Favorite Tico Words

Jale(ha-le)...Suave(su-a-beh)...Meto (meh-toh) This last one was born and is only used in my community. I never noticed it until a few months ago after it was pointed out to me. Now I hear it all the time! So these words mean the following, in order of appearance: hurry up/let's go...hold on/one second...negation of what was previously said. Word of caution: don't say you feel "excitada" when you want to express excitement in Spanish. It's "emocionada" or full of emotion. The former has a sexual meaning, as I had to find out the hard way. I just wanted to highlight how, despite my Spanish fluency and Latin American heritage, there was a lot to learn once I arrived in Costa Rica. And what is called one thing in one country, may be something totally different in another. Take the word "torta". In Colombia, this means cake. In Mexico, it's a small sandwich. In Costa Rica, it refers to eggs or groundmeat that is prepared in a round shape (like a patty). There is also the phrase "jalarse una torta" which means that you made a huge mistake.

Back to my updates, these past two weeks have been intense. What with beginning a workshop called "Youth Entrepeneurs" in the local high school, a friend's serious car accident here in Boruca, and other personal matters, I'm glad that things have calmed down. In no way could I have relaxed in Guanacaste this past weekend where most Volunteers are vacationing.

Continuing from my last update, the months of December and January were pretty much impossible to organize, continue, and/or begin projects. Students are on vacation and most people in my community are only thinking about and preparing for the annual cultural festivities. I was really worried about the content of my upcoming work report but there were some accomplishments. For one, I was happy to have begun an Enivronmental Education project, despite having only 8 people, mostly youth, attend. I'm looking now to continue where we left off with the help of the Boy and Girl Scouts (known as Guia Scouts since the groups are mixed and determined by age) since the next step is to conduct a community-wide survey to identify present knowledge, opinions, and behaviors regarding the environment, with special emphasis on waste management, the water supply, and cultural values. The idea is to use a participatory process to find alternative solutions to key environmental concerns. Here are some pictures of what we're dealing with: This stream ends up in the river, carrying with it waste and residual water.
Most trash is thrown and burnt in an open dump, 500 meters from the center of town.
Here's a shot of the dump, where you can see the burning of plastics and other garbage that goes unseparated.
This is a few hundred meters behind my house. I had no idea about this small dump until my host mother told me about it.

In addition to this first meeting, a good friend of mine offered to help with the need for waste bins in the community. The local government has tried to place them in the past only to have them ruined, by youth supposedly. If there's one thing I would like to help accomplish before my service ends is to help the youth in my community prove that they can contribute to positive community development, if given the chance. So far, the local youth group with whom I work is meeting regularly and planning exciting projects. I'll describe these as they progress.

Back to the garbage bins...so my friend got the idea of recycling discarded laundry receptacles into the garbage bins we wanted to see. And these would be classified according to material: plastic, metal (aluminum cans), paper, and glass. One morning, he and I walked to the dump and carried as many as we could back to town. (Note: this is not exactly sustainable as more volunteers could have joined us but due to my friend's stubborn and pessimistic attitude at the time, I conceded) He's a very busy guy so I didn't want to lose this opportunity. After cutting, washing, mending, and other creative final touches, we had garbage bins that are still found in the town center. Several volunteers, my sister, and other young people in my community helped paint them so we could have them up during the cultural festival when hundreds of nationals and foreign tourists visit. Here are a few before and after pictures:





Lessons learned (I saw this coming but like I said, you can't let an opportunity pass you by): people were definitely intrigued by the final product, and we saw that the separation was followed for the most part but we needed an informational campaign to explain why and how to separate trash. We jumped important steps in the process of education, which was good in that my friend and others now or will understand the need for careful planning with this experience. Also as important to highlight are the poor and unsustainable results of garbage clean-ups that groups have and continue to do. Without a comprehensive plan, these efforts will yield nothing but disillusionment. I'm hoping to continue this effort in the upcoming months, hopefully before Earth Day. I'll stop here for now...

