39 Años de Servicio--39 Years of Service

¨Hoy Rotaracts, líderes y profesionales del mañana¨

¨Today Rotaracts, Leaders and Professionals of Tomorrow¨

March 13th marked the 39th anniversary of the formation of Rotaract, a Rotary-sponsored service club for young men and women ages 18 to 30. Rotaract clubs are usually community-based or university-based and are sponsored by a local Rotary club making them true "partners in service" and key members of the Rotary family.

Through the Rotaract program, young adults not only augment their knowledge and skills, but they also address the physical and social needs of their communities while promoting international understanding and peace through a framework of friendship and service.

It just so happens that the Rotaract Club of Heredia, the town in which my university is located, was the first Rotaract Club formed in Central America. Getting involved with the Rotaracts of Heredia has been a wonderful way to meet fun, bright, and service-oriented people. The weekly meetings are held at the Casa de Cultura, in the center of Heredia, and many varied service projects and other ´business´ matters are discussed for several hours, before then piling into cars and continuing the fun at a nearby restaurant or bar to eat, drink, and be merry (i.e. sing karaoke!) together! It´s evident that this is more than just a club for the members; it´s more like a brother(and sister)hood where solid friendships are formed with the basis of ¨Service Above Self.¨

I had the opportunity to join both the Rotary and Rotaract Clubs of Heredia for a community service project of providing eye exams and, if necessary, eyeglasses to children at a local public school. The visiting partner Rotary Club for this project was from Atlanta, GA., and with them they brought 1000 pairs of used donated eyeglasses to distribute. Two professional optometrists were present to examine and diagnose, and as volunteers, we interacted with the children, helped with the initial reading of eye charts, and later handed out the prescribed glasses.

Club Rotario La Guaria Moravia

For the duration of my scholarship year as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, I am supported by two specific clubs: my ¨sponsor club¨ in my home country and my ¨host club¨ in my host country. The two lucky clubs are, respectively, that of my hometown in Decorah, Iowa and Club La Guaria Moravia here in Costa Rica. I am supported back home by a wonderful sponsor counselor, Keith Christensen, and I have been warmly received here in Costa Rica by my host counselor, Miguel Rivera. Miguel and his wife, Emilia, were founding members of Club La Guaria and have seen it grow over the years to a club of 17 members as well as many additional Damas Rotarias, or the wives of the Rotarians in the club. Pictured above is my first visit with my host club and the exchange of our respective club flags. From L to R: Emilia Rivera, La Guaria Club President, me, and Miguel Rivera.

Despidida

Half-way through my month-long stay in Santa Ana, two gals from Michigan arrived to live with doña Gladys for their semester of studying ecology and reforestation in Costa Rica. Sonja and Tannis brought much spunk and laughter into the home, and together we enjoyed sharing many delicious meals, exchanging stories and staying up late playing a pretty serious card game tournament of Spades. During my first weeks of dining in Costa Rica, I discovered a new favorite sound: the sound of the blender. A plethora of fresh fruits are consumed on a daily basis, not only in the form of eating juicy chunks of pineapple, papaya, melon, strawberries, etc etc, but also in the form of jugo natural, or natural juices. To make jugo natural, one simply cuts up the fresh fruit(s) of choice and plops it in the blender, adding water and then a bit of sugar to taste. Mmmmm, so refreshing!

