January 2007
Costa Rica
This past November (2006) Costa Rica experienced some strange weather phenomenon. It didn�t rain nearly as much as it had the last year during the rainy season, and we experienced some very cold days. One week in November we had several very chilly days. I put on my long-sleeve shirt and sweater to stay warm. When I rode my bike home, the wind was extremely cold against my bare leg where I had rolled up my pant leg so that it wouldn�t get caught in my bike chain. I heard that it was the coldest November day in 25 years and the coldest day overall in 11 years; Costa Ricans were buying light scarves, hats, and gloves to keep away the chilly wind. The next day I glanced at the newspaper to see what the temperature had been on this unseasonably cold day, because it really had felt cold to me. The paper listed that day�s high. I converted the number it into Farenheit and was shocked to see the result�.around 63 degrees! My northern Iowa blood was embarassed. Sixty-three degrees in May is almost swimming pool weather where I come from!
I eventually adjusted to the temperature difference in the Midwest in December and January and enjoyed a few weeks with friends and family. I had a whirlwind of a trip, traveling to Iowa, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to try to fit in visits with a long list of people. It was wonderful to be back, catch up with everyone, relax, and celebrate the holidays. With the exception of the aforementioned surprises, being back in the United States was fairly natural and didn�t feel as strange as I had expected it would.
I returned to Costa Rica content and ready to make the most of the six months I had remaining (how did the time go so quickly?!). These six months promised to be full with the arrival of many delegations from the United States, as well as many other ILCO activities. The first delegation we had in 2007 was a group from North Carolina. They were a wonderful group and were kind and fun right from the start, but I came to a realization during their visit about my relationships in Costa Rica.
My schedule in Costa Rica has looked something like this:
September, October, November, December 2005: getting to know the ILCO, Costa Rica,
helping to host one delegation, and prep work for upcoming 2006 delegations.
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August 2006: Delegation season! The
ILCO hosted several groups during this time and my life was a bit of a whirlwind.
September, October, November, December 2006: recovery from delegation season,
vacation/travel, administrative/office catch-up, a couple of smaller delegations, prep for 2007 �delegation season.�
January � June/July 2007: My second �delegation season!�
As you can see, my schedule, and therefore my life during these two years, can be split up into different blocks, depending on the arrival of groups from the United States. This group from North Carolina was the first large delegation I�d had after my first initial run of groups that began my fourth month in Costa Rica. Since groups seem to come in blocks, it was the first group I�d had once adjusting more to Costa Rica and getting in some breathing space and regular living time after the first set of groups (life with delegations is not an average day, as anyone who has come on a delegation can attest).
In being with this group, I noticed a difference in my perspective than what it had been when I had been with the first group that had come a year earlier. When the first groups of 2006 had come, I felt a connection to them, as we were from the same country and culture. I was still getting to know the ILCO and the people at the ILCO, and while I was definitely a liaison between the two groups, I ultimately felt more comfortable with the US groups than I did with the ILCO community members. This definitely changed little by little as time passed, though I did not necessarily notice it. Yet, I distinctly noticed this change with the arrival of this January 2007 group.
For the group�s second day in Costa Rica we had scheduled a dinner with the local pastoral agent, Ruth. I had gotten to know the group fairly well in these two days and had already formed some friendships with the group members, but when Ruth arrived I felt as though someone from my culture/perspective/country had shown up. I felt the feeling of being accompanied by an old friend, of being in the presence of someone who knows me and understands me. I felt more in-line with her and the other ILCO community and staff members than I did with the majority of the members of that delegation and the delegations that have followed. I know where she is coming from and know we were on the same page. Of course, I still feel a connection with the US groups that come; the groups are full of wonderful and interesting people with whom I share a similar background and I enjoy getting to know and form friendships with them. It is a great part of my job that I get to meet and get to know so many inspiring people. Yet, I feel a sense of joy in knowing that I have reached that point where I can honestly call the ILCO a family.
January turned out to be a month of family�reconnecting with family in Iowa and Wisconsin, sharing laughs with �family� in Chicago, and realizing the �family� I have found here in Costa Rica. I can only hope that every year begins so full of family as this year has.