Building Homes & Hope in Haiti: Habitat for Humanity & the Carter Works Project

Dear Friends and Family,

For the past three years, I have worked in Family Services with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, assisting families on their journey to homeownership.

This November, I will be taking a different route... in Haiti.  Instead of financial counseling and application management, I will be swinging a hammer as a participant Habitat for Humanity’s 29th annual Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. 

President and Mrs. Carter and approximately 600 volunteers will live in tents and work in partnership with families to build their homes and rebuild their lives after the terrible destruction left by the 2010 earthquake. Habitat plans to build 100 permanent houses in just one week, and I have committed to do my part to help.

I will be working in the Santo community of Léogâne. Just 18 miles from Port-au-Prince, Léogâne is considered to be the epicenter of the earthquake. Nearly 90 percent of its buildings were damaged or destroyed. With your support, I will help Habitat build houses for families left homeless by the earthquake. 

I have a goal of raising $5,000. This donation will support the Carter Work Project and continued rebuilding in Haiti. Your gift is an investment in the city of Léogâne and in the families who still struggle to survive each day. 

Please join me in supporting the people of Haiti with a gift of $10 or more. If 500 people give just $10, I will reach my goal.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Best Regards,

mari.

Tough real estate market inspires creativity all around | ajc.com

Last summer, I purchased a condo in downtown Atlanta.  Like they say, "there's never been a better time to buy..."  Welcome to homeownership!    -mari.

By Tammy Joyner and Rachel Tobin
, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


The housing market’s continuing funk — by some measures getting worse, not better — has metro Atlantans using a grab-bag of creative strategies to buy, sell or just tread water so they can make a career move.

Hyosub Shin, hshin@ajc.comMaricarmen Smith-Martinez had about $36,000 of her Twelve Centennial Park condo's mortgage covered by a tax allocation district perk.

• Renting out a property has become the end-run around the market’s chokehold on mobility. More homeowners are turning to real estate agents to keep an eye on their homes, not sell them. Homeowners typically rent out their homes so they can buy or rent somewhere else. This has created a new line of property management work for the real estate industry.For instance:

• Home-staging has increased in popularity as a tool — and a necessity — for selling homes now that a yard sign and a quick sweep of the front steps won’t get the job done. Today, clearing clutter and redecorating in neutral hues and designs is key to finding potential buyers.

• Consumers and real estate professionals alike are embracing all sorts of technology. Virtual home tours are de rigueur. A twist on barcodes called QR lets people check out a home on a cellphone or other mobile device. Multiple listing services are not only helping consumers find homes but financial help as well.

• With stricter mortgage requirements in place, little-known federal and local programs are emerging as rich uncles for would-be home buyers, and not just for those with low income or first-time home buyers.

“It’s like trying to find buried treasure,” said Rob Chrane, president and founder of Workforce Resources, a 3-year-old Atlanta company that connects people with hard-to-find financial resources.

In metro Atlanta two to three dozen home-buying assistance programs are available, Chrane said. Real estate agents use down-payment assistance programs to market homes. A first-time homebuyer in metro Atlanta could be eligible for help on a home worth up to $300,000. And if you are interested in buying property built with tax breaks, there are deals too.

David Stevenson bought a move-in-ready, three-bedroom, two-bath 1,400-square-foot home in Rex for $55,000 under the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program, set up in 2009 to help communities deal with foreclosures.

Stevenson used the $5,000 he got through the program to pay his closing costs.

The program targets educators, medical personnel, police officers, fire fighters and military families and requires at least a $500 down-payment, good credit and other criteria. (Information: hudnsphelp.info)

“I’ve been so happy. I’ve been telling all my friends about the program and how great it is,” said Stevenson, 51, a quality assurance technician for QuikTrip Kitchens who stumbled upon the NSP program while house-hunting.

