tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27195622707795105702024-03-13T08:47:03.701-06:00The Living ScrapbookKatie D's Peace Corps adventures in Costa RicaKatie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-73328960880210373772011-05-23T08:49:00.001-06:002011-05-23T08:54:48.419-06:00Afterward<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSDz39_gLu6zCX9NSqt7HausRmGKhCMO9KqRx-8biNdskSX3wXYHR8ekk8-v5Zp63QX6-sVLb1xCSJqfxXScBidxnMQNAIV0ZgYK1HEYhSpkeAeNdEfTKw9IlJk00DX2JHliDnK0aLMc/s1600/DSC00596.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSDz39_gLu6zCX9NSqt7HausRmGKhCMO9KqRx-8biNdskSX3wXYHR8ekk8-v5Zp63QX6-sVLb1xCSJqfxXScBidxnMQNAIV0ZgYK1HEYhSpkeAeNdEfTKw9IlJk00DX2JHliDnK0aLMc/s200/DSC00596.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609925098463412834" /></a><br /><br />After a wonderful trip to Colombia with my mom, I am finally home. It is weird/nice to know that this time, it’s not just for a visit. I don’t have to stuff my face with as much good food and take as many hot showers as possible in the next few days, because this is my life again for real.<br /><br />I am feeling surprisingly happy and calm about the transition and being here. Maybe it’s because I’m still in the “honeymoon phase,” as they called it at our COS conference, when everyone is really excited to see me and it is such a novelty that I’m home, but I’ll take it. Some of the best things about being home so far include: variety of food options, not having to change my clothes three times a day because I’m sweating so much, hot showers, comfortable beds, getting to run/bike to the ocean on flat terrain, iPhones, and of course just hanging out at home with my family.<br /><br />Some of the things I already miss about Costa Rica are: greeting all my neighbors when I walk down the street, speaking Spanish, not looking in the mirror before walking out the door and not caring, playdates with my PCV friends, hiking in the rainforest, the sound of the river outside my apartment and the Thursday farmer’s market. <br /><br />The weirdest difference I’ve noticed between Costa Rica and the USA since I’ve been home: the quarters here seem really small compared to <span style="font-style:italic;">colones</span>!<br /><br />Anyways I am still processing my experience and what it meant to me, and it feels impossible to put down on paper or turn into an elevator speech when people ask, “How was the Peace Corps?”, although that is what I am having to do. One thing I wanted to mention is that I remember at my going away party (which I just watched on dvd with dad and Lynne last night for a recap), I felt so lucky to be so loved by so many people in Quebradas, and how hard that was going to be to leave. But I am also incredibly lucky to get to come home to so many people that love me and missed me and truly wanted to be part of and understand my experience in Costa Rica. I had TWENTY-FIVE visitors in two years, which seems like it must be some kind of record, and I think they all deserve a shout-out, in order of appearance: Dan(x4), dad(x3), Lynne(x2), Liza(x2, one being an extended stay), mom(x2), Caitlin, Ali, Joanie and Kimi, Aunt Didi, Uncle David and Alec, Nate, Claire and Eric, Katie Mckinstry, Andrew and Maddie, Aunt Carrie, Lisie, Jackie and Jared, Aunt Boo and Uncle Danny, and Ashley. You guys rock and it means so much to me that you all made the trip down.<br /><br />Now I am starting to get excited about what’s ahead. After doing some more traveling to visit friends and family on the east coast and Italy (rough life, I know), I am going to spend six weeks straight in LA, the most I have been here since I left for college. I am hoping to find some volunteer project in which I can practice my Spanish, take some salsa dancing and cooking classes, join a soccer team, see lots of movies, and get my life generally organized. <br /><br />And after much stress and internal and external debate, I finally decided that I will be doing my MBA at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, which starts on August 1. I am really excited to move up to northern California and to meet lots of new people excited about new ideas. I think my experience in Costa Rica will serve me <span style="font-style:italic;">un montón</span> in my studies and future professional pursuits.<br /><br />I am not going to keep blogging for now, as the main reason was to keep in touch with people at home and let you all know what I was up to without flooding your inboxes with mass emails. But thanks again for following my adventures. I have a feeling there will be more to come…Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-42332767372649989912011-05-13T14:30:00.024-06:002011-05-23T08:57:15.491-06:00The EndWell, I am officially a Peace Corps alum. Twenty-six months lived, 48 books read, five new countries visited, four pairs of tennis shoes destroyed, three very different living situations <span style="font-style:italic;">aguantar</span>-ed, two dog bites survived, one community adopted as my own, and countless friendships formed.<br /><br />The past two weeks have been emotionally exhausting but wonderful. I truly could not have asked for a better way to say goodbye than the <span style="font-style:italic;">cafecitos</span>, family dinners, celebrations and heartfelt gifts I received in my last days as a Volunteer in Quebradas. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33FcWwF5BPJwx0GQU1nr7WQXBD5QMwJ1nx_8a7P648fS6mydfs5A9IWlvrHmVuyySjBxCjeiq1KDKA9sTSFb7N5nrVVm0YNzRq6ghQt1AkxXxeXUIMr4TfjT2WBFClT6tTsSxnigHh1A/s1600/DSC01949.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33FcWwF5BPJwx0GQU1nr7WQXBD5QMwJ1nx_8a7P648fS6mydfs5A9IWlvrHmVuyySjBxCjeiq1KDKA9sTSFb7N5nrVVm0YNzRq6ghQt1AkxXxeXUIMr4TfjT2WBFClT6tTsSxnigHh1A/s200/DSC01949.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606301435223197618" /></a><br />Me and the ladies of ASOFEQUE<br /><br />A few of the community organizations that I worked most closely with planned their own small activities to see me off. With the artisan group, AQUA, we had homemade tortillas and coffee in don Roger’s rancho, and all the women began to reflect on their love lives and marriages and offer me advice for what not to do. The women’s group, ASOFEQUE, organized a gathering at the president’s home and we ate nachos and gossiped and they gave me a really nice Costa Rican cookbook to try out on my family and friends at home. Rice for breakfast, anyone?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XNjK-CqQI-1_Dsd4cbvqmICV6lvarJkRwJrtR8eEGNst713dctZ7Ad5tipk78-nCZUmaru-ZGjU2BAt83-xmXBl7OcB1pHz5lHtb6sbUcDeJ0ze951RFsSr9t6eJJ1dAioUVQWaiWp8/s1600/DSC02059.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XNjK-CqQI-1_Dsd4cbvqmICV6lvarJkRwJrtR8eEGNst713dctZ7Ad5tipk78-nCZUmaru-ZGjU2BAt83-xmXBl7OcB1pHz5lHtb6sbUcDeJ0ze951RFsSr9t6eJJ1dAioUVQWaiWp8/s200/DSC02059.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606301882341549666" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5iVDh0Fuk0172UCDdm_B2pGXlxSM5AUl89bRyJNlQCr3ioUWi9pLJoSg8_71toX29JQ928_BlaYaUisDkY4TOa9W__PXFTnewmX8zNBWZHvCSvL9hH-WpFbVgGMj0yiBEt7Rt2UfLM4/s1600/DSC02056.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5iVDh0Fuk0172UCDdm_B2pGXlxSM5AUl89bRyJNlQCr3ioUWi9pLJoSg8_71toX29JQ928_BlaYaUisDkY4TOa9W__PXFTnewmX8zNBWZHvCSvL9hH-WpFbVgGMj0yiBEt7Rt2UfLM4/s200/DSC02056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606302280487604450" /></a><br />Lots of love from the Scouts<br /><br />The Scouts activity was really special. They organized a campfire and about 35 kids showed up and some of their parents and all of the leaders. We sang songs and played games and they dedicated some very nice words to me and then we ate lots of sugary food and I got lots of gigantic hugs. Being adored unconditionally by most children under 12 is something I am definitely going to miss.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4NWXJLCMsB4CaIL6lY4gW3oCuC4DMNPIY2W5qJI2j1wbSXLlvhnXymRnkxX-XjX06SM-xBou0j3XpZm0I1rKU3S-oxvSY0lYLrFReM3zGPtwzkQbFDYsrLIcPH_m96FBn7gJZedrR-g/s1600/DSC02045.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4NWXJLCMsB4CaIL6lY4gW3oCuC4DMNPIY2W5qJI2j1wbSXLlvhnXymRnkxX-XjX06SM-xBou0j3XpZm0I1rKU3S-oxvSY0lYLrFReM3zGPtwzkQbFDYsrLIcPH_m96FBn7gJZedrR-g/s200/DSC02045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606302575263096930" /></a><br />Good food with good friends<br /><br />I also had some really nice meals with individual families and friends. The three Scouts dirigentes, José, Yajaira and Luis Carlos, who had also become my closest friends in Quebradas, surprised me and took me up to this beautiful <span style="font-style:italic;">cabina</span> up a hidden road and made me dinner and we danced and laughed a lot. I had a final post-church lunch with my original host family, who hadn’t invited me over for a meal since I moved out, but better late than never. I had a lovely <span style="font-style:italic;">cafecito</span> with the very humble don Jesús, the only employee at FUDEBIOL, and his wife and son, whose home it was my first time visiting. One family had me over to make pizza, and another made me <span style="font-style:italic;">arroz con pollo</span>, which I had mentioned was my favorite dish in Costa Rica. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oCsoeuHkc5um50695wRjkUaBhteSvH3MPOa6bGZPX_m6UUreF_8CrwNSIFNLt6TVQqQ7sVCz-luxaDTHKtEGvp9I1loemStPtbeiFvnh-rm5dzcFglTT19uDAKyvVD6oam3IUBKEsXw/s1600/DSC01983.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oCsoeuHkc5um50695wRjkUaBhteSvH3MPOa6bGZPX_m6UUreF_8CrwNSIFNLt6TVQqQ7sVCz-luxaDTHKtEGvp9I1loemStPtbeiFvnh-rm5dzcFglTT19uDAKyvVD6oam3IUBKEsXw/s200/DSC01983.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606302903904950290" /></a><br />Most people I have ever fit in my apartment<br /><br />I invited all the teenage girls in Quebradas who I had worked with on the community newspaper and butterfly garden over to my apartment for an afternoon of brownie-making and silliness. We listened to music and I gave them a bunch of my clothes and they all got hyper and giggly off the chocolate and took over 100 pictures and we all had a great time. I also had a nice meet up with Luis, Vinyela and Derek, the CED team from the Peace Corps office, who were passing through San Isidro and it was our final goodbye since they were not going to be in the office when I officially COS-ed. They were pretty ideal bosses, in that they never really intruded on our business but were there if we needed help/resources, and they are all great people. And I had one last big night out at the Hotel del Sur in San Isidro for my friend Glenda’s birthday. We literally danced from 10pm to 2am without stopping except when cumbia came on, which I still can’t figure out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkV10T5VNi7NNwXMwvYf-d3wl3fOazELRG1WDvQJ6pb_n9QxLfpHC-H8L8gKZ_TWlIucqYdn5y0mF6GLqFkBBIaH5BXSSgPdzfXGPvr40ijJoa9g5jq9bgmLt8BY-lM6_idDg2MVqiC0/s1600/DSC01958.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkV10T5VNi7NNwXMwvYf-d3wl3fOazELRG1WDvQJ6pb_n9QxLfpHC-H8L8gKZ_TWlIucqYdn5y0mF6GLqFkBBIaH5BXSSgPdzfXGPvr40ijJoa9g5jq9bgmLt8BY-lM6_idDg2MVqiC0/s200/DSC01958.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606303414488190434" /></a><br />The PZ crew (one member who "got caught in a rainstorm" is conspicuously missing...)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDEuGsIyYYac1mbWTGRijnesPzvWEDkTrj20n3vH0HnqfwaCV607OtdHAIll30bRlpYo4Z73DtMyuD4DhKHTTmccWmEKfK85L_JCwfR6O99ymAm0tZeHUdr_M_WAIfveZuNMEG8hyphenhyphenrWA/s1600/GEDC6746.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDEuGsIyYYac1mbWTGRijnesPzvWEDkTrj20n3vH0HnqfwaCV607OtdHAIll30bRlpYo4Z73DtMyuD4DhKHTTmccWmEKfK85L_JCwfR6O99ymAm0tZeHUdr_M_WAIfveZuNMEG8hyphenhyphenrWA/s200/GEDC6746.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606304193236485234" /></a><br />Me and two weirdo distance runners<br /><br />My second-to-last weekend in Quebradas, we had a little goodbye dinner for the volunteers around Pérez Zeledón at the best restaurant in town, El Gato Sin Dueño. There was a delicious buffet and fun live music and it was a nice way to say goodbye to some of the people who have made my last two years much more enjoyable by offering a nearby social outlet and opportunity to vent/speak English. The next morning Angelo and I ran in a 10K, which don Roger had offered to “sponsor” me for after my big win in the Carrera del Agua. He paid my entry fee and made us t-shirts with MORFOrmas, the name of his business, displayed prominently on the front and back. I ended up winning first in my category again (50mil!) but losing to the same woman as in the last race. It was fun to see a lot of the same people there and get to know the quirky running sub-culture of Southern Costa Rica (see above man in Indian headdress). <br /><br />On Thursday and Friday of last week, I went down to La Lucha de Sabalito, right by the Panamanian border, to visit Angelo for his 25th birthday. We went to this really beautiful hacienda just outside his community, where we saw an amazing sunrise and hiked to a beautiful waterfall (I may or may not have fallen off the side of the trail on the way back and seriously frightened our guide). Evening celebrations included lots of pork, tequila, beer, music and cake at the local bar. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDlb3h6FyIhKVbE59qJiIUTYREKHX20rHsBLF7OU9btGwjzKNibrEc2Zm0vPO5FGRdIMJxiffANPEdxS5y6MO-EO_tw3n2dUfvS66NrMt5PzJENHD-uzhn79GPHnCB5N_z3put2KaY14/s1600/DSC02064.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDlb3h6FyIhKVbE59qJiIUTYREKHX20rHsBLF7OU9btGwjzKNibrEc2Zm0vPO5FGRdIMJxiffANPEdxS5y6MO-EO_tw3n2dUfvS66NrMt5PzJENHD-uzhn79GPHnCB5N_z3put2KaY14/s200/DSC02064.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606304774321633442" /></a><br />100 kilos about to become chicharrones<br /><br />Saturday morning I headed back to Quebradas super early for an important appointment I had with some farmers to slaughter a pig. For my final goodbye celebration, I had told community members that I would buy a pig and invite everyone to eat it, which always makes for a good party. So don Gilberth introduced me to some guys in the business and we negotiated a purchase at 1,100 colones per kilo, including the full preparation of the pig so it would be delivered ready to cook.<br /><br />Well, it was as gruesome as everybody said it would be, and I don’t think I will continue to eat pork when I get back to the states, but I felt like it was a cultural experience I should have before I left and am glad I did…kind of. I did not partake in any of the process but was an active observer and was reminded a little of middle school biology class as I got to know all the inside parts of the animal, up close.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCy7bVQRJhTIbqhllVYlLViTpAQ83R7bHxjXg-4MAZPAYDWFiMA0V6citjedTanOLwhFXnyjn2pM4vEok3tHK4XY8rTt3Zs7AbdiqDBPM00caEqGuYLJi-v0yI3RYco0or-uKvs1j71U/s1600/DSC02076.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCy7bVQRJhTIbqhllVYlLViTpAQ83R7bHxjXg-4MAZPAYDWFiMA0V6citjedTanOLwhFXnyjn2pM4vEok3tHK4XY8rTt3Zs7AbdiqDBPM00caEqGuYLJi-v0yI3RYco0or-uKvs1j71U/s200/DSC02076.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606305168968994178" /></a><br />Don Jorge and don Luis presenting my gift<br /><br />That afternoon was the final FUDEBIOL asamblea, which is their big annual meeting that all the socios are invited to. Unfortunately, they kind of dropped the ball this year and forgot to send out invitations until the last minute, and then only via email, and Ticos really like their printed, hand-signed invitations, so not many people showed up. They felt bad because they had planned something special for me, but I thought it ended up being nicer because it was an intimate group and we just sat and talked for a while and everyone said nice things about the contributions I’d made to the organization and the community and I gave them some constructive feedback on my experience working with them. At the end they presented me with a certificate that welcomed me into the Orden del Sargento, which is apparently a very big honor that very few people have received in the 20 years that FUDEBIOL has existed. They also presented me with a really special gift. They had taken a picture of the biological reserve and given it to a famous artist in San Isidro and he reproduced it on a huge canvas. It is really beautiful and well-done and even has the giant ICE satellite that I helped them get included in the painting to represent my mark on the organization. I told them it would be a wonderful reminder of my “office” for the past two years in Costa Rica.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3HjAN8BqcrNSYPe_JS9StK4-MtmxzZOKsN_yleW3JSO-fRSjnh9Iedul_88SykrA-ntVpA_llS1SGtf7o9swVqZZhwqRm4YpxKRrNJ7RsO9dCNup0jdTvoyNkVZeZhp93CZkM_59i5s/s1600/DSC02083.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3HjAN8BqcrNSYPe_JS9StK4-MtmxzZOKsN_yleW3JSO-fRSjnh9Iedul_88SykrA-ntVpA_llS1SGtf7o9swVqZZhwqRm4YpxKRrNJ7RsO9dCNup0jdTvoyNkVZeZhp93CZkM_59i5s/s200/DSC02083.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606305755540865106" /></a><br />Me and the Jiménez girls<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3uPqbggEbq6OTdtXlkDLVILqLOxfuTViStLWjA5eHuCi2cE2dD03SgVgxb8Y9GHe371zQXVv0t_o1T225m0Bl7CS7Pco09nf1_QZxc2wCIgmxN7jEKn8bYmZUmOV-2wtFwXN4eL4m0o/s1600/DSC02081.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3uPqbggEbq6OTdtXlkDLVILqLOxfuTViStLWjA5eHuCi2cE2dD03SgVgxb8Y9GHe371zQXVv0t_o1T225m0Bl7CS7Pco09nf1_QZxc2wCIgmxN7jEKn8bYmZUmOV-2wtFwXN4eL4m0o/s200/DSC02081.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606306083654126786" /></a><br />Denis and Naomy clad with all the medals I have accumulated over the past two years<br /><br />Saturday night I had a big dinner with the Jiménez Calvo family: Yajaira, Glenda, Maruja, Luis, Naomy, Denis and Valeria. They were the neighbors of my old host family and ended up becoming some of my closest friends and the people I felt the most comfortable with and had the most fun with. The women are all entrepreneurial, with their jam business and jewelry/greeting cards, and they really take advantage of the opportunities and resources that are available to them more than most people I observed in Costa Rica. And they really did treat me like family, inviting me to every baby shower, wedding, bachelorette party and other family celebrations. And all the kids are SUPER cute. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRx6U-R8wXYXXo1FmnpZucTZoJ7bLVAgYiqdXKbpG0OfBhzFiGl94SFaDZXYo3F4LsYA0qhNSRRwmm1H0wuiLkqdaRei_BywZ1zEhzcrcb1685fgNHS-Ya98zjSrHzvm7In5LDlVR8ZY/s1600/DSC02097.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRx6U-R8wXYXXo1FmnpZucTZoJ7bLVAgYiqdXKbpG0OfBhzFiGl94SFaDZXYo3F4LsYA0qhNSRRwmm1H0wuiLkqdaRei_BywZ1zEhzcrcb1685fgNHS-Ya98zjSrHzvm7In5LDlVR8ZY/s200/DSC02097.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606307183130383874" /></a><br />Car parade outside my apartment<br /><br />Sunday morning at 9am I heard honking outside my apartment and opened my door to a line of cars ready to take me in a procession up to our Salón Comunal. The first car was an open jeep decorated with hydrangeas and balloons and I had the seat of honor. We drove up honking and waving at every house we passed and then got to the Salón, where other community members were waiting to greet me, and even more were in the kitchen cooking. The tables were set up with lovely centerpieces, and the Talibanes, the famous local band that makes or breaks a party in Quebradas, were waiting with their instruments. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICA4mE1dG2V6WBpGG7gCmTCRaSgtiCq0OAmmY-I31xEAWpUIAtN7D-FYFr26mLnJiRzI3aEKUYvdOs8MWpzm_HXjqTMpoSGlxjJSUWb1uMcZ5Fw20JbdGq6H3qglZu0pn5wFsnTGhxzw/s1600/DSC02143.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICA4mE1dG2V6WBpGG7gCmTCRaSgtiCq0OAmmY-I31xEAWpUIAtN7D-FYFr26mLnJiRzI3aEKUYvdOs8MWpzm_HXjqTMpoSGlxjJSUWb1uMcZ5Fw20JbdGq6H3qglZu0pn5wFsnTGhxzw/s200/DSC02143.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606306362655886706" /></a><br />Seven community leaders in one place for the first time in my two years in Quebradas<br /><br />Once more guests arrived and everyone started settling down, seven leaders from the different community groups I had worked with – FUDEBIOL, Guías y Scouts, ECC Quebradas, AQUA, AMOSA, Escuela Quebradas y la Asociasión de Desarrollo – had me come up and sit with them in front of everyone, and each made a small presentation thanking me for my contributions to their organization and gave me a gift. Then all seven of them came up together and don Luis Fallas, the president of FUDEBIOL, my official counterpart and the first person I met from Quebradas, made a heartfelt closing speech about the enormous mark I had left on the community and how not only would I always be welcome here, but that Quebradas belonged to me as much as it did to everyone else in that room. As a symbol of this ownership, they presented me with the “key to Quebradas,” a beautifully designed acrylic key with my name and the date engraved on it. Then I had to make a speech, and I somehow managed to choke back my tears and hold it together. What moved me more than anything was that this was the first time in my two years in Quebradas that I had seen all the community leaders achieve something together, and it was in my honor. Improving communication and coordination among community organizations was one of my main goals over the past two years, and I guess I did prove to be a unifying force, though I hope (and told them) that if they can plan an awesome party together, they can keep up the good work for other more lasting community initiatives. I said the greatest gift to me would be to keep going with the projects I helped start, and I do believe they took that to heart.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgv9JAzqT7gfEDRkkgS22uu-xofRssJHWTTsjqGfcjtcLhPUasLgZhzs9ItW_kWiA556DJU7vQF3SmV94GCh2Y1H9-ci8Y1FpwydftAxk9_Mkw3wLTpAp14D6jSTEF9ktnCx1ZclcGYs/s1600/DSC02101.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgv9JAzqT7gfEDRkkgS22uu-xofRssJHWTTsjqGfcjtcLhPUasLgZhzs9ItW_kWiA556DJU7vQF3SmV94GCh2Y1H9-ci8Y1FpwydftAxk9_Mkw3wLTpAp14D6jSTEF9ktnCx1ZclcGYs/s200/DSC02101.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606305471534991474" /></a><br />Tending to the chicharrones<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITZPUDOBlz5HRuYDJjSfmX3-5L4JS92vrc-LQki7AtoHAAFRHdt0q2e_RvHmUkCMI0dIRmQ7Qcjai2QByHDBz_x9-ZeFH-ujSTbUguMEJgCKBoVv22P9MCUnAzMUb2JEhSUEfzB-uo8s/s1600/DSC02153.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgITZPUDOBlz5HRuYDJjSfmX3-5L4JS92vrc-LQki7AtoHAAFRHdt0q2e_RvHmUkCMI0dIRmQ7Qcjai2QByHDBz_x9-ZeFH-ujSTbUguMEJgCKBoVv22P9MCUnAzMUb2JEhSUEfzB-uo8s/s200/DSC02153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606307644694672114" /></a><br />Don Roger trying to feed my pig tongue<br /><br />Then the fun part began, and everyone enjoyed my pig and the yucca, plantains and chimichurri that accompanied it. The Talibanes started playing and soon enough all my fun over-40 female friends were on the dance floor, and even my older, more serious male counterparts, Gilberth, Jorge, Luis and Roger, came out for a spin. Everyone was in good spirits and it ended up just being a really fun party. I remember looking around and thinking how weird it was that I didn’t know any of these people two years ago, and now I feel such a connection to them and it was amazing how loved and appreciated they made me feel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6toJg5T6a9Twelb9qzpwYlQWZnOhxCvHusMWeBycmnqCF6hIyqZExNjp63dXKzZPMrdcLj6UFzjeASXZdFu_aK96iBRVSFa1BaWVuUxFZty4Pna3C_5kaM494kaRLDcQhJTiEeWVCWs/s1600/DSC02171.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP6toJg5T6a9Twelb9qzpwYlQWZnOhxCvHusMWeBycmnqCF6hIyqZExNjp63dXKzZPMrdcLj6UFzjeASXZdFu_aK96iBRVSFa1BaWVuUxFZty4Pna3C_5kaM494kaRLDcQhJTiEeWVCWs/s200/DSC02171.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606308651878930594" /></a><br />Two years in five bags...not bad for a girl<br /><br />I said most of my goodbyes there and then went home to finish packing. I had given away a LOT of stuff to other Peace Corps Volunteers and community members, but I somehow still had three over brimming suitcases full of stuff, which ultimately turned into four once I added in my new gifts. My neighbor Sirleny helped me jam everything in and zip everything up, which was much appreciated. That afternoon I went into town and met Angelo, who had offered to come keep me company my last night in my depressingly empty apartment and help me lug my suitcases to San José the next morning. His calming presence definitely helped keep me from freaking out in my final hours, which was much appreciated. We brought back pizza, the perfect food for a kitchen that has no remaining utensils, and then I took some ice cream over to the Jiménez family to share and say my final goodbye.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4Q1ilHxv4kez6JgT5I8G6GI4jLromKCBPSM-3t5n5O66owcMkyFk351keF8KVcybO1zgz7s0kcUyRNveA8Etcp_hzHkKsmNWH4ZJ6RE2XDrz4nXIS5wK0kZgEBb6efOTTt2JBoaszgw/s1600/DSC02175.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ4Q1ilHxv4kez6JgT5I8G6GI4jLromKCBPSM-3t5n5O66owcMkyFk351keF8KVcybO1zgz7s0kcUyRNveA8Etcp_hzHkKsmNWH4ZJ6RE2XDrz4nXIS5wK0kZgEBb6efOTTt2JBoaszgw/s200/DSC02175.