The Dirty Work....Someone has to Do IT!

Happy Independence Day Costa Rica! We were fortunate to participate in our third Independence Day celebration this past Thursday. It was a hot morning, with bright sun beaming down on us before the rains came. A nice farmer's tan I have!





Michael, still coughing, opted to stay home with Dad, so John and I put on our walking shoes and headed toward Santa Elena for the Independence Day Parade. We arrived at 9 a.m., just in time to see the first folks take step out of the MEGA Super parking lot onto the road which would wind through the main street in town, culminating at the gymnasium. I, myself, felt quite proud that I timed our arrival to the tee - finally understanding what is meant by "TICO TIME".

The Friends school was first in line and a hard act to follow, I might add! The 'act' did not come without some give and take! Over the last three years, I recall much discussion during Parent/Teacher meetings about how to best represent the Friends School in the holiday activities. Founded over 60 years ago, the Friends School has grown and now serves not only Quakers but a huge population of local Costa Rican families. I can see both sides of the coin on this one; is there a happy medium where the simplicity of Quakerism can be preserved while recognizing the civic and patriotic traditions of the Costa Ricans? I am delighted that committed parents stepped up this year to make the experience more 'cultural' for the Friends school students. In the past, the 'showing' by the Friends school has been light on Costa Rican tradition and heavy on statements and banners promoting peace and conservation. The national holiday is celebrated by Costa Ricans, of course, and pride in one's country should shine through especially during a holiday such as this. So, thanks to those dedicated teachers and parents for combining tradition and the message of peace into this year's parade presentation. It was lovely and truly a class act!

John and I opted to join the parade and walked along side with other parents and supporters. Lower school girls were decked in traditional Costa Rican dress and danced to typical music blasting out of the back of a oxen cart. Backing up the littlest of dancers were half a dozen older dancers who often perform Saturday morning's at the Farmer's Market. The oxen cart was painted in traditional colors and showcased local produce as it marched through town. Other local schools were kind enough to lend us traditional skirts, so we certainly looked authentic!




This is where John and I come in....we see Manolo (a father of two students) walking behind the oxen cart, with big shovel in hand. Not only is he carrying this shovel, he is trying to manuever this tiny wheelbarrow through the line of dancers so he can clean up the oxen poop before the dancers find it! Showing our support, John and I quickly grabbed a handle and became part of the "Poop Pickin Up" Trio! As we headed onto mainstreet, the streets were packed, folks dangled from outdoor balconies to get a glimpse of the parade. All of a sudden, one of the oxen lets loose, and we're on! We rose to the occasion and got our moment in the spotlight front and center as we carefully balanced the tiny wheelbarrow as it was loaded up with a healthy dose of oxen plop. Hey, we even got a healthy round of applause from the spectators - or were they showing their appreciation for the dancers that followed? Well, one will never know? John gave me a shy smirk as we quickly took our position back on the side of the road, behind Manolo, as we wheeled the pile of poop onward, holding our heads high!




Peace
Signed: S

Last week, Central American countries celebrated their Dia de Independencia, to mark the anniversary of freedom from the rule of Spain. A torch is lit in Guatemala City, the former capital of the entire region, and then spread by torch runners through CA countries, including Costa Rica. On Tuesday morning our classes headed to designated spots along the road through Monteverde to meet and bring the flame up to the school. The boys had a chance to carry the torch a few steps.

We went to Santa Elena the following day to blow up balloons and to march in the Independence Day parade. It was a warm sunny morning, but we suffered through a much too long civic ceremony before the parade got underway. A few locals basically told me "relax, this is 'Tico Time,'" but I think its torture to hold families with children in a gymnasium before a parade and spend an hour blablaing. Our boys put up with it for about ten minutes, and outside they ran looking for more interesting amusements.

Independence Indeed!

Thanks Mike for posting such a detailed summary on the Torch Run – a nice harbinger of the meaning of Independence Day and the pride felt by all who call this home.  If you’re following the blog, you know that yesterday was Independence Day and Oh how we celebrated.  The day started early (as it always does) and we were out the door and on the road to Cerro Plano at 7:40 a.m.  We hiked up to the field across from the local school and took in the pre-parade address and national anthem.  It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies as far as the eye could see.  I knew it would be a hot one as I saw many a sunscreen bottle tucked into back-packs and bags.  The backdrop of the pre-celebration was one of anticipation, kids running around and frolicking about, school girls checking their outfits and make-up and all the spectators vying for that perfect spot on the parade route.

We spied a shady spot down a hill on the way out of Cerro Plan.  Not but 10 minutes into the parade we found ourselves out of battery power on our digital camera, so off Mike went in search of batteries.  30 minutes later he appeared and we were back in business. 

