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

Still Raining

Everyday holds a potential downpour, usually in the afternoon. But some days I even wake to water droplets drilling down on my tin roof. Everything is green and lush, and muddy. Vehicles slide all over on the now mud roads, and with our steep hills, that makes for a dangerous combination. This has mainly meant that I have not left my site much in the last few months. The rain is very disabling in terms of transportation, activities and events. We have hardly even been able to play soccer and the soccer field is now watery and overgrown.
I have cabin fever for sure. Saving up for my Panama trip coupled with the constant rain has left me house-bound with my now totally scratched up from overuse aerobics dvd and my dog for company. I still continue the basic activities that make up my work. Four English courses are in full swing. My advanced adult class will have their final test in December, followed by a party to conclude the course. The English for rural tourism class progresses nicely. It is made up of mainly older women from the Women´s Association. The beginner´s youth class we started in July is a real kick. I have a lot of teenage guys in this course who get pretty rowdy but keep things interesting. And as always my kids class twice a week continues. We celebrated the Day of Children on the 9th of September by having a movie day with popcorn and ice cream at my house. I will be losing one sixth grader to the high school when this school year ends in December. But I will also gain two new first graders.
The beginning of July held the famous week-long Semana Cultural event. I was raffled on to team blue, just like last year. Due to the rain this year´s week-long mini Olympics-type event was not quite as rewarding as last year. Most of the sports just became some modification of mud wrestling. But we all persevered anyway, playing our guts out in volleyball, soccer, basketball, relay races, dodge ball and more. And the more artistic participants competed in singing, drawing and dancing. After holding a first place lead all week, my team took some hard hits on the last day in the competitions of tortilla-making, tug-o-war, and wood chopping and ended with a 3rd place finish. During this week I also had the pleasure of hosting a new volunteer transfer. Ronel Perry was a volunteer for a year in Paraguay and transferred here the beginning of July. He spent 5 days with me for a shadow experience before heading off to an indigenous site southeast of San Jose. Unfortunately or fortunately depending how you look at it, Ronel was not really able to see any of the work I do because he came during the two week Costa Rican school holiday and during Semana Cultural. Basically this means he was able to experience a bunch of partying and sports rather than my daily life as a volunteer here. But Ronel said he enjoyed the stay and even enjoyed competing on a team in the week-long event.
We´ve started our volleyball league, but the rain often cancels the events. Still, we´ve gotten out a few times on the field and played some intense games. I like to see this sport bring together a real mix of people. We have all ages, both male and female.
On the 4th of September we held the inauguration of the new community youth group and their first project; a youth garden. The day went spectacularly. Every youth age 10 to 25 was invited to participate in raffles, ice breakers and lunch, and to sign up to be a part of the new community youth group. I was personally nervous for this inauguration because I really wanted to push the idea that a commitment of time and effort was necessary to be a part of this group. But I also did not want to scare them away from joining. We did some just for fun team games, but I also led some serious team building activities. We did the Bridge of Change activity in which we planned the real backbone of the group. This activity forces group members to pinpoint major group goals, the challenges faced in achieving these goals, the way to overcome challenges, and the strengths we as group members have to succeed in our goals. As small groups they came up with their personal favorites for these categories and we then narrowed it down to the ones that represent the group as a whole. A whole slew of discussions ensued regarding Tico culture. Laziness, hora Tica, non-committal, lack of motivation, and more made up a lengthy list of challenges. Then there was discussion on how to overcome these attributes that are especially used to describe youth. It was agreed that without punctuality, commitment, motivation, and a general sense of responsibility, we would never even get close to achieving the many goals we had listed which range anywhere from maintenance of the soccer field to anti-drug activities. If you don´t show up, nothing happens.
In the conclusion of the event I challenged each participant to commit to being a member of the group and sign up. Eighteen out of nineteen youth signed up, committing to attend once per month meetings and be active in at least one project for the group.
