The following entry was contributed by Global Village team members.
By Lou & Kathy Cristan
Day 6 started out a bit differently than previous days. Cloudy with a chance of noise from the start. Day 5 really did not have an end, as the day actually came to a close well into day 6 carried by song, debate and more debate. We are now understanding the emphasis on the need for ear plugs. Nothing to do with site safety - all to do with habitat sanity for all non-debaters.
The start of the the day came to be a premonition of the day ahead. Turns out the forest does go to sleep. The silence is deep, almost like a sound proof room. It rained off and on throughout the night. So much for the dry season. Remember that rooster. It must of gotten promoted, as it had to wake up the forest, as well as the farm and some of us not wearing those ear plugs at 4:46am. Well, we learned the forest, like us, must have "snooze mode", as it did not come alive until 5:10am.
As we began to collect for morning coffee, it was evident the heat, the build activities, the football and after hour extra curricular activities and general lack of sleep was having an effect on the team. Bloodshot eyes have now become the new normal. The hardy breakfast and more coffee brought the team spirit back to life. What began as a pilot light started by our high charged local team soon grew to a full fledged bright high spirited fired up team, ready for all the new day had to offer.
Our 7:17am Tico time arrival at the build site was the latest yet. We were greeted by smiles, a team stretch, back rub and overview for the day quickly followed. We broke up into teams who would be “frosting the cake” (thank you Gloriana), and landscaping. Amazing how fast those picks and shovels were claimed. All quickly set about there chosen tasks for the day. The frosting was flying but we did notice the pick and shovel crews seemed to have lost a step or two compared to past days. No correlation between solving ALL the WORLDS PROBLEMS in last night's “debate” and “pick pace” – NOT! None the less, our labor of love continued. Promotions and at least one job offer came from our site leads. They appeared sincere and sure hit a sweet spot. A sense of pride and accomplishment measured by smiles was shared by all.
Our crews were clearly driven, knowing this was the last build day and a shortened one at that. We could see puzzled looks on our local leaders faces as they called for break and everyone seemed to just keep focused on their task. They came to better understand just how much we wanted to make a positive difference. Little did we know how much we already had. Our morning was capped off by the visit of a very colorful Toucan which was foreshadowing of the afternoons activities to come. The end of the build day came quickly and far to soon for all. Again we were cajoled into putting our tools down, to be collected and cleaned. It was now time to say adios and muchas gracias to Marco, Eliseanio and Claudio and their families. With hands on home one, a blessing was said for the volunteers who came before and the many who will follow to join the local Habitat and build site leaders to build these homes, to form stronger communities and create hope - especially for the children. Some of us just couldn’t pass by the kiosk across the way without buying an ice cream treat before lunch – what would our mothers say! Another wonderful lunch was prepared and served by the Women’s Association.
A rather somber ceremony placed Piedra Rock, who had been tattooed with each team members mark, to a very fitting resting place at the Association Center to hopefully be found and adopted by the TCHFH team coming in a couple of weeks.
We loaded onto to the bus for what we were told would be a Tico 10 minute ride to the local grade school for our special activities. To everyones surprise we were there in 5 minutes or less, blowing the thought that maybe we were starting to understand tico thinking. What lay ahead was a very special surprise filled afternoon.
After assembling in the schoolhouse we were asked to close our eyes for a special surprise. Upon opening them, we were greeted by a most colorful assembly of children dressed in local celebratory dress. It made the morning's Toucan look rather dull in comparison. But the most special part was the look of childhood innocence seen on each of those tiny smiling faces as they danced with delight. Little did we know we were next. Handkeys in hand for the guys and colorful skirts for the ladies were donned. The traditional music started and we were off led in dance and smiles by our new teachers. They make it look so easy- exhausting but exhilarating- is the reality. Next it was a “game” of Pato - Pato – Gonzo. (Not the Muppet character but equally entertaining). The game of Duck – Duck - Goose reminded us some games know no borders or age brackets and are enjoyed universally. Hold on there’s more! Another pick up game of football followed. Sides were quickly chosen and what ensued looked more like chaos theory in action. We were given another lesson of the benefits of learning foot, head and body moves about the same time one learns to walk. Not really sure of final score but again a lot of smiles were shared by young and old alike. While some were at play others learned and helped make cheese empanadas. Hold on - one more treat before partaking in the local cuisine. Watching the children attach a pinata with “mucho gusto”. Success yielded the candy and confetti filling. The ensuing candy scramble was so tempting, Roger was compelled to jump in. We had to make sure he left some candy for the little ones much to his chagrin. The many products and bye products of sugar cane were explained and then tasted first hand. The still warm empanadas accompanied fruit, cake and coffee. Oh did I mention they served coffee?! Appreciative thanks and goodbyes were shared among young and old as we loaded the buss for the ride back to our temporary home.
The bus was uncharacteristically quiet as we tiredly reflected on the days build and special events. Then balloons mysteriously (David your bad) appeared and began to fly wildly about the bus. The true child in all of us was soon evident throughout as a raucous balloon free for all generated hoots, hollers and lots of laughs carried us all the way to Asopola.
The early-ish arrival left time for respite and personal maintenance. We have learned some are higher maintenance than others. Judging from the various sounds coming from the showers, they were not equally enjoyed (brrrrrrrr), but much in need. Thank you.
Before we knew it dinner was on. Costagetti – Costa Rican Spaghetti Bolenese, still trying to decipher the various herbs and seasonings, but again like all past meals – delicious.
