Saludos!

Costa Rica Community Service A has had an eye opening, productive, and fun week in Tujankir! Upon arrival on Sunday night, the town greeted us with a fiesta de bienvenida, which was a surprise for the group. We (Shiri and Jake) had told the group that they were having a meeting with the town to discuss construction plans and to meet the town leaders. While that was partly true, a normal business meeting does not usually end with salsa dancing!

Work started bright and early at 7 am the next morning. Students worked at our two main project sites-- a community kitchen and locker rooms. Most students spent the entire first day sifting sand to use in cement mixing. Despite the monotonous work, we did not hear any complaining. Everyone was so anxious to help!

On Monday afternoon, Jorge, the town president, brought us in his truck to take a dip in the Rio Celeste. This is one of few rivers in the world whose water is illuminated a bright crystal, clear blue by volcanic minerals. Some might even call it 'celestial'!

Tuesday brought the first real additions to our concrete walls. We mixed cement by hand and added cinder blocks to both the kitchen and locker rooms. The students enjoyed seeing tangible contributions. Each afternoon, after work on projects is finished, we play games of yoga ball soccer, real soccer, wiffle ball, and socialize with Costa Rican kids around the soccer field.

I would like to pause for a minute to describe our group house. We sleep in a building right in the center of town, next to the church. We have a gate that we lock at night, and a large tent outside under which we eat, chill, and have group meetings. Our bathrooms are simple but nice-- the plumbing system is quite basic (this is typical here in Costa Rica) but our students adapting well. Tujankir is a nice place to call home!

Each night, we have a group meeting with several consistent rituals. Every meeting begins with what we call 'roses, thorns, and rosebuds', a slight variation of the game 'highs and lows'. In our version, a 'rose' is the high of the day, a 'thorn' is the low, and a 'rosebud' is a hope for the future. At first some were timid to share, but now the entire group looks forward to it. Next, one person volunteers to go on the 'hot seat' for this meeting. This person responds to 10 to 15 questions posed by the rest of the group (nothing too personal, of course). This game, in particular, has sparked many interesting conversations amongst the group. Next, we discuss the day and how everyone is feeling, including any serious issues we must tackle. Then we try to inspire a more intellectual discussion about all that we are experiencing here-- Wednesday´s meeting topic was 'Global Perspectives' and students shared new insights into their lives at home after our first week in this rural farming community.

Each night after our meeting, everyone gets ready for bed. Lights out is usually around 10:15 (so that we are well rested for our early rise the next day). The first night, upon request, we sung a short lullaby. This has become a nightly tradition with a surprisingly wide variation-- everything from Lion King medleys to banjo playing to Woody Guthrie renditions!

We are now on our first weekend excursion to the southern Nicoya Peninsula. This morning we went ziplining, a popular request among the students, although it was a surprise. We are spending the rest of the day here in a town called Montezuma and then staying at a hotel near Cabuya in bungalows on the beach.

Hasta la proxima vez,

¡Pura Vida!
Shiri and Jake