Hey hey, I don´t have much to say, but I wanted to let you all know that in a few days, I´ll be on my site visit!!! Tomorrow is ¨counterpart day¨, which is when we all go to this hotel and stay for 2 days and meet our future counterparts. It is just a bunch of get-to-know-you stuff, apparently. Then, we will go with our counterparts back to our sites and stay there till Wednesday! We´ll be bringing half our luggage with us too, so we don´t have to haul it all there at once. When we get back, we´ll only be in training for one and a half weeks and then we move for good. Crazy!
Anyway, that´s pretty much all. I am at a training session today, but we had a break, so I came to use the internet. I thought I was going to be really late this morning because I accidentally hopped on the wrong bus, but fortunately, I was able to catch a different bus later on to get back to the training building, and I ended up being early! Sorry, that is not an exciting story, but it´s all I got. And Adam, despite your previous suggestions, no I will not fabricate stories for your entertainment. ¡Chao!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Still not a fan of making titles
Well, I know where my site is now!!! We had our site assignment day on Friday, which was actually a lot of fun. The Peace Corps went all out and took us to a country club outside of San Jose. We had breakfast there, and everyone was sooo excited to finally find out where we're going! I should mention that while I was waiting for the bus to SJ with Glenn (another trainee up the road from me), I was telling him how I had an Enrique Iglesias song in my head that I heard the other day, but he didn't know what song I was talking about. When we were riding the bus, it came on the radio, which I took as a good omen. Then when we got on the buses to get to the country club place, the same song was playing AGAIN! Definitely a good omen (or maybe just a popular song, but I'm going to ignore that).
Anyway, after breakfast, they put up a huge map of CR and started handing out our packets of information about our sites. For fun, they blindfolded the first few people, put a pin with their name on it on the map, and had them find the pin based on “hot/cold” from everyone else. I was not blindfolded, but I did get my folder right in the beginning. I couldn't wait to open it and read everything! There were maps inside, along with a profile of the community, its strengths and challenges, potential projects, local resources, and information on my future host family. I can't say exactly where it is, but I suppose I can say a few things: First of all, I think it is the PERFECT site for me!!!! I am so happy about it! I am about 45 minutes to an hour from San Jose, in the mountains, and apparently it is beautiful there (hello, it's Costa Rica). My town has 350 people in it! That is less than my graduating class in high school! So in other words, it is rural. However, it is a 20 minute bus ride from a larger city that has everything (post office, internet, grocery store, buses to SJ and other places, etc.). Plus, my PANI office (my counterpart agency that is like the Child Protection Agency) and the high school are in this town, as well as an albergue (orphanage), so I'll be doing a lot of work there as well as in my community. Also, my counterpart's name is.... Enrique! (Like Enrique Iglesias, so the song really was a good omen, haha).
I think there was only one other rural site assignment in my program, but I couldn't be happier. I think I have the best of both worlds (granted I haven't been there yet), and I like that I am close to SJ in case I need to go to the office to get resources or whatnot. Plus, I am glad I am close to my training community so I can come back and visit my host family. All in all, to say that I have no complaints is an understatement.
After that, I swam in the pool, as did most people, but some people also played basketball or ping pong or mini golf etc. The place was really fancy-- thank you, taxpayers :) Then we had lunch there, played some games to get to know some of the office staff we don't see as much, hung out some more, then left around 4. By the way, one of the games we played was kind of a variation of tag, and I definitely got tackled to the ground by the other program director! Don't worry, I wasn't hurt, despite it being a tile floor. Another guy was chased into a wall and smacked his nose, but again, no damage done. I guess the staff doesn't play around when it comes to recess games! Haha
So I got home and was talking about the different site assignments with my host mom, and I mixed up the name of one of the other sites and accidentally called it “Orina” which means “Urine”. Yeah, Rosa thought that was pretty hilarious. Anyway, I was really tired, so I went to bed at my usual time. Bed by 8 on a Friday night-- a day of fun really takes it out of you I guess.
So, Saturday, Jenna (another trainee) was having a talent show with a group of kids in her town as part of her NFE project (like how I work with the 5th graders). Anyway, she asked the rest of us in CYF if we could come and possibly participate, so Angela and I decided to make up a little dance. It was really fun though, even though our dance was veeerry simple, since we threw it together in the hour before the show. The kids in the show were really cute, even though ¾ of them did the exact same thing, one after another—twirling a ribbon around to music (they did have different songs though).
After the show, I went over to Kim's house (another girl in my group) with some of the other girls in CYF. We had a little time to kill before we headed back to my community for Alex's par-tay. We were ridin' in style though, since Kim's host-parents offered to drive us to Alex's in their microbus! Alex's party was awesome. Behind his house is a big barn that is kind of falling apart (or as he calls it, “a disaster waiting to happen”), and let's just say it makes the barn behind my house (in the US) look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. Anyway, his host-sister is around our age, so she invited a bunch of Ticos, and Alex invited all of CYF and CED (the other program), and I think almost everyone from CYF was there (many with their host-brothers and sisters), and CED had a pretty good showing, which is impressive considering they live kind of far away. Anyway, they even had a disco-mobile there, so they were taking things seriously. It was so so fun, especially because everyone is so happy about getting site assignments finally, and our Spanish is getting good enough to converse with Ticos and not feel too too inept. Plus, Ticos like to dance almost as much as I do, so of course, that makes for a good time ;) There was of course the token creepy old guy that everyone was warned to avoid, but hey, what party would be complete without one?
