First Kid Camp – January 19, 2011

Our first kid camp had 12 students with four students from the high school group helping me take care of the kiddies.  Although the four year olds were not participating very much the others had a blast.  I’ve already heard through the grapevine comments like, “I want it to be Monday again so we can have another English class.”  I really wasn’t sure what to prepare for them being at such varying age groups but my main goal was to give the kids of the neighboring communities a chance to get together and have fun.

And that’s exactly what they did.  I taught them sentences like “I am kicking the ball,” or “Kick the ball!”  Then, we each practiced saying each sentence while throwing, catching or kicking the ball.  Afterward, we went out to the playground and spent another hour playing out there.  They were running up and down the slide and then I taught them to play Red Rover which was so much fun.  Finally, they organized themselves to play Cops and Robbers.  

I was so happy to give them to opportunity to be all together outside of school or a birthday party.  And I spoke to them all in English for about 85% of it.  I had fun even though the overgrown yet recently cut grass demanded that I get bit up by a ton of bugs.  I look forward to working with them more in the future and hope that my high school group has more than just the five people that have told me they would be willing to renovate the playground as a group so we can add some benches and fix it up a little.  

I’ve been super busy and haven’t had sufficient time to work on my CAT but I’ve already set up some interviews for this week.  Plus, the 10% of my community that I have to interview requires me to interview 12.7 people which doesn’t exactly seem like too many.  

Couldn’t be happier with how my first month went.

Jennay

Volunteer Group – 01/12/11

For the last two days I have been canvassing my 100+ door community.  I walked door to door meeting people I hadn’t met and giving them the lowdown on well, me.  It reminded me of canvassing in LA at moments, mostly the speaking Spanish I get and trying to encourage people to become more involved.  At other moments, when I finally looked up from the rocky road I had my breath taken away by the incredible views in all directions of what look like distant mountains although they would only take an hour to drive to.  Mountains so green you wonder if there could be another way. 

I canvassed up until just a couple hours before my meeting was supposed to start and got to the salon early.  Some of the School Board’s members were there waiting for me and we swept the floors together.  We waited outside as we began to wonder if anyone else would show.  But slowly, everyone came into site down the road each way coming to my meeting.  34 people came.  It was just about what I was expecting but the meeting didn’t turn out as lively as I would have liked. 

I probably talked too much, but it’s a meeting about me and why I’m here right?  Well I asked a bunch of times what they would like to see happen in their community and they just wouldn’t budge.  The already established leaders had a bunch to say but the newcomers to town reunions were pretty quiet.  The funny thing is after the meeting they swarmed.  I had ten people around me trying to arrange an English class less times a week while everyone else was trying to say bye.  And then came the ideas…

My host-dad recommended a youth group to get the kids used to being involved in the community and keep them doing positive things.  Don Mario recommended not just for youth but a volunteer group that meets up regularly to help out neighbors.  They’re both such great ideas, but now I might have taken on too much.  Or most definitely I’m going to have to wait on my pushing for such a group until I have less on my plate. 

I now have two English classes.  One class meets twice a week and the other four times a week- both meeting for 90 minutes.  Next week I’m starting an English play group for some of the kids.  Thankfully the high school group was extremely encouraging and volunteered to help out with the masses of kids I can only imagine might show up.  Four of them walked straight into my house today right up to me without talking to anyone else to ask if they could come to the high school class tonight.  It’s exciting though that so many people are still excited of my being here even weeks after I arrived.  I’m constantly searching for ways to keep that excitement going and turn it towards the community.  At this point I just have to keep working hard and hope for the best.  But I am so happy for those two years working in grassroots – it provides me with so much necessary strength.  “That’s grassroots baby!”

My little town up in the mountains – 01/09/2011

So as I’ve mentioned my town is gorgeous.  And as I’ve begun integrating I’m getting to know all of the leaders and learn about all of its intricacies.  In setting up for a meeting I’m holding on Tuesday I have learned the importance of including as many leaders as possible.   These people may just be the local shop owner (one of two in town) but each is crucial in adding credibility to the meeting. 

In our first three months in site we each have to complete a Community Assessment Report which we call the CAT.  It helps us understand our community better in many ways.  We have to conduct interviews, surveys and tussle through whatever data the local institutions have on our little town.  In doing so we meet as many people as possible and not only gather useful  research about the community but provide it with a report on the resources available and an action plan to move forward with. 

