February Feels

 

The view of Isla Venado during the dry season when most of the leaves have fallen off of the trees.

If you follow me on any sort of social media you know I love Pisces season because it’s like swimming in a deep ocean of feelings and dreams. It’s a magical time and I hope you have been enjoying it as well. I also must mention… Happy birthday month to me!  I love having a February birthday because back in the states it’s cold and dreary, the holidays are long gone, and everyone is usually looking for something fun to do to brighten up the dark winter days. However, we are in the dog days of summer here in Guanacaste, not a rain cloud to be seen for miles. That said, it usually doesn’t take much to convince other volunteers to celebrate something. I was fortunate enough to have a built-in excuse for my friends to all gather in the same place for a few days, Envision.

 

 

One of the stages at the festival

 

Envision is a four day festival near Uvita, Costa Rica with music, yoga, movement, and wellness workshops. It’s 10,000 people in a spot deep in the jungle that spills out onto the beach. For me, it was a very spiritual and moving event to be a part of, and I was so happy to get to celebrate my birthday with so many people I love.

 

Being attacked when the clock struck midnight on my birthday by the other volunteers that attended the festival

 

Besides my birthday, February also means that people are off of vacation! My counterparts came back to work and school was back in session. All of a sudden my calendar went from long open weeks to being full…ish. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I’m never 100% busy, but after a few months of doing not much of anything, my schedule now is feeling PACKED.  To catch you up, here is what I’m currently working on:

STEAM Activities

STEAM is a program to encourage students to explore careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The school district of my site has been identified as one of the pilot programs which will incorporate STEAM activities inside the classroom for elementary and high school students. Most STEAM activities previously had taken place outside of schools in clubs geared towards female students only. We are hoping by incorporating these activities in the classroom it will foster a sense that these activities are not gendered and that boys and girls can be interested in any topic they like, regardless of gender.

So what does this look like daily? Well… with the support of the teachers’ council and school director, I am working alongside the 5th and 6th-grade teachers a few times a week doing interactive activities on some of the subjects they are learning about in their textbooks. I’m designing the activities to be a bit more interactive than just reading from a page. This has been a very humbling experience that makes me want to apologize to all of my teachers. It’s so hard to wrangle these kids! In one of the classes, there are 34 students, without air conditioning, in 100-degree heat. The kids are usually jumping off the walls, but they always are eager to learn and participate in the class.

My next step is to go to high school and work with the students that have an interest in STEAM activities and coach them in ways they can deepen their knowledge and skills to help them prepare for jobs in these fields after graduation. I am very fortunate that the high school already has a well-established STEAM program that has been going for a few years, now it’s just an opportunity to make sure the students are aware of all of the opportunities in different fields of employment are available to them.

 

Rural Tourism Development

 

One of my favorite projects but definitely the most complicated one I am undertaking during my service. The unemployment levels for youth in the area are steadily rising and many are forced to move out of the area to find jobs with adequate pay. Previous generations had primarily worked in livestock farming and agriculture, but with climate change and unstable prices, this work also has not been consistent. It’s a beautiful area with many amazing natural attractions we are working on making a touristic route and promote to tourists. The main challenge has been designing the route and developing the infrastructure to support what increased tourism would mean for the area. I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts that Hojancha is very proud of its reforestation efforts and how environmentally forward-thinking they are. It is important that they take care of the environment and not exploit it through tourism. It’s inspiring to work with my project partners as they take making sustainable choices rather than what is cheapest and most readily available. Since they are taking such strides to make sure it does not negatively impact nature, it can be a slow-moving and long process. This is a very large project that will likely take longer than I am here in Costa Rica to finish, but I know it will have a great impact on the community and the ability for families to earn a good wage.

Transportation

Not a project but a life update, I have a bike! Thanks to a fellow gringo in town, he lent me this gorgeous bike to use while I am here. Catch me riding around town on this beaut instead of sweating in the oppressive sun.

 

Accepting names for my bicicleta 

 

Family Visit

I’ve been in Costa Rica for almost 11 months and for the most part, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. There are so many things about my life here that are just healthier for me than my lifestyle back in New York. I sleep 8 hours every night, I drink only occasionally, I’m eating less processed food, and I’m getting to swim in the warm waters of the pacific often. Who could complain?! That said there are some things I just miss. Nothing can quell my cravings for a really good fresh bagel or live-tweeting The Bachelor with a full bottle of cabernet and Chinese take out. Costa Rican culture is very family-oriented; most kids stay living close by their parents their entire lives and enjoy spending time with family members regularly. I haven’t lived near my family in nearly 16 years, so being surrounded by families that are so loving and integrated into each other’s daily lives makes me yearn for my own family.

