There's a 30% Chance It's Aready Raining

So, this week has been quite exciting. Actually I don’t know if exciting really is the right word, but it was definitely busy and productive which for me is very exciting. I guess I’ll start off with the things that I’ve been doing at the school. Not surprisingly, I’ve been working on my diagnostic also known as my CAT (Community Assessment Tool). I have a love/hate relationship with the CAT. Sometimes the research can be difficult to conduct and I would much rather do something interactive and fun, but sometimes I appreciate having work to do.

This week I conducted 2 PACA (Participatory Analysis for Community Action) activities with a few of the English classes at the school. These activities ended up being really fun and interesting to conduct. With the 5th graders, I had them draw community maps. I basically divided the class into groups of 3 and had them draw maps that included places that they liked, disliked, and where they spend the most time. They also included things they felt the community lacked but wished it had. With the 6th graders, I had them do a daily activities schedule. Again, I divided them up into groups and had them write out a schedule of the things they do on a typical day. It was tuanis (cool/awesome) because they did it in English because we were in English class. While I was preparing the activities, I got a little bit worried that the kids wouldn’t be into my activities and think I was lame. However, when I came to the school the next day, all these kids came up to me wanting to know when I would be doing another activity with them. Also, kids from the other grades want to know if I’ll be working with them too. So, I guess all things considered, it was a success. Who knew that some large pieces of paper and a few crayons could get a class so excited?

The school was having a science fair one day and I was sitting outside relaxing when one of the girls came and sat next to me. I started to ask her a few basic questions to get to know her a little bit better and find out why she wasn’t sitting in class. It turns out that her name is Miley and she wasn’t in class because she’s part of the afternoon class. She had come early to prepare her science fair project on the air and the environment. Once I got her on the topic of what she was doing, there was no stopping this kid. She might be the most passionate environmentalist I have come across in Costa Rica thus far. She told me about the importance of recycling, how it’s bad to burn garbage (very common here in Ticoland), how she hates that her community doesn’t recycle and she wants to live in a clean world and not in a garbage dump. She then grabbed my hand and led me to her project where she continued to show me the effects of throwing garbage in the streets and rivers and how it kills the plants and animals. The passion she had was astounding. I wish more people in the community would have half of her interest in their community…it doesn’t even have to be about the environment, an interest in anything would be awesome. She’s only in 2nd grade, but if I decide to start a recycling project, I’m recruiting her to be on my team.

Last week, I also helped out one of the social workers from the Municipality do charlas (talks) for the Red Contra group on the topic of self-esteem. She was doing a charla with the 4th grade class and then a charla with their parents after. It was a good effort. However, she started the kids’ charla by asking them to partner up. It was kind of a mess. There were a bunch of kids without partners. I kind of thought that it was slightly counterproductive to do a charla on self-esteem and then make the kids do something that points out who doesn’t have a friend to partner with. I think that doesn’t help boost self-esteem at all. Anyway, the kids all walked away having learned what self-esteem is and why it is important. I’m not sure one session on it helped anyone with their self-esteem, but I supposed that’s why I’m here. As for the parents’ charla, I think that was much more successful. Only a handful of parents showed, but they wanted to be there, so that’s what counts. It was great because they talked about why self-esteem is good for the kids and how to nurture it and how not to cut it down. The parents got into these deep discussions about the troubles with disciplining their kids and motivation. It really was enlightening to know that there are parents in this town who are willing to hear alternatives to their parenting tactics. I felt for these parents as they spoke about the struggles they had when it comes to parenting the kids.

So, in between these charlas, the kids had recess. They don’t have a gym or field to play in so they tend to run in the one hall by the classroom. I have never really spent time in that hallway during recess because I’m usually in my classroom on the other side of the school. Well, after hanging out in the hallway while these kids played, I definitely think the school needs a place for the kids to burn off energy. Why? Well, you know that scene in Mean Girls after Regina George spreads copies of the burn book all around school? You know how Cady Heron would picture the school as a jungle? Yeah...I felt like Cady. I couldn’t stop seeing the jungle. These kids turned into animals and you definitely had to watch it because if you got in someone’s way, it is very likely you would go down. I definitely almost got taken out a couple of times. And then I had to laugh at myself because I realized that after coming home to California in 2 years, I would again feel like Cady Heron because I will be pop-culturally deficient. If you haven’t seen Mean Girls and have no idea what I’m talking about, I definitely recommend you look into it. It is one of the most hilarious movies of all time. Also, it was made before Lindsey Lohan lost her damn mind.

