it begins again

This already shaping up to be another interesting year. When I visited La Violeta two weeks ago the Feria de Café (Coffee Festival) was in full swing up the road in Frailes. The excitement and anticipation of finally attending la Feria de Café was only slightly overshadowed by the sheer joy of greeting and reuniting with my Costa Rican students and neighbors after four wintery weeks in the US. As sad as it was to say good-bye to everyone in the States, the transition was eased by all the besos y abrazos and squeals of “Teacher!” Plus the beautiful Central American sunshine heating me up from my head to my sandal-clad toes has done wonders for my emotional state. At the festival my new host mom (Seidy) and her mother (Carmen) had a stall for selling her delicious traditional biscocho, made from ground corn, cheese and butter and baked in a clay-brick oven. Within 24 hours of arriving in the country I was standing side by side with Seidy making balls of dough and carrying trays to and from the oven. That night we spent about 3 hours making over 1,500 more bischoco for the next day. There were at least 5 huge pots of ground corn and two pounds of butter involved. I made alllllll 1500 or so little balls of dough. Needless to say I was tired, achy and smelled like I’d bathed in smoke (which I pretty much did). But it was an unforgettable experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

My two weeks in Orosi helping out with the orientation of the new volunteers flew by. As much as I would have liked more time at home with my loved ones I’m really grateful I got to participate in the orientation and get to know so many amazing new people. I miss my friends from last year but this group of volunteers is incredible. Muy buena gente. We made empanadas, played soccer and learned to dance… supposedly. We visited Puerto Viejo and enjoyed a much needed beach weekend full of yummy food, salty ocean, sandy beaches, sun, and good music. Then back to orientation for another week before we said our tearful good-byes. They’re going to make great teachers – I’m so inspired by their energy and dedication and looking forward to hearing what they’re up to in their classrooms and their towns. It’s going to be a great year for us all and I feel so lucky that I get to be a part of such a great group of human beings. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to continue to grow and learn and I’m grateful to whatever wisdom or confidence or insanity welled up inside of me that allowed me to say YES to all of this for a second year.