In two days, the next group of volunteers flies over the
gulf of Mexico to the continental divide, over two toned green mountain
farmland and into San Jose….Costa Rica that is. And I (along with my cohort) will have reached a benchmark in Peace Corps service, the one
year in country mark.
I’d like to write a well thought out and really eloquent
account of the trials and tribulations of this past year living and working abroad, however as I started writing, it was apparent that this eloquence would not be happening this evening. For this I apologize in advance but feel free to continue reading:)
This past Friday was also the US Independence Day and I celebrated with friends and fellow country-persons here in Costa Rica. After a year of learning and adopting new holiday
traditions, I was overwhelmed and
humbled at the notion that something
from my cultural traditions was being celebrated so far from home but with so
much fervor and intention. It may have been the most patriotic thing I've done
for any Fourth of July, ever. I had popcorn, fro-yo, beer and a hotdog with relish, and I don't even like relish, I just ate it 'cause I could. (It was also a Nathans hotdog, which just made me miss my nephew more). Also fun fact: found out Holland was the first country to recognize the US as a sovereign nation after we declared independence 238 years ago.
As far as in site happenings, over this past year I've noticed I have gone from a cautious observer to
observant participant. I’m less a stranger now to myself and the people around
me. I know how to get my point across and I generally feel supported by counterparts.
I have even made friends, real ones, and invite myself to cafecitos. Every
Tuesday I overcome anxiety of maybe, maybe not facing 10 years olds and
teaching them basics of soccer. I have overcome the insecurity of teaching
English, which does not mean I am by any means good at it, just that now I’m less intimidated by it. I get jokes now and when
everything planned falls through one day, it doesn't cause a cosmic shift in
attitude. I have come a long way from lying in bed for entire days at a time,
withering away into a sack of bones and exploring the depths of utter uselessness.
I’m making all sorts of moves, small as they may start out as, they mean the
world to me; they are my world. I bought a radio, I’m making a garden, maybe
also turning into my grandparents but who cares, they were and are pretty
awesome.
So in short, one year in country, life goes on, and this
finally feels like real life.
