IST

I haven’t updated in almost a month. Honestly it is because I haven’t been inspired to write anything. Not that things are going poorly. I think what is happening is that I am starting to feel more like what I am experiencing is actually my life, there is less novelty about it. I am not sure what report back on. I think over the past day, week, month, and can’t come up with anything particular. But, in the spirit of blogging, and on sharing my peace corps experience with everyone back home, I write.

What has been happening?

1) I made it over the three month mark.

This is great news. It means that I made it through what is typically the most emotionally challenging time in my service. It also means that I got to go to San Jose for a two week training. In PC lingo the training is called IST (in service training).

2) IST

The PC put us up in a hotel with hot water, a gym, and a pool. I was shocked at how nice the hotel was considering how much PC Costa Rica’s budget has been cut this year. Apparently we get some crazy discount with the hotel, but still. So I got to have two weeks of AC, hot water, working out, cable TV, a pillow. It was luxurious. I also got to spend two weeks talking with my friends listening to their stories and sharing mine. It was such a relief to discover that all the things that had been frustrating for me (teachers not having time to co-plan, me not having time for non-English projects, school constantly being cancelled, lack of resources) were also issues with other volunteers. It’s not so much that misery loves company – but a realization that my biggest problems weren’t really a reflection of me or my site but were a systematic problem that could be more explained by holes in our project framework coupled with cultural differences.

I also got to learn from my peer’s success stories, and solicit their help/ideas in how I could improve my projects. There is no better/more creative/inspired group of people than my PCV friends. I love bouncing ideas around with them, and seeing what happens. To give a silly example: What to do with 15 mangos.

In Upala it is mango season. It is a glorious time of cheap mangos and howler monkeys on the prowl. The monkeys are always in our mango tree in our backyard, and I like to listen to them bark at each other. But, the other day in Upala, a PCV friend and I were joking about a sign advertising 15 mangos for less than $2.00 (imagine the price after bartering). What would you possibly need 15 mangos for? Then we starting coming up with ideas on how to use 15 mangos:

1) obviously – eat them with your large extended family

2) mango jelly

3) mango chutney

4) mango ice cream

5) mango yogurt (homemade yogurt is apparently easy)

6) mango/coconut curry

7) fruit salad

8) mango milkshake

9) mango juice

10) mango popsicle from leftover mango juice

11) mango pie

12) the list goes on indefinitely

At the end of mango discussion I was left thinking: “what can’t you do with 15 mangos?” Let me know what you would do with 15 ripe delicious local mangos. It is fun to think about. Especially given that most people in the US don’t usually think about how to use excess mangos. The topic of discussion is usually how to best utilize one mango. Mangos are never in season in North Carolina.