Bridges & More Newsletter # 8: 12/05/07: Building a Church

Village fairs with soccer and horse games, hand-ground corn tamales and other favorites--old and young come together to raise money to complete the new church.

Village women work to prepare

theTamales de Navidad.

Above right, Village teens compose the menu. Above, Julie lends a hand at the feria.

Above are some pictures of San Josecito's inhabitants working to bring in money to finish building their church. One favorite method is to host a feria, or a day when folks from surrounding villages visit for soccer matches (San Josecito is the blue team!), horse games, and lots of good food prepared by the village women who begin two days in advance by cooking and grinding the corn that will comprise the tamales de Navidad, a traditional Costa Rican favorite. Below, find our most recent newsletter.

Greetings Friends,
I find myself still in the U.S. as a result of my long-time canine companion’s health. Around Thanksgiving I thought I would have to put him down, and as I didn’t want to do anything under a time pressure, I decided to postpone my return to Costa Rica until January 2, 2008. The Cape is beautiful this time of year in any case, and Najuk seems to be rallying!

One major victory since I last wrote is that we’ve managed to attain non-profit status as a public charity after a year of back and forth with the IRS. This means that contributions can now be listed for tax purposes. Past contributions are retroactive, but claiming deductions on them would involve amending your previous tax returns, so unless you need to do so anyway, it’s probably not worth the time or expense.

At our October board meeting two new officers joined us: Wendy Palliser will serve as our new secretary and Sarah Robinson has agreed to be our treasurer. Additionally, Ken Horton stepped down to allow Julie Rich to serve as a board member. Thank you Ken for all your help; and welcome to Wendy, Sarah and Julie. At this same meeting we agreed to lend our support to San Josecito’s efforts to build a new church. The old one was torn down last year due to structural problems that made it unsafe. The community has raised money in whatever way it could (including making and selling tamales where the corn is ground by hand!) to get a new church started.

I hope you’ll go to the blog (http://bridgesnmore.blogspot.com/) and take a look at the women grinding corn, the old church, and the process of putting up a new one. Bridges & More will donate an immediate $500.00 toward construction costs; and Julie Rich and Wendy Palliser are organizing fund-raising efforts to raise more for the Church Fund. Ronny Duarte, who is leading the church effort in San Josecito, estimates that they need only about $5000 more in materials to complete the church. Much of the labor is being provided by local citizens, although an architect and professional building crew were involved in the initial phases of construction. One anonymous donor has already given $1000 to the church fund, so we only need to raise $3500!

I need to confess that in conducting business for Bridges & More I have ignored the village’s need for help with the church for a full year! This was because I had my own ideas and prejudices about our being a secular organization, not a mission. Slowly I’ve come to see that the church is the center and heart of the community; and that to hold onto funds that could not at present be used for bridges is sheer stubbornness on my part! Now I’m excited by the prospect of really being able to serve the community.

The other project I look forward to upon my return to Costa Rica is the orchid farm. Carlos Rojas has developed a small business plan whereby Bridges & More would provide materials (either as a grant or as a lone) for a local family to construct a greenhouse to raise orchids to sell, and possibly even to export at some point in the future. Carlos himself would supply the plant stock and expertise in the process of cultivating the orchids.

When I return it will be vacation time in Costa Rica—children there get their “summer” break in January, and progress to a new grade in February. Vacation is one of the critical times for river protection, and I look forward to working with the village to help organize (and finance) a river patrol. Last year we gave $100 to the patrol during Semana Santa, and due to village contributions and careful management almost $50 of that remains. This year we’ll be organizing and funding for both the January vacation and Semana Santa in April.

Should you wish to make a contribution to the Church Fund, checks should be made out and mailed to:
Bridges & More Inc.
P.O. Box 1642
North Eastham, MA 02651-1642
Please be sure to write “Bridges & More” on the envelope rather than my name, because I won’t be here opening my mail: my roommate will be forwarding all checks to Sarah Robinson.

I send all of you my best wishes and thanks for your support and interest over the past year. Bridges & More is evolving as we come to understand more about the community and Costa Rican culture. I welcome your thoughts and ideas, either by email or on the blog!
Con mucho gusto,

Elizabeth Kushigian

We Begin our Second Year!

We began our second year last night with the second annual board meeting. Naturally we buzzed through the business stuff as quickly as we could: elections (we have 3 new members, and one former member has stepped aside); financial report (since we haven't built bridges, operating expenses have been light, so we're starting the new year with a good reserve), and ratification of a few minor changes in our bylaws to address questions posed by the IRS regarding our tax exempt status. Anyone interested in details can contact me at ekushigian@comcast.net or

bridges.more@yahoo.com .


