Audrey's Costa Rica

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Dia de Independencia -- Go big or go home

It amazing how I keep saying to myself that I am going to post about one think or another and even sometimes sit down to do it, then something comes up and it never happens....so needless to say I have a LOT to catch up on with here. But for now, I am just going to address today:). September 15th is Costa Rica's Independence Day (Dia de Independencia), although they for the most part celebrate it all week long. Today, 9/14/2011, we kicked off the festivities with a torch passing activity. There is a torch (like in the olympics) that starts off in Nicaragua and gets passed along by groups of students from Elementary schools and high schools from town to town all the way to the Panama border. Well today at 7:30am myself and the students from the elementary and high school took little buses about 11k away to a town called Tres Equies (not sure how to spell it but it means 3 x's)...after waiting about an hour and a half (hora tica), the students running the torch to us arrived and our journey began. Lucky for us there was no rain, but instead we had the opposite, lots and lots of sun with noooo wind...Running/jogging the steep rocky hills was not all that pleasant to start. But with motivation given to me by all the hard charging students and the supports along the rural roads the time began to fly passing houses decorated with the Costa Rican flag and residents cheering as we passed really gave us the boost we needed to get up some of those crazy hills. Then as we were rounding the bend to our town center we are greeted by the Pacayitas residents ready to do the acta civica (civic act), which consists of singing the costa rican anthem, bailes tipicos (typical dancing), and some really good eats such as a soup called pasol, another with mondongo (basically the intestines and inside the stomach of a pig), arroz con leche, galletas tipicos (made from coconut) and much more. It was a great experience. Now it was time to go home and get cleaned up, but as my host brother and I decided, what better way to do so then swim around in the river below our house:):), QUE RICO!! Now with plenty of resting time for all the kids, we are winding up for round two, a night of festivities to include more amazing typical foods, dancing, singing, la banda (the band of drumming), teatros (little plays), art work, fireworks, and more I am sure. But I of course can not forget, today isn't even the actual holiday, so tomorrow its only going to get even bigger. What a great culture and a patriotic people. Very fortunate to be able to participate in these celebrations with them. Pictures to follow:)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Semana Santa

So what have I been up to? After having had to spend several weeks out of my town for various reasons I am happy to finally be back in the groove of things here in Pacayitas. I was a little rocky at first because my first day back I ended up in the hospital with a nasty intestinal bacterial. Needless to say I was out for the count for a week. The following week was semana santa. Rather then just celebrating Easter on Sunday like most do in the states, this is a entire week observed with special traditions. Primarily there was mass 2 times a day for much longer then usual. It was neat because at different times there was a bonfire, candle ceremony, party music with clapping in church, a walking of the 13 stations that were set up in the street, and much more. Much of the typical food that is special for the week includes shrimp, tuna, sardines, tilapia, soups, honey from coconut and the treats made from it, and of course arroz con leche. I do think my favorite part however was when asked how we celebrate in the states, talking about the Easter bunny, hiding and searching for hidden eggs, Easter baskets, chocolate rabbits etc. The facial expressions of pure confusion really were priceless. Thanks to my dad, I was able to explain a little bit about historically where these traditions came from so they did not seem that nuts in the endJ.

On the work front, my projects are coming along steadily. Still have the fitness class 3 nights a week, teaching English in the neighboring towns elementary school, working with high schools community service project, progressing with bridge project meeting by meeting, and soon, starting my adult English night class, and much more. I have learned that a lot of my job involves just figuring out how. With most often no guidelines or format, when approached about a project idea or community need, the first step involves hours and hours of reaching out to any resource I can find to gather info and create plan of action. Not a single day is the same as the next and that’s something I have learned to love. For example tomorrow morning I have a meeting in a place called Catie in between my town and Turrialba, I cant get there but do I have a way to get home, of course not, because my bus only comes to my town twice a day at best (minus the two days it doesn’t run at all), so today some time will be allotted to creating a plan on how to get back to my town. Do I hike the 3.5+ hours it will take me, try and hitch a ride etc.

