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2 weeks in! Samara Beach, Costa Rica

By on May 23, 2013 in 2013, Costa Rica, Duke, Summer Projects, Vanderbilt

Although these past two weeks have felt like longer, it is safe to say all of us are having a great time here in Costa Rica! I think it feels like we have been here for longer than we have because of the novelty of our environment and the amount we have learned and accomplished in such a short amount of time.

The first week and half was dedicated to learning about the culture and exploring the surrounding area. Andrea and Johanna, the directors of CREAR (the nonprofit we are volunteering with), set up some wonderful activities for us. Our orientation week included two beautiful hikes, a cooking class, a dance class, activities with the local kids, and various culture orientated discussions. It amazing how comfortable we all feel here in Samara after only two weeks. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, which has definitely made the adjustment period easier for us all.

This week we began our main project. We are hoping that $2,000 dollars, some donated materials, and about  65 hours of labor per person can transform a completely dilapidated building that serves as the towns health clinic into a facility that people feel safe and comfortable. In the first three days we have sanded down the chipping paint and plaster on the inside and outside of the building, knocked down a crumbling wall, cleaned out a neglected supply building, and weeded the unsightly overgrowth surrounding the building. Though we are the preparatory stages our progress is very exciting!

CREAR is a great organization and we believe renovating the clinic is a worthwhile and important task for the town of Samara.  Things are going well and we are all excited to see what the next six weeks has in store for us!

 

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Orientated

By on May 20, 2013 in 2013, Costa Rica, Duke, Summer Projects, Vanderbilt

As orientation ends, we are able to reflect on the amazing experiences that we have had in just one week! The lengthy orientation gave us ample opportunity to acclimate to our surroundings, both in terms of culture and climate!

We spent the first two days learning about Asociación Crear as a non-profit organization and touring their past projects in several neighborhoods of Sámara, including Cangrejal and El Torito. Crear has accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time, and we are very excited to contribute further in the next two months! Throughout orientation week, we were able to visit the after-school enrichment programs in both Sámara and El Torito, a nearby pueblo. The children here are enthusiastic and loving, making the afternoons spent with them very enjoyable. From playing fútbol in the backyard, to watercolor painting, to exchanging handmade friendship bracelets, the group loved spending time with the students!

We also visited the clinic itself, to see firsthand what restoration must be done. The clinic is certainly functional, but could surely use improvements. The earthquake that hit Sámara last year did considerable damage to the building. An entrance door cannot shut completely, and a large portion of the ceiling has cracked and caved in. The paint on the walls is dingy and faded, and the concrete is brittle and peeling. As we walked through, it was hard to imagine that this truly was a healthcare center. Its appearance so starkly differs from the clinics that we have visited in the United States. Ready access to high-quality and comprehensive healthcare is certainly something that I take for granted, and I hope that our restoration work can improve the patient experience for those in Sámara. In addition to the structural improvements, we want to beautify the exterior, make an entrance sign, and plant a garden in the front. I am very excited about the garden, as it will not only purify air but also lift patients’ spirits. We are also trying to expand and improve the waiting area for patients.  From what we have heard, the community is thrilled that we are here to restore the clinic, so I hope that we live up to their expectations!

In our spare time, we were able to explore the beautiful hiking trails and beaches in and around Sámara. We did a sunrise hike to Playa Izquierda, as well as a four-hour morning hike to Punta Indio. The views were absolutely incredible and allowed us to fully experience the area in which we are working. We spend a considerable amount of free time on the beach, which is a fantastic luxury. We are very fortunate to be working in such a gorgeous area with such friendly locals, and we cannot wait to see what the next few weeks have in store!

 

Today is our first day of clinic restoration – wish us luck!

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Departure’s Eve!

By on May 7, 2013 in 2013, Costa Rica, Duke, Summer Projects, Vanderbilt

It is crazy to think that in a little over 12 hours we will be in Costa Rica. I am so excited to put the money we have raised over the year into action! There are six Duke students and four Vanderbilt student going on the trip. We will be living in apartments in Playa Sámara: learning about the culture, building friendships, and most importantly, working to help improve the community.

More specifically, we will be restoring a hospital and building a garden. On Fridays we will work with the kids in the Sámara community. I know this will be a very memorable experience and I can’t wait to get started!

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from one chapter to the next

By on August 12, 2012 in 2012, Duke, Ecuador

These past few months have certainly held life lessons for all of us,

and adjusting back to our former routines hasn’t been entirely easy.  After having been back in the States for a week or two, we can truly see how this experience has shaped our perceptions, our interactions, and our understandings of ourselves.  We can look at a broken shovel and see all of the lives that it has yet to live.  We can turn a plastic bag into a shoelace, turn a rock into a hammer, and turn a broken bottle into a watering can.  In many ways, we have also come to more personally learn our own faults and shortcomings and how to accept a helpful hand when needed.  And, perhaps most of all, we are constantly reminded of the relative extravagance of our lives.

