Costa Rica ~ Fall 2010: Paradise...or not

I am now not only back from Panama, but back from Costa Rica and Miami.
Time to catch up on a few things...

Panama was definitely an unforgettable experience. For 6 days 14 of us lived on islands in the Caribbean with the Kuna Yala indigenous tribe. We were expecting to spend those days playing with children in 100+ degree weather. What actually happened...we spent 6 days swinging in hammocks inside huts trying to stay dry and warm.

We survived a tropical depression.

For literally 6 days straight it rained. And not just rain, but down pours. What we saw was beautiful people living in a world of its own. It was the first time in history for the islands to have as much rain as they did. The islands were literally flooding. The dirt floors in homes turned into lakes. The roofs leaked. The men couldn't go fishing or go to the mainland to hunt or gather food. It was a problem. But they continued to show amazing hospitality.

There were 7 of us to each of the two islands. We all lived separately in huts with the families. My family was my dad-Emilio (44 years old), mom-Irasema (38 years old), sister-Aanetzl (4 years old), grandma-Florencia (56 years old) and grandpa-Eduardo (70 years old). My grandpa was a chief of the tribe on this particular island. Each island has their own set number of chiefs, called Silas, who govern that island. I lived on "Orosdup" which is translated to "Crab Island" and there are four Silas. To live in a house with one and have another one sleep in a hammock beside me, too, was really an honor. Not too many people in the world get to do that. Or even see a chief walk around in his green and white-diamond underwear in the house. As a Sila his job was to sing, so I often fell asleep to him singing away. That was if I could hear him over the singing Christmas tree lights, the singing Christmas card, the TV, and the boom-box all lined up in front of me, as well as the boom-box behind me all making noise at least a speaking volume. The more the merrier I guess. So yes, the island did have electricity. It may be the only one of the 36 islands that does. The generator went on at 6pm and generally turned off at 11pm, unless there was a death on the island in which case there is an all night vigil for 2 nights and the lights stay on til the sun rises at 6am, which happened twice, so most nights the lights were on all night.

Characteristics of the Kuna Yala:
Women wear the traditional outfit called molas. I'll attach a picture.
Their flag is the sign of a swastika, which was adopted long before the Nazis.
They have their tribal beliefs and their Christian beliefs due to Baptist missionaries.
They speak their own language...Igi be nuga? (How old are you?)
There is no word for thank-you....good would suffice (Nuedi. Nuedi.)
There is no physical contact between people, minus the kids who love to hang on you.
There are more albino kids in this group of people than any other in the world. Albino=lack of color in hair or skin so they have super white skin and super blonde hair. Generally poor vision comes along with it.
Each island has it's own tribal government. What applies on one island may or may not on another.
About 1,000 people lived on this small little island...but if 2-3 people sleep in one hammock, they don't really take up more space.
They live on the islands because the bugs are so bad on the mainland.
Typical meal is fish and plantain soup (unripened bananas basically) which has no flavor except the fish water it's in. Let's just say, I became really good at throwing up my food. I'm not a seafood eater and never desire to be anymore.
The adults charge $5 per picture you take of them, because tourists have come to the islands, taken pictures of them, and sold the pictures for big money around the world.
We went with a couple who are both half Kuna/half white North American and married. Which means they are trilingual and tricultural...Kuna, Spanish, and English. Leno has translated the New Testament into Kuna (took 12 years) and is currently in the process of editing the Old Testament with Wycliffe Translators.

Climate change is a big issue for these people. The sea level is rising and they are losing their islands. To have a tropical depression, too, was super hard on them and really incredible to live through. It's a reminder that our decisions back in the States do affect people all over the world.

How did it end? Good question. Due to the flooding, we had to take a dug out canoe about an hour and a half to another island in the rolling ocean waves. I was really praying that we wouldn't have to start bailing water out. It was as if Jesus could have walked on the stormy water and calmed the storm. We made it safely there and then waited two and half hours for our private plane to come pick us up. The road we took in was permanently closed (8+ days) due to washed out roads, etc., so we had to find another way out. I was okay with taking a plane, because of the three hour ride in the back of a truck, for an hour and a half I literally laid on my stomach on the seat and backpacks with my head out of the back vomiting. Way to car-sick. Also made a good start to the trip. Back to the plane. It was such a stark contrast to be able to call in a personal plane because we are Americans and have money and literally be rescued within about three hours, while Kunas themselves, were stranded on the islands. Even other tourists visiting near by islands were stuck at the airstrip for days waiting for a plane to come in. All in all, we made it safely back to Panama City. After going through de-licing and scabies treatment a warm shower felt AMAZING!

While this certainly felt like Survivor, except that we couldn't tell Jeff we wanted out, I did not see it as a bad trip. God allowed us to learn deep things in our struggles. To sit and be present and say nothing for hours was certainly one of those lessons. Even though communication was limited to those who knew Spanish (which a handful did), I had to learn to show my appreciation through other forms of communication--a smile and my presence. To see hospitality to it's fullness--the first night I slept in a different hut due to a leak in our room; the next day my grandpa went out in the pouring rain and fixed it so I could sleep at their house--was humbling. Hammocks are amazing and actually quite comfortable to sleep in. Just think how many people could actually sleep in your bedroom if there were hammocks hanging from the ceiling-way more efficient really. In reality, I was comfortable in my little hut and having that comfort along with relying completely on God got me through.

I may not have seen the paradise that the Kuna Yala live in but someday I will see the Kuna Yala in Paradise.

The next day back in Panama City we got to tour the Panama Canal, ruins of Captain Morgan (Pirates of the Caribbean), the french quarters (like New Orleans), a market for souvenirs, and the neighborhoods where the U.S. bombed some 20 years ago (the ghetto).

The following day we flew back to Costa Rica and repacked our bags at a retreat center after reuniting with the other 22 students who went to Cuba. At 3:30 am on Dec. 14th we left for the airport to fly back to the States.

Spent two days debriefing in Miami, which was 35 degrees F when we landed by the way, and then we all flew to our houses on Dec. 16th. My flight was delayed almost 3 hours from Miami to Minneapolis, so I made it home at what was 3:30am to my body. Thankfully all my luggage came and my parents were there waiting...and Erik came from out of nowhere and surprised me! So great to see my family again. I'll write again later about the transition of being home.

This week I have gone from supposed "Paradise" to a "Winter Wonderland."