Surprise-Surprise!!!--Last Days in Costa Rica and back to Georgia

7 months....


7....months!!.....


....7 MONTHS!!!!!.....


It has been 7 months since I step foot in the land of peaches.
The original plan was to stay in Costa Rica for about 11 months...now why 7 then?...I got accepted to Georgia State University and I will be applying for the Music College and to enter I have to audition March 17th for Jazz Bass, and majoring in Music Recording Technology and Management.


How can 7 months of a life be so fruitful?

I learned how to love my human family. I have traveled to different places in the world, and lived in South, Central, and North America. This has helped me have an open heart to situations, adjustments, difficulties, challenges, etc. But I went through a different experience being able to live with the Ngabe indigenous people of Central America.

The Baha'i Faith speaks of one God, world unity, one world family, equality between men and women, union of races and cultures, having a universal governing body, having one universal language, the harmony of science and religion, the balance between nature and technology, the noble station of the human being above the animal, that there is a spiritual solution to economic problems, independent investigation of the truth, and progressive Revelation of God's message therefore the Promised One of All Ages being here for this age.
Where am I going with this?...
I have believed in this my whole life, but it wasn't until these past 7-8 months that I have internalized it and noticed the wisdom behind these teachings and the urgency with which they have to be taken and perceived.
Living with the Ngabe indigenous made me realize how the Baha'i Faith really is for the unity of mankind. I could see this with my own eyes. The actions taken or the situations in the lives of my indigenous Ngabe family in Costa Rica and Panama, is affecting and will affect YOUR life and YOUR family...yes YOU reading this blog. That means that YOUR actions taken and the situations in YOUR life, are affecting and will affect my indigenous Ngabe family. This is true for EVERY single human being in all existence, for our family in Uganda, Argentina, Bulgaria, Mongolia, Austria, Uruguay, El Salvador, Estonia, Indonesia and everywhere else.
Now...we can't just be tolerant of all these other cultures and races nor "be content with showing friendship in words alone" we need to "let [our] heart[s] burn with loving kindness for all who may cross [our] path." We need to realize the importance of a kindly tongue, chaste eyes, faithful hands, patience, reverence in all activity, love and unity.
I realized that whatever actions I took in Costa Rica, wouldn't just affect Costa Rica, they would affect the world, and the same goes for being here in Georgia or anywhere else. How can we center our lives around ourselves, and make decisions based on self, while we could make them based on the betterment of the world, the unity of mankind and our love for God. In doing this, then our lives will come together, will balance out if it's in accordance with God's Will.

Now I hope to continue serving mankind being here in Atlanta. I can't do this by myself either, I would love to do it with you.

These days I will be concentrating a lot on practicing the bass because of these auditions coming up, but also I will be having some gatherings at my house to share some experiences and learnings. You are invited.

Thank you for joining me in this experience I have had in Costa Rica, and hopefully we can continue doing this for the rest of our lives anywhere we are. I appreciate the comments people have made and the feedback that I have gotten. This blog was just a form of my expression and communication with you. There is still a lot more to share. I would love to hear about any of your experiences and attempts in the betterment of this world.

Thank You!

and MUCH LOVE!!!!

-Nido Daniel Badi Rinaldi

Summary of Greatness

When my mom, dad and Parisa came in December, we stayed at Afshan and Jalil´s house which they hadn´t moved into yet, so it was completely empty but beautiful. We visited members of the Bahai community in San Jose, attended devocional gatherings, were invited to dinners, wento to downtown San Jose, and attended a memorial of a dearly devoted Bahai pioneer names Jere McKinney who passed a way in early December. One day my parents, Parisa and I were going to go out and visit but it started raining and decided to stay in. We put down a matress and sleeping bag and the four of us started praying and singing from 11am until like 5pm. We were composing songs, jamming, singing, and being uplifted. Later on we painted. This empty house provided much room for relationship building, conversation, entertainment, creativity, the arts, and joy. We would eat a lot of bread, cheese, tea, and coffee as meals and snacks.
Then the 25-28 of December, we attended the San Jose Bahai Summer school which we helped out in the children´s and pre-youth programs and activities. We enjoyed ourselves.
The 29th, the four of us traveled to David, Panama to visit a Bahai pioneer family that my parents used to teach the Bahai Faith with in Colombia back in the 70s.
The 31st we traveled to Progreso to be up in time for a new years celebration dinner that a Ngabe(Guaymi) family had invited us to.
While my parents and Parisa were up in the mountain with me, we visited people, they visited us, we ate very well, we roasted and made fresh cacao drink straight from the cacao in the mountain, and then the last day we invited everybody to a gathering of prayer, song, talks, socilizing, coffee and joy. I had given my mom a typical Ngabe dress as a gift to wear and it fit her perfectly. She wore it and came out to greet people saying ``good evening`` in Ngabere. My parents fit in and connected very well with the people.
I´m so thankful they came because I had to chance to serve with my own parents in a very different way then any other time in my life. We were able to do everything in a prayerful, service-oriented, and consultative mode, whether it was big or small.

