Today is day 9 of Real Life. That is, it's been 9 days since my stint as a post-graduate volunteer expired. These have been the craziest few days in recent history [read: have involved buying a car, a new wardrobe, finding an apartment, meeting my new boss, seeing my family, and taking the praxis], but have been full of MANY small miracles. Everything seems to be falling into place quite nicely...which either means that what's next is meant to be or the other shoe is about to drop. I'm pretty optimistic, though, and believe this might just be meant to be :)
So, what's next? I will (finally!) be a teacher! Next week I start work at a charter middle school in Newark, NJ, where I will be the first, and only, Spanish teacher.
Honestly, I don't know what that means for this blog, so now's the time for me to thank you, faithful readers (especially you, MomMom, Gramma, and Hubba!), for staying with me through my adventures in Los Angeles and Costa Rica. In some form of poetic closure, I used the poem Do it Anyway as part of my goodbye to my FrancisCorps family. I hope it keeps inspiring them, and me -- and you -- to live the best life and be the best person each of us is called to be.
Next stop, Jersey City!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Transition
The moment I landed back in San Jose, Nicole and I were in full scrubbing mode. We had a couple days left to clean the house from top to bottom for the next group of FrancisCorps volunteers, and sort through our stuff, and stuff the other girls had left behind. We had started early on the organizing, but it got down to the wire. We got everything out of the way so we could spend our last day with friends.
On the Wednesday before we left, our dear friend Marta invited us over for one last brunch. We have been to her house a few times this year, so it was a really special way to end our time in Costa Rica. We ate pancakes and hung out with Marta and her son, Charlie, before coming home to put the final touches on our suitcases and the house.
Here are some pictures of what the following days entailed...
On the Wednesday before we left, our dear friend Marta invited us over for one last brunch. We have been to her house a few times this year, so it was a really special way to end our time in Costa Rica. We ate pancakes and hung out with Marta and her son, Charlie, before coming home to put the final touches on our suitcases and the house.
Here are some pictures of what the following days entailed...
I made Nicole take a break from the craziness to enjoy our last, beautiful sunset over St. Francis. Here she is in front of our lovely casa.
Pretty cool view, huh?
Later that evening, we went to Lonestar, one of our favorite spots, for a last margarita. Above are Arthur, Charlie, Me, Marta, Nicole, and Yamy...they were our "goodbye" committee!
Yamy told the waiters it was our birthday...before figuring out that it was exactly halfway between our two birthdays!
Next stop...Syracuse, NY for our FrancisCorps transition retreat!
...well, after an unexpected night in Charlotte because our flight was delayed..
The Syracuse volunteers decorated their house with USA red, white, and blue for our homecoming party!
Everyone dressed in their best USA gear...it was like a delayed 4th of July!
Thank you, Goodwill, for our matching costumes!
Rebecca went all out!
The Syracuse FC volunteers :)
Homemade apple pie!
After the party, we had a day to hang out at the local lake with the volunteers before grabbing Margie from the airport and beginning our transition retreat. We had some lovely meals with Friar Rick, Jordan, and Brother Jim, and were even able to see Sister Caryn! The retreat was really nicely done, with enough time for relaxing and enough for reflecting together and alone. I will certainly miss Rick and Jordan...they have been wonderful directors, mentors, and friends this past year! I hope to stay connected to the FC crew and see them on their annual trip either to the Jersey Shore or NYC!
Detour to Peru
These next posts are a bit late, but I want to crank them out before I forget or get too busy, which is bound to happen in the next few days. But more on that later...
On 4th of July, I left my house in Moravia for the San Jose airport, where I celebrated my US pride by using my passport -- and wearing flannel. Since I wasn't going to eat hotdogs or sing the national anthem (out loud, anyway) or see a fireworks show, it was the best I could do. A few months ago, I had planned a trip to visit my good friend Sam, who is currently a Jesuit Volunteer outside of Cusco, Peru. Since I had the time and the savings, I figured I should go while Costa Rica was on vacation, because I knew that once I hit US soil I'd be wrapped up in my next steps (and boy, is that true!).
So, off I went. The journey there was long -- I spent the night in the Lima airport and had my Fourth-of-July part of one by eating McDonald's chicken nuggets and diet coke. God Bless America! Despite the long night of sort of sleeping on floors and benches, and the early morning flight to Cusco, I arrived in one piece and good spirits. Now, if you scroll back about three years in this blog (here ya go!) you'll see a little bit about my last trip to Peru. When I studied abroad in Quito we spent about 10 days there and saw a lot of the country, including Cusco and Machu Pichu. This trip was quite different. Instead of being totally a tourist, I was visiting a resident!
The trip was quick, only about four days, and for the most part we stayed in Andahuyallias and the surrounding towns. I got to meet Sam's (awesome) JVC community-mates, as well as some other volunteers from England and Spain who live with them for short-term volunteer stints. Sam and his housemate/my friend Susan, another BC grad, showed me around the Jesuit parishes in the area. I got to see the ins and outs of their jobs and meet many of the people they work with. We also went into Cusco where we ate at the central market and walked around the city for a couple hours.
