September started off strong with the dia del niño or children's day. I feel like I've fought for a children's day in the states for my whole life and here they have always had it. I mean, it's only fair... theres a mother's day and a father's day so why not have a children's day. So, on September 9th, all of the kids go to school and in their regular clothing instead of their school uniforms. I imagine that in more organized schools, the celebration is different. In my school, though, all the kids are sent to the plaza to play in the sun and get burnt. Then they dance to reggeaton music for a while, eat a hamburger and ice cream, and go home. So we left school around 11am and then headed to the river, had a day of games in English class, and then called it a day.
A few days later was September 15th, Independence Day. The celebration actually starts the night before, at 6pm on September 14th when the whole country sings the national anthem. Then, the children perform their typical dances in typical clothing. In my town, that's a pretty big deal. The children practice for a long time and really enjoy performing the typical dance. Then comes the faroles. Faroles are kind of like lanterns but out of paper or cardboard with a candle inside and then on a long stick. Each child brings their other home-made or store-bought farole and parades them around the salon while music is playing in the background. There are also typical food sales that go to help the school. Then, on the day of the 15th, all the kids have to go to school at 7am in uniform to sing the national anthem and then they can leave. I went with a few friends from my town to the city near us where they were having a big Independence Day parade. A lot of different schools and high schools participate... there are lots of bands and dance groups. So that was really nice too.
So first there was children's day, then independence day, and now new years. I'm in San Jose for the weekend for Rosh Hashana services. Another peace corps friend and I went to services last night and then we were invited to a congregation family's house for shabbat dinner. As always, they were incredibly nice and giving. The food was delicious as well. It always amazes me when I go there because the people there are so educated and cultured. And they have a ton of money. I just forget where I am when I go there. Especially because there is an equal amount of Spanish, English and Hebrew being spoken... Also, getting in to the synagogue is an interesting experience. Ahead of time, we had to send a copy of our passport and information about our home synagogue. Then, once we got there, we had to answer a million questions by a cop with a huge gun and another synagogue. Once we got in, we were to wear visitors passes at all times and weren't allowed to bring any bags in at all. When we were leaving Friday night with the family that invited us to their home, the husband explained the situation a little. He told us that Costa Rica is one of three countries that has recognized Palestine as a country... the other two are Venezuela and Iran. He said that because of that, the situation has been pretty dangerous recently.
Well, I hope you are all having a good September as well. For those of you celebrating the new year this weekend, hag sameach and shana tova. Have a happy and healthy new year :)
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
welcome to my house
i moved out after a year of living with a host family. its really nice to live on my own because now all of my friends in my town can come over for all of the things they have invited me to during the last year. we have meetings and stuff there too. my house is a little wooden and tin house furnished by the members of my town. it's a pretty typical house in my town with a gas stove, outdoor-ish kitchen, and wooden shudder windows. here are some pictures...
needless to say, theres lots of floor space so come and visit!
needless to say, theres lots of floor space so come and visit!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
one thing i love about peace corps is...
... that the little things can make my day. i think ive said this to a lot of people already, but it´s really true. when i was back at home, when did a phone call from a good friend make me smile for the rest of the day? what i mean is, back in the states, it was a given that i would talk to friends on a regular basis. so instead of getting super super happy when one would call, i would get upset or worried if days passed without hearing from him or her. now, all i need to do is get an incoming call and good luck wiping the smile off my face.
the same came true this past week for my birthday. the people in my town are super good at keeping secrets. my adult english class threw me a suprise party in the class the night before my birthday. i started the class as normal and noticed that oddly enough, NO ONE had done their homework. this had never happened before. then, the lights in the classroom get shut off and in walks one of my students with a cake with 24 candles, pizzas, and presents. i seriously had NO idea that they even knew my birthday was the next day. but it was super nice of them and made me feel real special. then, my 6th graders threw me a little suprise party the day after my birthday in the morning. they came to my house asking for the keys to the school, saying they had a project to do. i called the director of the school to ask if it was ok to lend them the keys... she was apparently in on the secret and told me to give them all the time they needed. turns out, they needed the keys to decorate the classroom, bring the food and drinks, and plan the games. we spent all morning hanging out and playing volleyball. then, in the afternoon, come suprise number 3. a few of my women said we had to go to this guys house with a pool to ask for some wood to start building the greenhouse. they told me to wear my bathing suit cuz we´ll jump in his pool. well, when we get there, my whole womens group is jumping out behind a wall and screaming happy birthday. they decorated, brought cakes, pinatas and games, we grilled, and had a reeeeally nice time. needless to say, i had a great birthday. and it was even better getting all the calls, emails, etc from home. so thanks :)
i brought my camera to put up pictures from all of these fun occasions but didnt bring the cable to connect the camera to the computer. so next time...
