Events and Hospitality

Today I can fortunately report that my stress level is decreasing and my confidence and comfort level is increasing.  I still have a long way to go, but I think that things are only going to get better and easier, especially as I build deeper relationships with people.

On Friday, I went to the CEM (the college outreach group equivalent to the one called UCO that I was involved in at the University of Michigan) prayer meeting.  There were about 50 people there - almost too many to fit in the room!

I, along with every other person who was there for the first time, got introduced to the group by my friend Mari.  Throughout the night I was able to meet a lot of people, and we had a great time of worship.  A lot of the songs I already knew because we sing them in UCO, but here they were in Spanish!  It had been a while since I had been to a prayer meeting, and I felt that God was inviting me to be more open to His work in my spiritual life.

I also noticed at the beginning of the meeting that I had to overcome the feeling that I needed to pray and worship meekly.  Being here as a second language learner has made it pretty difficult to be confident and outgoing, and I've adopted a pretty quiet and unassuming demeanor.  I think that this is a normal part of being in a situation like mine, but I don't always have to act this way, especially in the context of worshipping which has almost nothing to do with language and where I've grown to be comfortable being more bold and expressive.  This is one facet of a larger topic: I've been thinking in general about how I can contribute to the ministries going on here when I am at such a disadvantage.  For me to initiate conversations and ask people questions about themselves feels very unnatural because I am in a position of needing to be taken care of and it's difficult to give of myself, but I realize that I have to do it anyway because that is why I am  here - to build relationships and make a positive impact on the work to build the kingdom of God that is going on here.  This is a good chance for me to exercise boldness and get used to the feeling of doing the right thing regardless of whether it feels comfortable.

On Saturday I went to the Árbol de Vida community prayer meeting:

Here I was also introduced to the whole group at once.  After the worship, we heard a talk on intercessory prayer (prayers that ask for something in particular - as opposed to prayers that praise God, confess sin, or anything else), and Ray Gudiño, the GAP program director, gave a presentation about the program.  Some people came up to me afterwards to introduce themselves.  

Ray and I

After the meeting, a girl named Angelica and I went over to the house of my friend Ana, who I met one or two years ago when she was serving in Detroit.  Ana went to an English-speaking high school and speaks perfect English.  The rest of her family speaks English as well - we didn't speak English the whole time, but I felt like I was on vacation!  Her dad studied at UM, and we were able to talk about people we both knew and UCO then and now.  We did a Lord's Day celebration and had a nice dinner, and Angelica and I spent the night.  We got to talk about English and Spanish UCO songs and UCO pranks of lore, and we also got to look at photos of Ana's family and from the time she spent in Detroit.  In the morning, Ana took me to a great church where the people worshipped so sincerely and passionately!  Then the whole family went out to lunch at a chicken-on-the-grill place, took me on a short sightseeing drive through the mountains, and after we got back home Ana and her brother Esteban and I watched the third Narnia movie.  I didn't end up leaving until that evening and was told I could come back whenever I wanted - how nice of them to be so welcoming!

Ana, Esteban, and I

Here are some more pictures of people I know:

My wonderful host family, Aura and Juan Miguel!

Elbia, the woman who helps out around our house.  She makes sure I am well taken care of!

Alex, a fellow gapper from Mexico

Lis, Silvia, and Veronica, who took me out to lunch at a scenic mountain restaurant shortly after meeting me.

More pictures from the restaurant:

The view

Authentic Costa Rican food - several different kinds of meat (including "chicaritos"), pico de gallo and tortillas.  The drinks were all a different kind of fruit juice - mine was called Tamarindo.

Interior of the restaurant

In the background you can see the grill where they cooked the meat.

Stove for heating liquids.

A typical historical Costa Rican cart.

Quaint "sayings" were posted all around - I can't quite figure out what this one means  - "if you're tired of the purse, don't worry - use the crutch"(?)

"Don't trust anyone - credit died and the "malapaga" (one who doesn't pay his debts) killed it"(?)

Piece of history

Other people I've met who I don't have pictures of:

• The Perez family, who invited me over for a Mother's Day lunch
• Mari, Anita, and Lourdes Chacón Quirós, members of CEM (the university outreach group) and neighbors who came over to meet me and brought brownies.  Anita later took me to the CEM center downtown and showed me around a little bit, and Mari is the one who introduced me to CEM and the community.
• Gabriel, another neighbor my age.  He is a former gapper and came over to introduce himself as soon as he learned of my arrival.  He also invited me to come along to a intercession team meeting, where we prayed for a "New Life in Christ" course (a "Life in the Spirit Seminar" in English) that CEM is putting on next month.
• Alejandro Fallas, who I met when he was serving in Detroit.  How nice to see a familiar face!
• Several other CEM people. 

Overall I've experienced great hospitality.  I have heard "my house is your house" and "if there is anything you need anything, you can come ask me" from different people.  One of the great blessings of community I think - it creates a family into which others can be welcomed.  Another gapper arrived last night - I need to go pay it forward!

After some conversations with Ana, I have become more motivated to really study Spanish and make a positive difference in this community.  She wants to start a women's household - stay tuned for the progress!

