Darjeeeeeeling!

Greetings from the land of tea in India, Darjeeling! It's in the foothills of the Himalayas and a nice change of pace (and weather) from our previous travels in Rajastan.

After relaxing at a guest house outside of Udaipur with amazing views and food, we headed to Ranthambore, a tiger reserve. The claim is that there are thirty something tigers at the park so we figured we would be able to see one. Tigers actually are most active at daybreak and dusk. People come to the town strictly to visit the reserve and there are tons of jeeps and 16 person open roof canters that get assigned to one of 5 different zones on morning and afternoon tours. All these jeeps and canters follow along the same paths with their loud diesel engines searching for tigers in the brush. We would randomly stop the car and be quiet to listen for the tigers, and then drive to another spot and do the same thing. During our sunrise tour our guide heard a monkey warning call signifying tigers could be near and he ended up driving so fast trying to get there first that he got a flat tire. So we had to get out of our jeep in a supposedly "Tiger Infested Wilderness" during the fifteen minutes it took to change the tire. In the end it turned out that the tiger crossed out of our zone anyways. From talking to other people, we weren't the only ones to leave not seeing any tigers.

Needless to say we were glad to move on to something different. It took us 3 flights and a 3 hour drive up the steep, bumpy, one and a half lane road to get to Darjeeling but certainly worth it! We arrived on Rudy's birthday and had dinner at a colonial restaurant that had Chinese food and fried pork! In Rajastan the only meat was chicken, so it's been good to have some pork again and reconfirm that Rudy and I are not vegetarians.

Darjeeling has beautiful mountain views and cooler temperatures that allow us to break out our fleeces and warm up with some tea. We have done a lot of walking around in the fresh air. We went to the highest zoo in the world which had tigers, leopards, bears and a black panther! This was really awesome to see since we were just at a Tiger Reserve and didn't see any tigers. There was also the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute that trained missions to Mt Everest and had a really cool museum with all the actual equipment from the different missions, including the first group to reach the summit! The sherpa that got to the top with Sir Edmund Hilary founded the Institute.

On a clear day they say you can see Everest from here. It's been cloudy for the most part and actually HAILED the last two days! We were able to observe the hail from the inside of a heritage hotel having the traditional English high tea. In the different places it's been interesting to see remnants of British colonialism. Converted colonial buildings into hotels, riding a " Toy Train" the British built in the late nineteenth century to reduce the time to get to Darjeeling from five days to one, and a Brit was the first person to plant tea in Darjeeling.

There is one tea plantation near town. It produces specifically for the luxury department store Harrod's in the UK. The way we walked to get there was no so luxurious. Trying to follow the map, and asking different people directions we ended up in a neighborhood literally carved out of the side of a mountain with steep walkways, sewer lines running into the water canals that were also full of trash. Miraculously we made it through the chaos and into a see of tea bushes.

Women do the picking here which was something I saw with the wheat harvest in Rajastan as well. In the peak heat and sun these woman are working in the fields while it seems that there are 4 men to do the job of one. In a country of one billion people, employment is an issue and there are fewer women than men. The one real industry we have been able to observe is the tourism India, one of India's largest, and it still appears to be male dominated.

After our cool days in the refreshing, mountain air we head to South on the coast of the Arabian Sea to do some beach hopping. Our access to Internet at each place we stay is always varied but we hope to post more pics soon and write again soon.

Three weeks in and loving it! - Lisa

Pictures !

This the first installment of pictures from our trip. We just uploaded them and have not been able to tag/label each picture yet. We will get to that as soon as time/internet speed permits.

Enjoy !

Lisa and Rudy

Link : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2110372&id=15805500&l=1f7f672518

Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur

Greetings everyone from Udaipur, the Lake City. The past eight days we were with our wonderful driver ,Sanjay, who drove us all over the Rajastan area from city to city. The past couple days have definitely been a whirlwind as we have left Delhi and moved deeper into be country side of India.

Our first city after Delhi was Agra. This city is most known for the classic Taj Mahal building. After arriving at night in Agra from Delhi we checked into our home stay in a 100 year old heritage building. This bed and breakfast of sorts was run by a Sikh couple. They were very accommodating and told us stories of their son who is living in Australia and is now the Manager of a T.G.I. Friday restaurant. As our home stay only cost 20 dollars a night Lisa and I wanted a taste of the high life and went to the oberoi Amar vilas hotel for drinks at sunset. This was an ultra lux hotel with rooms costing minimum 800 a night but we were able to get drinks at the bar and watch the sun set over the Taj.

The next morning we woke up a 6 to be one of the first to enter the gates of the Taj. This is the best time to visit as it is not that hot and also it isn't that crowded. Overall seeing the Taj mahal was a very surreal experience. It definately is the most impressive buildjng I have ever seen in my life and it is crazy to think it was all made by hand with no modern Machinery. We also hired a guide to guide us through and help us take all of the classic pictures we wanted with us and the taj. After about two hours at the Taj we finished up and our guide led us to a store were they sold marble goods. Clearly he was hoping we would buy a large marble table and be would then be able to skim some commission off that. The marble dealer initially offered us marble tables and the other goods in decreasing value but overall we weren't interested. After our time with our guide we met back up with our driver and headed in the direction of Jaipur.

On the way to Jaipur we stopped a a famous mosque and palace called Fatehpur Sikri. Throughout my blogs I won't reference many of the historical elements of the sites we visit as this can be easily googled to learn more accurate information. Anyways at this place we seemed to has arrived during a religious holiday because it was swarming with people. One of the things lisa and I have been dealing alot with is constant requests from people for either money, taxi/auto rickshaw rides, tips, offers for tours, and generally any and all types of requests of people asking us for money in some fashion. Unfortunately at this historic sit we were inundated with so many touts(people asking for money) that we simply had to turn around and leave. Every 60 seconds people were harassing us in some fashion and we have been learning to know when situations aria were we simply need to leave the place as fast as possible and this was one of them. Overall the situations aren't dangerous but more annoying to he point that we can't even enjoy where we are. I would say on an average day we are asked for money at least 15 times..... One crazy thing happened today while we were driving where on this rural road there was a human wall of girls. They clearly weren't moving and as we approached them they circled our car entirely and we clearly couldn't drive without runningover or severely injuring/killing them. Supposedly they were collecting money for some festival but I don't really think so. Anyways that is that regarding touts.

