What exactly does it mean to be happy.....

I have been thinking a lot about what it actually takes to be happy in life. Being here in Costa Rica has actually invoked much thought about this. I think about life here in central America and about all of the material things that many people don't have, and their level of happiness intrigues me. Back in the states it seems that so many people place so much importance on material possessions. So many people try to find happiness in having the latest and greatest thing. These things are only temporary though. The new will wear off. Then it becomes like a hunger. The new constantly wearing off and then you having the constant need for the "new" latest and greatest thing. This seems like a very disappointing way to attempt to fulfill one's need for happiness. It also seems that with money comes stress. Money is such a powerful "force" in our society. Money has been the cause of many depressions and many suicides. Why do we let money have such a strong hold on our lives. So many people actually live their lives according to the desire to have more.

But living here in the valley has allowed me to look a little more closely at the relationship between people and material possessions or money. Take the family that I lived with in Nicaragua. To shower they poured buckets of water on themselves. Their toilet was a a cemented hole in the ground that went about 70 feet or so in to the ground and was surrounded by sheet metal. They had no sink. When they would get water for any reason they would go to their kitchen area and fetch it from a 55 gallon barrel, and I have no idea where they got the water to put in the barrel. They did not have a stove, they had a fire pit. Now I will say they did have electricity and a TV that we watched most nights. They didn't have any type of vehicle. The kids and teenagers in the house that had school walked almost 4 miles everyday to and from school. I don't say any of this to make myself seem better or more privileged or more blessed. I say all of that to now say that they were some of the happiest and joyful people I have had the privilege to meet, other than my first night in their house haha. They didn't seem to feel like they lacked anything. They had all the necessities, and most importantly, I realized, they had their family. Something worth more than any material possession. They did not seem like the sad, "impoverished" people we are so accustomed to picturing. Though they may not have many of the luxuries we are accustomed to there level of happiness is one that rivals those with plenty. It has caused me to really think about what is important in life and what I hope to treasure in my future. That same happiness is also seen in Nancy, the cook here at QERC, and her daughters. They have so much joy in their spirits even though their conditions may be what many people in the U.S. would consider to be "bad." They don't seem to be people in need. They don't seem to be people in search of help to make their lives easier. They accept what they have been given and make the absolute best of it. They find joy. This is something I feel many people could learn from including myself. And for the people that I have encountered no one can say "well if they would get off their lazy butts and do some work then maybe they wouldn't be in their situation." These are honestly some of the hardest working people I have met. That being said, this supposed “blissful” life does not come without its price. It also has its downfall. People here in central America face many more problems than what is common back in the states.

I have a friend that I have met here in Costa Rica. He is 20, the youngest in his family, and works at the hotel close to QERC. He has gone through a number of hardships to get where he is and is actually an inspiration to me. His parents both work at a farm. He had to quit school when he was 12 so that he could work at the farm to also help support his family. He was never able to attend high school, which in Costa Rica encompasses 6 grades instead of only 4 like in the U.S. After working for a while he ended up completing all of the necessary coursework and testing to complete his high school education on his own. He didn't attend school, he just did the required independent studying and tests. He did all of this while working full time at the farm. After that he took a class in English, and since that class he has developed the ability to speak English quite well. He works at the hotel basically every single day. He normally works in the restaurant during meal times and works at the bar, which is where I have most of my conversations with him in the lounge, outside of meal times. (Disclaimer: no alcohol is being consumed. At the bar I drink Coke and coffee haha.) He normally gets about 4 days off every month for the most part. But on top of working pretty much every day, he works from 6 A.M. to 4 P.M. and then from 6 P.M. to about 9:30 P.M. or 10 P.M. almost every day that he works. On top of this he is taking college courses, one at a time, on the service industry and hotel work. He has been working at the hotel for about 6 months, and lives here in the valley in community housing while he works though he lives about 2 hours away. His father just recently had a total reconstruction of his knee, so he is not able to work. As a result of this, Greivin, my friend's name, has to work this much to try to support himself and his family since his dad is currently unable to work right now. This scenario is actually quite common in many areas of central America.

