study abroad success

study abroad success = (for me) mamones chinos!!!!!!!!!

after searching throughout eternity (aka a semester), after battling monsters (aka ignoring everyone saying they didn't come in season until july), i traveled far and wide (aka. to the mercado central) aaaaand found them.

yum.
revel in their beauty.

um, excuse me???

ONE WEEK.

last night i said my first good-bye. and tonight another. and they'll keep adding up from here. :(

one of the girls in my program, with all her wisdom and perspective, mentioned a few days ago that for many people who come to costa rica, 7 days is their whole trip. They zip from one coast to the other and hit a few attractions in between, lay on the beach, take some pictures, and leave. for me, these next six days seem totally inadequate. there's so much left to do. so so much. as with so many things, it's a situation filled with mixed emotions. but complexity is good, and each time we end an experience we (hopefully) are able to better reflect on it, better learn from it. enshallah, right?

"See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness." -Abdu’l-Bahá

"Soon will your swiftly-passing days be over, and the fame and riches, the comforts, the joys provided by this rubbish-heap, the world, will be gone without a trace. Summon ye, then, the people to God, and invite humanity to follow the example of the Company on high. Be ye loving fathers to the orphan, and a refuge to the helpless, and a treasury for the poor, and a cure for the ailing. Be ye the helpers of every victim of oppression, the patrons of the disadvantaged. Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race. Pay ye no heed to aversion and rejection, to disdain, hostility, injustice: act ye in the opposite way. Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each one of God’s loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s mercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind: for love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest.” -Abdu’l-Bahá

test of will/wits/brains/stamina

9 days left of real classes:
2 presentations
15 page paper
5 page paper
7 reflections
3 final exams

then, eight days to savor my last days here :D

Allí vamos...

I've become oddly adjusted to life here. Odd in the sense that it's become so very normal, I often forget that I'm abroad. It's (about) the same as the life of a college student anywhere- I wake up, go to school, maybe go to the library, see some friends, go to a devotional, go back home, etc. I guess after spending this summer in Central America and then coming back for this semester, it's become very familiar. Like anywhere, there are stressful days and then there are those moments that make an impact on one's heart. I'll share with you all a few of the things that I've seen or done here than have, for whatever reason, filled my heart with joy.

- A few weeks ago I got really sick in my Spanish class from a stomach bug that is going around the university. I had stepped outside the classroom around the end of class because it hurt so badly that I couldn't sit and bear it any longer. After class ended at 11:30, my professor came to look for me and then she didn't leave my side for around 45 minutes calling my host mom, consulting about which clinic to go to, making me chamomile tea, the whole deal. After all this (around 12:15) she starts to apologize profusely saying that she had to go because she was supposed to be at her daughter's school at 11:30 for a meeting. She didn't even say anything before! aww. She then proceeded to give me her cell phone number and get mine, and as promised called a few hours later to make sure I was ok.



- San Jose is certainly not the nicest city I've ever seen, and Costa Ricans themselves are the first to discuss it's grossness. It also happens to have some parts, like any city, which are on the not so safe side of things. Unfortunately, I was coming back from something and to get from where the first bus left me to where I would catch the bus home I had to walk through one of these parts. The road was a bit empty and as I'm walking I hear some guy behind me yelling random things and sort of following me. I walked faster. Then, I see ahead a group of three guys doing some construction on a house ahead and I got even more worried, especially since construction guys don't exactly have the best reputation. Walking by, I made an extra effort to look down and not make eye contact with the construction guys so they wouldn't start yelling things and at the same time try to ignore the random guy from before. As I passed, I heard one of the construction guys start to yell something but instead of being directed at me, he began yelling at the guy from before telling him to leave me alone and to stop scaring the girls as they pass. How refreshing! Thanks, construction guy. Way to break the mold.

- Walking under the orange trees on campus as the smell of the orange blossoms surround you.



