CHILE

So I think the last time I posted was about two weeks ago when I was getting ready to finally head to Chile. I have been here for a bit now and can honestly say I am having a fantastic time. It was nice to have a few days to collect myself at the hotel before being thrown into family life. From the moment I arrived in the city, I have been impressed with the level of cleanliness and modernity. The people here are unlike any I have met prior, such a mix of cultures, levels of living etc. It is nearly impossible to distinguish a person's rank socially by their clothes in this country, it is in the way they speak. I live in the Cuico part of Santiago, the "Rich" part, in which people refuse to pronounce -sh. For example Sushi here is pronounced Suchi to make sure everybody understands your importance and social level.

My family is amazing. They are so tight knit and make me feel just at home. We pray over our food and they are very religious, which reminds me of my family. I have three siblings who are all married. Jeanette is the oldest and she is married to Mauricio and they have two children Aracelli, 3, and Benjamin, 8 Months. Tonight I will be heading to their house to see the area and visit. Franz is married to Nadia (a Russian Painter...YAY!) and they have Barbara, 3, and Irina, 8 Months. Then Hans just recently (May) was married to Carolina. So I am an only child in the house, but we have family over for lunch/dinner all of the time. Also when my mom went out to the South to work on the reconstruction from the earthquake, my brother Hans and Carolina literally came and babysat me haha. It is a strange feeling being 20 and usually independent with babysitters haha. And then my mom threatened to smack them if they hadn't fed me properly oh goodness I love her. Oh and my parents, duh, my Dad and Mom are both Civil Engineers and my mom is also in Real Estate (I can't escape it...)! Our departamento (apartment) is one of few with central heating. What a blessing I am not always frozen in the house, but it is expensive so we don't always have it on or very high.

The city is so COLD right now I sit and shake. In church I have to wear everything including my gloves just to try and stop my body from shaking violently. I have a newfound appreciation for heating of any sort found in the United States. The upside of it being winter is that the Cordillera (The Andes), which surround one part of the city, are covered from tip to toe in snow. They are a site to behold and honestly help me reflect on life, my purpose etc. I have been so incredibly blessed in my life and I know God is the overseer of my life. There is a definite reason I am here right now, doing the work I am. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be on this journey and to serve those around me. I started helping this morning with piano lessons at church, have gone out with the sister missionaries teaching/visiting, and will soon be helping teach English. I don't think for a minute that this is my time to waste, but rather this is a season in which I am able to grow and bless those around me.

Alex Hildebrandt and I have been exploring the city and we walk absolutely everywhere. It is awesome some days we log more than 6 miles in total. Yesterday we went to Cerro Santa Lucia, a hill in the middle of the city, which is also a municipal park. It was absolutely magnificent the view was impressionable. And after the rain had subsided, there was a huge rainbow stretching across the city. We also ran into our friends from the group, Pavi & Davis. What a nice surprise that in a completely different part of the world, it an area that is comprised of more that 4 million people, I am still able to see a familiar face or two. This is such a beautiful world we live in. I can't wait to see more of the museums and places this country has to offer. I promise to be better about updating and I honestly can't wait for classes and such to start. This is the beginning of something very special.

Ciao & Bienvenido

I am currently sitting in the San Jose, Costa Rica airport awaiting my flight to Colombia and then on to Chile. I went to church this morning it was so wonderful. Wendy spoke about eternal families and our roles and responsibilities within them. They also had their youth conference this week so the Bishop invited all of the youth by name to come up and safe their testimonies with the congregation. I know the programs of the church are truly inspired and it was so wonderful to hear the stories and feelings of these youth. They may be few in number, but they are strong in spirit. I am so grateful for the priesthood in the church. Today our lesson in La Sociedad de Socorro was about the priesthood and I am so incredibly thankful to all those who hold and honor that sacred gift. It is with sadness that I left the ward members and my family here in Costa Rica, but I know that these friendships will live on and that I will have the opportunity to return and visit once again. Life is a beautiful thing and for me the most important part of life are the people we meet and the relationships we have. We are all tied together and I am so grateful for the lessons I have learned while here in Costa Rica. I cannot wait to serve and participate in activities in Chile. I am truly blessed in all ways. Anyways wish me luck...I have a feeling this is going to be a life altering experience.

