I am officially a "Returned Peace Corps Volunteer" and I thought it would be a good idea to make a final blog post to sum up a bit of what my Peace Corps service has meant to me. First off I'm going to say sorry for any corniness but it's hard not go get sentimental after 2 years.
Saying goodbye to Costa Rica has been the hardest goodbye of my life and has left me emotionally and physically exhausted. I wasn't expecting saying goodbye to be so difficult but it made me realize I am leaving people in Costa Rica who I truly love. For most of my service I thought "yes I have made good friends but there are so many other countries I need to visit before returning", however, I realized I need to come back and visit much sooner because I am leaving so many important people in my life here.
Here are some of the beautiful people that have shaped my experience and made it so meaningful:
Alvaro the school music teacher adopted me as part of his family and was probably the counterpart I worked the closest with despite being in a teaching English project.
Dona Socorro, my host grandmother who is super
chispa and never puts up with anybody's BS and in many ways raised my host mom and her 8 siblings on her own. I loved spending sunday afternoons at her house listening to her and my host aunts tell stories and joke around.
Carlos and Selenia my host parents in Guardia who I lived with for 8 months. They are more people that I can say truly adopted me into their family. Selenia is probably the person in my site who I am closest with and love beyond words for her generosity and sense of humor.
My host aunt Adais who was one of my most faithful community english class members and who was always up for an adventure and a last minute trip to the beach with me.
The staff at the Elementary school, I never truly felt appreciated at the high school where I was originally placed, so it meant so much when the elementary school surprised me with a going away party. They're an exceptional team and are working to make Escuela de Guardia one of the best schools in the nation.
Veronica, the high school English teacher I worked the most, I helped out in her classroom and she participated in monthly conversation clubs with other teachers from our region. She's a fantastic friends and I had a blast at her wedding this January.
Mauren my Elementary school co-teacher and some of the kids from our month long English language summer camp this January. It was amazing to see youth and teachers from my community dedicate their summer vacation to learning English and having fun with me making art!
Mauren is also a fantastic friend and I had a lot of fun hanging out with her and her family, and watching her grow as a teacher.
At an "80's" birthday party with my good friend Geri and her family, it was awesome to find
tica friends my own age to have fun with.
Annie and Taylor the two volunteers who lived the closest to me from my training group, I really don't know how I would have made it through Peace Corps with out the support of all the amazing volunteers I became friends with across the country. I will always look back on the fun times I had with my fellow volunteers traveling across beautiful central america.
It's hard to put into words how much Peace Corps has changed me, and honestly I think it will take me some time to really process exactly what service has meant for my life. All I can say is that Peace Corps has changed me for the better. It has helped me to increase my confidence and know that whatever I put my heart into I will make work. I'm sure a lot of volunteers would agree that after facing all the challenges that come with Peace Corps that we are well prepared to face whatever the world has to throw at us and will always be overly comfortable talking to people about poop.
It has also helped me to grow as a professional and know how to be proactive and interact and work with a variety of individuals. Growing up in Berkeley, and then moving to Santa Cruz and Barcelona, it was great for me to finally take a huge step out of my "liberal bubble" and see a different part of the word, it showed me that you can truly love someone even if your moral and political beliefs do not align. Costa Rica will always be a part of my identity and I hope to stay in touch with everyone that I have shared this experience with!
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