Monday, September 17, 2012

Tamarindo y otras pensamientos

Y ahora sobre este fin de semana- el 14 hasta el 16 de septiembre.  Era buenísima.  Viajamos a Tamarindo que es un pueblo de playa en el norte-oeste de Costa Rica, en Guancaste.  El viaje en bus otra vez era bueno, me enamoraba otra vez con el campo.

Ah, aquí hay una entrada en mi diario durante el viaje de bus:
Hoy, había unos desfiles en San Jose que pasaban por Verítas; fue bien chiva ver las bandas y disfraces de niños, y escuchar las canciónes que aprendían.  Después de la clase, salimos en autobús para Tamarindo.  Bekah, Raqi, Mateo, y yo nos divertimos con programas de televisión, comedía de Jim Gaffigan, y música.  Lleguemos en la noche al hotel Zulimar y con suerte Bekah, Raqi, y yo recibimos nuestra propia cuarto!  Y el hotel es buenísimo!  Tenemos tres camas, un baño completo, un balcón, y acceso a una piscina grande.  Y, todas las puertas son hechos de madera y tienen picturas tallados.  Nosotras tenemos una mujer fuerte con un león en nuestra puerta.  Se llama Mama Mucho.

Cenamos afuera y pedí un jugo de piña otra vez y era bien rico; lloraba un poco.  Pronto encontramos que Tamarindo está bien caro.  Se llaman TamaGringo porque es pueblo turístico.  Disfrutabamos de la piscina esa noche y decidimos no vale la pena salir para bailar.

El sábado, fuimos a la playa!  Y fue magnífico.  Disfrutabamos del calor del día y ¡surfeábamos!  Era magical.  Me gustó mucho solo flotar en la tabla de surf y sentir las olas...  lograba surfear las olas unas veces, no con mucho estilo, pero sentía maravilloso.

Aprendí hoy que causa mucho dolor poner aloe vera en una sarpullido (rash).  Jaja.

Oh, y esa noche mirabamos el ponerse del sol en la playa, y era increíble los colores con las nubes y los momentos compartidos con amigos.  Mientras mirar los cielos y el mar, escuchamos a una canción bien bonita que tiene título de Por Ti Volaré.

El domingo, mientras caminábamos en la playa hasta el sur, veía la arena más bonita que he visto en mi vida.  Fue completamenta compuesto de conchas- muchas rotos, pero muchas enteros.  Es la cosa fisicamente más lindísimo que he visto acá (*o quiza el campo..).  A mi me encantó esta playa en Tamarindo lo mejor.  Ahora estamos en el autobús, regresando a San Jose.  Miro las vistas del campo y quiero ir alla.  Quiero vivir alla por un tiempo; pero va a ser un tiempo para esto.  Un estación va a venir.

En la playa, todo estaba bien.  Comimos ensaladas deliciosos y batidos con yogur.  Y otra vez, el viaje en bus era bien divertido.  Duró 6 horas, pero fue mucho tiempo para jugar, pensar, y relajar.  Esta vez, cambiamos sientos un poquito y jugamos juegos tontos de 'improv' con los otros estudiantes en el bus que más o menos son mis amigos ahora.

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y esta es una entrada del 11 de sep. :
Cosas bonitas de un día típico:
Hay una ventana en mi cuarto que siempre está abierta.  Hay estas cortinas- dos de encaje y dos suaves de color de durazno con volantes que puedo separar y atar para que entra la luz del día, o liberar para que tenga privacidad.  Esta lampara.  Esto cuarto.  Una sorpresa cada mañana y noche de comida rica.  La oportunidad hacer cualquier cosa, incluyendo dormir/tomar una siesta por la tarde.  Hay un parque bien cerca a mi casa; dos o tres cuadras con unas mesas de colores brillantes y unos árboles, uno que puedo subir. El tiempo cambia cada día.  Hoy hace mucho sol y siente maravillosa en mi piel.  La oportunidad de conversar sobre cualquier tema en clase por dos horas.  Las montañas en la distancia.  Los colores brillantes de las casas, tiendas, estructuras en los parques, y flores tropicales.

del 12 de sep. :
Algo que he aprendido: este concepto de Pura Vida no significa que aquí en Costa Rica todo está bien. Es solo una idea- una manera de pensar y caminar por la vida con gracia y amor, aceptando cada momento como viene, teniendo paciencia con personas y sistemas, y encontrando cosas bonitas en cada día y toda la gente.  Pura Vida es tener amigos, tomar siestas, comer juntos (*beber jugo de piña*).

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And now about last weekend- the 14th-16th of September.  It was wonderful.  We traveled to Tamarindo which is a small beach town in the Northwest of Costa Rica (Guanacaste).  The bus ride was again, very good, and once again I fwas fauning over the countryside. 

Ah, here is an entry from the bus ride:
Today, there were parades in San Jose that passed by Verítas; it was really cool to see the bands and costumes of the kids, and to listen to the music they had learned.  After class, we left on the bus headed for Tamarindo.  Bekah, Raqi, Mateo and I entertained ourselves with TV shows, Jim Gaffigan comedy, and music.  We arrived in the evening at the hotel Zulimar and with luck Bekah, Raqi, and I received our own room again.   And the hotel is great.  We have three beds, a full bathroom, a balcony, and access to a big pool.  AND *the best part* is that all the wooden doors have beautiful carved pictures.  Our door has a strong woman and a lion.  We named her Mama Mucho.  She guards the entrance.

We ate out and I ordered another jugo de piña- it was delicious and I cried a little.  Soon we discovered that Tamarindo is really expensive.  They call is TamaGringo because it is a tourist town.  We enjoyed the pool that night and decided it wasn’t worth it (the $4 and smoke and sketchy atmosphere) to go out and dance.

Saturday we went to the beach!  And it was wonderful.  We enjoyed the heat of the day and we surfed!  It was magical.  I really just liked floating on the surfboard over the waves.  I caught a few waves and the feeling was amazing.  And it was tiring but in a way where I could do it all day.  I see how surfer beach bums can do that. 

I learned today that it is very painful to put aloe vera on a rash.. ha.

Oh, and that night we watched the sunset on the beach.  The colors with the clouds and the moments shared with friends were incredible.  While watching the heavens and the sea, we listened to a beautiful song called Por Ti Volaré (partially serenaded by Drew).

Sunday while walking on the beach towards the south, I saw the most beautiful sand I have ever seen in my life.  It was completely shells, and it was incredible.  It may be the physically beautiful thing I have seen here.  I loved the playa of Tamarindo the best.  Now we’re in the bus again, returning to San Jose.  I look out at the lovely countryside, the trees and hills and mountains, all so green, and I want to go there.  I want to live there for a while; but there will be a time for this.  A season will come.

On the beach, all is well.  We had delicious salads and smoothies.  And again, the bus trip was good fun.  It was a 6 hour trip, but there was a good amount of time to play, think, and relax.  This time, we switched seats a bit and played some silly improv games con the other students on the bus who are becoming my friends.
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And this is an entry from September 11th:
Beautiful things of a typical day:
There is a window in my room that is always open.  There are these curtains- two of lace and two of soft peach fabric with ruffles- these I can tie up to let daylight in or free to provide privacy.  This lamp.  This room.  A surprise every morning and evening of rich food.  The opportunity to do anything, including to sleep or take a nap in the afternoon.  There is a park very close to my house; two or three blocks away, with brightly colored tables and a few trees- one of which I can climb.  My house is painted lavender.  The weather changes every day.  Today it is very sunny and it feels marvelous on my skin.  The opportunity to converse about any theme in class for two hours.  The mountains in the distance.  The bright colors of houses, stores, structures in parks, and tropical flowers.