To date, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in Clayton has acquired 130 foreclosed homes using the $9.7 million it got from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development program. Sixty-eight of those homes, mostly in stable neighborhoods, have been sold. More than dozen others are under contract as of early June.

“NSP is the best deal you have going right now,” said David Barton of Academy Properties in McDonough. “They’re usually the best-priced, best-looking homes on the market. They’ve got warranties on the home. They’ve already been appraised and every county got a certain portion of funds determined by the amount of foreclosures.”

Maricarmen Smith-Martinez saved money when she moved from Tucker into her $119,000, 13th floor, 742-square-foot condo in downtown Atlanta’s Twelve Centennial Park. The original price was $155,000, but $36,000 of her mortgage was covered by a “tax allocation district” perk because her building was built using tax credits. Those tax credits come with strings attached, however. She can’t move, sell or rent it out for a while. The 28-year-old first- time buyer was willing to take the risk.

“I am glad I purchased,” she said. “I love my home.”

Still, the difficult market makes a sale impossible for some homeowners.

John and Katherin DeLeon turned to Sandra McCrary to manage their Henry County home when they got orders to move to Fort Bragg, N.C. last year because of the closing of Atlanta’s Fort McPherson.

They thought about trying to sell but decided against that when a foreclosure popped up in their neighborhood.

The DeLeons had a couple renting the home within two weeks of signing on with McCrary, managing broker with ReMax Advantage in Henry.

“She found exactly what I was looking for: an elderly couple who like to do yard work and were handy around the house,” Katherine DeLeon said.

McCrary spends most of her time managing properties in Clayton and Henry counties, hard hit by foreclosures and savage value declines.

“I’m tired of telling people how much their houses are not worth,” she said.

For homeowners intent on selling, staging is a popular strategy.

Colleen Cardone recently snared a buyer for her Roswell home four months after it went on the market. She feels the free home staging service offered by the broker, the Katz Crew in Alpharetta, gave her the edge.

“Staging has made the house better and more appealing to potential buyers,” she said. Her house is under contract.

“The use of home staging has doubled in the last year and so has the number of people getting trained to become professional home stagers,” said Barb Schwartz, founder of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals in Brentwood, Calif. She said membership has doubled in the past two years.

New Leaders Council Atlanta

Dear Friends, Colleagues, & Volunteers,

It is my pleasure to invite you to attend a fundraiser benefitting the New Leaders Council, an organization formed to train and support the next generation of progressive political entrepreneurs. I had the honor to be selected as an NLC Fellow for the 2011 NLC Institute of Atlanta.

I have shared this experience with a group of talented professionals committed to progressive social change. We have been charged to ensure that next year’s Fellows have the same opportunity available to our class. We will be hosting a fundraiser event, the Progressive Stars of Atlanta, on Tuesday, May 10th at the Commerce Club in downtown Atlanta, honoring progressive leaders in our city.

Please consider attending the fundraiser (Admission: $25 General or $50 VIP) or making a donation to the cause. If interested, the attached document outlines sponsorship opportunities, but also provides more information about the NLC and its vision.

To purchase tickets or contribute with a donation, please go our website:
www.newleaderscouncil.org/fundraisers/tickets/atl (Please include my name in the REFERRED BY section)

This has been an amazing experience for me and I invite you to be a part of it! I appreciate your support!

Best Regards,
Maricarmen.

PC Blues - Granada

Leaving Barcelona all too soon, I headed to Andalucia, having never before traveled in south Spain. I was told that la Alhambra is the place to go, so I hopped a train to Granada.

With so much Moorish history, the Alhambra has a quite a distinct Arab influence, from its market products to its palace decor... spices line the streets and arabesques, an Islamic art form applying repeating geometric patterns, decorates the walls of the Alhambra, meaning "red fortress," named for the red clay from which it was constructed in the 14th century. Outside the fortress, most curious are the caves along the old fortress wall, formerly inhabited by the gypsies or Gitanos. Currently many are still inhabited. I accidentally walked into several yards and nearly walked into the doorway of a house, mistakenly believing I was on a path down the mountain! After a tour of the grand palace itself, a fortress that has housed both Muslim and Spanish Christian rulers, I left the land of flamenco and gitano culture for Madrid...

