#LifeOfAnIntern

#LifeOfAnIntern

Let me begin by letting y’all know, I was MADE for the city. I love walking everywhere. I look forward to long metro rides and the interesting people I will meet (“the metro was running slowly” is not a bad excuse for being late to meet friends, either!).  I cannot contain my excitement when I see food trucks along random roads. I meander into every corner of the city during my free time. I wear comfortable shoes for the commute and change into cute shoes for my work day. I have decided that I want to live in a big city and that when I do, I will not have my car with me. Most importantly, even my feet and my blisters are beginning to get used to the city life of walking, walking, walking, and walking some more :)

The last three weeks have been a blur. I feel as if I have been living in DC for over a month. My apartment feels like home. My roommates and friend, whom I barely know, feel like family. My metro routes have been determined. My SmartTrip (metro) card has been refilled multiple times. I have been lost in the city on numerous occasions. I have been here less than a month, yet I am ready to be here forever!

One of the parts of big city life that I was not prepared for is the fact that public transit systems never run on time. This is not a huge problem if you have a short commute. But, I have about a 40-50 minute commute every morning and every afternoon. While I love my metro commute, I do not love that sometimes it takes 40 minutes and other days it takes 70 minutes. I take two different metros to Alexandria and then a bus from there to my internship. I have learned to be patient and that I discover  a plethora of new places when I have spare time and decide to walk to work instead of taking the bus. I also always enjoy chatting with new folks on the metro.

I am interning as a Patient Navigator at a non-profit called Nueva Vida. Nueva Vida works with Latina women who have cancer. I spent my first four days learning how to navigate the online case management system (where the files of the clients are stored in a uniform manner). Now, I spend time making phone calls to women to remind them of their appointments and recording the information within the online system. I also am working on creating a smoother process for keeping track of the recordings, phone calls, and letters that we send. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be able to work at our annual Art Exhibit fundraiser and to meet our Board of Directors and spend time getting to know our Executive Director. Today, I traveled farther than usual to meet a group of women at their community building class in the community of a trailer home park. I was included in their community, engaged with them during the class, spoke Spanish for two hours, helped the women fill out their medical history on the forms for mammograms and pap smears, and enjoyed homemade Mexican food. Not only am I in love with DC, but I am in love with the non-profit sector of DC and with Nueva Vida.

First Day

Washington Nationals Game with My Rommates

Oh, Georgetown Cupcakes, too!

Nueva Vida Art Exhibit Fundraiser

Snapshots of DC

Closing: Tico Talks

Closing: Tico Talks           

                After over two months since my last blog post and almost two months since returning home from Heredia, Costa Rica, I am finally finding and making the time to intentionally reflect on my five month experience abroad. The last two months have been a whirlwind. I nanny 50 hours a week and try to spend time with my Charlotte people! Each day, I search for people with whom I can practice my Spanish. So far, I have met a Peruvian man (at Freedom Park) whose daughter plays for Colombia’s national soccer team, a family from Mexico whose children spoke to me in Spanish during our wait for a table (at Olive Garden), a group of friendly folks who work at Laurel Market (a delicious local deli), multiple servers at my favorite Mexican restaurants, and a plethora of new friends out and about in Charlotte! The Spanish language is my newest passion (and obsession, at times!) and I only have Costa Rica to blame. J

                I believe that I shared most of my favorite and challenging experiences within my blog posts when I was abroad. Now, I want to share some of what Costa Rica taught me:

1)      Possibilities and explorations of travel. I learned that I could travel alone or with a group of people. I entertained myself for 7+ hours while on a bus without air conditioning! Hostel life is the best life. I connected with anyone and everyone…at the hostels, while enjoying alone time at restaurants, on the bus with the woman next to me and the two men in front of me. Most importantly, I discovered that Argentinian empanadas make the best travel survival kit!

2)      Power of walking. I walked and walked and walked and walked. My 6 minute walk to the corner store, the bakery, and my bus stop became my favorite walk of the day. I walked at least 5 miles a day!