From September 12th:
Something that I’ve learned: this concept of Pura Vida doesn’t mean that here in Costa Rica everything is good.  It is only an idea- a manner of thinking and walking through life with grace and love, accepting each moment as it comes, having patience with people and systems, and finding beautiful things in each day and all people.  Pura Vida is to have friends, to take naps, to eat together (*to drink jugo de piña*).

Un día típico, y bueno


Ahora, el 17 de septiembre, estoy sentada en mi cuarto lindo, tomando te de Yerba Mate, escuchando a la música latina de Alonso Núñez, después de tomar una siesta solo porque pensaba que sentiría buena acostarme en la cama por unos momentitos.  Y acaba de comer un mango- mi primero mango entero aquí en Costa Rica- y era riquísimo.  Hoy mi mamatica me preparó el desayuno perfecto para hoy porque le pedí: avena con un banano (que llevé a clase).  Y participé más en clase hoy, aunque estaba bien distraída por preocuparme por una amiga, y durante el descanso visité con un amigo que está en una otra clase, y también jugué Frisbee con mis amigos en la plazoleta e incluimos a ticos también por lanzar el Frisbee en su dirección.  Era muy divertido.  Y pasó rápida la clase, entonces después caminé con Mateo a unas tiendas chinos para comprar lo que faltaba para el almuerzo.  Preparé unos tacos de frijoles con salsa Lizano, espinaca, tomate, aguacate, zanahoria, y pepino, y los traje conmigo al club de conversación en la universidad.  Me gustó pasar un rato con tantos estudiantes de todos niveles en un ambiente más de diversión que lectura o clase. 
         Regresé con Raqi y Elizabet, una amiga nueva, y platicamos en español.  Me fascina hablar con personas que están aprendiendo el español y están a un nivel más bajo que yo, porque puedo ayudarles con vocabulario y con conjugar los verbos, y usar este habilidad que he aprendido. 
         Y acaba de jugar un poquito con mi hermanitico Cris, él levanta el ánimo de mí.  Ah, pues, todo este es decir que este es un día típico, y que ahora siento como tengo más fundación.  Yo se como comprar y preparar la comida que quiero, como pasar los descansos de clase, como cuidar por mi cuerpo y mis necesidades aquí.  Yo conozco unos amigos nuevos, y siento como mi habilidad de hablar y entender el español ha mejorado.  Siento positiva.

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Right now, the 17th of September, I am sitting in my lovely room, sipping Yerba Mate tea, and listening to the latin music of Alonso Núñez.  This after taking a siesta just because I thought it would feel nice to lay down for a few moments.  And I just finished eating a mango- my first whole mango here in Costa Rica- and it was rich.  Today my mamatica prepared the perfect breakfast for me because I requested it: oatmeal and a banana (which I took to class).  I learned today that they grow two kinds of bananas here- las chiquititas y las de exportación (the small ones for local consumption and the larger ones mainly for exporting.  Today I had an ‘exporting’ banana, and it tasted just like they taste back in the USA.  Interesting.  I participated in class today, although I was mighty distracted in worry for a friend.  During our break I found a friend who’s in a different class, and also I played Frisbee with a few friends in the plazoleta of our school, and we included some ticos too by throwing the Frisbee in their direction... it was fun.  And class flew by after this break.  So I walked with Mateo to a few Chinese grocery stores to buy what I lacked in my lunch.  I made a couple tacos with beans with Lizano sauce, spinach, tomato, avocado, carrots, and cucumber, and I brought them with me to Club de Conversación at the university.  I enjoyed hanging out with students from all levels in an environment that felt more fun than lecture or class. 
            I returned home with Raqi and Elizabet, a new friend, and we chatted in Spanish.  Speaking with people who are learning Spanish and are at a lower level than I am fascinates me, because I love helping them with vocabulary and conjugating verbs, and just using this skill that I’ve developed.
            And just now, I was playing a little with my little brother-tico Cris, which is casi-always life-giving.  All this to say that this is a typical day, and now I feel like I have a better foundation.  I know how to buy and prepare the food I want, how to spend the breaks from class, how to care for my body and my needs here.  I have some new friends, and I feel like my ability to speak and understand Spanish has improved.  I feel positive.




Struggles and Successes

This is from emails I sent out to my mom last Thursday.  This is just honestly how I was feeling and still continue to feel sometimes here.


I'm trying to take things one day at a time, but I'm isolating myself a bit and just really struggling with being here more than physically.  I don't know if it is that life is slow here, or I still just feel unfamiliar, or I need church (I'm going tonight, God willing), or if I'm just whining, but I can't stop thinking about the other place.  About home and George Fox.  I'm having a hard time accepting it.  I am REALLY excited to come home.  I think I just thought it would be different.  I had high expectations..  I find myself thinking, "I should go to Mexico- that is the culture I love".  And maybe it's true, but I have a feeling I'm just looking for a grassier area.  I'm looking for peace.  And still, my family is great.  But I'm not spending much time with them, and I haven't really met any other locals, so at school it is just my professor (who sometimes bugs me with her patriotism and classifying and generalizing of people), and the other international students.  I haven't really tried to make local friends.

I thought this would be paradisiacal.. ha.  I don't think any place can be.  I think it is a state of mind and soul.  And I'm just getting bored.  I think about the 3+ months that I have left here, and it seems like a lot- overwhelming.  I almost want to quit and go home.  It's just really hard.  Have you heard this phrase: "When I feel bad, I decide to stop feeling bad and be awesome instead."?  I've been trying to employ that, or at least say it as a mantra "When I miss home, I stop missing home and be awesome, or experience something awesome here instead".  But it takes effort.  That is what I'm learning.  

Looking to the positive.  There are some really great people here.  I got to walk through the rain today and it was nice.  I whistled "if all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops...".  I had a fun conversation today with a girl I had previously judged/been intimidated by.  Edgar made me scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast.  Eyleen is feeling better.  Tomorrow vamos a la playa (we're going to Tamarindo) for the weekend.
I have to write and tell you that tonight the church service was wonderful.  It wasn't even so much the service as it was meeting Luis, who works for Verítas and attends this church.  He also leads a bible study with like 30 tico students each week that I want to go to.  And all in español.  =D  

I almost started crying when we entered the church today in hearing the voices of followers being lifted up to the heavens...  I have missed that so dearly.  The two girls from Fox went too, along with another girl I'm really growing to like and respect and girl and a boy that I just met.  But goodness, mom.  I can see potential for making tico friends through church.  There's this service on thursdays, the bible study on tuesdays, and Luis pointed out a church near my house that is supposed to be a lot of fun.  Anndd he has a bunch of Spanish Christian music he's willing to share.  It was like jumping in a lake- so refreshing and comforting to be with people of the same faith again.  It was the taste of something beautiful, and meeting Luis, having this connection and experience, is a shine of hope for these next 3 months.  Por fin!  

So this is just a testimony of how God answers prayers, and how hope comes in community.  Ah, lovely.


Puerto Viejo


Empezé esta entrada hace una semana, pues voy a terminarla, y también escribir sobre este fin de semana.  Ay, es mucho.

Hola!  Tengo tanto que quiero compartir!  Este fin de semana (7-9 de sep.) fue bien interesante.  Experimentaba muchas cosas nuevas, hice unas amigos nuevos, y todavía no estoy segura como siento sobre todo que vi.  Todo este es vago, pues voy a explicar. 

