The Carribean

We spent the weekend in Puerto Viejo, in the providence of Límon, on the Caribbean Coast. It was amazing, I spent a lot of time watching crabs, searching for shells, watching the waves come crashing in, and walking in the waves. We did find one beach that was not covered in reef and sea urchins so I was able to actually swim in the ocean, and it was amazing!

These little sea anemones were hard to find and even harder to photograph. 

The view was breathtaking!

These coconuts were more than a little dangerous when they come crashing down.

We stayed at a hammocking hostel that was $8 a night. They even had some bathrooms and showers. The entire place was covered in mosaics. It was really neat! I think it is a common hang out for young people and hippies, but an adventurer can enjoy it too.

The rain gutter

I love to travel, but while I am traveling I often think of those that I leave behind. When I am standing by the ocean, I think of how much my dad would love it! When I am walking through beautiful flowers, I think of how much my mom would love them. Its strange how much I love to travel and yet how much I ache for what I leave behind, I wish that everyone could experience the things that I do, but I know that God has a unique journey for each person.

I think my favorite part besides the ocean, was sleeping in the hammock. On Saturday it rained almost all day so we spent a lot of time swinging. We also explored the surrounding area and everything had a Caribbean flavor. This is a very touristy spot so one could almost travel there without knowing any Spanish and get a long just fine. This was strange since we were so far into Costa Rica, but nearly every sign was in Spanish and English. There was a lot of diversity in the people and cultures there. Life is so different when you live close to the sea, and in an area where you literally sweat swinging in a hammock. I enjoyed my time there, but I do not think I am about to live in a place where showers are almost pointless.

I ended my time there with some shrimp and plantains. 

I think the best part of the weekend, was all the time I had to simply relax. I spent a lot of time with God and surrounded by the ocean you cannot help but be reminded of Him constantly. I was in a place where drugs and drinks were offered freely and many people go to party, but Ecclesiastes 12:1 kept coming to me. Remember now they Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. This life is so short and only what is done for eternity shall last. It is wonderful to experience new things and explore new lands, but if they do not draw us closer to Christ they profit nothing. Unfortunately the slogans of our day do not work, its impossible not to live it up today and not pay the price tomorrow. Living for yourself never brings satisfaction, and your hunger will never be satisfied.

This morning when I was reading John 4:10-14 it just struck me, no matter how large the ocean is, it never satisfies. The ocean leaves you thirsty and dry. It is only in the Creator and the sustainer of the ocean that we can be satisfied. I am so thankful that God has filled me so that I do not thirst, and I am thankful that I have a hope within me that can be received by any who are willing.

John 4:10-14 states: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Happy Birthday!

Costa Rican's (ticos) enjoy coffee and snack breaks. For our snack on Friday morning at school, our professor brought us an oreja (also means ear, but words have multiple purposes). Oreja is simply a very flat type of sweet bread that has honey in it. It was really good and a great start to our three-hour class!

People really like their coffee here, and I have heard from many of my classmates that it is really good here. I do not like coffee, but my host mom gives me plenty of tea. On Thursday afternoon, she arrived home and said, come drink tea! I followed her to her mom's house and other family members and two other students were there so we had cafécita. Cafécita is basically a coffee break which is common around 10 am, and 5 pm here. We all had a small snack, coffee or tea, while we visited with family members. 

My host brother enjoying some cake

My delicious cake!

Later my mom was making supper, but wouldn´t really let me help so I went to watch a movie with my host sister.  All the family that lives in our compound started arriving at our house. Pretty soon nearly everyone was there and the four of us students who live here was trying to figure out what was happening. It is really hard to keep up when there are so many people all rapid firing Spanish around you. The three other students stated that their families just told them, "Come on, let's go eat." We soon learned they planned by birthday for the night before since we were leaving early in the morning for the coast. I was so surprised as I had not said a word about it, and neither had my family. We had hamburgers, chocolate cake, and I got sung to in Spanish and English. It was pretty special.