In Jaipur we saw all of the classic sites, from the big fort in the mountains, royal cenotaphs, a monkey temple with 30 monkeys running around crazily, a Jain temple, and the royAl lake palace. During the late afternoon our driver offered us the opportunity to come to his home for tea. We took him up on his generous offer and had an amazing afternoon at his home. He lived near the train tracks about 30 minutes from the center of Jaipur. He lived with his wife from an aranged marriage and 2 daughter and one son. Apparently this is the first time be ever offered anyone to come to his home so we were privileged for the opportunity. His home consisted of a one room brick structure tin roof one bed propane tank to cook on tv and small porch area. Overall very rudimentary. When we arrived to his house his neighbor immediately wisked us awayto visit his home. According to our driver this was the first time he ever saw a foreigner. We had chai tea on his neighbors large bed and snacked on some home made sweets apparently made by him. After our time at the neighbors we went back to our drivers house for more tea and also a plate of rice flour with vegetables made by his wife. Overall it was a very heartwarming experience and we were grateful to be welcomes into an Indian home as most of experiences are going from hotel to hotel.

After two night In Jaipur we continued on to Jodhpur. Overall jodhpur was enjoyable as we were able to visit the impressive umaid bahwan palace and I was very excited about the pool at our hotel !

The next day we headed to Jaisalmer to begin our desert experience. During the two days in Jaisalmer we averaged temperatures in The 100s fahrenheit. The first day we arrived at our hotel to begin our camel safari. Once arriving at our hotel we took an hour Jeep ride into the desert to meet the camels which we would ride on the dunes. We rode the camels for 2 hours into the sunset and then arrived at camp were we had dinner. That night and for the past couple days before and after I had been suffering from the famous "Delhi belly" upset stomach as well I am now recently recovering from a cold. So overall having a cold and Stomach problems in the middle of the desert in 100 degree temps doesn't make for the best time ever. At night we slept on the sand dunes and slept under the stars. It seems very romantic and makes for a good story but overall we were still in the desert and sleeping In the elements is quite the experience. Also if anything (knock on wood) were to happen we would be inserious trouble. Well I guess that could be said for many places here in India. Before the safari I stopped at the pharmacy to get cold Medicine and the first Medicine the 'pharmacist' recommended to me had a picture of Bart Simpson on a skate board. Ha anyways I remembered the names of the meds I needed and basically self medicated myself. Anyways After the camel safari we were glad to check into our AC hotel room and shower off all the Sweat sunscreen camel smells and sand. As well the next day we saw the famous Jaisalmer fort which over 4000 people still live in today. Pretty wild.

Yesterday we spent the night in jodhpur again on our way to get to udaipur where we are right now. We saw yet again a another for in jodhpur. It was pretty cool because you could look out from the top of the fort over the city and see all the houses paint lightblue, they call it the blue city.

Today we went from jodhpur to udaipur. On the way we stopped at the Ranakpur Jain temple, a very ornate detailed temple with over 1000 marble columns decorated and carved differently.

Now we are in Udaipur and look forward to more relaxation and less moving around. As well we are currently experiencing temple/fort/cenotaph overload. After two night here in the city we are heading into the mountain to hang out at a mountain retreat mansion with pools and huge private balconies overlooking the India country side. I look forward to this vacation within the vacation.

Anyways that is the latest going on here in India. I am definitely enjoying myself here. Everything In India is just wild, but definately in a good way. From religions, to the sheer mass of humanity you see on a daily basis, to the camels in the road, to cows everywhere, to the smells, to the caste system, turbins, heavy traffic, spicy food, not knowing the language, Mughal architecture, temples, vegetarian foods, cow droppings everywhere, horns always honking, Muslim call to prayer. Just rattled off a couple sites sounds I had going through my head .... Anyways all is well here. I miss all of my friends and family at home and I look forward to the future here in India then China then grad school in the fall !

Love to everyone ! Namaste !

Location:Brahmpol Rd,Udaipur,India

India Adventure Begins

Greetings Everyone ! It has been a long time since I last used this blog, but I will be starting if up again as I have just begun my travels throughout India and China with my girlfriend Lisa. I hope to update this blog as much as possible throughout the trip, but as wifi access in rural India may be hard to receive amongst the cows and elephants I will try my best. Also I am writing this post on my iPod touch so if some crazy word come up on the auto spell please disregard or regard them.

The trip began on sat march 19 leaving JFK airport at 830 pm heading to London. We had a 14 hour layover in London so we took advantage of the time and saw all the major tourist sites in London. Overall london was awesome with an amazing metro system , decent food, semi blue skies, and 7 dollar coffees ( given we did have High Te at the ultra lux boutique dept store Fortnum and Mason. London was clean, easy to navigate, and expensive, all attributes which we do not expect Delhi, India to have.... we made it at night back to the airport to catch our ten pm flight to Delhi.

After 8 mrs hours by plane and a total 9.5 hour time difference to the US we made it to Delhi . I was expecting complete mayhem at the airport but in reality it was overall very smooth. Delhi airport has been recently renovated for the Commonwealth games and the Airport overall is super modern. we had our driver waiting for us in the arrivals area and he took us to our hotel in a sleepy resident village in southern Delhi . we then ordered India food to the hotel had lunch then woke up then had leftovers for dinner then passed out again.

Today we gathered all our confidence and hit the streets of Delhi. in the morning we went to humayans tomb, basically a tranquil garden palace which served as an inspiration to the designers of the Taj Mahal. We then took the Metro to old Delhi. By the way the metro system here in Delhi is AMAZING. The best I have ever riden in my life. Super clean stations, security pat down and bag check as you enter the station, cheap fares 15 rupees or 30 cents each way, seperae male and female only rail cars and security everywhere. I was expecting the worst but in turn I got the best. Anyways back to old Delhi . So old Delhi is EXACTLY what you think of when you imagine the Crazy hussle and hussle of an Indian city. beggars with missing limbs, street children, garbage everywhere, stray dogs everywhere, cars auto/cycle rickshaws honking nonstop fighting for road space with cars people animals and people sleeping literally on the street. Lisa and decided we were going to visit the red fort but after walking in the wrong direction for 20 minutes we ended up hiring a cycle rickshaw driver to show us around old Delhi. A cycle Rick shaw is basicall a three welled bike was two wheels in the back holding a platform for the riders to sit on. He drove us all over the place meandering through thick traffic barely crashing into people animals and all different forms of transportation on wheels. We drove thrift this one narrow back alley where they were cleaning out the septic tank ..... by hand. There were literally huge piles of rotting human feces in the middle of the street. One guy pulled the short straw and had to scoop out buckets of human feces by hand he del he had the best angle of achieving this by literally jumping into the sewer and scooping it out. people devised there own way of dealing withthe feces all over the place and put cardboard over the piles.... We just drove over it with our rickshaw.

After our rickshaw tour we went to the red fort. This was huge red for built for the rules 200 years ago to live in and perform different ceremonies and what not In. It was pretty impressive.

Overall india has been great so far . Tomorrow we will start our 8 day trip with our hired driver through the rajastan area. Very excited to get out of the big cities and see areas with less than 17 million people packed into a small area.