El viernes salimos en autobús para Puerto Viejo que es un pueblo en la costa sur-este de Costa Rica.  Pues, es el caribe, y allí es verano ahora.  Por eso, hacía mucho sol y calor, y no había lluvia.  Puerto Viejo tiene gran influencia afro-caribeño, pues había música de reggae y mucha gente con ‘dreads’ que andan en bicicleta y fuman pot y parecen tan chivas.  Es un pueblo pequeña, caminamos la calle principal varios veces.  Hay un mercado en la calle todos los días, es como una feria.  Una noche, mientras Raqi y yo caminábamos, conocimos a una mujer que nos llamaba Mami, y era bien amable.  Nos mostraba su trabajo- tallas de una fruta grande, y mucha joyería.  Cuando pasábamos otra vez por su carpa, compartimos el chocolate oscuro que compramos, y hablábamos un ratito más. 
         En Puerto Viejo, hay unos clubes y discotecas, y bailábamos en la playa afuera de una discoteca que se llama Johnny’s.  También, bailamos adentro una vez, y tocaban la música popular de los EEUU para todos los estadounidenses, y bailábamos como locos, que es nuestro costumbre.  Era magnífico.  Ustedes saben como a mi me fascina bailar.    Pues, bailamos la noche de viernes y sábado, y aunque no tomaba alcohol, bailaba con tanto entusiasmo que un muchacho de mi grupo me preguntó si me gusta tomar…  me reí. 
El sábado, busceamos, y al comenzar, no me gustó mucho, pero al salir del grupo un poquito, estar callada, y nadar suavemente y tranquila por la habitación de los peces, aprecia mucho la oportunidad de entrar su mundo, la bendición de estar con ellos y ver este mundo, este manera de vivir, que usualmente no puedo ver.  Yo se que pertenezco sobre la tierra, y ellos pertenecen en el mar, y por eso era lindísimo estar en su mundo por un ratito.  Esa noche, las chicas y yo (no podemos encontrar a Mateo) comimos en una restaurante que me sirvo un jugo de piña que me hizo llorar porque era tan riquisisisisisísima.  Nos divertimos mucho durante esa cena. 
         El domingo, desayunamos otra vez en una restaurante- gallo pinto con huevos, pan, y jugo (siempre hay tanto desayuno)- y fuimos a una playa se llama Punta Uva.  Esta playa fue la más bonita que había visto aquí en Costa Rica.  Había mucho sol (porque es verano en la costa este) y jugábamos Frisbee, caminábamos en el ‘slackline’, y muchos bañaban en el océano.  Yo estaba contenta quedarme seca.  Oh, y allí, Mateo subió una palma bien alta y obtuvo un coco. 
         Antes de salir de Puerto Viejo, las chicas, una mujer que es profesora aquí de Nueva York, y yo almorzamos en un restaurante que se llama Veronica’s Place.  Era bien decorado y bonito con plantas y colores brillantes, y nos sirvieron comida vegetariana y vegan.  Fue perfecto para el viaje largo.  Nos disfrutamos mucho la presencia de una a otra y el ambiente del restaurante. 
         Entonces, nos divertimos en el viaje de autobús, que duró como 4-5 horas.  Ahora, este no es mucho.  Los cuatro de nosotros compartíamos auriculares para la música (de Imaginar Dragonas y más) y bailábamos y cantábamos.  Y dormíamos y teníamos la oportunidad de salir del autobús para caminar un puente sobre el Río Sucio que era bien impresionante.  Me hizo recordar Deception Pass de Burlington, Washington.  Es bien grande y poderoso (y de color café), y también me hizo pensar en Dios y cuan grande es Él, y cuan bonita es su creación. 
         Ah, pues, la última cosa para este fin de semana que recuerdo es que Eyleen me preparó una cena perfecta esa noche: remolacha, brócoli, un huevo, papas, y arroz.
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I started this entry a week ago, so I’m going to finish is and then write about this weekend.  Ay, it is a lot.

Hola!  I have so much I want to share!  Last weekend (sept. 7-9) was really interesting.  I experienced a lot of new things, made some new friends, and still am not sure how I feel about everything I saw.  This is all vague, so I’ll explain.
            Friday we left by bus for Puerto Viejo which is a beach town in the southeast of Costa Rica.  In the Caribbean, it is summer now.  Because of this, it was really sunny and warm, and it didn’t rain- not once.  Puerto Viejo has a grand afro-Caribbean influence, so there was reggae music and many people with dreads who rode bicycles and smoked pot and seemed really chill.  It is a small town- we walked the main drag many times.  There is a street market every day.  One night, as Raqi and I were walking along, we met a woman who called us ‘mami’ (which is what they call girls *papi is for boys), and she was really sweet.  She showed us her work which were carved pieces of some kind of large, dried fruit, and a lot of jewelry.  When we passed by her tent again we shared with her some dark chocolate we had bought, and talked a bit more.
            In Puerto Viejo, there are some clubs and discothèques, and we danced outside one that was literally just off the beach (so we danced on the sand and in the ocean a bit).  We also danced inside for a while as they played American pop for the people from the US.  We danced like crazies, as is custom for us.  It was magnificent.  You all know how I love to dance.  We danced both Friday and Saturday night, and although I didn’t drink at all, a muchacho from our group asked me if I liked to... I laughed.
            Saturday, we snorkled, and at first, I didn’t like it because I felt like I was invading the home of these fish, but after separating from the group a bit, being quiet, and swimming softly and calmly through the home of the fish, I really appreciated the opportunity to enter into their world- what a blessing to be with them and see this world, this way of living which I usually wouldn’t be able to see.  I know that I belong above the earth, and they belong in the sea, and for this it was beautiful to be in their world for a while.  That night, the girls and I (we couldn’t find Mateo) ate in a restaurant that served me the first jugo de piña (thick pineapple juice) that brought me to tears because it was just that incredibly sensational.  We really enjoyed ourselves at that meal.  The servers were on TicoTime, so as we waited (for nearly the whole meal) for our last set of silverware, we all took turns eating with the two sets.  Ha.
            Sunday we ate breakfast in a restaurant- gallo pinto with eggs, bread, and juice (there is always plenty of breakfast)- and we went to a beach called Punta Uva.  This playa was the most beautiful that I had seen in Costa Rica.  The sun shone all morning and we played Frisbee, we walked the slackline, and a good chunk of the group swam in the ocean.  I was content to stay dry.  Oh, and Mateo climbed a tall palm tree and got a coconut.
            Before leaving Puerto Viejo, the girls, a woman who is a professor here from New York, and I had lunch in a restaurant called Veronica’s Place.  It was beautifully decorated with plants and brilliant colors, and they served us vegetarian and vegan food.  It was perfect for the long trip ahead.  We really enjoyed the company and the ambiance of the crunchy restaurant.
            Then, we entertained ourselves on the bus ride of 4-5 hours.  Now, this isn’t much for me.  The four of us shared earphones to listen to music (Imagine Dragons and more) and we danced and sang.  And we slept and had the opportunity to get off the bus to walk a bridge over the Río Sucio (Dirty River) which was so impressive.  It reminded me of Deception Pass in Burlington, WA.  It is really large and powerful (and brown), and it also made me think of God and how big He is, and how beautiful is His Creation.
            Ah, so the last thing I remember about this weekend is that Eyleen prepared a perfect dinner for me that night: beets, brocolli, an egg, potatoes, and rice.

