Los últimos días

This time next week, I'll be back in Virginia! I fly home June 12th. So for this last week I am caught between two cultures - making the most of my time in Costa Rica and planning ahead for a busy summer back in the States. We finished class at the end of May and, burned out from my Media, Terrorism, and Insurgency course, I gladly welcomed the visit of two dear amigas from high school. Traveling around at this time of year is iffy since the rainy season is upon us again.

Once both my friends arrived, we headed southwest to Playa Esterillos. The weather was drizzly but the ocean was warm. However, by the time we got to Manuel Antonio, we met up with Tropical Storm Alma. The sky opened up and poured to the extent that not even our ponchos could protect us...but fortunately our area was not flooded like many others. We weathered the storm and were rewarded with two beautiful sunny days at the end of the trip, along with monkey, sloth and iguana sightings in Manuel Antonio National Park.

Once my friends left, I looked at my to-do list and the time I had left: 2 weeks. 2 weeks to write a draft of my thesis, finish moderating VPALS (my virtual student exchange project), pack, spend quality time with friends, update my blog (CHECK!), finish Rotary presentations, organize my summer, and coordinate our wedding planning from afar. As you see, I've checked one off of the list so far! All the rest are in progress!

I am so thankful for my time here - I know it was the right decision to spend a year in this unique place, where I've learned increased independence and expanded my worldview immensely. Thank you ROTARY INTERNATIONAL and DISTRICT 7610 for choosing me as your cultural ambassador and for your generous scholarship - I've represented the U.S. to the best of my ability, connecting not only with Costa Ricans but also with graduate students from over 50 different countries at The University for Peace. In addition to my engaging and talented classmates, teachers and friends (and especially my loving host family!), here, in no particular order, are some other special things that I'll miss:

1. The view from UPEACE campus

2. Frozen coconut popsicles (20 cents each)

3. Burritos from host mom Judit's Pupuseria

4. Diana Gym and all of its awesome exercise classes (Pilates, belly dancing, Latin dancing)...

5. Afternoon coffee hour with my host family (with white tico cheese and fresh bread -- mmm)

6. Year-round warm temperatures (great for the immune system!)

7. Fruit trees and from them, fresh fruit batidos (milkshakes)

8. Gallo pinto with Lizano sauce

9. Casados (As you might imagine, I will be working lots of rice and beans into my diet upon returning to the US!)

10. Environmentally-friendly packaging in the grocery stores

11. SPEAKING SPANISH

12. Affordable, socialized healthcare (dog bit me? no problem! free tetanus shot!)

13. LATIN DANCING and MUSIC

14. $4 Haircuts

15. Suki, my host fam's attention-crazed fluffy poodle

16. BEACHES

17. The colors of nature

18. The pura vida lifestyle

Adiós, Costa Rica-- ¡Qué Dios le bendiga!

***photos courtesy of M.I.B.'s camera

Epilogue: For Fellow Travellers

Because I searched for one online before I came here and found it immensely helpful, here is my own recommended packing list of select items for future Rotary Scholars and others who will be taking an extended trip to Costa Rica! (other non-included items such as dressy shoes, etc. can be purchased in CR for pretty inexpensively):

Recommended Packing List for Costa Rica - Essentials

CLOTHING

-raincoat

-jeans (believe it or not, I almost left these at home. But it does get cool here!)

-quick dry /camping towel

-quick dry socks / underclothes

-sweater or light sweatshirt

-bathing suit(s)

FOOTWEAR

-comfortable sandals or flip flops

-waterproof boots

-amphibious sneakers

HEALTH

-mosquito net

-snake bite kit (I didn't bring one, but seems like a good idea to have on hand when hiking in the rainforest)

-repellent & anti-itch cream

-antihistamines (for reactions to bug bites)

- sunscreen and aloe (expensive to buy here)

-malaria pills (optional - I didn't need them for CR, but my friends traveling around Central America did)

-antibiotic such as Cipro

MISC.

