Culture Day!

Tuesday was culture day at my community's school. This means that kids get to dress up and dance! Soooooooo, they dressed up in a variety of costumes from indigenous cultures to chinese to spanish culture, and the assembly included some darn cute dances.

On that same note, I've begun to do a series of workshops with my counterpart on culture and tolerance in the school, so I think this day fell right in line with it. Hopefully, they made the connection.

At any rate, kids in costumes are cute.

On Dirt, Conferences, and Travel.

Forgive my absence as of late. There really is no excuse…exceeeeeept perhaps lack of material and creative inspiration in the writing realm, which I will go with.

Since I got back from the States, things have been….well, wet. The height of rainy season is upon us and in full force. With Hurricane Matthew affecting the coasts, the inner parts are not failing to see it's presence either, causing flooding and landslides all over the country. Luckily, the closest encounter I have had with either of those is some washed out trees, branches, bushes, etc. along the steep road to my community, and a constant thin layer of water in my front yard - not much, but just enough to slosh around in and make your shoes just a tad bit wetter than is comfortable when going out and about.

So I have ceased to go out and about. Hence, lack of writing material.

Okay, that's not entirely true. I DO leave my house. But these days it's far less often than during the months of November to May. With that being said, November is nearly upon us, and I'm looking forward to getting my garden up and running again. I just harvested the last crop of produce - some carrots, onions, lettuce and herbs - and begun to grow starter plants indoors so they will be ready in eight weeks for transplantation - arugula, artichoke, kale, eggplant, spinach, rainbow chard, and more.

A man in my town who produces charcoal to sell for biofuel (center)......

......has begun to mix it with his soil in which to grow his crops. Interested in this idea (a bit similar to the hydroponic method of growing in that they both incorporate charcoal in the process), he offered to give me some bags of this "biochar" as I found out it is called a few days later, for my garden. Those "few days later" was when I came across an article called 'The New Black Gold' in Ode magazine that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this fairly new concept of biochar. Though, according to the article, evidence found by archaeologists show that in the late 1800s the discovery of deep, dark, nutrient rich soil with fertile microbial activity in the Amazon was not a fluke of nature, but rather evidence of a vibrant civilization that had discovered biochar many, many years earlier. So, it's not an entirely new concept. According to the article it's resurged, and farmers, soil scientists, biologists, and even regular ol' people are declaring its effects as a type of gold that can increase crop yields and fight climate change.

With that being said, once I get my sweet little garden going, not only with I be fighting climate change, but I will also hopefully have double the crop yields and be up to my ears in produce. Not totally likely, but hey, a Peace Corps volunteer's gotta dream.

And soooooooo I'm dreaming about my garden.

In other news, just got back from an All-Volunteer Conference, my second and final. Much like every other Peace Corps gathering, I think it's more of a time to give us a little dose of sanity so we remember what life outside of our sites and outside of our monk-esque lives is like. This time I remembered well.

People on computers. Yea.

The ambassador and Peace Corps country director. Talking about stuff.

After dancing.

People have talents. And it shows.

Free time during the conference.

And some of the time we actually work. There's a handful of what are called 'project fairs' where various volunteers present on some project so people can network, get ideas, etc. Sooooooo, I was asked to do a lil ol' presentation about kids' camps at the conference. Apparently, I'm an expert, since I've done………..ONE. If anything I hope I gave some folks some ideas for how to control and keep occupied 11 pre-pubescent rugrats for a weekend.

On the way home, the ride was longer than normal. A long, circuitous route due to landslides led my bus through back roads and vast rolling emerald hills shrouded in fog, mist, and dampness in the air. I didn't mind so much this longer route, as it gave me extra time to think with pristine beauty passing by just on the other side of the glass windows. Theres not a whole lot more wonderful than being able to sit without other obligations and just be as the beauty that we sometimes fail to notice passes by. There's something romantic in it - in bus travel, train travel, car travel, plane travel and just plain TRAVEL - seeing these moving landscapes. Always makes me want to go home and reread On the Road, The Motorcycle Diaries, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and Travels with Charlie. Though I got home a tiny bit later than excepted, I didn't mind this extra time to reflect.

