Monday, May 29, 2006

The Latest

After finishing my 15 page diagnostic report of my community (written in Spanish) at the end of April, I realized I finally had time on my hands. I decided to dive head first into work opportunities and now I've found myself almost drowning. 3 times a week I assist the preschool teacher with her class. Helping develop lesson plans and creative projects for the niƱos. I'm sure glad that I am not a full time teacher because after 4 hours with these kids, I'm ready to go home. This week the preschool teacher and I started a 6 week course with the parents of her students to educate them why hitting their kids as a form of punishment is bad and alternative methods to discipline without physical abuse. Last night, one parent showed up! I spent time and made 20 handmade invitations (think computer printouts with lots of cut, neon colored paper, glue and fun scissors) and that's the kinds of response we got. That's just how the people are here.

On Wednesdays I run an environmental club with a University student for the older kids in my elementary school. This last week we had a coloring contest with a handout teaching the students how to prevent Dengue (a disease very similar to Malaria), offering prizes to the girl and boy who completed the questions correctly and colored all the pictures on the worksheet the nicest. Only one person even bothered to do the assignment.

I am now teaching three different private English classes to 4 different people. Half children, half adults. Teaching English is not really something I came here to do but somehow I got suckered into it. More people are banging down my door requesting lessons but I just have to say no because time doesn't permit it. Of course all of these classes are free of charge.

I am still working at the orphanage about 5 hours per week. My most current project is teaching animals and colors to the youngins. We are reading the book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” which my kindergarten teacher read to us 20 years ago. Wow, that makes me sound old! We are making a copy of the book out of construction paper for the kids to keep there in the orphanage. I also help take the 9 month old twins, who were 3 months premature, to physical therapy once week.

I have found a Tico who loves baseball and has a team of teenage boys started in the center of town. We are going to work on a partnership to offer a baseball camp to kids of all ages from my barrio and other marginal schools in the area during their two week vacation in July. There will be a group of Gringos coming this week to help with the camp.

Peace Corps called me last week offering me another partnership opportunity but this time with Habitat for Humanity. It turns out that Habitat is going to be starting new “Exposure Trips” where volunteers come to Costa Rica to build a house for a few days but then for the next few days to work in communities with Peace Corps Volunteers on different projects with the locals. The pilot trip is this August and the house is being built in my town of Santa Cruz. I am really looking forward to this opportunity. 4 other PCVs who live relatively close to Santa Cruz will be included in this project as well and we will all be given the opportunity to help built the Habitat House with the Gringos who are coming.

Did I mention that a third group of Gringos is coming to help in the church in my barrio the first week of July? The pastor of the church has asked me to accompany them with their projects. Of course I said, “Sure!” Not sure how I will pull that one off since it will be the same week as the baseball camp.

A little over a week ago, one of the caretakers of the orphanage lost her own house and EVERYTHING she owned in a house fire that started in the middle of the night. Cars, work equipment, and a dog included. Two people suffered burns to their feet, back, hair and face. Luckily all survived. Doing my part as PCV, I wrote a letter and distributed it to about 70 of the businesses in town asking for donations of any kind. This Saturday I will go around in a truck with a friend and collect all of the donations. The family has no idea I am doing this.

In addition this Saturday, my good Tico friends, Edwin and Natalia, will be tying the knot and I've been invited to a small ceremony of about 40 people. My own cousin Jenna is getting married in the States this same day and I was disappointed that I was not going to be able to attend the wedding. Turns out I will be attending one that day anyway. All my family will be in my thoughts this day as I cannot be with them.

So, as if it didn't sound like I already have a full plate, I will be on two different committees of PCVs. One to help plan an All Volunteer Conference in San Jose for 4 days over Halloween and another to help keep the Resource Center in order in the PC office in San Jose. The latter of the two will only require me to go to the capital (4 hours by bus) once every 3 to 4 months to do work.

As this blog entry has now become way too long for anyone to want to read, I will save the stories about making ceramics and boys for the next entry.

Hope everything is going well with you. My time is flying here so maybe we will be seeing each other soon. Until then, pura vida.