place of abundance

"…we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance"
-Psalm 66:12

One day I will sit and write about my journey to get to Costa Rica, how it started over a year ago, and how it has brought me to the point I am at now. The short version is...that the Lord has brought me to a place of abundance. For me, it was Costa Rica. The Lord brought me here. The Lord has kept me safe here, has loved me and carried me through this entire experience. He has shown me what the John 10:10 life is about. Thank you, Lord, for all of it. The people, the friendships, the food, the experiences, the time of rest and relaxation, of trials and endurance, of growth and change. Never let me forget, Lord, all that you have done for me here.

is it really over?

Wow. It's 1:20 am. I have to wake up at 3:30 to wait to be picked up to go to the airport. My flight leaves at 7:40 am from San Jose, on to Houston, then on to GSP.

I can't believe this is the end. This has been without a doubt the MOST INCREDIBLE experience of my life. It feels like it has been too short, that it isn't right that it is over. I have been emotional for the last 2 weeks, and the past several days have been tough, not only with the stress of exams and packing, but also with the sadness that comes with telling all of my new friends goodbye.

I have made so many new friends with the other students in the program. I can't believe how lucky our group was. We ALL got along SO WELL. I loved every single person in our group. Each person was incredible and unique and such a pleasure to be with. It's crazy how well we all got along.

I also am so blessed to have made so many tico friends. Without them, who knows how much worse my spanish would be? I am overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion the people of Costa Rica have shown me. I will never forget the image of when my tico friends dropped me off just now...we were all piled in the car, me in the backseat after SC had left, and when they let me out, they all opened their doors and came out to me to hug me. We all embraced for so long, and cried, of course. These people really are my friends, people I care about and love, and pray to God that I will see again.

My family...wow. What patience and kindness. To open your home up to a total stranger and let her have free reign over everything. Could you do that? My host sister has become like a real sister to me. Saying goodbye to her will be so difficult tomorrow morning. She asked me to wake her up, even though it will be 4 am, to say goodbye.

I am feeling and have been feeling for the last week or so the craziest mix of emotions, and the closer I get to getting on that plane tomorrow, the more intense they become. 6 hours ago I was eager to get home, and after saying goodbye, I just want to stay.

MIF invited me, MSG, and MV to his house to eat dinner with his family. His host mother who is just precious cooked dinner for us - chips and beans, delicious ensalada, and arroz con camarones. She was so kind to us and I always love seeing her and hugging her. After I got home, my abuelita stopped by to give me a present. She gave me coffee! More! After I already have 5 bags to bring. AHH! I am so touched that she thought of me and did that for me.

Costa Rica has touched me in a way that nothing or no one ever has. Perhaps it will take me several years to realize and see the changes which have taken place inside me. I just know that I am not the girl I was when I arrived. I have been touched by the people here, by the beauty of this tiny country, by the city of San Ramon. This experience has passed so quickly that I feel like it is just a dream, like it all passed in only a few short days, as if it has only been a couple of weeks since I left South Carolina to come here.

I am nervous about the transition from Costa Rica to home. My life here has been incredible, and it is very hard to say goodbye to it. I know that I must, though, and that if the Lord sees fit, he will bring me back to this paradise I have found.

Siempre en mi corazon, Costa Rica.

PURA VIDA!

D-O-N-E

I am officially FINISHED! I have completed all 5,000 projects, tests, papers, and presentations successfully here in Costa Rica. I already know 4 of my grades - all A's so far. Keep your fingers crossed that we are 6/6!

I have just been an emotional basketcase the last couple of days. Actually since Friday. Actually since 2 weeks ago. I have cried a lot already, and know that more tears are probably on the way. I have had to say goodbye to so many people - KL (the only one in the group who has already gone), my neighbor tico friend who I will miss very much, my professors at school, the people at the hospital I worked at, and tomorrow, to my other tico friends, Claudia, some of the other group members, and my host family. Pray that I will handle this well and not be a blubbery mess!

I can't believe that I have been able to meet all of the people I have and make all of these great relationships. Who would have thunk it? The Lord has blessed me IMMEASURABLY MORE than I could have EVER EVER EVER EVER imagined in so many ways on this trip.

I'm not done blogging here yet. I have some more posts I want to do. I probably won't get back to it until I get home. I leave Friday morning - out of my house at 4 am and out of Costa Rica at 7 am.

What a ride it has been. PURA VIDA!

weekend and today

Saturday

Saturday was a good day. I woke up early and my host mother decided to try again to take me up into the mountains so that I could see out toward the ocean! And QUE DICHA - we were able to see it!!! It was breathtaking to be able to see out over the ocean and see the islands and the Nicoya Peninsula. After riding up through the mountains we went to my aunt's house in San Pedro. She and her husband have a BEAUTIFUL home and property there in the mountains and you can see the ocean from there as well. Luckily we were able to see it, and she showed me some INCREDIBLE fotos of sunsets there. Their home was beautiful and open inside. I wish I knew how to describe the floor plan! It was open with a big tall ceiling, and the living room area and kitchen were continuous, with lots of doors opening to the big back porch they had. And if you walked up a series of stairs you looked out over the kitchen and living room and the rooms were off of that little walkway. Anyway she offered to call us if it was clearer in the afternoon so that we could see it better. My padres then offered for me to continue on the journey with them to Palmares so that they could pay a bill for something. It was the first time I had been into Palmares. It's a small town, much smaller than San Ramon, but it is clean and safe and lovely! I liked it a lot. There are huge fiestas there in January. People come from all over the country (and world) to take part. There are lots of concerts and music and artsy things. My mom and I had icees that were WAY too sweet, but I ate it all because she paid for it. We then ventured back to San Ramon. It was quite an adventure, but we were able to talk a lot and I enjoyed the time with them. We then came home and went to get AM from work and then went to eat lunch. It was scrumptious. Afterwards we came back and then I went to Delicias for a while to do some work. I came home to shower and get ready to go see LUNA NUEVA with mis amigos and my brother and sister!!! It was crowded when we got there so we had to separate but AM and I chatted and ooed and aaahed the whole movie! It was good, but the book is way better. Afterwards, my brother and sister went home and the gringos went out for a while. We met up with the ticos there. I got to salsa some...it was lots of fun! We danced at Night Fever, hung out outside to cool off a bit, then went to another spot for a bit to hang out some more. After a while we all went home.

