Saturday, June 23, 2012

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.

2 comments:

  1. It’s never too early to think about the Third Goal. Check out Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir. Oh! If you want a good laugh about what PC service was like in a Spanish-speaking country back in the 1970’s, read South of the Frontera: A Peace Corps Memoir.

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  2. I'm a RPCV, Moldova. I'm going to be visiting Costa Rica from August 7 - 21. Would love to meet up and help out on a project while there. Can you get me some contact help on that?

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