Sully's Project

Sully’s Grades For The Second Cuatrimestre

2010-09-14T11:31:00.000-06:00

Sully took four courses this cuatrimestre (4 month cycle) at UACA. They included courses in diagnostics, professional practice, investigation methods and professional etiquette. I am very proud to report that her grades were, tada….. 95, 96, 100, and 96! All this while dealing with difficult issues, working for Dave & Arden for 30 hours a week, and tending for her niece in her spare time. She will be signing up for the third cuatrimestre today and will be starting classes this week.

All of the students in the Psychology curriculum have the added challenge of traveling to San José most Saturdays to take a full day of classes. They will be leaving San Ramón at 6 am and returning around 6 pm. A very long day after working all week!

Donations in June & July 2010

2010-08-02T14:52:00.004-06:00

I apologize to those of you who donated to Sully's Project through Raylene's Memorial fund. It has taken me a bit of time to get up to speed on this whole blog thing but I think that I have finally gotten the hang of it!
Heartfelt thanks go out to Gayle J. of Auburn, Maine; John M. of Harwood, Maryland; Lois M. of Port St. Lucie, Florida and Michele and Paul G. and family or Gig Harbor, Washington. Thank you all so much!
Your donations have breathed new life into the project and have insured that Sully will have enough resources to complete her Master's/Licenciatura program at UACA.
Without going into specifics let me assure you that Sully is excelling in all of her courses. I WILL get specific later this month when her grades are available.

Change of College

2010-05-06T11:10:00.002-06:00

Everyone in Sully’s class along with another class from a different ULatina campus are changing colleges. They are changing to UACA (pronounced wocka) as UACA offers a general curriculum for their Licenciatura as opposed to a clinical curriculum.
Matricula and registration for courses at UACA are not paid in cash but by showing the receipt that you got from the bank when you paid for the courses.
Classes begin Monday, May 10th.

LAST Grades from ULatina

2010-05-03T12:56:00.002-06:00

Sully received her grades from her last cuatrimestre (four month session) needed to get her Bachillerato Psicologia (the equivalent of a Bachelor’s in Psychology). Her grades were 100, 96, 94 and 97. An average of 96.75 while working 5 days a week!!!
Wow!!! We are SO VERY proud of YOU, Sully. You proved once more that not only are you cute, but very smart!
Since restarting her studies in January 09’, her average grade is 94.83. Now THAT'S AWESOME!!!

2 DONATIONS IN APRIL 2010!!!

2010-04-30T12:37:00.001-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that came this month!!!
THANK YOU FD and D & RS

Sully earned a Bachillerato Psicologia!!!

2010-04-28T16:57:00.001-06:00

We are SO happy that Sully earned her Bachillerato Psicologia!!! What an accomplishment!
The graduation ceremony will be in September in San Jose. She can’t ‘walk’ (participate) in the ceremony unless the administrative fee is paid before June
(60,000-70,000 colones) purchasing a diploma.
Next, she will attain her Licenciatura (the equivalent of a Masters degree), that will give her a license to practice Psychology. It will take 4 cuatrimestres or 16 months.
CONGRATS, Sully!!!

From Sully & Luis with LOVE

2010-04-25T10:49:00.001-06:00

Sully and her boyfriend, Luis Miguel stretched and framed the tapestry that hung on the dining room wall. It looks gorgeous and the frame matches the ones they did last year – once again, they did an AWESOME job!!! THANK YOU!

3 DONATORS IN MARCH 2010!!!

2010-03-31T15:11:00.001-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donators that came forward this month!!!
THANK YOU PW, FD and D & RS

3 DONATORS IN FEBRUARY 2010!!!

2010-02-28T12:40:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donators that came forward this month!!!
THANK YOU PW, FD and D & RS

Meet Canu (pronounced KAnew)

2010-02-12T10:50:00.002-06:00

Sully read on the internet that labs make great family pets. She decided she wanted a puppy to grow up in the same household as her niece Nicole.
When some gringo friends bred their yellow lab with another yellow lab from here in Costa Rica, Sully snapped up one of 8 puppies!
Canu is a truly cute, soft & cuddly addition!!!

