Dia Tipico

This weekend was quite eventful. We tried Paddle board Yoga at Playa Danta.  Playa Danta is one of my most favorite places.  They haven't cut down the trees along the beaches and have built a restaurant with all outdoor beach seating under the shade and a full adventure store, Pura Vida Ride. This is unique because in C.R. all the beaches are by law considered "public" the first 50 yds. from the water. So, normally you don't see any construction within a certain distance.

The paddle board was a pretty neat experience. The hardest part was getting out and back in because the water was pretty rough.  We paddled into this little nook cove and anchored.  John, I think, is better at yoga than me. I always look over at him and he is in perfect pose (even on a paddle board) and the instructor even asked him to demonstrate a couple poses...good for him!!!  I just have to focus on breathing...

We also officially bought our Geo. I was having a few driving issues with the stick shift, but I have gotten over my fear and I'm starting to get around quite well.

Yesterday, I helped paint the Kid's club in Potrero for the first part of the morning.  That's me at the top of the ladder (I think the highest I've ever been on a ladder).  This is where all of the Potrero kid's classes are held.

Later, John and I went with a few Ticos (Emerida, Jazmine, and Didier) from our English class to go fishing. Our plan was to go fishing, eat the fish, and then go with them to their Christian church service.

We didn't get a picture of our fishing methods, but we would stand about a knee deep in the water with a spool of wire and launch our bait out into the ocean. Jazmine was trying all she could to help me and I was terrible at it. My wire was going backwards, sideways, etc...I don't think I had the right releasing point.  John, got the hang of it pretty quickly, and he actually caught a fish...which we later ate. Yummy!!

Emerida and Jazmine (mother and daughter) offered to quickly cook the fish before church. They are unbelievable! In a matter of a few minutes we had 2 freshly caught fish (with no bones), arroz, y jugo de pina (pineapple). They were so kind and generous with letting us come into their house to eat and clean up.  They informed us halfway through that they have a crocodile that lives in their backyard...very comforting!!  They said we could meet him next time when it's daylight...looking forward to it!

Jazmine cooking the fish

John's fish

Lastly, we went to a Spanish speaking church.  However, John and I stuck out like sore thumbs, and the preacher decided to include us as much as he could with his English (I kind of felt bad because everyone would turn around and look at us) and he kept asking us if we could understand...which my answer in front of everyone was always 'pocito'.  It was wonderful to witness that even though we live in such different places, there are people all over the world worshiping the same God. I have to say they have a passion and a humbleness that you don't find very much in the U.S.

Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and given him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

Philippians 2: 9-11 

It was a very special day with some very special people!!

VBS in El Llanito

“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”" Matthew 19:14

Two weeks ago, John and I were able to help out with a vacation bible school in El Llanito. A few members from a church in California helped to facilitate.  The same church has worked with Serve One for the past couple of years to help coordinate the week.  I just thought it was great that the community openly allows their salon/school to be used for this purpose. It was also very encouraging to see many of the parents attend alongside their children.  There were bible memory verses, messages given about Christ, time for singing and prayer, and games.  John bonded with some teenage guys and I was able to talk with some of the mom's about opportunities for adult English classes ... possibly expanding some of our offerings.

It was great to be around other Christians and to talk about God. I met one girl, Yunitca, and she was taking care of her little 2 year old brother throughout most of the session.  I sat with her and read some of the material that was distributed in Spanish and just talked to her about her life. She is in 6th grade and it's just amazing the responsibilities that these young boys and girls have at such a young age.

Here's a picture of me giving out tattoos of God's Costa Rican animals (mainly frogs and toucans).

A very special week and it was great to connect with this community!!

Soccer is back

One way John is bonding with a few guys is by playing some soccer.  In the middle of Potrero there is a big soccer field as the central meeting spot (very similar in all pueblos). Every day around 4:30pm, you'll start to see a lot of guys get together to play. It started out as John just asking to play in some pick-up games every few days. It was so cute, he would always make sure he would have his cleats just in case. And it's so cool because some of the guys are barefoot and they are all just out there having fun.

After a few practices the coach asked John if he would play on their team. So, now John is officially part of the Potrero team. The pic below is during his first game.  Potrero won 4-1 and John scored 2 goals!!! 

The Nabers Soccer Academy should be proud :)

Some Goodbye's

This has been a week of goodbye's. The founders (Drew & Meredith) of Abriendo Mentes have decided to return to the U.S.  Thankfully, they have put in place a great transition plan and have hired a new project director to keep the organization running smoothly.

 In addition to their departure, sadly about 10 of 17 volunteers have left to return to the U.S. in the past 2 weeks.  There are quite a few volunteers starting next week, but it is sad to see people go right after you meet them.

There were two 'farewell' fiestas this week. The community planned a fiesta where the women's group cooked arroz con pollo, beef stew, lemon sweet tea (so I was excited) and arroz con leche for dessert. I, on the other hand, brought like 16 cookies that I made in our small oven (they didn't go very far).  These women are amazing because they make food for 80-100 people in one big pot. The girls and boys groups both coordinated a dance as their going away present. The highlight of the night was the local Mariachi band...which was my first for Costa Rica.

