You May Have Noticed......

..…..….I haven't posted lately.

Well, after my youth group and I being on Buen Día, nothing seemed quite as exciting. And then my mother nagged me to write something, anything!

So here I am. Writing.

I think bullet points will be best for this blog post…for complete utter lack of inspiration:

1. I got a job! Okay, not really because as a Peace Corps volunteer we're not allowed to get jobs. But I did apply for the volunteer position within Peace Corps Costa Rica to be one of three editors/designers for our quarterly magazine, and I got hired. This means I will be serving as co-editor/co-designer/writer for La Cadena, the premier Peace Corps Costa Rica magazine for three issues during my last year in Peace Corps.

2. I won $500 dollars! Okay, not really because we all know that's almost impossible. But I did get a $500 dollar grant from the Peace Corps Costa Rica country fund. We will be using this money this friday at the regional Art for Peace conference where 50 youth from the central valley will be getting together for a day-long conference to do workshops with other youth on themes of peace and anti-violence through art in San José. My fellow Peace Corps volunteer and I have been working day and night to plan it (okay, not night, that's a lie).

3. I saved the world! Okay, not really because that's almost impossible. And why does the world need savin' anyway? But I did make container gardens with the preschoolers on Earth Day! We will continue with larger gardens for Dia del Agrícultor in May where we will be grown' lots of goodies like carrots, lettuce, and cilantro with all the grades and parents!

4. I took lots of pictures! (See below).

'Gracias a Dios' Lindsay returned to Peace Corps after five months of medical leave! Sipping tea in San José!

A really old photo of election time in Costa Rica (he didn't win):

A horse parade in my town (gran tope):

Traditional Costa Rican Dance (José Afredo on the left is in my Art for Peace youth group):

Then I made puppets with children!

A friend from Missoula visited and we went ziplining in Monteverde (Clearly, I can't leave Costa Rica without doing that):

Then I took a picture of a fiddlehead fern in the rainforest:

And then it was Semana Santa (Holy Week) and every house looked like this:

And so I continue... Hasta pronto!

On the Trouble With Tourism in Costa Rica

Before I start this, I want to give you, sort of as a preface, a quote which I borrowed from my good friend Polly's blog, who is a Jesuit Volunteer in Belize for two years:

"I do not forget that my voice is but one voice, my experience a mere drop in the sea, my knowledge no greater than the visual field in a microscope, my mind's eye a mirror that reflects a small corner of the world" -CG Jung

And on we go.

I know what you're thinking - the words 'trouble', 'tourism' and 'costa rica' should not be in the same sentence. It is after all the country's number one industry bringing in nearly a half a million tourists annually, 60% of them being Americans (travel.state.gov). However if you look at the very definition of tourism it is to travel to a destination other than one's home….typically to know another place.

I recently got a taste of this when a friend came to visit from the states. With the public city buses being full, our only option to get to our destination that day, five hours North, was a private tour bus company for 35 dollars (over the public, seven-dollar bus ride). A bit hesitant to do so on a Peace Corps budget, I bit the bullet this one time and we headed north in style.

We boarded the small, air-conditioned bus with about five couples heading to various destinations such as the beaches and rain forests - the popular and typical tourist destinations of Costa Rica. After talking with some of the couples and hearing their plans for the rest of the trip, I realized that although they were traveling the country and seeing a large portion of it, they were in fact, not actually seeing the country at all! Being whisked from one destination to another on an air-conditioned bus, staying at a hotel (many of which are all-inclusive) and only doing the activities targeted at tourists (ziplining, bungee jumping, guided tours, etc), in fact, only gave these people a tiny, tiny, taste of the country. (And please forgive me, for I am not speaking of all tourists, just a large portion of them, and yes, I too am guilty of taking part in these 'tourist-only' activities at one point).

