Day 3: Community day + CAP Seminar

Today we went to visit locals in the community. It was also our first day having Leader Del Dia’s (LDD’s) and there were 3 of us to kick it off. We were split into 3 groups, each group with an LDD and visited their own local with a group of students on our trip. My group visited a woman named Doña Carmen. She was extremely welcoming and willing to answer any of our questions during our stay. She taught us a lot about her lifestyle is living in Turrialba. Specifically, about her hobbies and foods she enjoys cooking. We learned that the community here is extremely tight knit, they value soccer on weekends, and go to their local Catholic church every Sunday. She shared how she actively participates in the local church to give back to the disabled members in their community. Additionally, she is a part of an elderly group, of about 16 members, from different regions in Costa Rica. She us gave insight on the various activities they do together. They enjoy talking, drinking coffee together, going on walks, play bingo, and on holidays they enjoy going to different places to explore. One of my key takeaways from this experience was how much she values encouraging students to pursue further education and take advantages of the opportunities that our presented to us. Especially because she expressed how from a very early age she began working straight after her academics and wasn’t given the same opportunities that we may have. It was inspiring to hear the many words she had to share with us. Throughout the hours we spent with her she also taught us how to make many foods that many in the group had never tried before. We made empanadas from scratch, in addition to salads, pork with mushrooms, potatoes, rice, and beans. It was all extremely delicious and we left with all our bellies full!

Throughout my experience as the Leader of the Day, I learned many different things about myself that I had not noticed before. Especially when it came to translating and using skills that I learned growing up in a Hispanic household that my mom taught me. Specifically, cooking comfort foods and speaking Spanish. I had never taken the time to realize how special all of those things were to me and I’m extremely glad I was given this day because it felt very close to home and reminded me of a lot of my loved ones back at home. It opened my eyes to how valuable things I do on my day to day can be in new environments and how similar everyones lives can be. It was also special to see how willing the peers in my group were to try and experience things outside of their comfort zone. I am looking forward to the rest of the trip and excited to see what other amazing things we participate in.- Elina Esparza

For today’s Community Group activity, my group visited a warm-hearted local women named Rosario. During our stay at her beautiful home, she shared stories of her life and answered as many questions as we asked. She talked about her life before cooking, giving us a heart warming story about her life in education before learning and devoting her life to cooking. During her story, we got into deep conversation about the education here in Turrialba. My group was stunned to hear that education here was mandatory and completely free up to high school. Even after high school, university and college is very cheap, with some students being able to go to free if they were granted a scholarship. Our inquiry grew wondering how this was even possible when education past high school is so expensive for so many families in the U.S. This is were we learned that Costa Rica’s abolishment of the army granted funding to education around the country. Although it wasn’t nearly enough when it came to long term support, that sum of money is what allows people in Costa Rica to push to higher degrees of education. On top of that, we learned that families here in Turrialba are closely connected even after they move out. Many families live in close proximity to each other, making small portions of a town more like a section of a family. Upon hearing that, my group connected back to their own communities, stating that they felt that children in their communities want a sense of separation and freedom from their parents. Overall, my group loved connecting with Rosario, stating that they felt at ease in her home; almost like they were at their own grandparents house.

As a leader of the day, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous. I was in a whole different country and was pretty much completely lost when trying to speak Spanish. Although this is true, I learned that even as a leader, it’s ok to lean on the members of your group. There is no form of hierarchy on this trip but only members of community trying to immerse themselves in a community they aren’t used to. For tat reason, I want to give major props to my group today. Even though we didn’t really know each other before, we truly bonded over this shared experienced; leaning on each other and truly enjoying our experience together. For them pura vida!!- Nathan Ramirez

Day Three of our trip to Turrialba would revolve around visiting local families and experiencing both the dynamic and community within these homes. Each leader was given their own group and designated house they’d be visiting, with my group being warmly welcomed by Dona Joana. The hike that lead us to her house was challenging, for me at least, but was definitely rewarding once we were embraced by the family. Almost immediately, we were greeted by two adorable little dogs and even nearby children that happened to be out playing. Just by this welcome alone, my group and I were quick to understand just how close-knitted these communities are, with it being nothing like the states we had just came from. Sure, we may have neighbors back home but it’s really nothing like the way it is here–where California is individualistic, Turrialba is collective. Justin, one of the members in my group, was especially curious and would ask Dona lots of fantastic questions. Through these questions, we’d learn that Dona loves staying home, keeping up with her garden, and even learned to sew charming bags. What I especially found interesting were the materials she used for these bags, as the majority were made up of left over airplane seats. Dona would tell us how she joined a group for women that gave them materials to recycle, and how only a few of these groups actually exist within the world. The moment where I can really pin-point where inspiration started to grow was when Dona invited my group to play a game. To play this specific game, one person would need to open a.. poorly wrapped (on purpose!) gift with oven mitts, while the person next to them rolled 2 dice until they hit a pairing. Once the pairing was hit, both the mitts and gift would need to be passed to the other and so on. What really appealed to me was how quickly Dona was able to get everyone immersed in the game. Despite my group not knowing how to play at first, that didn’t stop anyone from laughing and having a great tine.

In general, being the first set of LDDs wasn’t as intimidating as I thought it was at first–I remember feeling bile rising up my throat when I heard my name get called, as I was fully convinced I wasn’t capable. I was lucky to be given a group that was extremely respectful and able to click with both each other and hosts, making it a lot easier on me. My expectations of this role was that I would have to essentially boss everyone around and rule with an iron fist, but it was *nothing* like that. My main objective was to make sure everyone was having a good time, and to make sure that there wasn’t a chance for anyone to feel left it.. which I believe is better than barking commands at my peers. What I learned is that community is a two-way street. Although you can welcomed, it’s up to you whether you want to stay or not! A community doesn’t work if one person is unwilling to let others in, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rely on one another.- Sophia Recinos