Then we moved on to the interesting part: discussing new projects. The image above is of the church that was the center of San Josecito when I arrived three years ago. Though lovely, it was structurally unsound and has since been torn down. The people of the pueblo have been without a church for about a year now as they struggle to raise money to build a new one. Every few weeks one of the women will host a gathering to make traditional tamales (known as tamales de Navidad). 500 colones (less than $1) buys a package of two delicious tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Proceeds go to the church effort. It's a slow endeavor, and though Bridges & More is a strictly secular operation, I have begun to appreciate the importance of the church as a village center, and would like to help the effort along. I raised the possibility of giving some money to the church fund last night, and the other board members were enthusiastic. We're going to give $500 immediately upon my return to San Josecito in late November, and Julie & Wendy will be looking into fund-raising possibilities here in the U.S. I'll be in touch with Ronny to see how much is needed to finish the job, and let you know! Meanwhile, the pictures below record progress on the new church.

Bridges & More Non-Profit Status

We've just received an advance ruling of non-profit (public charity) status from the IRS. Any contributions anyone cares to make from here on in will be tax deductable!

A Quick Update

I've just posted all the newsletters since they began last November. From now on the most recent newsletters will be toward the top of the page, but I posted the past letters in the wrong order. So, for clarification, the most recent newsletter is # 7, and you can click on it at the right.

Bridges & More Newsletter # 1: 11/20/06

11/20/2006

Hello Friends,
For those of you who attended the Bridges & More Inc. fundraiser last Thursday, you know it was a great success. I’m at the airport now, soon to depart for Costa Rica. I hope I’ll have progress to report soon. I want to thank everyone who attended and all who in so many ways helped make the evening so enjoyable.
Those of you who weren’t able to attend fall into two categories: those whom I’ve already contacted about the new nonprofit, Bridges & More Inc., and those friends and family who are probably wondering what’s become of me.
To this latter category, I apologize and plan to fill you in soon: i.e., stand by!
If anyone who receives this would like to be off my mailing list, please let me know.
Once again, Thanks!
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Kushigian

Bridges & More Newsletter # 2: 12-16-2006

Greetings from my tiny house on the river. I’ve not been able to spend much time here what with dental appointments in San Jose and a long string of car problems that are eating my money faster than I can withdraw it. Evening is falling now, the river roars, the insects hum, the birds sing. Soon the night will be filled with fireflies and the clink of glass frogs.

Carlos and I met with a young architect (Javier) who comes from a campesino background and seems enthusiastic about helping with the project. He has offered two possible designs for the main footbridge, and will be visiting San Josecito on Saturday to see the locations for the bridges. Meanwhile we came south to San Josecito and met with Alvin, Luis, y Ademar Nunez—three brothers from the main family living above the point where the river crosses the road. They have managed to get quite a few materials and more promises from the municipality to help them build one of the bridges. That leaves two other bridges.

As we talked it became apparent that their preference is to have the main bridge across the river be one that would accommodate small vehicles, and that there are more North Americans above where they live who would be interested in contributing if they could use the bridge for their cars. They assure me that the bridge would be specifically designed so as not to allow the large vehicles necessary for development. Additionally, Alvin tells me that money from the municipality has been promised for this purpose but never delivered. I’m hoping we can get to municipality headquarters Friday or Monday to answer some questions.

Carlos and I went with the Nunez brothers to explore the site of the main bridge, which is about 25 meters above where the river crosses the road. We took photos and got coordinates for Carlos to take back to the engineer and architect in San Jose.

I have visited a lawyer to get a “sister” corporation (“Puentes & Mas) started so we can have a Costa Rican bank account from which to draw funds. The application has been submitted and the business entity should be official in about 30 days. In addition the lawyer will prepare a document to sign for the owner of the land where the bridge will be, thus securing a right-of-way that will endure in the event the land is sold.

Carlos and I visited the third bridge location for the first time and it turns out there is already a very rudimentary footbridge, but it’s not adequate for the needs of the family whose mother is quite ill and disabled. Getting to and from the bridge was tough enough even for me, what with slippery mud paths and a steep grade.

Finally, the Nunez brothers are deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the river. In addition to compromising the river by plowing loads of earth into it, North Americans have brought in a lot of “Tico” laborers from outside the area. Now word has gotten out that the Morete is a great river for camerones (fresh-water shrimp), and people from outside the community are coming in with nets and poison to get the freshwater shrimp. Although there are laws against this, the local agency responsible for enforcing these laws is corrupt and only operates for pay-offs. For this reason the Nunez brothers would like to have a meeting with everyone in the community about measures we can take to ensure the safety of the river. Perhaps this will involve hiring a couple of local people to patrol the river during the upcoming “summer” (i.e. dry) months.

Dee and John Portnoy from Wellfleet are here right now and Dee will be doing a photo journal project with some of the elementary school kids tomorrow and Friday. I’ve met a teacher from a special science high school in San Isidro who is interested in pursuing an email exchange between his students and those at the Lighthouse Charter School.

I hope to mail this to everyone in one fell swoop. I had to send out the last letter one by one due to problems with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office. I’ve started an email account with Yahoo (bridges.more@yahoo.com) and am trying to get all the addresses transferred over there. Maybe tomorrow—I made pretty good progress today before the connection froze!
Merry Christmas everyone, and I’ll write more in the New Year if not before!