NO OUTSIDE DONATIONS RECEIVED IN JANUARY 2010

2010-01-31T11:56:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for being able to provide for all of Sully’s needs this month!!!

Making The Grade

2010-01-30T11:58:00.000-06:00

Sully received her grades from her last session of 2009 – 99, 88, 90 and 97. An average of 93.5!!!
Wow!!! We are so proud of YOU, Sully. You proved again that not only are you cute, but smart!
Sully, YOU are such a gift to us. You are the perfect adopted daughter - especially when it comes to ambition and education!

2 DONATORS IN DECEMBER 2009!!!

2009-12-31T13:05:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donators that came forward this month!!!
THANK YOU FD and D & RS

Registration for 2010

2009-12-30T13:03:00.000-06:00

Dave took Sully today to register (matriculate) for her first cuatrimestre (four month session) of next year. Even though we didn’t think she would matriculate until the second week of January 2010, by doing it before January 1 we not only saved the 7% increase starting next year but got a 5% discount because of her great grades!!! She is registered for the last four courses she needs for her Bachillerato – Psicologia (the equivalent of a Bachelor’s in Psychology). After finishing that degree, she plans on immediately pursuing her Licenciatura (the equivalent of a Masters degree), that will give her a license to practice Psychology.
Including the matricula (registration) fee, the total tuition cost 216,000 colones (approximately $379.00 USD). Book costs won’t be known until classes start.
For more information about Sully's education costs, Click Here

Phone call from U-Latina

2009-12-29T13:24:00.000-06:00

Sully heard from her college today that she had to matriculate before December 31st or pay an extra 7%. Needless to say, we will be picking her up tomorrow afternoon to take her to matriculate! She will be registering for the last 4 courses to earn her Bachillerato – Psicologia (the equivalent of a Bachelor’s in Psychology). After that, she goes on to get her licenciatura (the equivalent of her Masters).

Christmas with Sully

2009-12-25T17:34:00.000-06:00

Even though we couldn’t be with ‘real’ relatives this year, we invited our ‘adopted’ daughter over for Christmas dinner. She arrived bearing tamales and back pillows for us, she left with a full stomach, multiple pieces of the now famous “Mary’s” Chocolate pie and a computer monitor!
A scrumptious & joyous time was had by all.

Christmas vacation is cancelled

2009-12-23T17:32:00.001-06:00

Sully found out tonight that the vacation her family was SO looking forward to, had packed for and rearranged schedules to accommodate it, had to be cancelled.
Apparently the caretaker that lives for free in the house with his wife and child, told his father that he can recover from surgery by staying with him. The caretaker also invited all of his family to come too and stay in the 2 apartments where Sully & her family/friends would have stayed!
Even though this was a MAJOR disappointment, Sully has made up her mind that she can work to earn more money – she is saving to have her painful impacted wisdom teeth removed and buy a lab puppy!

This cuatrimestre is over!

2009-12-18T17:25:00.000-06:00

Grades will have to wait until Latina reopens January 2nd!!!

2 DONATION RECEIVED IN NOVEMBER 2009!!!

2009-11-30T16:23:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
THANK YOU FD and D & RS

Sully’s first Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T11:55:00.001-06:00

As part of her job, Sully took Thursday off from school to care for Phyllis and share the experience of Thanksgiving. There where 37 attendees at the Brinks dinner so she got to meet numerous gringos and sample all the different foods. She admitted that she didn’t like the stuffing, repeatedly wondered why ANYONE would get up to shop at 4 AM (black Friday) and was in awe over the Macy’s parade! That was the first time she ever ate turkey (it’s not popular here) and unlike most ticos, Sully can now say she has experienced Thanksgiving!

Shopping for sneakers

2009-11-15T17:22:00.000-06:00

Because Sully has been having hip pain walking to and from work wearing Tico shoes, we took her to the mall and got her an early Christmas gift – New Balance 405 sneakers!

