Now, that I am a volunteer I have been
assigned what they call a “site” which is where I will be living and working
for the next two years. I live in a small city of about 60,000 (approx. 30,000
live in the urban area). I have access to internet at internet cafes that they
call “cybers” and have cell phone service throughout the city. I am using an
extremely cheap phone ($12 to be exact) with a SIM card that was provided by
Peace Corps. They have all the volunteers and staff on a family plan so that we
may contact each other at any time. I do have running water but it is not
consistent so it is certain that I will be taking many bucket showers
throughout my service. I have to wash all my laundry by hand which loses it’s
novelty quite quickly, especially in the wet season when it takes days for your
clothes to dry and then they end up smelling musty and you have to do the
process all over again.
It is required to live with a host family
for the full-term of service which I originally thought was a bummer but it
does have its benefits as well. They will help me integrate into my community
and will probably prove to be a huge resource. Not only this, but I’ve heard
that many volunteers who live alone usually end up spending lots of time with a
family that lives nearby for company. They
say the requirement is for security reasons, meaning you are less likely to be
assaulted or robbed by the locals if they know you are part of a Nica family
versus being some random white person in town. My family is great. They are
very nice, open-minded and easy-going. My host family consists of my host mom
and two host sisters that are in their 20s. The oldest, who is actually 24, has
a 7 month year old daughter who is adorable (even though I usually don’t like
kids). I live on the outskirts of town so it takes me 25 minutes to walk to the
center of town. They have mototaxis that I can take in town but all those nice
rides can add up quickly and seeing as how my living allowance is minimal, I
plan to invest in a bike and/or do a lot of walking. The city itself has a
small town feel but has a lot of the amenities of a big city. There are plenty
of businesses in town that will be great for potential side projects. Also, I
live about a 40 min bus ride from the beach!!!! Something I’ve always wanted. I
definitely plan to hit the beach every chance I get.
I am working in four high schools and
working directly with seven teachers. Two of the schools and two of the
teachers worked with the previous volunteer that lived here, whereas the rest
are completely new to the entrepreneurship curriculum and have not worked with
a Small Business Volunteer. This means I will be spending a lot more time with
the new teachers. Good news is that only the follow-up schools will have the
chance to participate in the local, regional, and national business plan
competitions. The new schools will have the opportunity to participate next
year. This takes some pressure off and I was relieved to find this out. For the first few weeks in site, my job is to organize my schedule with the schools, observe classes, as well as introduce myself to community leaders and local businesses. Basically, work on integration while figuring out what my community's resources and needs are.
When I received my site assignment I was a
little disappointed because it wasn’t very exotic and it didn’t seem like it
was going to be the idealized, living in the middle of nowhere, rough experience that Peace Corps is famous for. I've now
realized how cool this city is and how there is still plenty of opportunity.
Just because it is a bigger site, it does not mean that I won’t be of use to
the people here. Plus, living in a central area makes it a lot easier for me to travel to other parts of the country!!!
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