Wow...happy 2017 everyone!  I know I repeat this a lot in these updates but I cannot believe have fast time is passing by and how little time is left in my service here.  I just sent in an email to Peace Corps requesting May 18th as my official COS date which means as of today I have right around 120 days remaining.  This update will be a short one as not a whole lot has happened since returning to site last week.  There feels like there is so much happening in the next 4 months which seems like so little time to fit it all in.  Firstly, I have to finalize the recycling grant reports and turn them in.  Second, I have to get the final approval on the grant, fund it, and finish it all in 120 days...this is going to be a challenge especially working with La Pura Vida mentality.  Finally, I have 2 vacations (I know...so soon??), a Close of Service (COS) conference in which PC helps us understand the closing procedures, looking for a job, resume workshops, etc., and in April I am going to help a buddy make a basketball court in his community with Courts for Kids! 

The US of A

20 days sounded like so much at the beginning of the trip to the States.  Before leaving for the States, I was worried I would get bored and be ready to go back to Costa Rica at the end of it or get so used to life back there that I wouldn't want to come back to finish my service.  There were certainly things about life back home during those 20 days that I missed (food variety, driving a car instead of buses, my family, cold weather, a comfortable bed) and it was hard to leave those amenities to go back to a place where none of that exists but I actually found myself missing the tranquility of Linea Viea, riding my bike to the plaza and playing basketball with some kids, having a cool breeze on the porch with a cup of coffee next to me while I read a book.  I found myself missing being somewhere where the people I talk to understand the struggles I am going through and can complain or talk through the problems with me.  This isn't to say people in the States weren't interested in what I am go through daily here (at times it was a little too much), but many people could not appreciate or understand what daily life can be like here.  There is a certain comfort of being around other Peace Corps volunteers that I have grown close with over the past 2 years that I found missing while in the States and being back in Linea Vieja with my crazy bus schedule, insane of amount of animals in the house and unimaginable amounts of rain over the past week, I actually was excited to back here living barefoot in the mud, yelling "hello" at everyone passing by, and telling all the interested people here about how my trip to the States was.  It also helps that I brought back 6 pounds of peanut butter with me (thanks Costco!)

My 20 days in the States really did fly by but it was a great break from life here and filled with everything I had wanted to do plus some extra things thrown in.  I gained around 5 pounds from all the food I ate (big thanks to Ryan and my parents for really making sure I had everything on my list), spent New Years in Baltimore with my college buddies, went into DC with Aileen and Ryan, attended a Terps game with practically court side seats thanks to Colin and got to see some snow for the first time since February 2015 and got to drink some great beers (no more Imperials for those 20 days).  

Over the 20 days, my parents and I put out the word to our respective friends that we were hoping to collect used glasses for me to pass out here in the community when I returned.  My dad placed the over/under at 31 pairs.  All the men in the family bet we would get less than 31 pairs while my mom and sister bet we would get more than the 31 pairs.  I was BLOWN away by the amount of glasses we received; 140 pairs in total plus carrying cases and brand new pairs of reading glasses.  My original intention for bringing back these glasses were for two specific elderly gentlemen in my community that have been trying to get an eye operation for years but are still in the process of getting tests and exams done (one of them since 2013!).  On my first day back, my neighbor, one of the elderly guys I wanted to help, came over like he always does every day to talk to me about politics, Costa Rica, news, etc.  In his youth, he was a big reader and is clearly a very intelligent man but in his old age, his vision has slowly deteriorated and at this point he can no longer read and has trouble seeing.  After trying on a couple pairs and getting visibly worried none would work, he found a pair and his demeanor completely changed.  Normally a very pessimistic individual, he smiled (rare for him) and told me "es como alguien se aprendio una luz en un cuarto oscuro" (its like someone turned on a light in a dark room").  Since then, I have given out probably nearly 25 pairs of glasses and have more houses to visit this coming week.  As word gets out in the community, I have more people asking if they can come by to see if a pair will work for them.  For many people in Costa Rica, an eye exam will cost about $60 and a new pair of glasses another $75, far more than most are willing to spend for something that can break so easily.

From the bottom of my heart, and all those here that will benefit from your generous donations, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  I was hoping to take photos with the people receiving the glasses but my phone was just damaged in a rain storm last night and it doesn't look like its going to make it.

The coming months

As I said above, I only have another 120 days remaining here and a lot to do.  Top on that list is to ensure the grant is approved, funded and finished within that time.  I just received final approval over the time when I was in the states but I couldn't begin to fund the grant without some signatures from the president of the medical clinic committee which was impossible to get from the states.  As of now, its been resubmitted for approval and I am waiting for it to be put up on the website where it can then be funded through individuals all over the world through their small donations.  As soon as the project is listed, it can be found through the following link:

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/donate/

January

This will likely continue to be a slow month until everyone comes back from vacation and the school year starts up again in February.  I will continue to make house visits to donate glasses and get my presence back here and hope for the best on the grant.  At the end of January, I get to visit Nicaragua with a couple PC buddies and then head to the capital to take the Foreign Service Officer exam.

February

With the Super Bowl on the 5th, a visit from the country director on the 15th and my brother potentially making another trip around the 18th through the 25th to Panama, this short month will go even quicker

March

The next and nearly final milestone before the actual Close of Service is the COS conference from March 6th through March 10th.  After this, PC is practically over, focusing only on finalizing project, writing final reports and starting to make the rounds to the community.

April

From April 2nd - April 10th, I get to participate in another Courts for Kids experience but this time from a participate standpoint and not as the project lead.  I am really looking forward to this experience again and participating in such a great project for the second time.

May

And with that, I end up here, the COS of PC on May 18th, 2017...only a short 120 days away.

Thanks again for reading and happy 2017!!

-Conor