from: here, here and here
Con mucho amor.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Everyday strangers
What I'm thinking about: I meet so many people every single day in Costa Rica. The store owner that told me my Spanish was good, the guy at the shoe store who sympathized with Chandler and I as we waited for Mariah to pick a pair of shoes, the aunt I met once at Angelica's first communion party, the one student who talked to me in Juan Manuel's class.... All of these people I will probably never see again, but they have impacted my life.
from: here, here and here
Con mucho amor.
from: here, here and here
Con mucho amor.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
My Week
What I'm doing: This week has been full of fun activities! Nothing out of the ordinary special, but just those little things that make you appreciate life.
Wednesday Mariah and I went to church, which was really fun. We sat inbetween Kari and Rachel. We stayed after the church service was over and talked with Tina and her daughters for awhile. I did not even realize how long we were there until my host mom texted me and said, "where are you?!" I am always surrounded by wonderful people who care about me.
Thursday was a rainy day. There was more rain than usual because of hurricane Sandy. The other Spanish class did not have class that day, so I was a little disappointed that we did. Our teacher just disappeared. When she returned she had a whole thing of hot chocolate for everyone in class! It was SO nice of her!
Last night Mariah came over and we went to the mall and got popcorn. We watched The Mask. When it was done, her and my brother and I were all just talking in my room. He was telling us stories from his life. I swear he is one of the wisest people I know. We always have heart to hearts at night. Sharing experiences and life with people is one of my favorite parts about Costa Rica.
What I'm watching: My host brother was shocked when he kept listing off movies and I kept saying that I had not seen them. It is funny because the same exact thing happened over the summer with one of my coworkers. He was so surprised that I had not seen so many popular movies. My brother decided that we need to have lots of movie nights before I leave. We watched Inglourious Basterds on Sunday night, and The Mask last night. I thought The Mask was going to be a scary movie, but my brother kept telling me it was not. I didn't exactly believe him... It was funny but silly. I fell asleep through a small part of it, though. Whoops!
My favorite one that we watched this week was Patch Adams. We watched it on Thursday night, and it was SO good. Made me cry, but it also has such a good message. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie:
Con mucho amor.
Wednesday Mariah and I went to church, which was really fun. We sat inbetween Kari and Rachel. We stayed after the church service was over and talked with Tina and her daughters for awhile. I did not even realize how long we were there until my host mom texted me and said, "where are you?!" I am always surrounded by wonderful people who care about me.
Thursday was a rainy day. There was more rain than usual because of hurricane Sandy. The other Spanish class did not have class that day, so I was a little disappointed that we did. Our teacher just disappeared. When she returned she had a whole thing of hot chocolate for everyone in class! It was SO nice of her!
What I'm watching: My host brother was shocked when he kept listing off movies and I kept saying that I had not seen them. It is funny because the same exact thing happened over the summer with one of my coworkers. He was so surprised that I had not seen so many popular movies. My brother decided that we need to have lots of movie nights before I leave. We watched Inglourious Basterds on Sunday night, and The Mask last night. I thought The Mask was going to be a scary movie, but my brother kept telling me it was not. I didn't exactly believe him... It was funny but silly. I fell asleep through a small part of it, though. Whoops!
My favorite one that we watched this week was Patch Adams. We watched it on Thursday night, and it was SO good. Made me cry, but it also has such a good message. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie:
- When Patch is talking to God after a difficult time in the movie: "So answer me please. Tell me what you're doing. Okay, let's look at the logic. You create man. Man suffers enormous amounts of pain. Man dies. Maybe you should have had just a few more brainstorming sessions prior to creation. You rested on the seventh day. Maybe you should've spent that day on compassion."
- "See what no one else sees. See what everyone chooses not to see... out of fear, conformity or laziness. See the whole world anew each day!"
- "All of life is a coming home. All the restless hearts of the world, all trying to find a way home. Picture yourself walking for days in the driving snow; you don't even know you're walking in circles. How small you can feel, and how far away home can be. Home. The dictionary defines it as both a place of origin and a goal or destination. Eventually I would find the right path, but in the most unlikely place."
- El Aire De Tu Casa - Jesus Adrian Romero
- Solo Cristo - Hillsong
- When God Ran
Con mucho amor.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
You have never really lived...
What I'm thinking about: I have not posted many quotes in awhile, so here are some that I have been thinking about lately.
from: here
Why wish upon the stars, when you could pray to their creator?
from: here
from: here
"Life is everything. Life is God. Everything changes and moves and that movement is God. And while there is life there is joy in consciousness of the divine. To love life is to love God."
from: here
Hope these brightened your night.
