La Fortuna - Canyoning

Sunday's excursion was probably my all time favorite thing we did over the break. Through a hotel recommendation, we signed up for canyoning (some call it canyoneering) through a world-renown company, Desafio. What an adventure it was! Canyoning is an extreme sport that mixes rappelling, hiking, down-climbing, and river tracing in to one action packed trip. The picture above is the river we worked through. It's called the Lost River because it's pretty much in the middle of nowhere in the rainforest next to the volcano.

The company picked us up at our hotel Sunday morning around 7:30 after another delicious hotel breakfast. They drove us by van along with the 10 other people about 10 minutes, just outside of town. From there we were transported via 4x4’s (which are pick-up trucks with the back end built to hold passengers). We went on the world’s bumpiest road for about 30 or so minutes more, during which we got to know our fellow canyoners. There were two other American girls and two Costa Rican guys on our 4x4. The other 4x4 had a family of 4 and a young married couple (who actually happened to be on our volcano hike the day before). We also got to know a couple of the guides who were on our truck.

We arrived at base camp to get into our gear and get a preliminary safety course. They suited us all up with leg/waist harnesses, helmets, and gloves and we learned about what our trip would look like. On this trip we would be rappelling down 4 different waterfalls which ranged in heights from 20 feet to over 250 feet!! It was an amazing feeling to get to the bottom of the 250 foot waterfall and realize what we had just accomplished!

During the way, there were a few different surprises: the first one was jumping into a deeper part of the river where we couldn’t reach. 100% completely submerged which also means 100% completely soaked! (I had one of the guides, Eliano, hold my glasses for me…They were a little inconvenient during this tour, but I was thankful to have them to be able to see the beauty in the rainforest!) The second surprise was a human dam that Eliano created while the rest of us climbed down what would have been a big waterfall. Instead of making it all the way to the bottom, however, six of us sat where the water would have been for a “photo op.” The photo op began with them telling us to brace ourselves as Eliano stood up and all that water came rushing down! (This time Hernan held my glasses for me) Here's some photos:

After rappelling the final waterfall, we hiked a little out of the way to see another one. According to one of the guides, it is the most beautiful waterfall they know of in Costa Rica and they were right. We stood underneath it to see the gorgeous rainbow all the way around us and then began our climb out of the rainforest. This might have been the most difficult part: 10-15 minutes of solid uphill stairs. Talk about exercise! After we reached base camp, we were all so excited! We did it! We changed clothes and dried off before making our way upstairs for lunch. It was a very typical Costa Rican lunch with rice, beans, chicken and potato stew, yucca, coffee, and juice. It was delicious and was an awesome way to finish up our time there.

We sat and chatted with some of the guides (at least 6 guides for the 12 of us…talk about a great ratio!) while we ate. We also purchased a CD of photos of me and Kristen throughout the morning. It was $25 but well worth it! After lunch, they drove us back to our hotel via the 4x4s and the van again. We got home exhausted but exhilarated after completing such a task!

La Fortuna - Arenal Volcano

To start out, what about those Panthers!? Friday night's game was pretty exciting, wasn't it? I was pretty bummed we lost, but what a fantastic season! We couldn't have asked for more! (Notice I wore my UNI shirt the following day!)




Last Saturday morning, Oky took Kristen and I to a local hotel to wait for a bus service that was taking us about 3-4 hours away for the beginning of our Semana Santa (Holy Week/Spring break) trip. School is cancelled for the week, so we were able to take the whole week to travel. The Gray Line bus service picked us up at 8:30, drove around San Jose to other various hotels and picked up 6 other people. The bus was more like a large 10 passenger van and was so comfortable. We felt very safe and secure on the windy, rugged highways through the mountains to La Fortuna, the closest town to the Arenal Volcano, one of 120 volcanoes in Costa Rica. There are 7 active volcanoes in the country, but this one is the most active of the 7 and one of the 10 most active in the world. In fact, I read that in January of 2005, they recorded 540 eruptions, which averages out to 22 per day!




The hotel staff told us that last week was rainy and cloudy all week, so tourists that were here for even 10 days were never able to see the top of the volcano. God must have been blowing those clouds away for us, because as we drove up to our hotel, we could see the entire mountain. What a sight! Our hotel, San Bosco, as with all hotels in the area, are a safe distance from the volcano, but we had a fantastic view of it from the end of our outdoor hallway. The hotel was nice. We had a double room with two beds, two pools/two hot tubs, and amazing breakfasts with gallo pinto (beans and rice), plantains, fresh fruit, toast, and pancakes. Little by little, I'm trying the coffee here (with lots of sugar and milk/creamer) and I'm liking it. Costa Rican coffee has a reputation for being one of the best in the world, so I'll enjoy it while I can here.


