November marks six months in site and nine months in country and time is flying. It's beginning to sink in how short two years is in the grand scheme of things, especially when working in development. I've been putting off writing this post because I wanted to wait until more of my projects came to fruition. I have come to realize that the projects are always changing and what I write down today might be completely different in a few months, so now is as good a time as any. This post serves as a marker in my progress as a volunteer and is as much for future me to look back on as it is an update for friends and family.
LIFE IN COSTA RICA:
In early September, a nationwide strike broke out as a reaction to the president's new financial plan. The strike will continue to persist probably until the early months of next year. All of the demonstrations have been peaceful but have affected us volunteers much more than I expected. The schools are closed and the roads, though better now, have been blocked causing travel to be quite the debacle. Because the schools are closed, I had to put several projects on hold - an employability club at the high school, environmental programs at the elementary school and a computer course for adults that would have been held in the computer lab at the local elementary school.
The pause I've put on these projects may be the biggest test of my patience and flexibility to date. When the strike started, I was coming off of a high from one of our Peace Corps trainings. Peace Corps staff gave sessions and helped us formulate ideas for potential projects in site. Naturally, I came back to site rearing and ready to go with a notebook full of ideas targeted specifically at the youth in my town and then began the strike. At first, I was hopeful - "It's got to be over by next week and then I can start" but as the weeks dragged on, I became more and more disheartened. Fearful that I'd lose the momentum and excitement I felt after training, I forced myself to introduce myself (super awkwardly I might add) to more people in the community and explain what my job is here in hopes of finding something to work on. I met with other community groups, and out of these meetings and awkward encounters came the project that I've been working on the past two months.
Though incredibly frustrating, the strike is something I've come to admire. Never before have I bore witness to this level of country wide unity. The strike's organization and longevity are impressive to say the least. Seeing people exercise their rights as citizens of a democratic country, and do so for almost three straight months has been pretty cool.
PROJECTS:
My site is unique because though it is small and has little resources of its own, it is surrounded by other, bigger communities, leaving the few lucky community members with access to regular transportation able to take advantage of what the surrounding communities have to offer. However, this leaves little incentive to develop within the community. My site has one school and 2 pulperÃas (or small bodega-like stores), but nothing else, leaving a huge need and opportunity for small business development in the town.
There is a river that runs through my community. It intersects with the road and bends around the houses. One of these bends creates a swimming hole that people from the neighboring communities come to visit on the weekends. The women's group has been trying to take advantage of these weekend visitors for years but were unsure where to start. At first, the women thought of building a recreation center with a tilapia pond for fishing next to the swimming hole, but the costs were far too immense. Then, one of the women noticed that the visitors bring their own coolers and food to the swimming hole because there is nowhere to eat once inside the community. After an intensive brainstorming session, they decided to open a small restaurant or "soda" to cater to the weekend visitors and address the need for a weekend eatery. The plan, as of now, is to use the profits of the soda to finance the rest of the recreation center over time.
To help with the process, I have been giving a course called "Mujeres Emprendedoras" or "Women in Entrepreneurship" to teach the group the basics of starting a business. We will formulate a business plan by the time the course is over and conduct a feasibility study to work out the kinks. Eventually, we will need to apply for a grant to cover start up costs. It is unlikely I will see the end of this project after my two years, but it finally feels like I have a project that is worthwhile and that I'm excited to be working on.
LIFE IN SITE:
My day also has more of a routine now than it did in the beginning of my service. I normally get up around 7:00 and read a little bit before downing a large cup of coffee. My site is humid and HOT, so staying inside from the hours of 9am to 2pm is pretty essential unless I want to take a cold shower and change my clothes at least three times over the course of the day. Therefore, during the peak heat hours, I'm normally planning class in my hammock, playing with my host siblings or following my host mom around the kitchen, trying to keep up. In the afternoons, I go to meetings or hold class for the women's group and then run at sunset when the day finally cools off enough. Right now, I'm enjoying my last two months with my gigantic and hilarious host family (pictured on the right) until I move into my own place in January. This move will be a major change but I'm excited to have my own space. My host family has been extremely supportive and I know I'll be at their house constantly even after I move out.
FRIENDS:
My two best friends in site are my 4 year old host brother and my 65 year old future landlord. I never expected to be spending this much time with two humans whose stages of life differ so much from my own. For the most part, I've always surrounded myself with like-minded individuals who were more or less my same age. Spending so much time with these two has definitely given me an opportunity to reflect on my own perspective of life and what shapes my own perception of what's going on around me. They have also taught me that human connection and friendship knows no limits. In the states, I would never imagine hanging out with a 65 year old man and his wife or a 4 year old nugget. They have shown me incredible generosity and friendship, even with what little I have to offer them. I don't know why they accepted me so quickly and without question, but I am extremely grateful for their friendship every day.
As for my Peace Corps friends, I feel like I'm in 15+ long distance relationships. When we finally get to see each other, it feels like a crazy family reunion...which may be the understatement of the century. Luckily, this reunion happens about once a month, whether that's planned or for work reasons. It definitely helps that Costa Rica is the size of West Virginia, which makes it easy to meet up if necessary. They are my biggest support system both personally and professionally. This experience is very unique and nobody else in the world understands the emotions tied to it like the other volunteers here with me. I feel extremely lucky to have them and to be a part of such a good group. Overall, at six months in site and nine months in country, I'm feeling grateful to be where I am, doing what I'm doing... though I am still accepting visitors at any time.