Language Barrier

The stress of living in a foreign place continues.  Today I sort of hit a wall and didn't really feel like talking to anyone for most of the day.  Fortunately, I didn't have any responsibilities or places to go, so I was able to spend a good amount of time by myself.


One of the hardest things is knowing that every time I need to communicate with someone, it will be difficult and there will be many opportunities for awkwardness and misunderstanding.  A friend here recently told me that the most important thing is to not be afraid to ask for clarification when I don't understand something.  Sometimes I understand very little at all, but I think that she is right - I would probably be better off admitting that I don't understand more often, especially when dealing with more important matters like making plans to do things.  I think I'm afraid that people will see me as weak or unintelligent if I do.  But the truth is, when it comes to speaking and understanding Spanish, I am weak!  I'm not completely incompetent, but I have a ways to go.  However, the people I'm interacting with are my brothers and sisters in Christ, so maybe I should trust them not to reject me and just seek to understand more often rather than passively go with the flow.  I actually have allowed myself to do it a little bit, and nothing catastrophic has happened yet!


Christians need to love other people regardless of their weaknesses.  Even if some people did think less of me, over time they would get to know me better, which would help them to value me for who I am and not how I speak.  Maybe this experience is making me a more loving and compassionate person, not only towards foreign language speakers but also towards anyone who confused or overwhelmed or is in the process of transitioning to a new place of residence and a new social support group.


Fortunately, in the midst of all the stress (which I'm not overly concerned about - I think it's all par for the course and I know I'm doing the right thing), I have met some very kind people who have shown me a great welcome.  I will post pictures of some of them soon.

Welcome

Hello and thanks for checking out my blog!  Costa Ricans like to call themselves "ticos," which inspired my title.  For more information about why I'm in Costa Rica, take a look at my About page.  Here's a recap of what's been going on so far:

I stopped working at my job on August 3, and from then until the 14th my full-time job became trying to get everything in order so that I could leave the country.  I was amazed at how many things had to be accomplished before I could go - vaccinations, a visit to the dentist and eye doctor, shopping, thank-you notes, planning my good-bye party, cancelling subscriptions, notifying the credit card company of my upcoming travel, packing...the list goes on and on!  I did have a little bit of free time:

Dancer and I

This summer I helped my friend Phyllis drive her horse and carriage a couple of times, and on our "last hurrah" ride I got to drive a little bit by myself.  I'm grateful I had the opportunity to learn about carriage driving - what a neat pastime!

On Sunday morning we all got up around 10 after 4:00 am to make sure we could get to the airport on time for my 6:30 flight.  Everything went off without a hitch...we even had time to catch a mouse that the cat was chasing around our living room!  At least I felt pretty awake after that.

  At the airport

A view from the plane window

The flights went smoothly - on the first one I met a priest who has heard of the community in Ann Arbor and said that he would pray for me.  When I arrived in Costa Rica, the gap program director Ray Gudiño and his mom were waiting there to pick me up.  Ray loaded my 120+ lbs. of luggage(!) into the car and we drove straight to the house of my host family.  The surroundings on the way reminded me of what things looked like when we were on vacation to Puerto Rico.

Here are some pictures of where I live - click on any one to make it larger:

The condo complex where many Árbol de Vida families live, including mine.  "Agape" is a word that comes from Greek and means "unconditional love."  It is used many times in the Bible.

Inside the condo complex - the bushes had just been trimmed

My side of the street

 Our house!

Carnela, the one-year-old Chihuahua.  I was lucky to get a picture of her standing still!

Nina the parrot

A playground inside the condo complex

 Views down the street just outside of the complex 

Views from my window

Other scenery visible from the neighborhood:

Some of the plant life:

Yesterday was Mother's Day here, so nobody had to work.  I was invited to have lunch down the street with the family of another man that oversees the GAP program.  They were very hospitable - we ate a nice meal, had plenty of conversation, and played with the two little grandkids, one just learning to walk at fifteen months and the other only three months old.  Some of us watched a mother's-day-themed Disney movie called "Marte Necesita Mamás" ("Mars Needs Moms") afterward.  I also got to meet the woman who will be my mentor here, and two of the people closer to my age offered to give me their phone numbers so that I could call them if I needed to.  

One of the most challenging things about being here so far is the language barrier, and already I've realized more clearly how comforting good hospitality can be.  Everyone has been really nice so far and made sure that I am well fed and taken care of, which is good because it is very stressful to be in an environment where everyone is speaking a language and living out a culture other than my native one.  A couple of people have told me that I speak Spanish well, but there is still a lot that I don't understand and a lot that I don't know how to say.  I've met so many people from foreign countries living in the United States, and I never knew how hard it really can be.  Moral of the story - the next time you meet a foreigner, be extra nice!  You might not realize how much it might help.

Hopefully, things will get easier for me as I learn more and more Spanish and become more acclimated to my surroundings.  Sometimes I get a weird feeling and think to myself, "is this really me and my life?"  I think this is because people's sense of self is probably connected in a lot of ways to their surroundings and relationships.    Maybe this is a good opportunity for me to really root myself in the Lord.  He is God of all places, cultures, and languages.  I do trust that this is where He wants me and that He will continue to take care of me.