El Final

So I have been a complete slacker lately and have been neglecting my blog. Today is my last full day here in Costa Rica and I have mixed feelings towards what lies ahead. I am so incredibly grateful for the experience I have been blessed to have here thus far, for the new friendships made, for my new extended family and for all of the people I have met randomly on the streets and buses. I guess I need to catch everybody up on my life a little bit...

The weekend of the 25-26 we ventured out to Guanacaste (one of the seven provinces) to go hiking and exploring. The first day on our way out to the hotel, I found my new favorite sweet treat...CAJETA! How did I not know this wonderful treat existed before...I have Cajeta with Macadamia nuts....YUM. When we finally got to the hotel Heliconias the beginning of Briel, Allison, Maddie, Victoria & my room problems started. Our door would not open. Maybe we should have taken this as a sign but alas we endured the toilet not working, losing power, millions of bugs and beds that were as hard as rocks.

In the beginning of our first hike, it started to poor rain and when I say rain I don't mean mist it was rain. We hiked 3 Km and crossed 3 beautiful suspending bridges. I of course made everybody wait while I snapped photos...I want my memories to be clear. I was soaked from head to toe...what an experience. I liked it so much that after a cup of hot herbal tea, I decided to take Alex back for a second go. We met up with Briel on the trail and enjoyed the hike again without rain. The sounds of the rainforest are so calming and peaceful. Also I love the smell of rain, the clear air and newly emerging life.

The next day after surviving a night of intense rain, we journeyed to the Parque Nacional Rio Celeste. I would like to thank Sarah for all of the hikes we do during the summer...you would be proud to know I was right behind the guide and carrying my own pack...Anyways this park is not like national parks you find in the US. The terrain is quite rugged and without a guide you would literally die in the park. During parts of the hike, the bridges had fallen and we had to wade across mud, in other parts the incline was literally vertical so descending the mountain was extremely dangerous, but the waterfall and ability to swim at the end made it all worth it. We returned to the hotel to find that there was no electricity and that meant no hot water so I went home on the 5 hour or so bus ride smelly, sweaty and gross. Luckily I survived and the next day I could not walk at all. I did some yoga and eventually my muscles calmed down, but it was not fun getting to that point.

On the 28 of June (Monday) I turned 20 and experienced my first birthday away from home and away from those who love me. Lets just say it wasn't easy, but I am learning to be more and more independent (not that I wasn't before I guess I am learning to trust in God more fully). I also have some wonderful friends here who made the day special for me as well. We spent the afternoon at our professor's lovely home, Quinta Feliz, and cooked lunch etc. Overall I am getting used to being 20 and such I think I had a mini-quarter life crisis, but its all good now.

Instead of traveling to Manuel Antonio, I opted to stay for our cultural outing. We went to the Teatro Nacional and listened to the National Orchestra play with Combo Nuvo (a group of six jazz musicians from NY). I had an absolute ball. I also met Gerry, an incredibly nice ex-pat, who sat in the box next to me. It pained me to hear that his family in the states does not have time for him, and made me reflect on what is most important to me in life, family. I spent my fourth of July at church and had an absolutely wonderful testimony meeting, during which I shared my testimony in Spanish. I felt so much peace and love. I will certainly miss all of the members of the Montes de Oca Ward here and am sad to have to say goodbye tomorrow.

Yesterday we went to Volcan Irazu, one of fourth active volcanoes in Costa Rica, and it was a lovely end to a great adventure here. It didn't really hit me until we dropped the people who live in Curridabat at the Taco Bell and that was goodbye. I guess I am learning that these aren't really goodbyes, but more like see you later. I have been so richly blessed by the rich coast and will forever treasure these memories. I cannot wait to return in the near future and bring my family with me. On to Chile it is...