- money belt

- flashlight

-1-2 heavy-duty umbrellas

-rechargable batteries

-digital camera

-sunglasses

FOR STUDENTS

-laptop

-compact external hard drive

-flash drive

-roomy backpack

Extreme Sports in Costa Rica

I definitely knew before coming here that Costa Rica was the Land of Adventure Sports I've Never Tried Before. I didn't necessarily draw up a checklist of activities to try, but have nonetheless experienced a great many new things, including some that I didn't expect. Here's a run-down of my daredevil antics so far (some should sound familiar, others not!):

1. Soaked in volcanic hot springs. OK, this may not technically be an extreme sport, but talk to someone who accidentally dipped his whole leg in the 46 degree C pool and you may change your mind. (San Carlos, October/December, 2007)


2. Went snorkeling in a coral reef. For $20, we got gear and a guide in a small boat with a clip-on motor. I saw hundreds of colorful tropical fish, the ocean floor, and was 10 feet from a nurse shark! (Playa Cahuita, October 2007)


3. Picked coffee. We braved the fields with the other guests workers and picked like crazy. At the end of the morning, 18 of us had produced three large baskets of beans and only about $5 in wages to show for it.


4. Went horseback riding. Yes, my whole family saddled up, we had to direct our own horses, and we splashed through a small river. No, none of us had ever ridden a horse before. (La Fortuna, December 2007)


5. Zip-lined in the cloud forest. This was another adventure with the whole family. We whizzed through 9 canopies, hundreds of feet in the air, connected by dizzying platforms. Especially proud of Mom and Dad for trying this! (La Fortuna, December 2007)


6. Hiked toward a volcano. They wouldn't actually let us approach the volcano, but we clambered over a rocky lava spill from the early 90s and listened to Arenal rumble and spew steam. (La Fortuna, December 2007)


7. Went white-water rafting. Two friends who were visiting from the States invited me on their trip and we had quite the Kodak moment -- orchestrated by our "friendly" guide! (Quepos, February 2008).


8. Dodged a venomous snake. Two friends and I were walking down a rocky hill together, illuminated by only the beam of my small flashlight. "Let's watch out for snakes!" I joked. My friends told me to stop the fear-mongering, and then we spotted it straight in front of us -- a long, thin rope...with a pattern...and a black tongue. One friend jumped over the Terciopelo (read: most dangerous snake in Costa Rica) and the other took a photo as it slithered away. (Playa Esterillos, February 2008)


9. Took a surfing lesson. It's like boogie boarding - only it requires some additional finesse, balance, arm strength, determination, practice...hey I was able to stand up once at least! (Playa Esterillos, February 2008)



10. Saved a baby sea turtle. Well, we're not sure we saved it, given the high mortality rate for newborn sea turtles. But we rescued it from the blazing sand and coaxed it back into the waves. Last I saw, he had his head held high and was giving it another shot. (Playa Esterillos, February 2008)

To be continued...

An Afternoon in Ciudad Colón

My favorite time to walk around Ciudad Colón is the afternoon. ¿Cómo les explico?

Now that it’s dry season, the temperature is perfect (no rain!), with a gentle breeze. On my walk home I pass each brightly-painted house, typically with at least one fruit-laden tree outside and someone sitting in a chair on the front porch, with nothing to do except relax and wait for the sunset. I hear a child practicing his instrument – sometimes a xylophone, other times a recorder. It’s coffee hour – so almost everyone is brewing a pot of the famous Tico coffee to share, along with fresh bread and maybe cheese. People have places to go and things to buy, but no one seems to be in a hurry. I get home and camp out on my host family’s porch and hear a bell jingling as the perrito comes out to greet me. The little fluffy white poodle, Suki, paws on my leg hopefully.

Time is flying here, so I’m trying to accomplish some goals before I leave in June. The students in the Asia/UPEACE program are leaving in a week so I want to spend time with them before they go! In fact, I want to spend time getting to know as many people from other cultures as I can – I may never have another opportunity to do so.

I thoroughly enjoyed my elective course – Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector—and when I presented my business plan, I got the most “investment money” (photocopied Canadian bills) from my classmates. This bodes well for my proposal, which I actually want to bring to fruition as a thesis project! I am planning to create a networking website to connect young people around the world. Now I need to figure out the nuts and bolts, and find the funding. (If you’re on Facebook, you can vote to help me win $1000 for the project in a grant competition!)

The Interact Club at the local High School that Dorothee and I founded has elected officers and is in the planning stages for their first big fundraiser: a soccer competition. They are a motivated, thoughtful bunch of students – we are lucky! We still need to complete the application to officially become an Interact Club in the eyes of Rotary International but I think we’re well on the way.

I participated in the Rotary Project Fair in San José at the end of January where visiting Rotarians to Costa Rica could decide to collaborate on projects in Costa Rica. I contributed a project idea that would benefit the Women’s Collective that the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation started in la Carpio, a poor slum in Costa Rica, and I hope that a club decides to pick up the project. We were invited to the Rotary Microcredit dinner as well, and I made some good connections in that field.

