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