At the Cross

So this weekend I undertook the most strenuous thing I have ever done in my life...and it was well worth it! In the mountains just outside of San Jose are 3 crosses...3 separate statues/monuments in 3 different places known as the "Tres Cruces." There is a trail (kind of) that leads to all 3 of them that is know for having amazing views of the city and surrounding areas. So a group of about 15 of us decided to hike it on Sunday with the help of a few Tico friends. Round trip the hike is supposed to take quite a few hours so we left at 8 in the morning on a bus to downtown San Jose. From there we took another bus to a town a little ways up the mountain and then we began to climb...and climb...and climb. San Jose is about 4000 ft above sea level and by the time we got to the last cross we were at 7000 ft! (Needless to say, I was a little sore Monday morning!) The view was incredible- the sprawling city on one side and rolling green hills on the other. We stopped for a while at the last cross to take in the view and rest before hiking back down. It was incredible! Here are some pictures to enjoy:










An Hysterical Cultural Experience-

So I went to the doctor today (finally) after being sick off and on for over 2 months. He told me I have bad allergies (there is a lot of dust during the dry season) and a sinus infection. I was given a prescription to take to a pharmacy near my house...3 medications and a shot. He said the pharmacist would give me my shot. So I went there about an hour ago. The pharmacy consists of a room with a counter and a bunch of medicines on shelves behind it. I handed the prescription to the pharmacist and she began to search for them. Then she got the shot and went to prepare it. I wasn't quite sure what would happen...would she just lean over the counter and shoot my arm or have me sit in one of the chairs behind the counter? So I waited until she called me to come back where she was (in Spanish, of course). I walked back behind the counter and noticed that there was a little room. She waved me to come in, so I did. It was more like a closet with a doctor's bed and peeling paint. I sat on the bed, but she instructed me to lay down on my stomach. Confused, I followed the directions and found my self an inch away from a wall full of ants! (I should have been more disgusted, but I have gotten quite used to them by now.) The she told me to loosen my pants...suddenly I understood perfectly. I walked out of the room a few minutes later with a slightly sore bottom...and I laughed the whole way home! :)

Weekend Fun

Time is flying by down here! I can't believe that this weekend is going to bring in February...it's just all too fast. My body is so accustomed to telling time by seasons, but now that I am on a different weather pattern it all blends together!

Life is going well, though. My teaching schedule is busy, but I love working with students in small groups. We are able to do a lot of fun things that are difficult with a whole class. I start some private after school tutoring next week and hoping will be getting involved with Roblealto soon (an orphanage near my house).

I have found a church that is a perfect fit...finally! It is called Dimension Cristiana and I love it- the worship, the teaching, the people. Also, I have been getting to know some of the school families better now that I work with more grades- I have a lot of sibling sets. I was invited to my first birthday party for a student and loved it. When I walked in I was attacked by about 20 little children screaming "Miss Loosa!" and giving me hugs. They are so cute! :)

Weekends have been so relaxing and fun...morning walks in the sun, delicious breakfasts with Jeanette, afternoon excursions to various places in San Jose, game nights with families, and going to the movies. This past weekend I had a very cultural experience- Tricia, Kate, and I went with Tricia's Tica family to the big feria in Zapote. It is a huge fruit and veggie market filled with vendors, buyers, and lots of free fruit samples for Gringo girls. :) It was delicious. Afterwards we went to the nearby pool and soaked up the sun while surrounded by mountains and banana trees. Picture perfect.

La Playa! And a Prayer Request

After the first week of school, I took a little trip to the beach on Sunday to unwind. It was so wonderful to be back in the warm sun and ocean...I had missed it! Us girls woke up extra early on Sunday morning to make the 2 1/2 hour trek, but it was well worth it.

This week is my first week of teaching and so far it has gone well (it is only Monday). The 4 and 5 year olds seem so small, but they are so eager to learn. It will be an adventure!

Many of you have written with questions about the earthquake. For those who don't know, a very strong 6.2 earthquake hit the San Jose area on Thursday. Those of us in the city are fine (besides being shaken up and minor structural damage), however, the villages in the hills just outside of San Jose are in shambles. Hundreds of people lost their homes, multiple landslides buried houses and people, fractured highways trapped villages, and people are still missing. The death toll continues to rise as rescue crews work. If you would like more information you can read various articles at http://www.ticotimes.net/ (all in English). Please continue to pray for the people of Costa Rica as it will be weeks, even months, before the damage is repaired.

Mas Detalles....And a Rather Embarrassing Event

This week has been nonstop! School started today which meant a lot of meetings and prep work to ready the school for the children. It was so good to see my students again! I started the day in 1st grade so I would get to greet them (it has been over a month since I saw them last!). They reacted from disbelief to squeals and hugs. One little girl, Isabel, walked into the room oblivious to the fact that Peggy and I were standing right by the door. She looked around for a minute until her grandpa called her name and pointed to me. She turned around, yelled "Miss Loosa" and ran to give me a hug. If anyone one needs a self-esteem boost become an elementary school teacher. :)

As for my permanent job, however, I will be doing a variety of things. One part of it, which I am really excited about, is to work with the school's EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher, Carolina, to create and implement an EFL program in preschool. Currently all of preschool is in Spanish only and students are first exposed to English in kindergarten. This makes for a very difficult and slow moving year in kindergarten which affects progress in 1st and even 2nd grade. So the plan is for me to try out an EFL program for the 4 year old class and the 5 year old class to give them a base in English before beginning school. It is something the school has wanted for awhile, so here we go! I am excited about it, although I know it will be difficult at the beginning...many of the 4's and 5's know zero English. Also, all of the preschool staff is Tico. I was hoping for more culture and language experiences these next few months and the Lord granted my wish. Now I will see what I am getting myself into...