SUPER smiles Saturday

2009-11-14T17:23:00.003-06:00

Last Saturday, Frank picked up computers we collected from Sully, her Dad (from the school at Llano Brenes) and the school at Rincon de Mora. He brought them back today and once again, we all met for lunch.
When we picked up Sully, we delivered her computer with more memory, a DVD player, a DVD burner and a video card. We also delivered her father’s newly rebuilt computer for use at Llano Brenes. All these repairs and equipment updates are thanks to Frank!!!
Sully has a gorgeous smile that lights up her face! We got to see her smile a LOT today when Frank gave her a refurbished laptop and padded carrying case and Dave gave her an external hard drive case. Needless to say – she was elated – and loved ‘trying’ it out there in the restaurant as there was ‘free’ Wi-Fi!!!
What an awesome day for this VERY happy tica!!!

An Early Christmas gift

2009-11-14T13:20:00.000-06:00

Frank continues to amaze us with his generosity.
Today, he offered to pay for Sully’s whole immediate family plus her boyfriend, her sister’s boyfriend, and her brother’s friends to go on vacation to the house that Frank owns with Max in the far south of CR near the beach at Christmas.
This is a VERY overwhelming offer and certainly not something this family could afford to do for themselves!

A job for Sully

2009-11-09T17:52:00.001-06:00

Sully started her new job today and she loves it!
She is working 5 days a week for some gringos by taking care of their elderly
mom/mother-in-law. Sully is able to walk to and from work, as it is close to where she lives. Apparently she finds the work to be easy and she has time that she can study.
This job will enable her to bring money in to her family and pay her own way at school. She is making 37,500 colones (about $66.00) for working 25 hours per week. A LOT by Costa Rican standards!

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-11-04T17:50:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 25,000 colones (about $43.10) today for her roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, food and drink at school and allowance. Of that, 3,000 colones was to buy textbooks and 6,000 colones for a test.
For more specifics, Click Here

1 DONATION RECEIVED IN OCTOBER 2009!!!

2009-10-31T17:47:00.001-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donation that was received this month!!!
THANK YOU D & RS

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-10-15T15:42:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 22,000 colones (about $38.00) today for her roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, food and drink at school and allowance. Of that, 3,000 colones was to buy textbooks.
For more specifics, Click Here

The September trips to SJ per Frank

2009-10-07T16:35:00.003-06:00

A Day with Sully

Actually it was on two different days. When I heard that Sully had to come to San Jose to get some paperwork for her re-registration at Ulatina in Palmares, I decided to be her chauffer for the day to help her get around and maybe get things accomplished a little faster. A little wishful thinking!

I met her at Hospital Mexico about 9 AM, not knowing where we were going. It turns out that we had to go to the INS facility to get the first set of papers. We walked around the corner on a really nice sunny day. We all know what ‘around the corner’ means here in Costa Rica. This office is behind Hospital Mexico. INS has a huge complex of medical care for those injured in a vehicle accident. While she was inside getting the proper form I waited outside and spoke to everyone I could find that didn’t mind talking to a gringo who was attempting to speak Spanish. In a short hour I learned a lot about how the INS system works as well as discussing with the Newspaper/fruit juice vender about the state of business in Costa Rica. He was glad to hear that his bananas were cheaper that the supermarket Pali.

Now for the ride to the east side of San Jose to the University of Costa Rica. There is no easy way to get from Hospital Mexico on the west side of San Jose to UCR on the east side. On my first visit to UCR I was reminded of the hectic scenes of a large university. It has been 40 years for me and there is still no parking on a big university campus. After getting the official visitors parking pass, we drove around for a while before finding a spot to park. I am still not sure that the spot I chose was actually a defined parking spot, but the car was still there a few hours later. When in Costa Rican do as the Costa Ricans do.