Con mucho amor.
Why wish upon the stars, when you could pray to their creator?
"Life is everything. Life is God. Everything changes and moves and that movement is God. And while there is life there is joy in consciousness of the divine. To love life is to love God."
Hope these brightened your night.
Con mucho amor.
About My Weekend (finally!)
What I'm doing: This past weekend we had a field trip, I went to an intersting family function, celebrated one of my host sister's birthday's, went to San Jose, and hardly slept at all. :)
Friday, October 19th
We left bright and early at 6:30am for our field trip to Miravalles. It is a volcano in the Guanacaste area. We were supposed to go to Arenal, which is way prettier I think, but they wanted to take us some place less touristy...go figure. The first place we went to was a geothermal energy place. They take the vapor of water and put it through a turbine that creates energy. We got a tour of the place, which was interesting. We had to wear closed toed shoes, hats, and glasses.
They have to separate the water and the water vapor, so that is the all the water behind us in these next few photos. It is the water draining out.
We also got to see the big turbine thing and all the pipes everywhere!
After visiting the geothermal place, we went to our hotel to drop our stuff off and eat lunch. We stayed at Thermo Mania, a very touristy place. There were lots of pools and the staff were all so kind. After lunch we went to a wind plant with large windmills. We had a talk there, which I thought was very boring. I learned about wind energy in high school, so it was not as interesting for me. It was also pouring down rain and we did not walk around and see anything.
When we got back to the hotel, Mariah T. and I went and got hot chocolate and had a heart to heart. :) I am so lucky that I get to be on this trip with such amazing people! Then we went in the pool with our Spanish teachers and all the girls. We played 10 fingers and practiced our Spanish. The water is warm because it's thermal water. Here is what the place looked like, so pretty!
That night we ate dinner, and did some kareoke (I did not sing, only listened). I went to bed at 9pm, though. I am so tired all of the time here! I kind of wish I would have stayed up longer to spend time with people, but that's okay. I am stuck with all them enough. :)
Saturday, October 20th
We got to sleep in until 8am, which was really nice. After breakfast we took some pictures of the sun and how beautiful the place was!
Then, we split up into two groups to go to las Hornillas. What are those you might ask? We put mud on our faces. It felt a lot like Yellowstone, but I loved it. It smelled just like Yellowstone, too, just like sulfur.
Then, we went to a "waterfall" to wash off the mud. It was more of a man-made dam, but it worked.
When we got back, we had to wait for the other group to go, so we hung out in the pool. Lunch was really yummy fish. Then, we left to head back to San Ramon. It was not my favorite field trip, but I felt like it was very educational. We learned a lot about alternative forms of energy.
I was so tired when I got back, but that was just the beginning of my adventurous evening. Kristin, Chandler, Sydney and I had a movie night. We watched P.S. I Love You, and ate popcorn and smores. Kristin's host brother also hung out with us, which was really funny. I got back to my house at 11pm, when my host sister texted me. She said they were having a party with all their cousins across the street from my house. I had my sweatpants on, but I changed and headed over. Little did I know what I was getting myself into...
There were probably over 20 people there, all around my age. Everyone was drinking and smoking and hanging out. I met another girl from a different program that I talked to for awhile. One of the cousins, Jose, came over and talked to us. I was so happy he did, because I felt like I belonged a little more. I hung out with my host sis a lot too, Fabi.
It was fun to listen to the conversations, but it was a little hard to follow what was happening sometimes. After being there for 2 hours, my host brother and his girlfriend showed up. I have never been so happy to see them; I felt like they were angels! I talked to Juan Manuel's girlfriend, Kristal.
Around 1am, we left to go sing. This is the second time they have done this. Everyone piles into a car and goes to sing to all of the aunt's and uncles. ALL of them except probably 4 got into ONE truck! I thought it was going to scrape the ground when it was driving. I went with Juan Manuel and Kristal. We went to 3 houses before leaving the large group. It was quite the adventure haha. I thought my family get together's in the U.S. got a little crazy sometimes, but definitley can't compare to Costa Rica family reunions. :)
Sunday, October 21st
Started off by going to church with my family. Mariah G. came along too, and the service was amazing. Walter, the husband of my oldest host sister, spoke first. He talked about being a light in a dark world, which seems to be a theme of mine here. :)
Then, we went to lunch for Fabi's birthday. We went to the same Colombian restaurant we went to on independence day. The other time we went, it was just 5 of us, and I had trouble following the conversations. They talk so quickly and I have a hard time hearing. I thought I would understand so much more this time, but that was not true... There were over 10 of us, and I had noo idea what was going on. My meal was very yummy, but I felt so discouraged.
