Thursday, December 23, 2010

Finally made it to my site after 2 ½ months of training. Technically speaking today is already day 6 of 730 of my service, already almost 1% done, seems almost short in those terms. Things are going well with my new host family, although it will take some time to adjust to my new life. During training there was always something to do and because of our proximity to San Jose the pace of life just seemed faster. Its a different feeling being here not quite knowing yet what my place in the community will be but I guess that's part of the experience.
Since my last post I have visited Piedras Blancas for a couple days before actually moving here, had a family party for our previous host families, wrapped up training, and officially swore in as a Peace Corps volunteer. The days passed quickly, while training seemed tedious at times I'm sad that its over. Swearing in was interesting, kind of surreal, it felt like I was graduating from college or high school again. One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was swearing to defend the constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, seemed a little odd given our work and that they don't give us guns. The next day was weird, saying quick goodbyes to other volunteers as we all went our seperate ways, catching buses to different parts of the country. It's a little lonely knowing that we're farther apart and that for most of us there aren't any other gringos in the area. Before I become more integrated in the community and actually start projects it's hard not to look forward to seeing the other volunteers again for New Years, a regional volunteer meeting, the Superbowl, or mid-service training. Which is not to say that I'm not excited to be here and become a part of the community.
My community is located off the Interamerican highway, a little more than an hour from Panama. The whole southern coast of Puntarenas is dominated by palm and wood plantations, and national parks and private reserves. The bus ride to my site is 6-7 hours, but its not bad as long the bus takes the coastal route and you can see the beach and the ocean every now and then. The window in my room looks onto my host family's palm farm, which borders a national park when it hits the river. The town is more of what I imagined when I thought about Costa Rica before I arrived, spread out houses, dirt roads, and hot. Although the heat makes me appreaciate the cold showers I used to fear in the mornings when I was living by San Jose in the mountains.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year because I doubt I'll write again before then. It's hard not to think about Christmas with my family around a tree or New Year's Eve with friends spending way too much time on the subway.