Volunteering at a Dental Clinic Extract

The need for dental care in Costa Rica is big, but dental care is expensive and it is a cost
families choose not to prioritize. Therefore, Abriendo Mentes is proud to have been a part of the temporary, free dental clinic that was set up in Vía Real in the last week of March. A group of highly dedicated American dentists lead by Dr. Tommy Murph travelled all the way down to Costa Rica with the necessary equipment and enthusiasm to help educate the young Costa Ricans on how to thoroughly clean their teeth and to extract lost cause teeth from children as well as adults.

Over a three-day period, more than 500 people came seeking the expertise of the dentists and lots and lots of teeth were professionally extracted. It was amazing to experience the trust and faith Costa Ricans blindly put in these people whose language most couldn’t speak. Our role as AM volunteers was mainly to help translate during examinations, but in the chair the Costa Ricans were for the most part left alone with one or more non-Spanish speaking American dentist. Some refused to having their teeth extracted, clinging to the vague hope that their teeth would somehow be salvageable, but even though many expressed fear, as they have probably never been to the dentist before, the majority bravely agreed to get in the chair and get their wisdom teeth or decayed teeth extracted.

  

One woman visited the clinic on the second day but was too overcome with fear that she
couldn’t go through with the extraction she needed. She returned on the third day and sat
outside the clinic gathering courage for two hours before finally getting up, laying back in a
chair and opening her mouth up wide. Afterwards, she was so proud and happy of herself,
she was grateful to the dentists and the best of all was that she stuck around the clinic and
talked to the people who were afraid. She encouraged them with her own story and became an inspiration to many people.

  

It was heart-wrenching holding the hands of terrified children who needed extractions. The anesthetics might have dulled the pain, but not the fear, and we had nothing else but soothing words. Even though you know that it isn’t the pain that’s making them scream, that they’re anaesthetized and just really, really frightened it’s awful and nerve wrecking. It definitely emphasized the importance of oral hygiene and the need for education in that area, and I hope that the children will remember what they were taught about brushing their teeth and that they will use the toothbrush they were given. Hopefully, the children who had their teeth extracted won’t be scarred by the experience but rather encouraged to take good care of their teeth. In most cases, a smile did eventually make its way on the face of the child, and those smiles were the best.

Most people left the clinic with a smile tugging at the corner of their mouth while biting down on gaze or their eyes lit up in happiness and gratitude with their mouths covered with a handkerchief. We got wider smiles from those who were around a while longer waiting for the free bus provided by Ecotrans. All in all, I believe it is safe to say that the dental clinic was a huge success, and we were honored to be a part of that!

Back to Basics

Written by: Anna Hergt

First session break has commenced, giving us a chance to reflect on the past couple months and how much we have accomplished in our first session. Between the everyday classes, the field trips, and the special visitors, we have learned quite a lot! In Potrero the new school year begins in January, so we went back to the basics. The kinder class started with A, learned words from a new letter of the alphabet each week, and got all the way to I. The main themes of this session for the 1st – 6th graders were introductions, calendars, weather, classroom phrases, and the importance of learning English.

One of my favorite activities for learning introductions was making paper bag puppets. As with anyone learning a new language, our kids are quite shy to speaking out. Though they understand quite a lot, sometimes they need an extra push to use those words on their own. Making puppets did just that! Talking through their paper bag buddies made it less scary, and their knowledge immediately shined through. Another highlight was when the kids interviewed each other and made About Our Friend posters for the classroom.

Our days of the week and months of the year songs made learning about calendars a breeze. We had lots of laughs singing the days of the week to the tune of the Adam’s Family theme song (clap clap!), and dancing to the months of the year Macarena. Racing to step on flashcards, and big game of “duck duck goose” using days and months instead of “duck duck,” also helped their pronunciation. They were even quick to learn ordinal numbers, despite the challenge native Spanish speakers have with the “th” sound.

Learning about weather was especially interesting for the kids, as here in Costa Rica it is almost always sunny and hot. They have never seen snow, or felt the deathly cold weather I remember from growing up in Massachusetts. They also love learning about the world, an inspiring notion for me, and one I want to encourage and foster. Because of this, their favorite activity by far was when I looked up the weather for different places around the world on that day of classes, and they had to draw it on maps. It sparked their curiosity to think about things that were happening in other places, and I was so happy to see them learning new words like warm and cool, foggy and stormy.