First line was to pay to receive a transcript. Standard line of maybe 10 people or so. On the line next to show receipt and request a transcript. Then off to the general studies building to get the next paperwork. No line there, but they were short staffed and could not get the request until maybe the next day. As she walked away from the window I could see the frustration on her face and suggested that she get the name and phone number of the person she just talked to. At least she could find out if the paperwork is ready before she made another trip from San Ramon.

Next to the window to get the info needed to show that she had a scholarship previously at UCR. This was your normal line of 12 people ahead of you. Another face of disappointment was shown after she found out that she could not get the paperwork until the following Monday, but we plodded on. On to the school of Nursing for more papers. On the way through the maze of streets in the University district, we stopped for lunch a little soda and had a burger. I guess I am not used to Tico style burgers.

The School of nursing is about a mile from the main campus and in a fairly new multiple story building where all of the nursing courses are taught. She was gone in the back of the office for some and emerged after an hour with a smile of accomplishment. It turns out that the office staff couldn’t get the paperwork for her on that day, but she met a teacher she once had at the Nursing school who remembered her fondly. That teacher helped her get the necessary paperwork.

We made it back to Hospital Mexico by about 5 PM, so she could catch a bus back to San Ramon. She still had hours ahead of her before she returned home and I was exhausted.

The following Monday, she returned to Hospital Mexico, where I picked her up and headed to the east side again to UCR. I had learned my lesson about overstaying the 1 hour rule of parking on campus as a visitor. It turns out that you are placed on a blacklist of having overstayed the 1 hour rule, so we parked just off campus. After 3 strikes on the blacklist that placa number is banned forever from parking on campus. She picked up the paperwork relatively fast at UCR, but first she had to write a letter from herself for Ulatina. So off to the internet café to write a letter. The internet café just off campus only had competition for students’ money from the copy shops that lined the street.

After the letter was written and signed by her, we went to Ulatina not too far away from UCR. First we made copies of all of the accumulated paperwork. As this was the 3rd set of the same paperwork to be given to the school, we had the lady receiving the paperwork stamp and sign the copies that she had received this paperwork. The process will be simplified if they need another rest of paperwork, as the ‘certified’ copies will suffice. Mission accomplished!

Next we inquired at the scholarship office about getting her a scholarship for her future studies, to find that the person in charge was not in the office that day and she would have to come back another day. Get a name and number and make an appointment. She was told chances were not good about a scholarship as this is a private school and it would be minimal. But you have to ask.

On the way back to Hospital Mexico for the bus, we stopped and had lunch at the Gran Hotel across from the National Theater. It is always a special treat for me to have a cup of coffee and see the hustle and bustle of the heart of San Jose. You can imagine what treat it was for her. We talked about the high prices for a sandwich at the Gran Hotel and visiting the museums in San Jose. She had been the Gold museum on a field trip years before from the school she attended and that was it. We hope to remedy this situation and visit some other museums in the future.

She is now registered and attending class at Latina.

What did I get out of this adventure you ask---a lesson in determination, another lesson in patience, a finer understanding of the culture here, an understanding of the challenges that Costa Ricans face everyday, and why I live here. It’s all an adventure.

Frank

Volunteering

2009-10-07T15:39:00.000-06:00

Sully started her mandatory 200 hours of volunteering in the community today and needs to finish before she receives her Bachillerato. She is ‘working’ at P.A.N.I.(Patronato Macional de la Infanic). P.A N. I. is utilizing Sully’s psychology skills in different situations – from educating parents to phone contacts with abuse victims.

5 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN SEPTEMBER 2009!!!

2009-09-30T13:00:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
THANK YOU PW, D & AB, FD, JJ and D & RS

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-09-21T12:59:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 38,000 colones (about $65.00) today for her roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, food and drink at school and allowance for the next two weeks. In addition, she was given 10,000 colones (about $17.00) to buy textbooks.
For more specifics, Click Here

Last matricula this year!

