It´s the Final Count-Down!

For 2 reasons: a) I officially swear-in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on Friday at the Ambassador´s house in San Jose which means training ends! and b) because that is the song that my neighbor´s have chosen to repeat on Guitar Hero almost every single night.

Here is an assortment of pictures from my new site which I visited last week. I will be moving there permanently starting this Sunday for the next 2 years! (ahhh and wooo!) If, over the last few months, you have had an inkling like you wanted to send me something in the mail...NOW would be the time! I would love anything to decorate my bare walls and remind me of home (or of anyone I´ve ever met before).

My neighborhood is rural, quiet, rainy, mountainous, has lots of coffee plantations (I can see one out of my front door), friendly people, and lots of opportunities in which I hope to be of at least some use. A lot of these center around after-school recreation programs, collaboration with the local PANI office to prevent teen pregnancy and drug consumption, a micro-enterprise for single mothers, and groups for the local indigenous population.

It´s hard to believe this intense 3 months of training has almost come to an end. Barring I make it through a series of final interviews, one last Spanish class, and don´t wear flip-flops to the Ambassador´s house...I made it!

Thank you for your support up until now and don´t be a stranger! Starting Sunday, I will have a loooooot of (alone) time on my hands. The only goal set forth by the Peace Corps for the first 3 months of service is to integrate myself into my community. And write a 30 page Community Assessment Tool in Spanish.

Can´t wait to hear from you!

New Home

Location Location Location

After much anticipation, the mystery has been solved and I finally know my site assignment. On May 30th I am moving to a small town of 1,200 people just south of San Vito, Puntarenas. As any map will show you, this is very close to the border of Panama in the southern coastal mountain range. Woo hoo, a cooler climate!

This Thursday I am going to a retreat center about 45 minutes outside of San Jose to meet my future counterpart (A Costa Rican from the local PANI office near my site). We will spend two days there doing a series of uncomfortable ice breakers and "get-to-know-you" games, and then hop a bus for an even more awkward 7 hour bus ride toward the southern border.

After we arrive arm-in-arm as new best friends, she will take me to my future host home to meet my new family. All I know now is that I will have a host mom and dad, host sister who teaches Special-Ed at the school (yay Jess!), a 12 year old sister, and a 4 year old brother. Needless to say, quite different than my current set-up. But, I´m really looking forward to the change and excited to see my new home.

Of course it goes without saying that I´m also incredibly excited to (attempt) get through the series of meet-n-greets with every family, teacher, neighbor, pet, farmer, and child in this rural town as well. Here´s hoping something stuck from Spanish class... (and that there isnt an innate fear of white girls)

So, yay! Mystery solved. After returning from this next visit, we have a teeny, tiny bit of training left, a family party, and the swearing-in ceremony at the Ambassador´s house. Amazing how time flies when every second of your life is planned out. :) Start buying your tickets if you´d like to visit!!

Flip flops + humidity = rash

Our tech visit was in two very different sites 4 ½ hours from San Jose; as a result, I had two very different experiences with two very different host families.

The first site was called Terraba, an indigenous, rural community in the “zona sur” (south zone) of Costa Rica. Although somewhat lacking in physical resources, it was rich in panoramic mountain views, hospitable people, and unfortunately, racial conflict. My host mom was a 25 year old widow with two rambunctious kids, ages 3 and 6. Their house was simple and clean without doors. Living with two young kids and no doors really reinforces the concept of strategic clothing changes.

The first night the town gathered to watch “The Gringos” (me and the 7 other trainees) take on “The Ticos” in a good old fashioned game of Costa Rican futbol. What started out as a friendly game soon turned accidentally harsh when some of the 6’+ guys on our team started to trip over the kids on the opposing team. But, it was all in good fun and fortunately that little guy only copped an elbow to the face and a few sporty bruises.

Sunday morning, the volunteer we were visiting had planned a scavenger hunt of sorts for all 120 kids in town. But, given that it was the weekend, only about 40 participated. With 2 trainees and about 8 kids/group, we leap-frogged, sack-raced, hop-scotched, and crawled through obstacle courses set up all around the school. The kids loved it and my team took 3rd place- suckers all around.

