Jan 24
On the eve of the Immaculate Conception in San Ramón there is a very unique tradition. It has been happening for over a hundred years.
The tradition started with a family in the rural district of Piedades Sur when a lady named Paula Mesén decided to give to her neighbor María Vargas “melcochas “. Paula gathered the children from the neighborhood to go to doña Maria’s house and shower her with candy. An interesting fact of this first event was that it was held indoors because it was raining outside.
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Dec 15
Last week we celebrated the graduation party for the English community class. The class started in February and finished the last week of November.
The classes were held at night at the Universidad de Costa Rica, about half a mile away from the uVolunteer dorm. These classes are a part of the teaching English program and they are a great way to get involved in the local life and to make Costa Rican friends.
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Dec 05
In Thailand, Trat is considered one of the smaller cities. It is not considered a tourist destination, which most westerner’s would assume meant that it was lacking in culture and significant experiences. But in my eyes, Trat is the very essence of Thai culture. One of the most rewarding experiences on my journey so far has been the local market.
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Nov 28
Sometimes, I like not knowing the language here in Thailand. I enjoy being able to be invisible in the sense that I don’t hear people’s conversations, I don’t have to get involved in their daily dramas, and I am free to think my own thoughts and be left to them. At other times though, when out with friends or when trying to communicate with a student at school, I desperately wish I could speak Thai.
Luckily, we have been provided with an excellent language instructor here in Thailand. Meaw speaks about four languages in total, and is excellent at all of them. So when I ask her a question about the Thai language, or an English translation, I know she is an incredibly good resource (one which I utilize a little more often than necessary).
The lessons in Thai that we have been given are incredibly useful. I am using the words I learned daily, and knowing them have made life here much easier. Truthfully, I disliked the idea of the class at first, since I wasn’t here to learn, I was here to teach myself. But that arrogant attitude didn’t last long, and now I try to soak up as much Thai as I can, and I am practicing daily. It doesn’t come easily to me, but the most rewarding skills usually don’t. Overall, I have changed my attitude and am now anticipating the lessons rather than dreading them.
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Nov 24
Having had to sit on the train for 18 hours, I thought I wouldn’t have enjoyed Chiangmai that much, but I am now falling in love with its beauty and I don’t want to leave. Though there are many tourists here, I still can feel a lot of cultural and spiritual energy all over the place.
I got here a few days ago and am still enjoying Khum Meuang (the Thai Northern Language), going shopping, and the hospitality and history of Chiangmai. The main reason I am in Chiangmai is the Loy Khathong Festival which is coming up in a few days time. It is one of the must see festival in Thailand, after Sukhothai, Chiangmai is the most beautiful Loy Khathong festival.
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Nov 18
On November the 8th I visited Karina Hammond at her construction site. This is her third week of volunteering and building a house for a single mom named Adaleidy. Karina works with a wonderful group of people: Jorge, also known as Goku for his long hair, Carlos, Rafael and Eduardo, the foreman. Jorge speaks English very well and practices with Karina. He struggles a bit with her Australian accent but he understands a little bit more every day. Eduardo himself lived in the US for a little while, so he knows a bit of English too.
The construction project is part of the Costa Rica-Canada foundation and the community development association for Piedades Norte in San Ramón. They provide subsidies to low income families so they can build a house in a rural area which also avoids the overpopulation of cities.
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Nov 04
The Odwira Festival is celebrated by the people of Akropong-Akuapim, Aburi, Larteh and Mamfi in the Eastern Region of Ghana, 30 miles from the capital Accra.
The Odwira festival honors the traditional myths and legends of the people. It is also a period of remembrance of ancestors, a thanksgiving to the gods, and a period of renewal for families and society. Odwira Festival is a week-long series of traditions and rituals performed to purify the town, the people and most importantly, the ancestral Stools of the Chieves. It is also a festival to celebrate the harvest of “new Yams”.
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Oct 21
Last Monday, on October 17th, volunteers Karina Hammond, Marshall Owen, and Raili Marks and the uVolunteer coordinator of Costa Rica went to the community hall of Las Tres Marías in San Ramón.
The purpose was to take advantage of the national holiday and volunteer to paint the community hall. The Costa Rican government moved “Columbus Day” from the 12th to the 17th of October, aiming to increase the national tourism amongst Costa Ricans.
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Oct 17
On Wednesday October 5th we were contacted by Gail Keller, a counselor from Eugene, Oregon. She was visiting Costa Rica for a few days with her brother, husband and niece, and wanted to share the work she does with an orphanage in the US.
On this day, I met Gail early in the afternoon and took a taxi to the orphanage in San Ramón. The home is managed by Doña Roxiris and four tías (aunts) that also live in the orphanage.The home hosts twelve children who are no older than 13 years old. Our volunteers work in the orphanage helping with babysitting, cleaning, tutoring or just giving a hand with whatever is needed. The orphanage is funded by government resources for the protection of childhood and there is also a community group that also fundraises for the home. Volunteers work with the aim of making these kids life as good as it can be while being institutionalized.
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Oct 17
Almost 270 people have been reported dead from the major floods in Thailand, while 3.4 million acres of agricultural area is now covered by water. It is one the worst disaster in Thailand in the last 50 years. More than 30 out of 77 provinces are now under water. More than 700,000 families have lost their home and their family members. Some area has been under water over a month, and some areas have flooded twice this year. These floods in Thailand have badly affected the Thai economy.
The has been a lot of rain in Trat, where our volunteer dorm is based, but because Trat is located near the sea water can be drained to the sea and we have not been had experiencing any floods in the central Trat area. There are a few areas outside Trat that were flooded for a few hours.
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