Mi familia

When we planned my family visit to Costa Rica, I wanted it to be far enough into my time here that I would have a good understanding of the culture, language and geography to serve as a guide and translator for my family. Most of my family had never been to Latin America before and no one had a good grasp on Spanish. Another secret reason I wanted to hold off on them visiting was so that I would have gotten over my homesickness portion of service and wouldn’t be so emotionally affected by their visit. Boy was I wrong!

The months of December and January at my site are filled with holiday celebrations and lots of time spent at the beach. This has meant hardly anyone is around during the workweek and the town has turned from a sleepy town in the hills to an almost ghost town. The break from work can sound amazing, but the boredom really got to me. I was watching some of my other volunteer friends active and busy with their English Camps and community projects; I was feeling very useless. Intellectually you can tell yourself not to compare or use anyone else’s experiences as a benchmark for your own success. However… when you have months of downtime… it leaves a lot of time for you to think… idle time is very dangerous for my mental health. The light at the end of the tunnel for me was the end of January when my family would come to Costa Rica to visit me.

The day my family flew in I excitedly boarded the bus to San Jose to collect them at the airport. I waited for them outside of arrivals in a pen of other expectant families and drivers with placards of names of people they would be picking up. I saw several heads bobbing above the rest of the crowd (The Rengo-Brooks crew is tall in every part of the world) and new they were my family. It felt surreal to have some of the most important people in my life here with me in this very new and different part of my life. Until that moment, there was zero crossover between my Peace Corps life and my home life.

My family’s journey was long, they had a long drive to the airport and then three flights to arrive to me, but they were here! We rented a car and headed for the last part of the trip to the Nicoya Peninsula where I call home.

Packed up and ready to hit the road

The winding drive through the mountains landed us at an idyllic house in the hills above the beach, where we could hear the rolling waves and sounds of toucans and monkeys every morning (and a few large tarantulas that were less welcomed). We had lazy mornings where I made the traditional gallo pinto, we visited gorgeous beaches all around the area. One of those beaches included Playa Barrigona, which Mel Gibson tried to privatize (all beaches are public by law in Costa Rica).

When I realized the house my family had rented had ample bed space, I was quick to send out invites to my fellow volunteers who may need some R&R time away from site. There is nothing like hot showers, American food, and speaking English that can brighten up a Peace Corps Volunteer’s day. My dear friend Julia was the only one who was able to make the LONG trek out to Guanacaste, but I was so happy to have my family get to meet her and hear another volunteer’s experience.

Two Peace Corps Volunteers enjoying a little luxury

My brother Griffin’s best friend Josh and his wife Ashley also came along on this adventure. They were just married in September and decided to honeymoon in Costa Rica. Josh and Ashley have melded in to be a part of our family over the years, it was great to have them there to add to the festivities.

The Happy Honeymooners

The whole time we spent together was a blur. We ate, we drank, we swam in the ocean, we marveled at the animals outside of our doorway, and we celebrated my upcoming birthday. One miracle of the vacation was my mom’s health. For the past decade, she has been battling advanced Lyme disease, which has left her homebound except for doctor visits and essential travel. It was a worry that the long trip would be too much for her, but the opposite happened. The warm Costa Rican air and healing powers of the ocean were healing in a way we never expected. I’m incredibly grateful for the time I was able to spend with my mom outside of our family home. Watching her enjoy the beach without pain and see my life was incredibly rewarding. It was exactly what a vacation should be.

My adorable mom after a swim in the ocean

We visited the Macaw Recovery Network in Punta Islita, which was INCREDIBLE! Please go if you ever have the chance. The work they are doing to save the Macaws in Costa Rica is amazing. Plus seeing these gorgeous birds in action is breathtaking.

I also brought them to my home, Hojancha. I wanted them to see the beautiful town that I live in and get a sense of the culture.  We visited a local waterfall that is popular with many local families. It has natural swimming pools and a big 20-foot jump from the top of the waterfall. My brothers and I all took the daring leap after watching many 10-year-olds successfully complete the same task. Even though the jump is easy enough children can do it, the sense of my own mortality kicks in harder now so it took a little bit of prompting before taking the leap.

The local coffee cooperative has a popular Coffee Tour, the microbrewery in town also let us have a sneak peek into their brewing process. One of the most important stops on our tour was showing them where I live. They got to see my little cabina, my outdoor kitchen, and my beloved hammock. There are so many realities of my life here I take for granted, it was really nice to see how special my life is through my family’s eyes.

I was also able to cross a big item off my bucket list: I learned to surf! I lived in Surf City USA (Huntington Beach, California) for two years, and one of my biggest regrets was I never asked anyone to teach me. Now I’ve been watching surfers for almost a year on the sidelines and I could not wait any longer. My brother Weston and I got up early and headed to the beach to meet our surf instructor Jose. He was patient with us teaching two lanky kids with questionable balance and core strength, and by the end of the 90 min lesson, we were catching waves on our own. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but man did we have fun.

