I think the most natural question that many thought (or asked) when I said I was going to work for the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, was “Costa Rica, really?” And, well, yeah, it does seem a bit odd to snag a Peace Corps post in one of the hottest tourist destinations on the globe. Additionally, Costa Rica is actually doing pretty well at fulfilling its “need for trained men and women,” (one third of the Peace Corps mission). Its Human Development Index (HDI) is highest of all the Peace Corps countries in Central and South America. With a life expectancy of 77 for me and 81 for women, it’s doing almost as well as the rich countries in that category. Its GDP per person is , but bumps up to if you take cost of living into account. So, your question unanswered, you may even more strongly ask: why the heck is the Peace Corps (aka my tax dollars) in Costa Rica.
Well, unfortunately, part of the answer is that it’s been here a long time. And well, people have a tendency to resist change and leave things as they are. Peace Corps Costa Rica started in 1963, when Costa Rica could still be called a third world country. (Side note: I loathe the statement that Costa Rica is a third world country, it’s not, it’s developing, or second world if you will). It started as an English teaching program, and with the virgin Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program I am a part of, has kind of come back to its roots. In its 47 years, more than 3,000 Americans have worked as Peace Corps Volunteers here. In 1999-2000 there was serious talk of closing the program, as Costa Rica had developed considerably and Peace Corps thought its services could be used better in poorer, undeveloped countries. But, (and here’s
your answer) it was decided that Costa Rica was so important to US political interests (both as an ally and as a regional leader/example) that it would be beneficial for Peace Corps to remain here. So, in as many words: soft power. In my opinion the Peace Corps, with its missions of helping other countries understand America and helping Americans understand other countries (the other two thirds of the Peace Corps mission), is a form of very, very soft power. Some may balk at this idea, but that is a conversation for a discussion of the existence of altruism.
So, as it’s here, what’s it doing? My last blog talked about some of the cool peeps in my training group, but there’s also a heartier group of volunteers currently in country. There are ~105 volunteers currently serving here. They work in the areas of Rural Community Development; Community, Youth, and Families; and Community Economic Development. They are spread out throughout the country, with the largest group serving in southern Puntarenas and Limon. I’ll soon be working in the newest program, TEFL. TEFL was started because of an aggressive presidential mandate made in 2003 by former President Arias to have the country bilingual by 2017. Yes, the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) officials we talked to admitted that the goal is preposterously optimistic, but sometimes it takes giant goals to get people to make even small achievements. The TEFL program was constructed with the consultation and help of MEP representatives, but still is a Peace Corps program, with its own goals. This is kind of how the Peace Corps generally works: a country solicits the volunteers, explains how it would like them used, and then the Peace Corps tweaks with the demands to make them applicable to its volunteers’ abilities and institutional goals. The three goals of TEFL are to help teachers improve English skills and teaching methods, directly help students improve their English, and to promote and establish English learning activities or institutions in communities. So, that’s my job for the next two years.
Some people in our group will be teaching their own classes at rural elementary schools that lack their own teacher, and many, including me, will be more like an adviser/resource/support staff to the elementary or high school English teachers. Some will do a mix of the two things. The concept of teaching the teachers is to make the project more sustainable. Yours truly is working with a high school and a night school, and at both trying to be some sort of resource cum adviser to the English teachers there. I think there are two huge challenges to our job. First, trying to be an adviser/resource to teachers who very well have more experience than we do. Second, to find our place in each particular school-treated by the students as a teacher, while not actually doing much teaching, and helping the teachers out in a non-authoritarian manner while still hoping they will take our advice.
This job will be very different from my last job in a number of ways. First and foremost, Costa Ricans aren’t Chinese. Additionally, I will not have a simple schedule of classes to teach and then be free. At JSTU I was somewhat of a cultural ambassador, and helped out when I could with all sorts of activities. But, here, that cultural ambassador role is stepped up, as my job description includes representing America. What’s more, I’ll be the one expected to organize the activities, not just show up and smile-which I’ll also do, of course. The responsibility of representing my nation 24/7 is one that I take very seriously, and can at times be difficult when a Costa Rican asks a question that starts with “Americans like to…” or “In America, do people…” Luckily, I have two years of practice with these questions, as they were the same ones that almost every student in Changzhou would ask daily.
I LOVE the Amy Grant Christmas CD. Too bad it's driving Sean nuts.
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