One of the first things our Spanish instructors taught us during training was how to say the three goals of Peace Corps in Spanish. It turned out to be a very useful skill, as we’ve been asked by just about everyone why exactly we’re here. Here they are in English, in case you’re wondering too.
1. To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of all Americans.
The Costa Rican school year runs from February to December, and during an average school week Kevin and I spend 15-20 hours at our schools co-planning, co-teaching, observing, giving feedback, and practicing the English language with our teachers. Teaching community English classes, planning teacher workshops, and getting involved in other community activities fills up most of our spare time. So we’ve pretty much got goal 1 covered.
So where do goals 2 and 3 fit in? Everywhere, actually. Chatting with our host family over coffee. Teaching our community English class. Sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with friends. Talking to family at home via Skype. Writing this blog. Our mere presence here has an effect on how the people around us perceive Americans. And every time we share something about our life here with people back home, we’re shaping their perception of Costa Ricans.
Even better than telling our friends and loved ones back home about our intercultural experiences here is giving them the opportunity to interact with Costa Ricans and come to their own conclusions. That’s why we took advantage of our nine visiting American family members (and one intrepid Norwegian) over the school break to make some goal 2 and 3 magic.
While my entire immediate family visited this December and January, Kevin and I planned a few authentic intercultural experiences for them to “better understand other peoples.” First, they came to our community to meet our host family and got to see how generous and loving Nidia and Karen are to us. In one exchange, in which Nidia showcased her fledgling English skills, she explained to my dad and stepmom that we are “her children.” “Yes,” Karen chimed in, putting her arm around me. “She is my sister.”
Our family also learned how to make genuine Tico tamales at Christmastime courtesy of Ethel and José, our go-to cultural guides. The family learned how to wield machetes and roast banana leaves, harvest heart of palm, cut open coconuts and make palmito into just about anything.
Trips throughout our community allowed our family to run into many of our local friends and acquaintances. They got to see how people in Sarapiquí live and thrive in this hot and humid land.
Of course, not everything our family did here could be considered Peace Corps work. We took plenty of time to travel around the country and go on one adventure after another. White water rafting on the Pacuare River was a highlight, as were enjoying the pristine beaches in Guanacaste, snorkeling, quetzal sighting in Copey, hiking through snake-infested rainforest to glorious waterfalls, swimming in the Sarapiquí River and consuming as much ice cream as we possibly could.
The great thing about goals 2 and 3 is that they just keep on giving; our family will go home to talk about their Costa Rican experience with others, while our Tico friends are bound to talk about the time 10 Alaskans descended upon their town for years to come.
My older sister Anya warned me shortly before the family arrived for the holidays that this Christmas would be one of the best ever for Kevin and me. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer, she knew how great it feels to suddenly be surrounded by family after being apart for so long. She was absolutely right.
Thanks to my wonderful parents, siblings and near-siblings, Kevin and I are refreshed, rejuvenated and refocused on goal 1.
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