Music, discussions, dancing followed and again carried well into the new day this time. This time interestingly no debates, no politics, just deep felt joy, laughter and camaraderie from the wonderful friendships built over the week.
Each came for reasons of their own to build. Little did we know that in addition to homes we were building bridges: to new lives, to new friendships, to better understanding of ourselves and others and to new hope for all who have touch or been touched by this build!
Pura Vita!!!!
Que me diche? Mae (What’s up? Dude)
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Habitat's Global Village Trip | Costa Rica 2014 | Day 6
The following entry was contributed by Global Village team members.
By Julia Johnson & Nick Carpenter
What became our favorite day thus far started out like those preceding it. Early rise - earlier for Nick who has taken to running up the mountain at 4:30am with one of our leaders, Juan Carlos – and for the rest of us, a groggy stumble to dress and get coffee into our systems as quickly as humanly possible. There is something odd about this time of day for our group, in that there is any eerie quiet. An almost “calm before the storm” of boisterous camaraderie that soon takes over as we set foot in the bus to head to the work site.
At the work site, it was another day of “trowels and tribulations”. Filling in seams and cracks with mortar…and cracking a few jokes along the way. It’s become a trip of horribly awesome puns followed mostly by groans and heads shaking in disbelief that that pun had been somehow worse than the previous. For others, the day was filled with more trench digging. The group self-selected into teams – some of us into the detailed and tedious trowel work and others into the less meticulous, but intensely laborious clearing of earth. We are all starting to find our groove in the chosen work and even getting the occasional grin of honest approval from the foreman and local crew.
Similar to previous days, a hearty meal was provided by the woman in the association as well as a chance to purchase some of their hand-crafted works. They’ve taken sustainability to its fullest, not only in their building materials and cooking methods – but also in craft. Many of us purchased tote bags made from a combination of coffee bean bags and brightly-colored fabrics. The souvenir will be a great reminder of this trip…and how vastly important coffee has become in our current daily lives. So much so that we are now requesting coffee at breakfast, coffee at morning break, coffee at lunch, coffee at afternoon break…coffee, Coffee, COFFEE! It’s really no wonder we get louder as the day goes on.
After completion of the day’s work came two activities. First stop, the mushroom-shaped building reminiscent of the Smurfs for some homemade ice cream. Not unlike Baskin Robbins, there were many flavors from which to choose – but many were unfamiliar to us as they were made with fruit native to Costa Rica. A light rain began to fall as we enjoyed the cold treat. The light rain became a steady sheet and we found ourselves gathered under the protection of the mushroom hut. A slight break in the rain afforded us enough time to clamber back onto the bus to finish the short remainder of the journey home. Upon realizing the proximity of the ice cream stop to our residence, we jokingly scolded our team leaders for keeping it a secret all this time.
Next stop, the Futbol field. Still raining at this point…with child-like excitement, we ran onto the field to play a pick-up game -- hats versus no-hats. Teams were comprised of a mix of our local leaders and us foreigners. While we were all there to have fun, you could definitely sense the competition was on! I was captain of team ‘Mae!’ (meaning “dude” in Tico slang). While we were defeated in the game, we definitely won style points as Kate pulled off some amazing slip-and-slide moves in the slick grass. The general consensus is that we may have more sore or pulled muscles from the futbol match than from working on site. Surprisingly, we all made it out of the match in one piece.
The energy from the match continued through dinner and on through to the morning for a handful of us still somehow awake (oh yeah…probably the gallons of coffee). We learned a lot about current politics in Costa Rica and the similarities in some of our issues with the disparity between classes. We also talked a lot about music. In a world without a common spoken language, music was definitely a tie that bound many of us together – finding out that our top 3 artists were shared amongst us. I think my favorite of the topics, however, was regarding first impressions. We shared with Juan Carlos our first impressions of him and he of us. It was a general consensus that he had a kind face and gave off a vibe that exuded contentment and happiness with life. Our first impressions couldn’t have been more true of one another. He has definitely shown us the true meaning of Pura Vida.
As Nick and I talked about what we would include in our blog, it was with complete agreement that we should attempt to explain our grasp of Pura Vida. The Tico phrase, literally “Pure Life”, has become the most meaningful part of our experience here. In essence, it embodies the concept that life is too short, live it the moment, appreciate what you have rather than focus on what you don’t. Every local volunteer we have worked with on this trip has so much heart, so much passion for life. With their example, it is hard not to be inspired to live a lifestyle of appreciation and gratuity for all that we have. Cold showers and 6+ people living in 450 sq. foot homes and somehow, these people of Costa Rica find more happiness than I have seen yet in my experiences with people living in the United States. Less is more. Life is for living. Pura vida.
By Julia Johnson & Nick Carpenter
What became our favorite day thus far started out like those preceding it. Early rise - earlier for Nick who has taken to running up the mountain at 4:30am with one of our leaders, Juan Carlos – and for the rest of us, a groggy stumble to dress and get coffee into our systems as quickly as humanly possible. There is something odd about this time of day for our group, in that there is any eerie quiet. An almost “calm before the storm” of boisterous camaraderie that soon takes over as we set foot in the bus to head to the work site.
