Homecoming...bittersweet

My last week in Costa Rica was filled with many sad goodbyes. My sweet friend Rachel had to leave early due to a family emergency back home. It might have been the saddest goodbye because it was so unexpected. 

During the week, I just spent all my time trying to do everything I possibly could! We went out to an Argentinian steak house that was SO good. It had the "pub" kind of feel with dark wood walls and a bar. My steak was 21$ but so big and so yummy. It actually fed me for lunch the next day too :) 

Monday morning I woke up with my ears itching (weird I know). The next day it was a rash on the side of my neck. It seemed like I was having an allergic reaction to something! Eventually, Esteban, who worked in the Center for International Students at my school took me to the Private hospital in San Jose, La Clinica Biblica. It was a super nice hospital, but because it was private you paid a deposit when you first got there, rather than being billed. After about an hour there (which was super fast by Costa Rican standards) I got two shots and was sent home with a few meds! Good to go! The rash is pretty much gone now! The doc just said I probably touched something like a plant that I was allergic too (Can I just mention that he said all of that in Spanish and I understood!)

My little friend group--Joey, Ben, Kelsey and I, were almost inseparable. And I loved it :) Our last night together we went out to eat and ended up doing all the mooshy-gushy goodbye stuff :) We talked about what a blessing each of us had been in each others lives, what qualities we loved, and said thanks. I am SUCH a words of affirmation girl so that was just what I needed. It just made it all the more sad to say goodbye though!

My host family had a goodbye party the night before I left for me and another girl that was leaving. It was sweet. We drew a 4square court on the patio and played that and Ninja for awhile, then finished up with a piñata! I'm all about the piñatas at parties. A party will never be the same without one!

After goodbyes to Ben, Joey, and Kelsey on Friday, had to say bye to my whole family on Saturday Am. They all saw me off from the road! Sad day! It was almost like I couldn't feel it at first. I had no sadness. Then it just all kind of hit me at the airport when people kept asking me why I was there. I felt like I was a Costa Rican local almost--how I imagine Floridians feel when tourists come. Like it was my place, you cant pretend to know it because you where only there a week. Crazy huh? So, yep. I miss it. I'm already having Spanish withdrawals. I need someway to remember it. 

I had two flights with LOTS of waiting involved. The last flight was delayed over an hour, then due to thunderstorms in ATL we had to fly around for about 30 min, then fly down through the storm. That led to crazy turbulence--felt and sounded as if we were landing but we were no where near the ground! But--seeing the lightning from the air was pretty darn majestic. Wow God. And sweet Erin was able to pick me up at the airport at 130 am (2 hours later than expected). Made it home by 3am, ate (of course) then bed! Ahh it WAS nice to be back at Erin's, one of my many homes :)

I just want to say that I am so thankful for the time I had there, the friends God provided, and the lessons I learned. It was SUCH a great experience. Almost too good to be true.

Now I just have to figure out how to fit back into this box of home, even though I'm not quite the right shape to fit anymore.

Nicaragua adnd Toros- two fun fun filled weekends!

 Last weekend Marsha was going to visit her missionary friend, Kim, in Nicaragua and I thought, "hmm. that's close! Let's go!" So me, Bethany, Ben, and Joey hopped on the Tica Bus (The Bus that travels from Honduras to Panama) and went to Nicaragua! It was a blast, other than the fact the trip there took about 9.5 hours, and about 10 on the way back. But the bus was comfortable! And it was just nice being with friends!
    So Marsha, her family (minus little Sydney), Kim (the missionary), and Bildad (a sweet Nicaraguan young lady who lives with Kim). It was late so none of us really talked much that night, but the fun began the next day! We ate BACON for the first time in months, visited the clinic, saw some churches, and helped out a little at the feeding kitchen for kids--these were all run by Kim's ministry. It was really interesting. I think that Nicaragua is BEAUTIFUL! It has lots of trees, but lots of fields as well.
   The next day was our toursity day :) We visited Volcán Masaya and a lake, and two big markets :) I was suprised to find that most of the things at the market were comparable prices to those in Costa Rica, even though everything else in Nicaragua was much cheaper.
     The nights were filled with great talks, laughing, and wrestling on Joey and Ben's beds--two mattresses in the lvingroom floor :)   The little boys, Caleb, Eli, and Josue (Bildad's nephew) LOVED Ben and Joey because they would wrestle with them all they wanted. One evening we went to a church service were Kelsey sang "Revelation Song" for the entire church In spanish! YEAH! I didn't understnd most of the sermon, and it was hard to focus, but after we were able to stay and talk to lots of the people from the chruch. The youth were especially friendly, which is something I haven't seen really. So it was fun.
  It was so good for me to see Marsha and her family! They feel like my family, so it was almost like going home :)