Look at me, shreddin’ the gnar on the smallest waves possible

Our magical vacation did come to an end and my family is back in the states, I am back at site. The dread of heading back to long days without much to do did dissipate. The month of February brought back life to the town. Anyone who had spent the last 8 weeks at the beach was now back at work, schools are preparing for the start of the new year, and I am starting to have projects again. I miss my family terribly, but they left me with new energy to continue on in my service. I still have 17 months left of service and I know now that even my dips in morale will not last forever. I’m more motivated now to make the most of my time here and forge ahead in new projects and challenges.

Life Update

I’ve been at my site for almost 8 months! We are officially out of the rainy season and into full summer here in Guanacaste, and that means it is hot. Hotter than I thought possible. Imagine you are sitting in an oven. It’s hotter than that. It also is windy season, which means the Papagayo winds bring very strong gusts that feel like a giant hairdryer on its highest heat setting blasting my whole body for hours on end. It also hasn’t rained in a month so the trees and plants are shriveling up and turning from a lush green to a golden tan. Everyone flees to the beach for most of December and January because you definitely need to cool off with a dip in the water this time of year. With most people away, everything is very tranquilo and the pura vida attitude is at a maximum level.

At the beginning of December, I moved into my very own cabina! In Peace Corps Costa Rica volunteers are required to live with a host family for three months of training and then the first six months in their permanent sites. This is to help with language and cultural integration, as well as for the volunteer’s safety. I really loved both of my host families, but after 9 months I was ready for some independence. On a volunteer’s budget finding affordable independent housing was a struggle, but I was able to negotiate with the owners of the cabina to add some safety features to fit Peace Corps regulations, and voila! I’m officially living on my own. Come visit soon, I have an extra bed 🙂

December was a very festive month, it started with the Festival of the Lights. The municipality allows families, businesses, and other groups to adopt a tree and decorate it with ornaments and string lights.

The whole park is illuminated during the festival, there are bands, fireworks, and dancing until the early hours of the morning. Which kept sleeping an interesting challenge, luckily my landlord gave me some earplugs.

Important investment for all during the local fiestas

Also in December Hojancha had its festival, which different than the Festival de Las Luzes, believe me! These fiestas are 6 days of rodeos, dances, delicious food, and a ton of karaoke. One of my favorite parts of the fiestas is El Tope. All of the cowboys enjoy an all you can eat (and drink) party at a nearby finca, then they ride down into the center of town for a parade. Everyone dresses in their best cowboy looks and cheers on everyone on horseback.

So with this much fiesta happening in town, all of my project partners spending time with their families. Since everyone was enjoying the holiday and taking a few weeks off of work, I packed up my backpack and headed to the Caribbean side of the country. I spent Christmas with my friend Julia, another volunteer placed in the Limón Province. We spent 3 days on the beaches of Cahuita, drinking mango daiquiris and eating veggie burritos. I finally got to try the famous rice and beans of the region and take a dip in the Caribbean.

For New Year’s Eve, I headed to Samara to ring in the new year on the playa with Mychal and Xavier, volunteers from the Zona Norte region. There were bonfires on the beach and fireworks and lots of dancing.

Also in January, I was elected to serve as the representative of the Guanacaste Region on the Volunteer Advisory Council (VAC). The council acts as the liaison between staff and volunteers to provide information and feedback regarding volunteer support. VAC also plans the infamous VAC parties which are twice a year to welcome in the new groups of volunteers and to say goodbye to those about to finish their service. More on what my role will be on the council in a later blog post.

While work at site has been slow, we are making progress on developing the rural tourism initiative here. We are meeting with key leaders in the community to make sure that all groups are represented and we can pool all available resources available for the project. I’ve been working with my counterparts Eduardo and Jose Carlos on this initiative, which they are very passionate about. It’s been great to be able to work with them on something they are so passionate about, as well as something that can bring a lot of economic opportunities to many in the community.

 

Meeting for planning the Rural Tourism Route with my project partners

 

Once the school year begins in February I will be back teaching computer classes at the Senior Center in town, one of my favorite activities. I also will begin to work with the local elementary schools on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) activities. I’ve been researching lots of different things we can do, but if you have any ideas you’d like to contribute please send them my way!