SUNDAY

Got up, ate breakfast, and got to work. I got some work done in the morning and stayed at home till after lunch. After we ate, I went to meet some gringo amigos at Delicias to get some work done. I did some work on my internship journal but unfortunately the internet wasn't working so I couldn't really do anything else. I offered for TJ and MIF to come to my house to use the internet. So we were walking down the street toward my house when I hear some people yelling and a car horn. We turn around and its Helbert and Diana and some other amigos in her car! They asked us where we were going and I told them that we were going to my house to do work. They told us to get in, that they would take us home. Well, they didn't. We then proceeded for 3 1/2 hours to be spontaneous. Helbert drove (like a maniac, may I add) through the mountains to a lookout point that was probably the most stunning view of ANYTHING I have seen since being in Costa Rica. It was beautiful there! We met a campesino...not sure what the English word is for this, but basically someone who works on the farm in CR. He was kind and talked to us for over an hour. We enjoyed the views and each other's company. Afterward we drove back around and stopped at Fory Fay, a great spot here, to try something that Helbert wanted us to try. It was ceviche mixed in a bag of dorito-like chips. Surprisingly it was scrumptious! Then we drove back through Palmares, continuing on to San Ramon. We stopped for 15 minutes to look out over San Ramon, up at the starts, and have a dance party on the side of the road. It was fun and BEAUTIFUL! FINALLY we made it back to town and Helbert dropped us all off at our homes. I did some more work and waited for my neighbor tico friend to get home, and then we headed out to the centro to meet everyone for a while. We hung out, then went and hung out outside for a while, then went back to where we started. We had a great time talking and dancing and just hanging out together. SC didn't have her keys to get into her house (she left them with CD) and when we went to her house no one answered the doorbell. Entonses ella came with me to my house and I let her sleep in my bed and I slept on the couch. I actually slept well. My dad came in the room with a flashlight in my face saying that the sensor thing in their had gone off and was confused and so I explained what happened to him and he was fine with it.

MONDAY

Today I had to wake up early to get ready to go to the hospital for the last time. The shower water was cold, a first in my home here, but it woke me up. I got ready quickly and then my dad dropped me off at the hospital. I met Claudia there and the doctors were out taking care of an emergency so we walked around the hospital so that I could take some pictures (I will post them soon!). It was interesting. They have a lot of outdoor gardens there, which I'm sure is great for the patients to enjoy. Anyway, they came looking for us, so we went into the Director's office to take more fotos which I will be posting soon, probably once I get back home and have time, of him presenting me with a certificate for all the work I did! We then all sat down together, Claudia, the director, other doctors and myself and had cafecito and cookies, and talked a while. Claudia commented on the relationship she hoped to create between Clemson and the hospital, saying that the public health department could collaborate with the hospital and vice versa. El Director said that he would love to come to SC to visit Hilton Head to play golf and then go to a football game as part of his weekend activities if he were to come to Clemson to talk with people there. I am going to miss them all a lot. They were so kind to me!

I then went back to my house and went to the U to do some work, which I did until 1230 or so. Then I came home and ate lunch with the fam and did a bit of studying after lunch. At 2 my sister and I went out toward the centro. She wanted to develop a picture of us and put it in a frame, and I wanted to develop some too. We went to the developing place first, then to the store to get her a frame, then to her school to get her university information, and then to Aroma's Cafe to eat a snack! We talked a lot and I really enjoyed the time that I spent with her. I really feel like she is like my little sister and I am going to miss her! She had to go to her grandmother's house after that, and so I went back home and got my things to go to school to work for a while. I worked until 630 or so and then came home and did some work and skyped with mom. Around 830 I went to KA's to walk to Gerardo's apartment. He made food for all of us and so we all hung out together and talked and enjoyed each other's company. It was a lot of fun. I got back later than I expected but have been doing work since then and just wanted to take some time to blog before I forgot everything that I did.

I come home on Friday. I won't be able to start packing until Wednesday. I have 2 tests and a paper due tomorrow, and then a 20 minute Spanish presentation and 5 page Spanish paper due Wednesday on health care in Central America. Pray for me! We're almost there.

lovely fotos

Check out this post, a coastal christmas, on pink cupcake's blog:

http://missyclarabelle.blogspot.com/2009/12/coastal-christmas.html

These pictures are so lovely!

this week

My lack of posting probably explains my current circumstances. As the end of the semester and my time in Costa Rica approaches, available time seems to be disappearing to do all the things I want and need to do. Actually it seems that ever since I got back from fall break in Panama the work has just piled on, because I have not been able to post as often. Anyway, I wanted to catch up a bit on Wednesday-Friday of this week as best I can.

Wednesday was a busy work day. I had class at 8, and we spent about an hour with the final bit of material for the class, and spent another chunk of time just talking about our Thanksgiving breaks, Obama's declaration to send more troops overseas, the age of grandparents here, and our future plans. Carlos, tico of age 54, told us that he has 2 grandkids, the oldest being 8. EIGHT years old! Isn't that crazy? My real daddy is 54, and he DEFINITELY has no grandchildren, and will not have any for 4-5 years bare minimum. After class I stayed at school till lunch time to work on my project for the next day. I then went home to have lunch and spent the whole afternoon at school working on my project and essay due for Spanish the next day and studying for my exam for my literature final the next day as well. I stayed at school until 6 until our society and environment class had to go to Claudia's apartment for our presentations of these questionnaires we have been working on. We had delicious burritos there and banana splits for dessert. The food was great. Then we each presented our data and went our separate ways. I went home to continue working, and KL came with me to hang out for a while. We chilled for a bit then she went home, and I stayed up to continue working and studying. I finally made it to bed after 12:30 but was unable to go to sleep, thinking about having to say goodbye to everyone and having to leave Costa Rica.

Thursday I had my literature final at 8 am. It wasn't too bad, but I just wish I had had more time to study and prepare for it. Afterwards I went to the USAC office to finish my project and essay due at 1. I went home for lunch around 12, then returned to school to class. We each presented our projects (mine was on Semana Santa in CR) about tica traditions and then spent some time talking about our experiences in CR - likes, dislikes, regrets, etc. I am definitely going to miss my 'tia teacher'! Afterwards I went home to change and get ready for my dance exam! Ivan took us to Puntarenas last night to a place on the beach for our final exam. We danced the night away with the other students from Puntarenas. I salsa-ed, meringued, bachata-ed for hours! It was one of the greatest nights of the whole trip for me. I danced with a very talented tico who just spun me around EVERYWHERE. It was amazing. I sweated a lot though. Puntarenas is hot and SO humid and we all were just dripping sweat. Todavia it was a blast! We left just before 1 to head back to San Ramon and got back around 2. I went to bed after peeling my dress off and putting on some dry pajamas!