When we got back, I just went into my room for awhile and worked on some homework. We had chocolate cake for Fabi's birthday and it was VERY delicious. My oldest sister, Andrea, made it. Juan Manuel asked me if I wanted to go with him to San Jose. We decided to go and have a movie night at his girlfriend's house. Mariah came with me. We watched Inglourious Basterds with Juan Manuel, his girlfriend's brother and another friend from church, Brayan. It felt so nice to just relax and watch a movie. After the movie, Juan Manuel had to drop his girlfriend off at her job at the hospital.
We went with the other boys to McDonalds to get some dinner. We discovered that McDonalds delivers...I could not believe it! Mariah and I thought it was SO funny, that we made Brayan put down his food to take a picture of us with the carry out bags.
Then, we went over to my oldest host sister's house. Andrea and Walter live in San Jose with their little baby. We chatted and played Creationary. It is a lego game where you have a certain amount of time to create leggo shapes. It was really fun. We did not get back home until past midnight. But it was so much fun to spend time with everyone. It made me feel a lot better after the disaster during lunch time.
I am constantly blessed and amazed at the wonderful people God has put in my life here in Costa Rica. I really feel like the luckiest girl around. Except there is a really good quote that says, "I am not lucky, I am blessed." I really believe that is true. :)
Con mucho amor.
Friday, October 19th
We left bright and early at 6:30am for our field trip to Miravalles. It is a volcano in the Guanacaste area. We were supposed to go to Arenal, which is way prettier I think, but they wanted to take us some place less touristy...go figure. The first place we went to was a geothermal energy place. They take the vapor of water and put it through a turbine that creates energy. We got a tour of the place, which was interesting. We had to wear closed toed shoes, hats, and glasses.
After visiting the geothermal place, we went to our hotel to drop our stuff off and eat lunch. We stayed at Thermo Mania, a very touristy place. There were lots of pools and the staff were all so kind. After lunch we went to a wind plant with large windmills. We had a talk there, which I thought was very boring. I learned about wind energy in high school, so it was not as interesting for me. It was also pouring down rain and we did not walk around and see anything.
When we got back to the hotel, Mariah T. and I went and got hot chocolate and had a heart to heart. :) I am so lucky that I get to be on this trip with such amazing people! Then we went in the pool with our Spanish teachers and all the girls. We played 10 fingers and practiced our Spanish. The water is warm because it's thermal water. Here is what the place looked like, so pretty!
Saturday, October 20th
We got to sleep in until 8am, which was really nice. After breakfast we took some pictures of the sun and how beautiful the place was!
Then, we split up into two groups to go to las Hornillas. What are those you might ask? We put mud on our faces. It felt a lot like Yellowstone, but I loved it. It smelled just like Yellowstone, too, just like sulfur.
Then, we went to a "waterfall" to wash off the mud. It was more of a man-made dam, but it worked.
When we got back, we had to wait for the other group to go, so we hung out in the pool. Lunch was really yummy fish. Then, we left to head back to San Ramon. It was not my favorite field trip, but I felt like it was very educational. We learned a lot about alternative forms of energy.
There were probably over 20 people there, all around my age. Everyone was drinking and smoking and hanging out. I met another girl from a different program that I talked to for awhile. One of the cousins, Jose, came over and talked to us. I was so happy he did, because I felt like I belonged a little more. I hung out with my host sis a lot too, Fabi.
Around 1am, we left to go sing. This is the second time they have done this. Everyone piles into a car and goes to sing to all of the aunt's and uncles. ALL of them except probably 4 got into ONE truck! I thought it was going to scrape the ground when it was driving. I went with Juan Manuel and Kristal. We went to 3 houses before leaving the large group. It was quite the adventure haha. I thought my family get together's in the U.S. got a little crazy sometimes, but definitley can't compare to Costa Rica family reunions. :)
Sunday, October 21st
Started off by going to church with my family. Mariah G. came along too, and the service was amazing. Walter, the husband of my oldest host sister, spoke first. He talked about being a light in a dark world, which seems to be a theme of mine here. :)
Then, we went to lunch for Fabi's birthday. We went to the same Colombian restaurant we went to on independence day. The other time we went, it was just 5 of us, and I had trouble following the conversations. They talk so quickly and I have a hard time hearing. I thought I would understand so much more this time, but that was not true... There were over 10 of us, and I had noo idea what was going on. My meal was very yummy, but I felt so discouraged.
