The Inter-American Court for Human Rights

For my thesis I am translating a Judgment from the Inter-American Court for Human Rights so when I found out about an internship in their Translation Department I couldn't resist. It is a 3 month internship with 18 other interns from all over the Western Hemisphere. My cube neighbors are from Canada, Brazil and Chile. Last week I was able to attend the Court's public hearings and learn a whole lot of legal jargon by listening to the simulteanous translation provided on a small radio. The official languages of the Court are Spanish, English, and French. To find out more about the Court check out the following link:
http://www.corteidh.or.cr/

Café

Introduced by Cuba in 1729, coffee has played an important role in transforming Costa Rica into one of the most prosperous countries in Central America. The rich volcanic soil, and tropical climate make it a coffee paradise. Even though i am not a coffee drinker, i had made up my mind that i wanted to partake in the harvest of this amazing bean. I spent 1 week in the countryside of Naranjo picking coffee on local plantations. We got up at 4:30am to pack our lunches and by 6am we were all packed like sardines in a metal trailer that was pulled by an old steam tractor. We had to wear long sleeves and pants, mainly to keep us from getting all scratched up by the coffee branches, but also from being biten by posinous worms. There are 2 types of worms that bite, and your whole arm goes numb for about 30 minutes until it wears off. That's what they told me anyhow, fortunately, i didn't have personal experience. I have never been so physically exhausted in my life. At 8pm i was gone. The second day i could only fill my basket half way because my back hurt so much. But little by little i started to improve. I picked a total of 7 cajuelas (metal box measurement used to measure coffee beans) my last day and got paid 5,000 colones (about $10 United States dollars or about $1.00 an hour). The beans have a guey, honey-like substance that gets all over your clothes and hands and is impossible to get out.

It wasn't the monkeys fault

Every year Rotaracts travel to the jungle during Christmas and stay on a houseboat for a couple of days while they travel down the San Juan River delivering presents and Christmas cheer to those on both sides of the river (the river divides Nicaragua from Costa Rica). To get there we took a 3 hour busride and a 2 hour ride in a motarized dugout canoe. Miles and miles from civilization we played with children in rubber boots (there is no dry season in this area), painted faces, and took lots of pictures...one of a fellow gringa, Doña Ana Moshenek, a missionary who has been working in the area for over 15 years. Since i was taking pictures i was the first to notice the blood oozing from her arm, seconds after her pet monkey had biten her. One of the children had purposely scarred the monkey who proceeded to react by biting her. Since Doña Ana had raised the little creature since it was a wee little thing, bottle feeding it and always perching him on her shoulder, she was in shock. Luckily, Doña Ana is a doctor and knew right what to do, unfortunately, the bite was on her right forearm which prevented her from being able to stitch herself up, so she asked me and i quickly agreed to help.....yeah, you heard right, i agreed to help...me who hates blood....come on....we were hours from a hospital if i didn´t help she might not have made it. BUT....the problem was i didn´t make it either. I fainted. I did manage to get 2 shots of novicaine into the wound, but it was too much for me. The next thing i knew i was laying on the floor, shivering. There was just too much blood, and her inner muscle was very visible. This reafirmed my wise decision to change majors when i was in college from nursing to Spanish. I am happy to report that Doña Ana is doing just fine after more than 20 stitches by a fellow Rotaracter who is studying to be an orthodontist.

Rich...

"rich is not who has the most, rich is one who needs the least"-unknown proverb.

i shed a tear today as i watched a homeless man share his bread with a stray dog. He reached down and petted the black mangled fur coat as he tore a piece of bread into two and gently offered it to the animal. I have yet to learn so much in this life!

Swept away by the rain!

It was only a couple of months ago that I found myself talking to a little old lady at the bus stop who was afraid to go out in the rain. I had never heard of such a thing before!!! Afraid of the rain?!* Afraid that she might get caught up in the current and drown?!* I had never seen rain like that before, that strong and mighty, nor had I ever thought of such a peculiar (or what I thought peculiar) fear, UNTIL.... I experienced the rainy season in Costa Rica!!! The rain here is so powerful. During the rainy season it rains for 2-3 hours straight and since the water has nowhere to go in the already over saturated soil, it gushes out of the drains, spews from the streets and runs down the sidewalks making it impossible to maintain a firm grip between the soles of your shoes and the ground beneath. Some blame El Niño for the recent extra rains, some the tear in the ozone layer, others try not to focus on the negative and set their sights on summer, almost as a mantra repeating, "summer is just around the corner." Whatever the cause, I now understand the little old lady who doesn't leave her house when it starts to rain and share these pictures with you.

Mi corazón dice SI

Yesterday was a politically-charged day here in Costa Rica, as the citizens voted on the free trade agreement, CAFTA, deciding that "Si!" (Yes), they would sign on to the agreement between the U.S. and the other Central American countries. The final result, with 60% of the population voting, was extremely close: 51.7% yes and 48.3% no.

TLC

This is the buzz word here lately, and one only wishes the acronym stood for Tender Loving Care, because it is one of the most polemic debates this country has ever seen. Yet, TLC stands for el Tratado de Libre Comercio or the free trade agreement with the United States known as CAFTA. Costa Rica is the only Central American country that still has yet to ratify the agreement. However, the decision is now in the hands of the people….with an upcoming referendum. On October 7, Costa Rica citizens will go to the polls to vote SI or NO al TLC. The debate has enveloped the country in the last months and there is propaganda from both sides everywhere; there have been rallies, demonstrations, marches, buttons, and televised debates. The apartment below us happens to be one of the headquarters for the SI campaign and last week we were awakened to sounds of glass breaking as a group threw rocks through the window and sprayed the building with the words “NO AL TLC”. Those against the treaty claim that Costa Rica will never be able to compete with the imports that will enter tax free if the treaty is signed. The public services such as electricity and water will become privatized, meaning that prices will go up. Those who stand behind the SI banner, argue that the treaty will bring new jobs and possibilities to Costa Rica. In their opinion Costa Rica must sign the treaty if it wants to continue to compete in the global market. It is hard to say what will happen on October 7, but one thing is for sure, it is a pivotal time in the history of this nation.