Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Birth of Tico 19!



Hola from Costa Rica! I have finally begun the adventure of a lifetime, and it is definitely an adventure thus far. Staging was a rapid fire four hour orientation in a Holiday Inn in Washington DC at which the 52 Costa Rica Peace Corps trainees finally met in person and received PC passports and many other important papers and forms. After a sleepless night and a departure from DC at 1AM, the group embarked on a four day retreat that felt like a mini summer camp at a gorgeous retreat center in the mountains near San Jose. It was different than summer camp however in that the days were long and full of intense learning sessions. By the time we let out for free time is was dark and the beautiful green soccer field remained untouched, much to my dismay. We played once on the very first day... the day that started at 1am eastern time, 11pm of the previous night in Costa Rica time. Who needs sleep when you have 51 other excited, nervous and energetic peers? For the four days the surface information of Peace Corps, the language exam, and Costa Rican culture was poured into our heads for 8 hours straight each day. Then came placement in communities and host families based on language ability, project program (RCD for me), and availability of host families. I am in Jerico, a very small mountain community south of San Jose. I live with an incredibly nice family. I have a Tica mom, twin Tica sisters (age 15), and a 19 year old Tico brother. My house is one in a sort of bundle of houses that all belong in the family. My Tica mother has seven sisters and three brothers. At least five of the sisters live in Jerico, and three live yards away as neighbors. It's a very tight knit family and I love how close they are and how much excitement is always happening. Every morning I wake to the smell of homemade tortillas and brewing cafe (coffee). I am also fed a host of delicious fruits daily as we have several fruit trees in our yard. I love the mango, the pineapple, and pretty much all the fruits that I am not spoiled with back home. The town is wonderful except for how cold it gets. We were told it is the coldest training community, and at night we get down into the 50's, so I really don't go out. I wish I had more clothing to support the climate, and I asked my host mother if I should have some sent to me. She doesn't think it's worth it considering it will begin to warm up significantly in April and I will only be here for the next 11 weeks. May 29th is the day we swear in as true PC volunteers (if we pass all the exams based on language and technical training) and May 30th we travel to the future sites at which the next two years of our lives will be spent.

Training is tough, and from what I've heard from current and past volunteers, the entire 11 weeks remains that way. It is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to challenge each person on every front. It is simply intense, and some people will inevitably leave the program. I heard several stories of last year's group and the 5 or so people who left for various reasons. Perhaps it's simply not right for some and there is no way of knowing that until later, I only hope I not only have the strength to make the commitment and follow through with it, but also that the entire process is the right thing for me. I am nearing the end of the first week of training and have experienced many challenges already. The language barrier is often the root of the difficulty. In English it is a challenging task to explain to people why we are here, what the Peace Corps represents, and the deeper reasons behind choosing to serve. I must do this is Spanish; a language I speak at the elementary level. In addition to this, we are given many challenging “assignments” which push us to leave our comfort zone, make fools of ourselves, and really reevaluate our personal choices. I feel I have had very little time to breathe in this process thus far. I hope it slows down a bit so I can catch up and possibly enjoy the training experience if possible. I want to get the most out of it, but my head and my heart are becoming full and tired already. It is fortunate that 52 people are going through the same experience. We all formed a fairly strong bond in the short retreat and it continues growing now even though we are spread into different communities. The RCDers (17 people) meet up every Wednesday for technical training and we are all also in somewhat of a cluster of communities that can be connected easily by bus. The 17 of us have become closer and more open with each other as we learn what community development means and what skills we each possess to aide in this grand task. Fridays all 52 volunteers meet in San Jose as Tico 19 to receive more general training. So each week (more or less) will contain the following: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: Spanish class in Jerico all day; Wednesday: RCD Technical Training in Jerico all day; Friday: San Jose all of Tico 19 Training all day. Within this schedule are several “field trips” to observe current volunteers, etc. The last trip before the swearing in ceremony is to the site we will have been assigned. These sites will be determined after a series of interviews that take place throughout training. During these interviews we are able to voice our preferences in terms of site locations. So far I know I will ask for a warmer site.

Unfortunately here in Jerico there is no Internet Cafe and I am very limited in how often I can travel out of site. I may not check e-mail, etc. very often but on trips to San Jose I will try. Also, international calls are far more expensive than I thought ($6 for 20 mins or less!), so that will not be something I plan on unless it is necessary. I will hopefully be able to write, and I plan to receive mail at the Peace Corps headquarters in San Jose.



MY OFFICIAL MAILING ADDRESS

PCT Kristen Woodruff
Cuerpo de Paz
Apartado Postal 1266- 1000
1000 San Jose, Costa Rica

Love to all!