The amount of rice that is consumed in Costa Rica is almost inconceivable. Beans, too, for that matter. If one is lucky, it is possible to consume both staples for all three meals in a day! (And, yes, I´m speaking from personal experience.) Lucky for me, I do really enjoy the national tico specialty combo of rice and beans, which is called gallo pinto (literal translation: ¨painted rooster.¨) Also lucky for me, doña Gladys is a woman who makes a mean gallo pinto! Consisting of white rice, red beans, chopped grilled onions, fresh cilantro, and red pepper, and the tico specialty secret sauce called Salsa Lizano, this dish can be doctored up countless ways and can be served for any meal, but it is most often consumed for the breakfast meal. And thus, for my final meal in the kitchen of doña Gladys , I was served a delicious gallo pinto for breakfast. As you can see below, not only was I served gallo pinto, but also eggs, toast, watermelon, fresh papaya juice (made in the blender, of course!), and a surprise treat of warm banana cake. She didn´t make it easy for me to leave!! My first experience living with a host-stay family was a wonderful one--I was blessed not only with the opportunity to live with doña Gladys and her son Cesar, but also to meet and spend time with her other three children and their children as well. I was welcomed into a family for a relatively short amount of time, and I did learn that certain boundaries realistically come with such an experience, but I left feeling like part of their extended family. On the morning of my departure, doña Gladys made sure I knew there would always be a bed for me to sleep in and food on the stove for me to enjoy whenever I am able to visit. My despidida--my goodbye-- was made complete with a kiss on the cheek and the sign of the cross made over me, sending me with the accompaniment of God.

Gamolotillo

We thought that we would be spending the weekend relaxing at the beach, riding horses and spending time with Meghan´s Rotary host counselor and family friends of his. (Note: Since arriving in Costa Rica, I´ve quickly learned that it is essential that I give up trying to envision what my adventures may be like before actually living them, as they have all turned out remarkably different--and often bigger and better!--than what I was expecting.) Our weekend trip to the beach turned out to be a weekend spent up, up, up in the mountains, with ocean views to be seen while climbing higher and higher. To reach our destination, a road like you wouldn´t believe was traversed, in a 4X4 of course, for several hours, leaving the passengers of the vehicle with aching backs from being jostled around so much. With the windows rolled down, the smell of fresh mountain air was potent and the cool dampness of the mist from the clouds we were traveling through was refreshing.

Welcome to Gamolotillo, a small town of about 200 people. An agricultural-based community, the groves of mangoes, papayas, and bananas as well as livestock farms are plentiful. Although there are no phones or internet connections to be found for miles, the residents of Gamolotillo have all they need: una iglesia (church), una pulperia (corner store), una cancha de fùtbol (soccer field), un bar, and a multi-purpose town hall. What´s more is the vegetation is lush (reminding me of my time in Ecuador´s Amazon jungle), a pure mountain river runs through the town, and brilliant green and red parrots are to be seen and heard, flying high in pairs.

After being awakened by the rooster´s morning song and enjoying a delicious breakfast, Meghan and I were offered the ¨opportunity¨ to ride horses down to the river where we were to spend the day, while the remainder of our new friends drove with a trailer full of a canopy tent, chairs, a grill for a BBQ lunch, and two dogs, anxious for their turn to splash around in the river. Meghan, being the more experienced horseback rider, mounted a calm white beauty, while I cautiously mounted a single-stirruped black beast, who I quickly deemed ¨el rebelde¨, the ¨rebellious one.¨ When el rebelde behaved himself, the 3km ride to the river was amazingly picturesque and peaceful. Our friend, Rafa, graciously accompanied us on foot, holding my stirrup-less foot´s sandal and telling us all we needed to know about the vegetation and livestock we were passing. I held on tight as we, several times, had to coax our horses to walk through rather deep puddles of water on the path to the river. We arrived safe and sound, my heart beating quite a bit faster than normal, and we dismounted to enjoy a fun day of playing in the river, jumping off the river bank, eating mucho grilled meat and warm tortillas as well as fresh mangoes and papayas, picked from nearby trees.
I wasn´t kidding about el rebelde! Thankfully he did no such thing while I was riding him!