As for future plans, English classes will continue to the end of my service in May, 2011. When the Wednesday night course ends I plan to take on the boys of the community and host Chicos Poderosos from January to March. The girls liked their girls group so much, I think the boys got jealous. The new community youth group will hold once per month meetings and hopefully begin implementing projects and event in the community. I plan to really push the youth to take over leadership positions rather than depending on me to organize everything. I am also helping a new committee of mothers that has begun planning a Christmas party for children in December. We have already held one bingo and raffle and plan to do more in October and November to have funds for a grand Christmas party. I also plan to host the second annual kids soccer camp in March of 2011. The kids were very happy with last year´s event and would like a repeat.
I´m going to Panama for two weeks in October with fellow volunteer Jessica Robinson of Colorado Springs, Colorado. And then I look forward to Aunt Cheri, Aunti Lauri and Cousin Susanne visiting for a few weeks in November-including the Thanksgiving holiday. I will spend December, the Christmas season, and my birthday here in my site with a palm Christmas tree, lights, other decorations, and the traditional Navidad fireworks. In January I look forward to a trip to Nicaragua with my mom.
As for now, I will continue awaiting the dry season and try to be thankful for this rain.

Yes America, Change Can Be Made Without Bombs

I recently took a trip State-side to my home turf of New Mexico for a family reunion. Albuquerque, New Mexico is no metropolis and its little airport with only a few international flights to a few tourist attractions in Mexico is testament to this. Thus a passenger attempting to fly from Costa Rica to Albuquerque must make a connecting flight; the most plausible is the hub of the southwest- Houston.
Flying out of Liberia, Guanacaste and into Houston was relatively painless. I followed the herd of freshly bronzed American citizens returning from their week or two on the beach in some sunny country south of the American border. Many carried a few kids in tow, equally tanned and enrobed in brightly colored Hawaiian-type attire and often accessorized with “local” or native-looking jewelry that was probably made in China. When my turn finally came to step up to a window, I smiled brightly and handed over my passport. The immigration officer did not return my enthusiasm, glancing at my passport and then staring at me slightly over the allotted amount of time to not be considered creepy. But I guess whatever he saw was acceptable and he waved me through with hardly a question asked. From there it was cake transferring from Houston to Albuquerque and exiting the plane into surprisingly hot and dry desert air. My skin instantly missed Costa Rica. But I was home sweet home and despite my fears of having a mini reverse culture shock, at the end of my stay I was ready to come “home” to Costa Rica.
This is when my travel experience got interesting. No, don´t get too excited, I wasn’t frisked, interrogated, or tortured. More accurately I was given a new idea to chew on, debate, and broadcast. It happened in Houston; Don´t mess with Texas right? I made my easy hour and half trip from Albuquerque to Houston and then had a substantial layover of four hours in the giant beast of Houston International. Within an hour and half of flight departure I settled into a black leatherback chair in front of my American Airlines gate and filled myself in on the latest fashion, makeup, exercise and sex tips Cosmo had to offer (once an addiction, always an addiction). Shortly, all passengers of my flight were called up to the gate desk for a passport check of some sort. I shuffled my way into line behind about 20 or so others destined for Liberia, Costa Rica, my attention completely absorbed by Cosmo´s Confession stories. I only slightly remember overhearing the attendants at the front desk cheerily asking passengers for their passports and acquiring as to when they would be returning home. These were normal questions for normal vacationers, so I thought nothing of it. My turn came though and bright-eyed, big-haired Texan American Airlines attendant smiled widely at me, the American flag pin on her lapel sparkling as much as her brilliantly white teeth when she asked me in her Texas drawl, “ And when will you be comin´ home from your vacation in Costa Rica darlin´?” as she scanned my passport. I stumbled slightly over my words having thought she had already seen the giant paper stuck onto the front of my passport that clearly stated “Peace Corps Volunteer”. “Um, well, I´m a Peace Corps volunteer.” She stared at me blankly, the Texas smile never budging from her