Only one more week in Costa Rica! I can't believe it....But I have been working on stuff for RA training and so it has me kinda focused on what's to come when I get home. Gonna soak up all the time I have with people while I'm here! I really do appreciate and enjoy all of the relationships that I have made while here :)


TONIGHT-- JUST GOT BACK FROM THE TOROS! Wow. So toros is pretty much running/fighting bulls Costa Rican style. They don't kill the bulls thankfully, but they do make them pretty mad! Well it was VERY exciting! My adreinaline was pumping and I wasn't even running! But- My friends Ben and Joey did run! The very first bull that we saw actually hit Ben! He slipped in the sand and the bull managed to headbutt him into the dirt! He didn't get gored but has some scrapes--one of which is on his face :) I am just glad he is alive! Gracias a Dios!

Went sledding on the hill at the Park of Peace today with the fam!

Joey and Ben before the bull run!

After the bull ran over Ben...

Spectators!

Bulls in Ring with all the testosterone-led men!

Nicaragua: The mode of travel- truck- front and back

me and Marsha!

Outside Kim's house

Nicaragua: Chelsea the cow warning Joey to BACK OFF

TWISTER!

Marsha, Kim, and Bildad <3

Wrestling Match! Eli and Josue

Scuba and Fútbol

Well, last week was my 2nd and final Marine Bio field trip. It was fun but slightly sad because my entire Tico family (including all the girls) went to the beach WITHOUT ME! But, there was nothing that could be done because I had the class trip.

We went to the very north of Costa Rica, almost to the border, to this TINY town called Cuajiniquil. (Have fun pronouncing that one) There were not really any restaraunts there so we ate our meals at this couple's home. It was neat. Small house but very open livingroom/dining area and a hug front porch! Super relaxing. Well, in this tiny town most of the people are fisherman, except for one: Minor. He is into tourism. So, he takes groups out snorkeling and scuba diving, mostly school groups and research groups.

Saurday afternoon our class piled onto two cute speed boats and went to see the mangroves. Well, for those of you who do not know, a mangrove is a tree that can grow around salt water. They have these neat roots that are out of the water in low tide. Tons of animals live in the mangrove forest. Well, the mangroves we SUPER interesting (insert sarcasm here) but on the way back we saw something MUCH better. We were speeding along in the bay when our boat captian pointed and yelled "BALLENA!" Which means WHALE! There was a mother humpback whale and her calf in the bay! It was beautiful. They mom was just huge! So, our mangrove trip turned into a whale hunt, where we followed the whale around the bay for about 15 min trying to get some glimpses! 

Sunday morning we headed off with Minor and his brother to go snorkel a reef. Well, this only happens to our class, but it started raining again. Just like the last field trip. And it was cold. The reef we went to was different than last time, because we had to take a boat there rather than just walk off the beach. The reef was attached to these big rocks that were sticking out of the water. The water was a lot darker this time too (because we were farther out and in the Pacific ocean and not the Carribbean). Most people just stared at the water anxiously. One girl even said "that's black water. I'm not getting in." What happened? Well Minors neice, who is about 8 years old, just hopped right in and put us all to shame! 

I actaully was going scuba diving on this trip. I was a bit nervous because I had not been in 5 years, but it turned out great. My sinuses didn't really hurt too much during (even though I have pretty bad sinuses. Thanks allergies.) But, afterwards, my left ear was muffled for 2 days.