So it has been a lot to absorb: delicious food experiences, beautiful sights of the natural world, beautiful people everywhere, and wonderful fun in just celebrating life and independence and youth and newness.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Here is an excerpt from a email I sent to a friend:


The family I am living with is a young family- two kids- a 10 year old girl and a 5 year old boy, and the youngest has just completely accepted me as a playmate since I got here.  The girl is a little more cautious, but I think we’re growing on each other.  She is sweet.  It is incredible how the family dynamic is.  Eyleen (the mama) with always call for Ayleen (the daughter) to have her help her with something in the kitchen or what not, and Ayleen will always respond, “Señora?” and then “Ya voy”.  And little Christian calls her Señora too.  And sometimes they call them mami and papi.  And Eyleen is serving me so much.  It’s sweet, but kind of weird.  I don’t know exactly how to handle it, but she cooks two meals a day for us, does my laundry, and says “tranquila!” every time I start cleaning... ha.  I want to be a help instead of another child to take care of, because goodness, I’m 20 and she’s only like 29. 

Anyway, it has also been great to hang out with the people from GFU I came down with.  One girl has the best sense for sympathy- she is able to meet people where they are.  She runs, so she’s always cheery, and the only reason I’ve been frustrated with her is for not getting us back to the house very quickly when we were out for a run, and that is only because I tired and didn’t want to run anymore, even though I knew it was good for me... haha.  She ran a marathon this summer.  And Mateo has been hilarious.  He makes us laugh so much.  He is the man among many females here, so he has watched a few girly movies and youtube flashmob marriage proposals and rolled his eyes while we cry and then said, “Ay, mujeres.”  Hah, but it is great.  And we’ve been dancing here!  Us four gringos all like to dance to Waka Waka en español as well as this song called “Vamos a la playa”... ha.  So we’ve had dance parties in almost every place we’ve been.  And the kids of my family love to dance, and they’re good!  They have been playing Just Dance for years it seems.  Ha.  Goodness, but things are going well, obviously- much good news.

And when I think about how I wish some things were a little different, I remember that the people here are wonderful, and that’s the most you could ask for- what else do you need? 

Ha, and daylight?  Well, it gets light at like 5, 5:30 maybe and so I usually wake up early, and then sometimes it will get sunny for a while but it usually clouds over by noon if not earlier, and then it usually rains that tropical rain for hours starting as early as one or two... ha.  But even with this, in staying in one city for a few days, I’m seeing variations in the daily weather patterns, which is cool.  Two days ago it was a chill day, didn’t get hot really, just stayed cloudy and rained pretty much all day.  Yesterday, it was clear and sunny for most of the day, and I think it just sprinkled.  But it gets dark around 6pm, so we’re inside by then because we’re not supposed to be out at night I guess..  But, yeah, it’s cool here.  A difference I think even bigger than the climate is going from rural to Urban.  It is really concrete-filled here.  There are plants on every house front and big trees, and parks in the middle of the city, but it is very much city.  :]

Wednesday, September 5, 2012


¡Saludos!  Espero que todos estén de bien salud de cuerpo, mente, y alma.  Hace casi una semana que he escrito acá, y mucho ha pasado.  Todos estamos acostumbrándonos a vivir acá.  

Pues, el domingo fuimos a La Feria mi mamatica, Raqi, Rebekah, y yo, y esta vez fue diferente.  Rentamos un carrito y lo llenamos con muchísimas frutas y verduras.  Mi mamatica, Eyleen, compró todas sus frutas y verduras para la semana para su familia, y también las que quería su mamá para su familia.  Y compré unas cosas- vainicas, brócoli, chicharro, pimientos dulces, y aguacates- pero todavía fue agobiante.. Estoy contenta tener este rutina ahora, siento más control.  Lo que ha estado difícil es la falta de control.  Este es una de las razones porque me encanta vivir a George Fox: puedo tener control total sobre mi vida... pero yo se que necesito liberar estas cosas a Dios, porque en realidad El ya tiene control.  Quiero someterme a Dios.  

Pues, quizá será más fácil trabajar hacia atrás.  Hoy, fui a clase, y a mi me encantó.  El temblor interrumpió la clase, y salimos para afuera por un tiempo.  Mientras esperando, disfrutamos el calor del sol y platicamos.  Regresamos a clase y discutimos los temblores.  Esto fue la primera vez que he experimentado un temblor.  Pero fue muy interesante hablar con mis amigos japoneses sobre los temblores y desastres naturales.  Pasamos parte de clase en el aire libre, leyendo fábulas en grupos, y después hicimos presentaciones y al fin, debatimos la legalización de drogas.  

Después de clases, decidimos caminar hasta San Pedro, y mientras caminar hacia atrás, la tormenta empezó.  Llovía mucho, como siempre, pero agradecimos de tener las sombrillas para mantenernos secas... pero no.  Aparentemente, no se como usar una sombrilla, porque me mojó mucho.  Pero no me importaba, disfrutaba la lluvia y brincaba en los charcos, bailando.  ¡Y esto!  ¡Un carro nos pasó y me salpicó hasta mi cara!  ¡Que diversión!  Creo que esto fue la primera vez que pasó conmigo.  También, encontramos una tienda de té, se llama TeaLand de Costa Rica, y con humildad, pedimos permisión entrar.  Fue magnífico!  Compré té de sabor rooibos piña colada.  Ay, a mi me encanta Rooibos, porque sabe como té negro, tiene un fuerte sabor, pero no tiene cafeína.  Y tuve que comprar el té de sabor piña colada porque esto es mi sabor favorito. 

También, utilicé un teléfono público hoy por la primera vez.  Fue difícil, pero lo logramos por unos momentos gracias a Raqi y Mateo.  Y mi amiga me llamó en el teléfono público… sentía como en este episodio de Chico Conoce el Mundo, el episodio, “And Then There Was Shawn”, cuando Eric contesta el teléfono público..

Que mas?  Pues, como ya escribí, estamos acostumbrándonos a la vida acá, la ‘pura vida’ como dicen.  Me caen bien los estudiantes que estoy conociendo, estamos explorando poco a poco la ciudad, toda la gente costarricense es muy amable, y siento bien bendecida estar acá.  Todavía siento raro, como no pertenezco acá, pero es la misma de ir a la universidad por la primera vez- con tiempo, ojala, va a sentir más como su hogar.  Y ayuda mucho conocer a otros estudiantes internacionales que probablemente tienen sentimientos similares, o que sienten bien con su situación. 

También, hoy, por la primera vez bailé en mi cuarto, que tiene piso de madera con espacio abajo para que puede brincar fácilmente, y cuando puse mis calcetines, encontré que puede ser muy resbaladizo =P.  Este es bueno para el baile que me gusta hacer. 

Unas cosas más: ayer, jugamos Ultimate Frisbee en el parque que esta cerca a la universidad, y fue terrífico.  Desfortunadamente, ahora me duelen mis pies porque jugué sin zapatos en el concreto caliente…  Pero fue increíble.  Ay!  También, tuvimos la primer clase de baile anoche, y casi no iba a irme, pero mi mamatica me dijo que debo ir, pues fui, y esto también fue magnífico.  Nos divertimos mucho mirar, tratar cualquier baile, y reírse.  Casi todos los estudiantes internacionales se fueron a la clase, y si, fue magnífico.  Ustedes saben como me encanta bailar.  Además, tuve la oportunidad de seguir leyendo mi librito Mi Lado de la Montaña, y este me hace sentir muy bien.  También, oí una canción de James Taylor en una programa en la tele, y me motivó poner la música suave antes de dormirme, pues, me acosté bien contenta anoche.  Tenía mucho paz.  Y ahora, es la hora otra vez de acostarme.  Oh, y en clase hoy, la profesora nos dijo, “¿Qué es, mi amor?”  Que diferente, ¿no?  Pero que linda. =)
Pues, ¡hasta pronto!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Greetings!  I hope that all are healthy in body, mind, and soul. It has been almost a week since I last wrote here, and much has happened.  We are all getting used to living here. 