Friday I slept in without an alarm until 9:30 and it was lovely! I think you sleep and wake up better when you don't have an alarm. Anyway I showered and spent the morning relaxing and doing some stuff online. I had lunch with my hermanos, and then I went to KL's house to hang out. She, her brother and I spent the afternoon together around town. We had to go renew his license first. Then we went looking for some random things she needed for Honduras. She leaves tomorrow morning at 5 am to go to San Jose to then go on to Honduras where she will work with doctors there for 2 weeks before heading to Peru to spend Christmas there with a friend. It was fun to spend time with her! I stayed there until dark time and then went home to change. MIF and I then walked to meet everyone for pizza at a spot nearby, and we carried the pizza back to KL's house to eat it. It was delicious! Almost everyone in the group was there except for DB, AK, DL, TC and JW. We then went to the movie store and rented Four Christmases. I saw it last Christmas with my friend Bailey and laughed the whole time. We all watched it together and then just spent time hanging out and talking. Some people left around 11, but some of us stayed until just after 12. Saying goodbye for good to KL was hard. We both cried and it was difficult to walk away.

Coming in to this trip I was afraid that I would not make close friends with anyone or have anyone to share my faith with. How silly of me to underestimate the Lord! Everyone in the group has been incredible and awesome, but KL has just been the one person I can always talk to about my struggles, joys, disappointments, mess-ups, and spiritual things. I am so thankful that the Lord brought her into my life, and I feel like I have been changed because of her. She challenges me to think harder, look deeper, and just enjoy everything going on around me. I have never laughed so much in my life as I have on this trip, and I think I owe a lot of that to her!

I dread saying goodbye to my family and tico and gringo friends. I love it here, and my Costa Rican life has just become so normal for me that it is hard to think about what my other life will be like sometimes. I am just a basketcase of emotions right now and don't know how to handle this at all.

Hoy y ayer

Monday

We went to Cafe de Altura, coffee enterprise that provides coffee to distributors all over the world, based here in San Ramon! We got a tour of the whole place. No coffee though! After that we stopped at a panaderia and Claudia bought us pan y donuts, and we bought coffee. Then we went to Los Angeles to souvenir shop for a bit. Afterwards I returned home to my chante for lunch with the familia. We then all piled in the car together to take my sister to school to get her test scores on her final exams. She did VERY well! She is muy inteligente! Then we drove up into the mountains because my mom wanted to take me to see if I could see the Pacific Ocean and over the city. Unfortunately it was too crowded so we went home. I went to the U to do some homework. I stayed there for a while, then headed back home to continue doing work and such. I went to KL's to watch a movie. Her brother and I went to the mercado to comprar palomitas, and then when we returned we started the movie. Desafortunadamenta, era en espanol, pero they talked way too fast, and the remote was lost so we weren't able to put on subtitles. We settled for some weird movie on TNT instead, but I fell asleep. I then went home and did some work, and went to bed rather late.

Tuesday

Woke up and got ready. KA and I walked around town to take pictures of the city. We went by the fire station because her dad is a firefighter and she wanted to ask for a patch to take home to him. They invited us in the station and gave her a shirt and told her to come back Thursday to get a patch! They were SO kind! And they gave contact info to give to her padre. I was overwhelmed with how kind and welcoming they were to us.

We then went back to my house, she checked her e-mail, and I did some work. I then went to school to print some stuff and came back to my house to eat lunch. I went back to school for class. It was kind of stressful for me today. Then I walked to my professor's house for class at 4. Today we had to make final presentations on a topic of our choice. I chose dances of Latin America. She and I made empanadas of some sort (she taught me how and let me do it!) and it was so fun! We ate them after the presentations, along with some Peruvian sweet thing (she is from Peru originally) and coffee. Her house was so cute and quaint. It is clean and well decorated. And she is just precious. Afterwards I went home and Skyped with friends for a while and got some work done.

Lot of work and studying ahead these next few days. Pray! Sorry this post is kind of sloppy and rambly, and Spanglishy. I'm exhausted and hopefully can add some better details later. I will give Nicaragua updates soon, probably this weekend when I have some more time.

Buenas noches!

BlackBerry's 26 advantages over iPhone

1. Blackberry can be used on almost every carrier in the world (over 475 of them). In the US, the iPhone is available on AT&T only.

2. Blackberry is available in five form factors – small keyboard, large keyboard, no keyboard, flip phone, and candy-bar.

3. Most Blackberries have keyboards, so you can actually type fast and with no errors. Helps while driving, walking, carrying something in your other hand – all the time. iPhone: well…

4. Blackberry uses standardized (=inexpensive and available everywhere in the world) MicroUSB connector for synchronization/charging. iPhone has a much larger proprietary 30-pin connector.

5. Some carriers such as Verizon and Sprint offer unlimited international Blackberry data roaming for $40/month or less. iPhone does not. This could save you literally tens of thousands of dollars when you are abroad.

6. If your Blackberry is on T-Mobile USA, it also offers unlimited WiFi calling from anywhere in the world. This is with your existing number – in and out – so no new special number, procedure, etc. iPhone cannot do this (because it is only on AT&T; only T-Mobile USA offers this), and it can save you well over $100 per day when you’re abroad. Think $1 per minute savings, and you’re on the phone two hours per day. That’s $120/day.

7. Blackberry has expandable memory. iPhone is fixed and sold at 8, 16 or 32 gig only.

8. Blackberry has removable and expandable battery. iPhone is fixed.

9. Blackberry allows programs to multitask. iPhone has limited multitasking.

10. The newest Blackberry screen resolution is 480x360. iPhone is 480x320.

11. Blackberry allows communicating peer-to-peer via PIN identifier, circumventing the email system. No such iPhone equivalent.

12. Skype on the Blackberry? Yes, from anywhere to anywhere. Skype on iPhone? Only if you’re on WiFi.

13. Sling on the Blackberry? Yes, it’s free. Sling on iPhone? $30.

14. Google Voice on the Blackberry? Yes, it’s free. Google Voice on iPhone? Verboten.

15. Blackberry can be synchronized to multiple computers simultaneously, if you have multiple computers.

16. Multiple Blackberries can receive the same email feeds simultaneously, if you have multiple Blackberries.

17. Blackberry can sort the address book entries by company name, so you can scroll down a long list of names you don’t remember, but you just want to see who works for which company. Aside from sorting, the iPhone can take several seconds to search your address book, particularly if you have several thousand address book entries.

18. Blackberry isn’t slowed down by having, say, 10,000 or 100,000 address book entries. Try using an iPhone with 10,000 address book entries.

19. All major instant messengers are available on Blackberry.

20. Blackberry is available with multiple browsers from multiple suppliers. iPhone is available only with its standard Safari browser.

21. Blackberry synchronizes with iTunes – and every other media management program.

22. Blackberry models with 480 pixel resolution and WiFi offer PrimeTime2Go, an $8/month TV service that works as a DVR.

23. Blackberry fits as many emails in the inbox as there is memory available (typically many tens of thousands). iPhone is limited to 200 emails. Yes, iPhone has a remote look-up capability, but that doesn’t do you any good when you’re on an airplane or are otherwise out of coverage.