On the snorkle trip, we got about 40 feet under. The water was kinda dirty but we could still see all sorts of things. For example: eels(creepy), puffers (cute), little stingrays, lots of fish. My most favorite part: we were swimming next to this giant wall that went up. All of a suddent a giant school of fish swam over the top of the wall right over our heads! SWEET! It was magical. There were so many, and we were underneath them! It reminded me of tons of shooting stars going overhead :)

Well, since I was not able to go with my family to the beach that weekend, I went with them to a Fútbol Game last night! YEAH! Costa Rican soccer is a blast! There were 10 of us. 5 girls from my house, my friends Joey, Kelsey and Rachel, and my sister's boyfriend Derek, and then my dad guiding our funny group :) The game was in the city of Cartago and it was Cartago vs Limón. Limon is on the Carribbean coast and so they have like a Rasta, Jamaican feel, unlike the rest of Costa Rica. It was super exciting.

We sat with the Cartago fans and they were a rowdy bunch. There were big drums going with lots of chants. I learned some new vocab, most of it I am not allowed to say. The game turned out to be a good one; Cartago scored 4 times the 1st half and everytime the crowed went wild and chanted "Ole, ole, ole, ole- Az-ul, Az-ul! (azul=blue, their colors). So fun.

Today, off to more adventures, National Museum here I come! It's weird not having Spanish this month in the mornings. I'm trying to do productive things with my time so I don't go crazy!

Cuajiniquil Bay

Part of my class on a boat!

Mangrove forest roots--low tide

Time is Getting Short

WOW O WOW. I just continue to be amazed by Costa Rica day after day.

It had been awhile since Ive written. Ive been so busy with class and such!
My Spanish class is still going amazing. I love it. :) My teacher's name is Roxanna and she is a doll. Super sassy and really good at getting conversations going. Its weird that I am outnumbered by guys in my class because never been that way before! And we always end up talking about sports which is REALLY interesting...let me tell you.(NOt)

Last weekend I had a field trip with my marine Biology class. I was kinda dreading it, 1.because I have no friends in the class, 2. because we were gonna have to write a report on the paper, and 3. because I thought everyone would go out partying. But, it turned out being super fun. I made some friends in my class (one girl is a Christian!) Had some good convos, bonded, went snorkling on a reef (overcame fear of water...mostly), explored tide pools, learned what fire coral and fire worms look like, swam in the ocean in the rain. Yay. I have another field trip with the class this coming weekend...cool, but sad bc I can't go to Panama with some kids from school. :(



So. What has been going on? We had a spanish festival and all the spanish classes had to get a province of Costa Rica (There are 7 provinces) then present (IN SPANISH)  in front of everyone in the plaza one day. It was really fun actually and most tables had food and stuff :) After that, we went to lunch with Rachels Parents. They took us out to Cafe Mundo. So sweet :) That was fun. THEN WE WENT TO THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM!!! EEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP!!! I loved it. It was sweet. I swear, I want to work at one. Ben had the very great idea to carry our leftovers downtown to give to homeless people so we did. I had been carrying mine for awhile and wanted to just give it to the dogs but he said, "Just wait. There will always be someone." And there was....we saw thiss really young guy after awhile down in this sketchy area  and it really touched my heart. He was so young. probably a teenanger...but almost for sure homeless. It just broke my heart. I mean, I am not sure what to even pray for, for those people. But I do hope that he is touched by Ben's generosity, and so his heart is open somehow for God to come into.

LAst night we had a girls' baking night. I love hanging with the girls :) I mean, I love my guy friends too, but something is so nice about just being with girls :) We made lots of cookies, and a kinda of made-up recipe. We took a Friut pie recipe I had and made it with what we had! ahah. It turned out really good: coconut cookies crushed with melted butter as base; bannanas, mangoes, and blackberrys in middle and on top and the sauce was cream cheese (added in last min) whipping cream and strawberry jello. Yup. we are artist chefs. Good job girls.