Dorothee and I with another Rotary Club president and his wife (also work at UPEACE!)

My host club's booth at the Rotary Project Fair

I am currently reading “Banker to the Poor,” the autobiography by Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus. I decided that other than fantasy, my favorite books are about self-improvement and social entrepreneurs. Yep, send any literature suggestions my way.

I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with my host family since they got back from their holiday in El Salvador. I am proud to admit that my host sister, brother, and his wife are now hooked on Veronica Mars (with Spanish subtitles). Other recent adventures include checking out la Sábana, the huge green park in San José with sport fields, playgrounds, a pool, horseback riding, ziplines, and more! Also, celebrating Ceci’s birthday (host bro’s wife) with Che’s pizza and cake. Yum.

Ice cream with my host sister and her best friend

Maria and I play around in the park

Ceci's 20th birthday

A beach trip is definitely in order…my weekends have been filled up with work and other local commitments recently but I have a few longer breaks – and some special visitors – coming soon!

Home for the Holidays

I feel a bit like I'm stuck in a time warp - I'm back home in Virginia for Christmas and somehow I missed Fall and the trees are bare and it's cold outside. At the same time, my messy desk is just the way I left it and I hear all the same songs on the radio. I can't have been gone too long.

Still, I've accomplished a lot in the last couple months before coming home for break -- Dorothee (Rotary Scholar from Switzerland) and I have been organizing joint initiatives with the local high school, Liceo de Ciudad Colón. For the school's first English Day, we invited UPEACE students from around the world to give interactive presentations for the high schoolers. We wrote up an article about the activity, which was published in El Jícaro, the community's newspaper.

UPEACE student Willy from Rwanda bonds with some Liceo students after giving a presentation

Also, we've been working with the school's director to get an Interact Club off the ground, which my Alajuela Rotary Club has volunteered to sponsor. Although Liceo has few extracurricular clubs and evidently low student motivation, we haven't had any trouble finding interested students (with the help of homemade chocolate chip cookies) to come check out the club. Dorothee led our first service activity on Monday, December 17th, in which the students went to the local nursing home and brought some cheer to the residents with Christmas cards, singing and dancing. We plan to have officer elections in January and to turn most of the administrative duties over to the students themselves.

Interact Christmas party at Casa de Ancianos

In mid-November I had the opportunity to pick coffee with a group of 18 UPEACE students. We wore insect repellent, boots, hats and long pants and spread out to explore the coffee fields that our bus passes every morning on the way to school. The local pickers supervised our work (we needed to pick all the red beans, even those that were halfway red or shriveled and even the ones that fell on the ground). Oh and watch out for snakes.

We picked for just a few hours in the morning and the work was enjoyable since the day was sunny and breezy. When it was time to go, we gathered our burlap sacks together to see how much money we made. Eighteen of us filled almost three large baskets of coffee beans, worth about 2700 colones total (or a little over $5). With a newfound respect for the speed and dedication of the local pickers (mostly Nicaraguan guest workers) who stripped branches, rain or shine, we donated our small earnings to them.

Showing off our small but hard-earned sacks of coffee beans

Speaking of seasonal crops, I met a team of American documentary filmmakers who have received a generous grant to expose abuses in the banana industry in Central America. American companies, including Dole and Chiquita Banana, have been guilty of using poisonous pesticides that affect the health and fertility of their workers. The filmmakers have been subject to intimidation and worse during their time here -- please check out their website and follow their research.

At the end of November I had my first visitor - Patrick! We made the most of his short visit to Costa Rica - spending time on UPEACE campus, cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my host family, and soaking in the hot springs in San Carlos.

December 1st was my host brother's wedding. It continues to be a special experience to be welcomed into the Pocasangre family and it was great sharing that exciting day with them! Here's a photo of the family all together (the groom, Gerardo, is covered in money because during a traditional dance, guests take turns pinning Colones bills on the bride and groom to help pay for their expenses and honeymoon).

The groom and his family

I need to thank the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation and especially Gail the director for another incredible experience. Gail invited myself and two other UPEACE students to the Chirripo indigenous reservation. She picked us up early in her van and we took the scenic route over the mountains and through the banana plantations to the reservation (making a pit stop at a hidden but gem of an open-air restaurant that served stellar coffee, tamales & tilapia.) At the reservation, many local women were gathered under the community pavilion that, along with a new pulpería (small general store), CRHF had helped construct. Since CRHF and some other humanitarian groups started investing efforts into the community, there have been significant improvements in indigenous health and happiness. The newest project, for which I'd like to solicit a Rotary grant, is to build a series of clinics on the property to help make healthcare more accessible. We helped pass out donations of boots and blankets to the community members gathered there, and then we all shared a pot of arroz con pollo (rice and chicken). We were able to take a hike to the newly renovated local school and marvel at the beautiful scenery and also at a newborn baby calf. Then we cooled off in the river (the bottom was covered with the most colorful smooth stones that I had to steal a few to bring home).