At the work site, it was another day of “trowels and tribulations”. Filling in seams and cracks with mortar…and cracking a few jokes along the way. It’s become a trip of horribly awesome puns followed mostly by groans and heads shaking in disbelief that that pun had been somehow worse than the previous. For others, the day was filled with more trench digging. The group self-selected into teams – some of us into the detailed and tedious trowel work and others into the less meticulous, but intensely laborious clearing of earth. We are all starting to find our groove in the chosen work and even getting the occasional grin of honest approval from the foreman and local crew.
Similar to previous days, a hearty meal was provided by the woman in the association as well as a chance to purchase some of their hand-crafted works. They’ve taken sustainability to its fullest, not only in their building materials and cooking methods – but also in craft. Many of us purchased tote bags made from a combination of coffee bean bags and brightly-colored fabrics. The souvenir will be a great reminder of this trip…and how vastly important coffee has become in our current daily lives. So much so that we are now requesting coffee at breakfast, coffee at morning break, coffee at lunch, coffee at afternoon break…coffee, Coffee, COFFEE! It’s really no wonder we get louder as the day goes on.
After completion of the day’s work came two activities. First stop, the mushroom-shaped building reminiscent of the Smurfs for some homemade ice cream. Not unlike Baskin Robbins, there were many flavors from which to choose – but many were unfamiliar to us as they were made with fruit native to Costa Rica. A light rain began to fall as we enjoyed the cold treat. The light rain became a steady sheet and we found ourselves gathered under the protection of the mushroom hut. A slight break in the rain afforded us enough time to clamber back onto the bus to finish the short remainder of the journey home. Upon realizing the proximity of the ice cream stop to our residence, we jokingly scolded our team leaders for keeping it a secret all this time.
Next stop, the Futbol field. Still raining at this point…with child-like excitement, we ran onto the field to play a pick-up game -- hats versus no-hats. Teams were comprised of a mix of our local leaders and us foreigners. While we were all there to have fun, you could definitely sense the competition was on! I was captain of team ‘Mae!’ (meaning “dude” in Tico slang). While we were defeated in the game, we definitely won style points as Kate pulled off some amazing slip-and-slide moves in the slick grass. The general consensus is that we may have more sore or pulled muscles from the futbol match than from working on site. Surprisingly, we all made it out of the match in one piece.
The energy from the match continued through dinner and on through to the morning for a handful of us still somehow awake (oh yeah…probably the gallons of coffee). We learned a lot about current politics in Costa Rica and the similarities in some of our issues with the disparity between classes. We also talked a lot about music. In a world without a common spoken language, music was definitely a tie that bound many of us together – finding out that our top 3 artists were shared amongst us. I think my favorite of the topics, however, was regarding first impressions. We shared with Juan Carlos our first impressions of him and he of us. It was a general consensus that he had a kind face and gave off a vibe that exuded contentment and happiness with life. Our first impressions couldn’t have been more true of one another. He has definitely shown us the true meaning of Pura Vida.
As Nick and I talked about what we would include in our blog, it was with complete agreement that we should attempt to explain our grasp of Pura Vida. The Tico phrase, literally “Pure Life”, has become the most meaningful part of our experience here. In essence, it embodies the concept that life is too short, live it the moment, appreciate what you have rather than focus on what you don’t. Every local volunteer we have worked with on this trip has so much heart, so much passion for life. With their example, it is hard not to be inspired to live a lifestyle of appreciation and gratuity for all that we have. Cold showers and 6+ people living in 450 sq. foot homes and somehow, these people of Costa Rica find more happiness than I have seen yet in my experiences with people living in the United States. Less is more. Life is for living. Pura vida.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Habitat's Global Village Trip | Costa Rica 2014 | Day 5
The following entry was contributed by a Global Village team member.
By Karla Brady
Every day we are here it seems like we have been here for twice as long as we actually have been. By today (day 4) it seems as though our time here has been and will be endless, and I’m jealous of those lucky people who are staying here for more days. We got to see an example of what the houses will look like when they are completed today, which was both uplifting and not at the same time. We wish we could be here to see our three houses finished, but we have come reluctantly to the realization that we won’t get to finish the houses. (At least so says the engineers… surely there isn’t THAT much more left to do).
Today was a sort of break day for us (it is hump day after all), as we only did a half a days work. We did more digging and filling in the cracks of the walls with cement. We made even more corrections with the cement than we did yesterday. Even with only half the time, we still had time for a few accidents…that eventually led to the word/inside joke of the day. Long story short: two women walk into a bathroom, one with a pick axe and the other with some unprotected fingers. You can guess where it goes from there. (For those of you with no imagination, lets just say the pick axe had the pleasure of meeting those unprotected fingers at full speed.) Don’t worry, after a few PICK-ME-UPS, the fingers were fine. They even got PICKED to be on a soccer team for tomorrow. We also decided she gets to take her PICK for the jobs tomorrow.
As much as we were reluctant to leave the worksite after working for what seemed like only an hour or so (ish), that reluctance turned to relief soon after. When sitting on a bus with 24 other people in the steaming hot Costa Rica sun after a half day of sweating, a shady hike through the woods to a (really cold) waterfall is just about heaven. The water fall acted as a water slide, swimming treadmill and (unfortunately for a person with already damaged fingers) a glasses thief. The strong currents pulled everyone away from the falls and under the water, but it also pulled glasses off Rebecca’s face. Ironically, about 30ish minutes later, Mau, one of our fabulous bus drivers found a pair of glasses that he himself had lost on the trip last week. So we are convinced that the group next week will find Rebecca’s glasses. These series of events of course created not only more Pick-jokes, but also sight jokes. Like for example, tomorrow, when we begin working, it will be a SITE for sore eyes.