Hasta luego,
Elizabeth

Bridges & More Newsletter # 3: 1/26/07

Bridges & More Newsletter # 3 1/26/07

Greetings from San Josecito. I’ve just read over the letter from December 6, and I must admit progress has not been swift. It seems that nothing happens quickly here, except when it does, and that’s usually when you’re least expecting it, and often something you’d rather not have happened!

It appears almost certain at this point that municipality money (about $36,000) will fund the bridge where the river meets the road. I’ve been hounding the Nunez brothers to get a firm commitment (in writing) from the Alcalde (mayor), but attempts have been delayed by a public service sector that doesn’t return from Christmas holidays until sometime the second week of January, then by the fact that this particular Alcalde has just been elected and had to spend his first week back doing some sort of official swearing in and training in San Jose. Now the brothers are busy harvesting their beans. Oh well.

Javier, the architect from UCR, did visit, though some weeks after expected, and together we visited both the road/river site and the site at Isidro Nunez’ (where the mom is sick and they have only a flimsy hammock bridge). We met Geovanny, one of Isidro’s sons, and he announced that his family too wishes to have a bridge to allow them access by car. They are thinking of selling a small portion of their large farm to finance the bridge. I’m sure they’d welcome some help from Bridges & More. I’ll be meeting with them soon to determine how we can best be of service.

Bridges & More sister organization Puentes & Mas had its first board meeting January 6. We were fortunate to have Kristin Knowles and Tom Fettig from B&M board with us. We agreed that protecting the Morete River, which runs through San Josecito, is of the highest priority. To this end we will make signs to place at the entrance of the road, at the salon (a sort of community center) and at all the places where folks most often access the river. In addition we will have volunteers and perhaps even some paid local folks patrolling the river on the days when problems most often occur. We’ll be talking to everyone who lives or brings workers into the road to enlist their help in keeping an eye on river activities. Problems we’re hoping to control are littering, and illegal fishing procedures including harpoons, spear guns, nets and poison. I finally tasted one of those freshwater shrimp one night (they’re caught by hand at night with use of a flashlight!) when Luis went down to the river to check on some strangers who were parked near my house. He brought one back and I cooked it in olive oil and garlic, and I can see what all the fuss is about! Delicious!

The lawyer assures me corporation papers are almost ready, so soon I’ll be starting a bank account. I’ll also be getting a little house ready for Julie Rich, Todd Schwebel, and their two children. Julie and Todd are active members of Bridges & More and will be helping me get some other projects (such as the clay oven and a bamboo-construction workshop) off the ground. Additionally, Beatriz Picando (one of San Josecito’s inhabitants) has expressed interest in growing organic vegetables to sell in Uvita. She plans to use bamboo troughs as reservoirs for soil. We’re also discussing the best location for the clay oven, and will be working on that when Julie and Todd arrive. And I'm making plans for a bamboo building project that may serve as a workshop to teach the skill to some local folks.

I’ve finally found a reliable internet connection in the area. I’m writing from the Toucan Hotel, where the connection seems always fine and they’re even polite! What a find. Meanwhile, the simple acts of living seem to take a lot more time here. I have found and purchased two used solar panels, and now must find batteries, converter, regulator, etc. Who knows, I might have lights and refrigerator soon! I’ve also passed an impossible amount of time in the inflated bureaucratic maze that seems to be the downside of Costa Rica’s government. Everything requires permits, and every permit requires certified copies of everything you can imagine, and trips to lots of distant locations to get them.

Best wishes to all for a happy New Year. I hope to have more news next time!

Elizabeth

Bridges & More Newsletter # 4: 2/12/07

Freya & Juliana
Bridges & More Newsletter # 4 February 12, 2007

I’m sitting in a small pink room just over the Panama border taking ineffective swipes at a couple varieties of biting bugs. February 19 will mark 3 months in Costa Rica, and that’s the limit; so I’m taking a 3-day vacation.

Yesterday Bridges & More made its first official small business loan. Beatriz Picado Rodriguez has been working with great determination to erect the structure she’ll need to grow organic vegetables and medicinal plants from seed. She’s accomplished an incredible amount with the help of Ronny (her husband) and his brother Jose Delfin (see attached photos). Now she needs a few items to finish up and get started. We’ve been able to give Beatriz the $200 she needs, thanks to your generosity. When I return to San Josecito Todd, Julie and I will be helping to make the stairs to more easily access the nursery.

Julie, Todd and their two children Zeno and Freya from Truro will be landing in San Jose today. After a brief stay with friends in Alajuela they’ll get the bus to San Isidro. I’ll meet them there and hope we can fit five people and six suitcases in my Land Cruiser. The children will be attending the tiny school in San Josecito, while Julie, Todd and I are working on Bridges & More projects. Julie has volunteered to help make signs both for Puentes & Mas efforts to patrol the river, and to help the Duarte brothers’ local ecotourism business Oro Verde.

