Next week marks three months since arriving in El Capulin,
(and one and a half months since my last post. I know. I’ll do better). In
Peace Corps, the first three months in site are usually spent talking to community
members, observing habits and routines, and trying to figure out what the
community needs and wants from us as volunteers. While I have been teaching in
the schools and my community class and am in the planning stages of a couple of
other projects, I’ve been taking it slow and trying to integrate more in the community
before jumping head first into projects that the community doesn’t have any
interest in.
During these months, I’ve become accustomed to a few
cultural matters that pop-up in my daily life. One of those things is the use
of the phrase “si Dios quiere,” which translates to “if God wants.” Costa Rica
is a Catholic country and there are waves of Catholicism throughout the
culture, even if the community isn’t exclusively Catholic. “Si Dios quiere” is
used by adults and kids and in all sorts of contexts. When someone leaves the
school for the day they usually say, see you tomorrow, if God wants. When I
talk to my host family about going to the beach my host sister will say, yeah,
that sounds great, if God wants. When I talk to my co-teacher about co-planning
after classes the following day she’ll say sure, if God wants.
Now, the cultural implications of this phrase aren’t just
about Costa Rica and Catholicism. It leads to a struggle that most volunteers
face in all Peace Corps countries; which is to say, most of the time, God does
not want. I’ve found that many times when I plan a meeting or class or trip,
the corresponding party doesn’t show, texts me saying they forgot they have
another meeting, or simply never speaks of said trip again. This is a significant
challenge when trying to organize pretty much anything, and yet I am slowly
getting used to it.
Costa Rica is also famous for their “Tico time:” a name used
to define their laidback lifestyle. When I set up a meeting for 10:00am, the
other party might not show up until 10:30, 11:15, or not at all, signaling that
God obviously didn’t want this meeting to happen.
I know that I am not the only volunteer to face this
challenge but it can still be super frustrating. There have been a number of
times where I organized a class and it gets cancelled for other things, or only
a couple of people show up. And I am a smidge nervous to start any huge project
where I need a lot of community support because it just might not happen. And
there have been times where I wonder if I am doing anything of importance, or
if the community of El Capulin really wants a volunteer.
But, looking at these experiences from another angle, my
patience is getting really good practice. I am reading more than I have in my
entire life. I look around and take in my surroundings more. I appreciate where
I am at any given moment; I mean, living in Costa Rica is a pretty cool thing and
I remember that when I’m sitting around. And probably the most significant
realization is the fact that meetings and work don’t rule lives here. Timeliness
and work are viewed differently and are not the end all, be all of the day. It’s
not that Costa Ricans don’t work hard. They just take more coffee breaks to
talk about their lives, and their children’s lives, and their neighbors’ lives.
Personal relationships come first, work second.
Don’t get me wrong, the fact that God doesn’t want half of
my plans to come to fruition is going to be an ongoing annoyance and challenge.
And I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. But the time that I spend waiting
around is teaching me other lessons and giving me the opportunity to explore
other aspects of myself that I usually don’t have time to think about. So maybe
it will be ok.
I am really going to try to write more and keep you updated
on my projects and life here, si Dios quiere. I’ll be in San Jose for
in-service training next week and I would love to share what other volunteers
are doing in their sites, as well as my own.
Thanks for all the love and encouragement from home.
Love and miss you all.
Annie