Pictured: spices from the local market, Spanish ceramics with Moorish influence, a cave house, Mari sitting across the valley from the fortress, and a typical house of Granada, decor and fountains inside La Alhambra, Mari at one of the Alhambra courtyards, a window view of Granada, and two scenes from the train ride to Madrid: the "man of the mountain" and "castle on a hill."

Post Peace Corps Blues

Returning to consistent electricity and running (hot) water, food variety, and pavement sounds easy. In reality, as any RPCV knows, readjustment is a tough process. While leaving dusty/muddy roads and endless amounts of rice and beans can seem enticing, the blatant commercialism of all things American really explodes upon re-entry to the States. Physical luxury and comfort is nice, but being an integral part of your community is something irreplaceable.

Having survived exactly 18 days Stateside and feeling an urgent need to move, I decided that instead of dealing with these issues, I would escape… this time to Europe. While preparing to visit friends and family, travel to Andalucia (southern Spain) for the first time, meet a high school friend to run with the bulls in Pamplona, and fly out of Lisbon after a few days in Portugal, I had no idea that my trip would be so radically altered...

To start off the big adventure to forget my adventures, I few into Barcelona, where I met up with my cousins Lorena and Ramon, excellent hosts who showed me what is was like to be Spanish in such an international city. During my first days in Spain, I spoke more English than Spanish, spending time with people from Holland, Hungary, France, Australia, etc.! Exploring new territory, I opted out of the typical Gaudi tour and Sagrada Familia, heading to the Joan Miro Museum and the Poble Espanol, a touristic village created in replica of traditional and historic architecture from all around the country.

Many thanks to Lorena for transportation on the back of her scooter and to Ramon for a great place to stay!

View of Barcelona from the Palacio Montjuic.

The Palacio Montjuic at night.

View of the Sagrada Familia from the Palacio.

My cousin Ramon, who lived with me and my family in Florida for a year when I was a kid.

A place called Paradise...

After spending the past 27 months in the rural farmland of a paradise otherwise known as Costa Rica, I have returned to the U.S. of A. to be with my family. (And maybe get a job to boot!) Today marks two weeks since returning to Florida and somehow leaving unreliable electricity and water supply, cold showers, choke-on-dust roads (or waddle-in-mud, depending on the season) was a big challenge! Of course, my biggest challenge was leaving the people who welcomed me into their towns, their homes, and their hearts. Together, I know that the projects we undertook and the work we accomplished has changed the structure of the community itself and laid foundations for further development.

I struggled with the tough decision of extending service, but in the end I stayed only a few weeks after finishing with the Peace Corps. It was incredibly hard to say goodbye. I miss it terribly… and in some ways, I probably always will. I loved living in Costa Rica and being a part of the pura vida, but not even paradise is perfect.

Pictured are a few photo highlights from this year.

As for the future, I am applying for a Rotary Foundation scholarship (Master’s in Int'l Relations, U. del Salvador in Argentina), but decisions are not until later this year. Meanwhile, I will take a few weeks to visit family and friends in Spain. And if you live near Atlanta, NYC, or the United States capitol, stay tuned!

I want to thank my friends and neighbors, the people of my towns - Jabillo, La Y Griega, Juan de Leon, Las Pampas, Coyote - for their food, for caring for me, for providing an outsider with home and family. I’d like to thank you all as well, those who have supported me and helped me through my challenges and trials. I leave fulfilled, taking with me the knowledge of a leader and treasuring the memories of a lifetime. I arrived a stranger and I leave as the Gringa de Jabillo.