Fabrica de Madera...

So yesterday in lieu of class in the afternoon we drove out towards Heredia and took a tour of a wood factory. It was incredibly impresionante and I really had another one of my reality checks. These people day in and day out sit in front of the exact same machines doing the same tasks over and over again. I can't even imagine how little they must earn, but at least the company is good to its employees. They also afford women who have babies or older people the opportunity to work by installing machines in their homes so they can put holes in beads and other pieces of wood to make place mats, jewelry, and many other things including baby mobiles. I was just once again struck by the level of poverty that these people live in.

A women who works in our university cleaning the building earns per month around $120. They work all day everyday to earn a living that is insubstantial. For a couple to buy a home here in Costa Rica it is necessary for both the husband and wife to work otherwise it is impossible. My Professor for the week Mariela Castro was telling us about a place near San Jose were they dump all of the trash from the Central Valley: Heredia, Alajuela, San Jose & Cartago next to this river. 4,000 Families live among this sea of trash, human waste and dirty water, while across the river there are literally mansions built on golf courses and the people who are starving have the ability to watch the rich ride around carefree day in and day out on their golf carts. The community is in the midst of building a wall so that they do not have to be reminded daily of the poverty that exists in Costa Rica.

Lets go over some numbers here shall we:

• 25% of the population respectively of Honduras, El Salvador & Nicaragua live with less than $1 a day
• 15% of the population respectively of Costa Rica, Guatemala & Panama live with less than $1 a day
• 65% of poverty is rural
• The 20% most wealthy of the population earn 30 times more than the 20% most poor

(Sorry I am translating all of this from English so I hope it makes some sort of sense!)

Needless to say there is a whole other world that lives among us whether we would like to admit it or not. The governments here are so corrupt that a few years ago they passed a law requiring the bus owners to put ramps on the buses for handicapped patrons by 2010 (this year), but since the bus owners make so much money, they decided to tell the politicians that they would either install the ramps or give them money for campaigns. Of course the law was changed and they now have until 2020 to install ramps and the politicians walked away with full pockets. It is astounding at how these people are able to sleep at night...do they have feelings, families or even eyes to see and hearts to feel? I would venture a guess and say probably not...they are way too concerned with money that they forget the people they serve. What this country needs and what all countries need is a reminder that government is supposed to protect the people, not rob them through taxes.

I never thought myself to be a political person or to feel so strongly about such matters, yes I have always been opinionated, but I tend to keep quiet and support silently the things I believe. I cannot live in a world that does not care about the marginalized or disadvantaged and I want to make sure that in the future I do what I can to help those around me. It is only through the efforts of the people that change is wrought and no I am not going to go completely Erin Brockovich on everybody I am going to do something and make a difference. I watched Invictus last night before bed and was brought to tears by the injustices that take place in our world, we are so blessed to live where we are and to have the families we have. Even the worst of the worst in the United States have it better than those in the rest of the world.

I may be only one person, but I can without a doubt make an impact in the world and change things for the better.

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever God may be,

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,

I have not cried nor winced aloud,

Under the bludgeoning of chance,

My head is bloody but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how straight the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the captain of my fate,

I am the master of my soul.

William Earnest Henley, 1875

I am the Captain of my fate and the Master of my soul and I will press forward with conviction and courage of character to make the world a better place.

EL TEMPLO, DOKA...y MAS

Well this week is going to be a recap I have been super tired lately and have thus neglected to blog about my daily happenings. I guess that is what happens when you are in class from 9-12 & 1-4...it starts to get the best of you. Anyways we came back from Punta Leona completely zombified and had to get right back to classes. This week our conference and assignments were given by Profesora Dinia Madrigal and our focus topic was cultural differences between Costa Rica and the United States and what exactly constitutes culture.

