Here I am with Albir (left) and Castulo (right)
3/5/2009
The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. We woke up on Wednesday morning and honestly the village still seemed somewhat surreal. It is so remote and primitive that it seems more like something you would see in a movie than actually experience. However, my completely wet clothes and wet muddy shoes were a good reminder that this was very real.
Before going to the bridge site, we were asked to meet at the school. They happened to be having a parents meeting that day and they were facing a problem. In order to have a school, they are required by the government to provide forms for each student. The forms used to be free but now the government is charging a processing fee. For all of the students this will add up to 70,000 colones, which is about $140. This may not seem like much, but these forms are due by the end of the month and the community has no idea how to come up with the money. To give an idea, they explained that when they turn in the forms they plan on applying for scholarships which would provide food for the students for the entire year. They have applied in years past on the basis of extreme poverty but were rejected because they put zero dollars as the annual income of the village, which the government assumes cannot possible be accurate. They explained that they do not make money because they live completely off the land. They were actually planning on making up a fake number to put on the forms. They presented a request to our team for Experience Mission to pay for the forms. We responded that we would discuss it as a team and let them know by the end of the day.
After this rather intense meeting, we proceeded to the site of the bridge. When we arrived about 30 members of the community had gathered to meet us. The leader was Castulo Reyes Reyes who has been leading the bridge project. We also found that members of the village that live across the river also gathered on the other side. Castulo and our guide Albir explained to us that the river has risen and it is too treacherous to cross, so they would not make it to the meeting. Nontheless, they still gathered to watch proceedings from the other side. Castulo began to explain to us how hard they have been working on the bridge in our absence but that they have done as much as they can do without the help of an engineer. We interviewed 10 representatives of the tribe and each explained from his or her perspective why the bridge was so important. Castulo was that last to interview, and he expressed his hope that we could unite together as one to complete the project. This bridge not only unites the community, but it makes it possible for those on the other side to come into the village and go to school and access the community health center. The petitions of the community were very compelling, and I think we all walked away with a sense of urgency about the project.
After the meeting, our translator Yon and I talked to Albir, and he explained that he thought a couple of the able-bodied men on the team would be able to cross the river with assistance from the locals. He explained that it would mean a lot to those on the other side if we made the crossing. As the EM representative, I was forced to make a decision. The crossing is very dangerous, and there was definite risk involved. Yon was the only person on the team that speaks Spanish, so he was an obvious choice but he cannot swim so he was definitely out. I speak a little Spanish, so I felt that it was my duty to make the crossing. Also, Trey, one of the students expressed a desire to cross. I was confident in Trey’s ability to make the crossing, so I allowed him to accompany me, and we made the crossing. Albir and Castulo guided us to the point we would cross, and when we arrived they had three men on each side of the rapids hold ropes for us. We would cross the chest high rapids by using the ropes that they held. Fortunately, we both made the crossing without any close calls, but we were both surprised by the strength of the current and felt that it was indeed a very dangerous river.
Once across I was in for an even bigger challenge; a speech in my very poor Spanish. We were taken to the site of the bridge construction and met all those gathered. I talked to Margarito, the President of Alto Coen for a while and then addressed the community. If it was not such an important occasion, the scene would have been comical. We had an American who spoke very little Spanish giving a speech in Spanish to an indigenous tribe that only spoke Bribri. Albir was the translator and luckily he seemed to understand what I said. In spite of the less than ideal communication, the Bribri seemed to really appreciate the gesture, and we shortly returned and safely made it back across the river. Mission accomplished.
By the time our group returned to the village to eat, it was about 2:00, but we all agreed it seemed much later. It had been and intense day. After a lengthy team meeting and meal, we spent the time relaxing, and talking to some of the Bribri as best as we could. A few of them spoke Spanish, so Yon could translate. I went through the pictures and videos from the day and all the Bribri in the house gathered in amazement. From toddlers to elderly, they all seemed delighted with the technology.
During our afternoon meeting, we had decided to donate the 70,000 colones for the school, so to conclude the meeting we presented our decision to the community. They were delighted that we were going to help, and we had a chance to talk to them a bit as a group after the meeting. The mutual respect and trust was evident, and it was touching to see how God had used our time in Alto Coen.
I could go on and on, but I don’t have time to go into the details of our return trip. Suffice to say that it poured all day and with the river rising we were forced to take a long and strenuous detour. The important thing is that we returned safely thanks to our trusty guide Albir. The whole team was tired but also felt quite a sense of accomplishment at having hacked through miles of Jungle. I don’t think that our time in Alto Coen is anything any of us will ever forget.
To learn more about the mission trips that Experience Mission is sending out, visit www.experiencemission.org.
