Life has a way of messing up your plans. How rude, seriously.

About 4 and a half weeks ago I was playing futbol cinco (indoor soccer) with my normal weekly group of guys. We’re made up of Ticos, Americans and a myriad of European dudes. I had come to truly love my weekly matches with these guys. Always competitive, aggressive, and super fun. That’s what soccer is all about to me. Near the end of the hour I was going full on for a header to goal. If I made this goal it would take us out of the tie and potentially win the game. Expecting the force and passion I always bring to the field, the goalie came out to block me and that’s when the agonizing pain blurs my memory. Basically I was slide-tackled unintentionally, the force of the blow impacting the outside of my knee and bending it inward, tearing my ACL severely. I knew it was serious immediately. I could not put any weight on my leg and my knee swelled right away. Despite words of wisdom from my fellow players telling me to shake it off and grab a beer, I called the Peace Corps medical duty phone and was advised to go to the ER. The goalie, feeling badly about the whole thing, drove me to the ER with my roommate Anna where I was poked and prodded, given an MRI, and wheeled around Clinica Biblica (quite fun, but be careful letting Anna drive a wheelchair!). The weeks that followed included a litany of appointments, procedures, policies and paperwork. And now it is official that I will be medically separated from the Peace Corps- ending my service early- to my home of record to undergo surgery and subsequent treatment.

As I complete my chapter on Peace Corps Costa Rica, a whole lot of brilliant new people open to the first page of theirs. I had the honor of attending the swear-in ceremony for Tico 24. It was the third swear in ceremony I have attended, including my own in May, 2009 and that of my pollitos, Tico 23, earlier this year. As I witnessed the familiar giddiness and anticipation on the bright faces of the newest volunteer group of PCCR, I reflected on my own service of the past 3 years. My two years as an RCD volunteer in the beautiful mountain community of Quebrada Grande, Guanacaste and the past year as the TEFL PCVL in San Jose. For all intents and purposes, I have completed my commitment and my work as a Peace Corps volunteer here. And I know that on my originally scheduled COS date in December I would have faced a torrent of emotions and feelings of loss the same as I am now.


But all this doesn't make me feel any more ready. The abruptness and lack of finality in my work pains me almost as much as not being able to say goodbye properly to so many people. I had a lot of plans packed into these last few months in Costa Rica, but I guess Dios no quiere. I can't imagine living anywhere other than Costa Rica. I can't fathom life without piropos, tropical down pours, kumbya, and gallo pinto. But I suppose these were things I would have had to face eventually anyway. So, on August 28th, 2012, I hit the PCCR gong to signify the end of my service, and received my completion of service certificate.

I recently went through my blogs and read the first couple I wrote regarding my Peace Corps experience. I wrote them in January and February 2009 as I anxiously awaited my departure for staging in DC on March 10th and Costa Rica on March 10th. My excitement and trepidation pours from the words, as does my organized, planner, type-A personality. That was back when I was even more type-A, not yet having had the three years experience in flexibility. In one of these blogs I made a list entitled, “Things I will miss while I am in Central America.” They included all my New Mexico favorites, family, friends, sports teams, gym, technology, etc.

So now I’d like to make a tribute to Costa Rica and all the things I will miss dearly about the place that truly became my home.
1. Futbol
   a. Futbol Cinco
   b. Futbol Cancha Grande
   c. The way in which futbol is practically a religion in CR
2. Palm trees and tropical flowers
3. White sand beaches and sunsets
4. Cheering for Liga, booing Saprissa
5. My host family in Quebrada Grande, La Familia Rojas Carranza and my second mothers Isabel and Carmen
6. Combate
7. Novelas
8. Gallo pinto
9. Hikes in the jungle and camping on the beach
10. Tico culture
   a. Respect and care for family and the elderly
   b. Patience, Pura Vida, and Tico time
   c. Quality time being valued over commercialism and excessive gift-giving
11. Fellow PCVs
12. PCCR office staff
13. CR Holidays and rituals such as the Dia de Los Angeles pilgrimage to Cartago
14. Living abroad and experiencing something new everyday
15. Speaking and improving my Spanish
16. Living in Apartamentos America with my awesome roomies Dina, then Anna, and neighbor Amber
17. The TEFL team
18. Working and living for the United States Peace Corps, an organization I truly love and believe in