When you're in India, for example, you see it all. You see the face of poverty and injustice everywhere - it's in the chidren's eyes who are living near the train tracks, it's in the ever-apparent slums that surround every city, it's in the water, it's in the beggars' faces and wrinkled, dirt-stained hands and feet, it's in the pollution, it's in the hunger, its in the cripples who approach your car at every traffic light, begging, void of any pride and self-dignity. In India you can't avoid it. India is transparent; it shows you its true face the second you leave the airport. Costa Rica, however is different. Costa Rica is a closed book. It takes longer to get to know, you have to read further into its pages to understand it. Leaving the airport one might feel like they haven't left the States and have landed in Southern California. Sights like Denny's, Holiday Inn, and every fast food chain make one wonder if while they were sleeping, the plane took a wrong turn.

In a way, after having lived in this country for over a year now, it made me slightly angry meeting those tourists on the bus that day. These people go back to the States, looking upon their travels fondly, raving about how beautiful Costa Rica is, how pristine it is, how green it is, how friendly everyone is, how not-poor it is. But they haven't seen what I've seen. THey haven't seen the face of poverty, injustice, inequality, and corruption on which this country rests, nor do they learn it even exists in Costa Rica. How many times have the tourists I've met along the way said to me, "There's Peace Corps in Costa Rica?" Countless. But it is true, Costa Rica is as much as a developing country as the rest of Latin America.

And I get it, not every one is as fortunate as I am to be a Peace Corps Volunteer, to live in this country in a different way, to truly get to know its people, it's culture, its foods, its tendencies, its idiosyncrasies - to bear witness to its authentic side. I feel proud that when my friend came to visit I could give her a true taste of the country - meeting my local pulpería (local store) owner and having lunch with her family, meeting some youth of my town who also happen to be the future of this developing country. Experiencing language barriers, cultural uncertainties, and those uncomfortably, humbling situations that can change one's outlook.

What happened to community-based and responsible tourism where tourists really get to know a culture by spending time with its people, learning from their long-standing traditions of what makes their country unique, being humbled by another's homeland? What happened to sustainable tourism where the influx of the millions of tourists each year see the country in a way that still allows it to maintain and present its culture without being corrupted by all-inclusive resorts, tourist-geared restaurants, activities, etc? What happened to people being mindful that they are entering a place that is someone else's home? What happened to respecting the ways of the culture and be open to 'living in solidarity' with them for their time in country? DId any of this ever even exist? Can tourism be less-invasive and more beneficial to the local community?

Living here has given me a different view on tourism. I used to think it was a way to get to know a country, but I've realized its quite the opposite. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I even like to step-aside from this culture and be a tourist, which is comically contradicting in itself. When I want to "get away" from this culture, I go do something touristy? Wow, that is what I thought the exact opposite definition of tourism is. I'm not quite sure what the point of all this is, nor do I want to present myself in a self-righteous way, but I do know, that after having lived in this long-standing, typically mis-represented country, tourism is a very fragile thing. It can make a country, or it can break it.

Next time you take a journey as a tourist, if you aren't lucky enough to know someone to experience the culture firsthand, please, think locally. Don't be like the stubborn, arrogant tourist who passed through my town, in a Spanish-speaking country who questioned why he should learn a word of spanish, when all the world should speak English. PLEASE travel mindfully and with a conscience. Remember, it is not your home. But it is someone else's.

Okay, So We're Kind of a Big Deal....

Okay folks, this is the post where I get to brag. About myself. Which I do maybe once every 5 years. So here it is for my next five years.

I realized I haven't talked much about work on this ol' blog. Well, that's because "work" in Peace Corps is slow-going. Nearly a year into my service and I just now finally feel like I am getting things going. One of the things I have "gotten going" lately is an Art for Peace youth group. It took a long time to get this going, or to even find youth that wanted to participate (mucha pereza aqui). Well, I found six great youth that have come weekly to workshops that discuss the importance of peace and non -violence through art. In addition to the workshops we have done other art-related projects outside of the formal workshops. One of the most recent ones we did was a huge mural next to the church in downtown Copey (designed by the youth themselves). We got a San Jose-based art organization for kids on board and they recruited volunteers to help us. Well, we completed a rather large mural in two days and it looks great.