The following night, a family in the town had all the volunteers over for another going away celebration. The family made arroz con pollo and appetizer fajitas.  Again... I brought some jello (I need to start cooking more traditional foods).  They had games, music, and many heart felt speeches.

Also, both parties had tons of balloons...balloons are like a fiesta favorite (see below and above)!!  And they would lay flower petals for the guests of honor (see below).  Very sweet cultural traditions!! I could definitely feel how sad yet grateful this town is for having their friends of 5 years leave them.  Abriendo Mentes has definitely made an impact on this community.

A Relaxing Saturday

Saturday was an adventurous and very relaxing day. Our friends Ilene and Peter had the idea to go to 2 different beaches up the coast (Playa Coco and Playa Hermosa). We were about to leave our place (to get an early start) when a dump truck dumped a load of rocks right near our house blocking the way out. So we had to wait about an hour while they (by hand) moved the rocks over to the side. Then we were on our way!!

They showed us Playa Danta on the way there and I got to see this awesome resort, Las Catalinas (which I believe is where Jay stayed) and it was absolutely beautiful!  Then we were off to the Monkey trail to test out our 2 wheel drive car. It was supposed to be the short cut to these beaches, but we had to go so slow up the rocks/mountain that it was about the same time as going on the highway the roundabout way.  But I was very proud of our Geo!

We got lost and ended up at Playa Ocotal. It was nice to see but we only stayed a few minutes. Playa Coco was very California ish. It had a boardwalk, which you almost never see in Costa Rica.  We ate at a Caribbean style restaurant... where they gave me an entire fish on my plate. I couldn't eat the whole thing because there were so many bones (I've never been good with separating my food in my mouth...like sunflower seeds).

Then we were off to Playa Hermosa where we spent most of the afternoon until sunset (pic below). The beaches of Costa Rica still cease to amaze me. There can be a dark sand rocky beach and then 2 miles up the coast it can turn into a pure white sand beach. They are absolutely gorgeous and it feels like you are visiting completely different places/coasts. It makes beach hopping a lot of fun.

We had our first try at slack rope. Peter is a pro and a good teacher.  He could do jumps and sit on the rope. John was able to walk about 4 steps (he says 8) and I was able to walk 2 steps. This sport definitely takes a lot of balance and coordination.

I had my first snow cone con leche (with milk). It was probably the best version of a snow cone I've ever had. He put shaved ice, flavoring, dry milk (lechura?) and sweet creamy milk on top...Yummy! Here's a pic of me and Pedro...

Lastly, when we were leaving Playa Hermosa, we saw a little mono (monkey) hanging right above our car on the power lines. This was the closest we've been to a monkey, so I had to share.

 Here are two verses that remind me of today's adventures!

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:2

Then God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.  And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas: and God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:9-10

First experiences ...

We are in our 4th week of being in Costa Rica.  We actually flew to Cali last weekend for John's dad's wedding in Santa Barbara (Congrats again and it was absolutely beautiful!!). But now there are no plans to go back to the States...which in a way seems much more permanent.

We have met so many people while we have been here and it's been amazing how all the towns and people are interconnected.  I'll give you an overview of what our volunteer efforts are going to consist of.

We are helping out 3 organizations while we are down here.

The first one is called Abriendo Mentes (AM) ( http://abriendomentes.org/ ). They focus primarily on helping two towns (Potrero and are expanding to Brasilito) where they help teach English to children and adults, teach computer/technology skills, facilitate women's groups creating micro businesses, coordinate sports youth programs, host PenPal events, currently creating a town garden and much more.  Our first 2 weeks in Costa Rica we were observing classes and programs just to get exposed to all the programs and events to see where we thought we could make an impact, etc.  A lot of the volunteering starts around 2pm and can go until 7pm. Lots of the preparation (lesson planning/materials) happens earlier in the day. Classes for English range from kinder to 6th grade and then transitions to adult classes.

In general, the kids are happy to be in classes and willingly attend. I'm impressed with their eagerness, their quickness to love, and their ENERGY! It's been a while (if ever) that I have been around so many kids during the course of a day.  I thought I was tired after coming home from a long day at work ... but this is a new type of tiredness that can come after 2-3 hours ... it's crazy!  It gives me a new appreciation for teachers and stay at home moms!  And it is well worth it!

The second organization is called Serve One ( http://serveonecostarica.com/ ).  Serve One is a Christian-based organization that serves the town of El Llanito.  Scott & Staci Huggins (a couple from Texas) founded the organization a couple years ago.  Their goal is to show God's love through loving on the people/kids of this village and to live and walk through life with them.  They have done amazing things to help the community salon/school.  Most tico towns have a salon which is community space; however, El Llanito is so small their salon and school are combined.  Serve One, through the town partnership, has helped them fund raise and labor to build walls and a roof (so...no more flooding).  They help facilitate different vacation bible schools throughout the year (which we were apart of earlier this week). And Staci has started a few English classes for the kinder classes with plans to expand.  There is a lot of opportunity and flexibility with this ministry and we are excited to see what God has in store!