Anyways that is the latest for now. Pictures will come soon don't worry ! Thanks for reading and look forward to reading more crazy adventures from Rudy and lisas tiger vs dragon expedition 2k11!!!!!

TUANIS or shall I say NAMASTE !!!!

Success

Greetings everyone !

4 Months after my Peace Corps service I am happy to say that I am doing well and can report to you a mission success regarding the Construction of the School. Unfortunately I was not able to see the final construction stages of the school as a result of my service in country ending in May, but I was able to receive pictures of the completed school from my PCV friends Jenna and Matt who are serving near my site and were able to take pictures of the school. Currently the classroom is being used to teach Kindergarten classes as well as Adult Education classes. This building is the newest and most modern public construction project in the community in the last 20 years. Thanks to your donations and the hard work of community members the project became a reality!

The past 4 months I have spent time in New York and as of recently have now moved to Zacatecas, Mexico. My time spent in New York was great as I was very happy to be finally home after my 2 + years serving in the Peace Corps. I was also able to resume teaching classes as a substitute teacher in New York City for a short period of time.

Now I am living in Zacatecas, Mexico which is located in the Northern Central part of Mexico. For the past 3 weeks I have been teaching at the Tecnologico de Monterrey Campus Zacatecas as an English Professor. As well I have begun my studies toward taking the Dental Admissions Test in November to hopefully gain admission to next years entering Dental Class in the Fall of 2010.

Thank you very much for reading my blog during the past 2 years. This blog was actually featured on someones dissertation on page 113 ( http://peacecorpswiki.org/images/C.Maugh_Dissertation.pdf). So it seems like this communication outlet has been a success in publishing my feelings during the past 2.5 years + as well as letting you know what has been going on in my life.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer on behalf of myself, my family, my friends, and the Unites States. I could not have thought of a better way to serve my country, while truly enhancing the lives of my community members for generations to come. If anyone is interested in doing the Peace Corps at all, don't think twice, JUST DO IT ! This experience has truly changed my life profoundly and I have made lifelong connections with members of my community where I served as well as other fellow volunteers.

As for now, I am enjoying myself here in Mexico. Living in a small apartment near the center of Zacatecas with my girlfriend, Lisa, a fellow PCV whom I met during my service in Costa Rica. We are both training for the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on November 15. This will be my second marathon and Lisa's first! Classes at the University are going well, and I am spending every free moment I have studying for the DAT.

That is the latest and greatest from here. I will be posting blogs with less frequency as things will be similar from here on in till the end of the year. But nonetheless there will always be "Tuanis Times" in my life and will be sure to report the latest of them right here.

Adios amigos !

Scroll to the back of the album for the latest pictures : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2545306&id=2206209&l=38f68130f3

Classrom Project Status Update 2

Greeting from extremely hot and sunny Costa Rica! I seemed to have chosen the hottest months of the year in Costa Rica to build a classroom, but at least we have been safe from the heavy rains and it would have otherwise been impossible to build. Overall things are going very well with the project. We have fully installed the Iron Beam Network with the Zinc Sheets for the roofing, installed the cement base, cemented the large cement slabs together to create uniform walls, and have begun the installation of the electric system.

Installing the Iron Beam Network to hold up the Zinc Sheets turned out to be a relatively easy task. It basically involved the Contractor and another skilled person in welding, essentially weld the large iron beams together, then we shingled the Zinc sheets and screwed each of them in. Most houses in my community, including my house, have a network of wooden beams to hold up the zinc sheets, we have used iron beams which are both sturdier and will last much longer.

Installing the cement base of the classroom required a lot of hauling of sand, rocks, and cements. We initially were planning to get a cement mixer for the job, but we couldn’t find one and ended up mixing about 30 bags of cement, 30 bags of sand, and a large amount of rocks by hand. One crucial step to making cement is water. At the school the water pump has been broken since the beginning of the year, and as well the well has dried up, so there is no water at all in the school. As well my community does not have a rural aqueduct where we can just turn on the tap and receive guaranteed water, every family and house has their own well or shared water well. Therefore we needed to haul by truck every morning 10 to 12 large Barrels of water from our water well at my host family’s house to the school. I don’t know if anyone has mixed lots of cement before by hand but it is pretty back breaking work and you also need to make sure you get the ratio of cement to rock to sand perfect. This whole process ended up taking only 3 days with the help of many community members.

Then the detailed work begins… Smearing on a cement layer to combine the large slabs of cement is very time consuming work. As well for the next week, every day we need to come to the school twice a day and poor water over the walls to make sure the cement doesn’t crack on the walls. We also need to use a sifter to sift through the sand we already have and make sure we have the finest sand which we will then mix with cement and water. This cement layer will further fortify the walls, which we can then paint.

The installation of the electrical system is pretty straight forward we just need to make sure we have our network of tubes through the ceiling which contain wire properly aligned and sent through the circuit breaker. We are installing about 4 power outlets, 2 Light Switches, and 8 sockets for energy saving light bulbs.

Next we need to create a network of wooden beams to then install our ceiling, install all 72 square meters of ceramic tile, weld onto the frame of the classroom two doors, install metals bars and fine netting for use as windows (Actual glass windows tend to break easily in classroom, are expensive, don’t give much security, and restrict airflow). Overall it seems like a lot but things are coming along very well. Next week is the Costa Rican Holy Week holiday and we will not be working on the classroom, but then the following week we hope to finish up all the necessary tasks for an inauguration of the classroom on April 17, 2009 !

All of the pictures will definitely give you a better idea of the process.Since we are building the new classroom near the old latrine, we have been in the process of digging a new 2 meter deep hole further away from the new classroom for the sanitary needs of the school. Pictures show some of that digging as well.

I am very thankful to be able to complete this project in my community. Again this project simply would not have been completed without your generous donations. Thank you very much for your support and I look forward to reporting more on the status of the classroom construction.

As for me personally, I am coming to grips with the reality that my Peace Corps experience here is ending. Of course it will be sad to leave my community and this life as a Peace Corps volunteer, but I have learned so much, met so many amazing people, had so many crazy adventures, learned Spanish fluently, and overall have had the time of my life. I could not have imagined a better experience to have after college. I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to be a part of Peace Corps and hopefully I will be able to use the skills and experience I have had here as a positive jump off point for future explorations and adventures in my life. Tuanis.

Link to Pics : http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=48019849&l=92dc0e5d10&id=2206209

Construction of the Classroom Begins !

We Made It !!! Thanks to all of your donations to my PCPP (Peace Corp Partnership Program) Project we have been able to raise over $4,700 for the classroom to be built in my community. I really appreciate all of the support which I have received and we are currently in the midst of making this project a reality.

