WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009 - (Page 33)
Letter From Costa Rica The Dream: FINDING MY RELIGION A Catholic Costa Rican friend connects a Volunteer to his Jewish identity by Don Goldman rapidly took on the language and manners of Costa Rican children. These were formative years; not only did the girls live another culture, but they saw real poverty up close, and soon realized their good fortune. As Peace Corps Volunteers, Lorraine taught English at the University of Costa Rica, and I worked for the Costa Rican national parks for two years and then taught geography at the National University. San José had a vibrant Jewish community. Most arrived in the 1930s as Polish immigrants, coming to one of the few countries that would accept them. The acceptance was genuine, and by the time of our arrival the Jews had worked their way up from t is not well known that, for push-cart vendors to the professions, a brief period in the 1960s business and wealth. They had created and 1970s, Peace Corps the Centro Israelita, consisting of experimented with placing entire a synagogue and a kindergartenfamilies, including ours. It was a to-high school day school. Most wonderful four years. When we lived in Rohrmoser, an upper-class arrived, Emily was three and Jessica neighborhood, and it seemed to us that, was five. Fortunately, their health was except for their business, professional excellent, as was their school (San and university contacts with non-Jews, José’s Jewish day school), and they they mixed only with themselves. Their terminology reflected this isolation: they called themselves la colonia, and everyone else, los costarricenses. We lived in the small village of Curridabat, where we were the only Americans and the only Jews. Our new neighbors had heard of Jews, but their understanding of Jews was limited to the Church’s antiSemitic, pre-Vatican II world view. But our neighbors, like Costa Ricans generally, were open-minded and friendly. Invited to visit our home, a Peace Corps family —don, Jessica, lorraine and emily and through the magic of goldman—in Costa Rica, March 1973. kids befriending kids, we Lorraine and I were well-assimilated Jews. We identified with our Jewish culture and heritage, but had not participated in Jewish life, and had limited Jewish knowledge. Nonetheless, we sat down one night in the village of Tres Ríos, Costa Rica with eight elderly Catholic men to tell them about Jews and Judaism. Despite our uncertainty, we went though our prepared statement and took their questions. It worked--one of those improbable examples of the blind successfully leading the halt. Why these men wanted to know about Jews, and how two assimilated Jewish Peace Corps Volunteers became their informants, is our story. “I want to become a doctor.” The Reality: “I don’t have the required courses for medical school.” The Answer: The Johns Hopkins Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program can make your dream a reality. Prepares college graduates for medical school admission via rigorous coursework. Provides comprehensive, one-on-one, premedical advising. Gives access to cuttingedge research at Johns Hopkins Hospital via medical tutorials. Offers a course, only for post-bac students, addressing clinical issues in medicine. 100% acceptance to medical school. I Don Goldman To learn more, visit our website at www.jhu.edu/postbac or call 410-516-7748. Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program WorldView
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009
WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009
Contents
President's Letter
Your Turn
Are You Connected Yet? Join Africa Rural Connect
Group News Highlights
Why Investment in Health Is Critical Now
New Hope and Lessons from Rwanda
Turning a Blind Eye
A Question of Capacity
CN U HLP ME? I HAVE A ??
When Water and Sanitation Are a Priority
Could “Peace Care” Lessen the Global Burden of Disease?
One, Two, Three
Translating International Health to Health Care at Home
Turning Tragedy to Opportunity
Costa Rica: Finding My Religion
St. Lucia: Learning about Hunger
Seven Dusty Notebooks
Peace Corps Service 2.0
The Peace Corps Community Making a Difference
Community News
Advertiser Index
WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009
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