The Plunge Down Under

Costa Rica, Day 5

Our last full day in Costa Rica began with a stop at a coffee farm en route to the Poas Volcano.  I remembered seeing photos of this beautiful spot from the trip taken two years ago, and it did not disappoint.  Before we arrived, Sr. Huggins read Psalm 104 to us and encouraged us to praise God throughout the coming day for the beauty we would enjoy in His creation.  This was not difficult to do.

Our entire group in front of the coffee fields:

View from the bus as we climbed into the hills:

A man with a traditional oxcart made sure that we did not miss the turn in to the coffee farm:

This tree, with the beautiful hydrangeas in front, reminded me of some of my favorite scenery in the Dandenongs in Australia:

Next we drove further up into the mountains for our canopy tour at Colinas de Poas. As the guides strapped us into our gear, the excitement levels grew, and at least one of our students was visibly shaking.  However we were very well taken care of throughout the twelve runs.  In between platforms we hiked through the forest enjoying the greenery and sounds.   The last run was a length of one quarter of a mile, and we reached speeds high enough to get the adrenalin flowing.  It was a great way to end our tour.

Our last stop for the day was the town of Sarchi, known for its wood products, and most particularly, the wooden oxcart used to transport coffee and sugarcane through the steep and narrow mountain trails.  We walked around the town square, admired the world's largest oxcart, and finished up at the official oxcart factory where we were able to purchase souvenirs.  

We ended our day with praise and worship, followed by a time of sharing, and then, as has become tradition, a short walk to the local fresh market.  

 

 

 

Costa Rica, Ciudad de Fe

On our fourth full day in Costa Rica, we spent several hours helping out at a day care run by the church pictured below, Ciudad de Fe (City of Faith).  The church is located close to a poverty-stricken area, and most of the 148 children that are registered at this day care come from home situations that place them at risk.  They range in age from a few months old to 12 years or so.  As soon as we arrived, we split up into pairs and spread out amongst different age groups.  I don't have photos to share from most of our time at Ciudad de Fe, but I can tell you that Sr. Huggins, with the help of a couple of students, played his heart out on the soccer pitch.  Unfortunately for him, this involved vaulting over the fence and back again every couple of minutes to retrieve the ball.  Mainly our job was to provide a little extra love and attention for lots of kiddos whose parents struggle to feed them and are often unable to give them the time and love that little ones are thirsty for.  I think the hearts of all of our students were drawn toward these kids who responded so warmly to us.  It made us all long to be able to do more for them, and also reminded us of how much we take for granted.

I enjoyed watching our students playing with little ones, running around on the playground, and lifting children up to swing and hang from the outdoor equipment.  I loved hearing their interactions as they used a combination of the Spanish they have learned plus hand motions to communicate.  Eventually I ended up in the baby room where several babies were unhappy as they were hungry and ready for a nap.  It felt so satisfying to rock a couple of them and calm them down, and I was amazed at how efficiently the workers fed, changed and put to sleep all seven infants.  One of the workers expertly rocked three baby chairs at one time until each baby fell asleep one by one.  As the babies lay peacefully dozing, I chatted with the workers about their work at this daycare and how important it is to provide love for all of these little guys.

Success:  all seven babies sound asleep:

After a delicious lunch of roasted chicken, rice and potatoes provided by the daycare, we split up among the older children to tell the story of Jonah, sing songs and make a craft.  

Our day ended with a praise, worship and sharing time, plus a lesson about the power of the tongue from the book of James.  Now we are looking forward to our last full day, and the opportunity to learn a little more about the history and the beauty of this Central American nation. 

 

Costa Rica House Build, Third Day

Our clothes may be dirty and our bodies weary, but our hearts are full after returning from our third day of work in San Jose. It is not that often that the opportunity comes along to participate in a project with such a satisfying sense of completion in such a short period of time.  We had that opportunity this week, and we are so grateful for it.  The words running through my mind all day come from a prayer offered by King David when he dedicated the materials he had collected for building the temple: "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly?" (1 Chronicles 29:14).  We may be nothing special, but we serve a God who is. 

