As I’ve said before, the Peace Corps experience is best explained when metaphorically compared to a roller-coaster ride. The strange thing is that, perhaps a result of being a very much “live in the moment/ take each day as it comes” lifestyle, many times those high and low periods are distinguished in hindsight, upon reflection. And so it is that, delightfully, I recently made the realization that I believe I am currently at one of the highest points of my service. Everything just feels right. Perhaps for the first time, I feel like I am really embodying Jane Goodall’s quote, “a certain peace comes from doing what you feel you should be doing.” I know I have been working on a variety of projects over the past 1.5+ year in my town, but it has taken up to this point to make me feel comfortable with, and proud of, what I have done.
Upon beginning Peace Corps, there is the stereotypical “I’m going to save the world” mentality that is slowly dampened when reality sets in of the difficulties one faces in trying to “save the world.¨ I don’t mean this in a negative way, it is much more of a reflection of the learning curve that comes with the territory of development work. I strongly believe that having a first-hand understanding of the reality of the developing world is extremely valuable and will serve me well if I choose to continue with development work in the future. What I mean to say is that there comes a time when one chooses (though I don’t think it’s as conscious as choosing, as much as it is inevitable) to embrace what one is able to do, while also accepting the limitations, a concept that surely extends far beyond the PC realm.
The main idea here is that, just as I had heard from countless PCV’s, it is not until your second year in PC that you feel confident in what you are doing. And let me tell you, it feels nice! It seems like everything has come together, both work-wise and personally. Living on my own has been wonderful in terms of creating my own schedule, and having people over both for pleasure and for work purposes (the chicas poderosas came over the other day when they didn’t have school and I’ve been working away with a friend on a grant application for a play ground). I feel very lucky to have maintained my close relationship with my host family. They welcome me once or twice a week for lunch or cafecito (and I had them over the other day for crepes!). I have also been spending more time in the town next door which has been quite open to collaborate on various projects, currently including teaching English in the elementary school and teaching business-focused computer skills to a small business in the town.
My latest news is that I’m off to Nicaragua with a group of PCV’s next week. I am really excited to explore one of Costa Rica’s neighboring countries. We`re going to two colonial cities, Granada and Leon, as well as an island in the middle of the Lake of Nicaragua called Ometepe which sounds really cool--- I will report back after!
Ciao,Tes
