Highlights of PST

 This may sound a little corny, but the people have been the number one highlight of my time in Costa Rica thus far and were part of what made PST so great. I’m not sure what I expected, but my Peace Corps cohort of over 30 people is one of the most impressive groups of people I’ve been a part of. Everyone has really thrown themselves into this process wholeheartedly. The cohort is also the most well-traveled group I’ve ever been with, and brings a plethora of fascinating personal and professional experiences together. Not only is each individual extremely impressive and interesting, but they are all also super likable and grounded. I don’t think there’s a single person in this group I wouldn’t want to hang out with 1 on 1, and that’s a testament to the amazing personalities serving with Peace Corps Costa Rica.


Shocker, but sports have also been a fun part of my service. As I mentioned, this is an active group. The daily sports activities were the perfect stress reliever and socialization before heading our separate ways after 3 months together. I watched every “Liga” game with my host family, which has been a fun way to bond with them. In September, our cohort went to the Estadio Nacional to see the Costa Rica Men’s National Soccer Team (La Sele) take on Guadeloupe. Fortunately, we were able to cheer Los Ticos on to a 3-0 victory on home soil. I later got to attend a Liga away game against Sporting FC in Pavas. 


My host family in my second week of service had a family reunion of sorts to a small town in the mountains called Zarcero. Although this experience was a bit overwhelming in the moment, (25 people + pets in one house = chaos) it was a really great introduction into Costa Rican family life, and it was fun to see a new part of the country.


I also turned 25 in Costa Rica! Recognizing that we are all away from our friends and families, this group has done a particularly good job at celebrating birthdays, and mine was no different. This day was my first real foray into San Jose, and it was a great experience. We started out bowling, before heading out to Barrio Escalante for dinner and drinks. I’m not always the biggest birthday celebrator, but it was a really nice feeling to have my new friends here take me out on that day. 


The cohort was permitted a single night away from Escazu during training, and I think the group did a phenomenal job of taking advantage of it. We took a group of 25+ and rented out an Airbnb on the beach in Esterillos Oeste on the Pacific side of the country. This was the nicest Airbnb I’ve ever stayed at - the only thing I can compare it to are the compounds you’ll see on reality shows like The Bachelor, Love Island, or Big Brother. One night went by quickly, but it was great to explore somewhere outside of the community with the cohort.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Home for the Holidays: Christmas in MO, New Year's in CR

Image
It's been a busy couple of weeks! Normally I try to post my weekly recaps on Sundays, but I figured it may make more sense to lump everything related to the holidays together in one blog.  On Dec 23, I flew back to Southwest Missouri to be home for Christmas with my family. This was the first time I'd been back in the Ozarks since I began my Peace Corps Service a year and a half ago (roughly 18 months). I was really excited to spend time with family, get some comfort food, and enjoy some colder weather. All three of those things occurred eventually, thankfully, although the latter wasn't until the end of my trip due to a record-breaking warm Christmas Day.  My time at home, was fun and much-needed, although it wasn't particularly relaxing. We had a number of Christmas celebrations and activities, so my time back home went by pretty fast. Some highlights of the trip included celebrating my Dad's birthday sharing a tomahawk steak, eating some Springfield-style Cashew ...
Read more

Sidebar #58 - 2026 Costa Rican Presidential Election

Image
Note: These are my objective observations of Costa Rica’s upcoming election as a foreigner living here, not my personal opinions. Additionally, these observations are my own and don’t reflect those of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps. This is a big week for Costa Rica. On Sunday, February 1, Costa Ricans will cast ballots for their next President. There are other elections, namely legislative, that are also happening on Sunday, but for the purpose of this blog, I’ll keep it simple and focus on the Presidential election taking place. There are several differences between the Costa Rican presidential process and our elections in the US. One of these distinctions is the sheer number of political parties, and therefore, presidential candidates. The election is Sunday (I’m writing this on Thursday) and there are still roughly 20 candidates in the race (with varying degrees of viability). In Costa Rica, the President cannot serve consecutive terms, meaning that there will be a new Pres...
Read more

Feb 17-23: Settling in at School + a Weekend in Puerto Viejo

Image
My first three or four months at site were a bit chaotic as I finished my diagnostic report, or “CASA” report, about the community. Fortunately, counterparts at my respective academic institutions were in frequent contact and communicated to me on the onset of each week how I should divide my time between the schools. However, since classes resumed in February, a more formal schedule has begun to crystallize for me. I’ll spend Mondays and Wednesdays at the high school, or colegio , and Tuesdays and Thursdays at the escuela , or elementary school. Fridays will alternate between them so that I can ensure I split my time evenly at each institution. Although having that schedule seems like a small development, it feels like a bit of a breakthrough in my service to establish more day-to-day consistency. Being the first Peace Corps volunteer in my town’s history, all of this is still relatively new for everyone involved, so getting all parties on the same page feels like a win. And not only...
Read more