This is in El Llanito at the kid's end of session party...they were playing musical chairs.

Lastly, we will be working with CEPIA ( http://www.cepiacostarica.org/ ).  CEPIA and AM are partnering together to help expand the above efforts into the town of Brasilito.  John and I will be helping with those expansion efforts into Brasilito so it was a great way to connect with both organizations. CEPIA stands for Culture, Education, and Psychology of Infants & Adolescents. They have programs for women, children, teenagers and families across 13 villages.

Here is a map of where we live in relation to where we are serving to give you an idea. The distance from our our house to El Llanito driving is about 15-20 minutes. It's funny because when we first got to C.R. it took us about 20 minutes to drive from our place to Potrero.  The other day, John and I noticed how fast we got to Potrero...we were quickly dodging the potholes, passing people and going over bridges like it was no big deal...how we have adjusted!!! It takes us about 10 minutes now...

Blessings!!  I'll write more this weekend!!

GE Surprise

For my GE followers, I wanted to give a BIG THANKS to the Durham team! The box made it!!

For my going away present, the team surprised me by pulling together a collection of needed items that Abriendo Mentes had posted.  That meant so much to me and we have already started using them.  I miss you all!!

I think after talking with Jeanne it only took 2-3 weeks for the package to arrive...so that's a lot quicker than what I was anticipating!  Also, thanks to my husband for keeping this a secret from me along with a few others who were sneaky at work.

Above is a picture with Meradith. She is one of the founders of Abriendo Mentes.

Conference Week

I feel like I'm in catch up mode from the last 2 weeks of volunteering, but I promise I will write more about our first volunteer experiences soon.  It's crazy...I thought I would have a little more time for reflection throughout the day, but I think I'm still trying to find my balance (which will link to something later on in the post).

Just to write something current (for the first time), I thought I would talk about the Omprakash Cross-Cultural Education Conference that Abriendo Mentes (my organization) is hosting all week. This conference is the first one that Omprakash has coordinated bringing leaders in the non-profit world together to discuss best practices and challenges that they are faced with globally. Spending the last few years in the 'for profit' working world...this conference has been an eye opening experience. We have about 6 countries represented and people from all different professional backgrounds. The main focus is how to make the world a better and more sustainable place to live with a strong focus on youth development. Below is a snapshot of all the seminars that I have been attending.

We had a school from Chicago (AGC) host a discussion on how they give their children a different learning experience. They have teachers that focus on wellness and sustainability.  The kids are entrepreneurs, owning and being vested in the school garden as well as eating only organic foods in the cafeteria.  They recycle everything to the extent that one of their acronyms is GOOS (Good on one side)...so the kids know that the papers in that pile are still good to use and not to waste.  The conference this week is encouraging similar behaviors by asking people to bring their own reusable coffee mugs and drinking water, etc.

Child Protection was the next topic. The main takeaway I got from this message (besides the point that even Non-profits have to have written policies/procedures to follow) was that in a developing country where poverty is abundant the risk for child abuse is so much greater.  Their home security is nonexistent, many families have single parents/step-parents, and when bigger families share a small 2 bedroom house, sleeping arrangements are more accessible to abuse (14 year old cousin/brother with a 4 year old toddler, etc).  Volunteers working with children need to be cognizant of the signs that children give and be aware that their reality at home can be very stressful, and know how to respond in these cases.

Another highlight was during the Volunteer Preparation segment, where organizations have to set a 'realistic job preview' for the volunteers so they are effective and satisfied with their experience. Two questions came up that I don't believe we normally think about. The first one is that when a community has many volunteers coming to serve to make a difference/impact, how does the town view their help? Is it just making the community members feel more inferior because these 'volunteers' are coming to 'save' their town with their more superior skill sets or are they truly thankful and welcoming?  The second question was around the homestay experience and how volunteers that elect to stay in a homestay have to adjust to a new family; however what type of expectations training do the homestay families receive that are opening their homes up to these international volunteers? I don't have the answers, but I thought the idea of seeing it through the community's eyes was an interesting twist to any non-profit effort.

Lastly, something I think we all struggle with and the 'non-profit' world is not exempt, is that we spend so much time trying to help others that we forget about our SELF in the process. And a person needs to give attention to their own needs to ensure they are at their best to help others. I think no matter if you are working for a corporation, a non-profit, or you are a stay at home mom...many of us struggle with this concept.  Something that I've done now 3 times since I've been here is yoga.  I'll let you know how it's going...trying to find my inner peace and balance.

There was a lot of sessions yesterday as well. One that touches home was the Team building seminar. After working at a 'teaming' shop for the past 2 years, it is amazing how important team building is no matter what type of organization you are in.  Volunteer onboarding can almost be as intense as employee onboarding... but more so. Volunteers are all on different schedules and some maybe coming for 3 weeks and others for 6 months ... so there are logistical challenges but also how you make them feel a part of the group/mission in such a short period of time, etc.

Above is a picture of our main conference room. Yes, it's outside, in the heat, and sometimes I get distracted by the occasional iguana. Tuanis! (too cool in CR slang.)


That's all the wisdom for now...