Today had a field trip with my History and Culture Class. I LOVE IT. We went to the City of Cartago (the first capital) Visited some church ruins-- I LOVE TEHM!!! They look like Narnia..The ruins of Cair Paravel! :) THen another big Basillica--like a big catholic chrurch. They were ahving mass and it was really pretty in Spanish. They even had some Holy water going on behing the church :p It was interesting to see. Then we went out into the country! Saw some more ruins.  Ruinas  Ujjarás!! BEAUTIFUL!! gah.. somehting magical about ruins. Then, out to visit my teachers friend in this TINY little town called San Miguel. Its cool, because you take the hwy but then eventually have to take a one way dirt road up into the mountains to get to the town. I loved it. We ate lunch, then  walked WAY up into the hills to see a real coffee plantation! IT WAS SWEET.  A young girl (prob about 12-13) led us up the hill where we met her father (the owner/worker). It was so cool. Gah. Beautiful! I couldnt imagine being a coffee farmer though. They dont make much money and it's hard work...and you have to climb the hills everyday!!! AHHH.  After that very interesting tour, they led us to the local (secret/hidden) swimming hole! SWEET. I didnt swim, bc I didnt have a change of clothes (sad bc I knew to brign my swim suit I just got lazy and left it at home) But most of my class swam. My teacher even took off her bra and swam in her clothes!!! HAHAHA!!! It was probably the most-cool field trip I have ever been on. Very Hard Core. I loved it because it was jsut so... rural.And not touristy. And REAL. :) Love it.

That's about it! My friend group is all gone to the beach without me this weekend, so it's a little sad. But it's ok. I know they are having fun and I am too! :) I just miss them! Withdrawels!

ONLY A MONTH LEFT! NOOOOO!!!!

Class (except teacher) in front of Hydroelectric Plant/Dam

Cow-we had to walk through a herd to get to coffee (scary!)

Ready to pick some coffee!

Manuel Antonio

This weekend was another adventure outside the city. The destination this weekend was "Manuel Antonio"; a small beach town about 3 hours by bus from San Jose. This weekend we choose to go in a group without the school planning it for us and it worked so smoothly. Kelsey played trip adviser and booked us (Ben, Joey, Brennan, Kelsey, Mel, and Me) a CUTE Bed and Breakfast called "Didi's Bed and Breakfast." It was really cute and nice.  The man that runs it was Italian, and had the highest most excited voice every time he talked to us. There was a poodle and HUGE black lab that lived there too :)

The bed and breakfast was located on the main road that everyone had to travel down to get between the two closest towns (Quepos and Manuel Antonio). I say main road, but it was definitely in the jungle. There were restaraunts and hotels and such all on the road, but by no means was it like a super developed road. It was nice though :)

We had to hop on a bus to get to the beach or the town. At first I was a little annoyed because I'm use to staying on the beach when I go to the beach, or at least in walking distance, but this was about 6 kilometers. But, after a time or two taking the bus I didn't really mind so much. It was about 50cents for the bus and we never knew when it would really show up at the bus stop, but that was all the fun!

Friday night we went down to the beach after dinner and I taught everyone to play Ninja. It was a hit, but don't worry I gave all the props to CCU people! We played on the beach in the moonlight for....at least an hour!

Saturday was spent at the beach and it was a really pretty one :) Brennan and Mel rented jet skis, but I just enjoyed hanging out.  We played in the water some, and the boys ended up digging me a hole to lay in while they "sculpted' me a new Bod. The boys designed the top and Kelsey did my legs--I turned out looking like a pretty buff man, pretty good looking if I may say so myself :p Kelsey and I walked down the beach after and made our way into the National Park (the gate guard didn't make us pay for the 10$ entrance fee!) We even got to see some wild monkeys in the park! CUTIES!

My favorite part of the weekend: We met these women on the bus, and they are missionaries! Better yet, they are living really close to my school in San Jose doing Spanish classes as well! We talked to them for a long while, and loved it! One woman said she'd love to invite us over for dinner one night with her family!  There is just something so encouraging about meeting other Christians in the most random places. I am hoping we actually get to see them more. I would love to see the life of a missionary "THIS CLOSE UP", actually in another country. WOW.

Right now--feeling SUPER stressed about homework. This months Spanish class is more work (but I'm learning a lot) and my other two classes' projects are getting close. So, I definitely do not have as much free time as last month. It's hard getting back into study mode! I keep having to tell myself that if I was at CCU I would probably have more, and it makes me feel better.

Super bowl was today! I didn't go watch it, but a bunch of my friends went to sports bars and did. Sad thing, was that the commercials were in SPanish...hmm.

