Life in San Jose, Costa Rica

I loved my site in Quebrada Grande de Nandayure as an RCD volunteer, but that didn’t stop me from whining about sliding down the mud roads in winter, having a pulperia as the only public business within miles, no hot water, a general lack of social activity, a (maybe) twice a week 5am bus out, and probably much more.

I yearned for the city life… sidewalks and gym memberships, multi-cultural cuisine and a reliable, constant bus service, hot water and a real washing machine. I knew by mid-service training I wanted to live in a capital city while remaining in a foreign country. I wanted the hustle and bustle, the routine, the full schedule. And here I am now, basking in the luxuries of the city since June of this year, living the city life and the office life as a PCVL, and truly enjoying the aforementioned perks. Yet, despite all my whining in those final months in the campo, and all the energy I exuded in excitement to be exactly where I am now, I miss Quebrada Grande more than ever.

Sure, now I have internet 24-7 and a slew of restaurants to choose from on any given night. There are dance clubs and theater productions, races and more. But what importance do these things have when you’re an outsider, never quite able to get in? More so here than in a small community, one is not given the chance to disprove the stereotypes attached to gringas. Every day I see new faces and I try to greet with the friendliness that worked so well for me in the campo. But I am mainly met with surprise and distrust, and there is never the time nor the opportunity to prove I am a normal human being with a healthy respect and knowledge of Tico culture, not some rich foreigner here on tour or retired.

I hate to sound too depressed and negative. The truth is I still need more time to adjust to the cultural shock of campo to city. I am reminded of my PST more than two years ago when Delia and Maru spoke to us in depth about cultural adjustment. The honeymoon phase, the crisis phase, the recovery phase, the adjustment phase, and then the repetition of it all in some ways. And it occurred to me that I never really experienced that in my site… at least not to a large extent. I definitely had a lot to get used to in a rural farming town of 152 people who have low education levels, practice Catholicism strongly, and live within the machismo that defines Guanacaste in many ways. But after only a month or so in Quebrada Grande the long, silent stares full of curiosity and consternation were replaced by friendly greetings and invitations to cafecitos and baby showers. Of course, this didn’t happen with every single person and it didn’t happen overnight. It took work to visit homes, attend groups and meetings (both formal and informal), put on a solidly happy face every day and walk around getting to know people for real in those first few months. But once that was established, the adjustment and acceptance I felt came easily. And the last year and a half of service were pretty much smooth sailing, especially in terms of friendships and social acceptance. So I didn’t much think about the training with the little chart of culture shock and “feelings”… until now.

Now, instead of long cafecitos on quiet porches chatting about the recent gossip and news, I read Facebook updates and click ‘like’ to the status of friends. Instead of strolling up to wide open homes and calling out hoopay, I briskly stride past endless iron gates and closed doors, my ears and eyes alert to any possibly approaching thieves. Instead of chilling out at a neighbor’s to watch the game or sing karaoke until late at night, I try to be home before dark and lock behind me the two iron gates and heavy wooden door that protect my apartment.

I feel lonelier among thousands than I did among little more than a hundred. But I am not alone in this according to the American Sociological Review: “Loneliness frequently occurs in heavily populated cities where people feel utterly alone and cut off, even when surrounded by millions of other people, experiencing a loss of identifiable community in an anonymous crowd. It is unclear whether loneliness is a condition aggravated by high population density itself, or simply part of the human condition brought on by this social setting. While loneliness also occurs in societies with much smaller populations, the sheer number of people that one comes into contact with daily in a city, even if only briefly, may raise barriers to actually interacting more deeply with them, and thereby increase the feeling of being cut off and alone. Quantity of contact does not translate into quality of contact.”

Add this to the transition from an intimate community setting where we have been trained as PCVs to become a part of the social network of the community, mixing work, personal, social and free time all into one. And add another sucker punch for being a giant macha gringa in a Latino city society. It’s amazing how having a small community of people know you personally makes you forget your physical differences. Here in the Chepe I am strikingly aware of the physical differences that separate me from Ticos. It is pointed out to me every day.