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606309237644459394" /></a><br />Breakfast with neighbors<br /><br />The next morning the other family who I am closest to and who are practically my neighbors, Lila, Sirleny, Luis Carlos and Keneth, made me a huge amazing Tico breakfast with all the fixings: gallo pinto, homemade tortillas, fried plantains, fresh cheese and natilla, avocado, tamal asado, coffee, and even a little bit of leftover pig. Don Jorge and don Gilberth joined us, and then we loaded my suitcases into the back of Gilberth’s pick-up truck and headed down to the bus station. Saying goodbye to Lila, Sirleny and Luis was hard because they have been such good friends and always invite me over and bring me food and worry about me and it was sad to see how sad they were that I was leaving.<br /><br />Then I took my last trip over the Mountain of Death as a Peace Corps Volunteer, one regular aspect of my life in Costa Rica that I will not miss. My trusty taxi driver Carlos picked us up at MUSOC and took us to Hotel Aranjuez, where Mark, Chamisa and Adrienne were also staying. Angelo treated me to a cocktail at the Grand Hotel Costa Rica, a historic landmark and former marquee destination across from the National Theater, which was fun/kind of classy. Later we met up with the others for dinner and bowling. I bowled a career high of 120, but Angelo of course had to come back and beat me in the last frame.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj888qoSCiCBjk2i84T1xpNXUIM8mLrfIhVK8MBDszEV39Zb-OcG_HTT3IR59_QwTx6uu93FISDiLRJRyVO538xy6rllgkZMhmeM43YHLiYsTtlx3jTEG173QP7MaDmNMJMQDZsV714JeQ/s1600/DSC02199.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj888qoSCiCBjk2i84T1xpNXUIM8mLrfIhVK8MBDszEV39Zb-OcG_HTT3IR59_QwTx6uu93FISDiLRJRyVO538xy6rllgkZMhmeM43YHLiYsTtlx3jTEG173QP7MaDmNMJMQDZsV714JeQ/s200/DSC02199.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606310098763881906" /></a><br />What will I miss more, the friends or the breakfast?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3Ze89OguJDpoBCeqEYV3slrEyIf3vZDC3ReHebp1TQHEi7UMF6b82sYkPZ2a_mm_AmZehV8LIbOrf2FFJ1VT5nWoYaZMs-tKwSpWe1M7xKj2yQGygPV8EugdP3jEx6Tt4UA7uWHLIaE/s1600/DSC02183.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3Ze89OguJDpoBCeqEYV3slrEyIf3vZDC3ReHebp1TQHEi7UMF6b82sYkPZ2a_mm_AmZehV8LIbOrf2FFJ1VT5nWoYaZMs-tKwSpWe1M7xKj2yQGygPV8EugdP3jEx6Tt4UA7uWHLIaE/s200/DSC02183.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606309823017279714" /></a><br />And this is one of the more agreeable faces I made...<br /><br />The next morning we enjoyed what the Aranjuez does best, an extensive buffet breakfast in their pleasant garden area. And my friends witnessed and thoroughly photographed a historic moment in my life: I ate (half) a banana. I had to keep a promise I had made, and it seemed appropriate before leaving Costa Rica, but those of you who know me best know what a BIG deal that is. And it was gross!<br /><br />Then came my final goodbyes with Chamisa and Angelo, two very important people who it was sad to think about not getting to see and talk to all the time, as they will both be staying in Costa Rica for another year, <span style="font-style:italic;">si Dios quiere</span>. Chamisa has been an amazing friend and fun neighbor to have near San Isidro for the past two years. And those of you who have done some close reading of my blog may have noticed that Angelo became a major presence in my life over the past few months. I have had so much fun traveling, exploring, cooking, competing and just hanging out with him, which made it tough to say goodbye. But I know I will be back to visit them (and Brigitte!) and everyone in Quebradas next year, so as I have said many times in the past few days, it wasn’t really an <span style="font-style:italic;">adios</span>, just an <span style="font-style:italic;">hasta luego</span>.<br /><br />Then Adrienne and I ventured off for our day of culture in San José, which included a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Sabana park, a lunchtime interpretive dance show at the National Theater, and then (by far the best part) lunch at a cute artsy restaurant where we shared panini, homemade pesto pasta, and amazing chocolate. Then we hugged and parted ways, being CED girls and therefore not that into emotional goodbyes. Adrienne has been my rock over the past two years, providing an escape and a laugh whenever I needed it, and we probably had more sleepovers than I have had with anyone since fifth grade (though we both refuse to cuddle). I feel so lucky that we got placed near each other and I got to know her and her beautiful, fun community at the base of Chirripo. Also, she has now saved my travel plans from absolute disaster twice, first by getting my passport to me in time for my Thanksgiving trip home, and again on Tuesday when I spacily left my credit card and ID at the lunch place. For that alone, I am forever indebted…<br /><br />That afternoon I went to the Peace Corps office to start getting my final signatures on my COS papers and had coffee with Luis Jiménez from FINCA, the microfinance organization I worked with. It was cool to hear about his plans and dreams for the growth and development of the organization and to think about working on similar projects back home in the future, using my ties and experience with FINCA as a jumping off point. I think he will be a great connection to have if I do decide to pursue microfinance.<br /><br />That evening Mark and I were the only ones left, and it turned out the Hotel Christina where we were supposed to stay that offers a Peace Corps discount had overbooked so they transferred us to a fancy four-star boutique hotel next door for no change in price, which was kind of cool. We had a nice dinner and reflected a little on our past 26 months, having started out together in Tarbaca, and we also got excited about moving back to California and eating In ‘N Out burgers. I know I’ll see him again soon, so our 4am groggy goodbye before he left for the airport was not too tearful.<br /><br />My final orders of business were back in the Peace Corps office. I had my language placement exam and scored advanced high, which I was happy about, having come in to Peace Corps at intermediate mid. I feel like my Spanish plateau-ed many months ago, but it is good to leave knowing I have a strong command of the language. Now I just have to figure out how to keep it up!<br /><br />I had one last goodbye with Carlos the taxi driver when he dropped me off at the airport, but he gave me his number and email and assured me he would be there to pick me up the next time I come visit. Then me and my four bags got on a plane to Panama City, where I met my mom en route to Colombia. We will be spending a week traveling around here before heading back to LA.<br /><br />My head is still spinning with all the meaningful events of the past couple weeks, so I think I will blog once more when I get home and have had some time to digest before signing off. For now, I just want to make sure I get down all the important details and to try to capture the mix of emotions I am feeling as I close the door on what I know has been one of the most significant chapters of my life, although I think down the line I will appreciate more why and how. I am so glad my time here ended on such a high note, with projects, friendships and fun, but I must also remember there were some low points as well, and if I ever do forget I know there are a few blogposts I can refer to to back that up. <br /><br />So for now, I just want to thank all you dutiful readers for following my adventures, sending notes of support and motivation and bearing with me through heaping amounts of text (I think this one might take the prize). It has been really fun to keep this blog, for myself and for a small but interested audience of family and friends. I hope you enjoyed the ride.<br /><br />And now it is finally time to say: Peace out, Costa Rica…Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-4240774325327673982011-04-26T09:41:00.010-06:002011-04-26T11:08:57.632-06:00Why wasn't Peace Corps always this fun?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_pZKotzXjyNo-6BOxRckNpYcwdLutxTxJkVJKDZ3OSgPEIoHb71Eg412ig8YY3C9GGfQzis8Mf-R3XKSm5fATCwr8zDeJ5I9xUH5Hji2waS9QzrREYiQh2ZCF1_ozYSK-Lu2faCXwU4/s1600/DSC01872.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-_pZKotzXjyNo-6BOxRckNpYcwdLutxTxJkVJKDZ3OSgPEIoHb71Eg412ig8YY3C9GGfQzis8Mf-R3XKSm5fATCwr8zDeJ5I9xUH5Hji2waS9QzrREYiQh2ZCF1_ozYSK-Lu2faCXwU4/s200/DSC01872.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599939883816679234" /></a><br />Beautiful beach, beautiful people<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUM_FAO8EVn9nT5Z3JFY40NygWsubNOk5N6UUo-VKVJVsywuf0_nXyyyxrAyQ9xleksFiFZO7tPmEci4RPpkx6GegwksaooWiePMsFl9BKpxXTJ4r1UXrP90TCHekGSXNnJ4jr2qTIMw/s1600/DSC01831.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcUM_FAO8EVn9nT5Z3JFY40NygWsubNOk5N6UUo-VKVJVsywuf0_nXyyyxrAyQ9xleksFiFZO7tPmEci4RPpkx6GegwksaooWiePMsFl9BKpxXTJ4r1UXrP90TCHekGSXNnJ4jr2qTIMw/s200/DSC01831.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599938379806442562" /></a><br />Un atardecer Chireña<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewEKpRQQmZiOg25QRboCECrRk5hqVNfmm3L4MlGhvijnlmynut1WMf-GmlVdpHxn1g2aE4NdAPMMntMKf1WJ7BflKDaFf01uGFOILtcrwfoEJuZAJ_U_Lzry94J0ZYJJ5NDgxQGvJSa8/s1600/DSC01735.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewEKpRQQmZiOg25QRboCECrRk5hqVNfmm3L4MlGhvijnlmynut1WMf-GmlVdpHxn1g2aE4NdAPMMntMKf1WJ7BflKDaFf01uGFOILtcrwfoEJuZAJ_U_Lzry94J0ZYJJ5NDgxQGvJSa8/s200/DSC01735.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599937743920367842" /></a><br />Fueled up for the ride<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcAkxMp5pGrykRRh99NKuVEqPpQiJNmgJe3WvOefeEKGTKF3PnzCedMHfkPR5mlyTp6HRrU1fM_bQc0P7psU0s0GN8329KOzKUw_WwA8HLIst2BUvNNkPXzXWgZyG2FZYkclYBGUK9fA/s1600/DSC01649.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcAkxMp5pGrykRRh99NKuVEqPpQiJNmgJe3WvOefeEKGTKF3PnzCedMHfkPR5mlyTp6HRrU1fM_bQc0P7psU0s0GN8329KOzKUw_WwA8HLIst2BUvNNkPXzXWgZyG2FZYkclYBGUK9fA/s200/DSC01649.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599936635305915522" /></a><br />Nice crater!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS78CMS50iPi7y-DJyaHMp6qV40yqVX64dKa8MXX1qwfmdnoG_DOY3_6K3cVeKyflB-ew8a8CvbxcPFRFWlcTwkaq6hkJCLBNg1Cty57VTbM7cYG9TWhH2lfNRv0-pK6I3r9Tx2Henwo/s1600/DSC01618.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS78CMS50iPi7y-DJyaHMp6qV40yqVX64dKa8MXX1qwfmdnoG_DOY3_6K3cVeKyflB-ew8a8CvbxcPFRFWlcTwkaq6hkJCLBNg1Cty57VTbM7cYG9TWhH2lfNRv0-pK6I3r9Tx2Henwo/s200/DSC01618.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599935997234360274" /></a><br />Getting silly in Tarbaca<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-oAF8XoRBSTlEivBQ7YcchoMux0fFtFttoH6oVVXI398dSOHHtU-DN0m7KPiF5tWnZDUWBmQ8vpFz-BaHV_aHha0-AOGnNUJqN4vUQxgT-zpx8tRPuM7uAxRoRsgdc1U06n0rm6aZuY/s1600/DSC01609.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-oAF8XoRBSTlEivBQ7YcchoMux0fFtFttoH6oVVXI398dSOHHtU-DN0m7KPiF5tWnZDUWBmQ8vpFz-BaHV_aHha0-AOGnNUJqN4vUQxgT-zpx8tRPuM7uAxRoRsgdc1U06n0rm6aZuY/s200/DSC01609.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599935208288488898" /></a><br />My audience losing interest fast<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaftKQz0Uvlba5B4OjDS9XhuGZsHHca3eMD_Bewbvq4neIfz_CirAIJA_XKVTXt69LAtfXB9W9cehxogkJtoRXD4oXWcQ6Zote7ZweMEpTVlA53nsweIskF4G3HGSsIcV4-jpu2qbngwA/s1600/DSC01581.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaftKQz0Uvlba5B4OjDS9XhuGZsHHca3eMD_Bewbvq4neIfz_CirAIJA_XKVTXt69LAtfXB9W9cehxogkJtoRXD4oXWcQ6Zote7ZweMEpTVlA53nsweIskF4G3HGSsIcV4-jpu2qbngwA/s200/DSC01581.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599934150259554914" /></a><br />Does this waterfall make me look fat?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHVEEpi0RSAFa4DOtqCjvz2z_P-zfD1lk5Nfs-zKq6ZJ6MNLwluC0IVnPjJbT8vvCcTtRpOuCdq7F5kjrp2VeQcMP0wv9GXO1uMvmfeJkc0pdYtPv30baVrdxfVvamtTqwAjKfAIB03k/s1600/DSC01530.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHVEEpi0RSAFa4DOtqCjvz2z_P-zfD1lk5Nfs-zKq6ZJ6MNLwluC0IVnPjJbT8vvCcTtRpOuCdq7F5kjrp2VeQcMP0wv9GXO1uMvmfeJkc0pdYtPv30baVrdxfVvamtTqwAjKfAIB03k/s200/DSC01530.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599932683392496578" /></a><br />Very Important People<br /><br />It has been an awesome last few weeks, namely because the work:fun ratio has shifted significantly in favor of fun. It kind of feels like the last month of college, except with better weather and more beach time.<br /><br />My one main order of business was the first national Peace Corps/FINCA conference, which was hosted in San Cristobal Norte, the cold, cozy mountain town where I attended my last two FINCA trainings and always stay with the same nice host family. There were about 60 people there, volunteers and their local counterparts, and it was an intensive two days of sharing experiences, passing on knowledge, and learning how to grow and strengthen our Community Credit Enterprises. I brought Guadalupe, our ECC secretary, and although I found it sometimes aggravating to sit through these sessions that I had heard before when I am already kind of checked out, I'm really glad she got to have the experience and bring her excitement back to Quebradas to get people motivated with new ideas.<br /><br />Then the real fun began. Saturday night I cam back to San Isidro for a Malpaís concert. They are one of the biggest bands in Costa Rica and were actually really fun performers and had some download-worthy songs. Plus, we had VIP tickets on the floor of the local gymnasium...<br /><br />The next week entailed a trip to Nauyaca Fallas, a pretty cool set of waterfalls on the road to Dominical, a dinner party with some neighbors (I made thai peanut pasta and Betty Crocker cake, the latter being way more of a hit), nachos and gossip at my hairdresser's house, a final site visit from Vinyela from the PC office, and karaoke night with my over-30 single lady friends. They made me sing Selena, but I think the pity applause I received after ensures that won't happen again.<br /><br />Then on Friday I got on a bus to San José and headed to Tarbaca, where I met up with Mark and Brigitte and later Liz, Elena and Davie from Tico 20 and we had a fun dinner and night out dancing with Grandpa Gerardo and family. I hadn't been back to visit for a year, but it is so wonderful how warm and excited to see us they always are, and I truly believe it when they say I always have a place to stay there. Although my host family situation during training was not ideal, I feel so lucky I got to be a part of the greater Tarbaca family.<br /><br />The next day I met up with my friends Diego and Marcos who are students in San José and we took a day trip to Irazú volcano in Cartago, which was a beautiful drive and has a really cool looking crater with a bright aqua lagoon in the middle. That night was my third and final VAC dinner, which was changed to VAC-tail hour this year because there are too many volunteers in the country (almost 200!) to organize food, so we just had drinks at this cool loft space/art gallery/bar called Steinvorth which was super fun/weird feeling like an old senior girl around all these new, young eager faces I didn't recognize. Also, as I once learned in college but chose not to remember, pre-dinner drinks on an empty stomach is never a good idea for me, and I unfortunately didn't make it out dancing post-dinner, nor did I get to say many formal goodbyes to the people I wouldn't see again, but it was fun while it lasted.<br /><br />I spent the next day exploring Heredia, another part of the Central Valley area I hadn't visited. It seemed much more liveable and family-friendly than San José, and it is definitely the most architecturally and culturally interesting city I have visited in Costa Rica. I had a nice lunch at the home of Luis Fallas, the president of FUDEBIOL, and his family, and then I met up with Angelo and his friend Kregg who was visiting from the states at Saprissa stadium for their quarter-final game against San Carlos. It was much more of a scene than the Guerreros game I had gone to in San Isidro, fireworks and glitter included. And it was pretty good soccer to watch.<br /><br />The next morning we were picked up at our hostel by David Gómez, former Peace Corps safety and security officer, who just started his own business called Costa Rica on a Bike (CROAB). He does private bike tours all over the country, equipment, food and good company included. Our journey started at the top of the Cerro de la Muerte with a giant Tico breakfast at the well-known diner Chespiritos. We then started our ride down into the Zona de los Santos, a cluster of sleepy mountain towns that are known for producing the best coffee in the country. Things started to get tough as we made our way up out of the valley, but the roads were good and the view was beautiful and we were rewarded with snacks at the end. Then there was a loooooong bumpy downhill as we cycled out towards the coast, which hurt my hands more than anything else from having to constantly grip the breaks. After one minor flat tire that was soon resolved by a Tico with a compressor for his motorcycle, we took a refreshing dip in a nearby swimming hole and then continued on the last leg of the journey to Quepos. <br /><br />We made it feeling pretty good, but then of course the option was posed to ride all the way up one last gigantic hill to Manuel Antonio for sunset, and being arguably the two most competitive Peace Corps Volunteers, Angelo and I went for it. Kregg intelligently followed behind in the support car. We made it pretty far amidst traffic and honking until our legs/bikes would take us no further up the seemingly never-ending hill. After about a quarter mile of pushing our bikes up on rubbery legs, it did indeed end and we cruised down to the beach as the sun was setting. It made the butt, hand, back, neck and leg pain I would be feeling for the next few days totally worth it. After a victory swim in the ocean, we all got in the car back to Quepos, where we had some very satisfying <span style="font-style:italic;">casados</span> and tried not to pass out in our food.<br /><br />The next morning after Bagelman's breakfast (it was the closest I could get to celebrating Passover), Angelo, Chase and I got on a bus to Puntarenas, where we met up with Brigitte and got on a tiny <span style="font-style:italic;">lancha</span> to Isla de Chira, where Mark has been hiding out for the past two years. I complain about my bus ride over the Mountain of Death to get to San José, but his commute entails a choppy boat ride. My respect for him only grew from there after experiencing the oppressive heat and dust on the island and realizing how different our daily lives have been since we parted ways after Tarbaca. His is more what I imagined Peace Corps might look like, while I live a 20 minute bus ride from McDonald's, but I have no complaints.<br /><br />We spent the next two days exploring the island by bike, foot and boat. We went out with some local fishermen and collectively succeeded in catching some fish, though I contributed nothing to the pot. The highlight of the visit was definitely our evening boat ride with Juan Carlos, Mark's ECC counterpart who I had met at the conference the previous week. He invited us out and then of course his motor wasn't working and we thought it was going to be a bust, but somehow they figured it out and we were off boating through mangrove swamps and out to Yucca island, which is basically a floating mountain. We scrambled to the top of for an amazing view of what I think I can safely say was my favorite Costa Rican sunset. We then stopped by a beach where a family of enterprising Ticos had set up a chinamo for Semana Santa and sold us cold beers. Then we boated right up to a lovely seafood restaurant overlooking the water and ate mounds of garlic shrimp, ceviche and clams by candlelight. It felt like a pretty special only in Peace Corps moment, and the evening continued in that direction.<br /><br />We boated back through the mangroves under the stars, completely trusting Juan Carlos' sworn memorization of the route since there were no lights around. Because of the tides we couldn't dock the boat and had to trek through slippery swamp mud to get back to land. We arrived back to Juan Carlos' home relatively unscathed, though Mark stepped on some thorny plant that he spent the next few days trying to pick out of his toes.<br /><br />The next morning we were off at 6am on a private boat to the Nicoya Peninsula for the grand finale, a beach house we had rented for 25 volunteers in Santa Teresa, which is on the eastern tip of the peninsula, to celebrate Semana Santa and the end of (most of our) service. It was a great space, right on the beach with four colorful bungalows, a common area equipped with a full kitchen, couches and tables, a ping pong table, fooz ball, a yoga dojo, and hammocks galore. It was in the middle of a cute surfer town with a big <span style="font-style:italic;">extranjero</span> population and lots of good restaurants. We spent the next couple days drinking, eating, playing games, swimming, reminiscing, drinking and eating. Highlights included: a fiercely competitive beach soccer game in which I almost lost my right foot, group yoga session, group barbecue that included chicken, hot dogs, veggies, guac and frozen watermelon, my first and only ping pong win against Angelo, and amazing playlists day and night. We ended the trip with a dance party on the beach, which seemed only appropriate.<br /><br />After one more evening of vegging out in San José, I'm not back in Quebradas for my last two weeks. I feel good about the PCV goodbyes I've had so far, especially because I am confident I will see the people I care most about again soon. That's harder to say with the people of Quebradas, but I am looking forward to a low-key last couple weeks and quality time with the people who have been the biggest part of my life over the last two years. I have a feeling that will entail a lot of <span style="font-style:italic;">cafecitos</span>, bread, rice and beans, but I think i can handle it now knowing there is an end in site.Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-63926931530042007572011-04-06T09:13:00.011-06:002011-04-07T09:19:22.264-06:00Me AGUAnté!*<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSh7Uh6_nL8a6kiFg7EqfGuYBl2iblRBfuS_JcdrbuGzTyoXr3QQJzNS6e3j5pTix2SeRIRV5pO8Wr-q0wSqRaV-zaqictDMn6-aw8ES3NpsTs_JXYegS_10Jzvl6AbeOcZkK3OW39eY/s1600/DSC06161.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSh7Uh6_nL8a6kiFg7EqfGuYBl2iblRBfuS_JcdrbuGzTyoXr3QQJzNS6e3j5pTix2SeRIRV5pO8Wr-q0wSqRaV-zaqictDMn6-aw8ES3NpsTs_JXYegS_10Jzvl6AbeOcZkK3OW39eY/s200/DSC06161.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592494189860586978" /></a><br />My 5 seconds of fame<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKVvL-LX9_vb8V2BNPLpVRWcmT-8OX191Slo3ZaK4Gav2_WaIgU4Qu82JuwfOwPxE36Q-mBDXF69HhQlR8LyhD44okDuHIdE2sGx0BR-c9Xol4laPXOKKOednVeiDUC3aPcBN1fjlnrI/s1600/DSC05961.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKVvL-LX9_vb8V2BNPLpVRWcmT-8OX191Slo3ZaK4Gav2_WaIgU4Qu82JuwfOwPxE36Q-mBDXF69HhQlR8LyhD44okDuHIdE2sGx0BR-c9Xol4laPXOKKOednVeiDUC3aPcBN1fjlnrI/s200/DSC05961.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592494041421910642" /></a><br />Finishing with a smile<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD1NwvO2NX5r2YkCP0OLXzCsHWUOvNS9iRi1cdZ63wYQS6jGjHVDZZcshg3s8ToagF7pl-COk7m5HiUFVmE9jz4nznHAMSyjbFR0Vts4fn75mWbuEaXrVOsvLm-LPnqaHp26PwOarppo/s1600/P1320572.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuD1NwvO2NX5r2YkCP0OLXzCsHWUOvNS9iRi1cdZ63wYQS6jGjHVDZZcshg3s8ToagF7pl-COk7m5HiUFVmE9jz4nznHAMSyjbFR0Vts4fn75mWbuEaXrVOsvLm-LPnqaHp26PwOarppo/s200/P1320572.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592493571680543986" /></a><br />The salida next to Parque Central<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS4y6n08SEzfCPngaxM4kh_SOjr4yjVA1p54Bu_Ij-wQlaEB0aBkd0vIdVB9eXbDOxDOqzUuTDdtmF2580udEkyE57vfRMHIEVGc23-4pMvff3AvUNQa2-M7La7zm5elINU4UezGQhoI/s1600/P1320538.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUS4y6n08SEzfCPngaxM4kh_SOjr4yjVA1p54Bu_Ij-wQlaEB0aBkd0vIdVB9eXbDOxDOqzUuTDdtmF2580udEkyE57vfRMHIEVGc23-4pMvff3AvUNQa2-M7La7zm5elINU4UezGQhoI/s200/P1320538.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592492947695650674" /></a><br />Pre-race in Pérez (you can't fully appreciate it here, but Henley is clad entirely in Nike Women's apparel)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL3xIQEALn4zzqsJLgQMO_ybGPe8p2WhQkJDCSRGNFQvTIjrCpcy8MoqqEAYcaYOpsGWTa6HQwfp0brbfmvCKg8vvZIsHz5diMAleCB5YevdAdG8wsLUF9z9uYLLCamI3Nl4No7F9vaQ/s1600/DSC01516.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmL3xIQEALn4zzqsJLgQMO_ybGPe8p2WhQkJDCSRGNFQvTIjrCpcy8MoqqEAYcaYOpsGWTa6HQwfp0brbfmvCKg8vvZIsHz5diMAleCB5YevdAdG8wsLUF9z9uYLLCamI3Nl4No7F9vaQ/s200/DSC01516.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592492715013110066" /></a><br />Cappuccinos with the Scouts<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLb1n3RgzFSActahKLHs1jglnizAykavioTyP6DTozbFj2vwRHjZWtnsoBRVfMIv0FhyF0nHJV5UsgLg6UPoe0Z1JjrXYD6Lu8O9SpRe7bYMDStO5vUgbvz934K6FZJC3lI1873h6pzUM/s1600/DSC01503.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLb1n3RgzFSActahKLHs1jglnizAykavioTyP6DTozbFj2vwRHjZWtnsoBRVfMIv0FhyF0nHJV5UsgLg6UPoe0Z1JjrXYD6Lu8O9SpRe7bYMDStO5vUgbvz934K6FZJC3lI1873h6pzUM/s200/DSC01503.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592495407289968674" /></a><br />COLLEGE!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx953osw_JFsUDcdDoWm4IFxTC0N4-IRxhTAGXwaYByGhhHQkLl8w_qmfzvt6sD9yNo91gy86r84vWZtMfjYLsvB2DozAqw-MKFiLlsjTj9jUoQNnTcPeC1qoy3zNkQd9T8JTXh-tCk8/s1600/IMG_0771.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXx953osw_JFsUDcdDoWm4IFxTC0N4-IRxhTAGXwaYByGhhHQkLl8w_qmfzvt6sD9yNo91gy86r84vWZtMfjYLsvB2DozAqw-MKFiLlsjTj9jUoQNnTcPeC1qoy3zNkQd9T8JTXh-tCk8/s200/IMG_0771.