It's been a full week to add to my time here in Costa Rica! From my last post until now, I have experienced festivals, parades, traveling across the country, visiting elementary and high schools, and relaxing on the beach. It's been a week full of new experiences, and I have enjoyed learning more about the traditions of Costa Rica and the future work I'll be doing after my three months of training.
Last weekend, San Isidro celebrated the 110th anniversary of the town. There were events all weekend, including a parade! Intricately painted ox carts filled the streets. A mixture of reds, oranges, yellows, and blues decorated the wooden carts with flowers and painted patterns. The carts were pulled by bueyes (oxen) and guided by boyeros (ox herder). The painted ox carts are a traditional Costa Rican craft.
Last weekend, San Isidro celebrated the 110th anniversary of the town. There were events all weekend, including a parade! Intricately painted ox carts filled the streets. A mixture of reds, oranges, yellows, and blues decorated the wooden carts with flowers and painted patterns. The carts were pulled by bueyes (oxen) and guided by boyeros (ox herder). The painted ox carts are a traditional Costa Rican craft.
The following Friday, Costa Rica celebrated the Annexation of Guanacaste. In 1824, the Costa Rican province of Guanacaste became part of Costa Rica. Costa Rica celebrates this day with school programs, dances, and typical Costa Rican foods. As part of our Spanish class, we visited a local elementary school and watched the students perform dances in typical clothing. As part of the school-wide celebration, our group of PC volunteers became part of the program, as we were encouraged to participate in a new dance. In the dance, we made a circle, with one person in the middle. The person in the middle was "it," and by the clap of their hands, we danced in a circle to the right and to the left. One clap signaled to switch directions, and two claps signaled to find a another person for a partner dance. Each time, one person was left without a partner, and they were the new "it." It was entertaining and funny, and it was fun to be part of the program. | This is my "host nephew" ready to go to his kindergarten program for the Guanacaste celebration, wearing Costa Rican typical clothing. |
After a week full of celebrations and classes, I left my training community with another trainee to visit a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV). We traveled southwest to a beach town called Quepos. The volunteer we visited lives just outside Quepos, and we stayed with her and her host family for four days. It was exciting to visit a volunteer in-action. We learned a lot, and enjoyed seeing the volunteer's projects in person. The volunteer showed us her community, and we "shadowed" her work-day. We attended a few meetings, visited two elementary schools in her community, and attended an adult English class. It was helpful to see where our training will take us someday. Of course, all volunteer experiences are different, it was interesting to see her integration in her community and to learn about the resources available. I was happy Peace Corps provided this opportunity so that we can understand and visualize an idea of what our training will one day look like.
Although we learned a lot during our PCV visit, it wasn't all work with no play. We got to go to the beach! Quepos is a touristy area outside of San Antonio National Park. We traveled by bus to the beach and spent all day playing in the waves. This part of Costa Rica was very hot! 90+ degrees with full humidity! It was nice to take some time to cool down, relax, and explore a new area of the country. Below are some pictures of the beach and our trip!
Although we learned a lot during our PCV visit, it wasn't all work with no play. We got to go to the beach! Quepos is a touristy area outside of San Antonio National Park. We traveled by bus to the beach and spent all day playing in the waves. This part of Costa Rica was very hot! 90+ degrees with full humidity! It was nice to take some time to cool down, relax, and explore a new area of the country. Below are some pictures of the beach and our trip!