Chirripo women and children gathered together

To see more pictures from the Chirripo reservation visit, please look at my Facebook album.

In terms of academics, I have been able to choose very interesting research topics for my last few classes. I examined the Media Ethics of the war in Chechnya and was even able to interview a Human Rights expert who works on the issue in Russia over Skype. For my UN seminar I explored the Responsibility to Protect citizens whose rights are being violated by their own governments in a short paper. I will focus on hate speech and extremism in an essay for my Media and the Rwanda Genocide class.

I had a welcome interruption from my pursuit of knowledge when my family visited on December 16th! It was a wonderful bonding experience to travel the country together for a week, enjoying the warm weather, horseback riding, tackling nine canopy ziplines, hiking Arenal volcano, relaxing in the hot springs, seeing the wildlife in the Manuel Antonio park and taking a brief but lovely swim in the Pacific.

Family horseback riding

We made it home a couple days before Christmas and I am so grateful to be surrounded by loved ones again! There is no better place to celebrate Christmas than at home. I will be here until January 9th so I hope to see many of you!

Peace and blessings to all in the New Year.

A Dream Come True

Last night I dreamed I was standing on a sidewalk in Costa Rica, fingering beautiful long necklaces and handmade jewelry, trying to decide which to buy. As I was happily coming to a conclusion, I was rudely awakened at by my alarm: 6:15 a.m. Seven hours is not enough sleep for me – but a necessary sacrifice for my soon-to-be twice-weekly morning walks with Nkirote, my friend from Kenya. We met at the pulpería (mini-market) at the northern end of Ciudad Colon to walk to campus. We got a late start – actually 20 minutes late – and really had to hoof it to campus today. From the pulpería, it’s a 6.5 kilometer walk to UPEACE along hilly winding roads flanked by rainforest and coffee plantations. For once, it wasn’t a sunny morning, and rather overcast with a strong breeze –nice walking weather. Also the wind is a sign that the dry season is finally on its way. The walk is beautiful, and energizes us, at least until about midway through our three hour classes. I also enjoy our conversations – we talk about everything from weddings to machismo to FGM in Africa (Nkirote’s thesis topic).

Once on campus, I check on the progress of my fundraiser for Costa Rican flood victims, of whom there have been many this rainy season. My first idea was to set out a labeled box for collections: non-perishable food, toiletries and the like –but unfortunately it got mistaken for a trash can and the staff threw it out twice. I was inspired to take a different approach. I remembered one of my favorite fundraisers during high school which was Penny Wars. Basically, each class, from Freshmen to Seniors had a locker to dump their change into. Pennies were positive points and silver change and dollars were negative – so you would put pennies in your own locker and other change in the other classes’ lockers to lower their points. We’d get so mad if someone stuck $20 bill in our locker! I don’t even remember what we were raising money for but I do remember that it was fun and extremely competitive.

So I decided to introduce the same concept at UPEACE - instead of classes, I divided us into 5 departments (including Faculty & Staff); instead of lockers I got permission to use big water bottles; instead of Penny Wars it’s called Colones Wars. Silver colones are positive points, and bronze and paper are negative. So – I sent an email explaining the concept, labeled the bottles, and crossed my fingers that people would understand the objective and participate. The first day was last Thursday, and I had volunteers bring the bottles into their classrooms. My media class got into the spirit immediately, cleaning out their silver change in our bottle and running across the hallway to the Law class to dump their “negative” change. From the screams of protest I knew that people were getting fired up for the cause! Of course, due to the language barrier some people didn’t get the concept at first, but by the end of the day I think most people figured it out. The response from students and staff was positive – here’s a cute email my friend Yoko sent me:

“Michelle, I think what you are doing is great. In the classes, we learn a lot, but not many of us take action. Even though each of us can make only small change, it definitely counts!”

After two days I tallied the standings, and we had made 19,275 colones, or almost $40. The last day of the competition is this Friday – and I get to make homemade chocolate chip cookies over the weekend for the department with the most points!

