Talamanca

Welcome back,
okay,
From December 6-9th Mateen and I were in San Jose city spending the night either at his aunt's house or at Hesh and Zar's (a young Bahai couple hospitable to Bahai service youth). At Hesh and Zar's we had some wonderful BBQs with lots and lots....lots of meat! It was such a drastic change eating all that meat in comparison with the usual rice and beans and occasional chicken. It was great hanging out with the Bahai youth from San Jose and meeting new people.
The 9th, Mateen and I traveled to Bri-Bri which is on the south-east part of Costa Rica. We spent the night at Carlos Quesada's house to be able to get some sleep for the next morning.
The 10th we took a bus to Suretka driving through small rivers and hearing the rocks scrape the bottom of the bus. In Suretka there is a small beach where the trucks come in to load up the variety of bananas that the boats bring in. Mateen and I took a boat that headed to Mojoncito (Barrios Escalante). After a beautiful rainy boat ride up-stream, we rode a small truck to arrive in front of the house of Eilin and Chenchi who are a young Bahai couple that dedicate their time and energy for the growth and progress of their community.
The main reason for our travels to this area called Talamanca was to have a 3-day Pre-Youth Campaign in which youth are invited to join a spiritual empowerment program offered by the Bahai community.
I was very excited for this new project but all that meat that I had at the BBQ didn't help me out so much with my digestive system....if you know what I'm talking about... :(
I was sick since the day that I got there and recuperated the last day (14th), so I couldn't participate much in this program, but I was able to help out a little bit in the beginning.
Mateen had also gotten sick with an infection at the same time, but his was more chronic. Too bad we got to miss out on the activities.
The 14th, Mateen and I took off to San Jose because the 15th Parisa was going to fly in to meet up with us and go to Talamanca. She came in the 15th and we traveled the 16th back to Talamanca...this time with no diseases.
While being at Chenchi and Eilin's, they took us around to different houses meeting their huge families. It was such an uplifting experience to see how their community gets together for different Bahai activities and the dedication that they show is incredible. Even though people have farms to take care of to bring in money for their big family and the conditions that they live in, they still persevere to take action for the betterment of the community and the world at large. It made me think about my life in the U.S. and how I really didn't have a single excuse to not participate in meaningful activities and projects.
I was amazed by the amount of joy that these Bri-Bri indigenous people have. For example, at Misael's house, Parisa, Mateen, and I decided to go to the kitchen area to see who was there and his mom Albertina was there. We had never met her before and she didn't speak much Spanish, but with the few phrases that we learned such as "How are you" and "good, good" we were able to communicate out feelings with lots of hugging and laughs. It was one of the most intimate connections with any soul we've encountered and the result was infinite smiling and laughing and our souls being lifted to another plane. After many uplifting conversations with Chenchi, Eilin, Parisa, and Mateen and others and really connecting with other human souls, we left the 19th with full spirits and full stomachs.

These words don't come near the true experience that I had in this place for just a few days. The three of us were being told to come back with such sincerity that with no doubt in my mind I will return to this blessed place.

with much love and care,

-Mr. Rinaldi (a.k.a. Chenchi after our trip to Talamanca)

College and Talamanca

Since Ive been living here in Progreso Ive also had to apply to college. It´s been an interesting experience writing my essays while sitting on a hammock looking out into the mountain and the Pacific Ocean, on a bus ride, in front of a super market, under a tree, and then finally into a computer to the college. I thought how it was funny that one morning I found my essay with bat poop on top it...that´s just assurance that the college will believe I´m living in a mountain. Today I finally finished everything with that and it feels great.
Right now Mateen and I have been in the internet cafe laughing like crazy at Chuck Noris jokes and sending each other messages on facebook and being 5 feet from each other...it´s a nice escape. Were waiting for the 4 o´clock bus that goes to Zancudo beach for us to find out about hotels and things for when Mateen´s family arrives. Tomorrow we take a morning bus to San Jose and arrive there in the late afternoon. Stay there a few days, and then go to Talamanca which is a Bri-Bri Indigenous Reserve in the south-eastern part of Costa Rica. We arrive, take another bus, take a boat upstream on a kilometer wide river, then another bus until we arrive at the Bahaí Center and then walk to the house we´ll be staying in. That was about the longest run-on sentence ever. We will be catching the end of a teaching campaign and then we´ll have a 3 day junior youth campaign with about 50 participants that I had organized with 3 Bri Bri youth a few weeks ago.
The 14 of December we go back to San Jose to pick up a wonderful girl named Parisa that will help us Talamanca, so we´ll return to Talamanca.
We leave the 19th and then the 21st my mom and my dad will arrive to come and visit me and the community!! I´m extremely excited for this.
The 26-28 we will all attend the Baha´i Summer School. the 29th go to Panama on bus to visit some friends we have there.
The 31st arrive at Conte around noon and then pack up my mom´s, dad´s and parisa´s things in the sacks that Bernardo´s horse will be carrying and arrive at Progreso just in time to celebrate New Years with Don Jesus and Delsa´s family who invited us to celebrate with them, so they´re killing some of their pigs, picking yuca, and preparing many other things and then we´ll all watch the fireworks that they shoot in Panama and then Costa Rica an hour later(because of the time difference).

Basically what I´m trying to say is...wow!!! am I excited or what!

MUCH LOVE AND PEACE


``In this glorious Day whatsoever can purge you from defilement and ensure your peace and tranquility, that indeed is the straight Path, the Path that leadeth unto Me. To be purged from difilement is to cleansed of all which is injurious to man and detracteth from his high station.´´

-Baháulláh