But in the end I know this is what I signed up for. I was naïve to not consider these factors and expect an easy transition. It may not be the reverse culture shock of going back to the States, but it is still a shockingly new experience that will take time for adjustment and acceptance.

The contrast and recognition also leads me to cherish more the time I had in Quebrada Grande. I can’t go back and extend there a third year there… that might make Austin a little upset. But I can learn from the experience to treasure the positives of my current state, no matter where I am. I’m working on that right now.
I’m also continuing to play soccer on a women 5v5 team about once a week. And I spend a lot of time at the gym. It has become a bit a social scene for me as I no longer have the pulperia or town meeting hall I had back in Quebrada.

During the month of October I signed up for four different 10k cancer awareness races. I enjoyed the experience and the unity of the events. I plan to take part in more charity runs in the upcoming months. I also took a leap of faith- literally- and went bungee jumping with a group of volunteers after a recent training. It was quite possibly the scariest and most thrilling thing I have ever done.

I really enjoy my job as the PCVL of the TEFL project. The people I work with are amazing and I truly enjoy being a resource and liaison for volunteers in the field. In February we will receive a group of 20 new TEFL volunteers and impart on the 3 month journey of PST. It will be crazy busy, but very rewarding.
I plan to spend my 26th birthday and Christmas in Quebrada Grande. The weather will be perfect for beach trips, river swims and mountain hikes. I am also excitedly awaiting a visit form my mom in November. This time she’ll get to see my city life.

Happy 50th Anniversary Peace Corps!

I am now fully integrated into city life once again. I have joined a gym down the street from my apartment and I’ve found a local women’s indoor soccer team that plays once or twice a week at a really nice indoor facility in a suburb of San Jose. Office life is great too. I truly appreciate a bit of a routine and enjoy my position as a volunteer leader. I try to stay in touch with the 20 TEFL volunteers to help them with anything they need in their sites, offer them support and resources, and act as a messenger between them and the office when necessary. We are also working diligently to plan for the next incoming group of volunteers which will take place in February. We will receive 20 new TEFL volunteers and we must not only find the sites in which they will work but also plan their 3 month pre-service training. I enjoy working on site development and narrowing down the goals and objectives of the TEFL project in Peace Corps Costa Rica. It is strange to think that there are 20 idealistic and excited people awaiting a letter of invitation to Peace Corps Costa Rica just as I did almost 3 years ago. It was in December of 2008 when I finally (or at least I felt like it was finally) received a formal invitation to be a rural community development volunteer in Costa Rica starting in March of 2009. And now here I am on the other side, feeling rushed to welcome 20 new members of our Peace Corps community.

My other work consists of my counterpart organization Costa Rica Multilingue, located in the President’s House in another area of San Jose. My major work with them involves expanding a grassroots project called Community Conversations. The idea of this initiative is to match native speakers of English (or other foreign languages) who live in Costa Rica, with local Costa Ricans who wish to improve their basic or intermediate level English through conversations. So basically I have been trying to do a lot of networking and media exposure for the project in order to connect people to form these groups. I have given presentations to several ex pat groups in attempts to find volunteers to participate in the project and it is moving along well. At CR Multilingue I also do translating work and fundraising research as the organization is non-profit even though it is governmental.

I spent a month in the USA in June and July and enjoyed an amazing family reunion and Fourth of July party. I was able to catch up with friends and family in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rye, Colorado and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. I actually drove from New Mexico to Oklahoma, and had a blast although it took some getting used to after two years not being behind the wheel. I also played a whole lot of tennis! It came back fast after a couple rusty hitting sessions, but I still have the knack and the passion. Hopefully it will come back again after my year long extension.
In mid-July I said farewell to North America and began my new life in the capital city of Costa Rica. Dina and I quickly made routines for ourselves and found we live very well together. We do all our fresh food and produce shopping every Saturday morning at the local farmer’s market where every fruit imaginable can be found. I go to the gym in early AM during the week and have discovered my new favorite workout (not including sports of course); Spinning. I am even considering buying the little clip bike shoes. I borrowed a friend’s mountain bike one weekend and went for a nice ride as well.