So, this Saturday was quite interesting. I went into town to research how much things cost. The Peace Corps wants us to do a Volunteer Living Allowance Survey to find out what exactly it costs to live here. They then turn these surveys into Washington DC, and hopefully, if the surveys indicate a need for it, we get a raise. So, I went into one of the stores ready to go with my notebook and paper, when all of a sudden one of the employees pulls me aside and tells me I have to talk to one of his coworkers. So, I walk over to his coworker who at that point is eyeing me suspiciously and asks me what I’m doing. I begin to explain what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. He then tells me that it’s illegal, I can’t do that here or in any other store and I would have to get my information some other way. He then tells me that they have a list of all the prices in the store. “Hm,” I think, “well that would make life a whole lot easier.” I ask if I can see it. He says no. Well thanks a lot buddy! That was not helpful. So I am told that I can continue to shop, but I cannot do my research. Then he looks at me suspiciously again, and walks away. Seriously, this kid was acting like I was a spy from another store or an agent trying to bring down his company or something. Well, I asked around and found my information via other means. Sucker.

That Saturday, my host-mom went out on a date with her boyfriend. Fine with me, that’s her business. However, I was kind of annoyed that she also arranged for a babysitter to come stay with me while she was gone. In reality, that night, the babysitter was nice to have around because then she could be in charge of the 7 year old that I live with and the 15 year old, who was visiting for the night. You may think that she got the babysitter for the kids, but I will have to disagree with you. I’m fairly certain that it included me as well. For some reason, she freaks out whenever I am alone in the house. I’m really not sure why that is. I am an adult capable of being alone for days, let alone for a few hours. I’m not sure what she thinks will happen. Frankly it’s annoying. For example, at this moment I have to work from home because the school is closed. I think all the teachers are attending a rally or protest or something. Anyway, she came into my room and said that she was going to go to her daughter’s house for lunch and wanted to know if I wanted to come. I decided that I wouldn’t because I don’t know how much time it would take and frankly, it seemed like a good opportunity to work in a quiet house. Well, lunchtime rolls around and I ask her when she’s leaving. She then tells me that she’s not going. I ask why and she responds with a solid, “No.” OK…whatever lady. This happens a lot. When she is forced to leave me alone, it is always only for brief periods of time and many times she has someone come to the house to be with me. I’m not sure if she thinks something will happen to me while she’s gone or if I will do something unruly like start a drug den in her absence, but whatever it is, I hope she gets over it soon. I think it’s a bit silly that I have my younger host-sisters watching over me when I’m 26 years old.

On Sunday, the school held a fundraiser to make up for the food that got stolen in May. They held a day of Bingo and sold food and refreshments. The Bingo prizes were pretty simple: rice, beans, sugar. However, it was cool to work with the school staff and their Patronato (a group of parents who do things and make decisions about some things concerning the school). It was pretty successful. Tons of people showed and played Bingo all day long. Basically the school raised about 450,000 colones, which is really significant. They have to take out the money that they used to make food and such, but I think that it helped to make up for what they lost in May.

So, now you’re up to speed. However, I do want to make this final note…I’m not sure why, but I’ve heard the Spanish version of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and frankly, I found the original creepy enough, I don’t think that they needed to translate it. Yet, they did and in Spanish it is much creepier. Also they play it everywhere. Oh, and while I’m talking about music, I don’t think that I will ever need to listen to the Black Eyed Peas’ “The Time (Dirty Bit)” ever again. That might be the most overplayed song here. The trucks and cars that drive by and blast advertisements play it to grab your attention. I feel more like these trucks drive by and try to suck your soul away. It’s like Frankenstein’s monster…they’ve killed it and are now trying to bring it back to life.

That is all. Over and out.


This is a group of girls presenting their community map.


In this picture, a group of boys are drawing and discussing what to put on their map.

What?....I've been eating what?

Yes, as the title suggests, this week I have learned a few new things. One of which, was that I have been eating horse for the past 3 months and have been completely unaware of it this entire time. They have sausage here called salchichon. I’ve always thought that it was some kind of cow or pork product. Wrong! So wrong. This weekend while I was hanging out at a local beach town with my new Tico friends, I was informed that salchichon is in fact horse. On the one hand, I guess horse doesn’t taste so bad since I didn’t even know I was eating it. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that I will never again pick salchichon as part of a meal. I’m not saying that I would never eat it again. If the context of the situation indicated that it would be more polite to take and consume a fine piece of horsemeat, then I would do it. It doesn’t mean that I would want to. I mean I already have a hard time looking at the pigs and cows when I come across them, I don’t need to feel guilty every time a horse walks by on the street. The strange thing is when I did find out that it was horsemeat and that they weren’t pulling my leg, my reaction was definitely surprised, yet somehow not really surprised enough. I feel like I’ve had enough culinary adventures here that I’ve become inured and no longer feel completely disgusted after eating something I would never ever have tried in the States. For those curious minds, I’ve eaten horsemeat (obviously), mondongo (soup made out of tripe (aka cow stomach)), and lengua (cow’s tongue).

