I sure am glad not to be in the shoes of Tico 29 now. Yes, it was exciting when we found out where we were going to live and work for 2 years, but to have to go back to that time when we first arrived in San Marcos on October 2, 2014 would not be something I would want to repeat. It's something you kind of want to forget about, just how plain uncomfortable it was during that first 4 months or so at site, until now, when you can reflect and see how far you've come.
The difficulty begins when you step foot out of the house, you don't know a soul and you have to start communicating in Spanish. You don't have your fellow PCVs, training staff or Spanish teacher around anymore; just your Dictionary, Google Translate and a smile on your face for good measure! In an interview of what it's like being in the Peace Corps, another PCV in her 2nd year recently reported: "the first year, is like being in the dark, feeling around for clues and the next year with the lights on, surrounded by friends, but listening to a countdown over a loudspeaker". Well, I'm not quite into my 2nd year yet, but I do feel like the lights came on and I have a few friends. And that has certainly been another really important milestone for me, to have met people I can now call "friend" and to share time with them by myself, out of the house, knowing how to get there and to be able to communicate with them is absolutely marvelous! Carmen speaks some English (we help eachother out w/ language learning), but neither Lela nor Lily speak any English, so like most encounters, time with them is also a lesson in Spanish.
Me with "friend" Carmen.
This butterfly was my first project!Peace Corps Goal #3 is similar to #2: to help promote a better understanding of Costa Ricans to Americans. Basically, by taking time to get to know people, by making friends here, we are fulfilling goals 2 & 3.
These 2 goals were facilitated in a big way by Francis and I this past month, when we planned activities and individual homestays for a group of 10 boys from a school in Asheville, NC, who stayed in San Marcos for 6 days in May. This group of boys came from the French Broad River Academy (FBRA) that has been connecting with PC for several years now in order to help develop a world view for the boys by exposing them to a new culture, as well as facilitate their Spanish language skills. Included in their school's mission is a strong service learning component, so they felt it was a good fit to come visit us and help with our 10th grade service project.
Helping in the English class.
The grounds and garden beds crew.
The host families with whom the boys stayed, took good care of them. They greeted them with the traditional 'cheek kiss' (you just touch cheeks and kiss the air), which they weren't quite prepared for and when it was time to say goodbye, the boys got big hugs along with the 'cheek kiss'. A bond was formed there as well. We had activities planned for 5 days and they kept us on our toes, with only a little bit of downtime! It was a lot of fun and forced us to meet many new people and make lots of other connections along the way. Since the boys' school brought some financial aid for the CENCINAI project, it was also a good incentive for the 10th grade class to be ready for their work date! It was a Win-Win all the way around!
The recycled materials/toy crew.
The mural crew. 
How we all felt at the end of the day!
Another big project that we've had going on since March, was our Friendship Circles group in La Escuela. We finished up our classes on conflict resolution and teamwork with the 4th and 5th graders and now have to prepare a session with the parents and teachers.
In gratitude, one class of 5th graders sang us a wonderful song about feelings (called Las Emociones), which was very appropriate given that the students had to learn how to state how they were feeling about their problems, when trying to use negotiation or mediation to solve them. It feels great to actually see the completion of a project, because other things we've been working on are taking a lot longer to come to fruition than I thought they would. But that's the part of being a PCV that we've come to terms with and at the same time continues to be one of the biggest challenges. We have to learn to work within the system and culture here and go with the flow. I always feel this sense of urgency about starting projects and moving forward and that my eyes are bigger than my stomach when it comes to wanting to take on more. We have so many ideas for projects and have so much fun meeting and working with new people, that it's tempting to take on too much. BUT, there just isn't enough time to do them all and Francis is always trying to bring me back to earth on how much time it actually takes to plan (and interpret) and carry out these project ideas. I'm the IDEA person and he's the DETAIL guy. (I think my compañeros de trabajo from UCH will agree with this)!
Mangoes, ready to be picked!Part of my reflection on how it feels to be a PCV to date, is related to how I feel about being integrated into the community. Our PC trainers couldn't emphasize that enough during Pre-Service Training, but you really don't get the gist until you get plopped into a new community where you don't know a soul and also don't speak the language. I don't know if I'll ever get to the point where I feel like language isn't a barrier, but it's just not the same when you can't really say what's on your mind or in your heart and remains a frustration of mine. During those first 4 months here in San Marcos, I felt as if everyone was staring at me (which they were, because most European descent N.Americans stick out like a sore thumb) and this makes you just feel isolated and different. Then gradually, (we've been in San Marcos for 8 months now) poco a poco, I find myself saying hi ("adios" is usually the greeting) to everyone I pass on the street, not caring anymore if I stand out because now I feel like I belong and am no longer a "visitor". And eventually, when a group from the States comes to visit and you are shocked by all the blonde hair and blue eyes that you see, then you realize just how much you've gotten used to seeing and being around people with brown hair and brown eyes and realize how others perceive you! (Well, we don't have blonde hair or blue eyes, but I'm sure there are numerous other 'give aways' about our non-Latino descent)!
Our friend, Diego, with Francis.
For me, arriving in San Marcos last October, at the start of our 2 years of service, was like landing on a deserted island with a blindfold on. (The first 3 months of training don't count, because it's all performed in English and you have a big support system in the training team). But once they cut the strings and send you off is when the isolation begins. Making yourself get out on the streets to talk to people and gather the information you need in order to plan your projects is part of the game plan for integration. It certainly has helped having Francis here too, being a couple on the deserted island gives you a big advantage. The loneliness factor wasn't really present and I have had someone to commiserate with from the get go. But while initially I felt like I had a blindfold on, now I feel like not only can I see, but I'm clearing my own path, I have friends and people I can turn to for help when I need it. It's a much better place to be in now and only seems to be getting better!
Onward and upward!