With the full work load I haven’t had many opportunities to take advantage of the easy transportation for travel from San Jose. But I was able to sign up with Dina and some other PC friends for a US Embassy trip to Tortuguero National Park. This was a National Geographic paradise. The boat tours revealed a wide variety of animal life, including many beautiful birds. And of course, we saw the turtles. We went during nesting season and were able to see the giant sea turtles laying eggs on the beach. They heave themselves up the sand, dig a giant hole and drop around 75 eggs in the hole before filling it with sand. Then they pull themselves back down into the water and never look back. It’s a very fend for yourself life for turtles. The experience was surreal. I stood within feet of the mother turtle as she went about her business with no care about my presence at all.

I also took a weekend in early September to go back to the place I called home for two years. Quebrada Grande hadn’t changed much from when I left, but I also saw a great impact from Austin’s work there now. He has developed and expanded the computer center to the point where nearly all the community kids have been adding me as friends on Facebook. And he has picked up right where I left off in teaching English in the school and to community members. After visiting with many community members during my visit I think it’s safe to say they are all very happy with their new Peace Corps volunteer.

It was of course bittersweet to me as there were things I miss. I took a few of my favorite hikes and enjoyed the calm quiet air and the views of the ocean from the mountain tops. I strolled from house to house where I was offered local coffee and was given all the gossip updates. And my dog (who I guess is no longer mine) greeted me as if I had never left and followed me around the entire weekend up until I boarded the 4:45am bus to come back to San Jose on Monday. I do indeed miss having an animal companion, but city life in an apartment just isn’t conducive.
This month and year marks the 50thanniversary of Peace Corps around the world. Washington DC will be alive with Peace Corps returned volunteers, advocates and supporters starting Sept. 20th. And here in Costa Rica we will be hosting a photo exhibit and party entitled “Costa Rica through the Eyes of Volunteers” where winning photos from volunteers will be displayed.

I am definitely proud to be a Peace Corps volunteer and I am proud of this organization’s work throughout the world. I will keep you all updated on my city Peace Corps life. But so far, so good!

Starting my new Peace Corps era

Here it is June already and as most of my friends and family know, I have received the job as Peace Corps Volunteer Leader in San Jose for the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) project. It is a year extension during which I will assist the TEFL program staff, office tasks and administration, and most importantly, the volunteers in Peace Corps Costa Rica. Currently I am in training with 4 other peers who represent the projects Rural Community Development (Dina, also my roommate), Community Economic Development (Theresa), Children, Youth and Family (Morgan) and Environmental Initiative (Kyle). We are all settling into our new lives in the city with relative ease. Those of us who have come from drastically rural sites have embraced the hot water and lack of bugs and mud. But I know I will also miss the small town feel of Quebrada Grande and its community members. I’ve traded in my easy going tranquilo lifestyle for the world of office work and a 9-5 desk job. But the work is still rewarding and interesting. Twenty-five percent of my time will be dedicated to an outside organization such as an NGO or other non-profit that shares goals with my project. Each volunteer must foster a relationship with such an organization and dedicate time to working with them and for them. My organization is called Costa Rica Multilingue (http://www.crmultilingue.org/) , an organization that strives to create a higher level of English fluency in Costa Rican citizens in order to create job opportunities. The Peace Corps TEFL project is completely in line with the goals of this organization and this is why they will become my counterpart work. I will also assist with trainings and volunteer support issues when necessary. The current TEFL group is about to reach their mid service point, which will indicate a necessary training, and then a new TEFL group (Tico 23) will arrive in February.

I have moved into a 2 bedroom apartment with fellow PCVL Dina that is located only yards away from the Peace Corps office building. Living in San Jose is both more costly and dangerous than living in the rural areas of Costa Rica, but I feel mine and Dina’s setup is the best it could be and I’m loving the ease of constant internet and sidewalks.

In my last months of service as an RCD volunteer in Quebrada, I packed as much in as I could. I finished the 3 month long boys youth group entitled Chicos Poderosos and we took a hike up to Los Pinos with a picnic to celebrate. I participated in a sex education youth day in Santa Cruz with fellow Guanacaste Peace Corps volunteers. We each brought 4-6 youth from our communities and with funding from the US grant money PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDs Relief) were able to give a full day of sex education sessions with a variety of formats and information.

