Dad - Sunday July 29

Sunday July 29, 2007
Apartotel Sesteo
San Jose

Late Afternoon. Pool sounds outside. This morning at breakfast we heard English, Spanish and German, and French later today. So at least we are with the Europeans.

Thunder around us and lots of threatening clouds but no rain in our part of the Meseta Central today. The rainy season, it seems, means clouds in the afternoon – the mornings are bright and sunny. High temps in the low 80s and humid. I got up early this morning and walked around Sabana Sur, a pretty prosperous neighborhood judging from the cars locked into the car ports in the houses. In the parque Sabana at 7 am there were already joggers (including women – this is not like the rest of Latin America) and Basket players and tennis matches and dog walkers. The soccer players must sleep in.

Today was our return to Pavas and Proyecto Cristal – the Lutheran church project in the shanty town where Heidi works. We were Heidi-less however – she was held up in CA with expired passports (both Costa Rican and US) for son Johann. Her ending up with expired passports speaks to how she has become acculturated, I think.

Big Day at Iglesia Jesu Cristo Nuestro Refugio. There was a celebracion – perhaps to coincide with the Costa Rican holiday today (we think) that celebrates the annexation of Guanacaste from Nicaragua. The guest of honor was Juan Luis Rodriguez, former president of Costa Rican who was honored for his policies welcoming Nicaraguan immigrants into Costa Rica - the shantytown consists almost solely of Nicraguan émigrés. So we gathered for service in the church – which was roofless and floorless the first time we were there five years ago and now has a 2nd floor and running water. (This parallels the general progress of the shantytown – which is springing antennae and second floors and brick walls as the financial conditions of the inhabitants improves).

About 60 of us – the numbers kept increasing as the service went on – gathered for a very informal and spirited service led by Marco Gomez, Heidi’s Nicaraguan husband, whose white hair gives him dignity and booming voice and broad smile give him a presence that overshadowed el presidente. Marco and his assistant Sergio made a point of involving lots of parishioners - presumably poor working class folks - who were unfazed by their guest. El Presidente spoke at the homily about why it was important to welcome immigrants. I think his appeal was secular and his biblical allusions few, but I could not tell. He distributed communion with another woman in a serious respectful fashion, and his kiss of peace was a handshake, rather than the embrace and cheek kiss that everybody else shared (even Ben, who adopted quite easily but admitted it was a bit much). I was pretty impressed at this formal man – who drove by himself in a Hyundai SUV - mixing pretty easily con el gente in an iglesia in a favella.

After service he bolted quickly, so he missed the Nicaraguan folk dancers – who were mildly risqué for a church space and delighted the shrieking crowd – and the plates of chicharones, coffee cake, a potato like tuber and spicy cole slaw. (They made a point of serving us early).

We saw Marcy, our original cook and hostess the first time we came, and her three kids. Julio – who Ben played soccer with last time in the church space – has dropped out of school and at 17 does road work. Victor is now six and has is hair geled, and new daughter Stephanie is two. Marcy looked thinner and better dressed and she said her husband Francisco (not a church goer) has lots of work. That is a change from when we first came.

We were only there for three hours. The previous trips came back quickly – the walk down the train tracks from the corn meal plant, all the people on foot, the scrawny dogs. Rachel picked out from memory the place where we helped start out a second floor last time, and we reminisced about the heat and the work and playing with the kids. So it was good to reconnect and see how people’s lives have improved materially – but we missed Heidi and the chance to communicate more with the folks.

This afternoon Ben and I traipsed around San Jose tracking down bus options for tomorrow. San Jose remains a very utilitarian city – effective but with boring architecture. We had fun making our way about the city and I was reminded how much of travel is spent preparing for the transitions, especially if you are not renting a car. Tomorrow will be a long day.