Culture is defined as the way we understand and learn about the world. Popularly culture is measured by the number of academic titles a person holds or how frequently they behave in a desirable manner, but these are manifestations of socio-cultural. We had to discuss the manifestations of these subcultures within our host families. It was really interesting to learn about these things and to take a more in depth look at why populations behave in certain ways and how their upbringing effects their reactions/outcomes in life. The people are Costa Rica are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural depending on which province you decide to visit. For example in Limon you will find people originally from the Caribbean, in Puntarenas the Chinese/Korean Costa Ricans and so forth.

On Tuesday during our cineforum we watched Voces Inocentes, based on a true story from the Guerra Civil (Civil War) of El Salvador. This movie was absolutely horrifying and made me sick to think that this just happened from 1980-1993. Every boy who turned 12 years old and even some younger were literally called to line up during school and taken away to become soldiers and fight against their own people. They with no second thoughts willingly killed women, children and elderly people as well. I wrote down a quote that I struck me as very interesting it states: "Grace is the presence of the divine in all of our actions." What a beautiful summary of the grace that can come even through the darkest of nights, its all of our actions that count and our faith that matters most.

Wednesday night I had the opportunity to go to the temple here in San Jose (in Heredia) with the members of the Montes de Oca Ward. I asked them so many questions about how they decided to join the church because the official religion here is catholicism. One man told me he decision came after a long process of learning when he was younger. He had always wondered why Christ had not come to visit the people of the Americas, his people when he was on the earth. After reading the Book of Mormon and discovering that Christ did in fact appear to the people of the Americas he felt more at peace and prayed about everything and has now been a member for 30 years.

The trip to the temple took about 2 hours because traffic here in the city is so terrible, coming back only took like 30 minutes. The temple is absolutely gorgeous and what a peaceful feeling it brings to be on the grounds and be surrounded by so much beauty. I did baptisms for the dead (one of the missions of the church is to redeem the dead, so we do baptisms by proxy for and on behalf of those who have passed away already, so they can have an opportunity to either accept or reject the work that has been done on their behalf since it is necessary to have a body to be baptized). I met so many wonderful people and the temple president & his wife (President & Sister Porter) are from Southern Utah, speak perfect Spanish and were so loving and welcoming. They were actually shocked that I was with this group and wondered how this all had come to pass.

After finishing everything, we took some photos outside and chatted about life. On the way home we listened to stories about being a missionary in Peru and the Amazon Jungle...wow I am grateful for the boys who go out and serve its nothing like having ants for dinner and such. I got home super late and the Bishop from the ward met us at the building and was kind enough to drive me to the house. Edward lectured me and was definitely concerned for my well-being, since it is dangerous to be out late at night especially as a girl. I was so exhausted, but only ended up getting a few hours of sleep before having class again.

We made collages in class on Thursday pertaining to Costa Rican culture and also had a written portion of our experiences thus far. After class Edward and I went to the movie store right around the corner, where I realized that all of the movies are pirated...interesting...Later that night I was awakened by Edward telling me that Brittany the new girl was here and I had to come meet her...necessary I think not! Anyways she is from OSU and seems nice enough...although I felt kind of territorial and possessive of my family haha.

Friday our group went on a trip to the Doka Coffee Estate. It was lovely and they have this huge butterfly garden with hundreds of butterflies everywhere. The process for making coffee is interesting and they have to import people from Panama and Nicaragua to do the work because they are too lazy themselves to pick the fruit (yes coffee beans come from a fruit)...sound familiar (Mexico/USA?). After a lovely lunch and two coats of nail polish, we returned to U Latina where Maddie, Allison, Briel, Victoria & I decided to figure out how to get to the movie theatre with English sound, Spanish subtitles to see Toy Story 3.

