It´s rainig men, hallelujah!

The thing about the shoe-paradise has by now revealed another side of it... of course the shoes are cheap, they have to be! Cuz otherwise all the people would be walking bare-footed. Because the shoes just melt in the rain. So this morning I was playing with this kid and I just realized that I have only half of the shoe on my right feet. Fortunately I do have blue eyes – so I got it fixed without a problem.
And I must say, my intellectual is going down rapidly. So, I needed money for getting home from San Jose. As of course, I am in bankrupt again and finally I have some money on my Estonian account – should I really remember those simple 4 digits for not letting my card being eaten by the wall? Just because I tought I will never need it again...
But otherwise I must say, it would be refreshing not to be misunderstood all the time and not to misunderstand them and not to speak this language, which I hardly know. After 2 months I have finally reached this point. Congratulations!

Meanwhile...

So I don't really have a lot of time for writing. That's good, right?
By now I already feel that I don't get lost every single day... maybe just once a week. Like, when I was going from Mall San Pedro to Calle de Amargura which actually is like 200 metres... and I ended up taking a cab – what else could 2 “gringas” do ;)
Otherwise, I still have problems adapting to the rule of “2 o'clock in the night” when I have to be back at home... come on, parties just start at that time!!! Okay... actually I guess I am in Latin America and not in Europe... cuz the bars close at 1am. But there are a lot of nice dancing places open till at least 4am!
With my project... hmmm.... If I leave aside the fact that I am working in the hospital but every day I am missing the medicine more and more. Oh please, just let me do one injection or let me hear what the doctors are talking about – I wouldn't understand a lot anyways, what harm could I probably do? I feel that all the energy I had the first couple of weeks, running around with the kids, thinking of all kind of things to do... has disappeared. Gotta find the inspiration again... but it's sometimes difficult...
But all in all, I would never ever change the experience I'm having now... for anything!

Playa Jacó

Jacó is considered to be the most touristic beach in Costa Rica - a paradise for surfers. Well yes, the beach of Jaco is a nice place... if you like americanised Costa Rica with nice houses, construction, lots of tourists and lots of drugs.
Actually we found a place on the beach which was completely empty and the trees were hiding the ugly constructions. As it was the first time for me being in the ocean, you can imagine the child-like happyness on my face, jumping up and down in the waves. Pura vida thousands of times!!!
For nightlife there are a couple of places with reaggeton beats, of course, and another one which has something like house-music but is full of weed-smoke.

P.S. just next to my cabin, I saw a monkey!!! A real monkey!!! And on my way back from the bus window I actually saw a crocodile!

My first robbery

One fine sunny day I am walking on the street, enjoying my milkshake (which was amazingly good, I must admit!), looking for the bus home. The day was really perfect, as was my milkshake... until in the Parque de la Mercedes (as I later got to know, it's also called Parque de Nicas) a lady came up to me, asking if she can have sip of my fresco. I glazed at her, from head to toes – she was a very tan and very poor woman, probably a drug-addict as well – and let out a very convincing “NOOOO!” and wanted to walk away with my precious milkshake which still had some 4 centimetres in the bottom. But to my surprise, she was already holding my shake very tightly. So, I decided to be friendly and tolerant and not get in fight with an older lady just because of 4 centimetres of my milkshake. Obviously she needed it more than I did...

Volunteer now! Volunteer!

Hey, I'm your new volunteer from Estonia. No-no, not Espanja - Estonia. No-no, not Russia Estonia. Yes, it is a little country in the north of Europe with a population less than in San Jose.
I go to the hospital every day from 8am till 3pm. Every day there are new ladies who have come to make the children happy - I'm the only one being here every day. The hospital stuns you with all the marvelous pictures hanging on the walls - all done by children. "Is that something I could do with them?" is the first question passing my mind. Already eager to do big things - to change the world.
I know the rules, and the biggest rule for me is that I'm a volunteer. My job is playing with the children and not running around with an important look, stethoscope hanging around my neck. I must admit that one day I was quite sad seeing all my colleges doing the things I am used to do. But today I experienced something which is much more pure and makes you feel even better than being important professionally. And that is called happiness. On Friday I was holding a baby for the whole day - a little bit doubting in my function, because the baby was so content and quiet without me as well. Today I got to know that she probably has no parents and that she's crying all the time while left alone. She is probably the most beautiful baby I have ever seen - laying on my lap, looking at me with her big brown eyes shining, smiling. She is lot-lot better today than on friday. and what is most important, she is so happy and content being with me that she even falls asleep. So you just look at her. And look. And look. And you feel happy, really happy for making the day better for this little soul. And actually feeling as if you are the mother of the child. It´s an amazing feeling....