In Mid February we were able to meet our PCPP donation goal, as well received another grant which we were applying for through CR-USA (Costa Rica United States) Foundation for another $3,500. We have thus raised over $8,200 dollars for the classroom for my community.

Construction is well on it its way and has begun in early March. We have been working for just about over a week on the project and things have been moving very fast.

The first stage required us to clear the land where the classroom was to be built on. We executed this with the help of a local community member and his tractor. He came with the tractor leveled the land and created a path through the back of the school for the material trucks to come and drop off supplies for the school.

The second stage which we completed 2 days ago consisted of constructing the outer cement shell or walls of the classroom. This classroom is considered “pre fabricated” and thus is easier to build then lining up cement blocks one buy one to create a wall. This method uses posts where we then slide giant slabs of cement between them to create the wall. So the past couple days we have been digging the holes for all the posts, lining up the posts properly, making tons of measurement to ensure perfect alignment, and then sliding the very heavy cement slabs between the posts to create the outer wall of the classroom. This has been a particularly physical part of the construction phase as we have to dig very deep holes for the posts and also align the cement slabs perfectly between the posts.

Currently we are at the point where we are sitting up the metal beam framework for the roof. We are welding metal beams to the cement base and creating a network of beams which will support the Zinc sheets which will then be secured in place to create the roof.

After the roof is in place we need to lay cement all over the walls to create a smooth surface which will join the different cement slabs into one unified wall. After that is laying cement to create the floor, lay down ceramic tiles, install the ceiling panels so we don’t see the zinc sheets and metal framework, painting everything, and then installing the electrical system.

Overall I am very surprised with the rate at which the construction is going. We are receiving a lot of support from the community and all of the children and teachers are of course very excited to see where they will be learning and teaching in the coming years.

I cannot believe that my Peace Corps experience here in Costa Rica is coming to an end, as I have been living, breathing, eating, and speaking Peace Corps for the past 2 years straight but I am extremely happy that this necessary project will very soon be completed for the community. Many years down the line I look forward to coming back to my small rural community and seeing the fruits of my labor and your generous donations still benefiting the community, and improving their quality of life.

Thanks you again for all of your support, this is a true example of people coming together donating money and immediately seeing a positive impact in the lives of many different people. I thank you for believing in me and trusting in me to complete this project with your money.

Anyways that is the situation as of right now. Check out the pictures of the whole process for the past 2 weeks as these will surely give you a greater idea of how this project is coming together. I will be posting more info throughout the coming weeks to show you more of the process of the construction.

Thanks everyone! Tuanis.

Link for Pictures : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2545306&id=2206209&l=38f68130f3

Close of Service Conference and Classroom Project Status

WE MADE IT!!!!! Tico 16 succesfully made it to our COS (Close of Service Conference). I was happy to attend the conference with 13 of the original 16 Tico 16 members still remaining in Costa Rica after 2 years of service. It was great to be able to spend time during our last official Peace Corps training with everyone from Tico 16. I am really proud of all the work which we have done thus far and will continue to do up until the official end of our service on May 18.

During the 3 day Conference we reflected upon our service, created a presentation outlining our service to Peace Corps Costa Rica staff, learned about all of the papers we need to fill out before leaving, an spoke about future job opportunities and graduate school options. Out of all the training events I attended during my service I enjoyed this Conference the most. It helped me channel all of my feelings and experiences which I have had during my service to preparing myself to enter the US strong and ready for anything.

On our final night we organized a fancy dinner to commemorate our service and talk about all the memories which we had during training and at our sites. I am extremely grateful to have had the support of all my Tico 16 members throughout my service. As we all know, we are the only ones who truly understand what we have gone through here in Costa Rica and to have them by my side has been invaluable. I have made many friends within my Tico group aswell as outside of them, and every one of them I look forward to continuing the relationship on in the states. As well it has been very motivating to know that I not only have support within country but outside of the country. I am so thankful for my family and friends back at home supporting me in my service here in Costa Rica. At times it is difficult to fully describe my experience here, but I appreciate you all lending an open ear and having a genuine interest in the work I am doing down here. Also I am particularly grateful to everyone who has supported me financially in donating to my PCPP project to build a rural classroom.

While at the service I couldn´t believe how fast the time had flew. It seems like only yesterday I was blogging at the Holiday Inn in Washington D.C. talking about how I was nervous but very excited to begin this adventure of Peace Corps in Costa Rica. 2 years later I am writing this blog at the internet cafe a 90 minute hike from the rural jungle community which I live in. Walking to the internet today I really decided to take a step back and realize, WOW I am in Peace Corps. Living with 12 people in one house, going to the bathroom in a latrine, having farm animals around me, eating rice and beans, speaking spanish, being immersed in the culture is what Peace Corps is all about. Those experiences are why I signed up to be in Peace Corps. Before coming into Peace Corps I had this vision that it would be me living in this rural community helping them out with different projects immersed in Costa Rican Nature and Wildlife, and that is EXACTLY what I am doing right now. So I am proud to have lived in Costa Rica for 2 years so far, I am proud of everything I have accomplished so far and I hope that the work and experiences which I have had in the community will be remembered for many years from now.

As of right now, unfortunately, we are still below the amount of money neccesary to build the much needed classroom in my community. As I have said before I am so grateful for all of your donations towards this project thus far. Again I am opening an invitation for those who have not had the opportunity to donate to my project to please consider sending a donation. I believe that more so than any charity you can donate to all of the money you donate will DIRECTLY go towards the materials neccesary to construct the classroom. For example if you donate 1 penny then that is 1 Nail for the classroom, If you donate 15 dollars that is worth one bag of cement, if you donate 30 that is one large sheet of zinc for the roof, or 50 dollars that could go towards the construction of 2 blackboards in the classroom. As you see all the money directly goes towards the classroom. As well for those who have already donated I am graciously asking you to consider donating again, either the same amount or maybe half of what you have originally donated. As well those who have donated can maybe present the opportunity to another friend, family member, sibling, or parent who may be interested in Donating towards an Education Service Project Abroad.

As time is running out in the project, this will be my final request for donations. I hope that we will be able to meet our fundraising goal by Feb 15. I can assure you that the Children and Parents of my community will be extremely grateful for your support. As I have said before I will outline the steps of the project on this blog so you can see where your money is going to. I hope that come April/May I will be able to put a picture of a brand new classroom full of students on the front page of this blog. As well everyone who donates will recieve a special token of appreciation directly from the students of my community sent to your home provided you supply an address when filling out the online donation form.

Thank you so much for your support and help and I look forward to recieve your support in helping us make our donation goal .

Tuanis !

Seasons Greetings and Classroom Update

( Me with the three teachers and school cook)

Seasons Greeting and Happy New Year from Costa Rica !

