Pictures incoming!

Having some technical difficulties with the Internet here. I can't seem to hold a connection to upload normally. Going to try another way.

First week summary

Classes are going well. I have Spanish classes three days a week for six hours a day. They’re tough, but I’m really enjoying going full throttle on the language learning. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, all of the PC Trainees meet together to take classes (called tech training) that are either considered “core” or “technical.” Core classes center around the general mission of PC and the KSA’s (Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes) that all PCVs need to know. This includes both information about the global mission but also practical information like how not to get pick-pocketed on the bus and the recent political history of Costa Rica.

The “Technical” classes focus on our respective programs. Melana and I are separated here because were are in different PC programs. She focuses primarily on TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and I go to class for CED (Community Economic Development). The technical classes are intensive and last for roughly nine hours minus lunch. We don't have a crazy amount of homework, but there is a bunch of reading. Grad school makes this look like a cake walk, though.

This week we will have an additional tech session where everyone will learn the ins and outs of the US State Dept. computer system as well as getting some visa stuff finalized (fingerprinting and what not). For that, we will travel to the capital, San Jose.

Until then though...

here are some pictures from Costa Rica!

Specifically, these are pictures of our training site. Everywhere we go there are mountains - it's a lot to take in!

Shaking things up with a host family!

Friday:

With orientation over, everyone settled into a relaxed mood to enjoy a send off BBQ before we met up with our host families the next day. In the midst of all the festivities (and wonderful food) we were all caught off guard by a slight rocking sensation. You know - the kind that goes on at a bad theme park ride. Well, it seems that we all experienced our first Costa Rican earthquake - measuring at around 5.6 - it was one of the strongest tremors our instructors had felt.

Not to be shaken up completely (haha!) - everyone then settled in for a night of dancing and festivities - tomorrow, families!

Saturday:

After saying good-bye to Melana for a couple of days (we have to live in separate communities for the first three months) I found myself on a bus headed for my host family in Vuelta de Jorco, which is in the mountains outside of San Jose. And when I say in the mountains, I mean there are multi thousand foot drops in all directions. The roads were pretty intense and I found myself often grabbing hold of my seat a little harder than intended. A dry pair of pants was also in order.

It is also fun to note that the bus carrying Melana's group got totally lost and had to make a harrowing set of multi-point turns on a very narrow road. As we passed them, I caught a brief glimpse of my better half whipping around in her seat in what seemed like a small panic. Hope you're ok, honey!

Familia del Diaz: If first impressions are everything, than I love everything about this family. The father, Marco, is intelligent and hilarious, clearly the life of any party he comes across. while the other families were waiting patiently for their participants, Marco rushed the bus to see if he could chat up the driver and figure out where I was. After Marco led me back to their glorious home in the mountains, I met Sandra, my host mother, who is just a glowing source of hospitality and affection. Additionally, I live with a host sister, Cindy, and her daughter, Nicky, (I guess she'd be my host-niece?) who are both balls of sunshine and enthusiasm.

I have to say that I couldn't be happier with my host family - they are all truly wonderful people, and I've only been here a day!

Pictures to come when I get my camera back! (Melana has it at the moment)

Rebirth of a Blog

It has been a long time since I updated this blog. Since then I have married a beautiful and amazing woman named Melana and gone to grad school at SIT in Brattleboro, VT. For the last two years we have also been applyIng for the US Peace Corps. After mountains of paperwork, doctors appointments and setbacks, we finally received our assignment many updates. Melana and I were informed that we would be leaving for Costa Rica at the beginning of October.

Now that it is nearly mid-October - I am proud to say that Melana and I are safely in Costa Rica and our Peace Corps training is well underway. So far, I'm loving it. Nearly all of the Peace Corps training is similar to if not identical to the training I received at SIT. There is a lot of potential to directly apply what I have learned in the past year. Most of the training staff has had at least one class at SIT and everyone I've talked to knows at least one of my former professors. This makes me very happy as I found myself doubting the value of my education before arriving here.

