Cultural Immersion=Inevitable Mistakes

It´s week 3 of training and what has Lindsay been doing?!!

Well, mainly Spanish classes, techincal training, and core PC training classes. Aka working with my Costa Rican counterpart agency "PANI" (similar to child protection agency), Spanish, learning/tasting/buying CR fruits and veggies, Spanish, learning how to teach English, learning about human/child rights in CR and how to teach them, Spanish, and lots of public transport. phew.

And speaking of public transport- let me offer a tidbit of unsolicited advice (everyone´s favorite). If you´re riding a bus, in a city, that is crowded, and you get shoved to the back, near the rear door, it is not a good idea to hold on to the pole for safety by wrapping your arm around it... It will get stuck. And you might panic. Because when the rear door opens, it skims the rear pole. And then you risk missing your stop because your arm is stuck in the public bus door even though you are pulling and yelling with a terrified look on your face. Just a possibility.

But none-the-less, this morning I did get off the bus and I did make it to the capital for training. So, gracias a Dios, I didn´t miss getting my finger prints inked (again) and touring the city with a large pack of gringos with maps outstretched and English at the top of our voices. Ahh tourists.

So I briefly mentioned my training town of San Antonio before. It´s like San Jose only smaller. So, does that mean dirt roads, public latrines, and sparse electricity?! No. It is an urban community with almost all your basic services... asphalt roads, lights, churches, restaurants, cars, traffic lights, bars, houses, and people. Is there an occasional yak that walks down the street with his farmer? Yes. Is there a bank, post office, or library? No. But they did manage to find a sparsely cleaned classroom for Spanish class/Tech training 5 days a week. What a coincidence.

Ok, that description may have been a little harsh. I actually really enjoy living here. The really sad part is, I even know how to describe it in better terms because, well... I had to. One of our assignments in class was to develop a brochure for tourists about San Antonio. (and by brochure I mean tri-folded piece of comp paper, filled with drawings done in crayon) For example: instead of "city without basic services" we stated "quaint village with friendly people and animals." Likewise, instead of "deadly scorching heat" we simply said "temperate climate." (assuming the temperature at midnight is factored in to the average)

Cue: mistake numero dos. As it would turn out, the phrase that I thought meant "temperate climate" in Spanish, ACTUALLY refers to a male state in an intimate setting. Needless to say, the presentation was somewhat awkward and I´m pretty confident that brochure will not make it to publication.

Last Sunday I went to church with my host family (another crazy cultural experience), then packed a picnic and went to Tapanti National Park with my mama tica, her mom, and her daughter. I saw my first brillant bird of CR and a lot of other quintesscential, lush landscape as well. Costa Rica IS as beautiful as they say.

This Saturday I am going to the Nicoya Peninsula for 4 days to visit a current Volunteer and see what life is "actually like" after training. I am probably one of the luckiest people in terms of site locations, I hear it´s incredible. It´s on the west side of CR, a town called Cobano (9ish hours from here). My first real experience on my own traveling down here. I can´t wait! (watch out for the rear of the busses)

Minus going to step aerobics class and being publically critqued for my wrong moves, having friends over for group haircuts at Dino´s salon, and almost getting hit by more than 3 fireworks at a town fiesta, I think we´re all caught up. My name is still Lenci, Lanci, or Benci and I´m healthy and having the time of my life.

Until next time... pura vida!

Me llamo Benci

Hola friends and family!! I have made it to Costa Rica and am currently in my training community of San Antonio which is very close to the capital of San Jose. Quick disclaimer: I am a little fried from Spanish classes so this may not be as eloquent as I would like it to be.

Ok- so getting here was insane but smooth. In a nut shell, it involved very little sleep juxtaposed with lots of excitement, anxiety and information about the next 2 years of my life. The other trainees are all incredibly interesting and talented people from every corner of the U.S. I have made so many really great friends already.

Yesterday I arrived at my host family´s home in San Antonio. Before this I was at a retreat center in the mountains for orientation and classes from 8a-7p each day. Again, lots of excitement, anxiety, and information about the next 2 years of my life. However, this is also where I started to become incredibly close with several of the other trainees- so no problems.

I now live with a woman almost the same age as my mom (will not disclose this EXACTLY) so let´s just say "in her prime." She is a hairdresser and has a salon in her home and has two cats. It has been a running joke between me and my friends that I will show up later this week to training with a perm. Those who knew me in 3rd grade remember that this is NOT a good idea. We´ll see... She is an incredible cook, likes a lot of fresh air in the house, and for the most part gives me my independence. She has also been a huge help with my Spanish.

And speaking of... I currently have Spanish class Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 8a-5p. Yikes. First day...check. It has been a HUGE help (obviously) but my mind is exhausted and the day is still young. It may be a long 3 months. The other days I have technical training and core-training which is in San Jose. That will be my first experience on the public transportation system here... that always seems to be an interesting experience.

To end, I will bullet point a couple of things to hopefully squash some of FAQs:
-I have not gotten sick yet (surprised?)
-As usual, people have not heard of my name and so I am sometimes called "Benci"
-I have had to drop being a vegetarian. My host mom told me people that don´t eat meat are ridiculous
-The weather is beautiful but definitely hot and humid. I have acquired a farmers tan already.

Esto es todo para ahora! I hope all is well and thank you to those that have emailed.

Hurry up and wait

In the interest of keeping this somewhat active, I'd like to share a (not-so-new) update:

Last week I received word from the "powers that be" that my official departure date is, in fact, March 10th, 2009. (cue "not-so-new" update) While I know this was mentioned in my first post, let me take the opportunity to say that at that time... it was a total guess. (ok, not total. I had somewhat of an idea)

But now it's true... I mean official! March 10th I'm headed to Washington D.C. for a 24hr "orientation, get-to-know-you" session, then on to San Jose, Costa Rica on March 11th.

So good news! A) Turns out I'm free that day B) This confirms that the Peace Corps remains afloat in fiscal year '08/'09 and C) There's still a spot for me!

It's just over a month away... guess all I can do now is hurry up and wait.

The beginning of Pura Vida

It worked! Thanks for logging in.

Although I still have a few months before taking off, I thought I'd get a jump start on setting up my blog and getting the word out there. My plan is to use this in lieu of "mass emails" to write about my experiences over the next 27 months in the Peace Corps. Sooo, if you're interested in the latest happenings at any point during that time-please come back! Or e-mail me! It's a long time to be away, but I'm committed to staying in touch.

Purely FYI:
~Assignment: Youth Development Program, Costa Rica (03/2009-05/2011)
~Departure Date: March 10, 2009
~E-mail address: lindsaykoth@gmail.com

The title of my blog "Pura Vida" (literally "pure life") is a national expression in Costa Rica that sums up the desire to live the best and most pure existence.

Now jot down the address, book-mark the page, do whatever you need to do. I want to hear from you while I'm gone!! :)

Lindsay