Currently I am reporting from my site here in the Southern part of Costa Rica. The turn of the seasons is getting more noticeable, as it is raining less and less and getting hotter and hotter as the days go by.

I recently came back from a trip to the United States to visit my family for Thanksgiving, as well as a trip to the midwest to visit my girlfriend for awhile. I even managed to visit my old stomping grounds in Ann Arbor, Michigan and visit my friends Brian and Jared. Overall it was an excellent trip to the states filled with lots of fun, relaxation, and amazing food.

It is great to be back in site, and working again in the community with the school and my English classes. I was able to report back to the local education commitee on the status of the classroom fundraising project, and they were very excited to learn that through the generosity of my friends and family I have so far raised around $ 1,700 towards the construction of the classroom. Although as of right now we are still in need of a little over $3,000 to make the project a reality. I have also been in talks with the Habitat for Humanity office in the capital, San Jose, to possibly bring in a brigade of volunteers to help with the construction of the classroom.

I really want to take the opportunity to thank everyone once again for donating. I realize that in these troubled time with the economy, everyone is struggling to make ends meet. Although if you happen to have anything you could share with us to complete this project it would be greatly appreciated. Living in a remote rural community in the middle of Costa Rica for the past 22 months I have truly experienced and learned to appreciate the extremely high quality of education which I have recieved growing up in Westchester, New York and hope that when my time to leave my community in Costa Rica, I can leave leave them with a valuable educational resource which will benefit everyone in the community for many years to come.

Anyways that is the latest news for now ! I hope that everyone will enjoy the holiday season coming up and I look forward to posting a picture of the newly built classroom in the Spring of 2009 as a result of your contribution!

Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures!

Please enjoy the following pictures which will help give you a better idea of my experience down here in Costa Rica, and the work which I am doing here. Enjoy !

Photo Album : Centro Educativo Paraiso

• This Photo album includes pictures of me with the students in the school, and various pictures of the existing classroom and the future site where we will build the next classroom.

Photo Album : Host Family

• This Photo album includes pictures of my host family members.

Photo Album : My House in Costa Rica

• Pictures of the House which I am living in currently.

I look forward to posting my pictures soon ! I will be posting pictures throughout the whole construction process so you will be able to see the full benefits of your donation. Thanks for your support ! Please contact me if you have any other questions.

Rudy´s Peace Corps Project Needs YOUR Support !

The following is the complete Project Profile which I have sent to Peace Corps to put on the Peace Corps Partnership Program Website. If you would like to have sent to you a formal invitation to donate please email me your address, so I can have Peace Corps send that to you immediately. Or you can directly donate through this link : https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=515-148 or by clicking on the ¨Donate Now !¨ link on the side bar of my blog. Thank you in advance for your generosity, without your support this project will not be possible. If you have any questions you can email me. As well I encourage you to send this blog and link to other friends and family. This donation is not only tax-deductible, but makes you feel GREAT!

From your hardworking Peace Corps Volunteer,

Rudy

P.S. Pictures coming VERY soon !!!!!

Here it goes …….. Enjoy !

PCPP Project Title: Increased Academic Opportunities for the Community of Paraiso de Buenos Aires

Community Organization: Paraiso Education Committee

Executive Summary:

The aim of this project is to build a classroom in a remote rural community located in Southern Costa Rica. The 200 residents of this community practice subsistence farming on small plots of land. In the town center, 11 months out of the year, 44 students attend a weathered one-room primary school which was first built in 1990. After school hours, over 50 adults attend several different classes taught both by the Costa Rican Learning Institute and a Peace Corps Volunteer. Most of the adult members of the community have only completed primary school education as there is no high school nearby.

In the primary school, grades 1 through 6 are taught together by two different teachers in one classroom that is well over capacity. With a new classroom, primary school students will be able to learn in a new and spacious environment, and more adults will be able to participate in adult-education classes. A portion of the materials will be donated by the community, as will the labor necessary for construction. If this project is not completed, the only educational center in town will remain overstrained and learning opportunities will continue to diminish. The education committee, composed of parents and community members, is very determined to see this project through to completion.

Background Information:

Paraiso de Buenos Aires, is a small rural community located 8 kilometers from the center of the city of Buenos Aires in the Southern part of Costa Rica. Its residents practice subsistence farming, along with working with the local electric company (ICE) and Pineapple Plantation (PINDECO). Paraiso has a growing population of over 240 residents. Among the many groups formed within the community, the local education committee (7 members) is motivated to complete construction of a new classroom to cater to the growing number of primary school students and adult students in the community.

Community Need:

In Paraiso Primary School there are 45 students including the kindergartners. There are two full time teachers, including the director and there is one part time teacher. The part time teacher teaches Kindergarten in the morning and literacy classes to adults in the community 3 times a week.

As well there is a growing population (40 +) of teenagers and adults participating in the Peace Corps Volunteers English classes after school hours and 20 more adults participating in daily classes taught by the Costa Rican National Institute of Learning.

Although Paraiso is a small community more than 50 percent of the community participates in some sort of learning activity taught at the school at least once a week. The residents of Paraiso have taken advantage of the learning opportunities brought to them, although in combination of the growing population and learning activities offered in town there is physically not enough space to accommodate a proper learning environment.

If this project is not implemented the children in the primary school will be faced to continue learning in a classroom well over capacity (35 + students in one classroom) which will affect their learning, and the adults will lose educational opportunities which could have otherwise been given to them (i.e. additional classes, night high school, and community meeting area).

Community Initiation and Direction:

The project of construction for the classroom is entirely a community initiative. The labor will be provided and completed by skilled and unskilled community members. The local education committees initiated the project and are completely involved and committed to seeing the project to a successful conclusion.

The president of the education committee has been working in collaboration with the director of the school in finding funding, creating design plans, and organizing the construction crews. The members of the education committee are working to inform the community about the project and delegate project responsibilities.

Community Contribution:

The community is fully involved in implementing this project. Planning, Construction, and post-maintenance of the new classroom will be under the continued responsibility of the local education committee. The local education committee is contributing approximately $2,250 dollars worth of labor costs. As well over $3,000 dollars in material towards the classroom will be donated. Overall, the financial community contribution will be approximately 50%.

Project Implementation:

There will be three phases of the project. 1) Organizing the education committee and community at large in preparation for the project. 2) Applying and acquiring funds to execute the project. 3) Building the Classroom.

In phase 1, the Education Committee will be responsible for project planning and organization of the community. Working alongside the education committee will be members of the community working to help execute the education committee’s goals. Specifically the President of the Education committee will be responsible for delegating responsibility during the pre project planning stage.

In phase 2, the President and Treasurer of the Education Committee as well as the school director will be working to solidify the donation by the committee and as well search for outside funds, i.e. through the Peace Corps Partnership Program.