That afternoon we hiked to a stream/natural pool (Quebrada Honda) to beat the stifling heat and take a break from the printed itinerary. Because of the heat, we were all showering/changing clothes at least twice a day- this was a very welcome change. The pools were gorgeous and remote and I was once again very happy to have invested in my water proof camera. That thing has paid for itself!

Monday morning the kids were back to school and so were we to complete a joint “service learning project” - garbage pick-up and recycling! Groups of kids kindergarten-6th grade presented skits and presentations on the importance of caring for the environment and how we can all take part. Afterwards, we each took a grade, spread out all over Terraba and cleaned up! My 3rd graders didn’t place this time, but worked hard and liked playing with the rubber gloves we gave them to wear. Fair enough.

After my 5th straight round of burnt rice n beans, my friend Becca and I presented our required “Non-Formal Education” activity on the value of peace with the 5th graders at school. Sooo, how did it go?! While cleaning up and re-grouping after the activity, the 5th grade teacher walked by us on her way out of the room. Having seen this, our Program Director decided to take advantage of this opportunity and asked, “Do you have any comments regarding their Spanish? We’re completing their evaluation now.” She paused for a moment and then responded, “Well, it seems like they are really trying to do well.”

We burst out laughing and thought “mission accomplished.” I mean it’s not exactly easy to teach about values, in another language, to kids you don’t know, while you’re slipping on the clay floor because of the heat, when they don’t know what an art collage is (the main activity of our presentation) because they don’t have art class, and don’t like numbering off to get into groups because that isn’t done here, with your Program Director, 2 Spanish teachers, a Volunteer, and 5th grade teacher watching your every move. But mission accomplished because we had a great, awkward time, the kids made adorable collages and god willing will now work toward leading more peaceful lives each and every day. Maybe we should have given out suckers…

Add a few more dishes of burnt, oily gallo pinto (rice n beans), close calls with the kids and changing, Spanish classes, tech classes, Frisbee throwing, and indigenous art tours and we’ve now wrapped up the first 3 days of my tech visit. Phew. Maybe I should review the Spanish word for “concise.”

Half an hour bus ride with 15 degrees more of heat and we’re in Santa Cruz! The second site for our visit. Santa Cruz is a semi-urban community with landlines, (some) paved roads, several schools and even more pineapple fields. In fact, the Del Monte fields are there and so is the giant exporting business to Europe and the states. It was surreal to stroll through the fields and think that I could have been eating one of those very fruits. (Keep buying the golden pineapple, Mom!)

My host family this time around had curtains on the doors, a large open air house with walls that didn’t reach the tin roof. My host mom was 19 and my host dad was 23. He worked in the pineapple fields up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week and she stayed home to take care of their adorable 8 month old baby girl. It was fun to be around a baby again except when she cried strategically at 4:30a every morning. Turns out balsa wood isn’t a good noise reducer.

Our service learning project with the kids in Santa Cruz also centered on the theme of caring for the environment. Students grades 3-6 drew pictures and created messages in class about “mother earth” and protecting our world. We then helped them transpose their drawings with paint on large trash and recycling bins for the school. It was great to see the kids doing more art projects, even through soaked clothing and dripping faces.

In Santa Cruz, we continued with our training classes, “Non-Formal Education” activities, and then took a 3 hour hike through the pineapple fields up to an incredible view of the area. That was definitely a (sweaty) highlight of the trip- it’s amazing how much more fun playing Frisbee is when you’re in the midst of a 360 degree view of Costa Rican mountains. (I can rub that in a little more if you’d like)

So- it was 2 very different sites, 2 very different experiences, and 2 very different families. But I now have a much clearer idea of what life might be like and what my respective preferences are for my future site AND that my airwalk flip flops give me a rash when I wear them in hot weather. Its sort of like the teva tan you got every summer as a kid except the strap marks arent white...they´re red and blistery.

MAY 8TH IS SITE ASSIGNMENT DAY!! Aka the biggest day of my life this year.

Now to look up “concise…” Thanks for sticking it out.