When we got back, I just went into my room for awhile and worked on some homework. We had chocolate cake for Fabi's birthday and it was VERY delicious. My oldest sister, Andrea, made it. Juan Manuel asked me if I wanted to go with him to San Jose. We decided to go and have a movie night at his girlfriend's house. Mariah came with me. We watched Inglourious Basterds with Juan Manuel, his girlfriend's brother and another friend from church, Brayan. It felt so nice to just relax and watch a movie. After the movie, Juan Manuel had to drop his girlfriend off at her job at the hospital.
We went with the other boys to McDonalds to get some dinner. We discovered that McDonalds delivers...I could not believe it! Mariah and I thought it was SO funny, that we made Brayan put down his food to take a picture of us with the carry out bags.
Then, we went over to my oldest host sister's house. Andrea and Walter live in San Jose with their little baby. We chatted and played Creationary. It is a lego game where you have a certain amount of time to create leggo shapes. It was really fun. We did not get back home until past midnight. But it was so much fun to spend time with everyone. It made me feel a lot better after the disaster during lunch time.
I am constantly blessed and amazed at the wonderful people God has put in my life here in Costa Rica. I really feel like the luckiest girl around. Except there is a really good quote that says, "I am not lucky, I am blessed." I really believe that is true. :)
Con mucho amor.
Earthquake #4
What I'm doing: Last night there was another earthquake... It was almost as strong as the first one on September 5th. It was the fourth earthquake that I have felt since I've been here. Is it weird that I am getting used to earthquakes?
Last night Mariah, Sydney, Sarah and I went over to the church for dinner. The pastor, Jonathan, his wife, Tina, and his family had to move into the church after the big earthquake because their house kind of fell apart. There is a little apartment area over the church, so it works out perfectly. They have 4 wonderful daughters who range from 16 years old to 6 years old. We ate chili for dinner, which was soo yummy. In the middle of the meal, the floor started to shake. Tina was yelling, there's an earthquake. We all went outside. It was super long, and for one point I thought I was going to fall over when we were walking. After the shaking stopped, we all went back in and finished dinner. Both my host brother AND sister texted me to see how I was doing.
We had ice cream and cookies for dessert. Jonathan went to play futbol, so all of us girls cuddled on the couch and watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It was such a perfect evening to talk and get to know them. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful church family. I feel so welcomed and I know that I can go to them for anything I need!
It was an interesting coinsidence because earlier that day Juan Manuel saw a cockroach. We had seen 2 cockroaches on Saturday night. He told me, "Are you scared of earthquakes?" And I told him only sometimes if they are really strong. He said his Grandma used to say that when the cockroaches came out, that was a sign that an earthquake would happen. And then it did that very evening...very strange.
Last night I kept waking up while I was trying to sleep, thinking there were aftershocks. All the time I feel like the ground is shaking, which probably is not a good thing. But friends and family, know that all of the time I am safe. I have so many people looking out for me, so there is NEVER any need to worry (especially you, Mom). :)
Con mucho amor.
Last night Mariah, Sydney, Sarah and I went over to the church for dinner. The pastor, Jonathan, his wife, Tina, and his family had to move into the church after the big earthquake because their house kind of fell apart. There is a little apartment area over the church, so it works out perfectly. They have 4 wonderful daughters who range from 16 years old to 6 years old. We ate chili for dinner, which was soo yummy. In the middle of the meal, the floor started to shake. Tina was yelling, there's an earthquake. We all went outside. It was super long, and for one point I thought I was going to fall over when we were walking. After the shaking stopped, we all went back in and finished dinner. Both my host brother AND sister texted me to see how I was doing.
We had ice cream and cookies for dessert. Jonathan went to play futbol, so all of us girls cuddled on the couch and watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. It was such a perfect evening to talk and get to know them. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful church family. I feel so welcomed and I know that I can go to them for anything I need!
It was an interesting coinsidence because earlier that day Juan Manuel saw a cockroach. We had seen 2 cockroaches on Saturday night. He told me, "Are you scared of earthquakes?" And I told him only sometimes if they are really strong. He said his Grandma used to say that when the cockroaches came out, that was a sign that an earthquake would happen. And then it did that very evening...very strange.