In phase 3, under direction of the President of the Education Committee and Local building contractor the community members who have volunteered in the construction will work towards completing the new classroom.

Project Sustainability:

Constructing a new classroom requires a large amount of planning and preparation. From organizing construction plans, to acquiring the funds necessary to build, to the actual physical construction of the classroom, strong participation is needed among the education committee and members of the community.

The community and committee members will gain knowledge in project planning, project implementation, financial planning, financial management, working in groups, delegating responsibility, the importance of communication, and basic to advanced carpentry and electrical skills during construction of the classroom.

The community will be able to maintain the classroom in the long term, through monthly payments by the National Education Ministry as well as monthly mandatory donations from the students attending the school. The hired teachers and Education Committee will be responsible for seeing the maintenance through in the future.

Increased Academic Opportunties for the Community of Paraiso de Buenos Aires

Thank you for all of you arriving at this blog for the first time, or to the rest who have followed my Peace Corps service through this blog. After being in my site for over 17 months and working closely with all community member through different capacities, i.e. English classes, work at the school, children’s groups, women’s groups, Development association meetings, etc., I have learned a lot about the community and its strengths, difficulties, and visions for the future. For 5 months I worked hard on writing a Community Analysis Tool or “CAT”. The CAT is an extensive report based on the community. Within the CAT consists of a basic history of the town, resources within the town, strengths, difficulties, potential future projects, and much more.

Through my 30 + interviews within the town and with governmental agencies which support the town, the reoccurring theme of the necessity of another classroom kept on coming up. Every year for the past 18 years since the primary schools construction the population of the students has risen. In academic year 2008 there are approximately 44 students attending the one room school, 12 of which attend the kindergarten in a small wooden structure apart from the main school building. In the primary school classroom grades one through sixth are all taught in the same area by two teachers in a 54 meters squared classroom area. The learning environment is far from ideal, as it is difficult to walk from one end of the classroom to the next, the noise levels are high, it is very cramped, the communication between student and teacher is hindered, and it is very during the Costa Rican summer months. These are of course only a few of the side effects of an overcrowded classroom.

Now this classroom is not only used for the primary school children. As well after school hours there is a thriving adult education community. The Costa Rican Learning Institute has sent a full time teacher to live within the community and teach classes, based on microenterprise management, accounting, nutrition, literacy, and agriculture to name a few. As well I am teaching English Classes at night 8 hours a week. This growing population of over 50 adult and teenage students is new to Paraiso. A majority of community members have not completed primary school let alone high school. Thus the community is taking full advantage of these new academic opportunities offered to them. Approximately 50% of the community population is participating in an academic opportunity within the one room school.

The school and the church are the only public buildings within the community. The one room school acts not only as an academic center but as a meeting place for community groups and community functions. The children’s group, women’s group, and other community groups have used the classroom as a place for various meetings and social activities.

Clearly the combined use of the one classroom by the primary school students, adult education students, and community as a whole has put great strain on the 18 year old classroom. The construction of a new classroom is vital to the academic future of the community of Paraiso. The community is able to donate resources and labor to the project, although there still remains some vital resources needed and for this we turn to the Peace Corps Partnership Program.

I have been working in collaboration with the local education committee, primary school teachers, director of the primary school, and president of the development association to make this project a reality. I look forward to using this blog to show the status and progression of the project. Once you donate you will be able to see how your money is being put to work, and hopefully we will see a picture of a completed classroom thanks to your donation. As always you can email me regarding specific questions to the project. Thank you very much for your consideration, and thank you for supporting my work abroad. The impact of this completed project will benefit the growing community for many years to come.

The Past Eight Months

The past eight months in Costa Rica have been filled with fun, adventure, hard work, and new experiences. I have been continuing working hard in my community on a lot of the same projects and as well making some headway on a couple new projects. My time here in Costa Rica has been an amazing experience, with new challenges and new friends both being made in my community and amongst the community of volunteers near me. I am very thankful for my time here and the opportunity to work together with the community members of Paraiso de Buenos Aires.

My biggest project by far has been my work on my English Classes within the community both for the adults and children of the school. Currently I am teaching around 40 adults in the community as well as over 40 children in the one room primary school. Throughout my time here I have been questioning the validity of my work here teaching English. Is it necessary that rural community members learn English? How will they really utilize English in their futures? But week after week my students return to my English classes with a strong interest in learning not only English but coming together as community members and working together to learn something new. Recently the Costa Rican Learning Institute has introduced new classes within the community, and thus some of my students have switched over and exclusively attend those classes, as those are slightly more relevant to rural life, i.e. starting a micro-enterprise, nutrition and agriculture classes. But nonetheless I am proud of my work as an English teacher. I feel that through attending my classes I have helped them earn confidence to learn new things and as well hopefully in the future the confidence to seek new opportunities within and outside of the community. As well the classes are not only a class strictly relating to learning English but an opportunity for cultural exchange as I tell stories about my life in the states and share my views and opinions and in return I can learn more about them. This has been extended into my classes within the primary school where I have been working together with the students both inside and outside of the school.

I have been able to work outside of the school with the children to organize recreational activities and games to play with them. Teaching 30 or more children to play a new game can be challenging but more or less they understand the idea. For example, teaching 30 first through sixth grade students to play American Football was an endeavor but entertaining. As well I have worked after school hours to form a Children’s Group. As of right now we are working on a fundraiser to organize a movie night at the school, as well we are working on selling Choco-Bananos (Chocolate Bananas) at the next Soccer Tournament in town. Working with the Children in the community has been a very rewarding experience, but I have especially cherished the relationship and support I have received from my 4 host sisters and nieces who have attended the majority of my children’s events and meetings.

Besides my English classes and work with the children in the community, I have had the opportunity to really enjoy the slow pace of rural life and integrate within the community. With a community of slightly over 200 people I have really had the opportunity to work with many of the community members and get to know many of them. I am particularly good friends with two of the guys who work at the wood mill in town owned by a “gringo” aka foreigner. German, Javier and I have gotten to know each other well as both attend my English classes, and as well every other weekend make the trek into Buenos Aires to grab a cold Imperial or two and listen to the latest Latin music hits. I have also formed a great bond with my two host brothers, one who works at PINDECO (Del Monte Pineapple Factory) and the other currently attending an Electrician course in Buenos Aires. Although my community is very rural, I have the advantage of being only 8 kilometers away (or an hour and a half walk) from the center of Buenos Aires, a city which has internet, supermarkets, and cold beer.

