IST Part 1 - Intro

IST Part 1 - Intro

Melana and I were in IST last week. That’s “In Service Training” in Peace Corps terminology. There are a few major trainings that we are required to go to as PCVs. They include Pre Service Training (PST), In Service Training (IST), Mid Service Training (MST) and Close of Service (CoS).

This IST was the longest in the history Peace Corps - Costa Rica, ten days. Normally, IST is about four days or so but, due to the landslides that ravaged the country during PST, we had to make up a lot of work. Each day was 8am-5:30pm with two coffee breaks and an hour for lunch. As far as accommodations go, Uncle Sam REALLY took care of us. I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a nicer hotel. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in downtown San José, the gorgeous hotel pictured below.

After spending three months in our site, this was a real treat for Melana and I. In particular, the food was delicious. Every morning we would have some of the best Costa Rican food we’ve tasted along with a variety of fruits and pastries. This was really a shock to our bodies which are used to having the same three or four entrées over and over again out in the country. So, predictably, I hoarded food in our room, particularly multiple pastries and pieces of banana bread.

The only meal that we didn’t get at the hotel was dinner. For dinner, we were left to fend for ourselves. Luckily, there was a supermarket across the street and we managed to make ourselves a variety of soups and sandwiches on most days in order to keep costs down. We did manage to indulge on some days, though, having such a variety of exotic cuisines as fried chicken, hamburgers and salads. I even caved to Temptation and bought myself a Whopper one night*. On our final night there, Melana and I even found a Korean restaurant and had some familiar† Kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) - pictured below.

 Also, were were there to see the opening of the new stadium in San Jose - traffic was unbelievable. The government of China has been working with Costa Rica to put up this new stadium in the middle of the San Jose’s answer to NYC’s Central Park. After all of the fireworks and Chinese style theatrics, China and Costa Rica played off in an inaugural soccer match that left fans cheering. At the time, I was eating dinner about a block away and everyone ran outside to see the fireworks before returning to the restaurant to watch the game on TV - what a night! Costa Rica and China tied 2-2.

 

 

* I know, I know - fast food is bad for me, the environment and the economy, but I needed to indulge. Also, I was curious to see the spectacle of fast food in Costa Rica. Here, fast food restaurants are sit down affairs where the whole family comes and eats.


† For those who don’t know, Melana and I used to live in S. Korea. If you’d like to know more, check the older entries of the blog.