Jeoy, Me, and mel at Brennan's Birthday party last Thur at "Cafe Mundo"- Yum and Fun

"El Avion" restaurant in Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio Beach

Catch Up!

Well, I have been a little lazy with these blogs. Sorry!

Here is a catch-up on everything that's been happening.

Last Friday we went on our last excursion with the school. It was off to Arenal (another volcano). Although we didn't go to the actually volcano. We went to the Baldi Hot springs which were, AMAZING. It was a series of pools (like normal swimming pools) but they were filled with hot water, that were somehow heated by the volcano. Also, there were a few REALLY intense water slides! They were sweet! Although, on the middle one, everyone always came out flying and skidded accross the water. Some of my friends did it headfirst and have giant bruises on their hips. But it looks really cool.

Then Saturday we went by "Jeep-Boat-Jeep" to a place called Monteverde. It really meant that we took a van for awhile, then this really cool boat--kinda like a big pontoon boat-- and then another bus for a long time on SUPER bumpy roads. I really enjoyed the trip, just the traveling. The van rides were fun, and I praise God that I don't get motion sickness. But the view was amazing! The whole time we were surrounded by such pretty scenery and could see the mountains and fields below. I love it. And on the boat, I got some really good prayer time. It was a good break :) I love scenery and the little things in life. Once we got to our hotel in Monteverde (it was called Don Taco!) we had time to go out and eat in the little town. I just love all my friends here and we enjoy all our time together.

After was my favorite time of the whole trip--- It was dark and we wanted stars so we went out into this little field (It was Joey, Ben, me, Rachel, Kelsey, and Caroline). It was so neat because we just laid on the ground or on a log and watched the stars. It was almost magical because I had forgotten how bright stars could be. But boy did they shine! We saw some shooting stars. Then we all sang worship songs together for like 45 min. AHH. So nice to be with similar spirited people who all love the Lord.

Then Sunday was an adventure day-- we went and did a canopy tour! It was a series of about 11 zip lines through the jungle and 2 extra ones. They were fun, but there were 2 that were about 300 feet across a giant gorge. IT WAS AMAZING. I just like, lost my breath when I looked at the scenery. Love it. And the last one was a "Tarzan Swing" which means you get clipped into your harness and jump off a platform to a giant swing. You actually free fall for about 3 seconds before the rope catches and you swing. What a rush!

Sunday night, we were back in San Jose, and it was SLEEPOVER/MOVIE NIGHT! WOO. My friend Rachel's Tica Mom is out of town, so Kelsey and I went over and watched a movie with Ben and Joey. We actually talked them into watching Dirty Dancing Havana Nights. I thought it was very fitting because Cuba is pretty close. Right? Then sleepover with the girls! No school Monday.

I rode in my first taxi Monday! It was.... a little uneventful and kinda expensive. Oh well. Worth a try! But I decided buses work just fine for me.

We went downtown to this littl ecraft market called "La Casonya" and I loved talking to all the people. They LOVED it when we would speak Spanish to them so I got in some good practice. My friend Ben is super good with people and can make anyone laugh. I'm a bit jealous of his people skills, but Im trying to turn that into pure happiness for him and learn some things. I just love watching him interact with people, because he genuinely cares and wants to show them God's love.

New Spanish class started today! "Intermedio Conversación" I love my teacher :) I LOVE HER. She is just super fun and one of those people that you instantly can get along with. Weird thing though: there are 4 boys in my class and only 2 girls. ODD-- I have never been outnumbered by boys in a class before! I'm gonna learn a lot I can tell. My teacher said the goal was to speak like a "tico"...OK let's do it!

Planning a trip (ON OUR OWN!) to the beach called Manuel Antonio this weekend. Keep ya posted on how it goes!

Weekend Adventure #3

Well, my tuition here included 3 weekend field trips, so I had my last included trip this past weekend. IT. WAS. A. BLAST.

