The disappointment that we had felt in October and November as we learned that there would be no candidates for the Spanish training program this year, was renewed the end of February as we approached the traditional time of graduation. The reasons why nobody felt called to participate in the school and dedicate a portion of their life to this service are innumerable. Each has his own reasons for not wanting to come. Perhaps the fact that so much about the school and the experience of moving to a foreign environment is unknown, acts as a deterrent. My thoughts turned to a summary of our three month experience written shortly after our own graduation a year ago. Finding this summary in the files, I read it through and once again relived those three months at school. I thought that perhaps this might be shared with others in the hopes of imparting a greater awareness of the Spanish training program and the experience one family had of moving to a foreign country.
When we arrived November 29th in Costa Rica, we found everything in a state of readiness. Our living quarters for the next three months were furnished and ready, even to the supply of food in the refrigerator and kitchen. All arrangements with the school had been made thus giving us the opportunity in those few short days before classes to renew old acquaintances and get to know those we had never met before. For their forethought and anticipation of our needs, we were very thankful to the Paggi’s and Drakes who prepared the way. We couldn’t help but reflect on the tasks that must have lain ahead of those who arrived in Costa Rica two years ago with not much more than their luggage and a road map in their hand.
It was not long before we settled into a routine at language school. Classes were held daily, Monday through Friday, at the meeting hall, a short walk from our house. Actually, the name language school is a bit of a misnomer as we soon discovered that we were to be exposed to a well balanced program covering every aspect of the work here in Latin America. For the first month, the concentration was indeed on the language, six hours of classroom instruction a day plus homework This intense exposure left us little time to think of much else except tenses, genders, voices and pronouns.
Our progress in school depended on a number of factors and some had more difficulties than others. Our exposure to language study, our occupations, our sex and our age all played a part in our progress. Linguists tell us that one of the most important factors in learning any language is interest and motivation. In this, none of us felt a lack and after three months we were able to carry on at least a rudimentary conversation with a national.
We began each day with a devotional service. The prayers and Bible reading helped set the spiritual pace for the day as we often directed our prayers to our immediate needs and concerns. It became a time of refreshing before the Lord.
With the rigorous program we were undertaking, we looked forward to Saturdays, which were our “free days.” This usually meant a trip to the beach or a nearby pool and recreation area named Ojo de Agua because the water for five pools bubbles forth from the center of a spring which looks like an eye or ojo. Other trips gave us an opportunity to see nearby volcanoes or other places of interest. Sometimes we just poked around the center of San Jose, absorbing the new and strange language and customs.
We were here for the Christmas holidays which together with the Easter holidays, or Semana Santa as it is called, seem to be the two high points of the year. Government and private offices close up tight, all mail delivery, trash collection and other services cease from Christmas to New Years and a general fiesta spirit prevails. Fireworks prevailed throughout the holiday season and we were awakened more than once to the loud explosion of bombas at five o’clock in the morning.
Our first Sunday morning meeting in Costa Rica was quite an experience. It was rather strange attending a meeting that appreciates help so much and not be able to make a single contribution, not even a public prayer. Our major participation the first few weeks was standing up and sitting down at the right time. We took to the music from the start and recognized the tremendous effort that had gone into the preparation of the new Spanish hymnbook. The chosen hymns seem to reflect the Latin personality as a good many of them were written by Latins for Latins and are not translations of English hymns. One can sense the difference, with out even fully understanding the words, between an original hymn and a translation. It’s unfortunate, but seems to be very true, that something is usually lost in a translation. As soon as Milton and Debbie left for the States, I was drafted to play the piano. Until recently, this had been pretty much my only contribution.
Milton and Debbie’s departure for the States, shortly after we arrived was a big disappointment to us as we have known and loved them for years and corresponded with them during most of the seven years they have been in the mission field. We thought we would have the joy of working with them for six months but found when we arrived that we would only be together for a few short, busy weeks. We rejoice with them and pray for them in their new home and endeavors in New England.
During the second month of school we began our training program. It didn’t take much to realize that an important part of our training for the work here in Latin America would be a study of the culture, especially as it relates to the preaching of the Gospel. Communication methods, cross cultural communication of the Gospel, ecclesial growth and teaching materials were all examined and studied We began to realize how scant our collective knowledge on the Latin personality and makeup really is and what a tremendous opportunity each worker in Latin America has to make a contribution in this area
In addition to this, we spent a large portion of our time discussing witnessing, key doctrinal areas, prayer and God s all-important part in our work Whatever background we had come from, we felt greatly enriched by the training program It is a very necessary part of the school and I firmly believe will increase in importance as time goes on and our work in this area increases
A great deal of effort by prior workers has gone into the teaching materials It is now felt that we have a very workable program of materials in Spanish at all levels of instruction Much of this program is new and does not simply represent translations
Books for required reading were well chosen and provided a good basis for discussion in the subject areas of ecclesial growth, culture and teaching methods Tapes, provided for supplemental listening, were found to be very inspiring and helpful
Living in San Jose is quite an agreeable experience Being 3,500 feet high, we enjoy a comfortable springlike climate year round, cool at night for sleeping but warm during the day We have been enjoying a number of new foods and ways of preparation Chayote, a popular little squash, platano, similar to banana, pejivalle, the palmnut, and yuca called casava in English speaking parts of the world, are some of the fruits and vegetables that are new to us For those who get real enthusiastic about the native banana, a book is available entitled One Hundred and Twenty Three Ways to prepare and Serve Bananas
The people have been very warm and friendly and very patient with our faltering &Torts at speaking their language Bus service to and from the center of the city is quite regular and economical Virginia has yet to board a bus carrying Noah and not be offered a seat immediately We do our shopping in a supermarket, prices for staple items such as sugar, rice, hamburg and frijoles being quite low and that of imported can goods being prohibitively high Life in general is a rather strange combination of progress and the manana attitude symbolized perhaps by the oxcarts and automobiles which often share the same road together
Our house is very comfortable and adequate, but we do not feel that we can let this opportunity go by without acquainting you with the Costa Rican hot shower The mechanism consists of an in line heater between the wall and shower-head One takes a shower by first turning on the water, then throwing a very ominous looking knife switch which appears much the same as the main control switch for the electric chair at Sing-Sing A hissing sound is heard and the water gradually becomes warmer I m told this order (first the water, then the switch) must be reversed at the finish of the shower or damage to the equipment will result The thought of two years of cold showers is a strong exhortation to carefulness The temperature of the water is determined by the pressure and one has a very decided choice between a flow of slightly warm water or a hot trickle
We finished our school with a celebration dinner at a local restaurant and the following Sunday had a special dinner and prayer session for Cindy and Ken and Jim and Jean and their two boys who would be leaving within the next few days for their work in El Salvador
Although frustrating and discouraging at times, we look back on the school with found memories and see it as a time of personal and spiritual growth and a time of expansion of outlook and perspective We are indeed very thankful to our heavenly Father for having given us this opportunity to prepare ourselves tor the work of the next two or three years in this country and to those who worked so hard to make the way easier for us
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One