Now having been here almost 7 months, I have definitely reached the point where I miss my family and friends every day. I think about the important things in their lives that I am missing that I will never get back. With that being said I am so grateful for the constant support that I receive without fail that reassures me that I should be here doing what I am doing. For this I am truly blessed.

Elementary English

Learning family members and creating family trees.

Kendy my youngest

Merlin

Ruben

Yiemy

Yeimy, Elyeen and Ruben

Monday, February 14, 2011

Fun photos

Fitness class at night

Pacayitas CR:)

Wonders of nature

Fit class

Another wonder of nature

Work Work Play

I have a longer post in the works but since it has been a while I wanted to give a quick update of what I have been up to these days.
   I am now the official english teacher for a school of 7 kids in a small town called San Vicente a 35-40 minute trek from my house where I will be teaching 3 mornings a week starting tomorrow.
   Have been working with an association called Asociacion de agricultores, industriales y turisticos who want to start a business together and who also each have their own individual projects that I am working with them on. So far this includes teaching what a good goals and objectives look like (measurable, specific, defined timeframe, executable, and realistic) and working together to create them for their group business and their individual projects, teaching how to do a FODA (or SWOT in english- an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, & threats), and then in the future meeting teaching how to take this information and use it to make a Plan de Trabajo (work plan)...This will of course eventually progress to feasibility studies and business plans, and eventually actually starting their businesses and project, but we are working our way there step by step. For this same group I am trying to work with a Costa Rican organization called INA to get a class here for them to learn how to grow these specific types of plants that they want to produce in an invernadero (greenhouse), this also is their business idea to eventually create this greenhouse and grow veggies to sell to the community.
   I still have my fitness going in full swing 3 days a week at 6pm ranging in participation from 30-40 people per class. It really is a ton of fun and although it started with them just wanting me to teach the class I am slowly training a couple of them to be able to teach it, not just for time times I am out of the area for various other work reasons but for the sustainability factor. There is also a group of us that go hiking together on Friday mornings just for the fun of it, although no matter how steep it is and fast we walk I still feel like it serves more or a social purpose than it does a fitness purpose ;).
   As far as the progression of my CAT (community analysis tool), which by tool it really means its just a huge research report that I work and put together, which is supposed to be the only thing new volunteers do for the first 3 months but as many of us have come to find out, it doesn't always work that way. So for the moment I have been struggling to find time to get back to working on it. However last week I did hold a community meeting where community members (men women and children) created maps of how they saw their community, its resources (natural and infrastructure), businesses (formal and informal), farms, houses, schools, etc. The objective was for to identify what they have available already and possible opportunities to address in the future with various projects from all perspectives. It ended up being a great success with a lot of positive feedback and great networking with the community. Plus I got to share my sugar cookies with the community and they loved them;).
   Occasionally I also work with the towns ECC (community credit enterprise), last week teaching out how to do the FODA process and in the next meeting creating a Plan de Trabajo. Also meetings with the comite de deportes (2 guys) to hopefully get someone committed to collaborating with me to start a Scouts group here. Thats the catch to sustainability, a million people can say they want it but they actually have to make the commitment and work with you for it to last, just doing it myself doesn't help anyone in the long run. Tomorrow is also the first meeting we are having to possibly for a womens group for the community. This sounds very vague I know but eventually it is actually a legal formal group that can start a business, receive govt classes, plus the inherent benefit of the camaraderie and fun that comes from their time together. So we will see where this first info meeting is going to lead tomorrow.
   Then Friday I have a meeting with the Asociacion de Turismo Rural de San Vicente (rural tourism association) to see what their objectives are and with what I might be able to give support or help with. And another similar situation with a group of farmers that have formed a formal group as well on Wednesday. Besides these things I have been busy visiting community members farms and houses, getting to know the people and their situations, as well as ideas and dreams. With both them and myself getting more excited every visit about what could be possible.
   I have a training coming up the end of March, but after that somewhere in my schedule I will be starting computer classes and after school english classes (adults and kids separate). I really am grateful for the opportunity to work side by side with such incredible people and am thankful for the support that I have from home that keeps me going. Well I'll leave it here for now so I can get some picture up of the things I have been telling you about. :)