Costa Rica Lovin'

And I'm just a girl on a Latin American adventure

[slothdreamer]

Finding the Right Career for YOU

My FINAL video project. What an amazing experience! I have gained tons of information that I will use to my advantage when finding a career. Look out world, here I come!!

[slothdreamer]

Plan B - My Revised Plan A

I think my first plan A was pretty spot on for me, although after visiting Costa Rica it may not be my main goal.  Our experience at the USAID and OFDA has changed my outlook on what I am considering doing with my life.  I know I can do something in the business or marketing field, but what if I want to do something bigger, or something that I think would be better?  What if there is a job out there that is more ideal to what I believe in?  That’s why I think working with the government or an NGO would be more beneficial for me.  I think a safe back up plan would be good to explore as well though.  Which is why I will still consider working in a business marketing position.  It goes without saying that I would want to visit the country before I jump into a position there.  I would want to learn anything I could about the country’s people and culture before moving, and learning the language would be a must as well.  I would explore my options within my primary choice of working with NGOs and/or agencies that are international.  I would also try looking online. I would still look for employment in the business-marketing field also because I am outstanding with social media and marketing, as well as working on promotional campaigns and event planning.  I have a lot of experience with technology and I have very developed interpersonal skills.  It would be wonderful to work for a company that does charity work, because I care a lot about helping people, animals, the environment, and so on.  Learning about the people and how I would fit into the culture in another country is also very important.  I still think the pre-planning stage is one of the most important parts of starting my own international career, because it is crucial for me to know that my life will be spent in a place that I want to be.  I have to make sure I am doing the right thing with my life.

[slothdreamer]

My Informational Interview with Patrick O'Marr

                        USAID, or the United States Agency for International Development, and OFDA, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, are agencies funded by the United States government and United States citizens’ tax dollars to provide relief for many people in foreign countries who become affected by natural disasters.  They assist with providing short-term aid after these disasters have struck for people who may have lost little or people who lost everything they own.  There are USAID and OFDA locations in every continent, but we visited the offices for Latin America and the Caribbean (or LAC) located in San Jose, near the United States Embassy.  Tim Callaghan is the Senior Regional Advisor and manages the offices for the LAC.  He showed us many incredible pictures of hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruption and ash, fires, earthquakes, and more, proving that USAID is an important element for many people in the LAC area.  My interview was with Patrick O’Marr, who works at USAID and is the regional administrative management specialist.  Patrick started his journey in the Peace Corps when he landed in Costa Rica.  He met his wife in Costa Rica and decided to stay and worked with a couple of non-government organizations. He is currently on a five-year contract with OFDA and has not decided if he is going to be continuing on after the five years are finished.  He did say he is happy with what he is doing to help, but wants to be more involved with people rather than doing the behind the scenes office work.  Patrick has also learned lots of Spanish while he has been in Costa Rica.  He said he never saw himself working for the US government, but he is glad he took the opportunity to work at OFDA.  I am very interested in working for the government or any other organization, especially internationally.  For my whole life, I have always volunteered with local churches and charities because I like helping people who need it and I enjoy giving back to my community.  I think working with United States government-funded agencies or non-government organizations in a foreign country would be very interesting and a great fit for me, because I am very outgoing and I work well with others.  I have experience volunteering with homeless and I have also worked with children.  I think I could help a lot of people, and that is what I want to do, whether I work with the government or continue to volunteer.  I also have great problem-solving skills, so I think I could handle the many tough situations that may arise.  I asked Patrick:  How did you get into the USAID field?  What made you interested in the Peace Corps?  How do you feel about hiring someone who was not in the Peace Corps?  What do you think about NGOs?  Is there anything you wish you could change about your job?  What is one thing or piece of advice you wish you knew before entering the “real world”?  Patrick was asked to join OFDA because of his experience in Peace Corps and his background in Forestry studies.  He decided to work on a five-year contract with the United States government at OFDA.  He was interested in Peace Corps because he wanted to experience life and culture in other parts of the world.  He believes that Peace Corps would be beneficial for anyone looking to get involved or work with the United States government.  Peace Corps can give you valuable experiences that you will not find many other places (other than the army maybe).  Although we both jokingly agreed that I am probably not the ideal candidate for the Peace Corps.  But Patrick also said you could also get considerable experience working with non-government organizations.  I would love to work with Save the Children or Save the Animals (both are NGOs) because I work well with children and I know how to relate with them.  I also have a lot of compassion towards all animals, and I care for them with lots of love as if they were my own.  I also asked Patrick what is his favorite thing about his job and he said it was being in Costa Rica and being able to help other people.  His least favorite (or what he wishes he could change) is that he would like to be out in the field more often.  He spends most of his time doing office work rather than traveling to other countries and working on site with the rescue teams.  I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Patrick (and Tim also).  They gave me some great advice about how to apply for a government job and told me to not give up.  Tim said he applied for a job many, MANY times, and that sometimes it takes time before you will find the right job.  It opened my eyes to the things that government agencies can do for people, and I want to help with that.  The United States government takes a certain about of money from their budget to be used as aid, and I think it should be well spent.  I hope I can go back down to Costa Rica sometime in the future and revisit USAID and also see the US Embassy.  I am also considering becoming a Foreign Service Officer or working with the US State Department as well.  This was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity for me to explore the idea of working internationally, or even working with international employees.  I am still not sure where I will end up in the future, but I am hopeful that it will be somewhere that is beneficial not only to my own conscience but also to other people’s lives.  I am trying to find what I like to call “the invisible road to change” – or the place where I will feel like I am making a difference with my life.