Anyway, now I have three weeks left till I move to my site, and in less than a week, I will visit it for a few days. To quote one of my favorite movies, “It's really happening!!!” and 10 points if you can guess what movie that is ;)
Anyway, after breakfast, they put up a huge map of CR and started handing out our packets of information about our sites. For fun, they blindfolded the first few people, put a pin with their name on it on the map, and had them find the pin based on “hot/cold” from everyone else. I was not blindfolded, but I did get my folder right in the beginning. I couldn't wait to open it and read everything! There were maps inside, along with a profile of the community, its strengths and challenges, potential projects, local resources, and information on my future host family. I can't say exactly where it is, but I suppose I can say a few things: First of all, I think it is the PERFECT site for me!!!! I am so happy about it! I am about 45 minutes to an hour from San Jose, in the mountains, and apparently it is beautiful there (hello, it's Costa Rica). My town has 350 people in it! That is less than my graduating class in high school! So in other words, it is rural. However, it is a 20 minute bus ride from a larger city that has everything (post office, internet, grocery store, buses to SJ and other places, etc.). Plus, my PANI office (my counterpart agency that is like the Child Protection Agency) and the high school are in this town, as well as an albergue (orphanage), so I'll be doing a lot of work there as well as in my community. Also, my counterpart's name is.... Enrique! (Like Enrique Iglesias, so the song really was a good omen, haha).
I think there was only one other rural site assignment in my program, but I couldn't be happier. I think I have the best of both worlds (granted I haven't been there yet), and I like that I am close to SJ in case I need to go to the office to get resources or whatnot. Plus, I am glad I am close to my training community so I can come back and visit my host family. All in all, to say that I have no complaints is an understatement.
After that, I swam in the pool, as did most people, but some people also played basketball or ping pong or mini golf etc. The place was really fancy-- thank you, taxpayers :) Then we had lunch there, played some games to get to know some of the office staff we don't see as much, hung out some more, then left around 4. By the way, one of the games we played was kind of a variation of tag, and I definitely got tackled to the ground by the other program director! Don't worry, I wasn't hurt, despite it being a tile floor. Another guy was chased into a wall and smacked his nose, but again, no damage done. I guess the staff doesn't play around when it comes to recess games! Haha
So I got home and was talking about the different site assignments with my host mom, and I mixed up the name of one of the other sites and accidentally called it “Orina” which means “Urine”. Yeah, Rosa thought that was pretty hilarious. Anyway, I was really tired, so I went to bed at my usual time. Bed by 8 on a Friday night-- a day of fun really takes it out of you I guess.
So, Saturday, Jenna (another trainee) was having a talent show with a group of kids in her town as part of her NFE project (like how I work with the 5th graders). Anyway, she asked the rest of us in CYF if we could come and possibly participate, so Angela and I decided to make up a little dance. It was really fun though, even though our dance was veeerry simple, since we threw it together in the hour before the show. The kids in the show were really cute, even though ¾ of them did the exact same thing, one after another—twirling a ribbon around to music (they did have different songs though).
After the show, I went over to Kim's house (another girl in my group) with some of the other girls in CYF. We had a little time to kill before we headed back to my community for Alex's par-tay. We were ridin' in style though, since Kim's host-parents offered to drive us to Alex's in their microbus! Alex's party was awesome. Behind his house is a big barn that is kind of falling apart (or as he calls it, “a disaster waiting to happen”), and let's just say it makes the barn behind my house (in the US) look like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. Anyway, his host-sister is around our age, so she invited a bunch of Ticos, and Alex invited all of CYF and CED (the other program), and I think almost everyone from CYF was there (many with their host-brothers and sisters), and CED had a pretty good showing, which is impressive considering they live kind of far away. Anyway, they even had a disco-mobile there, so they were taking things seriously. It was so so fun, especially because everyone is so happy about getting site assignments finally, and our Spanish is getting good enough to converse with Ticos and not feel too too inept. Plus, Ticos like to dance almost as much as I do, so of course, that makes for a good time ;) There was of course the token creepy old guy that everyone was warned to avoid, but hey, what party would be complete without one?
Anyway, now I have three weeks left till I move to my site, and in less than a week, I will visit it for a few days. To quote one of my favorite movies, “It's really happening!!!” and 10 points if you can guess what movie that is ;)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Volunteer visit
Hello, hello! Well, I am back from my site visit, and it was really great! It was a really urban site, but it was a holiday weekend (Mother's Day was on Monday) so there wasn't a whole lot going on. I went with another girl from my program, Christine. We were a little worried about finding the bus stop in San Jose, but we got there without a problem. The scenery during the bus ride was amazing—we went through the mountains and a lot of it was out in the country and there were tons of trees and plants. Then we got down the mountain and it was hot hot! When we got on the bus, we asked the bus driver if he stopped at the church in “San Ramon” (note: I put quotes around that since that is the made up name, since I'm not allowed to put exact locations on here...you know, just in case anyone wanted to stalk me or something). So anyhow, he said, “Sure, just pull the cord”. Aka, “I have no idea where that is”. Unfortunately, neither did we. Apparently that wasn't the only place he didn't know—after a wrong turn, followed by him backing the bus up through the intersection and going the other way, then following another bus for a while, then having passengers on the bus directing him, Christine and I were a little worried about finding our stop. Fortunately, we noticed a sign on the side of the road that said “San Ramon” (again, not really) and saw a church, so I yanked on the cord. But the bell wasn't ringing! Ahh! Then I realized I was pulling on the curtain rod rope...
The bus ride was a bit longer than expected, but we made it in one piece, and to the right place, so that is what counts. Kelly (the volunteer we visited) is really cool, and even though she was once mugged at machete-point (if that is a word, which I doubt), her neighborhood seemed pretty cool too. We ate dinner in town that night, and of course, the TVs in the restaurant were all playing “Bailando por un Sueno”. The funniest thing about that show is that people totally vote for the sueno (dream, aka charity cause) and not based on the skill of the dancers. That would never happen in the US! Their way probably makes more sense if you think about it. One of the worst couples, in terms of dancing skills, is trying to get a plastic surgery operation for a little girl who has no nose or eyes and breaths through a hole in her neck (it is really pretty sad), and I would place money on them to win the whole thing.
Anyway, the next day a bunch of other volunteers in the area and their respective trainees who were visiting them met up and we rode the ferry across the water to the peninsula and then back again. It is really cool to meet other volunteers and hear about their experiences etc. I definitely learned a lot and got a lot of advice, which I think will be really helpful.
