A glance at my last 8 months..

Hello all! After 8 months of my lacking on this blog...here I am! I have been meaning to update it for a while now, but life gets too busy, internet gets slow and Alexa gets lazy. A TON of things have happened in the last 8 months...I will give a brief overview. Good thing I have pictures, otherwise I would not remember everything.

December: I had my first Costa Rican Christmas, it wasn't like Christmas at home, but it was interesting and filled with my big 300 person community family. Also, my host sister graduated high school!

January: My mom came and visited. We had so much fun, we went to Dominical beach, on the list of the top beaches in the world, it is beautiful. Then we came to Fila Tigre in our rental car and my mom got to meet my host family, stay in the cabinas, eat typical Costa Rican food and hike to two beautiful waterfalls. The first was a relaxing hike with the end being a huge waterfall where we could swim all day. The second hike was a little different and consisted of us hiking 4-5 hours in pure rainforest. No trails.  Cold weather. Rocks falling. In the end, it was worth it, we arrived to a gorgeous waterfall in the middle of the rainforest. Nobody would ever be able to find it if they didn't know it was there. After our adventures in Fila Tigre, we took my older host sister with us on our journey back to San Jose. We stayed on the beach one night and in San Jose another where we saw my mom off. Also this month I went to a Project Design Management workshop that Peace Corps put on with one of my community members. Also, my counterpart's baby was born :) His name is Aslan and he is the best.

February: Tyson came! He was here for two weeks and the start to our trip was in Uvita. We spent four days there and we had surf lessons, swam, walked on the beach and just relaxed. We then came to Fila TIgre and hiked to yet another waterfall which was just as beautiful but very different from the others I had seen. We went on a couple more hikes, one where our tour guide was my little 8 year old host sister who got us a little lost but didn't tell us until after, a true tour guide. After Fila Tigre we took the 10 hour bus ride to San Jose for the Super Bowl and a few days of just hanging out. Tyson got to meet many of my Peace Corps friends, we ate great food and then he was off. Goodbyes are the hardest thing of my Peace Corps adventure.

March: Dana and Dad came! They rented an apartment in Quepos for the month and I got to see them a couple weeks of it. I visited them and relaxed on the beach, hiked, went zip lining at night and cooked great food. Then they came and visited Fila Tigre (now my whole family + Tyson knows where and how I live...they are a lot more comfortable with my being here after seeing how safe it is). While they were here we built a garden bed and planted herbs and vegetables, which are now growing like crazy, then we hiked a little, talked a little and visited some cool nearby places with my host family. Later this month I went to another workshop with a community member, this one was on making bio digesters. We learned about the whole process and are now implementing this in Fila Tigre. This is where I found my new love of my life, Gabby the puppy. I fell in love, took her home and now she  rules my life here. Who knew a dog would be so much work?! (I guess most people probably)

April: This month was a work month plus visiting my friend at his site in Puerto Jimenez. Puerto Jimenez is on the Osa Peninsula and one of the most beautiful areas in the country. It was great seeing friends and his site. My host family, some local friends and I took a trip to a river to swim, play in the sand and eat. It was also Gabby's first time swimming.

May: I went home!!! As many of you know I was boppin around Minnesota for a few weeks. Tyson graduated medical school, yay! I enjoyed MANY different foods I have missed so much here and got to see so many friends and family. I was in Minneapolis for a while, Brainerd for a while longer, Duluth for a wedding, Gooseberry Falls and so much fun, back to Brainerd, back to Minneapolis, then it was time for my flight. The trip flew by but I had the time of my life and it was very very hard to leave...just another  goodbye, I have way too many of those in these two years!

June: June marked our one year in Costa Rica! This month was a lot of readjustment to Costa Rican life, it was like I was starting over again after my trip home! It's crazy how a few weeks at home can really set you back and get you used to your old life again. However, with time I'm getting into the lifestyle here again. This month a few of us went to Volcano Arenal to celebrate our one year in country. We hiked to a waterfall, swam, ate great food (of course...when isn't food a huge part of my life story) and we went to Baldi Hot Springs. I had visited here in high school so it was cool to see it again a few years later. This was a great trip to celebrate our time here.