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592494576509560226" /></a><br />Relieved survivors of a swim through crocodile-infested water<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSKPkV6tKVjriXyoY9bVhAKET3wC08Y3j7Dk1yJKVu2MiBdgkMHkl1-mNNfoNCF0BhrYkuJL7iJAUJWPIcTpb79Q2vQlD9D3vP0f0hKypY-on5kx9jAqqXVVNWkZ6P5Yx2QVauaSteg8/s1600/IMG_0842.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSKPkV6tKVjriXyoY9bVhAKET3wC08Y3j7Dk1yJKVu2MiBdgkMHkl1-mNNfoNCF0BhrYkuJL7iJAUJWPIcTpb79Q2vQlD9D3vP0f0hKypY-on5kx9jAqqXVVNWkZ6P5Yx2QVauaSteg8/s200/IMG_0842.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592491491642514562" /></a><br />Drake with Jake<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAi1U6NKSNN-6Iu1iQf4rzXLndsA5hsgjNtqct76gQilrRHv3wnZ_jUbJZigvAp129hwFqYo-Pfr0DDBkgdrnzKAfYpy6ulG5YsFVWrKz1tiKUecA0Z-sFf7RcfeG5yzxCPnMhAybC_s/s1600/DSC01491.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAi1U6NKSNN-6Iu1iQf4rzXLndsA5hsgjNtqct76gQilrRHv3wnZ_jUbJZigvAp129hwFqYo-Pfr0DDBkgdrnzKAfYpy6ulG5YsFVWrKz1tiKUecA0Z-sFf7RcfeG5yzxCPnMhAybC_s/s200/DSC01491.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592490141967215074" /></a><br />The survivors of what started as a 25-person English class<br /><br />It has been an action-packed couple weeks, both work and fun. The rest of Ashley’s visit was great and included Tica pedicures, English class party, day trip to Dominical, lots of good cooking, a tour of the Thursday feria, and then a bus to San José where we met her brother, Colin, and parted ways the next day, the two of them to travel up north to La Fortuna and me to the dentist. And then the lab to get blood taken. And then the Peace Corps doctor. And then a micro-finance training session for Tico 21. Not as awesome, but all stuff I had to get done before COS-ing and things got better from there.<br /><br />Friday night Brigitte and I went to her old host mom from Tarbaca, Jacky’s house for dinner and a sleepover with her and her two daughters Stephanie and Melanie, which was a blast since I hadn’t seen any of them for a loooooong time. They are crazy and energetic as ever, and we spent most of the night on Jacky’s cozy couch watching Miss Costa Rica. <br /><br />The next morning I got up super early and took a bus all the way down to Palmar Norte, where I met Angelo and David and we were picked up by Jake in a turquoise Jeep. Yes, this is Jake Elliot from my early blogposts in Tarbaca. He lived with Mark on Gerardo’s compound and was a great friend but unfortunately left Peace Corps after a month of service. However, he came back to Costa Rica and has been working at a cool lodge called Poor Man’s Paradise in Drake’s Bay, which is on the northern end of the Osa Peninsula. He has been trying to get us to come visit for a while, and I’m so glad we were finally able to. <br /><br />We picked up Chamisa and her mom in Sierpe and then took a cool boat ride down the river through lots of Mangroves to the town of Drake’s Bay, where we picked up Mark and Chase, and then our eclectic group of seven (plus Jake and some other tourists) made our way down to Poor Man’s Paradise, a beautiful spot right on the beach with cabins on stilts hidden in the rainforest and hammocks galore. <br /><br />We spent the weekend swimming, tanning, eating, drinking, taking a hike with a crazy tour guide who convinced us to swim in an alligator-infested river and then left us to fend for ourselves coming back from a waterfall (we later found her passed out on the beach), spear-fishing and enjoying beautiful sunsets and evening bonfires. I wish we could have stayed longer, but it was a worthwhile trip and so nice to catch up with Jake and see him in his element there. He was a very good host and seems to have found a good life for himself there, though we still miss him and constantly wonder how much more interesting things would be if he were still a part of Tico 19.<br /><br />Last week was spent preparing, both mentally and physically, for a big weekend in Quebradas. On Friday night we had our quarterly ECC asamblea. Our president officially resigned and we elected a new president and vice president to the board of directors. The behind-the-scenes build up to the resignation and reelection was a bit stressful, but I feel good about the end results, and most importantly the turnout at the meeting and the support the ECC is gaining from community members. <br /><br />Friday night Adrienne and I went with some friends in San Isidro to the National University college night at a discoteca in town. It was a stoplight dance, meaning you dress in red, yellow or green according to your availability. Just like when I was in college, I think I was the only one to take the theme seriously and showed up in a green dress, red top underneath, and yellow sandals to send mixed signals. Nobody seemed to get it/care, but it was fun to check out the local college scene and try to fit in.<br /><br />Saturday morning I took the Scouts to an organic coffee processor on the Cerro de la Muerte. They gave us an interesting tour that ended with cappuccinos and iced coffee for all in a beautiful wooden cafeteria overlooking all of San Isidro. This was definitely the most exciting part, and we ended up walking all the way home down the mountain hyped up on caffeine.<br />That afternoon was the annual Scouts assembly for our group. There was even more drama leading up to the elections for this meeting, as our president and treasurer had both resigned in December and we have kind of been struggling to keep the group together since then. There was an okay turnout, but I was pretty worried there wasn’t going to be anyone willing to fill their spaces. But amazingly, when the time came, people began to step up and say things about the importance of strengthening this group for the future of the community and volunteer to be a part of it. There was some shifting around of current positions and inventing of new ones, but we ended up with a very strong and motivated board of directors and others interested in helping out as dirigentes working with the kids, which is more than I could have hoped for. <br /><br />So both of these meetings provided me with some closure around the two projects I helped start up and have devoted most of my time to in the past year. There have been various points along the way when I felt so frustrated and disillusioned by the politics of the groups that I lost motivation and didn’t even care if the groups continued on or not, but I am so glad that I am leaving at a point where both groups have been strengthened and decided to carry on not because I am pushing it or they feel like they owe me something but because the community recognizes their value. To me, the most important part of my job was getting them to that point, and I have to trust that they can take it from here.<br /><br />Saturday night Angelo and Henley came over and we made a big carbo-loading meal of pasta and garlic bread in preparation for the all uphill 12K I had somehow convinced them to run with me on Sunday from the central park in San Isidro all the way up to FUDEBIOL. It was the first annual Carrera del Agua, organized by the Pérez Zeledón Sports Committee, as part of the continuing celebrations around International Water Day. My counterparts were very excited that they had chosen FUDEBIOL to end the race, as it would provide another opportunity to do publicity for all the new amenities at the reserve and would begin what will hopefully be an annual tradition with lots of new visitors. They also told me from the beginning that I had to run it and I had to win, seeing as I run 45 minutes a few times a week so it would be easy enough to complete an entirely uphill 12K race.<br />But anyone who knows my running style knows that I am much happier on flat surfaces, and I pretty much could not have designed a more hellish race for myself at that distance. Not only was it full of unrelenting hills, but it started at 9am, which is already peak sun time. <br /><br />Anyways there were about 100 people in the race, and I ran into a lot of people I recognized from running in Quebradas. As soon as the gun went off I of course jetted ahead of Angelo and Henley, even though I had asked them to help set an even pace and told myself not to get overly excited early on, as it would make for a long, slow death at the end. But I kept spotting the few women who were in the race and then wanting to pass them, so off I went.<br /><br />About 35 minutes into the run, when I thought the uphill would never end and the sun couldn’t get any hotter, we finally got a long downhill in the shade and then turned back onto the main road in the center of Quebradas. All of a sudden I heard all these people shouting my name, and for the next 500 meters or so I felt like a celebrity as everyone was cheering for me, and I even mustered a smile. The last 2.5 kilomters up to FUDEBIOL were the worst of all, but I was reenergized by the cheering and knowing I was close-ish to the end of my pain. Henley caught up to me and pulled me along for a while, and he finished just ahead of me and Angelo just behind, which was pretty cool despite us not running much of the race together. <br /><br />Lightheaded and nauseous, I was greeted with big hugs from my counterparts and cameras and microphones from the local news channels. Apparently I was the second woman to finish, and everyone wanted to know how to spell my name, which takes more breath to explain in Spanish than one might imagine. I didn’t finish in a particularly fast time and it wasn’t a very competitive field, but nobody there really knew that and they were all just very excited that I was the second woman and first in my age group. I got to go on stage to accept my award, which was 70 thousand colones (about $140!) and a certificate for a free lab test at the local health clinic…hmmmmm. <br /><br />I was mostly relieved that I hadn’t let down my counterparts or totally hit a wall halfway through the race, as I have known to do from time to time. It was really cool to have so many people cheering for me and to feel like they were proud of me for representing Quebradas and being a strong woman. It was also really nice to have my Peace Corps friends there to run with and enjoy the post-race meal and festivities. And tonight I have invited everyone in town to Bar Pelos for a celebratory drink with my newfound cash flow…<br /><br />*Copyright Angelo Coclanis, bi-lingual pun-masterKatie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-66722330605841956592011-03-21T10:29:00.007-06:002011-03-21T11:53:33.973-06:00Feria del Agua, super-sized<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ohrfnd-shE2a1_TJ6LNd74vGx67oCpH-kVQ6Z9A0m7A3C5VnJPK1NXNcWlnotzUkuNG7G509rr5ac_I018i6O1OarBVfZHniSJJD8MbwK4G-73IZAnM2ICNVKwmq4t4gQwwyAkXdT74/s1600/P3200641.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ohrfnd-shE2a1_TJ6LNd74vGx67oCpH-kVQ6Z9A0m7A3C5VnJPK1NXNcWlnotzUkuNG7G509rr5ac_I018i6O1OarBVfZHniSJJD8MbwK4G-73IZAnM2ICNVKwmq4t4gQwwyAkXdT74/s200/P3200641.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586592710951602642" /></a><br />Last andaribel ride of the day<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnntzIRp2tdBhA8GpnP5NpdToQxP0vt7gqKsc0cUWQCwFiITxykQ7vEs9iZOTMQln1BibWmuyCn0QbxPJlj7IFv9K1JH0Eav4zDuB1jZUNTsVMwDtnX5ByDxKbKgXSnPPmqQkOeywJRi0/s1600/P3200639.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnntzIRp2tdBhA8GpnP5NpdToQxP0vt7gqKsc0cUWQCwFiITxykQ7vEs9iZOTMQln1BibWmuyCn0QbxPJlj7IFv9K1JH0Eav4zDuB1jZUNTsVMwDtnX5ByDxKbKgXSnPPmqQkOeywJRi0/s200/P3200639.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586592424002688802" /></a><br />Water-ballooning with the Scouts<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeD2nol79VZ4B-82UZbcKg4QJ9OkW3r1xY6SBbbOXioL_-jE_8dipqLndKvmnT7JflO3ktzHljWhew7zFHc-eACgTCjmLWMijElbTXlBbDWk4jZ2YU5Guwy2tZDE9_etmXBhbsHX5SgI/s1600/DSC01467.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeD2nol79VZ4B-82UZbcKg4QJ9OkW3r1xY6SBbbOXioL_-jE_8dipqLndKvmnT7JflO3ktzHljWhew7zFHc-eACgTCjmLWMijElbTXlBbDWk4jZ2YU5Guwy2tZDE9_etmXBhbsHX5SgI/s200/DSC01467.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586577458776427378" /></a><br />Our very intimidating women's soccer team<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLY2efCDZ00152-sW5diPF8HEIeAsucIoqrQJVr6pz4RTxqSmDQT-IJ0o7gUSFfiQljDxTAJGYtBb-T9QXx6doA028HrUljU3RTir37XOzo03yOXsdQmPU3PFDG4-4H4xTEuamuHI7lAc/s1600/DSC01439.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLY2efCDZ00152-sW5diPF8HEIeAsucIoqrQJVr6pz4RTxqSmDQT-IJ0o7gUSFfiQljDxTAJGYtBb-T9QXx6doA028HrUljU3RTir37XOzo03yOXsdQmPU3PFDG4-4H4xTEuamuHI7lAc/s200/DSC01439.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586576661311602674" /></a><br />The ladies of AJAQ (Alianza de Jóvenes Ambientalistas de Quebradas)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgal7drIhyphenhyphenTG9BCscz5np5HbbQnt2GHHLNZDTYrZk-6FamL4Bte_0kTaXpE1DJGXCWgTruipkzhE_7UDYDZwjKhqXCsSuypg8n9SmKmv_tK6vpMOLybColIatAKhM1tQ9f3BBAcxhatj90/s1600/DSC01437.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgal7drIhyphenhyphenTG9BCscz5np5HbbQnt2GHHLNZDTYrZk-6FamL4Bte_0kTaXpE1DJGXCWgTruipkzhE_7UDYDZwjKhqXCsSuypg8n9SmKmv_tK6vpMOLybColIatAKhM1tQ9f3BBAcxhatj90/s200/DSC01437.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586574993120070738" /></a><br />Lamb or sheep? You tell me...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-1_5lSu6TOtKPRgCtx5LKACXXQTia5PD2VuiOBgVyo-vrZG3PaES1N36fOp-jJAKTFlreM-rsF2FRMd9YyVX175HmcqvNSRrK_AIzcgzWKyT72HWL2BbwgBv35apwGdfUFhfL2Pj20o/s1600/DSC01432.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx-1_5lSu6TOtKPRgCtx5LKACXXQTia5PD2VuiOBgVyo-vrZG3PaES1N36fOp-jJAKTFlreM-rsF2FRMd9YyVX175HmcqvNSRrK_AIzcgzWKyT72HWL2BbwgBv35apwGdfUFhfL2Pj20o/s200/DSC01432.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586572989231497810" /></a><br />Dancing in the dark<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xsXXYQ1CRgWomd7pOxp-5d6yKX_CItCB-3w_7XTiUmSt0ZKpmrj4_NHbD5YLmxYBuXmOZdyh-YwF4nzyvBwDN7lcXIQTC17pGo4Qv-z2kjoRLYtTLaiDCqPuN5qInAcJxQ9nmId01Pg/s1600/P3190599.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xsXXYQ1CRgWomd7pOxp-5d6yKX_CItCB-3w_7XTiUmSt0ZKpmrj4_NHbD5YLmxYBuXmOZdyh-YwF4nzyvBwDN7lcXIQTC17pGo4Qv-z2kjoRLYtTLaiDCqPuN5qInAcJxQ9nmId01Pg/s200/P3190599.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5586592071771941362" /></a><br />Ribbon-cutting ceremony<br /><br />This weekend was the culmination of many of my projects in Quebradas, and definitely a high point in my Peace Corps service. I think the experience is best represented by the fact that I wore three different uniforms in one day, as pictured above.<br />The excitement began on Friday night, when I met Ashley Campbell at the bus station in San Isidro. As promised, she was able to make time in her crazy med school schedule to come visit me before I left, and it was so great to give her a hug after a year and a half without seeing each other. <br /><br />After a delicious meal at El Gato Sin Dueño (the best restaurant in San Isidro which I am sad to report is closing in June), I mentally prepared her for what was going to be a whirlwind weekend, and even more so for her in a foreign language.<br />On Saturday morning we went up with two Scouts’ mothers to Gilberth’s house, where he handed us giant raw legs of sheep and pig to chop up into pieces and marinate for the kebabs we were going to be selling on Sunday. Luckily, the mothers knew what they were doing and took charge, and Ashley and I stuck to the vegetables and the marinade. <br /><br />We then headed over to FUDEBIOL, where at 11am there was a formal inauguration of three big new projects, two of which I helped fund. The mayor of San Isidro and local assemblywoman were there, as well as representatives from other organizations that had helped fund projects with FUDEBIOL, and all the former presidents of the foundation. They did a little presentation and the Junta members of FUDEBIOL said really nice things about all my contributions to the organization and presented me with a certificate, and the mayor recognized my accomplishments in his speech as well, which was pretty cool. Then we went outside for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the renovated office, the solar panels and the andaribel, a new installation which is kind of like a zipline except you sit down and have to peddle your way across the rainforest. I got to cut the ribbon for the solar panels, and everyone was really interested in the project and curious as to how it worked.<br /><br />After a big lunch at FUDEBIOL, we got a ride back down to Quebradas, where I had to make an appearance at our development association’s annual assembly. Although I have hardly worked with them and they have never seemed very open to working with me, they insisted that I be there, so I knew they were planning something. After starting an hour late and sitting through all the formalities, they finally said they had someone special they wanted to recognize this year and called me up and actually apologized for not being more willing to work with me because now they saw how many contributions I had made in the community and they wished they had taken more advantage. Unfortunate that it took them this long to figure it out, but it was a really nice gesture, especially coming from a culture that does not like to acknowledge conflict or mistakes. They then presented me with a box of Costa Rican kitch: a Pura Vida t-shirt, a hot pink beach bag that says Costa Rica, and a magnet in the shape of a flip flop. Amazing.<br /><br />THEN, we started making our way back up to FUDEBIOL, along with new additions Nisha and David from Tico 20, who came up for the weekend festivities. Luckily we were able to hitch a ride and had time to put on our party dresses before the evening’s event, a full moon concert in the woods, began. We settled into the albergue where we would be spending the night and then came down for our welcome cocktail, where we made Adrienne and Jostin and my friend José, who were all my guests for the evening. The concert began at around 6:30 with some classical pieces by high school students from the school of music in San Isidro. After a short intermission, “El Big Band” from the National University came on the stage and played some fun rock and roll and tropical music, which was really upbeat and even got some of us dancing on the grass by the end. At around 7:20, they called us all out from under the tents where we were sitting because the moon was beginning to rise above the trees, and they turned all the lights off on stage and started playing some jazz pieces. As we all stood there watching the full moon rise, the musicians came out into the crowd and serenaded us. I don’t think I have ever consciously watched the moon rise before, but it was pretty cool to do surrounded by nature, music and friends.<br /><br />The celebration continued later that evening with a barbeque at Gilberth’s house. The menu included polenta, bleu cheese and caramel popcorn hors d’ oeuvres, followed by meat, meat and more meat. All the members of the FUDEBIOL Junta were there with their families, and everyone was in good spirits after the very successful evening. An in-depth conversation ensued about the difference between lamb and sheep (or cordero and oveja in Spanish) as we tried to figure out what we were actually eating. Conclusion: I’d rather not think about it. Then I broke a wine glass and we decided it was time for the gringos to go home.<br />Sunday morning started with a brisk hike through the FUDEBIOL trails with David, Nisha and Ashley, and then it was time to work as people were already starting to arrive for the Feria del Agua. I put on my first uniform, newly printed t-shirts that had our names on the front and the AJAQ logo and slogan on the back for the environmental youth group that was in charge of giving tours of the butterfly garden all day. They did a great job of getting organized and had even written down some talking points beforehand to help them on the tour. <br /><br />After running back and forth for the first few hours between AJAQ, the Scouts mothers selling kebabs, and the Empresa de Crédito group selling snowcones, I suited up in my Scouts gear for our water-themed games, which included a water balloon toss that degenerated into everyone throwing balloons at each other. It got a little crazy, but a good time was had by all. After shoveling my face with my almuerzo campesino lunch, I changed into my final uniform of the day for our women’s soccer game and then stopped by the renewable energy charla that Purasol was giving before heading to the field. I was really excited to see that all day people were stopping by the solar panels and asking about them and seemed really fascinated by the technology. A nine-year old boy even asked how much the solar water heated cost because he was hoping to bring one home with him!<br />We had enough girls show up to the soccer game this time to have two subs, which is a huge success in itself. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone who likes/knows how to play goalie, and we got beat pretty bad, but everyone seemed to have fun and I scored two goals and Ashley played some solid defense, so no complaints.<br /><br />Finally, it was time to change into regular clothes and pack up and help clean up and say goodbye to everyone. Ashley and I snuck in to be the last people of the afternoon to get to ride the andaribel, which was a fun way to end an exhausting but exhilarating weekend. We got a ride down from FUDEBIOL with Pierre and Arine, the Belgian and Dutch couple from Purasol, along with their baby, two students from the National University, don Jesús, and a solar water heater. It was a tight fit, but resulted in a dinner invitation for Indonesian food and wine at their house in San Isidro on Wednesday night, so again, no complaints. <br /><br />So that’s the play-by-play of Feria del Agua weekend, which is something I have been working up to in various ways for a long time, and was a really fun and satisfying way to see a lot of my projects come to a head. Ashley commented about how cool it was just to see that everyone there knows me and relies on me to get things organized and asks me questions about what’s going on, and although that sometimes drives me crazy, it also is the best part. I feel like such an integral part of this community at this point, and I will probably never again know my neighbors so well and love them so much. <br />I’m so glad I got to share this weekend with great friends, old and new alike, and I am already penciling in the date to come back and visit for spring break next year!Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-23953844356353601292011-03-17T08:10:00.006-06:002011-03-17T08:31:52.628-06:00Hooray!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLGLSnrrMIqWX68WN2hucal9AcrbVULRAH5w4BLu3eskLYrUONHSJIhdGhD-pG1qKVr-4BpM7h8Z0GFRU8p0kEcA3y6g0k2BqUSB-_nbrxhNDjtZ4vPTEf8zk_hR2OXGSUhqAGDBBVRI/s1600/DSC01388.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLGLSnrrMIqWX68WN2hucal9AcrbVULRAH5w4BLu3eskLYrUONHSJIhdGhD-pG1qKVr-4BpM7h8Z0GFRU8p0kEcA3y6g0k2BqUSB-_nbrxhNDjtZ4vPTEf8zk_hR2OXGSUhqAGDBBVRI/s200/DSC01388.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585051808014134370" /></a><br />The modern version of tree-hugging<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPU_tT36HsK1PQPD-drK4X2Gr_pRw7orrke-dSs7ah27vn4-dCgJBZzfZxd_HSHDakPTbCk6uI60XH50zJbMAIk2ykxeVBXB6-HXaMl6TYCwFfguMHjIaBoZGG4DV6pN_6WUExMqmK4Q/s1600/DSC01372.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPU_tT36HsK1PQPD-drK4X2Gr_pRw7orrke-dSs7ah27vn4-dCgJBZzfZxd_HSHDakPTbCk6uI60XH50zJbMAIk2ykxeVBXB6-HXaMl6TYCwFfguMHjIaBoZGG4DV6pN_6WUExMqmK4Q/s200/DSC01372.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585055851024367122" /></a><br />Team Purasol<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBVGwsD9iEcFPuSZ9vYOKOm3m9H96YCeS3cq0P9KXlRZpAKr3sM7LU381FOBeUh4_TqaX5_dL4ioea0cQ_WxfyxIdr6GA9nzALq2svEFGh0zDpPrCSlB8gXHEfU36qx62yt4B5xRidAQ/s1600/DSC01367.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBVGwsD9iEcFPuSZ9vYOKOm3m9H96YCeS3cq0P9KXlRZpAKr3sM7LU381FOBeUh4_TqaX5_dL4ioea0cQ_WxfyxIdr6GA9nzALq2svEFGh0zDpPrCSlB8gXHEfU36qx62yt4B5xRidAQ/s200/DSC01367.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585052683140323762" /></a><br />A Herculean effort to install<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KT6jK83U_KkGIQkouoz277tMuS1cw3eJL1zIXnxPfqKN21KpPWeyYMXVFZSmldgPImqzkNRBn-5DO7A3wG86SBYu-WEUnXsqstE6vbbnf57-235VxFZWvXqgyeWgkK0a1-2w9i773Rk/s1600/DSC01385.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KT6jK83U_KkGIQkouoz277tMuS1cw3eJL1zIXnxPfqKN21KpPWeyYMXVFZSmldgPImqzkNRBn-5DO7A3wG86SBYu-WEUnXsqstE6vbbnf57-235VxFZWvXqgyeWgkK0a1-2w9i773Rk/s200/DSC01385.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585054363284323410" /></a><br />Already blending in with nature<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOPuQEkMqI5MMmVWKGpj0a3AypLJM3NoceU2JIfXXEycdVmp65Uo3PkilvnW3uVVZTmW-c7nNzgj6EVVEkc3X063s8MTrokmT_kstoJkFgty3U6Aav6ci3_GHFT-Eobynu6-vlgm5MnE/s1600/DSC01383.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOPuQEkMqI5MMmVWKGpj0a3AypLJM3NoceU2JIfXXEycdVmp65Uo3PkilvnW3uVVZTmW-c7nNzgj6EVVEkc3X063s8MTrokmT_kstoJkFgty3U6Aav6ci3_GHFT-Eobynu6-vlgm5MnE/s200/DSC01383.