard, playing hard, engaging with the local folks, and earnest about understanding what we are experiencing in this different culture. We are having good discussions about the poverty we see; how it squelches people´s opportunities, but not neccessarily their spirits.
I am moved by the children we meet, and by the insights from our youth.
Our schedule is non-stop.
In the mornings we go to the women´s co-operative community to help build a structure where they can sell their handicrafts; we´ve started a small garden, we play and work with the children, and hear the mother´s stories.
Yesterday we visited a very poor community of Nicaraguan immigrants, walked around for a little and met some of the children there, and learned about their struggle with a huge garbage dump.
In the afternoons we´ve been taking various field trips. Today we went to the farmer´s market where we tried various foods; there are so many different fruits and vegetables here that we never see in the States! After that we went to a sugar plantation to see how they process sugar, and then we had a picnic lunch with our host families. Jacob found a giant toad, a large lizard, a leech, and more, which he showed the youth and talked about. There are so many different plants and beautiful butterflies!
So far this trip has gone smoothly (knock on wood!). I see our youth and adults being affected by what we are doing and what is happening around us. It is such a blessing to be here with this intelligent and compassionate group of people. I would wish this experience for all of the youth and adults of our fellowship.
The Spanish is a challenge for me since I have not used it for so long. But it is good to be making the effort to speak to people in their own language. Even when there is not enough time or energy to have a lengthy conversation with everyone, there is still a universal language of the spirit; to look into another person´s eyes, to acknowledge their worth, to smile, to wave, to make a heart connection briefly in this time and place, to recognize our common humanity. These are powerful experiences which can change lives and change the world.
I believe that Life is an Adventure, and I am grateful to all of you who have given financial and moral support to make this adventure possible. Even though we are here and you are reading this somewhere else, we are together on this path, to make the world more just and peaceful, where each and every person´s worth is respected, where the overlooked have a voice, where we recognize our interconnectedness with all living beings. As we realize these things, we can take steps to live in harmony with all of nature; we can begin to take steps to be in "right relationship", to live sustainably, to share the wealth and power.
May all beings be happy, and free from suffering.
Hasta luego,
Miguel Molk

Our day of rest

Today we wound through the mountains, and then walked down a long track that buses and vans fear to tread, to reach a sugar cane plantation. There we learned how to make brown sugar the old fashion way, to wit: Hook two very large draft animals to a long, stout pole to turn two opposing cyclinders that squeeze every last drop of sugar water from stalks of sugar cane. Pour the results into a very large wok-like container over a hot fire to boil down and caramelize the sugar water into a brown, syrupy mass. Pour this into a long, wodden trough and spread it back and forth with a wodden paddle to both cool and beat some air into it. This converts the tarry syrup into a semi-solid paste, which you put into something that looks like a long, wodden muffin tin to create conical blocks of brown sugar. The result was muy sabroso, which means just what you think it means.

This day of fun and edification is a prelude to five days of labor to come. On Friday we made a very good start to our various projects. On Friday we suffered a bit from our lack of knowledge about how to turn a pile of rocks into a viable retaining wall, and the difficulty of digging post holes through rocks, tin cans, and household detrius such as toy telephones. It was hard work. Now I have an inkling of what it means to be a brasero. Despite the frustration, we remain happy about the real value of what we are trying to do, and are determined to attack these obstacles with full force tomorrow morning.

This experience is turning out to be truly rich and satisfying. Gail is a quite amazing person, with a clear vision of how to meet the needs of her disadvantaged clients in solid, practical ways. She is one of the best multi-taskers I have every seen, every day the focus of a net of communications the keeps her many, many concurrent projects on track and making progress. All the youth, and the adult participants, are facing all the new experiences and inevitable issues of travel and social work with enviable patience and endurance.

In short, we are all well, and on track to come home much the richer for our experiences here in Costa Rica.

Photos from Costa Rica

Hello again; this is Jacob. Here are a couple of photos from the past few days. Low resolution, I know, but we are in a very slow Internet cafe.