First we stopped at a coffee plantation. It was super pretty. I learned that coffee grows on shrub-type plants and the berries are red! After, we went to Volcan Poas (Poas Volcano). It's cool because you pull into the park and can start smelling the sulfur from the Volcano. IT WAS STRONG! Some people started coughing, and I got kinda dizzy. But it was ok.  Everyone walks down this trail through the jungle (its paved) up to the top at this observatory site. Then, ideally you look down into the valley below, which is actually the volcano's crater. Volcan Poas is an active volcano so no one is allowed inside the crater, but it was a beautiful view! A first when we got there, there was literally a wall of white. The mist/clouds around us were so thick that we couldn't see anything! Kind of sad because we didn't think we were going to get to see anything. But, like clockwork, the mist cleared out ever 10 min and we got a great view of the crater. There is a little lake in the center, which is full of very acidic water--green colored. It's neat looking. And the crater has many different layers of rocks; the guide said it was from all the different eruptions.

After we spent awhile there (couldn't spend too long or we'd get sick off the sulfer) we took our bus on this road that "was not exactly open yet" to a place called La Paz Waterfall Gardens. IT WAS AMAZING. Its kind of like this resort, out in the middle of nowhere CR, and it is beautiful. We got to eat at a buffet and everything was amazing. They gave us huge plates and I filled it up! Pizza, and fresh fruit, and rica, and plantains, etc yummy!

The place had its own zoo as well. It was probably my favorite part of the whole day. There was a hummingbird garden. They were everywhere and would zoom right by your head! And they had a bird aviary. I got to hold a toucan there! They are so cute! They hop instead of waking, and are just super cute.  There were also monkeys. A few of them would reach out their hand and touch yours. It was kinda creepy...They had long skinny fingers and nails. And they would make this creepy face where they showed their little sharp teeth. yuck... Weird.  But kinda cool that they touched you. There were also jaguars---which have to be the MOST beautiful animals I have ever seen in my life. And a butterfly room! You could just pick up the butterflies! Also, they had the cocoons up on a wall thing and you could see the different types, and we got to see a few hatching! It was really cool. Also, there were sloths...and they are very interesting creatures. I just cannot understand how their blood doesn't run to their head!

After you go look at the animals, you walk down a trail to see 3 huge cataratas (waterfalls). They really are amazing! The water was really cold and it was dangerous, so you cannot swim, but we touched the water and felt the spray of the waterfall. Beauty.

Well, that was all Saturday. But Sunday was another adventure. I got to the school at 6:15am to go RAFTING down the Pacuare River, on the Caribbean side of the country.  There were about 20 of us that went from my school, and pretty much my whole friend group went. The bus guide was this young man who was super good looking and kept referring to himself as "Brad Pitt". When we got there they fed us breakfast, although I didn't eat much because I was feeling a little sick to my stomach. Then, we got back on the bus and headed to the river to get in! That bus ride was about 30 min and our guides name was Ricky, or "Ricky Bobby" as he called himself. He was another good-looking young guy who was really animated in his instructions.

In my boat there was Me, Kelsey, Rachel, Mel, Joey, and Brennan. It was a great boat. Our guide's name was Monkey (he told us he didn't know why, but I think it was because he kinda looked like one). He was cool. Everytime we would do something good he would make us throw our paddles in the air and say "OOH-AH-AH-- MONKEEEYS!" Love it. Well, the rafting went well. Now, you must know that I was SUPER nervous about going. For some reason I just had this awful scary image in my head of rafting, even though I'd been at least 3 times before. I had been praying and praying about this and realized I was tired of being afraid. Well, God answered prayers because I was not afraid the whole time on the river! I actually imagined it would be worse.  There was only one time where our raft almost got in trouble. We hit a big rock and almost flipped, and then ended up going the wrong way around the rock.  But it's ok he just screamed at us, "GET DOWN!" so we all sat down in little balls in the center of the raft. That's my favorite when we do that. After, our guide said he'd never gone that way and when I asked him if he liked it better he said, "eh...not so much."

Overall. It was a good weekend. I have funny sunburn lines on the tops of my thighs, my butt still has that giant scratch from sliding, and I'm SO sore I can barely move. But, vale la pena (worth the pain)

Had our 2nd girls Bible study today! We went to the park and did it outside in the perfect weather. YAY. I love the girls that show up. Really solid group who actually talk and have great opinions. Pray that we all have opportunities to share our faith and be bold!

coffee plant

At volcano with "white wall" of fog behind us

Volcan Poas-after mist cleared out

CREEPY monkey

Tucan!