By the end of my trip, not only did I get to explore this beautiful country, I also worked with community members to hand out school supplies to elementary students and shared lunch with a village chief!
Once I graduated from college, I moved to New York City to work in multicultural marketing for Wal-Mart. My job included a lot of research about the variety of cultures in the U.S. Shortly after, having a desire to further my passion for community service on a global level, I joined the Peace Corps. I lived in a small pueblo (town) in a rural part of Costa Rica for almost two and a half years. There, I worked on business development and youth education projects. One of my favorite projects was leading a camp for secondary school students to learn about leadership skills. It reminded me of my time in middle school and how similar programs helped me break out of my shell. In Costa Rica, not only did I create projects and teach, I also learned a lot. I would visit the farms of friends in my community and learn about the different traditions through attending cultural events. One of my favorite cultural events was Fiesta de Los Diablitos (Festival of Little Devils/Ancestral Spirits). Celebrated December 30 to January 2, this annual festival reenacts the historic battle between the Spanish Conquistadors and the native Borucan people of Costa Rica. During the festival, participants wear colorful hand-carved masks, large bright banana leaves and artistically stunning body paint. For three days, they dance through the village of Boruca and engage with onlookers.