The great thing about having established English classes for some time now,  was that the kids already knew a lot of the classroom phrases they needed to know for their exam in school. Every day they hear phrases like “raise your hand,” “come write it on the board,” and “sit down please.” They are also encouraged to speak up, and ask questions politely like “may I go to the bathroom,” and “could I please have a marker.” At the beginning of the session we made bilingual posters for the room to remind us of some useful phrases, and these have significantly helped the kids feel confident in using the phrases every day. Simon Says: Classroom Edition was so easy for them that everybody won!

As our first session came to a close, a big question was posed for all the students; “Why is learning English important?” After giving them some time to think about it, we had many impressive responses that mirrored our mission here at Abriendo Mentes. Speaking English is especially important in Costa Rica because tourism is a huge part of their economy, and holds the most profitable jobs. Being bi-lingual opens up international job opportunities as well. The kids mentioned this, among other incredible insights; making new friends and having pen pals, traveling to other countries, understanding music and movies, and having a greater awareness of other cultures. Their thoughts were a joyful reminder of how important our work really is, and how blessed we are to be a part of opening minds in Latin America.

Mosaic- Watch the transformation!

Watch the transformation from our previously bland and boring Salon to what is now a beautiful community space in Potrero! Thank you to Carrie O’Malley for her kind, patient and extremely talented self and everyone else who was involved in this amazing project!

Take a Right at the Dirt Road

Written by: Shannon Ghere

This is how we give instructions to Potrero: Head towards Playa Flamingo, and take a right on the dirt road. This dustyroad is iconic to our little town and serves as a reminder to the truly rural and impoverished area that you are traveling through. While it may seem quaint and rustic at first glance, it is in fact the cause of large problems that the community has been trying to address for decades.

Day to day life is simply more difficult with a dirt road such as ours. During the rainy season, potholes 6 inches deep cover the entire road. They damage cars, make it nearly impossible to bike, and add an extra 20 minutes to a 3 kilometer drive.

But the worst comes in the dry season, such as we are experiencing now. Dust covers Potrero and the surrounding communities. Lining the streets are grey and white trees and shrubs, suffocated from the dust kicked up by traffic and large construction trucks. Restaurants use gallons of water multiple times a day to drench the road so that their costumers are not eating plates of food covered in dirt. The community center currently has a centimeter of dirt covering the ground that we either must play in it or spend hours sweeping, only to leave us coughing for days and returning to the same problem soon after. At night the streetlights reflect off the dust cloud hovering over us. The health impacts are clear and people in Potrero are suffering from respiratory illnesses and allergies.

Healthy environments are a strong cultural value and source of pride for Costa Ricans. The Costa Rican constitution states “Every person has the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment.” Despite it being constitutionally guaranteed, Potrero has yet to see this right fulfilled and continues developing health problems because of it.

These are not new issues and the community has long tried to address them. Various companies and government officials have promised to pave the road and never followed through. The situation is not too different then the lack of funding for education in the region. Rural areas such as Potrero are simply not a priority. They are left marginalized in a rapidly developing and prosperous nation, with a lack of funding for education and infrastructure.

But no one has given up hope and Potrero and the surrounding towns are determined to improve their communities. A petition was created recently and is circulating throughout town to show support for paving the road and evidence of its need. I for one signed it, gladly!

    

**Please take the time and vote for AM founder Meradith as a “woman who makes a world of difference” and help her win $1000 for AM at http://oxfamamerica.maker.good.is/projects/abriendomentes

Meet Nana

As we continue to highlight the women of our community, we would like to introduce you to Nana. Nana is a wonderful mother of five, a hard worker, and an important member of the Abriendo Mentes and Potrero community.  Her children attend AM classes and she is always eager to lend a helping hand when needed.  We asked her opinion on what it’s like to be a woman living in Potrero, and about teen pregnancy, an important issue in regards to the young girls in our community.  We hope you enjoy getting to know Nana as much as we enjoy having her in our lives!

You were a teen mother, how do you feel about teen pregnancy in terms of your experience?

I have five children and I am 28 years old.  My first child I had when I was 15 years old.  It was a wonderful pregnancy, but it was so hard because I lost my youth and I gave up my innocence.  After I had my third child, it became hard to be a mother.  My children were so close in age that it was difficult, I had two to three babies at a time.  I went into depression for a while.

I feel that 15 to 20 years old is way too young to have children.  I have sacrificed a lot.  I think the age I am around now, 25 – 28 is a much better age to have kids.

You have a daughter who is about to be a teenager, have to spoken to her about teen pregnancy?

Yes, Sucelli will be 12 in a month and she thinks she will be a woman!  I talk to her all the time about how important it is for her to continue her studies, go to school and enjoy her life while she is young, then she can have a family later.  It is scary and hard being a parent of an adolescent girl.  She likes to dance and hang out with her friends, but I know she is still very young even if she feels she is grown up.