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585053373503181778" /></a><br />The ICE team giving their seal of approval<br /><br />I am THRILLED to report that just in the nick of time, the Quebradas Biological Center has three highly-functional solar panels planted in its verdant gardens. The installation process only took two weeks longer than expected, which isn’t so bad by Costa Rican standards. And most importantly, they are ready for their big debut at the Feria del Agua this weekend.<br />Three representatives from ICE, the national energy and telecommunications company, came to FUDEBIOL yesterday and officially approved the project and switched on the panels, thereby connecting them to the national electricity grid. We are only the eighth project in the country, and the first in Pérez Zeledón, to fulfill the requirements to participate in the ICE pilot renewable energy project. <br />I just wanted to thank everyone again who donated to the project. It could never have happened without your support. I feel pretty proud of this achievement and excited about the possibilities it will open up for FUDEBIOL and hopefully other interested environmental organizations or environmentally-minded individuals in the future. For me, this moment was, well…electric.Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-3623400005606405042011-03-14T10:22:00.006-06:002011-03-14T10:36:35.549-06:00The Two-Year Mark<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6si0375sOe0B9ATh_84sTqu9LPgk01pQGr-temLIeeHJGfT0SpOb1cMeDuEdMiefIQZFSoWnkbQzpUVo7a_eWsZno7TOwoB72gXuRseOcq2xhoJRozA31HfeHfW4ddajpFpDl8admK2U/s1600/IMG_0614.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6si0375sOe0B9ATh_84sTqu9LPgk01pQGr-temLIeeHJGfT0SpOb1cMeDuEdMiefIQZFSoWnkbQzpUVo7a_eWsZno7TOwoB72gXuRseOcq2xhoJRozA31HfeHfW4ddajpFpDl8admK2U/s200/IMG_0614.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583975201251901650" /></a><br />Team Chirripo<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvWduMM83XzAJB-2yU4-EBCyLCcTuwQyVFL-AI2Rd8MymEyyW1GO-_zSJb-QAzJwFszUUG6QlBJCSbyaqyrhoCAZPp_ziLzcqezxqMOGDaNls6wMSQoj_VXiRgX3gbyKK471dVK3xPJk/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvWduMM83XzAJB-2yU4-EBCyLCcTuwQyVFL-AI2Rd8MymEyyW1GO-_zSJb-QAzJwFszUUG6QlBJCSbyaqyrhoCAZPp_ziLzcqezxqMOGDaNls6wMSQoj_VXiRgX3gbyKK471dVK3xPJk/s200/IMG_0585.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583974752991792162" /></a><br />Happy birthday Howard!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtZ7vFEi926wbcW8xs1FKinv8_RL8NRsqaP1XIkYNGrpIUM7c3Zy0Q51_EzlG7zKNN0c9uLNIF06pWsvfbjqzZbN2IaM0FC0n492Eno1m74y_FwkJ9ZdNq5y4hF8PSGzcbM3AfbkWpy4/s1600/IMG_0601.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtZ7vFEi926wbcW8xs1FKinv8_RL8NRsqaP1XIkYNGrpIUM7c3Zy0Q51_EzlG7zKNN0c9uLNIF06pWsvfbjqzZbN2IaM0FC0n492Eno1m74y_FwkJ9ZdNq5y4hF8PSGzcbM3AfbkWpy4/s200/IMG_0601.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583974159585304882" /></a><br />Plastic bag leg-warmers: eco-chic<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwxrGdsv1Uq4qyUPJ28V-Zb4C-oJ6df92k-14kAP-p9xph-HCXtpOup7Kzkm7yrm9AAuzRUkwlN0sMR3V8jiKkKho8wA_P41_eE-J2_7G4mRsWVy87cIURfUzywMf0480IOsSM5paUuY/s1600/DSC01337.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwxrGdsv1Uq4qyUPJ28V-Zb4C-oJ6df92k-14kAP-p9xph-HCXtpOup7Kzkm7yrm9AAuzRUkwlN0sMR3V8jiKkKho8wA_P41_eE-J2_7G4mRsWVy87cIURfUzywMf0480IOsSM5paUuY/s200/DSC01337.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583973883237768514" /></a><br />Mujeres poderosas<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhM-U58sqxr4o-TsaSNp-vIr5ALp5LArlT0XahLX8Fc0Hzi2D6nnswgKtrNAOIf6l7no3s2A5Omw5DDR6gRbi08hHAb3ucYSmtfYIs15dGUDYXIVakiJbvxAc4nUsRs7iWA7-SXBddOw/s1600/DSC01363.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhM-U58sqxr4o-TsaSNp-vIr5ALp5LArlT0XahLX8Fc0Hzi2D6nnswgKtrNAOIf6l7no3s2A5Omw5DDR6gRbi08hHAb3ucYSmtfYIs15dGUDYXIVakiJbvxAc4nUsRs7iWA7-SXBddOw/s200/DSC01363.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583972985533504354" /></a><br />The San Francisco DeWitts arrive to Quebradas<br /><br />Friday, March 11 marked my two years living in Costa Rica, with only two months to go until my Close of Service date. The occasion was celebrated in due fashion, with a group trip up Chirripo, which I had also summitted at my one-year in country anniversary. <br />After much back-and-forth trying to set the dates and make a reservation, we were able to assemble a dream team for the trip: Adrienne, Mark, Howard, Angelo (a guest star from Tico 20), Adrienne’s friend Veronica and her boyfriend Jostin, a key player who used to work as a porter there and got us an under-the-table reservation that only cost us a bottle of whiskey for the park ranger. <br />We started hiking a little before 6am on Tuesday morning and got to the albergue at 3400 meters by noon, enjoyed some coffee and snacks and then Angelo, Mark and I set out to explore another trail to a peak 3.1 kilometers away. When we had gone just far enough to not want to turn back, it started to pour rain, thunder and eventually sleet and hail on us. After multiple stops for cover under nearby trees and debate about which way to turn, we decided to go for it and made it to the top, soaked to the bone. Needless to say, there was no rewarding view awaiting us, but we thought everyone would be very impressed when we got back to the albergue.<br />Turned out, nobody really cared and we were stuck with a bunch of wet clothes and only the possibility of freezing cold jet-stream of water showers before us. Fortunately, just by saying we knew Jostin got us the in to use the staff drying machine, so all was not lost.<br />That evening we celebrated Howard’s birthday with boxed wine and Disney princess hats and passed out early in anticipation of our 3:30am wakeup time and general exhaustion. The next morning we started our hike a little before 4am, equipped with flashlights, many layers of clothing, and plastic bags over our socks to insulate our feet from our wet shoes. The stars at that hour were amazing, and we were hiking up to the summit of Chirripo right as the sun rose. It was breathtaking, literally (the last 100 meters or so are pretty straight up) and figuratively. <br />It was a clear and crisp morning, although a layer of clouds below prevented us from seeing both oceans. We could, however, see mountains and volcanoes popping through the cloud layer, and a full moon, courtesy of Angelo. We passed around a bottle of champagne in continued celebration of Howard’s birthday and took lots of pictures until we realized how cold we were and hurried back down the mountain. <br />We made it back down to San Gerardo that afternoon and after taking long, relatively warmer showers, had a very satisfying steak dinner at Bazooka’s, the American restaurant in San Isidro. Chirripo still remains one of my favorite places in Costa Rica the second time around, and it was so much fun to share the experience with some of my favorite people.<br /><br />Meanwhile, back in Quebradas, things are busy as ever getting ready for the Feria del Agua, the annual event at FUDEBIOL that is going to be bigger and better than ever this year and entails the inauguration of many new projects, including the office renovation and renewable energy projects I helped fund. My main charge has been coordinating the programming and food sales with the community groups who will be participating as well as selling tickets and helping with publicity. If any of you are free next weekend, there’s still space!<br />On Friday, I had another very early morning, catching a 5am bus to San José with Karla, an 8th grade girl in Quebradas, and her mother, for a Peace Corps sponsored conference called Voces Valorosas in honor of International Women’s Day. The conference was for girls who had submitted entries to a publication that the Peace Corps Women in Development/Gender in Development Committee puts together and been selected to be published. I had encouraged Karla to submit because she has always liked to do creative pieces for our community newspaper and is super-motivated and intelligent. When she was selected, it took a bit of convincing to get her father to let her and her mother come to the conference, but they somehow managed and we had a great time. There was a great panel of female professionals in different fields and separate workshops for the girls and the moms about gender roles and careers and opportunities for women. It was a great way for young girls to meet other smart, motivated young girls from all around the country and find out about resources available to them. Although I could hardly keep my eyes open by the end of the day, Karla and her mom were giddy with excitement the whole trip home, which of course made it worth it.<br />Yesterday I learned more than I ever needed to know about butterflies during a charla that I helped organize for our youth group that is working on the butterfly garden project and planning to give tours at the Feria del Agua (most fun fact: they can’t bite their food, only suck it up through this coiled tube inside their heads). Then I played in a women’s soccer game that Adrienne joined me for in Morazán, and none other than Uncle Danny and Aunt Boo showed up to cheer us on for the second half. They had been traveling up north for the past five days and were ending their trip with a visit down south.<br />I spent the night with them at Monte Azul, where we were spoiled as always by actually hot showers and delicious food. The next morning we came back to Quebradas and I gave them the tour, starting at my apartment and making our way up to FUDEBIOL, stopping to talk to the artisan group that was painting a new rock, buy some jam from jam ladies and take lots of pictures of the India Dormida. After a picnic lunch and tour of the grounds, we were invited to don Gilberth’s finca for cafecito on his balcony overlooking all of San Isidro, a lovely end to an active day.<br />As I am starting to ponder how I am going to manage to get all the possessions I have accumulated over two years into two suitcases when I pack up in May, I sent Danny and Boo home with an eclectic assortment of goods I do not anticipate needing in the next two months, including my hand-welded menorah, alpaca sweater, broken computer and Peruvian ceramic bowl. It was great to see them and weird/exciting that I could say ‘see you soon’ when we said goodbye and mean it. <br />But the end still feels distant, as there is so much work to be done and fun to be had between now and then. Of course I wouldn’t have it any other way.Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-15582515220410456552011-02-26T16:02:00.004-06:002011-02-28T09:45:39.532-06:00Closing Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvMzq8IAbVBmOmk6MslvU5i7DaJrx4oXo-3Phjrn74o3rLctboszuHK4wHwMoeOxaWwmsKokpNqFqYPkkAK7jUw1AVXpAnwim2der2RNYSnQEd-u6vk86PPGLVOX_4nBe8I6gYOzUjMg/s1600/DSC01238.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglvMzq8IAbVBmOmk6MslvU5i7DaJrx4oXo-3Phjrn74o3rLctboszuHK4wHwMoeOxaWwmsKokpNqFqYPkkAK7jUw1AVXpAnwim2der2RNYSnQEd-u6vk86PPGLVOX_4nBe8I6gYOzUjMg/s200/DSC01238.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578766890325798290" /></a><br />The 46 survivors of Tico 19<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-AK1ltZ8w3RIDZbin_1GYVK1mIgHH0pPjyfvVaoVXl-IM_F8qr8ZebdARJPlTS7xQsvSUZD4LNoMVHZI5fozeSK9ce3IiwTWsFyy8Q4DtWUjmtIJo9UWaMU9sUepU6YWfR-88vHS55M/s1600/DSC01233.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-AK1ltZ8w3RIDZbin_1GYVK1mIgHH0pPjyfvVaoVXl-IM_F8qr8ZebdARJPlTS7xQsvSUZD4LNoMVHZI5fozeSK9ce3IiwTWsFyy8Q4DtWUjmtIJo9UWaMU9sUepU6YWfR-88vHS55M/s200/DSC01233.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578765578080698018" /></a><br />Team CED<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaAjzwlTJ76Nbjak_SS7vKVGqLLNhZVunHHnPaLJpnG34lqj6OSxoaFHcz6fPFh8Km3k731VwUhM_2hJBHa6edqZNAUWB9OneU5R4Prui8o8ujjau7PojVH8VOGTCl0C7cMEP_83wev4/s1600/DSC01256.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaAjzwlTJ76Nbjak_SS7vKVGqLLNhZVunHHnPaLJpnG34lqj6OSxoaFHcz6fPFh8Km3k731VwUhM_2hJBHa6edqZNAUWB9OneU5R4Prui8o8ujjau7PojVH8VOGTCl0C7cMEP_83wev4/s200/DSC01256.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578764482573099346" /></a><br />The CED mafia survivors...a few hours later<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuzvjG6q3huv-7zRFXLwqA4lu32im2JsnMvvsamiibEVPn5GIO58-6ShyphenhyphenpcrJFL4AjFA2WvTQvCz7FecoInbSaneiuaLQG-wDHpR7zolYZSAG0LOzJDCa-1xW2Y8Yi9aLscJkhtMyVAk/s1600/Imagen0052.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuzvjG6q3huv-7zRFXLwqA4lu32im2JsnMvvsamiibEVPn5GIO58-6ShyphenhyphenpcrJFL4AjFA2WvTQvCz7FecoInbSaneiuaLQG-wDHpR7zolYZSAG0LOzJDCa-1xW2Y8Yi9aLscJkhtMyVAk/s200/Imagen0052.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578123053918368546" /></a><br />Late-night shake at Soda Tapia <br /><br />Well the final Peace Corps acronym is upon me: COS. Although I feel like I have been looking forward to this moment for many months, it somehow snuck up on me and I am feeling more conflicted and nostalgic than I imagined I would at this point.<br /><br />We had our official Close of Service conference last week, which was the last time all of Tico 19 would be together as a group. We came with 52 people two years ago, and 46 made it to the conference. Not a single person in our group left willingly (mostly medical reasons), which is pretty rare. We got to spend three nights at the fancy Crowne Plaza Hotel in San José and spent our days talking about the logistical and emotional components of finishing up our time as PCV’s in Costa Rica.<br /><br />It was definitely the most fun and rewarding Peace Corps conference I’ve been to. Instead of worrying about what we were going to do with the rest of our service, we were reflecting on all that we had (and hadn’t) done and enjoying our time together.<br /><br />Some of the highlights for me included: a session on strategies for readjustment in which we had to do skits about things we might feel inclined to do when we get back to the US and other people will think is weird – for example, greeting every person you walk by, hanging out at people’s houses uninvited for an entire afternoon, and slipping into Spanglish when the Spanish word articulates what you want to say better. <br /><br />There was also a panel of four returned Peace Corps Volunteers who were all living and working in Costa Rica, and it was interesting to hear about the paths they’d taken. All of them had either married host country nationals or another Peace Corps Volunteer, so that sparked a lot of curiosity from the many PCVs in my group who are involved in serious relationships with Ticos and trying to figure out the next step.<br /><br />On the last day of the conference, each project group was responsible for making a presentation to the entire Peace Corps staff about the projects we had achieved and the impact we had made. Of course, the Children, Youth and Families team did a tear-jerking slideshow with Bar Mitzvah video classics such as Time of Your Life and Imagine, while my Community Economic Development group took a more individualistic and ironic approach. We called ourselves the CED mafia and did a lineup (the boys dressed in Crowne Plaza bathrobes, which was a nice touch) and showed pictures and facts about each volunteer and then the staff “witnesses” had to guess the culprit – all to the soundtrack of Bad Boys. I’m just saying, I think we got the most laughs.<br />Afterwards, each staff member presented us with a signed thank you card and we had our final session, which I thought was going to be painfully cheesy but ended up being kind of beautiful. Throughout the week, we were each responsible for coming up with a six word memoir of our experience and writing it on the front of a card, and then on the inside our fellow PCV’s had to write six words about us. In our final session, we got in a big circle and were each handed a card that we had to present to the person it belonged to. Maybe two years as a PCV has softened me, but I got a little emotional, and I was not the only one. It’s weird because we didn’t all see each other as much as you see your high school and college friends since we were scattered all over the country, but the shared experience we went through and the times we did spend together created a bond and respect among everyone in that circle. I guess it was the first time it hit me that I would miss all these people, and mostly being a part of this group.<br /><br />Thursday evening festivities started off with the Skill Slam, a challenge that fellow PCV Chase Adam had put upon us during Pre-Service Training to devote some of our anticipated free time in the upcoming two years to developing a totally new skill. We each put in 2,000 colones, which meant a pot of about $200. Twelve people ended up participating, showing off everything from lock-picking to assembling a Rubik’s cube at record speed to walking from the Nicaraguan to Panamanian border in 15 days to Latin dancing, which was ultimately the winner. We then got a big group out to Steinvorth, the one hipster bar in Costa Rica, followed by a serious dance party at Bar Morazán and ending where all the best nights end, having late-night French fries and milkshakes (Chase opted for gallo pinto) at a 24-hour diner.<br /><br />Now I’m back in Quebradas helping sell snow cones at our community parties and preparing for our annual women’s soccer game tomorrow. The karaoke outside my window last night was incessant until midnight, but instead of shoving in earplugs and trying to shut it out, I went down and ate chicarones and bizcocho with my friends. And I thought, I’m actually going to miss this…Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-21217323330022731612011-02-17T09:36:00.006-06:002011-02-17T10:48:45.697-06:00Panamania<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmMdAKM4H5apy5uHz-ulY_NR9JDOqClFbZYoNys4TiDB7u5Jw-KAMOiQbXE5KUOEiqFvacG0YhUFSXKJxp1-2fVHDOGHQJYYvexuYLdrRimq8XPlL0oiKvIGAl2tJ1Nnt7WLOghDETCY/s1600/DSC01050.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmMdAKM4H5apy5uHz-ulY_NR9JDOqClFbZYoNys4TiDB7u5Jw-KAMOiQbXE5KUOEiqFvacG0YhUFSXKJxp1-2fVHDOGHQJYYvexuYLdrRimq8XPlL0oiKvIGAl2tJ1Nnt7WLOghDETCY/s200/DSC01050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574701108243822818" /></a><br />Locked in!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUgQozeL3Y679ajbf-yZrqvfLvcrWWLfP_suRJNNtqGhVbAYcpEiMUL_1bbSNaZWvPOuoERky8_uh4YnCn-FHXfGysFhoxKhEgpw62J_mH9xdk412ffA6pvNsBv0UaCX5SZFda5gUrmY/s1600/DSC01113.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUgQozeL3Y679ajbf-yZrqvfLvcrWWLfP_suRJNNtqGhVbAYcpEiMUL_1bbSNaZWvPOuoERky8_uh4YnCn-FHXfGysFhoxKhEgpw62J_mH9xdk412ffA6pvNsBv0UaCX5SZFda5gUrmY/s200/DSC01113.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574699733293153266" /></a><br />Snorkeling, swimming and sunning on the island<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCalJczJkGzpkfTf3kRw3S6JFI_Av-IXtBlgrHUKPeEoMDweZFcLIW6N4l-iYZW_U3Q7Dpf-cUDhhsjhY1hgZPSwtN6q5ErpjcoAYa6dejYCROALFZ2biGO-Nq-NHGRLFCpP7EcsL5UF0/s1600/DSC01144.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCalJczJkGzpkfTf3kRw3S6JFI_Av-IXtBlgrHUKPeEoMDweZFcLIW6N4l-iYZW_U3Q7Dpf-cUDhhsjhY1hgZPSwtN6q5ErpjcoAYa6dejYCROALFZ2biGO-Nq-NHGRLFCpP7EcsL5UF0/s200/DSC01144.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574698461057113570" /></a><br />Rebuilding after the fire<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U-2PIe21NL8miL_ADb3Zu3KdkTdo-hVWoQIl2JFshCW0_0n_0vPJEVlnree03wLHrbvTMrngCiKGPJJfWEDe581Ls7wvkAb07Kny04uG8Evu__c0NRISIhN6ugxUbtJqJQ9oIFlpwu0/s1600/DSC01159.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-U-2PIe21NL8miL_ADb3Zu3KdkTdo-hVWoQIl2JFshCW0_0n_0vPJEVlnree03wLHrbvTMrngCiKGPJJfWEDe581Ls7wvkAb07Kny04uG8Evu__c0NRISIhN6ugxUbtJqJQ9oIFlpwu0/s200/DSC01159.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574697473960511506" /></a><br />Me and the Kuna ladies<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjYBEummc8R-GoZhf9IWR-zeewknHM_oV4Dy5rPuPn-dI508bBPxKreV-En1cA1AthcCuZp8J2lK9Rw-nOPLO5g_ITentsxpx5aHha44S7fio8Cekpq25h6x837YYMxHeRSoBYoEFQ9E/s1600/DSC01167.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjYBEummc8R-GoZhf9IWR-zeewknHM_oV4Dy5rPuPn-dI508bBPxKreV-En1cA1AthcCuZp8J2lK9Rw-nOPLO5g_ITentsxpx5aHha44S7fio8Cekpq25h6x837YYMxHeRSoBYoEFQ9E/s200/DSC01167.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574685100439613954" /></a><br />Rainbow in Boquete<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iMQScPSM5SWHliSKYjrLAWMvL0WzGkMs4kPvl9HuI2ycSeFNG5D9rWxhLLa1q8fqCMWYIMWw_UeK9dY8MdzpO4QWvYNqH9ACUo125bgnUv-9lytIzsUC4oKk7W3HFZ4tZkRZ0SGSpCA/s1600/DSC01194.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_iMQScPSM5SWHliSKYjrLAWMvL0WzGkMs4kPvl9HuI2ycSeFNG5D9rWxhLLa1q8fqCMWYIMWw_UeK9dY8MdzpO4QWvYNqH9ACUo125bgnUv-9lytIzsUC4oKk7W3HFZ4tZkRZ0SGSpCA/s200/DSC01194.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574684570650275634" /></a><br />Fun with Barry and Jane<br /><br />The rest of January continued to be busy and fun working with the Quebradas youth on fixing up the butterfly garden at FUDEBIOL, swimming in the river (although that kind of ended after I severely bruised my butt trying to show off and jump off a bridge), and attending the Peace Corps-sponsored environmental conference with the two youth group leaders. This was a really exciting opportunity for them to meet other volunteers and youth from communities around the country and to talk about the environmental problems and projects they are working on. <br /><br />I was also going to LOTS of meetings with the Scouts, ECC and FUDEBIOL. Now that I only have three months left, I am feeling a lot of pressure to make sure I do everything I can to leave these groups and my projects in a functional state, but I also know that I need to start easing out instead of working overtime. I think people here are also realizing I’m leaving soon and finally realizing they need to take advantage of me as a resource before I go, which is great, if only it had happened 20 months earlier…<br /><br />Anyways all of this is to say that it was a perfect time for a break, and that’s just what I got. After a marathon Saturday or trash pick-up with the Scouts in the morning, a regional ECC meeting from 9 to 12, and Feria del Agua planning commission meeting from 2 to 4 and then a FUDEBIOL Junta meeting until 7, I got up Sunday morning and packed my things, had a hearty breakfast of pinto and eggs with some friends, and headed to San José where I met up with about 50 other PCVs for a Super Bowl bash at Hooters. I never thought I would say this, but there is no place I would have rather been.<br />It was a really fun night of catching up with friends, as well as meeting some new people from Tico 21 (it made me feel like a high school senior seeing all these new, eager volunteers coming onto the scene), drinking beer, eating wings and sliders and oh yeah, watching football…Followed by a dance party at one of San José’s classiest establishments. It was a great beginning to a great vacation.<br /><br />The next evening began my Panamanian adventure. I met Dan, who came straight from the actual Super Bowl, in Panama City, where we spent the next three days exploring Casco Viejo, the oldest part of the modern city whose gorgeous colonial architecture is now being renovated, the canal zone (by foot, boat and train!), and the Caribbean coastal town of Portobelo, which hosts a few forts that could use some renovation. <br /><br />Upon arrival to Panama City, I was immediately struck by how different it is from San José, and I imagine most other Central and South American capital cities. Downtown is cluttered with skyscrapers all the way out to the water, though apparently many of them are vacant or minimally occupied. The roads are all in good repair, which ended up being true throughout the country, and the city just seemed a bit more planned and organized than anything I have seen in Costa Rica. I took a great run on a bike and pedestrian path that runs all along the coastline next to the city. However, people still use landmarks instead of street names or signs to give directions, and we got just as lost trying to find things.<br /><br /> Major highlights included our partial transit through the canal, during which we went through two sets of locks and could really grasp the magnitude of the operation and how amazing it is that they came up with this technology more than 100 years ago and it is still functional today. We also took a beautiful train ride across the isthmus to the Caribbean coast, a route that was developed during the California gold rush because it was the fastest way for people to get from the east to west coast. And finally, we were conveniently staying on the same block as an amazing homemade ice cream shop, where we made multiple visits.<br /><br />Our next stop was the San Blas islands, which was one of the most unique and wonderful places I have ever visited, and I am already hoping to make it back there someday. We were picked up in a tiny wooden lancha and taken to Yandup Island, which is a lodge with 12 cabins along the water, a restaurant that serves whatever the catch of the day is, and a small beach. That is the whole island.<br /><br />We were greeted by the very small and very friendly Kuna staff. Men were dressed in collared shirts and jeans, while all the women were dressed in their typical mola blouses, colorful skirts that looked like they could have been made of leftover curtain material and layers of beads adorning their arms and ankles. We immediately had a connection with Boris, who was excited that we were from Los Angeles because he is a big Lakers fan.