...................


When I dropped off my parents and Parisa at the airport in San Jose, I headed back to the south to Pavones beach to be with a Bahai couple for a few days and help them out in some study they had to finish up, their children, and the lady´s work since she is really sick and is working until 11pm in multiple jobs to be able to pay for the doctor. They live right by the beach so I had very special meditative moments in the strong surfing current at sunset, opening coconuts, fishing with the kids, and helping out the family in any way I could.
Then I met with Besigo and Walked up a few hours up another mountain to an area called Rio Claro (Clear River) to do an intensive Ruhi book study of 4 days. We all had an incredible time and there were 10 people that declared themselves as Bahais!!!
We received so many blessings and confirmation. People are more dedicated now. They want to get up and serve this Cause for humanity!!!
Thank You so much!!!


-always with love

Short one

Can life be more amazing?!!......yes it can..actually

My parents and Parisa visited me and it was very much needed.
My parents brought a camcorder and recorder a few clips if anybody is interested in watching them just contact my parents at my house number.
Sorry that this was a short one but I have to catch the bus that is waiting for me right now. I´m always running around. But don´t worry I´ll be back with more good news.
much much love!!!

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

Wow life is amazing!!

Im loving a town called Conte which at the bottom of the mountain. There are two towns called La Escuadra and La Esperanza which Im in love with the people there. We go there every weekend. This past weekend we held a small teaching campaign and I was so happy with the results and the joy that people gained from it.
November 12th was the Celebration of the Birth of Bahaullah up in the Bahai Center in Progreso. I was asked to give a talk. I just wanted to express myself and open up my heart to the Guaymi community and share with them about the progression of me falling in love with Bahaullah and His Message. It felt so great to just let everything out fearlessly.
Ill be traveling to Panama again this next week because some friends of Ann and Parviz invited us to go have Thanksgiving dinner with them. I was at first kind of disapointed that Ill be leaving my community and my service for a few days to just have turkey and pies, but now I have accepted the invitation and I cant regret it, so Im actually looking forward to eating three times as much as my stomach can handle with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, apple pie etc. All these mundane desires are sometimes good to have with moderation I guess.
One thing that Im really excited about is how Im going to apply everything I have learned so far once I return to Atlanta and all my future locations and state of beings. I cant wait to organize myself, think, love, educate myself, educate others, serve, be with people, eat, cook, learn, apply, be in tests and difficulties, learn from tests and difficulties, have converstions, pray, meditate, be in nature, be in silence, read, basically what Im trying to say is I cant wait to just live!! starting this very second.

with much much love and life,

-Danielito

Costa Rica-Panama

Okay..wow!
Sorry I havent written anything in a while. I have been extremely busy but yet with tranquility and peace of mind. In 26 minutes Mateen and I will be on a bus to Panama...were actually in Panama right now, but the border..so we´ll be entering deeper in Panama in 26 minutes. We will be visiting the Panama Bahai House of Worship. Im extremely excited. I will be updating later my experience with that.
As of now I should be getting ready to board the bus.

With much love!


-Nido Daniel Badi Rinaldi

Reflection

Imagine walking down a trail of mud, rock and occasional cow dung with trees beside you directly giving their oxygen for your lungs to breathe. Imagine the sounds of Mono Congo monkeys, tucans, birds, lizards, wind, rivers, squishy footsteps, mooing cows, thunder, surrounding you.

Just imagine going up this trail at night by yourself and stopping at Gustavino´s house (the medicine man´s house) for some rest. You arrive at this deck with men, women and children sitting in the dark speaking Ngabere. They welcome you and tell you to take a seat while they serve you fresh new rice picked from their farm. They start talking to you about the unity of humankind and the beauty of world. Then you all sit around this big black pot on the ground filled with sweet fresh ground Cacao to drink out of guacales while you all tell stories and experiences right under the bright moonlight and clouds serving as mirrors of the light. They know you are tired so they set a few rice sacks on the ground with a blanket and a pillow to sleep on and a candle to see and read.

I have had countless incredible experiences while being here for about over a month now. This past weekend we had an intensive Ruhi course study of the sequence of books mentioned in the very first blog. I ended up strengthening relationships with some people and refreshing my spirit.

I have had the time to meditate and reflect on my life and how I want to apply certain things in my life in present and future. I have learned the importance of service, kindliness, humility, courtesy, unity, prayer, love, gratitude, friendship, silence, listening, moderation, organization, peace, tranquility, honesty, detatchment, family, marriage, and how none of this can be achieved to its maximum purity without God.

All my love goes to you.

Contact Info

Hello everybody,
here is the P.O. Box of the family I´m staying with and they said it´s fine for people to send things if they desire.


