The nitty gritty

I don´t know how to respond to the comment i got from Sara. she didn´t leave contact info...but for anyone out there who is a prospective volunteer or wants to know about the nity gritty details of voluteer life in CR;

Well Sara, i look foward to meeting you in June. I have internet access about three times a week. In most semi-urban to urban towns you can find internet service for about 300-500 colones an hour. Thats something like 55 cents to a dollar an hour. If you´re coming in june you´re program is either youth and family or MED and in that case you are most likely to be placed in a not so rural area.

My cell phone account is in the name of my host sister. Costa Ricans have the right to two cell phone lines each person, or more if they have a business. And only Costa Ricans can open cell phone accounts. So it probably wouldn´t be hard for you to find a friend or even colleague to let you take out an account in their name, Various volunteers do it. Calling the states is 27 cents a minute, but you can recieve phone calls for free. But if you have a phone in your host house, you can avoid the extra cost of a cell phone bill that could get outrageously high, especially with calls to the states. Our stipend demands strict priority budgeting. and one last thing, some sites don´t have cell phone coverage, the coverage in my site is fair, i have coverage on the road but not in my host house.

Some things that make life easier and cleaner
Zip Lock Bags – bring em
Plastic boxes – you can buy em here for about $4

I used a sleeping bag or blanket during training, and I might use it to go camping once
Mountainous places like San Jose get COLD so you will be glad to have that even if you only need it occasionally.

I recommend dresses and skirts and maybe even a few party clothes as well as your favorite jeans and t-shirts

I have my guitar here but I’m not even playing it right now.

My laptop is CRUCIAL to my happiness. I composed part of this blog using it. I play games most every evening, and before the DVD player got testy I watched movies at least three times a week. I however do not yet have insurance on my laptop so I worry about it a little bit, and only really use it in my room.
Some volunteers lose their stuff here because of carelessness. I know fellow volunteers who fell asleep on a long bus trip with their bag overhead and when they woke it was gone. Folks tell me they´ve lost cameras and ipods and clothes that way. My backpack was taken when I set it down while I was making a phone call at an international call center. But I don’t really fear violent crime here.

ok so i hope that helps, anyone else with quwations send em on in! joya