That being said, there are clearly many problems and hardships that come with many of the lifestyles of central America. I want to make clear that, although they still seem to maintain a certain amount of joy and happiness and Costa Ricans rarely complain about their life situations, their lives are no walk in the park. I also want to make clear that I do now mean that their lives are "better" because they don't have to worry about money. I am sure many central Americans wish they were in situations where they had more money. Their lifestyles are simply different than many lifestyles back in the states, but I do think we can learn a few things from the lifestyles of many central Americans. If nothing else we can develop a greater appreciation of what we have been blessed with, and hopefully take a second glance at our priorities and make sure they are in line. Are material possessions simply a part of our lives, and hopefully not the majority, or do our lives revolve around them. This experience has just given me a new perspective that has hopefully helped me to develop a more wholesome perspective about the whole issue. I feel like there is a balance. We should not shun the blessings we do have, but we should be cautious about our devotion.

Now before I finish I do want to talk a little about some of the very good redeeming qualities of the U.S. First of all the U.S. has been the source of so much technological innovation that the whole world has benefitted from. We also have supplied the world with the most and some of the best scientific researchers and have brought about many great innovations in medicine. Many great things have come from the U.S., and I want to make it clear that I do not hate the U.S. haha. I am proud to be from the U.S. and am thankful for my upbringing. Living in the U.S. has enabled to receive a great education and has allowed me to accomplish, and hopefully will continue to accomplish, great things that may have been more difficult if I had lived in a central American country or the such. I am given many opportunities in the states that many people will never receive and I should be thankful. To not be thankful would be disrespectful I believe. Many children, especially here in the valley, do not receive what we would consider a full education. Now I also want to add that basically everyone is literate and does receive some type of education. But here in the valley, if we are being honest, an education is not quite as valuable as it is in the states. Unless you are planning to leave the valley, which many do not, and do something different with your life, it is actually more beneficial for you to begin work at an early age rather than spend extra years in school. What we think of as important priorities are not necessarily as important in many other parts of the world. We have to remember not to hold people of other cultures and areas of the world to the same standards that we think are important. We must remember to think of things in a relative sense.

These are just a few of the things I have been pondering lately. Like I said, I do not think that one lifestyle is necessarily better than the other. They are just different and each has their benefits and each definitely has their hardships. I strongly believe that we can all take a little something from each lifestyle and develop a more wholesome perspective. I feel like a large part of this experience is gaining and maintaining a balance to my worldview. More and more we live in a global society, and we have the ability to less isolated from our global brothers and sisters more and more each day. It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to learn about the people of Costa Rica and central America.

¡Pura Vida!

Wow. Almost 2 months!

In my last post I talked about life in Nicaragua, but I realized I have not really talked about life here in Costa Rica. In fact it was last night, as a fellow student and I were preparing dinner for everyone else at QERC and we needed fresh herbs for our herb bread we were making, that I began to think about some of the differences in lifestyle here in the valley and back in the U.S. This actually began because Shannon, the other QERC student, and I had to go to our neighbor to ask for these fresh herbs because we didn't have any. We were told by the station manager that it is perfectly normal and he does it all the time haha. So we went over there and I had to communicate what we were doing and what we needed in Spanish haha. As I walked back with the herbs, I started to realize how dependent people here in the valley are upon one another. They are very community oriented, but it is also kind of a necessity.

This valley is about a 30 minute drive to the top of the mountain where the main highway is, and then it is another 2 hour drive to the closest "large" shopping area because it is so far up the mountain. You don't just drive into town to go to Walmart or something out here. You have to strategically plan your purchases for your possibly once a week trip out of the valley into "town," and if you need something you normally have to seek the help of one of your neighbors. Some of the people in the valley don't even have vehicles, so they sometimes depend on the assistance of a neighbor just to make their shopping trip into town. It is interesting how much people depend on community interaction here. Not to say that some of this doesn't go on back in the states, but normally if my family needs something we just drive into Walmart. We don't trek around to our neighbors and ask for herbs or whatnot, though this may be more common in a close knit neighborhood.

