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. :)
    

 Map makers:)

 Kids map

 Womens map

Guys map