My sheets are soapy

Today I learned a major lesson in domesticity. The regular washing machine wasn’t working (I’m not really convinced that it ever works based on the stains on my closed but this time it wouldn’t even turn on), so she introduced me to her old-school washing machine and how to wash like a “real woman.” Basically you dump your laundry and soap in a container, and then some water drips in and it swishes around for 5-10 minutes, and then you have to take each individual soaked item to the sink and wash all the soap out and wring out the water, which with sheets and towels was a serious arm workout and took me about an hour. Anyways moral of the story is I’m pretty sure my sheets still have soap in them, but at least they smell good for once and I can now say I do my laundry like a real woman.
It’s been a pretty busy couple of weeks. Last weekend I went to Uvita, a beach about two hours away, with three Peace Corps Volunteer friends who live nearby. We stayed in this $10/night hostel with colorful hammocks and a communal kitchen and an owner that talked really, really slow. There were lots of surfer/dreadlock types and some German backpackers and a Saturday night jam session accompanied by pork and beans. The beaches were beautiful and pretty deserted since it is off season, but we got lucky and had two sunny days. We hiked and biked and walked out to the “whale’s tail,” where two beaches meet and form a jetty in the shape of a whale’s tail, which was pretty awesome. Kind of exactly how I pictured traveling in Costa Rica.
But I am working hard too, really. I am in week two of my new English class, which is through a program called Centro Cultural that Peace Corps hooks us up with cheap textbooks. It’s nice to actually have a lesson plan to follow and something for students to refer to, and I think they are enjoying it. Classes are two nights a week for two hours, so it can be exhausting but I have a really good group and the great thing about English class is they really want to be there because they think it is really important, rather than some of my other projects where I feel like I am begging people to show up at the meetings.
I also just started a project called Chicas Súper Poderosas, which is 10 workshops that some Peace Corps Volunteers designed for 5th and 6th grade girls that focuses on self-esteem and leadership issues. I get along really well with the girls in the school of that age and feel like they could use a strong female role model, so I decided to give it a try and 16 girls showed up and the first two sessions have been really fun. They are still at an age where they are not too cool to do silly activities, but they sure do giggle a lot.
I’m also trying to start a greenhouse project at the school to teach the kids to plant and eat more vegetables (you think I need to learn how to plant before I teach other people how to do it? Hmmm we’ll get there…). Someone from the Ministry of Agriculture came last week to give a talk on organic gardens, and the students and teachers seemed pretty interested. The problem is that school is not willing to put any of its budget into building the greenhouse, so I am on a mission to find free stuff in San Isidro. I have written letters (they really like formality here) and personally delivered them to the managers of a few hardware and agriculture stores, and so far we have actually had a good response. I have one guy donating the transparent plastic, another the screws and metal bars, and another organic fertilizer and seedlings. Now I’m just searching for four sacks of cement if anyone has any ideas…
Not much on tap for the weekend except a development association project approval meeting and maybe playing some soccer on Sunday. Am occupying much of my free time with thinking about and planning for the many visitors I will be receiving at the end of the year, which is definitely something to look forward to!