July!!: Here we are in July! This month has flown by but also dragged on just like the others. The days go slow but the months go fast. The first week of July I went to Haley's site to help her with a youth camp, it was a lot of work but a ton of fun. Then we went to Uvita to meet some of the new Costa Rica volunteers and celebrate my birthday, my friends always give me the best birthdays here :) Also, I am working really hard with my counterpart to build a bio digester for our elementary school. We are writing a grant for $3500 and I really hope we get it. We have been working so hard on the details and how it would all be built, which is what I will explain now. For those of you who don't know, a bio digester is a big bag basically. It collects manure  from farm animals, for example pigs or cows, and makes methane gas that you can use to cook and even produce electricity. We are going to build an 8 meter bio digester and use the pigs the school already has to produce gas to cook the students meals and heat the school's pool. We will be building the pig sty, storage shed, bio digesters and all of the tubing and cementing necessary to finish. After the manure is used to produce the gas, it leaves the bio digester and we are going to make an organic fertilizer to use in the school's garden to grow vegetables and herbs for the food. Methane gas, if not used correctly, can be very harmful to the enviornment, however, after it is burned and is being used correctly, it is better for the environment than traditional cooking gas. With this project we are hoping to reduce deforestation (the school uses a wood stove to cook now), teach students and community members about recycling, helping the environment, alternate sources of energy and how to form and complete a project. The whole thing is a long process but I am hoping to have it finished by September! Other than that, I am continuing with English classes in the school and soon for the community again. I am also working with a few advanced English speakers individually to practice their English. I had three friends visit me this weekend, it was a lot of fun. It is so great to be able to show off my community and what I am doing here. It was, of course, hard to say goodbye but we had a great time (other than the time my phone got stolen at the hot springs...oops).

That's it for now! I'm going to try to try really hard to update my blog once a week (or even once a month would be an improvement) so it's less list like and I can tell you all funny stories that happen every day here and interesting things I have learned. I added a recipe to make arroz con leche in the recipes section, it is delicious!! I recommend making it :) Talk to you all soon!! Below are a few pictures from the last 8 months :) Sorry for any typos in this post..I will revise the next a lot better

Host sister's graduation

Mom's visit to the hot springs

My host sister and I at the first waterfall we hiked to with my mom

Uvita with Tyson

Our waterfall hike 

We made everyone eggs benedict

When I first found Gabby at the bio digester workshop...what a cutie

In Quepos with my dad and sister

After we made my garden

At the river

Puerto Jimenez

Wedding in Duluth

Tyson's graduation

Just hanging out with my best friend...finally!

Gooseberry Falls

Cooking with dad again :)

The girls after a full day of shopping :)

At Arenal celebrating our one year

Haley's Youth Camp

Celebrating my birthday in Uvita :) I got presents, a doughnut cake and all!!

"The Injury"

“Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not 
something you do in your spare time.” ― Marian Wright Edelman

My friend and fellow volunteer shared this quote with us and I really liked it and believe it so I thought I'd share :)

The title of the post is a very funny episode of the office which kind of reminds me of the stupid stuff I do to get hurt.

Due to a recent injury to both of my hands, this post may be a little shorter. Some of you know already, but for those who do not, I am clumsy. I don't mean I bump into things and trip once in a while, I mean I outright fall, a lot, along with the tripping and bumping. So, on my run Monday I ran the vuelta in my town, about 4 miles, at mile two I was walking down a hill, figuring running down it wouldn't be my safest bet, and as a truck was driving by I fell, not hard, just enough to be completely on the ground for them to see, laugh, and wave...which I reciprocated. I thought to myself, okay Alexa, that was a warning...be careful! I was careful, I got to the soccer field and was just about to stop running when whishhhhh, I fall. I fall hard. Of course I'm not thinking of the "best falling practices" everybody tells you about, so I stick both of my hands straight out to catch me while they slam into the dirt, rock filled road, along with my knees and stomach (thankfully not my face). First thing I did? Look around to make sure nobody saw, the construction workers on the salon apparently had the day off so I was in the clear. The next thing on my mind was, dang, I can't finish my workout and now I have to walk home, hands bloody, knees sore, and hope I don't see too many people. The only person I saw was a sweet woman who didn't laugh and only said "aww pobrecita" when I didn't say anything, held up my hands, and walked away to get to washing. I thought I was tough until I got home and started telling my oldest host sister what happened and I just burst into tears and laughter at the same time. Why? I'm not sure, I think I was still shocked but knew that it was funny because, well, I fell. So after she played doctor and bandaged me all up, I went on with my day, took a nap for a couple hours (along with my host sisters and mom in the living room...I got hurt! I thought I deserved it), and after washed the cuts with this alcohol scrub that said it was for wounds....only later (and after the burning pain) did I talk to Tyson and was told I only had to use soap, great. My thumb is still pretty swollen/immobile, but that should go away within a couple days. That was my great adventure of the week! Kind of a typical day for me, but with greater consequences this time.