     There were times that were frustrating.  We struggled with others, with our equipment, and with ourselves.  However, throughout it all, we remembered that we were struggling with, which made it all the more worth doing.  Now Puni Kotona and Santo Domingo are left with a greater appreciation and comprehension of computer skills and English that will aid them in their future studies, covered gardens that will harbor vitamin-rich vegetables to supplement their diets, chakras de guayusa that should help provide a sustainable supplemental income for the schools, nutrition booklets, compost, and a trash collection system.  The desire of the communities truly encouraged these projects, and their efforts will be what continue them. omings and how to accept a helpful hand when needed.  And, perhaps most of all, we are constantly reminded of the relative extravagance of our lives.

As Nelson Henderson once said, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”  It is something to carry with us as we continue our own stories.  It was heartbreaking to leave the families we had spent two months of our lives coming to love, knowing that we might never see them again.  This experience has certainly impacted our lives as well as theirs, and both parties have learned a great deal.  Now, we must just decide which tree to plant tomorrow.

 

 

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Progress in Puni

By on July 1, 2012 in 2012, Duke, Ecuador, Summer Projects

 

Ally tuta! I cannot believe this will be our last post before our internship comes to an end. After traveling on the weekends to Tena or another destination, returning to Puni Kotona is like returning home. The kids in the community have become our good friends, the teachers have become our colleagues, and our homestay hosts have become family. It will be difficult saying goodbye. 


In the past two weeks, we have made great strides in our projects in the community. As of yesterday, the chakra de guayusa is complete. Students, teachers, and community members helped prepare the land earlier in the week by clearing the vegetation in the area. Yesterday, by using surrounding resources such as sticks and branches, the padres de la familia measured out a grid for the guayusa saplings. About four hours later, all three hundred saplings were planted, and everyone who contributed headed back across the river, with machetes in hand. In about six months to a year, the guayusa leaves will be harvested and sold back to Runa.

Last week, Kaley and I led a community clean-up, as well as a short presentation on the importance of proper trash disposal. Littering is a huge problem in Puni Kotona, so we hope this event, as well as a proposed schedule for regular clean-ups, controls the garbage issue. 

 Because of the help of our host-fathers, we now have a beautiful roof for the school garden. We are eagerly waiting for the seeds in the seed beds, which include watermelon, cucumber, and  various flowers and medicinal plants, to germinate so that we can get the garden in full swing before we leave.

We are now in the process of handing our projects off to people in Puni Kotona that we think will successfully carry on the initiatives. For example, my host-mother, Nancy, has agreed to spreading the word about the compost pile next to the school garden. She will also ensure that the materials in the pile (which will mostly consist of yucca and platano peels) are turned once a week. 

Kaley and I have loved watching people in the community grow and learn from our projects, whether it be mastering numbers in English or asking questions about how humans impact the environment. 

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, hasta luego! 
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Love

By on June 18, 2012 in 2012, Duke, Ecuador

Staring at this screen for the first time in two weeks, I was trying to think about how I could possibly decide what to write about from the plethora of experiences that have occurred thus far when it hit me: the capacity to love here.  To borrow the words of Henri Nouwen, “Often we talk about love as if it is a feeling.  But if we wait for a feeling of love before loving, we may never learn to love well. . . When we “do”  love, even if others aren’t able to respond with love, we will discover that our feelings catch up with our acts.”  Such has been the reception of us here.  Working in a community that has never had volunteers before has certainly exposed us to a genuineness of love, and that within itself has mad our experience greater than anything that we could have imagined.  My host mom calls me “ushi,” which means daughter in Kichwa, the children are always making sure that we don’t fall, and I could not tell you the number of times each day that we’re asked about how we’re doing.

We’ve made lots of progress in our English and computer classes.  It’s inspiring to see the kids’ desire to learn and willingness to help with the other projects.  We’ve started using a double digging technique for the school garden, have begun a composting project that will incorporate kitchen waste from the school’s breakfast program, and have made progress on the school chakra, planting guayusa, yucca, plantains, guineo, and pineapple.  We also had a painting day for the students to decorate rocks to surround the garden.  The girls working in the other community are excited to direct a school play as well!

We are all looking forward to what the next month will bring and are sad to know that our stay is already halfway over.  It’s amazing to see just how the time has flown (not to be cliché).  We hope that we can truly take advantage of the time that  we have left to continue building our relationships with the families in the communities and mirror the love that has been afforded to us.  Emily and I will be without Internet for another two weeks, but we’re looking forward to where these projects will be at that point.  Chao chao, amigos.  Que todo vaya bien.

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