We did some tours through some local companies set up by our hotel. The first one we went on our very first afternoon there was a hike+hot springs+dinner combo. We were picked up at 3:15 by the company (Canoa Aventura) shuttle which continued to pick up about 10 others. We drove about 15 minutes to a starting point for our hike. The hike was really interesting. We went alongside the volcano and got to see some neat wildlife. We came across a coral snake (very poisonous), a howler monkey, some wild pigs, and a toucan! Afterwards we stopped by an observation area and got to watch for some lava action. We were actually able to see lava rocks 4-5 times! It was really neat to see. Here you can see some of the photos: 1) Yes, that's a monkey. 2) The big leaf is about the size of a large couch cushion! 3) These are birdnests, but unfortunately I can't remember what kind of bird they were. Sorry!









After it got dark, we left for the Baldi Hot Springs. Here we enjoyed a buffet style dinner with the typical Costa Rican food: beans and rice, beef/chicken/ham, veggies, plantains, and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. Next came the hot springs. Baldi has 25 different pools whose "thermal mineral waters flow naturally from the volcano." The pools vary in temperature from 90 to 152 degrees F. The water felt SO good. The hottest one we felt was 116, which was too hot for us. We mainly stayed in one that was around 104. There are also various cold water pools which really help to cool you down. Usually when you get out of a pool, you feel dry and full of chemicals, but this water really refreshed your skin, moisturized and just made you feel all around great. The van picked us up and took us to our hotel around 9 pm, just enough time to soak in the thermal mineral waters. It was a busy day but lots of fun!




We're home now, but I'll continue to post the rest of our trip as fast as I can!




Love you!

Molly

Field Day

Today, the Friday before spring break, was Field Day at the Country Day School. It reminds me of the Johnson Olympics, we had in elementary school. The day was filled with various activities such as traditional Costa Rica games, board games, relay races, obstacle courses, etc. This above picture is the Opening Ceremonies where we all sang some songs and got excited for the day. While waiting for the ceremonies to start, I saw a man in an Iowa State hat, while I was wearing my Panther t-shirt. We both saw each other and started chatting. His son goes to the school and he is from Fort Dodge. I would never have imagined that I would talk about the Clay County Fair with a stranger in Costa Rica!

Because I'm not working with a traditional classroom, my cooperating teacher and I were placed around the school in the various stations. In the morning, I worked with the tug-of-war and parachute games. This was a lot of fun, but really draining because we were in the sun for the whole morning. I wore lots of sunscreen, so I didn't get burned but boy, was I tired! After lunch, I worked in the shade of the front lawn helping with 4-square games and jump rope.

This is a quick photo of the fruit bar we had for a snack in the middle of the morning. Delicious! We had pineapple, mangos, strawberries, grapes, canteloupe, and lots of bananas. The day was so exhausting, but a lot of fun. The students really seemed to enjoy it, which was awesome to watch.

Next week is Semana Santa, or Holy Week. We have the entire week off from school. Kristen and I are going to use the time to do some traveling around the area. We're heading to Arenal, a local active volcano, and then Monteverde, the cloud forest that has characterized the country. I'll have my computer with me, so if you need anything, feel free to email! We're planning to get back on Thursday. I'll start updating with some pictures then. Have a great week!

love,

Molly

The Living Museum

At school on Thursday, the 2nd graders presented their Living Museum presentations. During the past month, they have chosen a historical figure from around the world, researched them, and then wrote a 2-3 minute script pretending to be the character. This is an awesome project for elementary students, but 73% of the students at this school are learning English, so imagine writing this report in your second language! My high school students would have flipped out if I had assigned something like this, and these students are only 8 and 9 years old...talk about impressive!

My cooperating teacher and I work with 8 or 9 second graders. They dressed up as Barack Obama, Christa McCauliffe, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Walt Disney among others. You can see in the pictures some of my students and how open the school is. Those covered walkways make up the hallways. Everything is outside. Notice Obama's face is painted...there were quite a few students who did this for their characters. Imagine what backlash this would have gotten in the U.S.!

From 8:30-9:30, they presented in various stations around the front of the school. All the parents came to see them and brough a lot of food for the reception afterwards. I've never seen so much Prada, Gucci, and other high-end brand name purses and sunglasses in my life. The students who attend this school pay over $10,000 per year for tuition, making it the most expensive school in Costa Rica. The combined wealth of all the parents in that courtyard area blew me away. I'm pretty sure the students' costumes where not hand-sewn like mine was when I presented my Laura Ingalls Wilder presentation like this in elementary.