Parviz Ighani, Daniel Rinaldi
P.O. Box 12-8255
Paso Canoas, Costa Rica

Make sure to put down Parviz Ighani also, just incase it gets lost or something.
When you write down your city and state, please put U.S.A. also, for it to be safer.
Packets are also accepted if one desires to send one, just make sure it doesn´t contain drugs or weapons or live monkeys (stuffed are ok) or anything like that.

Much love!!

Welcome Back!

So much has happened and it´s so hard to explain and tell everything. Mateen and I are always laughing and having so much fun while serving and traveling and everything.

One day walking down to Conte, we got to meet Achilino, who is a very devout Christian pastor and was walking up to Progreso for a 2 day convention. I talked with him for a long time, and we talked about Christ, Bahaúllah and all manifestations of God, the future of humanity and society and all sorts of things.
That´s one thing I love about the people in Latin America, you can talk about God and holy and meaningful things to anybody because people here want conversation and that human warmth and love because they have it themselves. I meet many wonderful people while walking for hours to get someplace.
One night that we were walking back from Conte, we stopped half way at the Montezuma´s house which is where Gustavino; the healer, lives to spend the night because it was late. I had a wonderful conversation with this family of about 10 or more in that household and in the complete dark because of the lack of electricity. They served us some amazing new rice they had just chopped with fish. That night I comfortably slept on some rice sacks on top of concrete.
The next morning I bathed in creek and had some more of the new rice. I got ready for my pre youth class at the bahai center that i´m doing with German and then we walked to Brazo Izquierdo which is on the other side of the mountain for another pre youth group.

I love the lifestyle here. I feel at home up in these mountains. Trying to live the lifestyle of these people and getting to know them and learning their culture is a very humbling experience.

Tuesday we walked up to Alto Conte which is a 3 hour walk higher up the mountain with some amazing views and breezes to get to another school to teach English. I loved it. I´ll be going there every Tuesday for class and perhaps some more activity since I got to meet some people and I could feel their energy and I would like to see them more often.

This Thursday I was tutoring a book 3 (childrens classes) to Marvin, Mateen and Jonatan. I really enjoyed meeting Jonatan because he lives in Sanbito which is like an hour drive from Conte or something and he wanted to start some intensive book studies with me so I´m super excited about that.

Friday at 2 am we woke up to take the bus to San Jose and spend the weekend in San Jose. Ann, Cara, Ami, Mateen and myself were in the bus. About 2 hours into the ride, we got 50km past the Panama border and the police stopped the bus to check everybodys passport or ID. If you´re not a citizen you need your passport. I showed the officer a copy of my passport and Mateen only had his U.S. ID so the officer asked us to step out of the bus. We had to get our luggage and say bye to our friends from the bus. I thought to myself...here comes another experience.
They started asking us a bunch of questions and one of them was what your nationality was and I made the mistake by saying Colombian while I could´ve truthfully said American since I have dual citenship. As soon as I said Colombian the officer got an upset look on his face and took his officers aside to talk with them. The thing is that the reason they had the block was because of Panamanians and Colombians entering Costa Rica as illegal immigrants and drug traffic. I stayed calm and explained why we were here and so on and even got to talk to them abou the Bahai Faith with them. They stationed us under this hut to wait while they continued their work. After several hours, there´s a long line of cars waiting to get searched and then a small white pick up truck was speeding like crazy on the opposite lane and passed the blockade. Victor (chief officer) shot his gun up in the air and asked a random driver in a green truck to chase that white car. A few hours later I find out that white truck had drugs on it. A few hours after that, another car with surfboards on top gets pulled over. One of the surfers in the car had his passport expired so they joined Mateen and I under the hut. Their names were Christian, Drew, Hart, and Skyler. We got to talk to them and hang out with them, shared stories, shared mamonchinos (fruit) and company. A half an hour later a Salvadorian woman joins us. This whole time were waiting for a police car to come and pick us up to go to the Immigration offices. Mateen and I were under that hut from 4 am to 1.30 pm. The truck picked us up and we went to the Batallon Sur in Ciudad Neilly which is the big police station. They interviewed me as a witness for the white truck incident and the shooting. We waited there for about 2 hours and they fed us too since we hadn´t eaten all that time. Around this time I was was kind of creaped out if they searched my bag because I use this homemade deodorant that is made up of corn starch, baby powder, and baking soda. So, heres a Colombian with a container of white powder. They didn´t end up searching our bags. They took us to immigration office and everything got worked out.

They wasted about 13 hours of our lives, but gave us 13 hours of patience and experience. The police officers were really nice and a woman officer gave us some pieces of bread while we were there and we had some nice conversations with them when no cars were going by the street.

So Mateen and I rented a Motel room in Paso Canoas and celebrated our freedom from being detained with a nice dinner, had some nice sleep, delicious breakfast and now here I am.


MUCH LOVE!!