Being in-country for 19 months has been quite an experience so far. I am very grateful that I have had this opportunity in my life to live in Costa Rica and have had the experiences I have had. For anyone remotely thinking about doing Peace Corps, I HIGHLY recommend it. I am particularly happy with my decision to participate in Peace Corps directly after college. If one is not 100% sure with what they want to do with their lives Peace Corps offers you the ability to experience something completely unique and once in a lifetime. In a way it is the most difficult job you could possibly have after college, and yet the most rewarding. Being completely immersed in a culture and society entirely different from the United States and thriving and working with the people of the country to complete something together is quite amazing. My commute is a five minute walk down a muddy dirt road to the school (no traffic), my coworkers are the people I live, eat, and work with, and my boss is myself. Peace Corps definitely has not been easy and the struggles of loneliness, living in the “campo”, and simply being your own boss and designing your own work schedule has been hard but overall I am very happy with how everything has been going so far.

As of right now I am proud to present the newest and biggest project which I will be working on during the rest of my Peace Corps service. That project is entitled: Increased Academic Opportunities for the Community of Paraiso de Buenos Aires. The core of this project involves building a brand new classroom to accommodate the academic needs and increased academic interests in educational opportunities in Paraiso. Please review the project profile which I have submitted to the Peace Corps Partnership Program to raise funds for this worthy project.

New Year

Greetings Everyone ! This is my first post for the new year and I am excited to get alot of new projects and have a lot more adventures here in Costa Rica.



I ended up going home for the Christmas holidays, which ended up being a blast. It ended up being exactly how I expected it to be. Spending quality time with a lot of good friends and family, as well as relaxing to be back in the US and enjoy the ammenties of modern suburban life like hot water and bathrooms. I ended up recieving a new camera for Christmas which I will hopefully be able to take full advantage of and post some cool new pictures up on the blog to show you more of what I have been doing and what is going on down here in Costa Rica.



For new years I ended up heading to Panama City, Panama with a large group of other Peace Corps Volunteers from Costa Rica. We had an awesome time partying it up on Calle Uruguay in Panama city, a spot where alot of clubs and restaurants are, as well I got a chance to see much of Panama city which is very metropolitan, you could call it the ¨New York City¨of Central America. Towards the end of the trip in Panama I ended up heading to Bocas del Toro, Panama which is a slew of small island off the Atlantic Coast of Panama. In order to get to the beaches we had to take small boats across to different island and hike a while to discover pristine yellow sand beaches. Overall it was an amazing trip which I really enjoyed.



These days of vacation have definately allowed me to recharge my batteries and get back to the not neccesarily stressful, but intense and interesting rural life which I lead in my site in the Southern part of Costa Rica. Things in my site are overall going well. There is still a break right now in the school year for the children so things are going particularly slow, but I am still continuing my english classes with the adults. They are close to arriving at their first midterm exam which I will be testing them on in the next couple of weeks.



Overall things have been going well. I am working well with the various committees in my site and we are little by little getting things done to completing bigger projects in my site. Right now we are in the works of doing a major overhaul of the soccer field, re roofing the church, fixing the 5 kilometer road to my site, and potentially building a community center in our town. All of these have projects have their little intricacies and loopeholes to them but little by little we are accomplishing things.



After coming back from the hustle and bustle of my vacations as well as my brief stint in New York I need to re accustom myself to the slow rural life. As well naturally as a Peace Corps Volunteer much of the time you are alone. Not alone in the sense physically since I live with 10 other people but in terms of mentally, in finding someone you can relate to and share your feelings with. In the US I had my real family and friends which I could either see of call up easily on the phone. I would normally see my good friends and family at home at the least 4 or 5 times a week. But as a volunteer living in a rural village of less than 150 people it can at times get hard not seeing anyone else for several weeks on end. Alot of the times the things you least expect tend to be the hardest challenges.



Anyways that is the latest for now. I want to give a shout out to my brother, Andrew, it his 21st birthday today and I hope he is living it up at Duke University in North Carolina! Happy Birthday !!!

End of the year

Overall things have been great down here in Costa Rica. Just came back off of a relaxing break in the states for Thanksgiving and I am also ready for another break back home for Christmas time.
Things in my site have been going well, just continuing on with my English classes for the children and adults. As well my marathon training has continued strong. I just got back from a 10 mile training run in the peak heat and I feel great. Now I just need to walk back home 5 miles.

Things in my house are going along well. A chicken and her 4 baby chicks decided to move into our latrine. So everytime I use the bathroom I have the wonderfull company of a 5 lives animals chirping and pecking at me. As well recently I woke up to the sound of a pig getting slaughtered at 5 am with the background beats of the latest reggeaton hits. The pig was killed for a mini fiesta held in my town to benefit the Comite de Deportes. The fiesta was held over two days, 2 weekends ago. It was an overall fun time which included alot of tamales, roast pork, Imperial and Soccer.

This past weekend I went to my friend Bill´s site about an hour down south of me. I had an awesome time chilling with him . We ended up playing poker with his host dad and as well chess on his host dads computer. While we were playing poker the host mom was near the front door and reacted in a startled man. She said there was a large snake at the door. Bills host dad ran to get a large 4 foot rusty machete while Bill went to get a large stick so his host dad could bash it over the head. It turned out to be a Tercia Pelo, one of the most poisonous snakes in Costa Rica.
The snake put up quite a fight, and even after we all thought it was dead it tried to attack us. Just a normal night here in Costa Rica surrounded by poisonous snakes.

The next day I went further down South with Bill and met up with a couple of other volunteers in the town of San Vito. We ended up going to fiestas in Sabalito which were really fun. It is always great to meet up with other volunteers and party it up. There was a rodeo, several dance locations, and many bars up, as well as street vendors. It was a really fun time.

Soon enough I will be back home for Christmas vacation which I am really excited about. I wish everyone well, especially my two brothers whose birthday it is today ! Happy Birthday Carl and Lucas!!!

Tuanis,

Rudy

Back in Costa Rica

After a much enjoyed break from the campo life of Costa Rica I was able to make it back to New York for some rest and relaxation. The transition from Costa Rica to New York was more intense then I thought it would be. Primarily because I havent seen alot of my family and friends for well over 9 months. But overall it was amazing to see everyone and as I am here now in Costa Rica, my time in New York served as a great refresher and as well gave me a new perspective between my life in New York and my life in Costa Rica.

Thanksgiving was a great time spent with my family. Of course we had all the mandatory foods and fixins on the table and it was really a special time to spend with my family. The next night was my five year High School Reunion which was definately a blast and as well served as a great opportunity to catch up with people I havent spoken to in a while and as well party with my good friends from back home.

Overall my experience in New York was positive. But it was definately very hard to say goodbye as I didnt spend as much time with certain people as I wanted to, and as well the feeling of comfort from my family and friends at home was very difficult to leave. I could easily see myself sliding back to my ¨normal¨ life as a member of US society, but then again I would be missing out on the amazing opportunity which I have here in Costa Rica. As well I feel connected to my site and the people which I am living with and helping here in Costa Rica and I could not let them down.

