Hello Again. Yes we are here and well. We have been busily enjoying the dry season, and life in Monteverde continues to delightfully surprise us. We are in a similar stage as we were three years ago, preparing for a big move and not saying any permanent good byes. Inevitably, even in such a non-materialistic mini-culture, it seems that there is still much to purge from our not-so massive pile of belongings.
I have not written much on the blog lately, maybe because I am just experiencing the day to day life in a rural town. I would like to share some events, not to brag about what a special place this is (OK, am I bragging?) but to remind myself and others that there certainly are different ways of living and thinking. The average way here is more simple than the average way of life in North America and much closer to the natural world that we all depend on to sustain us. People do not need a cloud forest outside their backdoor to understand humanity's absolute dependency on nature, whether nature is a rock, a tree, 3 liters of oxygen rich air, the climate, an aquifer, etc.
Climb a tree, grow tomatoes, lie on your back and look at the clouds or birds. Relax. Enjoy what we have and save it for our grandchildren's grandchildren.
M
Showing posts with label cultural differences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cultural differences. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Pura Vida, Relax
Last week, on our trip to and from the running race at the beach, there were two events that I keep thinking about. They are indicative of a specific aspect of the local Tico culture here and very different from how I could have naturally responded, or should I say how I am conditioned to respond due to my socialization in a different culture.
The first event occurred when my family arrived at our main meeting point to discover that a road construction crew had dug a trench in front of the driveway, making vehicle access impossible. We parked our car on the other side of the farm, walked across pastures to the house and hopped in a van loaded with 18 people. We warned various members of our group that the driveway was now impassable. Remember, farms can have very long driveways, so everyone seemed oblivious to the road construction. Well, each response was "no preocupada, tranqilo" or "no worry, relax." We arrived at the construction crew and trench across the driveway and remarkably there was barely a response inside the van. I heard a couple of "ohhhh"s and some light conversation about the workers and equipment. Without a complaint or a 'heh, what the beep are they doin? they didn't tell me about any construction!!! Holy crap, well never get out of here. Oh my gosh, how bleepen long is this gonna take, I've got a race to run! We're stuck! There's no other way out!". Everyone remained calm, no one appeared annoyed and without any verbal communication between our group and the road crew, the backhoe operator pushed around some earth to fill in a section of trench, our driver turned the wheel tightly and hit the gas. With a beep and a wave, we were merrily on our stress-free way.
The second event occurred that evening as we started heading up the mountain. The van jerked, the driver sad "oh no" and the van stopped moving. He explained something about the clutch missing a screw and then got out to look underneath the van. So, we have 18 people crammed in a van sitting on a dark road 2 hours from home. Again, light conversation, joking with the driver, a couple of phone calls to relatives and a solution is on the way. We proceeded in 1st gear to the next town, a scattering of houses along the main road. An in-law of one in our group lived in the town. He met us and scrounged up a screw that the driver must have jimmy-rigged into the hole. The ordeal lasted about an hour. We all hung out along the road, I took one of our boys away from the group so he could poop on the side of the road. No, we did not use leaves, we usually have a roll of TP on hand for such times. Again, no complaints, no muffled conversations about how the driver is a bleep for not taking care of the clutch problem BEFORE the trip, no concern about getting home later than expected, no checking watches, just enjoying the present and watching cows eat their grassy dinner. I did confirm with the driver that the van brakes functioned properly.
I keep thinking about the relaxed nature of the Ticos and the level of stress these events might have caused if they occurred in Illinois. Thankfully, I was with a group of people who were confident that solutions could be found. Did they even think about it as a problem/solution event? They did not appear to let these situations negatively affect their day or the trip. It was a great lesson in "Pura Vida" a common saying in Costa Rica that means 'all is good.'
