2007 Costa Rica Trip
Young Life and Volunteers on Call, Inc.
Text from Jonny Duennebier’s nightly emails
YLoG CR Update - 26-6-07
A very warm hello from San Jose.
As we approach the end of our first complete day here in Costa Rica, were are proud to report no injuries, although Medic Phil has it covered... Today started bright and early with breakfast and a bus ride to the work sight. We are working in a garden at the biggest school for impaired children in Central America. Some were eager to help split rock, which consisted of pounding massive volcanic rocks with sledgehammers and breaking them to iddy bitty pieces. Garrett and Jonny with the help of Peter laid down some brick for a walkway, as Phil and John did something which gave the impression of a ¨Hammering for Dummies instructional video.
At Lunch we had Pupusa... a fancy hot pocket like deep fried pastry with frijoles, carne, y queso. After lunch we took a bus ride tour of San Jose led by our guide Charlie Strong. He took us to a neighborhood unlike anything any of us have experienced. As we only stopped by the outskirts of the neighborhood, we saw small, broken down shacks, packed unbelievably close together, as as many as 30 families share the same water and sewage line. We then visited another neighborhood called´El Eden, a tremendous misnomer. An old coffee plantation now turned into an improving neighborhood where Volunteers on Call, INC. is sponsoring a new house for an elderly woman.
We then went to Vista de Mar Orphanage to play with kids. The kids at Vista de Mar all have troubled pasts, as either abused, abandoned, or in someway neglected. However, the children there were ecstatic to be with older boys, and are so deprived of affection, we quickly had boys climbing on our shoulders. One boy, the overwhelming favorite and happiest kid, was found in the jungle in the cage his parents left him and his two brothers in. He continues to bang his head against walls to relieve stress. Needless to say we are clearly dealing with powerful, and although painful, beneficial circumstances. As difficult as it was to say goodbye to the children, we intend to make another visit later this week, as we all had an amazing experience.
As the day rounded out we ate home cooked Costa Rican food, consisting of garbanzo, plantain, carrots, pork... and of course rice. There´s always rice. We concluded a long day with a man bonding session in the exotic hotel hot tub. Tomorrow we plan on doing some work with cement at the same worksite.
We are all safe and well looked after, and having an amazing time.
Love,
Da Boyz
Now a quick note from Lee...
That was Jonny Duennebier, our scribe for the week. If I can convince any of them to write, you will hopefully hear from one or two of the other boys this week, as well. However, I think you will agree, Jonny is more than up to the task.
Also, we were able to secure an international phone. If anyone needs to reach us, you can call (407) 496.4822. It´s long distance but not international. We will continue to email throughout the week, however.
IMPORTANT.. We had to change our plans for the end of our trip. It seems that the weather on the Pacific Coast is causing dangerous surf and otherwise unpleasant conditions. We will now be heading to Cahuita on the Caribbean Coast for July 1-3 and staying at the Cabinas Surfside Hotel (011 506-755-0246). Charlie tells me we will still be able to visit a rain forest and swing from the trees, but the weather will be much calmer and the atmosphere less touristy. Parents, please respond to this email so I know that you got this information.
As you can see from Jonny´s words above, we are having a great time. It´s been incredibly eye-opening for us all. So far the weather has held up (cloudy but no rain other than a light sprinkle) and everyone is safe and happy.
Thank you for all the love and support back home,
Lee
YLoG CR Update - 27-6-07
Hola Todos (Note the Spanish)
Cement Mix-4,000 Colones
Shovels- 24,000 Colones
Sand... Free
15 yards of sidewalk... priceless.
That's right mis amigos, after hours of sweat, cement, and rain, 6 sweaty dudes constructed a flawless portion of sidewalk at the school for impaired children. That about covers it... Seriously. We did take a 5 minute breather to play soccer with the kids and they made us feel silly, so we continued to work on our sidewalk de passion. One highlight was young and fearless Jonny climbing the mystery tree of delicious fruit to fill the hungry bellies of the tireless workers.
