To say I’m “making friends” with the insects is a bit of a
stretch, but I’d like to think that at least I am getting used to
seeing them around the house and am not worried about sharing our apartment with them. Despite
our efforts to keep the floors swept and the door closed, there are many ways
these little creatures make their way into the house, not the least of which
are through the missing window panes or openings through the ceiling to the
roof. But these are also the many
ways that we receive the wonderful fresh air and sounds of the birds and the
bright light that floods our home throughout the day. Vilma, of our host family, keeps her plates in the refrigerator, because she learned from her mother, that if you want to make sure you didn't have any unexpected visitors on your dishes, it's the only safe way to know. You might be wondering just what type of insects I'm talking about, and so far, I really can't complain; they are mostly roly polies (sp?), little moths, spiders and an occasional cucaracha (those are pretty big though; picture little crawdads). In actuality, in coffee country we have it a lot better than those in the hot, humid climate of the coast, Guanacaste or Limon; in those places you will find many more little creatures. We aren't really even bothered by mosquitos here, so like I said, I'm not complaining!
I took this picture right outside our door; nice spider web, eh?
I also took a picture of this orchid right outside our door!
October is supposedly the rainiest month in Los Santos (the name of our
region). Sometimes it rains off
and on throughout the day and night, and sometimes for only a short period, but
when it rains, it pours! I bought
2 pairs of boots; one smaller pair to wear or carry in case of a downpour and
another sturdier pair for when we get to work in the coffee finca (starting in
December). We learned early on to
never leave the house without an umbrella and that it helps to wear pants that
are fast drying ! (so much for the wardrobe we brought!) But this is where you
just take it in stride and make peace with the wetness. This is why the hillsides are so green
and the coffee is so plentiful!
The past few weeks have gone by in a flurry. We finished up our training in
September and had some relaxing get togethers with our training group.
Our swearing in ceremony was Oct. 1,
and was extraordinarily nice, at the home of the US Ambassador to Costa
Rica. (If you are interested in a
career in politics; I would recommend trying to get a job at this embassy!) One
of the speakers at the ceremony, Mario Fung, a Director from the Ministry of
Education, gave a moving speech about the impact of PCVs on the lives of the
people in CR. He singled out
Francis, now serving his second stint as a PCV, as an example of dedication and
commitment. Mario seemed to have
been quite moved by the fact that these “abuelos” as he called us
(grandparents), were coming here to serve. It made me teary and proud. I only hope it comes to fruition; so keep your positive and encouraging thoughts of us coming!
You can view the swearing in ceremony on you tube at this link:http://youtu.be/Tb1diGYlBgc
Afterwards, we were chauffeured around again to the home of the CR PC director for a catered lunch. The next day, reality began to set in as we walked to the bus station with our heavy packs, for San Marcos.
You can view the swearing in ceremony on you tube at this link:http://youtu.be/Tb1diGYlBgc
Afterwards, we were chauffeured around again to the home of the CR PC director for a catered lunch. The next day, reality began to set in as we walked to the bus station with our heavy packs, for San Marcos.
We’ve been in San Marcos for 10 days now, each day, adding
to our ideas of how to organize our apartment and set up “our home”. I never knew there were so many
ways we could use boxes. I’m in the process of painting a piece
of cardboard to make a picture frame!
For you creative folks out there; you would thrive here! Necessity is the mother of invention,
yes? We bought a coffee
maker the other day and are experimenting with different coffees and blends. There are so many different types of coffee just from this
area to try, it’s a good thing we have 2 years to figure this out!
Our living room, dining room; we're using mosquito net packs for pillows on our chairs. We actually have 2 Bedrooms; so visitors are welcome to stay here! We're going to buy ourselves a double mattress for our anniversary!
This is our BR. Today we had a an extension built onto the bed to accommodate a double mattress.
Francis got handy the other day and hung a metal pipe for us to hang our clothes from. He hung a mirror in front of the sink (our kitchen sink doubles as a bathroom sink) and he hung hooks on the wooden walls and backs of doors for clothes and backpacks. It's quite organized and feels like home!