Sunday, my mamatica, Raqi, Rebekah and I went to the Farmer’s Market, and this time it was different.  We rented a shopping cart and filled it with tons of fruit and vegetables.  My mamatica, Eyleen, bought all her food for our family for a week plus the food that her mom wanted for her family.  And I bought a few things- green beans, broccoli, peas, bell peppers, and avocadoes- but it was still overwhelming.  I am content to have this routine now- I feel more control.  That is what has been difficult is the lack of control.  That is one of the reasons why I love to live at George Fox: I can have total control over my life... but I know that I need to release these things to God, because in reality He already has control.  I want to submit myself to Him.

Anyway, maybe it will be easier to work backwards.  Today, I went to class and I loved it.  The earthquake interrupted the class, and we went outside for a time.  While we are waiting, we enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine and chatted.  We returned to class and discussed earthquakes.  This was the first time I had experienced an earthquake.  But it was really interesting to talk with my Japonese friends about earthquakes and natural disasters.  We spent part of class outside reading fables in groups, then we gave presentations, and lastly we debated the legalization of drugs.

After class, we decided to walk to San Pedro, and while walking back, the daily storm began.  It rained a lot, as always, but we were appreciative to have our umbrellas to keep us dry... not.  Apparently, I don’t know how to use an umbrella, because I got really wet.  But I didn’t care; I enjoyed the rain and bounced in the puddles, dancing.  And this!  A car passed us with a grand splash, refreshing my face with a generous portion of sweet, clear liquid.  Such fun!  I believe this is the first time that this has happened to me.  Also, we found a tea store called Tea Land of Costa Rica, and with much humility for our wetness, we asked permission to enter.  It was wonderful!  I bought Rooibos Piña Colada tea.  I love Rooibos, because it tastes like black tea- it has a strong flavor- but it doesn’t have caffeine.  And I had to buy the one with piña colada in it, because this is my favorite tropical flavor.

Also, I used a payphone today for the first time.  It was hard, but we were successful for a few moments thanks to Raqi and Mateo.  And my friend  called me on the payphone... I felt like I was in that episode of Boy Meets World – And then there was Shawn- when Eric answers the payphone....

What more?  Well, like a already wrote, we are acculturating ourselves to the life here, the pure life as they say.  I like the students that I’m meeting, we are exploring the city little by little, all the Costa Rican people are very friendly, and I feel very blessed to be here.  I still feel weird, like I don’t belong here, but it is the same as going to college for the first time, right?  With time, God willing, it is going to feel more like one’s home.  And it helps a lot to meet other international students that probably feel similarly, or who feel good with their situation.

Also, today, for the first time I danced in my room, which has a wooden floor with give, and when I put on my socks, I found this wooden floor to be quite slippery.  This is great for the dancing I like to do.

A few more things: yesterday, we played Ultimate Frisbee in the park that is near the university and it was terrific.  Unfortunately, now the bottoms of my feet hurt from running around barefoot on that hot concrete... but it was incredible.  Also, we had the first dance class at the university last night, and I almost didn’t go, but Eyleen told me I should, so I did, and this too was magnificent.  We all had much fun watching, trying this and that dance, and laughing.  Almost all the international students attended this class, and yes, it was wonderful.  You know how I love to dance.  Additionally, I had the opportunity to read some more of My Side of the Mountain, and this always makes me feel well.  And more, I heard a James Taylor song on a TV program which motivated me to put on soft music before sleeping, so, all to say, I went to bed very content last night.  I felt a lot of peace.  And now, it is the hour again to go to bed.  Oh, and in class today, my professor responded to us, “Qué es, mi amor?” (What is it, my love?)  How different, no?  But how sweet. =)

Hasta pronto!

Friday, August 31, 2012

Y vamos a Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!
Hace una semana que lleguemos en San Jose, Costa Rica.  Todo ha sido un poco loco porque somos cuatro extranjeros sin entendimiento de los sistemas de este país.  Pero casi cada experiencia ha sida positiva en una manera porque he aprendido de cada experiencia.  Como, casi faltamos nuestro viaje de avion hasta Costa Rica por no dar buena atencion (y por dejar mi celular y cargadora en el aeropuerto), lleguemos a Costa Rica por la noche- la oscuridad y la lluvia y la confusion de no saber cuando iba a venir un taxi para nosotros, decidimos sacar $50 en colones del banco pero sacamos $200 en colones por accidente, tomamos un taxi hasta una estacion de autobus para salir a la playa pero tuvimos que tomar otro taxi para ir al otro estacion correcta... pero todo ha salido bien.

Disfrutí mucho esta semana con mis amigos de GFU.  Ya experimentamos mucho juntitos, pasamos casi cada momento juntos, los cuatro, y ya he aprendido más sobre cada persona y sobre mi misma.

Este semana pasamos como un día en San Jose y salimos por Quepos que es un pueblo cerca de unas playas bonitas.  Caminamos mucho en estos días.  Nos damos desayuno en el hostel, compramos frijoles de la bolsa, aguacates, espinaca, pepino, pan, y tortillas para hacer almuerzos, Oh!  y bananas!  Por supuesto.  Y siempre cenamos en restaurante.  Nunca he comido tanto frijoles y arroz.  Pero a mi me encanta gallo pinto.  Ay, la comida =]  Siempre me levanta el ánimo.

Pues, anoche nos quedamos todos en la casa que me voy a quedarme en este semestre, y porque no habia 4 camas, Mateo durmió en otro cuarto.  Fue refrescante pasar la noche con solo las chicas.  Se me olvido como es.

Y ahora, todos estan en sus propios casas, yo en la mía, en mi dormitorio hermosisimo, y espero dormir y descansar bien la mente, la alma, y el cuerpo este fin de semana.  A ver que pasa.

Y quiero hacer nota: mi mamatica nos preparó panqueques esta mañana, y me prepararan una cena muy rica esta noche con ensalada sabrosa y toda.  Ay.

Pues, hay mucho que quiero compartir, pero ya me cansé, y no se si puedo escribir más contento bueno.

Traduccion:

Pure Life!

It has been a week since we arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica.  Everything has been a little crazy because we are four foreigners without understanding of the systems of this country.  But almost every experience has been positive in some way because I have learned from every experience.  Like, we almost missed our flight to Costa Rica for not paying attention (and for leaving my cell and charger plugged in in the airport), we arrived in Costa Rica at night- in the darkness, the rain, and the confusion of not knowing when the taxi would come for us, we decided to take out $50 in colones from the bank but we took out $200 in colones on accident, we took a taxi to the bus station to go to the beach but we had to take another taxi to another bus station- the right one... but everything has gone well.


I really enjoyed this week with my friends from GFU.  We have already experienced much together, we have spent almost every moment together, the four of us, and I have already learned more about each person and myself.