Last Friday, I went to San Jose so that I could go to the Peace Corps office so that I could pick up a refill of Benadryl, more sunscreen, and bug spray. I take Benadryl every night to help me fight the reactions to the many mosquito bites I acquire everyday. It’s quite sad actually. Benadryl is what keeps me sane and not scratching all day everyday. I did forget to take it one night (I take it at night because it makes me drowsy) and the next morning it looked like I had chicken pox on my legs. It was horrible. Not only does it look unattractive, as has been pointed out to me on numerous occasions, but the itching is like some form of torture. It just doesn’t stop. The worst is when I can’t figure out which bite is actually the cause for such misery. I think it’s one and scratch a little, and the itching continues, so I move to a different one, nope, still itchy. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s all of them and to stop scratching when I can help it. They heal faster and look a whole lot better if I don’t touch them. I just lather on they hydrocortisone cream. Another sad fact, I’ve gone through a tube of hydrocortisone faster than a tube of toothpaste.

Anyway, after going to the office, I met up with a friend who also came into San Jose and hung out with her for the rest of the day. It was really nice and relaxing. It’s always nice to hang out with my PCV buddies, especially the ones in my group. We all have an understanding of each other and are basically going through the same things, just in different locations. So she and I talked for a while about our concerns, frustrations, and ideas for our sites. It was definitely reassuring to know that others are in the exact same position as I am. Also, it was just fun to hang out and not worry about being a Peace Corps Volunteer, watching what I have to say, what I’m doing. It was nice to get out of the fish bowl that is my community.

On Saturday, a lot of the volunteers in my group went to Limon to meet up for Rosie’s birthday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go because I had to attend the birthday party for my host-niece that day. I must say that it was definitely interesting. I woke up fairly early for a Saturday to the sounds of everyone getting the house ready. The party was to take place at the house I live in because it has a patio for people to sit in. The party started at 12, and surprisingly almost everyone was there by 12:30. This is quite unusual for Ticos. They are people known for running late. They call it Tico Time. So, the party started and ended up being much like the baby shower that I had gone to the previous weekend. People sat around in the patio and ate food and talked for a bit. I thought that it was a bit strange that the kids also just sat there. I feel like at home whenever there’s a party with kids, especially a birthday party, they end up running wild and having fun. Not so much with this party.

Eventually they started the piñata and the kids seemed to enjoy that. Each kid got a turn to try and whack the little thing, but nobody actually broke it. I thought that was kind of weak considering they got to try without a blindfold and give it a go for as many turns as they wanted. I guess everyone in the States is far more competitive. Eventually my host-mom just grabbed the piñata and started throwing handfuls of candy at people’s heads. I’m not exaggerating. She was literally chucking handfuls of candy at people as they scrambled to grab some. After being pelted in the head a couple of times by hard candy (I wasn’t even interested in it. I was just sitting in my chair.) I decided that it’s much softer to toss the candy in the air in the center of the circle as opposed to flinging things at people’s faces that could potentially take an eye out. Add that to the list of cultural differences.

Finally the time came for the celebrant to open her presents. Let me state that this was a party for a 3-year-old. I got her a cheap version of a Magnadoodle because I figured it was a toy that 3 years olds could enjoy and would last a while. She ended up opening my present first. I was nervous because I figured my gift might be the worst because the quality of it wasn’t that great. As they started opening more gifts, I started to relax. Most people got her shampoos and soaps. Others got her some t-shirts. By the end, I realized I was the only one who got her a toy. Also, I realized the kids were starting to fight over it. I was really surprised that I was the only one who got a toy for a child’s birthday. No wonder the kids here don’t have that many things to play with. They don’t even get toys on their birthdays! Good thing to know for the future. Always bring a toy to children’s birthday parties and it will be a hit.

Eventually everyone went home, and then surprisingly around 7:00, people came back. This time people were carrying things that resembled different parts of a stereo system. I wasn’t really sure what was going on and was slightly disappointed because I was looking forward to going to bed early and getting some quality sleep. Well, that didn’t happen. All of a sudden the party started up again, except much livelier than it had been earlier. They started taking turns doing karaoke on a mic that much resembled a Magic Mic. If you’re of Filipino decent or have been known to come over to my house in high school, chances are you know what a Magic Mic is. I always think it’s hilarious at the end of the song, the program judges how well you did. This was kind of a harsh crowd. If you tried a song and you weren’t very good, they would take the mic away and let someone else pick a new song. Definitely did not encourage me try my hand. Also, I was pre-occupied with work or something in my room and became slightly anti-social. I know, I probably should have just gone out there and hung out, but my introverted ways continues in Costa Rica. I can only hang out in large crowds and listen/speak Spanish for so long before I get overwhelmed, feel like my brain wants to explode and want to be alone to recharge and relax.