Yesterday we had interviews with our program directors to talk more specifically about our site preferences, and on Friday we find out where we're going!!! Aaah! I am so excited! However, you all will remain in suspense, since as I already mentioned, I cannot give out exact locations. If you really want to know though, you can email me. What else was I going to say? Oh yeah, so I had a session at the school yesterday. I have one more on Monday and then I'm done, which I'm kind of sad about because I really like those kids! Afterward I ran into Angela, who was also at the school, and we were talking outside when the policeman walked by. We said hi, and he came over and was talking to us. He was talking about all kinds of stuff and then next thing I know, he's pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and starts reading us poems he's written! It is not every day that a police officer, in uniform and everything, is out on the street reading you poetry...
What else? Well, yesterday I freaked out for a second because I thought I saw a dead horse on the side of the road. As it turned out, it was just a log and some dead palm branches. Oh, and of course, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Livviebelle! (Em, you'll have to pass that along since as far as I'm aware, Liv has yet to learn how to read). Wow, three years old! I actually remember my third birthday. I remember sneaking into the closet and finding my presents, including a Ken outfit, and I was so excited since I hardly had any clothes for him. Then the whole time I was actually opening my presents, I was wondering, “Where is that Ken outfit??”, and it was the last thing I opened, but I was worried someone had found out that I peeked and decided to not give it to me after all. Okay that was just a bit of a tangent...anyway! I guess childhood memories aren't really the purpose of a blog, hey? Whatev... Well that is pretty much all anyway. Bye! Oh! I just remembered, I saw the movie “Volunteers”, which in case you are unaware, is about the Peace Corps. It has Tom Hanks in it, and it is actually pretty funny. It's about a guy who owes a bunch of money, so he runs away to the Peace Corps to hide. The best line was when he says, “It's not that I can't help these people, it's just that I don't want to!”. Rent it, and if they don't have that, rent “School Ties” instead... (hahaha)
The bus ride was a bit longer than expected, but we made it in one piece, and to the right place, so that is what counts. Kelly (the volunteer we visited) is really cool, and even though she was once mugged at machete-point (if that is a word, which I doubt), her neighborhood seemed pretty cool too. We ate dinner in town that night, and of course, the TVs in the restaurant were all playing “Bailando por un Sueno”. The funniest thing about that show is that people totally vote for the sueno (dream, aka charity cause) and not based on the skill of the dancers. That would never happen in the US! Their way probably makes more sense if you think about it. One of the worst couples, in terms of dancing skills, is trying to get a plastic surgery operation for a little girl who has no nose or eyes and breaths through a hole in her neck (it is really pretty sad), and I would place money on them to win the whole thing.
Anyway, the next day a bunch of other volunteers in the area and their respective trainees who were visiting them met up and we rode the ferry across the water to the peninsula and then back again. It is really cool to meet other volunteers and hear about their experiences etc. I definitely learned a lot and got a lot of advice, which I think will be really helpful.
Yesterday we had interviews with our program directors to talk more specifically about our site preferences, and on Friday we find out where we're going!!! Aaah! I am so excited! However, you all will remain in suspense, since as I already mentioned, I cannot give out exact locations. If you really want to know though, you can email me. What else was I going to say? Oh yeah, so I had a session at the school yesterday. I have one more on Monday and then I'm done, which I'm kind of sad about because I really like those kids! Afterward I ran into Angela, who was also at the school, and we were talking outside when the policeman walked by. We said hi, and he came over and was talking to us. He was talking about all kinds of stuff and then next thing I know, he's pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and starts reading us poems he's written! It is not every day that a police officer, in uniform and everything, is out on the street reading you poetry...
What else? Well, yesterday I freaked out for a second because I thought I saw a dead horse on the side of the road. As it turned out, it was just a log and some dead palm branches. Oh, and of course, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Livviebelle! (Em, you'll have to pass that along since as far as I'm aware, Liv has yet to learn how to read). Wow, three years old! I actually remember my third birthday. I remember sneaking into the closet and finding my presents, including a Ken outfit, and I was so excited since I hardly had any clothes for him. Then the whole time I was actually opening my presents, I was wondering, “Where is that Ken outfit??”, and it was the last thing I opened, but I was worried someone had found out that I peeked and decided to not give it to me after all. Okay that was just a bit of a tangent...anyway! I guess childhood memories aren't really the purpose of a blog, hey? Whatev... Well that is pretty much all anyway. Bye! Oh! I just remembered, I saw the movie “Volunteers”, which in case you are unaware, is about the Peace Corps. It has Tom Hanks in it, and it is actually pretty funny. It's about a guy who owes a bunch of money, so he runs away to the Peace Corps to hide. The best line was when he says, “It's not that I can't help these people, it's just that I don't want to!”. Rent it, and if they don't have that, rent “School Ties” instead... (hahaha)
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I really hate making up titles
Okay, what´s up everyone? I thought I would put up a quick post before I head out of town this weekend (till Tuesday). I just found out today that I´ll be off to the BEACH! I am excited!!! I´ll be visiting a volunteer in her site with another girl from my program, and the volunteer, Kelly, was at our training session today, so I got to find out a little bit of what we´ll be doing. Apparantly she lives in an urban community, and it can be pretty noisy and stuff, but it is right by the beach, and apparantly it is very HOT. And buggy. But, I can´t wait! I am ready for a little change in the schedule; it´s gotten a tinch boring as of late. By the way, since Costa Rica is bicoastal, after all, I should specify that it is the Pacific Ocean I´ll be visiting.
Anyway, I really don´t have much else to report. Since I´ve been taking the medicine for my hands, they have gotten better. The Medical officer was at our training session today, and she told me she looked up the thing I´d been diagnosed with (which the name escapes me now) on the internet, and apparantly it can be triggered by stress... not too surprising I suppose. It can happen when you completely change everything about your life.