- I was coming home on the bus one day and a young couple was seated on my right and an old feeble man was at the front of the bus. All three happened to get off at the same stop, and the couple, one on either side of him, helped him get down the steps and then walked with him across the street, making sure the cars stopped and waited patiently as he hobbled slowly across, laughing and talking with him the whole time.



- Seeing the junior youth working hard cleaning their school, painting, and having a wonderful time together


Two more things, (1) Puerto Rico was wonderful and beautiful and fun and relaxing and exciting and what I needed!!! Thank you so much to amy noodle, big al, and the Baha’i community for making it so.



Also, I have one month left. That. is. crazy. and I don't know how I feel about it..

catch-up

Many apologies to those who may be reading this little blog, for you've been left in suspense. Many apologies too, to you, blog, for my blatant neglect. Sometimes I really enjoy writing and sometimes, well sometimes i get lazy.

Goodness, so much has happened these past few weeks! Semana Santa was lovely. That's really the best way to describe it. Despite a few stressful traveling situations and many a bug bite (bug bites that still itch 2 weeks later!), I really loved it so much. I spend about 5 days in Progreso, a small village in a Guyamí indigenous reservation on the Panamanian border, staying with Anne and Parviz Ighani, two wonderful Baha'is wo have lived there for around 15 years. It was truly unbelievable and indescribably beautiful. I wish I could have taken a photo of every single view I saw for the whole five days I was there. Really. Incredibly. Beautiful. Life is simple there, with running water piped in from a nearby stream, a little bit of electricity at night from solar panels, all cooking done over a fire, and lots and lots of rice and beans. From the Ighani's house it's about a 30 minute walk/hike down the mountain to the Baha'i center. I was so lucky to be in Progreso for the Baha'i community's annual summer school; we all spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday together listening to talks, having discussions, helping with childrens classes, laughing, singing, socializing, etc. It was wonderful to get to know the community. They're very special, quite hilarious, and dedicated.









Wednesday I traveled back to San Jose to participate Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in a study circle of book 8. In the Baha'i community, study circles are gatherings in which we get together and study a workbook type thing with writings from the Baha'i faith. Together, we deepen our understating, share ideas, and gain skills for service. One of the quotations from the book, for example, is:

"The principle of the Oneness of Mankind — the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh revolve — is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with a reawakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious cooperation among individual peoples and nations. Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of one human family. ... It implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. ... It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world" (except, you know, in spanish. eek.)

Saturday I came back from the study circle and rested from my wonderful week. These weeks after Semana Santa have been a little challenging. Often I feel like I really would rather be here serving than having to study. After 15 years as a student, I'm ready to not have to do homework and stress about grades anymore. School has been getting more demanding, with lots of reading (don quixote!!) and many group projects (i think right now I'm working on 4), but I'm trying to stay focused and find a good balance. Last weekend there was a women's devotional at a young Baha'i couple's home in San Jose which truly was an uplifting, tranquil oasis in my week. Between the Persian food (yay!), the amazing company, the laughter, the singing, and the prayers, it turned out to be a spiritually reenergizing night. This weekend I have a few group project meetings and tomorrow I'm going to the huge farmer's market here. Next weekend I have field trips both Saturday and Sunday, one to a coffee farm and the other to a volcano and a zip line. Theeeeeeeeeen the next weekend (drumroll por favor) I'm going to visit amy noodle/noodle/lamey/my-blood-sugar-is-dopping-give-me-chocolate-now in puerto rico!!!!!!!! I can't wait. By that time, 2 out of the 4 of these projects will be turned in and I'll be able to relax a bit.

Pues, I'll stop myself from writing more. Ciao!

super-contenta.

of the many wonderful things about the fast, one is getting to see the sunrise :)


these are some beautiful trees in the park where many of the art festival performances are. don't they look painted? i love them...