Meanwhile, Alvin Nunez is eager to learn about construction of houses and furniture from bamboo. We visited a family business near San Isidro that grows bamboo, makes furniture, and also provides design and construction of bamboo houses. Shortly thereafter I was fortunate to meet Martin Coto and his wife Grace Lizano. Martin is a renowned designer and builder of bamboo structures, and he and Grace travel throughout the world building and giving workshops. I explained to them the difficulty the local people face: workshops are expensive and require them to be away from their source of income for days at a time. As a result it’s hard for them to attend, even when partial scholarships are offered. Grace and Martin themselves have been disturbed by the lack of local attendance at their workshops: most of the attendees are people from outside Costa Rica. They seemed enthusiastic about the possibility of doing a project that would involve local folks. More about this as it evolves.

The clay oven idea may go on hold for want of interest among the residents of San Josecito. Originally Beatriz had been interested, but now the nursery will be taking all her extra time. Another idea has found an enthusiastic recipient: our friend Carlos from San Jose has volunteered to research the possibility of growing orchids for export. Guiselle, who lives high up above the river, has lovingly tended a spectacular variety of beautiful plants in her yard for many years now. She is very excited to learn more about growing orchids. A meeting between her and Carlos is in the works.

February 19: It was SO nice to get out of that little pink hotel room and back to my casita with its cool morning breezes and birdsong and roaring monkeys! Julie Rich, Todd Schwebel, and their two children Zeno (7) and Freya (5) have arrived. The children are already making friends with local children, and Ronny Duarte’s family (Ronny, Beatriz, Ronny’s mom dona Eida, and their two daughters Fabiola (7) and Samanta (3)) have opened their home and welcomed Julie, Todd & children as part of the family, just as they did for me almost three years ago. And today Tom Hemeon from Lancaster, MA arrived. Tom is a gifted mechanic and will be helping to train Luis Nunez who has long wanted to branch out from his welding to include auto mechanics. Good auto mechanics are almost impossible to find in Costa Rica, and if Luis can get this skill down he’ll have a lot going for him. He’s got incredible potential: even without training I trust his opinion and work on my ’79 Land Cruiser more than almost anyone else.

Luis and Alvin Nunez have begun doing some volunteer river patrol, and word is getting out that the Morete River in San Josecito is watched. This in itself has cut down on the number of visitors who engage in undesirable behavior.

This Saturday Beatriz, Julie, Elizabeth, Todd, and our new friends and supporters Francine & Alberto will attend an educational fair about organic gardening and sustainable farming. Then on Monday Puentes & Mas will have its second meeting. We’re looking forward to having a representative from the Isidro Nunez family, one of the community’s families most isolated by the river. I finally overcame my shyness and hiked up to their lovely farm—and it was quite a haul! I met dona Ester whose legs keep her from leaving the farm, and got to know her two high school aged daughters Milena and Leticia a little better. Milena shows real promise as an artist and has agreed to help Julie with sign-making. The family is badly in need of a bridge-- their current hammock bridge is the one you see here on the front of the blog page. It’s structurally unsound, and because of dona Ester’s health they need something a car can get across. I explained to dona Ester that though Bridges & More can’t afford to supply a bridge for cars, we could contribute some money towards it, and architectural and engineering designs as well. Julie, Todd and I are looking forward to returning to their farm to check out their hydroelectric system: I saw a little part of it, but didn’t really understand how it worked.

I’ll stop here as it’s getting late.
Saludos from San Josecito,

Elizabeth

Bridges & More Newsletter # 5: 4/6/07

Bridges & More Newsletter # 5: 4/6/07

Greetings from the USA.
Life is sure easy here! Cars start every morning, roads are paved, stores have parking lots, you can buy anything you want at the click of a button, lights illuminate at the flick of a switch…I’m in danger of growing lazy. It’s a good thing I’m going back on May 1, hopefully with taxes and all other USA business squared away!
The first thing I noticed on getting home to Cape Cod was how quiet
and brown it is here. My ears have grown used to a cacophony of river, birds, insects, howler monkeys and the sound of small creatures scurrying over the corrugated metal roof; my eyes to a riot of greens and reds.
The last newsletter was well over a month ago. Much has happened and much has changed in my apprehension of what Bridges & More can and cannot do in San Josecito. But before going into that, I want to report the biggest change: Julie Rich, Todd Schwebel, and their two children Zino (7) and Freya (5) from Truro, MA arrived in Josecito in February, and have since been working tirelessly on various projects. Julie has employed her artistic talent to help make signs for Oro Verde, the local ecotourism business run by San Josecito’s Duarte family. She put in long hours preparing for the local fair to pay for the new church the community is building. For me she has been the voice of reason and hope, telling me when I’m doing too much, helping me focus on one or two things at a time, always there to lend a hand. And Todd: in addition to refurbishing the small house they occupy, Todd has helped me with my car, built a desk in my kitchen where I can do the work of Puentes y Mas, put up my hammock, helped troubleshoot problems in my new solar electric system, and built tables for a project I’ll be describing below. Thank you Todd and Julie!