I’ve had a couple really nice weekend trips recently – the first was to Cahuita on the Caribbean coast. Unlike the rest of Costa Rica, la Caribe is sunny and hothothot. I went with my friend Cindy and Megan, another Rotary Scholar. We sampled the Caribbean cooking (the coconut milk and Caribbean spices were a welcome change for our taste buds), went snorkeling in the open sea over Coral Reefs (a first for me – and I spotted a nurse shark!), and hiked through Cahuita national park with the monkeys. The park runs parallel to the calm, picturesque beach - with swooping palm trees and clear warm ocean water. We took breaks to just float in the water (careful not to step on the live sea dollars!), which was as warm as a bathtub. Relaxing!

Again ready to take a break from Ciudad Colón, I took a trip this past weekend to the hot springs in Ciudad Quesada. We found an affordable resort that turned out to have great facilities. Clean rooms, big tico breakfast included, surrounded by peaceful farmland. To reach the hot springs we had to descend about a half mile into a rainforest and found steaming springs in natural stone pools – so great to step into (we were soaked from the afternoon rain). Other highlights: the bar, the aromatic sauna, and the massage hut with the rain drumming on the tin roof. Ahhhhhhh.

Today after class, I got a chance to fulfill one of my goals: connect with the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation, which I had found online before coming here. The founder and director is Gail Nystrum, an Arlington, VA native who was a Peace Corps Volunteer here in the 70s and then wanted to stay and make a difference. She has done everything from help resocialize children traumatized by the war in El Salvador to foster Costa Rican street kids to help pull an indigenous community out of poverty. I am amazed and inspired by the humble yet vital work she does here on a shoestring budget (she relies entirely on volunteers and donations). A group of UPEACE students and I took a trip out to see one of her projects this afternoon: a community called La Promesa (“the promise”). It is a crowded community of simple, cookie cutter houses that has a pretty amazing story. The inhabitants were Costa Rican’s forgotten people: abused, drug-addicted, and poor (mostly) women and their children. The women had previously lived in a slum but had been promised land in a valley to start a low-income community by Costa Rican’s government years ago. Short story is, the wealthy citizens who lived above the valley put pressure on the government to kick the people out. The government created hoop after hoop for the people to jump through, and finally came in the middle of the night in riot gear to forcibly evict the community, then bulldozed their homes. The women didn’t give up, and with the help of the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation secured a different piece of land not far from Ciudad Colón to rebuild their community. Although many are still poor and some unable to work, this change has breathed new life into the community. Each family got its own house and piece of land. Gail helped them build a community center, a small school, and a sustainable, therapeutic way of generating income. The women learned how to make crafts, cook, dance, and deal with conflict constructively. Today, one group of the women performed a skit for us and then various dances, and introduced us to their neighborhood. One woman shared that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant and living with her boyfriend’s family, but generally doing well. She said that a decade ago, a young woman in that situation would have been rejected by her family, but now it’s “all about support.” I learned that abortions are illegal in Costa Rica, but rarely, if ever, sought out. “It doesn’t even cross people’s minds [to do that],” one of the women said. Outside the community center, little children were playing on the swingset and getting hugs from their moms and I pondered the strides the community had made. We walked up the hill to a tent where women and young boys were manning tables of handmade crafts, including jewelry. I fingered the delicately made necklaces of shells and bracelets of seeds. I chose my selections carefully: a necklace of white rounded seeds, a ring made from coconut, two bracelets made of intricately sewn together watermelon seeds, and a wooden bracelet with images of the virgin Mary and Joseph. I went home happy.

Desayuno Tico

I'm straying from my regular bi-monthly posts to share a success: I made a Tico (Costa Rican) breakfast today!

It consisted of Gallo Pinto - a mix of black beans, rice, peppers and onions (& the secret is in the Lizano sauce - mmm), fresh cheese, avocado, and tomato. Filling and good for you too! I had been worried about eating authentic food when I moved into my own apartment, but my experiments have been turning out well. :)

Here's a recipe for Gallo Pinto from http://ticofood.blogspot.com/2006/06/gallo-pinto-recipe.html!

1 lb (450 gr.) Black beans. Fresh are best but most likely you’ll find them dried.
8-10 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen.
1 small or medium onion
½ small red or yellow sweet pepper (optional)
3 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water
2 cups (350 ml) white rice
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
1-3 Tablespoon oil to fry the Gallo Pinto

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. Drain the beans and add fresh water to an inch (2.5-cm) above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft (~3 hours).

