So, I just got done looking at the pictures, and I´m amazed at how much work we did in one week. It was tedious, but we stuck with it, and we´re finally done. I know I´m not in any pics with the kids. I was actually scrubbing rust off of one of the gates near la cocina (the kitchen. Look at me, practicing my Espanol. Oo! There I go again!). I finally went in and took pics with my camera. I´ll see if Claire can get them off of it. If not, I´ll upload them the day after I get home, ´cause I know I´m going to want to rest. So, we´re gonna be doing the canopy tour tomorrow. I´m still a little nervous, but I guess I can do it. I´m going to be really homesick around noon my time, ´cause it´s gonna be Shabbat, and I´m not going to be there dancing or hearing Rabbi tell us we have Chaka Khan-itis, or doing liturgy, or going out to O´Charley´s with the YHO. I guess I´ll make it through. I´ll have to, unless I smuggle myself onto a plane home. Nah. That´s too many details to work out. I´d have to call a cab (I don´t wanna be no cab! I wanna be an ambulance! That´s for you, Daddy! lol), sneak out of my room, get to the airport, get a new ticket, go through customs and immigration, and get on the plane. Actually, that doesn´t sound as hard as I thought it would. I might be able to......oh what am I saying? Sheesh! You´d think I was actually planning this out to the last detail. Hmmm. Could be. Could be. Kidding! Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. We´re also attending services at the church Sunday morning. Then from there we hop on a plane to San Jose where we´ll be working at the Goodwill affiliate. That should be fun too. I heard that San Jose is absolutely beautiful. I can´t wait to see it. I´m not going to write as much tonight because I´m gonna go finish my journaling, but I´ll be sure to keep you posted for as long as I can. And again, I´ll see about getting my pics up here soon. Please pray that we can do it. Also, thanks to all the people at CBY that donated stuff and money. The kids loved it. Thanks for your prayers as well. Shabbat Shalom!
Mello
P.s. That thing about me not writing a lot pretty much flew out the window, ´cause I actually added some things to the middle of my blog. Never believe me when I say I´m not going to talk for long, ´cause it never happens. I end up........great. I´m doing it now. I´m going, I´m going! Bye!
Friday, July 11, 2008
The children have been lots of fun and Dimas has lent us his memory card reader and computer to upload some pictures. We have created a Snapfish account to better facilitate sharing these and we will post the link to that account so you can check pictures!
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=40111215803120910/l=399189720/g=136960985/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
That link SHOULD work. When I get a chance later, on a computer that isnt entirely in Spanish, I will try to work out the logistics so it is easier to access. As of right now the site the pictures are on requires you to either have or create a Snapfish account to log on and see the pictures. I made an account for us at a different website that should be easier to view but will have to upload to that site later, and hopefully others can share their pictures as well. Hope is well at home!
http://www1.snapfish.com/share/p=40111215803120910/l=399189720/g=136960985/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
That link SHOULD work. When I get a chance later, on a computer that isnt entirely in Spanish, I will try to work out the logistics so it is easier to access. As of right now the site the pictures are on requires you to either have or create a Snapfish account to log on and see the pictures. I made an account for us at a different website that should be easier to view but will have to upload to that site later, and hopefully others can share their pictures as well. Hope is well at home!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
I will just update briefly since there seems to be a fiesta going on in the lobby here that I am missing (: --- to piggyback on Melody's post.... Stacy and I talked to Dimas today after we (finally) finished painting and he was so grateful. It felt so good to get the chairs set back up in the sanctuary, clean up the paint splatter, and see that the place had been brightened by our paint job... it looks much crisper and cleaner.
It has been hard for some to not get to see the people we are helping with our work at the church but we have become increasingly closer to Marie, Dimas, Ani and the people at the church whom we have worked with on a daily basis.
Everyone is looking forward to Sunday when we will get to participate in regular service with the parishioners. Dimas told me today they have a membership of over 200! He talked with Dr. Domin, Stacy, and myself at the end of the day about how the government's new regulations about the proximity of churches to the residences (it is packed in here! Costa Rica is comparable in size to West Virginia, so you can imagine the issues with population and industrial growth, which we have of course been discussing in detail with Dr. D and Dr. Bob). Apparently in two years, the church will no longer be able to occupy its present space and will have to come up with the money and manpower to build or renovate a new space. He shared this with us and told us that Mercer students are welcome to come back to help in the future with this "problema" for the growing church and it felt good to know that he had appreciated our group and felt confident in our work. The language barrier makes it harder to assess how these people are reacting to our presence and our work but it truly feels like each day we learn a little more about each of them and feel more and more like we have made connections.
