what a treat! I just wanted to also say a thing or two about what's been going on the last few days but it didn't really fit with the conference.
I have been out to the bean fields to gather beans a couple times now. And once we get back we have to de-cascada them. And then we cook them and eat them! So, I've had hours and hours of sitting on the front porch unshelling beans. It's a time consuming job getting new beans.
But in other bean news, the weather has not been very good. It has actually rained quite a bit - which is very bad for the one time of the year that it is very important for it to be hot and dry. The process of gathering the beans to sell or to store for the year depend on it to be dry. I've never seen it, but they've described the process to me: they pick the entire plant and spread it out to dry. Then they beat it to remove the cascadas - the pods. Then they scoop it up and let the wind blow away the pods while the beans fall back down. But for any of it to work, the beans need to be completely dry.
What else? Not really very much.. I was sick again last week. I usually get one cold a year.. but that was three in 2008 and already another in 2009... what's going on? I feel like I'm the healthiest I've ever been (for sure I'm the strongest) - why do I keep getting sick? unexplicable. (unless you count a long tiring trip to Nicaragua and some cold weather on a San Jose mountaintop without adequate covering... ). But, no worries, I'm fine again.
Speaking of worries, two nights in a row there have been terciopelos found very close to the house. And, I and Linda will be alone at the house for the next four days... but Don Jesus and Doña Delsa will be there at night at snake time.. so, again, no worries! (note to self, new batteries for my flashlight).
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Conference
The whole weekend was a very great experience - though it was some very long bus rides.. and it took 3 hours each time we tried to cross the boarder. But the actual conference was very good. First some facts: The conference was held in Managua, Nicaragua. Our Members from the ITC were Juan Francisco Mora from Costa Rica and Rachel N'degwa (I'm sorry, I don't know how to spell her name) from Kenya. I believe there were about 23 countries from Central America and the Carribean attending and, I think I've been told, about 1,500 people present and the conference was translated into three languages. And again, the experience was great. I was so amazed with the focus. I've never been to a conference that was so focused on a single purpose - it made it very unified. Which is soo interesting. With so many different countries and peoples and even languages - not everyone could communicate (easily) with each other, this is the conference I will remember for it's feeling of unity and purpose. Much more so than even ones I've been to in the States. And, unexpected - everything was on time! fancy that :). The first day were mostly talks by our ITC members. And they were great, though I admit I had trouble undrstanding Rachel's. The reason is because I listened to everything in Spanish. Juan spoke in Spanish and he was very clear and easy to understand. Rachel, on the other hand, spoke in English, so we listened to the spanish translation which was acutally much harder for me. I'm not sure why, maybe it's because of the pauses and the not consistent speed of the translator. I should have picked up a device to listen to the English but I never got around to it. Still, they were both very inspiring. It was a great blend of, of course, praise for what has been accomplished, but nonetheless a call to action - but without creating any sense of guilt or shame for not having already stepped up. It wasn't a time to look at the past - the goal, the focus is the future.. so we look at the present, evaluate and plan for the future.
I think the conference was especially good for the 6 members of my community who attended the conference as well. I know at least two of them really didn't like it for the crowds - I'm sure none of them have been among so many people before... crowded conference halls are very different to our lovely little community in the rainforest. But I also know that every one was inspired at the conference. Yesterday we actually had a meeting to plan for activities - and guess what they decided to do - go to Alto Conte (about 2 hours up) and have a teaching campaign! They are going go and teach the Faith using Conozcamos (Anna's Presentation). So, they planned a time when they could come and practice using Conozcamos and then they're gonna go teach. And, so many more people are now involved in the Children's classes and Pre-youth group (I'm having to get over my little bit of ownership I felt for my classes and let others in - how great is that?!).
And, for me personally, it was a lot of fun to see so many of the people I met in Colombia back in July. We only missed our friends from Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. But it was still great - though we really didn't have a lot of time to just sit and chat - like I said, it was a focused conference. Plus, the place was so packed that it was hard to find anyone in the short breaks we did have. But the last night we stayed until late and I got my visiting in - as well as a little impromptu dancing started by the Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic youth. What better way to end a conference? -especially latin american style.. some of the people down here can really dance!