Come lunchtime, a torrential downpour hindered our outdoor labor, so we scraped paint off walls. Yikes. Luckily, the rain stopped and it perked our enthusiasm for more cement work. Unfortunately, Juan couldn't keep up with us with his imprinting art, so he asked us to dig grass off the side of a hill, which greatly damaged our egos. BUT WE HAD FUN!!!! Seriously.
Dinner was bueno (good). We went to a local Costa Rican hot spot, y nos camarero tiene un sombrero guapo. Some were adventurous and ordered authentic Costa Rican juices, such as guananava, and mola.
Phil had a Coke, and Peter had Canada Dry. The pollo (chicken) was delicious, and we watched La Copa America on TV with the locals.
We concluded the day with a relaxing soak in the hotel hot tub.
Unfortunately, Karaoke is for 21 and over, and we were practicing so hard. All is well, thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, we will make sure to keep in touch.
Love,
Los Niños
YLoG CR Update: 28-6-07
Dearly Beloved,
We now unofficially have PhD's in cement work, and are thrilled about it. Today's morning was spent mixing sand, gravel, water and 300 kilograms of cement, which is equivalent to approximately 6.7 million pounds. The sun was scorching, sweat was flowing, but we pulled through it, and really had a successful morning. If we were anymore efficient as a cement working team, it would be borderline obnoxious.
After a delicious homemade lunch, we headed back to the orphanage that we visited on Tuesday. Only a few brave children braved the elements to play with us, and we enjoyed playing with them just as much as they did us. We played soccer with Manuel, an avid Michael Jackson fan who embarrassed all of us with his dance moves. We played with our old friend Alejandro, one of the orphaned brothers who were found in the jungle locked in a cage. We all spent time with him on our shoulders, singing and dancing, and just listening this adorable child laugh. Alejandro never stopped laughing or smiling for the entire afternoon. Saying goodbye to Alejandro was excruciating, as he literally grasped our T shirts shaking his head no. Driving away we waved to him saying adios, and it was the only time all day he wasn't smiling or laughing.
We drove back to the hotel without saying much, as we all understood each other's mood. After spending time with abused, neglected, and abandoned children, we were all overcome with so many different emotions. It was so inspiring to see children who have suffered so much, be so content and joyous with playing soccer with a few older boys. It was terrifying to imagine what these children have been through, and it was heartbreaking to say goodbye. In their eyes, they were being abandoned again. We were drained, too many thoughts and feelings, but although we were all deeply saddened, we all had an understanding and appreciation of what we had just done.
After a hot tub session, and a delicious dinner, we supported America as they played Argentina in La Copa America. It got ugly. But everyone is safe, and enjoying ourselves. Tomorrow we have an easy day, with time for shopping! I love being male. Hasta pronto.
Hola,
Well, it rained again today, not much of a surprise. But today was hands down our most enjoyable experience. We were allowed to sleep in for the first and probably only time. And we arrived at a church run child feeding program just in time for lunch. We were introduced to Edgar, the director of the program and the pastor of the church. The program provides breakfast and lunch for children whose parents are often unavailable, because some are heavily into drugs, gangs, and violence. The neighborhood is the third poorest in all of Central America. But Edgar's Centro Evangelico Metodista la Catedral de Fe is a magical place.
The cooks work for free, as they feed 65 children regularly, and for many children, these are the only guaranteed meals they'll receive. Edgar is an amazing man, he is paid 250 dollars a month to provide for his wife, daughter and son. If there were ever an individual who loved his work and didn't care about money or comfort, it is Edgar. Children continually hold his hand, rush to show them their successes, and beg to be on his soccer team. When introducing himself to us, he made a profound, heartfelt speech that touched all of us, and we could all tell that this man was special.
"A smile on the heart of a child is a seed you're planting...
"What is a child? A child is fertile soil.
"The saddest thing in someone's life is to not recognize their purpose.."