After sun drying on the burning hot rocks we headed back to the bus for the next cultural activity, the coffee tour! I don’t know what it is with Costa Rican women, but they have a knack for setting up associations that better their families, communities, and possibly countries. After taking us through the journey of a coffee bean, we ended in a store room where they had coffee for sale as well as plenty of jewelry and other accessories that were hand made and absolutely beautiful. There were bracelets, key chains, bookmarks, necklaces, handbags; made of colorful threads, beads, coffee beans, and even soda can pop-tops. To top off the day trip we ended with cinnamon rolls and croissants for appetizers.
Everyone was convinced that after the yummy appetizers, we wouldn’t be hungry for dinner, but we changed our minds as we were welcomed back to the hotel with the smell of the five Costa Rican food groups; rice, beans, plantains, yucca, fruit. Dinner as usual was fantastic, and everyone (but me, as I am diligently writing the daily journal) is still socializing, has watched and cheered at some soccer game on TV, or has gone to bed, to prepare for a full day of work tomorrow. Today we were fortunate for a day of playing hard, and tomorrow we have the privilege of another day of working hard.
By Karla Brady
Every day we are here it seems like we have been here for twice as long as we actually have been. By today (day 4) it seems as though our time here has been and will be endless, and I’m jealous of those lucky people who are staying here for more days. We got to see an example of what the houses will look like when they are completed today, which was both uplifting and not at the same time. We wish we could be here to see our three houses finished, but we have come reluctantly to the realization that we won’t get to finish the houses. (At least so says the engineers… surely there isn’t THAT much more left to do).
Today was a sort of break day for us (it is hump day after all), as we only did a half a days work. We did more digging and filling in the cracks of the walls with cement. We made even more corrections with the cement than we did yesterday. Even with only half the time, we still had time for a few accidents…that eventually led to the word/inside joke of the day. Long story short: two women walk into a bathroom, one with a pick axe and the other with some unprotected fingers. You can guess where it goes from there. (For those of you with no imagination, lets just say the pick axe had the pleasure of meeting those unprotected fingers at full speed.) Don’t worry, after a few PICK-ME-UPS, the fingers were fine. They even got PICKED to be on a soccer team for tomorrow. We also decided she gets to take her PICK for the jobs tomorrow.
As much as we were reluctant to leave the worksite after working for what seemed like only an hour or so (ish), that reluctance turned to relief soon after. When sitting on a bus with 24 other people in the steaming hot Costa Rica sun after a half day of sweating, a shady hike through the woods to a (really cold) waterfall is just about heaven. The water fall acted as a water slide, swimming treadmill and (unfortunately for a person with already damaged fingers) a glasses thief. The strong currents pulled everyone away from the falls and under the water, but it also pulled glasses off Rebecca’s face. Ironically, about 30ish minutes later, Mau, one of our fabulous bus drivers found a pair of glasses that he himself had lost on the trip last week. So we are convinced that the group next week will find Rebecca’s glasses. These series of events of course created not only more Pick-jokes, but also sight jokes. Like for example, tomorrow, when we begin working, it will be a SITE for sore eyes.
After sun drying on the burning hot rocks we headed back to the bus for the next cultural activity, the coffee tour! I don’t know what it is with Costa Rican women, but they have a knack for setting up associations that better their families, communities, and possibly countries. After taking us through the journey of a coffee bean, we ended in a store room where they had coffee for sale as well as plenty of jewelry and other accessories that were hand made and absolutely beautiful. There were bracelets, key chains, bookmarks, necklaces, handbags; made of colorful threads, beads, coffee beans, and even soda can pop-tops. To top off the day trip we ended with cinnamon rolls and croissants for appetizers.
Everyone was convinced that after the yummy appetizers, we wouldn’t be hungry for dinner, but we changed our minds as we were welcomed back to the hotel with the smell of the five Costa Rican food groups; rice, beans, plantains, yucca, fruit. Dinner as usual was fantastic, and everyone (but me, as I am diligently writing the daily journal) is still socializing, has watched and cheered at some soccer game on TV, or has gone to bed, to prepare for a full day of work tomorrow. Today we were fortunate for a day of playing hard, and tomorrow we have the privilege of another day of working hard.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Habitat's Global Village Trip | Costa Rica 2014 | Day 4
The following entry was contributed by a Global Village team member.
By Meagan Stetson
Another early start. Yet, despite that everyone was probably tired from the camp-like sleeping situation and definitely sore from the tons of earth and dirt we moved, everyone was in high spirits and ready to work.
We continued pointing the seams on what I determined is the 1st house. Once that was done most of us stayed at that house where we started covering the columns with more of the same mortar. I don’t think anyone realized what we were getting into.
Most of us had limited experience with a trowel and with very little instruction we dove eagerly into the task. Mortar was flying everywhere. Dripping on our feet, sliding down the walls, in big piles on the dirt floor. At the end of the day I felt like I was covered in it.
At some point in the morning, one of the site supervisors, Eleseño, inspected our work and without saying as much, indicated that we weren’t doing as good a job as we would have liked. There were two issues: some of the mortar wasn’t thick enough and the smoothing wasn’t uniform enough. Despite the language barrier, we came to a compromise: the volunteers would put up the mortar and the experts would smooth it. After lunch, the pace of progress seemed to quicken. We still have a lot of troweling to do tomorrow.