Terramall is quite the journey and the whole way there this guy was leaning up against me as I sat in my seat...no perception of personal space here...and the roof was leaking because we were having a terrible storm. When we finally got to the mall they dropped us off on the side of the highway and was had to cross a bridge to get to the Cinepolis (their Cinemark theatre). The movie was absolutely fabulous and I won't lie I cried numerous times. It hit a little too close for home especially for having left my home to be here and everyone I love and hold dear. The good news is that after the movie we made it home in the dark and I thankfully asked a guy on the bus where we needed to get off because the windows were completely fogged.

Overall life is getting better each and everyday. I have now been here for 16 days and counting. I decided instead of traveling this weekend to stay here and frequent the local museums (I figure I won't ever really be coming back to San Jose--Its pretty dirty I would prefer to stick with the resorts and beaches).

Punta Leona!

So the reason I have not posted in a while is that A) I have been busy with projects and such and B) I WENT TO THE BEACH this weekend! OMG talk about a much needed descanso from real life here in dirty San Jose. We all met up at U Latina at 8AM on Friday to leave for Puntarenas...they failed to mention that our hike would take place before we got to the resort (Thank goodness I was wearing jeans already, but I had to dig out my hiking boots and repellant and such). Talk about HOT it was so humid and warm I thought we might die before ever getting on the hike, but I have started to believe more and more that this glistening glow from the sweat is kind of attractive (just saying).

When we first met our guide he asked for us to quickly get out of the bus and I ran because that meant seeing wildlife...which I am obsessed with. I got to see two King Vultures (baby ones) flying high in the sky and supposedly this is meant to be a good omen....who knows what good may happen this coming week. We had a discussion about deforestation before heading off on our hike, where we were able to distinguish between the new growth and the old forest/jungle. This national park is gorgeous (Carara). Although we did not see a whole ton of fauna, I was able to see tons of interesting fungi, insects, and plant species. The hike was kind of hilarious and the mud was definitely interesting, but it allowed us to all bond and become more close.

After sweating to death in the jungle and not getting eaten alive by mosquitoes (THANK GOODNESS)...we met up with Nina, a professor who would be touring us around Puntarenas and having lunch with us, to go to the most quaint beach side restaurant. I had the most delicious ceviche, garlic shrimp, fresh mango juice and mussels. Lunch was so much fun and the conversation was absolutely ridiculous on our side of the table jumping from plastic surgery to our religious beliefs and upbringing. Our group is super open (for the most part), which makes it easy to get to know one another and have interesting conversations at the same time.

When we left the restaurant I am not going to lie I was ready for bed, but no we had a tour of the small maritime town that is sandwiched between a river and the beach. The town was quaint and very quiet. We walked around and were recounted some history about the town. I was really interested in all of the art/sculptures they have around and took no time in examining them. We finally loaded up the micro-bus and decided to head on down to Punta Leona (the resort!).

Punta Leona is a private club/resort, but the beaches on the property are public beaches, but since it was developed as a club, residents of the town are not allowed to swim there. The property is expansive and also acts as an ecological reserve. I had decided previously to room with Briel, but as fortune would have it we were assigned to the same room already haha. The rooms were incredibly nice (HOT WATER) and after we figured out where the buffet was for our meals, we were set. After dinner, everybody decided it was time to start getting their drink on, but I decided to pay for internet so I could talk to Alex (because we were talking the night before and my internet died...and I missed him DUH).

I am actually really glad I don't drink, it causes a lot of unnecessary problems and I personally think it brings out the worst in people. We had an extra suite because of the 19, so they decided to triple up and use it as a drinking/party hub. The first night I stayed in the whole time and went to sleep, the second night I went to the room for like 10 minutes and realized I didn't even want to be around them (no offense I love them all just not under the influence).

Anyways Saturday=beach day, which was much needed. I spent all day on the playa blanca (white sand beach), some of the afternoon at the playa negra (black sand...in my opinion dirty beach) and finished the night off in the pool teaching Victoria how to swim. I am literally a fish and water is my element. I am so relaxed right now from spending all of this time in the water...I feel rejuvenated. Davis, Victoria, Briel and I played a card game called Killa...it was tons of fun and I won the second round as a rookie. It was pretty exciting...except I totally screwed up the next round haha por supuesto.

