St. Christopher's visits Costa Rica: Day 6 - April 17, Tour of Boruca Schools, ESL Center, Medical Clinic, Museum, Drive to Dominical

Breakfast at 6:30 by Don Ismael's wife Margareta was fantastic of course. I am getting so spoiled having hot breakfasts prepared for me! Then we went up to the primary school - by the way school in Costa Rica starts at 7 am! - to deliver all our school supplies. Since there is no teacher at the moment for the ESL program, all the supplies except for the books and placemats went to the regular school program. We then got a list from the kindergarten teacher of supplies that are needed - this was hard work as she did not want to ask for anything - and it made her cry! We also met Kevin from Maryland who is working in the school for a year. He brought some students to meet us so they could ask us a couple of questions in English. The children are all so polite and it was a delight to look into their classrooms. We then went to the High School - which was strangely quiet. It turned out that the teachers were on strike - and had been for 22 days - because there was a glitch in the accounting system and they were not receiving their pay! And this had been going on since September. The principal of the high school, Leo, was working and he spent a lot of time with us. He would not ask us for any supplies as he firmly believes in "teaching someone to fish, not giving them a fish". However, there may be some ways we can help with their organic gardening and other practical projects they are developing. Leo took us to the computer lab - a wonderful room - set up in 2003 as part of the Disc World program - maybe 2 dozen computers, 3 air conditioners (the only ones in Boruca), a smart board - AND NO INTERNET CONNECTION! Service is available but costs $250 a month. I guess governmental "logic" is the same all over the world?! In Leo's office he showed us some carvings and a banner made by Oliver. He then gave me the carved gourd and said that the spirit of the Boruca would travel with me in that gourd wherever I took it - and I was to take it to the church. I felt so inadequate with my lack of Spanish in trying to talk with this humble man who seemed to be carrying the heavy burden of looking after his school at this time. We then go back to Margareta's and hear the story of the formation of the Women Weavers Co-op. We go into our respective homes for lunch, delicious of course! - and then across the street to see the ESL classroom in the Community Center. A very simple but beautifully appointed room - and Matias said to me that Wendy looked quite at home there! Then we found the little museum that told in pictures, artifacts, and replicas, some of the history of the Boruca culture. By now Don Ismael's 7 year old granddaughter Genesis was following us around, and when she suddenly took my hand as we walked I knew that I would definitely be coming back to this place again! Anthony observed that these people are probably happier than a lot of people because they live simply in extended family groups in beautiful countryside, and not a lot of "stuff" to worry about. We also visited the medical clinic as the nurse was now back from her rounds. It was more than I had hoped for, and yet still not adequate - she had no medicine for children's fever and pain. Matias got a list from her of needed items and he was going to ship them back to her from the city. It was now time to say our good-byes, leave our new friends, and head for Dominical. The drive out of Boruca was absolutley breathtaking. The winding red dirt road is on the top of a mountain ridge and the view on each side was worth many a gasp. Eventually we were on flat ground and Don Antonio asked Matias what river we were beside - to which Matias replied - it is called the Pacific Ocean! So we arrived in Dominical to see the sun setting gloriously on the ocean.