On another note: Gary is back. Kristen's first night in the house was really fun and we all sat around talking. The other girls went to bed and Kristen and I continued planning our spring break excursions (which happens starting Saturday!). When we finished I told her to come to my room if she needed anything during the night. About 5 minutes later, she knocks on my door and tells me that there is a lizard on her window! Gary had crawled into her window throughout the day and when she went to pull her curtains shut, she saw he was trapped inside. We got him to move around so we could open the window, and shoo-ed him out.

I opened my window in my bathroom while I showered to let out the steam (because it gets so hot in there!) this morning, and forgot to close it before I left for school. I closed it when I got home last night, went to bed, and thought nothing of it. This morning I was talking with Geoff before he left for work and saw Gary climbing around my window. The bad news is that it's not the same window he came in, which means he had been crawling around my room all night long! Ewwww...Gary's a great guy and all, but really...I brushed up my courage, reached around him and opened up the window. Within a few minutes, he left the premises and I shut the window ever so tightly again. And that's how they will stay.

in God's love,

Molly

Update on the bicho front:

Almost forgot to update on the bichos:

Spider #2 passed away last night. Found him in my sink and washed him away.

The ants have left the building!! Oky found the mini-ants' (which look like Iowa ants) nest and was able to get rid of them. The same night I discovered that the rug outside my bedroom door could fit underneath my door and block the light from the covered patio. No more ants since I did that!

No more bichos! No more bichos! ** Knock on Wood! **

And then there were four...

On Sunday, our fourth and final student teacher moved into Oky's house. Kristen is from Ohio and is student teaching in Kindergarten at the Country Day School. She is so friendly and a great addition to our little family here. Oky has been talking about her since I moved in as if she was already here, so it's nice to finally put a face with a name. She doesn't speak Spanish but in just two days has already begun the learning process.




Also on Sunday I had the opportunity to attend an International Baptist Church. Bethany, a fellow housemate, has gone to this church a few times which she heard of from a friend. It was amazing! Sunday was actually the church's annual International Day celebration so they were doing some extra-special items during the service.

We were greeted getting our of our taxi by a man speaking Spanish. The next person I saw was a man dressed in a red, white, and blue flag print matching sweatsuit. The third person was dressed in authentic African garb. I felt a little out of place in my "average" clothes. It turns out that members of the congregation were encouraged to dress up in the way of their country. There were man and women in every sort of outfit I could have ever imagined! Some of my students were even there dressed in their traditional dress from their home country.

Over the past 3-4 years, there have been congregation members from over 75 countries! During the service, they celebrated the varied ethnicities by a flag presentation from all countries currently represented (that's what is in the picture above) as well as a scripture reading in 16 different languages from Revelation 7:9-10. These verses were perfect for this church. People from every nation and tribe all with the same purpose and the same God.

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

There are two church services: one at 8:30 and one at 11:00. In between is a Bible Study/Sunday School hour with classes in English and Spanish. The services are all held in English, but with lots of Spanish or other languages thrown in for songs or readings.

It was such an awesome time of worship and learning. I was blown away by how much it meant to me to be in a place where I felt welcome and accepted unconditionally. Just singing 'Amazing Grace' and 'It is Well' made me tear up and thank God for a place like this for us all to join together as one body. The Sunday School hour was also really powerful. We discussed Song of Solomon, which is a book frequently skipped over, but is so vital to our everyday life. We talked about the power of attraction and learning about what attributes are necessary to have in a spouse. (Geoff had them all, in case you're wondering...)


All in all, it was a fun weekend. I'm now in Week 2 of teaching and next week starts our spring break. Kristen and I will be traveling together so we're hoping to get all of those plans made this week. I'll be sure to keep you informed!

con amor,

Molly

The International Arts Festival

Every other year, San Jose hosts an International Arts Festival. This year it began this past Thursday evening and continues until April 1. We decided to check out the festivities on Saturday.

Naturally, like the Americans we are, we got up early and ready to go. Oky dropped us off and we began to walk around. The festival was held in La Sabana another area of San Jose, in a really big park. They created a large stage in the middle of the park's lake as well as other smaller stages throughout the park. The main attraction were several tented areas (which provided some well-needed shade!) that held lots of art exhibits. You could buy jewelry, bags, clothing, artifacts, candles, etc. We didn't buy much for a couple reasons: 1) We're all broke. 2) We know we don't have much room in our suitcases. I bought a large cloth bag with some recycling/eco-friendly quotes in Spanish to use for getting groceries and things like that.

For lunch, Bethany and I had a large ice cream sundae: three kinds of ice cream, peaches, strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and peanuts. Delicious. As you can see in the photo, it was complete with a little tropical umbrella.