He then turned us loose to play with the children. We jumped roped, wrote on the sidewalk with chalk, and spun the kids around until we all were sickly dizzy. We were then challenged to a game of soccer, the 6 of us (Gringos) against the children, Edgar, and his superstar 16 year old son. After a promising first goal by our own Philip, lazy defense was our downfall as we were defeated 3-1. One boy named Alex, and his two sisters, continually sat on our laps, held our hands and begged to be spun around. Their father is a gang leader and their mother is still a teenager. These children were laughing, dancing, and kicking our butts in soccer.
Edgar then took us for a walk through the neighborhood. While we were still holding little hands, we observed shacks with little heads peeking out of broken windows. Los Guido, is surrounded by beautiful mountains and volcanoes, but there are often up to 10 people to a house, and trash is scattered everywhere. The children were so proud to show us where their house was, although they were no bigger than a one car garage. It was a moment that was painful and depressing, and yet beautiful and inspirational. These children have nothing, but are so proud of what they do have. As we said goodbye with hugs and handshakes, they scattered throughout the streets, smiling and content.
It was definitely a day full of emotion, and solidified our ambition and desire to continue to help beyond this trip. Tomorrow is our last work day, as we plan to finish our epic cement walkway. Oh the suspense.
Amor y Paz
YLoG CR Update: 30-6-07
Hola Todos,
Today was our last day of work in San Jose, which is probably a good thing, as we are all drained both physically and emotionally. We all but finished our cement walkway and are arrogant about our skills by now. After 5 days of work, we are proud to report no injuries, and with Philip as our medic, esta un cosa buena. We said goodbye to Wilbur and Juan, our construction leaders, and headed back to the orphanage for the final time.
We entered the gate and saw no kids, as we were outmatched by the cartoon movie Tarzan. Some gave in and watched the Spanish version, while a few loyal kids played soccer and begged to be spun around again. Our favorite Alejandro spent most of the afternoon on Peter's shoulders, and three year old Jonathan could not resist from laughing from Jonny's tickle attack. Michael Jackson impersonator Manuel joined us and showed off his superior soccer skills with Phil. Lee taught Jose how to stage dive and took a few accidental elbows in the nose in the process. Rinaldo, a.k.a Tarzan, spent time swinging and climbing the jungle gym with John and Garret. The experience was enjoyable and had a huge impact on us all.
Saying goodbye again, was extremely difficult. These children feel as if they have been abandoned again and reacted with anger or tears. It was just as painful for us, as we felt powerless for we wanted so badly to do something, to make it feel better, to help better their situation. So in response, we all promised each other that our ambition and desire to help better their situation would remain with us. We began developing and brainstorming ideas and decided it was our responsibility to do everything possible to make a difference.
Los Hermanos
.........
Hey,
It's Lee, again. You can tell it's me because I don't know any Spanish; though the guys are quick to point out that I have mastered a few key phrases. Bien? Listo? Vamos! have increased my foreign language ability 300%.
I wanted to thank you all for the responses and support you've sent us. I have passed on your words to the boys and we all cherish your thoughts and prayers. As you have read, the past 5 days have been tremendous. If any of these guys ever act tough around you, I have about 400 photos that would prove otherwise. They are barely 16 and yet they now know that they can make a difference in the life of someone else.
The next few days are the set up to be the 'fun' portion of the trip, as we are headed to the Caribbean Coast. Ironically, while this was one of the major activities we all have looked forward to, each one of us would just as gladly spend the next 3 days playing with the kids at the orphanage and in Los Guidos. I'm going to try to get the guys to put some of their thoughts on the trip into another email, but you might not hear from them again while we are here. So, on behalf of us all, muchos gracias!
Lee
Parents .... All of the boys are in good spirits and healthy. We haven't even had to administer a single Band-aid, though the Pepto Bismol counter has been open the past couple of days. You have the phone numbers of where to reach us, please don't hesitate to call if you need to. I'm not sure if we'll have an Internet connection there, but we'll certainly check it and respond if we can. See you soon.