The day was action packed and we had Latin dancing lessons in the afternoon and a plethora of activities to entertain ourselves. At dinner we were joined by a raccoon sort of animal, who was very friendly and wanted to make himself right at home at our table. Ben would have nothing to do with it and started to bark at him, but I think that may have been the shots talking haha. Dinner was okay my paella had some more than questionable bites in it and the papaya was not good....oh well I should't be the typical complainer American. I sucked it up and had a smaller meal.

Instead of Karaoke and such I decided it was a more wise decision for me to get to bed early, which paid off in full because this morning I went to breakfast at 7:30 with Briel and we were able to eat with the monkeys and these other raccoon like animals. It was so AMAZING I did more watching that eating. There was a monkey with a baby on its back and they were so playful. At exactly 8AM like clockwork they retreated back into the jungle for safety. We decided to head down to the beach for one last hurrah before heading back to San Jose. While Briel and I were cleaning up our room waiting for the maid to come check us out, a huge branch off of a tree fell on top of roof scaring us half to death. The damage was minimal and we checked out successfully. On the way home we stopped at an estuary and were able to walk across a bridge and look down on numerous crocodiles...awesome!

I am now home safe and sound in San Jose...relaxing and resting up for this week. I can't believe I have been here for 10 days now, but time is going to fly by.

Ok so today was kind of overwhelming. I was able to learn about gross domestic product, globalization, development and government in Spanish (this is definitely Alex's arena and not mine). I mean I understood everything, but its not my favorite topic. I sat in class and honestly was trying to figure out what the professor's beliefs are and his political views. I couldn't quite decipher but I did figure out that he does not like Obama. After three hours of lecture, we finally had lunch and it was a struggle to find something on the campus that I could actually eat. What a pain in the neck haha, but I finally had an interesting salad with some questionable foods that I left alone on the plate. I decided that a plate of rice and glass of cas juice (a Costa Rican Tropical Fruit).

Cas Fruit

After lunch we met our Spanish profesoras and they introduced themselves and talked to us about our excursion to Punta Leona this coming weekend. They have a white sand and a black sand (ash) beach. I can't wait to get there and have some time to relax and process everything that has been occurring. After Mila said hello she left because she only teaches us Spanish on Tuesday & Wednesday our Grammar & Conversation skills. They kept laughing about Tico Time and other cultural inside jokes.

Marta, our other profesora, stayed and we did a writing exercise to get to know one another better and so she could see how well we can write in Spanish. She was shocked that I didn't drink alcoholic beverages because each of us was interviewed by the entire class and that was a question. She said I was a really amazing person for that. Marta will be teaching us writing and lecturing. I am excited to learn more and to get my skills of speaking to be more concrete/fluid. Actually as we speak I am having a difficult time thinking in English and writing in English its beginning to take more time to think about certain things.

After a super long day of classes, I had the uphill walk home to look forward to. I have never had so many cars stop, honk, rubber neck, yell etc. than I have experienced here in Costa Rica. The men here are ridiculous old, young, single married it does not matter to them because they will be sure to let you know they think you are good looking. AY CHICAS...BONITAS...AQUI AQUI....AY AY....I swear it may have been a bit flattering at first but now its just like come on seriously can you be a little more tactful and less obvious. I guess not it has only gotten worse the longer I have been here...I don't know if that is something culturally I will ever get use to.

It started to rain after I finally made it up the hill home (I am really liking the workouts haha) and I was happy to calm down for a few minutes after being completely frazzled by the over-abundance of men. I was completely worn out and my brain tired. Edward calmed me down and the rest of the night has been pretty tranquil. I did some research for my project on the PAHO website for Argentina statistics. Dinner was good and Mary's grandson spent time over here practicing English and building Kinex. Overall I think time is going to start moving more quickly now that I have a structured schedule. Buenas noches a todos es tiempo para descansar!