well-painted features. I began mentally preparing my speech to delve into the motto, purpose and work of a PC volunteer and the reason I wouldn´t have a return flight to the US scheduled. “So when´s your trip home honey?” she asked again, beginning to sound impatient. This time I was prepared and I filled her in on the three minute Peace Corps in a nut shell overview. By this time the smile had faded and she scanned my passport more intently as I showed her where Peace Corps volunteer was printed in a back page. She swiftly turned with the passport to a colleague a few steps behind her and I watched them begin vigorously whispering over the document, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. Then in one motion they both swung toward me with large, fake customer service-type smiles plastered on their faces. “Mam you have to have a return reservation for an international flight,” boomed the deep, manly voice of the new American Airlines representative. By this time I was getting impatient and heard the impatient sighs of my fellow passengers waiting in the line behind me. “Look, I won´t have a flight back to the States until at least June of 2011. I am a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural community in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I have a visa to live in Costa Rica for two years during my service. The documentation is right here in front of you.” They both held pensive expressions, maybe trying to decide if I was some sort of international terrorist. Finally the man said, “We´ve never had a Peace Corps volunteer before.” I seriously doubted that, but whatever. “Oh,” I said, trying to conjure some more patience and a friendly attitude, “well we are volunteers for two years in another country that has specifically requested the presence of American volunteers for development help. There are volunteers in many countries around the world working to help organize, motivate and sustain the people and projects in their communities. I am working in a small Costa Rican village teaching English, hosting youth groups, motivating women´s activism, and working with community groups to fund infrastructural projects. My close of service date is in June of 2011.” I closed my statement with a satisfied smile, proud of my little speech and hoping they could see the sincerity in my words and expression. Their reaction was neither disbelief nor comprehension. Even more disappointing than non-acceptance, they both looked at me as if I was a cute little girl, with a bunch of imaginary friends and idealistic fantasies. “Well isn´t that nice dear,” the woman said as both their expressions softened and they looked down at me from their boosted position behind the desk. The man pulled my airline ticket out from the passport and gave it a scribble, verifying that I had been checked and approved. They handed me back the documents and I walked slowly back to the waiting area. Although I was happy to not be holding up the line anymore, or to be in some interrogation room, I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth.
About half an hour later boarding time was nearly upon us and I heard the microphone crackle to life as Big Hair Texan cheerily welcomed all passengers of American Airlines Flight such and such to begin boarding for Liberia, Costa Rica. She then proceeded with, “I would first like to invite all active US military to priority board. We would like to thank you for serving our country, defending our nation and volunteering to make America a safer, better place. Please step forward to priority board.” I may have lost some of the exact words of the statement, but assure you the sentiment and message has not been exaggerated. After a few minutes no military persons approached the desk, forcing Big Hair to begin first class boarding. I sat in my leatherback American Airlines seat waiting for my normal coach seating assignment to be called and feeling profoundly amused, but in a satirical way. I had spent a good ten minutes talking to this woman and her colleague about Peace Corps, what it is, how I am a current volunteer, and how what I do represents America, serves America, and aspired to betterment. And yet, it seems to me these people, and surely many more, look at Peace Corps as something unnecessary, something that makes no difference at all, something that´s maybe even ridiculous and wasteful, especially while we are at war (oh I´m sorry, “conflict” or whatever they call it now). Don´t get me wrong, I support our fricking troops. My heart goes out to those fighting for what they´ve been commanded to fight for, sometimes losing their lives in the process. This does not by any means signify my support of war, but you better believe I support those who risk their lives to fight for the idea of America, however they see it.