This has all been part of my transition into life in an isolated albeit beautiful area. Your relationships in an area like this become very important. I have never lived somewhere so isolated, yet at the same time very busy because there are countless tourists here all the time. It is not always the easiest thing being a foreigner in another country. It has definitely given me a newfound respect for immigrants to the U.S. You have the language barrier, which is a huge thing. You have the feeling of isolation, like you don't belong. You go through a period of feeling like you are alone, even if you are with a group of people. You are a "gringo" surrounded by "ticos" and you know nothing of their culture or way of life. It can be a struggle to get through even the most basic things sometimes. Luckily I do have a support group of fellow Americans here with me. And then, for me at least, you have the difference in lifestyles. You have the reputation of your country, which isn't always good, especially in some places of Central America. You also have the reputation of the fellow "gringos," which is what the native Costa Ricans, or "ticos" call us.

While in Nicaragua, I encountered a number of American tourists that I was ashamed to have any connection with. The way that America is portrayed by some people traveling abroad is not always a good one. I have experienced this first hand. Although I know you can't overgeneralize. I also know that most places I go, whether it is for good or for bad, I am judged because I am an American. To many people trying to earn a buck I am a cash cow, and they want nothing more than to rip me off. To other people I am this American who leads a privileged life and knows nothing of the hardships of life in Central America. And to others I am an American who is genuinely interested in life in Central America and someone who is a friend. There are all of these stereotypes and "things" that I encounter while abroad. I don't want to be seen as this rich American who has the money to "travel the world." I just want to be seen as a normal person. Not better or worse than anyone else. Just the same. It is an interesting experience living in another country....

But I also want to make sure it is clear that I love it here. I am having an awesome experience. An eye-opening experience to the world beyond the U.S. It is really good for me. I am just thankful to have this opportunity. I am learning more things everyday....about myself, my country, the people of the great country of Costa Rica. It is great, and I am forever thankful for the support of my family in this endeavor and for my parents' role in making this experience possible for me. It means so much to me and I am more thankful than you will probably ever really know haha. Anyway I am done rambling for the night. Goodnight everyone.

¡Pura Vida!

Life in Nicaragua

Ok. I am sorry that it has been so long since my last post. A lot has happened, so I have a lot to catch up on haha. I will start with my trip to Nicaragua. My trip was an amazing. I can’t say that it was all very pleasant, but it was a good and necessary experience. The trip started in Managua, which is the capital of Nicaragua. Managua was an interesting place. I was able to learn a decent amount about the history and political situation of Nicaragua. It was actually quite interesting. We also had to read about the history and politics of Nicaragua before going. It was great to know some of the political and historical context of the country before visiting its capital. Having that information also helped to explain some of the things I saw while in Managua. After Managua we went to an organic farm that we worked on for about 6 days. While there we worked from 6 in the morning to about 5 in the evening most every day we were there. This began as one of the most difficult experiences of my life haha. No one spoke English. Everything, including my instructions, was in Spanish. Plus they didn’t really understand the concept of having to slow down for me to understand them. I felt so incapable and incompetent. Even the most simple of tasks I wasn’t able to understand because of the language barrier. Plus I hardly knew any “farm” Spanish. Although my jobs were easy, they had to show us how to do most things because of the barrier. My jobs included cleaning out the goat pens, feeding the goats, trimming their hooves, tossing pales of pig manure and water on compost, picking and shelling peas, and shoveling goat manure into a bucket, adding water, and mixing it and churning the mixture with my bare hands to also throw on the compost. It was interesting to say the least haha. 

