And away I go...

Well, I never thought I'd see the day when I would actually author a blog. I told myself it was because I wasn't that huge of a tool, but really it's because secretly I was scared that no one would want to read it and I would be wasting perfectly good cyberspace. As it turns out, there are exactly five people who care whether or not I get bitten on the face by a rabid spider monkey or absentmindedly wander into the rainforest never to emerge again, or both, simultaneously. Not surprisingly, I am directly related to these five people, and while it's their legal obligation to keep track of me in the event they need to foot the bill for repatriation of remains, they do a good job of acting interested. Additionally, my mother blogged her trip through Spain, and I refuse to be out-geeked by her. Thusly, a blog was born.

Here are some of the basics. I'll be in San Carlos, Costa Rica for two months volunteering at San Pablo Elementary School. The school consists of mostly immigrants, both legal and illegal, from Nicaragua, and the children of migrant workers. Because of the unique and fluid population of the school, it is consistently underrepresented in government census counts and consequently it is also consistently underfunded. Once I get in a groove and develop a relationship with the two teachers that comprise both the staff and administration, I will be able to take initiative in developing activities for the kids. I have no doubt it will rock my face completely off.

In our free time, we'll be able to travel on weekends and attend language classes and culture seminars during the week. Most of the other volunteers will be around my age and sound like they too want to get as much out of their time in Costa Rica as possible. Four of us will be on the flight from Charlotte to San Jose. It'll be nice to have some time to get to know them, as well as to have some company going through customs and finding our driver. The trip from San Jose to San Carlos is approximately two and a half hours. About fifteen of us will live in the "home-base" which is apparently in the heart of San Carlos. My sojourn in Costa Rica spans the rainy season, or their winter (is it really a winter if the highs are in the very humid upper seventies?), so that will make travel exciting (read: completely unpredictable), but regardless I plan on exploring as much as I can and seeing what the pura vida is truly all about.

Home Base Phone Number: (011) 506-460-54-80. You can call this number any time after 6 p.m. (San Carlos time).

Home Base Address:
350 Mts Norte, Parque Central
Cuidad Quesada
San Carlos, Costa Rica

It takes about two to three weeks for a letter to make its way from the States to San Carlos.

Find out more about Cross Cultural Solutions and their program in Costa Rica:
http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/where_you_can_go/costa_rica/san_carlos/default.asp