Arianna Hakiman- Costa Rica
Goodness, so much has happened these past few weeks! Semana Santa was lovely. That's really the best way to describe it. Despite a few stressful traveling situations and many a bug bite (bug bites that still itch 2 weeks later!), I really loved it so much. I spend about 5 days in Progreso, a small village in a Guyamí indigenous reservation on the Panamanian border, staying with Anne and Parviz Ighani, two wonderful Baha'is wo have lived there for around 15 years. It was truly unbelievable and indescribably beautiful. I wish I could have taken a photo of every single view I saw for the whole five days I was there. Really. Incredibly. Beautiful. Life is simple there, with running water piped in from a nearby stream, a little bit of electricity at night from solar panels, all cooking done over a fire, and lots and lots of rice and beans. From the Ighani's house it's about a 30 minute walk/hike down the mountain to the Baha'i center. I was so lucky to be in Progreso for the Baha'i community's annual summer school; we all spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday together listening to talks, having discussions, helping with childrens classes, laughing, singing, socializing, etc. It was wonderful to get to know the community. They're very special, quite hilarious, and dedicated.