<br /><br />The San Blas islands are part of the Kuna Yala Comarca, a self-governed indigenous region, in which only Kunas can own land. It is made up of about 300 islands right off the eastern Pacific coast as well as a thin strip of land on the coast that is currently uninhabited. There are about 43 islands that are packed with homes with roofs made of palms and dirt floors and thin alleyways between homes (no cars), and the rest of the islands are either uninhabited or have small lodges like the Yandup.<br /> <br />Besides the setting being like a picture from a postcard, I loved it there because it did not feel like just a beautiful beach getaway. It felt untouched and far away, which is a huge credit to the Kuna people for preserving their land and containing development. We snorkeled and swam and hiked and lazed in our hammocks and socialized with the other guests, who all had interesting stories and were adventurous travelers (our favorites were a children’s book author who writes a series called Adventures Abroad and a couple from Philadelphia who both do some kind of sex therapy).<br /><br />The highlight for me was definitely the visit to the community of Playón Chico, where all the staff at the Yandup live, which made it particularly interesting to get the tour from them. As soon as we got off the boat, we were struck by the amount of young kids running around (with and without clothes), and later found out that 60% of the population are children. <br />There had just been a fire on the island a week before and 52 houses had burned down, but amazingly no one was hurt. The whole community had woken up in the middle of the night to put out the fire, and they were already rebuilding the houses with the help of the local government. The government also gives every home a solar panel and battery, which is the only source of electricity for most families. The island has 3000 inhabitants, and it seemed impossible that even one more could fit, but apparently they keep making room.<br /><br />One of the most interesting parts was visiting the congress house, where the “Shiloh” presides as the political and spiritual leader of the community. He spends all day there, attending to women in the morning and men in the afternoon. When we peaked in, we saw him standing up and addressing a group of men, some of whom were laying in hammocks and smoking cigars. Now maybe that’s the way to get things done in government…<br /><br />Our final stop was Boquete, a mountain town in the northwest of the country by the Costa Rican border. We found our Inn, La Montaña y el Valle, on a small gravel road just outside of town. There, we were greeted by Barry and Jane, the friendly Canadians who would be our hosts for the next two days. They came to Boquete almost 20 years ago after deciding to leave their stressful IT jobs behind and pursue their shared passion for gardening in Central America. They fell in love with this piece of land and built their home there, eventually adding three bungalows and opening a bed and breakfast. All of this and more can be seen in their 23-minute documentary film, Recreating Eden.<br /><br />We spend the next couple days hiking and driving through the mountains and enjoying incredible views of the valley and farmland below. Even when the sun was out, there was an almost constant mist in the air, which made for some amazing rainbows. We also enjoyed Barry’s homemade bread, fresh-squeezed orange juice and just-roasted coffee from their garden every morning. We took Barry’s coffee tour one day and got to see how it is harvested and roasted, which I should know from living in Costa Rica but somehow have never gotten around to doing a tour. This was particularly interesting because he does it all himself, for the love of the process and the product, not for income generation. It was really cool and inspiring to meet two people who had made such a bold change in their lives and are so clearly enjoying the outcome.<br /><br />It was sad to say goodbye, and getting dropped off at the chaotic David bus terminal where people were yelling at me from all directions to get on their colectivo to the frontera jolted me back into Peace Corps mode, but I do feel very refreshed and ready to approach my last 11 weeks(!) as a Volunteer. My main goal for the end of my service is to enjoy myself and my friendships, both within my community and among other Volunteers, and to not worry so much about keeping all my projects together, because it shouldn’t be up to me at this point anyhow.Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-87052287998615862342011-02-03T11:23:00.006-06:002011-02-03T11:44:21.370-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV9SvxK0zi7j4Ew1DkbZ6PoS0zSoaKp54YpsPMefTkQPKQXkPxVJlq_GdGjJm7FGNpM-NaDDeozeXrsBN9slV3jwqrg4kQIxb3JLApl25POlQ330NAhus53B25dh-gABUgJiyKV0NxOc/s1600/DSC01000.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV9SvxK0zi7j4Ew1DkbZ6PoS0zSoaKp54YpsPMefTkQPKQXkPxVJlq_GdGjJm7FGNpM-NaDDeozeXrsBN9slV3jwqrg4kQIxb3JLApl25POlQ330NAhus53B25dh-gABUgJiyKV0NxOc/s200/DSC01000.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569520043451520386" /></a><br />Basket-balling with the 9-11 year olds<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJemOhyphenhyphenRMh0_KLuQNsLSiSW2ZkvF8wA9bmDU55JM3OMa7A3k92C8KyRArfwy-M9IPo7gM8zc5eJTAOTbguHRcjYZTLbPxcGe_S1HGauxv7PloOlyjiHZ3SRTYtgJSW4nMHE8AA9qDZw8/s1600/DSC00999.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrJemOhyphenhyphenRMh0_KLuQNsLSiSW2ZkvF8wA9bmDU55JM3OMa7A3k92C8KyRArfwy-M9IPo7gM8zc5eJTAOTbguHRcjYZTLbPxcGe_S1HGauxv7PloOlyjiHZ3SRTYtgJSW4nMHE8AA9qDZw8/s200/DSC00999.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569518984928719762" /></a><br />Alianza de Jovenes Ambientalistas Quebradas (AJAQ, we're making it into a t-shirt!)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEocecBp2qNb-f5RDpJHxuSMIB9K8PPDd1TImAx-VJ5lFeFqHo5Wmrw35snCl2gYshX0LFyFbd9k-y2jtojRuUYzVurgIe-nfBG-0I6ZmtM-NwD3ljahkOA_ybeD5UKIkhnO1jcy9yVI/s1600/DSC00961.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVEocecBp2qNb-f5RDpJHxuSMIB9K8PPDd1TImAx-VJ5lFeFqHo5Wmrw35snCl2gYshX0LFyFbd9k-y2jtojRuUYzVurgIe-nfBG-0I6ZmtM-NwD3ljahkOA_ybeD5UKIkhnO1jcy9yVI/s200/DSC00961.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569518020495814914" /></a><br />I was the art teacher and my painting is definitely the worst of all<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23pqMU5qNsezmFFyfcyDzV4gcWE7ja43mYfLNlfkAkLcRG_TzJr1tgyBXSArWQFBznYMCVuJUChQ5Rj3ctX7kwaYGUxeTb2LyFD4qVSuWLvjE5xP0nylYHQeDXu5jqCjh2DTVDqDfSM0/s1600/DSC00970.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23pqMU5qNsezmFFyfcyDzV4gcWE7ja43mYfLNlfkAkLcRG_TzJr1tgyBXSArWQFBznYMCVuJUChQ5Rj3ctX7kwaYGUxeTb2LyFD4qVSuWLvjE5xP0nylYHQeDXu5jqCjh2DTVDqDfSM0/s200/DSC00970.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569517255379227954" /></a><br />Day 3 of Scouts camping trip and our uniforms are still somewhat clean...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnmhdxo1puXE3hG76OoPjyemL1TBXkBokrlFSRMb4Zm1_1E1sAB1-5bZ8a_KCp3koSANJhNHIhbfbgP6hpWuADvjQ20cqDLMIPBx0bJJHTBMNJNEAgtt_AExCbTt67dPxyTgybLot_CU/s1600/DSC00943.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnmhdxo1puXE3hG76OoPjyemL1TBXkBokrlFSRMb4Zm1_1E1sAB1-5bZ8a_KCp3koSANJhNHIhbfbgP6hpWuADvjQ20cqDLMIPBx0bJJHTBMNJNEAgtt_AExCbTt67dPxyTgybLot_CU/s200/DSC00943.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569515866801595154" /></a><br />Ms. Mehlman arrives in QuebradasKatie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-91336628953061872962011-01-22T10:20:00.004-06:002011-01-22T10:58:03.994-06:00Camp CounselingIn my CED program framework, the objectives include: assisting with business planning and administration, teaching English for employment and bringing information and communications technology to our communities. I am going to suggest they add camp counselor/babysitter/cheerleader, since that is a more apt description of my past few weeks as a PCV.<br /><br />The day I got back from Nicaragua, I had to go straight to a Scouts planning meeting for our three-day camping trip that weekend. Two days later, my good friend and the head dirigente Josè, who was in cahrge of making most of the plans, sent a text messatge that he was in the hopsital with a torn meniscus after a Tae Kwon Do accident. That left me, Luis Carlos and a new leader, Ivannia, to scramble to do all the shopping an dget al the materials together in time for our Friday afternoon departure.<br /><br />Miraculously, 13 of us made it on the same bus (we were 14, but one girl got a last-minute stomachache and bailed) and got to the campsite in one piece. There, we met up with the other group we were going to be camping with and the camp organizers. The organizers were the same guys who helped me out with the camp I organized at FUDEBIOL a year ago, which is when the whole idea of forming the Scouts group started, so it was cool being back with them again and thinking of how far we`d come.<br /><br />Aside from the rice and spaghetti mixed with MSG packets diet and the incessant mosquitoes, the weekend was a blast. The kids had a great time getting to know the other group and they learned how to do everything for themselves, from setting up their tents to cooking to scaling up ropes and plunging through mud baths. And I think it got everyone really motivated to be around leaders who actually knew what they were doing.<br /><br />After one afternoon of rest, I got up Monday morning and started an all-week environmental workshop with 12 youths from 12-18 years old in Quebrads. Each day was about a different theme (water, soil, biodiversity and climate change), and it all culminated in a project investigating these themes in our community and presenting their findings in a digital form. <br /><br />I was SUPER impressed by how motivated the kids were. First, just the fact that they continued to show up each day, but that they also put together a pretty thoughtful presentation that included pictures and interviews and graphics. The driving factor was that two representatives from the group had the chance to qualify for an all-paid Peace Corps-sponsored three-day conference in Bahìa Ballena, which they did, and I ampleased to say that they deserved it. <br /><br />The cool thing is it wasn`t just about the free trip, they also want to carry out some environmental projects in Quebradas, including fixing up the butterfly garden at FUDEBIOL. So this week we went to see a real functioning butterfly garden, which was amazing, and they are really excited to get started in Quebradas. Stuff like this makes me wonder why I couldn´t have gotten this started earlier and had more time to help them develop the project, but it unfortunately took me this long to build credibility with the youth in Quebradas, and maybe now that they know I`m leaving soon they are finally taking advantage.<br /><br />Last weekend we had our last regional volunteer meeting for the Zona Sur in Uvita, which is kind of like camp for volunteers. We stayed at this cool treehouse/tee-pee place called the Flutterby, which had great food and was close to the beach. There were almost 40 of us with Tico 20 and 21 now being represented. It`s kind of weird because just as we started to get to know the new people in our region, it`s time for us to go.<br /><br />On Saturday we took an awesome snorkeling trip to Isla del Caño, and island about 50 km off the coast. We say humpback whales and turtles on our way out and saw manta-rays, a shark and myriad colorful fish straight out of Finding Nemo while snorkeling. I topped the day off with a run on the beach with my friend Angelo, followed by a swim in the ocean, an amazing sunset, a delicious barbeque and a shared liter of Imperial. It was one of those Peace Corps moments when you realize just how good we have it here.<br /><br />Then Monday began the final camp of the season (and perhaps my career) with our annual Peace Corps Pèrez Zeledòn basketball camp. I got assigned to the 9 to 11 year olds, which was a pretty fun and manageable group. I hadn´t touched a basketball since camp last year, but luckily I still remembered enough to pretend I knew what I was doing. The highlight of the week was when I got to play with some other Peace Corps girls against the Pèrez Zeledòn Under 15 girls team, and it was actually a pretty even match! I`m happy to report I still have an eye for openings and connecting good passes. But unfortunately whatever shooting skills I once posessed are no longer with me.<br /><br />Friday was the last day of camp, and everyone went home happy with a medal of participation. It was fun to hang out with volunteers who came down from all over the country for the week, and it kept my evenings busy, which was nice. Unfortunately, my computer died on me last week (okay, my spilling water on it may have had something to do with it), so now I am without my PCV friends, podcasts, dvd`s, or more camps to look forward to. I may have to take u pa new hobby...<br /><br />P.S. I forgot to mention that I had a delightful visit from Lisie, my old roommate in New York, in early January. She spent a night in Quebradas and we cooked fish in my toaster oven and hiked up to FUDEBIOL the next day before she headed off to meet her friends in Manuel Antonio. It was wonderful to see her and have her see my (slightly different from NYC) life in Costa Rica!Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-17369653918521976442011-01-07T11:05:00.002-06:002011-01-07T11:07:34.564-06:00Nicaragua<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzRz-GN-1pz6kSrGzsgfNPM1yOTgOUSHAvdB95gOlc54B1-X_-aaK77zwoFtPooPJr3vcaB3uQIWr8ulG6WmXhhCVqCkquRf-q-37nqRAzR632ZhUyOQKeP6jPkeyujBBBsJO7ktRx_0/s1600/DSC00897.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVzRz-GN-1pz6kSrGzsgfNPM1yOTgOUSHAvdB95gOlc54B1-X_-aaK77zwoFtPooPJr3vcaB3uQIWr8ulG6WmXhhCVqCkquRf-q-37nqRAzR632ZhUyOQKeP6jPkeyujBBBsJO7ktRx_0/s200/DSC00897.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559491668651446930" /></a><br />The crew (for many more pictures, check out my facebook page...)<br /><br />It was an all around amazing trip. My dad reminded me when I talked to him on New Years Day that when I was mulling over my decision to join the Peace Corps, one thing I was really hoping to get out of it was the opportunity to travel with other adventurous and like-minded people. This was exactly what I meant. <br /> We had a great group: Adrienne, Chamisa, Brigitte, Jen and me. As we have all been living the Peace Corps life for the past 22 months, everyone is used to cold water, dirty feet, bumpy bus rides, gallo pinto, nothing being on time, and speaking Spanish. We all also like to eat well, be active, and go out (sometimes), so it was pretty ideal. Also, there were some of us who like to make the plans and lead the troops and others who were cool with just doing whatever we suggested. I’ll let you guess which category I fit into.<br /> It took us about 10 hours to get from San José to Managua on Ticabus, and then we immediately got on a local bus to León, another two-hour trip. The bus “stations” are slightly less official in Nicaragua. You kind of just stand in an open space and all of a sudden a bus or mini-van pulls up and everyone starts yelling the destination at you and you run on to grab a spot. <br /> We got to the Albergue León Hostel in the evening and immediately took to Fran, the hostel owner who also works as a lawyer for an organization that promotes sustainable tourism in Nicaragua. We had our own room and bathroom for $5 each a night, which helped us justify spending a little more money in the next few days on good food, iced coffees, and chocolate. León was a really cool colonial city that still isn’t developed for tourism beyond backpackers and a small population of ex-pats, which lent to its charm. There were 17 old Spanish churches, as well as a few museums commemorating the Sandinista revolution and some interesting communistic murals. <br /> We soon discovered that telling locals we were living in Costa Rica got them all riled up, and though they didn’t hold it against us, they didn’t hold pack in railing on Ticos for how they have mistreated Nicas, taken land that was unrightfully theirs, and are culturally and historically vapid. After 22 months of cringing every time I hear a racist Nica joke in Costa Rica, it was interesting to hear the other side. What made me sad was that Fran, a highly educated and intelligent Nicaraguan, was the most passionate in his utter distaste for Costa Rica, which doesn’t bode well for their future relationship.<br /> We ended our time in León with a fun night out on the town with Fran and Silvio, who had been our tour guide for our hike up Cerro Negro and volcano-boarding adventure. They took us to a salsa bar, where we met some fun Australians and we all continued on to the after-party, but not until we closed down the first place in a group hug singing Feliz Navidad. Trip highlight #1.<br /> The next day we made our way to Granada, the more well-known and touristy colonial city in Nicaragua, where there were nicer hotels, the buildings and roads were in better and more modern condition, and there was a significant ex-pat community, which brought with it the benefit of GREAT restaurants, though not as cheap as León. Our hostel, the Oasis, was cute and clean, though not as intimate. We were all pretty beat and in bed early, but it was Christmas Eve and we soon discovered a local tradition: at midnight, the entire city erupts in fireworks set off in front of family homes. We had a pretty good view from the roof of our hostel, which was fun. <br /> We spent Christmas kayaking and lounging at the nearby Laguna de Apoyo, followed by pizza dinner and dance party at the “be” discoteca in town. We met some crazy Brits who seemed to really like us and then ran into them at breakfast and they gave us totally blank stares and didn’t even remember where they had been the night before. The next day we checked out Masaya, a nearby town known for its artisan market, where we got in some quality speed-shopping. A final morning of strolling and museums concluded the urban portion of our travels, as we headed to “sea” in the afternoon.<br /> Isla de Ometepe is an island made of two volcanoes in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, which is so huge that it looked like an ocean anywhere you turned on the island. We had our first major hitch in plans when the ferry we were planning to take was already full, but we were able to catch a bus to another ferry and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and met a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Nicaragua on the boat, so it was interesting to compare notes. <br /> A mini-bus picked us up and took us to our hotel. It was already dark so we couldn’t see much, but the road felt long and windy. El Porvenir had a very different feel from our first two hostels. It was super quiet and surrounded by nature. We ended up being given three large, clean rooms with their own bathrooms, which was a nice change, but it wasn’t as much of a hostel environment and the food wasn’t particularly good, so we decided to switch on our third night there to a hostel in Playa Santo Domingo, which was a little more of a town on the water, though unfortunately the beach had been flooded since October. We could enjoy the sound of the waves, but no swimming allowed.<br /> We spent two super-active days there, the first exploring the island on these barely functional bikes our hotel rented out, and the second climbing Maderas Volcano. It was about an eight-hour hike in total, and the view of the other volcano and the entire island was amazing at our halfway point, but of course when we got to the top we couldn’t see a thing and it was cold and rainy and we ate as fast as we could and headed back down. <br /> We all woke up the next morning barely able to move our legs, but the timing was fortuitous since we were heading for the last leg of our trip at a beach town where we were all ready for a vacation from our very exhausting vacation. We got to our final hostel in San Juan del Sur, Casa Amarilla, ready to kick back, but it turned out they had kind of messed up our reservation and two people would have to stay across the street in what turned out to be a family home. That didn’t sound so appealing, so Adrienne and I spent the next hour and a half going into hostel after hostel (and there were a LOT of hostels there) asking for a room for five girls. Although it pained many of the male hostel owners to do so, they all turned us down. It was the night before New Years Eve, and this whole town was packed.<br /> By the time we got back, they had worked out an arrangement where we could all stay in the main house, just on two different floors. Our room still wasn’t ready, so we decided to go out for the night and deal with it later. It was a fun night of dancing at Iguana Bar, and we hung out with three Peace Corps Volunteers from El Salvador. Their stories made me feel really lucky I’m in Costa Rica…We got back to our hostel and had another room, but no pillows or towels and there was dog poop in the hall outside our room, which I promptly stepped in in the dark. Things at Casa Amarilla didn’t really get better from there, but since we had no other options, which just stayed out of it as much as we could. <br /> We spent the next two days lounging on the beach, one day in San Juan del Sur and one day at a beautiful and more tranquilo nearby beach called Playa Maderas. For New Years Eve, we crashed the barbeque party at the coolest hostel in town and made some friends and got some flip cup games going and then rang in the new year on the beach. We discovered yet another tradition involving bootleg fireworks, this time in the form of stuffed life-sized dolls that were placed in random spots in front of stores and houses around town and all blew up at midnight and smelled really bad after.<br /> Anyways, I realized I have spent the past two New Years Eves on beautiful Central American beaches with good friends. For a holiday I have never really liked, that’s pretty great. <br /> The last leg of our journey was the most annoying, but not enough to put a damper on our trip. We left Casa Amarilla at 6 am on Sunday, January 2nd (one man down, Jen had left the day before) and got to the border by 6:35. We did not get in a bus on the other side of the border to head to San José until noon. It took about three and a half hours to get our passports stamped to get out of Nicaragua, then another hour and a half to enter Costa Rica, and then another half hour just to get on a bus. I guess we picked the absolute worst day of the year to come back, plus it was crazy disorganized and there was only one line for people entering and leaving the country, plus there was a whole black market going to cut the line, which we were morally against but became increasingly appealing as we stood there in the sun without moving. <br /> But we made it and eventually all went our separate ways back to community life, excited about certain luxuries like clean towels, slightly higher water pressure, and flushable toilets, but sad to end what had been a pretty unbeatable and incredibly memorable 12 days across the border.Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-31766514438569637822011-01-07T10:37:00.005-06:002011-01-07T11:10:56.919-06:00Summer!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgGDP2jSyIUAgWhc-1ZSYS4vI-ryeSBqYkKb7cZ9gh8pY67xR74y-z_Ytz4GStT2fkga5mQtt6DkgYZYpmAT598xgv0PKQwo2fsM6E1J7PsPbZlS1iDaRaw2spUTMZNlXfRWT6J2DCXY/s1600/DSC00822.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrgGDP2jSyIUAgWhc-1ZSYS4vI-ryeSBqYkKb7cZ9gh8pY67xR74y-z_Ytz4GStT2fkga5mQtt6DkgYZYpmAT598xgv0PKQwo2fsM6E1J7PsPbZlS1iDaRaw2spUTMZNlXfRWT6J2DCXY/s200/DSC00822.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559492531120283730" /></a><br />Aguas termales with the Scouts<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoF7QG8xfT-Ua8wIfmv-JIN1GmaGa7xlHOVMvbXSiXSc-cdAQvz49TfFVaibcIcP3v7JqKRPQQYlDn_tjqNbkAb-fIo2FlYjXmzd_Tn7eZWrSe1nH3RYFN3kajbK34VqD_JQzrKKlau0/s1600/DSCI0150.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEoF7QG8xfT-Ua8wIfmv-JIN1GmaGa7xlHOVMvbXSiXSc-cdAQvz49TfFVaibcIcP3v7JqKRPQQYlDn_tjqNbkAb-fIo2FlYjXmzd_Tn7eZWrSe1nH3RYFN3kajbK34VqD_JQzrKKlau0/s200/DSCI0150.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559485872001450770" /></a><br />Girly drinks with José<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuo0Qk45buQ8PpUpcJxhvqmu6XJ33ZC_adqS5nDQqVD7KFpvoWceBVa03E3WpKC-ClVTI6c1LYQ3Kc5ELKRm1sSROtyHOks_ObAH1nG8cPBcB3rLmoVT3VdkSDjhU7DJTTIlnFZsLFZI/s1600/DSCI0153.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuo0Qk45buQ8PpUpcJxhvqmu6XJ33ZC_adqS5nDQqVD7KFpvoWceBVa03E3WpKC-ClVTI6c1LYQ3Kc5ELKRm1sSROtyHOks_ObAH1nG8cPBcB3rLmoVT3VdkSDjhU7DJTTIlnFZsLFZI/s200/DSCI0153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559484771061453954" /></a><br />Preparing for the late night dance party with Porter, Chamisa and Jacqueline <br /><br />I remember when I received my Peace Corps invitation in December 2008 and the end date said May 2011, which seemed inconceivably far away. Now I am closing in on my last four months, and it is hard to believe that I am almost there. Nonetheless, there is LOTS to do between now and then, both fun and work-wise, so it still doesn’t feel like the end is near.