Celebrating the 4th Abroad (6/6/2010)

The thought of DC in the summer has been on my mind lately. Seafood. Lazy summer nights. Cookouts. Ribs. Potato Salad. Watermelon. Intolerable hot days pacified by air conditioned buildings. Movies. Drinks. Seafood.

The thought makes me jealous of those enjoying a summer in DC (or NC).

As the 4th of July approached, these thoughts became stronger and the desire to be amongst my fellow volunteers grew. Quenching that desire, I traveled to San Jose for a 4th of July Celebration sponsored by the US Embassy. For 2.5 mil colones (or $5), the hosts provided unlimited hot dogs, ice cream, bagels, popcorn…and most importantly, beer!

Happy 4th!

Past Month

Recently, I described my activities to a friend back home via chat. Reflecting on the text written, I realized that my daily activities seemed boring, hence the lack of blog entries. But later, it occurred to me that those daily activities led to new discoveries: meeting interesting people, making and tasting new foods, learning new trades.

First, what is a usual day for me? At this point, I’d describe it as purely social. It involves playing with school children and answering endless questions. Visiting one household in the morning: introducing myself and Peace Corps, informally interviewing them while they interrogate me on my personal life, family and US culture; drinking coffee and receiving warm welcomes to return. Lunch and nap. Visiting another family in the evenings. Dinner, games, television with host family.

Rereading this, I’m convinced that I’m a lazy bum. :) But I’m playing the role of a learner while integrating myself in the community.

• Making tamales and watching the World Cup
• Reinado, Cabalgatas, y bueys (Town Queen, Cowboys and Bulls)
• Tour of a garden that would put the National Arboretum to shame
• Observe an elderly man make natural baskets while his wife shared the story of their life
• Wine made of water apples : Yumm!!!!!
• Learning to play the guitar : This is by far my favorite new skill. An old many in my community is teaching me to play the guitar and I have blisters on my fingers to prove it.
• Attending two different religious concerts: Catholic and Evangelical
• Beaches!!
• Hiking
• Meeting Colombianas, Hondurans, Cubans and Americans
• Read books

I have a good friend here named Jocelyn. Every day, she likes to ask me “What did you do today?” I respond “I worked hard today. I visited with ______ and spent 3 hours with them. Then I ate lunch and visited with _______. I am exhausted from today’s work.”

Her response “Vaga.” (lazy)

23!!! (5-25-10)

Dear Q,

Feliz Cumpleanos. This year, I gift you:

1. Hot Flashes at 1am (Yep, you’re only 23)
2. Explosive Diarrhea
3. Vomiting after lunch
4. A middle school dance

I hope this year (and many more to come) is as eventful as today!

After being in my permanent site for 3 complete days, it finally sunk in that I’m a Peace Corps Volunteer and will be living in a foreign country, in a remote town, speaking Spanish only for the next 2 years. While those are the very reasons that brought me here, an approaching birthday while being miles away made the idea more concrete, possibly even scary.

Calling it “hot flashes” is probably extreme. But I definitely woke hourly starting at 1am to my body sweating. Kicking the covers off, I got colder but as soon as I returned to my sleep, the heat returned. Ironically, it rained the entire night and there was a strong breeze: possibly the coldest night I’ve experienced here.

Explosive diarrhea needs no explanation. It comes with the territory.

Now, the vomiting is a different story. My new host mom (Adis) loves to cook. She is “Ama de la Casa” and takes that role to heart: always in the kitchen cooking. She’s also a good cook, so no complaints. The problem? She prepares my plates with 2 servings of rice & beans, a serving of meat (larger than the palm), and the 3rd piece of the meal. Repeat this times 3 and you can just imagine how my system is reacting. At this point, “full”no longer describes me after a meal. Perhaps, “stuffed, “bloated", “fat.” When the next meal arrives, my stomach actually frowns.

You’re probably saying “Stop being lazy and fix your own damn plate of food”or “Tell her you want less”or “Stop Eating.” Well, all of the above challenge Tico culture. Here, the woman of the house prepares the plates for both males and guests. For the men, I’ll simply mention the word “machismo”and leave it there. For guests, its meaning is similar to “Welcome to my home, where we have plenty to eat.” To offer a guest only a little bit suggests that the family is poor and no Tica wants to give off that image. Interesting enough, it is customary for the guest to refuse big portions because they do not want their host to think they do not have enough food in their home.

With that said, it is not acceptable to come into a new house and fix your own plates. Also, telling a Tica that you want only a little invites the “teaspoon” game. For example, today, I told my host mom that I only wanted to eat a little rice. She takes a teaspoon and halfway fills it with the rice on my plate, thus removing it. “Menos, por favor.”She repeats the same steps. “Menos, por favor.”Again. Finally, I ask for the spoon and remove 2/3 of the rice on my plate.