24. Price: Unlimited iPhone voice/data service, including unlimited SMS, is $150/month. Blackberry can be had for much less. For example, unlimited Blackberry service is offered on Sprint for $100/month, T-Mobile USA $125/month, MetroPCS $50/month, although AT&T/Verizon match the iPhone at $150/month.

25. Prepaid “no contract” flexibility: The AT&T web site says the iPhone is sold with a 2-year contract only, although once upon a time it offered a “contract-free” iPhone if you paid close to $899 up-front for the iPhone itself. In contrast, you can get prepaid no-contract Blackberry service on any old or new T-Mobile USA Blackberry handset for $65/month (600 minutes, unlimited Blackberry/Internet, but no SMS), or you can get truly unlimited-everything prepaid $50/month service from MetroPCS, if its handset selection and coverage areas are acceptable to you. That’s ONE THIRD the cost of the iPhone, and there is no contract.

26. Blackberry is an encrypted military-grade security platform, with 100% market share at FBI, CIA, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, major consultancies and major investment banks. In contrast, iPhone has security vulnerabilities. Please see this document for details as to why the Blackberry is the only platform approved for use in our national security agencies.

Taken from: http://seekingalpha.com/article/155015-blackberrys-26-advantages-over-iphone?source=article_lb_author

paseo

The USAC staff has been so gracious in giving us MANY holidays here in Costa Rica this semester, incorporating traditional American fall holidays with others of significance here in San Ramon/Costa Rica. Thankfully (oh, the irony!), this includes THANKSGIVING, one of my favorite holidays of the year!

I will admit, it will be strange to not sit down to a huge homemade dinner prepared by my precious grandmother. Those of us traveling this week are planning to have dinner anyway though, in........

NICARAGUA!!!

Five of us depart Wednesday afternoon en bus para Nicaragua and will return this weekend. I am so excited to add another country to my list of countries visited! Please keep us in your prayers! We are going to a safe area and are so excited! I won't be on to update my blog probably until next Sunday or so, but I am sure that there will be plenty to post about when I return!

Thanksgiving week is one of my favorite weeks of the year. Not only do I spend time with my family, but the Clemson/Carolina game and the days leading up to it are always so exciting!

I sure hope the Tigers can pull out the W for us on Saturday!

more pictures from the weekend

In Bugy's

Me and Helberth!

Tico friends

Me and KL!

Look what we found!

See-sawing....I felt like a kid again! So much fun!

Isn't she lovely?!

Being silly at the volcano

Cafe Britt fotos

Crazy keyboard in the Britt store with 4 languages! Never seen one of these before!

Coffee through the years - our precious guides playing their respective roles as they give us a tour of coffee throughout history

Pope

Cue the heavenly music...

Cute tour guides, explaining coffee growth and beans

AHHH...a forest of coffee trees!

Thank you, Lord, for your many blessings.

They needed volunteers. Who raised their hand??!!

Front row, of course!

Prize I won for volunteering!!!

weekend wrap-up

Just a summary of what went on this weekend (more photos to come!)....

FRIDAY

On Friday KL, MIF, ES and I went to Cafe Britt in Heredia. Afterwards we found some lunch, and some ice cream, and walked around Heredia, enjoying the views and playing in a park on some see-saws! We took buses to San Jose and then headed back to San Ramon. KL came to my house Friday night and we did some homework together.

SATURDAY

KL's host parents invited to take her to Volcan Poas, and she invited MIF, ES and I to go along with her! And so we did! We stopped in Sarchi first and bought a few little things in a souvenir shop, hoping that killing some time there would give the clouds enough time to disappear from atop the volcano. We headed up to Poas, but it was unfortunately very very cloudy. I'm glad that I had already been and was able to see it, because it was really cool. We couldn't even see the lagoon for all the clouds! Lastima! We enjoyed each other's company anyway. Afterwards we got back in the car, stopped on our way down the mountain for some fresh DELICIOUS strawberries, and then headed toward Grecia to get some lunch. We ate in the mercado there at a small soda, and of course had cheap and delicious casados. Afterwards we continued onward to San Ramon. We stoped at the panaderia to get some bread and such, and then went back to KL's house to have cafecito, my favorite time of the day! Afterwards, around 5, we went back to our own houses to clean up from the day. I headed back to KL's around 7:30. Then she, her brother and I went out to meet up with several of his friends. ES met up with us later. We spent the evening with the ticos, hanging out, having fun, not knowing what the next step would be! We all had a good time together and then went home.

SUNDAY

Sunday I woke up and got ready and walked to the centro to go to mass at the big Catholic church in town. It was the first mass I have ever been to. It was...well...interesting. I have never been before so it was a new experience for me and I am glad that I went!

Afterwards I went to Delicias with MIF for a while before heading home to go eat lunch with my family. We went to a buffet-style restaurant on the outside of town with big windows overlooking beautiful views of the mountains. Afterwards we went to my host dad's parents' house to hang out for a while. They offered coffee, so of course my host mother, knowing that I NEVER say no to coffee, told his mom that I would like a cup! And boy, was it tasty! His dad also gave me some Archer Farms peanuts which were scrumptious and like a little taste of home. They were so kind to me. We all had a good time talking and laughing.

We then came back home and I continued "doing homework." I Skyped a LOT yesterday with different people, and it was great to catch up with so many special people back home. I did more work last night and then went to bed before 12.

MONDAY

Today I had class from 8-11, then I hung out with some friends a bit before coming home to eat lunch. I did some homework once I got home, and then we had yummy burritos for lunch! AND my mother made fresca de pina, my FAVORITE! I love pineapply things!!!

Afterwards I did some more work and then took a 20 minute nap. I didn't set an alarm or anything, but for some reason when I lay down to take afternoon naps I just can't sleep a really long time. Boo. Anyway, the whole family left rather suddenly and my mother simply told me that my host dad's grandmother wasn't doing well and that they needed to go. So I kept the dogs inside until they left and hung out for a while at home. Then they brought my brother and sister home because they both have exams tomorrow that they needed to study for. We hung out for a while, had some ice cream, and laughed together.

I headed back to school around 3 for a mini-fiesta for DL and Claudia. Today is DL's birthday and Claudia's was last week. We had torta chilena and coffee, of course! It was scrumptious and fun for everyone in the group to hang out together.

I then went to Delicias to hang out with one of my favorite tico friends for about 45 minutes or so. We just chatted and then he had to go to his house to get some things for his class while I stayed there and did some homework.

