Updates

Cassie, our Peace Corps contact in San Juaquin sent us the following message several months after we left Costa Rica:

Just want to let you know that the court is still filled with kids and adults all day and everyday. The balls are absolutely awesome as well, we have already worn down quite a few because they are never not on the court. The boys all still walk around in the uniforms which makes me smile every time I see those green shirts or shorts.

Reflections

After our long journey, we are now safely home! It felt wonderful to be back in the states and to be greeted by family and friends at the airport! It was an emotional time for Brian and I as we reflected on the week behind us and it felt satisfying to deliver everyone to their parents safe and sound.

I don't think we will soon forget the exhaustion our bodies feel from 5 days of strenuous labor, the kids wearing their new Scots jerseys with grins on their faces, Mo Mo, Tulo and the rest of the wonderful people of San Juaquin, soccer games barefoot in the rain (torrential downpour), the Peace Corp Volunteers (Cassie, Chris, Jarred, and Morgan), "piedra", "arena", rice and beans and the wonderful food prepared by Cassie's host mom, and the court that we were able to finish for the kids.

I am amazed at the connections you can make with people who don't speak the same language, and how quickly (in just a week) you can feel so close to them.
There are so many memories we will take with us and many things we have learned as well.
We have learned to be appreciative of what we have and how fortunate we are because of where we were born and all the opportunities that go along with that.
We have also been able to reflect on the things that are truly important to us in our lives away from the business of the day to day and the clutter of material things.
We have lived, "It is more blessed to give than to receive".

I can't help but feel as though each member of our group, who left just 9 days before, have been touched in some way by our experiences and by the people we met. As someone mentioned to me this past week, "I think 10 boys may have traveled south but 10 young men will be returning..."

Thanks for taking this journey with us! Buenos Dias!

The Journey Home

Well, 16 exhausted Gringos set out this morning at 5:00 am to begin the journey back home. Since a bridge on the main road to San Jose had collapsed earlier in the week, we were taking a more “scenic” route back to the airport. It started with a 2-hour bus ride to a ferry. After the ferry ride, we spent a couple of hours in a town on the bay, getting a bite to eat and taking naps on the beach.
Soon, we loaded up again and rode the remaining 2 hours into San Jose.



We were all wondering what our hotel would be like and were pleasantly surprised to find out that it is a comfortable, quant, bug free, place with plenty of dry towels. The rooms are beautiful, and some of them even have a TV and ESPN. : )
The hotel has a computer (which most of the boys already got on).
What a treat! A wonderful place to relax and reflect on the week!
We went to a pizza/pasta place for dinner than ended the night (if you weren't part of the poker game) before 9. Most of us are exhausted! As I speak, I have almost fallen asleep so many times that I continue to type the same line over and over again! I better get to bed so we can get up at 5 am and catch the shuttle to the airport.








We wanted to say thank you to all of the leaders and Peace Corp volunteers who made this trip a success! Everyone worked so well together! Thank you! Y'all are wonderful and we will miss you!











Well, it is time for me to join the others in getting some sleep. We are anxious to get home and to share all of our adventures!
Goodnight from Costa Rica!

P.S. I included the picture of the man with the machety. They do everything around here with them, including sharpening a pencil! : ) Haner, who the kids call "Grande", had his hand at it as well!

Day 6

What a day! Today was the day we’ve been waiting for, as we finished the court! After days of hard work, hot sunshine, lessons in Costa Rica “tico time” and plenty of adversity, we finally finished our project. The boys feel so accomplished, and are more than ready for no more rice and beans, no more dirty clothes, and no more smelly wet shoes! Even though we’re all excited to come home, it was still hard to say goodbye to the community tonight. After finishing the court, the boys ran home for a celebratory dip in the pool, and played the little kids at soccer again tonight. Quite a few town members came out to support and cheer for both teams, and it was such a wonderful way to wrap up our time in the town of San Jaoquin. We also passed out Shorecrest basketball uniforms to the local kids tonight. At first, the kids thought that we were just letting them try on the jerseys. When they learned that the uniforms were theirs to keep, a chorus of squeals and giggles erupted from the group, and we’ve never seen so many happy faces.

We have an early morning tomorrow, as we head to the beach, and then our hotel in San Jose. Please excuse our short post, but enjoy the pictures of our wonderful day! We’re not sure if we’ll have internet access tomorrow, so this might be our last post before we see you on Sunday. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey. We love you, and we can’t wait to see you soon!

We'll leave you with a quote that seems to fit our week perfectly!
“Find the thing that can and should be done
And we will find a way.” –Abraham Lincoln

Day 5

After we wrote last night, the unthinkable happened… our boys beat the local boys at soccer, 16-10! Way to go Shorecrest!

After the game, we spent more time hanging out with a few of the little kids. We’ve loved getting to know each of them better, and last night, they challenged us to arm wrestling!




Work today was difficult again, but for the first time, we could see progress being made on the court. Today marked our fourth day of hard work, and it was the type of day that really shows what you’re made of. We were all tested physically and mentally, and to top it all off, we were tired, dirty, and soaking wet (after the afternoon’s rain storm.) Amazingly, the boys, the adults, the Peace Corps people and the locals were all still in good spirits, and a real sense of camaraderie is being formed, both between us and the locals, and between the boys on our team. (Everyone has done a great job of not complaining.)




One thing that continues to amaze us is how the local kids are working right along side us. The smallest kids can push the largest wheelbarrows, and in bare feet!









Today's challenge that we had to overcome (as you know we have grown to expect things to not go as planned) came when we ran out of cement and money to buy more. But our Peace Corp Volunteer spent some time on the phone and within an hour or so more bags of cement were showing up.
Our original plans have had to change due to the progress on the court. Our original thought was to be done with the court today, spend some time "playing" at a beach or kyaking on Friday, running a basketball camp on Saturday, then leaving for San Jose Saturday afternoon.
Instead, we will wake up tomorrow for our 5th work day and try to finish the court. If all goes well, we may be able to hold a modified basketball camp tomorrow afternoon.

Our plans have also changed a little surrounding when we leave for home. We learned this morning that a bridge in the Nicoya Peninsula (where we are) was washed out today. It's the only bridge off of the peninsula, but we can also drive around the peninsula, or take the ferry. Both options will cost us lots of time, but will still get us to San Jose for our flight. We're now planning on leaving early on Saturday morning, so we can make it to our hotel in San Jose on Saturday night. We're disappointed to leave the town (and our new friends) early, but we've become experts on going with the flow, and accepting the challenges of a developing country. (We're also excited to come home to hot water, pizza, and TV, so we don't mind a change of plans - as long as we get there!)





The ladies were able to sneak away for a few moments today to visit the local elementary school. The kids were so excited to show us around and we loved seeing their classrooms.



A message to the parents from the Coach:

I wanted to let you know what a pleasure it has been working with the guys this week. I’m sure that you are enjoying the photos, but they don’t paint the whole picture. What you don’t see is the intense heat and humidity that beat down on these guys every day, then add in the afternoon rain which has left us soaked to the bone after every work day. I would like you to know that these guys have more than risen to the challenge and have been working like hardened men. They are strong and steady and have learned to be proactive workers who see what needs to be done and do it. They have worked through nagging pain and injuries (nothing serious), but continue to remain optimistic and never complain. I do not have the words to express how proud I am of these guys.