The next three months until the end of the school-year on December 17th will be full - full of projects such as workshops, talks, murals, school gardens, art classes, volunteer coordination at the new community center, photo projects, cooking classes, etc, etc. With the arrival of Julia, Lynn, Matthew, Brendan, Kendra, Clayton, and Lindsay (friends from my Intercultural Youth and Family Development Masters program) for Christmas and New Years, and then a trip to Nicaragua in January, I know the time will fly by. After that, I'm down to a mere 4 1/2 months left.

I know this is something I have to savor.

So, until next time....

I'm off to savor!

Me oh my, where have I been?!?!?!

........the States!

That's where. And it was absolutely fantastic. That's why you may (or may not) have noticed my month-plus absence on this ol' blog.

But I'm back in Costa Rica and on Costa Ri(bec)ca too. And mainly because my retired father diligently and lovingly checks this blog every day, and I have failed to pull through for the last nearly forty days. Sorry Pops. (But I waaaaasssss with you the last 20 or so).

But unfortunately, even in this post, I am only going to post some photos from my trip home....photos Pops has already seen. Sorry again, Pops.

First, being an epicurean, my main favorite reason of going home to the states is the variety of foods I have access to in America (and in this wonderful time of year!) and more importantly, in my parent's kitchen, and spice shelf.

Of course, that first reason is only second to that of seeing friends and my somewhat odd family (my brother's wedding was the main reason for going back to the US, among other activities):

family.

family.

Also, in America, I got to drive my old Suby which still oh-so-patiently awaits my return in my parents' driveway. Also, I got to lie in perfectly manicured, green grass, i.e. what my father proudly calls his 'carpet.' Barefoot.

friends.

Then I went hiking with friends. Yay, hiking. And in Montana too. I went back to Montana...my old stompin' grounds. And as I biked around Missoula on an old red cruiser with chipped paint with the wind in my hair under a borrowed black helmet with a skull on it, and passed by town characters I used to know, it was if time had stopped while I was away. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Everything felt the same. Minus a few important people who were no longer there. None the less, I had a blast.

And in Montana, we went to a rodeo! Yeeee hawww. I love rodeos. I love rodeos eeeeeveeen more in Montana.

Aahhhhhh yes, that was my time in America. It was three weeks of non-stop, truly American activity. That's where I've been. Now I am back in my site to crank out these last 7 months of my Peace Corps experience. America left me rejuvenated, motivated, and at peace with where I am right now in life. Funny how certain things can give you perspective.

Until next time, readers.

Walkin' On....A Religious Pilgrimage, of Sorts

Last year on this date, something very important in Costa Rica was cancelled due to the H1N1 virus - the Romería. The Romería is a religious pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Los Angeles in Cartago to celebrate the following, that was plagiarized from another blog, "On August 2, 1635, the small statue of the virgin was found at the site of the basillica by a native woman. As the story goes, when this woman tried to take the statuette with her, it miraculously reappeared back where she'd found it. Twice. Finally, she and the other townspeople gave up and built a shrine there where La Negrita had originally been found. In 1824, the statuette was declared Costa Rica's Patron Saint and thus began the annual pilgrimage where people from all corners of the country and beyond come to say their most serious prayers on bent knees." Millions of people walk the route to Cartago from all over Costa Rica and even other Central American countries to arrive for the celebration on August 2nd.

So, being that this will be my last August 2nd in Costa Rica, I set out with two friends on an extremely last minute, spontaneous trip to attempt the walk from a location near my site, but still 40 kilometers away from Cartago. Two of us rushed away from my house Sunday afternoon after running a girls' outdoor leadership camp all weekend (post on that to come soon) to meet another volunteer to begin the walk around 3 pm….a bit late for a full 40 kilometer walk, but we figured we'd walk what we could before it got dark (even though many people walk through the night, we chose not to be walking after dark).