There are so many photos to share, that I will jump right in. Here is the house, la casita, when we arrived this morning.  The primary thing left to do was put on a second coat of paint inside and out:

Midway through the morning, a few of us went on a shopping expedition with the family who will be living in the house.  Enough money was provided with the funds raised for this house to purchase the basic necessities for the inside of the home.  Shopping is not on my list of favorite things to do, but this was a fun expedition.  We went to the superstore Maxi Palí and helped to fill up two carts with supplies.

View from the bus window on the return trip:

While we were away, furniture was assembled for the two bedrooms and living room.

Nearly there!

Children came in and out to check on the progress, and to ask questions about the sorpresa that had been promised to them the day before.

While we waited, Sr. Huggins decided to climb a tree.

Finally it was time to hold the house dedication ceremony.  We gathered in a circle with Pedro and Stefanie and their small daughter to pray and to share our wishes and prayers with them one by one as the house keys were handed from person to person.

 

After Pedro and Stephanie unlocked the door and entered as a family, we gave them a few moments before knocking and asking if we could enter:

The moment that the children had been waiting for also finally arrived.  We taught them a few songs, and then gathered to listen to the story of Jonah.

One of our students explained (in Spanish!) how the story of Jonah connects to Jesus and God's plan for salvation: 

Storytime was followed by craft time:  Jonah (a bag of sand) inside the big fish (the cup):

Next we had just a few minutes to play a hilarious game:

Then it was time for a good-bye photo and hugs:

We left with promises to write letters, and hopefully, God willing, for some of us to return.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Costa Rica House Build, Day 2

Today began much like yesterday, with breakfast in the open air restaurant in our hotel before piling on the bus to head back to the build site.  During our sharing time last night we agreed that it had been wonderful to see a community of people come together to put up this house.  Workers included neighbors, others for whom a similar house had been built, members of our leader's church, and of course, the various children who came and left and then returned throughout the day.  We had a similar experience today, and by the time we left in the late afternoon, our house was almost finished.

I can think of at least five things that were accomplished today,  I will include photos of all five.

1.  The roof
2. The interior drywall
3. Interior and exterior trim
4. Electrical wiring
5. Lots of conversation and laughter with the local kids, many of whom skipped school today to hang out with us

 Morning prep before arriving from Miss Cline (a reminder that when things don't go our way, to be patient and remember that God is at work).

Instructions from Mario, our House Build leader.  Pedro, who will be the recipient of the house, is on his left:

Sr. Huggins led us in prayer before we began work:

Trying out a new fruit: Jocote.  We were told it is eaten with salt.

Jocote tree:

View from where we have been working:

At the end of our work day, we carried the tools and leftover materials to the site of the next house build site.  It gave us the opportunity to see where our school team worked two years ago.  That team included the four students pictured below:

Tomorrow we look forward to finishing up the painting, participating in a house dedication ceremony and spending some more time interacting with the children.

 

Costa Rica House Build, First Day

I'm hopping back into this space after nearly two years away to share photos from a trip I am currently taking with 12 students and two teachers to Costa Rica.  Today was our first full day, and although I was initially dubious at what our team would be able to accomplish given our collective lack of construction experience, I think you will agree that we made some progress.  It was a good first day, with many opportunities to work hard, to interact with our house build team, and to practice speaking Spanish with the children and adults that live in the neighborhood where we are building.

First I will jump back to include a few photos from yesterday.

After arriving at the Pittsburgh airport in the middle of the night for an early flight out, followed by a delay in Fort Lauderdale due to mechanical problems, it was a relief to set foot on Costa Rican soil midday on Saturday:

It's always nice to be met by someone when you exit from an airport in another country.  Below you can see our local guide giving us instructions:

First bus ride:

Since most of us hadn't eaten a proper meal all day, dinner was a very welcome experience.  