This week we spent about a day in San Jose and then left for Quepos which is a beach town.  We walked much these days.  They fed us breakfast in the hostel (always gallo pinto<rice&beans&seasonings> and tropical fruit), we bought beans in a bag, avocadoes, spinach, cucumber, bread, and tortillas to make lunches.  Oh! and bananas!  Of course.  And we always had dinner out.  I have never eaten so many beans and rice.  But I love gallo pinto.  Ay, the food =]  It always lifts me up.

Well, last night we all stayed in my homestay house, and because there weren't 4 beds, Mateo slept in another room.  It was refreshing to spend the night with just the girls.  I had forgotten how that is.



And now, all are in their proper houses, I in mine, in my lovliest bedroom, and I hope to sleep and rest well my mind, soul, and body this weekend.  We'll see how it goes.

And I want to make this note:  my homestay mom prepared pancakes for us this morning, and she and Edgar cooked and served a rich dinner tonight with delicious salad and everything.  And I really do want to help because I feel like she really is serving me so much, and the only person who has done that so much is my mom, so it is hard to accept (much less expect) that from anyone else.  Ay.

So, there is much I want to share, but I'm tired, and I don't know if I can write succinctly and well.


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

A really passionate personal statement...

At this moment, I am a bit frustrated, as to how people wear the Christian label don't feel the need to do what Jesus did.  Especially after they have heard that this is what true following of Christ is/looks like by reading Shane Claiborne's Irresistable Revolution.  
I feel like I've been hearing these ideas of simple living, of becoming poor to promote the Kingdom.  However, people who have read this book say they love it, yet their lifestyle appears less affected in areas.  It is this materialism and misunderstanding of beauty, this distorted truth that has infected many of us here.  And I'm noticing the infection.
What Jesus are they meeting in their quiet times?  When they open the Bible, they are receiving God's all-encompassing love and compassion. 
My critiques aside, this they do: they love one another and try to speak truth into each other's lives.  They meet each other where they are.  When a concern is expressed, it is met with equal concern and an effort to look to God for the answer.   

And I am talking to myself here too.  Because I have yet to give away everything I have and only take what I need.  I have yet to take to the streets to love on houseless people. 

Maybe I am called to be a radical, a person who lives simply from the start of adulthood.  Maybe because I'm in my youth and because I'm priveledged enough to be reading books by Wendell Berry and Lisa McMinn and Shane Claiborne, to be studying in a university, to have traveled up a state and been provided for and completely blessed by a community of truth-seeking, God-glorifying, GOOD people, to have the option of continuing studying for two more years in a university or to choose something else, to not have a family I am trying to provide for, to live in a fertile land, to know that my mom will take care of me when I come home, to have a safety cushion of money in 'my' bank account, to be of the skin color that isn't generally discriminated against, so to be rich and be able to contemplate giving it all away for the sake of His Kingdom.... maybe because of all of this I am different.  I have tasted and seen that the Lord is GOOD.  I have visions of simple, purposeful, beautiful living.  I have these dreams; these dreams have been forming over the past few years, and now that I'm seeing and hearing about communities where my dreams are reality, at least practiced, I'm becoming convinced that I can go join in with people who are of similar mindset.  I'm also thinking maybe I should study community development.  I've never been interested in politics.  It seems politics are the surface discussion of the true relationships (both broken and strong) underlying, which is where all the action is.  I want to sit below the politics with those who are just living and maybe trying to voice their opinion through votes if they think it will make a greater good difference.  Maybe I want to live off-the-grid.  I pledge allegiance, my life, to God.  I want to serve His creation with all that I am, in the place where I am needed.

Maybe other people are called to other things.

  As I'm writing this, I'm realizing, "goodness I'm getting passionate about this here", but also, "I think this summer with Tierra Nueva may be changing my life".  And it should.  Ah, Lord, I don't want to get wrapped up in thinking that everything at Tierra Nueva or The Simple Way or Punta Mona Eco-Village is perfect, but I want to keep learning how they work and what I can incorporate into the places I know best, or maybe into places I will grow to know.  I feel like at this point, I have a lot of ideas in my head, a lot of things I've learned about just living- at least about just consumerism.  And with these, I can change some of my own destructive habits, and I can promote just practices, but I haven't figured out how to create change on any bigger scale.  I'm starting with 'being the change I wish to see in the world', but I tell you, I'm tired.  And it is hard when you're tired.

Here are my ideas of that: First, let me say that at this point I believe that one way to heal the world (in some regard) is to develop small community-based living.  Many places in the world already do this, but most of the Western world has (I think) overdeveloped in the sense of trying to be so united as such a large group of people, and so trying to take care of everyone through an overhead system of government where we place our hope and trust in the dollar

(not in God, as it says on the dollar.  You know, that is really interesting.  Whoever created the dollar design probably knew that people would grow to put their faith in our currency instead of in God's provision, and (s)he wanted to remind us as we look at our dollar we earned (or stole) with pride and comfort, that money will only get usso far- God will ultimately provide for all our needs and take us to paradise with Him.) <-- I digress. 
  So as we've overdeveloped, industrialized, mass-produced, efficiency and pleasure-based our lives, I think the people of my class and generation have come to put our trust in the educational system, where we will be equipped (with a college degree) to perform in a career that will provide financial stability for us (and our families), and with this, we will be able to enjoy life and make it just fine.  Goodness, but I want more than that!  There is such better life!  Something I just came to understand recently, is that education is meant to teach us things that we will be useful in our lives.  So in highschool when a student asks his calc teacher, "When am I ever going to use this?", and the teacher doesn't have a reasonable answer, the student should decide to drop the class and take something useful.  And in college, we shouldn't drag ourselves through classes that both don't interest and don't apply to us, just to fulfill credits.  I'm becoming more and more convinced that my mom was right when she said I should go to a trade school.  It fits in with my idealic community life.  Another critique (I'm full of them): somewhere along the industrialism and wreckage of simple lives, our population grew, and people, not living in agricultural communites anymore found themselves out of work and so started businesses that were before unnecessary to society.  Now we have many people working full-time (which is too much of a person's life if you ask me) in jobs that are unnecessary, and I would almost say, don't matter.  And we have many people out of work, because there aren't enough jobs to be done.  And yet, with all these jobs filled, we are still in economic trouble at large... ay.  This is too much.  Goodness, all to say, we have overdeveloped and have a lot of 'reverse-progress' that needs to be made in order to heal our society. 

<insert> I recently learned (from Heather) that because I am 20 years old, I have this great passion and I see truth and the truth I see is right and I want to tell the world that and I want to live that because I have such energy and opportunity and life in front of me.  And I don't have a life's worth of experience, but I think I have learned from others and books and nature and God enough for now to have these ideas be worthy of posting on a blog. 

<other note> As I was sharing of the importance of buying organic and supporting local farmers who are doing good for the land and the workers by protecting and sustaining their health with some friends here, I learned an important lesson.  Bethany Hively has spent the last few months doing college ministry with campus crusades for Christ, and her passion lies there in missions and evangelism, and so she wants to put all of herself (including her money) into this.  She thinks she can't afford to support organic, local vegetable farmers- that isn't her passion.  And this is okay.  This is why God gave us different passions: so we can support what is good over a broad spectrum and share that goodness with our community and world.  So I can support organic farmers, she can support missions, Heather can support theater camps for kids, etc. 

Ideally, this is how an intentional community should work.  People bring their skills and passions, and make a community thrive and live justly.  Some grow the organic veggies and fruits and herbs, some care for the sheep and chickens and cows, some prepare the food, sheer the sheep, process the wool, build and repair structures, care for the children, etc, and then when the day's work is done, they all play together, make music, and feast.  I feel like I'm missing some necessary jobs on that list, but not many... Ah, education?  I suppose that would go with child-care.  And they all share what they have because they trust each other, and they trust in God to provide for their needs.

