I’ve officially been in Costa Rica for a month now, so 1 month down 26 to go. It’s been a really fun and busy month. Somehow I’ve managed to visit 6 out of the 7 provinces of the country, probably due to the fact that the country is tiny, comparable to West Virginia I think. I moved in with my host family 3 weeks ago and they’ve really been the best part of the experience so far. They are so loving and warm and have really made me feel at home. My host mother is hilarious and an amazing chef, and I’ve gotten to go with her a couple times to her Monday night cooking class. My host dad works for Costa Rica’s main bank and is very sweet and always teaching me something new about the country. I have 3 host siblings, one 20 year old host sister who works at a preschool and is getting her BA in education. My other host sister is 17 and is just starting to study law at the university in San Jose. She has a 2 hour commute each way since they don’t teach law in the university nearby. I’m really impressed by her dedication to study law. My host brother is 13 and is really funny and an aspiring rock star. All of my host siblings are very sweet and a lot of fun to hang out with.
My host family has really taken it upon themselves to show my around the country. Two weekends ago they took me to check out Volcano Poas on my first day off after 2 weeks of intensive training. I really appreciated getting out into the natural environment and checking out a cloud forest for the first time.
Then last weekend they surprised me Sunday by taking me to Limon, the province on the Atlantic Coast of the country. It was a 3 hour car ride, and there was a dramatic temperature change from the cold and cloudy weather of Heredia where I live to the balmy heat of the Caribbean. We went to go see their soccer team Heredia play Limon’s team. Heredia won 2 to 0. My host mom was hilarious and although surrounded by Limón fans screamed her head off for Heredia and wouldn’t let anyone shush her and lost her voice for the next 2 days.
This past weekend I went to go visit a current TEFL volunteer who lives on the Osa Peninsula. It was great to get further insight into the life of a volunteer. Peninsula Osa is also a really interesting place, it contains 3% of the worlds biodiversity. We went for a hike in the rainforest and took in the beautiful beaches both days. It was a 9 hour bus ride to get back to the capital today and I had to get up at 4am so I am officially exhausted.
Training in general has been an interesting process. Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have intensive language classes. Tuesday is technical training where we learn some tips on how to teach. Thursdays are general Peace Corps classes where we learn PC protocol and information about Costa Rica. Last week I observed a 4th and 5th grade class on Wednesday and this week I’m going to start helping out. Also hopefully we will be able to start a short community English class in my training community San Isidro. In another month I will know where my site will be for the next two years, and I will let you all when I find out!
