Birds!

I've been getting some requests for animal pictures. Well, I don't have any, but Google Image was kind enough to give me the above picture! I see this occasionally at my site or on hikes.

Recouping lost posts

So, I discovered to my horror today that several of my posts over the last several days have been lost to the cavernous maw of cyber space. I'm currently attempting to track them down, but, in the meantime, I figure I should update you, my loyal readers. (all 3 of you)

This weekend, Melana and I were sent to a small town just outside of San Isidro to observe another couple and get a taste for what PCV life is like. The bus ride took about 3 hours though a mountain pass that was surprisingly cool. I took the opportunity to pick up some candied figs for our guests.... apparently they either pick them or make them up there because they were really cheap.

The town we were sent to is considered "urban" for your average Tico (Costa Rican) town that is not a major city. This means that most of the residents there had homes to live in, and more than 40% of the roads in town were paved.

At this point I should say that I am referring to the town we went to as “the town” on purpose. For security purposes we (that is PCV/Ts with blogs or access to social media) are to avoid mentioning the exact sites that current PCVs are assigned to.

Anyway, the town we went to had a interesting economy. Because of its proximity to the larger city of San Isidro, the town contained very few of its own services save for a single soda (a soda is like a small grocery and snack shop) which is directly across from the school and only open during school hours.

What the town DOES have in terms of income generation is a large dump that serves the nearby urban areas. Unfortunately, this is also a source of a lot of social hardships as the dump serves as a staging ground for a lot of unsavory characters who scavenge through the waste to salvage metals and other such items of value from the detritus. This, would not seem like such an unsavory way to make a living if the revenue from these activities was not supporting the drug habits of many of these individuals. This makes the town a bit of an unsafe place in the way of petty crime, particularly after dark.

There is also a sugar can plantation and a lot of trees that are completely saturated with an enormous population of vultures and other scavenging birds that live off the dump. Seriously, there are about 5 in every tree with branches to support them.

So, despite the description I’ve given of the place, I really liked it. Our hosts, Jared and Morgan, were wonderful and really gave us the rundown of what it’s like to be a PCV. We discussed strategies for community development and generally what it’s like to be married and in Peace Corps.

I should also mention that they HAVE to be two of the most positive people I’ve met since I’ve been here, which is saying a lot considering how positive most of the people here are.

While we were there we got to attend a Halloween party that they threw for some of the local children. This is quite a feat as most of the local Ticos believe that Halloween is the work of the devil. The kids did some bobbing for apples, then Melana helped with some face painting and I helped carve pumpkins before having them go around to all the doors in the house and Trick-or-treat.

While there, we also visited the school across the street and got to see the choir that Jared had been working with and the world map project that Morgan has nearly completed (fix Korea!)

On the last night there, I taught Morgan, and their host mom, who is totally awesome, to make flat bread. In total, I had a really good time and didn’t want to leave!

All of the above had been written on a broken down bus as Melana and I attempted to get back to our training communities in the pouring rain. Speaking of rain, we’re really feeling Tropical Depression Tomas at the moment. I put a couple buckets around the house tonight to catch the leaks.

Tonight, I also got a call telling me that we’re on alert for rain, and, more specifically, that I’m not allowed to hike to class tomorrow. oh well!

Time for bed!

btw - Internet access has been VERY spotty, so who knows when this will go up!

How many foreign leaders have you met today?

This picture was taken just before meeting la presidenta de Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla. I managed to introduce myself as a PCV in Spanish. At least... I think I did... Still looking for a picture of the handshake! Exciting!

My fellow Spanish classmates and I then attended her speech in the main church in Acosta, pictured below.






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

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!