Cashing In

While we were waiting in line at our All Volunteer Conference to get flu shots plugged into our arms, a fellow volunteer fielded a shocking call: the apartment where Billy was living, including the home and store of his host family, had burned.

In a show of support, Costa Rica PCVs put on a charity auction. A sampling of some of the items that were up for bid:

• A returned PCV in the States offered to stuff as much post-Halloween, discount-rate candy into a box and mail it to a high bidder.
• Lessons - salsa, chess, tango, Arabic, Tongan, boxing, fitness, photography, grilling, how to make a spanish tortilla, yoga...it goes on.
• Consulting - site consulting, computer support, personal branding,
• Hosting - exclusive getaways to Costa Rica's most 'exotic' locales, some with perks (rafting, or a national park in your backyard)!
• Food! banana bread, ginger dressing, pumpkin pie, coffee, homemade salsa, homemade chilero...
• One outspoken volunteer pledged to remain silent for eight straight hours at the next group training session.
• Our beloved country director and chef extraordinaire put up an Almond Joy cake for bid. The real draw: the high bidder will receive the cake personally from Steve at his/her site. This item surged in the last hour of the auction, as a group of volunteers waged an all-out war for the opportunity for Steve to come visit. Winning bid: $54.
• Carte d'amour - an expansive love letter, hand-written by a fellow PCV, complete with pressed flowers and poetry. Written to the high bidder or to a recipient of his/her choosing.
• Hug for Billy - PCV Chris, an ultramarathoner, offered up this item: "I will personally deliver a hug from you to the man himself in his site. I will run the ~35km (each direction) to Billy's site from our site, give him a hug and buy him lunch."

About $1100 was raised in just over a week, quite a showing for a bunch of poor volunteers. It was enough for us to provide some financial support to both the volunteer and his host family, as well as inaugurate an emergency volunteer relief fund for disasters of a similar caliber. I ended up walking away with a private shopping session with a self-proclaimed Ropa Americana guru (i.e. Goodwill), a juggling lesson, a guitar serenade by buddy Matt, and a Magic Hands Massage (a little worried about what this one will entail).

Last week I joined a few other volunteers in Hone Creek to celebrate Stephen & Melinda's housewarming, which coincided nicely with Melinda's birthday--a perfect opportunity to burn one of those auction items.