Week 8: Critters & Criminals

Walking through the jungle

This past weekend we took an opportunity to take a bus to a well-known, national park called Manuel Antonio. It's located about 3 1/2 hours from Atenas, nestled in a cove along the Pacific Ocean. After the long bus ride, the five of us (interns) checked into a hostel and promptly began to explore the town. We spent the whole day Saturday walking around through jungle trails, relaxing on the beaches and looking at wild animals.  We did well in spotting wildlife, as we found three species of monkies, iguanas, birds, lizards, giant butterflies, and the elusive two-toed sloth. While frolicking on the beach, we were visited by a couple of renegade raccoons. I trust a raccoon about as much as a trust a squirrel--never. I tried to rough talk the animal back into the brush, but the persistent critter was bent on taking a bag of tasty trailmix. We moved from "rough-talkin" to stick-wielding, which probably horrified a few Europeans standing nearby---who wanted to feed the creatures.  Rather than create a big scene, we moved our bags to a different location and let zie Germans hand feed the rascals. There's nothing worse than a wild animal that loses its fear of man, which is exactly what was happening.
 

Critters



The criminal's handy work

 Our long day at the park was met with an even longer night. Upon returning to our hostel room, we found the lock to our locker busted and valuables stolen out of our packs. Wallets, Ipods, a watch, an electric razor, and passport were some of the things missing. Fortunately for myself, I had my valuables and backpack with me and lost nothing. Because we were in a dormitory-style room, there were two other people staying with us. More than likey, it was the quiet guy from San Jose that was traveling without typical traveler's gear. He waited until we left for the day, and then busted into our locker. It was an incredibly frustrating evening filled with a visit to the police department and two hours of Spanish translating. At the end of the day, though, we were reminded that he had only stolen things--things that could all be replaced. It's also a humble reminder not to place too much value on the material things of this world because they are all things that are passing away---some much quicker than we expect! 

A small cove within the park

When I woke up this morning, I was so glad to be back in Atenas; back in my little bed in my breezy, little room. The weather was much, much warmer in Manuel Antonio, with a humidity level near 100%. Without air conditioning, it's difficult to sleep--and little I did. Thankfully, Atenas has a much milder climate with cooler evenings. It's good to be home.

I'll let the monkies have the last say in this blog post:


Week 7: Hidden Treasures



300 steps or one long tumble down!





Sunday afternoons are usually a time of mental recovery from a weekend of Spanish, but this afternoon was different. My host father and brothers took a stroll down the street, across a neighbor's parcel, and down a long, steep set of stairs. Our street is mix between residential and pasture land. The land is quite pleasant but it conceals its sacred jewel with the help of a few hills and thick forest. Once to the bottom of the stairs and around one river bend, it finally revealed itself.  

 A hidden tresure 

  

 Last of the Mochians?

 

A refreshing swim



It was great to finally get out and see some of the natural beauty that makes Costa Rica famous. Typically we don't have many activities during the weekday afternoons, and weekends are often similar. Because I live with a host family, I don't really have the luxury to go wherever I want. During my free time I often read (very unlike myself) or study Spanish. As someone who enjoys being out in the woods, it's easy for me to catch a little bit of cabin fever. Today was much needed--praise the Lord for that provision!



Me and my brothers. Check out Gabriel's sweet suit!





Week 6: Far & Away

"Just a castaway, an island lost at sea..."

Lying awake in my bed this morning, I realized that it has now been six weeks since I left the United States. It's not of great importance, but it does mark the longest time I have been outside of my home country. In 2005, I spent six weeks studying at Universitaet Innsbruck in Austria. With the six week mark now being matched, I couldn't help but compare my experiences in both places. A few things are similar: I speak Spanish about as well as I spoke German and I miss BBQ, sweet tea, and busciuts just as much as I did in the Alps. Some things just weren't meant to be forgotten.



My little brother monkeying around.

 Looking back, and hindsight is 20/20, I really do believe my experience abroad has been radically different the second go around. In Austria, I had a difficult time adjusting to cultural differences and I was often homesick---the kind that makes you want to put on your Ipod and escape into dreamland. Fortunately, I learned from my first trip and I believe God has really shown me an incredible amount of grace. From the moment I learned about EMI, the Lord has been steadily tearing down walls in my heart; walls, that if left unbroken, would have made life very difficult here in Costa Rica. Many of those walls revolve around comfort. Comfort can, at times, be deceitful--especially if that is the end goal. EMI orientation prepared me well for the cultural changes, mainly because it was centered on the truth of Scripture. That truth is becoming more and more real to me. God's word offers a plethora of advice to those far away from home...Or as Sting said: "A hundred billion castaways, looking for a home." 

Practicing for the lumberjack olympics

My time in Austria was often marred because of my desire to be somewhere else. I was discontent in where I was, despite the amazing opportunity I was given. I lost many more opportunities because of my discontent attitude. A well-known quote from John Piper comes to mind: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." In Austria, I was more concerned with being back in the known comforts of life rather than in Christ and His comfort. There is quite a difference. I don't pretend to be free from those desires of worldly comforts. I miss all the same things I missed in Austria. But I hope and pray that those desires do not prevent me from glorifying God here. Please pray that I will use this time well and not be afraid to invest my all here.