The most important occasion I am anticipating is the arrival of my family to Costa Rica. The entire Rengo-Brooks clan will be landing in San Jose tomorrow. I can’t wait to show them all that Costa Rica has to offer. Not to mention to spend some very much needed quality time with these goons ❤

 

The Rengo-Brooks family on vacation in Laguna Beach, California in March 2005

 

 

 

First Visitors in Costa Rica

One of the advantages of serving in Costa Rica is that it isn’t too far from the United States and tourist visas are easily acquired, making it a great place for friends and family to visit me during my two years here.  Last month two of my friends, Lauren and Sylvie, came to Costa Rica to spend a week traveling around and seeing some gorgeous parts of the country.

When planning the trip we wanted to make sure we didn’t spend too much time in transit. With only a week and no car, we didn’t want to spend the entire time on public buses. We also wanted to make sure they saw the biodiversity the country has to offer. Costa Rica is a small country but varies greatly depending on the altitude and general location in the country.

My friends arrived on a Saturday at the Airport in San Jose, the capital city and main international airport.  I had been in San Jose the previous week for a training session with Peace Corps, so I met them at a hostel where we spent the first night. It was surreal to see my friends after so long, and especially in a place that I was becoming so comfortable. Since sending packages to Costa Rica is a nightmare, I asked them to load up on a few toiletry and electronic items I needed to be replaced.

The next morning we woke up a the crack of dawn to head to our first stop on our trip: Monteverde!

The small town of Santa Elena, Puntarenas is high up in the Cordillera de Tilaran, the town was founded by a group of Quakers that eventually started the nature reserves in the area. The Monteverde and Santa Elena cloud forests are spectacular. We spent three days hiking, ziplining, and shivering in one of the more chilly places in the country.

DCIM837GOPRO

 

We also went on a coffee, chocolate, and sugar cane tour. We learned about why Costa Rica is particularly well suited for these products, the history and process of making them, and we even were able to take a ride in the carreta (a national symbol of Costa Rica).

We then put away our long sleeves and donned our beach apparel to head to the beautiful beaches of Guanacaste! We were exhausted after all of our very active days, so it was time for the beach!

 

Our days at the beach involved lounging, expensive cocktails, and more lounging. It was such a contrast from the cooler temps and dense cloud forest, I was happy to get to show my friends some of the most beautiful beaches in Central America.

Sunset in Samara

All smiles

I couldn’t let Lauren and Sylvie leave Costa Rica without seeing my home here. Our final stop was to my site, where we would spend the night in the nature reserve Monte Alto.  We listened to the sounds of nature and hiked through the beautiful trails. It is a very special place for me, and I was so happy to share it with my friends.

We seemed to spend most of our time in nature, but there were other moments where my friends were able to get the full Peace Corps Costa Rica experience. They each tried typical dishes here like casados and gallo pinto, and I think they liked them!

Sylvie enjoying her gallo pinto

Typical Casados

 

We experienced technical difficulties with technology, both mine and Sylvie’s cell phones went a little haywire, plus my computer broke (which was a fun adventure to get fixed, that story for another time…). We experienced the joys of bus travel, which can be long and unpredictable (Lauren was left stranded on the side of the road on her way to the airport when her bus broke down.). Overall I was so overwhelmed with how nice it was to have people from home here in Costa Rica. It showed me just how much I’ve done and how much I’ve grown since arriving 9 months ago. I hope to have many more visitors to help benchmark my progress here in the months to come ❤

 

 

 

The Small Changes

Sunrise in Montezuma, Costa Rica

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.

The best language training group there ever was, Santa Cecilia!

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.

Spot the gringa in my community Zumba class

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.

The door to my room at my host families house.

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.

A sattelite dish is reused as a basket for trash collection.

This used to be a baby carrier but now is used to hold trash that is to be picked up for disposal.

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.

Happy and Tan Baby Caitlin

 

 

A Weekend Youth Retreat

 

Many of you may know from 2004 to 2007 I was a member of a performing group made up of fresh faces, unrivaled enthusiasm, and talent of the youth of America; it was aptly named The Young Americans. This group had members starting as young as 15 and by 24 most had aged out or moved to leadership positions because inevitably we age out of those bright-eyed years and no longer are… for lack of a better word… young. I am now 33, over a decade since my time as a “Young American” and hardly a youth in any sense of the word. I’m happy to have my teens and 20s behind me. While those times were fun I’m much happier in my 30s and feel much more confident in myself. There is a huge “but” coming… my youth has once again returned!  I was THRILLED to learn by Costa Rican law youths are considered to be between ages 12 and 35 years old. THIRTY-FIVE BABY! This means for my entire service I will be considered a youth. I get to enjoy the self-assuredness of my 30s while also the benefits of official legal youth status. How lovely this country is 🙂

Being young and wild and free!

