DURING NOVEMBER, WE HAVE BEEN DIVIDED INTO 3 CONCENTRATIONS

Language & Literature, led by Gerardo Gerardo and Laura Barnard
By Kathleen Winslow, Covenant College

This concentration is conducted (almost) entirely in Spanish. Except when it's in Kuna... At the beginning of the month, we went down to Panama (18 hours by bus to the Canal) and flew to a couple of islands off the Caribbean Coast. They're little islands, inhabited by the Kuna Yala indigenous people -- people who speak, naturally enough, Kuna.

We lived on the islands, each with a different family, for 6 days. Spanish became our comfort language, since translations were from Kuna to Spanish, not to English. A few of the men and young people were able to speak Spanish with us, but most of the time, we could only smile and try the few Kuna words we managed to learn. "Nuedi" was the most useful: "hello, good, I'm fine, good morning, thank you, etc." For many of us, a special connection was sparked as we sang with our brothers and sisters in Christ, simultaneously in Kuna, Spanish, and English.

As far as cultural artwork goes, you can Google-search "mola, kuna yala" to see pictures of the beautiful designs the women make to put on their blouses. Living conditions were simple -- dirt floors, little huts with palm frond roofs, open fires for cooking, little electricity, bathroom huts at the ends of short piers along the shore. Yet, for the most part, the Kuna didn’t seem poverty-stricken: they are able to live off the bounty of land and sea; they may not have a large variety, but there are always coconuts, fish, and various types of bananas; they're not going to starve. That’s an interesting contrast to the lives of other groups we visited back in San Jose, Costa Rica.

While most of the group was in Panama, just one student stayed behind in San Jose. Blake worked with Ministerio Amor en la Calle, with street kids in the city. He spent time doing practical work, answering telephones in the office, helping with Christmas celebration plans, and more. His Spanish improved a lot more than that of the rest of us, since he was immersed in the language for those 2 weeks. But he didn’t get to learn Kuna!

Once we returned from our adventures outside the LASP office, we began more grammar classes and a series of readings on topics such as street children, squatters, women, prostitutes, homosexuals, indigenous groups, and exploited workers, in the context of Latin America and beyond. We had lectures on each topic, not from LASP staff, but from people who live in these situations or are working to change them. It's been a month of challenging, controversial discussion, and we’re thinking hard about issues that perhaps we’ve managed to avoid until now.

Latin American Studies, led by Alex, Krystal, and Trevor
By Amy Jones, Eastern University

I was asked to summarize in a few paragraphs the experiences we have had in the Latin American Studies Concentration over the last month. I think it is impossible for me to accurately convey the vast array of experiences we have had and the diverse range of thoughts and opinions amongst students.

The Cuba Trip in and of itself could have a whole book written on it. This was the first two weeks of concentrations. During this time we had the opportunity to speak with Cuban doctors and principals, view old Havana at night from the Statue of Jesus Christ, speak with artists and reverends, participate in a dance therapy class, explore the markets and Old Havana, participate in small church groups, speak to a professor at a seminary, listen to an amazing choir, experience the beautiful Varadero Beach, interview the locals to hear their stories and perspectives, attend a ballet performance, speak to a deputy at the Cuban National Assembly, experience the Cuban peso system, attendance lessons on a terrace, visit the Museum of Revolution, attend a performance of Santeria Dance, help move cinder blocks at a construction site, and listen to a representative from the US Interest section. Each student has had the chance to gain new perspectives and is still tossing ideas around in his or her head, trying to process and take it all in.

The rest of the time we spent exploring topics such as the dissident perspective of Cuba, feminist theology, the Protestant worldview, the Mayan worldview, the Catholic worldview, creation care, biblical interpretation, and homosexuality and the Bible. For the Creation Care aspect, we had the opportunity to go to a beach community that has taken on the project of helping endangered sea turtles, farming a small potion of the eggs, and thus helping both the environment and the local economy. Each of these experiences has had an impact on each student in different ways. Asking them to share their thoughts and experiences it the only way to understand what we have been up to the past month.