Now, about those bridges…we may have to change our name to just “& More,” or (my sister’s suggestion) “No Bridges But Lots More.” It looks as though the municipality is finally going to build that bridge they’ve been promising for ten years where the main road meets the Morete River. It will be a small bridge for cars, and they don’t need our help! I like to think that our presence and the hope & confidence we were able to give the Nunez family, along with visits to the municipality to request accountability, at least partially account for this development. But it may have happened anyway. The important thing is that the bridge should be ready in six months, and that will be in plenty of time for Stephen Nunez to start school next February.
The other bridge project was to allow the Isidro Nunez family access to the road, schools, and hospital. After the first meeting of Puentes y Mas (B&M’s sister organization in Costa Rica) it became clear that the family needs a bridge for cars if they are to remain on their land: Dona Ester is just not capable of that slippery, muddy trek down the hill to a footbridge in the winter rains. Bridges & More was able to offer an architect and engineer from University of Costa Rica, and a small amount of money for this bridge, though we could not finance the whole thing. Unfortunately legal questions involving easements have complicated things, and Isidro has chosen to finance the bridge himself by selling lots on his property. We wish him well.
SO! With no bridges to build we find ourselves in an excellent position to move on to the “& More” part of our tasks. The new sister organization, Puentes y Mas, is beginning to take on a life of its own: in addition to Bridges & More's stated goal of providing loans for small local businesses, Puentes y Mas voted at its first meeting to devote some of its efforts to protecting the community’s Morete River. This river is a real jewel, filled with large fish and fresh-water shrimp, deep cool pools and rushing rapids. As nearby land has been bought and developed, careless construction of roads and home sites has caused a tremendous amount of earth to be washed down the surrounding hills into the river, reducing its size and compromising its purity. Additionally, construction crews from other areas have been imported, so word of this lovely river and its resources has spread far and wide among Ticos. As a result Rio Morete is in danger of being over-fished, and illegal methods (including harpoons, nets and poisons) are being employed by visitors from other areas.
At the suggestion of Alvin and Luis Nunez, Julie made signs to put at the main entrance points to the river. These signs prohibit undesirable and illegal activities. Puentes y Mas held a community meeting at which the residents began to organize a widespread effort to protect the river, including trips to the police and Environmental Ministry (MINAE) to request patrols and support. Additionally, Bridges & More helped the community pay one of its residents (Geovanny Nunez) to patrol the river during the crucial week of Semana Santa (the week before and including Easter).
Another idea arose from the Puentes y Mas meetings: Isidro’s and Ester’s daughter Milena is a high school student with much undeveloped artistic talent. Her paintings of the brilliant natural world around her are vibrant and joyful. She wants to go to a university to study art. Alvin Nunez suggested that we North Americans might find places where Milena could display (and perhaps sell) some of her art work. Julie and I were able to find two venues for Milena’s work, and I have been working on publishing a card to accompany the work. Julie suggested that, as paintings are hard to sell, Milena might be willing to paint things like chairs or tables for tourists to buy. The day I left I found Milena and her brother Danilo on Todd and Julie’s porch sanding little tables that Todd had made. I put in an order for the first one! And today I received a letter from Julie to say the tables are complete and they look fantastic, and they’re considering making some benches as well. These will be offered for sale at a local Eco-Fair/Earth Day Festival to take place on April 22.
The clay oven idea has found a home! Guiselle Nunez grew up in the Guanacaste Province using a clay oven, and is thrilled at the prospect of building one near her home. When I left Costa Rica, Todd was seeking the best place to buy the necessary brick, and he and Zeno were testing the local earth for its proportion of clay to silt and sand. I’m waiting to hear more!
Our first small business loan was to Beatriz Picado to finish her organic nursery of organic vegetables and medicinals. Julie has spent many hours with Beatriz preparing the beds and putting in irrigation hoses. I’m attaching a picture of the nursery as seen from the road—if you look closely you can see the little plants are growing happily now in the earth.
Ideas for the future:
Julie and Todd will undertake a recycling initiative.
Guiselle Nunez continues to hope for a meeting with Carlos Rojas from San Jose to learn what’s involved in growing orchids in vitro for export. Meanwhile Carlos, in addition to his three jobs, uses his medical laboratory and his home to breed and grow orchids. This is the same Carlos who found architects and engineers for the bridges, and helped me sort through my ideas about producing biodiesel.
Tom Hemeon from Lancaster visited for a month in February and March. He has a beautiful mountain retreat (Finca Santa Lucia) up above where the river crosses the road. He has offered his place for an art fair to raise money for the community.
And the bamboo: I’m still hoping we can organize a bamboo construction-learning project with Martin Coto and Grace Lizano. Alvin and Umberto Nunez have both expressed interest in learning this craft. As well,
Todd is a talented builder and he too wants to learn to build with bamboo.
This letter has grown long!
Thanks to all of you for your interest and contributions. I hope to hear from you—please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas!
Pura Vida!
Elizabeth