In every county or canton in Costa Rica, there are funds available to form a Youth Committee which allows young people to have a direct voice to the municipality and start their own projects to improve the lives of young people who live there. The Youth Committee receives funding for projects that must be carried out entirely by the young people of the communities. Many times these committees are concentrated in the capital of the counties and the smaller communities in more rural areas do not receive access to these resources. The members of the youth committee in Hojancha saw the need to create a network to unite their friends in smaller communities throughout the community to create better opportunities for those in more rural areas. The first step to create this network was to find potential leaders from each community and hold a weekend retreat to strengthen their alliances.

 

Lodging at Monte Alto Nature Reserve where the retreat was held.

 

The members of the executive board of the Youth Committee recruited over 15 people, representing the different districts and communities, to spend a weekend at a nearby nature reserve. Over the weekend everyone would participate in team-building and leadership activities, volunteer projects at the nature reserve, as well as form subcommittees for the new Youth Network. It all began early Saturday morning when we met in the park and got on a small bus and headed to the Nature Reserve. We did ice breakers and had discussions about their concerns for people their age in their communities and ideas for potential projects that could address those needs. We are still in the rainy season, and inevitably some of the activities were weather dependent. Luckily a few guys brought their guitars and we enjoyed some live music while it stormed around us.

We didn’t have a cellphone signal the whole weekend, which allowed us to really focus on getting to know each other and be present in the experience. We slept in a beautiful lodge that overlooked the jungle and mountains, full of wildlife and beautiful flora. We ate delicious meals together, completed volunteer projects to help lay new gravel on the hiking trails of the nature reserve, and even watched a scary movie before going to bed (BAD IDEA!! Nightmares were had by some ie. me!). By the end of the second day of the retreat were exhausted but had formed strong bonds and were eager to come together in this new network.

 

It was inspiring to see the hard work and determination of young people come together to create something positive for the community. The retreat created a strong foundation for young people from different communities to come together and use resources to benefit everyone. This is showing that there is strong leadership potential in the future generation and a good direction for the future leaders of the canton.

 

 

 

The Rhythm of the Rainy Season

 

The rain clouds roll in over the Nicoya Peninsula

Before joining the Peace Corps, typically this time of year I would be pulling out my favorite gem toned sweaters and falling into a frenzy over cider, apple picking, crisp air, and my annual pumpkin spice latte. Here in Costa Rica, we are in the midst of winter or rainy season. There are two main seasons here: the dry season and the rainy season, or summer and winter. Guanacaste is known for its dry heat, so this winter is bringing much need water and cooler temperatures. I joke that I know I’ve adjusted to the heat because as soon as the temperature dips below 80 degrees, I pull out my sweater.

These “sweater weather” days are more often now, and I cherish the rhythm of life the rainy season brings. Some days it rains constantly without much of a break, and the water levels of rivers rise to the point where it is impossible to cross making it impossible for some to do errands, work, or attend meetings. When it rains meetings are canceled and everyone settles in for a nap. Sleeping to the sound of rain on my tin roof is so relaxing, much more preferable to the sound of sirens and car alarms in New York. Many activities slow to a halt depending on the rain. There is something really poetic about maintaining a schedule around the weather, not trying to bend and force through an act of mother nature. The respect for the elements and laid back attitude is a breath of fresh air from the intense pace of my former life. It makes me laugh to think of the time I walked 6 miles to work from my apartment in Brooklyn to Midtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy. This would never happen here, for lots of reasons, but mostly because the idea of pura vida is that living a good and pure life is what is important, not all that you achieve during it.

Another benefit to the rainy season is the lush greenery that comes, the hills turn from a golden hue to a vibrant green. You can feel the vibrancy from all of the land coming to life from when it was asleep for many months during the dry season. Hikes through the forests are rich with vegetation, and of course a whole lot of mud.

The aftermath of a hike during the rainy season.

As much as I enjoy the downtime and beautiful flora, the rainy season also provides its own challenges. As I mentioned, many times these heavy rains create flooding and this is a safety hazard for my community. Since the area is very dry for most of the year, the sudden burst of rainfall creates flash floods and dangerous mudslides. My site is located in the mountains, so often the roads leading up to the town are impassable due to debris falling onto the roads or deep crevices made by the flowing water downhill. It is important to avoid the unsafe driving conditions, especially when many of the community have only motorcycles as their main mode of transportation.

It’s safe to say if it is a rainy day and you have a meeting or activity scheduled, you are going to have very few people attend. Some of it is out of just not feeling like leaving the house and getting their feet wet, but others it is a real issue of safety. As a volunteer, I need to remember that I can’t expect everything to happen on my timeline. It is frustrating when you have worked hard to plan an activity and find a time for everyone only to be rained out or very few people show up. I struggle with not internalizing lack of attendance or canceled meetings as a show of lack of interest or respect because it is 100% not about me. Respecting the rhythm of the rain has become my mantra, and likely to be my mantra until the winter ends and the sun of summer is upon us. Until then, I will take my rainy days with a hot cup of coffee and relax.