Along with working in preschool I will be tutoring a number of elementary students in English and reading. And then my afternoons will be a split between 1st grade and kindergarten for reading and phonics. They will be busy days!!! But, I am pretty sure I will love all of it.

As for my living conditions...Jeanette is wonderful. She makes excellent arroz con pollo, complements my Spanish all the time (she is very kind), and loves to hear about my friends and family in the states (although she keeps thinking that everyone lives in Washington?!). She even laughs when I am an idiot...she has an alarm system on the house that she taught me how to use the first day. Really simple- I just press a button when I leave and a different one when I come. Last night, however, I got pizza with some of the girls and they were going to meet Jeanette when they dropped me off at home (she had been looking forward to this). Forgetting that she had told me she would be at a friend's house for the evening I quickly unlocked the door, forgoting to deactivate the alarm. The second I stepped into the house loud alarms started blaring. Of course my Tica mom wasn't there so I was running around like an idiot pushing all the buttons I saw and opening and shutting the door in a panic. Then I remembered she had a cell phone and ran to get her number so I could call her. Just as I ran back out of my room to get the phone she ran into the door and punched in the code to stop it. Apparently her friend also happened to be our neighbor, gracias a Dios! Luckily she thought it was very comical. I, however, was panting and sweating, and nervously laughing and muttering in Spanish. She said that all of the girls who live here do it at least once, but then remember...I agree that I will NEVER forget that again!!!

Hopefully pictures will be coming soon!

I'm Back!

Hi Friends and Family!

Here is another quick update letting you know that I have made it back safely to Costa Rica! It feels good to be back, but a little surreal. I am currently unpacking my new room at Jeannette's house, a Costa Rican lady who I will be living with so I can practice my Spanish.

It is beautiful here...rainy season has left and when I landed it was 82 degrees and sunny! So perfect. Teacher orientation starts Monday and then the school year starts on Wednesday.

Keep me in your prayers!

Quick Update!

A couple things...

-Jon got here safely and we are leaving tomorrow for some travels before heading back home.
-I GOT A JOB!! I will be returning to Costa Rica after the holidays to work at Sojourn! I am very excited about this (and so were my students). :)
-To improve my Spanish I will be moving in with a Tica lady who I met today. She is wonderful and I think we will have a lot of fun.

Thanks for your prayers...my future became much clearer in the last 24 hours!

Hippies and Futbol

Peace.

So Friday was "Blast from the Past" day at Sojourn. Being the fun and involved teachers that we are, Kate, Tricia, and I dug through our closets and swapped clothes until the perfect outfits were achieved. Thanks to Kate's jewelry collection our looks were completed. Our neighbors Steve and Diane were doing a photo shoot for us when Steve was inspired to go hippie as well. Needless to say, us girls were quite the hit at school and the children loved it. :)

Kim, Kate, Peggy, Me, and Tricia

I am SO inspirational.

To add even more excitement to the weekend we discovered that Sunday San Jose's futbol team, Saprissa, was having a promotion. Ladies wearing purple (the team's color) would get a free ticket! Clearly we had to go since we had bought Saprissa jersey's a couple months ago. This is when the adventure began. We bundled up (yes, it can be chilly in Costa Rica), took a bus into downtown San Jose, and then grabbed a taxi to the stadium. On our way to find the ticket office we stopped so Laura could buy a jersey. Apparently a Tico newscrew thought this would be a great clip for the nightly news and started filming us. Being the dignified Gringas that we are, we broke into uncontrollable laughter and quickly fled the situation. So we make it into the ticket office and Trish and I go to the counter. I tell the man in Spanish that we all have purple shirts and need free tickets. He tells me that we can only get in for free if we go in with paying men (a small detail the website failed to mention). But, gracias a Dios, at the ticket counter next to us were 4 Tico hombres listening in on our conversation. They quickly offered to get us into the game. We, having no other option, started laughing and agreed. Thus began a night of lots of Spanish, laughing, and yelling "gol" and "vaya, hombre!" It was a good time. And Saprissa ended up beating Liberia 5- 0.

Costa Rica never fails to offer me fun times and new adventures. Life here is always full of surprises. It is sad that I will be leaving in just 2 short weeks (November 28), but I still have lots of travels and even a Thanksgiving meal to enjoy before I fly home. And...Jon comes on Friday!

Please continue to pray for future decisions as I start to finalize plans for January and beyond. There is still a lot up in the air, but God has a plan...He just hasn't shown me yet. :)