Bueno, I’m out in Puntarenas now—the site for our Habitat for Humanity project. The hotel I’m currently in has a nice view of the ocean and air conditioning. The other chaperone at CPI, Gerry, calls Puntarenas the armpit of Costa Rica. This is twofold because first of all, if Costa Rica were to have an arm, Puntarenas would literally be its armpit (Puntarenas is located in the Gulf of Nicoya in an inlet). Secondly, it’s really hot and sometimes a little stinky. : ) Regardless, today was the first day working at the HFH worksite (not to be confused with HBH).
The house we are constructing is for a family of 4 whose father can not work because of severe back problems so the mother works as a cook at a local hotel sometimes pulling double shifts to support the family. They have an 11 year old daughter in school and an older son who attends college. Right now they are little under a small tin roof. Our goal is to build them a house. My group will be starting the foundation and other groups will hopefully be finishing the task. The house will be made out of cinder blocks, but right now we are clearing away the dirt and rocks to make way for the foundation.
We arrived at the site around noon after we had a brief orientation with the director of the Costa Rica branch of HFH. Because she speaks only Spanish, I served as the translator of the group. It was pretty cool because I really got to use my Spanish skills and was put to the test a little. (I also serve as the translator at the worksite). A little side note, I have become much more confidant in my Spanish skills. I’ve had numerous Costa Ricans tell me that my Spanish is really good. Maybe my professor was wrong after all… : )
Anyway, not more than 30 minutes after starting to dig, it began to pour. This didn’t stop the kids any, they just kept working. In fact, they had more fun when it started raining than they did prior to the downpour. We took a short break around 1:30 to eat lunch and then rested for a little bit. After talking with the director, we decided it was time to call it a day. It was still raining and becoming increasingly dangerous to be working around the ditches and mud. Although we didn’t work for very long, the kids still accomplished a lot and we cleared a lot of earth. Some of the kids really impressed me with their work ethic today. It was great!
Tonight is the big night for my dance class! Oh boy. I’ve been practicing at night in my hotel room, so I think I’m good to go. : ) Suerte…
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One of the best parts of this job is all the people that I constantly get to meet. I truly enjoy this aspect of the job the most. My groups are usually convinced that I know every one any time we travel somewhere. I always laugh because I typically I just met the person 5 minutes before the group showed up. I really enjoy that my position as a chaperone forces me to meet people and be an advocate for the school. I always feel like it’s my job to find out how people are doing and talk to them. It’s great because I get to learn about them and make friends. Most would never believe that I can be quite the introvert. I’ve fooled most people down here. I have met some truly unique and wonderful people while being down here. That is one of the most valuable things I will take away from this trip. From all of the Texans I’ve met to the river guides and the other chaperones, I have made some really good friends. For that, I am so thankful that God has brought me here to this place.
It’s time for dinner! Buen provecho,
Amor,
Jessica Lynn
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