On Friday morning a group of 19 students set out to Puerto Viejo, Limon. It is on the Carribean Sea, and about a 5-hour bus ride from San Jose. It was a longer bus ride though because there was construction and we were stopped for almost an hour, but I was able to talk to a few interesting people around me when I was not sleeping. Finally, I caught my first ever glimpse of the ocean that was not from a plane window and I knew it was going to be better than I ever imagined. The bus dropped us off in a small little town where we had to wait in line for 30 minutes to buy our return tickets. We were sweating profusely, the sun was beating down on us, and the humidity was high. Finally, we had our tickets and walked a mile or two to our hostel. By this time I was drenched with sweat and wondering if I could make it to the ocean. We checked in and were given a hammock and a locker, so we dropped our things off, put on our bathing suits, and made a beeline for the beach. The view was breathtaking. As soon as we arrived at the ocean it was immediately cooler, and the water was absolutely amazing. I tried to walk out into the waves but encountered reef and sea urchins. So I gave up and sat close to shore, but even that could not dampen my awe at being at the ocean. We spent hours just walking along the beach and sitting in the water near the shore. I enjoyed taking everything in and marveled at how great my God is.

 After dinner, Lorin and I returned to the ocean at night when the tide was high, and I was blown away even more by the wonder of it all. I will never forget this day, it is forever etched in my heart and mind.

School

Monday night I had my first take of Dulce de Leche in Costa Rica and it is just as good as in Ecuador. Churros are actually pretty popular here and my host mom bought fresh churros filled with dulce de leche.

Tuesday morning I walked to school with Bre and we got very lost. We left 10 minutes early and arrived over 30 minutes late for my class. J It's all part of the experience, so it wasn’t upsetting, we just had to walk a couple extra hills and talk to a lot of ticos. Fortunately, a few of them knew where we needed to go. School is ran very prompt here, but my professora was kind enough to tell me that she understood I was lost and that was ok. She is very nice, but I have a hard time understanding her. She speaks only in Spanish, which is good, but for some reason its harder for me to understand her than others.

After school, we walked into San Josito and I was able to go exchange some money for colones. I think figuring out the money will be nearly as difficult as finding my way around. ;) That’s ok though because it gives me the opportunity to talk to more people and ask more questions.

The hammocks and tables behind the school where we eat our lunch.

Our classroom

This morning my breakfast consisted of a sort of tortilla that tasted like pan de yucca, it was super bien (ticos favorite phrase for very good)! Later I asked what it was and I believe it was a tortilla that my host mom made that had cheese in it (no wonder I liked it!). Mama Iva had my lunch box packed and ready for me and I made it to school in plenty of time. I am adjusting to the consistent layer of sweat that covers me and the combination of sweat and sun screen that is my new scent. I put sunscreen on every morning, but I am not sure how much it benefits me because I probably sweat it all off by the time I get to school. School was better today in general and I think I am feeling more adjusted. 

My host sister had a short day at school today so she was home when I arrived. We finished watching Buscando (Finding) a Dory, played some games, and then took a nap. 

This evening a group of us students went and played fútbol cinco (soccer). It is very popular here. The fields are shorter, and you play with less members on your team. You play for either five minuets or till one team score and then switch teams. I was not any better at soccer than I thought I would be, but it was fun anyway. Some members from other host families came and they were far better than we were. 

The first days...

       Sunday was my first full day with my family. Unfortunately, my host mom´s grandma passed away on Saturday night so it was a sad day for my family. In Costa Rica funerals are the next day, so I attended that with them in the afternoon. We went to the great grandmas house Sunda morning for a viewing of sorts and then my host dad (papa Yue) and I went to the Fieria, which is basically a farmers market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables for the week. He likes a good deal and he also likes fruit so it was fun time to observing and having him explain different things to me. We had some  fresh watermelon samples and he bought me a fresh coco to drink out of. 

These are not my pictures, but the man at the market just chopped off the top so there was a small hole and then you put a straw in and drink away. It was very good, and fresh. When we arrived back at the house my dad took the cocos outside and chopped them open with a machete. We scooped out the thin layer of fruit on the inside and ate that. I did not care for that to much, but it does not have a lot of flavor and has an odd texture. My dad told me that it is very healthy.

        In the afternoon we went to the funeral and burial. A group of Mariachis sang during the procession as they carried the casket down the hill from the church. They sang beautifully, and I hope I have the opportunity again, though under different circumstances. My host siblings are quickly becoming a blessing. We are spending a lot of time together, and my sister who is five is quickly learning how to communicate with me. She is learning English in school, so we often swap phrases. It is so neat to see God´s loving provision.

