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December 1973 Newsletter
COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
San Jose del Guaviare in Colombia, South America
Volume 1, Issue 12 December, 1973
(photo)
Tomales: wrapped in banana leaves are a special treat in Costa Rica at Navidad or Christmas time. This typical Latin dish would be comparable to our turkey and trimmings during this sacred celebration.
NAVIDAD EN COSTA RICA
First, we must way that we hope that the seasonal mail pile-up around Christmas time does not hold up our newsletter any great length of time. It would be a shame for our December issue to reach you in January.
While we are on the subject of Christmas we might mention a few things of the celebration of "Navidad" or Christmas time in Costa Rica. One thing is certain, we won't have a white Christmas this year. This being a tropical country, snow is an unknown occurrence. The traditional dish is not turkey but tomales (see picture). Grapes and apples are imported and purchased with delight for the once a year celebration. Central Avenue in downtown San Jose is closed down because of the people who come out. The festive spirit fills the air as all the shops and homes are decorated with colored lights.
However Costa Rica remembers something that we in America have forgotten; that is that Christmas is first and foremost the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of all the commercialism, Costa Rica recalls that the true joy, happiness, and peace are not bought in a Christmas special at some shopping center. The nativity scene occupies the central position at Christmas rather than a tree or other objects. Perhaps there is a great deal of superficial display of one's Christianity at this time, but at least they have not made a conscious effort to remove Jesus Christ from the holiday initiated to honor the birth of the Savior of mankind.
There is one more thing we would like to mention in relationship to Christmas time. Please do not mail any gifts to us. To get any such gift out of the Aduana, or customs office is a long, tedious, and often expensive proposition.
May God bless you and yours at this special time of the year with the peace and joy that the coming of the Savior is intended to bring. D.R.M.
NERVES; NOT HARDLY
Several times in the last month one living in Costa Rica may have thought that he had a bad case of the nerves. But, as things turned out, that was hardly the case. In the month of October, fifteen earth tremors shook San Jose and the Central Valley. Two of them hit 4.7 and 4.6 or the Richter scale. These quakes caused renewed activity in several of Costa Rica's volcanoes and stopped the daily rains for about 3 days.
Have no fear for our safety though. We live many miles from the nearest volcano. San Jose has never been hit by a severe earthquake. Our apartment building is constructed to withstand tremors and so they do little more than make life more interesting.
However we are thankful for those who pray for our safety. We would like to express our gratitude to those who have written concerning our safety after hearing reports of earthquakes and plane crashed in Latin America. We appreciate this expression of love. D.R.M.
ARROZ CON POLLO
One part of the joys that is a part of living in a Tico home is to taste many foreign foods. Arroz con pollo or chicken with rice is a very common dish in Costa Rica and one that is really delicious. Here is a translation of the recipe used by Do¤a Nora Alfaro (the hostess in the home where I am living). Try it for yourself and see if you don't agree.
INGREDIENTS (serves 10 people)
1 chicken
1 lb. rice
1 med. can green peas
1 sm. jar of olives (drained)
2 or 3 sweet red peppers
4 bouillon cubes chicken flavored
1 can tomato paste
8 cloves garlic (mashed)
1 onion
2 stalks of celery
1 sm. jar capers
Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper
Begin by cooking the chicken. I can be cooked whole or in parts. Rub on the chicken salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and mashed garlic. Put in a pot with oil and brown the chicken. After the chicken is browned add enough water to cover the chicken and then cover the pot. Cook until chicken is tender.
When the chicken is tender take it out of the pot. Remove the skin and separate the chicken from the bones. Tear the meat into small pieces and set aside. (You may also chop up the skin to be added later.
In a separate pan brown in oil the chopped celery, chopped onion, olives, capers, strips of red peppers, rice and chicken. You may also add the pieces of chicken skin. When this mixture is slightly browned, add it to the liquid along with the can of peas (drained). Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked.
Serve as a main dish and enjoy eating a real Costa Rican food. P.A.B.
(photo)
Pollos Fritos Kentucky? That's right you guessed it. The Colonel has outlets in Costa Rica as well. This one is located directly across from the language institute.
LIFE IN LATIN AMERICA
To be sure, life in Latin America is very different from the States. San Jose is a modern city. It even has two McDonalds and two Kentucky Fried Chickens. But in spite of first impressions, Latin America is in many many ways a different world. I now write this article by the light of our kerosene lamp. Blackouts are frequent, even in the capital of Costa Rica. They last for minutes or hours. But they always make us thankful that we came here prepared to go to a place where there is no electricity. As a result this creates no real hardship for us. We have gasoline stoves, battery operated radios and tape recorders, candles, and a generator for what items need electricity.
Right now there is not gasoline in the country. The world fuel crisis has not put the pinch on, but the shortsighted and inept politicians have gone one step farther. The Costa Rican government recently forced Allied Chemical Corporation to sell the country's oil refinery to the government. The only problem is that they forgot to see if they had money to operate it. Well, they have their refinery now, but no money to buy crude oil. So, we can look forward to a couple of weeks with no gasoline until the politicians figure out where they can get money to supply the refinery with raw materials.
That's life in Latin America. Don't take these articles the wrong way. We don't want to give the wrong impression. Jeanie and I are very content and happy in Costa Rica. We are very anxious for the day that will find us in Colombia. But we publish articles of this nature to help you see that we are not working in Cincinnati, Columbus, or Cleveland. Not only is the style of living different, but the culture which produces it. As a result it takes a great deal of study and adaptation to work effectively in this part of the world. All of this is part of the reason we came to Costa Rica to study Spanish. D.R.M.
Each missionary is raising his own support separately so please make any checks payable to the Colombian Christian Mission Inc. and send to the forwarding agent of the missionary of your choice.
All donations to the Colombian Christian Mission, Inc. are tax-deductible.
Send donations to:
Mrs. Robert Meade
R.D. 1 Box 71
Rittman, Ohio 45204
A publication of the Colombian Christian Services, Incorporated