Bridges & More Newsletter #6: 5/28/07

Bridges & More Newsletter # 6: 5/28/07

Winter (or the rainy season) has begun early. May is usually a cheerful month with lots of sunshine and occasional showers or even downpours in the afternoons. Not this May. Since early in the month sunshine has been the exception, rain the rule. And it does rule! The five streams I drive through to get to my house from the highway become raging torrents; loud white waterfalls cascade into the Morete River behind my house, no longer clear and inviting, but huge, brown and angry with whitewater and churned up mud. Cars are no longer fording the river, and this morning Alvin and Guiselle (who live across the river and park their car below) stopped by to say they would be moving their car up above the river by way of San Isidro because Guiselle is afraid to cross on foot.
With the rain come the insects. No, not the usual fascinating assortment, but the swarming, biting varieties: several types of gnoseum-equivalents, a small black fly that draws blood, the usual mosquito (dangerous here because it may carry dengue fever), various kinds of bees and wasps…you get the picture.
On the other hand, the river is now safe from abuse by unscrupulous fishermen and littering families of picnickers. The dust has disappeared and everything is a lovely lush green. From here where I sit on my porch the view is limited by vegetative growth, but I’ve only to lift my eyes to see hummingbirds sipping from the giant coral-colored heliconia flowers, brown woodcreepers running up & down trees, a tawny dove walking leisurely across the yard. A flock of white-crowned parrots squawks its way overhead, and I’ve recently been invaded by an outlandishly loud group of chachalacas. My coffee sits beside me on one of the little tables constructed by Todd and painted by Milena, who has agreed to paint pictures on the front of my ugly concrete bodega one day soon. I harvested dozens of sweet juicy pineapples from my patch until the other day when the wild pigs discovered them. In two days the pineapples were history. Julie and Todd’s boy Zeno suggested we hide in the brush, and that when the pigs come we jump out and cut off their heads with our machetes (he just got a new machete for his birthday, and to his way of thinking, it would be only fair, as they ARE pigs, after all, and we HAVE been feeding them.)

I’m avoiding having to say that there has not been much Bridges & More (or Puentes y Mas) activity since my arrival. I’ve been here just under a month, passed some time dealing with car problems, some time figuring out why my photovoltaic system is not working properly, much time listening to rain pounding so hard on the zinc roof that I wonder if it could possibly rain harder, and then it rains harder; more time just accomplishing the basic tasks of life (my washer is at Julie’s since I have no energy to power it; I’m forever washing mud off shoes and slathering on insect repellant; I sometimes have to visit 3 different internet establishments before finding one that works…). For the most part it’s pretty hum-drum stuff.
After I arrived in early May, Carlos Rojas introduced his orchid-growing proposal to me. The idea is that local women (or men) could build greenhouses from inexpensive materials such as bamboo, and Carlos would offer the expertise, support, and the plants to help them set up orchid nurseries. He was able to take time off from his three jobs to visit San Josecito for a day, and we drove up to Alvin and Guiselle’s (getting stuck axel-deep in mud on the way!) where he presented the idea to Guiselle. She is enthusiastic, and we are awaiting more word from Carlos.
Todd and Julie have assembled the materials for a clay oven, also up at Alvin and Guiselle’s; but scheduling a time when Alvin isn’t working proved difficult, and now the river is too big to cross most of the time.
Milena has painted five very sweet little tables for sale (see mine in the attachment), and Julie has moved them to a real estate office in Dominical where they are on display. Beatriz is feeding us organic salads from her nursery, and I fed her family pesto & pasta yesterday with basil she’s grown there.
The real drama here right now, though, has been the road. In addition to Puentes y Mas there exists a local organization called the Asociacion de Desarrollo de San Josecito de Uvita de Osa. For the most part the Asociación works to collect funds and contract work to keep the road in good shape, so we call it the Road Association. Anyway, due to early rains and irresponsible development on the part of a few property owners, the road is in imminent danger of being washed down into the river and being carried out to the ocean. In the midst of this, half of the senior officers on the board resigned. I’ve been putting in quite a bit of time trying to remedy some of the miscommunication and lack of communication that seem to have contributed greatly to discord and inaction. So I’m forever on the computer translating minutes from meetings, typing them up, distributing them. It’s something I had been doing for Puentes y Mas and Bridges & More anyway, but this is much more labor intensive as there is a lot of past to catch up on, and a number of landowners here who need to be contacted and milked for contributions to road upkeep.
All this to explain why only now are we scheduling the first meeting of Puentes y Mas since I arrived in May. It will take place Wednesday June 5.
As for bridges, the new alcalde (mayor) for them municipality seems like a straight arrow, and we’re optimistic that he will make sure Alvin and Guiselle have a bridge to drive Estiben to school next winter. Additionally, this alcalde has called a halt to all major development in this area until he can investigate the flagrant disregard for environmental law that has been practiced until recently. As always, big money will probably win out eventually, but it’s nice to register a few small victories along the way!