Monday was our first day going to the school so papa Coqui, who he is the dad of my host mom, walked me and other students to school. There are four families that live in my compound, the parents and their three daughters who are each married and have families, and each of these families are hosting students, so there are four of us living in houses next to each other. We felt like little ducklings following him down the road. They are all so kind and our host families really look after us. My host mom goes to work early so when I came down later for breakfast this morning she had the tea pot all set out and a lunch packed for me. After meeting all the students at the school and having a quick tour around town we went from San Josecito to Heredia where we got split into groups and had to go and find things around the city. It was pretty fun and a good way to explore. Papa Coqui met us at the bus stop and walked us home again, so now I journey of finding our way around alone begins. Above is a picture of Parque Central where we met after we found all of our items. It was a beautiful day!

Feeling at home

Well, I arrived in Costa Rica last night and I immediately felt at home. I did not realize how much I missed being in a Latin American country. I found myself quickly adjusting to the new tico time (the laid back tempo of Costa Rica) and enjoyed a hearty meal of rice, fresh juice, veggies, and some meat. I was also greeted by a few bugs that I was not expecting to see. I will have to get used to living with a few more bugs than Ecuador had to offer. This morning we had a few hours of orientation and then anticipation mounted as we waited for our host families to arrive and take us home. I was so nervous.

They made all of us sit in chairs as the families arrived, and then played musical pass the ball as one by one we had to stand up and introduce ourselves and say who are families are (in Spanish of course). Above is a photo of some of the host families waiting for us. When I stood up a friendly man and a little boy waved at me. I was thrilled to know that someone was waiting for me. We were then released from our chairs and after I found them in the crowd and we exchanged introductions, we grabbed my bags and were off. My family is part of a family compound so there are three other university students staying with 3 different families in the same compound. It was comforting to have another student riding along as her host mom is my host mom's (real) mother. So papa yeu (my host dad) and Aldito (my host brother) brought me home and showed me my room. It was humbling to have this family just bring me into their home and begin showing me love. We went for a tour around the compound and I began to meet extended family and ended up at the abuelos (grandparents house). So abuelo (grandpa) took me and another student on a walk down the street showing us coffee plants and taught us the difference between all the types of bananas. It was so surreal to me to be living in these moments. They are so familiar and yet so new. I understand so much more of what they are saying than I ever have, and yet realize how much I have yet to learn. They are all so patient with us as we take time to comprehend what they are saying and then to formulate a response. Finally, 4 pm came around and we picked up my host mom and sister and received an official tour of the house. We took a family trip to the grocery store and I was amazed to see great value at the local supermarket. They have many more brands that I am familiar with here. I helped made a type of pico for our supper of chalupas and then finished the evening off with my host sister falling asleep in my arms while we watched a movie. I already know it is going to be hard to leave this beautful, amazing place!

Heading to Costa Rica

Today is the day, and I am in route to Costa Rica! This reminds me so much of going to Ecuador and all of the wonderful memories I made there. It was in Ecuador that my love for the Spanish language was born, and now I have the opportunity of studying in Costa Rica to further my Spanish skills. I am filled with excitement, but it's with sadness that I leave everything I love behind.
                                 

What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? 

Each moment seems split in two; 

melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land.

 -Motorcycle Diaries

I know that I came back from Ecuador a different person, and I wonder how my experiences in Costa Rica will impact my life. My days and weeks have been filled with homework, assignments, work, and preparations so it is different to be sitting at the airport with nothings that I need to do. I hope that I have more time like this over the summer, and I plan to enjoy it! I am actually pretty excited to not have a phone again while I am away. I will be much more disconnected, but I hope even closer with my Saviour. I have been reflecting on the path that He has brought me on to bring to this moment, and I am in awe of His grace. I have been blessed and challenged on this road, and continue to trust Him who holds the future in His hand. The verse below was suggested to me by dear friends and it has been a comfort to me during the busy season leading up to today.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:

because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

Traveling again.....

I cannot believe it has been over 4 years since my trip to Ecuador. So much has happened since then. I started pursuing an Associates degree in Psychology and now I am looking forward to graduating with my Bachelors in Social Work this fall. This summer I am studying abroad in Costa Rica to study Spanish. I am more than a little excited and hope to share some of my journey with all of you. I received a large scholarship from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Foundation. It is such a blessing and part of the reason I am blogging is to give back to others as a way of saying Thank you! I will be in Costa Rica for two months and will be living with a host family. I am so excited to be back in a Spanish speaking country and exploring a little more of the earth. Thankfully this time I know a little more of what to expect and what to pack. Please keep me in prayer throughout this summer as I am studying and traveling. I desire to learn as much Spanish as possible and use my time there to honor and glorify the Lord.