Yeah, that's right, that's Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica's current and first female president. I'm pretty sure she's waving at me. ;)

We walked. And we walked. Along the highway, cars zooming past us in both directions of the Inter-American Highway, passing groups of other pilgrims along the way. Three hours passed and the sun was completely gone, the rain had begun and it was very dark. So, we ended our walking part of the pilgrimage right there about 15 kilometers short and decided to grab a bus the rest of the way. Arriving in Cartago around 7 pm, the city was hustling and bustling with people from all over Costa Rica, there to get a blessing from Our Lady. We quickly grabbed another bus to a quiet little city tucked in a beautiful valley surrounded by coffee plantations just outside of Cartago where we stayed for the night.

The following morning we enjoyed a European breakfast at a german-run lodge - coffee, tea, croissants, baguettes, fruit, granola, yogurt. Delicious. Simple.

Then we were on our way to the basilica back in Cartago. We arrived just at the end of mass, complete with big screens, crowd control, vendors offering to take your picture, aaaaaaaaand a Laura Chinchilla sighting, up close and personal - Costa Rica's current president and first female president. A quick stop on the basilica to see Our Lady of Los Angeles, and we were back in our way to explore the rest of festivities.

An afternoon latte and pastry finished things off before we got our buses back home.

Arriving home tired, and feeling juuuuuust a bit more spiritual, I was ready for another day in my little ol' life here in this little ol' village.

Sushi in a World of Comida Típica?

The other night, elbow-deep in sushi making, I said to my fellow volunteer who was staying the night at my place, "I can't believe we're making sushi in my house in Costa Rica." She laughed.

It all started 24 hours earlier when a site visit from my Peace Corps program manager alerted me to some Asian markets in San José. Previously unbeknownst to me, there exists a small "Chinatown" in the busy streets of our capital city. After some fiascos and failed attempts to find the area (getting lost a few times, asking numerous people, paying $4 to have a cab driver mistakingly take me to an Asian non-food market), I finally stumbled upon a few Asian markets...an area I walked passed and drove through in the cab mere minutes earlier. Boldly venturing into any store with Mandarin characters on the signs, behind each storefront I found what was a hidden surprise of one feeling like they had magically been transported to the heart of China. I was in love. I was suddenly sent back to my time in Japan or India where an innocent exploration of the markets turned into a guilty pleasure of another world. I suddenly became a kid in a candy store, picking up every item out of curiosity - touching it, feeling it, imagining eating it or even inventing ways of how to prepare it.

One hour later, and $26.00 later (eeeks! on a Peace Corps budget), I filled my canvas bag with the following, some things familiar, some new (see photo). I was ecstatic. Soon I would be filling my mouth with homemade sushi, dim sum, spicy ginger candies, tapioca pudding, curries made with coconut milk, tofu, and other recommended Chinese sweets.

So that night, I arrived home, back in my community with a cupboard full of ethnic ingredients. Heaven. On Earth. For me.

My fellow volunteer and I proceeded to "cook" up vegetarian sushi rolls and spring rolls made with purple cabbage, rice noodles, grilled tofu, and mangos with a peanut, garlic, and chili dipping sauce.

Spring roll assembly!

OOooooohhh my gosh, so excited to eat this:

Now that's a sushi roll:

A little red wine to top it all off, and some ginger candies and other Chinese sweets (some not so good) for dessert? We were more than satisfied, and suddenly incredibly sleepy.

It was one of those experiences that I sort of didn't believe was happening in Costa Rica. If I learned anything from this adventure, it's that EVERY place on earth (even when it seems you are only surrounded by comida típica) has it's secret hidden gems with which you can create beautiful pieces of jewelry.

Thanks again to my wonderful program manager, Natalia, for giving me the heads up! I've got many asian meals to look forward too.

Ode to Skillet Bread - For Lindsay K.

The things we do in Peace Corps without ovens.....

The New Learning Center!

Wanted to quickly post a few images from a new Community Learning Center here in Copey that I am helping my community create....a project I just sort of 'fell' into. It is an environmentally and culturally focused learning center whose foundation is the learning of English as a Second Language. I am not involved in the teaching part of things (just some art classes here and there), but rather the organizational part...working with the Board to help them realize their goal! We have officially opened and have begun classes and workshops! Stay tuned for more info including the official website!

Enjoying the new English books:

Practicing spelling our names to each other:

Working hard with a Canadian volunteer: