I sent everone off on Tuesday and then headed back to Puntarenas. I spent the afternoon moving into my "casita". I am sleeping on the floor (Thank God I thought to bring my sleeping pad), I don't yet have chairs, a frige, or a place to cook, but... I LOVE IT!!!! At least, all the time I have spent in it, which hasn't been much.
I caught the 4am San Jose bus on Wed morning to go on a community tour organized by a university group. The tour was actually for a group of Salvadorans but they let me tag along. It was really an incredible trip. It was a lot different that what I have been doing as it involved zero tourists and a lot of 3rd world poverty.
The trip has had me thinking and is fanning the embers of my activist/revolutionary spirit. As the only Gringo in attendance, it was hard to hear that a good deal of the suffering has been affected by the medling and/or indifference of of other Gringos. We've known that on an abstract level, but it is different in person. I listened with compassion and humanity. The only time I felt shame was when someone told me that every other gringo they have told these things to has left the room and refused to listen. At one part of the tour, we all introduced ourselves and said what we bring to the group. When it was my turn, I said that I brought humility and friendship and that I hoped to be a voice. I later realized that I don't need to be a voice. They have their own voices, their own stories, they are not mine to retell. What I should have said, what I will say next time, is that I will do my best to teach my countrymen to hear.
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2 comments:
I promise not to leave the room.
Dee
Kelley, This writing left me with so many questions that I am pretty sure you can answer. Helping others to live a better life is the calling of every person on earth. With that said, I would like to have your insights into the lives of the people and what can we do to help.So I ask these questions: How have gringos affected the people of CR and what can be done to help them? What do they want from us, and who are the gringos who have hurt them (and where do these people come from)? What are the CR's doing to help themselves and what is the political structure of Costa Rica, ie, what will the leaders of the country allow? What are the political relations CR has with the US? How much money is the US giving to CR and where is it being spent, can the money be put to better use (I know that you rolled you eye upward and said "dahhh") Other than tourism, what other forms of income are there in the country and how can the US inport more goods and services that will provide more good paying jobs to the CR's? I look forward to hearing your response to these questions since we must understand the problem, before can we help solve it.
All is well here, I am working for Uncle Kevin on the construction site, our company did not get the job in CO so we will be here for at least 18 months.
Take care and be safe,
Love, Aunt Deb
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