Dream Big. Live in Pursuit.

I have just completed 4 months in Costa Rica. But what really counts is One Month in site.
Nothing less than -the toughest job you´ll ever love- Im almost at a loss for words.

This is a dream that i have wanted to pursue most of my life. In complete honesty, ever since i´ve arrived at my site... I struggle. I have the world at my feet. I am in a community that asked for me to come along side them... and to be support and motivation.

One problem. A job title so vague it leaves me stranded in my own imagination... left there with so many ideas, so many possibilities... Im overhelmed... I don´t know where to start.

So im overwhelmed. Truth is, its my own fault, im fine.
Right now my work is basically to write up a Diagnostic of the Community, a Community Assessment Tool... Having studied Sociology... Im loving this-

This is a great tool for not only getting to know my community as a whole, its assests, resources as well as where we lack and social problems, but also the people in it... giving those who dont usually have a voice, a voice. I get to interview no less than 10% of a population of 1,200. I also am running around through Limòn interviewing Government Institutions and Programs that act as resources, often not utilized, especially by smaller, rural communities. Its research that once done, we as a community can together prioritize projects, and see what the community itself has voiced as assets and faults. Anyways, so far... this project has given me the opportunity to get involved in the heart of community life, politics and soak in what is real for this community... My job right now... is to know my community, know the people, build repore within them.

Because as we say... I dont work for the community, Im here to work with them. Its all about sustainable development.

Anyways, living this dream of mine... The reality is that everyday is an obstacle to climb, everyday I have to convince myself that I can live here... that I can do this. I mean its a whole different task to do community development in a culture and land so different from everything your accustumbed to. What once was common sense, is a sense that you only attain. We are so socialized, so cultured, without ever realizing it. I might not feel all that capable... but I do believe i have something to offer, however minute. I will allow myself to live my dream, to dream big, and then pursue it. To chase unity, community, and development.

So ill continue to chase the dream, blindfolded or not, its all about the pursuit.

After all of this. Were finally volunteers

Tico 18.
Tico 18. RCD.

Bethany and I.

My Tico Parents.

My Rio Conejo Friends.

Fun after Jurimentaciòn.

A letter to my long lost friends,

Alright… Its been far too long since ive updated you on my life’s journey in the Peace Corps…

Lets back it up a bit… to May 16^th

Tico 18 and I completed our 3 months of extensive training and officially took on the title of Peace Corps Volunteer. A day we spent in San Jose at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence where the ceremony took place, ironically enough this was my first and only experience in Costa Rica of seeing what was a drastically rich and luxurious part of the city. That said, juramentación was beautiful, loosing the title aspirante and gaining voluntaria was happily received, and the night in the city that followed was truly eventful.

After the ceremony I had one full day left to soak in my beautiful Tico Family and our time we had left. I packed my things, and I set out for my new life. I can’t exactly explain my sentiments at the time… I was perfectly content in Rio Conejo, would not have been upset if it had been my site for the next two years, and unsure why God had me set in this lifestyle where I always seemed to be loosing, by means of leaving, what are beautiful people. A life that could have been is always taken from me. Estoy siempre dejando una vida o otra en un lugar, perdiendo pedacitos de mi Corazon.

So I packed the car with my life (well… lets be real, my Papito Lalo packed the car with my bags, as my muscles couldnt so much as lift them an inch.) Also due to my excessively heavy maletas my beautiful family offered to make my transition lighter by driving me 4 hours to my Site in Limón, rather than me taking 3 buses alone with what we will again call mi vida.

To embark upon this journey, was not exactly something I had been looking forward to… truth be told I was dreading it… hoping for the best, but expecting the worst, life had just been too easy and too good thus far. Not to mention that during training I had the opportunity to visit my Site on the Banana Plantations of the Caribbean Coast for 5 days… and in all honesty I left where I was to spend the next 2 years of my life in “the toughest job you’ll ever love” with a bad taste in my mouth. So riding there in this car full of people that I had deeply grown to love, with the sole objective of dropping me off… didn’t float inside my soul so well… if you will.

Living my dream. Not easy as it once seemed.

My beautiful sisters. Karla. Kimberly. and Jimena.

My Tico Family.

Papito Lalo, Mamita Lili, me, Karla, Kim, Mama Leila, y Jimena.

Hello Banana Plantations

May 18^th Start new life yet again. Self-Entitled “Hello Banana Plantations.”

What can I tell you… Hot, humid, sticky, sancudos (large mosquitos… which leads me to tell you I live in the Dengue & Malaria capital of Costa Rica), monkeys, sporadicly frequent aguacerros (downpours), bats in the house, pig farm in the backyard, roosters, chickens, chumpipes (wild turkeys), lets not forget my 2 baby goats that we nurse… If you will, they remind me of Rudolph from the old school Christmas movie with the clay figures, prancing around the house. When I said aguacerros I meant it… It just started pouring so hard I cant even hear myself think, and I might be a little scared I might be in for my first community flood, did I mention it floods? Anyways, I guess we’ll find out soon enough. What else… Okay, there are two means of getting to the beach that lies just about 5 km away, by panga(boat) in the many canals that line the coast or by carretilla(contraption made to coast on the rail road track by parts of a bicycle hooked to a board on rail wheels) you just have to be careful of the train, and the only drawback of the canals are the crocodiles.

Rio Sucio found on the Interstate between San Jose and LimònThe beauty that is the Bay in Puerto Limòn

Parque Vargas in Puerto Limòn

My house... also a local Pulperìa

A must. My hammock

My beautiful bed.

Our baby goat Pintada. As if one wasnt enough... now theres 2.

The view in front of my house.

Typical house in Limòn... my neighbor. Notice the monkey.

Their Monkey Florcita.

This is what we call transportation. Carretillo.

Carretillo.

One of the many Canals. Fishing and transportation.

Yes. I fish too.

A Bridge.

Sister Vivi and friends.

RosaAngelica.

The crab.

Going to the Beach by Panga.

When we go to the Beach in Carretillo we pass on this bridge.

Our Panga. And Vivi.

I believe this is a Sloth.

Ellinori and Vivi. My sisters.

Life is beautiful.