Also while working on the farm we were staying with a host family. These host families did not speak any English. It was at this point that I hit wall number 2. It turns out that Nicaraguan Spanish and pronunciation is very different from Costa Rican Spanish and pronunciation. It was terribly difficult for me to understand my family. On top of that, the first night with my family was just plain awkward. For supper the first night they took me to an isolated room and served me supper alone. They also left me in the room alone for most of the night. I wasn’t really sure what to do. I also didn’t know anything about Nicaraguan culture and I was trying not to be rude or offend anyone. Once again I just felt so incapable and incompetent. Luckily things improved on both the farm and with my host family. They introduced me to their teenage female cousins, who ended up being the ones to keep me company half the time haha. I was able to really practice speaking and comprehending Spanish with the cousins, and we talked about a whole host of topics including: politics in Nicaragua, ourselves, what it is like in the United States because they were curious, and many other things. One interesting thing that I noticed was that I was still technically eating my suppers alone. I mean the cousins would be there keeping my company while I ate, but I noticed they would each disappear one by one for about 20 or 25 minutes and come back. I assumed they were eating while they were gone. Well on the last day I decided to go ahead and take my dishes back to the kitchen area that was separate from the rest of the house and came upon them in the kitchen eating these small bowls of this porridge type substance. Now I will go ahead and tell you that they cooked these large elaborate meals, by Nicaraguan standards, for me each night that I was there while they ate their small bowls of porridge in the back. I am fairly certain this was probably the reason I ate separate every night because they didn’t want me to feel awkward eating my nice meal while they ate theirs. Needless to say I felt terrible about it. I didn’t want to be treated any differently. I wanted to be treated like any other normal Nicaraguan. But instead people gave up their room so that I could have my own private room, with my own light in it, and also my own oscillating fan. I was really sure how to feel about my whole experience there, but it invoked some pretty powerful feelings. It has also changed what I think about poverty, politics, foreign policy, and a number of other aspects.  It was an intense changing experience. I wish I could discuss in detail every aspect, but I am sure that would get boring to you and my hands would probably fall off haha.

 
Anyway, after we left the farm we went to Granada. This is a very tourist oriented place. I was actually surprised to see so many tourists in Nicaragua. It was a beautiful place, and it was nice to be able to just relax and not have anything to really worry about anything. Anyway, that was my trip in a nutshell. If there is anything specific you would like to know about the trip feel free to ask. It was quite an experience. I know I have said this to a number of people, but if you ever have the chance to go abroad, especially for an extended period of time you should really take it. It is a wonderful experience. 

Have We Forgotten How to Love?

Wow. I don't know if I will ever fully understand the "intricacies" of the human being....To have such disregard for other human beings, other children of God, is an atrocity of astronomical proportions. We need leaders in our world, in our homes, that show how to love instead of how to hate. We need leaders that build up instead of tear down. We wonder why our many of our youth seem to lack a complete, uncorrupted idea of what love truly is, but let us take a look at many of the role models of our youth. What characteristics of love does mainstream media portray? What characteristics of love do our leaders today portray? This is not to say that every role model and every leader represents a corrupted idea of love. There are some great role models and leaders, but the problem arises from where many people look for their role models. The problem comes from what the majority finds attractive and desirable. These negative influence on many people chokes out the good message. It creates a worldly barrier that is sometimes difficult for the positive influences that exist to penetrate. We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. We are in a battle to ensure the continued survival of love, but the great news is that us followers of Christ have the Savior of the world by our side. We are not in battle alone, and Christ is sure to prevail. Love, being the very nature of Christ, is sure to prevail in the end. This means we can stand with a certain amount of encouragement!


I understand and accept that no one is perfect, but we as a society have got to move toward an attitude of love. It truly benefits those who are loved and those who love though I recognize it isn't always easy. In times of weakness it is love that gives us strength. In times of sorrow it is love that brings us joy. In times of hurt it is love that brings us healing. The necessity to love is not for any one person. It is for EVERYONE, myself included. It is during these times that we love, even when it almost seems impossible, that we progress as a society. It is during those times that we, as followers of Christ, make great progress on our journey to be more like Him...Let us be ambassadors of love. 