And now here is the part where I get to brag. Not only am I so proud of my youth who have been so dedicated and enthusiastic, but our project also made it on Buen Día, Costa Rica's version of Good Morning America. Here is a link to the video. For those that don't speak spanish, you can just imagine all the great things it's saying about Copey and my youth group.... And be sure and listen to the eloquence with which they say my last name. ;)

http://www.teletica.com/noticia-detalle.php?id=40993&idp=3

As for our next project, the kids can't stop talking about where else we can do murals and mosaics. They have big dreams now.

Below are photos of the process:

Beginning to end:

Me and the world:

Gettin' messy:

The road to Copey is paved with.......mosaics:

Sharys being interviewed for Buen Día:

The youth being interviewed for Buen Día:

A Treasured Friendship Based on Four Sentences

I have this friend. Or so I would like to call him a friend since I see him nearly every day, or at the least, once a week.

But this friend and I, well, we only ever say four things to each other.

1. Hola, comó esta? (Hello, how are you?)

2. Anda de pasear? (Off to have fun?)

3. Si or No (Yes or No)

4. Gracias, hasta luego! (Thanks, see you later!)

I feel so close to him. He drives me up and down the steep mountain road to civilization (the nearest town, Santa Maria); I trust my life in him (one swift move and were rolling off that cliff); he provides sanity for me (how else would I ever be able to access the internet and the outside world?); he picks me up right at my front door (I can't help that my house is directly on the bus route); he doesn't judge me when I leave Copey a lot to go on vacation (which, is often); he supports me when I go chasing after him to not let him get away (then cracks a smile as I get on the bus, winded, and says I should run in marathons); he helps me when I have full loads (bikes from Peace Corps or big care boxes from mom); and he smiles and waves from his regal-like seat if we pass each other in the road.

He is Rodridgo. And he is my bus driver.

Bugs, Rabbits and Chickens

So today in an email my friend Greta pointed out something in a very clever way and I just had to share it. When talking about all the health problems I've had here, she summed it up with this:

First, bed bugs. Then a bug on the chin. Then a bug in the belly.

Clearly, referring to my bed bugs, my allergic reaction, and my parasites. Yes, it's true I've got lots of bugs in my life.

In other news, today I found out someone in my site has a rabbit farm. A rabbit farm for FOOD. As in rabbit meat. Yikes. Here's a picture. Not that I took, but a picture, nonetheless.

Finally, speaking of meat, I got this crazy idea today while talking with a 9th grader and the woman with which I co-facilitate Art for Peace Workshops with that I should get chickens. Baby chickens. Raise them (free-range of course) and then when they are nice and plump, do the thing, then pluck their feathers and in the words of this woman "eat chicken for a month." Okay, so I know that wasn't so pleasant, but it's how most everyone gets their meat around here. Not being a big meat-eater, this idea of being so connected to my food has always, and especially now, really intrigues me. I'll keep you posted. I may have some baby chicks running around my yard next time we talk.

Goodbye for now, readers. Until next time.

My friend, Max.

So I have this friend. He has a really long, complicated name. So let's just call him 'Max' for short.

Okay, okay, I'm not going to lie, he's not really a friend. He's more of an acquaintance. We've known each other since probably December, and have learned to co-exist in the same, small space. But i've got to be honest, he's not the best kind of acquaintance. He's some what of a moocher. He's been mooching some really important things from me since we met, and creating a lot of abnormality in my life. And even worse, he has a really big family, and they all mooch off me too. They've gotten under my skin…deep into my insides, and I can never seem to get rid of them. In fact, now that I think about it, Max is more of an enemy than an acquaintance.