3)      Importance of Public Transportation. Every day, I miss my bus! Costa Rica would not survive if it were not for the public bus system. Someday, I want to live somewhere in the world where I do not own a car and I only utilize the public transportation system.

4)      Cooking. Each day, I ate totally homemade and totally fresh food. Costa Ricans rarely eat at restaurants and I think the reason is that the food at home is some of the best in the world! Now that I am back in the USA, I cook more than I ever imagined. I recently made four different meals that all turned out perfectly (for those of you who know me, you know this is close to a miracle!).

5)      Spanish! When I arrived to Heredia, I literally knew close to no Spanish. I could not express myself. I knew how to say the basics, but my grammar was almost all wrong. Now, I have never been more proud of myself in my life! When I walk down the streets, I eavesdrop on conversations of the Latinos around me. I love to listen to the radio in Spanish (I even have one Spanish channel programmed in my car). I enjoy watching the morning news in Spanish as well. Most importantly, I have landed my dream internship…..and I owe it all (almost) to my experience in Heredia, Costa Rica.

                While I was in Costa Rica, I was accepted to an internship with The Washington Center program in Washington D.C. for the fall semester of my senior year. Since returning home, I have had about 10 phone and Skype interviews with different non-profit organizations in D.C. I had two interviews that I was super excited about. After the second of those interviews, the woman told me that I would receive a phone call in 2 or 3 hours for my interview in Spanish…..15 minutes after my interview in English ended, I received a phone call. The woman said “Hi, Caitlin!” and then continued in Spanish for the next 12 minutes. I could not believe it. I had my first interview in another language, the woman understood everything I said, I only messed up my grammar a little bit, and I understood everything she asked me! I know that this never would have happened 6 months ago. Costa Rica and learning Spanish led me to my dream interview which turned into my dream internship. Speaking Spanish has already opened so many doors for me and I cannot wait to work with the Latina women that have cancer at Nueva Vida this fall.

                Each day I think about my internship and look forward to an amazing fall semester. For those of you who are wondering, yes, I will be obtaining academic credit and I will graduate on time (I will earn 15 credits). I am ready to begin this journey! I own new business casual attire (thanks to hours spent shopping and organizing with my mom), I will have a few days to explore D.C. (and become comfortable with the Metro system) with my papa before my internship begins, I will walk down the same streets that my Grandmother walked down 70 years ago, and I will serve the Latina population of women who have cancer at Nueva Vida. I plan to make every day a day to learn and serve and make a difference in people’s lives. I look forward to speaking Spanish….all day, every day (thank you, Costa Rica!).

                Once again, thank you to everyone who has followed me for the last 6 months. Your “likes,” notes of encouragement and support, and prayers mean the world to me. I plan to blog during my time in D.C. this fall, but as we all know, it might be another month before my blog is updated!

                If you are interested, Nueva Vida is who I will be interning with and this is their website: http://www.nueva-vida.org/

Mixed Emotions

  Mixed Emotions

             

               I started this post a week ago. I want to tell everyone how I feel and how everything is going. However, the truth is that I do not know how I feel! Every minute, I change my mind and I feel a different emotion. And, I cannot decipher the emotions that I am feeling! I can’t wait to drive my car and see my family. But, I am sad to leave my home here. I will miss my Barva-Heredia bus dearly.

                Yesterday, I was feeling really down about leaving Heredia and about not being with my family in Chicago for a wedding (the gloomy afternoons do not help much!). I made myself feel better by laughing and eating dinner with my family. I told a funny story and my host mom and sister were laughing hysterically (this proved to me how much my Spanish has improved since it is hard to show personalities in another language and because humor usually gets lost in translation). We ate a delicious typical soup and relaxed together. I was sad, happy, unsure, and a little confused.

                Tonight, I do know that I feel happy….on top of the world, on Cloud 9 kind of happy! I had an amazing day at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and at Volcan Poas. I enjoyed time laughing and taking selfies with new and old friends. Tomorrow I am going to another city with my host parents to visit some family. Tonight, I am thrilled (and exhausted). In an hour I will probably be sad to leave as I continue to pack. In two hours I will probably be sad because I will be looking at photos from the wedding in Chicago. And in three hours I will be happy again, falling asleep in my perfect bed in my perfect room with the fan on “high.”