Thanksgiving is coming up! I cannot wait because me and a few other volunteers are going back to Uvita to celebrate, I will miss home a lot of course, but come on...I'll be at the beach, I can't complain. We are going to have a potluck, eat it all, swim, talk, do whatever, and most of all, relax. I will be sure to get some pictures of the delicious food :)

Also, since December is almost here, and that means Tamale season is coming up in my town! I hear it is just a full month of eating, fiestas, and family time, I'm really excited to see how Christmas is in Costa Rica, just livin Pura Vida.

I hope everyone is doing well! Love you and miss you all every day :) I will post a picture of my right hand below...so if you do not want to see...exit the window now :)

How crazy is it that I'm in the Peace Corps?...it has been on my mind for so many years now that sometimes it almost doesn't  feel real and I have to stop and think about what I'm doing. I am so grateful for everything that has come my way, I remember when I found out last October that I wasn't going to be going anywhere and the emotions that came with it. Then I remember when Peace Corps called me in January and told me I was going to be invited to serve somewhere in Latin America...I was in shock. I had not heard anything from Peace Corps since October, had a new job, and all of a sudden had this thrown my way. However much of a shock it was, I am very glad and forever grateful for being invited to serve in such a beautiful country, with such beautiful people and amazing volunteers. 

A lot of people thought I was crazy for joining Peace Corps and would always ask me why I would want to do this. Why would you want to volunteer for two years and not make any money? Won't it be hard being away from home for so long? The answer to these questions always came really easy to me because yes, sometimes I can be crazy, but volunteering has always been really important to me and making money hasn't and of course I miss my family every day. But these answers seem so simple to me, and I imagine to the other volunteers, but seem so foreign to others. So if some of you are still wondering why I chose to do what I am doing, this is why.

I have had a passion for volunteering since I went on my first mission trip in 9th grade. I went on one every year in high school and were some of the best times I had. However, the moment that I think really decided these two years of my life happened when I was volunteering in Argentina in 2009 with some friends and I met a little girl named Flor, my Pacific Challenge friends can attest that I was in love, and she changed my whole view on life. I wrote my Peace Corps essay about this very little 5 year old girl and I have her to thank for putting everything into perspective and helping me know what I am meant to do...for two years at least. There are many reasons she influenced me so much but I won't go into them all now, I'll just say to never underestimate what you can learn from somebody, no matter how small they are.

This is Flor! :)

So, maybe that gives you a little insight of my decision to join the Peace Corps, maybe not, either way, I am very lucky to be where I am right now. Even though I am always missing my family and friends, I really feel like this is what I am meant to be doing right now, I also think I will get pretty quick at reading and learn a few new hobbies, so that's a plus too :)

I really just want others to understand why at least one Peace Corps volunteer decided to do this. I truly believe we all have a lot we can learn from everyone we meet, I try to keep an open mind and take advantage of meeting new people anytime I can, and I try to share my experiences with others. Sharing is caring right? ;) ...That was cheesy. I hope everyone has a great night!

Hobbies

I've learned that in the Peace Corps, you need something to keep you sane, something that you are in control over, and something you enjoy. So! I have decided on a few hobbies and thought I'd share so I'll actually carry them out for the next two years (and more!)

1. Drawing- There is so much beautiful nature here, I think it'd be really cool to learn how to draw it. Even if it turns out horrible, I don't actually have to show anyone.

2. Reading more- Which I have already started doing, I am on my 6th book in two months!

3. Playing guitar- I just think it would be really relaxing once I learn a few songs...first thing first...I should buy a guitar.

4. Writing- I journal some, but I am starting to write more and more, these too may very well never be shared...but it's relaxing.

5. Yoga- Maybe I'll start with Youtube videos to learn? Or maybe another volunteer can help me out, I just know it has helped a lot of volunteers relax and stay in control of their feelings blah blah blah, but I do want to give it a try.