Yesterday night we were told that tonight’s cultural activity would be visiting the workshop of Pancho (the visionary who designed the amazing place that we are currently calling home). Pancho however, was finishing up an art fair about 2-3 hours away and plans were switched this morning to what we had planned to do on Thursday, ice cream and soccer. The heat of the day made everyone quite excited in the afternoon at the thought of ice cream. When we got on the bus to leave the site, Rebecca informed us that plans were switched back and we were going to Pancho’s. A riot almost ensued.
After cleaning up and resting we started the 15 minute hike to Pancho’s. In true Tico time fashion the hike took more like 30 minutes. We trekked up the mountain, climbing over treacherous logs and stones, in the heat and humidity. It was well worth it. Pancho is a very fascinating man and the view of the valley was amazing. The sunset was awe-inspiring.
While sitting with the group after dinner, chatting and joking, I was thinking about how phenomenal every person here is. Today was hot (according to my tiny wolf thermometer, the temperature reached at least 95º) and frustrating. We were thrown into a task that most were unfamiliar with. But no one gave up. No one threw their trowel down and quit. Not one out of the 20 very different people. The level of perseverance and dedication present here is like nothing I have seen before. Everyone is determined to get these three homes finished by the end of week and despite the long way we still have to go, I really feel it’s possible.
-Meagan
By Meagan Stetson
Another early start. Yet, despite that everyone was probably tired from the camp-like sleeping situation and definitely sore from the tons of earth and dirt we moved, everyone was in high spirits and ready to work.
We continued pointing the seams on what I determined is the 1st house. Once that was done most of us stayed at that house where we started covering the columns with more of the same mortar. I don’t think anyone realized what we were getting into.
Most of us had limited experience with a trowel and with very little instruction we dove eagerly into the task. Mortar was flying everywhere. Dripping on our feet, sliding down the walls, in big piles on the dirt floor. At the end of the day I felt like I was covered in it.
At some point in the morning, one of the site supervisors, Eleseño, inspected our work and without saying as much, indicated that we weren’t doing as good a job as we would have liked. There were two issues: some of the mortar wasn’t thick enough and the smoothing wasn’t uniform enough. Despite the language barrier, we came to a compromise: the volunteers would put up the mortar and the experts would smooth it. After lunch, the pace of progress seemed to quicken. We still have a lot of troweling to do tomorrow.
Yesterday night we were told that tonight’s cultural activity would be visiting the workshop of Pancho (the visionary who designed the amazing place that we are currently calling home). Pancho however, was finishing up an art fair about 2-3 hours away and plans were switched this morning to what we had planned to do on Thursday, ice cream and soccer. The heat of the day made everyone quite excited in the afternoon at the thought of ice cream. When we got on the bus to leave the site, Rebecca informed us that plans were switched back and we were going to Pancho’s. A riot almost ensued.
After cleaning up and resting we started the 15 minute hike to Pancho’s. In true Tico time fashion the hike took more like 30 minutes. We trekked up the mountain, climbing over treacherous logs and stones, in the heat and humidity. It was well worth it. Pancho is a very fascinating man and the view of the valley was amazing. The sunset was awe-inspiring.
While sitting with the group after dinner, chatting and joking, I was thinking about how phenomenal every person here is. Today was hot (according to my tiny wolf thermometer, the temperature reached at least 95º) and frustrating. We were thrown into a task that most were unfamiliar with. But no one gave up. No one threw their trowel down and quit. Not one out of the 20 very different people. The level of perseverance and dedication present here is like nothing I have seen before. Everyone is determined to get these three homes finished by the end of week and despite the long way we still have to go, I really feel it’s possible.
-Meagan
Monday, February 24, 2014
Habitat's Global Village Trip | Costa Rica 2014 | Day 3
The following entry was contributed by a Global Village team member.... Me!!! :)
By Kate Klitgaard
Today absolutely ROCKED! It was our best day on site yet!!! Yes… it was our first day, but we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the week. The morning started out bright and early with a rather loud cock-a-doodle-do and a delicious breakfast cooked by our amazing hosts. It was pleasantly cool in the early hours, but the temperature rose quickly with the sun. We boarded our buses at como a las 6:30 (6:30ish) and excitedly ventured down our favorite, slightly bumpy, gravel road to our work site. After shuffling over all of our tools, applying sunscreen, and then applying some more sunscreen, we were ready for our morning talk with Adrian, Juan Carlos and Gloriana. After getting the safety talk and low down about the day from our field guides, we began our lovely new morning tradition of a full team backrub circle! Ahhhh!
Under the guidance of site supervisors Marco Tulio and Eisinho we were off and running! The team was broken into two groups at two different houses. The charge of the week is to continue the work of the previous volunteer group and hopefully finish up the three homes that are currently being built. The homes are all in the same area, and nearly in the same phase of construction. Both teams were working on trenches and holes for septic systems. After the digging was complete, the trenches were backfilled with a virtual layer cake of ROCKS (and yes, ROCKS quickly became the theme of the day!). Grande ROCKS, followed by ROCKS mas pequena, gravel, sand, and eventually dirt, which were then tamped down to make the ground level. Of course instead of using any sort of traditional tamping method, we decided that Kathy should lead us in a tamping Conga line! Obviously, this was followed up by shovel limbo. These building strategies will live on in Costa Rica long after we are gone, I’m sure. We will also be bringing their tradition of wheelbarrow lounge chairs back with us!