On Sunday, we took a long walk along train tracks that connect the towns. The views of the mountains were absolutely breathtaking. I was amazed at just how different everything looked and felt from Costa Rica. One of my favorite things about speaking Spanish is being able to visit so many diverse places -- no one country or region is like another! I feel so lucky to have friends in cool places to visit, too. (So...who's the next one to move abroad? Call me, I'll visit.) The biggest difference, though? It was SO COLD. At night it was easily below freezing, but thanks to 6 or 7 wool blankets I was able to sleep just fine. The days were warm in the sun but cool as soon as the sun began to set. What a difference from Costa Rica! And if that wasn't a big enough change, I went home a few days later to East Coast July humidity...gross!
To wrap up, I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit Sam. It was great to catch up with him, meet his JVC family, and see Andahuyllias! Enjoy the pictures :)
On 4th of July, I left my house in Moravia for the San Jose airport, where I celebrated my US pride by using my passport -- and wearing flannel. Since I wasn't going to eat hotdogs or sing the national anthem (out loud, anyway) or see a fireworks show, it was the best I could do. A few months ago, I had planned a trip to visit my good friend Sam, who is currently a Jesuit Volunteer outside of Cusco, Peru. Since I had the time and the savings, I figured I should go while Costa Rica was on vacation, because I knew that once I hit US soil I'd be wrapped up in my next steps (and boy, is that true!).
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| Susan & Sam |
So, off I went. The journey there was long -- I spent the night in the Lima airport and had my Fourth-of-July part of one by eating McDonald's chicken nuggets and diet coke. God Bless America! Despite the long night of sort of sleeping on floors and benches, and the early morning flight to Cusco, I arrived in one piece and good spirits. Now, if you scroll back about three years in this blog (here ya go!) you'll see a little bit about my last trip to Peru. When I studied abroad in Quito we spent about 10 days there and saw a lot of the country, including Cusco and Machu Pichu. This trip was quite different. Instead of being totally a tourist, I was visiting a resident!
The trip was quick, only about four days, and for the most part we stayed in Andahuyallias and the surrounding towns. I got to meet Sam's (awesome) JVC community-mates, as well as some other volunteers from England and Spain who live with them for short-term volunteer stints. Sam and his housemate/my friend Susan, another BC grad, showed me around the Jesuit parishes in the area. I got to see the ins and outs of their jobs and meet many of the people they work with. We also went into Cusco where we ate at the central market and walked around the city for a couple hours. 
On Sunday, we took a long walk along train tracks that connect the towns. The views of the mountains were absolutely breathtaking. I was amazed at just how different everything looked and felt from Costa Rica. One of my favorite things about speaking Spanish is being able to visit so many diverse places -- no one country or region is like another! I feel so lucky to have friends in cool places to visit, too. (So...who's the next one to move abroad? Call me, I'll visit.) The biggest difference, though? It was SO COLD. At night it was easily below freezing, but thanks to 6 or 7 wool blankets I was able to sleep just fine. The days were warm in the sun but cool as soon as the sun began to set. What a difference from Costa Rica! And if that wasn't a big enough change, I went home a few days later to East Coast July humidity...gross!To wrap up, I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit Sam. It was great to catch up with him, meet his JVC family, and see Andahuyllias! Enjoy the pictures :)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
It's not adios, it's hasta luego...
Goodbyes are no fun! In my last post, I was angry about the idea of not being able to say goodbye thanks to events far out of my control. But then, the next day, I was, thankfully, given the opportunity to say goodbye to my students and their moms at a little fiesta. The last-day-of-school-before-break party was not cancelled because my group's moms had planned to do it off-campus. Steven's mom hosted us all for a delicious lunch sponsored by all the families. Everyone arrived dressed to impress. We danced, we exchanged hugs, we cried (me, especially), we said thank you for a great year, and we laughed about the sinkhole putting a little hiccup in everyone's plans. It was a beautiful celebration and opportunity that I am incredibly grateful for. See, Carolyn, someone upstairs has this all under control. Remember when the moms fought to get the party moved off-campus and you thought, "Why bother? It's so much easier to do it here at school!" Well, little did you know you're very last day would have been ruined for sure. Let go, Let God.
Here are some pictures from the last day :)
Also, this past weekend, I joined Nicole, her dad, and her grandfather (who is doing GREAT at 91 and is up for any adventure Costa Rica presents!) on a trip to Monteverde. Art came along for the ride too. We got to explore some of the reserve and the neat little touristy town. We made friends with the hostel manager and laughed along with the gringo students who were the only people dancing at the local bar. It was a nice trip for my last weekend in Costa Rica!
And finally, here are some pictures from my surprise goodbye lunch at work last week!
Here are some pictures from the last day :)
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| Angie, Ale, & Me |
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| waiting for lunch |
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| <3 |
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| IV ciclo <3s to eat |
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| Las madres!! |
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| pretty telling of a typical day at school |
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| The Santasieros! |
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| I "graduated" with honors in painting, paper crafts, and cleaning behinds ;P |
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| mis compas del trabajo |
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