What is sad to me is that so many Americans have decided that violence, weapons and bombs are the only way to get things done, and so we put that type of action above anything else. We see any other type of volunteerism, action, and movement as wasteful, inefficient, and idealistic. Where did this sentiment come from? This idea that change is made with bullets and bombs, and anything else is just a waste? I know I don´t have a tough life here in Quebrada Grande, Guanacaste. I´m spoiled rotten in jungle paradise and won´t deny it to anyone. But there are PC volunteers out there- even in other parts of Costa Rica- who have given up a lot to follow a dream of making change one small step at a time. Some PC volunteers in the world have no running water or electricity. Some live hours away from clinics. Some have limited or no transportation out of where the live. Some live in below-poverty conditions. Some have only limited communication with family and friends. We all made the choice to serve our country, leave our homes, our families, the familiar comforts of life. We did it for personal reasons and we did it because we believe we can make a difference. We may not be dodging bullets, and for some, maybe that´s what it takes to earn respect as a servant of your country. But I don´t think so.
I am disappointed in the desk attendants at American Airlines in Houston Texas and in others who, even after being educated about what Peace Corps is, don´t respect it as something worthy of recognition. I am disappointed that more people can´t see that change through violence and destruction is usually not change at all. I am disappointed that some people can´t see Peace Corps as anything more than idealism, wasted time and a liberal political agenda. I am disappointed PC volunteers are often not treated with the respect we deserve as people who have made the choice to volunteer 2 years of our lives to the challenge of changing our world through non-violent means. I can vouch first hand, as can so many other volunteers I´m sure, that our work throughout the world proves that change can be made without bullets, conflict and violence; even if it is just through one person, group, or community at a time.

Here comes the Rain

When I arrived in my site one year ago everyone here told me it was a very dry winter and I basked in hot sun and outdoor activities. This year is a stark contrast with the now heavy daily rains, thick cloud cover and constant dampness. But the rain is a blessing for the farmers as crops flourish and everything turns a deep green.
Before the rains were in full force I was able to hold a kids soccer camp in April. Nearly all the kids of the community signed up to participate in a day of soccer techniques and pointers from some of the best soccer players in our town. They taught them how to use the head and chest, control passes, shoot on goal, and be goalie. The day was interspersed with other games, races, and activities, along with a healthy lunch and snacks. A fellow Guanacaste volunteer Kathryn came to help me run the event and it was a total success.
The annual VAC dinner took place in April as well. It was a dinner party that bid farewell to Tico 18, greetings to Tico 20, and keep up the good work to Tico 19. We danced the night a way to a local Costa Rican band that sings American songs. There was even Alanis! I remember clearly this dinner the year before when I was the newbie, shuffling around uncertainly amongst a crowd of people who obviously knew each other well and had been through a lot together. Now I was the confident one, ready to welcome the new faces into a totally different way of life.
The end of May brought a new neighbor to me. Community Economic Development Tico 20 volunteer Elena will be serving for the next two years in Los Angeles, only an hour walk away. She is incredibly artistic, with a talent for art and photography and I´m very happy to have a fellow PCV nearby!
English classes continue at full force. I will soon have four different courses going. I continue to teach in the school to the kids two days a week and my adult group is nearly done with the level one book. I will soon start another adult beginner class with a different book and program. Also I will be teaching an English for tourism course to the women´s group.
Women´s soccer is also progressing in my site. We are working to get new uniforms and we have hosted several games in our town. Some of us also recently participated in Poppy Futbol in Los Angeles and placed third in the most recent tournament.
I went home for a week in May for a family reunion n Colorado. It was great to see all the family in one place after being away over a year. We camped in the mountains in Rye and my only culture shock adjustment was in the airport trying to remember to use dollars instead of colones and rejoicing in the fact that toilet paper can be flushed down the toilets.
I came back just in time for Peace Corps mid service training at which we had parasite tests, dentist appointments, and extra training to get us motivated for our second year of service. I gave a presentation to my peers about working with women and sports in the community. Before heading back to our sites some of us went rafting at the Pacuare River in Turrialba. It was the same river I rafted with Mom, Mark and Jamie in 2006 when we were here. The rapids were amazing. One of the boats in our group flipped, but everyone in it said it was a rush, and no one was hurt.
For Father´s day we held an activity in the school for the kids to give presentations and play games with their dad´s. We played some fun ice breakers and the dads watched poetry, plays, and songs presented by their kids.