[slothdreamer]

My Career Fair Experience

When I went to the career fair, I talked to a few businesses that were multi-national and a few that were not. The multi-national businesses I talked to were: B/E Aerospace, the US State Department, and Aflac. I was very interested in the positions the State Department had to offer in Foreign Service. They have positions all over the world, in almost every country. B/E does business in India with engineers, but they are based here in the US. Aflac has another headquarters in Japan where they do most of their business. Aflac and B/E do not directly hire international posts, they have somewhat of a heirarchy. The US State Dept hires people for foreign service, but it takes a very long time and you may have to work in the states before you are transferred to another country. I think I met a lot of prospective employers that I am currently in contact with for future employment, maybe even abroad!

[slothdreamer]

When in Costa Rica, do an ecotour! Carly and I decided to ride horses, but we were surprised to hear that we would be hiking and swimming as well! We hiked 500 steps down and up to get to the La Fortuna waterfall, but it was so worth it! It was cloudy so the water was a bit cold but it felt great. After we got back to our horses we rode to a small hut where we learned about the Maleku, the smallest group of indigenous people in Costa Rica. They had handcrafted items for sale also. It was very interesting to meet them and hear about their lives. They had meanings for each piece of artwork, especially animal ones. After that I had to catch some of our horses that ran off, hah! Then we rode back to the start. 

[slothdreamer]

This monkey was so cute! He grabbed Faith's finger and then he tried to grabbed my phone and almost knocked it out of my hand! Later, he was swinging around with his tail like he was showing off. It was hilarious! I feel so bad for the animals who are locked in cages :( but this guy was precious.

[slothdreamer]

This waterfall was at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens and it is 205 feet tall. Faith and I saw an amazing rainbow at the bottom, and I just wanted to stand there for a while and let the whole thing sink in. This trip was one of the best and looking back I am so glad I picked Costa Rica because it was an adventure that I will never forget!

[slothdreamer]

Our first adventure at Hotel Montaña de Fuego outside of La Fortuna! We didn't feel like waiting on the rooms so we painted our bodies with the warm Volcanic Ash exfoliation and let it dry. We may look funny but it totally WORKED. My skin is sooooo soft and it was totally worth it. Such a fun bonding activity to cheer us all up.

[slothdreamer]

Seeing the US Embassy and OFDA in Costa Rica was a great experience. Since I want to do something in this field, I was excited to learn about the process. The work these people do is just jaw dropping. I hope one day I can help people who need it too, whether in the US government, NGOs, or on my own time.

[slothdreamer]

Las Chucaras Hotsprings, in Costa Rica. This was a giant coffee plantation and bed and breakfast that we got to visit. It was built over a natural hot spring that pumped out piping hot water into a pool. We tried to measure the temperature but it was way to hot to hold the thermometer (it got up to 104 fahrenheit though!). We also got to explore the plantation and see how they pick the berries, the process they go through to become coffee beans, and the aftermath. I bought three bags of coffee as souvenirs haha! I loved swimming in that pool too. It was such a great temperature and the view made it even better! It was fantastic!