                I am not sure if I will post again before I leave (I leave one week from today). I will be sure to post a final reflection at some point and maybe some last-minute photos once I finish exams this week. On a final note, I think I am going to pass all of my classes here!!! Woohoo.

Volcan Poas in the clouds.

Jumping in the waterfall!

Little candid photo.

The best director in the whole wide world!!

La Paz Waterfall (one of about 6 or 7 in the Waterfall Gardens)

Some of my favorite ladies.

Silly people...using a gigantic leaf as an umbrella.

Volcan Poas (last time we went it was all white!)

He just decided to perch himself on my arm!

The new group of ISEP students and me.

Hoy en La Feria...Today at the Farmer's Market

Hoy en La Feria….Today at the Farmer’s Market (well, yesterday!)

1 lemon tree (lemons to make lemonade)

1 HUGE papaya

2 pineapples

1 HUGE watermelon

6 maracuyas (the fruit that makes my favorite juice in the whole wide world!)

12 sweet lemons (taste like oranges)

5 large mangos

          I have decided that you have not experienced a true feria (the equivalent to “farmer’s market” in Spanish) until you have carried everything you bought through the streets in 90 degree weather with beating sun. I went to the feria with my host mom yesterday. We bought tons of fresh food. After adventuring to the hospital (I have never seen the hospital here, thank goodness!) and through the 8 blocks of the feria, we decided we should take a taxi home. We journeyed to find a taxi since it would be a long walk carrying pounds and pounds of fresh fruit and a tree! As we struggled to walk, four taxis flew by us while we desperately waved our hands at them to stop for us! We couldn't help but to laugh hysterically, stop every few minutes to take a break, and continue until we finally found a taxi to drive us home!

        Once we got home, we planted the lemon tree together. My favorite part of my house is still our garden. I am glad I am not the one doing the gardening! But, I did enjoy being a part of shopping for the tree and then planting it! Yesterday was the perfect Saturday morning! 

Welcome to La Feria!

Before our shopping

This manga (mangas are big mangos) was HUGE!

Mami Tica picking out mangos (she knows they are my favorite)

Use of umbrellas as protection from the sun is very popular here.

Platanos, Plantains...yum yum yum

Yuca is in the top right hand corner....yuca looks like a tree!

Maracuyas....the fruit of my favorite juice...fresco de maracuya!

Our bags in front of the tree stand.

After shopping...Mami carried a bag on her shoulder and two bags in her hands (one of which was the tree!). I carried two bags in my hands.

A random photo, but this is the view from my bus stop. AM/PM is a small, nice grocery store. MusManni is the famous bakery chain of Costa Rica.

Digging the hole for our new lemon tree.

Hospital of Heredia

A statue outside of the hospital.

Last weekend in the waves of Tamarindo during sunset.

Exploring in Tamarindo last weekend.

I love the waves!

Importance of Second (and Third and Fourth) Families: "Political Cousins"

Importance of Second (and Third and Fourth) Families: “Political Cousins”

               My weekend was full of adventure and realizations. I was reminded of how much I miss my family in Ohio but also how lucky I am to have multiple families throughout the United States and Costa Rica.

                On Thursday, Isa, our eight year old neighbor, helped me with my Spanish homework. I was amazed how she automatically used the correct grammar without even knowing that she was using specific grammar. Isa is my ray of sunshine! She likes to practice English phrases with me and I love talking to her. She talks very quickly so when I first met her, I hardly ever understood what she was saying. Now, I almost always understand what she says even though sometimes she purposely speaks quickly. Isa is my family J

                On Friday, my friend Drew and I adventured to the mall. It was an adventure because it was spur of the moment. We walked around Heredia (I shopped, of course) and then spent time at the nice air-conditioned mall that happens to have couches where we lounged for a while! Friends like Drew are family!