I think the conference was especially good for the 6 members of my community who attended the conference as well. I know at least two of them really didn't like it for the crowds - I'm sure none of them have been among so many people before... crowded conference halls are very different to our lovely little community in the rainforest. But I also know that every one was inspired at the conference. Yesterday we actually had a meeting to plan for activities - and guess what they decided to do - go to Alto Conte (about 2 hours up) and have a teaching campaign! They are going go and teach the Faith using Conozcamos (Anna's Presentation). So, they planned a time when they could come and practice using Conozcamos and then they're gonna go teach. And, so many more people are now involved in the Children's classes and Pre-youth group (I'm having to get over my little bit of ownership I felt for my classes and let others in - how great is that?!).
And, for me personally, it was a lot of fun to see so many of the people I met in Colombia back in July. We only missed our friends from Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. But it was still great - though we really didn't have a lot of time to just sit and chat - like I said, it was a focused conference. Plus, the place was so packed that it was hard to find anyone in the short breaks we did have. But the last night we stayed until late and I got my visiting in - as well as a little impromptu dancing started by the Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic youth. What better way to end a conference? -especially latin american style.. some of the people down here can really dance!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
raincheck
hey everyone... I know I told a lot of people that I was going to write about the weekend (the 41 Conference for the Central American and Carriebean countries) but I didn't really get a good chance to sit down and get it done. I plan to still write a bit about it but it'll have to be saved for another day. ciao
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tomorrow starts...
our trip to Managua, Nicaragua. We arrived to San Jose a day before the other of our community members because we had business, of various kinds, to attend to before continuing on to Nicaragua. Some needed to go to banks, others had things to get at supermarkets and I, I am finally reunited with all of my things! I packed only one suitcase to come live for a year.. but within one month I had a bag of things in Progresso, I had a bag at the Baha'i Institute outside of San Jose, I had a bag at the national office in San Jose, and I had some things with me in Colombia. Just in time, I have the very things I wanted to have in case there was an event like the one I'm going to. :) Unfortunately I believe I have a ways to go before I learn to be detached from my things.
But one thing I always knew - I have a rather love/hate relationship with technology. I love it because of all the things one can do with it (I'm mainly talking computers and internet here) but I hate it because so often, I can't. Take today, for instance. I have a few hours where I thought I would be checking email and facebook and catching up with friends and family (who I haven't had a chance to contact in ANY way for almost a full month and I miss it) and email won't work and neither will facebook. Sad day. But at least I have gotten to read up on people's blogs... and I can write one to sort of feel like I'm comunicating a little with my people.
Speaking of communicating, let's do a little:
The last month has been very busy, and therefore, great. We had a "capacitacion" (basically an intensive weekend of Ruhi) in Progresso near the end of December. A family who lives in El Salvador traveled down, with some friends (some of whom served in Haifa recently and know some of you guys), to help out. Of course, how else can one prepare for a capacitacion without going to the beach first? So, that's what we decided to do, then we had the capacitacion and it all went well. People from all over the area came to study books. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Plus, I forgot to say, Laila and Paul and his wife Lorena came so I know it has been nice for Anne and Parviz to visit with their children.
Then came new year's eve. It was a happy day because Don Jesus's family all came back up to live in their home (this is the family of Adrian, who had gotten bitten by a snake) and they invited us up to celebrate. They had a few fireworks and they fed us sooo much food. It was quite funny because everyone was soo full. It was just a very happy time.
Then, Laura and Linda and I took a trip to Rio Claro to visit the family of a good friend who is from that area. If you walk over and through the mountains it takes about 3 or 4 hours, from what I understand. But we instead chose to walk down to Conte, take a bus to Rio Claro (the very touristy place where there is apparently one of, or maybe the, longest wave in the world.. so a lot of surfers come there). From there we walk about 1 1/2 or 2 hours straight up to get there. It's a beautiful walk with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, and the bay and the peninsula to one side, and all lush green mountains and valleys on the other... but it goes straight up, and then straight down, and then up more, and then down, and then up again and even more, and then down and then you get close and you go up again, and back down. But it was a good weekend. We gave a children's class, and had a devotional and mostly just sat around talking and being friends. Good times. But, poor guy, on the way back to Progresso we decided to spend about an hour or two, while we waited for the bus, in the ocean - and he got stung/stabbed by a stingray. He said it was the worse pain of his life. He got stung/cut open on the bottom of his foot and for an hour he sat literaly shaking from the pain that kept climbing up his leg. This, by the way folks, is a man who grew up in the jungle of the Costa Rican rainforest with a machete in his hand. We're talking hard core. I was actually quite worried because we really didn't know what had stung him and we didn't know if it might possibly be fatal - and it was worse because there really isn't any hospital for miles and miles around and the only clinic that we know of is closed on Sunday. Luckily it's just something that just simply hurts. Oh, after our bus ride to Conte, he walked back up the mountain to his home in Progresso to rest. These people really sometimes amaze me.