I am getting a little frustrated lately, but I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am one month away exactly from swearing in and getting to my site, and training is bringing me doooooown!!! I love my host family, and I´ll really be sad to leave them, but at the same time, I have no control over my life whatsoever. I have a schedule that is made for me, all these little things I have to do, I don´t make my own food or even decide when I´ll eat, I don´t do my own laundry, I don´t choose anything! It gets very very frustrating at times, but once you are at your site, you are more of another family member than a guest, you negotiate what you want to do for yourself (you don´t have a choice in training), you set your own schedule, you go where you want when you want and do what you want. Aka the life of a normal adult (somewhat normal anyway). But it isn´t all bad! It´s just that sometimes these weeks of training feel soooo long, but all the volunteers say that training is the worst part, and it gets a ton better when you are at your site. Let´s hope so!
Also, I started reading a book in Spanish last night. I got through a page and a half. It is a book for 5th and 6th graders.....Ay.
Anyway, I really don´t have much else to report. Since I´ve been taking the medicine for my hands, they have gotten better. The Medical officer was at our training session today, and she told me she looked up the thing I´d been diagnosed with (which the name escapes me now) on the internet, and apparantly it can be triggered by stress... not too surprising I suppose. It can happen when you completely change everything about your life.
I am getting a little frustrated lately, but I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am one month away exactly from swearing in and getting to my site, and training is bringing me doooooown!!! I love my host family, and I´ll really be sad to leave them, but at the same time, I have no control over my life whatsoever. I have a schedule that is made for me, all these little things I have to do, I don´t make my own food or even decide when I´ll eat, I don´t do my own laundry, I don´t choose anything! It gets very very frustrating at times, but once you are at your site, you are more of another family member than a guest, you negotiate what you want to do for yourself (you don´t have a choice in training), you set your own schedule, you go where you want when you want and do what you want. Aka the life of a normal adult (somewhat normal anyway). But it isn´t all bad! It´s just that sometimes these weeks of training feel soooo long, but all the volunteers say that training is the worst part, and it gets a ton better when you are at your site. Let´s hope so!
Also, I started reading a book in Spanish last night. I got through a page and a half. It is a book for 5th and 6th graders.....Ay.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Fútbol! (etc)
Hey Everyone! Wow, I can't believe August is almost half-way done. Anyway, let's see, what's new? Oh, I finally got my burning hands situation looked at. I went to the PC office (which, by the way, takes 2 buses and an hour and a half) at nine in the morning on Friday. The medical officer looked at my hands for about 2 minutes and sent me on my way to see a dermatologist. FYI my index fingers and thumbs are pretty red, and although they don't burn and sting anymore, they still don't look normal. My toes are kind of red too. Okay, so anyway, the dermatologist is in a hospital way on the other side of San Jose (and about 4 blocks from where my first bus dropped me off on my way in)! Ahh, and I had to get there in about 15 minutes (not even possible). Fortunately, I got there eventually, and the doctor prescribed me some medicine which should return me to normalcy in about 10 days.
After that, I had to get back to my town to do another session at the school, which I think went well. My next session there will be observed by some of the staff (ahh!). No, I think it will be fine. Anyway, after that I had to head out again to another nearby town (about a 35 minute walk) to discuss my evaluation of training so far. We had to check off if we had learned all these things, but I had not learned a bunch of the stuff on there (i.e. the economic situation in CR), so I thought they were just throwing in trick questions to see if we were really reading. Turns out, they had given me the evaluation for the Economic Development program instead of Children Youth and Families. Oops.
Anyway, I was going to see a movie that night, but I was just leaving my evaluation when I ran into the other people who were going to see the movie also. They were leaving earlier than originally planned, but I didn't get the message since I hadn't been home. I had been running around all day though, so I decided to just head home and take it easy (I know I know, watching a movie doesn't exactly require a lot of effort, but the coming and going does, and plus it was raining a little).
On Saturday, I went to the feria with my family, which is a big farmer's market. They go every two weeks to get all their fruits and veggies, but this was the first time I went with them. There were tons of fruits/vegetables I had never seen in my life, but my host-mom told me she doesn't know what a lot of them are either. Then we just hung out at home, and in the afternoon we went over to Mainor and Maryuri's house (my host-brother and his wife). She sells bakery items out of her house, and she had just made the best bread ever (and she gave me the recipe!!). Then I had to go to meet up with Angela and her host brother and sister to go to......a soccer game! The league in CR has a bunch of teams from all over the country, and they play each other and the games are always on TV, and everyone has their favorite team, etc. The game was between Heredia and Saprissa, and Saprissa is the team for San Jose, so the stadium is not that far. We ended up having a pretty decent-sized group, since other trainees met up with us on the way. The game was at 7pm, and it was so cool! The place wasn't super-packed, but there was definitely a good showing (I guess it can be kind of dangerous at night, so not as many people go...by the way, that was foreshadowing). Plus, “Bailando por un Sueño” was on TV at the same time (that is not a joke). So anyway, Angela's host brother Juan told me the futbol games are the best place to learn all the swear words in Spanish, but we were a little off to the side, so my education is still lacking... (hmm, maybe I should have brought that up in my evaluation).
Anyhow, the game was scoreless until the final minutes when Saprissa, the home team, scored not one, but TWO goals right in a row! People went crazy, climbing onto the fences behind the goal and jumping up and down and whatnot. The buses to get back to the central part of San Jose were really packed, but we finally got on a direct one that doesn't make any stops. We were slowing down for a red light when all of a sudden, two guys jumped out the back door (right in front of an approaching car, by the way) and ran off. It was kind of odd, but I thought, “Oh, maybe they're just in a hurry to get somewhere”. When we got the bus stop, everyone got out except for two guys sitting in the last row, looking kind of in shock. We had been sitting really close to the back, and so Angela's host sister went over to them and helped them off the bus. On the sidewalk, we saw that one of the guys' arms was all bloody, and they had both been robbed. Apparently those guys that ran off earlier had robbed them and slashed one of their arms a few times, and no one else even knew it had happened. That really scared me, especially since we were just a few feet away while it happened. I will say this, I won't sit in the way back of a bus ever again—it's too easy for someone to attack and then run, since the doors are right there. Walking the rest of the way to catch the other bus would be scary enough, since SJ is not the most welcoming city at night, but after that little incident, it was that much worse. All the stores are covered with garage doors, and everything looks kind of creepy, but there were lots of police officers around. By the way, the bus driver called an ambulance for the guys. He also told us that we should avoid direct buses in the future, since they tend to be more dangerous...
