San Lucas Island

Today our Latin Cultures class took a trip across the gulf to the Island of San Lucas.   From the 1800's up until 1991 it was a prison.  To be honest it was rather eery walking around this island, everything looked so old an crumbly I couldn't believe that the walls in front of me had spelled death for so many people...and really so recently.  I'll take you on a mini tour through just a couple of pictures. 

This is the prison.  It is the only part that you can see from the ocean.  The rest of it is swallowed by the forest.  I came as a tourist, what would it have been like to approach those gray walls as a prisoner?

This is a picture of the walkway to the main buildings.  The wall you see to the left is one of the two "initiation" buildings.  When you first arrived you would spend anywhere from a week to a year in those buildings, as long as it took to make sure you were completely submissive. 



One of the barracks from the outside view.  I would have put a picture of the insides up...but they are full of obscenities and explicitly pornographic images.  The air inside is hot, wet and oppressive, heavy with smells that claw at your lungs.  Surrounded by profanity, weighed down by the heat and the darkness....I can't quite convey the feeling to you, but I wish I could.  We heard stories about men that had been unjustly accused but thrown in these places just the same to suffer the same fate as the murderers and thieves.  Stories for me, but that was someone's life...their vivid reality.  Many men, by the time they were released, were blind because of all of the time they had spent in the darkness.   

Latin America is marked by its devotion to Catholicism.  Can you believe this church  for the prisoners was used up until 21 years ago?  It looks so haunting now.

The crumbled rocks on the right are the trailing edge of what used to be a pasture for the cows.  More often than they were fed to the prisoners they were fed to the sharks to ensure that it would be almost assuredly lethal to try and swim to safety if you managed to escape.

We walked to the very edge of the island and ate lunch here by the shore.  Isn't this pretty?  This picture makes it look so cool and refreshing...I almost can't remember the gallons of sweat gushing out of my pores.

Zip a doo da and a Crocodile Tour

Well, Saturday was our first official field trip day.  We went Zip-lining and Croc hunting!  Well, actually not hunting...more like spotting.

Here we are...all but two.

I loved the zip line!

This is Angelina Jolie....I have people's head's in the photo for a reference of just how close we got.

Hows this for a job?  He gets to make the Croc's look more photogenic for us...he doesn't get paid enough.

The river we went down is 50% salt water from the ocean and 50% freshwater.  Because of that, only one species of tree is able to grow, the mangrove tree.  They have the ability to separate the salt water from the fresh.  The baby trees purge salt through their leaves that the natives can collect and use, while the big trees have salt deposits on their trunks.  How cool is our Creator?  And not only are they functional, but hauntingly mystical as well :)

These mangrove trees make me think of the Elvish lands on LOTR.  I loved them. 

Couple quick pics

First picture....

The ocean stole my sunglasses!  Major sad face.  I have been waiting my whole life for shades like those...and I dont even think the ocean will use them.  Useless robbery.  Anyway.  Not to worry!  Lucre, very kindly gave me these as a present.  ....oh boy.



Second picture.  My lunch.  Very instigram of me I know, but this is note worthy.  Ceviche.  Raw fish, cooked with the super acidic "limon"  (No its not a lemon, I'm not sure what fruit it is but if you eat it straight up it will burn the skin around your mouth...so dont do it) topped off with cilantro, onions and peppers.  You know what?  It wasn't bad.  I actually liked it!  And I LOVED the patacones you can kinda see on the right.  Squished plantains, fried to a crispy potato chip likeness.  Mmmmm.

Palabra del Dia: Sudado

Sweaty.  Perfect word for today.

I have class from 8am to 6pm on Tuesdays.  Phew.  After the first several hours my brain is very very tired....and my body is antzy.  That makes dance the perfect class to end the day.  This dance class is like aerobics with intricate foot movements...on steroids.  You would not believe how completely soaked through my clothes were after 2 hours.  There is no AC, obviously and it is 85+ degrees out side and we are dancing like mad men.  Phew.  Bianca (a new friend!) and I jumped into the ocean for a quick cool off before heading to play "Soccer Pippa"  that is to say, soccer on a half sized indoor turf field.  After 2 hours of that I created a new definition of "sudado".  I have never been so drenched in my life.  Or so content to be so.  Although I am pretty sure certain parts of my body are staging a coup.

On a completely unrelated note...here are a couple of pictures of my room!

I took this standing in the far corner of my room.  To the right is my armario and out the window to the left is the semi open courtyard where the large wash basin is.  And look!  Its Chippy!  He's such a world traveler.

You can see my flash in the far right, I am at the very corner of my bed.  I have a fan!  That is 100%  a God-send.  The tiled room is my very own bathroom.  It is very small, but wow...my own bathroom!  Lucre painted the two pictures you see on the wall.  God blessed me abundantly with this room!

La Vela: Cultural experience I was not expecting.

I dont even really know what to say.  Victor met me at the house and told me to put on a dress because we were going to "la vela" where Lucre (my house mom) was.  Not knowing what on earth a "vela" was, I asked all kinds of stupid questions.  "Is Fabri coming?" "Fabri, it looks like somethings wrong, you dont seem to be yourself" ....thats because a Vela is a viewing, someone in their family died.  Of course Fabri looked sad, he was mourning.

