Mi Hermano Tico

The story begins 9 years ago in small town Decorah, Iowa. Three-fourths of the Nelson family (i.e. the native Californians: mom Barbara, brother Tobin and myself) were experiencing our very first Midwest winter. Tobin had been studying the Spanish language for several years by this point; Megan was content in her first months of learning Norwegian. An exchange program between Decorah High School and a high school in San José, Costa Rica had taken place for years, rotating between Decorah kids spending a month in San José and Costa Rican (ticos) students spending one month in Decorah. Unfortunate seasonal differences meant the ticos spent their ¨summer¨ vacation in Decorah during the month of January, which certainly does NOT produce comparable summer temps to those of Central America!

We had the pleasure of hosting one of the seven tico students, then 17-year old Bernal Mora, in our home for the month of January. Tobin, being the Spanish speaker of the fam, was responsible for much translation and relaying of communication between us all. There were, of course, ample gestures, miming and rough (but valiant!) attempts on both ends to speak in one´s non-native language. A fun month, indeed: ping pong and fooseball in the basement, sledding, snowball fights, skiing in Wisconsin, eating chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal pancakes in Babs´ kitchen, many gatherings in homes of the host families, a trip to the Mall of America.

The following summer Tobin returned the exchange by traveling to Costa Rica, apart from an official group exchange trip, and spent a month living with Bernal and his family. He, of course, was given a whirlwind tour of this small but diverse country and was adopted into and adored by the Mora familia.

9 years later, mi hermano tico--my Costa Rican brother--and I have reunited here in Costa Rica! Who would´ve thought that I would switch from studying Norwegian to Spanish in high school and years later end up spending a year in the same Spanish-speaking country as that of my host brother! It´s been a joy to reconnect, to be able to communicate with more fluidity!, and to get to know Bernal´s family. Our first time together was a true walk down memory lane....sharing lots of laughs over stories and photos from Bernal´s time living with us in Decorah.

Siblings reunited!Bernal and his wife, Raquel, live with their three dogs in Cartago--a beautiful province of Costa Rica--on a finca (farm) where his parents as well as some other family members also have their homes. It is very common in Latin culture for families to live much closer to one another than we tend to do in the U.S. And by close, just as is the case with Bernal and his family, this typically means sharing the same house, finca, or living nearby in the same town. Thus, family life is very much integrated--everyday life is much more of an extended family experience.
La familia Mora: Bernal is the oldest of three boys--his younger brothers are Esteban (center) and Daniel (right).Another wonderful reunion: our hermano ticos (tico brothers) with their hermanitas (little sisters)--Megan and Bernal, and Erica and Diego Rivera. Diego was also one of the group of seven that lived with a host family in Decorah nine years ago. He lived with Erica Spilde and her family, and so since Erica has been living here in Costa Rica for the past year and a half, these ¨siblings¨ have also been able to reconnect! The four of us had a fun time meeting up for lunch recently--it was Bernal and Diego´s first time to see each other since they graduated from high school 9 years ago!