As I finished reading the CAT guidelines on Friday I read that I need to hold a meeting with community members before I begin my research to explain to them what exactly I am doing.  So I set out to start planning.  I want to start as soon as possible so figured next week would be best.  I asked my family their thoughts on the time and day would be best and where to hold it.  I walked down to the pulperia and asked the owner (who is conveniently on the school’s junta) and asked him what his thoughts were and if I could borrow the salon. So he said Tuesday and 4pm would work best. 

I made my way up to see one of the older leaders in town who is on several committees and who also conveniently owns the other pulperia in town.   So I entered Don Mario’s pulperia and made small talk and bought my usual peach juice.  I sat outside with him talking about the meeting and asked to see when would work for him.  He explained that for meetings like this he has to find someone to cover him and that it’s important to do so.  So the time and date is set and I sat outside with him picking his brain on the rest of the committees in town I didn’t know about and chatting.  He mentions that his niece Paola can help me with the flyers since she’s an artist. 

On my way home I stop by Paola’s house (she also happens to be my host-sister’s god-daughter) and we make four flyers to put up in each store and the church and one in the next bigger town over.  As I chat with everyone they mention I should mention it at the mass being held Saturday, the one mass held in town a month).  I feel bad making an announcement at a religious event that I don’t practice and mention it to some of the women on the church’s junta and they all assure me that it’s ok and a perfect place to advertise.  So I went to mass yesterday and made the announcement.  I was nervous even though I have been speaking in front of 30+ students of this community teaching regularly, it’s not my own classroom.  So I kept my announcement short and stated that I hope they could all make it.  The priest welcomed me to the county and assured me that I will find all of the doors in the area open to me which I have found more than true but it was still nice to hear. 

Today is Sunday, so I’m taking it slow for today.  I walked up and down town twice yesterday advertising.  But I think I’m going to take everyone’s last bit of advice and go door-to-door inviting everyone.  I worry that they will all invite me in for coffee and I’ll have to leave it for another time although I love having coffee with everyone!  It’s weird that I feel a little awkward about going door-to-door even though I’ve done if for countless hours on political campaigns.  But after the second person mentioned I decided I really do want as many people to come as possible.  It’s time for some serious grassroots in my little town up in the mountains. 

Just dumb luck – 1/07/2011

The day that I arrived in town my host-sister explains to me that two of the high school boys had called the day before to set up an English class over the break.  I made my way down to the pulperia and when I got back they were sitting on my front porch waiting for me.  It turns out they are from the next town over which is about a thirty minute walk from here.  Their insistence had me excited but I also wanted more time to settle in and we agreed to at least wait until the holiday festivities finished.  So January 4^th was going to be our first class and we would figure out the details from there.

In the days leading up to our first class everyone I met I mentioned the class to, explaining that it was meant for the high school students but once the adults got to organizing a time for their class I would be more than happy to teach them English too.   The day before our first class I called all of the students that had signed up when I had come to visit back at the beginning of December and let them know about it. 

Our first class had over 26 students ranging from 7 years old to 50+.  They asked me to teach everyday but I figured four days a week was a little more practical.  And we’ll have class for just under two hours so that those who have to catch the last bus can.  Once we got started there was a good bit of hesitance from the less experienced English speakers to practice speaking but once I dragged it out of each person they gained that confidence they needed and try on their own.  It’s so excited to see students open up and realize that they can’t just want to learn, they have to work at it. 

Our second two classes had 31 students each.  I was especially surprised at Thursdays turnout because it had to begun to rain pretty hard but I wasn’t about to set a negative precedent and not show up.  So I taught the class in my soaked squishy sandals and everyone got a chance to buy and sell different products for a whole hour.  They really love the activities I’ve set up for them but I’m quickly recalling the importance of simple and concise directions especially under the sound of the rain falling on the tin roof.  But every class they understand more and more instructions in English and still enjoying it so I’m still excited to teach! 

I’m so happy that those two guys showed up that day.  They have helped me integrate into this community in more ways than they can probably imagine.  I had everyone give them a round of applause the first day of class but that’s miniscule in comparison to how they have helped me.  Now I’m off to plan for this week’s classes and haven’t been able to decide the best direction to go in, but I hope it’s still entertaining!

Visit to Sarapiqui – New Years 2011

I woke up early Friday morning to catch the two buses into San Jose, waited for the next bus to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui for a couple hours and then caught my final bus to Beth’s community.  It took me about six hours of commuting to get to there but it was more than worth it for the fun weekend we had.  It was so refreshing to see my friends!  I love my site but I still don’t have a best friend by any means which can be tough.  We ate pizza and just as soon as we were done a buseta was waiting for us to take us rafting!  Beth had bargained the price down to about half.  It was so nice to be doing something out-doorsy with everyone. 