Fast Foward to 2008

In 2006 I wrote twice as many blogs as 2007, so here's a short version of events since last September! That month, I organized a series of events to fundraise for urgently needed reparations to the local health post, where a doctor visits once or twice a month. Water flows from the inside out in heavy rains, but the Area Health Clinic refused to finance the project. So the Health Center Committee took it upon themselves to raise some money and made over $1,2000 with activities like the Reinado picture below. The crowned queens searched for sponsors to support the health center. Unfortunately the Area Health Clinic owns the local health post property and denied the Committee's formal request to fix the building (with their own money), even though the Clinic refused to fix it themselves. Somehow they still retain the right to refuse medical service due to inadequate conditions of the post. Ugh, bureaucracy!

After riding in the back of a cow truck for nearly 60 kms, I got on this panga with more people than you can see in the picture and travelled to some futbol games in Isla Venada, where it rained and the other women's soccer team didn't show up (I'm sure it wasn't the rain, they were just scared of us). What a waste of my new cleats!
Chicas Poderosas! These girls participated in a series of workshops designed to empower young girls with tools in good self-esteem, decision-making, self-confidence, and friendship. They invited their mothers to participate in an end-of-the-program party where they designed and crafted picture frames.The second Halloween in Jabillo! This year, I encouraged neighbors to buy their own candy so I didn't have to! We even had some real costumes. And the kids celebrated with the traditional bobbing for apples...

And of course, the second ever Halloween with the kids in La Y Griega!

I went to see these people in November. (Some not pictured.) I even baked them a turkey for the family Thanksgiving and they all said it was good, even though I cooked it upsidedown. They must really like me.

One of my towns, La Y Griega, formed its own Development Association. They didn't ask for my help before they started but have since learned the error of their ways and seek guidance in organizational and legal aspects.

I would have exciting pictures of the awesome "Kids Forever" Christmas Party in Jabillo (complete with a reggaeton-dancing Santa in his spanking new suit!) but someone stole my camara and I only had a disposable. Well, that wraps up 2007, thanks for being patient!

It's not a lab, it's not a desk... it's a cow field!

Rural community development is not conventional job. You can’t measure my work by the standards you measure your doctor, your lawyer, or your broker. To cast doubts is normal, if not expected. I have my own. Every day that I awake in Costa Rica I wonder: Do I really need to go to that meeting? Does the group understand why we need a budget? Are the kids learning anything from my classes? Will I do anything sustainable today? and Is it worth it?

You know what? Every day I answer myself: Yes, Very slowly, Sí, Possibly, and Definitely.

Sharing my exciting adventures (and also the mundane activities) is important to me and I appreciate that you tune in to learn about them! But I can write until my fingers bleed and I can talk until your ears fall off. I can try to explain how I live but some aspects must be lived to be understood.

I can tell you about hearing the howl of the congos(1) in the rain, the cock of the gallos(2) at any hour, or about trying to sleep with the snoring cows (I swear, they can be so loud!) But I can’t keep you up all night with their noise. I can tell you about the generosity of my townspeople and their cunning way of saying yes when they really mean no, but you’ll never know what it’s like to walk into your neighbor’s perpetually open door and call out, “¿Cómo amaneció? ”(3) while she hands you bread and cafecito. I can post of picture of the smiles of the children in my school as they participate in their first Halloween ever, but I can’t tell you what it’s like to hear them scream, “Queremos Trick-or-Treat”(4) and have the whole town in a buzz, asking, “¿Qué es lo que quieren?”(5)