So, I got home just in time to catch the end of “Bailando por un Sueno”. Yes, it was four hours long. To say that this show is sweeping the nation is a bit of an understatement. It is in the paper every day, all over the news, and the topic of a lot of conversation.
Anyway, I was pretty tired from staying up till (gasp!) 11 pm, so on Sunday morning I took a little nap. It was weird though because at the end of it, I thought I could hear my host parents' sons and grandkids outside my window. I tried to open my eyes, but I physically could not open them. Then I thought someone was squirting me with water through the window, and I thought, “Open your eyes!” but I still couldn't make them open. Then I thought I heard someone come in (which is impossible since my door has a latch that only opens from the inside) and I swear someone whispered “Kate! Kate! Kate!” and touched my shoulder, and immediately, my eyes flew open and I shot up out of bed, but no one was inside my room or outside my window. I went into the kitchen and my host-mom was making lunch, and my host-dad went to the door to see if their kids and grandkids were there yet, and then I couldn't remember if I had already known before I went to sleep that they were all coming for lunch, or if I had only dreamed they were coming. It was weird...kind of deja vu-y. But everyone did come over for lunch to celebrate my host-brother Esterlyn's birthday. It was really good, and my host-mom dug up her cookbook with all her recipes in it, so now I can copy some of them down!
Well, that is that. To everyone moving around Mad-town this week, good luck! In the next few weeks, I am going to be really busy with training, including eleven total days of traveling around, so it might take a while with email and whatnot. I'll do my best though! Okay, that's all, bye!
After that, I had to get back to my town to do another session at the school, which I think went well. My next session there will be observed by some of the staff (ahh!). No, I think it will be fine. Anyway, after that I had to head out again to another nearby town (about a 35 minute walk) to discuss my evaluation of training so far. We had to check off if we had learned all these things, but I had not learned a bunch of the stuff on there (i.e. the economic situation in CR), so I thought they were just throwing in trick questions to see if we were really reading. Turns out, they had given me the evaluation for the Economic Development program instead of Children Youth and Families. Oops.
Anyway, I was going to see a movie that night, but I was just leaving my evaluation when I ran into the other people who were going to see the movie also. They were leaving earlier than originally planned, but I didn't get the message since I hadn't been home. I had been running around all day though, so I decided to just head home and take it easy (I know I know, watching a movie doesn't exactly require a lot of effort, but the coming and going does, and plus it was raining a little).
On Saturday, I went to the feria with my family, which is a big farmer's market. They go every two weeks to get all their fruits and veggies, but this was the first time I went with them. There were tons of fruits/vegetables I had never seen in my life, but my host-mom told me she doesn't know what a lot of them are either. Then we just hung out at home, and in the afternoon we went over to Mainor and Maryuri's house (my host-brother and his wife). She sells bakery items out of her house, and she had just made the best bread ever (and she gave me the recipe!!). Then I had to go to meet up with Angela and her host brother and sister to go to......a soccer game! The league in CR has a bunch of teams from all over the country, and they play each other and the games are always on TV, and everyone has their favorite team, etc. The game was between Heredia and Saprissa, and Saprissa is the team for San Jose, so the stadium is not that far. We ended up having a pretty decent-sized group, since other trainees met up with us on the way. The game was at 7pm, and it was so cool! The place wasn't super-packed, but there was definitely a good showing (I guess it can be kind of dangerous at night, so not as many people go...by the way, that was foreshadowing). Plus, “Bailando por un Sueño” was on TV at the same time (that is not a joke). So anyway, Angela's host brother Juan told me the futbol games are the best place to learn all the swear words in Spanish, but we were a little off to the side, so my education is still lacking... (hmm, maybe I should have brought that up in my evaluation).
Anyhow, the game was scoreless until the final minutes when Saprissa, the home team, scored not one, but TWO goals right in a row! People went crazy, climbing onto the fences behind the goal and jumping up and down and whatnot. The buses to get back to the central part of San Jose were really packed, but we finally got on a direct one that doesn't make any stops. We were slowing down for a red light when all of a sudden, two guys jumped out the back door (right in front of an approaching car, by the way) and ran off. It was kind of odd, but I thought, “Oh, maybe they're just in a hurry to get somewhere”. When we got the bus stop, everyone got out except for two guys sitting in the last row, looking kind of in shock. We had been sitting really close to the back, and so Angela's host sister went over to them and helped them off the bus. On the sidewalk, we saw that one of the guys' arms was all bloody, and they had both been robbed. Apparently those guys that ran off earlier had robbed them and slashed one of their arms a few times, and no one else even knew it had happened. That really scared me, especially since we were just a few feet away while it happened. I will say this, I won't sit in the way back of a bus ever again—it's too easy for someone to attack and then run, since the doors are right there. Walking the rest of the way to catch the other bus would be scary enough, since SJ is not the most welcoming city at night, but after that little incident, it was that much worse. All the stores are covered with garage doors, and everything looks kind of creepy, but there were lots of police officers around. By the way, the bus driver called an ambulance for the guys. He also told us that we should avoid direct buses in the future, since they tend to be more dangerous...
So, I got home just in time to catch the end of “Bailando por un Sueno”. Yes, it was four hours long. To say that this show is sweeping the nation is a bit of an understatement. It is in the paper every day, all over the news, and the topic of a lot of conversation.
