Another rainy day in San José

Today I went to San José to meet with a woman who works for a Quaker organization called Friends for Peace (Amigos para la Paz). On the trip down, something happened that has happened almost every time I've gotten on a bus, so I thought it was worth mentioning. There is this phenomenon of recovering drug addicts selling candy or some little snack on the bus to earn money. I don't think they pay to ride the bus - today I saw the guy give the bus driver a chocolate, but I don't think he gave him money. When the bus is in motion, he will go into his story - some longer than others - about being a recovering addict and finding God and selling candy has helped to get them off the streets. It's touching, really. The first guy I heard do it went into great detail about his story - that he'd been on drugs since he was 8, and for 22 years was addicted to drugs and living on the streets, committing crimes to support his habit. Today's fellow was a little more concise. I've been giving them money - only today did I actually take what he was selling. It was chocolate, after all...

Drugs do seem to be a problem in San José. The day that Alistair, Kat and I went in, we were looking for an English school for Alistair to check out, when we found ourselves in a not-so-nice area with abandoned lots. Alistair had just bought a Gatorade, and had finished about half of it, when we walked by these two guys slumped on the sidewalk. At the sight of his drink, one of them bounced up and staggered over, and in his nearly unintelligible words, we figured out he wanted the drink, which Alistair kindly handed over. They were so happy about the drink, and as we walked by shouted "God bless! Peace!" (in English). It was very obvious that they were high on something.

In this situation, they were perfectly harmless. As a woman walking alone, though, I wouldn't really want to find myself in the same situation. Downtown, there is Avenida Central and Avenida 1, and it seems that between those two streets, it's fairly safe, heavily patrolled by police, and quite crowded. When you go beyond those two blocks, though, you don't know what you're going to find. In the little time I've spent in San José, I've noticed a lot of homelessness and a lot of people who look like they are on drugs (and I'm not talking about pot).

Isabel, the woman I met, was talking about how San José has been experiencing more crime, drug abuse, and homelessness in recent years, but it's not as bad as many other Central and South American capitals. Her feeling is that there needs to be intervention now - like more urban community projects, reclaiming space, helping the homeless, addict assistance programs - before it spirals out of control and gangs take over, as they have in other places.

Her organization also does some interesting work trying to disseminate information about the US military's use of weapons that contain uranium (I'm not exactly sure what kind of weapons, or the science behind this), which is causing birth defects in Iraq as well as in America (in the children of servicemen and women who have been exposed). She showed me a lot of very harrowing pictures of the affects of these weapons. Her organization made a movie about it, so after I see it, I'll write more on the subject.

This group also does a project called Art for Peace, where they get kids to paint murals on city walls. They are also working on getting a bike path made through the city. The meeting was informative, and the organization seems to do a lot of good work in the city. There is definitely a possibility to do some work with them in the future - we'll see what happens!

Meanwhile, I have another meeting with someone either tonight and tomorrow who is a former UPEACE student who now works with an organization called Academy for Peace/Rasur Foundation. I'm really interested in the work they're doing. They are training teachers to use nonviolent communication in the classroom, and to teach their students about it. In addition they are putting on an international conference in September, so I'm hoping to get involved.

I also picked up a used book at an English bookshop called "Waging Peace In Our Schools." It is perfect reading for my current studies - it might even be on the required reading list. It's a good start!

It has rained a lot the past two days. Yesterday it rained for about 5 hours, and it probably rained about the same today. Just one more day until orientation. I must say, I really can't wait to get started!

We now know the way to San Jose

It was a day of firsts: I met my first UPEACE student, took my first bus trip, and had a first look at San Jose.

The other student is nice. Her name is Kat and she is from the Netherlands, and will be doing the International Peace Studies program. This morning Annie introduced us and I invited her to come along with us.

We had no trouble getting the bus, and it was quite a comfortable ride, especially compared to what we are used to from transportation in Tokyo. A nice woman who spoke perfect English saw Alistair and I looking at our guide book and asked us if we needed help. She kindly pointed us in the direction of the Central Market (mercado central).

Stepping off the bus was pretty crazy - the area around the bus station is a bit dirty and hectic, as areas around most bus stations in most parts of the world tend to be. The wind was blowing strongly, kicking up dust in our eyes and adding to the chaotic feeling. We stepped into the market, which I was expecting to be equally hectic, but it was surprisingly calm and tranquil. There were souvenir shops, food stalls, household items and produce. We stopped for a drink in a cute little cafe and looked at our map inconspicuously (the woman on the bus had also said, "Be careful. San Jose is really dangerous. Don't flash anything valuable...." which perhaps was why I was feeling edgy when we got off the bus).

From the market we walked through the central area, aptly named Avenida Central. It was a bustling pedestrian area, and much cleaner than the neighborhood near the bus station. It's nice to have pedestrian areas - it is definitely not a pedestrian-friendly country. The drivers are not paying attention to people crossing the street, and crossing the street can be scary. Pedestrian zones, of which there are a few in San Jose, are a welcome haven. We visited a large church that was surprisingly modern, then went on a hunt to find an electrical adapter for Kat, which gave me a chance to practice some more Spanish. Then we set out to find some English schools for Alistair, a goose chase which took us to a torn-down building in the industrial part of town. Unfortunately, we never found the school. A project for another day....

Our next project was to find the Museo Para La Paz, a peace museum founded by Oscar Arias, the Nobel laureate and current Costa Rican president. At first we couldn't find it, and instead found a great little souvenir market near the national museum (and managed not to buy anything). Then we did find it, but it was closed - according to the guide book, it would open in ten minutes. After a tour of the market, we returned to the alleged museum - only to find out it wasn't a museum. The gate was still locked, and there was a buzzer, so we rang it. I said "Is this the peace museum?" And the woman replied, "It's not here anymore." Que lastima! We made our way back to the bus station, passing an English book shop, with a good - but expensive - selection.

By the end, we felt very comfortable in San Jose. We'll still keep our wits about us when we walk around, as theft is supposed to be a problem. But the city is easy to navigate, not too dirty, not too crowded, and rather relaxed, traffic aside. I'll be going back next Monday to meet with a peace and justice organization, Amigos para la Paz, who I've been in touch with.

Meanwhile, tomorrow I'm attending a yoga class with a fellow Kripalu yoga teacher, and will speak to her about the possibility of teaching at her studio. I'm excited both by the prospect of teaching and just being able to enjoy a class let by someone else.

I'm going to start posting some pictures too, as we get them up!