Journies!

Journies…2-8-2009 to 2-14-2009
Sunday Febrero 8, 2009: I went to Cartago more specifically Tobosi on Sunday to go to some museums and to play some soccer. : ) First stop was a tiny museum in a guys house that had a lot of indigenous artifacts. Next stop soccer field! It was an Astroturf field about the size of a typical indoor field back in the states. There were two games an all girls game and a co-ed game both played against local cartagans. I wanted to play in the co-ed game but I was recruited to the all girls game first…we kinda got slaughtered 6-2 he he but it was fun. I played goalie for a bit and they only scored on me once. Then it was time for the co-ed game and they changed their minds and said we couldn’t play in both games b/c there were people who hadn’t played yet. I was bummed but had accepted it when…one of the cartogans who had played with us during our practice a few weeks before asked me if I wanted to play for the locals! So me and two other girls played with the locals and we won 9-8 against our classmates. I had a goal and an assist and it was amazingly fun. Then we had lunch and finally went up a mountain like hill and went to an indigenous museum and took some amazing pics…on facebook if you want to see them.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009: Field trip to an organic farm. It was so incredibly cool! It was run by two guys and the guy we met was so enthusiastic about the farm it was catching. He grows shade grown coffee and vegetables and fruits which ps are all delicious…I know for a fact. :) He was really passionate about the organic part of his farming. He views sustainable development as his way of making sure there is a world for his children to enjoy. All of his fertilizer is natural and he creates it at his house. He explained how organic farming is a much slower process than mass chemical farming and he makes much less money and food than the larger farmers but he said in 10 years those larger farmers of today are going to come to him and say how can we switch to organic b/c our land has no more nutrients. It makes a ton of sense and if you’re looking for ways to go green buying organic or planting your own garden is an excellent way to start. :) It was really amazing to meet someone who was truly passionate about his work and didn’t put earning money ahead of spending time with his family and protecting the environment.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009: 8:30pm National futbol stadium in San Jose! Went to go see the world cup qualifying match between Costa Rica and Honduras. It was awesome. About 20 of us students went to the game but there were 6 of us in the north section behind the goal. We were four rows up from the field and had great seats. Costa Rica won 2-0 and everybody was incredibly into the game. For the first time when I walked down the street with other gringos we got honks and cheers because we were wearing Costa Rican jerseys and not just because we are gringos.  It was refreshing. The game was very exciting but I didn’t get home till midnight (which I realize is not that late but here I am asleep by 10 most nights so it felt really late. :) It was an awesome experience and I hope you are all following the USA qualifying games back in the states (just in case u missed it the USA beat mexico 2-0 the same night of the costa Rican game)
Thursday, February 12, 2009: Went to the US embassy to Costa Rica to hear the other side of the story. It was strange being on US soil in Costa Rica. Our embassy aka embajada is by far the largest embassy in Costa Rica as I imagine the US embassies around the world and quite spectacular. It was really interesting to hear the US perspective because our focus here is to listen to the Costa Rican point of view and to view things critically. It was easy to listen to the talk with a cynical ear but I tried my best to keep an open mind. To sum things up in a nut shell the United States really does want to develop smaller countries but their focus is always to look out for the interests of the USA. Which I suppose is completely logical you would expect any country to look out for its best interests. The problem comes when you try to put small countries like Costa Rica and the United States in the same category. The GDP of one large city in the states is probably bigger than the GDP of Costa Rica. When the big guy is looking out for his interests it is more likely than not going to come at the expense of the little guy and these expenses are noticeable because the country is smaller and weaker. It was fascinating to hear the embassy workers talk about their lives and jobs. And the field trip gave everyone a lot to think about.
Friday, February 13, 2009: hmm writing the date I just realized that it is Friday the thirteenth and I have not heard a single person say anything about it here. Hmm funny. Anywho this morning we gave up our sleep in morning (not by choice) to go into the LASP at 8am for a camino esperitual (spiritual walk) we didn’t know what we were doing and I for one thought it was a literal walk. However it ended up being a time where we sat in a huge awkward circle and poured our souls out to each other. We were all really uncomfortable with the idea of sharing where we are at and questions we have in front of 40 of our peers but it ended up being really incredible. It is amazing the things people have come through to come to where they are today. In our group of roughly 40 we have probably over 20 from divorced homes, we have a cancer survivor, cult survivors, people who have lived in poverty, people who struggle with depression and now here we all are university students who are giving up 4 months of comfort to find out what the world really holds for them. It was a very humbling experience and it made me extremely grateful for everyone who loves and supports me back home. So if you’re reading this…I’m guessing you care about me at least somewhat and I just want to say that I love you! Also a shout out to the parental…who better be reading this…thanks for being such a good example of Love! Miss you bunches.
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009: Valentine’s day!!! And I’m going to a wedding.  My cousin Vanessa is marrying another LASP student’s brother so I’m about to be related to one of my classmates I’m just not really sure how yet.  Luckily there are several other LASP students who go to my church so I won’t be the only one there who has no idea what to do…Back from the wedding. It was really different in parts and very similar in other parts. There wasn’t really a wedding party and the grooms parents walked him down the aisle. My 20 year old sister and her boyfriend were ring bearers. There was no dance at the reception but the bride and groom did dance once while we were all still in the church. The professional photographer they used was actually the brother of the groom and consequently another LASP student with no photography experience but a nice camera  The vows were pretty similar to vows in the USA and instead of saying I do they said yes I accept. The decorations were balloons my favorite of which said I love you in English :) Another fun part was when my tican mom literally dragged me (she likes to grab my arm and pull me sometimes…not my favorite thing in the world) around to every table to introduce me to my ‘relatives’ it was entertaining and only slightly more awkward than meeting relatives you didn’t know you had in the states. Over all it was a very beautiful service and I am glad I can check that off of my list of things to do before I die…go to a Costa Rican wedding. Check.

amor y pura vida
kt