I know I’ve been a bit of a slacker with this blog, but tonight I feel inspired to write! I’m so happy/joyous/excited/ full of love and gratitude. Tomorrow (and today after sunset, technically) is the Bahá’í New Year, Naw-Ruz in Persian. In the Bahá’í calendar, there are 19 months of 19 days with 4 intercalary days to fill out th3 365. So, there are 18 months, then the intercalary days, called Ayyam-i-Ha, then the month of fasting, and then the new year. Today, then, was the last day of the fast and tonight and tomorrow we celebrate the new year. Tonight we went to break fast at the house of a Bahá’í couple, which was so nice! There were people from all over the place, from Costa Rica, obviously, from El Salvador, from Canada, the U.S., Iran, etc. We all gathered, said a handful of prayers, and then ate. Guess what we ate? Persian food! You don’t know how happy I was to see some Adas Polo (rice with cinnamon, lentils, and raisins), Lubia Polo (rice with tomato sauce, green beans, and ground beef), Ghormeh Sabzi (a sauce of chicken or beef with kidney beans and tons of herbs, like parsley, cilantro, mint, etc), Ash-e-Reshteh (a soup with noodles, chickpeas, meat, and tons of greens and herbs), and Persian tea too! All that was missing was some good Persian yogurt, but I guess I can’t complain. My host family came, too, which was so awesome! Turns out one of the Bahá’í ladies who I actually had met in El Salvador was a student of my host mom’s like 18 years ago, and another person there was the mother of another of my host mom’s students. It was a fun night. Tomorrow afternoon is another Naw Ruz celebration in another part of town. This time is always a bit sad because although the fast is difficult, it’s a special time. Fun times, however, are on their way!

This week there is the Festival Internacional de los Artes here in San Jose so every day there are various theatre, dance, film, and music performances. Not this week but the week after is Semana Santa, which is a week where everyone has off school and work. I’m going for a few days to go visit a Bahá’í couple in Progreso, which is in southern Costa Rica close to the Panamanian border in an indigenous reservation. After that, I’ll come back and hang out here for a few days. Also, I’m going to visit Amy noodle in Puerto Rico at the end of April!!! Deciding to visit may just be the most spontaneous thing I’ve every done, but I’m pretty excited. So, yes, good things to come. In other news, I have nothing to take next year. Really, aside from Senior Seminar and Thesis, I think I’ve taken everything. I may be mistaken, but I went over it today and I think I’m done with major and GenEd classes. What do I take?? Well, I think you guys are just about caught up. Feliz Naw-Ruz!!

lists > paragraphs

Things I miss (from home):
- pancakes! mom's pancakes in particular, made from freshly ground barley flour, whole wheat flour, coconut flour, nuts, etc. yum.
- dad's homemade yogurt
- cardigans
- freely wearing havaianas. costa ricans are serious about their shoes...old navy/havaiana flip flops just don't cut it
- not being yelled/whistled at on the street
- clean-ish air...i breathe in quite a lot of exhaust during the day
- autonomy
- driving
- Persian food
- knowing my way around
- knowing lots of people around campus
- feeling academically confident (aka. not having to read 16th century literature in spanish)
- friends and family

Things I will miss (from Costa Rica)
- the Baha'i community
- public transportation
- exploring
- speaking Spanish
- the enthusiasm of my professors
- the weather
- the view from my balcony
- pops
- coconuts
- study abroad students
- walking/ being outside
- higher level of spontaneity
- friendliness
- social/ family cohesion in the culture
- having all my meals made for me and my laundry washed for me
- mangos
- the beach



Today is the second day of the fast :) Yesterday my 4:00- 6:30 class was cancelled which was really nice because sunset is right in the middle, which will be hard next week. Thankfully, I was able to just hang out at home and be sadly unproductive. Today's been a bit more difficult because I had to walk more, but there's less than four hours left before sunset, so it shouldn't be bad. My host parents have sweetly been sincerely trying to understand more about the fast, which is nice. Essentially, we don't eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. In Heredia, that's from around 5:50 am to 5:45 pm, but really the focus of the fast is more spiritual than physical. Here is a quotation about the perspective of fasting in the Baha'i Faith:

"It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul."




Ah, I love that (quote..and picture).

Ok, I better go start my homework! Peace.