Last night I kept waking up while I was trying to sleep, thinking there were aftershocks. All the time I feel like the ground is shaking, which probably is not a good thing. But friends and family, know that all of the time I am safe. I have so many people looking out for me, so there is NEVER any need to worry (especially you, Mom). :)
Con mucho amor.
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Little Things
What I'm doing: Last week was filled with the little things of life that makes me appreciate everyone I have met here in Costa Rica. The first thing is my little cousin. She is 9 years old, and loves coming over to talk to me. Last Sunday her and her brother came over and we played cards! I taught them slap jack, and we played a verson of spoons. They loved playing slap jack! I felt bad, though, because she gets in trouble for being over here all the time! She told me she had a dream about me; that we were in my room talking and there was an earthquake. I was hiding on my bed and she was telling me it was okay. Too precious. :) It is her first communion on Saturday, and I want to get her something! Maybe a cross necklace? Now I just need to find one in San Ramon.
Second, is my host mom. I am so lucky that I got placed with the host family that I did. We have been reading the bible together some nights. I read it out loud, and she corrects my pronunciation. And then we talk about the passage. Last week we read her favorite books from the bible. We read Psalm 23 and Psalm 91.
Third, is coffee dates with my friend Sarah. We had not seen eachother in three weeks because we are both so busy! We met at Aromas Cafe and had hot chocolate and a brownie last Wednesday. It was so nice to catch up and have a heart to heart. After Aromas she introduced me to her host mom and we walked around the University of Costa Rica before church started. I am so lucky that I have gotten to know her over the past month.
I will write more later about my weekend events!
Con mucho amor.
Second, is my host mom. I am so lucky that I got placed with the host family that I did. We have been reading the bible together some nights. I read it out loud, and she corrects my pronunciation. And then we talk about the passage. Last week we read her favorite books from the bible. We read Psalm 23 and Psalm 91.
Third, is coffee dates with my friend Sarah. We had not seen eachother in three weeks because we are both so busy! We met at Aromas Cafe and had hot chocolate and a brownie last Wednesday. It was so nice to catch up and have a heart to heart. After Aromas she introduced me to her host mom and we walked around the University of Costa Rica before church started. I am so lucky that I have gotten to know her over the past month.
I will write more later about my weekend events!
Con mucho amor.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Best Weekend Ever
What I'm doing: This past weekend could not have gotten any better! From start to finish, it was amazing!
Friday, October 12th
My weekend started on Friday because I skipped Spanish to go with my host brother to the institution he works at. He teaches English there 5 days a week. We left the house bright and early at 6:20am because he works in Grecia, which is 45 minutes away. We got there and he introduced me to the other English teachers. He does not work at a high school, but rather an institution ran by the government. He said there are some English classes, some business classes, etc. Lots of different classes there.
I started off in his classroom, but then one of the other English teachers wanted my help in her class. We played some games, and I talked to them about who I was and what I was doing in Costa Rica. They were learning about summary vs. paraphrasing. I was in their class for 40 minutes before I went back to Juan Manuel's class.
They were learning about directions, so he had them get into pairs and create cities. They had to name the streets and put restaurants, churches, public bathrooms, and other places in their cities. Juan Manuel had to leave to make copies, so I was "in charge" of the class for awhile. I walked around and helped them with vocabulary and talked with them. I love getting to know new people and practicing Spanish and English with them. One of the groups even named a street after me!
The class goes from 7:30am-12:30pm, with a half hour break inbetween. After they made the cities, we walked around and got "tours" of each city and practiced giving directions. Juan Manuel also played a video called Gringo Pinto. It has lots of slang words and talks about giving directions to white people who are visiting Costa Rica. I wish I understood what it said...
Once the class got out, Juan Manuel and the other English teachers and I went to the mall for lunch. While we were there, there was another mini earthquake. Juan Manuel did not feel it, but me and the rest of the teachers did. I was chatting with the other teachers about life, and they asked me how old I was. I replied that I was 20 and they said, "You are so young!" After a 45 minute lunch break, we had to be back in the school until 3:30. We talked and I met a few other ladies there who were visiting. I loved being in the classroom, and I wish I could miss class more often to help out in his classroom. I love helping new people and practicing with them. I feel like I am really impacting and getting to know new people.
Saturday, October 13th
We left at 6am to head to the beach...I thought I would sleep a little bit in the car, but I was too excited to sleep! I went with Ashli and Chandler. My host brother drove and one of his friends, Manfred, came with us as well. We went to a beach near Guanacaste, on the Pacific side. The drive to the beach is 4 hours long. We stopped several times, including one to take a picture by a giant ox! I have no idea why it was on the side of the road, but it was funny. My host brother did not know either.