Back in the States I await surgery and physical therapy while living with my mom in Oklahoma City. This is not the end to my Peace Corps service I pictured or planned. But it’s the one that happened and the one I will embrace out of necessity, while remembering and cherishing my time, accomplishments and experience in Peace Corps Costa Rica.
Phone: 505-270-2724
Address until January: 4717 NW 57th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73122

Travels and more travels

It’s been ages since my last blog. It’s a mix of being busy and being lazy I suppose. Things have slowed down a bit now that the new group of volunteers- Tico 23 TEFL- have completed training, sworn in as official volunteers, and are in their 2-year sites. It was an amazing experience to go through with them as their volunteer leader. I enjoy volunteer support and I have truly enjoyed getting to know each of my “pollitos.” Now that they are in their sites I am available to them remotely through email and phone. I try to stay up to date as much as possible on how their new lives are going. It’s a huge change for them, and the first 6 months in country (three in training, and first three in site) are both challenging and important. But these kiddos are all amazing people with an incredibly diverse list of skills and assets they have brought to Costa Rica. They are spread throughout the country now, sharing their energy and talents with Costa Ricans in the banana country of Limon, the high mountains of Los Santos, the heat of the deep southern region, and the dry beaches of Guanacaste. I had the good fortune of being able to travel with staff to the majority of these locations and aid in identifying host families for these volunteers while also seeing the diversity of each site and region. I can now honestly say that I know more and have seen more in the country of Costa Rica than in my own USA. Prior to the arrival of Tico 23 I took advantage of a group trip to National Park Corcovado in the very southern peninsula of Osa. It was a backpacking experience of a lifetime. A large chunk of the Osa Peninsula is protected through and through to preserve the lush, natural rain forest. It is simply full of plants and animals that are normally sought out in vain by a typical tourist in Costa Rica. My favorite take-away was the Toucan I saw at eye-level. It seemed like it was pulled right off the Fruit Loops box! The hike was strenuous too though. The heat and humidity are intense and it takes a good 6 hours to get to the camp in the middle of the park where the most wildlife can be seen. Part of the hike out is on the beach too, which was beautiful and challenging. Overall, it was an experience I’ll never forget. In May I took a quick trip home to watch my quasi-brother Greg Arias graduate with a chemical engineering degree from New Mexico Tech. The kid is a genius and has worked hard. I wouldn’t have missed that moment for the world. I took advantage of the time in the USA to visit the parents, both sets of grandparents, the godparents, and a couple aunts. I spent time in both New Mexico and Colorado and was able to meet up with a beloved high school friend, Ashley Dunn to reminisce about the high school years that now seem so long ago. Soon after the trip, my godparents Charlie and Barb along with their two sons Greg and Jeremiah joined my in Costa Rica for a week-long trip. I rushed them around but was able to show them my city life in San Jose as well as the life I led before in the mountains of Guanacaste. I had a blast hosting them. Last week I took a trip to Isla Chira with my good friend and neighbor Amber Featherstone. It’s a small island on the inner side of the Nicoyan Peninsula and I’ve actually been there before since it’s not too far from where I lived in Guanacaste. The fun part of the trip was visiting my Tico 23 buddy Whitney Martinez. Her site assignment is two schools on Isla Chira. It was amazing to visit her and see how happy and successful she is in her new home and place of work. Next week I fly off to Colombia with good friend and roommate Dina Navar. This will be her week-long going away party because she heads off to the USA for good in July. I am sad to see her go, but know she is ready to move on. RCD Tico 20 volunteer Anna Baker will move in with me and be my new roomie until I leave in December. I look forward to fun times with her. I’ve had some ups and downs in personal life and have found it difficult to stay positive at times. I’ve realized I’m very intense… in everything really. I am passionate and sensitive, and when I fall (be it in love or simply flat on my face), I fall hard. I take things too personally and I don’t let things go that I should. And I become disappointed at any rejection, even if it’s not intended as a rejection. But as usual, the beautiful and talented Alanis Morissette describes my feelings far better than I can articulate: Song title: "So Unsexy". Oh these little rejections how they add up quickly, One small sideways look and I feel so ungood, Somewhere along the way I think I gave you the power to make, Me feel the way I thought only my father could. Oh these little rejections how they seem so real to me, One forgotten birthday I'm all but cooked, How these little abandonments seem to sting so easily, I'm 13 again am I 13 for good? I can feel so unsexy for someone so beautiful, So unloved for someone so fine, I can feel so boring for someone so interesting, So ignorant for someone of sound mind. Oh these little protections how they fail to serve me, One forgotten phone call and I'm deflated, Oh these little defenses how they fail to comfort me, Your hand pulling away and I'm devastated. When will you stop leaving baby? When will I stop deserting baby? When will I start staying with myself? Oh these little projections how they keep springing from me, I jump my ship as I take it personally, Oh these little rejections how they disappear quickly, The moment I decide not to abandon me.