For the love of food...

This morning I woke up with a stone in my stomach - again. Well, what do you expect if the last week you've been eating the Costa Rican way - rice and beans every single meal!

But you know what - I managed to convince them to buy some yogurt for me. So this morning I felt like a princess - happy as ever with my strawberry yogurt!

For lunch I have, surprise-surprise - rice and beans!!!

Where has all the ice-cream gone?

Oh no! Catastrophy!
I haven't had my helado de sorbeteras this week!!! And I only want this! A week without my favourite ice-cream is a disaster...

Getting along in your hometown

So today I had my first day at the hospital. I was supposed to be there at 10am. So I was there at 9am cuz this way I could get there by car. More easy for not getting lost.
I go around the hospital area, hearing all kind of "Que linda es usted!" ja "Que guapa!"-s. And of course, couldn´t escape without a "Machita!" So as I don´t know where to walk anymore, I just stand in front of the gate of children´s hospital, waiting for a girl from the organisation to meet me. Soon I´m feeling a little bit weird, being in the centre of attention of every single male person. Later I feel like a object of tourism already - everyone just staring at you like a miracle from heaven, men almost crawling out from the car-windows. I wonder how much more till I dye my hair black...
So, Mariel is here on time. But still I have to experience the tico-time - the woman in judge of my project is 1,5 hours late without even saying a word like "sorry." Otherwise it´s ok. Tomorrow I´ll start working, there are 3 other volunteers from Canada, USA and Switzerland :) That´s a good news!
Today is a really nice weather and I decide to take a cup of coffee with a friend. Of course it starts to rain hard just when I have to go home. AND, yes, I know that I have to take a bus to Heredia nd from Heredia another bus to home. If I only knew where home is. I get to the centre of Heredia, walk and look and ask, getting all wet in the rain. And finally my new mom has to fetch me in the town. So that´s what I mean with making good impression on my first day :P

Medicines

I couldn´t believe it if someone told me this: but here in Costa Rica everyone is their own doctor... because you can get any medicine you want without the doctor´s prescription! You just step in, take all the antibiotics and hormonal cremes you want and go home creating resistance to everything!

Lovelife

Like 20-30 years ago the costarican lovelife saw out like his: unmarried couples met only on Sundays for a cup of coffee - the mother or father being in the role of policeman, forbiding all kind of action. And like that for years! Till they got married and the wife was put into a little jar called the kitchen...

Nowadays in some places the role of the policeman is played by younger sister or brothers who are easily "bought" with an ice-cream or some candies. But still the girls get married quite early for moving away from their parents. Cuz it´s something abnormal and inmoral to live together without getting married. Even to spend a night at the house of your beloved is something taboo.

Cocina a la Estonia Costarrisense

So I have successfully survived the first 3,5 weeks. We are finally done with the orientation process and Spanish classes. And we should be ready for jumping in the waves of work.
But here, Houston, I think we have a little panic. I have to change my host-family! This is going to be really hard because I have already got attached to “la familia loca” which I have right now. I love them!
As to my Spanish, I must unfortunately admit that the Spanish course had only one useful function – I could use the time for writing to my friends. Because it was muy aburrido! But yet, I know the name of my future-pet now – los perezosos!!!
Today for the first time I tried to cook something Estonian. So I made “borsh” and potato salad – very Estonian indeed! And you know what, the had NEVER heard of soups made with cabbage!
Next step – advanced – will be rabarber-cake! How can one live without knowing what a rabarber-cake is?!? So I´m waiting for your kind donations with tons of rabarber! Thank you!

Parque Nacional Tapantí

My first experiences with Costa Rican nature! Finally! :)
Well of course I had to start with taking 3 buses and after that a taxi which we got very cheap thanx to our own tico. The park is a rainforest - a really nice one. You can see all kinds of birds and butterflies... and also red banana trees :) And you will for sure understand, why they call it the RAINforest! At first walking the stiff hills, panting till death... and then while descending, having the best rain ever - all the hill covered with mud and you slipping with your butt all muddy. Feels like childhood again! That´s SO cool! Wonder, if they let me in the bus, having mud all over me ;)
Finally we got home wet, cold, tired... but happy! :D

The other good part of the day was the obligation to speak spaish. Well, actually it´s nice just putting the words in line - they don´t have to form a sentence, do they?