We finally got to the beach and it was beyond perfect paradise. I thought last weekend in Manuel Antonio was pretty, but this beach was even better, and more deserted! We set up camp under a tree, and the boys wanted to go snorkeling. We layed and talked and read while they went in the water. A little while later, we switched with them and went in the water. It was perfect to just float and talk. Chandler is scared of fish, so just getting her in the water was a big deal. All of a sudden my brother runs to the water and says, "Do you see what's in the water?!" All three of us run to the shore because we thought it was something right next to us. He really saw a whale in the distance...haha. He had never seen a whale before! It was flicking its tail and splashing in the distance. So beautiful.
We got out to let the boys get back in the water when it started to rain. We put all of the stuff in the car, and Juan Manuel ran back into the ocean. We were already soaked, so we followed. (Don't worry, there was no thunder or lightning this time!) The rain looked beautiful hitting the ocean water. I have never swam in the ocean while it was raining. In Oregon it is way too cold for that. The rain stopped after 15 minutes.
My host brother, Chandler and I decided to swim to the island. There is a cave in the island that you can climb to! We swam there, which was a little tiring. Juan Manuel had to help us get onto the island because there were some rocks. It was totally safe, though. Chandler watched the boogie board that we used while my bro and I climbed to the cave. It was a decent sized cave that had lots of bats in it! We swam back and I was SO exhausted. The boys played in the water some more as Ashli, Chandler and I ate beans, tortillas and apples for lunch. Meal of champions. Here's a picture of my host brother climbing the island. I did not get any pictures of me climbing it.
Chandler, Ashli and I changed our clothes behind two towels, which was another adventure. And then we went to Juan Manuel's uncle's house to shower. He lives in the town of Tamarindo. After showering we walked around the cute town. There were some stores that we looked in. We got smoothies and chatted for awhile. Next to the smoothie place was a crepe place. We got a nutella and banana crepe, and it melted in my mouth. SO delicious.
We drove back to the first beach we were at because we were going to look at turtles! Juan Manuel's uncle has been giving tours for over 22 years. He was the one who had the trail in the mountain made. It was around 7pm and very dark. We had to use special red flashlights that don't confuse the turtles. We hiked through a mountain for 10 minutes to get to the beach on the other side. Our guide did the whole thing barefoot, which I thought was crazy.
We got to see one momma turtle making the nest. She was flicking sand everywhere. The Uncle was not with us, so we left that turtle to go try and find him. Evidentally you are not supposed to leave a turtle once you find one, because there might not be another one the whole night. We ran back to the same turtle later because she was going back into the water. There was another tour there with a different guide. The tour had lots of people in it, including children. They were using real, bright flashlights and chasing the turtle. Our guide told us the momma did not get to lay her eggs; she probably got scared with so many people around. Hopefully she went back to lay her eggs another night. Lots of the other tour guide just want to show the people the turtles, and get the money. They do not care about the wildlife, which is very sad.
We sat on the beach while waiting for the uncle. He tried to find another turtle for us to see, but there were not any more. I loved just sitting on the beach, though. There was no moon, so we could see the stars soo clearly. There was a storm far off in the distance, so we got to see lightning flash across the sky far away. The waves were glowing, too, which was incredible. There is a special plankton that makes them glow. The uncle told us it was a sign that the beach was very clean, and had pure water. It was magical to watch. Although we did not get to see any other turtles, I was so content. Getting to see so much beauty in one day was amazing. Chandler and I had a great conversation about God and how He works in lives.
We left the turtle beach around 8:30pm. The uncle took Ashli and Manfred in his car, and Chandler and I rode with Juan Manuel. The road was full of potholes so we tried to save the car a little by dividing the weight. The three of us had a great conversation about God, as well. How little we felt on that beach, and how magnificent God is. Those connections and conversations will stick with me for my whole life. Too often we waste our days talking about things that don't matter. I hope that I can work on having real, true conversations with people more often. That's what we were made for. :)
We ate dinner at a place on the side of the road, and left to head home around 9:30pm. We still had a 3 hour drive ahead of us...I love riding in the car, though. We listened to worship music and tried to sleep. Once we got back to San Ramon, Juan Manuel had to drop everyone off at their houses, so we did not get back to ours until 2am. So, incredibly, late. It was such a perfect day, though. Filled with fun adventures, and good conversations, and memories that I will never, ever forget.