I have plans to visit Panama with my fellow PCV Jessica in October and then I look forward to some family visitors in November and December, along with a trip to Nicaragua with my mom. Time is flying by and I feel like there is still so much I want to do in terms of both personal travel and work projects. In the grand scheme of things, two years is just a little blip on the screen.

Still Sizzling in Costa Rica

Even though I´m in Costa Rica, I still feel the intensity and miss the excitement of football in February. I am not alone I found, and a sizeable group of Peace Corps volunteers decided to meet in San Jose on Superbowl Sunday for a little flag football in central park followed by watching the game and eating giant American style burgers and fries at one of the few “American” bar and restaurants in Costa Rica. It was a blast. Here we were, a group of about 20 gringos in the middle of rows and rows of soccer fields where curious Tico bystanders stopped their soccer dribbling to stare at this weird sport where you touch the ball with your hands. We had little orange cones set up as the end zones and were strapped up with belts and flags; devices I´m sure are rarely seen here. We played for a good 2 and a half hours, occasionally having to stop and kick a runaway soccer ball out of our small patch of land. Then we headed to the bar and I joined the group of New Orleans fans hoot and holler for the Saint´s while enjoying for the first time in nearly ayear real tomato ketchup instead of the sugary tomato paste Ticos use.
One weekend I made my way to Malpais, the somewhat famous tip of the Nicoyan Peninsula. It only took about two hours from my site and was worth the trip. Although tourism has nearly overtaken the shores with hoards of foreigners and expensive restaurants, there is some local artisan work and the beaches are gorgeous.
So we have a computer center in our town now, but it is not open yet and it does not have Internet. We do not have Internet yet for the same reason I have no phone; the ridiculous and sad excuse for the phone and internet company here called ICE. They are inefficient, disorganized, slow, and full of bureaucracy. So, we continue to wait for them to decide to install Internet to our computer center which is now equipped with 6 nice new machines. But when we do have it, I already have requests for classes on how to do basic word processing and Internet searches.
One Sunday I was invited to play softball with the sort of American club of retired gringos who live down on the beaches in their fancy beach retirement homes. I was the only female who played and the only person under the age of 45, but I had blast and played fairly well for never having really practiced the sport. I´m not too bad at catching balls in the outfield. Again I participated in a “strange Gringo sport” that was viewed by surrounding Ticos with mild mocking curiosity.
A fellow volunteer who lives not far from me in distance came to give a course on beekeeping to my community. We were at a Peace Corps meeting when I got to know him. He was in Paraguay for two years for Peace Corps already and he decided to do an extension transfer here to work with rural agriculture development. The course was excellent due to his immense knowledge on beekeeping as well as due to it being very hands-on with a demonstration of how to make a smoker, smoke the bees out of their hives and into a bee box, and then care for the combs in preparation for honey production. We made cardboard “beehives” for a more realistic demonstration, he used volunteers from the audience, and then answered every question with patience and a true knowledge of the topic. He also passed out copies of a well written packet (from Peace Corps Paraguay) detailing all instructions of the process and including pictures. Even I understand way more about beekeeping than I ever thought possible. Many women from the women´s association attended, but in addition, a lot of local farmers attended who are simply interested in adding this possibly lucrative and sustainable project to their personal land. Two days after Michael left I was informed that two of the attendees had already constructed a beebox , found the location of bees on their property and were preparing to extract them using the techniques they learned from Michael’s talk.
One weekend in March I had the pleasure of hosting Ms. Meredith Burgess, a Tico 20 RCD Peace Corps trainee. They arrived the first week of March, and just like me and my Tico 19 group did a year ago, they are making their way through the three month Peace Corps training. One of the parts of the training is visiting a current volunteer in his or her site to see firsthand what the work is all about. Meredith and I had a blast watching some local soccer games, visiting the beach below, meeting some community members, and running a session of my Chicas Poderosas youth group. She seemed to enjoy the experience and I hope it gives her some extra strength to get through the stress of training.