In doing this, I was still being polite. The truth is that my stomach was beyond full. Throughout the meal, I thought Ï need a Pepsi or Sprite!! Halfway through, I got up, went to the bathroom and vomited all that I had eaten. Too much info, I know. But finally, I asked her if I could fix my own meals. This question seemed simple enough, but I’m positive that I had to go through this dance before she gave me her permission to prepare my own plates.

Also, skipping meals is just as troublesome. “No tiene hambre? (You’re not hungry)” Porque no? In this scenario, you simply do not like the woman’s cooking. Refusing a meal here is basis for being committed to an insane asylum. Okay, that’s an exaggeration (just barely.)

Back to my bday. Later that evening, my host sister, Johanna, told me that the youth of the community were getting together to celebrate my bday. Excited (mostly because I’m still meeting people), I walked into a room of 30 kids under the age of 15. Not exactly what I expected, since youth was defined by my program manager at 15-25ish (or until they are married. Oh well…

Immediately, the music started. Salsa. Karuumba (sp). Bachacha (sp) etc… The girls immediately grabbed each other and started dancing whereas the guys sat on the wall and stared. Middle School, anyone? When a young lady tried to convince a guy to dance, the other boys would make a hissing sound; which in turn made him even more hesitant. My life for the next 2 years!

Eventually, American music came on and they wanted me to teach them how to dance. Hmm…Impossible, perhaps? I tried to explain that there is not a set dance (unless a particular song such as Cupid Shuffle is playing). Furthermore, it would be morally inappropriate for me to teach (or display) dancing (as done in a club) to little kids. Luckily, they had more Latin music than US.

Happy Bday Q! You are already beginning to love MonteCarlo.

Random Photos

 

This photo sums up my Tico 20 RCD group.

Loving Life!

Saying Goodbye (again) and Hello (again)

One more week until I’m an official Peace Corps Volunteer! The swearing-in ceremony is this upcoming Friday at 9am. The very next day (Saturday morning), I leave for my site permanently.

Am I ready? YES!!!!!!

Training has been exhaustive and busy. Best to describe it as formal education with field visits. Not surprisingly (especially if you’ve been reading the past blogs), my favorite part of training has been the time spent with my host family. It is such a comfortable, loving and peaceful environment. They included me in family activities; taught me about Costa Rican culture; and had patience while I treated Spanish as a scratched cd. But most importantly, they embraced me as another member of their family.

Today, we (PCTs) held a party in their honor. While it was a “goodbye” to our families and communities, it demonstrated the relationships built. Giving hugs and kisses to the other parents, I made promises to visit the other families when I return to visit my own host family.

Enough of blogging. Time to focus my attention on the Saprissa soccer game!!

“Sandwiched by Gringos” (5/12/2010)

As announced through Facebook, I finally received my site assignment! For the next 2 years, I will be living in MonteCarlo de Cajon in Perez Zeledon. There is much to say about the beauty of Perez Zeledon; but until you have seen San Jose, the beauty of Perez Zeledon cannot be understood. Think Cinderella and her ugly step sisters: San Jose is loved by the stepmother but Perez Zeledon is prettier and kinder.

As I write this, stories of the past week continue to pop up. So please excuse me beforehand for the randomness of this blog.

“Mommy has always wanted a brown daughter.” First, this past Thursday, PC took the trainees and their counterparts (members of the communities that will host and work with us). As in PC tradition, things are never as simple as: This is your Counterpart. Instead, we had to find our counterparts by asking questions. After finding Maureen (counterpart / sister) and spending the day conversing, she made a phone call to her mother. “Mami, the volunteer is exactly what you wanted.” She hangs up the phone and explains that her mother has always wanted a morenita (brown girl). When Maureen and her sisters were born, the mother was disappointed that they were blancas. Therefore, the mother is very happy to have me living with her. I died laughing and made a mental note to share this, particularly with Collette. I wasn’t insulted or even shocked.

As far as I’m concerned, I’ve had the most positive, welcoming experience with my complexion. I’ll put it like this: If I didn’t already know that black / brown was beautiful, Ticos have boldly remarked on the beauty of my skin. Example: Standing at the bus stop at noon, a random person states that my brown is the most beautiful color that she has ever seen, especially with the sun reflecting off of it. But I share this because it reflects the bluntness of Ticos.

“Sandwiched by Gringos.” Heading to my site for a week signified a new phase in my Peace Corps service. First and foremost, it marks the transition from Trainee to Volunteer. After swearing in on May 21, I will be living amongst Ticos and speaking Spanish 98% of the time. Seeing Americans & / or my fellow volunteers will require that we make arrangements to meet up in the nearest city or wait until official Peace Corps training. Or at least I thought this before arriving in my new site.