The next day I went to one of the local beach towns with my Tico friends where I discovered that salchichon is made of horse and we walked around. Supposedly a lot of tourists like to go there, but I find that hard to believe since we went on a Sunday and I’m fairly certain I only saw a couple of white people there. There really wasn’t much to see in terms of tourism, but it was a good town to visit. They introduced me to this dessert called Churchils that are basically made of this red syrup called Kolita, of which I’m actually not a fan, some vanilla ice cream, condensed milk, and some powdered milk all put together in some ground ice. It sounds/looks like the Costa Rican version of a halo-halo if you know what that is. I’m not particularly fond of Kolita or powdered milk, but surprisingly when all those things are combined, it’s really not that bad. The sun was blazing that day though and I forgot to wear my sunscreen. I think I got a little burned because later that day, someone mentioned that I was looking a little bit red. Good thing we left early, because it would have gotten really hot. Also, there wasn’t much else to do after walking around for half an hour.

Other than that, I’ve just been working and trying to figure out how to make it Guanacaste to meet up with my Auntie Dinna in July. It’s starting to sneak up and I would feel a lot better knowing how to get there. It sounds like a simple task, making it from one place to another, oh but it is far from easy. I don’t really understand how people here travel anywhere without driving themselves. Firstly, bus schedules aren’t really the easiest to find, and when you do find one (luckily one of the other new PCV’s found a site that does it for you) it’s still rather confusing. Most places don’t have terminals, which means that you basically hop on and off the bus at the side of the road. These roads by the way have no signs. So what I’ve done in the past is basically harass the bus driver to ask how far it is to where I need to go. The last and only time I’ve done that was on the way to Tech Week and I was with my entire CYF group. Anyway, we’ll see if I find my way. I’m just going to pretend like I’m 5 and off on a treasure hunt.

So…that’s all the excitement I’ve got in my life for now. ¡Pura Vida!

Father's Day

Today’s blog is dedicated to my dad. Yep, because it is Father’s Day and because he’s a huge reason for my being here in Costa Rica. I did a blog for my mom last year on Mother’s Day and I think it’s only fair to give my dad a shout out. I’m only sorry that he’s not here to read this.

When I decided to apply for the Peace Corps, I definitely spent a lot of time weighing the pro’s, the con’s and the reasons why I was drawn to work in what might be the oddest , most be extreme, lowest paying job the government has to offer. It would be a lie if I said that the things my dad had done didn’t cross my mind. How could it not have played a part in my ambitions? I mean you can’t listen to people talk about how much they appreciate the things he did without considering the idea that there might be something to the madness. Yes, it is madness. One of my peers once told me, “We all have to be a little bit crazy to want to do the Peace Corps.” We must be crazy. However, I’m hoping the rewards are worth the trip. I mean, the looks on people’s faces when they talk about him, the gratitude that they have for what he’s done for them, there’s nothing like it.

It is true though, when I think of all that my dad has accomplished in his life and what he’s given to others, the amount of lives he changed for the better, I can only hope to accomplish a fraction of what he’s done in my own lifetime. The amount of people he helped bring to America, the amount of people he housed, the people he mentored and the countless other things he did to help someone out of a tough spot…it’s incredible. He did it all just because he cared. He wasn’t selective either. He would go out of his way to help complete strangers. He never asked for anything in return. He didn’t want credit for it. He just did it.

One of the most inspiring things is that he grew up in a rural community in the Philippines not so dissimilar from the one in which I’m living in right now. He became the first in his family to get an education and pulled everyone up with him. He didn’t just forget everyone else…he wasn’t leaving anyone behind. A lot of the time, I think if I can just help one person better his/her life…who knows what he/she will do for the community after I leave. It’s not really measurable, but I’m certain that’s part of the sustainability of our work that we strive for in the Peace Corps. I keep thinking my work here might end up being just a drop in the bucket, but that one drop will make ripples. That’s what my dad did. Well actually he didn’t just make ripples…he pretty much unleashed a series tsunamis into the ocean. I’m hoping to be a pretty formidable wave.

The truth is that lately, I’ve wished that I could ask him for advice about things that I’m doing and want to do here. You know that question, “If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?” Well, I now have a real answer to it. I would want to talk to my dad. I’d want to talk to and listen to him as an adult and hear what he has to say. It’s been many years since I’ve heard him articulate thoughts and ideas. To be able to speak to him as an adult would be amazing. Alas, it is not possible. However, it turns out that I am my father’s daughter. So maybe I don’t have to look far to find the answers to my questions. Maybe I have them with me already.

I miss you Dad. Happy Father’s Day.

First Month is Over

F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, “Wherever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” Well, you’ve got that right Mr. Fitzgerald. I’ve officially been at my site for a month and the more I time I spend here interacting with the people, the more I realize the truth in that statement. I have had more advantages than these people. I’m not being pompous; it’s just the simple truth. All of you who are reading this from your fancy computers in your cushy houses also have had more advantages than these people. However, it is too easy to forget how good we have it. The truth is that sometimes I struggle to remember that these people have been raised completely differently from us and that they view the world and life completely differently. It could be so easy to just write everyone off as lazy, unmotivated, impatient and uneducated. Well, the truth would really be more complicated than that. Like I said, I’ve only been here for a month so I won’t pretend that I understand all the layers behind what’s going on in this community, but I’m starting to get a glimpse.