Signed M
The first event occurred when my family arrived at our main meeting point to discover that a road construction crew had dug a trench in front of the driveway, making vehicle access impossible. We parked our car on the other side of the farm, walked across pastures to the house and hopped in a van loaded with 18 people. We warned various members of our group that the driveway was now impassable. Remember, farms can have very long driveways, so everyone seemed oblivious to the road construction. Well, each response was "no preocupada, tranqilo" or "no worry, relax." We arrived at the construction crew and trench across the driveway and remarkably there was barely a response inside the van. I heard a couple of "ohhhh"s and some light conversation about the workers and equipment. Without a complaint or a 'heh, what the beep are they doin? they didn't tell me about any construction!!! Holy crap, well never get out of here. Oh my gosh, how bleepen long is this gonna take, I've got a race to run! We're stuck! There's no other way out!". Everyone remained calm, no one appeared annoyed and without any verbal communication between our group and the road crew, the backhoe operator pushed around some earth to fill in a section of trench, our driver turned the wheel tightly and hit the gas. With a beep and a wave, we were merrily on our stress-free way.
The second event occurred that evening as we started heading up the mountain. The van jerked, the driver sad "oh no" and the van stopped moving. He explained something about the clutch missing a screw and then got out to look underneath the van. So, we have 18 people crammed in a van sitting on a dark road 2 hours from home. Again, light conversation, joking with the driver, a couple of phone calls to relatives and a solution is on the way. We proceeded in 1st gear to the next town, a scattering of houses along the main road. An in-law of one in our group lived in the town. He met us and scrounged up a screw that the driver must have jimmy-rigged into the hole. The ordeal lasted about an hour. We all hung out along the road, I took one of our boys away from the group so he could poop on the side of the road. No, we did not use leaves, we usually have a roll of TP on hand for such times. Again, no complaints, no muffled conversations about how the driver is a bleep for not taking care of the clutch problem BEFORE the trip, no concern about getting home later than expected, no checking watches, just enjoying the present and watching cows eat their grassy dinner. I did confirm with the driver that the van brakes functioned properly.
I keep thinking about the relaxed nature of the Ticos and the level of stress these events might have caused if they occurred in Illinois. Thankfully, I was with a group of people who were confident that solutions could be found. Did they even think about it as a problem/solution event? They did not appear to let these situations negatively affect their day or the trip. It was a great lesson in "Pura Vida" a common saying in Costa Rica that means 'all is good.'
Signed M
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Does Super Nanny make House-calls to Costa Rica?
An exhausting week, still trying to find some normalcy after just one day/night away last weekend. I guess our boys crave the routine/schedule so even an ‘overnighter’ can throw things out of whack for a week. It has been tough since our return from San Gerardo last Saturday. I continue to TRY to be consistent, fair and firm while attempting to keep a sense of calm when laying down the law at home. I always think of Miss Julie in these situations (their teacher last year at Seton Montessori) – she had such a calming way about her with the kids and even when she was in an ‘instructional’ mode, she was so gentle with her words. So she is an inspiration to me, especially over these last 6 days. Really concentrating on the importance of manners with the boys...(please, thank you, looking people in the eye when greeting them and keeping their left hand in their lap during meal times (the latter being quite the challenge). I remember Auntie Beth stressing meal-time manners with Josh and Zach at a young age, so I figure, start now and by the time they are off to college, they’ll get ‘it’ ☺ My ‘pet peeve’ of late is trying to get the boys to understand, instead of screaming at the top of your lungs from the tree swing, clear across the yard, to ask me for a PUSH – get off the swing, come to me in a calm manner, and ask “mom, could you please push me on the swing”!? You know boys, we do have neighbors here and although we rise at 5:30 a.m., doesn’t mean our poor neighbors need to. Frequently, John and Adrienne (the School’s Director and his wife) who actually ARE our neighbors, witness the meltdowns, tantrums etc. first hand. I just know that tables will soon turn and they will start to catch the boys in behaviour befitting almost four-year olds. So – this little recap, not only catches you up on how I've spent my last days but is also a preface for the summary below of my first school volunteer experience Thursday afternoon.
At the fundraiser last Saturday night, I was approached by Kimbra, another parent, to assist her and Mike with their final mini-course this past Thursday between 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. The mini-courses are offered each Thursday and often times, the parents get involved co-partnering with a teacher or another parent to teach a skill or showcase a particular talent they may have. (anything from computer skills, practical skills, cooking, sports, etc.) I think the courses span a quarter or semester. Mike and Kimbra's course (Art and Nature) involved getting the kids outside to observe nature, collect leaves, etc and draw some of their findings. Thursday's crescendo involved using fabric paint, leaves and book bags/T-shirts to stencil on the leaf prints with the intent of sharing the book bags with their parents during next weeks “parent-teacher’ conferences. There were about 12 kids in the mini-course; only two girls – kids ranging from ages 8 to 12.
