Chepe Chronicles

This was an interesting week in which I spent more time on community-related activities than in the schools in my town. As a Youth Development volunteer, my primary responsibility is spending Monday through Friday with students, but because students had national exams, there wasn’t a ton to do at the schools this week. When I was at school, I spent lots of time preparing materials (think cutting out shapes, laminating paper, and glueing stuff) in preparation for activities that will start soon. Next week I’ll officially begin putting on some PE workshops at the escuela , and that’s something I’m excited about.  In my spare time not spent at the schools, I worked with my previous host mom, who serves as the President of my town’s health committee, on a pair of activities. I met with the committee on Wednesday to learn more about their activities, specifically a health fair, which they hosted on Friday in a more high-risk neighborhood. Because I don’t have a background in public heal...

For me, and most people who are taught Spanish in the United States, the pronoun “tú” is used to address someone else in second person. Tú is considered the informal, singular “you”, and is fairly ubiquitous in the Spanish-speaking world. However, although Ticos would understand you if you used it, “tú” is not commonplace in Costa Rica. Rather, most Ticos default to “usted”, or the formal, singular “you” when addressing someone. “Usted” uses the same conjugation as é l or ella, or when someone is referenced in the third person. Even when Ticos talk to kids and pets, they are most often addressed with a command in the formal, “usted” form. Adding another wrinkle to this phenomenon, Costa Rica, as well as a handful of other countries, occasionally use a form called “vos”. You might have heard of “vosotros”, which is used exclusively in Spain, but “vos" is different. Vos is pretty much interchangeable with “tú” and has a similar conjugation. (To conjugate in the present tense, simply...

The week started out surprisingly slow for me. On Monday, per usual, I went to the colegio . Upon arriving, I was told that students only had a half day because of teachers’ meetings in the afternoon. I didn’t have anything super rigid planned for the day, but I didn’t realize it’d be so truncated for the students. Further inhibiting my progress, there wasn’t any internet, so there was only so much I could do planning-wise as well. That afternoon, I attended a virtual meeting from another non-profit organization that Peace Corps frequently collaborates with to promote recreation abroad. Later in the week, I met with a group of 11th graders who are participating in Servicio Comunal Estudiantil , the community service program required for graduation. This group of students will help me lead a community-wide running club in the coming months, something obviously that’ll be near and dear to my heart as a runner. They brainstormed club names, meeting times, routes, publicity strategies, etc...

Costa Rica is a famously peaceful country, yet today they recognize one of the few violent conflicts in Costa Rica’s history, the Battle of Santa Rosa. Each year on March 20th, Ticos commemorate a military victory against Nicaragua. In the mid-1800s, an American filibuster named William Walker led a political revolution and took over control of Nicaragua. Emboldened by Manifest Destiny beliefs, his outspoken desire was to establish slave slates throughout Central America. Costa Ricans recognized his imperialistic threat to their sovereignty, and thus the President of Costa Rica declared war on Nicaragua. A battalion was sent to Costa Rica’s northern border near Nicaragua, and it swiftly won the Battle of Santa Rosa in just 14 minutes. Today, this is not a major holiday amongst Ticos, but students in my escuela had an acto cívico , or assembly, to learn about the event. As a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Central America, the US’ role in the conflict is another reminder that people i...

My time at the colegio this week was dedicated to Servicio Comunal Estudiantil , the service-based learning project required for graduation that I’ve mentioned in previous blogs. On Monday, my counterpart and I led the induction process for the program. This meant I went class-to-class to pitch some ideas for projects, and then students signed up for specific ones. Some students already had other faculty tutors and/or projects in mind, while others joined mine, which was exciting. I have groups interested in implementing things ranging from a community running club to creating a school mascot, and I’m looking forward to seeing how these projects develop. At the escuela , most of my primary counterparts were busy with capacitaciones , or trainings during the week, so I mostly developed some of my project ideas individually. Very soon, my counterparts and I will begin “life skills” workshops related to topics like teamwork, conflict resolution, and more. Concurrently, I’ll start leading...

When I left the States, I left my car behind as well. Peace Corps Volunteers in Costa Rica aren't typically allowed to drive, (unless they are on Annual Leave and get permission) which can make getting around a ton difficult in a country that is so motor-heavy. Most of us get around the country by bus. Buses are ubiquitous across Costa Rica and are by far the cheapest way to travel. However, the bus system can be a little tricky to navigate on occasion. There isn't one nationalized bus operator; rather, there are dozens of small companies that have monopolies on certain routes. Furthermore, in many cases, these operators don't have websites, and the bus stops and routes aren't particularly clear, which can make it difficult to figure out how to buy tickets and where to go. Word of mouth, picking the brain of trusted Ticos , is the most foolproof way to figure out when and where to catch the bus. Several volunteers also rely on the app "Moovit" which works bett...

Things felt a bit more productive for me at the escuela compared to the colegio this week. On Tuesday and Thursday, I co-facilitated a few workshops alongside counterparts at the school. These teachers are all part of the school’s “Convivir” committee which helps promote things like coexistence, and character/community building. These workshops were considered diagnostic in nature. We briefly explained to students terms like conflicts, safe spaces, and unsafe spaces and subsequently asked them to identify places like the school where they feel they are most safe and where they are more vulnerable to conflict. Ojalá (God-willing), this kind of activity will help teachers and students alike be more cognizant of their surroundings and can be a catalyst for future conflict resolution and prevention programming. In total, I believe we worked with about 8 groups of students, ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. At the colegio , I spent much more time behind the scenes than in the clas...

Although we aren’t here to travel, one of the biggest perks about serving with the Peace Corps is that it provides volunteers with a tremendous opportunity to explore their host country. But, as I alluded to in a previous sidebar, serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer, especially in an urban area, isn’t very particularly lucrative. Because of that, I’ve had to learn how to travel on a shoestring budget. When I do get to travel, it’s typically by bus and staying in hostels.  However, there are certainly limitations to travel, both financially and from Peace Corps regulations. I’m here to work in my community first and foremost, not to sightsee. In total, Peace Corps Volunteers in Costa Rica are allotted 4 days of travel per month. Travel days are only counted when nights are spent away from your place of residence. For instance, a day trip to San José doesn’t count against me so long as I return to my homestay that same night. Within those 4 days of travel per month, 2 are considered “...

On Monday, I started the week at my colegio . There, I planned a presentation to give to 11th grade students later in the week about servicio comunal , a community service requirement for their graduation the next year. In the afternoon, I ventured into San José to meet a couple friends for a cafecito at a cafe called “Cafeoteca”, which was recently named one of the 100 best coffee shops in the world. I also ran through downtown San José afterwards, which was great, because I get pretty tired of running the same route every day in my community. On Tuesday, I was back at the escuela where I further developed activities related to “life skills” and my international studies club alongside my counterparts. This is a hallmark of Peace Corps service. They encourage us to co-plan and co-facilitate each activity we do alongside at least one counterpart in the community so that these projects are repeatable and sustainable long after we leave the communities. Wednesday, I went class-to-class a...