Rachel was my wake up call at 5:00 AM this morning. She came to my bedside to let me know she was sick – puking sick. Pretty soon everyone in the room knew. Then everyone in the next room. She was in and out of the bathroom many times until around 7:30 AM. Finally she fell back asleep.
Sooo, Rachel and I are missing our placement today. And it’s really disappointing not to go to see our wild charges. And we feel really badly knowing Susan is going to be on her own all day. And what will I do today? I guess catch up on blogging and get Rachel drinks and toast when she needs them.
CCS General
So, what is Cross Cultural Solutions and why come to Costa Rica to work? Well, I explained why we originally chose CCS in my Peru blog. Our first CCS experience was so amazing that I knew we would someday do another trip. The timing was decided when I received an email announcing special rates for alumni during 2010 due to the CCS anniversary – 15 years I think. Anyway, we were able to travel for 25% of the listed price and my mom’s fee as part of the friends and family package was reduced 50% (I think). Whatever it ended up being, it was a bargain.
As far as Costa Rica? Well, to be honest I personally would have rather travelled to Guatemala or Morocco. But, since the kids’ first choice when we went to Peru had been Costa Rica and since the timing worked out to be less disruptive given all our normal activities – soccer, piano, theater, 4H, wilderness awareness… Costa Rica won out. The kids are excited to be able to zip-line and enjoy the volcanic hot springs. We may be able to go white-water rafting as well.
So far for me Costa Rica is okay. San Carlos is pretty damp. It’s not like our placement in Peru which was near Lima. It’s a small city – really more like a south Chicago suburban type area. Mom thinks it’s dirty, but compared to Villa El Salvador in Lima, San Carlos is downright clean. The CCS house manager told us that the people love dogs in Costa Rica. Many are pets, but there are stray dogs in the park. And again, compared to Peru the dog situation is nothing. In Peru Rachel counted more than 700 in one week! The people are very friendly. Marlene, who runs the daycare to which we are assigned, is very nice. She is so patient and loving with the children. She knows just a little English, but she and I have been able to talk and understand each other. The kids respect her and listen to her when she disciplines them. Pat and Alex love their placement at INA. Mom likes her new placement at Americi – working alongside a women’s group making handicrafts for sale. It’s going well so far, I think. Pura Vida…
Traveling as a Volunteer
Traveling as a volunteer is much different then traveling as a tourist. Despite its challenges, I prefer traveling as a volunteer. The places might be dirtier, the food not as fancy, but it’s real. Not the Disneyfied version of the country – the real version. I was talking to the driver at Eco-Glide while the group was zipping through the forest and he wondered where we were all from. I told him we were volunteers and he said Thank You. For helping. That’s all. It gave me a lump in my throat. How can we not help? We are so privileged and spoiled. Even the people I see coming through the North Bend food bank have more than most typical people in Latin America. And without getting too much into the politics of it – it is partially our fault. We (and by this I mean our country and corporations) are so busy trying to collect debt payments, increase shareholder earnings by exploiting foreign markets (see here), patent seeds and water rights and in general just get more and more for ourselves. Did colonialism every really end? Or has it just changed players?
It really comes down to the people. They are suffering and it is not right. And it’s not enough to come for a week. It’s all I have now, but hopefully someday it could be weeks or months or years.
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