We were a well oiled machine of teamwork and assembly lines as we shoveled, hauled, stomped, shoveled some more, wheel-barrowed, dumped ROCKS and repeated throughout the morning. During morning break and lunch we were fortunate to meet women from the Asomoa association of women. They were so kind, resourceful, and wonderful cooks! While we were wrapping up lunch, one of the women gave a presentation to the group about their incredible organization and all that they have done and plan to continue. Over the last few years, these women were responsible for creating the beautiful community center where we are hosted for breaks. They are also artisans, and we can’t wait to bring back some of their handmade treasures!
With full bellies, orange skin (from both the sun and the orange clay), happy hearts, and renewed inspiration, we headed back to site to ROCK the end of the day. Since we ROCKED our morning shift and were so efficient, we were ready to move on to new projects in the afternoon. Broken up into two groups again, one team worked on connecting the cement panels together and filling cracks while a few others helped level the walls in a different house. There is a small debate about whether the tuck pointing (Dave’s word, I’m still not convinced it’s real) is 5/6 or 6/7 complete. The construction of Habitat for Humanity homes in Biolley differs greatly from how we build back in Minnesota. These homes are primarily cement, with metal beams and tin roofs. Part of the process of leveling the concrete wall panels involves using large iron bars to pry beneath the lowest panel and push upwards until they all fit tightly together and meet the roofline.
Rebecca, Dave, Bruce and I got to spend a couple of hours as the leverage dream team. Dave hoisted panels toward the ceiling and acted as team eye candy (quote: Rebecca) while Rebecca and I flew through the house leveling walls and Bruce finished up by shimming them into place. Admittedly, we were not very successful the first hour or so of trial, error, and frustration as we figured out the best way to move the walls (weighing almost 500(ish) lbs each!). Remember everyone, a rolling stone gathers no mas :)
Once we discovered the ROCK magic, we were basically professionals! Bruce brought in leveraging ROCK version 1.0 which was a little too rounded on top. I went out to find a new and improved version and low and behold, gracefully perched atop one of our lovely ROCK piles, was ROCK version 2.0, basically built to be a fulcrum. The perfect ROCK, large iron bar, and two feisty, hard-working women… were the perfect recipe for wall success! Silly photo shoots, a few too many ROCK jokes, ROCK themed songs, and an impressive amount of work being accomplished by both groups rounded out the end of an incredible day. A special thanks to Dave, for proving that the standard site supervisor stance (arms crossed saying “no a little to the left”) travels abroad as well. We are getting so spoiled by our hosts and hostesses, with fresh fruit, delicious food at every meal, and incredible spirits which are already making us feel like family.
With big smiles, and a great sense of fulfillment we headed back to our home base to enjoy some relaxation and drinks on the ROCK (Rebecca and I brought our newfound best ROCK friend back home for drinks in thanks of all the help!). The day ended with another delicious meal and a heartfelt team reflection with beautiful words by Millard Fuller. ROCK on team!
- Kate
By Kate Klitgaard
Today absolutely ROCKED! It was our best day on site yet!!! Yes… it was our first day, but we couldn’t have asked for a better start to the week. The morning started out bright and early with a rather loud cock-a-doodle-do and a delicious breakfast cooked by our amazing hosts. It was pleasantly cool in the early hours, but the temperature rose quickly with the sun. We boarded our buses at como a las 6:30 (6:30ish) and excitedly ventured down our favorite, slightly bumpy, gravel road to our work site. After shuffling over all of our tools, applying sunscreen, and then applying some more sunscreen, we were ready for our morning talk with Adrian, Juan Carlos and Gloriana. After getting the safety talk and low down about the day from our field guides, we began our lovely new morning tradition of a full team backrub circle! Ahhhh!
Under the guidance of site supervisors Marco Tulio and Eisinho we were off and running! The team was broken into two groups at two different houses. The charge of the week is to continue the work of the previous volunteer group and hopefully finish up the three homes that are currently being built. The homes are all in the same area, and nearly in the same phase of construction. Both teams were working on trenches and holes for septic systems. After the digging was complete, the trenches were backfilled with a virtual layer cake of ROCKS (and yes, ROCKS quickly became the theme of the day!). Grande ROCKS, followed by ROCKS mas pequena, gravel, sand, and eventually dirt, which were then tamped down to make the ground level. Of course instead of using any sort of traditional tamping method, we decided that Kathy should lead us in a tamping Conga line! Obviously, this was followed up by shovel limbo. These building strategies will live on in Costa Rica long after we are gone, I’m sure. We will also be bringing their tradition of wheelbarrow lounge chairs back with us!
We were a well oiled machine of teamwork and assembly lines as we shoveled, hauled, stomped, shoveled some more, wheel-barrowed, dumped ROCKS and repeated throughout the morning. During morning break and lunch we were fortunate to meet women from the Asomoa association of women. They were so kind, resourceful, and wonderful cooks! While we were wrapping up lunch, one of the women gave a presentation to the group about their incredible organization and all that they have done and plan to continue. Over the last few years, these women were responsible for creating the beautiful community center where we are hosted for breaks. They are also artisans, and we can’t wait to bring back some of their handmade treasures!