Business, led by Alfredo Mora, Gilbert Montero and Kristina DeMain
By Jenny Bratt, Calvin College

While the other LASP students began their concentrations getting sick in Panama or having to visit the ugly beaches of Cuba, the business students were blessed to stay in “the big dirty”, otherwise known as San José.

During this time, besides having the building all to ourselves, we focused on two main initiatives, first, understanding international business in the context of Costa Rica, and secondly applying this understanding with our practicum projects.

To understand business, we visited different local business offices as well as hosted speakers at LASP, every individual speaker sharing his or her insights and experiences in the field of business. Among these speakers was someone from CINDE, the international investment board for Costa Rica, a representative of ICE, the countries telecommunications monopoly, Milena Grilla with PANIAMOR, a business dealing with sex tourism and children’s rights, Eric Liljenstolpe, a specialist in cross-cultural business practices, and JP Anderson, a LASP graduate with work experience in different international organizations. All of these speakers shared different aspects of business and emphasized different ways to share God through business. In addition to these speakers, our professors, Don Gilbert, Don Alfredo, and Dona Kristina, utilized the classroom to share daily tasks involved in successful, cross-cultural, faith-based business.

When asked about their favorite speakers, Mara Estes, a Junior at Eastern University, responded, “I really liked Dona Milena from PANIAMOR. She showed the positives aspects businesses can have and used her power for the betterment of society.” Pablo (Paul) Wilson of Standard University responded with Eric Liljenstolpe , because “Eric presented many ideas used to find your calling and passion in life and united life with work in practical ways.” I think many students would agree that all of these charlas presented new information to consider, or old information with a different perspective, inspiring personal thought about the realities of international business and communication.

A second aspect of the concentration was a practicum project. During pre-concentration, Don Gilbert and Alfredo shared about the region of Los Santos and the work that would take place for this region, and specifically for the Chamber of Commerce in Zonasantos. The project was to develop marketing plans for the coffee and tourism industries from the perspective of a North American consumer.

Los Santos is in the Central Valley of Costa Rica and is full of history and culture. 95% of the region is somehow involved in agriculture, mostly through coffee production. Within Los Santos is the region of Terrazú, the home of one of the five best coffees in the world. But, despite this valuable product, the producers were not making ends meet. Additionally, the people of Los Santos wanted to expand and diversify their economy through the tourism industry. Currently, the region has 6 times the land of Monteverde, one of the most popular tourism destinations in Costa Rica, and a history and culture very unique to this area of Costa Rica, but it is widely unknown. So the job of the international business students was to form marketing plans for the coffee and tourism industries, utilizing an American perspective on these products and services, as well as offer advice into the future of these endeavors. In addition to forming these marketing plans, the findings were presented to the Chamber of Agriculture and Tourism, the client, and other community leaders, bank representatives, local producers and cooperatives, businessman, and regular inhabitants of the zone, specifically in relation to the unemployment of the area.

But, the concentration was not all work and no play. Amidst the work we were able to visit the region of Los Santos and enjoy the incredible beauty of the area, staying in Cabaña Cecilia, gorgeous log cabins tucked away in the mountains (which may be the same place Matthew McConehuey stayed while in Costa Rica). We also had meals at the restaurant of an amazing local chef, went on an adventure tour to experience the current opportunities in the Los Santos area, toured coffee cooperatives and viewed the production process, picked coffee and toured a coffee farm, and caught-up on the latest episodes of Gray’s Anatomy. Overall this aspect of the program was a great experience in practical business situations as well as provided a means to get to know one another on a personal level.

Throughout the work and play, the international business concentration grew in the knowledge of San José and Costa Rica, experienced and studied some of the communication and business differences encountered in a foreign country, and have been challenged to think about business from a Christian perspective, bring justice to earth. Contrary to popular belief, we have seen many examples throughout this past month of people taking their abilities in business and using them to positively influence others and take part in bring justices to earth. As is the theme for LASP, we have been challenge to learn, and we have learned, about business, each other, and the life in general.