There is a cycle of poverty happening here and it’s a very difficult one to break. The fact is that they lack the opportunities here and it takes parents away for months at a time so they can provide for their families. It also robs kids of role models to look up to. Not only is it common for children to grow up being raised by only a mother, they are not exposed to people who live differently. While they live close to the bigger town, there just aren’t many opportunities for professionals. Why would a kid struggling in school want to keep going when all he sees in his future is working in construction or if he’s lucky, in tourism? Why not sell drugs on the street? It looks like a fast and easy way to make money. Oh, you got your girlfriend pregnant? Well, that’s all right, your parents had you at 16 too. What I’m trying to say is that it’s hard to strive for something different when you don’t know that different is possible or that it even exists. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been pointing out a lot of the less shiny sides of the community without really pausing to understand the things going on underneath. Well, I’m thinking I’ll have a lot more to say about it after 2 years.

So, this week has been crazy busy. However, I prefer having things to do rather than having nothing to do. It’s really amazing how motivated you can be when you don’t have a TV to veg out to all day. I mean you can only sit and stare out into the mango fields for so long before you start to feel a little bit crazy. During the weekdays, I’ve been conducting interviews and slowly inputting the data into excel. I know, it sounds riveting. Actually, I have to say that I now have a whole new respect for door-to-door salesmen, Mormons, and Jehovah’s witnesses. I mean seriously, have you ever tried to talk to random people all day? It’s exhausting. Actually, I’m lucky. I’m the crazy gringo girl who doesn’t really look gringo who surprisingly speaks English and yet no other language other than a poor version of Spanish who likes to run even if nobody is chasing her. I’m the weird novelty. Thus, people have an interest and are more willing to talk to me. Yet, I do get rejected every once in a while. Although, when people look uncomfortable and uninterested, I don’t push it. I mean seriously, who likes pushy people who can’t take a hint? Yep, I bet you didn’t respond with an, “I do!” It’s really not the best way to win people over.

On Friday, the 5th and 6th graders and the school had a their graduation from DARE. Oh yes, they have DARE here. That’s right! Drogas, Abuso, Resistencia, Educación. They have implemented the DARE program from the States here in Costa Rica. It’s a great program, but studies in the States have shown that kids who have gone through the DARE program are more likely to do drugs in the future. I don’t really have the heart to tell anyone that here. I just think that it’s great that they are making an effort in educating the kids about staying away from drugs and such, but who knows if it will work. From what it sounds like, a lot of the kids in that class are already exposed to drugs as their parents sell them. I don’t know how true that is, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. Anyway, the ceremony was really nice. They made a big huge deal out of it. The whole school watched and a lot of the parents came. Although, I did think that it was interesting that before it started, they were playing some Michael Jackson in the background. I mean it is kind of funny considering the man died of a drug overdose himself. Yes, his doctor was the one who did it, but still…you know what I mean.

On Saturday, I hung out with my friend Rocío and her family. I met her older brother who lives and works in San Jose. Their family is awesome. All 4 kids are currently attending or have graduated from university. In this community, that is an accomplishment. Their mom really had some foresight when she pushed her kids towards education. Their mom is also one of the cooks at the school, and she is a pretty good one. She’s also one of the nicest women I’ve ever met. They took me for a walk to the next town over. On the way there, they showed me this plot of land that they own that’s really big and has an amazing view. Right now, the uncle is living on it keeping watch over some produce that they are growing because if someone’s not there, then people will try to steal them. I think they want to eventually build a big house on the land. That would be an amazing house. Anyway, it was fun hanging out and learning new Spanish words. It was a great cultural interaction, and it’s also nice to have some local friends to hang out with. I mean, who doesn’t like having friends? They want to take me to Puntarenas this weekend, so I’m really looking forward to that.

Later that day, I tagged along with my host family to a baby shower. It turns out that the parents are 16 years old each. It was definitely an interesting event. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a baby shower that took place at night. Also, there weren’t any of the typical baby shower games. We all came and sat on the porch for a while. We ate a bit and all the ladies gossiped. Well, that part is pretty similar to our baby showers I suppose. However, I wasn’t very into the gossip. Probably because I didn’t know who they were talking about, and when they got very excited it became harder to understand the Spanish. So, I basically sat there thinking to myself. Then I looked over at the celebrant and I realized, that she might have been the only person having less fun that I was. All I could do was wonder about what she was thinking. Was she scared? Was she wishing that she were anywhere else in the world? Was she wondering how she got there? I mean if I were 16 and pregnant, that’s probably all I would think about. All I know is that I’m really glad to never have been in her place. I hope everything works out for her and her baby.

