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.