Enjoying a delicious cup of coffee grown in Hojancha

Three months of service

Tico 37 at In-Service Training in San Jose

It has been three months as an official Peace Corps Volunteers, and all 21 of us that swore in Tico 37 are still here! We survived the heat, bugs, spiders, long periods of boredom, intense awkwardness while getting to know our new homes. After living in our communities and finishing our community assessments, we all traveled back to San Jose for a week of In-Service Training (IST). This meant a week of comfy hotel beds, air conditioning, hot showers, and time with our friends we haven’t see in a quarter year.  During the week we sat in on training with agencies and possible programs we can bring to our communities, received more vaccinations, learned about the dreaded VRF (Volunteer Reporting Form), and talked about our challenges and successes in site. It was a jammed pack week with sessions starting at 8 am and finishing the day sometimes after 5 pm. I thought PST had prepared me for sitting and listening for super long days, but I have lost my endurance for it since I’ve been living in Hojancha. I guess you could say I have a weak butt for sitting on hard conference room chairs in freezing air conditioning.

Enjoying some amazing Vietnamese Food with members of Tico 37

Catching up our first night in the hotel

The plus sides of the week were being with friends, eating amazing food, and learning more about our jobs and how to more effectively serve our communities.  Yes, it was tiring, but seeing how much we’ve all grown since arriving in Costa Rica six months ago was amazing.

Directly after we finished training, four of us got on a 5:20 am bus from San Jose to Guanacaste. We had to make a transfer to another bus at 10 am, and by 11 am we were in Samara ready to relax. We spent two days swimming, eating delicious vegan food and cocktails.  We were able to make the trip a little more economical by staying in a hostel that cost $10 a night and making our breakfast and dinners in the hostel kitchen. You gotta make some choices when you’re ballin’ on a volunteer budget. If I have any advice for future Peace Corps Volunteers it’s learning how to make do with a Hostel kitchen. You won’t have much money left over in your monthly stipend for traveling, so find a local grocery store and cook for yourselves with whatever limited kitchen supplies the hotel has available. Be careful with those dull knives though, they are peligroso! Some of my favorite simple hostel meals are:

• Stir Fry – You usually can always find a few vegetables to throw into a meal. Add some quinoa (if you can find it) or rice, with possible some eggs, beans, or meat and you have a delicious meal.
• Tacos – Once again, find yourself some tortillas and start chopping and cooking whatever you can find to put inside.  Pro move: limes, tomato, onion, garlic, and cilantro diced up makes for an easy pico de gallo.
• Pasta – Cook up some noods and throw in some veggies and a sauce and you are good to go for a filling meal for very little colones.
• Sandwiches – You can find bread almost anywhere, and if you stick to local ingredient options this can be a good option for a cheap meal.
• Oatmeal – A very cheap and easy breakfast. While not the most inspiring option for the morning, it will fill you up and keep you full for cheap.

Even with our thriftiness with our food choices, we still managed to spend a good portion of our stipend on a few lunches out and some very much needed cocktails. Expensive as it can be at a touristy beach town, sometimes treating yourself is so worth it.

Myself, Lauren, Brittany, and Julia from Tico 37 in Samara, Guanacaste

Now I am back in Hojancha and feeling really motivated on getting some projects in motion. It’s Virgo season so my organization and attention to detail are proving to be fuerte right now. I’m starting my Young Adult English Class soon, which should be a blast since every class is centered around a game, movie, or music.  I’m designing a Female Entrepreneur Marketing Course that I’ll be offering to members of the community.  I also am excited to continue to work with my counterparts on the Hojancha Tourism Initiative. One great part of being a Peace Corps Volunteer that part of my job is to participate in as many community events as possible. Last month I attended Feria Estudiantil de las Artes, where students from around the county came to Hojancha to perform bailes tipicos, mondernos, and present their art for the whole community to see. I love seeing the creativity of the youth of my community.

A young girl views art created by local students.

Recycling project by a local student.

Elementary school students perform a dance at the Art Fair

Reflecting on these months in Hojancha, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be here. A year ago I was dreaming of a change of pace and a healthier lifestyle, and here I am having accomplished both of those things. Peace Corps Service has helped me face my fears and challenges with social anxiety.  It has tested my patience, resilience, and creativity. The luck I have living in a place like Hojancha I can hardly believe! The community has been the perfect place for me to start this new chapter of my life, and as hard as it is to be a newcomer, I’m glad I get to be new here.