We returned from our day playing at the river, just in time to mosey over to the soccer field to see if any action was going on. We started kicking the ball around with a group of boys who were playing before heading over to the town hall for the evening´s fiesta. My first real game of soccer since arriving into a fùtbol-crazed part of the world, and man was it good! These muchachos were loving not only having a couple gringas visit their small town, but more so having one that wanted to play soccer with them! And I was loving that they were sweet enough to set up assist after assist for me to score gooooooooollllllls! :)

We lucked out on the timing of our weekend visit, as there was a fiesta de cumpleaños, a birthday party, held in the town hall, that the entire town was invited to attend! It turned out that the birthday boy was turning 70-years old and that he was from Santa Ana, the town where I was, at the time, living and studying at language school. Many of those in attendance had driven from Santa Ana for this party, including one of the teachers from the language school! We ate and danced and met many folks, including a flock of young ones who were delighted to have us treat them to ice cream at the corner store. The night did not end with the party, oh no!, but instead continued at the only bar in town where we proceeded to dance and sing karaoke for hours! As our friend, Rafa, was teaching me how to dance a new dance, I exclaimed, in spanish: ¨I can´t move my notebooks like you can!¨ Cuadernos (notebooks), caderas (hips).... good one Megan!

The following day we spent the morning at the river again and then made the trek to see the town waterfall. We could only drive so far, as a huge tree had fallen, who knows how long ago, and was blocking the path. When we arrived, we eased our way into the icy cool water at the base of the waterfall and had fun swimming underneath the powerfully strong fall. Rafa offered to lead us to the top with him, and we gladly accepted his offer. When we reached the top of the waterfall we could then see another waterfall and its pool of water. It was an exhilarating moment, although little did I know, a more exhilarating one was to follow. We began our descent, grabbing on to tree branches and thick vines and making sure of our footing. I was the last in line, behind Meghan, and about half way down the mountain I looked down and saw a little snake coiled up at my feet. I alerted Meghan, and when I did the snake slithered a mere several inches away from me and then stopped. Meghan, who had been taking her sweet time to descend, was miraculously at the base of the mountain in record time! I was instructed to stand still and not say a word. Rafa climbed back up to where I was, had a stick in one hand to use with the snake if need be, and with his other hand he helped me down and around him to safety. As I had been standing with the snake inches from my sandaled feet and bare legs, I kept telling myself, ¨it´s just a little guy, no big deal.¨ Once I reached the bottom of the hill, I learned, however, that I had been inches away from one of Costa Rica´s most poisonous snakes--the terciopelo.

A weekend of adventure and numerous surprises, Gamolotillo is a town I surely won´t forget!

¡A la playa!

It wasn´t long before this California native, beach-loving gal could no longer resist a weekend trip to experience her first Costa Rican beach! Four gals and one trusty male amigo piled into a borrowed vehicle, complete with a couple surfboards strapped to the roof, and headed west to the Pacific Coast to a beach town called Esterillos. Cool breezes and spectacular views accompanied us on our evening drive, which came to a completion after a brief but unavoidable (and memorable!) drive on the small town´s airport runway in order to reach our destination!
We lucked out with a beachfront cabina (a small cabin, which immediately invoked a comparison to the Swiss Family Robinson!) and a stretch of glorious black sand (= muy HOT!) beach almost entirely all to ourselves. It really could not have been any more perfect!
What could have been more perfect were my attempts at surfing! Our male companion, Josh, is a pseudo-costarricense, having grown up in Costa Rica, although he is originally from the States. A surfer dude, he graciously allowed for us gals to borrow a board and give it a go. Let me tell ya, the ocean can be a mighty aggressive body of water! I was tossed and swirled and plummeted to the ocean floor time and time again, but I did have some fun nontheless! To be on the beach, near the ocean, in the water...it´s all just something that provides me great happiness and a sense of tranquility. Once a California girl, always a California girl, right?!
Would you believe that joining this California girl in the surfing expedition was fellow Decorah, Iowa girl, Erica Spilde? We could just see the headline in the Decorah Journal...¨Decorah girls surf Costa Rica.¨ Another blessing in companionship for my first 6 months here in Costa Rica is Erica, who is finishing a two-year stint working with the Lutheran Church in Costa Rica.
A breathtaking sunset concluded our visit to the beach, all of us feeling quite content after the consumption of delicious fruit drinks and fresh fish, as well as much time in the sun and the ocean. And that, my friends, is the Pura Vida!