Man, this is long.  But this is all I'll burden you with for now.


An ode to Tierra Nueva, and the continuing of nuestra aventura

What can I say about Tierra Nueva?  The three months I spent in Washington were beautiful and made a great impact on ways I view life and justice and food... 

Things that stand out to me: 

soaking during worship,

Holly from Faith House dancing like a child, waving a banner and laughing like a sprite as she skipped around while we sang,

Chuckie coming like an angel as I wept in realization of the long physical separation of myself with the Hernandez family that had just begun, and then visiting me again and again, one time saying, "I ain't never been afraid of anything.  You tell me I can't fly?  I'll show you just how far I can.  The only fear I have is of the Lord."

The concern on Salvio and Victoria's faces as they told me, "Sigue en tus estudios, y cuando te graduas, vete aca otro vez, y vamos a verte".  (continue studying and when you graduate you can come here and we'll see you)  They believe college education is important, and want me to take advantage of this as they didn't have that chance.

Playing Pato Pato Ganzo at the lake on my last day of farm.

Being entertained on the rising log in the lake with good friends.

Being supported, welcomed, and loved in every interaction with friends...

Ay, there is too much.  I'll just say that the last week I spent in Burlington was wonderful.  Moments were savored, prayers were raised, and I was surrounded in love.  I want to share more, pero ya me canse.  So I will write more.  It will come

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Yes, and

Hello.  So I know it has been a long time since I last wrote, but my excuse is that so many things have been happening and I wanted to give them all their proper space here, and up until now I haven't been able to articulate it all.  With that said, I will proceed to update you on the most important experiences of late.





First let me start with the baby announcement.  I had the enormous blessing of being able to be with my sister, Jackie, as she endured the process of labor and gave birth to a little girl whose name is Marli Jae.   It was the most beautiful process.  She was composed as ever, through the entire pregnancy, and now she is handling motherhood with natural instinct and care, and gladly receiving help from Devan and Mom and friends, I'm sure.

Then after a lovely week-long visit with family in Oregon, I returned to Tierra Nueva.  Things have been going so well.  A grand blessing it has been to live here in the TN building with Amanda, Hannah Joy, and Larry.  It is like college with very much freedom, very much fun, and very little homework.  I've just been getting to know some really incredible people as they open themselves and their stories to share and explore reality, and idealism, and practices of living and playing..  God set up this living situation for sure.

Goodness, and although I'm missing Hannah Mae and Laura (and family, of course), new faces and stories are here and there is so much to learn every day.  What a rich life.  Talking with Heather, who is also in an 'alternate reality' it seems as she is living on the East Coast with people who were strangers to her just a few weeks ago, she agrees that life is rich and exciting in these communities who are choosing to live outside the mainstream.  It has just been so interesting to me to see how these adults work and play, and I think a lot of their enjoyment comes in their work, because it is a serving and fulfilling work- much of it is ministry.  And this gets me thinking, I think I want my life to look like this.  I want to be doing necessary 'work' that is helping people and the rest of creation and enjoying being in relationship with the people I work with, and therefore, live life with.  It seems that many people focus their feel-good energies outside of their work, and try to live life between 5pm and 9am.  But really, for one thing, God pleas with us from the beginning to give rest to ourselves, our souls, our bodies, and even the land.  He knows we get so caught up in our productivity and work and that we will push our bodies and emotions and the land to the limit before we let it rest.  He knows what is best for us, and I have a feeling that resting our bodies and minds one day a week is really healthy and restoring for us.  Someone said recently, taking a Sabbath means that first, you practice 'being' instead of 'doing'.  God created us as human beings not human doings.  Second, you do something that feeds your soul.  Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him... He is my fortress; I will never be shaken. *Psalm 62*  


Oh, the power of YES.  Dave has been teaching us all these improv games and speaking about the power of saying "Yes".  When you say "Yes" you are accepting someone's offer.  Saying "yes" is affirming, encouraging, empowering to both parties.  We say, "Yes, and.." and then having given affirmation of an idea to someone, you can be vulnerable to their response as you ask something.  It is just something I've been thinking about recently, and as such I've been being careful in giving negative responses.  It is hard to give negative responses because you can see how it can discourage the other person.

Transitioning now to the farm- things have been getting busier as God is causing the fruits of the plants to ripen.  We have been weeding and harvesting like crazy.  I wish I had pictures for you, pero mi camera no sirve ahora.  Today, Grace (a new intern from the Dakotas and Wisconsin) and I harvested chicharro (peas) from 9am-12:30pm, and still didn't make it through all the vines.  We also have been spending ample time communing with the raspberry bushes, eating as we go, and these have given us two scrumptious pies and goodness, just today, a woman named Kristen made a chocolate cake with raspberries all up en su negocios / in it.  That was incredible.  And we have plump rows of various kale, huge bunches of lettuce that I hear will soon expire (Ah no!), beautiful heads of green and purple cabbage, tasty flowers of brocolli, and turnips ready for creaming.




Saturday, June 16, 2012

Coziness, sun, rain, hard work, reaping rewards, and Mom!

Faintly visible streaks of wet dart downward, as puffs are drawn slowly upward. Thousands of plops create a light show in a forest green body.  Layers of greens stand firm, nestling a distinctly straight lined, brightly color contrasting, pile of man-made shapes with an electric light beacon.  Consistent pattering of rain, a chorus of chirping marked by a singular call coming from a close tree, and wind on water...  Surrounded and supported by wood; one rooted, the other carved.
These are beautiful moments here at Hannah's cabin.  A shout-out to the Kunde family- thank you for letting us stay in your cozy cabin.

So, I haven't written in a while, although much has passed that I desire to process and share...  Maybe work backwards?  Currently, it is Saturday which means harvesting.  Today, besides harvesting vegetables, we are also harvesting the fruits of Mom's six hour drive from Portland- mainly that we get to spend time together.  This has been wonderful.  We were blessed to have a beautifully sunny and warm day yesterday at the farm, where after a long (quizas the longest) and hard (quizas the hardest) day of work, Mom arrived to see the farm at its nicest weather-wise.  Today, it has rained.  Casi todo el día.  Nonetheless, both Mom and I worked on the farm all morning, harvesting up some lettuce (new lettuce!  no slugs!), brilliant swiss chard (in 4 colors!), potent arugula, great portions of leek scapes, valentine rabano (radishes), and baby bok choy (Nǐ hǎo).  I wore Hannah's yellow rain gear (miss you, Hannah), mom also wore the rain overalls, and it was a wonderful time to introduce Mom to the best parts of life in Mt. Vernon- namely Nico, Salvio, Victoria, Sara, y la cosecha (harvest).    


Notes: 
*don't plan to travel through Burlington on Berry Dairy Days... there is hecka traffic from all the visitors who come for this [fair?].  There were carnival rides set in a parking lot off the main street of town.  The ferris wheel and Yo-Yo were spinning. ...with nobody riding.
*apparently, you can temporarily bandage a cut with a wad of dead weeds, and if you do, you look hard-core (as seen in Victoria).


I have a question: today, mom and I bought food at a Taco truck and ate inside their little dining room, where there was already a full Mexican family dining, and a telenovela playing on the TV.  It was pretty quiet in there, and it felt awkward.  1. Why did it feel awkward? 2. Was it just me, or everyone who felt it? 3. How can we break that awkwardness into social connection and community?  So three questions, but there they stand.