Interesting to be out of the Three year-old world for awhile...my observations were the following:
As I floated around the room, I was often asked for more paint, or help pressing a leaf onto the book bag – what amazed me is that I did not hear “Please, could you get me some more green paint” or “ could you please help me with this leaf” – perhaps I was so atune with these basic manners since it is just this type of thing that consumes my day with my two three year olds, but immediately I thought to myself “where are their manners”? Is it a cultural thing?
The kids address the teacher on a first name basis – “Mike – come here”, “Mike – can I see this” etc…this was such a new concept for me as the kids at Francis Parker in Chicago where Mike previously taught addressed faculty very formally. Again a cultural thing or perhaps MFS being a Quaker school, they encourage teacher/student relationships to be on a more informal basis. I didn't dare introduce myself as “Mrs. Schaefer”. Just another difference to get accustomed to.
It was a task keeping the kids focused and engaged for the 90 minutes – perhaps because they are of the pre-teen age (need I say more) or was the environment too informal to foster structure without rigidity?
After the activity I shared my observations with Kimbra and Mike and had another interesting conversation with Mike about it last night.
Miss Manners I am not – Gosh, I am so exhausted just trying to keep my own kids from screaming, throwing or hitting each other most days – however I do recognize how important it is for me to continue to re-inforce good behavior and respect. Is it time for me to call in Super Nanny? Does she make house-calls?
So what’s next? The school has reached out to the parents asking for volunteers to lead or co-facilitate mini-courses starting after the October break. I have expressed an interest in giving a course on “How to set up a Blog” or “How to play basketball” since I played in high-school (although it has been along time – I do recall something about zone defense vs. man –to-man???) There are plenty of opportunities to get involved at the school and I look forward to having some time to help out in anyway I can.
Speaking of the October break which is the week of 10/12, we had thought we may need to head to Nicaragua for three days as we are still waiting for our work visas to come through, but the school tells us we have paperwork that will suffice in the interim until the final papers arrive. So local we will stay! We are thinking about going somewhere with the boys for 2 or 3 days (perhaps to Arenal to experience the volcano and then head back home to take in some of the local attractions here that we have not had a chance to frequent as of yet. If we can swing it, Mike and I are also interested in taking some Spanish classes or hooking up with a tutor so we can concentrate on honing our Spanish while Goudy watches the boys. Need to firm something up as mid-October is fast approaching.
Mike and I are busy at night – I continue to assist him with some of his organization tasks (developing templates or entering data into his grading program as he needs to prepare 32 assessments for his kids in his 4 classes so he can present them to the parents during the 10/8 conference day.
One other comment, I plan on attending an Evangelical Christian Church this Sunday just outside of Santa Elena. One of the mother’s of a classmate of the boys (who I befriended at the Parent’s tea last month) attends and has offered to pick me up and have me accompany her and her family on Sunday. I look forward to it – I believe one of the Guindon sons is the Pastor.
Thanks Choppy and Poppy for the package (again) – ah, a new pot-holder, more stickers, balloons and granola bars for the boys, magnets, glad wrap ‘thingys” and a new Children’s Bible. The boys and I spent over an hour on the patio reading the stories before dusk set in last night and spent a lot of time talking about Moses (they loved the concept of the baby in the basket and also the parting of the sea) – when I said “enough, I need to start dinner”, the kids responded “more mom, read more’, so there you have it. Their minds are so inquisitive and OH the questions that come out of their little mouths. I look forward to re-inforcing the stories and working the readings into our daily/weekly routine.