the same came true this past week for my birthday. the people in my town are super good at keeping secrets. my adult english class threw me a suprise party in the class the night before my birthday. i started the class as normal and noticed that oddly enough, NO ONE had done their homework. this had never happened before. then, the lights in the classroom get shut off and in walks one of my students with a cake with 24 candles, pizzas, and presents. i seriously had NO idea that they even knew my birthday was the next day. but it was super nice of them and made me feel real special. then, my 6th graders threw me a little suprise party the day after my birthday in the morning. they came to my house asking for the keys to the school, saying they had a project to do. i called the director of the school to ask if it was ok to lend them the keys... she was apparently in on the secret and told me to give them all the time they needed. turns out, they needed the keys to decorate the classroom, bring the food and drinks, and plan the games. we spent all morning hanging out and playing volleyball. then, in the afternoon, come suprise number 3. a few of my women said we had to go to this guys house with a pool to ask for some wood to start building the greenhouse. they told me to wear my bathing suit cuz we´ll jump in his pool. well, when we get there, my whole womens group is jumping out behind a wall and screaming happy birthday. they decorated, brought cakes, pinatas and games, we grilled, and had a reeeeally nice time. needless to say, i had a great birthday. and it was even better getting all the calls, emails, etc from home. so thanks :)
i brought my camera to put up pictures from all of these fun occasions but didnt bring the cable to connect the camera to the computer. so next time...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
moving on
hey all! im here in san jose for a peace corps dinner with all volunteers. we had a really great time and now im taking advantage of internet time :) any way, we just found out that we got our grant money for a playground! so in a few weeks, look out for some awesome pictures of that. its going to be from wood and we are planning to put benches and tables and a jardin and the whole shabang.
another construction project in my town is.... my new house! my counterpart organization is fixing up this little house for me and i'm going to live on my own for my second year. im really excited to just have a change, a new little challenge, and have my own little place. i think it's gonna be real great to be able to have my friends from town over for cafecito or to chill. the kids are all super excited too to have a place to hang out. and im going to have to be an adult again and cook and clean. the people in my town are so excited to see me doing oficios, or the household cleaning and cooking stuff. anyway, thats my big update. aaand, check out this little girl...
she's going to be keeping me company in my new place :)
anyway, i will get some pictures up soon when i have my place, of the playground, etc. cant wait to hear how you all are doing!
another construction project in my town is.... my new house! my counterpart organization is fixing up this little house for me and i'm going to live on my own for my second year. im really excited to just have a change, a new little challenge, and have my own little place. i think it's gonna be real great to be able to have my friends from town over for cafecito or to chill. the kids are all super excited too to have a place to hang out. and im going to have to be an adult again and cook and clean. the people in my town are so excited to see me doing oficios, or the household cleaning and cooking stuff. anyway, thats my big update. aaand, check out this little girl...
she's going to be keeping me company in my new place :)
anyway, i will get some pictures up soon when i have my place, of the playground, etc. cant wait to hear how you all are doing!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
semana santa and other updates
hi all! chag sameach and happy easter :) im in san jose after going to the seder - the same one we went to last year. it was a really nice seder in the most gorgeous synagogue ever. it always impresses me how open and welcoming everyone is.
anyway, semana santa, or holy week, is a week long holiday here. kids are off school all week (which isnt really a big surprise since they never have school), lots of people travel to visit family and sleep out in tents, and there are lots of special foods like tamales mudos, empanadas de chiverre, tilapia and lots of bread. i know, it's interesting trying to keep passover... the whole country starts shutting down by thursday and it's a really nice holiday where you spend time with family and friends. we go to the river since its so so hot right now and take some road trips if theres a car around.
since it's been a while, im gonna try to put some other updates here. hmmm. our soccor tournament ended this past weekend with a great dance and award ceremony thing. even though my town didnt win, we had a really great time with the tournament and at the dance last weekend. im actually taking a dance class in my town with this guy who comes in once a week. we are 6 or 7 pairs and have been learning cumbia, salsa, swing, merengue, bachatta, bolero... its real real fun. ill learn and then come back and teach you all :)
as far as projects, we got this great grant from kids to kids (http://kidstokids.org/) to go an art class in my town. arte por la paz, or art for peace, will try to discuss communication and how to resolve conflicts through art projects. it's going to be a real cool program that we're going to do with the kids from kinder and the school. on monday we go pick up the money, buy a whoooole lot of art supplies, and get started. im also working with the 5th and 6th grade girls in a group called chicas poderosas. we meet each week and talk about anything from communication, how to work in groups, leadership, ya know. the girls are having a great time and im really enjoying it too. the medical center, roads, playground, etc are all going well. we're just waiting which im getting good at here.