Second week

Two weeks of sunshine and rain have passed by.
Now I even know how to get to the down-town of San Jose by bus. Although it is very annoying having to sit in the bus which moves like 1 cm per minute because that´s what the traffic is like. As it is your first time to go there, you can´t leave the bus and decide to walk instead - cuz you simply don´t know which way to go. So finally when you´re in the right bus stop and already 5 minutes late, you want to go quickly to the meeting-point... and all the little people just walk lazily on the streets, blocking every single way there possibly is. But it´s the tico-time... noone is ever hurrying anywhere. So what if you´re another 40 minutes late!

I must say that as much as I have seen San Jose... there is nothing to see besides the national theatre and some other places. All the houses look the same, all the streets seem like you already had been there.

Going out is another experience I got last night. A very drastic difference with Estonia is that you actually see more men than women - or perhaps it´s because you are surrounded by a circle of men who all wish to dance with you. And... as funny as it is for me, the men actually dance better than the women. And of course, reggeton rules all the bars and clubs.
Going home with a taxi might be really difficult, as the adresses look like that: 400 metres north from the avenue, 100 meters left.

Helado de sorbetera

... is just another really-really delicious thing I discovered. As I am a total ice-cream addict who really likes ginger-bread and adores cinnamon.... the costaricans have just the thing for me: an ice-cream with a taste of something in between cinnamon and gingerbread... thus eating it the way a little child - having ice-cream all over your table and yourself as well - makes really a fun out of it! (and of course the ice-cream men saying compliments about your eyes - it´s just the way life is over here)

My life so far

I've been here for about a week now and it feels really strange – because actually it doesn't feel weird at all! It feels like you'd been here for ages already, the other volunteers are like your old friends although you've known them for less than a week.
Yes, it is totally another culture, another climate, another language – another world! I came here with almost no knowledge of Spanish – but I actually understand more or less what I'm told. The culture is something I really have to adapt to. Being a Catholic country and me being an Estonian (meaning, not religious). People are very friendly, but they are yet very conservative. Thus, having got used to the liberty while living alone... I have to get used to living in a family again... living in a family where you have to share ebeything, talk about everything you do and everywhere you go – and all that in Spanish :P
My project has not started yet – as we're learning a little bit of Spanish first. But I am really waiting forward to seeing the hospital and the children!

Prices

Compared to Estonia it is actually quite cheap... depending on the things you need to buy. At first the number will strike you: how come does a salsa course per month cost 7000 colones?!? But then again... it makes about 140 Estonian crowns and yes, it is very cheap!

First impressions of food

Food no 1: Gallo pinto = rice and beans. In some homes you can get rice and beans 24 hors a day, 7 days a week. So no wonder everyone gains a lot of weight here!
But fortunately the first 3 weeks for me is exactly the food I'd expect from a tropical country: fruits and yogurt for breakfast + the wonderful-wonderful Costa Rican coffee. For lunch soup and salad, sometimes rice or lenses. And for dinner just something light.
Oh I just love this country with all the variety of vegetables and fruits!!!

People

As one of my friends said, Costa Ricans are born with the instinct of seduction. So especially if you're a white girl, you should... as bad as it is... get used to guys making all kind of comments to you on the streets - as if there was a cat nearby, you hear "ksss-ksss" and then you know that actually you are the cat. Even as in Estonia I'm really brunette (or dark potato as we say) and quite tan... and no, I don't have blue eyes (how can you not see that they are totally gray?) - here I'll always be a machita (a blondie) or a gringo (american) – blond hair, blue eyes, light skin.
But excluding the rudeness on the streets... Costa Ricans are really-really nice. Very friendly on the first glance... but real friendship is not easy to gain.

The weather

...is just about perfect. Not too hot, not too cold... although can be really-really rainy at that time of a year. So it's August now and they say the rainy season usually starts in August and ends in November or so. For we are not used to having hot sun in the morning and loads of rain in the afternoon... so it's really easy to catch a cold. One should wear good water-resistant shoes... but how do you put on closed shoes when it's 25 degrees Celsius and sun shining bright above you? So no wonder if you catch a cold!
So, one thing for sure – most of my pocket-money will go on umbrellas... knowing my ability to forget things in all impossible places ;)

Cars & traffic

As you can imagine, there is a LOT of cars, always peeping, always being in traffic-jam. But the funny thing is – the cars are in a much better physical condition than the cars in Italy or Spain for example. I also learned another new thing in the traffic culture, which I find to be very-very nice – it is waving to other drivers when you want to change the line. In the world of cold Estonians it would never be like that – we'd just curse other drivers for not letting us in front of them, without doing any effort from ourselves.
Well, I've got another surprise in my sleeve... My host mother actually has a Lada! It's a new mark, but still – it's a Lada! Welcome to the world of Russian cars! And the other day I saw a Ziguli 006. Such a feeling of home crossed me! It's almost like being in my friend's orange “Tibu”, sitting in the back-seat and flying to the other end of the car every time the car makes a turn. Awww, it feels so nice!