The parade was awesome, the drums, bands, dancing and on-lookers –all were part of this magical day.  The local schools have been preparing for this day  since we arrived here in Monteverde beginning of August,  so it is eerily quiet today without the ‘boom boom boom’ echos of  the drums practicing after school.   This holiday is marked by its parade and performance by the students in the community.  The schools perform the national anthem, carry the Costa Rican flag and twirl batons.  The colors were vibrant (lots of red, white and blue) representing the colors of the Costa Rican flag, the bright colors of the girl's skirts and the Costa Rican dress worn by so many of the youngsters.

We enjoyed watching not only the kids in the parade but also the spectators.   As we made our way through Cerro Plano and finally to Santa Elena we found ourselves watching others and wondering what they were thinking on this very special day.  Families, young, old, sick, healthy – all were out to watch this main thoroughfare turn into a stage for the day.

We saw many a friendly face as we made our way down to Santa Elena – and were surprised by the number of folks we already knew and who have become part of our social/support network. 

The scorching sun got the best of both boys as they rested on mom and dad’s shoulders and finally closed their eyes for the decent down into Santa Elena.  We stole away into the SuperCompro to replenish our water and to grab fixins for a picnic.  The streets were lined with people as the parade headed into the town proper.  The Friends School was well represented with the kids in Kinder riding in a float, older kids toting masks and yet others with colorful flags!

We scouted around for a shady spot to picnic (hard to find in the middle of a parade) and then ran into our trusty “go to guy”, Kyle, who led us up a path to an abandoned soccer field – bleachers were comfort for our tired bones.  We fueled our bodies with cheese, yogurt and bananas and then off we were heading back into town. 

 

The day was full and the boys did really well.  So well, that we decided to take Veronica and Stewart (her six year old) up on their offer to visit that afternoon .  So back home around 2 p.m. and then off to Stewarts by 3.  They live through the pasture, across the street and about a 7 minute walk away.  They have a sprawling pasture and a ton of Guava trees.  We had great fun and will plan another outing with them soon.

We were all tired and weary by the end of the day and had no trouble laying our heads down about 7 p.m.

A great independence day indeed!

Signed: S

Torch Day, Antorcha de Independencia

On Tuesday, September 15, five Central American countries, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua celebrate their independence from Spain in 1821. A torch relay, representing the message of freedom beginning in Guatemala City, the former capital of the Central America, traveled the Pan American Highway and crossed into Costa Rica yesterday. At intersections along the highway, the flame is passed to torches carried by runners who then shuttle the flame up the main roads into each town. Schools play an important role in carrying the torches and marching in Tuesday’s parades.

Today, I arrived at school knowing that there would be a little morning ceremony to welcome the independence torch, or antorcha de independencia. I soon realized that I would be joining the 7th and 8th graders, not in my classroom, but rapidly walking to Cerro Plano, the next town to the north. There, we waited for the high school students, some of whom had stayed up the entire night shuttling the torch up the mountain from the Pan American Highway. First hearing some cheers and then catching sight of a group running toward us from around the corner, our group let out a collective cheer. The excitement peaked as the torch reached us and we all picked up our feet and joined the run to school about three kilometers uphill. The torch passed from person to person and all attention was on the moment, cars and trucks had to pull over as our group passed. We collected more students and parents as we reached the rocky road at Monteverde. I decided to sprint ahead of the group to take advantage of photo opportunities. Passing near our house, I waved to Sally and the boys as they came running down the pasture cheering us on. Dodging potholes, passing the cheese factory and grazing cows, we finally arrived at school to deliver the torch to the field.

All gathered in a great circle to sing songs of peace and liberty from war. I looked around and thought about the reason why so many families moved and stayed here. The people here believe in and practice a life of peace and love. Quakers, non-quakers, Ticos and Gringos, spiritual and non-spiritual, children and adults singing about peace, flowers and justice (yes, social justice). So, this is how we celebrate Independence Day at Monteverde Friends School.

I could not help but be reminded of my Catholic grade school days when we sang songs about peace and how it begins with me. Maybe that is why I feel very comfortable here: the values in this community of peace and love fuse with primary lessons from my Catholic upbringing. The stories and teachings of Jesus were centered on peace and love, and turn the other cheek, and remove the log from your own eye first. Things change. In most of my world after eighth grade, talk about peace and love were reserved for a spiritual retreat or conversation with mom. In many circles, I could have exposed myself as being ‘whimpy’ or ‘naïve’ or ‘high’ for thinking about peace with the Red Russians, the Commy Chinese, or the Palestinians. Discussions about peace became much more challenging early this decade, and unfortunately, songs like If I Had a Hammer did not get much airtime on our radio waves. Approaching the end of this decade, I continue to hope for peace and will gladly sing Independence Day celebration songs about flowers and liberty, that is the liberty from war liberty.

Tomorrow is a national holiday and we will take the boys to Cerro Plano at 7:30AM for their first Costa Rican desfile or parade. So, more tomorrow. Peace and Love, signed M.