Dec 16-22: Summer Break, Graduation, and Turrialba

Although the previous week marked the final week of classes, I still went to the escuela to begin my week to attend sixth grade and preschool graduations of the students I work with. It was a nice way to culminate the year, even though I’ve only been at the school for around three months. Teachers and students are now on Summer Break and will return in February. Since working in the schools is my primary role, this will also be a “Summer Break” of sorts for me. However, Peace Corps reminds us that our role as a volunteer is 24/7/365, meaning I’ll take on other projects in the community outside of the classroom during this time. I’ll also continue working on my diagnostic report that’s due mid-January. For example, Tuesday was spent almost entirely working on this report since I didn’t have class.

After a fairly tame start to the week, the rest of my schedule got quite a bit busy with travel and Peace Corps events. On Wednesday, a friend from Peace Corps came into San Jose from his site, which is a few hours away in the mountains. I showed him my community and then we spent the afternoon hanging out in San Jose’s trendy Barrio Escalante neighborhood. On Thursday, I commuted back into San Jose for an appointment related to my DIMEX, or temporary residency. Almost my entire cohort came into town for their appointments (which was pretty much just a photo and some signatures). This was the first time that the majority of us had been back together since going our separate ways to our communities three months ago, so it was fun to catch up with everyone. A group of us even ended up having dinner at a Lebanese restaurant, which was a much-needed respite from the rice and beans- based dishes that we eat on a daily basis.

On Friday, I traveled to the city of Turrialba in Cartago Province with some Peace Corps friends. This was around a 2-hour bus ride away from San Jose. One of my buddies has a site somewhat near Turrialba. Due to connections he’s already made in his service, we were able to get a Peace Corps-friendly rate at a hotel in the city, which made the trip there enticing. After eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant by the hotel, (which we all agreed was some of the best food we’ve had in Costa Rica) we met another local volunteer who led us on a hike to Aquiares Waterfall. This hike has a reputation of being pretty tame and easy, but because of rains and high waters, it ended up being quite the adventure. (I even lost a shoe!) But the waterfall was gorgeous, we all got some swimming in, and no one fell, so it was a great experience and felt very Pura Vida. After surviving the hike, we found a popular bar and restaurant in Turrialba for dinner where we were able to catch the College Football Playoff game between Notre Dame and Indiana. One of the volunteers in the group actually studied at Indiana, so watching this game was a big priority for us.

After a big few days, the rest of the weekend was a bit more relaxing. I left Turrialba on Saturday morning and headed back to my community outside of San Jose. Although the trip out to “Turri” was under two hours, the return trip took over 3 hours because of heavy traffic en route to San Jose. Heavy traffic is a pretty common reality in Costa Rica, particularly in the capital.

Similarly, on Sunday, I wasn’t too busy. I went into San Jose in the morning to run with my Sunday running club. They actually let me lead the pace group through the city streets which was a fun experience. Later, I winded down by watching both American football and Costa Rican fútbol, as the first leg of the country’s “Gran Final” took place that afternoon. 

Next week should be an interesting one experiencing the holidays here for the first time. Wishing everyone back home a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. ¡Feliz Navidad!