Anyway, I was pretty tired from staying up till (gasp!) 11 pm, so on Sunday morning I took a little nap. It was weird though because at the end of it, I thought I could hear my host parents' sons and grandkids outside my window. I tried to open my eyes, but I physically could not open them. Then I thought someone was squirting me with water through the window, and I thought, “Open your eyes!” but I still couldn't make them open. Then I thought I heard someone come in (which is impossible since my door has a latch that only opens from the inside) and I swear someone whispered “Kate! Kate! Kate!” and touched my shoulder, and immediately, my eyes flew open and I shot up out of bed, but no one was inside my room or outside my window. I went into the kitchen and my host-mom was making lunch, and my host-dad went to the door to see if their kids and grandkids were there yet, and then I couldn't remember if I had already known before I went to sleep that they were all coming for lunch, or if I had only dreamed they were coming. It was weird...kind of deja vu-y. But everyone did come over for lunch to celebrate my host-brother Esterlyn's birthday. It was really good, and my host-mom dug up her cookbook with all her recipes in it, so now I can copy some of them down!
Well, that is that. To everyone moving around Mad-town this week, good luck! In the next few weeks, I am going to be really busy with training, including eleven total days of traveling around, so it might take a while with email and whatnot. I'll do my best though! Okay, that's all, bye!
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Not much
Hey hey, I´m gonna make this snappy. I just thought I´d throw something up here really quickly since I´m using the internet anyway.
So, let´s see...I am really glad tomorrow is Friday. I am finally having my burning hand condition looked at in the morning at the PC office. It doesn´t really hurt anymore, but their still red. I think I maybe had an allergic reaction to one of our many injections, but I am not sure. Anyway, then I have another session with the fifth graders in the afternoon, and then I might see a movie at night with some other trainees. Gotta catch up on that American culture,hey?
So, the other night my host mom handed me her osteoporosis test results (she had just gotten a bone density test) and asked me to tell her what they meant, since they were in English. Don't worry, she doesn´t have osteoporosis. Anyway, she was explaining how she and her siblings all have good bones since they grew up with cows and got lots of dairy growing up. Then she said she had a calcium buildup in her gallbladder a while back and had to have it surgically removed. Suddenly she hopped up, ran into her bedroom and came back with what looked like a small round rock. As it turned out, it was the calcium deposit that had been extracted...apparantly the doctors gave it to her as a "souvenier". It was kind of funny.
Anyway, that's really all I have time for. I hope everyone has a good weekend!!!
So, let´s see...I am really glad tomorrow is Friday. I am finally having my burning hand condition looked at in the morning at the PC office. It doesn´t really hurt anymore, but their still red. I think I maybe had an allergic reaction to one of our many injections, but I am not sure. Anyway, then I have another session with the fifth graders in the afternoon, and then I might see a movie at night with some other trainees. Gotta catch up on that American culture,hey?
So, the other night my host mom handed me her osteoporosis test results (she had just gotten a bone density test) and asked me to tell her what they meant, since they were in English. Don't worry, she doesn´t have osteoporosis. Anyway, she was explaining how she and her siblings all have good bones since they grew up with cows and got lots of dairy growing up. Then she said she had a calcium buildup in her gallbladder a while back and had to have it surgically removed. Suddenly she hopped up, ran into her bedroom and came back with what looked like a small round rock. As it turned out, it was the calcium deposit that had been extracted...apparantly the doctors gave it to her as a "souvenier". It was kind of funny.
Anyway, that's really all I have time for. I hope everyone has a good weekend!!!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
What's new
Okay, I'm doing this old school, aka typing the blog while using the internet, not at home. So, since I'm doing it on the fly, please bear with me on any funky symbols or punctuation marks. I think I am getting more adept at using the Spanish keyboards though.
Anyway, disclaimer aside, what can I say? I had a pretty good weekend. Oh! I did my first Nonformal Education session. I am working with a group of 5th graders, and it went pretty well. The teacher went AWOL as soon as I got there, so I was on my own. And yes, these kids only speak Spanish. I think I was fine saying what I wanted to say, but I couldn't always understand what they were saying to me. We did an activity where they got in pairs and told the story of how they got their name and then they presented their partner's story to the class. To match them up, I handed out cards with one half of a famous couple, and they had to find the other half. I think they liked it, if I do say so myself. The activity had two goals: one, for me to learn their names (duh), and two, to roll into the self-esteem stuff with a little discussion about identity, which names are obviously a big part of. Anyway, it went well, but I think next time I will nix the big group discussion and try to do more stuff in small groups, since 30 hyper kids is kind of a challenge.
Anyway, Saturday we had a project fair at the PC office, which consisted of current volunteers talking about some of their projects. It was great to get real project ideas and advice, and lots of them gave out handouts too. After that we were free, so I had lunch nearby with some of the people in the other program (CED), and then we went downtown to use the internet. After that, I split off and just walked around by myself. It was raining, and I didn't have an umbrella or raincoat, but I didn't really care. It is nice to be by myself sometimes, and I really actually need to do that, or else I get cranky. Anyway, I came home and watched Baile por un Sueño with my host mom and Marianela (her granddaughter age 9). It is the CR equivalent of Dancing with the Stars, more or less, but the winner gets money to give to some charitable cause they are supporting. It was the premiere on Saturday, so it was a big deal.
Then Sunday, let's see. I went to church with my host parents, felt like I was going to throw up, thought about running out of church, decided I would wait till I was actually feeling vomit come up my esophogus, made it through the mass, went home and took a nap, and felt fine afterward. I later went to a party at Angela's (a fellow trainee up the road), and a lot of CYF (my program) was there, as well as a bunch of Ticos, so it was a pretty good time. The Ticos were teaching some of us some different dance moves, like merengue (sp?) and salsa, and Angela has gone dancing with some of them in San Jose, and she said the next time they go, she'll let me know, so that would be cool! By the way, it was really really great to talk to all of you that were around on Sunday night. I guess you could say I am starting to get a tinch homesick, so that really helps. I think it is just a mid-training slump, if you will. Things have settled down, we aren't quite as busy, but I am a long way from being at home here. Plus, this isn't even my real site, so I am not trying to get all integrated and whatnot. Furthermore, even though I am friends with the other trainees, they aren't like friends from back home (duh) or family, so...yeah. Training gets really busy again soon though, and before I know it, I will be off to my site and who knows what that will entail.