Off to the Farmers market - All for today
Signed: S
At the fundraiser last Saturday night, I was approached by Kimbra, another parent, to assist her and Mike with their final mini-course this past Thursday between 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. The mini-courses are offered each Thursday and often times, the parents get involved co-partnering with a teacher or another parent to teach a skill or showcase a particular talent they may have. (anything from computer skills, practical skills, cooking, sports, etc.) I think the courses span a quarter or semester. Mike and Kimbra's course (Art and Nature) involved getting the kids outside to observe nature, collect leaves, etc and draw some of their findings. Thursday's crescendo involved using fabric paint, leaves and book bags/T-shirts to stencil on the leaf prints with the intent of sharing the book bags with their parents during next weeks “parent-teacher’ conferences. There were about 12 kids in the mini-course; only two girls – kids ranging from ages 8 to 12.
Interesting to be out of the Three year-old world for awhile...my observations were the following:
As I floated around the room, I was often asked for more paint, or help pressing a leaf onto the book bag – what amazed me is that I did not hear “Please, could you get me some more green paint” or “ could you please help me with this leaf” – perhaps I was so atune with these basic manners since it is just this type of thing that consumes my day with my two three year olds, but immediately I thought to myself “where are their manners”? Is it a cultural thing?
The kids address the teacher on a first name basis – “Mike – come here”, “Mike – can I see this” etc…this was such a new concept for me as the kids at Francis Parker in Chicago where Mike previously taught addressed faculty very formally. Again a cultural thing or perhaps MFS being a Quaker school, they encourage teacher/student relationships to be on a more informal basis. I didn't dare introduce myself as “Mrs. Schaefer”. Just another difference to get accustomed to.
It was a task keeping the kids focused and engaged for the 90 minutes – perhaps because they are of the pre-teen age (need I say more) or was the environment too informal to foster structure without rigidity?
After the activity I shared my observations with Kimbra and Mike and had another interesting conversation with Mike about it last night.
Miss Manners I am not – Gosh, I am so exhausted just trying to keep my own kids from screaming, throwing or hitting each other most days – however I do recognize how important it is for me to continue to re-inforce good behavior and respect. Is it time for me to call in Super Nanny? Does she make house-calls?
So what’s next? The school has reached out to the parents asking for volunteers to lead or co-facilitate mini-courses starting after the October break. I have expressed an interest in giving a course on “How to set up a Blog” or “How to play basketball” since I played in high-school (although it has been along time – I do recall something about zone defense vs. man –to-man???) There are plenty of opportunities to get involved at the school and I look forward to having some time to help out in anyway I can.
Speaking of the October break which is the week of 10/12, we had thought we may need to head to Nicaragua for three days as we are still waiting for our work visas to come through, but the school tells us we have paperwork that will suffice in the interim until the final papers arrive. So local we will stay! We are thinking about going somewhere with the boys for 2 or 3 days (perhaps to Arenal to experience the volcano and then head back home to take in some of the local attractions here that we have not had a chance to frequent as of yet. If we can swing it, Mike and I are also interested in taking some Spanish classes or hooking up with a tutor so we can concentrate on honing our Spanish while Goudy watches the boys. Need to firm something up as mid-October is fast approaching.
Mike and I are busy at night – I continue to assist him with some of his organization tasks (developing templates or entering data into his grading program as he needs to prepare 32 assessments for his kids in his 4 classes so he can present them to the parents during the 10/8 conference day.
One other comment, I plan on attending an Evangelical Christian Church this Sunday just outside of Santa Elena. One of the mother’s of a classmate of the boys (who I befriended at the Parent’s tea last month) attends and has offered to pick me up and have me accompany her and her family on Sunday. I look forward to it – I believe one of the Guindon sons is the Pastor.
Thanks Choppy and Poppy for the package (again) – ah, a new pot-holder, more stickers, balloons and granola bars for the boys, magnets, glad wrap ‘thingys” and a new Children’s Bible. The boys and I spent over an hour on the patio reading the stories before dusk set in last night and spent a lot of time talking about Moses (they loved the concept of the baby in the basket and also the parting of the sea) – when I said “enough, I need to start dinner”, the kids responded “more mom, read more’, so there you have it. Their minds are so inquisitive and OH the questions that come out of their little mouths. I look forward to re-inforcing the stories and working the readings into our daily/weekly routine.
Off to the Farmers market - All for today
Signed: S
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