Yesterday, I did more interviews in the morning, but in the afternoon, I went to a meeting to this group called Red Contra. It is basically a group with a representative from all the major institutions in the county (ie: PANI, the Municipality, the Ministry of Health, etc.) who get together and figure out ways to fight violence in the communities and create more peace. It was really cool because after a few minutes, I realized that everyone there was a woman. It is really amazing that a collection of important people in a very machismo culture end up being women. It was also really good to sit in on the meeting, because I found out that they have goals for my community that overlap with my goals so there is a potential for working together and having their support. Also, since I’m living and working in this community and hopefully earning their trust, when they need to do workshops and such, I can support them and hopefully get the community to participate and listen.

So I’ve been contemplating about my time here and I’ve only been here a month, but I feel like I’ve been learning a lot. I know that I have a lot more to learn and a lot further to go, but there is a slight feeling of accomplishment in having survived the first month. It kind of makes me feel like I really can live and work here for the next couple years.

When I was applying for the Peace Corps, their little motto was “Life is calling. How far will you go?” A couple years back, I understood that question on a single dimension. I thought it to mean, “To what extent are you willing to do in order to live life?” Well, I was running the other day, lost in my thoughts, and I realized that it is a perfect catch phrase for Peace Corps recruitment. It has so many meanings. How far will you be sent? How long will you make it? How successful will you be? How much will you experience? Well, thus far my answers are: Apparently, I’m willing to serve in the Peace Corps. I am living about 3,030 miles away from home (give or take a 10 or so miles). I don’t know how long I’ll make it, but I’m hoping 27 months. I’m not really sure how successful I’ll be, I’ll get back to you hopefully in 23 months when I’m getting ready to go home and I’m reflecting back on my experience in the Peace Corps. I’ve experienced plenty as you’ve been reading about, and I’m sure there’s way more of that to come.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my deep thoughts. Catch you later.

My House

Hey everyone! So I finally got my own PO Box for mail. Since I invested in it, I hope that you will start sending me letters, cards, pictures, packages, newspaper clippings, or whatever your heart desires. Please do, and chances are I'll send you a letter back!

Carlia Suba
Apartado Postal 117-20901
Orotina, Alajuela
Costa Rica

Here are some pictures to show you where I live. Maybe it will motivate you to send me some lovin'.

This is my house. When I'm not working or hanging out in my room, I am sitting on that porch in a rocking chair. Yes, it's a slow-paced kind of community.


This is the view of my room from next to my bed. It's not a very big room, but it's mine and it's where I go for privacy.


This is the view of my room from the door. The big green thing would be the mosquito net around my bed. It might be one of my favorite items right now as there are tons of bugs here, especially at night.


This is the sala. The door on the right hand side leads to the bathroom. Notice you can see through to the kitchen. The house isn't that big.


This would be the kitchen/dining room. They are basically the same room.


This is our bathroom. It's very small and it smells weird most of the time. Nobody in town gets hot water, which means cold showers. However with the heat, it's actually not that bad.



This is a lizard that likes to hang out at our house. He's about a foot and half long from head to tail. He looks a lot different from the little gecko that eats insects in our house.

My relationship with my site is like....

So, I’ve been thinking a lot about my site and my service here since I have a lot of time to think, and I realized that my relationship to my community is very similar to an arranged marriage. Why is that? Well, firstly I didn’t choose this community. In fact by the time I met this community, I was already committed. My project team did their best to find a community that would best match up with my personality and abilities and this is what they found. It’s a blind marriage. And now I’m in the middle of a transition period trying to get to know my new spouse and make this thing work. Sometimes, it can be very frustrating and I think, “Shit. What did I get myself into?” I have crazy in-laws with whom I have to put up, I no longer have the same freedoms that I did before, and now everyone has these crazy expectations. I then meet up with my friends and we all bitch about our spouses. On the flip side, sometimes I think, “OK, this isn’t so bad. It could be worse. I can do this!” For example, I have someone doing my laundry (I would rather do it myself, but it saves time and I don’t understand how these crazy machines work. They’re a bit different from home.), someone is cooking fairly healthy and tasty meals for me, I go to work and get stuff done (sometimes I go to work just to get time to myself), I seem to be liked by the people and I feel that there’s a lot of room for some personal growth and on top of that I might actually accomplish a few good things. OK, so I’ve never been married before. I have no idea what marriage is like. I obviously have more positives to figure out. Sadly, I feel like there are probably a lot of marriages like that out there. Lesson….don’t get married until I am 100% certain I can hang with that person. Hahahaha! Who am I joking, I can’t even commit to dating a person unless I’m fairly certain I can put up with him. Anyway, I digress.

Speaking of marriages, I was surprised to learn last week that most people here aren’t actually married. What happens most of the time is that a girl gets pregnant so she moves in with her boyfriend and they start referring to each other as their spouses. I guess I just found it really bizarre that people have families of like 4 kids and they never got around to getting married. I’m not saying that these things don’t work out, but for a country that is so Catholic, you would think that they would want it to be official. Guess not.