Playing with the children at a Promesa:

Building a rock wall at La Promesa:

I´ll try to put up another post right after this one.

Reflections from >Gretchen

Hola a Todas -

The days are so full that one has little time to reflect. The trip was smooth and on time, despite other possibilities. I am certain our youth will be telling you their stories and I don´t want to repeat them, so here are few thoughts about the bigger picture:

After only one full day and half of another, it is clear that, as in New Orleans and Translvania, the best thing we do is shine a light of truth on the good work being done by the people there, offer our hands and hearts and treasure in support, and recognize their own groups, like the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation. There are lives that are literally being saved, both of women and children, through this organization. Women are learning that cooperation and collaboration is powerful , even in the face of institutional neglect. Gail Nystrom´s vision of possibility for all the oppressed is inspiring.

The youth are rising to the challenges with care and gusto, using what Spanish they have, then surpassing that with their attention and good humor which is matched by those with whom we are working. It is quite moving to observe them growing day by day into far deeper understanding of the problems and the promise of people in a different culture. They are living the reality that what unites us as human beings is far more powerful than anything that divides us. They will be a blessing to the future of all of life.

Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you who offered your time, talent, and/or treasure to help this come to life. You are essential to this whole process. I hope you will all come to the worship service at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvfallis on Sunday, October 21, to see and hear these fine young people.



with affection and appreciation,
the Rev. Dr. Gretchen Woods

Pura Vida

Hello to all, from Jacob in Central America. Our trip thus far has been a smashing success, with pleasantly uneventful flights, and plenty of eye-opening sights since we arrived. Our enthusiatic host families are making us feel right at home. Marc Betz and I are staying with a young couple and their two wonderful children: a bright and effervescent four-year-old girl, and a sports-loving, cognitively disabled ten-year-old boy. The kids are extremely excited to have us in their house, and we have played soccer, danced, sung songs, and watched their father harvest fruit from their backyard.

This lovely middle-class family stands in striking contrast to the poverty and social injustice we have also witnessed. Our leader in country, Gail Nystrom, is confronted daily with domestic violence, drug abuse, abandoned children, and the other terrible symptoms of economic inequality. We have already met several people, all female, whom Gail has helped transition from a life of chaos toward a life of stability. However, much work remains to be done, and many of her accomplishements are still fragile. While here, we hope we can learn from these people, and share our love and our energy, to help create permanent change.

Emily Black´s Point of View

Hey it´s Emily Black and im pretty sure you all know that we arrived safely in Costa Rica! But first of all this country is AMAZING! I am so so so glad that I was able to be apart of this trip. And I think that everyone would agree that this is definitally a life changing experience. So thank you to everyone who helped us get here and thank you especially to the parents, because no way would we be here without you all. So thanks so much. All of us youth are very happy with our Costa Rican families and they are taking such good care of us. The food is excellent and it´s a really good thing if you like rice and beans because those two foods are very often served. So let me tell you a little about what we have been doing in this beautiful place. Well the first day we went to a very well known gathering that only happens once a year and people from all over Costa Rica walk miles and miles just to be a part of this very religious ceremony, but it was an honor to be apart of it so I am very glad we were able to experience that. And after that we had a very well made lunch and a place called the Rancho which also had a swimming pool which after lunch everyone was in the pool whether they were thrown in or had gotten in themselves. And on the third day which is today we started working with the women and the village that they live in. But first when we got there we were presented a little skit that gave us a little taste of what their life was before their new and better life today, and then following that was a very beautiful dance to show the change of how much better their lives are today. Then we had a little snack which was very delicious and split up into our two working groups. One group was to work in the garden and the other group was to play with the kids and to interact, and I chose to be in the playing with the children group which was so much fun. And even though my Spanish isn´t very good I think by the time I leave I will be so much more confident with this language. So I am very excited to see what happens next in these next few days and man I just am so happy to be here and I cant wait to make an impact on the lives the ones who need it most and I think we have found them and now all we need to do is show them that there is still hope and everything is going to be ok. So thanks again to everyone who made this adventure possible and we miss you all very much. Muchas Gracias!!!!!