[slothdreamer]

Pics starting at the top left going counter clockwise: Explored the Parque INbio - saw not one, not TWO, BUT THREE SLOTHS. Saw the Universidad de Costa Rica! And met some others from the US as well. Had the freshest coconut water straight from the coconut while at the Feria del Agricultor. Faith was so energetic the whole time that she finally passed out in the back seat. I'm loving this trip to Costa Rica!! Can't wait for more adventures!

[keepitlacey]

Faith and Worms being silly! #kuintlcareers2014 #carride

[slothdreamer]

Loving Costa Rica!!

[slothdreamer]

I really hope that chicavaacostarica will do this with me at our hotel on one of our afternoons off!! http://www.montanadefuego.com/

[slothdreamer]

Questions for companies

What is one piece of advice you would give someone trying to enter a job in your field that is in a foreign country?

What are the best qualities and/or strengths a candidate should have when working at (citigroup, a production company, USAID) in a foreign country?

What is one thing you would change about your job or company if you could? And why?

What is something you wish you had known before you started working in a foreign country?

Why did you choose to work in Costa Rica?

[vicemag]

This Man Has Survived on Pizza Alone for 25 Years

My friend Dan survives on nothing but pizza. There’s that phrase, “variety is the spice of life,” but for Dan, a 38-year-old woodworker based in Maryland, oregano is the only spice involved, because it’s the only thing that he will put on top of his pizza. The next time someone tells you to eat your vegetables, you can tell them to fuck off and enlighten them with the story of this guy.

Everyone who knows Dan wonders how he’s still alive. Beyond the fact that his diet is completely horrifying, he also has diabetes and frequently gets low blood sugar. When his blood sugar dips into the danger zone, it results in events like him blacking out on his kitchen floor in his underwear with frozen food scattered around him. There was that one time he bought a new car and then blacked out on the drive home. He swerved off the road and totaled the vehicle, but other than that isolated incident, his pizza diet seems to be working out for him. I recently spoke to Dan to hear more about how he came to subsist on gluten, tomato sauce, and cheese alone. 

VICE: It’s been said that you’re the king of pizza. How did you get that reputation? Dan Janssen: I’ve been eating pizza exclusively every day of my life for the past 25 years, and I’m not just talking about a slice of pizza every day. I usually eat an entire 14” pizza, and I only eat cheese pizza. I never get sick of it. If I go to one pizza shop or another brand, it’s like eating a completely different meal.

Continue

[slothdreamer]

This is totally irrelevant, but I wish I could eat pizza for 25 years.

[slothdreamer]

El Chapo, Most-Wanted Drug Lord, Is Captured in Mexico

Mexican marines and the police, aided by information from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Marshals Service, took him into custody without firing a shot.

This is crazy! I'm glad this criminal was busted and I hope he gets put behind bars. Mexico is becoming more and more dangerous for people to live in, I hope the US and Mexican governments take this seriously and demonstrate that they will not settle down on the war against drug trafficking. 

[slothdreamer]

MY International IQ

                        My political, economic and geographic knowledge came from taking international politics and history classes, and being self-aware by reading credible news articles (i.e. CNN, BBC), watching documentaries, and traveling to gain more experience. I know a bit about the international aspects of your field. The companies that I have heard of in Costa Rica include; Intel, Coca-Cola, Chevron/Texaco and Exxon Gasoline, shipping companies like UPS, airlines like American and United Airlines. I think I could fit very well into any of these corporations working in the marketing or legal field.  I have developed some cross-cultural knowledge and skills from previous experience and courses. Although I have not been to Costa Rica, I have learned about it in my classes and I can speak some Spanish. My aunt also lived there for a few years. I would be courteous of their culture and lifestyles that can differ from mine. I would also be willing to take a course in Spanish as well as Costa Rican culture. My personal coping and adapting skills stem partially from my love for traveling and experiencing new people and cultures. I know it will be hard to start a life in another country, but it was similar to how I coped with moving to Kansas for college. I made new friends (some similar to me some dissimilar) and I adjusted to the colder climate. I am a patient and caring person, and I would adjust almost naturally to another country.