September 14-20: Penultimate Week in Costa Rica and Independence Day

My penultimate week in Costa Rica was a noteworthy one from start to finish. The week started off with an important milestone on Monday as my girlfriend Keily and I officially celebrated one year together. To mark the occasion, we went to one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Sapore Trattoria, and had some delicious pizza and pasta. Meeting Keily has been the highlight of my time in Costa Rica, so I was thrilled to be able to celebrate our anniversary together. 


On Tuesday, Costa Rica celebrated its 205th independence day. Its celebrations largely take place inside of the schools, which is quite different from the States. That meant Tuesday was a “work day”. I went to the escuela and also brought Keily to introduce her to my counterparts and to partake in the celebrations. There was a big assembly in which they sang national hymns, performed some artistic and cultural displays, and then at the end, surprised me with a plaque and an impromptu speech. It was a special way to end my service there and it was equally special for Keily to be there too.



On Wednesday, schools were out from the holiday the day before. That meant I didn’t have too mant responsibilities, so I focused on doing laundry, packing, and getting ready to transition back to the States. I still have a few things to pack, but I think I’m in a good spot before formally leaving my homestay next Tuesday. That evening, I met Keily in a local mall in Desamparados where we got some frozen yogurt and did some shopping. 


I spent almost all of Thursday in the town of Escazu, where my Peace Corps experience began 2 years ago for 3 months of Pre-service training. I met a friend from my running club, Club Secreto, for a brief cafecito in his office before I made my way to Centro Civico, where a fresh cohort of volunteers are undergoing training. There, I presented to the trainees on a couple of my projects in my community before trekking back to my site in Desamparados later that evening.


On Friday, I received feedback from the Youth Development team on some of my closing documents of service, so I spent almost the whole day trying to finalize and turn those in so that I don’t have to worry about them during my last moments in Costa Rica. That evening, I met Keily at her gym (my gym subscription expired) where we worked out together before grabbing dinner.


On Saturday, Keily came over to my community for lunch at my house where she and my host family met for the first time. My host family threw me a goodbye lunch featuring some homemade pizzas and sangrias. It was really great to finally bring them together and I hope they stay in touch. 




On Sunday, Keily and I traveled up to Alajuela to catch one last game of my favorite team in Costa Rica, Alajuelense. It was quite an adventure taking a mixture of buses and Ubers while trying to avoid the rain, but we ended up having a great time watching “Liga” cruise to a 5-0 win.





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