Still Struttin' in the City

I closed out 2011 with a wonderful visit to my old Rural Community Development site, Quebrada Grande, Guanacaste. The two week trip was filled with birthdays, Christmas parties, and a new year’s hike to the beach with fellow volunteers. A community member turned 80 years old while I was there and the entire town came together for music, dancing, singing and general celebration. It was also wonderful to see how well Austin, the new Peace Corps volunteer in Quebrada is doing. He loves the town and the community loves him as well. He just moved out of the host family stay and is now renting his own home in town. At the end of my two week stay I headed down the mountain to Playa San Miguel, my favorite beach in Costa Rica with a group of about 10 volunteers from Austin’s group (Tico 22 that arrived in March of 2011). We kicked off the New Year with a giant bonfire on the beach and a rocket firecracker. It was great for me to get to know a different group of volunteers.

Since my last blog entry my life has mainly revolved around work. I did conquer Chirripo, the highest mountain in Costa Rica with some fellow volunteers. We did it over Thanksgiving, drinking wine out of a box and eating sliced pre-packaged turkey to celebrate the holiday. The trip was just as brutal as expected and we hiked much of the mountain (both up and down) in the rain. But it was a truly memorable experience.

As for work, I keep very busy. So many projects and support for current volunteers, and so much coordination and planning in preparation for the new group of 22 TEFL volunteers due to arrive in February. I am so excited for their arrival. Our project team is super busy planning the trainings and most importantly locating the sites in which these future volunteers will work. Locations we have identified are spread throughout the country, from border to border and coast to coast. I have the amazing opportunity to join my program manager on three of the site visit trips in the coming months. One of these trips delves into the indigenous reserve of Talamanca where we have a few sites for some very determined and committed future volunteers. I am so excited to see parts of the country I have never seen while representing Peace Corps and informing local communities of the TEFL project and its purpose.

I love working with volunteers as a support system, resource, and listening ear. I love working on a project team with two of the most fun and down to earth guys I know; one Costa Rican, one American. I love working in a bilingual office and improving my Spanish skills every day. I love working for the Peace Corps and truly believing in its goals and its work in Costa Rican communities. And with this passion in mind I have decided to stay in Costa Rica an extra six months beyond my originally extended close of service date in June of 2011. My program manager asked me to apply for the extension as there will be no TEFL volunteer available to take over the leadership position until December of 2012, the date when the current TEFL volunteers complete their two years of service. So if the application is approved, I will remain in Costa Rica until next December and continue my work with the TEFL project of Peace Corps Costa Rica. I again feel the excitement of the opportunity to stay longer in Latin America. More travel opportunities, more time to perfect my Spanish, and more time to narrow down my next steps.

I also continue my work with the counterpart organization Costa Rica Multilingue. Working with this foundation and the amazing people who form it has been an incredible experience. I have been the guest at many events, met incredible people and been a key player in the planning of many projects and activities. In April we are planning a 5/10k race to benefit the foundation and express a social campaign message of the importance of multilinguism in education.

I have also joined a women’s club here. It is called the Women’s Professional Network, a facet of the Women’s Club of Costa Rica. The club is very active in education in Costa Rica and is formed by a variety of incredible women from all over the world now living in Costa Rica. I am on the planning committee for an upcoming event in April at which we will host guest speaker Gloria Feldt, a feminist and women’s rights activist from the US. She is a pretty big deal and I am excited to be a part of the project.

Next week I embark on one of the final top sites of Costa Rica on my list to see; Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula. It is said to have an incredible abundance of wildlife and is one of the most well-protected national parks in the world. You must hike in at one side of the park and then trek through the jungle and beaches to the other side. It takes a couple days to complete the journey. Unlike the freezing cold of Chirripo Mountain, Corcovado is sure to hot and humid.
My new official close of Peace Corps service date is December 21st, 2012, which also happens to be my 27th birthday and quite possibly the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar. So, we’ll see what happens!