Chepe Chronicles

Something incredibly unique about Costa Rica is that it does not maintain a military force. Following a civil war in 1948, Costa Rica abolished its military and put those funds previously dedicated to the military in other areas, particularly education. For many decades, Costa Rica reserved 8% of its federal budget specifically for public education, and this was actually enshrined in the national constitution. However, in recent years, Costa Rica has begun rolling back that percentage for education. It's not my place to take a side on domestic budgetary debates, but I’ll acknowledge these education cuts have become a controversial issue in Costa Rica recently.  As someone with an international relations and conflict resolution background, I find Costa Rica’s lack of armed forces fascinating. Although there have been small incidences of violence (mainly riots or protests) since the military’s abolition in 1948, Costa Rica hasn’t come close to participating in a significant armed con...

Costa Rica has a lot of amazing qualities. Its nature and eco-tourism are world-renowned. Its democracy is the strongest in Central America. The weather is perfect. I could go on and on. But, if I’m being completely honest, (as I’m trying to do with this blog) gastronomy is not one of the stronger aspects of Costa Rican culture in my opinion. (Others’ opinions may differ). The staples here largely consist of rice and beans. In fact, Costa Rica’s national dish is known as Gallo Pinto , which is based on rice and beans. Some other volunteers purport to eat Gallo Pinto every day . McDonald’s in Costa Rica even carries a “McPinto”. I, more often than not, receive rice and beans as a side to a protein-centered dish. Vegetables don’t seem to be as common in the Costa Rican diet; however, tropical fruits are ubiquitous. Every morning, I get fresh mango, pineapple, and papaya and it’s a great table-setter for the rest of my day. Other Costa Rican favorites include Picadillo (ground beef and ...

Due to extreme weather across the country, once again we were out of class on Monday and Tuesday, so I was gifted some more time to work on the diagnostic report about my community. Finally, on Wednesday, MEP (Costa Rica’s ministry of education) opened schools again in my region. I spent the day at the elementary school. My primary counterpart there works with students with behavioral and/or developmental deficiencies, and I helped her with a lesson related to the topic of being a good friend. On Thursday, I went back to the high school. I met with the coordinator of a personal finance program the school has for students and staff. She’s also the PE teacher, so she wears many different hats. In each of these subjects, I think there are ample avenues for cooperation between both my goals as a Youth Development volunteer and the school’s needs. That day, I was also able to successfully distribute a survey to students at the school to help inform my report. In the evening, I attended a m...

The word “fresco” in Spanish most directly translates to “fresh” or “refreshing”. Often, when it’s cold outside (by Latin American standards at least), locals will refer to the air or temperature as “fresco” . However, more uniquely to Costa Rica, the term “fresco” is related to a beverage. This isn’t totally unheard of; in some Spanish speaking countries, a soda is called “refresco” . (Funny enough, a “soda” is actually a bar or restaurant in Costa Rica, not a drink).  Generally speaking, in Costa Rica, a fresco is understood as a fresh-made juice, maybe with blackberry, guayaba, or some other locally sourced fruit. On the other hand, “fresco” can also be used to refer to any ambiguous drink. For example, the first family I stayed with during Peace Corps training often offered me a “fresco” with dinner. The majority of the time, this was in fact homemade juice. However, on more than one occasion, I was given Coke or Fanta as my “fresco” . To complicate matters further, there...

This is a much shorter weekly blog than most, because quite frankly, I didn’t do much this week. Due to extreme weather around the country caused by Tropical Storm Sara, all schools in Costa Rica were closed for the entire week. Since Costa Rica is so tropical, this is probably the closest thing Costa Rican students will ever have to a Snow Day, and that’s what it felt like to me (well, either that or COVID). Additionally, because of the inclement weather, all Peace Corps volunteers were instructed to remain in our respective communities. Unfortunately, because of this, I couldn’t parlay my time off from school into a fun trip or excursion. Rather, I used this time to continue writing my diagnostic report about the existing assets and needs of my community. I also took time to plan a trip abroad during the Costa Rican school break in January.  Looking ahead, due to another tropical storm forming on the Pacific coast, Costa Rica has already suspended classes in my region for Monday ...

Fútbol easily outpaces Fútbol Americano as the predominant sport in Costa Rica. In fact, I’ve yet to find American footballs here in stores, and certainly haven’t seen anyone playing it. However, interestingly enough, the NFL’s popularity is on the rise in Costa Rica. In many ways, watching the NFL is more accessible here than in the States. NFL games in Latin America are broadcast in Spanish, by ESPN. The ESPN network has 6 different channels in Latin America, and on any given Sunday, 2-3 of those channels broadcast NFL games. One of these is always “NFL Red Zone” which shows every scoring play, from every game. Red Zone is a luxury back home: it costs hundreds of dollars per season. However, it’s on cable here, which is a major perk for Ticos interested in American football. ESPN also broadcasts every primetime game on its primary channel. (Every once in a while, they will show a college game, but it's not as common). Many sports fans I’ve talked to here, even if not avid NFL f...

As I watched the Colts lose a heartbreaker on Sunday Night Football, I learned that both of my academic institutions were going to be out on Monday for a public event. So, I was gifted a snow day of sorts on Monday to write my report. This was a welcome surprise as I’d been a little under the weather with a cold. That night, because my living situation is so nice, I was able to watch the GW basketball game on my phone and the Kansas City Chiefs game on my TV. I needed this distraction with the Presidential election looming over my head for the next day. Tuesday was obviously a big day for our country, but like many other Americans, I still had to go to work. I spent the morning working alongside my counterpart at the elementary school to develop surveys for teachers and students, which will inform my report about the community. I also got to observe a first-grade class. Normally I’d be more productive in my afternoons, but because I was sick, and because I’m a political junkie, I spent...

Sports take up at least 50% of the real estate in my brain, so this piece has been a long time coming. As many of you probably already know and/or expected, the sports landscape in Costa Rica is dominated by soccer. Costa Rica advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2014 Men’s World Cup, something that Ticos are extremely proud of and won’t let you forget.  Costa Rica’s professional soccer league is also one of the best and most sophisticated domestic leagues in Central America. Known as the Primera División , there are twelve teams in Costa Rica’s top flight division. Costa Rica also has a second-tier league, known as the Liga de Ascenso . Each season, the worst team from the top flight is relegated to the second division, while the best second division team earns promotion into the top flight. Unlike many other domestic leagues around the world, Costa Rican professional soccer contests two seasons per year. There’s a season from July to December known as the Torneo de Apertura , and...

Probably my most formative experience working with youth prior to arriving in Costa Rica was in college when I was a part of a service organization called Little Lynx Running Team. Through Little Lynx, members of my college cross country team coached youth in the Memphis metro area in running. Whether on the track or in the classroom, neurodivergent students often don’t have the same opportunities as their neurotypical peers, and it isn’t for a lack of interest. So, on Monday, I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to sit in on a special education class at my high school. Their lesson that day was very much related to the “Life Skills” workshops that Peace Corps would like me to promote. So, I see a lot of potential to collaborate with those classes in the future. Their teacher was also a really welcoming presence and was receptive to working together down the road. Tuesday was a particularly busy day for me. I attended an all-faculty meeting at the high school. Since the high ...