Dimas told us that the children of the church are very important to him and seemed very excited when we told him about the games and toys we had brought to share with them tomorrow --- thank you to those of you reading who sent things along with us! They will come in handy! There are lots of children playing around the church every day who smile at us and seem curious and it will be nice to interact with some of them tomorrow! We are going to throw a little party and possibly use some Mercer funds to purchase almuerzo (lunch) for them while they are with us. I'm excited because kids are my favorite. (: It's great that while we are here there will be different kinds of work as the trip goes on, because I really feel like everyone has (or will have) a chance to be "in their element" and we are even learning that some of us have skills we didn't know we had! (Me?!?! A painter?!?! A wall scraper?!?!)
Perhaps that wasn't so brief.... we get to sleep in tomorrow a little bit because there is going to be a barbeque at the church and we are staying later there. So we are off to catch up with each other and on our sleep! Adios amigos.
It has been hard for some to not get to see the people we are helping with our work at the church but we have become increasingly closer to Marie, Dimas, Ani and the people at the church whom we have worked with on a daily basis.
Everyone is looking forward to Sunday when we will get to participate in regular service with the parishioners. Dimas told me today they have a membership of over 200! He talked with Dr. Domin, Stacy, and myself at the end of the day about how the government's new regulations about the proximity of churches to the residences (it is packed in here! Costa Rica is comparable in size to West Virginia, so you can imagine the issues with population and industrial growth, which we have of course been discussing in detail with Dr. D and Dr. Bob). Apparently in two years, the church will no longer be able to occupy its present space and will have to come up with the money and manpower to build or renovate a new space. He shared this with us and told us that Mercer students are welcome to come back to help in the future with this "problema" for the growing church and it felt good to know that he had appreciated our group and felt confident in our work. The language barrier makes it harder to assess how these people are reacting to our presence and our work but it truly feels like each day we learn a little more about each of them and feel more and more like we have made connections.
Dimas told us that the children of the church are very important to him and seemed very excited when we told him about the games and toys we had brought to share with them tomorrow --- thank you to those of you reading who sent things along with us! They will come in handy! There are lots of children playing around the church every day who smile at us and seem curious and it will be nice to interact with some of them tomorrow! We are going to throw a little party and possibly use some Mercer funds to purchase almuerzo (lunch) for them while they are with us. I'm excited because kids are my favorite. (: It's great that while we are here there will be different kinds of work as the trip goes on, because I really feel like everyone has (or will have) a chance to be "in their element" and we are even learning that some of us have skills we didn't know we had! (Me?!?! A painter?!?! A wall scraper?!?!)
Perhaps that wasn't so brief.... we get to sleep in tomorrow a little bit because there is going to be a barbeque at the church and we are staying later there. So we are off to catch up with each other and on our sleep! Adios amigos.
Fin
Well, we just finished with our Environmental Science class, and everyone else is at dinner. I didn't feel hungry (shocker!), so here I am. It's not like I can't get something later. It's only 6.48 (Sorry. I can't find the colon on this keyboard.), even though the sky is totally dark. And it's raining, which it's been doing everyday like clock work. Is that two words or one? Clockwork? I don't know. My body's telling me it's ten even though it's not, so I'm a little sleepy. Before I totally fall out, let me tell you about our day. We got there and painted. And painted. And painted. But, we're finally done. Since we don't really have anything to do tomorrow as far as work is concerned, Dr. Domin suggested that we ask Deemas, the pastor, if some of the kids could come so we could work with them. Thanks to our fellow student and translator, Stacy, we're going to do just that. It's going to be a celebracion. Sorry. Celebration. Since we've been here I've been going back and forth between English and Spanish. I'll think one and say the other sometimes. Anywho, that's what we'll be doing. Then Saturday, we're doing a canopy tour on a zip line. For those of you who don't know that means we'll be flying through the tops of the trees in the forest from platform to platform attatched only to a harness and the wire or whatever that connects the platforms. Now, normally, I like to keep my feet on solid ground, unless I'm in an airplane, which, strangely, I feel safer in. But, I'm going to try it. It's kinda like when I went rafting with the YHO, and Rabbi, and I said, "Black people don't raft!" I'll probably end up loving it and wanting to go again. Oh yeah. Did I mention that we'll be 60 feet in the air? I didn't? Well, now you know. So, my fears are not unfounded. Well, I think I'm gonna take a siesta. (Nap, Ma.) Before I go, since it looks like I'll be a regular on here, only guaranteed (did I spel...oh, who cares?) for the next day and a half, tell me what you want to hear about. Like, the sights, sounds, smells (of which there are plenty). Normally when I write it's about what I'm feeling, not what anybody else to hear. So, let me know. This might be your only chance to have me not tell you all about me, so I'd jump on it if I were you. lol Well, I'm going now. I'll ttyl. Shalom Aleichem
Melody
Melody
Mercer students make a difference
To all back home you should know that your sons, daughters, and mothers are doing a great job here in Costa Rica. They are incredibly hard workers and Dr. Hargrove and myself have nothing but the highest regard for each of them. I´m sure they´re all a little tired but they greet each day with great optimism and determination that they can make a difference in the world. And, they are! If we can ever get the pictures uploaded you´ll see just how much they´ve accomplished. We´re very proud of them. I know you are too! Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
PS: I love and miss you Joseph, Joshua, and Javan. Take good care of Mommy.