Sunday, October 14th
After getting only 4 hours of sleep, I got up early to go to Zarcero with Ashli and her host mom! The drive to that city is very pretty through the countryside. We got to the town (around 40 minutes away), and walked around the gardens. I was very excited to be there because it was on my list of places to see! I saw a picture on Pinterest over the summer, and knew that I wanted to come visit.
There were trees and plants that were made into many different types of shapes. Some were faces, some were animals. My favorite was the dinosaur! There was also a house of flowers. The gardens would be a perfect place for a wedding. It was sunny and beautiful while we were outside exploring. Ashli's host mom had packed some fruit for us, and we sat outside under a tree and ate it.
Then, her mom told us mass was starting soon, so we went to that as well. I wanted to see and attend a Catholic mass while I was in Costa Rica. The church was absolutely stunning, but the mass itself was very boring and dull. A lot of sitting down and standing up. The pastor talked really fast, and it was difficult for me to understand what he was saying.
After the service, we went to brunch at this cute restaurant. I ordered a sandwich and it was very yummy. It was great practice for my Spanish to talk with her host mom. We discussed the topic of mass. Her mom said it was about money, and how it's not really our money, but God's. You cannot take money with you to heaven. It was fun to spend time with some new people and practice my Spanish.
After we got back from Zarcero, I took a 4 hour nap...this weekend was exhuasting but so worth every moment. :)
Monday, October 15th
I went with Sophie, one of my friends from the English class I help with on Thursdays at church, Mariah, and a friend of Sophie's whose name is Richard. Richard has a girlfriend from England, so he wanted to practice his English like Sophie. We met at the bus station at 10:30am, so I got to sleep in. Even then, my body woke up at 6:30am. I tried to sleep in until 7:30, but even that was difficult.
We first traveled to Naranjo, where we had to transfer busses. We stopped by the church in Naranjo because there were cute turtles in a pond outside the park. Naranjo is similar to San Ramon, but it is not very pretty or exciting. We then got on another bus to get to Sarchi.
Sarchi is a very touristy place with lots of gift shops. I got to do some shopping, which was nice, but my favorite part was the ox carts. The carts were SO beautiful. It must take the people a very long time to finish them. We went to an artisan place, but there were not very many shops open. A lot of the shops were destroyed from the earthquakes, which was sad. All of the pottery was broken on the ground. :(
We then walked to the main center of town where the world's largest ox cart was! We took lots of fun pictures, and then went to lunch. I had a yummy meal of corn, egg, chicken, rice, beans and salad! It was $6 for the whole thing, but I could not finish it. There was so much food!
After lunch we took both busses home to San Ramon. I loved spending the day with Sophie and Richard. They are both so nice, and it was fun to help them with English as they helped us with Spanish. God continues to place the best people in my life here!
What I'm thinking about: What a perfect weekend full of fun adventures. Hope you all had just as fun of a weekend as I did! I am very thankful I had a good weekend because so much happened back at home in Oregon. I missed a fun family party, and it was homecoming/alumni weekend at my university. I am blessed to have such great family and friends in Costa Rica as well. :)
Con mucho amor.
Friday, October 12th
My weekend started on Friday because I skipped Spanish to go with my host brother to the institution he works at. He teaches English there 5 days a week. We left the house bright and early at 6:20am because he works in Grecia, which is 45 minutes away. We got there and he introduced me to the other English teachers. He does not work at a high school, but rather an institution ran by the government. He said there are some English classes, some business classes, etc. Lots of different classes there.
I started off in his classroom, but then one of the other English teachers wanted my help in her class. We played some games, and I talked to them about who I was and what I was doing in Costa Rica. They were learning about summary vs. paraphrasing. I was in their class for 40 minutes before I went back to Juan Manuel's class.
They were learning about directions, so he had them get into pairs and create cities. They had to name the streets and put restaurants, churches, public bathrooms, and other places in their cities. Juan Manuel had to leave to make copies, so I was "in charge" of the class for awhile. I walked around and helped them with vocabulary and talked with them. I love getting to know new people and practicing Spanish and English with them. One of the groups even named a street after me!
The class goes from 7:30am-12:30pm, with a half hour break inbetween. After they made the cities, we walked around and got "tours" of each city and practiced giving directions. Juan Manuel also played a video called Gringo Pinto. It has lots of slang words and talks about giving directions to white people who are visiting Costa Rica. I wish I understood what it said...