VERY long update

It's been too long I know. But here I am with much to write so I hope this will make up for my delayed updates. Since returning from the U.S. after about a month in October(also the rainiest month in Costa Rica), I've had slow but increasing work progress. My English for Tourism course culminated before I left and until last month, it was my sole pride and joy. Looking back now, I think there's several things I would've done differently to have made better use of my time in the first few months. But I guess it's all part of the experience: recognizing mistakes and striving to avoid them in the future. A new group of Volunteers arrive today from Washington D.C. and I remember how exciting it was, how eager I was to acquire technical skills and start several youth and income-generating projects. The other night in San Jose, four of us celebrated our one-year mark in Pizza Hut, which feels more like you're in Applebee's. It's quite fancy. This was after a Junior Achievement course training, which I'll go into later. So we were talking about how fast time passed and I was really happy and proud to see how much their Spanish skills have improved. While we're all typically closer to the volunteers in our program area or region, I admire each and every one of the volunteers as we face different challenges but are still united by the frustrations and accomplishments we experience as PCVs. I wish I could spend more quality time with each and every one of them but I know that we'll always have a special bond and something to laugh and talk about. I'm ready to share my advice with the new volunteers, and I encourage my friends back home to consider this type of work and life experience. Everyday you learn something new, about your community, about yourself, and there really isn't ever a dull moment (unless you choose to stay in your house, which can happen from time to time). Some of us are "Super Volunteers", others don't want to be... from what I gather, this first category applies to those who never take a break from their work. I think we all need balance and if that's what makes you happy, good for you. I strive to be the best volunteer I can be. For new or potential volunteers, it's easy but wrong to compare yourself with others. I remember feeling all upset with myself during the All Volunteer Conference (AVC) in November when we shared our current projects at the time with one another. Now I understand that each community allows for and needs different plans. Of course, we need to make the effort to find out what those are. I'm not completely satisfied with my final Community Analysis Assessment (CAT) Report but I'm working on it. It's funny how sometimes I look back and perfect something that will no longer count or be reviewed again but I do it as a way to fix what I did. A sense of closure and peace. Hopefully, I won't have to do that anymore. I'm writing a proposal to create a multi-use bulletin board where residents and visitors can find out about community resources, activities, announcements, submit their own information, and offer their suggestions to improve this communication tool. I figure this is a good way to share the information collected in my CAT.

In November, I had the opportunity to participate in a three day Project Design & Management (PDM) Workshop given by trained Peace Corps staff. Each selected volunteer invited someone from their community, and I couldn't have chosen a better candidate. Ashly is 17 years old, and a natural leader. She has so many great ideas but with school and family responsibilities, she has been unable to realize or prioritize her goals. She was eager from the very beginning to learn how to organize and implement her project ideas. Before the workshop dates, we had to organize a community mapping activity that would help identify community resources, needs, and wants from a representative population. Although the group was not exactly representative of the community, Ashly and I were happy with the discussion that took place. (Another side note: this activity, which is one of many that help gather and analyze community characteristics, is underestimated. There's also seasonal calendars, daily activity schedules, and needs assessments.) We divided the group into two, males and females, and asked them to draw a map of the community, including all important places. Then, using three different colored pieces of paper, each member had to mark where they spend their time: each color meant everyday, once a week, or rarely. Then using circles and triangles, they had to mark places they liked and disliked. Finally, they had to answer the following on post-its: What do you want to see in your community? What does your community need? After presenting their map to the other group, everyone sat in a circle to compare and discuss the activity. Here are the maps, women and men, right to left:

We observed gender roles, differences between ages and use or awareness of resources, and, most importantly, how similar their concerns were despite their limited interactions. The workshop was invaluable and it left us super motivated to offer a similar taller in the community.

On February 13-15, we offered our own PDM Workshop with 10 participants, two of whom traveled by horse from a community an hour away. That's ganas. It was an overall success, and what I consider my second major accomplishment. I know this after speaking with and hearing feedback from the participants. Especially, from the campesino who told us that he's never received this type of capacitacion and now feels more confident and eager to share and use this knowledge in the organized groups to which he belongs. Here he is alongside a retired teacher and young college student who worked together to formulate a shared vision, a corresponding goal and objective, and a time frame with tasks and responsibilities. Below are more photos taken during the workshop.