Finally here

After about 20 hours of sitting in airports and airplanes, I´ve finally made it to San Jose, Costa Rica.
All I can say right now, is that the people are very nice here and I sure must have learnt some more Spanish... especially as my host family whom I´m going to live with in 3 weeks doesn´t speak any English. So milk-shakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner will have to do for a while... till I learn some more words :D
The weather seems quite OK - 21 degrees Celcius for the morning at 7 o´clock is quite enough I´d say (although for me it´s still 4PM).

Travel-fever

So now for a couple of days I've been living in a huge pile of clothes and other mess surrounding me. I couldn't even open the door to my room (but on the other hand, I have a very tiny room). I'm already trying to get all that in my bag so that it would be less than 20 kilos.
Also I've been running around tourist shops like a desperate little Japanese trying to get the best amber earrings on the market. Come on, I need presents! So I got some Sipsiks for the children (should have bought one for myself, otherwise I don'tr dare to give it away :P)
Only 2 days ago I started to realize I'm going away. For the whole 9 months! And alreay yesterday I had the feeling that it'll be just another 2-week-trip and I'll be back before anyone can even realize that I'm gone.

Today I got to know about my host family. Not too much information, but at least I know I'll be having my own room and a dog - so finally I can have a dog... for exactly as much as about a year... that's also something!
I even know my future adress, so I can already start mailing letters to myself [Muhv nõudmiseni].
My father will be 63 years old and retired. My mom will be 53, a social worker. My sister is 23 but she'll leave for Europe in September. Thus, I have another sister till January - Hilde, another exchangee, 18 years old.

Actually, I'm lucky to have even 2 families. Up till September I'll be living with another couple. So it means a lot of presents to be taken from Estonia.

The only place to contemplate the wisdom of humanity is on the throne of laziness.

So, meanwhile I have learnt exactly that much Spanish: 0
(but I DO think about learning every day, honestly!)

And I thought I've prepared myself with a sufficient dose of salsa-dancing... but then again... one-two-thre, five-six-seven - that's about it?

Now I'm gathering my willingness to actually make a plan what I need to do before I go... the only thing I probably could focus on is the party-planning :D

Well okay, I have been a bit good as well... I've been to the pre-departure seminar which was actually quite useful actually. Now I don't think asking for ice-cream is the only thing I need... they convinced me otherwise. And after the seminar I had so many questions to both organisations (sending and recieving) that one of the gentlemen in Costa Rica preferred to quit his job and not answer our questions.

So go for the jump, and chase all your dreams.

This will be a story of a girl making her dream come true... becoming a long-term volunteer in some place exotic :)

I became involved in "voluntarism" when I was 16. Ever since I've known that some good day I will do EVS (European Voluntary Service) somewhere. People ask me why should you go and work for free? The answer is simple - you get paid by the happiness you bring to other people and that is the best pay one can wish for. In addition you get the experience for a life-time - discover the world and yourself. And of course, it is FUN!

So now after graduating from university, I've returned to my dreams. I started looking for some project that would suit my ambitions - I needed something to do with medicine - and volia! There was a project in Costa Rica's children hospital. Not even a thought passed my mind before I had already applied. Everything went perfectly well, I got the project and started waiting for going already in December (the project would start in August, so you can imagine my impatience... especially in the Estonian winter!)

Till now I've had only one slight problem: my parents who don't believe all the airplanes don't actually crash and that earth-quakes are not necessarily deadly. Well, by now they already know that Costa Rica is actually the safest country in Latin-America and one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Patience always leeds to success, my friends!

What concerns my language-skills, I have learned how to ask for an ice-cream. But my level is even a little higher - I can ask for as many ice-creams as I want, not neccessarily only one. That sure is an accopmlishment, isn't it? ;)
I also know there will be 24 volunteers from Europe and USA, so probably some of them is able to ask for a milk-shake as well and we'll survive just fine, I'd say! Pura vida!