Goodness, this was all today.  Well, yesterday, I learned that I don't want to be a large-scale farmer (hehe, Nico y Hannah).  Working on a farm isn't always fun.  It can be hard.  Yesterday we learned to use the rotatiller, and hilled potatoes using shovels instead of hoes.  This summer I've learned, many things are fun until your body gives up on you.  Like Victoria says, "Yo quiero ir pero mi cuerpo no quiere." (I want to go but my body doesn't).  But through this hard work Victoria and I were able to laugh about how neither of us tenemos ganas de trabajar más (had motivation/desire to work more), but there we were, with two hours left.


Thursday was our day off!  And thanks to God, I got to spend it with the Hernandez family.  We hiked up a mountain (Salvio kept saying, "Ya estamos cerca!", y "Ya llegamos!", *We're close now!, and We've arrived!*  He probably said each ten times) to Fragrance Lake in Chuckanut (I love that name), exhausted our bodies, collapsed in their house (Salvio y yo) while Victoria started dinner.  Mmm, and we made pupusas, o gorditas as Salvio calls them.  It was so funny to see Salvio stare at Victoria as she prepared the food.. He was really hungry but very patient nonetheless.


This last week, Nick and Elizabeth invited me to stay in their home as they were away on vacation.  Can I tell, you, it is one of the coziest little cottages set in the most beautiful forest on a small mountain.  So, they rent the apartment (old basement) from the most incredible woman, named Jenny.  I got a chance to talk with her as she invited me upstairs for a slice of rhubarb pie and tea, and I soon discovered that many of her passions and interests line up with mine.  However, her wise way comes from having experienced all these things as reality that to me are still dreams and mysteries.  To not leave you wondering too much, after retiring, she has traveled extensively through México, through Oaxaca and Zapotec, and has developed relationships with people there and is helping to provide support to a group of female weavers who have this incredible skill and technique but maybe lack opportunity to sell.  So she buys their rugs and sells them here in Washington, creating a direct trade and connection for the consumers to meet (through a placard) the women who labored over this functional art.  She has lived on this mountain for 40 years, and has crafted her home (originally built by her husband) to be very creative, sentimentally artistic, and engaging.  I keep encountering shelves of books in people's homes, and I always look through their choices, partly because I want to see if there's anything I might want to read, but also because a person's reading choices reveals a good amount about their thought processes, and seeing familiar books creates a connection knowing that both of us have experienced the story that author was telling.


Ahh, so life is still really good.  I am blessed richly with loving friends, with the ability to work in fresh air with the most basic and forgotten of God's creation, to rest in a warm, soft place, to eat fresh, "compassionate" food (as Megan Neff would say), and to have a descanso from school and the hectic life that oft will be.  


His mercies are new every morning.  His blessings have been also.  This vitality is precious, and I'm just trying to find out how to pass that along to others better.  To bring light, vibrancy, and life with me.  I told Victoria, "Ahorita no me gusta este trabajo, no quiero hacerlo, pero a mi me gusta estar aquí contigo" (Right now I don't like this work, I don't want to do it, but I like being here with you).  And she agreed.  I think that may be a key part of life, or at least life in this age.  Laughter and quality stories make work worth enduring, days worth living.  


So may you, reader, have a beautiful, life-filled day.  If you're at work- be present with your co-workers and enjoy their company as you remember the connection we all have as God's creation, set here to live together and love our neighbor.


Notes from Walking Gently Upon the Earth by Lisa McMinn and Megan Neff.
"Justice involves seeing the world as a place of beauty and potential as well as exploitation and sorrow- and then acting rightly and compassionately in response"(69).  


In reference to 1 John 3:12-18 she writes: "How could I retrain myself to listen to Abel's cry and respond?" and "I am striving to live a compassionate and loving life, striving to be on the side of Abel, saying no to the systems and structures that Cain established"(63).


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Feeling overwhelmed again with love..  Things have been wrapping up in part, as Hannah is finishing her time here at Tierra Nueva (she has babysitting jobs the rest of summer), and I am visiting home for a few days, and shall return to live in un lugar nuevo.  I have hopes for this new place of living- I'm dreaming up the possibilities, as it is not yet decided..  Anyway, with this wrapping up, Hannah has been having a hard time, feeling like she just got here, and things are just getting to be really good: friendships are becoming solid and so much fun, we just had our first harvest and deliveries, and we cleaned up the little barn today for pick-ups.  But, we realize that with saying goodbye comes reflections, and the savoring of words and moments.

This last week has been absolutely amazing, and Hannah and I have been savoring each moment.  We were utterly blessed with a visit from Hannah's friends, Jane and Gil, who are some of the most life-filled, spirit-filled people I've met.  Jane is an older woman, but she just goes all day.  She is genuinely interested in getting to know a person, their history, their passions, their plans.  She can fill a car-ride or a 2-hour lunch and tea or a walk with engaging, uplifting, meaningful conversation.  She can change a frustrating, toilsome chore into an entertaining team sport.  When we were with her, there was always plenty of laughter.

La risa... Hannah and I have been laughing each day, so hard.  Our spirits are blessed to live in a good-humored community with hilarious people.  Each person has their quirks that make us laugh.  Salvio, always saying, "Wow", or "Okee", or posing.. Victoria's laughter which is just contagious.. the silly phrases that flow from Sara Jo's lips in her serious tone... Nico's expressions and impressions.. Laura's goofiness.. Hannah's pouty face (above).

At the farm:
Things have been great.  I recently learned that I LOVE hilling potatoes.  It is such fun.  Today, we got to finish weeding and hilling potatoes that we started on Saturday.  We finished after an hour or two, and then we began weeding another section- fava beans, peas, and cebolla (onion), not because we had to, but because we just couldn't get enough of sacando la hierba (weeding)!  5pm came, and I had a really hard time pulling myself out of the field because I saw so many weeds encroaching on our little plants and the weather was nice and I was able... But alas, I said goodbye to the fields for a while, reassuring the plants that I hadn't forgotten about them, that I will return to them in a week.  As hard as it was to leave the field, I knew the next thing on the agenda would probably be really good, and I had to remember the goodness of the field, move through to the next thing, and trust that all would turn out well.  Tonight, it did.  Nico suggested we take Hannah out to the Food Co-op for dinner to celebrate her time with us, so we proceeded to place a paper bag over her head and surprise her at the Co-op.  All of us from the farm came, in all our dirt from the day of work, and joined for food.  After, Hannah and I decided to ride our bicis (bikes) back to the Co-op to get some delish local ice-cream.  It was a beautiful time.  I love that place, and I love Hannah.

More about the farm- guess who else loves lettuce besides you and I?  Babosas (slugs).  Guacala.  I can't handle them.  I squeal like a little girl almost every time I encounter one.  Eek.  Especially when there is skin contact.. Anyway, I don't mean to make you squirm, but they have been a big part of my life lately.  Luckily, today Hannah and I got to harvest everything else- the leeks, leek scapes, and kale. And we got to take a share home!  So pray that these veggies ride well on the train to Portland.  It is really rich to harvest beautiful veggies.

Ah, I also found this incredible weeping willow on the farm, and climbed up into it (of course).  It was so comforting to finally have a perfect tree- they can be especially hard to find when most property is private.

And now it is time to rest up for tomorrow, which should be another beautiful, long, last day for us.  Then Wednesday morning we head to Seattle and next to Portland..
Thanks for reading!