Arrival and First Month!

OK, well I promised everyone that I would do a blog before I left the States, and I suppose I should follow through on those promises... So, here it is. The Hoffman-Moe blog of our adventures in Costa Rica.

I have now been in Costa Rica for just over a month. I can't believe that time has flown by so quickly already. The first few days were just a blur, I was overwhelmed trying to get oriented to the University for Peace and trying to find a house to live in. All in all, the arrival was much smoother than my rather difficult first few weeks in Mexico a few years ago. Here I arrived as a "Professor" and was shipped from the aiport by a Univeristy chofer (Spanish spelling). The only difficult part of this whole transfer has been the fact that I am separated from Amy and Solana for over a month. Amy will be here in less than two weeks! Solana will be staying at her "grandparents" place in Minnesota for a few months until the weather cools down enough in the States for us to go and get her (I will likely head to the U.S. in November for a conference in San Jose, California, so maybe then).

Most of you saw pictures of the house that I eventually found about 2 weeks after I got here. The house is about 4 years old, typical concrete and tile construction style...and yes it is pink! We have an extra bedroom, FYI, and you are all welcome to spend some time with us. We are living in a "barrio" (neighborhood...not slum)named San Bosco, which is just outside of Ciudad Colon. It is pretty rural, and I have already had several encounters with the local vacas (cows), one of which ran me off the road because a little kid had pegged it with a rock. Luckily a nice Señora warned me of the impending doom, and I was able to jump into her patio to avoid the stampeding cow. Hah! Included here are some pictures of our barrio and the road to and from the house (coffee fincas and all)... We have some excellent neighbors, especially Doña Sandra and Don Jose Luis who have taken to inviting me over for food, coffee, and drink here and there. They are truly kind and generous people, and I can see that we will develop a good relationship with them.

Other than that, I have been working recently with a group of women from Spain and a Tico (who studies at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor) on a project aimed at using participatory research methods to help several local communities design strategic plans with the end goal being an small project that will be designed by the communities to be funded by the World Bank's GEF. I am no expert in these things, so I am really along for the ride as much as the students, but it has been an interesting experience nonetheless. It is really amazing to see the differences between the four communities and their leadership...some are really ready to take on projects and have already developed strategic plans, while others haven't even really sat down to discuss what sort of issues are critical to them. I am thrown back to my Sustainable Development class with Tony Bebbington every time I start to think about it.

In terms of recreation, I was finally able to escape the local environs this past weekend. I went to the Caribbean Coast with a colleague, Carlos, and his girlfriend, Elizabeth. It was a quick trip, just Saturday and Sunday, but it was well worth the four hours standing up (we got to the bus station very late, and there were no seats) to get there. Puerto Viejo is an interesting mix of Jamaican and Tico culture, with lots of Rastas and surfers living the beach life that seems to exist everywhere. MUY TRANQUILO. I was able to take an afternoon swim in the Caribbean, and although the water is not quite the swimming pool clarity of the Mexican Caribbean, it was still pretty nice...and warm.

Also this past Friday I took a walk up into the UPAZ sanctuary/park with a friend of my colleague Andrew Gardner. She and I were able to see White-faced Capuchins (monkeys) and Fiery-billed Aracaris (a type of small toucan), among other things. Not only that, but there is an excellent vista from the top of the mountain, and the picture included here that points out Ciudad Colon and San Bosco was taken from there.

Well, I suppose I should get to work today. I hope all of you are doing well, and check back here for updates. One of us will try to keep this thing updated!

Abrazos a todos,
David