Today marks my first full week at IICA. This exciting milestone seemed like the perfect time to fill you in on what I have been up to and my thoughts so far.
At the beginning of this week, I met with the full gender and youth team (those based in Costa Rica and Spain) to discuss my role as an intern this summer. We discussed a few possibilities, such as writing articles, creating a newsletter, updating curriculum on the platforms, etc. After just 30 minutes, we had to pause and move into the next meeting without any specific action items for me to complete. Changes like scrambling eggs on a gas stovetop instead of an electric one or taking cold showers instead of steamy ones were easy to take in stride. However, adjusting to the work culture and general pace of life in Costa Rica has been a bit of a challenge for this Type A personality.
As some of the other BR/WFP interns have already alluded to, time is typically more concrete for Americans compared to other cultures. Everything from deadlines, arrival and departure from work, and break times are much more relaxed here. Taking multiple breaks a day is encouraged. Sometimes, I will enjoy a sweet treat or coffee with my team, other times, I wander around IICA's campus and appreciate the fact that they have chosen to incorporate color into the workplace through elaborate gardens and vivid murals instead of color-coded Google calendars with back-to-back meetings.
On the bright side, I have had plenty of time on my hands to explore IICA. Allow me to take you on a tour of my home away from home away from home.
My apartment is about 5km (3 miles) away from IICA. I am incredibly lucky to live so close to headquarters. Most of my colleagues commute 1-2 hours one-way. For this reason, most of the IICA staff chooses to work from home for at least part of the week. I usually Uber to work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays because they are very cheap here compared to the U.S. ($7). I have two other roommates, Shywann from Georgia and Laura from Honduras, who split the cost of commuting. Sometimes, we will ride to work with Kattya, our landlord and Costa Rican mom-adjacent who also works on the climate action team at IICA. I try to get most of my work done early so that my long weekend can be spent exploring art museums, restaurants, parks, and other parts of the city (stay tuned for another post coming soon!).
Flags from each member country, including the United States, are displayed at the front entrance of IICA.
I can thank my involvement in an absurd amount of extracurriculars throughout high school and college for making me a morning person. On the days I commute to headquarters, I like being one of the first people here at 8:30 am. This means that I am responsible for making la primera taza de cafe! On my first day at IICA, Luis Carlos, one of my colleagues, gifted me a colorful mug. I fit right in with Costa Rican culture because I fill it to the brim multiple times a day. During one of my coffee breaks, another colleague taught me about how the different altitudes at which coffee is grown impact their flavor. Because we are in the mountains of San Jose, the coffee we brew every morning is highly acidic compared to coffee that is grown closer to the coast.
The art on this mug is a replica of my favorite mural at IICA.
After having a few policy internships in D.C. and Lincoln, it's become a habit to read the news when I crack open my laptop in the morning. I've added BBC, specifically the international relations section, to my lineup of news sites. After my first cup of coffee and dose of news, I check with my manager Priscila to see if there are any meetings that I can join with her. They are always in Spanish, so she has to send me notes of the highlights afterward. It's hard to pay attention when I can't understand anything, but every once in a while, I will pick up a new word or two!
Here are some Spanish words that I use frequently:
Rurales = rural
Ministeria = minister
Joventudes = youth
Tambien = also
Correr = run
Me gusta = I like
Work = trabajar
IICA has several buildings on campus. This is what ours looks like!
When I am not in meetings, I am usually helping the team translate something from Spanish to English. I try to read the document in Spanish to see what I can pick up before I use Google Translate to fill in the blanks. This week, I translated an agenda and PowerPoint slides for our upcoming forum for rural women and prime ministers. I have also been researching the care economy and the UN SDGs. This week, I hope to narrow down my honors thesis proposal and topic with the support of IICA staff.
Learning about IICA and what my team does on top of learning a new language takes a lot of mental energy, and quite frankly it can be really frustrating. I am very grateful that I can go to the cafeteria with my colleagues and take a break. There are always many options to choose from. Some of my favorites include ensalada, pollo con pesto, vegetales asados, y frijoles con arroz. Me gusta beber el jugo fresco.
Lunchtime doubles as la clase de Espanol time. When we sit with Luis-Carols, we flip between English and Spanish to keep learning. Sometimes I will sit at a table where no one speaks English. It is great practice for me to work on my comprehension, but it can also feel a little isolating. 80% of communication is indeed non-verbal. But warm smiles can only make you feel so included in a conversation. I've realized how much I took that other 20% for granted.
My first meal at the IICA cafeteria was very traditional with rice and beans, chicken, and a fresh salad.
One of my favorite rituals at IICA is going on a walk after lunch. The walking trail is a loop that is roughly .25 miles long. It takes us through the Bosque de la Americas y un jardin polinizador. We talk about what we are working on that afternoon and usually ask more personal questions, or in my case, get travel and activity recommendations!
All of the IICA staff is incredibly invested in my personal and professional growth. They give me career advice, restaurant recommendations, and even a day off when I am feeling sick of overwhelmed.
If I could use one word to describe my experience so far, it would be uncomfortable. No, I'm not talking about being physically uncomfortable. I'm talking about the uncomfortable situations that will (hopefully) lead to personal growth, like lunch in Spanish while knowing that the server is totally judging me for my awful pronunciation, being careful when navigating a new city because I don't know what places are safe and what isn't, or traveling 3,000 miles away from my cows and cornfields to live in a major city.
I will leave you with a quote that made me feel a little better about not describing my week as "absolutely amazing!" or "completely exciting!" What have you done to make yourself feel comfortable this week?
"The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers." - M. Scott Peck
Hay muchas plantas interesantes como cacao, limon dulce, y avocados!