Una Cosita Mas-

I got my first birthday present today! Almost 2 months early, I know, but my neighbor found out that my birthday is in December and since I won't be here then he decided to give me an early gift. Carlos and Clara are an elderly Tico couple who are precious. Carlos is an artist and this morning he painted me a picture and gave it to me this afternoon! Isn't it beautiful?!

Fun in the Sun

Hello Friends!
It is a week late in coming, but I thought I would fill you in on my trip to the Caribbean last weekend. Friday was the last day in the term so we had off this past Monday. The girls and I decided to get away for awhile so we got in a bus headed to Puerto Viejo, a city on the southeast coast of Costa Rica.

Puerto Viejo is a laid back surf town filled with beach bums, tourists, and pot smokers. It is a beautiful place during the day, but when we stepped off the bus and 9: 00 at night we were quite taken aback. Of course it didn't help that a man who appeared homeless was trying to "help" us find our hotel by following us the whole way there and attempting to converse with us in a Spanish/English/Jamaican mixture. Creepy. However, we made it safely to the hotel where we were informed that this is a rather common occurance. We were also informed that we didn't have a reservation (even though I had an email confirmation) and they didn't have any openings until the next night. Apparently internet reservations are unreliable in Costa Rica. Lucky for us, though, the hotel owner's friend owned a hostel a couple blocks away. So there we trekked and were greet by a shirtless surfer rolling pot as he checked us in. It was an interesting first night.

The next morning, however, proved that Puerto Viejo is actually quite a charming beach town. We started the morning with breakfast at a nearby cafe- huge bowls of fruit and granola and glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice. Then we rented bikes (the beach cruiser type with baskets) and sent off down the coast. We stopped at a beach for awhile and enjoyed the warm sun and clear water. Then we continued exploring down the coast. In the evening we shopped at the artisan booths and markets- I got a great hammock! We had some dinner and dessert and then went back to the hotel (the original one we were supposed to be at).

The next day was picture perfect. More fruit and fresh pineapple juice for breakfast and then biking. This time we biked all the way down to Punta Uva were there is a coral reef. I snorkeled for the first time which was so fun even though it wasn't as great as I expected. From the beach we could hear gorillas in the distance. We hung out at the beach all day snorkeling and sunning. Then Kate and I ventured into the rainforest to explore. We found some trails leading to amazing lookout points (and some scary cliffs). It was incredible. Some of the other girls found a bike path through the rainforest so we tried it on the way back and discovered that it led us all the way back to Puerto Viejo. It was a gorgeous ride complete with a stop on a rope swing. That night we ate authentic Carribbean food to top it all off.

Our beach adventure ended with an early morning to watch the sun rise and then a breathtaking bus ride home through the mountains and the rainforests. God has made so many beautiful places and I am so thankful to be surrounded by so many of them here!

Culture Day

Hiding from the animals in Madagascar

Yesterday (Friday) was Culture Day at Sojourn! It is basically an alternative to Columbus Day (they don't really like him down here) and a chance to have a whole day of fun. Each class represented a country by learning about it, decorating the classroom, dressing in typical clothes, and making a typical food. This is a wonderful idea considering that in my class alone there are students from El Salvador, China, Columbia, Venezuela, Brazil, and of course Costa Rica and the United States. 1st grade learned all about Venezuela this week. On Monday we had a mom from Venezuela come and give a presentation about the country with pictures, on Tuesday we made flags, on Wednesday we looked at artifacts, on Thursday we cooked arepas in class, and on Friday we wore blue, yellow, and red and showed what we knew to the school! Some moms made polvorosas- a Venezuelan shortbread cookie- to serve and each student had a special job in the classroom. Some welcomed visitors into the class with "Bienvenidos a Venezuela!" while others showed the flag and told what it represents. We had students on cookie patrol and others explaining various artifacts from Venezuela, such as money (bolivares). The students did such a good job and were so excited to share what they knew!
I certainly learned a lot of flexibility during the day's festivities as little was communicated and the whole day was chaos- welcome to Costa Rica. However, my students loved it (so did I!). We "visited" Cuba, Madagascar, Hungary, Russia, Iraq, China, Japan, Australia, and Israel. The school day ended with an assembly (complete with parents and ILE students) celebrating many different cultures and languages. To be honest, I had tears in my eyes at times.

It is amazing to be in a place that is so welcoming and diverse. It is in situations like these that you truly learn and grow.

Last night the elementary teachers had a sleep over which involved a lot of junk food and catch phrase. The camaraderie among the 8 of us is so encouraging...it is a blessing to work with them!

Us girls are currently planning a trip to the Carribean next weekend for some beaching! You will be hearing about that soon. :)

Teaching, Learning, and Exploring

Buenas! I know it has been awhile since my last post, but the days just seem to fly by before I realize I need to update everyone! I am now teaching full time which I love. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of energy, but everyday I go home knowing that I am right where I am supposed to be. It's a good feeling. Teaching is certainly rewarding, too....I have received a number of gifts from students including stamps and ink, post- it pads, cinnamon bread, cookies, and (my favorite) M & M's! These things make me happy. :)

Oh the countless stories I could tell you. Little 1st graders certainly keep life entertaining. The other day a boy came back to school after being out sick. He walked into the room and I welcomed him back and asked him how he was feeling. He looked at me and said, "Not great. I think I might throw up." He exaggerates a lot, though, so I just nodded and joked, "Well, you better run to the bathroom if you have to." So an hour later we are finishing up snack and I happened to be standing right in front of him. He gagged then put his hands over his mouth as his eyes welled up with tears. I told him to run to the bathroom so he jumped up and ran out of the room. Thank the Lord he made it to the bathroom.

The people here have taken us under their wing. We have had many dinner invitations over the past couple weeks which means a lot of amazing American food- fried chicken, spaghetti, chocolate cookies (yay!). These things have made me feel so at home!

Today Kate and I took some time to explore our little community by going to Parque de la Paz (Park of Peace). It is this beautiful park with a couple ponds, picnic areas, and a hill known for its kite flying winds. Kite venders are set up around the park and people just come there and fly kites. So fun! I wanted to buy one, but perhaps I'll do that another day.










I promise to be better about posting! Thanks so much for your prayers and support!