So far I have been back in Costa Rica for about 3 days and I am happy to have at least escaped the fierce cold of New York as I went on a 5 mile run in the blistering 90 degrees Fahrenheit mid day heat of Southern Costa Rica. My marathon training is working out well as of right now, but the heat will definately be a huge issue as the training progresses.

Things in my site are going well. I have continued my English Classes and am working to finish things up before I roll out to NY again to celebrate Christmas with my family.

Overall thinga are great and for all of you who I saw in New York over the break it was great to see you and I miss you all everyday.

Much love amd Tuanis,

Rudy

Training is Fun

About a week ago I went with my friends Bill and Lindsay to go visit our training host families. As usual it was an amazing time. Very relaxing and quite a change from my regular site. I remember initially thinking that my living situation was rough but now whenever I go and visit my training host family in a way it seems like the Beverly Hills of San Jose. Overall it was a really great time.

The next day the three of us left on the bus to make it into San Jose in order to celebrate the birthday of a fellow Tico 16er. Ever since the rates at the usual hotel we stay at where jacked up we decided to try out a newer hotel. At this newer hotel we decided that we would need 2 2 bedroom suites with Balconies , Jet tubs, Bedais? ( the things next to the toilets to wash your rear ends), and King Size beds. It was definately a huge step up from the Hole in the all we normally stay at. As well the security guard named Elvis at our old hotel switched jobs and now works at our new favorite hotel, which is awesome. Elvis is the man. We went out that night and partied it up in some Italian restaurant and then of course brought back the party to the Suites and danced the night away.

The next day we needed to wake up early, like around 11 am, and get ready to board the buses for AVC. AVC stands for All Volunteer Conference. It is actually a mandatory event for all Peace Corps Costa Rica volunteers to go to. This year as in past years it was held at an Old Boyscott Camp high in the mountains of San Jose. It was soo high up in the mountais half the time it felt like we were in the clouds, as well it was extremely steep wherever we walked and freezing. Tico 16 of course grabbed the ¨Night Owl¨bunk as opposed to the ¨Early Bird¨Bunk, meaning at what times we would eventually go to sleep. Our room basically consisted of one GIGANTIC steel bunk bed with wrestling mats as the mattresses. Each bed or platform basically fit 12 people squished together. Overall the accomodations were meager along with the ICE cold showers but nonetheless some serious bonding went on at night. It is a good thing that TICO 16 were all Rural Community Development volunteers use the grundge and rough conditions.

Anyways at AVC there were alot of different¨Charlas¨or talks about potential projects and also meetings within the three different programs, RCD, CYF (Children Youth and Family), and CED ( Community Economic Development). As well there were alot of different entertainment things to such as play football in the mud, there was a talent show at the end of one of the nights (Which TICO 16 represented strong), and then another night we had a casino night with both Euchre and Poker. I ended up entering the Texas Holdem No Limit 24 person poker tournement and came out winning the WHOLE thing. I was the last man standing with 4,000 Brachs Pepperming Starbrite Candies as chips. It was a really fun event and I am definately glad that I came out on top. Normally I am not that good at poker but I have been honing my card skills at the casinos in San Jose every once in a while. Overall AVC was definately a really good time and I also had the opportunity to meet alot of new people in Peace Corps I have not met before.

After AVC about 1/2 of the volunteers who came to AVC decided to stay the night in San Jose. Which turned out to be a really fun time. We partied it up in the hotel then hit up the local duplex casino on the bottom floor Discoteque on the second floor joint and danced the night away. After waking up the next day I felt that I needed to get a haircut to trip my monstrous head of hair I had not cut for 9 months as well as beard I hadnt cut for 3 months. I went to the nearest haircut place and got be haircut done by this Colombian guy named Hubert. Good times all around.

Finally the next day I was able to trek back to my site in the Zona Sur of Costa Rica. Things in my site are going very well. I have begun my 2 adults classes on a twice a week 2 hours a day schedule. As well we have implimented the use of the new Centro Cultural Oxford Press books, which are very high quality and an overall very good English program in my classes. They are learning alot and seem to be having a great time. Teaching English is definately an amazing way to integrate into the community and as well a perfect opportunity to get to know people in my community on a more one on one basis. Overall there is nothing but success relating to my English classes.

I will be continuing work on my remaining interviews and as well hopefully finish up my Community Analysis Tool aka Report of my community by the end of December or January. As well the school year will be winding down in December so I am thinking up some ideas of what I can do with the children when they are out of school and have nothing to do.

At my house 2 near little calfs were born and as well one of my 5 dogs is very pregnant up to the point where she can barely walk. Last time she gave birth to 11 puppies. Ever since day one when I arrived my house as been under construction. So poco a poco things have been getting renovated which is great. We have new ceramic flooring as well they are currently installing windows. Right now my room does not have windows because the window guy comes to install the windows once every bloom moon. So I have been pleasantly startled with Chickens, Random Birds, and Stinging Insects randomly flying into my room as I read the newspaper on my bed. But overall it is going to be a good thing, because in the past the only window I had was boarded up by two wooden planks. The house which I live in now is definately one of the better quality houses in my site although I still need to venture to my latrine where last night there was a chicken sleeping in that startled the heck out of me.

Ever since I have arrived here in Costa Rica I have been meaning to start running again but never really had the motivation. So I decided to begin training for the Jungle Man Marathon on February 23, 2007 in Puerto Viejo. The marathon like all marathons will be 26.1 miles, where 2/3 will be running on the unforgiving beach and 1/3 literally in the Jungle all during the hottest time of the year. It will be an insane physicaly feet but I have dedicated myself to completing it and will definately give you the updates on my progress during training. Today I went on one of my first training runs and sweated up a storm in the 90 degree sun. It will be intense but hey Go Hard or Go Home as the say.

Other news I am extremely excited to head back the the US for a week for thanksgiving. I have my 5 year high school reunion to look forward to and as well spending time with family and friends I have not seen for over 9 months. It will definately be an amazing experience but mentally it will be hard in terms of culture shock to extract my self from the jungles of costa rica to the suburbs of New York. Things like driving a car, having a cell phone, eating whatever food you want whenever you want, flush toilets, and hot showers will be quite an experience.

Also I would like to personally thank The Gleason family for sending me such a wonderful care package to me here in the Zona Sur. It was piled high with American Candy and an amazing Dora the Exploradora educational game I know my Kindergarten class will LOVE. I really appreciate the effort.

I look forward to seeing everyone back home soon. Feel free to send me emails or packages whenever you want. I hope you enjoyed reading this novel of a blog entry.

Everything Irie.

Tuanis,

Rudy