That said, we spent the first week of training in a facility high up on a mountain and away from other communities. The purpose of this was to sequester us for meetings and initial training without us having the distraction of leaving the training facility. After a week of exhaustive prep - we are finally going to meet our host families. I am currently making notes on my ipod rather than carrying my computer around with me. This is one electronic toy that I think I actually feel smart for buying - rather than all that guilt I usually feel about being indulgent.

Henceforth (hopefully) this blog will contain updated regarding the experiences of PeteMan in Costa Rica. I'll also make an effort to fill in the blanks of the past couple of years so as to enthrall the interested. The lack of internet here means that often my posts will be short, possibly misspelled (ever type on an ipod?) and in all sorts of strange fonts. It also means that posts may be out of order or 5 at a time.

Knowing that, welcome again, to the continued adventures of PeteMan!

20 day recap

So it's been quite a while since I last posted so I'm going to let you all know what I've been doing this whole time.  I was really trying to get some pictures before I posted again so you didn't just get a text wall, but it looks like that's how it's going to have to be.

First off, I've been working on getting a new job. I've gotten some offers and am currently looking at getting a new job with more of an international school than just a straight English academy. Unfortunately, this has been complicated by the fact that there seems to be an internal struggle for power going on in their company over who is able to hire and fire people. So I seem to have come in right in the middle of that and really would rather lay low until it burns itself out. Other specifics I would rather not mention as this is a public blog and they may go so far as to google me seeing as I am a potential new hire. Nobody likes seeing their dirty laundry on the web, but I'll be happy to tell you in private as there are some funny stories that have come out of this. 

The "new job" thing has also been complicated by the fact that my current boss is acting like a 5 year old regarding my leaving his company. He has fallen just short of stamping his feet in meeting where he has yelled at me to stay threatening me with insults and empty legal action. He demanded I give him 3 months notice, I said that three weeks was more than adequate and now I'm leaving in the middle of October and he still thinks it's outrageous. 

Honestly, after all this i'd almost rather just come home so i could get away from people hanging visa problems over my head to act as false leverage in business encounters. I think i've handle myself well though - so we'll see if this all winds up to a favorable conclusion. If it doesn't, I can always move.

So, aside from that, i've taken up scuba lessons and am going for my PADI Open Water certification. I, just yesterday, finished the confined water dives which were done in a pool in Suwan. I had a lot of initial problems breathing underwater without my mask on (one of the requirements) but I finally got it after about 10 tries and lots and lots of coughing. Next week I'm heading to the ocean in a wetsuit that will hopefully fit in order to finish up the certification by proving that i can do everything i just did in the pool in the ocean.  I'm worried though, mainly because it's SO cold right now. the temperature last week went from about 28 degrees C to about 15 degrees C overnight! Fortunately the instructors have noticed my aversion to cold and are pretty keen on taking precautions to prevent my premature demise.

so, that's it! I tried to make it pretty short so I left at lot of little details out - but now at least you know what i've been up to!

I'll post about the job stuff later. until then, i'm going to go mentally prepare for a very cold ocean! 

Shark Diving!

I went shark diving this weekend. This was my first scuba experience and I hope it wasn't my last! I had a great time!

We went to Busan aquarium where we suited up, went through roughly 2 hours of training and dove into the shark tank. Mike, the guy who was instructing was absolutely wonderful, he made everyone feel at ease and none of us felt like we were going to die.

Honestly, I wasn't too scared of the sharks, I was more scared of somehow blowing up my own lungs. 

Keep in mind that all the pictures are taken from inside the tank!

The coolest part of the whole experience was hanging out behind the scenes at the aquarium. I love aquariums anyway, so I felt like I was about 5 years old when I got to see all the breeding tanks and staff rooms, etc. 

I also met some great people while I was down in Busan. Most notably, a scuba diving pastry chef named Alex helped me though some of my initial anxieties involving death among other things.

If I can muster the time/money, I will totally go for my open water certification!

Two Quick Pictures

From the rafting trip two weeks ago. I have pictures from this weekend too, but it's going to take more time than I have right now to write that post.

Sooo, here I am, in a helmet - looking awful. I guess their kind of funny, consider them "action pictures".

Clearly I wasn't too aware of the camera... enjoy!

Next post: Shark Dive~!