I returned to school and did some more work there with my gringo buddies. And then I went back to the casa. My parents still had not arrived. I hung out with AM for a while, doing homework and such. Eventually my parents called to bring supper home to us - burgers and chicken from Don Pollo TWINS. It was yummy, but greasy, and I still feel kind of gross from it. Anyway, I've spent the rest of the evening doing homework and I am utterly exhausted! All this lack of sleep is catching up with me. I will probably do a LOT of catching up on it over Christmas break, though, before jumping back into the real world of college back in good ole Clemson.

Speaking of Clemson....

So glad that my Tigers are heading to the ACC Championship!!!!!!!! Wahoo! Wish I could go! If I was at home I would DEFINITELY be going, or trying to, anyway! And Clemson/Carolina is this weekend! I'm sad that I won't be there, and I can't believe that football season is nearly over for the Tigers, but what a year it has been. And to think that CJ Spiller could be the next Heisman trophy winner??!!! Of all the fall semesters for me to go abroad!!! Regardless of my location, I am proud! And am keeping my fingers crossed that we make it to a (BCS) bowl so that I can go cheer them on in person!

I will be posting some pictures separately from the weekend with short comments and such. I hate trying to put lots of pictures and lots of text in one post because the format always gets weird when I try to load pictures.

Buenas noches! 18 days, mommy!

You know you are becoming more Costa Rican when.....

1. You have the sequence and tones of the car alarms memorized.

2. You drink more coffee than all the other drinks you consume combined.

3. You integrate "mae" into regular spanish conversation.

4. Your friends know not to expect you to be on time because you are on tico time.

5. You stroll across the road in front of cars without fear of them running over you instead of slowly and timidly crossing the street.

6. You spend evenings in the park downtown.

7. You are greeted with kisses on the cheek by your tico friends and you greet your tico AND gringo friends with kisses on the cheek.

8. You call the cab company for a taxi and when you tell them your address they know your name because you have called so much.

9. Car alarms and dogs barking don't wake you up anymore in the morning.

10. A tico asks you for directions.

11. You understand how to use MSN Messenger.

12. A "fiesta" means that you stand in the street and talk to your friends, usually outside of another fiesta.

Cafe Britt

1. Been to Costa Rica?
2. Love coffee?
3. Like chocolate-covered coffee beans?

If you answered yes to at least TWO of the above questions, then you know exactly where this is going.....

Cafe Britt. Praise the Lord for the person who invented this place.

Café Britt was founded in 1985 as the first gourmet coffee roaster in Costa Rica. Before Café Britt, it was virtually impossible to find a memorable cup of coffee in the country. It seemed all the truly exquisite Costa Rican coffee was being hidden away. This, of course, was not true. The simple fact was all the best coffee was being exported.

It was here we had the opportunity to pioneer great change and introduce gourmet quality roasted coffee to Costa Rica. As exporters ourselves, we were able to see the problem and we knew we could solve it; by reserving and roasting some of this fine Costa Rican coffee. We had all the ingredients for success: access to perfect coffee from the country’s best plantations, the finest mills, the roasters, and the obsession with quality. We combined all our resources and the result was Café Britt, Costa Rica’s most remarkable coffee.

We were thrilled to discover this hidden gem and share Costa Rica's heritage with the world. Our enthusiasm for culture, nature and great flavors went beyond borders. In 2005, we headed south to Peru and explored this country's highlands for the best coffees and colorful artful crafts that transpire this nation’s fabulous legacy. Warmer winds blew in 2006 with our expansion to the Curaçao and The Caribbean where we parachuted our creative team into this fun friendly culture to create a line of products that truly reveal the islands’ flair. The vast diversity of Chile’s natural scenes and the warmth of its people blew us away… and we just had to become part of it. Café Britt Chile was created in 2007. With Miami themes and a highly skilled, friendly staff, we were ready to take on the challenge of this iconic city, known as the "Crossroads of the Americas." Our first shop opened Sept 26, 2008 in Concourse D at the Miami International Airport. (Cafe Britt story)


What a godsend, huh?


Anyway, when I purchased a travel guide to Costa Rica before coming I searched immediately for something about coffee or Cafe Britt. Lucky for me I discovered headquarters in Heredia, a suburb of San Jose but still a HUGE city, and I knew immediately that this would be somewhere I would be going.


Well, it took a while to go but KL and I decided last night that the time had come. Being complete coffee addicts, we knew that it was now or never. So this morning, KL, MIF, ES and I set out on a bus to San Jose (with some guidance from Claudia). We had to get off at the airport and hop on the Heredia bus and get off at the hospital in town, and then taxi to Britt. Well, we managed all of that, and I was sore afraid that we wouldn't be able to join on the 11 AM tour (we arrived promptly at 11:15!). The kind people in the welcome booth offered to let us join the tour which had apparently just started, so we happily accepted and trotted off to the rear of the tour. Our guides were just adorable. They gave the tour in Spanish and in English. It was funny how they switched back and forth. They were absolutely hilarious!

The tour consisted of explanations of how coffee is grown, the climate it is grown in, how it is tested all along the way...basically the ENTIRE process of coffee from its initial planting to its packaging to be sold to addicts like me!

hermanos

This is a picture of my host brother, me, and my host sister before her baile. She looked absolutely beautiful!

busy busy busy

WHEW. I am EXHAUSTED. But it looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight either!

Thursday

Thursday was quite an emotional day for me.

I had to go to the hospital at 8:30 to meet with all the big guys to talk more about their Strategic Plan. When I got there, I was surprised to find out that it was my job to present the whole plan to them. Claudia told me how to conduct the meeting, which I didn't know that I would be doing, and I got super nervous. I had to present the plan to everyone in Spanish. By the grace of God I made my way through it and got it all out! Claudia said I did fine. After we presented the plan, the Director and all of the other doctors there basically took turns speaking for 45 minutes to Claudia and I, thanking us for all that we had done. They now want to start doing things with the University and with other students, and they said that it was all due to the work of Claudia and I. I was overwhelmed by all the nice things they said to us. Completely overwhelmed. They were so thankful and appreciative and just kept going on and on about it. The Director told me that I had been adopted into the hospital, and he called me the 'daughter of the hospital.' And I cried. Claudia wanted me to say something to all of them, but was kind enough to explain that I wasn't able to because I was already crying and would just lose it if I had to speak! They asked to have a farewell get together with me in December before I leave, so I will hopefully have regained composure by then enough to thank them a million times for their hospitality, generosity, and patience.

Think about it....a group of doctors whom I have NEVER met before, take in a young student, inexperienced and unable to speak a lot of Spanish, and letting her take on a project of such importance to them and trusting her with it. The fact that they would trust me with that is incredible. And humbling.