In sad news a fellow volunteer in my group, Georgina Garcia (my only fellow New Mexican in Peace Corps Costa Rica), has been forced to medically separate from the Peace Corps due to ongoing digestive issues. She will be the fifth Tico 19 volunteer to early terminate, and one of four that have left due to medical reasons. I am reminded how thankful I am for my health and the stomach of steal my mom passed down to me.
The time finally came for Tatiana´s wedding. After being postponed from February, my 21 year –old neighbor and friend tied the knot to her boyfriend of a year. I was the equivalent of the maid of honor and witnessed the stress and bridezillaness of the final hours of singleness. We cleaned and decorated the salon and the church of Coyote, the town below where the ceremony was held. And on the day of, I accompanied her to the salon for hair, makeup, nails and the dressing. Everything as usual was running behind, and I was the one who hastily pulled on the gloves, placed the earrings and necklace, etc. In the end, despite some disorganization, it was beautiful. The red, gold and white color theme was excellent, the ceremony was beautiful, and the dance and party afterward was a blast. She has now moved down to Coyote to live with her new husband where it is 15 degrees hotter, but only about ten minutes to the beach. I will definitely be visiting.

Guanacaste; the cowboy frontier

The Rains have gone and we are gradually drying into a dusty, hot and browning jungle. Maybe that sounds unpleasant for you, but to me it reminds me more of home every day; The Southwest with its rustic adobe desert laid out over a palette of browns and reds and oranges. I miss it sometimes and I swear I will forever call it home. But here is beautiful too. As leaves dry and fall to the ground in big heaps I am reminded of autumn in Colorado growing up. The only difference is it continues to heat up instead of cool down. This time of year here is called summer or the dry season while April through November is termed winter or the rainy season. Sounds simple, but I assure you the bustling wilderness that envelops every village and town keeps living here anything but boring and simple.
Projects are also bustling to life. I continue to teach weekly adult English classes, a course that is demanding and time-consuming for both teacher and students but offers a certificate of completion with the name of the well-known teaching institution Centro Cultural. I began with 19 students and am down to 15, but this is actually a better percentage of maintenance than many volunteers have. At the beginning of January I began a girls youth group called Chicas Poderosas. We meet weekly to discuss themes like self-esteem, nutrition and health, relationships, decision-making, and future goals. I have ten girls who are special and unique each in their own way and I truly enjoy the discussions and activities with them. The kids will begin school again in a couple weeks and I will start my English classes in corroboration with their classes. I will gain three little boys to first grade and lose three girls to the high school. That will be quite a change. In terms of infrastructure projects, we have three going in the town. First, the decades old church was flattened right after Christmas in December in preparation for the construction of a new, more modern building. Plans have been drawn up and we are beginning to collect funding to get the construction started. Next, Quebrada Grande will soon be home to a computer center… with Internet!!!! At least this is the hope. The town Association solicited for computers from an organization of the government and we will be receiving 6 machines shortly. The only catch is that we, the townspeople are in charge of assuring a secure location for the computers. We were able to get materials donated and we began the construction last week of the very simple building that is in front of the school. I organized a chart of work times for all the able-bodies workers of the community to donate work time to help complete the building rapidly. We should be done by the end of this week. And then I will begin giving basic (and I mean basic!) computer classes to both kids and adults in the community. The third project that I am in the works of planning is a new kitchen/ cantina and bathroom for the town soccer field. The one we have is extremely old, dilapidated, and in my opinion, unsanitary for cooking and selling food. The restroom too is incredibly uninviting. The Association has given my approval to move forward in writing the proposal to search for funding. I hope to have this completed by the end of the year. One more project I just got started on involves photography. It’s called Dog Meets World, (www.dogmeetsworld.org) a non-profit organization that was founded in 2008 to promote, educate and sustain appreciation of the fact that many people in the world do not have access to personal photographs. A previous volunteer in my area (Anna Meyers, Tico 12) came back to visit for a week in January. She brought with her this project which includes a totally sweet little digital printer with all the pieces (paper, ink, etc.) The idea is to educate kids about the process of the making of a photo while giving them their own personal photo as their property. To Americans, a photo of ourselves is incredibly easy to come by. We probably have thousands spanning throughout our lifetimes. But here in rural Costa Rica it is very rare to have more than one or two personal photos and even then, the kids themselves don’t really have ownership of them. This non-profit project is just getting started but it has already spanned across the world as world travelers bring along the compact printer with them on their trips abroad. Peace Corps Costa Rica is Dog Meets World’s first initiation of the project in cooperation with Peace Corps. The founder hopes to expand this and have printers circulating Peace Corps countries as volunteers initiate the project. I implemented the project first during my girls youth group and it went over fabulously. My second run will be when school starts this month and I can include all the community children.
