My Sandals Lost Me

At the risk of missing the bus and having to pay for the trip myself, I woke up at 4:30 last Saturday and started the long series of car rides, buses, and ferries to “Los Mangos.” I made it, so it turns out that was in fact a good idea. For the first time, I was on my own in Costa Rica and thrilled to get out of the city.

The purpose of this “site visit,” was to gain exposure to the “real life” of a Peace Corps Volunteer. That way, s/he can decide if being the only white person in a town that doesn’t speak English while trying to help people in a different culture and not get sick or die from heat exhaustion or parasites is really for him/her.

And as it would turn out… I think it just might be!! All joking aside, I visited an amazing volunteer who has done and continues to do some incredible projects with the people in her community. And, true to the purpose of the visit, I participated in several of them… even tried out my Spanish in front of a group for the first time! (Note: if you’re looking for an icebreaker involving animal noises and blindfolds in Spanish, let me know)

Not surprisingly, the culture in Costa Rica is very different than that in the U.S. Which is exactly why when asked why I was looking for my sandals on Sunday morning, I told my host mom in Los Mangos that “my sandals lost me.” Saying my sandals “were gone” implies (she) or someone had taken them. Not a way to make friends in a new town. It took about 5 minutes before it was decided that a dog had taken them and that was that. Both the right and the left, of the same pair, from the middle of a pile of several other shoes. Smart dog.

Overall, it was an intense 4 days of relaxation/learning/sweat/fun/anxiety/sun/awkwardness/meet-n-greets/elation/and cultural integration. But, it was the best experience I have had since being here- mission accomplished.

March 2009