<br />I had a really fun birthday celebration that began with a hike in Quebradas with Porter, who was visiting after leaving the country a year and a half ago. It was really fun to show him all my projects and how Quebradas has changed since he was a volunteer here, which in many ways is not at all, but I did have some visual proof of my work and relationships since he was last here. <br />That night was the Festival of Lights (nothing to do with Chanukah) in San Isidro, so I went with a big group of friends, gringos and Ticos, and it was actually the most impressive and highly attended of the various parades I have witnessed or participated in since I’ve been here. There were high school and college bands from all over the country, floats with Disney princesses and Rugrats characters, and my personal favorite, a bank-sponsored group of elderly people who performed baile típico and looked like they were having the most fun of anyone.<br />The night continued with a group going out for dinner and drinks and then the remaining few going dancing, which is much more action than a typical Saturday in Quebradas. Great fun, though I was in a lot of pain when I had to wake up at 4:30 the next morning to catch the bus for our ALL DAY Scouts trip to the hot springs in San Gerardo. The kids had a great time, and fortunately entertained themselves for the most part, since all of the leaders had been out the night before. I taught them Marco Polo in the first half hour, and they were still contentedly playing six hours later…<br />The next day I had to lead a strategic planning session for the Scouts, but they surprised me with a birthday cake and we ate chicharrones and they took shots of whiskey, which made the whole activity much more entertaining. Then it was off to San José to meet up with Chamisa and Adrienne and begin the first leg of our Nicaraguan adventure, which merits a blogpost in itself, so stay tuned...Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-68733880733852335872010-12-17T12:41:00.005-06:002010-12-17T13:00:50.370-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlXd59AwDqC8KVuak2W3RZ4mFmr1Zx-XECno5cX6Um17K2FSmL5OocjOkvrSUvt7Ijzs2lh8Xc_xdDqUXzHHb_DmWA_SAs-Zr5qKPipUcn0wmmUOk8fDxruwo_-wYkcmGtuzbXG1dT3U/s1600/DSC00814.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlXd59AwDqC8KVuak2W3RZ4mFmr1Zx-XECno5cX6Um17K2FSmL5OocjOkvrSUvt7Ijzs2lh8Xc_xdDqUXzHHb_DmWA_SAs-Zr5qKPipUcn0wmmUOk8fDxruwo_-wYkcmGtuzbXG1dT3U/s200/DSC00814.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551727906918476946" /></a><br />Team Quebradas! Champions of the Día Contra la SIDA soccer tournament<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8X19f-cNwCtmbJvA90bXxEupZpg-Ql60D5seA5W808E9nIhPdJzRwCIHcpJWfLRwmspCOQWajMGfkEKE3Raa4wWpEIjSIkHJmA-EYRnpR5DmOArVHCTmA6xM3reQNS8FRCTqbKggnUE/s1600/DSC00725.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8X19f-cNwCtmbJvA90bXxEupZpg-Ql60D5seA5W808E9nIhPdJzRwCIHcpJWfLRwmspCOQWajMGfkEKE3Raa4wWpEIjSIkHJmA-EYRnpR5DmOArVHCTmA6xM3reQNS8FRCTqbKggnUE/s200/DSC00725.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551727061834885858" /></a><br />At the FUDEBIOL Cena de Navidad<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9elt5Xs7QHWGmObzMrvNb_Polx-VBd5ygLrqkI8y2g4n8bEpJ-tF9DQGEl9txVSYq_h1O-KalueZ7Pvsnx-ZKbNYg4Qtc6in104ed2ObSEbc2vlhOo248xFyjX69LnwCgnTn4JEGIyBk/s1600/DSC00698.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9elt5Xs7QHWGmObzMrvNb_Polx-VBd5ygLrqkI8y2g4n8bEpJ-tF9DQGEl9txVSYq_h1O-KalueZ7Pvsnx-ZKbNYg4Qtc6in104ed2ObSEbc2vlhOo248xFyjX69LnwCgnTn4JEGIyBk/s200/DSC00698.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551726547332961234" /></a><br />The crew<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ_vzfojLgTnwlS0Dc8wxtVV9sQgHt7FopGGT1UoGUbVlLJ7Mqoj1nYmJ8y37pibcx8J695prFovD9QiBOHFeUZPdaYlh7847IA-L50r_8_9WGy7INjx8raYnslEebIrVJA0LQSwQN1c/s1600/DSC00696.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ_vzfojLgTnwlS0Dc8wxtVV9sQgHt7FopGGT1UoGUbVlLJ7Mqoj1nYmJ8y37pibcx8J695prFovD9QiBOHFeUZPdaYlh7847IA-L50r_8_9WGy7INjx8raYnslEebIrVJA0LQSwQN1c/s200/DSC00696.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551723759412111362" /></a><br />The spreadKatie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-47773482514685942482010-12-12T12:35:00.003-06:002010-12-12T13:01:59.621-06:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UaZR5eUFpxbl-XhuT_X8eug99CsyuBJeHfLiCX6raRWElG52rHD4c7NPeues02B74wxMm3_fLnhdA-whPug3ENqRkb2uyQBAlCfp1Aoep9pY7eYGyMCoO3nP55M8RroyZYG1sP5Ly3k/s1600/DSC00697.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3UaZR5eUFpxbl-XhuT_X8eug99CsyuBJeHfLiCX6raRWElG52rHD4c7NPeues02B74wxMm3_fLnhdA-whPug3ENqRkb2uyQBAlCfp1Aoep9pY7eYGyMCoO3nP55M8RroyZYG1sP5Ly3k/s200/DSC00697.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549868665991879634" /></a><br />Celebrating the 5th night<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitL6BfPuipfEwdXEOK15ZoaYv4SDWEZd4MF5921Whnoi9BURVmnWmEN1DmdbYNfyEJ-Z-OtcSUmDYRfzx-BhQfCuI1KfLdhlEPij1KRvdCDQ0hIj8MJo3iBpiPdDpojGCq4Y1I928_GpE/s1600/DSC00671.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitL6BfPuipfEwdXEOK15ZoaYv4SDWEZd4MF5921Whnoi9BURVmnWmEN1DmdbYNfyEJ-Z-OtcSUmDYRfzx-BhQfCuI1KfLdhlEPij1KRvdCDQ0hIj8MJo3iBpiPdDpojGCq4Y1I928_GpE/s200/DSC00671.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549867769876296162" /></a><br />Dolled up to fit in with the Ticos<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h0UMdkoGWkgoVILA43V-umyqTncCo4vqep3QPs-NXXR0s0k0vi6ct3fAa7gUbAdd0gTqktbezFvMLdUOMpSdeo1TqSr2TuvL3zh_R9_M_XmODMnbM3LD6kgWoIiaOKRAwEr_cDKjmOI/s1600/DSC00639.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h0UMdkoGWkgoVILA43V-umyqTncCo4vqep3QPs-NXXR0s0k0vi6ct3fAa7gUbAdd0gTqktbezFvMLdUOMpSdeo1TqSr2TuvL3zh_R9_M_XmODMnbM3LD6kgWoIiaOKRAwEr_cDKjmOI/s200/DSC00639.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549867112479716578" /></a><br />Me and the 6th graders at Gabriela Charter SchoolKatie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-81209670549862055412010-12-10T11:48:00.000-06:002010-12-10T11:49:53.060-06:00Getting back in the grooveIt was a wonderful and rejuvenating trip home for Thanksgiving. Ten days of family and friends, good food, warm water, my own bed, and getting to wear scarves and boots for the first time in 20 months sent me back to Costa Rica sad as always to say goodbye but also re-enthused to enjoy the final months of my service.<br /><br />It is still not full-fledged summer like it should be here in December, but the major rains have halted and the roads are no longer a muddy mess, though there are a lot of new potholes. I received a warm welcome back from community members, especially those who I brought special-requested items from the United States, which included bird-watching binoculars, trail mix and Victoria’s Secret scented lotion. They were not, however, as enthusiastic about my new haircut (10 inches off my ponytail to make the upcoming summer heat more bearable), as long hair is kind of a rule for young women here, no matter what the weather is like.<br /><br />Of course when I went to the school for what was supposed to be my last day of environmental education of the year, it turned out students were already out for winter break, even though it was the end of November and school doesn’t officially close until December 17. So Jacqueline, a British volunteer in Quebradas for a few months, and I ended up closing up the garden ourselves and bringing home some good-looking organic tomatoes and radishes. I was mostly disappointed because while I was home in the U.S., I had a chance to visit the Quebradas 5th graders pen pals at the Gabriela Charter School, and they sent them some great letters and made a video that I know the Quebradas kids will love, but it will just have to wait until their end of the year party next week.<br /><br />Last Saturday, I spend the morning going door to door with the Scouts collecting money for the Children’s Hospital in San José through their annual Teleton, and I was pleasantly surprised by how generous people were. I think the Scouts doing a visual community service activity was good PR for the group, as we got lots of parents asking how their kids could participate. That afternoon, I went over to my friend Glenda’s house for a Tica makeover before her brother Bryan’s wedding. She went all out, straightening my hair and giving me a little poof in front, lip liner and heavy gloss, shimmery eye shadow and blush. Not exactly my style, but I got the surprised looks I was hoping for from people who have only seen me in my workout clothes and jeans, and people don’t me I didn’t look gringa, which I guess was a compliment.<br /><br />The wedding was at a church in San Isidro, but it turned out to just be a regular mass, during which the priest married two couples, one of which was Bryan and Dayanna, who was in a full-out bridal gown. It was basically just their close family and friends and then a bunch of people there for regular Saturday mass, which I wasn’t expecting, but it was a nice ceremony and afterwards everyone went back to Bryan’s family’s house for a small party. The musical entertainment was the Quebradas school music teacher, and food was cooked and served by the family. Some new traditions I observed/participated in included: before the bride and groom exchange rings, they exchange a packet of 13 coins to symbolize a prosperous marriage; everyone threw rice at the bride and groom when they entered the party; after the bride and groom do their dance and their dance with their parents, it is a free-for-all but anyone who wants to dance with the bride or groom has to pin a 1000-colones or higher bill on their suit/dress.<br /><br />On Sunday evening, I had my second annual Quebradas Chanukah party with some local PCV’s, where I got to use the beautiful menorah that Jarred and Morgan had gotten welded for me last year from a local artisan in their community. It was a fun time, and I think the latkes were better than last year. We had Chamisa’s homemade applesauce and natilla (kind of a watery sour cream) as garnish, and I couldn’t find a dreidle but we did play travel Scattergories.<br /><br />This week since there were no classes and the kids are all just watching TV at home, I decided to offer a mini Junior Achievement course designed for 5th graders that goes over the basics of how to organize a business. I got 10 kids to sign up, and the great thing is that they are all kids I know and who actually want to be there, so the class has been fun to teach and easy to manage. They all seemed to enjoy the course, and it was a good thing to get me back in the rhythm of work here.<br /><br />I also gave a more adult-themed charla this week to some teenagers in Quebradas. In honor of National AIDS day on December 1, Morgan organized a presentation on AIDS awareness and prevention. Through a grant she secured for six PCV communities in the region, the deal is that if we could get six or more kids to listen to the charla, they get to play in a soccer tournament next week at the Polideportivo in San Isidro, lunch, ball and uniforms included. I got seven kids to show up, two guys and five girls, and they actually behaved more maturely than I expected and asked questions and seemed curious about the theme. The highlight was getting to do the condom on the banana demonstration, which until then I had only seen in movies. Of course that entailed having to buy condoms from the local pulpería owner who is also a student in my English class. I awkwardly explained to him the reason, but I think he bought it, as he even offered to be the model if we needed one…<br /><br />This weekend there are big community parties and a family ranch off the main road in Quebradas, and the Scouts are in charge of preparing and selling food, which is a big deal because we could make a lot of money from it, but it’s also a big responsibility. Since I have nowhere near what it takes to actually work the kitchen under such pressure (a job only for the very experienced housewives), I will be helping out with the bingo and general logistics of setup and cleanup. On Saturday night is the annual FUDEBIOL Christmas dinner, another rare chance to dress up in Quebradas, but I think I will do my own makeup this time…<br /><br />P.S. Pìctures to come when I have a faster Internet connectionKatie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-17530171980386449522010-11-15T11:54:00.000-06:002010-11-15T11:55:23.298-06:00BlahAfter my triumphant blogpost last month, I have been hesitant to post again, as little of note has happened since then, hence the stark contrast in titles. I guess I knew my high point wouldn’t last forever, but while I’m up I tend to forget about all those times I’ve been down during this roller coaster experience, and then I am harshly reminded.<br /><br />The past few weeks have been kind of a bummer, due mostly to the horrible weather. I have not really minded the seven-month long rainy season in Costa Rica because, at least where I live, it tends to be gloriously sunny and hot every morning, so by 2pm it’s not that big of a deal when it starts to rain. BUT, due to a “cold front,” it began to rain first thing in the morning two Tuesdays ago and has hardly stopped since.<br /><br />Fortunately, the rains caused no serious damage in Quebradas. Everyone’s homes are still in one piece and nobody was hurt. But community life as I know it pretty much came to a halt. All meetings and activities were cancelled (except for my English class, the only thing I had control over…). School was out for three days, even though most of the students and teachers live in the community. Homes whose doors were shut tight and neighbors who would always greet me in the street were closed up inside. Peace Corps Volunteers across the country were put on emergency alert and were not allowed to leave our communities, which most Volunteers couldn’t do even if they wanted to because roads everywhere were closed due to landslides. There was really NOTHING to do.<br /><br />Not seeing the sun or being able to go outside or socialize for so many days straight got me pretty down, and I finally cracked and went for a run one morning in the pouring rain. Now all the bus drivers think I’m officially crazy. Other than that, I did lots of reading and dvd-watching, which was nice for a couple of days, but the novelty wore off fast.<br /><br />The most disappointing part of all was that this week, a group of new Peace Corps trainees were scheduled to visit Quebradas for five days for Tech Week, just like I visited Derek’s site in Guanacaste during my Tech Week when I was but a wee trainee. All the ladies in Quebradas were really excited to host them in their homes, and I had lots of fun activities planned and was looking forward to getting to know them and show off my work. Even though the roads had reopened, the trip was cancelled for security reasons.<br /><br />Things have started to clear up the past few days, and the sun has even peaked out from behind the clouds the past few mornings. The Scouts meetings were back on this weekend, and I had my final Junior Achievement class at FUDEBIOL, where I invited all the participants for a pot-luck lunch. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, it was really fun. Some of the female students brought their kids, who ran around and got muddy on the trails. Everyone shared something about their experience in the course, and my heart was warmed, if not my shivering exterior, by all the positive things they had to say. More than any group I have worked with in my time here, these guys really took advantage of what I was offering and worked super hard and I think that’s why they got so much out of it. Some of them are talking about continuing with the business at least through Christmas to sell gift packages for the holidays. Unfortunately, the final awards ceremony was rescheduled for when I will already be back in the US, but I have a good feeling that they may win something.<br /><br />And yes, the most exciting news is that I will be back in the US in three days! It has been 14 months, and I am SO ready to go home and sleep in my own bed and hang out with family and friends and eat turkey and all sorts of other delicious foods that I have missed. This trip couldn’t have come at a better time, and I hope that I return refreshed and inspired to enjoy my last five months here and that summer finally comes!Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-15110987354885065392010-10-25T14:18:00.006-06:002010-10-25T14:44:38.946-06:00Euphoria (10/22)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQutMfoI4rXyKpNteZaK4HKSiX9HRyXgT7eG7nf5BQ6C27oaR0bPnoSahHtxUx7jf9ZVnZ0DcfOTyMeqtbdck-ECsodergJU3VdnTXW0RjHkK9OIOTK6ZCopyDJKpiyLT51kNNcuS3sr4/s1600/DSC00620.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQutMfoI4rXyKpNteZaK4HKSiX9HRyXgT7eG7nf5BQ6C27oaR0bPnoSahHtxUx7jf9ZVnZ0DcfOTyMeqtbdck-ECsodergJU3VdnTXW0RjHkK9OIOTK6ZCopyDJKpiyLT51kNNcuS3sr4/s200/DSC00620.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532086997329817714" /></a><br />Team Eco-Animos<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGLllwegppkt2y1CoLZzvfxJsSbDmwMKoNKk3rLWP7ZFMd9n-rv0sii-GAidkOWLXKmtprEsfd0Non1zv7qMx3kfUfuYMfLAzl6L09WZaeC3ngS9C7AAW4vrAbqr5V6bbaTcqxIhxxMA/s1600/DSC00618.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgGLllwegppkt2y1CoLZzvfxJsSbDmwMKoNKk3rLWP7ZFMd9n-rv0sii-GAidkOWLXKmtprEsfd0Non1zv7qMx3kfUfuYMfLAzl6L09WZaeC3ngS9C7AAW4vrAbqr5V6bbaTcqxIhxxMA/s200/DSC00618.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532084533596279746" /></a><br />The PCV's and our products<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mTyuQlRewQKfpGm4DvSWsgrBlPiDyWjA3d0xqLfhJ9Dk1nb5w_bAPTwSQrn_NvnpkOckJl-530C1MtOc232y3sI7nr9rhZAjV0lliibrV80zGVdKWubg-CJYbn_cBA0BjihgdTOYWY8/s1600/DSC00575.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mTyuQlRewQKfpGm4DvSWsgrBlPiDyWjA3d0xqLfhJ9Dk1nb5w_bAPTwSQrn_NvnpkOckJl-530C1MtOc232y3sI7nr9rhZAjV0lliibrV80zGVdKWubg-CJYbn_cBA0BjihgdTOYWY8/s200/DSC00575.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532083685512370338" /></a><br />Mother-daughter dance group (don't get any ideas, mom...)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGcGsiDm7Mxzc-IkyC9lxxlUX6OdIklTxhNSCwo9RB7Lr4yanS3VocjlGEDUGzDhSHEVtPfwuwbWRNtELB5eIi7XJL-98pOZhHfDsXzK2OUv9pj8sKZMlpVyk5FZfkL7SdcA-XAjU46Q/s1600/DSC00586.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGcGsiDm7Mxzc-IkyC9lxxlUX6OdIklTxhNSCwo9RB7Lr4yanS3VocjlGEDUGzDhSHEVtPfwuwbWRNtELB5eIi7XJL-98pOZhHfDsXzK2OUv9pj8sKZMlpVyk5FZfkL7SdcA-XAjU46Q/s200/DSC00586.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532082787999040482" /></a><br />Swearing-in of the socios<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx-nRkx5-u2_rEraW1dKju79HCw9qvYu5MJEB2HksPfhCS0c54Mcv7VKgfo_onCLLTNuk0GcsYfGZgvZwRV4-nmWITkkLvJwav2xkl0rNHsfC9dlF9U0Vaa6dCbdOWliWrkWoI7QxpMw/s1600/DSC00574.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfx-nRkx5-u2_rEraW1dKju79HCw9qvYu5MJEB2HksPfhCS0c54Mcv7VKgfo_onCLLTNuk0GcsYfGZgvZwRV4-nmWITkkLvJwav2xkl0rNHsfC9dlF9U0Vaa6dCbdOWliWrkWoI7QxpMw/s200/DSC00574.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532081483729809298" /></a><br />Beautiful view, beautiful people<br /><br />It is 10:40 pm and I have to get up in less than five hours to take a bus to San José, but I want to remember one of my biggest highs since I’ve been here. Tonight we inaugurated the Quebradas Community Credit Enterprise, and after six months of trainings and a few weeks of planning, during all of which I was unsure we could really pull this off, it was a beautiful event. Everything came together at the last minute, as things tend to do here, and we made it work. There was no stereo, so we put the microphone up to my computer as three ladies performed a folk dance with their children. Don Gilberth’s motivational video wouldn’t function, so he just decided to wing it and began drawing fantastic metaphors between the construction of the first road in Pérez Zeledón and building our CCE in Quebradas. A very well-known and loved man in the community died on Wednesday and his funeral fell at the same time as our activity, as well as the school’s bingo fundraiser, so there was the most traffic I’ve ever seen in the center of Quebradas. But everyone still showed up, and afterwards they went to pray, play bingo, or next door to the bar, in my case. There were tamales and gallos for all, we had a lovely passing of the torch ceremony accompanied by Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the violin by a nine-year-old investor, and somehow we were able to clean up in less than half an hour and everyone went home content. It is these rare moments in my Peace Corps experience that make me so happy and so sure I am in the right place.<br /><br />10/24<br /><br />I was not as happy when my alarm went off at 3:30 am the next morning, or when the taxi I was sharing with one of my students showed up at 3:31 and I had about four minutes to get ready. But before 4 am I was on a bus with 22 Junior Achievers on our way to San José for the product fair. We spent the entire day at the Plaza del Sol mall selling our shampoo, bath gel and aromatic candle packages amongst many other stands of students participating in the program throughout the country selling everything from candy to computer cases to car servicing in the parking lot. It was a pretty impressive production and of course I am biased but I think my group did great. Their stand looked really good and they were very professional in explaining and selling our product. There were eight judges walking around doing interviews and taking notes, and then just people passing through the mall whose attention they caught. They didn’t sell as much as they were hoping, and it was a very long and exhausting day that involved a lot of standing around, but I think it was a really good learning experience and everyone left seeming motivated and satisfied. We have four more weeks of the course, which entails selling all our leftover product, liquidating the company, and going to the closing ceremony where prizes are awarded to the best micro-enterprises and entrepreneurs.<br /><br />Workwise, this was definitely one of my most fulfilling 24 hours as a Peace Corps Volunteers. Two of my big projects came to a head at once, and it was a bit overwhelming but people’s positive reactions to both our ECC inauguration and the project fair made me feel very satisfied and proud of what I have accomplished and helped other people accomplish in the past few months.<br /><br />Rewinding a week, I had a wonderful visit from my mom and aunt Carrie for five days. The rented a car together and drove down to San José and despite getting seriously lost they made it over the Mountain of Death just in time to catch my Scouts meeting on Friday and give out chocolate to all the kids, followed by coffee and gallo pinto (which we forced my mom to try and she actually enjoyed it) at the home of a local artisan. On Saturday they came and bought some products from my Junior Achievers, helped make tamales with all the women from the ECC, ate lunch on Gilberth’s balcony overlooking all of San Isidro, and then had coffee and some mysterious sandwiches with the Board of Directors of FUDEBIOL before we headed down into San Isidro, picked up Chamisa and Adrienne, and drove to the coast for a lovely and relaxing weekend in Uvita. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in the mountains with a view of the national park and the ocean, ate and slept really well, and had lots of laughs. Aunt Carrie always brings life to the party. <br /><br />My mom came back with me for one more day in Quebradas, came to my English class and talked a little about her job, which was really exciting for my students, came and watched the school kids plant and dig in our greenhouse, and spent a good chunk of time seriously cleaning my apartment. It looks better than it has since she helped move me in a year ago so I’m just hoping everything will hold up for my last six months. <br /><br />Now I have less than a month before coming home for Thanksgiving, and things should be a little more low-key. Thanks to all who have donated to my renewable energy project so far and I will keep you updated on my progress!Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-26617842017134374092010-10-11T12:06:00.011-06:002010-10-11T12:28:56.023-06:00Fun in the Rain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyiAXkjkWDdkwM0P_Q9Gbyvob71a-7b_3NlXEPDna-8fc3qFmUlpTr0g_DhQZUhDWMCl33InGuIe0oV0Qjik9Q4AuWBHl3vEm5S_XS92IeIMdjwBUhk9wyL9OpI302tXRtZED0Ys7VXA/s1600/DSC00532.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfyiAXkjkWDdkwM0P_Q9Gbyvob71a-7b_3NlXEPDna-8fc3qFmUlpTr0g_DhQZUhDWMCl33InGuIe0oV0Qjik9Q4AuWBHl3vEm5S_XS92IeIMdjwBUhk9wyL9OpI302tXRtZED0Ys7VXA/s200/DSC00532.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526856953544057186" /></a><br />And then things got messy...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufVT-34Yh0i8EVYL6nAlc4WHCdkt7gWjKcg1dO3JbAw8US65zm52Y-SNWEKqa3tpfFM6KzLUcwypZItdIYfF1AZgqvxEDBvln6OtRD8iaiJMcMz1N4sZB7gMdF2QJsh1CxTrNAHWpf50/s1600/DSC00457.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufVT-34Yh0i8EVYL6nAlc4WHCdkt7gWjKcg1dO3JbAw8US65zm52Y-SNWEKqa3tpfFM6KzLUcwypZItdIYfF1AZgqvxEDBvln6OtRD8iaiJMcMz1N4sZB7gMdF2QJsh1CxTrNAHWpf50/s200/DSC00457.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526855855145799890" /></a><br />Breakfast of champions<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55lhDcGg-q5m4NMkeZHP4GB-_N9eGJeBR9TCocXRywopGdaG4IpwoWL7ZIGmcEZ_7V1DHy2gPLvIPnZ7KqE50t_6lMSALWX36EYPUkkN6okmKFx25yhMRp5_1ODXuGtX-Ep3GoZzn6Qw/s1600/DSC00434.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55lhDcGg-q5m4NMkeZHP4GB-_N9eGJeBR9TCocXRywopGdaG4IpwoWL7ZIGmcEZ_7V1DHy2gPLvIPnZ7KqE50t_6lMSALWX36EYPUkkN6okmKFx25yhMRp5_1ODXuGtX-Ep3GoZzn6Qw/s200/DSC00434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526855217342943250" /></a><br />Setting up camp in the rain<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkwdLMS5TzorwHBNOTyjEe_1gjpraO3kWlB-jPo9k9TrbPVRWtaF7QcAYTnoXUU4BakgHl5PjXP8RZlyyYApWD2tOW_0_nbe_FHEQiTlbXzakidoOPNgWPNQm0T6J9tjyeVIKdPZqxgc/s1600/DSC00423.