2009-09-10T11:52:00.001-06:00

We made an outing of going to get Sully signed up for her next cuatrimestre (four month sessions) today. This will be her third session (and last) this year. She will be taking four courses this cuatrimestre. She plans on taking the last five courses to get her Bachillerato – Psicologia (the equivalent of a Bachelor’s in Psychology) the first cuatrimestre of 2010. After finishing the degree, she plans on immediately pursuing her Licenciatura (the equivalent of a Masters degree), that will give her a license to practice Psychology.
Donations paid for the matricula (registration) fee, and for the tuition costs. Book costs won’t be known until classes start.
For more information about Sully's education costs, Click Here

Sully & Frank go to the big city!

2009-09-07T11:50:00.001-06:00

Sully and Frank went to San Jose today and last Wednesday to go to INS (the insurance company that handled her motorcycle accident), Universidad CR and Universidad Latina. They obtained all the necessary paperwork (stamped, signed and copied) from INS, UCR and Latina.

Making The Grade

2009-09-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

Sully received her grades from her second session – 90, 98, 98, 86, 97, and 97. An average of 94.3!!!
Wow!!! With the family challenges that you had this session, we didn’t know what to expect. We are so proud of YOU. You proved again that not only are you cute, but smart!
Sully is such a gift to us. She is the perfect adopted daughter - especially when it comes to ambition and education!

NO OUTSIDE DONATIONS RECEIVED IN AUGUST 2009

2009-08-31T11:46:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for being able to provide for all of Sully’s needs this month!!!

Meet Nicole Valaria

2009-08-22T12:59:00.000-06:00

Tia Sully is SO proud!

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-08-20T12:09:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 35,000 colones (about $60.00) today for her roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, food and drink at school and allowance for the next two weeks. In addition, she was given 17,000 colones (about $29.00) to buy a large reference book.
For more specifics, Click Here

From Sully for Mother's Day!

2009-08-15T13:03:00.000-06:00

Sully gave me this unique gift for Mother’s Day. She said that she made it at her boyfriend’s family furniture shop.Thank you for this one of a kind gift, Sully!

Taking care of business . . .

2009-08-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

Grettel’s caesarean site is not healing because of infection. Because Sully’s Mom has the flu, Sully has been taking care of her sister and her baby, Nicole.
Sully has not stayed here since the baby came home with Grettel on the 3rd and she is not getting much sleep or studying done. This is really impacting her as this is the last week of classes and next week is finals.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sully!!!

2009-08-11T10:21:00.000-06:00

We feel SO blessed to have you in our lives! May you have many more birthdays all filled with health, wealth, joy and love!!!

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-08-02T15:57:00.001-06:00

Sully was given 35,000 colones (about $60.00) today.
This is for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, food and drink at school and allowance for the next two weeks.
For more specifics, Click Here

Sully becomes a Tia (aunt)!!!

2009-08-01T15:56:00.000-06:00

Sully’s younger sister had a baby girl by Caesarean at 6:50 PM tonight. Both mom, Grettel and baby, Nicole Valaria are doing great!
Although we have not seen her, we hear that Nicole is “gordo” (fat).

3 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN JULY 2009!!!

2009-07-31T15:51:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
THANK YOU PW, and D & RS

A Quiet Place to Stay

2009-07-28T15:49:00.000-06:00

Tonight will be the first night Sully spends here in our casa.
In looking ahead at the birth of her sister/roommate’s baby, she realized there would be little if any quiet, uninterrupted study time available.
We offered to let her stay here and she accepted. She will be staying with us 3 or 4 nights a week while school is in session. She moved her desk and books into place on Sunday and is looking forward to having *free* internet accessibility on a computer that Dave set up for her!

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-07-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

Allowance for Sully

2009-07-19T16:14:00.001-06:00

Since Sully’s family is unable to pay for her personal care items (cell phone, hair cuts, etc.) and she has been unable to find a part time job, we have decided to give her an ‘allowance’. Her ‘allowance’ will be given every two weeks with her ‘supplemental money’.

