Time

Drew: Even though we´ve only been here for 3 days, it feels like it has been a much longer time period than that. It seems like we are able to do far more in a day in Costa Rica than any day I´ve ever had in Los Angeles. I know part of it is living on a pretty strict schedule, and another part of it is that the sun rises at about 530am here... but there also seems to be a difference in the way time flows here. In LA, I feel like I never have enough time to do anything... there is a frenetic energy that constantly keeps people moving. However, in Costa Rica, it´s as if time gently coaxes you to get done the things you need to get done, but never demands it from you. I know that sounds way crazy, but it´ll make sense if you ever decide to visit.

We´ve been working in a kid´s home for the past couple of days, and my teammates have shared a lot about what we´ve done there, so I won´t rehash that. However, I will say that these kids... they are something else. As Dan remarked yesterday, they are probably the healthiest orphans he´s ever seen. Yes, perhaps they could use a bit more food, and the quarters are a bit cramped, but we all have noticed how much love there is in that home. And it really is a home... the woman in charge (people just call her ¨Tia¨ which means aunt) really, really loves all the kids. And there is an energy in that place where, even though most of the kids are not related, they all look out for and care for each other. It is a big family of 11 kids, and it has had a profound impact on me. Once I´m able to process this a bit more, I´ll go into more detail.

Finally, at the end of yesterday, we were able to draw pictures with the kids. It was fun trying to draw pictures of whatever they asked (Una girafa! Un caballo! Una mariposa!). I would have posted them on this blog, but after we drew each of the pictures, they stared at it for a very long time before taking it to their rooms. So for all my students, you know all those stick figures I´ve drawn on my white board? They are now posted up on a wall in a kid´s home in Costa Rica. What can I say... Soy un artiste excelente.