Friday, October 5 A trip to Turrialba for me:
Today, Eddie wanted to be the studious man of the house and
did not want to go shopping with me.
I decided I would take a trip to Turrialba with one of the other
students from CISA. Her name is
Jennea (JEN-a-yah) and she is a very independent 18 year-old from California. I met her at the bus stop and we headed
to the city of Turrialba. 
It was a much less over-whelming experience this time around because:
1. I didn’t feel sick.
2. I was with an English speaking person who knew her way
around.
3. We didn’t have to carry Jaden.
4. It was not as hot.
5. Many things were starting to look familiar.
As we walked through the farmers market, she told me that
she likes to buy fruit here because it is not too expensive. She pointed out to me some unfamiliar
fruits and asked if I wanted to try some.
I opted for a “mamon chino.”
She also asked me if I wanted to try coconut water. When you ask for one, the man uses a machete to cut the top off and put in a straw. This was a new experience for me... it tasted okay but all it did was make me have to pee. Soon I was looking for a place to ditch the coconut and find a restroom.
We were also on the hunt for new guitar strings for Eddie. He is able to borrow a guitar from someone here, but he wants new strings. Unfortunately, the store that we think has them was closed. Mission failed. We also failed to find Beano.
I neglected to pack any toys for Jaden, so I was also
looking for a few small toys I could buy for him and then just leave here when
we return to the States. I found
this cool truck with blocks and a wooden puzzle. When I looked at the price tags, I calculated in my head
that the truck would cost about $8 and the puzzle about $6. I thought that was a great price and
headed to the counter to pay. I
guess I was so nervous that my brain shut off because it wasn’t until I
returned home that I realized the truck actually cost me $32… I did the math
wrong (I divided instead of multiplied).
Oh well… learning from mistakes is one way to learn, although it’s not
my favorite.
Saturday, October 6 Amanda and Fireworks:
We were so excited to see Eddie’s sister today! She arrived around 10am, but it took a
long time for her to actually get to her host family's home. She rode with Hector’s parents from the airport, and they
got stuck in traffic and stopped for lunch along the way.
Freddy brought Eddie, Jaden and me to her house. As we were driving, we saw her walking
along the road with her host family’s granddaughter. We stopped and picked them up and hung out with her for a
few hours. She understands
more Spanish than I do, so she is adjusting well for her first day here. We left her to unpack and get settled
and have dinner with her host family.
If you want to read more about Amanda's experiences in Costa
Rica, please check out the link below:
After we ate dinner, Freddy told us that there would be
fireworks at 8:00 that night. We
walked into town where one of the churches was putting on a festival. They even had COTTON CANDY!!! I ate the whole bag shared with Eddie and
Jaden. Eddie bought Churros and
some sort of peanuts with a candy coating on them. They were awesome and I went back to get another bag.
Then the fireworks began. Freddy found us the perfect spot to stand to watch. Well, perfect if you are not
Jaden. He was pretty nervous. He has seen fire works before, but even
I have never been this close to them.
Eddie was holding him and suddenly Jaden lunged into Freddy’s arms. He buried his face in Freddy’s neck and
that is where he stayed for the remainder of the fireworks display. He eventually fell asleep on Freddy’s shoulder. As the evening went on, I actually started to feel cold!!! I had previously thought these people were crazy because they where standing around saying “Muy frio.” We even saw a little girl with a winter hat on with a thick sweatshirt. Eventually, I was one of the people saying “Muy frio.”
Sunday October 7
We did not have church today because Hector and Daniel are
in California. This morning we had
a relaxing breakfast with the whole family. After that, we contacted Amanda and she managed to take the
bus to Tuis (only a 5 min ride) all by herself on the second day here!!! I am very impressed with her. Unfortunately, Eddie was late to meet her at the bus
stop so she asked a woman in town if she knew were Samia lived. The woman pointed her in the right
direction and Eddie met her when she had already walked ¼ of the way to our
house! What a brave woman.
When she got here, Jaden was sleeping and Freddy was
home. We took the opportunity to
go to the river with Jose Pablo.
He led us to a place where the river is not very strong and where he
likes to swim. Of course, Eddie
was bored with that. So… We headed
to the area we walk past every day where the river is stronger. We made our way down the bank and into
the river. We navigated our way to
“the rapids.” It was not that
fast, but the current was strong enough to really hurt you if you were not
careful. Don’t worry; we were
careful. We had fun swimming in
the river. There was never a point
in our adventure when I was cold… the water was so refreshing, or as the Ticos
say “Muy Rico!!!” Jose Pablo on
the other hand was shivering by the time we were done swimming. He was warming himself on a large rock
before we walked home.
When we returned home, we showered and headed to
“MonteVerde” (the restaurant that Samia cooks for). Yet again, we were the only people there to eat and the food
was delicious.
On a final note, I was reminded that all of creation reflects the
character of God today. Let me
back up by saying I have had a weird fascination with the ants (hormigas)
here. Every day we walk past a
certain tree. On this tree are
hundreds of hormigas walking up and
down the tree. They go up the
tree, cut a piece of leaf off and walk back down the tree, through a path they
have stomped down in the grass, across the street, through some more dirt to
their home. Every time I walk past
this spot in the road, I see them, night or day, rain or shine. They are always there. I look for them and carefully step over
them (both because I don’t want to hurt them and I don’t want them to bite
me). I even stopped to video them
because I was so fascinated by them. Well, today (Sunday) as we walked toward the spot, I was ready to point them out to Amanda. Gues what... there was not an ant to be found. I thought, "Even the hormigas are observing a day of rest." Wow, if I just slow down and open my eyes, I can learn something new about God and his creation every day.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on
the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on
it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Genesis 2:2-3
Top 10 Things I have learned while in Costa Rica
10. Don’t flush
the toilet paper.
9. The higher the water pressure is, the colder your shower
is.
8. When the sun wakes you up at 6:00am everyday, bed time is at 10:00pm and no later. Plus, I can accomplish more before 9:30 every morning than I ever imagined.
7. Jaden does not like bugs, especially ones that are the size of his hand.
6. I can learn to sleep through the rooster crow and dogs
barking next door.
5. We waste a lot in the US.
4. God’s creation never ceases to amaze me. He even made a flowering tree that you
can only smell at night. It is
like walking through a cloud of your favorite perfume. The blossoms are open at night in the first picture. The blossoms close during the day, as you can see in the picture of the same plant below.
3. Don't let my husband eat beans! By the way, you can eat rice and/or beans with every meal and with anything (including coconut rice and beans).
2. I have the happiest son and the most awesome husband on the planet.
1. My God's not dead... He's surely alive!
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