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-07-02T16:26:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 25,000 colones (about $44.00 USD) today.
This is for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, and food and drink at school for the next two weeks.
For more specifics, Click Here

4 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN JUNE 2009!!!

2009-06-30T11:56:00.000-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
THANK YOU FD, PW, and D & RS

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-06-30T11:52:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 25,000 colones (about $44.00 USD) today.
This is for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, and food and drink at school for the next two weeks.
For more specifics, Click Here

Cake from Sully for Father's Day

2009-06-22T13:00:00.003-06:00

All dressed up in the new blouse and skirt her mother made, Sully came by this afternoon to wish Dave a Happy Father’s Day and to give him a yummy looking cake she made. It proved to be DELICIOUS!!!

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-06-16T12:58:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 25,000 colones (about $44.00 USD) today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, and food and drink at school for the last two weeks left in June.
For more specifics, Click Here

Supplemental money to Sully

2009-06-04T12:57:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 20,000 colones (about $35.00 USD) today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation, food and drink at school and books.
For more specifics, Click Here

4 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN MAY 2009!!!

2009-05-30T11:52:00.001-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
THANK YOU FD, PW, and D & RS

A new cell phone for Sully

2009-05-30T07:09:00.000-06:00

We have known for a while that Sully needed a new cell phone. The charger circuit inside the phone was broken so the phone wouldn’t hold a charge.
Frank donated some money to the purchase and we added to it. In the end, Sully got the phone she needed and wanted.

Supplemental money to Sully for books

2009-05-29T11:23:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 20,000 colones (about $35.00) for books today.
For more specifics, Click Here

Showing off Sully

2009-05-25T11:31:00.000-06:00

At long last Sully and Frank met face to face today.
Frank brought his friend Max who took us all out to lunch. Max is here to visit his property in southern CR and lives/works in FL right now. He is very interested in Sully as he is mentoring Doctoral candidates in Psychology.
Sully was given 10,000 colones (about $18.00) for food and transportation until next month. For more specifics, Click Here

Supplemental money to Sully in May

2009-05-19T10:45:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 30,000 colones (about $53.00) today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation by bus, food and drink at school and book deposits.
For more specifics, Click Here

Second Session Signup

2009-05-14T13:07:00.003-06:00

5/18/09 UPDATE: One class was cancelled, so Sully was signed up for another. Now she will be going to school four evenings a week!
We made an outing of going to get Sully signed up for her next cuatrimestre (four month sessions) today. This will be the second of the three sessions she attends this year. She will be taking six courses this time spread over three evenings a week.
Including the matricula (registration) fee, tuition cost 314.528 colones (approximately 560.00 USD). Book costs won’t be known until classes start next week.
For more information about Sully's education costs, Click Here

Making The Grade

2009-05-11T10:38:00.001-06:00

5/25/09 UPDATE: Sully was notified by her teacher that she made a mistake in her grades. The REAL grades she will get is 100, 100, 95 and 90. Wow!!! You go girl!
We are so proud of Sully. Not only is she sweet but she is smart!
She received her grades from the first session – 100, 95, 97, and 94. An average of 96.5!!!
She is such a gift a gift to us. She is the perfect adoptive daughter especially when it comes to ambition and education!

Sorpresa (Surprise) from Sully!

2009-05-09T10:37:00.003-06:00

Sully (along with her handsome boyfriend Luis Miguel) made us frames for the paintings we have hanging in the salon (living room).
She told us that she really appreciates all that we have done for her. That we gave her back her dream of having a career. 'Everyone’ questioned her as to why we were doing this for her, as “people just don’t do those things they are doing!”
She had us all in tears!!!

4 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN APRIL 2009!!!

2009-04-30T12:20:00.001-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
THANK YOU SR, PW, D & RS and FD!