So I cried a little more afterwards, thinking about having to tell them all goodbye and about all that I had been able to do with them and how great of an opportunity I have had, and I just let the tears flow for a while as I walked around town.

I went back to school for a bit but wasn't really in time to catch anything in class, so KL and I talked instead for a while. She was trying to Skype her boyfriend who is also studying abroad this semester in Uganda. Her computer wasn't working so I offered her my computer at my choza. We headed back and got it to working. I studied for my test while she Skyped for a bit, and then she headed off back home. I had lunch with my family and then headed back to school to take my test and such.

The test wasn't too bad. I got a B. Yay! After the test we had a 45 minute cafecito in the cafeteria with the teacher (my aunt - I call her my tia teacher!) and just talked about all kinds of things. It was fun. We then headed back to class and ended around 4:30. I hung out and talked to some people for a bit. Talked to KL for a while at the cafe next to the University and saw some tico friends walk by. Haha. I then headed back to my casa to get ready.

I showered and got ready for my sister's prom. I didn't realize that we were leaving at 6:15 instead of 6:45. So my hair had to go back in a slick straight ponytail instead of down and curly as planned. But I think it turned out for the better. Anyway we took a few photos at the casa and then headed off to the dance!

We arrived and had to wait in line outside for a while. Por dicha it wasn't raining!!! We finally made it in and sat down at our table and enjoyed some Coca Cola while we waited for the others to arrive. One of my aunts and I went outside to wait for mi amigo MIF. My host mother offered for me to bring a friend who would want to dance a lot along with me, so I decided to invite him since he likes to dance too and since he dances so well!

There was a parade of the graduates, of sorts. They eached walked down the stairs and through the arch with their parent(s). Then they brought snacks out for everyone to share. And THEN the dancing began. Initially there was a DJ who played salsa and meringue. Then the live band started! And then it was LIVE salsa, meringue, cumbia! They sounded INCREDIBLE! When I get married I want a band like that there! The music was great. And MIF and I danced a LOT! My feet were hurting, due to hours of dancing...in very high-heeled shoes. But we had a blast! My family danced a lot too. And they invited MIF and I to dance with them. And boy did we all dance! My tia teacher danced the whole night. She was the life of the group and we had so much fun!!!

I am so thankful that my host family allowed me to go along and experience all of this with them. It was a blast and I really felt like a part of the family!

tonses

Yesterday I spent most of the morning at school doing work and talking as much as I could. I had lunch at home with the fam and then had to go to the hospital for a while to work. I was so sleepy initially and I think I may have fallen asleep at some point while I was there. Anyway, one doctor offered me coffee so I gladly accepted and drank it down fast...black. I was fine after that! We had to complete this table yesterday that will help them evaluate how well they have done in reaching their goals and such. Initially it was confusing and they argued some, but somehow it all became clear and we got it figured out.

After the hospital, I went to cultures class. We talked about problems with unemployment among youth in Latin America. Then we had coffee and snacks and our teacher invited 3 Costa Rican students to come talk to us. We all took turns talking (in Spanish, of course), about how we were raised, what kind of family we came from, our universities, costs, scholarships, working, etc. It was fun to exchange stories with them, and they were very nice! After class I came home and turned around back out the door to go have ice cream with a tico friend! We sat in the park for a few hours and talked a lot! It was fun because I got to speak a LOT of Spanish. It was very windy and cold, though. Apparently windy and cold is typical November/December weather here.

Today I had class as usual. I then met with Claudia for a while to go over some internship stuff. Had spaghetti with the fam at home for lunch. Spent most of the afternoon leisurely studying and doing homework. I was going to run some errands for tomorrow but was just too darn lazy. Costa Rica must really be getting to me! I feel like I have been so lazy here. Daddy tells me that I shouldn't overload myself and take on too much, but it seems that doing just that and overexerting myself is the only way I manage my time well. I'm sure there will be some culture shock as far as that's concerned when I get back to the States.

Currently watching game 2 of Costa Rica/Uruguay. Unless they score 2 goals they are bankrupt for the World Cup next year. Keep your fingers crossed!

the winds are changing

I can already tell a difference in the climate here. The rain comes less frequently, the wind blows much harder, and the sun is seen more and more.

The rainy season is ending here in Costa Rica, and the "dry" season is beginning, meaning that instead of raining every day, it rains every 2 or 3 days instead. This doesn't mean it does not get cloudy and dark and gloomy. The rain just falls less now.

The climate is nice. It reminds me of Easter weather. I always remember being at home for those weekends, the chill in the air, the warmth of the sun, and the wind blowing strongly. I love the climate here. Along the beaches of Costa Rica, it's much hotter and much more sunny. But since San Ramon is in the mountains, it's a bit cooler.

Yesterday I didn't do a whole lot. Class from 8-11, lunch, then homework most of the afternoon and evening. I went over to KL's house to watch Lords of Dogtown with her and her dear host brother. It was a good movie, not what I was expecting.

Today I spent the morning at school doing some work and talking whenever I could. Claudia and I have a workshop at the hospital this afternoon, and then I have class this evening. After that I have to write an essay about "El Area de Libre Comercio" for my economy class.

I can't believe how little time I have left here. It sure has flown by! 24 days! I know my parents are counting the days....and the hours too, I'm sure.

compremetida

Meet the happy couple, Foshee (left) and Scotty boy (middle).

She and I met our sophomore year at Clemson. She went to UCF for her freshman year, and then transferred to Clemson at the start of our sophomore year. She signed up for a small group with FCA, and was put in the same small group as me! I remember to this day the first time I met her and we had small group together. Anyway, since that time we have become best friends.

Foshee is the girl who knows no stranger, and is so selfless and giving and just all-around incredible!

Enter Scotty. They met a couple of years ago at Clemson as well. I don't have all the details of their meeting, dating, etc., though I know some of what happened, but they have been together over a year now and are just the cutest couple! SB is so humble and caring, and I have always been able to see how much he cares for my dear friend and for everyone else around them.

As of this past Saturday, the precious couple is ENGAGED!!!!! I have seen this coming for a while, and have just been wondering when it would be. Her ring is absolutely GORGEOUS! And the both of them are SO happy.

I found out yesterday when I got back from the beach. I had received e-mails from both Foshee and my mother saying that she needed to talk to me and that it was important, and I IMMEDIATELY knew!!!! I wanted to scream because I was certain that was what it was. Eventually we got Skype working, and I noticed a shiny left ring finger, and knew I was right! We both started crying and I screamed a few times. I think I frightened my host sister! Anyway she told me how it happened and about how happy she was, and I just kept crying!

I am so happy for them!!! They are both incredible people and are such an inspiration to me. Can't wait for the wedding!!!!!!!

Congratulations! I love you both so much and couldn't be happier for you!!!