That’s all for now. I’m attaching a couple of pictures: one of Milena’s tables and an inside view of Beatriz’s nursery. Hoping to get my efforts back on track here by the time you hear from me again!

Con Gusto,
Elizabeth

Bridges & More Newsletter # 7: 9/17/07

Newsletter # 7 September 17, 2007

Greetings all. I apologize for the long silence. I returned to the states August 10, tired and somewhat discouraged. As a year has passed since forming Bridges & More I’m going to take this opportunity to review our original aims, to look at what actually happened over the past 12 months, and to reflect on possible future courses of action.

Julie Rich and Todd Schwebel arrived last January with their two children (8-year-old Zeno and 5-year-old Freya). Much of what we’ve been able to accomplish this past year is a direct result of their generous help and hard work. Julie gave her artistic and organizational talent in a number of endeavors as well as teaching English both in the elementary school and to local adults. Todd provided expertise and labor in carpentry and construction projects. Julie and Todd have returned to the Cape and don’t have immediate plans to return to Costa Rica. Real tears were shed in the community at their departure, and I’m going to miss their presence and support!

As you may remember, we started out with plans to build 3 footbridges in the town of San Josecito de Uvita and to extend loans for the formation of small businesses that would give Tico residents who want to keep their farms the opportunity to bring in some much-needed income. Our motivation was both social (to relieve problems of local displacement and poverty) and environmental (to keep property in the hands of local farmers thus avoiding sales to developers). We also left open the possibility of educational and environmental initiatives such as recycling and reforestation.

Bridges: We’ve scored “0” on the bridges! The first problem we encountered was that none of the Costa Ricans really wanted foot bridges. They (quite reasonably) would prefer to drive their cars to their homes during rainy weather. In two instances a local family that lives beyond the river took the initiative go to a municipal level for the needed bridges, as these would involve public roadways. Bridges & More may have helped indirectly by offering its encouragement and presence at municipal meetings, but the credit for any success here goes to Luis Núñez. We are awaiting results: during my time there I observed several visits to the river by municipal engineers, and the new mayor (whose reputation is better than the reputations of his predecessors) has given a solemn promise…Nonetheless, I believe continued vigilance and persistence by Luis are called for, and I think Luis knows this.
The third bridge involves no public roads, but does involve easement through privately owned land. This bridge would give access to the Isidro Nunez family. Don Isidro and Dona Ester are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate the steep muddy trek down to their current rickety footbridge and from there up to the public road that leads to the school and the town of Uvita. I don’t know what they would do if they had a medical emergency during high water. Formerly don Isidro tried to sell the entire farm to a developer, and easement legalities emerged, causing the sale to fall through. All of us in the community are happy that don Isidro and his family now plan to stay in San Josecito, but he still needs to sell several parcels of land to finance a bridge and to see him and Dona Ester through their senior years; and the easement problems persist. One possible solution would be if someone were to purchase a strategic section of don Isidro’s land for preservation, without requiring easement access. Bridges & More doesn’t have adequate funds to do this. I’m looking at the possibility of doing it on a private basis if I can sell some of my own land. One such purchase would allow the construction of a bridge and buy time for legal resolution of the easement problems.

Loans: We’ve done slightly better on the loan front. Early in 2007 Beatriz Picado Rodriquez began to build a sheltered area (a “huerta”) to grow organic produce and medicinal plants. She is using some of the principles of Biodynamics, such as raised beds and companion planting. Bridges & More has loaned Beatriz a total of $500 to complete the project. $200 of the loan is due to be repaid in December, while the final $300 is being repaid in monthly installments of $30. In addition to the loan Bridges & More was able to help Beatriz find a local buyer for her produce, and Julie Rich put in quite a few hours working in the huerta.

Bridges & More also purchased materials and paints and built five tables for Milena Núñez to paint and sell. Milena paints vibrant scenes including Costa Rica’s huge array of plants and animals. She hopes to study art at a university when she finishes high school. The tables have been displayed at a couple of local establishments and at the Eco Fair in Dominical last April (see photo). Three have been sold. Proceeds of the sales are divided between Milena and paying back the Bridges & More for the materials.

With regard to loans, the IRS is still reviewing our application for tax exempt status, and one question they have for me is “how can the loans be considered charitable?” I answered that because they are given free of interest and because the emphasis is on the giving rather than the repayment, they can be seen as charitable. However, I was happy to be able to say that in one case we simply gave materials and labor to aid in a possible family business. The purchase of some firebricks and sand, along with the research and labor of Todd Schwebel, enabled us to help Alvin Núñez & Guiselle Lopez build a clay oven to bake bread. Guiselle is looking for a good whole-wheat (or perhaps multigrain) bread recipe----maybe some one of you has a recipe you could send me?
I’m attaching a couple pictures of Todd, Alvin and their two sons Zeno and Estiben working of the oven.



