It’s been officially five months for me at site and almost eight months in Costa Rica. I feel like a broken record marveling at how fast this experience is going, but I cannot believe how fast this is all going! Thanks to digital technology, I’m constantly reminded of where I was 1, 2, 3, and even more years ago. This has me inspired to reflect on how I’ve changed in my time here as a volunteer. I must say it’s a sum of a lot of small changes that have formed my experience in the Peace Corps.
One of the more obvious changes is that my language ability has dramatically improved. When I arrived I had to dust of a decade of dust on my Spanish skills. Sure I could communicate from Spanish I learned during college, but it was clunky and I had a hard time understanding the Costa Rican differences in the language. Now I know that it’s best to use usted (or vos with my close friends) instead of tú, and I even can throw out some Costa Rican dichos or sayings in the correct context. My comprehension has improved a TON, I don’t have to ask people to repeat themselves… as often. I also have less fear about speaking up in public settings in Spanish, I still make a ton of mistakes but I’m not as fearful about making those mistakes now. There is still a lot of room for my Spanish to improve, but it’s really gratifying to feel my progress so far.
My health has improved so much since arriving. It’s no secret that my last few months in New York I went a little crazy trying to eat a lot of the food I knew I wouldn’t have access to for two years. I also was eating out a lot and of course, drinking most days of the week at work events or happy hours with friends. I throw it up to cultural differences because in Costa Rica I hardly ever drink and I eat most of my meals at home with my host family. Processed foods just aren’t part of the daily diet here, which leaves me eating a lot of rice, beans, and other whole foods. Removing alcohol and eating out from my weekly routine cut a LOT of calories and I’m seeing the effects in my waistline. I haven’t weighed myself in a while, but last I checked I’ve lost over TWENTY pounds here. This is all from just eating less processed foods and drinking less. I also owe this success to the fitness-focused Whatsapp group my fellow Tico group members have formed. Since getting to site, we have supported each other will workout tips and encouragement to find creative ways to exercise in our communities.
The most accurate way to describe my community is tranquilo, or chill as we say in English. This sleepy town is quiet and the evenings cool down below 80 degrees, which means the sleeping conditions are excellent. According to my fitness app, I average 8 hours of sleep a night. Yes, EIGHT hours a night. I don’t mean to rub this victorious feat to my many friends who are new parents, I know you want to kill me right now for even mentioning it. I just need to say it because regular, quality sleep has dramatically improved my health.
Costa Rica was recently named “Champion of the Earth” by the United Nations for its environmental efforts. Having witnessed how Costa Ricans deal with their environment I have to agree. The laws of the country are set up to be aggressive in fighting climate change, but the culture of the people also contributes to a greener lifestyle. I consume much less prepackaged foods as I mentioned earlier, so this has reduced the number of plastic packaging and single-use plastic items. I also see Ticos reuse household objects and repair household items at a much more frequent rate than I see in the United States. Part of the repair and reuse culture of Ticos is because of necessity, in rural areas it isn’t always feasible to replace items for logistic and economic reasons. In my region of Guanacaste, the main industry is cattle farming which requires large amounts of clear land. In the 1970s many landowners cleared this land by cutting down trees and burning the acres upon acres of brush to make way for cattle. The deforestation caused the land to dry up and massive droughts. A few visionary members of the community saw this issue and began to reforest the area, and 30 years later the forests have returned and cattle farmers work alongside Environmental NGOs to implement sustainable practices. There is still a very long way to go here, but the value of Environmental Conservation has influenced my in my decision making as a consumer. I’m switching to bar shampoo and conditioner, bamboo toothbrushes, and purchasing items only when I need them. I am going to find creative ways to solve problems I have by using what is around me and utilizing resources that exist within the community.
My overall demeanor has also shifted. I’m much quieter here, and I’m much more laid back. The energy I brought to my New York life just doesn’t make much sense here. New York life taught me to be direct and critical of the information I received. I had some neurotic tendencies when it came to work-life balance that caused me a lot of stress. Here I’m softer and much more passive, my blunt directness would be very rude and not yield the desired results anyway. When I want to ask a question, I first need to ask how someone is first and then we can get into what I was going to ask. I don’t have the pang of anxiety when I may be late to something or if something is canceled. I learned a lot about efficiency by being results-driven, but now I’m learning there is so much more than the end result. Personal relationships and the journey are much more important in Costa Rican culture, and taking time to appreciate those is a beautiful part of the way people work. Changing my expectations on productivity first started with my ability to control outcomes. So much is out of my control, it’s important to not even try and control what’s going on around me. Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle with this daily, but I’m getting a better hang of surrendering to the unpredictability of life here. I see in my community members that progress towards a shared goal is far more important than everything turning out as planned. This outlook has improved my anxiety levels because honestly I’m a lot less stressed out here not focusing on results all the time!
I’m not sure all of these changes have completely altered my identity as a human, in fact, I think it’s only solidified some of my more authentic traits. It’s stripped down a lot of the distractions I had and has left a pure and enthusiastic Caitlin.
Caitlin in Costa Rica 
Love love love this. And love you!
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