My Peace Corps Experience. The after thoughts (A little before it’s over)

This has been an overall positive learning experience. After 26 months I am ready to move on. I signed up knowing it would only be for 27 months so I leave with no large regrets and little sadness.

The memories I have here and the relationships I have made will stay with me forever. To be completely honest I think the locals have become more attached to me then I have to them. I have so much to look forward to and continue doing that, right now, I don’t foresee much sadness and looking back. This does not mean I will forget the people nor want to return to visit. It just means I am ready to move forward.

With that being said, here is a snip piece from my journal: “I am so looking forward to a time of privacy. When you aren’t starred at in your own home by workers, when you aren’t followed by eyes as you leave your house, and you don’t have to report your every move to neighbors or anyone who asks”.

Writing from still within the country and not having reflected back in the States these are my thoughts about the culture. I often tell myself to take big deep breaths. It has been very frustrating living in Costa Rica. I feel one can give so much and it will never be enough. This doesn’t mean a few people don’t appreciate my work and efforts, however, sometimes there actions don’t show this. No I do not have a husband or children, but that doesn’t mean I like walking an hour to a meeting that no one shows up for or is cancelled and no one called to inform me.

The constant harassment from men and cold shoulder from women can get very tiring. This doesn’t happen nearly as much once you are integrated into a town. However, the moment you go anywhere else you are just another non trustworthy foreigner. This allows you to get cut in front of in lines, treated coldly, and receive all imaginable forms of disgusting come-ons from older men. The young ones generally just stare.

Now after being so negative I need to try to comment on the positive. Once a person knows you they can be very generous. They welcome you to there home and constantly want to feed you and have you over again. You can never be there long enough, and even though tiring, it is a rather nice sentiment. Just be careful not to reveal any secrets. I have found secrecy and privacy is very hard to come by.

In the last two years I have changed for the better and worse. Learned a great deal about myself and recognized more changes I need to make to be the best Victoria I can be.

My greatest accomplishments in my service have not been the three infrastructure projects, or the educational activities I have done with the children. Neither has it been working with the women’s group or school. It hasn’t even been the relationships I have made with people which I previously thought as my greatest accomplishment. To be honest, my greatest accomplishment during my Peace Corp Service has been the personal growth and discoveries I was able to make.