Adios!

Emily Black

uurica thus far

hello all, greetings from barry in costa rica! unfortunately half of our group perished on the flight over, and a remaining third have fallen deathly ill.... ha ha nah just kidding! we all made it here safe and sound, and in one piece.

we´ve been communicating (rather primitavely...) with our AMAZING host families. Everyone is very pleased with the families, they´re entertaining and really really nice. OH GOD the food here is DA BOMB! rice and beans can be made SO many different ways! who knew? they dont eat dinner here... granted they eat enormous lunches, they feed us, they just dont eat dinner themselves.

In my homestay I have a 15 year old girl, who like emily and I, hardly knows the other language... I also have a 9 year old boy and a 10 ten year old girl. my host parents are the best. My host dad is a hoot! they love all of the presents we gave them, thank god.

the basilica, was much like the cathedrals in europe, very very different style mind you... but it had that same feel. we came on what so happens to be the celebration of the saint of costa rica! its a HUGE holiday and people walk for miles and miles to come in the basilica and to see the statue of the virgin mary. A great majority enter on thier knees, its really awe inspiring to see that divotion.

today we visited La Promesa, the place where we will be and are working. The story of La Promesa in short goes something like this....
There once was a group of squaters, made up of single mothers, Nicaraguan refugees, and otherwise ¨disabled¨ people. These squaters, often involved in drugs, abuse and crime, lived by a river in a valley so to speak. There were richer people that lived above them and decided that they were sick of looking at the dirt-floored tin-roofed shacks. So in time the government came and evicted them. bulldosed their houses, and extinguised their home. La Promesa is where they live now.

Today we were told the story of a very brave women who was living with her husband when he stabbed her 14 times in the head and knocked all of her front teeth out. she has had 7 children, and because of this man she hasnt seen 3 of her kids in years, they were taken by child welfare. she left her husband to start a new life, which many women arent strong enough to do yet. she lives in La Promesa with 2 children. her other 2 kids were adopted by americans and live in the states. Her Daughter one of these two, just had her 19th birthday, but this women knows nothing but the names of the adoptive parents.

In these past two days, I´ve been exposed to more hardship then ever in my life. I was told yesterday the story of a little girl who´s dad is in jail and who´s mom has been missing for a week now. I was also told that Nicaraguan children start having sex at the age of 9 or 10, usually by uncle or father or neighbor. my host mother told me ¨miran sus padres¨ (they watch thier fathers) while explaining that many start smoking and drugs at 9 or 10 too.

okay I think I´ve about updated you... and the things I havent said will have been said by mis amigos. adios!!!!!

Here we are...second day in Costa Rica!

Wow! Here we are on our second day. Most of the group is currently working either with the garden project or with children right now and Gail just drove five of us over to use the computers.
My homestay is wonderful. Hazel and I live on the same property as Elise and Colleen because our host families are relatives. My first thought upon finding out that I would be with all non-Spanish-speakers was that I would not have as much opportunity to learn, but of course it´s precisely the opposite. Being the only one able to communicate in Spanish really gives me the chance to try out my own Spanish instead of following along behind a more advanced speaker. My eleven-year-old host sister, Jennifer, also speaks some English. Often, we will talk with her speaking mostly English while I am speaking mostly Spanish. Sometimes communication challenges arise when I cannot understand my host mother´s pronounciation of English words - but commication is wonderful overall. I am also finding how the way I communicate differes between the two languages. While writing a journal entry in Spanish last night, I found that it all had to do with what I was doing - while when I write in English it often has far more to do with how I feel and I am able to communicate at so many more levels. So that is why we learn the languages. aha! :)
Yesterday, the highlight of my day was jumping on the trampoline with Elise, Colleen, Hazel, and Jennifer. Jumping as high as we could with such beautiful surroundings and laughing so hard. As it started to rain, our host family assumed we must want to go back inside, but as proud Oregonians we stayed there loving the water droplets cooling us off.
The home we are staying in is extremely nice - extroadinarily clean and what nice furnishing! I had not expected such a beautiful house to be staying in. And as we walk outside there is a stream through the back yard, along with geese, rabbits, and beautiful plants and trees. I´m so glad to be interactcing with both the well-off and those in poverty here - as well as to be in a UU group. Last night, we played a game and talked together and I am so glad the foundation if this group is the fact that we are UU - so our discussions can touch the so many topics and we all have this as our connection.
Time to go back to work. How exciting!
-Kayla

off to costa rica!