I participated in a large community fundraiser for the new Catholic Church in Quebrada. We held a Cabalgata, to horse show at which lots of delicious food was served while the cowboys of the area rode up on horseback to compete horse techniques and aesthetics. I wore cowboy boots and a western checkered shirt that was the “uniform” for the girls helping.

The following weekend Priscilla and I went to the National Voces Valerosas young women’s conference in San Jose. Priscilla won a position in the VV magazine for a collage she made representing women in the work world of rural Costa Rica.
We then held the second annual Kids Soccer Camp. This year we won funding from a Kids to Kids Grant and were able to hold the event free to all kids in the community while also giving each an event t-shirt. The male youth again volunteered to be the leaders of the soccer sessions, teaching kids soccer techniques and participating in the games and activities. We also ended with the famous water balloon fight which inevitably gets out of hand but is far too popular to cancel.
In early April my sister came to visit and we spent a few days down on my favorite beach, San Miguel, which was nearly void of people. It was quiet and peaceful and more than once we had the entire beach to ourselves. I bid farewell to the American owners of the bar/restaurant, telling them that my visits would no longer be frequent. But I am sure I will return there as it has become one of my favorite places.

Near the end of April was the Volunteer Action Committee (VAC) dinner- a very famous yearly event that falls during the time where there are the most volunteers in country. It was held right before Tico 19 volunteers began to pack their bags and fly out, and during the pre-service training of the newest group in Costa Rica, Tico 22. The VAC “dinner” always ends up turning into a wild dance party as there are so many people coupled with loud music and some delicious beverages. And for we Tico 19ers, it was our last hoorah before the majority went back to the real world of the USA. Some volunteers are extending for up to a year in their current sites, while a few of us moved to San Jose for the leadership positions. But it was definitely the last time we were all together as our unified group, and it was full of emotion. The RCD tico 19ers (17 of us) went out for a special goodbye dinner as some volunteers left in late April, and the rest left throughout the month of May. We listened to each other’s future plans consisting of immediately starting grad school, starting a new job, or just heading home and moving in with the parents until something exciting comes along. Those of us taking the PCVL positions still must say goodbye the way of life of the previous 2 years as a change from a rural environment to the hustle and bustle of the city and its busy work life is a large change even if it doesn’t consist of moving out of the country of Costa Rica. We RCD 19ers each filmed a short video clip in which we said goodbye to our peers and then our group techy Penelope made a slide show of pics from our two years of service that ended with the video clips of each. We all watched it together the night of the dinner. Tears were shed and about a million hugs were shared.

In my last few days in site I took the long hiking trip over the mountain to the beach just because I had wanted to do it for so long. I also went to southern Costa Rica where I met up with fellow volunteer Jessica Robinson to explore San Gerardo de Rivas and the Cloud Bridge National Reserve at the base of Chirripo, the tallest mountain in Costa Rica. I completed my English classes and youth groups, and began saying farewell to my community members. I requested a replacement volunteer and Austin Slaughter of Austin Texas came to visit in early May as a possible volunteer for the site. He instantly loved it just as I did two years ago and I was instantly confident he was the perfect volunteer to continue in my place. He started on May 16th and quickly became very active with the community Association and shared with me many feasible and wonderful project ideas he has for Quebrada in his two years of service. We overlapped for about 15 days before I finally took the final leap and moved the remainder of my things out of Quebrada and to San Jose on May 30th, leaving my dog (who I will miss as much as many community members!) with Maikol and his family who agreed to adopt him.

Before I left I was given three going away parties by different groups of people of the community. First there was the community association who had a little afternoon barbecue and presented me with a small and thoughtful plaque of recognition. Then the ladies and girls of both Quebrada and the neighboring town of Quebrada hosted a soccer game in my honor and offered me a toast over a whole lot of food they brought. And finally, the male youth of the community (who I probably feel the closest due to our almost daily contact playing soccer in the plaza and hanging out at the pulperia) told me their goodbye’s at a bar in the neighboring town of Los Angeles over lots of music and lots of beer. I danced the night away and took millions of pictures so as to never forget these once shy and quiet guys who somehow became my best friends.

