Chepe Chronicles

This will be another short and sweet update. Most students were still in exams until the week of Sep 30th. I certainly didn’t want to disrupt anything, so I tried to stay out of the way as much as possible when instructed to do so. However, even as I couldn’t conduct many formal activities over the course of the week, I still made it a point to go to the centros educativos every day during the school week. A nice part about Peace Corps service is that volunteers aren’t on a formal schedule; we don’t clock in or clock out like most jobs. (Peace Corps likes to tout that volunteers are on the job 24/7.) This gives volunteers quite a bit of leeway to structure their service depending on their community’s preferences and their own habits. However, in my case, I still like sticking to a schedule, and the academic calendar provides that. So, even when students are occupied, I like showing my face and doing my work there rather than staying at home and developing some cabin fever. At minimum,...

I get asked almost on a daily basis in Costa Rica whether I miss home. My answer is a pretty emphatic “no”. (In reality, I say something like “No, estoy en paraíso. Pura Vida.”) Living in Costa Rica, I’m in a high-developed, democratic country in which all of my basic needs are met. It’s also beautiful. However, I acknowledge that my upbringing, prior experience abroad, and location in an urban site may be a big factor in my lack of homesickness. If this was my first time out of the country, and I was placed somewhere much more rural and remote, I may feel differently.  With that being said, I think going abroad for an extended time is interesting, because it allows you to think about the little things you may miss that you hadn’t anticipated. Obviously I miss family and friends, but thankfully with social media, no one is ever too far away in 2025. Surprisingly, one of the things I yearn for the most is colder weather. Costa Rica’s climate is the envy of most of the world - here i...

This week began in atypical fashion with Independence Day on Monday. However, as I referenced in Wednesday’s Independence Day sidebar, I still had to go to school that day. Public schools are the primary conduit for patriotic celebrations, so it’s vital that everyone in the academic community shows up. Because of those commitments on Sunday and Monday, students and teachers had Tuesday off.  The week settled back into normalcy by Wednesday, where I was back at the colegio again and students were back on their typical schedules. However, in the name of transparency, I’d be lying if I said that this wasn’t a week filled with many frustrations too. But, that’s the high and lows of being a teacher and also of being a Peace Corps volunteer.  On Wednesday, I had planned on hosting my second session of English “ charlas ” with students at the colegio ; however, I think because of exams, hardly anyone was at school that day. Unfortunately, I was not privy to that information prior to...

Ticos join several other Central American countries and celebrate independence annually on September 15th. This means that this past Monday, the whole country had a feriado (public holiday). However, unlike the 4th of July, independence isn’t just a one day celebration. Rather, some refer to September as the “patriotic month”, and students have several actos cívicos (civic assemblies) scattered throughout the month. In reality, Costa Rican independence celebrations strike me more as a 2-day holiday - kind of like Christmas Eve and Christmas in that vein. But, one of the stark differences between celebrations here compared to our independence festivities in the States is that everything runs through the schools here. Meanwhile, during the 4th of July, students are on summer break and are trying to stay as far away from the classroom as possible.  The night before independence day (Independence Eve, if you will) is almost a bigger deal than Independence Day itself. Select students ...

Before I dive into my weekly recap, I wanted to acknowledge that this is the 100th blog I’ve posted since beginning my Peace Corps service in Costa Rica. That’s probably demasiado , (too much) so I really appreciate anyone who is still following along. It’s been fun for me to create this digital archive for the future, and I hope those who have read my blogs have learned something about Costa Rica and/or Peace Corps. As August wrapped up, my counterparts at both centros educativos warned me that I may not be able to conduct my typical sessions throughout September because it’s such a chaotic time. I was a little skeptical, but their prediction has been proven true thus far. Despite the lack of normalcy, I’ve been kept plenty busy.  Probably the most noteworthy day of the week was on Tuesday. In Costa Rica, the nation celebrates Día del Niño - or Children's Day. This isn’t a feriado in which the whole country gets the day off from school and work; rather, Ticos use the day to hig...

Despite Costa Rica’s status as a high-income country, the thrifting culture for clothes is quite robust here, which speaks to the country’s sustainability efforts. It also probably indicates the excess consumer culture the US boasts. High-end retail shops exist in Costa Rica as well, but oftentimes those items are luxuries. Many Ticos shop at what are called Ropa Americana stores, or “American Clothing” shops. As the name suggests, these stores carry lots of styles that are worn by Americans. Typically, these are clothes that are still in good condition but have been donated or discarded. Because of that, it’s not uncommon to see a t-shirt of a particular American sports team or university in some extremely rural town in Costa Rica. Sometimes I’ll see someone in a St. Louis Cardinals cap or an Arkansas Razorback shirt on the street, and I’ll get excited and ask the person if they like those teams too, but usually they simply found the article of clothing at a Ropa Americana . Those st...

This was a busy week in many regards, and a not-so-busy stretch in others. During this part of the school year, students at both institutions are beginning to wind down. In the escuela , students had exams all week long, meaning that I couldn’t conduct typical sessions for physical education and life skills. Equally, 11th and 12th graders at the colegio have begun their internships or apprenticeships, also known as pasantias . Since these students attend a technical high school, it is extremely important that they gain real-world experience in their specialties, so this part of the year is dedicated to that. This means that about a third of the colegio isn’t there, so the hallways aren’t quite as loud or as crowded. Despite the lack of availability of students at each institution, I was still able to help out with some English classes and I co-led another session with the escuela librarian for our International Club, Amigos sin Fronteras. This week we went to “China”. Students briefl...

Costa Rica is a fascinating country to serve in as a Peace Corps Volunteer, because unlike a lot of other Peace Corps countries, many Americans have familiarity with it. In fact, I’d imagine many of you who read my blog have even had the opportunity to visit. Its location and natural beauty make it a logical vacation from the United States. In 2025, Costa Rica has 2 large international airports - one in San Jose and another in Liberia in Guanacaste. Each boasts a bevy of flights from the US. Although the US never had as much of a political influence in Costa Rica compared to say Nicaragua and Panama, the United States still plays a large role in shaping modern Costa Rica through business, tourism, trade, and diplomacy.  It’s commonplace in Latin America to hear the term “ gringo ”, which is used to refer to a non-Latin white person, but more often than not, is used to describe Americans specifically. Oftentimes it’s used playfully, but sometimes it can be perceived as derogatory, d...