Hojancha Pride ❤

#FoodFriday – Vigarón

It’s my first #FoodFriday and I’m a little embarrassed at how long it’s taken me to do one. I love food! And I’ve been eating a lot of it since being in Costa Rica. My main priority before leaving the States was eating as much food as I could (I was successful). My love of food goes way back to the time when I was a little girl. I have never been a picky eater, I have loved eating pretty much anything for as long as I remember regardless of ingredients or texture.  One of my earliest food memories is from a family vacation when my cousins refused to eat their tacos because tomatoes had touched their other food.  I was horrified and confused, who didn’t like tomatoes and why was touching another food such a grave sin???  Sure there are foods I love more than others, but I never really had too many issues in the food department, as my parents and pediatrician would tell you – Caitlin is a good eater.

All of this being said, one of the most challenging parts of Peace Corps service is the food. A standard Costa Rican diet consists of a base of rice and beans for every meal, and I’ve been struggling with the lack of food diversity.  As much as I really enjoy some frijoles, it’s been hard for me to culturally adapt to eating pretty much the same thing for every meal. It’s been a good check for me and my privilege regarding food a well as my judgment towards those who are certified, picky eaters. Picky Eater is such a subjective term! I thought I was completely open to new foods, but my time in Peace Corps is challenging that label I put on myself. I’m being shown that I need to stay open to all experiences and not put labels like picky eater on people.

I’m learning to appreciate food in a new way. Costa Ricans are very demonstrative in their love of food. You’d be hard-pressed to leave a meal with a Tico and not hear “Que rico, gracias a Dios!”. Plates are always full of heaping portions because this is how love is shown to one another. My host families can’t think of anything worse than a person going hungry, and believe me I’ve rarely been hungry. This appreciation of the love that goes into each meal is beautiful. I’m getting to the point now where I am craving my daily beans, craving them I tell you! Each day is a step towards getting more used to a diet that consists of more or less the same thing every day.

Since the main love language of Ticos is food, it is not surprising that many communities come together with food as the center point. Recently I visited a fellow volunteer, Christopher, at his site to help with a large community bike ride. We were tasked with the registration table, filling up bags full of water, cutting watermelon, and making vigarón.  What is vigarón you ask? I’m so glad you are bringing this up because vigarón is a delicious dish made when large groups are coming together to celebrate

Traditional Dish Vigaron served on a banana leaf

Firstly the dish is visually stunning, anything served on a banana leaf is going to pique my interest and make an appearance on my Instagram. The ingredients include yucca (a delicious potato-like starchy vegetable), shredded cabbage, chimichurri (think pico de gallo), and chincharrón (fried pork rinds).    Its simplicity makes it popular for large group gatherings, it’s taste makes it a classic.

The Vigaron assembly line

The ingredients are prepared beforehand and are assembled with precision: first, the cleaned banana leaf, followed by the boiled yucca, cabbage, then a few crispy pieces of chincharrón, topped off with the chimichurri goodness.  The dish is served utensil-free, it’s best to use your chicharron as a vessel for the other food or better yet your fingers. It’s a delicious treat even during the hottest points of the day and will please even the pickiest of eaters, you just better be okay with tomatoes touching your food 🙂

The finished product

Vigarón Recipe

via La Nacion 

Portions: 6

Time: 1 hour

You will need

Main Ingredients:

• ⅔ lb of cooked pork rinds
• ½ lb of toasted pork rinds
• 1 ⅛ lbs of yuca (casava) 
• Salt obvi

Salad Ingredients: 

• 2-3  limes 
• ½ green cabbage
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• 3 small carrots 
• Salt to taste

Pico de Gallo Ingredients:

• 2 medium tomatoes
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• 1 stalk of celery
• The juice of 2 limes 
• 1 onion

Garnishes

•  More Lime Slices!
• 12 Banana leaves (If you can find them!)

Preparation

Main Ingredients

1. Cut the meat in small pieces 
2. Separately, Peel the yuca and cut in large long pieces, eliminating the center fibers y boil in water until cooked through but still maintains its form. 

The Salad

1. Wash the cabbage and shred finely in a food processor or mandolin. 
2. Peel and shred the carrot, combine with the chopped cilantro. Season with lime juice and salt.

Pico de Gallo

Prepare the pico de gallo by dicing the tomato, cilantro, celery, and onion. Add Lime and salt to taste. 

Serving suggestion:

Serve in a bowl over two banana leaves as a base with a portion of the cabbage, pieces of chicharron yuca, and top with pico de gallo. Garnish with lime.  ¡Buen provecho!