Once we got to rafting we were mostly catching up and asking about each other’s sites and such.  Then, on one of the first big white waters our raft got caught and Katherine and I fell out.  I was able to catch our guides paddle and he pulled me back in while the girls were mostly still in shock, hehe.  Katherine kept floating down the river and made her way out like a champ.  We picked her up and made sure she was ok and continued rafting on through the green forests seeing toucans and monkeys up in the trees!

When our trip finished the owner gave us a ride to buy some groceries for the festivities and took us to our cabins we had rented for about $5 a night.  We had our fish dinners right off the river and went to a really sweet restaurant/bar that thankfully wasn’t a wild club to countdown the New Year – twice of course, once for east coast and again for Costa Rica.  The Ticos didn’t make a big fuss out of it which was a little disappointing but at least we were together. 

In the morning we walked to town and said bye to the friends that were heading out.  I had already missed my bus to San Jose that could get me to my site in time because of the holiday times so I stayed another night with a few friends.  We started walking to this waterfall and three hours later had finally found the farm that we were supposed to walk through.  We paid the family about $2 each and made our way through the cow poo filled trails.  We were mostly walking through the jungles listening to exotic birds and watching the thousands of ants walk alongside us to their holes.  You could almost imagine this trail was made by them because at this point we were far out of the cow herding range. 

After thirty minutes of slipping through the mud we could finally hear the water rushing.  We made our way to the top of it where we were going to cross the river to the other side.  The site was amazing.  This Pozo Azul is apparently a spot where they teach kayakers to go over waterfalls which I can imagine the 35 foot drop being extremely intimidating. We walked on the slippery rocks as far upstream as we could and finally I swam across first followed by Jake. 

Nicole started swimming across but didn’t catch the rock that we had luckily both held onto to get across and she got swept away.  She started floating down the river still trying to get across, getting closer and closer to the fall.  Immediately, all of the footage I’ve seen of people getting swept away by rivers since I got here flashed before my eyes as Nicole nearly got swept over the powerful waterfall.  But she caught onto a rock and Beth and Jake went to help her out.  We were all pretty shaken up by it.  I’ll never forget Nicole’s face as she grabbed onto the rock and started laughing out of nerves combined with exuberance I can imagine.  We calmed down as we walked back down to the cliff and Beth jumped. 

My legs were shaky after having walked so much on my funny ankles and as I stepped down onto the ledge I got a chance to look around at the amazing pool.  To my right was the strong water falling, in front water trickling down the rocks just before it gets swept down into the river.  I looked back at Jake and Nicole and saw about ten monkeys crossing the river jumping from tree to tree.  It was like a dream with the sun shining through the jungle behind them and their cara blancas.  I was so happy to be there at that moment with my friends.  It reminded me of the Seven Pools of Hana, only better.  And as I jumped into the cool water and looked back at the falls I could only imagine living here forever…

Getting settled in – 12/29/2010

Our guests left a few days after Christmas and the house quieted down a good bit but I made my way to having coffee at the first house that was adamant I stop by.  It turns out that Nuria had had a volunteer live with her in the early 1980’s in a town I actually have a friend in now.  She slipped a few times calling me Becky and I felt so honored.  

It’s a funny image that we tend to have of returned volunteers especially ones that volunteered thirty years ago.  Their job was a little different than ours now to say the least.  They had to fetch water from the wells and had no electricity.  I on the other hand am sitting at my desk typing my on my computer listening to music in front of my gorgeous window with flowers on my desk.  To my right I have my own bathroom with running water and a hot water shower.  Although the hot water tends to shock me from time to time, and that I have to go in there to wash my face and brush my teeth I have it so much better than so many volunteers around the world.  I do also encounter about fifteen new bugs in my room a day.  I don’t know where these giant spiders keep coming out of but I also know they’re too big to kill bugs, at that size they eat humans.  

But still I face normal volunteer issues.   I find myself in a small town with limited resources in respect to books and internet access.  The closest internet café is an 1:40 walk… I’ve made it.  The bus runs through town four times each way which is more than some of my friends can say.  Plus I live in a large commuter town so whenever I know someone who’s heading into town I can catch a ride pretty easily.  

 

Now, in respect to the town’s organization they do have several committees that run smoothly but it seems that it’s the same people always involved.  And it turns out that the town is kind of set up in three parts.  Uphill is where the church and soccer field are.  The original center where I live is in charge of the school, and the furthest part downhill doesn’t really have anything to be in charge of.  Anyways, I still have a lot to learn but I hope that I can be a unifying character in town and find ways for the youth to get together outside of school which doesn’t seem to happen well, ever.