Frank Day Returns With Goodies

2009-04-18T16:35:00.001-06:00

Frank Day returned to our house with Sully’s re-repaired computer. He had picked up her computer on March 4th in order to add a 2nd hard drive (the original one was a bit undependable) and increase the memory. He was not at all pleased with the computer's condition and committed to building her a new one!
Frank also brought her some useful “goodies.” There was a 2 GB SD Memory card for her PDA (so that she can carry documents with her to school and study sessions), a 4 GB flash drive so that she can keep her data backed up and move it to other computers, a memory card reader and a hand-held TV! Perhaps the biggest “goodie” (along with the promise to build her a new computer!!!) was a commitment to pay for internet installation and monthly service. Sully is currently in the process of investigating internet options and should know this week whether or not internet is available at her house. Bless YOU, and all YOU do, Frank!!!

Sully gets computer tech support commitment!

2009-04-04T15:39:00.000-06:00

Dave tried to ‘resurrect’ Sully’s computer when it died.
He suspected it had died due to a virus or viruses that had been introduced to it by flash drive use. They are big here and used a lot to share and move information around.
Since most Ticos do not have internet connections at home so when they have the need to go online they go to one of the many internet cafes and use their flash drive to save and move information.
Enter Frank Day from Santa Ana (see www.adoptingescuelas.blogspot.com) and his computer expertise! Frank took Sully’s computer back to his shop (along with several of the non-working “escuela” computers) and worked his magic. The real problem turned out to be a number of viruses and a problem with the DVD player that caused the computer not to boot. Frank stripped down the computer and thoroughly cleaned it, added a new DVD drive/burner, expanded the memory, re-installed the operating system and returned a “like new” computer to Sully. He also committed to replacing her hard drive (he suspects that it doesn’t have much life left) when it ultimately fails, and promised “tech support for life” (his life, not Sully’s!). Frank also passed along a PDA that he was not using – much to Sully’s delight. As we said in the Adopting Escuela blog, Frank is a true gem and a wonderful new friend!

Supplemental money to Sully in April

2009-04-04T15:34:00.000-06:00

Sully was given 25,000 colones (about $44.00) today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation by bus and food and drink at school for April.
It was less than last month because she gets the week of 4/6/09 off from school for Semana Santa (Easter).
For more specifics, Click Here

4 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN MARCH 2009 !!!

2009-03-31T12:51:00.001-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
We have faith that enough money will be available to pay for the six courses and textbooks for next semester!
THANK YOU FD, PW, D & RS and ZB!

Pam’s medical update for March

2009-03-28T12:48:00.000-06:00

Sully went dancing! Sully dutifully tested her physical ability by dancing the Salsa and the Meringa at the wedding of her best friend. Her only difficulty was minor foot and ankle swelling easily relieved by elevating her foot when she arrived home.
Sully has had 5 visits with me in the last two months and continues her daily strengthening exercises. Sully has shown steady improvement in all areas highlights as follows:
• Leg length imbalance corrected by shoe lift
• Minimal pain in left hip in the evening about 3 times per week relieved by rest.
• Able to eat without digestive symptoms
• Increased strength and muscle tone in Left leg
• Hip displacement with ambulation reduced to very occasional and minimal occurrences without pain.
• Continued increase in energy and love for life.
Sully continues to attend school and return to joyful activities like working in her grandmother’s flower garden, while dreaming of all the wonderful things to come…..

Supplemental money to Sully in March

2009-03-03T12:25:00.001-06:00

Sully was given 30,000 colones (about $53.50) today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation by bus and food and drink at school for March.
For more specifics, Click Here

10 DONATIONS RECEIVED IN FEBRUARY 2009 !!!

2009-02-28T12:13:00.005-06:00

We are truly thankful for the donations that were received this month!!!
We nearly have enough money to pay for the six courses Sully wants to take next semester!
THANK YOU SM, JL & LU, B & DD, MK, J & EL, RH & JO, PW, D & RS, JC and RY!