Every activity, however thrilling, however dull, is a part of my experience and a part of my contribution. So if you’ve thought, “Gee, all she does is go to meetings!” then try and picture what it takes to execute the meeting, which has all sorts of competition:
· Weather of all sorts (if it’s not rain and mud, then it’s sweltering heat and dust);
· Lack of transportation (particularly when the weather doesn’t cooperate);
· A convention gringos term “Tico time,” when events actually start 1 to 3 hours after the scheduled time;
· That curious Tico trait in which, “Yes, I’m going to the meeting” really means “Ahh, what a nice backyard I have that I’m going to sit in all afternoon.”
If there’s not enough struggle in the accomplishment of gathering the people, there’s certainly more to fight within the meeting itself.
· The idea that tools like schedules, regular meetings, budgets, timelines, etc. are not necessary;
· The idea that a group can manage thousands of dollars with no treasurer or accounting;
· The fact that Costa Rica is moving into the technology age, but leaving its rural areas behind, holding numerous communities without access to grants and other financial and educational opportunities.
· The fact that leadership roles are compromised (and leaders are lacking) due to lack of education and training;
· The list goes on…
Provided that my fight wins out on the first list, I try to change the conventions of the second. Just think, these challenges can only happen after all the fuss of forming the group in the first place! Changing the system has to start from the bottom, but there’s nowhere to go but up. It may be a slow life, but we’re moving. As they say, Poquito a poco(6).

So hold that judgment! Have faith in the turtle; he finished the race in the end.
And I’ll hold on to my esperanza(7) and my faith. In my town and in myself.

[I’ll also continue to update you on all these things I can’t explain!]

1 Howler monkeys
2 Roosters
3 “How did you wake up today?”
4 “We want Trick-or-Treat.”
5 “What is it that they want???”
6 Tiny little bit by little bit
7 Hope
*Translations are literal.

Written a while back...

Día de la Anexión de Guanacaste (GTE)

Background: Guanacaste is the northern Pacific coast province of CR and was traditionally an independent area, drifting between Nicaraguan and CR rule. It has officially been united with Costa Rica since the year 1825, several years after Central America’s separation from Spain. The Guanacastecan citizens independently decided to secede from Nicaragua and join CR. [It’s ironic that being Nicaraguan has “negative” connotations, because Guanacaste was Nicaragua! Many Nica immigrants come to CR seeking work.] Each July 25th Costa Rica (GTE in particular) celebrates the annexation of the best region of the country (I admit, I’m biased!) Schoolchildren dress in traditional campesino clothing and shout bombas, which are short poems, usually romantic but sometimes downright raunchy! The kids discuss the significance of their heritage and enjoy traditional food (guess what - it's rice and beans! Plus corn tortillas and an egg torta, all wrapped in a banana leaf.) Here's some sample bombas, because it's really hard to understand those kids! (Even if you speak Spanish...)

¡Bomba!
La naranja nació verde
y el tiempo la maduró;
mi corazón nació libre
y el tuyo lo aprisionó.
uyuyuy mamita ...

Bomb!
The orange was born green
and with time, matured;
my heart was born free
and yours imprisoned it.
Uyuyuy mamita…

¡Bomba!
No hay cosa más bonita
que la vida de soltero,
para andar cortando flores
sin que lo vea el jardinero.
uyuyuy mamita...

Bomb!
There’s nothing more beautiful
than the single life,
to walk cutting flowers
without the gardener seeing you.
uyuyuy mamita...

Bomba. The word has many uses in CR. A light bulb, a car motor (actually a motor of any kind), the machinery that powers water supply (or any other pump at all), fireworks, a bomb, a gas station, OR these particular love poems.

D.A.R.E.

…to say NO to drugs!

Remember elementary school? I recall the days of Officer Joe, his K-9, and his racing car back in the 5th grade at Rawlings. Well, I brought Officer Joe, or in this case Oficiales Sara y Maria del Carmen, to Jabillo and La Y Griega to educate kids from four rural schools in my area on drugs, violence, and the damage they can cause you or the people you love. Coordinating this event was a nightmare, trying to get officials to teach in two separate schools (Jabillo, La Y Griega) and schedule classes providing for students coming from two other schools (Las Pampas, Juan de León). This meant transportation as well.