Peace Corps has been a long journey that really isn’t quite over yet. But I’ve known for a while that it is time for a change and saying goodbye is always the hardest part of starting something new and exciting.

MY NEW OFFICIAL MAILING ADDRESS

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

Second year coming to a close

I realize I have basically failed at being a good blogster. It has been months since my last post. No excuse other than laziness really and perhaps a busy schedule. But here it is, February of 2011, only a few months away from my close of service date- May 30th is the official last day of work for my Tico 19 group. All the clichés are true about time. It feels now like it truly flew by even as I remember times that it felt like time stood still and I wasn’t getting anywhere. I think the work of Peace Corps is the only job about which one can say they are both bored and busy at the same time. It’s a strange state of mind, and an oxymoron really, but I’ve lived it first had.
Since writing last I have had visitors and taken a few trips of my own. In October I traveled to Panama with fellow volunteer and friend Jessica Robinson. We explored Panama City, Bocas del Toro, and the San Blas Islands. In January I met my mom in Nicaragua and we packed into public buses to make our way to the Jinotega Highlands, the capital of Managua, the artisan town of Masaya, and the architecturally grand city of Granada.
In November Aunt Cheri, Aunt Lauri and Cousin Suzanne flew down with new shiny passports to experience my life here in rural Costa Rica. They stayed nearly three weeks and we spent significant time down on the beach as well as hiking the trails and swimming in the river of my site.
The travels and visitors began as the rainy season faded away. During the months of April through October, travel is not ideal as frequent downpours make roads impassable and dangerous. During this time I continued English classes to several groups. One group finished their course in December, winning a certificate of completion. My children’s classes continue and the other organized course is due to finish right before I leave. The kids school year just began and thus second year English has begun as well.
We hosted a 3 day drug education course for which a Costa Rica police official stayed in our town and gave presentations to the youth of the community. The children followed along with a workbook and graduated with a certificate in the end.
In April of 2010 we hosted a kid’s soccer day camp that was a total success. All kids came to the soccer field for a day of soccer technique training and fun with volunteer help from community youth and parents. We will be hosting the second annual kid’s soccer day camp in late March of this year and this time, we were able to get funding for t-shirts.
I completed Chicas Poderosas (the girls youth group) early last year and began the young women’s group entitled Voces Valerosas. This group was comprised of similar themes regarding self-esteem, health, drug and sex education, etc. The end of this course also included a competition of the works of the young women during the course. I sent in several homeworks from my participants and one of them won a spot in the soon to be published Voces Valerosas Magazine. She and I will travel to San Jose for the young women’s conference in March which will be comprised of all winning women throughout the country and their respective Peace Corps volunteers.
I flew home in December for a cold and slightly snowy Christmas at the home of Aunt Julie in Omaha, Nebraska. It was very nice to see the grandparents, parents, cousins, and aunt and uncle for a traditional family Christmas and delicious food!
The coming of the end of the year also brought the anniversary of my birth 25 long years ago. I now carry around with me a quarter of a century worth of experience on this planet. I guess that is supposed to make me an adult. ;-)
Right now the future is quite uncertain. I only have plans in place until May 30th. I should soon find out if I have a third year extension job in the Peace Corps office in San Jose that would begin in July of 2011 and span until June of 2012. The position is Peace Corps Volunteer Leader and involves living and working in the capital city. Several volunteers are applying, so we will just have to wait and see. Whatever happens, my next step is sure to be an exciting one.

a recent poem:

Untitled

In my dreams I make love to a future

To a faceless perfection that holds me tight,
Defends my plight,
Gives me intelligent insight

That patiently accepts my passion and fire,
Listens with a smile as a scream my desire

Who calms my fear and anger,
Tells me everything will be okay,
And touches me in a manner
That my body simply turns to clay

Who sweats like me in the spirit of competition,
But can end the day with an intelligent conversation

About religion, politics, the existence of our species,
Knowing when a black and white answer is simply too difficult to seize

In my future I make love to a dream

Because perfection is not a real possibility