Almost...

finished with Quarter 1 at school!  I can't believe it!  The past week and a half I've felt somewhat like a chicken with my head cut off.  I've had lots to do and not much time to do it, so it's been interesting.  But I did take last weekend to rest and relax on the beach.  This was my first beach trip, and it definitely won't be my last!

 

 

A few of my coworkers and I drove to the coast right after school on Friday.  We went to Manuel Antonio, which was about 3 and a half hours away.  Of course it was raining, with traffic, so it took a little longer.  Nevertheless, we arrived and found a hostel for the weekend. 

 

I'd heard such great things about Manuel Antonio, because they have a national park as well.  Therefore, we were able to wake up and go to the national park, walk a little bit, see some wildlife, and go to a more "private" beach inside the park.  My goal was to see monkeys... and all I saw on the beach were some iguanas, and lovely raccoons that were trying to open our bags and steal our things.  They were sneaky, even after we moved our bags... twice.  Besides the raccoons and iguanas, we didn't see much on the way in, or at the beach.  However, on the way out we were able to experience the capuchin monkeys swinging and running across the street, while a howler monkey climbed as far away as he could from the flock of humans staring at him.  We also spotted a snake, some birds, a frog, and a deer.  So overall, I'd say it was a success :)

 

Wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park

 

 

 

 

 

And praise the Lord Almighty because we get 2 days off of school the week after next :)  They normally have a week off after the end of the quarter, but they took that out.  Luckily, they decided to add a 2 day break for us, so I'm looking forward to that weekend so we can take another trip... somewhere!  Stay tuned :)

Viva Costa Rica!

It has been an exciting, fun week to celebrate the independence of Costa Rica.  Each day this week at school, we had a program in the morning.  Each grade level in Primaria performed a different part of Costa Rica's history.  We, the 2nd graders, had the privilege of sharing about the national tree, Arbol de Guanacaste.  Throughout the week, I became more familiar with the National Anthem, the Independence Day song, and learned about faroles and BOMBAs! 

 

-- Mi Clase :) --

 

 

 --2nd Grade Team--

On Friday, the students got out of school at 12, and the teachers had the afternoon off as well.  We were going to return on Friday evening at 5:30 for the Acto Civico program, so the principal invited us over to his house for the afternoon.  We had a nice relaxing afternoon up in the mountains... a home very opposite from mine in the city.  Then we returned to school for the Acto Civico.  The students performed musical pieces, and there were traditional dances as well.  After the program, 6th grade and 11th grade students provided the meals.  I had a tamale y arroz con leche.  Que rico! 

 

 

 

-- 3 of my chicas during the Acto Civico Friday night --

 

 

-- Un baile tipica --

 

 

-- At the principal's house --

 

 

On Saturday morning, I could hear bands playing starting around 8:00 am.  So no sleeping in at this house! We had decided we were going to take the bus into San Jose, because my roommate hadn't been yet.  So I showed her what I knew about downtown San Jose, and was excited to eat Pollo Campero since I hadn't had it since El Salvador 2013.... Unfortunately, the sandwich I got wasn't quite what I had remembered about Pollo Campero, but oh well! After lunch another teacher joined us downtown and we walked about a mile to find the Parque Nacional.  On our way to Parque Nacional, we stumbled upon another park that was filled with craft stands, tents where you could sit and play chess, areas where people were salsa dancing, playing futbol, or hula hooping!  We walked through, as it started to rain, so we decided to continue on to the park that was our destination.  We got to the Parque Nacional, and it was beautiful!  There were hardly any people there, and it seemed like a nice calm, serene area to rest and enjoy the beauty of Costa Rica.  We took some pictures, and as it started to rain harder, we decided to walk back to the main part of town.  As we walked back, and were pretty much soaking wet, we passed through the park that had activities.  We decided to join in the dancing, as now it was more of a latin line dance class.  We had a blast, dancing in the rain, and found out that she is there every Saturday teaching dances!  So now we know where to go on Saturdays:)  We also stopped and hula hooped for a minute before heading back.  As we were getting back into downtown San Jose, we went to a coffee shop to rest, and wait out the pouring rain.  We were just getting warm and dry when we realized it might not stop, and it was starting to get dark.  So we headed back to the bus stop in the rain!

 

-- Parque Nacional--

 

 

-- Bailando en la lluvia --

-- Parque Nacional --

 

Sunday was quite an eventful day as well.  After church and lunch, we were invited to join the Nazarene Missionary family for a "Tarde Tipica" (Typical Afternoon) at a local Nazarene church.  The church had traditional food for sale, and music playing while we enjoyed the food.  The food included empanadas, picadillos (ground beef, potatoes, and vegetables in a tortilla), a variety of postres (desserts), coffee, and agua dulce.  After most people had eaten, a man was walking around with strips of paper.  I politely accepted, then realized it was a BOMBA! and I was going to be expected to say it in a microphone for the whole church to hear.  I wasn't so sure about that.  A BOMBA! is a type of oral expression that is quite witty or funny, and rhymes.  The kids had been saying BOMBAs all week so I was used to hearing them, just not used to reading them.  But I made it through my first (and possibly last...) BOMBA! Some of the young ladies were dressed in the typical dresses, yet they hadn't planned on dancing.  When we asked, however, two of the girls were willing to dance for us.  After the "Tarde Tipica" ended, we got dropped off at home, and then went to church, a little late, but we can blame that on tico time :)  After service, there was more traditional food to celebrate Costa Rica's Independence Day.  I definitely haven't gone hungry at all this weekend!