Chop cilantro, onion, and sweet pepper very fine.

Add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large pan and sauté the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half of the chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro and sauté another 2 minutes. Add water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer until rice is tender (20-35 minutes). This is also the recipe for Tico rice used in other favorites like tamales.

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can refrigerate or freeze them. Keep a significant amount of the “black water” with the beans (½-1 cup 120-240 ml). This is what gives the rice its color and some of its flavor. Sauté the rice, beans reserved chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro together in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can also refrigerate or freeze them. Make up small batches of Gallo Pinto when you want it by simply sautéing them together.

In Guanacaste they sometimes use small very hot red peppers instead of or in addition to the sweet. Some people add a tablespoon or so of salsa Lizano or Chilera to the beans while they're cooking.

¿Sí o No?

As of September 21^st , this is the longest time I have lived outside of the USA. Now, I am going on two months in Costa Rica! It is nice to be able to get into a daily rhythm and get comfortable in my town, but at the same time to know that I’m not running out of time to see the sights of Costa Rica.

Today was the last day of my introductory course in Media, Conflict and Peace Studies. We’re going to miss our awesome professor, Alvaro Sierra, who guided us through our course. Mr. Sierra has been a journalist for over 25 years, is a senior editor of El Tiempo in Bogotá, Colombia, and also has had experience working in China and covering the fall of the Soviet Union. He was also president of the board of directors of Medios para La Paz (Media for Peace), a major Colombian NGO of journalists working with local reporters on conflict coverage and training. He’s helped open up our minds to the complexity of world conflicts, intercultural and gender sensitivity, and media influence on conflicts, terrorism, and peace. I delved further into the Northern Ireland conflict for my presentation and focused on the role of the media throughout the conflict and during its (continuing) resolution.

The Media, Peace and Conflict Studies cohort is an intimate one – just 10 students, which makes for some good discussion and sharing of personal examples. I am on the younger side of the group and one of two Americans. The average age is 28 and a half, and the other students come from Romania, Egypt, Rwanda, New Zealand, Kenya, Malawi, Ethiopia, and Cameroon. It is interesting and at times unsettling to hear the perceptions of the USA from someone else’s point of view, especially when it comes to our handling of the Iraq War. We have been studying the US government’s tight control of both the media and embedded journalists during the war -- something that I didn’t notice at much while it was happening.

I’ve been having a great time getting to know my new host family, who has adopted me as one of their “hijas” even though I technically live in an adjoining apartment. They are always offering me home-cooked food and on Sunday, invited me to a nearby convent for a birthday celebration. My host mom’s adoptive mother is a nun, and she turned 86. So we all had cake and relaxed by the garden:

Top: My host sister hugging her grandmother & Below: the outside of the convent in Alajuelita

On the Rotary front, a fellow UPAZ Rotary Scholar from Switzerland, Dorothee, and I will be meeting with some high school administrators soon to talk about the feasibility of creating an Interact Club in Ciudad Colon. It’s a question of whether we can find enough dedicated students, but if we get this up and running hopefully we this will be a project that we can pass on to Rotary Scholars at UPAZ each year. I met up with another scholar who lives in Heredia: Megan Nelson. She’s been here since January and is a great contact to have – we might make a trip together to the Caribbean coast this weekend! Her blog is http://megannelson.blogspot.com/. Megan lives right above the Sí headquarters for the TLC referendum that was up for vote on Sunday.

Speaking of the referendum, this was an important moment in Costa Rica’s history. TLC stands for Tratado de Libre Comercio, or free trade with the United States and the rest of Central America. Costa Rica has been debating this issue for about 5 years, as the population is really divided about the wording of the agreement and who it will benefit. I accompanied my host sister to the city high school as she voted yesterday and passed the two camps full of promotional materials for their cause.

Supporters of the Si Vote

Supporters of the No Vote

Well, the votes are in and the referendum passed. Here are the results:

http://www.aldia.co.cr/especiales/2007/estadisticasReferendo2007/

I heard honks and cheers on Sunday while I was at Mass, and came home to find my host family disappointed. The “No” team is calling for a recount.

Today was especially exciting because I got three packages from three of my best friends! Kat, thanks for all the chocolate! Good chocolate is hard to find here, so that put a big smile on my face. I've basically already demolished the "Raspberries in Dark Chocolate - 55% Cocoa." Mmm. Patrick - now that I have a fancy Skype headset I should be much more intelligible! Thanks for the hi-tech gear! And Mom thanks for taking care of everything else. I love you all!