Other people have asked me for materials of which I still have and am considering offering another workshop in the near future. To be continued...

Side note: Does anyone else feel that Facebook stresses you out? Mostly for those of us living abroad. I can't keep up with everyone and it makes me sad :(

Lights Out

I apologize in advance for random information thrown here and there. I give up on trying to organize my thoughts. It takes too long to edit and given that I’ll never be satisfied with what I do (I’m a perfectionist) and that I usually go off on tangents anyway, why bother?

So, I’m taking a break right now from my English lesson planning because it’s making my head hurt. The thing is that as I plan what I want to teach, new words and rules pop into the picture and before I know it, I’ve included WAY too much information to teach in one lesson. It’s definitely a learning experience, this whole teaching business, especially since I’m creating my own lesson plans (with the help of several teaching manuals, of course). And teaching adults is a whole other process in which I have been training myself (I highly recommend Peter Renner´s The Art of Teaching Adults). So sometimes I feel myself getting overwhelmed with this and everything else going on as a volunteer. A month ago I was begging to be busy, almost like I felt after a long summer vacation during college, and now I find myself stressed sometimes and longing for peace of mind. I’ve even stopped watching the two soaps that were part of my quality time with Doña Susana (my host mom). I’d like to mention that these novelas are original and hilarious, not Univision junk. Then again, they do take up two hours of my evening but even the great book I’ve been reading has been sitting on my shelf and I glance at it often wondering when I can continue with it without feeling like I should be doing something else. Ok, so what am I so busy with? (I’m laughing at myself right now because I really wanted to fix that last sentence. I will try to ignore the grammar rules that were so heavily engrained by an unforgettable high school English teacher…in case you’re wondering: ending a sentence with a preposition is a no-no). Anyway, so I’ve committed myself to helping several people and projects that are now either taking up most of my time or making me feel guilty because I haven’t dedicated as much time as I promised I would. As a CED Volunteer, we have three main objectives: supporting micro entrepreneurs, teaching English and computer skills, and working with youth in business and life skills development. In the beginning, I really did NOT want to teach English. My reasoning was pretty selfish since I didn’t think I would be gaining much from it as opposed to working in business-related projects. But now my first real project is teaching practical English for people working in tourism (I’m all about practicality). And so far, it’s been a rather enjoyable and enriching experience. I’ve never taught adults, much less English. Thankfully, a World Teach volunteer is helping me facilitate the class. Before I steer away from the title of this blog, I chose it as a reason to finally write a new blog (I know it’s been a while). Last night, an hour into the class, the lights went out. Four out of twenty people had flashlights, and I was ready to call it a night thinking few people wanted to continue. To my surprise, and Kevin’s assurance, the class adjusted their seats to share the flashlights and continue correcting their homework. Someone went out to buy some candles, and we managed to cover nouns, articles and continue practicing the use of the verb ‘to be’ until the end of class. Despite the long hours of preparation (probably more than needed but nonetheless), the satisfaction I get with a successful class is worth it. I just need to try not to teach too many things at once. It doesn’t help that I have several teaching manuals from which to choose. I just want to make sure I don’t miss anything important. Even when I go shopping or out to eat, I have to walk through every aisle and read everything on the menu before I leave or make a decision. That’s if I do (85% of the time I ask for recommendations). Sorry…

On another note, I’m coordinator for a group that is supposed to analyze markets relevant to the solid waste management initiative that will affect all communities within the municipality. This is supposed to be a community-driven project but there is some skepticism about its potential, at least from my group members. I’m really happy to have met Ramiro, who created his own recycling center in his backyard. Unfortunately, he has received more problems than support from local officials. For the past four years, he’s dedicated himself to recycling, waking up early every morning to collect everything from plastics, metals, glass, and paper. He recently received intensive training in Guatemala, is a member of a nation-wide recycling network, and was named Protector of the Environment by PINDECO, a large pineapple-producing company in Costa Rica. Ironically, pineapples are horrible for the soil. Anyway, this man makes a living by selling these items to various buyers, and he knows what its worth. I admire his perseverance and my goal is to invite him to my community to educate and inspire others to take up this practice, if only to protect the environment. Residual water is another issue in my community but I would need to find experts and appropriate information as I am not familiar with this topic. My dilemma at the moment is finding the time to meet with my group and complete a diagnostic study of how the future action plan should incorporate and support micro entrepreneurs like Ramiro. The municipal building is an hour and a half from my community, and there’s one study that I need to read and share with my group before we present our information at the end of the month.