This does not mean that you become a doormat for people to walk upon. That is not the essence of love. There will be times when you must partake in confrontations with various people, but the important thing is that you approach the situation with love. To continually allow yourself to be beaten down is not love. The Bible says we must love ourselves. This is an important thing that many people with loving hearts will sometimes forget though many people often have the opposite problem. The Bible says we must love our neighbors as ourselves. It does not say we must love ourselves as our neighbors. This tells me that to appropriately love our neighbors, we must have an appropriate love ourselves. I know this sounds a little weird me saying "we need to love ourselves." That very thing, in the worldly sense, is what I am writing against. But I say love in a Christ-like, non-worldly context, as I am sure most everyone probably knows. We are part of His creation, and we are to love His creation in its entirety. I will admit it is sometimes difficult to find this balance because we must not become strictly self-loving in the worldly sense. It is terrible that the concept of love has become so corrupted in many circumstances that I must continually make the distinction between Christ-like love and worldly love. But the important thing to remember is to handle the situations we encounter and the confrontations we may have in our lives with love. We need to handle these with other people in the same way we would want them to be handled with us. We need to give the same love and respect we would want to receive. If we do this we can maintain the that balance.


I understand that this is not directly related to my schoolwork here, but my reflection upon this concept of love has been a part of my experience here in Costa Rica. I am writing not only about my academic experiences while here, but also about my thoughts, ideas, and reflections throughout the semester. 


With that being said, I love you all and I pray that each of us will be an example of love to the world. God Bless.

Just a Few Pictures

 This is a bromeliad. They are VERY common here in the forest.

 This is part of the trail leading to the waterfall.

 There are a few ups and downs on this trail leading to the waterfall haha.

 This is a far off picture of the back of a Quetzal. I will hopefully be able to get a closer picture of the front before I leave haha.

 More bromeliads!!!! Haha. I do think they are interesting plants though.

This is taken kind of behind one of the smaller waterfalls. Not the best quality, but I thought it was kind of cool.

These are just a few more pictures I have taken. I will make a post tomorrow evening talking a little more about my research project. I actually start my research this next week so this should be a busy, interesting week haha. These first couple of weeks of classes actually haven't been too bad, but my research should begin keeping me quite busy. I am still trying to get into the swing of things though. I am also sorry I have not been posting on this blog, but Google, who owns this blogging site and every other thing having to do with the internet haha, had been giving me some trouble and I just now have been able to sort it out. But the good news is that I am back and will be posting regularly again. It is crazy to think I have already been in Costa Rica for three weeks tomorrow. The semester already feels like it is flying by! It is kind of bitter sweet.

Well anyway, ¡Pura Vida!

Last Day of "Freedom"

Today was nice and relaxing. I had no responsibilities other than simply enjoying my last day before classes. There was nothing absolutely earth shattering that occurred today although I did take my first real steps into the forest today!!! That was before it starting raining quite heavily haha. Since we had the afternoon off, we students at QERC decided it would be nice to venture into the forest for the first time today. Everything started off great. There weren't too many signs that it was going to rain as far as I could tell. This false sense of security caused us to venture out into the forest in shorts, t-shirts, and our cameras without our rain jackets because it was just supposed to be a two hour hike there and back. Well about twenty minutes or so into the forest it began to very lightly mist. That should have been our first sign of course, be we continued onward. About thirty minutes into our hike there began a good, steady rain. Luckily one member of our group was prepared with a backpack and their rain jacket. This meant we were at least able to put our cameras in his backpack and the pack was covered by his rain jacket. In that respect everything worked out, and this was definitely a learning experience for future trips into the forest. This is a rainforest of sorts so I guess I should have expected that even though this is the dry season haha. Other than the rain ending our hike early because we were unprepared everything was great. The forest was absolutely beautiful. It almost seemed too good to be true that I was actually able to witness such an amazing work of God. An untouched piece of His marvelous creation. It is just too difficult to adequately describe with words. Pictures will definitely be posted as I am able to take them. I had planned on taking some good pictures today, but as I mentioned earlier the rain was sort of a hindrance to that activity haha. But I plan on taking plenty of pictures on my future treks into the forest. Overall I would say it was a successful day! 