Try finding a free ride for a group of kids over a river and through the cow fields… while everyone who owns a truck is out there working for his dinner. But thanks to the excellent collaboration of my Comité Tutelar, we collected nearly $140 with a Bingo event and were able to fund all the operating costs of the program, with leftover funds for the graduation party!

After an intense week-long program crammed from a curriculum that normally consists of months of sessions, thirteen 5th and 6th graders (and several enthusiastic high school kids) graduated from the junior anti-drug program at our evening graduation (with an attendance of over 120 people, why didn’t we do food sales!?!)

Geared for children from 1st to 6th grade, we had 40 kids participate in the program overall. Not bad, considering the kids were on vacation and the program was 100% voluntary!

The pictures include a shot from the course, a photo of the girls at the beach (I had to let them have some fun trapped in my little towns all week!), the two graduating groups from three schools, and one of the younger kids at the graduation.

Oh , and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!

Baile in Jabillo

So after the dismal result of the Semana Santa baile (dance) in Jabillo, I can now report that when there is an entire community effort, my town actually knows how to throw a party! (The previous dance was the product of a single person, who did not request collaboration from anyone and then later complained that no one helped! Needless to say, we didn’t make much money on that venture.)
Anyway this time around we did it right and everyone pitched in to donate their time and money, help cook, clean the salon, haul stools and tables around, man the cantina, fix the bathroom, install lighting, put up plastic so that people wouldn't get wet if it rains (yes, the Salon has a roof, but if you saw it, you would understand the extra tarp protection!),etc. We had nearly all the food donated, so the only expenses came from the cantina. We were even graced with the support of another PCV, thanks Ben!

There were over 300 people in attendance. Not bad for a town of 150, eh? The conjunto, or music group, Azul Plata, made out with all the ticket sales, but we ended up with a solid 500,000 colones in profits. (That's a little bit less than $1,000, which is great considering that in that "other dance" we made 185,000 colones or $360.) After the kumbia, a little marimba, and of course, the reggaeton, the people were still willing to open their wallets in the name of the Salon Comunal de Jabillo.

Of course, I forgot to take pictures until the dance had already ended, but here are the ladies of the kitchen and the men of the cantina...

In attempted compensation, I also added a picture from another event, a buelle parade in Coyote (buelles are the traditional transport in Costa Rican agriculture and though no longer used, they are now an art and people take pride in the custom). This was the conjunto from that event, so just pretend these guys were playing music at my dance!

Working Works!

So back in April I had another visit from a PC Trainee, but this time I put her to work. As we raced from one meeting to another, Julia had a real dose of being a volunteer. Perhaps even a skewed dose, as I’m normally not that busy! We started with the Kindergarten fundraiser, then off to my Health Center Evaluation Meeting, which resulted (thank goodness!) in the formation of the Health Committee (pictured) that’s been lacking for over a year. The next day I we went to a four hour Asamblea for the Aqueduct Association in Juan de León, a neighboring town. Afterwards we took a break to see the partidos (soccer games) in Las Pampas (another of my towns) and the last day I finally took her to the beaches (Coyote and San Miguel) for some sun fun before dragging her to yet another meeting in the evening for a project proposal to the Concejo Distrito for the Salón Comunal.

Project Updates: As for the Japanese Embassy solicitation, we are at a standstill until we have an engineer create a Plano de Construcción (Construction Plan) for submittal to the Embassy. (Pictured is the new, improved salón, now with roof!) I don’t know how they’ve built the salón so far with no construction plan or design whatsoever, but that’s why it hasn’t been completed I suppose. We have until September to turn in the Plano and I am sure the Committee won’t do anything about it until August at the earliest. Who ever heard the phrase "the early bird catches the worm" anyway?

I am thinking about trying to solicit a PCPP (Peace Corps Partnership Proposal for donations) in order to raise money and fix the Puesto de Salud (Health Center). It’s a bunch of paperwork, but rainwater leaks in so much that the building floods from the inside out and they are threatening to suspend consultations if the Health Committee doesn’t do anything about the problem. I myself formed said Committee, but they are already having issues. Hopefully we’ll be able to put it together in the next month, so keep your wallets open!