also, since in may i complete my first year of service here, im going tooooo... move out on my own! my counterpart association has this falling apart house that we're going to fix up and in about 1 month, i'll be on my own. it was super great living with my host family but im ready to be an adult again and also only have to eat when im actually hungry. this also means that you are all MORE than welcome to come visit and crash with me! it'll be soo fun :)
oook. well i hope everyone has a good semana santa, passover, week. ill try to post some pictures next time i get on here so look out for them. i miss you all and have been thinking of you all. be good and stay in touch.
anyway, semana santa, or holy week, is a week long holiday here. kids are off school all week (which isnt really a big surprise since they never have school), lots of people travel to visit family and sleep out in tents, and there are lots of special foods like tamales mudos, empanadas de chiverre, tilapia and lots of bread. i know, it's interesting trying to keep passover... the whole country starts shutting down by thursday and it's a really nice holiday where you spend time with family and friends. we go to the river since its so so hot right now and take some road trips if theres a car around.
since it's been a while, im gonna try to put some other updates here. hmmm. our soccor tournament ended this past weekend with a great dance and award ceremony thing. even though my town didnt win, we had a really great time with the tournament and at the dance last weekend. im actually taking a dance class in my town with this guy who comes in once a week. we are 6 or 7 pairs and have been learning cumbia, salsa, swing, merengue, bachatta, bolero... its real real fun. ill learn and then come back and teach you all :)
as far as projects, we got this great grant from kids to kids (http://kidstokids.org/) to go an art class in my town. arte por la paz, or art for peace, will try to discuss communication and how to resolve conflicts through art projects. it's going to be a real cool program that we're going to do with the kids from kinder and the school. on monday we go pick up the money, buy a whoooole lot of art supplies, and get started. im also working with the 5th and 6th grade girls in a group called chicas poderosas. we meet each week and talk about anything from communication, how to work in groups, leadership, ya know. the girls are having a great time and im really enjoying it too. the medical center, roads, playground, etc are all going well. we're just waiting which im getting good at here.
also, since in may i complete my first year of service here, im going tooooo... move out on my own! my counterpart association has this falling apart house that we're going to fix up and in about 1 month, i'll be on my own. it was super great living with my host family but im ready to be an adult again and also only have to eat when im actually hungry. this also means that you are all MORE than welcome to come visit and crash with me! it'll be soo fun :)
oook. well i hope everyone has a good semana santa, passover, week. ill try to post some pictures next time i get on here so look out for them. i miss you all and have been thinking of you all. be good and stay in touch.
Friday, February 27, 2009
check out our puesto de salud!
hey there! just checking in while i'm in san jose with good internet. everything is going nice and smooth on my end here. project-wise, things are moving real fast. we're working on our puesto de salud (or medical facility) and waiting on word from the grant we wrote for a playground. we also just submitted a grant to get a little bit of money for an art extra-curricular program to talk about good communnication and promote peace and all that jazz. and the women's group is moving fast and about ready to start trying to start a bakery. i'm teaching them a business course, haha. so that sucks for them. the roads are being fixed as we speak too. then there's all the english classes and i'm about to start this group of 5th and 6th grade girls to talk about girl things. im really excited about that group... and i'm working with the new director of the school to try and see if a library or computer lab would be possible.
sooo, thats my life here. otherwise, i'm having fun taking a dance class in my town once a week with a bunch of friends from my time. we've learned a little bit of merengue, salsa, swing with a tico twist, etc. and i've only stepped on my partner's feet a few times so i'd mark that in as a success.
also, since my last post, i went to palmares for a huge festival with some friends. it's a larger town that one week a year has a gazillion people go to it for concerts, events, rides and food, the usual festival things. and then the next week we went to puntarenas, its a beach on the pacific coast and is a major port there. we went cuz we were going crazy with the constant rain and winds that wouldn't even let us leave our houses. so you can check out some pictures of those too...
sooo, thats my life here. otherwise, i'm having fun taking a dance class in my town once a week with a bunch of friends from my time. we've learned a little bit of merengue, salsa, swing with a tico twist, etc. and i've only stepped on my partner's feet a few times so i'd mark that in as a success.
also, since my last post, i went to palmares for a huge festival with some friends. it's a larger town that one week a year has a gazillion people go to it for concerts, events, rides and food, the usual festival things. and then the next week we went to puntarenas, its a beach on the pacific coast and is a major port there. we went cuz we were going crazy with the constant rain and winds that wouldn't even let us leave our houses. so you can check out some pictures of those too...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
