Nov 4 - Nov 10: Election Day, Coconut Trees, and Rainy Season

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 an unhealthy time glued into CNN until it became obvious who was going to be our 47th President.

I’ve worked mornings most days in Costa Rica and spent afternoons on my report and on myself, but anticipating I'd stay up late Tuesday night, my school was nice enough to allow me to take an inverse schedule. So, on Wednesday, I walked past some coconut trees and arrived at the elementary school after lunch. I met with a couple different faculty members involved in the Peace Corps team for my school. They gave me some valuable insights on the community and the student body. I also sat in on a fifth-grade class.

On Thursday, I went back to the high school. I discussed a potential future workshop on emotional intelligence with a counterpart. Afterwards, I observed (and later co-taught) an English class where they learned phrases to say in the event of an emergency. In the evening, I was supposed to attend a community meeting. However, it’s the rainy season in Costa Rica, and the rains were so heavy that it literally canceled the meeting.

On Friday, I once again spent my morning at the high school. They are in the enrollment process for the next school year right now, so I took some time to shadow an administrator coordinating that since it’s a bit different than the US. (Their school year runs from February to December). Most students were busy taking exams that day, but there was an English conversation class that wasn’t, so I was roped into helping with that class. 

Weather was bad enough over the weekend (severe rains leading to flooding and landslides) that all Peace Corps volunteers in Costa Rica were instructed to remain in their host communities. Because of this, I don't have a ton to report from this weekend, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Fingers crossed that the weather clears up next week and I can continue to make inroads in my community and can further develop my report.

A couple of side notes on the election from a Costa Rica perspective - trying to explain the Electoral College to people in a different country in another language is a great indicator of just how complicated our political system is. A close ally and neighbor of ours, Costa Rica paid close attention to the election. For those curious, most Costa Ricans I talked to preferred Harris to Trump, although it was more of an "Anti-Trump" slant than a "Pro-Harris" one. However, this opinion is not unanimous amongst Ticos: Trump certainly has supporters throughout Latin America as well.