 

One Month Down

Overlooking the mountains of Hojancha

First, 30 days in Hojancha has flown by, I am so so so grateful to live in this beautiful place.  As much as I really love my community, change and transitions are always a bit tough.  It’s like I am the most awkward version of myself most of the time, which is all fine because being new in a town is awkward.  I thought that coming here I would somehow become a completely different person, but I’m still me. I still get nervous talking to strangers in the community,  I clam up when it comes to asking questions to learn more about organizations and businesses, I mumble even the simplest words and phrases that I usually have no problem saying. Social anxiety has been an issue for me my whole life, which may surprise people since I can fake the outgoing bubbly personal pretty well. It’s been a front I put on because it’s a trait people reward and like, so I’ve found ways of putting it on even when every bone in my body screams for me to run away and hide. In normal New York life, I have so many tricks for covering up my social anxiety, but in a new country with a new language, I’m left without so many of the tools I usually use.  I rely on a set of jokes and stories to tell in new groups of people, I don’t have the same language skills and most of the jokes don’t even make sense from a different cultural context. I have been stripped of my weapons for social situations and left with just my fear of social situations.

If I am being transparent, I really thought this part of my personality would disappear in my new life (LOL @ me, 33 years old and still figuring this out). I do think this is a common misconception a lot of people have when they start a new chapter of their lives. When I transferred high schools in 11th grade I thought I’d show up and be instantly the cool IT girl who didn’t care about grades or being perfect. HA! I was still the same nerd I was before.  Just like that new chapter, I’d hoped that arriving in Costa Rica would make me confident and fearless in approaching new people, but it absolutely has not. I still HATE putting myself out there and meeting new people. It makes you wonder why I joined an organization that absolutely requires it to an extreme level.  I’ve tortured myself a little bit that I’m not this new person I envisioned, but I’ve realized I have to be really gentle and give myself a freaking break. It’s unrealistic for me to waltz into town and be super suave and have it all down immediately. I’m working on enjoying the moment and taking it one day at a time. Appreciating what I have accomplished in my first month and all of the opportunities I have coming up to get to know my new home even more.  With that being said, here are a few things I did get to do this month that are pretty cool.

Planted trees for Día del Árbol

Alongside two local elementary schools and a group of Canadian Volunteers from Mar y Mundo, I was able to participate in Arbor Day in Costa Rica.  We planted over 150 trees which consisted of 43 varieties of trees. Two of the organizations I work with, Corredor Biologico and SINAC, are conservation agencies that are working hard to promote the reforestation of the Nicoya Peninsula.  The area suffered from massive deforestation to make the land for cattle farming, and in the 1980s serious environmental consequences began the impetus to improve the ecology of the area.  The area has increased its forest coverage by 50% since then and has seen the quality of life of the citizens increase dramatically.  In a water-scarce area, forests help protect watershed and keep natural springs vibrant. Animal species have also found their homes again in areas that were taken from them previously. The knowledge and passion the residents and the young students have for the environment are so inspiring. I’m really blessed to be able to live in a place that has implemented practices of environmental sustainability.

Female Entrepreneurs in Agriculture

I was fortunate enough to accompany a local women’s entrepreneurs group from a nearby community to their workshop at a local greenhouse.  The focus of this workshop to learn about potential income-generating activities in agriculture activities. While starting a greenhouse can be a huge hurdle due to lack of capital and investments, the local organization La Huerta de Macho also discussed strategies for accessing local funds and credit. It is important for women in the area to come together to find areas of opportunity together as often the resources are not readily made available for them. Some of the struggles for this group include corruption and bureaucracy in their community as well as a lack of financial independence.  These women are incredible multitaskers, they are raising families and taking care of their homes, as well as starting a small business on their own. It is no easy task to do any single one of those things, and they are managing it as well as working within complicated political structures that have for years not provided equal access to resources.

Pride Parade of Costa Rica

Marching alongside the US Embassy for the Marcha de Diversidad in San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica held the Marcha de Diversidad in San Jose on June 23rd and I, along with many other Peace Corps volunteers, was able to march along with the U.S. Embassy in the parade.  I have loved attending Pride celebrations in New York and San Francisco, and those were huge splashes of celebrations in progressive cities that have for years supported Equality in regards to Gay Rights. Costa Rica is rather conservative in many parts of the country so many LGBTQIA communities are not able to be as visible.  However, this celebration in the capital was truly a joyous occasion and opportunity for many members of this community to be open about their identity in public which they don’t have in their daily lives. The energy of the weekend was contagious and I left with a very full heart. It also was really great to meet up with some fellow volunteers for some downtime and to catch up about what we have been up to at site so far.

Relaxing and catching up with some fellow PCVs

So that was my month in a nutshell! Looking forward to the next few months where my only responsibility is to develop some relationships and push myself even further outside my comfort zone.  Here’s to embracing my awkwardness and being gentle with myself. Now just 23 months to  go grow ❤