found this guy in my room last night
my host dad showed me a nest of baby national birds in the backyard
the view of the road in a rural town outside of the school near the Nicaraguan border
one of the schools we did a project in near the Nicaraguan border. This school holds all grades!
This is me after a HOT day in the sun.
This is the church that belongs to the precaurio near Los Chiles
A baby parakeet in the precaurios
A house in the precaurios
The sunset in the precaurios
HOT day at the highschool´s farm. That´s a worm I´m holding!
This is the high school farm in Los Chiles. HOT.
This is a man with a machete. Very common.
Bananas on the farm in Los Chiles
Fresh cheese made on the farm. YUM.
The men making the fresh cheese on the farm from the milk from the cows on the farm. Very cool.
Our group at the farm in Los Chiles after our boat ride
This is cacao, what chocolate is made of.
Some of the many cows on the farm
Pigs on the farm that will soon be sold to eat.
Donna on the boatride to the farm
Robyn, Donna, Kari, and Tressa made it to the border!
Donna & Tressa on the way to the border. Almost there!
The beginning of our adventure to the border!
Donna, Monique, Tiffany, and Patty at VAC Dinner
Hi everyone! ¡Pura Vida! It’s been a busy few weeks here in Costa Rica!
Here’s what’s been going on since I last wrote:
* We had a all volunteer dinner/party a few weeks ago in which we met almost all 100
volunteers currently in Costa Rica. That was a lot of fun, dancing, and letting loose!
* We went to Los Chiles near the Nicaraguan border for our tech week for 6 days last
week to visit a current volunteer and do some small projects to get a sense of what
volunteer life will be like. It was awesome!!!! I met a wonderful volunteer, visited the
schools, local agencies, and the precaurios (similar to shantytowns or projects), and
worked with kiddos. We also rode up to the border (of course we did not crossover to
Nicaragua), took a boat ride on the Río Frío and saw crocs, congos, monkeys, lots of
birds, and big iguanas. The heat was relentless and I took cold showers with ease!
* Training is more than halfway over. I think the trainings are great. I’ve learned a lot about how things are in Costa Rica and how Peace Corps plans to approach certain issues. Of course, by the end of the day, my brain is about to explode due to all the information, but it’s all good. We’re almost finished!
* We’re learning a lot about Non-formal education and have practiced doing a few workshops in the schools on our own using non-formal education.
* I still don’t know my way around San Jose, the capital. It’s all a maze to me.
* I feel like I have the bus system down. :) We take the public bus or walk everywhere.
* I’ve killed several spiders ON MY OWN, thank you very much. I did have to ask my host brothers to come and kill a huge one in my room the other day. AND I still slept there after they killed it! Improvement people, improvement!
* The machismo here gets OLD, but it’s something I have to learn to adjust to and work around because it runs deep here. In Spanish class, we learned a few phrases we can snap back at the men who say something to us on the streets. ;) I´ve already put a phrase or two into practice.
* I’m thinking and speaking and dreaming in Spanish!!!
* Soap, shampoo, and other toiletries are expensive... (thanks for the future care packages friends)
* Karaoke is big here.... really big. And people take it pretty seriously, too.
* My host mom and I have become really good friends.
* Random: I was watching a talk show (kind of like good morning america) with my host mom. Their background music while they were doing a story on a woman donating to a charity was the theme music to Freddy Krueger!
* Winter is starting here in Costa Rica which means HOT with lots of RAIN every afternoon.
A few highlights and insights for me the last few weeks has been:
- building friendships with some my fellow trainees; all of the laughs we have together; singing to old school music together to reminisce; OH and our whole CYF group (children youth and families) watching two of our crazy fellow trainees get in the bull ring and attempt to get chased by the pissed off bulls!
- During the tough moments in training or when there’s a negative cloud around us, I try to keep in mind that love is greater than the lower vibes that come around and that we’re all in different parts of our own journey- and that’s ok.
-Overall, I think the next few weeks are going to fly by, and soon I will be in my site! I am ready to serve and to be of use! I am constantly humbled by the Costa Rican’s eagerness and acceptance to have Peace Corps in their communities.
Check out some new pics. I love you all and thanks for the comments on my blog, the Facebook messages, the emails, and the phone calls!
Love ya!