This weekend I went into the bigger town with Rocío and she basically pointed out everything that I would need to know. This was a much better tour than the one my host mom did on my site visit. I now know which panderia is the best, where to go if I need school supplies, what is the best heladeria, and so on and so forth. Also, she told me at the park in the center of town, there are two-toed sloths that live there. I have yet to see them, but I’m looking out.

The next day I met up with a couple of Tico 20-ers. I’m a Tico 22, so that means that they belong to the group 2 before me. Actually they came a year ago, so they had a lot of insight and advice to give. It was actually really cool hearing about experiences from people mid-way through their service. We talked about smiling and how smiling can make a difference just because hope and happiness can be just as contagious as despair. The fact that they both live more or less an hour away is really nice. It’s always great to feel connected to my peers.

Yesterday, I got a desk in my room. I realized that I really needed one so that I can go on the computer, read or work when I’m at home. Yes, I have my bed, but with the mosquito net, it is very difficult getting in and out. I basically only get in at night when I know I’m going to go to sleep. Anyway, my host family is letting me borrow my host brother’s desk since he doesn’t use it. This is really nice because I really didn’t want to have to pay for a desk. However, if he ever needs to get a desk while I’m living with them, I will probably have to bite the bullet and invest in a desk. I don’t mind though. It makes a huge difference. That sounds ridiculous, but it really changes things. I now can spend time in my room and have a little bit of privacy, which I am coming to realize is very difficult to come by in that house. Privacy is key to my sanity. Haha. Typical introvert.

Another thing that’s happened in the last week is that I’m starting to feel like part of the school. I now have good relationships with the teachers and feel like I’m part of the staff, even though I’m really not. The English teacher and I are helping each other out with our language barriers, and everyone else is pretty cool. They all seem to want me to go visit their houses and meet their families. This is awesome because it helps make me feel like I belong here. I’m going to try to watch the local soccer team this Sunday. One of the teachers here coaches soccer on the weekends. That is amazing for the community because it is basically the only recreational opportunity that the youth have here. The kids here need more opportunities and options where they can invest their energy so that they can build self-esteem and stay out of trouble. I’m thinking that I’ll probably have to do some projects to give kids a safe positive space to be kids.

So, that’s all I’ve got for now. See ya next time.

Sneaky Art

I decided to post some random pictures for you to enjoy since I haven't been taking/posting very many lately...

This is Sneaky. Well, I call him Sneaky because I'm not actually sure what his real name is. He's the family's dog, but neither my host-mom nor my host-brother like him. I once asked my host-brother what his name was and he replied, "No se." ("I don't know.") He comes to me for affection when nobody else is around so he doesn't get yelled at...thus, I call him "Sneaky." He's my buddy here. He has a blind friend that I call Stevie because he's blind. He's more solitary, so I haven't gotten a picture yet. Maybe in the future...


This is the Museum I went to with Maitreya and Allen last week. It's the prettiest building I've seen since being here.


This was my favorite Coca-Cola bottle piece of art. It just reminds me of chill, calm and happy people and music.


This is Maitreya taking a picture of my next favorite Coca-Cola bottle. It was very New Orleans/Jazz art. It reminded me of a painting that could be in my brother's house.


This is Allen taking a picture of his favorite Coca-Cola bottle. He loves photography and art. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of it, though it was cool.

This is a piece of art outside the museum surrounded by 3 Coca-Cola bottles.

Missing a Few of My Favorite Things...

Hello everyone! This has been a very busy week, which is great, but also very exhausting. I went to San Jose this weekend, and it was really great. I took the 7:15 am bus there because I figured that if I’m going to go, I might as well go early and get as much out of it as I can. Plus, I told my friend Maitreya that we would meet at around 10:30 and that was the best bus to correspond with that time. It ended up being a good choice because it was a direct bus, meaning that it didn’t make stops along the way and it used the new freeway to get to San Jose. When I don’t take the direct bus, they go down this crazy windy road and make tons of stops, extending the travel time to 2 hours. Anyway, so I got to San Jose and ran some errands while I waited for Maitreya to get in. I bought some shampoo and hair conditioner from one of the pharmacies. I also found some bookstores, which I found very exciting because there aren’t that many of them here. I bought “La Casa de Los Espiritus” by Isabel Allende. I figure, since I’m going through books like they will all be burned tomorrow, I might as well take my time and read one in Spanish. It is definitely much harder to get through, but it’s a good way to learn more Spanish. However, since it is challenging, I haven’t stopped reading books in English. I think I just started my 8th book since being at site.

Anyway, I met Maitreya at one of the malls and we decided to eat Taco Bell for lunch. Hahaha. That might have been a bad idea, as it didn’t really agree with my stomach later that day. Our friend Allen also met us at the mall and ate lunch in the food court. We all talked about our sites and the challenges that we face. Earlier that day, Allen helped slaughter a pig in his site. I think that it was kind of traumatizing for him. Anyway, it was really nice to talk to my friends and compare stories. It’s nice to know that even though we are alone in our communities, isolated from people who understand us and our experiences, in reality we are alone together. We understand each other.

