Monday, April 11, 2011

Weeks 9-11: Arquitecto del Paisaje Practicante

Up to this point I have written very little about my responsibilities here in Costa Rica. With all the adventures of living with a host family and experiencing new cultures, it's easy to think of my daily work routine as boring and not worth mentioning to my friends and family back home. However, my daily work is a major part of my calling here in Costa Rica, so I need to portray that service no matter how mundane or technical it might seem.
A project poster from our trip to Mexico

During language school in January, our teacher asked us all to write sentences about what we did for work--our jobs. I had no idea how to say landscape architect so I asked her for help. After exhausting my entire vocabulary of Spanish words, I quickly moved in hand motions, pictionary and interpretive dance to explain my profession. Despite my earnest efforts, the best word she could offer was: garden architect. I've come to embrace my profession's subtle existence in the world, and I've learned to appreciate all the other names people use instead: horticulturist, garden designer, landscape person, and my personal favorite, vegetation guy. I finally found the word I was looking for, arquitecto paisajiste---and to be accurate for my intern status, arquitecto del paisaje practicante. That is my job title in the US, and it is also my title here with Engineering Ministries International (eMi). So what does a landscape architect do at EMI?

The last month of the dry season: a pasture near my house
Because of the nature of our projects at EMI, the chance for me to practice all my abilities as a landscape architect (intern) are not always available. Many of the ministries we serve are often on limited budgets and landscape planning is typically considered a luxury--as it is the United States. (Now, if you will, allow me to step up on my soapbox for a brief moment. That the status of landscape has been relegated to that of luxury, is nothing short of a travesty. We see landscape as merely a pretty picture, rather than a ecological wonder--full of life, interwoven dependencies, richness and of course, beauty. It a gift bestowed to us from God and this amazing canvas directs our worship back to Him.) Because landscape plans are rare, most landscape architects that work with EMI will find themselves doing only master plans for sites. The master plan should take in to account existing site features and meet the program requirements of the client (ministry). It is often a difficult job, as there are so many factors to take into account.

Because most master planning decisions are made during the project trip week, the EMI volunteers(not staff and interns) usually handle most of the major design issues. As intern, I am responsible for coordinating with volunteers after the trip to produce a set of drawings and reports for the ministry. My work is often limited to drafting and other production tasks. I spend many hours drawings plans, elevations, and details for other design disciplines: architecture, civil, structural, mechanical, & electrical. I have limited knowledge in each of these fields, so there has definitely been much to learn.
Epic Fail: Yup, that's a tree stump.....
The life of an intern isn't always glorious, but it's a good environment for learning a servant's heart. Perhaps that's what I need to be praying for more often. Pride is subtle, and yet so destructive. Even in something as simple as making daily design decisions, I find it difficult to concede to someone else. It's good to be humbled daily, though, and I believe that God is helping me let go of some of that pride.

Though most of my time is spent on technical drafting, I have also been privileged with the chance to create a (rare) landscape plan for a seminary campus in Peru. Like I said before, it's a rare opportunity in the field of EMI, so I am very excited and thankful for this chance. It's been a unique challenge so far, as I have not been to the site, nor do I have the slightest familiarity with Peruvian flora. I'm looking forward to presenting the rest of the team with a comprehensive landscape plan in the weeks to come.

I have no words to explain this.
On a less serious note, I need to share a couple of funny/strange things I've seen over the past several weeks. One afternoon, as I was walking into town to go to the office, I heard the distant sound of a band. It grew louder with each step and as a turn the corner of the road, I was met with a bizarre collection of kids, instruments, and costumes. As I jumped out of the way of the parade I pulled my camera and snapped a few pictures. I chuckled to myself and smiled at the kids; As for the creepy costumes, I didn't turn my back on them until they were out of sight...
I also saw a woman wearing stiletos and black t-shirt---not too unusually, except the life-size Garth Brooks face on the shirt. A less humorous sighting happened this morning when some dude with a huge machete passed me on the street. There was no one else on the street, so I gave him a warm "buenos dias" and a safe machete's-length distance as I passed.

The easter egg hunt (or sprint)
This past Saturday, I went along with our church's children group to a nearby camp. A small group of folks had come from South Carolina to host a day of kid activities, including an easter egg hunt, swimming, and crafts. I had originally come along to help, but I think I fit in well with the children, and I had a blast playing along in all their shanaigans. I also had a blast watching a bunch of small-town gringos interact with Costa Rican children. It was glorious, in all of its awkwardness and comedy.

One other thing that I have also neglected to put in my updates is my new-found Tico friends. Jose Pablo is one of my good buddies that I have come to know over the past few months. Jose is a high school student that goes to my church and also works in our office one day a week for school credit. He speaks about as much English as I do Spanish, so we are constantly communicating in Spanglish--which is a lot of fun! One interesting thing about Jose is his passion for being a missionary. He has a heart for the people of Japan and has recently spent some time there. Last week he shared with me his hope of one day returning to Japan to live, work, and spread the good news of the Gospel.