My third realized effort is working with a group of artisan women that wish to regroup after years of separation due to some disgusto (quarrel, I guess). The other two groups in my community are fairly organized, so I’ve decided to focus on the former as I feel I can be more useful to them. My group has the luxury of owning their own building and machinery that were donated to them in the past. It has been closed and sitting in the dust until now. Yesterday afternoon, I facilitated the first half of a very important meeting. My objectives: Explore and analyze motivation, leadership, and the qualities of a successful entrepreneur. An ambitious plan but the information was well received and understood. As I was taking down the newsprint with the objectives written on it, a woman asked if I could leave it up so they could have and see it alongside the ground rules and the list of a successful entrepreneur’s behaviors that I had printed for them to see. I stayed for a while after, and it was nice to hear a few of them refer to the suggestions offered during my presentation. Of course, I couldn’t have done this without a Peace Corps resource manual and careful preparation. Next meeting: creating an action plan. Apart from these commitments, I am finding the time to learn how to make masks and play the guitar. At least I’m not bored. And nothing has me happier than knowing that my dad is visiting in three weeks. Life is good. I just need to take a deep breath and take things one at a time.

Settling In

It's been a month since I arrived in my site and it feels like so much longer. In fact, I've been worried that people are beginning to wonder "What exactly IS she doing here?" Not that I haven't presented myself hundreds of times (I deliberately change my explanation so as not to drive myself crazy hearing myself repeat the same thing over and over). Anyway, I know that this concern stems from my eagerness to "hit the ground running" and already have projects started. But I am happy to say that I’ve met many motivated and influential people with whom I hope to work for the next two years. I’ve also gathered most of the information I need to write up my community analysis report. That's actually what we're supposed to be focusing on during the first three months. The idea is to get to know our community first through interviews, focus groups, and observation before starting any serious projects. The list of possible project ideas is already long, and I’ve decided to start with an English course for people working in tourism. I've also joined a committee that will meet for the next few months to organize a solid waste management plan for the municipality. There have been failed attempts in the past to start a recycling program in my community so I'm hoping that I can make it happen by working alongside youth and children in the schools, Guias y Scouts (Boy & Girl Scouts), and the local radio station. I'm also planning to work with a World Teach volunteer on improving the appearance and promoting the use of an abandoned building in the center of town, with the help of local artists and the local development association. The neighboring salon comunal needs a makeover, as well.

On another note, my host mom is wonderful and we're secret novela buddies. I kind of live in her daughter's home next door, too. It's actually a house full of women, and they're great. I'm beginning to learn a lot about myself, like how much I hate feeling bored so I'm definitely keeping busy, whether it's visiting neighbors, going for long walks, or learning more about things I should know, like how to use Excel and waste management.

Many people question whether I'm really from the U.S. I'm not really a gringa, they say. It's funny because when I visit my parents' country, I tell them that I identity myself as Colombian-American. But then I'm told that I'm a gringa. Go figure.. I'll try to post more often.

Attitude

Thought I would share some words that we received during training.

ATTITUDE by Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important then the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make and break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it."