on their way--

and listening to all the terrors of wildlife that await (fer de lance! chiggers! flesh eating bot flies! land sharks!)

Thanks, Barb, for the adreniline intro--

Let me try again for that picture....

THEY'RE OFF! (And they're there!)

Thanks to Nathan R and Jamie S, we know our huge crew has made it to Costa Rica! Virgil surfed the web to find their flight arrive to temperate weather (70ish) and near sunset (being near the equator, sunrise is at 6 a.m. and sunset at 6 p.m.). Nathan phoned in and Jamie wrote to say the flight was happily uneventful and everyone seems fine with their homestays. Most of the families speak enough English and some of our travelers enough Spanish that communication's been ok. They spent the day on pilgrimage to a church, swimming, consolidating the donations and getting orientation, which seem a lot for a first day.
Here's a pic of the crew on their way at PDX. If you want to add to the blog and don't have the entry info, email me and I'll clue you.
Jana

Costa Rica is only two months away!

Yay! We will begin our journey in less than two months! Many thanks to everyone who has helped us raise money thus far.

What is ¡UURica!?

This August, 23 high school youth and 8 adults from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, Oregon, will travel to Costa Rica for two weeks to volunteer with the Costa Rica Humanitarian Foundation. We will help create gardens, health clinics, and other community necessities for the poor people living in Costa Rica, many of whom are immigrants. We hope to share some of our culture, learn about Central American culture and socioeconimic realities, and work to build healthy relationships between the people of our two nations. Our Unitarian Universalist principles include: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relationships; and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. The UURica project will allow us to put those principles into practice.

If you would like to help sponsor this project financially, please contact Jacob at brevinin at gmail dot com. Thank you.

Welcome to the Corvallis YRUU Social Activism Project- We call it: ¡UUrica!

Welcome! This is your project blog where a whole lot of stuff about your activities in Costa Rica, is going to get written! Each entry will also serve to introduce this site as a central, interactive communication tool for each of you who are the UUFC-YRUU 2007 activism project's participants, as well as your sponsors, your families back home, the home fellowship community, your fellow UU activist peers across the country, & that of the UU community-at-large, if desired!

Blogging is so handy that it can now make leaving home a more communal and simultaneously, a more immediately shared experience.

Consider that even before leaving all participants can use this site as a fund raising tool! Besides talking with potential supporters, the entire group can back up all their earnest fund raising activities and face-to-face efforts, by providing supporters with the added access to the project blog. The blog becomes a tool right away that helps keep up people's interest of support since everyone can easily check out the depth of your typed in, linked in, and preliminary photographic research about the project, and its location that you have all made available in one place! Other possibilities might be to post a brief profile of your interests in participating, and what support from sponsorship will help you in achieving this goal. Each entry can also include a photo of you!
Once the group is established at the project location, a sponsor for example, can download pictures providing an up-to-date journal of the progress of activities being accomplished at the end of each day. Written journal entries by whoever wants to comment, be that one of the refugees, any one of you on-site UU kids, and your on-site sponsors can also be added to the blog to accompany the daily log of photos.
In response, the "folks back home" can comment on any entry, providing themselves with an interactive experience in the project as it is unfolding, if they like.
Blogging means there is front row access for those who remain behind, while those who are "away in the field" can share their immediate sense of contact!
As always, the focus that the project-blog chiefly serves, is as that of everyone's living album of the project as it is taking place in the immediate environment, where our youth are engaging in good and supportive work on another continent!