Points of View or Point of Views?

Last night, I met Lara downtown in San Jose to visit the french alliance house in the capital, and we saw a movie by Luis Buñuel. It was in french subtitled in spanish, but I understood the majority of it. The movie was called "Cet obscur objet du desir" or The Dark Object of Desire. It was weird, funny and interesting. If nothing esle it was a cultural experience to add to the arsenal when I hear someone speaking of their favorite french film "Cet obscur objet du desir" I can now comment intelligently (in English). After that we found a (the only) Irish Pub in San Jose and enjoyed a Guiness.
As for today, not too much new here; had an awesome breakfast this morning at Yami's house (co-worker at St. Francis College.) Every Saturday she has her family over for a huge brunch, and we are kindly invited. It was also a cool cultural experience to be speaking spanish and enjoying the local fare. It was interesting to hear their perspective on the US election coming up in ten days. The majority were pro-Obama and anti-TLC (trato libre comercio) or free-trade with the US. I remained relatively reserved and just listened to all their opinions to gather a new point of view. Similarly to the US/Mexican issue of immigration Costa Rica has their own issues with the people of Nicaragua immigrating to Costa Rica. You can travel anywhere in the world and I guarantee there will be immigration issues; for this reason i look forward to working with immigration policy after law school. The issue has been around since the beginning of time and I don't see it becoming less important or prevalent in the future. With that said, I am off to take a siesta...

To Turrialba...

Had an excellent weekend. Saturday, around noon, Laura, her sister and I headed to Turrialba to visit their family for the weekend. I work with Laura, and it was a nice gesture of her to invite a foreigner to the land to enjoy some local fare and a cultural experience. The trip to the house was about and hour and a half, but it was great scenery and solid conversations;learning new words and ways to phrase things. Upon our arrival, her mother and father were introduced, and then we had a top-notch "almuerzo" or lunch of chicharones (pork) rice, beans, platano maduros and some homemade fresco made from a sweet fruit called "cas." It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and the mountains that surrounded us made for a great vista. After lunch we headed around town, and later went to mass with all of the family. It was a good way to start the evening. After mass, we went to a little bar in the mountains and enjoyed the night.
Today, Sunday, I was awoken by the sweet smells of something cooking in the kitchen; it was a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto (rice and beans with seasoning,) eggs, tortillas and coffee made through a chorreador. A chorreador is an unvarnished 12 inch wooden frame with a round hole at the top where a wire rimmed cloth filter or strainer is placed. Fine ground coffee was placed in the filter and boiling water was poured in filtering down to the coffeepot below; it was one of the finest cups of coffee I've had.
This meal was a great precursor for an enjoyable day visiting the ruins of the Guayabo people who were the indigenous population of Costa Rica from 1000BC to 1400AD. The ruins were an awesome display of creativity of civilization before modern tools and technology. The Guayabo had advanced aqueducts and village housing for the people. It was awesome to see another ancient culture through what they had left behind.

"Sunday is the core of our civilization, dedicated to thought and reverence. "
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Back in 1952...

Today, I again traveled to Escazu to tutor the four children in English; it gets better each time I go. They are becoming more comfortable around me, and in turn I am able to teach more clearly. The week is going a little slower than usual, but then again we only have two days until the weekend; however, I do not mind work at all. There is one kid giving me a bit of a problem; but today for some reason he was well-behaved. I know he does not have a father figure at home, so it makes my approach a little different hopefully resembling a male role model. Knowing that, he in turn has made me more appreciative of the male role models I have in my life, namely my father.
In other news, I have a yearbook picture that perhaps ya'll will find funny...it is supposed to be me in the year 1952...enjoy.

Yazz Flute

Last night, we went to a cool jazz place in San Pedro called "Jazz Cafe." (not just a clever name.) It was interesting, we arrived around 845, and they said the set went on at 930, but in actuality it was 10. It was well worth the wait...a lot different from the "Green Mil" in CHI with Caitlin which consisted of a man improving on the trumpet. This band last night played funky jazz...similar to GAP Band, Earth Wind & Fire with a hint of Steely Dan. It was a most enjoyable evening.
Today was cool as well; met up with a friend for an "intercambio" close to the University of Costa Rica. It was nice to be near a college campus again to rekindle nostalgia of Mercyhurst. It was neat to see the universality of a college atmosphere...loud tunes, buku bookbags and beer. After that campus visit, I went to a bookstore and almost bought a book by Paulo Coehlo in spanish, but I resisted the urge to spend money; which is a difficult task for me. I read his book , "The Alchemist" about a month ago, and I loved it. Mike Sweeney gave it to me before I left, so I will leave you with a quote from it before I leave this blog entry.

"It was my fear of failure that first kept me from attempting the master work. Now, I'm beginning what I could have started ten years ago. But I'm happy at least that I didn't wait twenty years."
Paulo Coehlo (The Alchemist)

Midweek Rant

Wednesday night, feeling good. Two more days until the weekend, and it feels as if the week is flying by. Last night i traveled to Escazu to tutor English; pretty good trip, nothing too worthy of note. Although I am going to bring in an episode of "The Office" next week to watch with one of the kids so we can discuss the characters, plot and some colloquialisms...should be entertaining.
Today was a solid day, relaxing at work, although I was a bit tired. The perhaps highlight of the day is an email I received from Erin with an awesome quote. It is fitting for working with deaf children, and it goes as follows:

When it is genuine, when it is born of the need to speak, no one can stop the human voice. When denied a mouth, it speaks with the hands or the eyes, or the pores, or anything at all. Because every single one of us has something to say to the others, something that deserves to be celebrated or forgiven by others.

- Eduardo Galeano,
The Book of Embraces

Pondering Pic

Panda watch; the mood is intense. (Anchorman Quote.) Anyways, I am writing here on a Monday evening. I had my second sign language course tonight, and it was awesome. I am really digging learning another language; they say it gets easier with each new one, and I think "they" are right. "They" say a lot of things though.
Tonight I did some prep for the tutoring session tomorrow evening. It is going to be a long day, getting up early to workout because I won't be able to when I get home from work/tutoring because our community shares a meal a day; that is just a recipe for a solid slumber tomorrow night...got to find the positives.
In other news, Lara's prayer tonight was one of reflection, closed with a solid prayer from Pedro Arrupe, S.J. I'd like to share it with you all. Until next time...

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

Happy St. Francis Day

Today, October 4th, is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. In accordance with this, our community is going to the Friary across the street for mass at 4:00pm followed by what I am assuming will be a "feast" of a dinner...pun intended. Today was an excellent Saturday...slept in until about 10, made some banana pancakes with bananas from the banana tree in the backyard, and cleaned house. I saw a friend of mine from the gym while I was outside, and he invited us to a party tonight; maybe we will head there after the Francis Festivities.
Yesterday, our school went on a field trip to Cartago to interact and do some fun activities with the Cartago School for Deaf. It was an awesome time; i filled up about 134 water balloons, met some new people, and learned a little more sign language. Other than yesterday's field trip, and today's events, all is quiet on the Costa Rican front...

Here is a prayer from St. Francis to commemorate his day:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.