I may be going back to the States early. My allergies have gotten so bad here that sometimes it's hard to breathe - and that's not a good sign. So in case I leave earlier than planned, I wanted to remark on something that I have found to be especially beautiful in my time here.
Even being here for just three and a half weeks, I have come to understand the workings of this community, the daily reality of peoples' lives here - if not completely, at least a little bit. This is not the beachy, fun, easy part of Costa Rica. We are up in the mountains, where it rains all the time, and the ground is covered in mud, and there are few government services, sometimes the water goes out, the roads are still in disrepair from the earthquake, some people still don't have homes. There are a lot of things that could leave a lot of people dissatisfied, always wanting more, better.
One of the girls who goes to the ADE school, Kati, has really bad allergies too. But she just lives here, and goes on. One of my friends, Lidia, who I lived with for my first few days here in Costa Rica, told me all about her life and, man, has it been tough. She has had thirteen surgeries, all far away from her home, in a hospital down in the city. There was even an earthquake during one of her stays in the hospital. After she told me about all the things she has been through, she told me that she never once thought to herself, "Why me, God? Why me?"
I think people here do struggle. And I think they are also uplifted, mostly by their neighbors, by the little things that they take time to be grateful for each day. So, as I observe life here, I think "how hard - how hard to have to go through this." And then, I try to see things through their eyes and try to understand their attitude and their approach to life. And I have grown to really respect the way they always manage to find beauty in the people and world around them and how grateful they are for everything they have.
The "modern world" really does feel separate. Life is so unique here. Or at least certainly different from other places in which I have lived.
There is one thing that does make me really sad. Just like it may be hard to picture this world when you are outside of it, it may be hard to see beyond it when you live inside. Some kids here see no point in going to school...they don't see the value in it. They don't think of going to college. They live wholly inside this world. And that makes me sad, because there are really smart kids here, who could do whatever they want, whatever they could dream up in their heads. Some of them do really want to go to college - some even traveled 45 minutes away everyday to attend high school, before ADE started its school here, nearer to their homes. But it's definitely a mix.
And so, it's really beautiful and inspiring that many people here are so satisfied, contented, and grateful with what they have...but I also hope the kids aren't so complacent that they don't dare to dream about what may be possible, what they themselves might be capable of. And I hope that they will find ways to reach for their potential.
No comments:
Post a Comment