Seventy percent of my new site is owned by foreigners. A Swiss families owns a large farm and employs majority of the town. Actually, this family established the town by bringing the original families to the area in order to work the farm. The farm’s main product in coffee, but it also has sugar cane. Who owns the other 30%? Not quite sure. There are 300 permanent residents and I suspect that majority of them own their land. But interesting enough, my 3 closest neighbors are….Gringos!! While two of them own property and come to Costa Rica for vacations, the third neighbor is a Returned Peace Corp Volunteer (he served in Peru, Jamaica and a 3rd country) and lives here year long.

Best View in Costa Rica. When revealing our site assignments, my program director gave me a couple descriptions: 1) I have the best view in Costa Rica and 2)My family spends all of its time on the back porch. He definitely understated the beauty of my new site! I didn’t take photos of the new site, but trust me, it is absolutely gorgeous! My entire site is on a slight incline with only three road. My house lies off of the main road with the front porch facing the road. But the back porch overlooks La Valle de el General. The family eats EVERY meal on the back porch. There is also a hammock and I have claimed it as my thrown, so useful for watching sunsets and sunrises.

Get on the scale! My final night of site visit summed up my new life with my host family. While eating dinner, my host brother brings the Mom a shirt to be ironed. The Mom looks at him and then brings out the scale. While weighing him, my host sister reveals another of the Mom’s secrets: to fatten me up. YIKES!!!

El trabajo. While the visit was overall pleasant, it also demonstrated that I actually have a job to do. My job title is even more defined by the community’s expressed needs: build a new clinic; new ebais; school cafeteria; computer knowledge; youth group; women’s group; English. The only thing that concerns me is building things. Sidenote: I won’t physically be building anything! If I am involved in infrastructure, it will entail that I help the community petition different government agencies for funds and approval to build. While I explain my role in building to you, its more so something that I will have to explain to my community: the role of the volunteer.

But that’s jumping ahead (building things.) My first 3 months will be spent completing a diagnostic of the community: attending meetings, identifying and helping the community to prioritize the needs; and identifying the resources (human capability as well as financial and goods), interviewing people, etc…

I think that this random collection of stories/thoughts describes my site visit. If not, no worries. Two years to fill in the blanks!

Significance of Pura Vida (4/25/2010)

“The eyes are in love and the heart continues to grow.” –My inner conscious spoke these words as I rode a 7 hour long bus to my training site.

In the US, “southern hospitality” is definitive of Americans welcoming others into their homes. It is being offered sweet tea and warm conversation. After a relaxing visit, it’s leaving with a comforting hug that is filled with sincere invitations to return. Southerners proudly claim this hospitality. And while Northerners love their “fast paced, eventful, culturally enriched lives,” the thought of visiting family and / or friends in the south and being showered with that hospitality brings smiles and a moment of relaxation to one’s face.

Just the thought brings Chapel Hill to mind.

Well, imagine that hospitality to the nth degree. That would be enough to describe my visit to San Vito (southern part of Costa Rica near the Panamanian border.)

This past week marked the 6th week of training, also known as Tech Week. Myself and 9 other trainees went to visit an outgoing volunteer in a little town in San Vito called La Pintada Piedra with 700 inhabitants. If I could determine my ideal site, La Pintada would be it!

For details of events and a little political reflection, see “Role of Government and the Citizen.” (coming soon)

In addition to the various organized activities we witnessed, what made this trip remarkable was my host family. This family was composed of a mom, dad and three children (14, 11 and 7). Time with the family was simple: meals, watched telenovelas and futbol, played dominoes and answered a million questions. This family was of limited means as well. There house was a one floor dwelling perhaps the size of my living room, dining room and kitchen combined. (Imagine the biggest room in your house and that would accurately describe this family’s home.) But the emphasis on family and the pure pleasure they received from being amongst family was absolutely incredible.

This emphasis on family extended to friends and guests as well. The family welcomed me into their home as if I were the eldest daughter that went to the big city for college and was returning home for Spring Break. After 6 days with the family, I departed feeling like the daughter returning to college with goodbyes and advice from loving parents.

This family (and most of the Costa Ricans I have met) are content with life. They have been blessed with family and each knows that they are truly loved. In loving themselves, they are able to share their love with a community.

I think that I finally understand the phrase “Pura Vida.” (A popular phrase in Costa Rica that is typically the response to everything.)

Here, life is pure. Costa Ricans place emphasis on the simple things of life: family. They live in present while reminiscing about the past.

Thinking of the past allows them to reflect on the progress they have made while allowing them to enjoy their ancestry. For example, their ancestors were coffee producers and it was the source of income for all families. Today, coffee may no longer be the main source of income, but the significance of coffee is still as strong. Sharing cafecito (a cup of coffee) with family and neighbors is a daily activity. While sharing the cafecito, memories are exchanged and conversations are soulful. The present self is happy and life is fulfilling.

The future (as we define as progress and improving the world) is of no importance in one’s heart. Instead of chasing dreams and keeping up with the new technology, they focus on the happiness of their family and appreciate the technology currently available.