Ok, I´m not actually missing in action (yet)...
But I wanted to quickly post in the few minutes I have at a slow internet cafe that I will be gone starting tomorrow through Friday on my ¨technical visit¨in Buenos Aires. It is sure to be packed with more faux paus, sun, attempts at Spanish presentations with 5th graders, fun, food, and beach. I hope to update this soon again after this week!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Road Trips and Relaxation
Last week was “Semana Santa” aka the Holy week of Easter. This is an incredibly important week in Costa Rica as CR is a Catholic country. This meant two important things for me personally: 1. Almost everything is closed and 2. No classes Thursday and Friday! Woohoo- the first real “break” in PC training. So what can one do when everything is closed (with patchy/no bus service) and you don’t have a car, cell phone, and arguably any money??
Take walks, for starters. But once you’ve covered your (small) town and all the connecting neighborhoods and it’s still only 8:00a.m., what next? You could buy a newspaper from the stand across town, attempt to do the crossword puzzle (turns out it’s even harder in Spanish, Mom…who knew?), drink a pot of coffee, eat breakfast, and then check the time again. Now it’s 10:30a.m. Time to hitch a ride with your host Mom’s friends to their finca (farm) and bring a picnic lunch! It’s amazing how quickly 4 hours go by with good food, Spanish music, and a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding San Jose.
Ok, so community tours, cultural experiences, and Spanish movies aside- I still had 2 days left of the glorious Semana Santa weekend. What better way to pass the time than to embrace my American-ness and hop on the tourist train? Or, in this case, tourist bus. Saturday morning me and a couple of friends hopped on a bus to see the Irazu Volcano. It was beautiful, un-crowded, and fortunately for us, dormant. It was a really different experience to be in Costa Rica as a tourist- if even for only a day.
Sunday morning I went to church with my host mom, her daughter, and her friend. While it was nice to take part in the festivities of the weekend, a song book or projected lyrics would have helped during the first straight hour of songs. Likewise, I would have appreciated a translator (or a head’s up) that the Pastor was going to preach for the 2nd FULL hour. In case you didn’t know, Jesu Cristo se resusito!
But, like all good things Semana Santa came to an end and it was back to the grind bright and early Monday morning. After Spanish class, my training group and I met with a local church group to start our “Service Learning Project,” more specifically to draw a Community Map of San Antonio. Once again, it was another valuable practice session with the language barrier and cultural differences of CR. But, the map has been drawn and everyone left (alive) and smiling. Side note: drawing the map wasn’t the actual project, just the beginning of a series of required tasks by the PC.
Tuesday morning I went to the local school to interview the Director and observe a 6th grade Social Studies class. Students in 1st-6th grade attend school for half a day, wear adorable white and navy uniforms, and flirt and poke each other just like the awkward 6th graders in the U.S. In addition to the inner-workings of Costa Rican schools, their physical structure, funding, and enrollment, I also learned a tidbit about the Conquistadors who “discovered” CR. I felt right at home with the language level of my fellow 12 year old classmates, although I somehow resisted the urge to raise my hand and join the q & a session about the cartoon the teacher passed out. Not surprisingly, they were less enthusiastic about the exercise.
This weekend we have a “Project Fair” to learn about all the projects the current volunteers are working on. Following this, there is a country-wide volunteer dinner where we say “adios” to the Tico 16 group and “hola y bienvenidos” to Tico 19 (my group). Should be interesting to see if, in fact, all the women have doubled their weight and all the men have lost all of their muscle mass like they say happens by the end of one’s service… If nothing else, it’s a night out in San Jose with some good food and good company.
I hope you had a relaxing safe holiday weekend!
Take walks, for starters. But once you’ve covered your (small) town and all the connecting neighborhoods and it’s still only 8:00a.m., what next? You could buy a newspaper from the stand across town, attempt to do the crossword puzzle (turns out it’s even harder in Spanish, Mom…who knew?), drink a pot of coffee, eat breakfast, and then check the time again. Now it’s 10:30a.m. Time to hitch a ride with your host Mom’s friends to their finca (farm) and bring a picnic lunch! It’s amazing how quickly 4 hours go by with good food, Spanish music, and a beautiful view of the mountains surrounding San Jose.
Ok, so community tours, cultural experiences, and Spanish movies aside- I still had 2 days left of the glorious Semana Santa weekend. What better way to pass the time than to embrace my American-ness and hop on the tourist train? Or, in this case, tourist bus. Saturday morning me and a couple of friends hopped on a bus to see the Irazu Volcano. It was beautiful, un-crowded, and fortunately for us, dormant. It was a really different experience to be in Costa Rica as a tourist- if even for only a day.
Sunday morning I went to church with my host mom, her daughter, and her friend. While it was nice to take part in the festivities of the weekend, a song book or projected lyrics would have helped during the first straight hour of songs. Likewise, I would have appreciated a translator (or a head’s up) that the Pastor was going to preach for the 2nd FULL hour. In case you didn’t know, Jesu Cristo se resusito!
But, like all good things Semana Santa came to an end and it was back to the grind bright and early Monday morning. After Spanish class, my training group and I met with a local church group to start our “Service Learning Project,” more specifically to draw a Community Map of San Antonio. Once again, it was another valuable practice session with the language barrier and cultural differences of CR. But, the map has been drawn and everyone left (alive) and smiling. Side note: drawing the map wasn’t the actual project, just the beginning of a series of required tasks by the PC.
Tuesday morning I went to the local school to interview the Director and observe a 6th grade Social Studies class. Students in 1st-6th grade attend school for half a day, wear adorable white and navy uniforms, and flirt and poke each other just like the awkward 6th graders in the U.S. In addition to the inner-workings of Costa Rican schools, their physical structure, funding, and enrollment, I also learned a tidbit about the Conquistadors who “discovered” CR. I felt right at home with the language level of my fellow 12 year old classmates, although I somehow resisted the urge to raise my hand and join the q & a session about the cartoon the teacher passed out. Not surprisingly, they were less enthusiastic about the exercise.
This weekend we have a “Project Fair” to learn about all the projects the current volunteers are working on. Following this, there is a country-wide volunteer dinner where we say “adios” to the Tico 16 group and “hola y bienvenidos” to Tico 19 (my group). Should be interesting to see if, in fact, all the women have doubled their weight and all the men have lost all of their muscle mass like they say happens by the end of one’s service… If nothing else, it’s a night out in San Jose with some good food and good company.
I hope you had a relaxing safe holiday weekend!
 |
| April 2009 |
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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.
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 |
Thursday, March 26, 2009
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!
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!
Monday, March 16, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
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
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
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