So on Friday morning, the whole group met in San Jose, allowed to wear flip flops and shorts for the first time since training began, and we were bused out to this country club/rec center about a half hour outside the capital with a pool, tennis courts, soccer fields, ping pong (guess where I spent my afternoon), etc. We all scarfed down our eggs and gallo pinto to get to the main event as soon as possible. Then we were ushered into a big circle with a map of Costa Rica in the middle, and the Training Directors gave a quick overview of how site selection was carried out but I think they could feel the anxiety pulsing in the circle so they kept it quick. The first three trainees to get their sites (one from each program) were blindfolded and had to pin their names on their location, at which point we all rolled our eyes and resigned to spending the rest of the day around the map, but after that they just started announcing our names and sites. I was toward the beginning because it turns out I am replacing Porter, the current Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator, so we all know him and know a little about his site and were excited to find out who was replacing him. I am going to a town called Quebradas, population 1188, right outside the city of San Isidro in the south of Costa Rica. My counterpart is called FUDEBIOL, a biological preservation organization run by the community that protects the water source for the surrounding area and promotes sustainable development and eco-tourism. It sounds right up my alley and Porter said as soon as he met me he thought it would be a great site for me based on my interests and personality, so I am trusting his judgement. The other information I have about the site so far is that there are two women's groups and an artisan group, a community development organization, an elementary school, an Internet cafe, a mini supermarket, a soccer field, and a bar. One of the women's groups runs an exchange program for volunteers who I will be working with at FUDEBIOL, and here is the link that seems to offer the most information I've found so far about the town and the organization:
http://aci-cr.org/content/view/30/9/lang,/
This Thursday, we will go back to the retreat center where we started our journey and meet our counterparts and then travel back with them to our sites for a 5 day visit, so I will have much more information after that. I am going to be pretty close to a cluster of other Peace Corps volunteers around San Isidro, which should be really fun, though Team Tarbaca is strewn throughout the country. Brigitte is heading up toward the Nicaraguan border, Mark is on an island between Guanacaste and Puntarenas, and Jake is way down south on the Osa Peninsula. It will be sad to part BUT it means I will have lots of great places to visit!
We spent the weekend celebrating our placements with the whole group at Jaco Beach. Literally all 50 of us showed up for two days and one night, which was pretty impressive. And 42 of those 50 crashed at a 12 person house on the beach. I'm not really sure how it worked, but I somehow managed to snag a bed so no complaints. It was great weather, the water was perfect temperature, and I enjoyed some of Jaco's finest fish tacos and gelato, so no complaints (it has been noted by various blog followers that I manage to describe at least one meal in every post so I must keep the tradition going). We also experienced a little touristy Costa Rican nightlife at a classy establishment called Monkey Bar, where every night is Ladies Night. Enough said. Anyways it was a great time though not exactly relaxing, and now I have to rest up before my next big trip and prepare for a whole new round of introductions, first impressions, and awkward misunderstandings...
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