That's what I am going to start with! I know it's a lot but I thought posting hem on here will hold me more accountable to actually sticking to these things. I'll let you know how it works out! :) Love you all!

Busy busy busy

Good Morning everyone! You wouldn't believe how many times I've logged on in the past month, started to write a post, then decided it was just too much work. But now, with candy corn at my side and Mumford and Sons playing in the background, I feel thoroughly motivated to write this post.

The past month has been nothing short of crazy with a trip to the beach with a few friends, continuing my English classes, taking AND managing to get a 91% in a rural tourism class (taught in Spanish, thank you very much), two nocturnal tours near my town, hiking through the international park by my house, traveling to San Jose for the week, and more...but I'll stick with the most exciting things. Oh! I will not forget my new food list at the bottom, which has also been a failed attempt to keep track of, there are just too many!

About a month ago, my beautiful white Mac (RIP), died. It was a devastating loss, but gave me an excuse to visit two friends in a nearby site and make an impromptu trip to the beach. My friends are living in a town close to the border of Panama, so I managed to at least not spend double in Costa Rica and got a better deal on a PC...I won't comment on my feelings about this computer, I am still Mac bias and this computer still needs to win my love. The most important thing I bought though, was TWO boxes of cereal for a total of $4...so cheap and made the next couple weeks great for breakfast. Anyways, after getting that, we ran to the bus and caught it at the last minute to go to Uvita, a beach about 3 1/2 hours from their site. It was beautiful and I'll definitely be going back more than a few times.

The rural tourism class was also a big time taker in the last month. It was every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday for 5 hours a class, we learned a lot, played some games, had a test, and learned about tourism. Pretty self explanatory, but I am now a proud holder of a certificate from the national university for completing el curso Turismo Rural Comunitario, if anybody wants to send me graduation presents, feel free.

So skipping right on ahead to this last week, I have been in San Jose since Sunday for an All Volunteer Conference (AVC). Technically the conference didn't start until Tuesday, but when it takes you 12 hours to get to where you're going and you have a meeting Monday at 4, going pretty early is necessary (not that I'm complaining about seeing friends for an extra day). AVC was really cool, I got to meet all of the Peace Corps Costa Rica volunteers and, like always, I was really impressed. Every volunteer is completely different but I am amazed by how great each one is. There was a talent show, different training sessions (on interesting subjects), an artisan market where we could buy hand made things from the different sites, a bake sale, and "speed dating" to get to know the Peace Corps staff better. It was a quick conference, but really great. Then Wednesday night was Halloween and, not to brag, but I think Peace Corps Volunteers are pretty creative and had some fun costumes. Thursday I got my OFFICIAL Costa Rican residency card, where we had to take a picture and I may have had some smurfette blue still stuck to my face, it did not want to come off. That night we got to stay in a really nice hotel in San Jose, Austen cooked a delicious dinner for us, and we relaxed and watched TV...in English, it was a great night.

Heading back to Fila Tigre on Friday was, as always, nothing too different, the creepy old men sitting with me at lunch, then staring at me on the bus, you know, the normal occurrence. So after the 7 hours driving, I got to San Vito, where my amazing host family came to pick me up, we did some shopping, I got some mail (thanks mom and dad!), and we left just to have the car break down five minutes out of town. So after waiting two hours in the dark, we finally got a ride and made it home by 7:30, making it an 12 1/2 hour total trip for me, but totally worth it.

The past two months have flown by, and the next few are going to be just as crazy and filled up. We are hopefully making a trip back to Uvita for Thanksgiving, which I can't wait for, and we have our in service training the first week in December. Just for formality, I will say that I will try to update this more, which I do try, it just never works the way I plan. So there you go! I'll update on my life again later, I miss and love everyone tons!

Below you will find....the food list! I know it's what you all wait for the whole month...you don't have to remind me of that...

My Food Obsession Continued...

- Prestinos

- Arepas

- Homemade Tamales

- The Subway cookies when I get to go to San Jose with foodie friends

- Leche Agria (pretty much sour milk but with sugar...weird deliciousness)

- Broccoli and cauliflower, I loved it before, but now have a huge appreciation for it when I get it.

- Have I mentioned the Tilapia?

- Bread with Lizano black bean spread and cream cheese (Haley and Kyle will defend me on this one)

- Chicharrones (no matter how bad they are for you...I don't care, I will not stop)

I think that's it for now!!