Tomorrow I'm going to seek help - professional help, to figure out how to get rid of such negative influences in my life. We can only hope that the treatment will work.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

But for now, here's a picture of him:

Oh, and by the way, his real name is Endolimax Nana. Asi es la vida.

The View From the Top

It didn't matter that I had just hiked for 8 hours straight, up 8,000 feet, or that I was drenched in sweat, chilled, achey, and sun burnt. All of that was washed away by the engulfment of crisp, thin mountain air; the breathtaking views of rolling emerald peaks and mystical-looking lakes; the small 100-square-foot, rocky peak I was standing on at what felt like the top of the world - one of five people at the highest point in Costa Rica at that very moment. They washed all the discomfort away.

I could have been anywhere in the world at that moment. The lushness of the rolling landscape resembling places like Ireland, Switzerland, Mt. Kilimanjaro. My mind went wild on a mythical odyssey, a silent, personal reverie. But I was here, on top of Mt. Chirripo, the highest peak of Costa Rica and the second highest in Central America. And at that moment, I was so thankful for everything - everything that had allowed me to be at that place, in that moment of time.

It all began eight, long hours earlier, just at the break of day, where just enough light in the sky paved our way up the trail. The first kilometer, called The Thermometer, was just that. It warmed us up quickly giving us a omen of the hours to come. It didn't get much easier, minus a nice half of a kilometer or so on a leaf-lined trail with dense, deciduous trees, stepping stones, and wooden plank bridges just before kilometer seven - the Llano Bonito resting lodge where one could fill up on water, take a break and enjoy a snack - also known as the half way point.

The trail ascended rapidly, giving us a satisfying view rather quickly. In and out of the trees, up and down, in between rocks and stones, the trail wound. The last two hours we were out of the trees, above them, exposed to the bare sun, creating a slight burn on only the right side of our body. Kilometer 11, "The Burns," was intense. It's that point where you can't stop because you know you are so close, but also at the point where you just want to collapse over. All you can do is muster up the strength to keep going because you know that good things (and rest) lie ahead. At about kilometer 14, after ascending steeply up, you reach the top of a small valley and what one sees at that point, looking down into the valley, must always be enshrouded in a heavenly light from above with a golden glow - the albergue, or lodge, where people stay the night. And no, that's not the summit. There's still two hours to go till the summit.

So, upon arrival at the lodge, we momentarily collapsed, ate some fuel, changed our sweat-soaked socks, lightened our packs, and kept on trudging up towards the top. With it being only noon, we figured the summit is a doable goal for the day, where as most people choose to go up early the next morning, we decided to beat the crowds and go that afternoon. A moderate hike ensued, but as we neared the top, it became steep, narrow, rocky, and quite elevated. Finally we had reached the point where what we had worked for was beginning to truly pay off. About 200 meters from the top, the trail turned to a bit of a staircase, having to use your hands and feet to climb up the rocky face. The summit sign was in eye's distance, nearly directly over head.

Finally, we summited! A graffiti-carved sign marked the highest point in Costa Rica, the wind blew, light clouds swept in and out of the valley, and the sun shined through them. Silence, beauty, friends, peace. What more could one ask for?

A warm, home-cooked soup, and a good night's rest lied ahead. Dreams abounded that night in my sleeping bag in the lodge.

The following day, we took a detour through Cloud Bridge Reserve on the way back down. No photos to share from this, as I was in extreme pain from too-much "downhill" motion, and had no desire to lug my camera around my neck. Unfortunate, because this was one of the best parts of the whole trip. PRISTINE beauty. Different beauty from the summit. But I have it in my mind forever, the true experience, engrained. And to me, that's the best type of photo - a personal one, one that is yours to keep, your secret.

I eventually recovered. A few days later….still experiencing sore quads and calves. But to me, it was all completely worth it…one of those experiences that I won't forget.

I plan on doing it again next year, when the season opens up next November. So, if you're in Costa Rica, come along for the ride.