Up in the Mountains

This past weekend we went on a mini retreat up to the mountains of Talamanca.  The lodge we stayed at was very quaint, as you can probably imagine from the picture.

After a fantastic lunch on Saturday we went on an adventure to see a waterfall hidden in the mountains and afterwards we watched a movie produced in Costa Rica, "El Regreso."

By the way, we got to the foresty mountain area surrounding the waterfall by horse.  I can't say I've had extensive experience with horses before, but now I understand why you have a sore bum after horseback riding.  However, it was completely worth the "dolor."  We also had to keep the horses in two different groups because the two groups did not get along.

On Sunday morning several people in our group got up early to go bird watching, but I was not one of them.  After they returned though, we had a massive and incredibly delicious breakfast and then set up our own church service outside.  We reflected on how God is working through us here in a foreign country.  The blessings are incredible every single day.

Gracias a Dios,
~Nola

La semana pasada, muy brevemente (brief overview of last week)

I realize I haven't made time recently to update my blog, so I'll just give a quick overview of what went on last week to catch up a bit.

We visited a "Peace Center" and learned a bit about the election process here in Costa Rica.  We also briefly stopped by the National Museum to read more about the history of the politics.  Presidential elections are in February here and there are 13 candidates, only 5 of which I am told stand a chance.

Oh yeah, and we took a trip to the Supreme Court of Costa Rica, where we actually got to enter the room in which all the magistrates meet every Monday to discuss court happenings.  That was pretty sweet.

Here's a picture:

On Saturday I went to downtown San José with my host mother and brother to purchase a bag for school since the one I brought ripped irreparably.  The marketplace was very crowded and there were many street vendors, some of which were illegally selling merchandise.

After that escapade, we decided upon return to the house to watch a movie.  Yep, we watched a few episodes of Mr. Bean.  You don't even need to know Spanish (or English, or any other language) to understand it and laugh.

Finally, Saturday night we went to the grocery store, which was sort of like a cross between Kroger and the Wal-mart food section.

Sunday I attended church with my family and I recognized another song, although it was of course in Spanish.  Other than that, it was a quiet weekend.

Stay tuned...

~Nola

P.S. - I am lucky enough to have a whiteboard in my room on which I write a Bible verse each week.  Just to share, the verse this week was: Psalmos 94: 18-19 "Cuando yo decía: Mi pie resbala, Tu misericordia, oh Jehová, me sustentaba.  En la multitud de mis pensamientos dentro de mí, Tus consolaciones alegraban mi alma." (Psalms 94:18-19).

*If you have suggestions for a weekly Bible verse, please either comment on this blog post or email me.  Gracias. :)

Just like a Tourist

Yesterday, our first Saturday here in Costa Rica, the Valpo group met up bright and early for a tour of the National Monument.  Thus, we loaded up a van and took a trip to Guayabo de Turrialba, which is an archaeological site.

Once there, we decided to take the tour in Spanish even though they offered to do it in English.  What would you have done? ;)

The first photo here is a mini re-creation of how the village would have likely looked, while the second illustrates what is actually present - only the raised bases of the homes, which are actually taller than you think.

After touring Guayabo, we visited the Iglesia de San José de Orosi, which is the oldest church in Costa Rica still used for worship.  A larger, more modern church is under construction next door.

The final stop was the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, which is dedicated to the "Lady of Angels."  She has a very unique back-story, in case any readers have a taste for the unusual.

We made a quick coffee stop between church visits, briefly watched a soccer match, and finally worked our way back into San José.

This is a photo of the garden outside the Iglesia de San José de Orosi.  ¡Qué lindo!

This weekend trip was the first time I truly felt like a tourist, whipping out my camera at every place we stopped and several times in the van too.  However, it was completely worth the while because being a tourist meant learning more about how the history shaped modern culture, and thus how to better understand life here.

There are more weekend adventures to come...beware! :)

The Fun Begins

This first week has been exciting, exhausting, awkward, and fun.

On Monday bright and early I began an intensive Spanish class at the University of Costa Rica.  It will last for 4 weeks and is 90 hours of class time, 4.5 hours/day.  After class our group grabs lunch at one of the many vendors along the walk to the bus stop.

The food is delicious, as you can see.  Lunch is the biggest meal of the day here, which is a change.

Monday was also my 21st birthday, which was celebrated twice here, quite unexpectedly.  Heidi, the director of the Valpo program, had bought a cake to share (and gave me a glass of wine since it was my 21st) and after I walked home with my host mom I was surprised with another cake.  I also received many messages from people back home, which was nice.

My host family consists of Maribel (Mari) and her husband Leo, and three children.  I haven't met the two eldest children, both daughters, because they are on summer vacation at the moment and went somewhere with an aunt.  However, I did meet three dogs, a fish, and three other students from the United States that are staying with the family.  I am not allowed to speak English to them, which I suppose is better in the long haul.

The week has been full of challenges, like trying to figure out the bus system, staying awake during long hours of class, and, of course, using Spanish for everything.  Changing currency also blew my mind - I am still struggling to wrap my mind around how that works.

Traffic here is different in one particularly important way: cars don't stop for pedestrians.  It does make crossing a street more interesting though, much like Frogger.

Even though I find myself completely exhausted at the end of each day, there are small victories that elate me.  For example, today for the very first time I walked home from the Praxis Center alone.  The walk is about 25 minutes and at one point I had to run to avoid being hit by a bus, but overall it was a triumph.

Another victory was visiting my family's church for prayer and a Bible study and understanding nearly everything that was happening.  I find that it's easier to understand people the longer I am around them, so meeting everyone at the church was a bit overwhelming, but it went well.

I have so many more memories to share, but alas, it is nearly 9:30pm and I'm worn out.  I suspect I may get more sleep here than I ever do at Valpo. ;)

Hasta la próxima semana,
~Nola

Pre-departure Post

It's the night before the night I leave for Costa Rica.  The meteorologists are calling for a snow storm in the Chicago area tomorrow night, which may be inhibiting to our drive up to the airport early Sunday morning (around 2am), but perhaps they're in the wrong this time.  One can hope.

Many people have shared their own stories of travel abroad with me trying to prepare me for the best and the worst situations I might encounter while abroad.  What they didn't tell me is how nerve-wracking the pre-departure days are.  I alternate between extreme excitement and anxiousness, but everything is falling into place.  It better be, as I'm leaving in a little over a day. :)

Creating this blog was one of the last things on my lengthy to-do list, so I'm pleased to announce that my family and friends now have a quick and easy way to follow my adventures.

Blessings,

~Nola