PS: I love and miss you Joseph, Joshua, and Javan. Take good care of Mommy.
It has been an adjustment process over the past few days but it feels like everyone is finally settling in. We have made several Tico friends, Alonso who is working with us painting the church, Marie, our cook, our driver, and even Paul(o) and Diego --- the waiters at the hotel!! We have a feeling they are getting just as big of a kick out of us as we are out of them! We had another dinner with mucho conversation tonight and everyone spent the rest of the evening catching up on homework and talking about our day. It seems a lot of people have a new favorite food.... Cerdo de Chicharron (pretty sure I spelled that wrong) which is a delicious smoky, glazed pork. So, we all have full bellies and are ready to turn in for the night before finishing up work at the church tomorrow.
Today was a little less grueling than yesterday (which we spent the entirety of scraping paint) -- we finished putting the first coat on the walls a little after lunch and were even able to break early for the day and enjoy some time on the church porch before our driver arrived to take us back to our hotel. We also discovered the radio, and found the funniest station playing American music -- everything from oldies (lots of Beatles -- Dad you would be so proud, I of course sang all the words, to everyone's dismay... haha) to current Top 40 hits, it was as if every genre you hear on a separate station in the U.S. was conglomerated into one. We enjoyed singing along and having a little bit of a beat to work to much more than working without it, it definitely changed the atmosphere! The station kept announcing that it is "the only English music station in Costa Rica!" and we found it interesting that they are so proud of the American music.
Several of us also got a chance to practice some Spanish, which those of us who have taken Spanish courses at Mercer enjoyed greatly -- though I will say knowledge of how to take a Spanish test in college is very different than speaking with a native! I wish now that I had listened when my professors told me conversation was so important to practice. I feel a little embarrassed knowing I sound like a goofy American but I also know if I don't practice I really will never get better at it. People have been very patient and gracious about the language barrier and seem very willing to help us learn, which I appreciate and enjoy.
We held class at our dinner table tonight before ordering our meals and playing a little "trivia bowl", and it was interesting to hear everyone's reflections on how our work here has influenced how we look at our course material (even in a few short days).
People are looking forward to seeing the finished product of our work when the walls are finished tomorrow (the paint had been largely damaged due to the high humidity and frequent rainfall here, and the church does not have the manpower to complete the project on their own) -- and many are busy looking forward to our exciting canopy tour this weekend!
We are working on getting other people logged in to write as well and also trying to figure out how to best handle the picture uploading process on a computer we don't really know how to use. (: Hopefully we will have some different perspectives and pretty things to look at for you soon.
Buenos noches!
P.S. Rice and beans are getting old already....
Today was a little less grueling than yesterday (which we spent the entirety of scraping paint) -- we finished putting the first coat on the walls a little after lunch and were even able to break early for the day and enjoy some time on the church porch before our driver arrived to take us back to our hotel. We also discovered the radio, and found the funniest station playing American music -- everything from oldies (lots of Beatles -- Dad you would be so proud, I of course sang all the words, to everyone's dismay... haha) to current Top 40 hits, it was as if every genre you hear on a separate station in the U.S. was conglomerated into one. We enjoyed singing along and having a little bit of a beat to work to much more than working without it, it definitely changed the atmosphere! The station kept announcing that it is "the only English music station in Costa Rica!" and we found it interesting that they are so proud of the American music.
Several of us also got a chance to practice some Spanish, which those of us who have taken Spanish courses at Mercer enjoyed greatly -- though I will say knowledge of how to take a Spanish test in college is very different than speaking with a native! I wish now that I had listened when my professors told me conversation was so important to practice. I feel a little embarrassed knowing I sound like a goofy American but I also know if I don't practice I really will never get better at it. People have been very patient and gracious about the language barrier and seem very willing to help us learn, which I appreciate and enjoy.
We held class at our dinner table tonight before ordering our meals and playing a little "trivia bowl", and it was interesting to hear everyone's reflections on how our work here has influenced how we look at our course material (even in a few short days).
People are looking forward to seeing the finished product of our work when the walls are finished tomorrow (the paint had been largely damaged due to the high humidity and frequent rainfall here, and the church does not have the manpower to complete the project on their own) -- and many are busy looking forward to our exciting canopy tour this weekend!
We are working on getting other people logged in to write as well and also trying to figure out how to best handle the picture uploading process on a computer we don't really know how to use. (: Hopefully we will have some different perspectives and pretty things to look at for you soon.
Buenos noches!
P.S. Rice and beans are getting old already....
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