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkwdLMS5TzorwHBNOTyjEe_1gjpraO3kWlB-jPo9k9TrbPVRWtaF7QcAYTnoXUU4BakgHl5PjXP8RZlyyYApWD2tOW_0_nbe_FHEQiTlbXzakidoOPNgWPNQm0T6J9tjyeVIKdPZqxgc/s200/DSC00423.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526854472493474626" /></a><br />Pre-camping trip<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_cxcNZG7UODes6YF82aw2Ycz-ke2eoqaSLiYKsio6a2f3AL3d0O8X4TVCeBLqBHyRCQ5oJxXfc-Yr4_8KHz4Tk0jGlpdBNjOqdxXuPjAfTIbB8XkYQyuUgaVDgCBW9NQC6NKWjAKMrM/s1600/DSC00382.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_cxcNZG7UODes6YF82aw2Ycz-ke2eoqaSLiYKsio6a2f3AL3d0O8X4TVCeBLqBHyRCQ5oJxXfc-Yr4_8KHz4Tk0jGlpdBNjOqdxXuPjAfTIbB8XkYQyuUgaVDgCBW9NQC6NKWjAKMrM/s200/DSC00382.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526853843070859346" /></a><br />All sorted out<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KZFQMumziXV889FaYO5LHEZxgWBUZ_uWvGJulcqRk05wAZbHxMwZx42zRP3jtn48oluDDx0NlO78XlONAJeGZcKwQfc8VL1_NBHBOm4xrgrN4IVxs2SXC4ZGNx_H4rlnnzaDsRRemsk/s1600/DSC00352.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KZFQMumziXV889FaYO5LHEZxgWBUZ_uWvGJulcqRk05wAZbHxMwZx42zRP3jtn48oluDDx0NlO78XlONAJeGZcKwQfc8VL1_NBHBOm4xrgrN4IVxs2SXC4ZGNx_H4rlnnzaDsRRemsk/s200/DSC00352.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526853354980405490" /></a><br />Pre-Rubiks Cube Rumble<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGsGqmijorLJ4VRGsFgF2wHwr3aNqFF-paY8DrAGaWSOt6x34FJsYdN2_9f03Oj9HEe2EGQ6sl5JqOfoi1NmtwnARAiyWb6eV9bL15HFGCwuM8y6u8y0m2odKhqXmEr6WWEn_qudAueU/s1600/DSC00344.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGsGqmijorLJ4VRGsFgF2wHwr3aNqFF-paY8DrAGaWSOt6x34FJsYdN2_9f03Oj9HEe2EGQ6sl5JqOfoi1NmtwnARAiyWb6eV9bL15HFGCwuM8y6u8y0m2odKhqXmEr6WWEn_qudAueU/s200/DSC00344.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526852888554591314" /></a><br />Bingo for kids of all ages<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4WLsRosv6zOEl3Gv8AM7XVDEg9dK_vgBJcHfmnio5W121-6XvpXm38cTsAw71gYGwKYNt45TsdKvTpD5P_kmzpaJpRXch0hcOhcbOcXlOQsTk8COb4YY8sOmDMiWlr7Y4bBAf8RihdE/s1600/DSC00309.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4WLsRosv6zOEl3Gv8AM7XVDEg9dK_vgBJcHfmnio5W121-6XvpXm38cTsAw71gYGwKYNt45TsdKvTpD5P_kmzpaJpRXch0hcOhcbOcXlOQsTk8COb4YY8sOmDMiWlr7Y4bBAf8RihdE/s200/DSC00309.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526852198409049618" /></a><br />Eco-Animos: <span style="font-style:italic;">Lo natural lo siento y el ánimo me luce</span><br /><br />Despite the endless rain that is September and October in Costa Rica, it has been a busy and productive few weeks. Our Junior Achievement product launch in San José was a big success. Although, in characteristic Tico planning, there was not enough room in the theater for all the groups that had been invited and half of my group got stuck outside until it was their turn to get onstage, they pulled it off and were all giddy with excitement about the trip. We are now in the production phase and facing some unanticipated obstacles, as the bath gel they are producing is too liquidy and the candles aren’t turning out the right color, two areas in which I am not at all useful, but they are working hard to get it together before the Product Fair back in San José in two weeks.<br />We organized a fun and successful Bingo Infantil to raise money for the Scouts group two weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised at how many people showed up, and I think it had to do with a number of factors: First, we planned it right after church, so a lot of people stopped by on their way home to buy some food; Second, as it was a bingo specifically for kids with kids’ prizes and games in between each round, lots of parents showed up to help their kids win, as they take their bingos very seriously here. We had sack races, musical chairs, face-painting and balloon animals, good food, and fun prizes including some Karate Kids t-shirts courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which were a big hit.<br />Then I headed off to our Peace Corps three-day All Volunteer Conference in Tres Ríos, the only time of the year where every single volunteer in the country from both generations get together. It is all organized by volunteers, so it’s not as rigid and boring as our regular trainings, and there were lots of fun activities including a two-hour Tico 19 v. Tico 20 soccer game (I don’t think I even need to mention who obviously dominated), a staff bake sale and crafts fair, trivia night, a talent show, and our annual dance, whose theme this year was Rubiks Cube Rumble – you have to show up wearing all six colors of the Rubiks Cube and end the night wearing only one. So lots of good, wholesome Peace Corps fun, and it’s always nice to catch up with other volunteers and meet new ones.<br />This week marked the official end of my first English class, in which only four people remained of the 20-plus who I started with last July. That also meant it was my first free Thursday evening since last July, so I celebrated by going out dancing with some volunteer friends, which was a blast. Then on Friday night I hosted our final class party in my apartment. We ate nachos and buffalo wings and drank Imperial and sang a little bit of karaoke from my computer and then played bi-lingual Scrabble. The final four students were a really good group, and some of the people I have spent the most time consistently with since I got here, so I hope we will continue to be friends without English class. I am still going with my newer course that started in May, as we have 10 people right now, which isn’t so bad after six months.<br />This weekend was our first camping trip with the Scouts, appropriately planned at the peak of the rainy season. Eleven kids went, then José, Luis Carlos and me as dirigentes, and Ligia, Orlando, their daughter Angie and her baby, the official Scouts family of Quebradas. Por dicha, it was a sunny morning in Quebradas, so we made it to our campsite in the mountains dry and actually sweating. As soon as we starting setting up our tents the rain began, and from there things got messy. Unsurprisingly, all the boys began sliding around and fighting in the mud, only to tell us after that those were the only clothes they had brought. Somehow we made it through the evening with everyone clean, dry and accounted for and the rain let up for a fun campfire at night. I taught the kids how to make s’mores, which was a big hit except they were too impatient to roast their marshmallows so they would just burn them or eat them cold.<br />I was woken up at 4:40 am by all the girls who all had to go to the bathroom at once, and the day began from there. After a nice hike and some games and songs, someone suggested tug-of-war in the mud, which soon evolved into everyone throwing mud at each other, which soon evolved into throwing anyone who looked remotely clean into a mud bath, hence the pictures. We somehow managed to take down the campsite in our mud-caked state and made it back to Quebradas at 11am, as promised to all the worried mothers, who had their days’ worth of laundry to do. All in all it was a really fun trip and the first time a lot of the kids had slept away from home without their parents, and they all did really well. Next up will be a two-night trip and then the national Scouts camp in January, which is three nights, so we’ll see how they hold up.<br />Finally, many of you received my email that my renewable energy project at with FUDEBIOL was recently approved. I am very excited about having the chance to raise money back at home for an important cause that I have become increasingly interested in during my time working in New York City and now in Costa Rica, where the wealth of natural resources to produce renewable energy is immense. To learn more about the project and donate, check out this link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=515-181Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-49092714379467663272010-09-15T13:08:00.009-06:002010-09-15T13:55:47.215-06:00MadrugandoIn Spanish, that is the verb for waking up super early, in the madrugada. It seems an appropriate title for my past couple weeks. The first instance was two Sundays ago, when we had a Scouts activity up at FUDEBIOL to plant trees as their buena acción of the week. At 7 am, about 30 of us headed up in the backs of various pick-up trucks and spent the morning planting on the side of a steep mountain where it probably wasn’t that safe to take 7-year-olds, receiving a charla about water from the directors of FUDEBIOL, eating cookies and playing orgolla de india, the official sport of the Scouts that is kind of a combination of soccer and ultimate frisbee. It was a super fun morning and totally worth getting up early for on a Sunday. Derek from the Peace Corps office was also visiting me that weekend for a special session he was leading in the community on how to improve the Peace Corps program in Costa Rica to better meet their needs. So we went straight down from FUDEBIOL, got soaked in the back of the pickup trucks as the afternoon downpour began, and shifted gears from getting to play with and act like kids to our roles as meeting facilitators. But it was a pretty insightful session and everyone I invited actually showed up, which is a rare occasion and made me happy that they must see Peace Corps as a valuable program that they would like to continue in Quebradas (or they just wanted free snacks).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rvw9styQXy4F1pxbTRMPsIgl4yN9P4ctbGHQcKAf1MB8elCPyY8dv16C4pWXq2SVBYEJNl2PTwQ27_TtIHv50bMc0fMtyah816JtCCDkhiTRnngYuxgKMJuqYwb4THkeFcRVawhMyK8/s1600/DSC00152.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rvw9styQXy4F1pxbTRMPsIgl4yN9P4ctbGHQcKAf1MB8elCPyY8dv16C4pWXq2SVBYEJNl2PTwQ27_TtIHv50bMc0fMtyah816JtCCDkhiTRnngYuxgKMJuqYwb4THkeFcRVawhMyK8/s200/DSC00152.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517221408635489986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2W-qYzqBAxaUfoGK1pAtW4yZP_YRSz2OiZxadW1ytXa383RJBFVadb0lsrDmR7hx0Uajciz5UvPatQERcm1FclormzWNj_uVJIHSTnr-USJlDq6ygqpzOZVHecaICnu8zS_14NkCeC6o/s1600/DSC00128.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2W-qYzqBAxaUfoGK1pAtW4yZP_YRSz2OiZxadW1ytXa383RJBFVadb0lsrDmR7hx0Uajciz5UvPatQERcm1FclormzWNj_uVJIHSTnr-USJlDq6ygqpzOZVHecaICnu8zS_14NkCeC6o/s200/DSC00128.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517219843985393650" /></a><br /><br />The next instance was this past weekend, first on Friday morning to undertake the looooooooong trip almost across the entire country to the hot, dry region of Guanacaste, where 14 volunteers were meeting up to run the Tamarindo Beach Marathon, or some shorter version. The four other Zona Sur residents and me actually got a ride up the coast from Dominical in a buseta, which made the trip shorter, prettier and more comfortable. We got into Tamarindo around 7pm, got our free t-shirts at the race check-in, met up with the rest of our group at the house we had rented, and headed out for the all-you-can-eat pasta special at the Hotel officially sponsoring the race. Everyone passed out early after an exhausting travel day and knowing that we had to wake up at 4am the next morning for a 5am start time. It seemed crazy at the time, but when by 7am that sun was beating down hard and we were on our way to the beach instead of to the finish line, I was very glad my race was already over. I ran the 21k, or half-marathon, and it was my first competitive race since the NYC marathon in 2008. I felt really good considering my lackluster training schedule and ended up coming in 5th place among women in my race, which was pretty exciting. We spent the rest of the weekend hanging out at the beach, eating good food and playing games at the house. It was really fun to spend time with all the other volunteers and get a little break from community life.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5gZmnzRRzFDAAzRFvsXreo_G4YdNzVJV5Qfvjk0IKFEQwDdL7n13QGLipZBgsbVsS2skp-_0jDdsXx_JliASVHPGOz_wyTLQoGlZF4U9OmusaIUaRAnG61yivbHoVRtx6zQn5IgDS-Y/s1600/DSC00208.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5gZmnzRRzFDAAzRFvsXreo_G4YdNzVJV5Qfvjk0IKFEQwDdL7n13QGLipZBgsbVsS2skp-_0jDdsXx_JliASVHPGOz_wyTLQoGlZF4U9OmusaIUaRAnG61yivbHoVRtx6zQn5IgDS-Y/s200/DSC00208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517224590971885442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3ZK78g-LHEy5je7tyBLQFjkoO9rbjuBbCRXUHHcP52K_AmvqWruguXPeBV2VA7F2-kYR6nqTJtVAxVpCdqNONOM-sUEFaQkxP8i1pS-gZyYmP5K8fpoNDGqSWBN7vEVuofUsK957xpM/s1600/DSC00183.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB3ZK78g-LHEy5je7tyBLQFjkoO9rbjuBbCRXUHHcP52K_AmvqWruguXPeBV2VA7F2-kYR6nqTJtVAxVpCdqNONOM-sUEFaQkxP8i1pS-gZyYmP5K8fpoNDGqSWBN7vEVuofUsK957xpM/s200/DSC00183.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517223133961480898" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjb5TDfr_lZWQARBh61OtD6wbR7poBhnZmgWR9EZwINb1ulHkPhCF2qUP1HMXVtS7OfvUSgUacgGLfjjd7xcEwAZZc8P1SsGx8W15we_SiOkRHjh6L5HAlPEysh-J-MuvsD2SgoC19XM/s1600/DSC00175.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjb5TDfr_lZWQARBh61OtD6wbR7poBhnZmgWR9EZwINb1ulHkPhCF2qUP1HMXVtS7OfvUSgUacgGLfjjd7xcEwAZZc8P1SsGx8W15we_SiOkRHjh6L5HAlPEysh-J-MuvsD2SgoC19XM/s200/DSC00175.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517221898455739314" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisWV0yxg3CKg7RzsqqYWnqb4YyVC-RSapOO6q_JvPT_56kO6YJten11tsvZSy5_3wpCuSpyZ4TvW7PE6CvKlkioxvbjGonsDluJ9PxU70qjJupCSkrKyZ8G7gkoa6mhwjEoRS1UauvJo/s1600/DSC00233.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisWV0yxg3CKg7RzsqqYWnqb4YyVC-RSapOO6q_JvPT_56kO6YJten11tsvZSy5_3wpCuSpyZ4TvW7PE6CvKlkioxvbjGonsDluJ9PxU70qjJupCSkrKyZ8G7gkoa6mhwjEoRS1UauvJo/s200/DSC00233.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517225173336369106" /></a><br /><br />Now this week is back to work…kind of. It turns out that Costa Rica Independence Day, which is on September 15, is celebrated on the 14th too, so it has made for a very short work week. Yesterday there was an activity where the 6th graders from Quebradas go to the nearest school in Morazán and pick up the antorcha, which they run up through Quebradas to the school, where it is picked up by the next group of kids from the Quebradas Arriba school and so on. Apparently it is a tradition that the independence torch has to be run throughout Costa Rica. At night, there was a parade of faroles, which I guess would be translated as homemade lanterns on a stick or fishing pole, from the school to the soccer field. Some kids had pretty creative ones, but it was pretty obvious that it had been their mothers putting in the effort. The next morning at 5am in the madrugada another parade began at the soccer field and headed up toward the school. This activity is called la Diana and the idea is that you make as much noise as you can to wake up everyone who is still in bed, in theory reenacting the delivery of the news of independence from Spain, although that really only happened in Guatemala, and Costa Rica found out about six weeks later. I went with the Scouts and brought a pan and spoon to make noise, and other kids brought tins full of rocks, recorders, tambourines, etc. Everyone ended at the school with a big breakfast and acto cívico by the students that included a typical dance group and a lot of hymn-singing. The rest of the day entails hanging out at home or going back to sleep, which is what I am about to attempt. All in all it was a fun cultural experience, but it doesn’t beat the 4th of July.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCrtpcYXiOndr0cY3vJP62nGUlWwOPfs2m_w99B3Ufqf4ZQd4Y9sqCsr0dAxtGppiPvgTtve5xW0EHPkY7RfUTkA3RXiJo3bP8gFhznxsaRStV-SGD5niikMwD8Kdi94h_EKTUr1D2B8/s1600/DSC00252.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSCrtpcYXiOndr0cY3vJP62nGUlWwOPfs2m_w99B3Ufqf4ZQd4Y9sqCsr0dAxtGppiPvgTtve5xW0EHPkY7RfUTkA3RXiJo3bP8gFhznxsaRStV-SGD5niikMwD8Kdi94h_EKTUr1D2B8/s200/DSC00252.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517226269335909586" /></a><br /><br />Finally, I have one more anticipated madrugada on Saturday. I am going with my Junior Achievement group from San Isidro to San José for our product launch. It starts at 9am so we have to leave at 5am and we come back that same afternoon. It will be another long trip, but the group is really excited and they have been doing a lot of preparing on their own, which is awesome. Their company is called Eco-Animos, and their product is a package of shampoo, liquid soap and a candle all with the same scent that represent an estado de ánimo, or mood. So there is lavender for enamorada (in love), green apple for feliz (happy), and mint for tranquilo (relaxed/peaceful). And it is all packaged in a recycled paper box. They have to do a Power Point presentation and then a creative presentation of the product, and the plan is to do a miming of the three moods and products. I think it is pretty creative and am excited to see how it turns out, even if it does mean getting up before light…again.Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-89814998198084841142010-08-27T11:16:00.000-06:002010-08-27T11:18:03.443-06:00(Home)sickWell, after more than a year of go-go-going and raving about how the clean air and proximity to nature in Quebradas has kept me healthy and energetic, I came down with a terrible flu this week, and all I wanted was to be back at home. Being sick definitely makes the unexpected twists of daily life here less entertaining, my open-air tree house apartment less glamorous, and cooking every meal for myself less fun.<br /> For example, on my way back up to Quebradas from the grocery store on Monday, the bus just stopped about 3km (and many hills) away from my apartment and the bus driver said he wouldn’t be going any further today because of some construction up ahead. But, we could walk a kilometer and then wait two and a half hours for the next bus to come down from Quebradas. Great. Fortunately, as I started my journey, some friendly neighbors with an already overflowing car made room for me in the back.<br /> Then, on Tuesday morning I want to take a shower but unfortunately there is no water in my bathroom. I call my landlady and she goes on about how she has never had this problem until I moved in and it is because the bathroom is on the second floor and it’s not her fault and I can move out if I don’t like it. Then she let me take a shower in her apartment. This on-and-off lack of water has also prevented me from being able to make comfort foods such as soup or tea, so I have been living off mostly cereal and sandwiches.<br /> By yesterday I finally got the sense to cancel some of my classes and meetings to get myself better, and then this morning I had high hopes of sleeping in and taking it easy when a neighbor called at 6:30 and laughed when he realized I had been sleeping. Phone calls after 6am here are pretty much fair game. <br /> Don’t get me wrong, people have been nice and sympathetic here and offered helpful suggestions such as rubbing butter and honey on my back or drinking milk with oregano, but this is all just to say that not feeling my best has made me miss and appreciate the comforts and conveniences of home more than I have in a while.<br /> In other news, I am training for a half-marathon (though that was obviously put on hold this week) in Tamarindo in September, so have been doing some fun long runs with friends in the Zona Sur, including a beautiful run all the way from Adrienne’s community to San Isidro, followed by brunch at Bazooka’s. Kind of like my old routine in NYC, but very different scenery. <br /> I also recently started a Junior Achievement course in San Isidro for students at the Casa de Juventud, an alternative education institution for people who did not/cannot attend regular high school for various reasons. Having learned much from what went wrong with my last attempt at the course in Quebradas, it is going really well so far. The group is more mature and very motivated and has a pretty wide variety of talents. So far we have a name, a vaguely defined product, and a market study in development. Will fill you in when we are ready to release the details…<br /> And I am currently filling my downtime with beginning the grad school application process, which is not nearly as fun as reading on my hammock, but if there’s anywhere/time to have to reflect on my life path and achievements, this ain’t so bad. The lack of constant internet connection makes things more challenging, but I suppose it also gives me a better story to tell.<br /> Finally, I am helping develop a renewable energy project at FUDEBIOL that could be really exciting and may involve me hitting you all up for some funding when the time comes, so stay posted. <br /> Okay off to chug another Emergen-C and continue on the road to recovery…Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-5924607951561029562010-08-02T10:20:00.009-06:002010-08-02T11:32:29.924-06:00Katie D's B&B<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoOv-TigZbrdHiVDnNldTQY_rmpeb5BTtznaS-myP7uYlYmWF62kcnsD9qH3gTlKCMpyyeTBnjix4c1MkwrWrLhMyjp1ntnD9kk5wn2W2T9iLOXc-Ksyz8kmY3rp5Igf3K86HIiRJV2Q/s1600/IMG_1208.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoOv-TigZbrdHiVDnNldTQY_rmpeb5BTtznaS-myP7uYlYmWF62kcnsD9qH3gTlKCMpyyeTBnjix4c1MkwrWrLhMyjp1ntnD9kk5wn2W2T9iLOXc-Ksyz8kmY3rp5Igf3K86HIiRJV2Q/s200/IMG_1208.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500866571590469298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmoA5p0yMGqx1NXe0Vs5L8i11TMEhPCmEetVqd8zxk6s_ow0VBYQQLpywNROzHEgoqWF0E1c0kSgZcpG8DyEXHVLIihWh8aACA2sDg7q6X9qgo5_rRMOGPz5VgITMSyJSJUoJiRE0oak/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; 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cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguloiHo6qEa4qrL1tMnd_BR3oaZjzgh19dNMKmV3rXOIxPVQ818GEKdqTEV9vpjFp04NCJAykJu4R_YVibxpaznwnE7Xas6P8QaoVpv0zVIkD1YsgaQR1ag3B6eWF_gk6ZSzi9aA74P1k/s200/IMG_1039.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500861728152934882" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGW95LWrSbXLqu_AE94dmrFIK7fWX4SNfYmnDrgKJWxg95-OXZrP5emPqpPae7nAX_kK87vHj_qnqGESu76vYm7z8eWiMpBL9-nz_Bm35Alu-cUrlIo-VCBT6h50K_w-k5U1jHbQFH-Y/s1600/DSC01056.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGW95LWrSbXLqu_AE94dmrFIK7fWX4SNfYmnDrgKJWxg95-OXZrP5emPqpPae7nAX_kK87vHj_qnqGESu76vYm7z8eWiMpBL9-nz_Bm35Alu-cUrlIo-VCBT6h50K_w-k5U1jHbQFH-Y/s200/DSC01056.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500860684750578642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihb1DftbdDiYTlDIhQJkouU96pvJEb272uIVfU5qvuNkd29h2B0ryQI2xYI5QW871WWmFwOZLbTwm69KqW5jY4MRiD9rJ4lnRLlvIE55wroTwKh5iAlZznJXRyIceoNMCQLMHjXK_Mh1Q/s1600/DSC01031.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihb1DftbdDiYTlDIhQJkouU96pvJEb272uIVfU5qvuNkd29h2B0ryQI2xYI5QW871WWmFwOZLbTwm69KqW5jY4MRiD9rJ4lnRLlvIE55wroTwKh5iAlZznJXRyIceoNMCQLMHjXK_Mh1Q/s200/DSC01031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500859954593923762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHVov-4UyHm-TtKK6LdH7YUcw7_O36yQI2KfnZuThzdF26VOM9rzEwrXQlVIBE3_kPC1rtjoNrPeDe61DIYmf8jaCN36YIB9x2VuKq3_VCTNutpR-GkhYKBe9AnJX4Qn0od-PiiDJ5yE/s1600/DSC01023.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHHVov-4UyHm-TtKK6LdH7YUcw7_O36yQI2KfnZuThzdF26VOM9rzEwrXQlVIBE3_kPC1rtjoNrPeDe61DIYmf8jaCN36YIB9x2VuKq3_VCTNutpR-GkhYKBe9AnJX4Qn0od-PiiDJ5yE/s200/DSC01023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500859214011978290" /></a><br /><br />July brought a revolving door of visitors, from which I realized in retrospect I could have made some good money if I charged for room and board (except for the visitor who had to bring his own bed, so I guess it wouldn’t be fair…). Andrew and Maddie showed up in Quebradas the day of our big launch of the Scouts group, which was a lot of fun, and all the ladies of Quebradas thought Andrew was very handsome. The launch consisted of a short presentation from the regional directors and then an introduction of all the leaders and the board of directors in Quebradas and then all the kids split up into their age groups and did activities with another group that is already formed in a nearby community that came to help out. That was really cool because our kids could see the other kids in their uniforms with their patches and all the songs and games they know, which was a good motivator. The next day we all headed to Dominical for 4th of July, and we stumbled on probably the most gringo-ized celebration you can find in Costa Rica. It was a bbq and fundraiser for the lifeguards of Dominical, with a bunch of drunk Americans, hot dogs, a giant American flag and homemade ice cream. Unfortunately the fireworks were canceled due to the rain, but we got the idea. Then Andrew and Maddie came back to hang out and help out in Quebradas for a few days (I put them to work in the school garden and English class) before continuing on their travels up north.<br /> Two days later, Dan arrived, queen-sized blow-up mattress in hand, for his 2-and-a-half week stay at Casa de Katie. It was so wonderful to have him down for a longer than usual period of time and to have some downtime at “home” together. He learned to do dishes and sweep like a true Quebradeñan, to stuff newspaper in his shoes after we got totally soaked and muddy on a hike with the Scouts in the pouring rain, and to kind of almost appreciate cold showers on a hot, humid day. He also helped up lay out the fifth version of La Voz Quebradeña, which came out in mid-July, got to watch some quality women’s indoor soccer, and figured out how to navigate the big city of San Isidro on his own, although he asked someone how to get to Korea before they finally figured out he needed a post office (correo).