I can't believe I have been here a month!

Wow, It is hard to believe that I have been here for a month on Sunday. Life has been great in Costa Rica. There have been times when I didn’t know how I was going to survive in a home where the people only spoke Spanish, but I have made it thus far. I have had ups and downs, but through it all my relationship with God has grown immensely. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been praying for me and sending me such encouraging emails. There are a lot of dangers in Costa Rica, but with your prayers and God’s protection and grace, I know I will be out of harm's way.

You are probably wondering what the pictures in my last blog are regarding. The first photo is a picture of what I eat for breakfast almost every morning. This main dish is very traditional in Costa Rica. It is called Gallo Pinto, which is basically black beans and rice. There is also cilantro, a type of red pepper, and onion that is mixed into the beans and rice. The second and third pictures are of me when I went on a field trip with my class to the La Paz waterfalls and a coffee plantation.

This week was full of homework and less eventful than other weeks, but I needed to catch up on some school work. I am going to post a few random pictures in this blog just to keep you updated. I am headed off to the pool now so - hasta luego!

Gallo Pinto and the Field Trip!

Catholic Church

I went to a Catholic mass with my family on Sunday. I have attended Catholic masses in the United States before, but this mass was quite different from anything I have experienced. The mass started at 10:00 AM, but many people had all ready arrived by 9:30AM. It seemed like everyone was hugging and kissing before the service. It is customary to air kiss someone on the right cheek when you first meet them. I kissed quite a few people I didn’t even know. I am definitely not used to this custom yet, but I don’t mind it if I’m kissing a handsome, tall, and brown-eyed tico (Costa Rican guy)!

I was expecting some organ music or some grandiose sounding instrument when the service began, but all they had was a plug-in piano and a singer. They sang upbeat songs and I actually recognized one that I used to sing at my church a long time ago. We knelt down and said some things. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying, but I knelt down anyway. The priest was actually easier to understand than I thought. He was very down to earth and stepped down from the pulpit and talked to us at eye level. I received a real sense of community when I was there. The people were warm and friendly. At the end of the service many people told me to go with God and peace.

Costa Rica - The ups and downs

Many people have asked me what I like about Costa Rica, but also the things I miss from the U.S. I will share with you the things I love and the things I miss!

I love…
1) the beauty of the countryside.
2) the cool brisk breeze in the evening after a hot and humid day.
3) all the walking I have to do to get anywhere.
4) my host family because they are so kind and accommodating.
5) that my host mom does my laundry daily.
6) talking with my host family and learning about their lives.
7) walking in the open markets and buying fresh vegetables.
8) waking up to the sounds of people moving about at 5:00 AM.
9) talking walks early in the morning as the sun rises.
10) my room because it is small and easy to clean!

I miss…
1) my chicken caesar salads with dressing on the side and no cheese!
2) my family and friends.
3) not being able to go out when I want because I always need someone with me.
4) warm showers.
5) air-conditioning.
6) my cell phone and texting.
7) my homemade popcorn!
8) my regular routine.
9) my car and being able to drive wherever I want whenever I want.
10) the snow, just kidding! hehe

Jaco Beach 3-3-07

I went to the beach for the first time in Costa Rica on Saturday. Maria Julia (my host mother) said we had to leave at 8:00 AM sharp. Her older sister and husband (Charlie) accompanied us in the vehicle on the way to the beach.

Anyways, we set out for Jaco beach at 7:36 AM, which is earlier than I had anticipated. Maria said it was a two and a half hour ride. In Costa Rica, the closer you get to the coast the hotter it gets. The minute we all piled in the car I knew I was in trouble. I was so squished and it was so hot even 15 minutes into the trip. I felt pretty claustrophobic. There is no air conditioning in the vehicle! The little old man sitting next to me reminded me of one of the men from the movie ¨Grumpy Old Men.¨ He kept poking me and asking to dance with me. He slurred his words so it was difficult to understand him. He took off his boots and crowded me the entire trip. He kept pressuring me to drink with him. Wow, the experiences in Costa Rica! We stopped to see some alligators by a bridge on the way there.

We finally got to the beach! It seemed like a ten hour ride. Once we arrived, we met Juan and Maria’s daughter (Nuria). Nuria introduced me to a lady named Janet, who was visiting Costa Rica for a week. She was an exchange student ten years ago and stayed with my host family. Janet was a great friend to talk to at the beach. She gave me a lot of great tips about being an exchange student in Costa Rica. I really enjoyed the day at the beach. It was wonderful. The weather was gorgeous and I really enjoyed hanging out with the kids and Janet.

Heredia with Andrea

A few summers ago I hosted an exchange student from Costa Rica. Her name is Andrea. I loved hanging out with her and getting to know her. We spent a lot of time together in the States while she was there. She told me that if I ever come to Costa Rica I need to give her a call. So that is exactly what I did. I went out with Andrea on Friday afternoon after school. I met her family and many of her friends. She showed me around her neighborhood. She lives in Heredia, Costa Rica. It’s about a half an hour from where I live, in La Trinidad.

She took me out to a Hamburger joint close to her house with a lot of her friends. It was really entertaining, but I didn’t really understand much of the conversation. I can usually pick up the main topics of a conversation when I am talking with someone, but I was pretty much totally lost when her friends were talking. They were all talking so fast! But not only that, they were all talking over each other. So, I just resorted back to the thing that saves me here in Costa Rica. I say, ¨¡Pura Vida!¨ This is a saying frequently used in Costa Rica that means everything is simply great. And when all else fails I just smile and nod!

¡Una Fiesta! 3-4-07

I attended a Costa Rican fiesta after church on Sunday. The fiesta was a birthday party for an eighty-nine year old man. I guess you could call him my ¨host grandpa once removed¨ or something like that.

The fiesta centered around the food. It was buffet style, but my host mom took the initiative to prepare a plate for me. I smiled and accepted it gracefully, but I would have rather made my own plate. She put things on my plate that I would never eat in the States. My plate was full of deep-fried starchy things and pig! I am quite a picky eater, so I told her I wasn’t hungry, but she kept telling me to eat it. I closed my eyes and started in. It didn’t taste very good, but I ate it! For those of you who don’t know me very well, know this – that was a very big step for me to eat deep-fried food and pork!

After lunch a van came up the driveway to the house. Music started coming out of the speakers of the vehicle and people started walking to the back of the vehicle. There were a lot of costumes in the back of the van. People started putting on the costumes and started dancing to the music. I have never seen costumes quite like these!