dia de independencia

What I'm doing: This weekend was full of fun activities for Costa Rica's dia de independencia. Friday night was el desfile de faroles (lantern parade). We got to el centro around 6pm. A new McDonalds opened up right near el centro. They only serve ice cream, though, which I am not complaining about. Me and Ashley split one. :)

There was singing of the national anthem and many, many children out with their parents. We saw some of the most creative lanterns. One was in the shape of a house. Another was a Spiderman face. Lots of them were in the colors of the flag: red, white and blue. Some parents make their child a lantern, while others simply buy them at the store. Some had real candles in them, while others just had flashlights.

After the parade we went to Bocaditos, a bar close to my house. Our whole group ended up hanging out there for awhile! My host brother came with us too, which made me feel ten times safer. Bocaditos is the cutest little place. It is not very rowdy, but it is a nice place to talk and spend time.

Saturday morning was another parade for independence day. We were not sure when it started, so Mariah and Mariah and I showed up an hour early. It was nice to just catch up and talk in the park while we waited for the parade to start. The weather was actually very sunny and nice. My history professor said the morning of the 15 of September is always nice. I forgot to put sunscreen on, but our friend was meeting us at the parade later and he brought some for me! There were so many people watching the parade. There was the cutest little girl who was sitting next to us. She kept dancing and clapping along with the music. The music was incredible! There were many bands and dances. No fancy cars, horses or poticial people (like in the USA 4th of July parades).

It was super hot, and luckily we had an umbrella to keep the sun off. Lots of other people around us were using umbrellas for sun protection as well. There are SO many stray dogs in San Ramon, and one just sat down right next to me for part of the parade.

Later in the afternoon I went out for lunch with my host family. We went to a Colombian place. From L to R: my host mom, Guru, me, my host sister's boyfriend JM, my host sister Fabiola, and my host sister Viviana. I did not know what to order, so I just picked a chicken quesidilla. JM ordered my meal for me, which was very nice of him. I was kind of overwhelemd! It was a little difficult to follow what was going on in the conversation, because everyone was speaking so quickly! I just kind of nodded along. It was still so fun to spend time with them.

Saturday night I went to youth group with my host sister, Andrea. Her husband, Walter, speaks at it. We also play silly games. Saturday we played volleyball sitting down! It would be a perfect Younglife game, I think. :) I am getting to know more people at the youth group, which is super exciting.

Sunday I went to church, and we all got dressed up in the colors of the flag. I wore my black maxi skirt, with a white tank and a blue sweater. I do not own very much red so I wore little red earrings with the outfit. Our Sunday plans kept changing and getting cancelled. I was getting a little frustrated, so my host brother offered to drive us to San Jose for the afternoon. Kristin Chandler and I all went together. It was SO much fun! We first went to a giant mall. I have never seen so many people in a mall, except at Christmas time. I guess there was a giant sale going on so it was more crowded than usual. There was also a concert. Here is a picture from the 3rd floor looking down onto the concert. Looks kind of like the mall in downtown Portland.

I bought a Spanish/English bible while I was at the mall! I am super excited because it will help me at church a great deal. I did not bring a bible with me to Costa Rica, so I am glad I have one now.

After the mall we went and got gelato. It was very yummy. I tried maracuya gelato, which was good. But I ended up buying carmel.

We took a driving tour of the city and got to see the huge stadium the Chinese built for Costa Rica. The only catch was that Costa Rica had to let all of the Chinese who worked on the project stay and live in the country. We only saw it from the outside but it is massive! We also drove by a really pretty park. I am excited to go back to San Jose to see it better in the daylight.

We got Quiznos for dinner. Chandler and I split an order of motzerella sticks and a ceaser salad. We did not know where to get the dressing, but it was just as good without it!

My host brother's friend met up with us, so we got to talk with him awhile too! I love meeting new people here because they are always so incredibly nice. After dinner we drove around some more. We saw my new favorite place: el teatro nacional (the National Theater). It was one of the prettiest buildings I have ever seen! It has beautiful lights, and I really want to see a show there sometime.

We also saw the national museum from the outside. It used to be a fort/castle type building. There are bullet holes leftover from a battle. This next weekend we are going to San Jose for a 3 day fieldtrip. We will actually be able to walk into these places. I am glad my brother showed us them a little bit first, though! I know what to expect now when we are in the big city. :)

Right before we left to drive back to San Ramon, we met my host brother's girlfriend. Seeing the love in the relationships of people in my host family is amazing. You can tell they are all so in love and happy. Relationships in Costa Rica are SO different than the ones in the United States. They seem stronger, and less based on the physical aspect of relationships. When the boyfriend/girlfriend is over at someone's house, people do not hang out in bedrooms. They sit in the kitchen and talk, or watch a soccer game on TV in the living room. It is very special to see. On our way home we were blaring Carrie Underwood and singing along. I could not have asked for a better way to end my Sunday.

Well that is all about my weekend. Plans changed so much, but I read this passed in Jesus Calling today that was too perfect for me.

"Just when you think you have prepared for all possibilities, something unexpected pops up and throws things into confusion. I did not design the human mind to figure out the future. That is beyond your capability. Bring Me all your needs, your hopes, your fears. Turn from the path of planning to the path of Peace."

God is in control, even when I am not.

Con mucho amor.