I just got done with a long session of training today, and I must say, they are really boring most of the time. I have another one tomorrow too...aaaahhh. Everyone says training is the worst part, and it feels like forever, and there are lots of hoops to jump through and you just gotta do it. So, I guess that is where I am with that. It isn't that bad though, and I don't always feel like this. It comes and goes, and that is normal I would say. Well, I am almost out of time, so I'll wrap this up. I am literally soaking wet right now (I really need to invest in an umbrella) and I hope it isn't still raining when I go outside. If it is though, no biggie, I am already wet. Well, I am reading the Kite Runner right now, and so far it is really good, so I will probably read more of it tonight. I finished the Alchemist which I would recommend to anyone. It is a really quick read, but it is a neat little story. Some other people told me it was good, and I liked it. One good thing about going to the project fair was that I got to visit the PC library (aka bookshelf) and grab a stack of books! I am already on my eighth book, too. I guess that is the upside to training being a little slow--more time to read! Okay, later, keep up the comments and emails! I love reading all of them! Bye!
Anyway, disclaimer aside, what can I say? I had a pretty good weekend. Oh! I did my first Nonformal Education session. I am working with a group of 5th graders, and it went pretty well. The teacher went AWOL as soon as I got there, so I was on my own. And yes, these kids only speak Spanish. I think I was fine saying what I wanted to say, but I couldn't always understand what they were saying to me. We did an activity where they got in pairs and told the story of how they got their name and then they presented their partner's story to the class. To match them up, I handed out cards with one half of a famous couple, and they had to find the other half. I think they liked it, if I do say so myself. The activity had two goals: one, for me to learn their names (duh), and two, to roll into the self-esteem stuff with a little discussion about identity, which names are obviously a big part of. Anyway, it went well, but I think next time I will nix the big group discussion and try to do more stuff in small groups, since 30 hyper kids is kind of a challenge.
Anyway, Saturday we had a project fair at the PC office, which consisted of current volunteers talking about some of their projects. It was great to get real project ideas and advice, and lots of them gave out handouts too. After that we were free, so I had lunch nearby with some of the people in the other program (CED), and then we went downtown to use the internet. After that, I split off and just walked around by myself. It was raining, and I didn't have an umbrella or raincoat, but I didn't really care. It is nice to be by myself sometimes, and I really actually need to do that, or else I get cranky. Anyway, I came home and watched Baile por un Sueño with my host mom and Marianela (her granddaughter age 9). It is the CR equivalent of Dancing with the Stars, more or less, but the winner gets money to give to some charitable cause they are supporting. It was the premiere on Saturday, so it was a big deal.
Then Sunday, let's see. I went to church with my host parents, felt like I was going to throw up, thought about running out of church, decided I would wait till I was actually feeling vomit come up my esophogus, made it through the mass, went home and took a nap, and felt fine afterward. I later went to a party at Angela's (a fellow trainee up the road), and a lot of CYF (my program) was there, as well as a bunch of Ticos, so it was a pretty good time. The Ticos were teaching some of us some different dance moves, like merengue (sp?) and salsa, and Angela has gone dancing with some of them in San Jose, and she said the next time they go, she'll let me know, so that would be cool! By the way, it was really really great to talk to all of you that were around on Sunday night. I guess you could say I am starting to get a tinch homesick, so that really helps. I think it is just a mid-training slump, if you will. Things have settled down, we aren't quite as busy, but I am a long way from being at home here. Plus, this isn't even my real site, so I am not trying to get all integrated and whatnot. Furthermore, even though I am friends with the other trainees, they aren't like friends from back home (duh) or family, so...yeah. Training gets really busy again soon though, and before I know it, I will be off to my site and who knows what that will entail.
I just got done with a long session of training today, and I must say, they are really boring most of the time. I have another one tomorrow too...aaaahhh. Everyone says training is the worst part, and it feels like forever, and there are lots of hoops to jump through and you just gotta do it. So, I guess that is where I am with that. It isn't that bad though, and I don't always feel like this. It comes and goes, and that is normal I would say. Well, I am almost out of time, so I'll wrap this up. I am literally soaking wet right now (I really need to invest in an umbrella) and I hope it isn't still raining when I go outside. If it is though, no biggie, I am already wet. Well, I am reading the Kite Runner right now, and so far it is really good, so I will probably read more of it tonight. I finished the Alchemist which I would recommend to anyone. It is a really quick read, but it is a neat little story. Some other people told me it was good, and I liked it. One good thing about going to the project fair was that I got to visit the PC library (aka bookshelf) and grab a stack of books! I am already on my eighth book, too. I guess that is the upside to training being a little slow--more time to read! Okay, later, keep up the comments and emails! I love reading all of them! Bye!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Romería
Well, this will not be too long, I just wanted to write something quickly about the Romería. I can't remember if I mentioned it before or not, but there is a big tradition in CR to celebrate August 2nd, which is the Day of Our Lady of the Angels (a religious holiday, if you couldn't tell). Anyway, people walk to the Basilica in Cartago (which incidentally, I have already visited with my host family) from all over the country. Some people walk for days, and some people walk barefoot. Today, I walked with my host parents' three sons, Mainor, Carlos, and Esterlyn, and Esterlyn's wife Karen. Mainor and Carlos' wives and kids didn't come, and neither did my host parents, since they are kind of old to be walking that far.