Our main task for the first 2-3 months of our service, is to do an
assessment of the needs of the youth here, in order to determine in which ways
our skills can best be utilized. This “diagnostic, will help us to identify which projects we’ll develop and with
whom. For now, we are sitting in
on small classes with the “orientadors” (counselors) from the “colegio” (highschool)
and “escuela” (primary) school in order to meet the kids, and start to
formulate our assessments. Last
week we met the “docentes” (teachers) at the colegio and passed out our
questionnaire for them. Today,
Sunday, there was a big event at the school called “Encuentro de Culturas”
(meeting of the cultures) which all of the parents attended. The kids dressed up and performed
dances from the different cultures that contributed to the formation of Costa
Rica, including the indigenous, Spaniards, Afro-Caribbeans and Chinese. The principal of the school introduced
Francis and I to all who attended the event, and invited them to welcome us
into their community. When we met
with him earlier in the week, he seemed especially interested in our presence
in San Marcos and the possibility of helping to create a “community of peace”,
as he called it! All of the work
that Francis has done with Friendship Circles and Conflict Resolution in the
schools and at John 23rd is going to come in handy in these next 2 years. The Costa Ricans seem particularly
proud of the fact that they don’t have an army and tend to be very cordial and
concerned about everyone’s well being.
Conversations always start with questions about your well-being as well
as your family, before delving into business. Many times their answer to “como esta” ? is “Pura Vida”!
This weekend, Francis and I went with our host family, Vilma
and Monica, to visit Vilma’s parents in San Jose. The drive reminded us of a drive to Grand Lake, via Estes
Park and Trail Ridge Road. We went
up and down and around many “cuestas” (hills) to get there, through many low
lying clouds, which at night made the visibility quite bad. Luckily, Vilma has
made this journey many times and knows the route by heart. She said her old Toyota Tercel could
probably make the trip on its own!
Another point of Tico pride is their social security system, which
includes health care for everyone (as long as you contributed your % into the system while you
worked). Kids up to the age of 18,
as well as pregnant women are covered regardless. There are health care centers with primary care for every
4500 people and clinics and hospitals dispersed around the country to serve the
healthcare needs of everyone. Of
course there are private practices as well, for those who can afford extra
insurance; and as you may know, there are many “extranjeros” (foreigners), who
come here for non-emergent or elective medical care as well, since it is more
affordable than in the states.
From what I’ve heard, they have a very high standard of medical
care and I would suspect there’s
no shortage of places to go to recuperate from surgery if you had it here!
Vilma’s mom is recovering from surgery for breast cancer and will be
starting radiation therapy soon.
Vilma goes to visit her parents every 2 months to restock their supply
of food and house basics. One of
their granddaughter’s takes care of them on a daily basis with cooking and
cleaning, while Vilma and her siblings provide money for their needs. Since her father was a farmer
throughout his life and didn’t have enough money to contribute to the pension
system, they are dependent on their family for this support. It’s a system similar to ours in that
regard. There were people coming
and going from the house during our 2 day visit there; it’s no wonder, given
that there’s grandparents, nieces, nephews and grandchildren all nearby; not to
mention, dogs, a cat, several birds and many fish.
We hung out with Monica (Vilma's daughter, in the back) and Susan (5 y.o great-grandaughter of Vilma's parents). I spent a lot of time braiding hair and Francis was a big hit with his deck of cards.
Even though their home is small, they welcomed us with open
arms and invited us to return whenever we can. It was nice being around young kids as well, for listening
to and using our Spanish. I view
every activity as a Spanish lesson and am happy when I can learn a few new
words every day. I measure my
progress by how many times I have to ask someone to repeat themselves or by the
look I get when I’ve just expressed myself. (I get that look a lot!)
As we sit here this Sunday afternoon, listening to the sound
of the rain and look out at the greenery that frames our home, we are grateful
for this time and feel so blessed to have our host family here and our
“parientes” (relatives) and amigos back home to support us on this journey!
Love to all.
These little green hummingbirds love this purple plant, we see them frequently outside our apt. window.