Cailene's girls group
has been meeting for about a year. They are eager to talk about the things in
their life that matter and to have others they can trust to ask some of the
hard questions they are dealing with. Costa Rica tends to be male
dominate and many women do not have a voice or feel they can do anything but
stay at home and take care of the family. Few women pursue and education beyond
high school. In the girls group they were saying how unfair
things are at their houses. From two different homes two of girls
have to get up at 6:00am on Saturday to help their mom with chores while their
brothers can sleep until noon. Cailene said they need to respect
their moms but find a time when they are not rushed, when they can
talk alone and express how they don't mind helping and it is part of
being a family but that the unfairness of brothers not helping at all is hard
for them.
This time of being a teen and needing a voice and learning how to
approach things and how to keep peace is very important. Both moms received the
words and each one is trying to come to a happy balance. The girls said they
have lots they want to talk about and said they would take turns helping
lead the group. So next week starts the rotation of leadership. Cailene will be
the lead and they will co lead the group and discussions. The trust level is
high and the subjects are relevant to where they are and how they can deal with
school and family life.
In Costa Rica they do not have writing classes so the kids hold their pencils in many unusual ways. here is a picture of how one person was holding his pencil. Bonnie is showing him how to hold h is pencil correctly. To not make them feel bad they call this the English pencil grip and in this class try to hold the pencil like this.
Ed is an architect
from the United States who came down to help us with permit process, get soil samples,
and meet with the Costa Rican architect. We are reviewing building plans and
deciding where the best location for septic system will be.
We met with the
contractor and his son to review school drawings and set up a building plan.
We are looking forward to keeping you updated with what we are doing in Costa Rica.
Contact us: CGCcostarica7@gmail.com
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