Reminiscence & a Serene Welcome

Jan 19, 2010

I feel like home here. I feel like I know the streets. For the past three days, I’ve been seeing the same people every day. I’ve been walking down the same street, going to the same stores. I know where the shops are, where the bank is and where things are in the house. However, today was a little different because I leave for the volunteer site today.

I’ll be honest that I didn’t want to wake up at 4:30, especially after going to bed at 1 am but I was more than happy to do so because I knew I was venturing into a new place, a new surrounding and a new cause that I rarely get to be a part of. I was excited, thrilled, and energized in the morning. A 20 minute taxi ride from home after picking up Kiel and Brandon took us to the bus stand in San Jose.
The four hour bus ride reminded me of Nepal. The mountains, the narrow highway, the dirt roads branching out of the highway, the small houses, and the snack stops actually made me nostalgic. Some mountains looked a little barren but most were green. Four hours of reminiscence of Nepal took me to Santa Cruz, a town northwest of San Jose. We had to wait for two hours for the midday bus to Ostional from Santa Cruz. I got two pieces of fried chicken for c2000 at a food stand. Apparently, my friend Kiel who is white was charged more.


A two and a half hour bus ride from Santa Cruz to Ostional again reminded me of Nepal but more of the plains (the Terai). The land was starting to get flatter, and the humidity was rising. The houses were also getting smaller and had tin roofs- also a very Nepali feature. The bus had local people hauling sacks of groceries and other household items to the village. Although somewhat torturous because of an annoying old lady who kept being loud and obnoxious, the ride was very interesting. I was also proud to be the best Spanish speaker in the group.

An iguana and a woman whose name I don’t remember greeted us at the facility. Apparently, iguanas just hang out in the yards around here. After resting for a little bit, a good meal- rice and beans again but with some very fresh salad, felt good. I had a good conversation with Yami, the chef at the facility who also showed me how to made fried cauliflower dipped in egg. We had already heard in San Jose that she was a great cook. I’m starting to feel more comfortable with the language now. Yami’s blackberry fresco is also amazing.

There were other volunteers already living in the facility when we got here. Running water, electricity and internet made the facility more convenient but the location (facing the beach) and the simplicity made it serene. I almost feel like I’ll take serenity over comfort any day. Watching the sun sink in the ocean later in the evening certainly accentuated that feeling. We spent the night at an overlook with music in the background and conversations ranging from stand up to stereotypes to healthcare to loosing hair. It’s probably a no brainer who originated the conversation about losing hair.