What is it like to be a woman in Potrero?

It’s nice, I enjoy working for my children and for my community.

You grew up in Nicaragua, do you feel that it is different to be a women in Nicaragua compared to Costa Rica?

Yes, I feel there is much more opportunity here.  Before today, I didn’t even know there was such things as International Women’s Day!

Nana with two of her middle children, Fernando (3) and Hilary (5).  Her other children are Sucelli (11) Brandon (8) and Christopher (1).

Adam’s Song: Potrero Community

Another exceedingly hot day in the desert is the current story of the town of Playa Potrero.  The sun beats down, unrelentingly casting its warm glow upon plant, animal, and land alike.  Even with the thermometers peaking, as I walk by the Potrero Salon Comunal I see some Abriendo Mentes volunteers painting, working to improve the facilities to better serve the Potrero Community.

In the short time of its existence, Abriendo Mentes has molded the community of Potrero into an open, giving group of people who are connected and care about each other.  The constant presence of AM in town provides such a positive energy and vibration, and also fosters the desire for service.  The English classes for children and adults is a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages.  The women’s empowerment class provides a previously absent forum for women to express themselves and discuss issues affecting women in Costa Rica today.

But aside from the community service that the organization itself provides, the energy of Abriendo Mentes fuels the ongoing awareness of the interconnection between everyone in our society.  One great example is enough to encourage others to take similar action, and share the love.  Finally, it seems many of the service groups of the Guanacaste area are coming together to pool their resources to accomplish even more.  AM will we be working closely with CEPIA, another service organization based out of Huacas.  In addition, they inspired beach clean-ups with another non-profit organization Advocates 4 Change.  Besides other major organizations, individuals have been inspired and Potrero recently boasted a garage sale to support a spay-and-neuter program of stray dogs.

Every day, it becomes more and more apparent that community and the world does not function as multiple individual cells that operate independently of the rest of the world.  Our community is living proof that everything is connected, and as awareness and energy increases, more and more community service events and activities will develop.  These are great opportunities to help another person out, but also to see how people and a community live together, give together, and love together.  Thanks Abriendo Mentes for setting a great example!

Adam Lanka is a freelance writer living in Potrero, Costa Rica. He volunteers his time to write for Abriendo Mentes. Contact Adam at lanka.adam@gmail.com or follow his blog The Wanderlust.

Mosaic 2012: Get to know the Artist!

Written by: Rachael Sine 

We have an exciting week planned here at Abriendo Mentes! Along with regularly scheduled kids classes, artist Carrie O’Malley is here from the States, along with her friend and 2 children, to mosaic the inside pillars of the “salon” (community center)! When the children aren’t in classes, they will come and help with the mosaic. We are so thrilled that Carrie and gang has generously donated their time and talents to help make the salon a more beautiful, enjoyable space for the community. Here’s some tid bits to help you get to know Carrie:

Profile: Artist Carrie O’Malley  www.Carrieomalley.wordpress.com 

From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

What she does: While she’s not travelling around the world making mosaics to help build up communities, she teaches art Brookfield Academy in Wisconsin.

How she got into mosaics: After working in advertising for 12 years, she took time off to raise her children and taught herself how to mosaic. Later she traveled to Italy to study mosaics and fell in love with it.

Her vision:  Carrie would love to continue creating mosaics in other places around the world. Her goal is to help create beautiful spaces to give people pride and ownership in their communities.

How she discovered AM and Potrero: Carrie and her family vacationed in Potrero last year. While walking around town, she stumbled upon the murals on the community center and AM’s classroom.  She asked about how she could get involved and was pointed to Meradith and Drew. A year later, she is back and is truly making a difference in the Potrero community!

Carrie (middle) with her 2 children Macy and Logan, and friend Nichole.

Here’s a glimse of what we did yesterday:

        

  

Mil gracias to Carrie and family for being here! Thank you also to the students at Brookfield academy for creating beautiful tile pieces to use in the mosaic. We are so excited to be a part of this and see the end result. Check back for mosaic updates throughout the week!

Why Abriendo Mentes Invests in the Women of our Community

All over the world people will be celebrating today, March 8^th, as International Women’s Day.  It is a day to recognize and honor the strength and ability of women as invaluable contributors to society.  Abriendo Mentes (AM) would like to take this opportunity to highlight the amazing women in the Potrero community and express why it’s important for us as an organization to invest in their growth and empowerment.