Anyway, we left at 5:20 this morning and walked all the way, only stopping once for about 15 minutes to use the bathroom and such. It took us just over 5 hours!!! It was really cool though! The whole way, you could see a ton of people walking down the road, and the cars could only use one lane (thankfully) to give the walkers some more room on the highway. We even had to go over a mountain. The whole way, Mainor was telling me all sorts of stuff about the things we passed, like the railroad tracks, or some of the mountains, or the gasoline refinery, etc. It was pretty cool.
When we got to the Basilica, there were even more people. There was a huge outdoor mass going on, which apparently lasts four hours. There were people walking through the basilica, either on foot but most on their knees. And then, all around the basilica for several blocks were tons and tons of stands selling everything under the sun. It's almost like a carnival. It's kind of weird to see a twenty-foot tall inflatable soda bottle while church songs play in the background.
We were in Cartago for about 45 minutes, then we hopped in a van and drove back home. After I ate lunch, I took a much-needed nap, but I am happy to report that I felt totally fine (minus my hands and arms literally feeling like they're on fire, but I think that is an allergic reaction. I am going to get that checked out. They are still burning and stinging, so I don't know what is up. Plus it is the second time it has happened since I've been here). Anyway, everyone else said their legs hurt, and Karen was literally limping when we got back, so I'm glad that my legs feel fine! (even though I want to chop off my arms). When I got home though, my host mom went in the back yard and chopped open part of an aloe plant for me, so it´s feeling better.
When I was eating lunch with my host parents today, I looked up and almost burst out laughing. My host dad had gotten up and grabbed his radio, and he was sitting in his chair, eating lunch, listening to the radio right next to his ear, and holding the remote and watching the tv in the living room, which he can see from where he sits. I guess you could say he's a multi-tasker. Another thing, they have a bird, and I definitely caught him pouring coffee into the bird's “water” dish one night... but they feed the babies coffee here, so maybe that is just the norm.
One last quick story: The other night, I was talking to my host mom, and she was telling me about how she broke her hip and tailbone a little over a year ago. She was explaining how it happened and what the doctors did and whatnot, and apparently, since you can't exactly put a cast on your tailbone, all they did was give her an inflatable pillow to sit on for three months! I knew I shouldn't laugh, but I couldn't help it. I think that was the hardest I have laughed since I got here, but fortunately, my host-mom wasn't offended, and in fact, she was laughing too. I always seem to laugh at inappropriate times...I need to work on that. Anyway, she even showed me the pillow, which she had made a special pillow case for, since she said it was ugly. Ahh, maybe you had to be there, but I am still laughing just thinking about it.
Okay, well, that's it for now. I hope you all are doing well! Oh, that just reminded me, a standard goodbye here is “Que Dios le acompaña”, which basically means, God be with you. My host mom says it a lot, but I always thought she was saying “Yo le acompaña” which would mean, I'm going with you. Anyway, I kept thinking she was meaning that she'd walk me to the door when I was leaving, so I'd always wait a minute, but she never came with me to the door, so I didn't understand until finally I asked my Spanish teacher what it meant. Okay, I'm out, chao!
Anyway, we left at 5:20 this morning and walked all the way, only stopping once for about 15 minutes to use the bathroom and such. It took us just over 5 hours!!! It was really cool though! The whole way, you could see a ton of people walking down the road, and the cars could only use one lane (thankfully) to give the walkers some more room on the highway. We even had to go over a mountain. The whole way, Mainor was telling me all sorts of stuff about the things we passed, like the railroad tracks, or some of the mountains, or the gasoline refinery, etc. It was pretty cool.
When we got to the Basilica, there were even more people. There was a huge outdoor mass going on, which apparently lasts four hours. There were people walking through the basilica, either on foot but most on their knees. And then, all around the basilica for several blocks were tons and tons of stands selling everything under the sun. It's almost like a carnival. It's kind of weird to see a twenty-foot tall inflatable soda bottle while church songs play in the background.
We were in Cartago for about 45 minutes, then we hopped in a van and drove back home. After I ate lunch, I took a much-needed nap, but I am happy to report that I felt totally fine (minus my hands and arms literally feeling like they're on fire, but I think that is an allergic reaction. I am going to get that checked out. They are still burning and stinging, so I don't know what is up. Plus it is the second time it has happened since I've been here). Anyway, everyone else said their legs hurt, and Karen was literally limping when we got back, so I'm glad that my legs feel fine! (even though I want to chop off my arms). When I got home though, my host mom went in the back yard and chopped open part of an aloe plant for me, so it´s feeling better.
When I was eating lunch with my host parents today, I looked up and almost burst out laughing. My host dad had gotten up and grabbed his radio, and he was sitting in his chair, eating lunch, listening to the radio right next to his ear, and holding the remote and watching the tv in the living room, which he can see from where he sits. I guess you could say he's a multi-tasker. Another thing, they have a bird, and I definitely caught him pouring coffee into the bird's “water” dish one night... but they feed the babies coffee here, so maybe that is just the norm.
One last quick story: The other night, I was talking to my host mom, and she was telling me about how she broke her hip and tailbone a little over a year ago. She was explaining how it happened and what the doctors did and whatnot, and apparently, since you can't exactly put a cast on your tailbone, all they did was give her an inflatable pillow to sit on for three months! I knew I shouldn't laugh, but I couldn't help it. I think that was the hardest I have laughed since I got here, but fortunately, my host-mom wasn't offended, and in fact, she was laughing too. I always seem to laugh at inappropriate times...I need to work on that. Anyway, she even showed me the pillow, which she had made a special pillow case for, since she said it was ugly. Ahh, maybe you had to be there, but I am still laughing just thinking about it.
Okay, well, that's it for now. I hope you all are doing well! Oh, that just reminded me, a standard goodbye here is “Que Dios le acompaña”, which basically means, God be with you. My host mom says it a lot, but I always thought she was saying “Yo le acompaña” which would mean, I'm going with you. Anyway, I kept thinking she was meaning that she'd walk me to the door when I was leaving, so I'd always wait a minute, but she never came with me to the door, so I didn't understand until finally I asked my Spanish teacher what it meant. Okay, I'm out, chao!
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