Playa Tamarindo - photo summary

Yet ANOTHER beautiful beach that I have found!

This weekend, KA, CD, TJ and I ventured to the Guanacaste province in northwestern Costa Rica to Playa Tamarindo. This beach is somewhat touristy because of its reputation for great surfing. Though llena de gringos y extranjeros (full of gringos and foreigners), we still managed to meet people from Argentina, Colombia, and even Uruguay!

Below are the photo highlights of the trip, 10 of the 200+ that I took. Check out my facebook for more! In random order.....

Friday night sunset = breathtaking

Girls hanging out in the room

Night 2 - rainbow

The LARGEST rainbow I have EVER seen in my life! SO incredible!

Blue sky

The pinkest/orangest sunset I have ever seen - night 1

Girls on the beach

Sunset - night 1

Sunset - night 1

Hostel room - $12/night

"Proverbs 31 wife"

I'm not gonna lie...when I hear someone say "the Proverbs 31 wife," I sometimes turn my head to roll my eyes, not out of disrespect, but because sometimes this woman just sounds like someone who is tired, overworked and underpaid, a woman who has a ton to do and look after. What woman do I know of who has time or energy to do all these things fully and passionately? My mother always amazes me with all that she does and how well she does it, as well as so many other Godly women that I know. But the thought of striving to be this woman overwhelms me at times. I totally respect her, though, and do want to be able to be a woman of this caliber.

Anyway.....I was reading something about it today on Bible Gateway, and read this in the footnotes:

Verses 10-31 are an acrostic, each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet

Maybe this is common knowledge, but I'd never heard that before in my life. So I looked a bit more into it and this is what I found....

Acrostics in the Hebrew Bible

One of the many interesting rhetorical features of the Hebrew Bible is its use of alphabetical acrostics. These acrostics are not "hidden codes" -- they are literary compositions in which the writer has used the letters of the Hebrew alphabet as the initial letters for a sequence of verses. J.A. Motyer describes this feature as "a poetic way of saying that a total coverage of the subject was being offered."

In the common form of acrostic found in Old Testament Poetry, each line or stanza begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. This literary form may have been intended as an aid to memory, but more likely it was a poetic way of saying that a total coverage of the subject was being offered -- as we would say, 'from A to Z.' Acrostics occur in Psalms 111 and 112, where each letter begins a line; in Psalms 25, 34, and 145, where each letter begins a half-verse; in Psalm 37, Proverbs 31:10-31, and Lamentations 1, 2, and 4, where each letter begins a whole verse; and in Lamentations 3, where each letter begins three verses. Psalm 119 is the most elaborate demonstration of the acrostic method where, in each section of eight verses, the same opening letter is used, and the twenty-two sections of the psalm move through the Hebrew alphabet, letter after letter. --J.A. Motyer, "Acrostic," in The New International Dictionary of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1987), p. 12.

In Proverbs 31:10-31 the initial letters of each verse go through the Hebrew alphabet in order.

(Source here)

How cool is that? I had no idea! Go to the website and check out the hebrew and english translation next to each other. It's really neat.

What a neat way for us to have a thorough idea of a woman of "godly character"!

Adios, and my 100th post!

WOW - I feel like I should be doing something special to celebrate my 100th post!!!

I think I will celebrate this momentous occasion by going to the beach for the weekend. What do you think?

Be back Sunday! Will do some catching up on Thursday, my host sisters cena, and the weekend then! Que tengan un BUEN fin de semana!

Me hace falta un mes

11 de Noviembre....One month from today I will be heading home.

Well my alarm clock (epically) failed again. I popped awake at 6:58 am and ran to the shower. I got ready quick as I could and ate breakfast (delicious - buttered toasted pan, french toast, scrambled eggs, and coffee) and headed to school (just a minute or two late). Today in International Political Economy we watched a movie - Maria llena de gracia (Maria full of grace). It was interesting, to say the least....It was about women in Colombia who make their living by working for drug cartels who force them to swallow 60-70 pellets, each about the size of a tube of chapstick (but fatter), board an airplane to the US, get off the airplane, meet up with people in the United States, get rid of the pellets (you can imagine how this process is done), get paid, and return to Colombia to do it again. All of this happens provided that they don't get stopped or caught in the airport. If an X-ray is done, GAME OVER for the pretty ladies! At the end one of them 'died' (I imagine one of the pellets came unwrapped in her stomach and messed up her system), and then it was made to look like a suicide or homicide, and they cut her open to get the pellets. It was disturbing.

After class I came home and did homework until lunch time. Today we had hamburgers for lunch. Yum! I then continued doing homework after lunch until 2 pm, when my mother, sister and I took off to the centro to do some shopping! On my way out I saw my neighbor tico friend and waved hello. We headed to a jewelry store first so that my host mother could pick up some accessories. Afterwards mi hermana y yo walked around town in search of the perfect dresses and shoes for me to wear to her dinner and to the dance! I loved the first dress I tried on (usually happens to me) but instead of giving in I decided to wait. I soon found a lovely dark turquoise strapless sweetheart cut dress that I will wear to the dinner, and I ended up going back for the first dress I tried on, a black one shoulder dress. Don't worry, there WILL be pictures. I found some slinky silver gladiator high heels to match both dresses.

Mi hermana and I then went to Delicias to meet one of her aunts for cafecito. This particular aunt has lived in the United States, altogether 12 years total! She is taking my host sister and brother and some of the other cousins and aunts and uncles to Disney World in January! She is fun to talk to, and I enjoyed having cafecito with them.

After finding some earrings and such, AM and I returned home. My host mother seemed to like the dresses I had found. I did homework for anothe rlittle wihle or so, and AM invited me to go see a movie at 7 with her and my brother and my aunt (same one!). We went to see the same movie that I saw with my friends last week. On Wednesday movies are only 1200 colones = just over US $2. Yes, that's what I had said, as Bon Qui Qui would say! The movie was good the second time around, and I was able to pick up more of what was said this time. It's a good feeling to be able to go see a movie in Spanish, without subtitles or anything, and understand what is being said!


We returned home, and then AM and I watched another pelicula that was on TV in her room. I then retired to my quarters, but still somehow did not go to sleep. I Skyped for a while, and then went to sleep after 11.


I am thankful for the quality time that I was able to spend with my host sister today, and am looking forward to even more with the dinner and dance coming up! Be looking for pictures!