With full bellies, orange skin (from both the sun and the orange clay), happy hearts, and renewed inspiration, we headed back to site to ROCK the end of the day. Since we ROCKED our morning shift and were so efficient, we were ready to move on to new projects in the afternoon. Broken up into two groups again, one team worked on connecting the cement panels together and filling cracks while a few others helped level the walls in a different house. There is a small debate about whether the tuck pointing (Dave’s word, I’m still not convinced it’s real) is 5/6 or 6/7 complete. The construction of Habitat for Humanity homes in Biolley differs greatly from how we build back in Minnesota. These homes are primarily cement, with metal beams and tin roofs. Part of the process of leveling the concrete wall panels involves using large iron bars to pry beneath the lowest panel and push upwards until they all fit tightly together and meet the roofline.
Rebecca, Dave, Bruce and I got to spend a couple of hours as the leverage dream team. Dave hoisted panels toward the ceiling and acted as team eye candy (quote: Rebecca) while Rebecca and I flew through the house leveling walls and Bruce finished up by shimming them into place. Admittedly, we were not very successful the first hour or so of trial, error, and frustration as we figured out the best way to move the walls (weighing almost 500(ish) lbs each!). Remember everyone, a rolling stone gathers no mas :)
Once we discovered the ROCK magic, we were basically professionals! Bruce brought in leveraging ROCK version 1.0 which was a little too rounded on top. I went out to find a new and improved version and low and behold, gracefully perched atop one of our lovely ROCK piles, was ROCK version 2.0, basically built to be a fulcrum. The perfect ROCK, large iron bar, and two feisty, hard-working women… were the perfect recipe for wall success! Silly photo shoots, a few too many ROCK jokes, ROCK themed songs, and an impressive amount of work being accomplished by both groups rounded out the end of an incredible day. A special thanks to Dave, for proving that the standard site supervisor stance (arms crossed saying “no a little to the left”) travels abroad as well. We are getting so spoiled by our hosts and hostesses, with fresh fruit, delicious food at every meal, and incredible spirits which are already making us feel like family.
With big smiles, and a great sense of fulfillment we headed back to our home base to enjoy some relaxation and drinks on the ROCK (Rebecca and I brought our newfound best ROCK friend back home for drinks in thanks of all the help!). The day ended with another delicious meal and a heartfelt team reflection with beautiful words by Millard Fuller. ROCK on team!
- Kate
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Habitat's Global Village Trip | Costa Rica 2014 | Days 1 & 2
The following entry was contributed by Global Village team members.
By Vicki & Roger Henry
Our group arrived from different places to be welcomed in a grand fashion by the HFH group from Costa Rica. Local program manager Diana and Director Andrea gave a heartfelt summary of the project we are starting to create a community for 44 families in Sabalo, Costa Rica, 1 hour from the Panama border. Valeria, another HFH Costa Rica employee, modeled the gift bag items of T-shirt, safety vest, goggles, gloves and information manual. We described ourselves in one word each: spunky, dependable, excited, spicy, tenacious, bibliophile adventurous, purposeful, child like, grateful, intrigued, blessed, friendly, gregarious, super hero, renaissance, detail oriented (passionately), reserved, adaptable, happy, and thankful.
Twenty HFH volunteers, our two HFH guides, Adrian and Juan, and our drivers Mauricio and David began our journey of discovery at 7ish AM Sunday morning.
First stop was the Tacoles River where we had a chance for a pit stop, a refreshing coconut drink or mango smoothie, and our first glimpse of about 20 crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river. No volunteers surfaced to go feed the crocs. At the bridge overlook, a young man approached our group to thank us for our HFH work as he and his family were the recipient of a HFH home a 10 years back. It had changed their lives. We were heartened by the feedback on the impact of HFH in Costa Rica.
Next stop was a Maxi Pali (super market) where Tracy purchased new clothing for the trip as Delta misplaced his luggage. The over/under betting is that the clothes might show up by Wednesday or not. Tracy also slammed his thumb in the van door and announced that he might as well take on the role of experiencing all the mishaps for the entire group. What a guy!
We stopped briefly at Jaco to take pictures of a gorgeous beach where they held a world surfing competition two years ago. Our route took us past palm plantations around the town of Quepos, the gateway to one of the main national parks, Manuel Antonio.
We finished our meandering and frequently stopped 9 hour bus ride through scenic Costa Rica with a 45 minute Costa Rica back rub-- the ride up the steep rocky road to our destination, Asoprola, a quaint “hotel” association run by the locals. It has amazing mosaic tile features in the dining room and a unique rubber tire climbing dragon. The observation deck above the dining room has stunning views of the sunsets over the mountains.
We checked into our rooms…quaint “cubicles” that provide separation but limited isolation. All the better for team building (good night John boy…). We had a great meal of traditional Costa Rican food. Leaders Dave and Rebecca reminded us of the important mission of the trip to create safe, decent, affordable housing. So much for serious, then we got on to fun! We finished the evening with some boisterous bonding that echoed throughout the hills, proudly announcing the arrival of Twin Cities HFH.
The group (mostly) retired early as wake up for our first day of work will be 5AM. We are stoked for what will be a most amazing building journey of faith and fellowship!
