Pura Vida everyone!

Today, we were the Leaders of the Day and got to visit locals in Turrialba! We split up into three groups with 6-7 Glimpsers in each of the groups; all of us having the exciting opportunity to meet with and bond with different families in the community! In Maria Jose’s house, we spent time with her 11, 6, and 2-year-old children. We spent time chatting and learning about each other, snapping photos on our cameras, and making tortillas and empanadas with cheese together, they were delicious!! We were able to compare with Maria Jose, the differences in community here and the community back in California.

At Maria Sanabria’s house, we were introduced to painting recycled leather from airplane seats; that she would later turn into coin purses for us! It was so much fun getting to talk to her about her family and heart-warming to see how she was very proud of her daughter for her many accomplishments. It was interesting to also learn how she took after both of her parents’ artistic abilities and became a hairstylist AND seamstress! Maria Sanabria’s hospitality was very inspiring and made us feel very welcome. Although there was sometimes a language barrier, her want for us to be there was evident and greatly appreciated. We learned so much from her, and what an impact our visit had on our Global Glimpse community.

With Laura in the base house, Glimpsers were taught how to make traditional tortillas from Costa Rica. The group of Glimpsers were able to share stories of how they make tortillas with their families and chatted about the differences in recipes. After making tortillas, we sat family-style at the table and ate with Laura and the other Siloe hosts. They prepared for us a delicious pasta with the cheese we made yesterday, a side of salad, and a creamy ice cream dessert. It was sooo good! A great time was had learning about the history of the land of the base house and the journey the family has taken with some family living in California. We were invited into the family’s home and shown some charming historical artifacts. The tour of the grounds by the family helped us understand why they are so proud of their beautiful property.

Overall, we were able to discover that, even though all families don’t share the same economic resources, they can still share the same family values. For example, all of us today were shown hospitality, being provided a meal upon first meeting, opening of doors and hearts to us without knowing us. All the while, also being attentive and open to sharing experiences and their wisdom; taking into consideration our personal experiences. These families showed us humility through acceptance of who we are as people, regardless of our backgrounds. This is the true meaning of inclusive!

We enjoyed seeing how the families were conscious of what they consume and how they leave a light footprint on the earth. Another example of this is at Maria Jose’s house. Instead of sending watermelon rinds to a landfill, we tossed them into the garden to use as compost. While at Maria Sanabria’s, we collected all of our leather scraps so that she could repurpose them to use for further projects. Finally, we are incredibly grateful for the experiences we shared today with the locals…that we now call family! They loved on us and the impact they left of our hearts is incredible! We are forever grateful. Thank you, Community (family)!!