After we finished lunch, we made our way to an art museum as all three of us are into art and haven’t been exposed to too much since we’ve been here. We trekked our way to the other side of San Jose and finally found the building. The building itself was very impressive. I would say it’s been the nicest piece of architecture that I’ve seen since being here. It was really nice because they weren’t charging people to go inside. Most of the pieces there were different Coca-Cola bottles that stood at probably 7 ft. They were all designed differently, which was cool, but I didn’t find them too interesting. I did like one that looked very hippy-ish with bright colors and such. It had the faces of Bob Marley, John Lennon, Janice Joplin, Mick Jagger and others. I’d say that was my favorite Coca-Cola bottle.

When we were done, Allen and Maitreya walked me to my bus station since I had to catch my bus back to town. I’m pretty sure that they stayed the night and met up with other PCV’s who were coming into town. If I had known that everyone was coming and staying the night, I probably would have stayed too, but at the same time I’ll have plenty of opportunities to get out of my site for a few days, so I’m not too bummed.

This week, Costa Rica has been doing a census, which means that all public schools take the week off so that teachers can go house to house and interview everyone. I decided to shadow one of the teachers as I figured that it was a good way to meet a lot of the people in the community. I wasn’t allowed to conduct my own interviews at the same time due to confidentiality regulations and such, but I have learned a lot just from observing and listening to the people answer questions for the census. For example, I’ve learned that a lot of people in my community don’t work. The men, who do work, usually work in construction and work/live somewhere else. I learned that most people stop going to school after 6th grade. A lot of people don’t know how to read. I also learned that most of the mothers are super young. Most of them have children in their teens. Also, on top of everything, a great deal of people do not know when or where they were born and do not know when their children and spouses were born. I’m not sure why this is, but I found it incredibly interesting and shocking.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting with my PANI office and I was officially introduced to everyone there. We all talked about what I was doing here and what kind of projects I hope to do with my time here. I found out what they were hoping for my community and not surprisingly, we have the same goals. I know a lot of volunteers don’t end up working with their PANI offices too much, but I think that I probably will stay in contact with mine because they seem to have a lot of project ideas and are very supportive of what I’m trying to do. However, they also think that I’m going to have a lot of work ahead of me in terms of trying to help the community and that it’s not going to be easy. Well PANI, tell me something I don’t know. I did get a free polo from them, so I’m official!

After that, I went back to my community and met up with Rocío, the girl that I met a couple weeks ago. She is the daughter of one of the school cooks, and she has agreed to accompany me on my interviews when she has free time, which isn’t very often. The thing is, everyone thinks that it’s too dangerous to do my interviews alone so I have to find people to help me out. This can be frustrating because my time is dependent on other people’s free time and willingness to help me out. Anyway, we conducted 7 interviews that day and it’s crazy because so far, it seems that people believe that 13 or 15 is the average age girls start having children here. I will have to go to local institutions and find out what the actual statistics are, but true or not, I think that it says a lot if a community believes it. Oh, thus far, it seems that building a playground might be up my alley in the future, as it seems to be one of the things people want most here. We’ll see what happens.

Last night it rained really hard. I think that a leak is forming in our roof because I found a tiny puddle on the floor in my room this morning. I’ll have to talk to my host mom about it later. Hopefully we can get that under control before the rain really starts pouring down.

Oh, I think that I’ve mentioned before that I started running again. It’s been a great way to clear my mind and use pent up energy. Also, I’ve realized that it’s become a metaphor for my time here. When I’m running sometimes I compare it to my time here and push myself to go longer and harder. Sometimes it’s the other way around. When I’m frustrated or hit a roadblock in my site, I compare it to running a marathon and think all I have to do is keep on going. In either case, sometimes I have good days and sometimes I have bad days. So, I decided maybe one day I’ll run a marathon as those 26.2 miles can be representative of my 27 months here. Maybe I’ll do that when I get back to the States where the sun isn’t quite so harsh and I can train properly. It’s incredibly hot here and there are days when you can only run for so long before you feel like fainting. Again, we’ll see what happens.

I feel like every PCV who writes a blog ends up sharing a list of things from home that they miss. The time has come that I share the things that I miss…

Family and Friends of course
My furry friends
All the amazing food of the Bay Area
Houses where the walls actually go up to the ceiling
A bug free environment
American Television
Movies
My car
Walking around downtown San Jose
Baseball/The Giants
Sleeping in
Reliable internet
Air Conditioning
English!
Road Trips
Friday Night Dinners
Privacy/Quiet time
The Rose Garden
Clean spacious bathrooms
Bookstores
Starbucks (surprisingly, I have not seen a single one here)
Paved roads
The silhouette of the Santa Cruz mountains when the sun sets

Ok, that’s all for now. Tune in next time!