Also, there’s a new project I’m starting, called Chicas Poderosas. It’s basically a girls’ empowerment group, a youth group only for girls to promote self-esteem and self-worth. While it’s lessening with time, women here (especially in the campo) still suffer from machismo and this is a great way to address the issue. I am also planning to coordinate a charla (talk) on VIH/SIDA but that would be after the D.A.R.E. program (in early July, next week!)

Back in Puerto Coyote, I supervised a beach clean-up for a high school group working towards the community service project required for graduation.

There are so many things lacking and so many possibilities but when it comes down to coordination, in these smal towns, LOGISTICS ARE SO TOUGH! You work so hard to achieve so little. Baby steps, baby steps... poquito a poco as they say here. I know I haven’t done anything huge, but it's everything to actually to note differences and measure progress.

Arte por la Paz

From January to March, I offered a series of anti-violence art workshops for children ages 6-12. Totaling seven talleres (workshops) in all, each had a different topic and art project or activity. Subjects included: definition of violence, different types, the violence cycle, managing conflict, tolerance and diversity, war and peace, etc. “Estuvo muy bonito y fue un gran encuentro,” (“It was very pretty and a great experience,”) said Kayna, one of the 15 participants in the program. In a country where machismo and domestic violence are still rampant, as well as racial intolerance and discrimination, it’s important to educate and diversity and the prevention of violence, beginning at home. For me, the best part of the program was the field trip we took to Nicoya, where nearly 50 kids from all around the region of Guanacaste congregated for a day of art: theater, music, including drums and rap, crafts, games, and other activities. These kids rarely leave the communities they live in and seldom experience the camaraderie of other children. They grow up with a limited perspective and vision and it means so much to be able to expand that, even just a little bit. The field trip was undoubtedly the most popular part of the program (as much as the kids loved painting with me, a bus trip to Nicoya will win every time!), but the most important was the knowledge they took home with them at the end of the day.

Also worthy of mention is my encounter with el presidente de la República. Yes, that’s right, I met the president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Oscar Arias. Selected as a representative for Peace Corps at the 40th Anniversary of DINADECO (National Directive of Community Development and my official counterpart), I was present throughout day to field questions about the program and thus missed the president’s speech on the governmental changes he hoped to implement. (For example, my program is a part of the Ministry of Security, while it should be under Social Services. DINADECO is severely under-funded and thus quite understaffed, which makes keeping track of over 450 associations nationwide a bit of a challenge.) In any case, the whole affair was an encounter to remember.

Ali Visits the Rich Coast!

Back in March, my friend Ali from high school came to experience the rural life (and a little bit of tourist exposure as well!) We started off in the campo, heading to the Cabalgata de Los Ángeles. (LA is home to fellow volunteer Anna, but Kathryn from Ostional is pictured with me and Ali.) A cabalgata is basically a party that you travel to by horse (or on foot if you don’t have a horse, like us!) Ticos will seize any excuse to fiesta! We next hit the beautiful beaches of my area, including Playa Coyote and Playa San Miguel (pictured last entry). After (a little too much) fun in the sun, we enjoyed the Fiestas Cívicas de Jicaral in the evening, where we saw some good ole traditional Tico rodeo. I’ve never been to an “American” rodeo, so I have little to compare by, but often I can’t believe these guys make it without getting trampled. (Ali visited during a time of year in which many towns host local festivities, so we had lots to experience!) We also spent some time with the host family and Ali got plenty of the local cuisine... but trust me, eating rice and beans for a week is not the same as eating them for a year plus! Ali made a guest appearance as an English speaker at my English class in the Escuela Jabillo. The kids got a such a kick out of it, though almost all of them were too shy to talk to her!

