The Gira

I finally got to see some of the country over the past few days. From this past Saturday to Wednesday, we had our Gira (field trip). A lot happened, so I´ll break this entry up by day.

Saturday

After a bus ride of about 2.5 hours, my compañeros and I arrived in the large port town of Puntarenas. Waiting for us was a volunteer named Mary Ann. Mary Ann has been in country for over a year and a half, and I could tell from the second I got off of the bus that she is as sharp as they come. She lives in a part of town called El Roble. Her barrio is a government built housing project that is, to put it plainly, a ghetto. The barrio has dirt roads, and severe social problems. Nonetheless, I had a great experience.

After a brief tour of the barrio, I met my temporary host family (only two days), and we had lunch. They were incredibly warm and welcoming. They are a family of shark fisherman. All of the men (save the grandfather) were away at sea and had been for a month or so, and the family communicated back and forth via radio (¨Te Amo...OUT¨). The women of the house and their children spoke with me at length about Puntarenas and the social and economic problems they face. They were a well informed family.

After lunch, my group of five Trainees and Mary Ann and I went to her town´s albergue (orphanage). There, we met four other trainees, one other volunteer named Sarah, and some of the most impressive children I have ever met. The children were bright, enthusiastic, and extremely well behaved. We took the kids to the local soccer field and played for the rest of the afternoon.

Sunday

The next day, we spent the morning touring Sarah´s neighborhood which has as many issues as Mary Ann´s. After having a snack of fruit kebabs, the 11 of us went to the beach. It was the first time I had seen the Costa Rican coast; it was breathtaking. Puntarenas is set in the Nicoya Gulf, which is sheltered by the Nicoya Penninsula, so there are no waves. There was, however, a view of blue sea punctuated by the high, brown mountains of the Nicoya. After a quick dip, us Gringos boarded a ferry to the Nicoya Penninsula; we just had to see it up close. We stocked up on salty snacks and boarded the ship headed for Playa Naranja. The hour and a half trip was spent chatting, sunning, and eating.

Everything was going fine until I spotted another Gringo on the boat who -GASP- was wearing an Ohio State cap. I took extreme offense, and saw it as a challenge. I ducked below deck, abandoing my friends only to emerge with my Michigan shorts on. I walked around the deck like some animal performing a primal warring dance. We locked eyes, I lifted my fist and said ¨GO BLUE!¨ He averted my stare, which I took as a sign of defeat. If only our football games could be won like that.

To my surprise, I turned around only to find a man at another table wearing a shirt with a giant swastika on it. I was confused, I had stepped on the boat only minutes before, and found that two of my mortal enimies were on board. However, I didn´t let the scum of the earth bring me down. I took in the view, and enjoyed the ride with my friends. The thing that made me laugh was the fact that I was truly more offended by the man in the Ohio State hate. Yep, these are my priorities...

The time at Playa Naranjo was spent having dinner at a quaint hotel off the beaten path. While waiting for the food, we took a dip in their pool. The Ferry ride back to Puntarenas was muy tranquillo: we watched the sunset over the gulf, and relaxed. Despite the extreme heat and omnipresent smell of fish, Puntarenas was a good time.

Monday

After a visit to the PANI Office (US equivalent to Childrens Services), to meet the director, we boarded a bus to Herradura. Herradura is a small town just to the north of the surf paradise of Jaco. Upon our arival, we met our new host volunteer named Max. I knew that Max and I would be friends immediately; he went to Michigan. Indeed, we did become instant friends. He is a witty, laid back guy who has been in country for over a year and a half. That afternoon, we lunched and relaxed. Since I was to stay with Max because one of the host families bailed out at the last minute, I got to see a bit more of the PCV experience. That night, we spoke about the challenges and rewards of being a volunteer in Herradura. It was clear that he was proud of his work with the local school and community.

Tuesday

I woke up early and had my interview with Dan, Carolina and Scott: the people who are going to decide where my permanent site will be. We spoke about my experience and my preferences, so that they could better place me. It went well, and I left it hoping that they find a good fit for me.

The group then went to the local school and gave a fun presentation. We worked with a fourth grade class, teaching them fun facts about the US. They, in turn, taught us information about Costa Rica, and we had a CR vs US Jeopardy game.

We then took the bus into Jaco and met the head of the Officina de la Mujer: a womans group fighting to prevent domestic violence (among other things). Continuing down the road, we went to the local health clininc and met another community leader: a pshycologist who works with troubled youth (among other people). The leaders seemed firmly vested in their work and were quite inspirational. I hope that the counterparts in my site are as strong.

We then hit the beach. I rented a surfboard only to be thoroughly frightened by the 6-8 foot waves. After catching a few of the smaller ones, I joined my compañeros and we returned to Herradura for the night. We spent the night relaxing on Max´s porch talking about the incredible things we had seen. An excited fourth grade class, Officina de la Mujer, the clinic and 8 foot waves; I sure did see some incredible things.

The next day we had breakfast together and took the bus home. We were exhausted from the trip, but thoroughly empowered by what we had seen. It made the idea of moving in-site as a volunteer that much more tangible and exciting. I can only hope that my experience is as successful as Mary Ann, Sarah and Max´s.