The women of Potrero are hard working.  They work hard at their jobs, in their homes, with their children, and with loved ones.  They are our loving neighbors, our helpful friends, and our gateway to the community.  However, these women often feel marginalized and oppressed due to the machismo society in which they live, their relationships or past experiences.  Abriendo Mentes strives to invest in the lives of these women because we recognize them as being powerful leaders in the community.  We recognize their hard work and we recognize that their talents and abilities are underutilized or under appreciated.  We invest in their lives because they have so much more strength and power than what is shown. They desire an outlet for expression and resources to help them take control of their lives and deal with the dynamic problems they face.  This is evident in the way they approach AM’s Women’s Empowerment Program.  It was the Potrero women who wanted to create a group where they could be free to express themselves, in a comfortable and engaging space, free from marginalization. They want to take control of their own lives and learn not only how to empower themselves but learn to empower and support one another. AM merely supplies the resources to help them do that. The Potrero women are progressively summoning the courage to take control of their own lives. Now that’s power. And that is why we invest.

Tonight we will celebrate International Women’s Day by hosting a dinner for the ladies of Mujeres Activas de Potrero, followed by a workshop on women’s rights in Costa Rica by CEPIA President Laetitia Deweer.  We are looking forward to celebrating together the power and privilege of what it means to be a woman living in Potrero.

AM Does Mardi Gras!

On the occasion of this year’s Mardi Gras, Playa Flamingo hosted a celebratory Mardi Gras parade with floats, beads and lots and lots of candy! Of course, Abriendo Mentes didn’t want to miss out on this fun event, so we gathered children and volunteers and went to Flamingo to take part in the celebrations!

In preparation for Mardi Gras Tuesday, the kids made fun “under the sea”-themed decorations for our float – a truck, big enough to fit both those who signed up for going and those who didn’t in time, most kindly donated by Bahia Del Sol. On a Fun Friday, we let our creativity loose and colored sea stars and sea horses, made tissue paper squids and fish and painted underwater landscapes.

 

Finally, the day came for Mardi Gras and the truck arrived in time for us to decorate it with all of our art, a bunch of balloons and Abriendo Mentes signs. Once decorated, the truck full of children and volunteers headed out to starting point of the parade, Banco Nacional.

With the sun baking down on all of Flamingo the parade slowly began making its way to Playa Flamingo, music blasting out from speakers strategically placed on top of a car,  children smiling and laughing and gathering candy and beads from dressed up people on colorful floats.

  

As the parade started coming to an end, the kids descended the float to have their go at collecting candy before the truck made its way back to good old Potrero, all of us yet another great experience richer.

Adam’s Song: Potrero Fiestas

Good day to everyone out in the world following the wonderful achievements and service of Abriendo Mentes in the town of Potrero.  Believe it that life here in paradise has not much changed; the sun is still shining, the birds are still pining, and the children are all still smiling.  I witnessed this firsthand earlier this week when walking home from the mercado, I noticed Meredith and a few volunteers with their students on the cancha central de Potrero.  I am not sure as to what exactly the activity was, but the students and teachers alike were smiling and laughing, enjoying life and learning together, celebrating the day.  If a smile is worth a thousand words, together they formed the text of an incredibly inspiring novel.

The dust finally settled around town from the storm caused by the Potrero Fiesta Civica the past week.  The entire village seems a little tired, a little weary, a little worn out from the extensive celebration of culture, friends, family, and life.  I myself had to have eaten over 5 pounds of friend chicken, and my heart is just now pumping to its maximum capacity again.  For an insider’s view on the fiesta, read Andy’s wonderful article on the Potrero Post.

Amid the aftermath, peace and tranquility emanate from the gathering.  Life in Costa Rica is rugged, the sun and land are harsh and unforgiving, it begrudges no handicap to anyone.  The energy expended in survival is the same energy that permeates our community, and after hard work and struggle comes great enjoyment and play.  The mindset of the people is one that applies to everyday.  We work, but so that we can live fully, so that we can be to our heart’s content.

After I think about it, I notice that life in Potrero is always a fiesta.  Yes, it is great when the bulls come, the food vendors, the bailes, the games and rides.  But our town is full of people who survive a harsh environment, cut their niche of happiness into the world.  And to these people, to me, everyday is a fiesta.  Every day is a celebration of life, of people coming together for a common goal, of service, of sacrifice, and of love.  Joy and happiness are readily readable upon faces, old and young alike.  The vibration is refreshing, one of happiness, and life is lived for the sheer pleasure and merriment of it.

Adam Lanka is a freelance writer living in Potrero, Costa Rica. He volunteers his time to write for Abriendo Mentes. Contact Adam at lanka.adam@gmail.com or follow his blog The Wanderlust.