Talking about Textbooks

2009-02-07T16:57:00.003-06:00

We got the final cost of Sully’s ‘textbooks’ today. For her four classes, she had 7 ‘books’. For all of them - the cost – (drum roll, please) was 29,145 colones (about $53.00).
Gosh, ONE of Matthew’s college textbooks cost more than that!!!
All of Sully’s ‘textbooks’ were copied from the original books (something done here all the time for all grades of school) on a copy machine, spiral bound with new clear colored plastic covers.
For more specifics, Click Here

Supplemental money to Sully for February

2009-01-30T17:21:00.000-06:00

We gave 35,000 colones (approximately $65) to Sully today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation by bus and food and drink at school for February, along with a partial payment for this cuatrimestre’s books.
For more specifics, Click Here

Pam’s medical update of Sully

2009-01-30T15:11:00.004-06:00

Sully has had a total of 4 visits over the last sixteen days. The first visit was for evaluation only.
Although I was amazed at her physical condition, resulting from her own self directed rehab program some challenges remained, including her belief that she would never again walk freely without pain. Those of you who know me personally know my adversity to the medical prognosis of hopelessness, and my belief that anything is possible, so we stated there.

Sully’s current physical challenges at her first evaluation included:
•Incision scaring with muscular, tendon and fascial damage to L hip, anterior lower leg and lateral L ankle.
•Loss of sensation over incision and wound on L anterior lower leg
•Pain in L hip, L anterior lower leg and lateral L ankle aggravated by walking, standing and sitting.
•Abnormal range of motion and partial dislocation of L hip during walking due to accident trauma.
•Swelling L leg during and after walking and standing
•Unequal leg lengths due to severe fractures
•Digestive symptoms and loss of apatite
•Depression and anxiety, difficulty sleeping

Treatment during the visits has included muscular and fascial release work, energetic body work and trauma release, breathing techniques and visualization.
We are waiting for a shoe lift to correct her leg lengths.
Home work has included daily strengthening of L hip, daily application of Arnica for pain control and healing, and intermittent Ibuprofen for break through pain.

Current treatment results to date are as follows:
•Elimination of pain in L lower leg and ankle in all activities.
•Significant decrease in pain in L hip during and after ambulation despite an increase in activity due to attending classes.
•Return of sensation over L lower leg incision and wound area
•Decrease in swelling in L lower leg
•Increase in appetite and less digestive symptoms
•More feelings of “joy for Life” and happiness, more energy and “clearer thinking and memory”. And my personal favorite, “I feel like Sully again”.

Don’t you just love the sound of a dream coming true? Keep checking back for more updates ~

Supplemental money to Sully in January

2009-01-19T15:01:00.005-06:00

We gave 35,000 colones (approximately $65) to Sully today.
This was for roundtrip (to and from school) transportation by bus and food and drink at school for January, along with a partial payment for this cuatrimestre's books.
For more specifics, Click Here

Sully Signs up for College!

2009-01-17T17:45:00.017-06:00

In order to get Sully started at the university, we paid 222,000 colones (approximately $400.00)for registration and tuition for four psychology courses at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica (Latina University). Latina is a private university which has a campus nearby and offers night courses five nights a week. They started their four month semester on January 20th. While attending school, she will receive therapy from Pam and try to get a part time job to help with her education costs and her family. If the therapy goes well, she plans to reevaluate continuing her nursing education/career. She would wait to finish her nursing educaton after she finishes her Psychology curriculum in 2010.
For more information about Sully's education costs, Click Here

Sully Security

2009-01-16T12:36:00.000-06:00

People may be wondering why we are using terms such as “in town”, “nearby town” (instead of using the names of the towns) and have not used Sully’s second and last names. The reason we are not being more specific is to protect Sully’s identity and privacy. She has been advised by the local police to be careful about divulging such information because they are concerned that her attackers may have “unfinished business” with Sully and would do her more harm if they knew where she lived, went to school and spent her time. They have advised her to act cautiously for at least the next couple of years. As a matter of fact, Sully has given the police the address of this blog in order for them to “screen” its content.

Sully feels comfortable walking around her home town but still does not go to the greater San José without someone to accompany her. We completely understand her need for privacy and will do our utmost to protect her.