Well classes start tomorrow. How many people can actually say they are attending school in the rainforest? Not too many...but I sure can haha!! It is a little bittersweet, as I am sure I have mentioned on a previous post, but I have to step into reality as some point right? Although I will admit my classes and studying being in a rainforest takes away some of the sting of school. Either way, tomorrow officially starts the semester.

¡Pura Vida!

San Jose!!!

Well this weekend was interesting to say the least. We spent this past Thursday through Saturday in the capital of Costa Rica, which is the city of San Jose, and we stayed on the campus of the Nazarene Seminary there right outside of San Jose. The first thing I should mention about Costa Rica is the driving. The style of driving here is quite different. Some people would probably call it crazy. I would say I lean a little more to the crazy side, but I don't want to be judgmental so let's just say that it is different. And with that comes a different driving etiquette haha. The drive down the mountain on which I am located, which is officially named Cerro de la Muerta on the maps and means Mountain of the Dead haha, was a little traumatizing at first. This mountain is named so because of all the car accidents I have been told, but it is also a little over-exaggerated and has been passed down over many many decades. I assure you that I am perfectly safe in my travels, and these bus drivers do this trip multiple times a day every day and know what they are doing. But as this large bus accelerated down the narrow, moist, winding mountain road I at first questioned the intelligence of making such a trip. I should also add that since every seat was full me and another student from QERC had to stand in the bus aisle the entire 2 hour drive from San Gerardo to the outskirts of San Jose. I was glad to be off the bus finally. This is where the real fun begins haha.

So while we were in San Jose we had an assignment. It was a scavenger hunt of sorts. We were required, just like in the valley, to find a number of locations; do a number of things; and purchase a number of items. We were given enough money to cover any costs that were incurred. This was interesting because we were given no map and no real instructions other than to meet back at a certain place at a certain time. We were responsible for finding and doing all of these things using whatever Spanish we knew. We were also responsible for navigating the city using the public transportation, which was a new experience altogether for me as well seeing as I have never really had the need for public transportation. The scavenger hunt overall was a lot of fun, although I would be lying if I said it was not frustrating at times. Not knowing the language and not knowing the culture or area made things quite difficult. Like I have said before, I have never really been in the situation of being a foreigner. A foreigner that will be living in this new country for the next four months. Although there were some obstacles to overcome, we were successful in our many endeavors in the city. My Spanish is already improving and I am becoming quite comfortable with using the Costa Rican currency, the Colones. I must say the people of Costa Rica were an immense help during this process. I was so grateful for everyone from shopkeepers to random people on the street doing everything they could to help us minus our taxi driver. I will not harp on the situation, but let it be known I will never take another Taxi haha. They are a tourist trap. The end.

Other than the taxi incident, I would say it was an overall great experience. Though I enjoyed the city, I am quite happy to be back in San Gerardo. I missed this place of tranquility. This is now my home for the next four months and it sure feels like it. This weekend was a little overwhelming at times and I welcomed QERC with open arms.

Classes start this Monday and it is kind of a bitter sweet thing. I am excited to begin some of the coursework, but I know I will miss being able to only worry about enjoying my surroundings. Either way coursework is a cross I must bear unfortunately haha. These first two weeks will be interesting because I will have 3 hours every afternoon of strictly Spanish. This is pretty much lay, in only two weeks, our foundation in the Spanish language that we will build upon over the course of the semester. It will be intense and fast paced, but I am really excited at this opportunity to begin learning another language! I am excited to at some point be able to communicate with some of the people in the valley and interact with the people of Costa Rica on another level than I have been. We will also start our other courses, but as you can tell I am more excited about the Spanish part haha. Anyway I am a little exhausted from my weekend in San Jose, and I think I am about to call it a night. Wow this is strange seeing as it is only 10:24 right now, but I guess this is a good thing haha. I am going to enjoy my last day of complete freedom in Costa Rica tomorrow before the real work begins!

¡Pura Vida!