<br /> We also got some fun weekend trips in and quality time with Liza. We went one day to visit her on the organic farm she was working at, and her philosopher-farmer host father took us on a longer-than-expected tour of the grounds, stopping to reflect and teach us life lessons regarding the environment, spirituality and the chicken and the egg. He was a very interesting man with a very different perspective than most of the people I have come across in rural Costa Rica. <br /> Liza, Dan and I spent another weekend in Manuel Antonio, where we saw MANY monkeys, a sloth, went kayaking, swam at a beautiful beach inside the national park, enjoyed happy hour looking out over the pacific coast on a beautiful sunset, and ate really, really well. <br /> On our final weekend all together, two more visitors were added to the mix. We met dad and Lynne in San José last Friday, where we went searching for a little culture in the big city and were pleasantly surprised to find a cool little art gallery, and even better, an amazing gift shop and café with lots of recycle-art products and incredible desserts. But the highlight of the night would have to be when we got back to the hotel and dad took us in to see the casino, which was basically what you would expect of a Best Western casino in San José, and as we quickly turned and made our way for the exit, who do we run into entering the building but the rabbi and his wife from the Pacific Palisades! They had just come from doing a wedding on the beach in Guanacaste and were just hitting up one of their favorite late-night spots in town. WOW. That’s a small world…<br /> The next morning we headed out on our weekend excursion to Tortuguero National Park. It was a four hour bus ride through banana country and then an hour and a half boat ride to our river lodge. We stopped at the Del Monte factory to observe the process, and it looks like miserably hard and tedious work, especially for the guys who are in the fields hauling bundles of bananas in the oppressive heat through a system that looks like the guys who train for football by doing sprints with a string attached to a giant weight. The boat ride was beautiful and felt Amazonian, which is the way many people describe Tortuguero. Our jungle lodge was right on the river and can only be reached by boat, as can all the other lodges and even the community of Tortuguero, which is made up of walking paths and has no cars. It was pretty hot and buggy there, but it was a lovely setting and there was a ping pong table and many hammocks, so I was happy. The next morning we did a “jungle cruise” boat tour and saw beautiful birds, more monkeys, some cayman, and got rained on, which seemed only appropriate. <br />But that night was the really special experience that people make the long trip out to Tortuguero for. We took a night hike down the beach to where the green sea turtles come and lay their eggs every year from July to November. We saw various parts of the process, from the giant turtle shells floating in from the sea to make their trek up the shore, to one turtle actually in the process of laying her 50-plus eggs in the giant hole she had dug for herself in the sand, to another turtle who had finished the process, and, exhausted and slow, was making her way back to the sea. The whole process takes about two and a half hours, and the mama turtles never see their babies hatch, and only 1-2 of each group of eggs that is laid actually yields a surviving baby because of all the predators that lie between where they are hidden in the sand and the ocean they have to get to, unprotected. It was pretty amazing to get to see and to think that all of this is instinctive for these animals, and they do it without any help or anyone telling them what to do, and they do it six times in a row, with only 15 days in between! And they know exactly where to go. Definitely made me wish I had paid more attention in biology class…<br />On Monday morning we flew back to San José from Tortuguero, which only lasted about 30 minutes but was a great way to get a better sense of the geography of where we were and had some beautiful views, including the smoking Turrialba Volcano. Then we bid a sad farewell to Dan and dad, Lynne, Liza and I headed back down south. Liza went back for her final week on the farm, and dad and Lynne hung out with me until Tuesday, when they went to visit Liza and get to know her host families for a few days. So it was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but I had a great time having them visit and sharing in my experiences down here and having adventures of their own. <br />Now I have a pretty quiet month ahead of me, which I am looking forward to. I just attended ANOTHER training for Junior Achievement, so I am going to attempt that project again but with an organization in San Isidro and more support, and I am keeping busy with the Scouts and our micro-credit project AND I am (kind of) training for a half-marathon that a group of Volunteers is going to run in September in Tamarindo, which should be really fun, although I don’t think any of us are currently in the shape we would like to be. But it’s more just an excuse for a fun beach weekend and something to look forward to. Okay, hasta luego!Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-79852788696540781752010-06-29T16:59:00.007-06:002010-06-29T17:14:34.537-06:00Busy busy busy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_al4xgI0wogH9xATZFcqV3I6_BpitVoTdGcRRtpnIlbo7Tsb9EIp1MZ8MkW7yrSJ_Yzvd7bdpYgywYewFeGgjQF3kenKQoZrlGS39-cMMRf5UUGyqtOwC3sr9pM2R5syHfUEbQ6K-r70/s1600/DSC00948.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_al4xgI0wogH9xATZFcqV3I6_BpitVoTdGcRRtpnIlbo7Tsb9EIp1MZ8MkW7yrSJ_Yzvd7bdpYgywYewFeGgjQF3kenKQoZrlGS39-cMMRf5UUGyqtOwC3sr9pM2R5syHfUEbQ6K-r70/s200/DSC00948.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488337820986132594" /></a><br />Introducing...Quebradas grupo #47 Guías y Scouts<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu79bapJBBZ0eI-m_2YVsEPqkFwidxoXkowoYiAgO8ePET9LZq84ULZEaE1iH6VfVezsp7-kUipWfRbW0208qAoHczMl1B9UT43D9-iu6S4fRi5uadH1kOMM4gEl83troEWCpVXMHXfX8/s1600/DSC00945.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu79bapJBBZ0eI-m_2YVsEPqkFwidxoXkowoYiAgO8ePET9LZq84ULZEaE1iH6VfVezsp7-kUipWfRbW0208qAoHczMl1B9UT43D9-iu6S4fRi5uadH1kOMM4gEl83troEWCpVXMHXfX8/s200/DSC00945.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488337415282679554" /></a><br />Siempre lista!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrDl2WIpzQl6FAvYsuWTz17XIRfof33oEi4fOZkJfxN6CsQJXsFsDofcgUXc383pqMdkW82w8SZ_Tu65yq-6D32yiOSxocGw5irf09subBIS1TsskREkeBYGo4SBKG4Q74vWhMK2oopk/s1600/DSC00943.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrDl2WIpzQl6FAvYsuWTz17XIRfof33oEi4fOZkJfxN6CsQJXsFsDofcgUXc383pqMdkW82w8SZ_Tu65yq-6D32yiOSxocGw5irf09subBIS1TsskREkeBYGo4SBKG4Q74vWhMK2oopk/s200/DSC00943.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488336916297407826" /></a><br />The new face of ECC Quebradas<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56KPGxRos4jTctzVNpqZamahuCJCdv-0EMkG5yPM7kDrGDryMKTTtGeH-oiIhd3Pzt-acS-3NR79huso3LF_u_iAhsHoQ0gKMdPDmfefxkgM7b96Q1TcH704WjE-dCenMYl5S037lUpw/s1600/DSC00915.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56KPGxRos4jTctzVNpqZamahuCJCdv-0EMkG5yPM7kDrGDryMKTTtGeH-oiIhd3Pzt-acS-3NR79huso3LF_u_iAhsHoQ0gKMdPDmfefxkgM7b96Q1TcH704WjE-dCenMYl5S037lUpw/s200/DSC00915.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488336519968954018" /></a><br />The DeWitt girls on the road to Turrialba<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfC_F1sMW4tdktIvxqkYr_waNtRtWumLg3plk3MHFML-7RFXdIm9Dlmw6sVNHRh_kFItWAo0YqIav27iKcf4U-_upBuW10A4eCQZ67v_ZGkgh6uBBlykmfXKNZej60PB259iDfPbxCSI/s1600/DSC00912.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfC_F1sMW4tdktIvxqkYr_waNtRtWumLg3plk3MHFML-7RFXdIm9Dlmw6sVNHRh_kFItWAo0YqIav27iKcf4U-_upBuW10A4eCQZ67v_ZGkgh6uBBlykmfXKNZej60PB259iDfPbxCSI/s200/DSC00912.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488336113093175218" /></a><br />Night on the town<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_bHSRrRTSuKRQ7VAJMs7tU0k_pr0Nk3M5BOl4wrW6iIGkdZCa_lkSEd0X6f_XK70c_O0dKK8TWE8pL3A2ooaWMVJM3Ls1-YfGp468oZ2HF5GV0_BMsNqs-Q8lZAIcZ5DPKaTEpGeMak/s1600/DSC00896.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_bHSRrRTSuKRQ7VAJMs7tU0k_pr0Nk3M5BOl4wrW6iIGkdZCa_lkSEd0X6f_XK70c_O0dKK8TWE8pL3A2ooaWMVJM3Ls1-YfGp468oZ2HF5GV0_BMsNqs-Q8lZAIcZ5DPKaTEpGeMak/s200/DSC00896.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488335080627445490" /></a><br />At the mall with the girls<br /><br />So mid-June hit and my schedule for the following six weeks has been filled to the brim and will continue to be so through the end of July. Totally crazy, but all good things. From June 14-18, we had five full paid days at a fancy hotel in San José for our Tico 19 Mid-Service Training. It was filled with sessions reflecting on our first year of service and looking forward to our second year, sharing project ideas, giving feedback to Peace Corps staff, etc. We were fed every three hours between buffet breakfast, two cafecito breaks and lunch, and THEN for the first training ever we were actually free after 5p.m. to explore San José and choose our own dining options. One night we went to a mega-mall and ate TCBY and saw Sex and the City 2 among a young and metropolitan crowd, and it felt just like home. So all in all, a great break from my site to rejuvenate, see people I hadn’t seen in a while, eat good food, sleep in a super-comfy bed, take hot water showers and even watch some World Cup games on a big screen TV!<br /><br />On the last night of MST, Liza got in from the US and crashed in our hotel and the next morning we went with a group of 25 volunteers and friends of volunteers on a river rafting trip in Turrialba. It was SO beautiful and the rapids were big enough that Liza and I both fell out of our boat at the same time, but not so big that it was actually scary. We spent an evening in Turrialba with Adrienne and Brigitte and then headed back to Quebradas on Sunday. It was back to work for me on Monday, and Liza went off to begin her volunteer program working on various organic farms in some nearby communities.<br /><br />Highlights of my week included electing our Junta Directiva and selling our first stocks at the newly formed Quebradas Community Credit Enterprise, getting my Scouts uniform and marching in the weekend church parade to promote the group, which we are officially launching on Saturday, July 3 (si Dios quiere) and playing bingo with Liza and pretty much every single person in my community at a very successful church fundraiser on Sunday. It is so fun to have my sister around to hang out in the apartment and around Quebradas and I am so excited to get to see more of Costa Rica with her in the next month!<br /><br />Now I am BACK in San José for two days, but this time it’s not as much of a vacation. We are slaving away at what will by my last edition of La Cadena, the quarterly national Peace Corps publication. Then I rush back to my site tomorrow morning in time for English class and to get organized for our Scouts launch, our first loan at the CCE, and a 4th of July visit from the DeWitt cousins. Who would’ve thought I could find a way to be THIS busy in the Peace Corps?Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-23330789392760975622010-06-07T15:09:00.000-06:002010-06-07T15:10:04.566-06:00Scouts CampThis was definitely one of the more remarkable weekends I have spent in Costa Rica. It began, in typical Katie DeWitt fashion, with me trying to participate in multiple activities that occur at the same time instead of choosing one or the other. As I now do every Friday evening, I went to teach my micro-finance course from 6-8, then literally ran back down the hill to my apartment, grabbed my pre-packed gear (which included a sleeping bag and pillow, a pan and dishware, clothes, toiletries, a costume and my “siempre listo” bag of tape, scissors, needle and thread, rope, tissues and a bandana) and made the 8:10 bus into San Isidro, where the Regional Director of Guías y Scouts picked me up and whisked me off to General Viejo, where the adventure really began. <br /><br />When I arrived around 9pm, the 30 other “campers” were already divided into their troops diligently practicing their knot-tying. I was shown to my group, the Castoras (beavers) and immediately told to get out my rope and start practicing. They seemed a little peeved that I had arrived late, as it could possibly put them at a disadvantage in our evaluation since I would be behind on my knotting skills. Not to mention that I had NEVER tied a knot for any useful purpose other than my shoelaces in my life, and that all the names were in Spanish.<br /><br />We were all out until 10:30 working on knots and then sent to our various tents to rest. I briefly saw Yajaira, José, and Nalleli, the three Scouts leaders from Quebradas and the reason I decided to do the camp, but we were all dispersed. I shared a tent with the five other beavers: Sharon (our leader), Yanoori, Roxana, Mayra and Yohana. The latter four were all mothers ages 25-45 who were interested in being Scouts leaders because their kids participate in various groups. Sharon was my age and VERY energetic and intense about being a leader, but that made here very good at it. Anyways they all seemed to lighten up once we were getting ready for bed, and we got to know each other a bit, but Sharon would not let us go to sleep until we had thought of a really good cheer for our group, which kept us up until 2am, when she announced that she was setting her alarm for 4:30 am so we could all be showered and ready for breakfast at 6. That was when I realized it was going to be a looooooong weekend…<br /><br />Saturday was jam-packed from 6am to 11pm with sessions and activities on constructing with bamboo, using and maintaining tools (yes, mom, I had to sharpen a machete), putting up and taking down a campsite for all weather conditions, and planning and designing a campfire. The evening concluded with said campfire, during which our costumes were used, many songs were sung, and at the end marshmallows were handed out and I got SO excited that we were making s’mores, until I saw people just eating the marshmallows plain, without even roasting them.<br /><br />We got slightly more sleep on Saturday but were still up by 5 on Sunday, as the Castoras were assigned flag-raising duty, and Sharon wanted to make sure we had plenty of time to get it just right. Then we had various closing events, including some Bible-reading and reflection and our final knot-tying examinations (I think they went easy on me), and then packed everything up, had lunch and were out of there by 1pm. Saying goodbye to everyone felt like the last day of summer camp, and as the four Quebradeñans boarded our bus home, we were all giddy with excitement and exhaustion.<br /><br />So, what was my takeaway from this most unique and intense of experiences? I’m still processing and running on not enough sleep, but I found that I enjoyed myself more than I’d anticipated and was thoroughly impressed with the entire operation. That is to say, these were not stereotypical Ticos in the sense of Pura Vida, arrive late to meetings, slow-paced, do-it-tomorrow attitudes. Every participant and director at that camp clearly had a passion for the organization and an energy that they wanted to do something productive with. Many of them have had similar experience in their communities in terms of lack of support from parents, lack of organization on the Board of Directors, lack of monetary resources for uniforms and other equipment, but they have all made it work because they believe in the values that the Guías y Scouts represent, for themselves and the kids they are sharing them with. <br /><br />I still don’t know that the Scouts would have been for me as a kid, but in a country and culture that is often lacking in discipline, organizations, and defined goals, I think the organization can offer a lot to children and parents alike. It made me happy to see how much the other participants from Quebradas were enjoying themselves, and I hope that we can all bring the spirit of our experience back to the community and get the rest of the group excited and keep this project moving forward. <br /><br />Unfortunately I didn’t bring my camera, but many pictures were taken so I hope to get a hold of some soon and share with you all, just in case you don’t believe I can tie a butterfly, fugitive or fireman knot. Not sure I’d be capable of using them for anything useful, but they look good…Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719562270779510570.post-39039742450767279152010-05-28T14:29:00.006-06:002010-05-28T14:43:30.952-06:00Cautiously Optimistic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFh1z2Ev4zYc2vSes4FuPtTRYrIf-TD-vVsaUOsl4hvCzh0vG1UIgd-kye0yT6FisEPjgE1sfdbDThjWwq6YQ5fUtJRBTu0QnU3oPPqyLRu7aOfHPoWKIMDmO03ENqozvcRCloZNYeg8/s1600/DSC00870.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFh1z2Ev4zYc2vSes4FuPtTRYrIf-TD-vVsaUOsl4hvCzh0vG1UIgd-kye0yT6FisEPjgE1sfdbDThjWwq6YQ5fUtJRBTu0QnU3oPPqyLRu7aOfHPoWKIMDmO03ENqozvcRCloZNYeg8/s200/DSC00870.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476424241866903666" /></a><br />Pizza party in Bijagua<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0f59dBx3mgzAuhb87MLDngoW1Z5odwQ6EBJsl0gQ09j6gIBmhKhNLdzeUUpnqYEHd8lWMV7Z5hZtdtMSsbD0fMMIQ7aAy0A1Q7I-u3hVT4yd4EzmM1evXtfoGJk_YfqXj9gW4y5WLAzM/s1600/DSC00866.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0f59dBx3mgzAuhb87MLDngoW1Z5odwQ6EBJsl0gQ09j6gIBmhKhNLdzeUUpnqYEHd8lWMV7Z5hZtdtMSsbD0fMMIQ7aAy0A1Q7I-u3hVT4yd4EzmM1evXtfoGJk_YfqXj9gW4y5WLAzM/s200/DSC00866.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476423888891287250" /></a><br />Awkward self-photo at Río Celeste<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijupBV8WBi4sAP3zamc9GYkoKC1trhIFlkaRU13uM_UeFJ7HMAHDwR6IX79ctYhc3k_iXFZgizxrfQXXeugfnGuotbk1aEAQpRPERVl-aBoyYC9yVdC4pH-jXruJDaEYC1JBZQG7Xo2vM/s1600/DSC00872.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijupBV8WBi4sAP3zamc9GYkoKC1trhIFlkaRU13uM_UeFJ7HMAHDwR6IX79ctYhc3k_iXFZgizxrfQXXeugfnGuotbk1aEAQpRPERVl-aBoyYC9yVdC4pH-jXruJDaEYC1JBZQG7Xo2vM/s200/DSC00872.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476423326681219698" /></a><br />New kitties living between the walls of my apartment and my neighbors<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3j-0ggCAB9NSJzMdPjhez8HpgDaPx7-zF4KhErJEcN9iy6NqoiJIoKaGJXKKRcLQNpQ0s74ud-yyxb7rKZXhFCh6K2Qn62WE30lZTdWwxBd715DUw05DK1r7hrsLgXgS2cqVkrJuD4yA/s1600/DSC00874.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3j-0ggCAB9NSJzMdPjhez8HpgDaPx7-zF4KhErJEcN9iy6NqoiJIoKaGJXKKRcLQNpQ0s74ud-yyxb7rKZXhFCh6K2Qn62WE30lZTdWwxBd715DUw05DK1r7hrsLgXgS2cqVkrJuD4yA/s200/DSC00874.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476422912026273794" /></a><br />Recycle art project with the 4th graders<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1i9ak9GgQwxyuoAlXVXYRiM5lcmJq9WTpV6i2Ix4TI2XR8smM1YqxSDUVidh33VDNJflSqSAQSXshFkOMLx9Ru5GDImhBCX65Rxb0HIW__FIhd2e3LgeN2WbCzFIxKZ087OqrYgkH2no/s1600/DSC00841.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1i9ak9GgQwxyuoAlXVXYRiM5lcmJq9WTpV6i2Ix4TI2XR8smM1YqxSDUVidh33VDNJflSqSAQSXshFkOMLx9Ru5GDImhBCX65Rxb0HIW__FIhd2e3LgeN2WbCzFIxKZ087OqrYgkH2no/s200/DSC00841.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476421174684208626" /></a><br />Oxen and oxcarts on the city streets in San Isidro <br /><br />So I always hate to say this out loud, and it’s even more dangerous to write down where it will be forever visible somewhere in the blogosphere, but work has been going really well in the past few weeks. I have now been in Quebradas for exactly a year, and I have spent a significant amount of that time making a significant effort to integrate into the community, convince people to show up at my meetings and motivate them to get involved in projects. Something between a community organizer, consultant, and party planner. During this time, I have faced many disappointments and learned to measure success in baby steps. Most of all, I have learned to manage my expectations, which is why it makes me nervous how well things are going right now. But as many former Peace Corps Volunteers have told me, it can take a full year to really get things moving in your communities, and more and more now I understand why.<br /><br />Our Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts group, which we started talking about in January after our successful summer camp, took a while to get organized, and it didn’t look like there was going to be enough enthusiasm for the project at some points. But we now have a Board of Directors, a group of adult troop leaders, and a planned formal inauguration date to launch the group. We also have colors for our scarves, a logo, and a knot that symbolizes our “commitment to conservation,” the part that sounds the easiest but of course became VERY contentious. I attended my first training with the other troop leaders, in which we learned the various salutes, symbolism of different colors and animals for different age groups, and played games where we had to try to pop the balloons tied around other people’s ankles. It kind of made me wish I had been a scout myself. Though they don’t sell the cookies here…<br /><br />I also got a new project started, the project I have been most interested in since I got here but needed this long to get to know people, establish trust and respect, and identify a solid group to move forward. This is the formation of a Community Credit Enterprise in Quebradas to give small loans to micro-entrepreneurs in the community. After two informational meetings with FINCA, the umbrella organization that Peace Corps works with to support ECC projects, we were able to get more than the requisite 15 people to sign up to participate in the training and form the organization. Then FINCA leaves me to actually carry out those trainings, coming back to check in and help out only for the most complicated ones. SO that means that I have to do a lot of teaching myself before I can teach the group the basics of capital, stocks, loans, accounting, etc. IN SPANISH. Fortunately, this is the kind of challenge I have been craving, and I think the material is interesting and will be useful to me for my future as well, so I do not mind the three to four hours of preparation that every meeting requires. It is a 22-step process, and we have now gotten through step 3, so there is quite a ways to go, but the idea is that we do one step every week, and the ECC is officially formed and can start selling stocks and giving out loans after step 7, which isn’t too far. Anyways I am really happy about how enthusiastic and motivated the group is, and my biggest concern is just keeping up that energy through the whole process.<br /><br />And finally, I had a good breakthrough with the school this week. I have been working with them on environmental education since I first get here, but by working “with” them I mean the teachers generally leave the classroom to sit and have coffee as soon as I enter. Last year, there was a teacher who was really supportive of the recycling project and helped form a committee of parents, but now that’s she’s gone I have really been running it on my own, which doesn’t make much sense. Fortunately, Elysa, the Italian volunteer here, has been helping me with the classes and trash separation, which has kept me sane, but she is leaving in July and regardless, the teachers and parents should be more involved. So I talked to the school director about it, and she invited me to the Board of Parents meeting and also set up a meeting between all the teachers. They were all very supportive and said of course they wanted to continue to recycling and they understand how important it is and just let them know how they can help. We’ll see how much their words turn into actions, but at least the communication channels have been opened.<br /><br />There has been time for a little fun, too. Last weekend, Adrienne and I made the looooooong journey up north to visit Brigitte in Bijagua. It was about a nine hour trip in total, which was pretty brutal but I have definitely gotten used to spending more time on public transportation and not worrying about urgently getting anywhere. So we spent two nights with her in her cute little house, visited Río Celeste and some hot springs, met her friends, made fajitas, baked cookies, watched movies, and went out for pizza. All in all, a short but very successful visit. It is always fun to see what other people’s sites are like because it makes you realize how different each of our Peace Corps experiences are, even within Costa Rica, though we share many of the same experiences and frustrations. <br /><br />Big plans for this weekend include an ECC meeting tonight, taking an Italian cooking lesson tomorrow from Elysa, rock-painting with the artisan group on Sunday and planning our next community newspaper. And most importantly, rumor has it that a Pop’s ice cream shop just opened behind the church in San Isidro, so I will most definitely be finding my way down there. MY Peace Corps experience just got that much better…Katie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17690567074583591146noreply@blogger.com0