Supercalifragalistico Espialidoso!

I took a cue from Mary Poppins (in Spanish) on this one. I am just at a loss for words (sometimes because I literally don’t know how to say something in Spanish, others because it’s hard to describe even in English). Even though it hasn’t been a month since I last updated, so much has happened.

First of all, my family is really amazing – I’m spoiled. My little sisters are so cute and even though they sometimes don’t quite get the idea of my ‘me time’ (like at this very moment), I love them. And my ‘mom’ is still so fun and treats me so well. The food is great (it helps that I like rice and beans). And I’ve gotten to try interesting new fruits and vegetables that don’t exist in the US like granadilla and others that I can’t remember the names of. But I’ll have to watch myself with all the starch, otherwise I soon won’t be able to fit into the few pants that I brought!

I also really love the other PC Trainees (PCTs) that are going through all this stuff with me. I can’t believe we’ve only been together about a month. It is amazing how quickly you bond with people in a situation like this. It doesn’t hurt that they are all so remarkable and diverse, and yet in this for excellent reasons. I’ve especially bonded with the three others in Tarbaca – Katie, Mark, and Jake. Team Tarbaca is amazing and I’m so glad I have them to go through this portion of the adventure with.

Training has had its ups and downs. A lot of it is common sense or a little too much detail. Then there’s a lot of talk about safety, security, PC rules, etc. But there is some interesting stuff. Last tech training day, we really got into some more detail about microfinance and about FINCA, the PC counterpart here in CR. Some current PCVs came in and talked about the work they had done with FINCA and it sounds like a lot of the sites will have an existing Empresa de Credito Comunitario (ECC) which is basically a community based lending enterprise that FINCA helps to set up. It’s a really great concept and I really hope I get the opportunity to work with one. Not only am I very interested in microfinance, but I think it would be a great counterpart to work with and a great contact to the other businesses and the rest of the community. They even have a kids program that teaches financial principles to youth.

My Spanish is still improving, just always slower than I would like. Even though I’m using it a lot, I know that once I get into my site and I have no choice but to really speak it 24-7, it will improve a lot quicker. I’m still struggling but I can almost always get the gist of what’s being said and can get my point across. I just can’t wait until I really feel like I can have a conversation without having them repeat themselves so much, or sound like a 5 year old when I reply.

One of the coolest things so far was the PCV Site Visit, where we got to go visit a current PCV in their site to see an example of how it really is to be a PCV and what some of the communities are like. I got to go all the way down to a few kms within the border of Panama to visit Cristina. The bus ride was almost 8 hours, but I literally got to see about half of CR. About an hour after I arrived, I was at the wedding of Cristina’s host brother. It was really a treat to see, even though I couldn’t really understand most of it. Then afterward there was a reception at the multiuse gym, complete with disco balls and a DJ. The food was good and there was even a bit of dancing. There unfortunately wasn’t much salsa music or partners, but we did a bit of merengue and even the abuelos got a little jiggy with it.

The next day we went to a BBQ at the house of a US PHD student who is doing work with the local coffee farmers. He had a pretty sweet set-up and 3 hammocks to boot. There were a handful of other people and we grilled hamburger and chicken on a grill made from a wheel. It was great company, food, and music. Really it was just nice to relax a bit since we haven’t had much time to do that during training. The next day we went to a botanical garden, ate some pizza and postre at the old Italian settlement community. I left really early the next day.

During the whole trip, I was asking questions and finding out as much as I could about ‘PCV life.’ Even though there is no ‘typical’ PCV life, it was satisfying to really get to see an example of a little of what my life might be like. I learned a lot from the trip and can see that the lack of direct management and exact direction will both make it exciting and challenging. It will be nice to be able to create my own job description to a degree, but it may also get frustrating or daunting when a next step is not always clear. But now that I’ve had a taste, I really can’t wait to start my service. I know that I will have some really low points ahead of me, but the amazing highs along with the challenging times is exactly what I signed up for.

Another recent adventure was going to the rio the other day. Let’s just call this dia loco. A lot would be explained by simply understanding our guia for the day – Jeraldito. This man is probably one of the most interesting characters I have met. He is the abuelo in Jake and Marks’ families and is somewhere in the 80’s range. But you wouldn’t guess it by the way he plays futbol and goes for ‘short walks’ (aka 4 hour hikes) – definitely in better shape than me. But a lesson we learned very quickly is that you are always in for an adventure when you decide to let Jeraldo take you somewhere, and el dia loco was just no exception. I knew it was going to be an interesting day as soon as it was apparent that we were supposed to fit 11 people and a caged bird (we never figured that one out) into a car where 7 passengers would be pushing it. My mind went back to my geometry and physics classes trying to figure out how in the world the 12 bodies of mass (can’t forget the bird) were supposed to fit into the area that was parked in front of us. But somehow it happened and off we went. After about 30 minutes on curvy paved mountain road, we came to the end of the pavement. Then the real fun began. This road went straight up and straight down, making great use of the 4-wheel drive we had. Poor Katie was shoved in the back with 4 other people with her head hitting the back window every time we went over a bump. Well after almost 2 hours of that, Katie’s body had had enough, and she was down for the count the rest of the day (probably a combination with something else her stomach wasn’t liking). When we arrived, we were all a bit off, and the heat was not exactly helping. So after a cafecito, we walked down to the rio, which was at a pretty low level, but still so refreshing. Even though there was a strong current, there wasn’t really anywhere where our feet couldn’t touch, and it made riding in the intertube more fun. After a full day and a good lunch, Jeraldito wanted us to go to another finca, but we were having none of that, so we finally loaded back into the car (along with the bird, of course). We weren’t on the road for more than 20 minutes when Jeraldito was telling the driver to pull over and before we knew it, they we disappearing down some side road to explore a finca. It was a test of patience waiting for them to return (I imagine just a taste of what’s to come). Once they came back with some really ugly lemons, we were off again. I was just thinking that the day was over as we neared pavement once again when boom! The tire flew off the car, no, the tire didn’t blow, it literally decided to no longer be attached to the car it had been supporting. I guess it becomes less unbelievable when one considers that it was only screwed on with 2 lug nuts (instead of the recommended 6) and that it was carrying much more weight than it was made for on roads that made it bounce a lot higher than any car should have to put up with. It was just such perfect icing on the top of the day’s crazy cake. But it also was a lesson in the generosity of Ticos. Some mechanics stopped when they passed us and helped put the spare on (after reshaping the wheel a bit). So though we considered walking or hitch hiking, the same car ended up getting us home. This day was definitely a test of our patience and flexibility. But I have the feeling that I will look back on this day and laugh at how crazy I thought it was when I compare it to some of the other experiences to come.

Of course a lot more has happened, but those are the highlights and about as much as I have energy to write and you probably have energy to read. I guess the takeaway message is I am having the time of my life while learning about Community Economic Development (CED), Spanish, Tico culture, flexibility, patience, and such while having some great adventures. Of course I miss all of you, froyo, running on the beach, Balboa Park, and my Salsa clubs, but I truly am excited to be where I am and for what lies ahead.