Other Projects
River Protection: Last January at the first meeting of Puentes y Mas Alvin and Luis Núñez expressed concern about the well-being of the river that flows through our valley. They believe that illegal methods of fishing have depleted the stock of larger fish, and that the use of poison to flush out fresh-water shrimp is occurring among laborers who enter the neighborhood as construction workers. Bridges & More purchased materials and Julie Rich painted signs enumerating the official regulations for river use. Additionally we held a meeting of the entire pueblo at which it was decided that, in addition to extra vigilance on the part of the entire village, we would hire river guards at certain times of the year when river use is at its peak (January vacation and Semana Santa in April). Most of the cost of last April’s operations was covered by donations from residents. We contributed $100, most of which remains in the kitty awaiting January vacation. We’ll begin organizing protection efforts when I return in December.

Road signs: Problems with people driving too fast and traffic eroding the dirt road by failure to use four-wheel drive in the steeper sections led to interest in putting up road signs. Julie illustrated some truly lovely signs to announce the school zone and to encourage care toward the ever-present wild-life in the roads. Again, photos are attached.

Recycling: Barrels for recycling plastic, aluminum, tin cans and glass have been painted, labeled and placed in the salon. Gradually an increasing number of people in the community are bringing disposables that were formerly burned or buried. A small contribution is being requested of each person who uses the barrels to pay gas for a monthly trip to Dominical where the recyclables are deposited.

Teaching English: Last year Elizabeth taught English classes to a few interested adults in San Josecito. Julie stepped up the effort when she arrived in January, enlarging class size, teaching multiple levels, and teaching the children at the local school a couple times a week.

International Pen Pals: This is another project that hasn’t made it off the ground. Julie met several times with local parents and with the principal at the high school in Uvita. While there was interest among parents and young people in establishing communication between students in Costa Rica and those in the U.S., caution on the part of the local principal won out, and permission to carry out the project was denied.



Going Forward
Recently Bridges & More received a request from the town to help pay some legal costs involved in title transfer for the land where the salon and the soccer field are located. This is prime, ocean-view land that had been left to the town in someone’s will, but still officially belonged to one of our North American neighbors. That person has signed the land over to the San Josecito Neighborhood Association. Bridges & More will be paying slightly less than half the total cost of the transfer ($360), while the Neighborhood Association has raised money for the remainder of the costs.

Guiselle Lopez still wants to grow orchids to sell. Our Costa Rican cohort Carlos Rojas has developed a proposal where he would provide the young plants and instructions while Bridges & More would loan money for the materials necessary to construct the nursery. Guiselle’s husband Alvin would do the building with help from other family members. We’re hoping to get started on this when the rains subside, probably in January.

River and recycling efforts will continue under the initiative and supervision of Puentes y Mas. Two other great areas of need in the community include upkeep of the road and the construction of a new Catholic Church (the old one was torn down over a year ago for the sake of safety, and the townspeople have been struggling to come up with enough money to complete its replacement). As Bridges & More still has unused bridge funds, we will at our October meeting discuss contributing to one or both of these causes.

As I have spent more time in the area I’ve begun to see that there is very little real communication between Costa Ricans and North Americans. As conditions become more difficult for the Costa Ricans, and as North American developers take over increasing amounts of land and resources, some of that Tico warmth and welcome has begun to evaporate. San Josecito is the only town I know of where a real effort is being made to work together for the good of the whole community, with the intent of lifting the less affluent in that proverbial “rising tide.” I am discovering that metaphoric bridges are as necessary as the physical ones to reach across the divide of cultures, assumptions, and economic status. For this reason I envision future work for our organization in the form of reaching out to neighboring communities to encourage similar efforts.

Before Julie left Costa Rica Mari Monje said to her, “What will we do without you? Can you send another volunteer?” As Julie has pointed out, we have laid the basis for someone to come and do volunteer work in the community. Other volunteer organizations in Costa Rica charge people to come and work with them. We’re looking at the possibility of providing living quarters and a free volunteer position for someone who has some Spanish skills and is eager to do community work. Is anyone out there interested?
In the coming days I'll be adding previous newsletters and corresponding pictures to this site. Your comments and ideas are most welcome!

Elizabeth

More about me and why I'm blogging

I was taken in and taught Spanish by a local family, and began to make the acquaintance of my "Tico" (Costa Rican) neighbors--hard-working farmers and laborers who'd spent their lives working the mountainous soils with horses and oxen to produce beans, rice, maize, yucca,sugar cane, and squashes. They invited me into their life of extended familial warmth, generosity, cleanliness, and religion. It was a new world to me, one that seemed somehow more centered in the heart than the world I inhabit in the United States. It's also a world that is disappearing rapidly.
Bridges & More is a non-profit I've established to help my neighbors in San Josecito hold onto their land and their lives in the midst of disruptive economic and social changes that have already dispossessed too many Costa Rican Campesinos. It's a small organization focused on the tiny town of San Josecito. I've started this blog to post pictures and newsletters to share with Bridges & More supporters.
With my thanks,
Elizabeth