By Vicki & Roger Henry
Our group arrived from different places to be welcomed in a grand fashion by the HFH group from Costa Rica. Local program manager Diana and Director Andrea gave a heartfelt summary of the project we are starting to create a community for 44 families in Sabalo, Costa Rica, 1 hour from the Panama border. Valeria, another HFH Costa Rica employee, modeled the gift bag items of T-shirt, safety vest, goggles, gloves and information manual. We described ourselves in one word each: spunky, dependable, excited, spicy, tenacious, bibliophile adventurous, purposeful, child like, grateful, intrigued, blessed, friendly, gregarious, super hero, renaissance, detail oriented (passionately), reserved, adaptable, happy, and thankful.
Twenty HFH volunteers, our two HFH guides, Adrian and Juan, and our drivers Mauricio and David began our journey of discovery at 7ish AM Sunday morning.
First stop was the Tacoles River where we had a chance for a pit stop, a refreshing coconut drink or mango smoothie, and our first glimpse of about 20 crocodiles sunning themselves on the banks of the river. No volunteers surfaced to go feed the crocs. At the bridge overlook, a young man approached our group to thank us for our HFH work as he and his family were the recipient of a HFH home a 10 years back. It had changed their lives. We were heartened by the feedback on the impact of HFH in Costa Rica.
Next stop was a Maxi Pali (super market) where Tracy purchased new clothing for the trip as Delta misplaced his luggage. The over/under betting is that the clothes might show up by Wednesday or not. Tracy also slammed his thumb in the van door and announced that he might as well take on the role of experiencing all the mishaps for the entire group. What a guy!
We stopped briefly at Jaco to take pictures of a gorgeous beach where they held a world surfing competition two years ago. Our route took us past palm plantations around the town of Quepos, the gateway to one of the main national parks, Manuel Antonio.
We finished our meandering and frequently stopped 9 hour bus ride through scenic Costa Rica with a 45 minute Costa Rica back rub-- the ride up the steep rocky road to our destination, Asoprola, a quaint “hotel” association run by the locals. It has amazing mosaic tile features in the dining room and a unique rubber tire climbing dragon. The observation deck above the dining room has stunning views of the sunsets over the mountains.
We checked into our rooms…quaint “cubicles” that provide separation but limited isolation. All the better for team building (good night John boy…). We had a great meal of traditional Costa Rican food. Leaders Dave and Rebecca reminded us of the important mission of the trip to create safe, decent, affordable housing. So much for serious, then we got on to fun! We finished the evening with some boisterous bonding that echoed throughout the hills, proudly announcing the arrival of Twin Cities HFH.
The group (mostly) retired early as wake up for our first day of work will be 5AM. We are stoked for what will be a most amazing building journey of faith and fellowship!
Biolley Bound :)
Beautiful, sunny, perfect morning in San Jose :) Hopping in the bus for 7 hours and heading down to our final destination in Biolley (in the south, near Panama)!
We might be off the grid for a bit (I'm secretly hoping!) but I'll update as often as I can about the beautiful experience we are having, and the houses we will be building! The people here are so kind and welcoming, I'm truly in love with this country and it hasn't even been 24 hours :) Ta ta for now, check back for pictures and updates!!
Our home for the next week: http://www.asoprola.org/
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Day 1.... we've arrived!
After an early morning, and a pretty long flight (complete with new seat neighbor friends who shared all of their yummy fresh organic fruit with me) we are safely in San Jose! We do have internet at the hotel, but that will only be until tomorrow morning. So far we've checked in, had a great meal, and the largest margaritas I've ever seen (photo evidence below).
Costa Rica truly is as beautiful as everyone says, absolutely stunning! I didn't expect such gorgeous, picturesque mountains... a very lovely surprise :) The weather is perfect, 80's and sunny with a calm, warm breeze (and yes, lots of palm trees!)
We are off to dinner at 5 to meet the Costa Rica Habitat folks and get an idea of what the week will look like. Then hopefully some exploring in downtown San Jose!
I am so incredibly happy and excited to be here, I can hardly stand it, all smiles for this girl :-D
Friday, February 21, 2014
Packed and Ready to Go :)
In 21.5 hours, we will officially be in Costa Rica (but who's counting, haha)!!
I'm immunized, packed, and so incredibly excited to start our adventure! I don't know with any certainty what our internet/cell phone access will be like (as we are sort of going to be in the middle of nowhere) but as often as I'm able, I will be sure to post updates and pictures! I'm bringing my nice Canon DSLR, and also my Kate-proof camera (water, dust, freeze AND shock proof) and cannot wait to start snapping photos of gorgeous CR :)
Flying out at 7:40am tomorrow, direct flight to San Jose.... so excited I can't stop smiling :)
Monday, February 17, 2014
Gearing up!
Thank you tax refund and REI winter clearance sale.... for making today feel like Christmas morning!
5 days until we're Costa Rica bound!
I'm sorry for this in advance... but I do need to report that Saturday in San Jose is forecasted to be sunny and 75° :-D
5 days until we're Costa Rica bound!
I'm sorry for this in advance... but I do need to report that Saturday in San Jose is forecasted to be sunny and 75° :-D
Friday, February 7, 2014
"Quisiera una cerveza por favor."
Since I don't have much more than un poco knowledge of Spanish, I've been looking through my little travel dictionary trying to pull out some key phrases for our trip (which is only 2 weeks away now!!!). Excitedly, I just found the most important page in the entire Latin American Spanish dictionary....
"I'd like a beer please" = "Quisiera una cerveza por favor."
"How much is a kilo of cheese?" = “¿Cuánto vale un kilo de queso?”
:)
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