In personal news I am the happy renter of my own home where I cook my own meals completely free of rice and beans. I now grow cilantro and oregano in my back yard garden and I am hoping to plant some veggies for the future. I am learning to cook a lot from scratch actually. I like to make my own tomato sauce, stirfries, and a bunch of different baked goods. I found a place to buy whole wheat flour in Nandayure and I make whole wheat pancakes. Totally delicious. The locals find it incredible I survive without rice and beans, and I just shrug attempt for the millionth time to explain that I need variety and especially vegetables to be happy and healthy. I have now gone two months and one day without consuming rice or beans, and honestly I still have no desire for the Tico traditional dish. One thing I have completely conformed to is the coffee tradition. I get free, fresh organic coffee from my neighbor’s farm and make it every morning and every afternoon for cafecito. I also always receive a bunch of fruits and sometimes vegetables from town members. Although I am not a big squash fan, it is good in a soup with garlic, cilantro and beef. As you can see, I have begun to enjoy the art of cooking, and experimenting, which go hand in hand. Without a TV, a car, a million commitments, I’ve discovered the goodness in slowing down and enjoying cooking and eating good food. But this certainly doesn’t mean I don’t miss New Mexican food, especially Frontier.
December and January are big party times here due to the rains stopping, Christmas, and the end of the coffee harvesting. I went to my first bull riding event and watched as insane men swung around erratically atop angry and lethal torros, a custom of the cowboy frontier of Costa Rica, Guanacaste. It was very exciting to see in real life. Thankfully and surprisingly, no one died. These fiestas also include bailes-dances where we shake our booties to meringue, kumbya and reggae. My parents and grandparents came for a week in December and my mom gave the kumbya a try with a local guy. I have pictures to prove she enjoyed it.
I recently took a trip to the Island of Chira off the east coast of the Nicoyan Peninsula. A Tica friend of mine has family there, so she and I along with two other friends rented bikes (the most logical and popular method of transportation there) and pedaled around the island. It was hot, tropical and everything you’d want from an island. I want to go back and spend the night in some woodsy cabins there that are run by the island’s women’s association. They are very organized and as their husbands continue with the centuries old tradition of fishing, the women have turned to local arts and crafts as they ignite the sparks of rural tourism. Gabriella, Nuri, Marjorie and I enjoyed very much our weekend trip and decided to start a little tradition of monthly outings for us girls. At the end of February we head for Playa Samara where Marjorie’s parents live to enjoy the beach and ride the horse’s her parents own. I am so thankful to finally have some girl friends here.
The first week of March (just around the corner) Tico 20 will arrive- the next bright-eyed and bushy-tailed group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve here in Costa Rica. I will host a volunteer for a site visit in April during their training and I am also a mentor to an incoming volunteer. I have already begun exchanging e-mails with her (a new and useful facet of the peer mentoring program PC initiated). How amazing to think this means I have been in this country for nearly a year. Wow. In some ways it has drug on tremendously. In others, I don’t know how it swept by so fast. Either way, I am doing well and have not yet lost the idealism and motivations that fueled my coming in the first place.