Day 7: Community

For this day´s blog post, we had no access to the laptop because it was our movie night! Below, you will see the daily summaries and reflections through the lens of each of the 4 LDDs today that were written separately from each other. Enjoy!

Osmin: The day was hot and humid, but no matter how strong it was, the day was defined by its sense of community. Between 7:30 wakeup, 8:30 breakfast, and our 9:00am mental warmup, we had our routine morning. There is no doubt however that we felt ever more Costa Rican. We were embraced by local families at 10am who lovingly gave their time, food, and home to educate us on their daily lives. We all quickly missed their presence from the moment they left. Afterward, we went to a soccer field to play with the local kids; soon enough, we became part of the soccer culture of Costa Rica. By the time we got to the basehouse at 4pm and dinner at 6:30, our nightly meeting at 7:15, we began to feel the effects of the care and affection that our hostesses had on us. No matter the lingual or cultural barriers, mutual care and respect communicate clearly between us and the people of Costa Rica.

Mia LaPalm: Hi GG families! Today was a special day for the students, we got to visit local Costa Rican families in their homes and eat, talk, and take in traditional “Tico” culture. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and others as well, I was so grateful to meet one and only Dona Olga. She treated me like a daughter as soon as I met her. I could feel her unconditional love for the group as soon as we stepped into her home. We had the pleasure of cooking traditional Tico meals with her such as rice, platanos, and chicken which were all delicious! Olga opened up her heart to all of us and shared so many stories of her own personal experiences which were so interesting and truly touched each of our hearts. Even after all she’s been through, she’s the kindest woman I’ve ever met and her resilience and strength is extraordinary and inspiring. I am so grateful that I got to meet such a great woman who has given me advice that I will remember for the rest of my life. I know I speak for everyone when I say today was unforgettable, as a student and a human I was able to learn so much and will take this mindset and humility back home with me. In conclusion, it was an honor to be an LDD on such a special day.

Arleth: Today was a rollercoaster, we started off with a delicious breakfast made by our cooks, and then eventually we were welcomed into Costa Rican family houses. We split into groups and I got paired with Camila, Anthony, Alana, and Rob, and we got to spend time playing and communicating with  Adriana and her son. She taught us what culture was here and what more Costa Rica could bring to us. We played uno, handball, Jenga, and a balloon-popping game (I ended up winning !!). It was a great experience going to her house because I learned what their culture was, it taught me so much more and set a thought of what to expect and how to do things that were comfortable for them. It showed me the differences and similarities of what my sense of community was versus what they had thought it was. I learned that Costa Ricans are very loving and will get along no matter who and what, everyone here is friends even if they don’t know each other. They make being a community great. Additionally, she also taught us how the school works here and how her daughter has become successful. It made me so happy seeing how happy and genuine these families are. Later on, we went to the soccer field and after that, I had an anxiety attack and ended up going to the hospital, but my GG leaders made me feel safe, and comfortable and they were 100% there for me. I’m doing well now, today has taught me so much of what it means to be grateful for what I have.

Kenny: Hello, we were today’s LDDs (Kenneth, Mia, Arleth, Osmin) for Turrialba day 7. We started the day by waking up at 6:00 as we needed time to prepare for the day. For today’s breakfast we had Gallo Pinto, Eggs, Fruit(Watermelon, Pineapple, Mango, and Banana) fruit juices, and guayaba. After breakfast, I went to the school of Santa Rosa which was the meeting point for the other families. Once the other families came we were all Split into groups.

So I was split into a group which was Heather, Miguel, Chris, Mariana, Janely, and Kenneth. We went with Doña Jessica and we stopped by the store and got some popsicles. Then on the way home, we found out that her son had an amazing singing voice as he started singing to us. As we got home we were welcomed by 2 of her other daughters. We talked for a long time, did DIY projects, Cooked, and played games. The food was great AND after the house, we went to a soccer field to play and support the community after playing soccer we went back to the base house ate dinner, and had our “pass the torch moment” After we passed the torch we prepared for movie night(the movie being the conjuring) which we had voted for. The question of the day is “What makes your sense of community similar or different to the community you experienced today? How can you as an individual contribute to a sense of community?

This community’s food is similar to my community‘s food in a sense as the food is similar and from what I saw at the family houses both of the foods seem to be Made with love and a lot of care. They also seem to be family oriented which Is something really similar with my community. The differences seem to be that in the States people are a lot more unfriendly as in the States classmates walk past you and act like they don’t want to speak to you but in the, the host family is a lot more friendly as they cook and take into consideration the neighbors and share and gift food. I can contribute to that sense of community by being More friendly to strangers and at least saying good morning to them in order to build a sense of community.