A continuación, we left the campo and headed into the rainforest. With Eileen and Dana, I toured the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve last September, so to explore “new” territory, we took in the majestic beauty of the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a reserve started by a Morman community and protected ferociously, down to its pot-holed trail road! We also visited the Children’s Rainforest, a private reserve funded entirely by those “Save the Rainforest” campaigns. (And you thought your money was going to waste!) There we went on a night hike, on which you see very different wildlife. Pictured is a tarantula, yikes!

Topping off the adventure was an excursion to Volcán Poás, a volcano with a yellow sulfur pool. Go visit if you like to smell rotten eggs! (But really, it’s something else to behold. Volcanoes are simply impressive in every aspect.) We also saw the lake on a nearby hike, a crater of the former exit for the lava of the volcano.

It was a quick and busy week, but we wasted no time, or at least, as little time as possible considering cultural restraints such as “Tico time," rocky roads where 20 miles an hour feels way too fast, and faulty rental cars... but hey, it's the pura vida, right?!

To Ali: Thanks for coming, thanks for sharing, thanks for everything...

Campo Life Continues...

My host sister Cristina gave birth to a baby girl, Deirlyn Pamela González Abarca in early January of this year.
La niña is pictured in yellow at 1 month and in red at 3.5 months. She's now over 4 months old and is the largest baby I've seen yet! Introducing la gordita...
(The little fat one. It's actually a term of endearment.)







The month of January also kicked off the continuation of my English classes, which were turning into a grand disaster. I teach in two schools, Jabillo and La Y Griega, and have an adult course that allows for recognized certification. I also started an Open English class to compensate for the fact that the course is closed to new students. I began this second adult course because there were minimum 10 people interested in English that claimed they couldn't enter the original course for some-excuse-or-another. So at one point, I was giving classes from Tuesday through Saturday, which was not a good idea… especially throwing in the Tico apathy factor. (I know have one class in la Escuela Jabillo on Wed. and teach all day on Thursday, which is tiring but it's nice to have it over and done in a day.) Once people realize that they must study to learn, they quit. It’s pretty disheartening, but you focus on the people who really want to learn, who actually have a thirst for knowledge. For example my student Marlene, a 28-year-old housewife with an 11-year-old and a 4-year-old, had never had an English lesson in her life before my arrival. She’d never even been to one day of high school. She has now survived the apocalyptic dropout rate and passed both of her exams thus far, surpassing students who are currently in high school receiving other English classes! She can hold a basic conversation in English and read entire passages of text. Her progress is my motivation to keep teaching. As long as there is one person dedicated to learning, I will teach…



Also in January were the Fiestas de Coyote, a benifit for the colegio (high school) in a more developed town closer to the beach. Fellow volunteers Pete from the Isla Venado and Kathryn from Ostional came in to visit and we rocked to the merenque and danced with all Kathryn's graces. Due to a shady car wheel, we were later stranded in Playa San Miguel... (What a tragedy, right? Poor us... of all places to be stranded, we wind up stuck in one of the most beautiful beaches in the country!)



February marked the beginning of the busy season. Those of you who actually read this (or better yet, those wonderful people who have been here to see it themselves!) know that Jabillo only has 150 or so people and therefore, does not have a movie theater (among many other things!) So instead, I brought the theater to the rural zone. We kicked off the school year (Feb-Dec here in CR) with a Screen on the Green type event sponsored by Panasonic. Only replace Green with one-room-plastic-encased-windows-boiling-oven-school and you have a more accurate description! With no AC it’s needless to say that the movies in Jabillo are not a good way to escape the heat (but I’ll say it anyway!) Regardless, there was a great turnout and the kids were enthralled with the big screen and surround sound, so the event was a success despite the contribution of only two parents for the food fundraiser. (We still made over $50, which is great considering we were working with empanadas and Coke!) Carros (Cars) and (Los Cuatro Fantantasticos (The Fantastic Four) were a smash in the campo that day!