Making Tamales

At the tourism fair...if you want authentic, beautiful, handmade wood furniture, I know the place!

Me and my host parents with our tourism certificates

Ice cream in san jose :) yum

happy halloween!

On a night tour...yes i am that giant in the middle

On our hike/horse ride

In La Parque Internacional La Amistad by my house :)

So I got inspired after my post today to go out on my run but take my camera so I could show pictures of how lucky I am every day on my run :)

The little chicks we're going to eat in a couple months

Fishing for our lunch in our backyard :)

Celebrating Independence Day :)

Picking Mamones with my sister

Milking another one :)

The start to my everyday run

Just one of the beautiful views I see every day running

A type of flower I like at my house :)

First Month at Site

So much for updating my blog often...turns out I'm not a very good blogger! I will try to give an overview on my past month without rambling on for too long, it's been pretty crazy!

Swearing in was on August 24 at the US Ambassador's house in San Jose, it was broadcasted live from the US Embassy's website so anyone watching could see us being sworn in and we all got to give a shout out and say something to the camera to our families watching at home. This is very neat, in theory, but not so neat when you are one of the three people who get completely cut out so the families at home miss what you say. Yes, that was me. Fortunately my dressed up self made it on camera until the Ambassador handed me my certificate but my shout out got cut out...sad news. However, I was told the camera man like me so I was shown a lot throughout the ceremony, better than nothing right?! Anyways, if you are at all curious what a Peace Corps swearing in ceremony is like, it is forever in the archives of the Costa Rican/US Embassy website. Following swearing in, most of us went to a hostel in San Jose to celebrate with many other Costa Rica volunteers, it was a fun night!

Saturday was a busy day of packing and me trying to fight off my two week long sickness. This didn't work well, I left early Sunday morning (about 5 am from my house) and started my 10 hour long trip to my site. The altitude was a horror for me because it turns out I had a very bad sinus infection and had a killing headache/toothache/earache/cough/couldn't taste until Tuesday when I finally went to the doctor in San Vito and got loaded up with medicine. Fun way to start out my service! ;)

Since then, I've been busy, not busy, stressed out, happy, sad, bored, excited...pretty much every emotion you could think of. Since arriving, I have seen 2 poisonous snake (don't worry...my host dad didn't hesitate killing them with his machete), milked FOUR cows, eaten fresh honey/raw sugar cane/cow heart/freshly made cheese/endless rice and beans/arroz con leche/miel de ayote (look it up)/freshly killed chicken/tilapia from my family's pond/and much more, all of which were delicious. I'm very lucky to have a host mom who is also an amazing cook. I have been to a bee farm, picked mamones (a delicious fruit), celebrated Costa Rica's independence day, been tormented by ants, and started english classes. I'm sure I'm forgetting some things too. It has been a crazy and great month and I am nervous/very excited to see all that is coming up.

Talking about ants, they are going to be what drives me insane. They love to show up in my computer, bed, desk, food, floor, walls...EVERYWHERE. They are so small but somehow one of the most obnoxious things I have ever had to deal with. I guess that's what I'll have to deal with living in a tropical country!

Between all of the craziness, I have been able to relax and even get back into working out. Even though I am high up in the mountains, I found a road to the next town over that is somewhat flat, so I run there almost every day, definitely a great stress reliever.

I started english classes this week, I am teaching them to the whole elementary school (about 87 students), Kindergarten through 6th grade, every monday three classes a day and Wednesday I have my kindergarten class. It is crazy and I'm not so sure about this teaching thing, but the kids are great and so excited to learn english, which all helps out a lot! My counterpart and I are also in the process of finding out ways to find funding to concrete the roads here. Hopefully that will work out soon! Everything is a lot of work but I'm eager to help out with it all and hopefully have success.

I feel like my community has accepted me pretty fast for being a gringa, I get many hugs and kisses (on the cheek) every Sunday at church and when I see community members on my walks around town. Everyone here is great, including my host family, who works so hard to make sure I feel like I'm at home.

I have gotten very lucky and even though I miss everyone from home so so much, I think I have the next best thing with my community. It is still as beautiful as ever and I can't wait to start having family and of course a certain boy come to visit. My community is excited as well :)

I will do my best to keep up with my posts, I hope everything at home is great!!!! Love you all!

 Right outside the school

 This is only about 1/4 of the road from my house to the school...

My first cow milking experience :)