Hoy y ayer

Today has been a good day. I didn't have morning class, so I was able to "sleep in" and not be in a hurry about getting out of bed, which is really nice, especially since I have been so lethargic since we returned from our aventura to the hot springs and volcano. I got up and got ready and had breakfast. I was about to change clothes, and was at home alone, when I heard the voices of gringos calling my name outside my window. It was AK and DB, inquiring about a book that we are reading for Advanced Spanish. I let them in for a few minutes and we chatted and then they flitted off to school. I finished getting ready and did the same. While at school for a couple of hours I did some homework and reading for classes. I then returned to my casa, did some more reading, and then had lunch with my hermana. I then went back to school for class at 1. Class seemed to pass slowly today, but I always enjoy learning more about the language. If only I could speak it as much as I think it! Class ended promptly at 4, just in time for my next class to begin. DB wasn't feeling well so he didn't come to class, and I'm not sure why TC didn't come, but it was just me and the profesora tonight! It was fun. She talked almost completely in Spanish and I learned a lot and was able to pay attention easily. At the end of class she had an activity - I had to listen to about 12 different songs that she played and I had to guess what Latin American country they were from. I got some of them right, but just had to guess on most of them! After class she let me take home some of the CDs so that I could have the music! A lot of it is upbeat and fun. One CD is calypso songs from a 5-member group from the Limon province of Costa Rica. One is piano y bosque lluvioso, or piano and rainforest. Another has upbeat songs from each country in Central America. And the last one has a mix of salsa, cumbia, meringue, and some other different types of music heard here in Costa Rica. I have been listening to them all evening and have really enjoyed them!

Yesterday was uneventful but good. I had class from 8-11, spent time at the hospital from 1:30-3 with Claudia, and then spent the afternoon and evening at home doing homework and studying. I got a good bit done. My host sister and I had cafecito together while her parents went to run some errands, and we sat down and had a good conversation for about 45 minutes. She finds out within the next week what she made on her college admission test, which will determine whether or not she gets to go to medical school here! Say a prayer for her! I think she wants to go to medical school. She is very smart and I'm sure that she would be a great student at med school here. We talked about careers and choosing them, what we wanted for our lives and things like that. I really enjoyed our conversation! She is a sweet girl who is very smart and has a good head on her shoulders, and whatever she does I am sure that she will be successful.

For Advanced Spanish we are reading our second book. This book is by a Costa Rican author - Anacristina Rossi. The book is called La Loca de Gandoca. So far it seems like it will be an interesting read. It's easy to read and the language and subjects she talks about are familiar to me now since I have been here for nearly 3 months! I can hardly believe it's been that long, but at the same time it seems like it has been ages ago that I arrived here! One month from tomorrow, I will be departing Costa Rica to come back home. Ahhh!!!

Thursday my host sister has a graduation dinner with the family at school, and they were kind enough to invite me! The only problem is ..... I still have no dress!!! She and I are going tomorrow afternoon after lunch to find me one. We have a short amount of time, so I am praying hard that the right dress will jump out at me quick!!! She assured me that I would be able to find one easily. I need to find a cocktail dress of sorts. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I am also about 99% sure that I am heading off to the beach again this weekend, most likely somewhere in the Guanacaste area. I'm excited to see that part of the country and travel with my amigos!

Bueno, me voy a dormir! Que tengan una buena noche!

thoughts for the day

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my rock and redeemer.

Psalm 119:37
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Colossians 3:1-2 (from The Message)
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ - that's where the action is. See things from his perspective."

Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

Volcano pictures

Hanging bridges that we explored

Our cute little rooms!

Hey, volcano!

Arenal Volcano

at the hotel

hotel pool

First thing I saw when I walked out of our room

Welcome to La Fortuna!

Weekend

This weekend our group went to see the famous touristy Arenal Volcano, which is totally cool by the way. We spent all day Saturday at Baldi Hot Springs, going down slides and pool hopping, and eating from the DELICIOUS buffet there. Sunday we hiked for a while across some hanging bridges and then had lunch at this amazing lookout over the volcano. I didn't take any photos at the hot springs for fear of destroying my little camera. Here's the website, though, so you can still see what it was like: http://www.arenal.net/baldi-hot-springs.htm. The food at the hot springs was incredible - fresh cucumbers for the salad, fresh pineapple, and a chocolate fountain that was out of this world. The hotel we stayed at was nice too: http://www.lapraderadelarenal.com/. Unfortunately, Saturday night I got the worst headache I think I've ever had in my life. It really was unfortunate because I wasn't able to hang out with everyone. I laid down in bed and seriously could not move. I still have a small headache now and hiked and stuff anyway today in spite of it all, which may not have been the best idea. Anyway, stay tuned for some photos!

stumbling

Check out these awesome photos:

http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/40-beautiful-hdr-pictures-you-would-be-amazed/

Thursday

Yesterday my alarm decided to malfunction and not go off. Therefore, I snapped awake at 7:15, leaving me with 45 minutes to get ready, eat, and get to class. Somehow, I managed to do it and I made it to class on time. Class went well and passed by quickly. She let us leave a few minutes early. I came home to finish some homework for my 1 pm class. I laid down to rest for a while, and woke up around 12:20. Normally at this time we have lunch since I have class at one. However, I awoke to a silent house and no food. Initially I was not concerned. Then it became 12:30, and then 12:40. I knew that unless they arrived right then with prepared food, I would not be able to eat and make it to class on time. I got my things together and just figured I could go to the pulperia on the corner and get a sandwich and head to the U. Just as I was getting ready to walk out the door at 12:43, my family busts up in the house with pizza. Apparently the meat that my mother had was bad, and they went to get pizza. I sat down to eat, and they offered to drive me to school. They all decided to ride, even though it's just up the road, but it was special to me that they all wanted to take me. So they took me, and told me if the teacher gave me any problems for being late (the teacher here is my aunt), to have her call them. Class went by quickly. During our break we had coffee and cake in the cafeteria - lovely, as always. We got out of class I bit late, so I went to change and headed straight to dance class. We reviewed all the dances we knew, and then did some aerobics at the end. I love the dances here, especially salsa. At some point before I go home I want to go out somewhere and ONLY salsa the whole time! We all decided to go to a costume party together that was put on by some of our tico friends from the U, and decided to meet at DB's apartamento at 9. I went home and ate some papas with the family. They told me Nicaraguan jokes. (To Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans are a thorn in their side.) They were funny and I was glad that my family decided to share some funny things with me. I took a shower and got ready, called a taxi, and headed over to DB's to meet everyone. We all met there and hung out for a while before going to the costume party. When we got to the costume party (in Night Fever - where else??), our tica friends greeted us and talked to us for a bit. We all hung out together and then started dancing. It wasn't overly crowded like it sometimes is, which was really nice. But there still was a good number of people there. I made a friend and we talked as best we could, given the loudness and darkness. SC and I left together kind of late. Needless to say, I slept in this morning, till 8:30, even though I woke up at 7:15 thinking I had to go to class or something. Overall, Thursday was another busy but good day!