Week 5: Office Life

This was my first "normal" week in the office. Now that I'm past orientation, language school, and Mexico, I can begin the real fun of everyday office life. Our office itself is quite large and spacious, and is located very near to the center of Atenas. My walk to work is about 25-30 minutes and I typically arrive at about 7:30. The walk to work has become one of my most cherished activities; a time to escape from everything difficult and to enjoy the peace of the morning.

Besides all the normal work tasks, there are a couple of unique things about the office. Every morning, regardless of the day's schedule, we all gather together in the conference room for prayer. Every morning. To some of you this might seem overly pious and legalistic, but I would challange you otherwise. There is no better way to start a day than to offer up our burdens and praises to God. Setting aside scheduled time for prayer is recognizing our own sinful nature--we won't pray if we don't place priority on it.

In addition to morning prayer, we also share lunch together each day. Three days out of the week we prepare lunch (usually sandwiches) in the office, and the other two days we eat out at a local restaurant. It's a great time to catch up on small talk, UGA basketball and our college football predictions.

I spent most of this past weekend with my host family and our church that we attend. Temple Bautista de Atenas was having their yearly mission's conference, and it was a packed weekend of activities. The church, approximately 60 people, gathered together on Friday evening, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning. During each meeting, we sang music (muy dificil!), heard testimonies, and listened to sermons with a focus on missions. Our guest speakers, interestingly enough, were from Huntsville, Alabama! Apparently the church in Huntsville works together with our church here in Atenas, and has been for quite some time. It was fun getting chat with some English-speaking folk! The messages were given in English and translated simultaneously into Spanish. It was amazing to hear and see how God is using this small church in Atenas to share the good news of the Gospel with nations across the globe.

Week 4: La Cienega (Puerto Morelos, Mexico)

When I arrived in Mexico this week, I knew little about the vision and goals of the project and consequently, I had no idea of what to expect. Amor Ministries is a Christian group based out of San Diego, California that was formed 30 years ago in order to serve impoverished people by constructing houses. With some local contacts in Puerto Morelos, they have acquired some property for a Christian university and language school. Higher education for pastors is difficult to come by in Latin America so Amor feels very strongly about the need for this seminary school.

Above: Team meeting on the site.

Our mission for the week was relatively simple: Work with Amor to understand their vision, develop a program and then provide a concept for a campus design. Simple, right? Mas o menos. Now let's throw in some fun ingredients: We have a team made up of 13 people that have never met each other, we are working on a limited time frame, and we have a whole new set of standards and codes to figure out (Mexico). Needless to say, it was an eventful trip full of unanticipated changes and barriers. We started with a site visit trip on Sunday to see the property and make some initial assessment. The land itself is really interesting--full of all sorts of plant and animal life that I've never seen before. Team members kept asking me to indentify certain plants (obviously, I'm a landscape architect, so I should know, right?). With approximately 10,000 species of plant life in the tropics, I was feeling a bit out of my element.

                                                                                                     

Above: Pondering drainage issues...

Our project team of EMI volunteers was quite a diverse group, both in displine and personality. Our members included a wastewater engineer, civil engineer, architects, structural engineer, mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, and one very handsome landscape architect intern. You can imagine the dynamics of the group just from the range of disciplines. Additionally, I think we had every region of the US represented in our team ( from Alaska to North Carolina). The diversity factor spawns both unique challanges and powerful blessings.

Above: The EMI team hard at work.

 

Our living quarters for the week were really quite nice. It was something between a house and a hostel, and it was affectionaly named the ''Taj Majal.'' We were treated to home-cooked, Mexican food each day---picante! Working spaces were mainly limited to the outside ''palapa'' or another small upstairs room. While the surrounding neighborhood was rather peaceful during the day, night was a whole different ballgame. Apparently the community was celebrating its 37th aniversary--which is a ten day celebration. It was literally a zoo at night: loudspeaker sound effects, music, & fireworks. The nearby parties frenquently lasted until 5:00 in the morning. Pure gringo torture.

Above: Confernce Room / office / dining room

There were times during the week in which I thought that we might not complete our objectives. Programming and masterplanning are typically challanges that take weeks to sort through--we had to do it in 2 or 3 days. I had plenty of doubts. However, I had no reason to worry. God had called us to this project, to these people, and to this purpose: To love God and love people. The work of designing the campus was merely a way of serving, not the ultimate purpose for us being in Mexico. It took the possibility of failure out of the equation, and we were free to live and work with great hope.

Above: One of several Presentations

Friday afternoon rolled around and we presented a concept for a campus masterplan and the phase 1 building. While not complete or definite, the concept stands as a foundation to build upon. Amor Ministries was very excited about the concepts and the future of the campus. Despite the challanges and uncertainties we were able to produce some quality work. It's amazing to see how God brought every awkward piece together form something great--it is a testiment to His sovereignty and grace.

 Above: As for many things in Mexico: no explanation.