Site Assignment Day

Friday was the long-awaited day for Tico 18. PCCR staff took us to a recreational facility for the day to relax after announcing our site assignments. After breakfast, we went to a room with a huge map of Costa Rica. Three PCTs volunteered to find out first, blindfolded. Think pin-the-tail-on-the donkey. Then, after brief descriptions of each site, we were called one by one to label our location on the map. From my interview, I was given little hints about where I would go but I really didn’t set myself up for any specific place. All I knew was that I wanted to work with youth and ecotourism. I had mentioned interest in immigration and indigenous issues but I didn't want to be too picky. I was sure that the staff would know best. So when I heard Luis mention the only indigenous site for the CED Program, I broke out a huge smile as he looked at me and said my name. I’ll be working in the “Dirty South” as some call it, a few hours from Panama and the Osa Peninsula. Next weekend, our counterparts will take us to our sites for the first time. From what I know, there are about 2500+ people in my community, who are mainly indigenous. It should take me four and a half hours to get to San Jose from my site. We were all given folders with detailed information about our communities and possible projects. Among the challenges I’m interested in addressing are problems with youth, improving business practices, English for tourism, and recollection of trash. Luckily, there are many organizations with which I can work, including a radio station and artisan groups. I’ll be living with a woman, her dog and cat, which is perfect. I’m so ready to go!

PCV Visits

This weekend, we all had a chance to meet and observe volunteers in various sites around the country. My group did so much, it felt like a week. The first community was my ideal site: semi-rural, pleasant and stable weather, beautiful views, and a laid-back atmosphere. Here, we met Emily who has been in her site for six months. After a game of soccer with local kids, Emily invited us to her home where her host mom showed us how to make empanadas de chiverre and cheese. During cafecito, Emily explained her projects and gave us some great ideas, such as organizing a community newsletter. After this, we went to the Feria Ambiental, where local artisans sold their work, among other venues and activities, including a bull ring attraction, in which people would ride and/or avoid getting attacked by angry bulls. Thankfully, no bulls are killed in the process. There was also outdoor karaoke and disco moviles, which was a fun way to spend the evening.

The next day, we went on a tour with the president of the community's Chamber of Tourism. In our tour, we visited a butterfly farm, a water-powered sugar cane mill, and hiked to see some springs, indigenous artifacts (known only to a few for protective reasons), and views of the valley. The sun was fierce, or as they say here, “Que luna!” After our tour, we walked to a nearby waterfall where we swam and ate our lunch. It was a long but worthwhile day. And my host family was great. I had two twin sisters who were always at my side, along with their cousins. Throughout my stay, the radio was always on a Catholic radio station. I heard a Christian reggaeton song for the first time, which was pretty amusing. During dinner, I would hear my host parents respond or sing to the radio programs. The girls also sang a really cute song thanking God for the food they were about to eat (with their dad’s request). Very different from my training host family.

For our next Volunteer visit, we drove to a small town similar to my training community. Instead of a main square, the town was long and centered on a main road. We met Rachel, who is leaving PC in six months. She invited us to a women’s group meeting, where we learned more about her efforts in the community. During this visit, our Program Director and PC Volunteer Coordinator interviewed each of us regarding our future site preferences. If possible, I would love to work with youth and indigenous peoples, with an emphasis in ecotourism and business education.

Behind my host family’s house is a waterfall and cabin, which my host dad built. On a break, I went with two other trainees to read there. My dream site definitely has a waterfall. All of us are anxious to know even just a clue about where they are planning to assign us. Two more weeks before we find out.

In the evening, I went with my host mother to a folkloric dance rehearsal for an upcoming presentation. I was excited to hear a song that my Spanish class had listened to one day: “Soy Tico”. The next day, Rachel invited us to her biweekly aerobics class. After a 45-minute walk uphill, we reached the salon comunal where five other ladies joined us. I would love to incorporate this activity in my future site. My arms are sore but no regrets.

In the afternoon, we had a tour of a local cheese finca. We divided into two teams for a series of fun activities to test our knowledge or to try something new. These included, identifying types of grass and supplemental diet for milking cows, extracting as much milk as possible from a cow, and making the best cheese. At the end of the day, we helped our tour guide plant some trees given to her by a government institution. Speaking of resources, I, among many, am truly impressed with the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje (INA). INA is an autonomous institution, created to prepare workers in a wide variety of areas, both independent workers and those needed by private companies. 1.5 percent of every worker’s salary is taken to fund INA, leaving it with a budget of approximately 40 million dollars. INA offers free courses and programs of study that include: agriculture, commerce & services, tourism, graphic industry, auto mechanics, metal mechanics, electric, fishing & sailing, textiles, food, technology of materials, and handicrafts processes. I hope I get a chance to work with INA while I’m here.