Yesterday and the day before I went with Don Jesus to his bean field and picked new beans... and then sat around for two days straight and shelled them all. And in the meantime I've been continuing with my pre-youth and children's classes. Oh, and in other news, Dona Elia tells me that perhaps when I return from Nicaragua my Guaymi dress might be ready. :).
So, hopefully when we return from Managua the internet and computer will be working better and I'll have a chance to catch up with everyone. And who knows what I'll be wanting to write about here after the Conference?
But one thing I always knew - I have a rather love/hate relationship with technology. I love it because of all the things one can do with it (I'm mainly talking computers and internet here) but I hate it because so often, I can't. Take today, for instance. I have a few hours where I thought I would be checking email and facebook and catching up with friends and family (who I haven't had a chance to contact in ANY way for almost a full month and I miss it) and email won't work and neither will facebook. Sad day. But at least I have gotten to read up on people's blogs... and I can write one to sort of feel like I'm comunicating a little with my people.
Speaking of communicating, let's do a little:
The last month has been very busy, and therefore, great. We had a "capacitacion" (basically an intensive weekend of Ruhi) in Progresso near the end of December. A family who lives in El Salvador traveled down, with some friends (some of whom served in Haifa recently and know some of you guys), to help out. Of course, how else can one prepare for a capacitacion without going to the beach first? So, that's what we decided to do, then we had the capacitacion and it all went well. People from all over the area came to study books. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Plus, I forgot to say, Laila and Paul and his wife Lorena came so I know it has been nice for Anne and Parviz to visit with their children.
Then came new year's eve. It was a happy day because Don Jesus's family all came back up to live in their home (this is the family of Adrian, who had gotten bitten by a snake) and they invited us up to celebrate. They had a few fireworks and they fed us sooo much food. It was quite funny because everyone was soo full. It was just a very happy time.
Then, Laura and Linda and I took a trip to Rio Claro to visit the family of a good friend who is from that area. If you walk over and through the mountains it takes about 3 or 4 hours, from what I understand. But we instead chose to walk down to Conte, take a bus to Rio Claro (the very touristy place where there is apparently one of, or maybe the, longest wave in the world.. so a lot of surfers come there). From there we walk about 1 1/2 or 2 hours straight up to get there. It's a beautiful walk with amazing views of the Pacific Ocean, and the bay and the peninsula to one side, and all lush green mountains and valleys on the other... but it goes straight up, and then straight down, and then up more, and then down, and then up again and even more, and then down and then you get close and you go up again, and back down. But it was a good weekend. We gave a children's class, and had a devotional and mostly just sat around talking and being friends. Good times. But, poor guy, on the way back to Progresso we decided to spend about an hour or two, while we waited for the bus, in the ocean - and he got stung/stabbed by a stingray. He said it was the worse pain of his life. He got stung/cut open on the bottom of his foot and for an hour he sat literaly shaking from the pain that kept climbing up his leg. This, by the way folks, is a man who grew up in the jungle of the Costa Rican rainforest with a machete in his hand. We're talking hard core. I was actually quite worried because we really didn't know what had stung him and we didn't know if it might possibly be fatal - and it was worse because there really isn't any hospital for miles and miles around and the only clinic that we know of is closed on Sunday. Luckily it's just something that just simply hurts. Oh, after our bus ride to Conte, he walked back up the mountain to his home in Progresso to rest. These people really sometimes amaze me.
Yesterday and the day before I went with Don Jesus to his bean field and picked new beans... and then sat around for two days straight and shelled them all. And in the meantime I've been continuing with my pre-youth and children's classes. Oh, and in other news, Dona Elia tells me that perhaps when I return from Nicaragua my Guaymi dress might be ready. :).
So, hopefully when we return from Managua the internet and computer will be working better and I'll have a chance to catch up with everyone. And who knows what I'll be wanting to write about here after the Conference?
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