Having expected some kind of candle service of prayer or dancing or something, you can imagine my shock when I saw an open casket.  Lucre's sister's husband passed away yesterday morning.  I was fine until I saw her.  The sadness in her eyes went far past the tears you could plainly see.  What really got me though, was when her daughter knelt down beside her and began to gently stroke her back, asking if she wanted a glass of water.  The picture of the two of them made me think of my own mom, and what it would be like if dad passed away.  That was it.  I lost it.  To make matters worse Fabri came up to the wife and held her while she cried.  There's something about a young guy who seems a little like a surfer dude comforting a small Costa Rican woman.  Lucre introduced me to everyone as "Mi gringita (my little gringo)"  following that with "esta muy sentimental"  (she's very sentimental).  Eventually my crying got so bad that Lucre asked Victor to take me home before I made anyone else sad.

Pain is universal.  I wish I had had the words to say something, anything to make it better.

Palabra del Dia-Word of the Day: Tranquila

I thought since I am learning Spanish I would share that with all of you and post a "word of the day" post every once in a while, using a word that connects with the events down here.  So, my very first post in Costa Rica is a word of the day:  Tranquila--relax.

This just might be the word that I have heard the most, it is in stiff competition with "linda" which means cute or precious.  More often than not this word comes rolling off the lips of Lucre, my house mom.  She is a wonderfully caring mother hen, and any time I ask a question about where to go, what I should do, how I should say something she tells me "tranquila, tranquila"  Dont worry.  That is the theme of Costa Rica and I love it, everyone seems to genuinely believe that life is just fine, no need to stress.

It is easy not to in this environment.  I am on CLOUD NINE!  I have had a million and six confidence boosts regarding my language skills and being brave is turning out to not be a problem at all.  God is so good.  He has placed one woman on my heart, and I really felt like the conversation I had with her was a divine appointment.  I am not sure how much I want to share since this is an open blog, but if you want to be praying for her and I, God knows her name :)  I am going to church with her and her family tonight at 6.  She is going to get me very integrated!  Helping with the kids and maybe playing guitar in the worship band:  prayer request #4?  :)

The house is wonderfully clean and I have my own room with adjoining bathroom.  The family is very kind, and it has actually been very good to have someone my age around.  Pura Vida (pure life, life is good....it is the catch phrase of Costa Rica)

I really feel like this is where I belong and I have already been swamped with Spanish.  Zero english.  It is my perfect dream.  My face has gotten tired from all of the smiling, and because I hold it differently when I speak spanish for some reason, my muscles need to get in shape!

Pictures will come later, right now my eyes are absorbing everything, the camera will follow later I'm sure :)

Jehovah Jireh, my Provider.  My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.   To Him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we could ever think or ask to HIM be the glory. (phil. 4:19 & eph. 3:20-21) 

Gracias Abba.

Two Weeks Notice

Today I am officially two weeks away from arriving in Costa Rica.  This is getting real.  As I thought about this trip I realized that the facts of why I’m going and what I’m doing, while rehearsed and well known to me have never been communicated on this blog.   Typical Erin.  So, this post is dedicated to being informative and helpful.  I hope that goal is met.

What are you doing?!:  I am going to a language school in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.  The school is supported by a university in the US and is designed specifically for English speakers that want to learn Spanish.  The class sizes range from 1-8 students, so I will be getting a lot of individualized attention.  Perfect.

Why?!:  I want my degree in Spanish to mean something.  I have hit a plateau in my language acquisition and prayerfully this immersion experience will jump start me to the next level. 

Who are you going with?: I am studying through the Universities Study Abroad Consortium (USAC)  There will be other students from universities here in the states, but no one that I know from Berea.

How long will you be gone?:  August 17^th-December 10^th

Where will you live?:  I am staying with a host family (who I will talk about more just a little bit later).  Puntarenas itself is on a western peninsula.  One word:  Beaches.

So there are some of the bare bones details of the trip itself, I’m also going to share some of my personal goals.  I’m sure they will shape-shift and some more may even be added as I begin to live out this experience.  But from the get go here they are:

1. Learn Spanish.  This is a very basic goal.  Two words, but oh so very complex.  I need to be brave enough to use what I have to communicate with the people I’m around and be willing to make mistakes, look incompetent (that’s a hard one for me), and admit that I don’t know.  Humility. 
2.  Have an other’s centered perspective.  I want to show up saying “there you are!” rather than “here I am!”  That will be challenging not only because I naturally crave attention but also because this whole thing feels very centered on me.  It’s MY study abroad, MY new experience, and I’M the one showing up to a new place—so everyone should be excited that I’ve graced them with my presence right?  Ew.  Fix that.  
3.   Exchange the rock.  Back story time:  there is a tradition among a small group of friends that is quite charming.  You are given a rock from someone who has studied abroad, in my case I have a rock from Scotland given to me by my friend Victoria, when you study abroad you exchange that rock with one from the country you are in and pass it on to the next person.  I will take my Scottish rock, place it somewhere special in Costa Rica and then bring a Costa Rican rock back to the states to be taken who knows where by someone else. 
4.  Find a Spanish speaking Church.
5. Form good relationships…especially with my host family that you can see pictured below.  I am living with Lucrecia and Victor.  Lucrecia is a 64 year old homemaker and Victor is 70 and retired.  Perfect.  I will not be interrupting their jobs or their family.  I am quite excited to meet them.  There is one anomaly that I am not quite sure how to process.  They also have a 23 year old grandson named Fabricio who is listed as part of my family.  He is a student, so I’m not sure if he will actually be living in the house while I’m there or if he’ll be away at college.  We shall see.

 My overarching goal is to remember Who's I am.  My mom always says "Wherever you go, there you are."  I want to  remember that this is not an isolated experience in my life.  I am not going to all the sudden be a perfect human being, I am arriving as the same work in progress.  There are still lessons I need to learn, areas in my life that I need to surrender to Him, and revelations of Who He is that will change my life forever and draw me into a deeper and more real relationship.  God won't take a vacation from working in my life just because I'm living on a beach :)