                Friday, I ventured to San Jose de la Montana. This is a small mountain town with much cooler temperatures. I enjoyed waiting on my friend Alejandro because I had time to sit and people-watch. San Jose de la Montana is a quaint town where it appears that everyone knows each other. Once my friend Alejandro arrived, we took a taxi to Canopy Costa Rica. Canopy Costa Rica is a family-run business and we were lucky enough to canopy with the owner, his son and his son’s friends (all of whom were from different places and spoke different languages with Spanish and English being the common thread). The canopy (ziplining) trip was awesome! We were in the famous Cloud Forest and did a total of 8 lines. The guides were awesome and I understood all but a few of the directions that they said in Spanish! No worries….I told them I needed instructions regarding critical safety repeated in English just to be sure I understood!

                By the time I returned home on Saturday afternoon, I was frozen! It was a whopping 68 degrees Farenheit and raining and that was enough for me! I changed into long sleeves and a scarf and left for my tica friend’s house for the remainder of the weekend. My tica friend, Nicole, is the same girl I have referred to in previous posts. I met her and her sister and her sister’s friend and we all hung out for a while. Saturday night we hung out with her group of friends. I was happy to experience a typical Saturday night! I thoroughly enjoyed the evening with them. I spent the night at her house and woke up early to make breakfast with Nicole’s sister (who is a chef). Nicole and I walked to a bakery and bought bread. Then, I learned how to make gallo pinto and huevos rancheros. Gallo pinto is the typical breakfast food that I love and Sunday was my first time eating huevos rancheros and I loved them! If you are interested in either recipe, let me know! I will return home with the special sauce for gallo pinto but I am sure that it could be made with any type of sauce. I also want to cook a Costa Rican meal sometime! So, let me know if you want to be present for that J

                After a delicious and filling breakfast, we hung out at the house. I engaged with Nicole’s mom and enjoyed the amazing view from their second floor balcony. Around noon we left to go to Nicole’s grandparent’s house. I LOVED being with her whole family. Family lunch consisted of Nicole’s mom and her two sisters and their families. Some of the grandkids were there and some extra friends like me! Her grandmother cooked a big lunch for everyone and we ate outside together. After lunch, we played BINGO and we played with numbers in Spanish and in English. Almost everyone in Nicole’s family is bilingual. After lunch, Nicole’s grandmother invited me to go to her cousin’s house next week and to go back to the Castillo Country Club with them sometime. Last weekend, I discovered my second tica family.

                In the United States, I have many friends and different families that are essentially my family. We are not related by blood, but we are so close to each other that we are family. In Costa Rica, people like this are called your “political cousins.” I learned the term “political cousins” from the group of kids on our canopy tour. The little boy introduced himself as the “political cousin” of the owner’s son. I have two tica families or many “political cousins” in Costa Rica. I have my Heredia family and my Altamira family (from the one-week service trip). Now, I also have Nicole and her family. Last weekend was just what I needed. I was reminded of the importance of having second and third and fourth families. I was reminded how lucky I am to have all of the families I do in Troy and in Charlotte and now here in Costa Rica. Cheers to “political cousins” and the joy and vibrancy they bring to our lives!

Isa, the best homework helper around!

The amazing view from Nicole's second floor balcony. Those are the mountains behind San Jose and San Jose is hidden by the roofs.

My "political cousins"....trying to get the perfect selfie.

Nicole, mi amiga tica

Gallo Pinto in the big pan and the beginning of Huevos Rancheros (just the fried eggs) in the small pan.

Gallo Pinto on the right and Huevos Rancheros on the left.

Family lunch with Nicole, her mom, and her cousin.

Family lunch in Nicole's grandmother's amazing greenhouse.

BINGO time after lunch...we marked our boards with historical coins from Costa Rica and Central America (Nicole's grandfather's collection)

My first big typical breakfast....gallo pinto, huevos rancheros, Costa Rican sausage, egg and green onion, avocado, and homemade tortillas.

Family Lunch....beef cakes, ripe plantains (they are sweeter when they are ripe), red beans, salad, rice, and cas juice.

Budin....a tasty dessert made from milk and bread.

Canopy Costa Rica