Our first course was chorreadas (corn pancakes) served with natilla (a type of sour cream) and cheese.  ¡Sabrosas!

Getting up for a 7:45am start on Sunday was not terribly difficult due to the two hour time difference.  Most of us enjoyed a breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and black beans), fresh fruits including papaya, and scrambled eggs.  Then it was off to the neighborhood where we are helping to build a house in three days.  We were able to have this opportunity thanks to the efforts of four of our students who raised enough money by organizing and hosting a dance-a-thon last year.

We were divided into three teams, a painting team, a wall building team, and a roof truss team. The painting team had lots of help from local children:

First wall coming together: 

Instruction in how to properly pound a nail:

Miss Cline hard at work with the circular saw:

First wall in place:

Second wall in place:

There was great excitement amongst our local helpers when we brought out the blue paint for the roof trusses:

Taking a well-deserved break:

Between the sawing, the hammering and the crowing of two roosters, communication was often a challenge:

More progress:

Our workday ended a bit early due to rain, but we felt satisfied with what we were able to accomplish. ¡Gloria a Dios!

 

Melbourne Revisited

I returned Monday from my seventh trip to Melbourne, a visit that reaffirmed for me that it is a city that will always remain close to my heart.  I will share several photos in this post, but many of the best parts of the trip were not captured with a camera.  Those were the times I spent catching up with some of the friends we made during our four years in Australia.  I also enjoyed wandering through my favorite haunts reminiscing.  At times the remembering contained more pain than pleasure, but even so I am glad that I went back again.  It helped to be thoroughly spoiled by so many dear friends--to be treated to coffees, breakfasts, lunches and dinners, to be picked up and dropped off at airports and train stations, and to be driven around from place to place.  I am truly thankful.

About Those Return Visits

I have started writing a post that describes my recent trip to Melbourne.  I will probably finish it, but right now the words seem a bit ho-hum.  That's likely due to the fact that the post is more or less a blow-by-blow description of where I went and what I did, with a few photos thrown in for illustration. It fails to address the emotions behind the trip.  Now that I am out of the habit of writing (and therefore of thinking) about expat issues, it is difficult to organize my thoughts in a coherent way.  Generally I try for about five minutes at the most before I give up and go back to scrolling through social media feeds.

End of Another School Year

It's the middle of May, and that means many things for American moms of school-age kids.  The first word that comes to mind is hectic.  That might be why I am taking a minute or two today to stop, take a deep breath and gird my loins for what is ahead in the next couple of weeks.  Prom is this coming Friday night followed by high school graduation one week later.  Even though we don't have a child graduating this year, we have been receiving lots of invitations for graduation parties.  Graduation is followed by final exams, with multiple awards ceremonies, picnics and end-of-year celebrations all falling in the same four days following Memorial Day.  Then there are those teachers that are still assigning projects.  What are they thinking?  Oh wait, I happen to be one of them.  What was I thinking?  I guess I will be grading projects in-between parties and hoping that parents forgive me some day, ideally before the summer is over.

My Grandmother's Hands

We buried my grandma today.  The crowd of friends and relatives that gathered both last night and today is testament to the many people that loved her.  In this post I will share a few pictures, plus the text of the talk that I gave at her funeral.

Winter Wonderland

The fervent hopes of our youngest child were granted this week with a day off from school due to winter weather.  The brutal combination of rain, freezing rain, and snow arrived with impeccable timing at the tail end of what was already a three day weekend.  After a relaxing Monday spent at home in honor of two of our presidents (George Washington and Abraham Lincoln), we fell asleep with the knowledge that there would at the very least be a two hour delay the next morning.  Happily the delay turned into a cancellation, and the celebration in our home began in earnest.

The unexpected time at home meant many things, including a double batch of cinnamon rolls and siblings actually playing board games together.  It also resulted in a few photographs--the primary purpose of this post.  

The day after the storm