Week 3: Coffee and Graduation

On Thursday we took another break from language school to visit a local coffee plant to learn more about one of Costa Rica's important exports. Coffee was the first crop/product to jumpstart Costa Rica´s industrial growth. The climate and terrain of the region are well suited for growing coffee beans and they have taken advantage of that fact. We took a tour of the local mill in Atenas and witnessed the process by which the coffee bean is washed, shelled, and dried.

This week was also the final week of language school. The school has definitely been a great refresher, and I feel confident that I can build on what I learned in the last few weeks. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me in this learning process---I still have a long way to go!

Picture- Me with a whole heap of coffee! (and

my sweet new haircut--shorter than normal)

I won´t get much time to recover from language school, as tomorrow I leave for Puerto Morelos, Mexico. This is one of the projects I will be working on while I am here in Costa Rica. EMI is partnering with Amor Ministries to design a seminary/school campus that will be used to train pastors and other students. I won't go into details at this time, but you can learn more about the project at this link: http://www.emiamericalatina.org/projects/project_7088_EN.php 

Please pray for safety for our project team while we travel. Even more importantly, pray that God will bless this time so that our time will not be in vain. Pray for us to be diligent during the week, whether we are working or building friendships. Pray that we will be humble in our labors, knowing that we our no better than the people we serve, and that we are all broken people. Pray that the gospel will be shown in all that is done and said.

Week 2: Language School and Zip Lines

This huge tree is about 100 ft from our classroom.

Bananas! Everywhere! ...Awesome

My alarm clock--el gallo. This guy lives at the house behind

us and he starts crowing at about 3-4 o'clock in the morning. His

days are numbered if he keeps up his early morning routine...

My high school Spanish teacher, Senora Jackson, would have been awfully proud of me this week for my efforts in speaking espanol. I say “efforts” because that’s about the extent of my accomplishments. Five days of language school in Atenas has left me feeling inadequate and slow. Our classes run from 8-12 each morning and consist mainly of different speaking exercises. Class is completely in Spanish, which requires constant thinking and attention. Needless to say, it’s incredibly draining and by 11, my mind usually checks out (my teacher gives me a hard time about that…). But language school isn’t all that bad. We actually have our class outside in a beautiful old fruit orchard and an open-air pavilion is our schoolhouse! The view, the orchard, and the morning breeze make it a really comfortable learning environment.

On Saturday we took a break from school and traveled to the coast, which is about an hour away. For those of you that know a little about Costa Rica, you’ve probably heard of the canopy, zip line tours. They are a big attraction for gringos ( you and I ) and they are scattered all over the coast and forest areas. These “canopy” tours must have been invented by some sicko that got his laughs from making ground-lovers (such as myself) nauseous. When I hear “zip line”, my mind goes back fifteen years ago to my grandparents’ farm where my cousin and I often experimented with old barn ropes, metal pipes, and tree platforms constructed with scrap lumber. Genius ideas were quickly exposed as poor decisions. Fortunately for us, those poor decisions were only made about 15 feet off the ground. Not so in Costa Rica. We took a tractor ride to the top of a mountain and were lead to the first zip line. I started getting sweaty palms when I saw that the first line was at least 35 feet off the ground. I connected my harness to the line and jumped off with little confidence in Costa Rican engineering. I couldn’t see the end of the line through the dense jungle, and that’s a good thing because had I seen the next tree, I don’t know if I would have gone. The second tree platform was at least 50 feet off the ground and the second line was pure NUTS! I was in the middle of something very questionable, and now I had to keep going---only one way down. Several zip lines were no less than 200 feet off the ground and 1000 feet long, stretching across large valleys. I’m getting sweaty palms just recalling the feeling. I probably won’t ever do that again; Good stories though---I will have to tell you more about them in person.

The rest of our Saturday excursion was more to my liking---a few hours on the beach in the sun. I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, and got to test my skills on a surf board. A good time was had by all and it was a great break from Spanish classes.

I need to take a few minutes to give some culture updates. There is a saying that was taught to us at orientation in Colorado: It’s not right. It’s not wrong. It’s just different. Those words have proved true in the last few weeks. Just for fun, here are a few of those cultural differences.

In Costa Rica:
- Traffic laws are treated as mere “suggestions.”
- Pedestrians have the right… to get out of the way.
- Building codes are defined by materials available, not by safety. (we probably over-engineer things in the US anyway…)
- PDA is a way of life----obviously. A couple “necking” in the park is perfectly right and normal…
- “Widowmakers” are a luxury. (Note: a widowmaker is a unique device that caps the end of shower head and uses electricity to heat the water passing through. Often, exposed wires and not-so-brilliant wiring can give users that extra kick they might need in the morning)
- window screens are overrated. Costa Ricans share their houses with bugs.
- Toilet paper is thrown in the trash can, NOT flushed down the toilet (this is my favorite one). Apparently TP causes clogs because it catches on the small, concrete pipes. PVC seems like a simple suggestion to this problem, but I guess throwing the TP in the trash can is an easier solution.
- A “besito” is a typical greeting that women give instead of handshakes. Basically, you put your right cheeks together and blow a kiss. Yeah…I’ve already had plenty of awkward “besitos.” I’ll get the hang of it sooner or later.