--Tarde Tipica en La Iglesia Nazareno de Los Angeles--

Finally we arrive to Monday, the actual day of Costa Rica's Independence!  I got up this morning to walk down to Tibas to see the parade.  The streets were full of people and performers, ready to march the streets of Tibas.  The parade consisted mainly of school groups, bands, "drill team" like dancers, and a few children dressed in traditional dresses and outfits.  Red, white, and blue filled the air, and all were happy and proud of their country.  It's been a very energetic week, and I have loved seeing the loyalty ticos have to their country! 

 

-- Independence Day Parade --

 

 

-- Independence Day Parade --

-- Representing the Province of Guanacaste --

 

-- Representing the Province of San Jose --

When Oceans Rise...

I've been listening to Oceans by Hillsong, and the Spanish cover, Océanos, a lot lately.  God called me out upon the waters to Costa Rica, and now he's calming me through the storms I'm facing.

 

"When oceans rise my soul will rest in your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine"

 

"Descansaré en tu poder Pues tuyo soy hasta el final"

 

This week has not been the easiest of weeks since I've been in Costa Rica.  There were many challenges at school, and it left me feeling exhausted and put down.  However, as I prayed, peace and joy filled me, and I was reminded that God has placed me here to fulfill His plan in my life.  It's not always filled with easy, pleasurable moments, but as we live in God's will, He will continue to strengthen and bless us. 

 

I have already begun to see the unexpected blessings in my life.  As I said, last Sunday, I moved.  Luckily, we only moved a few blocks from where we lived before, so we still know the area.  We are now living in a house that has been renovated into two separate two-bedroom apartments.  My roommate and I occupy one side of the house, and two male teachers from the school occupy the other side.  Everything is brand new, and I'm enjoying living here so far.  We are on a busier road now, but the noise doesn't compare to the loud talking and music of the taxis outside our old place.  I'm getting to sleep in past 5:30 am now, so that's definitely a blessing :)

 

Enjoying an iced cafecito for our last day in our house!

 

 

Mi Casa Nueva!

 

 

Still waiting on the bathroom mirror to arrive...

I was blessed to be able to make it through the work week, all the way to Friday, which happened to be Children's Day in Costa Rica!  That meant that every grade level got to go on a fun field trip!  The 2nd and 3rd graders went to the cine (movies) together.  The movie theater had cute little trays and provided popcorn and drinks for all the kids.  We even got to ride to the movies in style in a nice coach bus.  It was a very fun, but exhausting day!

 

Another blessing that has come into my life are the people the Lord has placed in my life.  At the beginning of this adventure, when I was living alone, and didn't know anyone, it was a little lonely.  As time has gone on, I have gotten a roommate, and developed some strong relationships with those in my school.  I am very thankful for my tico dad, and his family as well.  Even though we don't live with him, he has taken on the father role here for my roommate and I here in Costa Rica.  On Friday evening, he invited us to El Teatro (The Theater) with him and his wife.  The play was called "Ese Hombre" (That Man), and depicted various miracles that ese hombre performed in his life (Jesus' life).  It was such a beautiful depiction of the kind of man that Jesus was while here on Earth. 

This week, my roommate and I had begun to build relationships with the guys on the other side of our house.  Since being here, I've wanted to go and explore, but didn't necessarily have someone who was very adventurous like me to go with!  Therefore, the guys that live right next to us have been a huge blessing.  This weekend, they suggested we go whitewater rafting.  I was thrilled to hear that was what they wanted to do, because I have always wanted to go whitewater rafting, but have never gone!  It was an all-day experience, beginning at 6 am with a 2.5 hour bus ride.  They fed us an amazing breakfast, and put us on the bus again to travel 45 more minutes to the Pacuare River, where we'd be dropped off for the rafting experience.  As it is rainy season, the river didn't necessarily look as pleasant as I'd expected.  It was very brown from the mud and rain.  They said in dry season the water is a greenish blue color, which we were able to see flowing out from many waterfalls along the trip.  However, the color of the water didn't detract from the thrill of the day!  The whitewater rafting we did was classified from Level I to Level IV rapids, whereas a Level VI is the highest.  It was quite possibly the most fun I've ever had! 

 

Our group!  (Administrator and his wife, my roommate and I, and the two male teachers who live next to us) 

 

 

 

 

Navigating the rapids

 

 

Our celebration after surviving the rapids... Pura Vida!

 

The largest of the waterfalls we saw on our 18 mile trip

With all the excitement I had on Friday and Saturday, I decided a restful, relaxing Sunday was just what I needed to be prepared for the week ahead!  Next week is an eventful week as well, with a 3 day weekend.  Stay tuned to see what adventures happen next weekend!