Once the class got out, Juan Manuel and the other English teachers and I went to the mall for lunch. While we were there, there was another mini earthquake. Juan Manuel did not feel it, but me and the rest of the teachers did. I was chatting with the other teachers about life, and they asked me how old I was. I replied that I was 20 and they said, "You are so young!" After a 45 minute lunch break, we had to be back in the school until 3:30. We talked and I met a few other ladies there who were visiting. I loved being in the classroom, and I wish I could miss class more often to help out in his classroom. I love helping new people and practicing with them. I feel like I am really impacting and getting to know new people.
Saturday, October 13th
We left at 6am to head to the beach...I thought I would sleep a little bit in the car, but I was too excited to sleep! I went with Ashli and Chandler. My host brother drove and one of his friends, Manfred, came with us as well. We went to a beach near Guanacaste, on the Pacific side. The drive to the beach is 4 hours long. We stopped several times, including one to take a picture by a giant ox! I have no idea why it was on the side of the road, but it was funny. My host brother did not know either.
My host brother, Chandler and I decided to swim to the island. There is a cave in the island that you can climb to! We swam there, which was a little tiring. Juan Manuel had to help us get onto the island because there were some rocks. It was totally safe, though. Chandler watched the boogie board that we used while my bro and I climbed to the cave. It was a decent sized cave that had lots of bats in it! We swam back and I was SO exhausted. The boys played in the water some more as Ashli, Chandler and I ate beans, tortillas and apples for lunch. Meal of champions. Here's a picture of my host brother climbing the island. I did not get any pictures of me climbing it.
Chandler, Ashli and I changed our clothes behind two towels, which was another adventure. And then we went to Juan Manuel's uncle's house to shower. He lives in the town of Tamarindo. After showering we walked around the cute town. There were some stores that we looked in. We got smoothies and chatted for awhile. Next to the smoothie place was a crepe place. We got a nutella and banana crepe, and it melted in my mouth. SO delicious.
We left the turtle beach around 8:30pm. The uncle took Ashli and Manfred in his car, and Chandler and I rode with Juan Manuel. The road was full of potholes so we tried to save the car a little by dividing the weight. The three of us had a great conversation about God, as well. How little we felt on that beach, and how magnificent God is. Those connections and conversations will stick with me for my whole life. Too often we waste our days talking about things that don't matter. I hope that I can work on having real, true conversations with people more often. That's what we were made for. :)
We ate dinner at a place on the side of the road, and left to head home around 9:30pm. We still had a 3 hour drive ahead of us...I love riding in the car, though. We listened to worship music and tried to sleep. Once we got back to San Ramon, Juan Manuel had to drop everyone off at their houses, so we did not get back to ours until 2am. So, incredibly, late. It was such a perfect day, though. Filled with fun adventures, and good conversations, and memories that I will never, ever forget.
Sunday, October 14th
After getting only 4 hours of sleep, I got up early to go to Zarcero with Ashli and her host mom! The drive to that city is very pretty through the countryside. We got to the town (around 40 minutes away), and walked around the gardens. I was very excited to be there because it was on my list of places to see! I saw a picture on Pinterest over the summer, and knew that I wanted to come visit.
After the service, we went to brunch at this cute restaurant. I ordered a sandwich and it was very yummy. It was great practice for my Spanish to talk with her host mom. We discussed the topic of mass. Her mom said it was about money, and how it's not really our money, but God's. You cannot take money with you to heaven. It was fun to spend time with some new people and practice my Spanish.
Monday, October 15th
I went with Sophie, one of my friends from the English class I help with on Thursdays at church, Mariah, and a friend of Sophie's whose name is Richard. Richard has a girlfriend from England, so he wanted to practice his English like Sophie. We met at the bus station at 10:30am, so I got to sleep in. Even then, my body woke up at 6:30am. I tried to sleep in until 7:30, but even that was difficult.
We first traveled to Naranjo, where we had to transfer busses. We stopped by the church in Naranjo because there were cute turtles in a pond outside the park. Naranjo is similar to San Ramon, but it is not very pretty or exciting. We then got on another bus to get to Sarchi.
What I'm thinking about: What a perfect weekend full of fun adventures. Hope you all had just as fun of a weekend as I did! I am very thankful I had a good weekend because so much happened back at home in Oregon. I missed a fun family party, and it was homecoming/alumni weekend at my university. I am blessed to have such great family and friends in Costa Rica as well. :)
Con mucho amor.
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