Mi media piña

I´d like for you to meet my ¨media piña.¨ A fellow Ambassadorial Scholar in Costa Rica, la señorita Meghan Posey, has quickly become not only my classmate at Conversa language school and upcoming colleague at the University where we will be studying for the year, but also my companion, travel buddy, adventurous galpal, and most importanly, my ¨media piña.¨ In Spanish, one´s significant other is refered to as their ¨media naranja¨ (literal translation: ¨half the orange¨), meaning figuratively one´s ¨better half¨ or ¨soulmate.¨ And so, to reference our unique friendship thus far and for the coming year, Meghan cleverly deemed us ¨media piñas,¨ which is to say we are each other´s pineapples. Sweet, ain´t it?

Meghan and I are referred to as ¨las dos Meg(h)ans¨ (the two Meg(h)ans) or ¨Meg(h)an al cuadrado¨ (Meg(h)an squared), or as was previously mentioned, I am ¨Megan numero uno¨ because of my earlier arrival into Costa Rica and she is ¨Meghan numero dos,¨ even though she is my elder. We do have a fun time introducing ourselves when together, and we seem to be constantly laughing our way through all the ¨firsts¨of our year abroad. We remind each other that ´flexibility´ is the key word this year, and we have great ambitions to make the most of this time living and studying and Rotary-ing in Costa Rica. So far, so good!

Arrival: Santa Ana

Nine days later, I am happy to report of my safe arrival into a country that is even more beautiful than I had imagined! From the many glowing reports I have received from those friends and family members who had previously experienced the beauty of Costa Rica, I knew I was in for a treat as I embarked upon a new adventure in the new year.

And so I greet you with a ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Happy New Year! It seemed quite fitting to bring in this new year of experiences in Costa Rica with the New Year´s celebration here in my ´home away from home´ for 2007!

This first month of residence in Costa Rica is in the beautiful little town of Santa Ana, located near San José. I am staying with the lovely doña Gladys, a woman of great skill in the kitchen (¡Gracias a Dios! Thanks be to God!) and also a woman who has raised a beautiful family. As the holidays naturally bring grown children, and their children, close to home, I have had the pleasure of spending much time with the extended family and friends of my host family.

I am spoiled with my own casita (little apartment) for my month´s living quarters, complete with what I like to refer to as ´my´ garden, which is a lush mini tropical rainforest (or so it appears to this American girl!) right outside my windows! Fruit trees, herb bushes, muchas plantas, brilliant pointsettia trees and, of course, multiple clothes lines which allow for nature´s dryer--el sol--to do it´s thing.

A Spanish language respaso (review) was in order for the gringa before beginning my university master´s courses in Spanish (yikes!) in February, and so it´s up the beautiful green mountainside I go each weekday for an intensive program at Conversa language school. I´m quite certain that Spanish grammar has never been so enjoyable. The school is located atop one of the highest mountains in the area, thus providing it´s pupils with a major disctraction--the view!

Week one of classes is now complete, meaning my classmate and companion, Meghan ¨numero dos¨ (naturally, I´m Megan ¨numero uno¨), and I will now be assigned to a new teacher, so that we will further be exposed to differing accents and teaching styles. We couldn´t have been more pleased with our first teacher, Amira, who taught us mucho--from the grammatical intricacies of the subjunctive to the dynamic between Costa Ricans and Nicaraguans in Costa Rica to the safety concerns for women to how coffee is grown. What an invaluable education one can receive about a country through learning the national language! Little did Amira know that she would also receive an invaluable education from this gringa--how to play Speed Scrabble!! And little did I know that even en español I can carry out a Nelson victory sin problemas! :)

Nine days later, I am quite pleased to have (finally!) begun this exciting new chapter in my life! I am enamored by this country filled with much natural beauty and many wonderfully kind people, who are refered to as ´ticos´ and ´ticas´. Nine days later, I have consumed more fresh fruit than seems humanly possible (yes, be jealous), I have spoken mucho español, I have laughed and conversed with new friends and ´family´, and I have learned a great deal about a great variety of topics. Nine days later, I´m looking forward to the many days ahead!