This area of San Jose reminded me of Colorado. Lots of really tall trees! Check out this picture and (hopefully) you can see that they are multi-colored with purple, green, pink/red, and a natural tan. I'm not sure what type they are but they are beautiful!

All in all, it was fun. There wasn't much going on while we were there, however, except for kid's shows. The majority of non-kid-specific shows were supposed to happen later on in the day. By 2:00 though, we were exhausted from all the walking and being in the sun so much. We took the bus back to Escazu. Oky took us the mall to see a movie, but we missed the 4:00 show and literally couldn't stay awake enough for the 7:00 one. Instead we came home and had supper: hamburgers! However, we had them in the traditional Costa Rican way: bun, refried black beans, crushed up chips, an excellent (not quite as excellent as Adolf/Juza meat, of course though) ground beef patty, tomato, cheese, lettuce, and a top bun too. It was delicious! I was definitely impressed.

We got a new roommate today and I was able to attend an International Baptist Church too. I'll fill you in on all that tomorrow!

Love you all!

Molly

Los Bichos continued...

I haven't seen my little 100 legged fellow since our first run-in. **Knock on wood** This is a good thing. He must have told his little friends that I enjoy meeting new bichos because today, I encountered a new one...he looks like a little box-elder bug but with tiny pinchers in front. Oh boy, the world of entomology I am experiencing. This guy was sitting just outside my shower and hadn't moved during the two hours this morning from when I woke up and when I left for school. Again, I closed my eyes to him and hopefully he'll either be sitting in the same spot or will have traveled to the great outdoors by the time I get home this afternoon. I don't mind seeing a bug and then it not being there when I get back or seeing a bug and it being in the exact same place as when I left it. What I do not enjoy is watching the bug move around my room as if he owns it. Either be a permanent wall fixture or be gone, please.

The screaming gecko I talked about my first night here is now my best friend. At the beginning of my stay, I only heard Gary (yes, I've named the gecko) in the far living room (the one we're never in). I thought that was a-okay with me and left it at that. However, a few nights ago (before the 100 legged friend incident), I heard Gary's screams come from the enclosed patio right outside my room. This is the patio my windows open to. Immediately, I closed up the windows and decided that I would not enjoy having Gary in my room.

Last night though, I was reminded that Gary eats the bichos. Suddenly Gary got his name and we became close friends. I'm still not opening my window for him, but his noises make me happy now. I should rename his sounds as well: screaming doesn't exactly fit what he says. It's more like a series of short loud "ecks." To be honest, it almost sounds like a strange laugh. (As you can see, we are becoming more and more friends...first I name him and now I tell you he's laughing, not screaming).

In another story, I was able to watch the UNI Panthers play and WIN in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. We have an abundance of American TV stations and thankfully CBS is one of them. It was pretty surreal watching my fellow classmates from Iowa on a TV station in San Jose, Costa Rica. The game was super close but we won 69-66 with a final seconds 3 pointer to put us ahead. What a game!

Week 1 is finishing up today for me with just 7 weeks left. I've been enjoying all of the observation time I have gotten this week and really look forward to getting even more involved next week!

in His peace,

Molly

Los Bichos

I know what this title looks like, but don't get me wrong. "Los bichos" translates as bugs, creepy-crawlies, or creatures (if you're talking about something bigger). Well, let me tell you about the "somethings bigger" here in Costa Rica.

I have had quite a few ants in my room since I arrived...nothing too much, nothing that I can't handle. After all, I am in a new country, in a new culture, trying to soak up every new experience.

Last night, however, I had a mini-freak out moment. There were more than 'quite a few' ants in my room, so while I was writing in my journal on my bed, I put on my flip flops and began stepping on them. The crazy thing about these ants is that they are not Iowa-ants. One step by a human only slows these ants down. Costa Rican ants are more like two to three steppers. Many times, I have stepped on one and walked away only to find the "bicho" two feet or more from where I left him.

Anyways...last night, the ant infestation was growing. I did a few two-step squishes, but decided to grab some ant spray as well. I went out into the laundry room that connects my bedroom to the dining/living/kitchen area. I wasn't able to find the ant spray, but as I was looking I saw something moving from the tile crack on the floor. It was the world's biggest centipede! (For those scientists reading this blog, it was not the world's biggest...however, it was by FAR the bigget one I've ever seen!) I pulled a "Kim moment" and freaked.

For several moments, I considered stepping on him (MUCH too big...it would have felt gross and made a disgusting noise), spraying him with ant spray (I would have had to do something with his body and I was not looking forward to disposing him), or, as I usually do at home, scoot the little bicho onto a thick piece of paper and carry it outside (I didn't want to cause a ruckous and wake up everyone else in the house). So (this is the worst part), I closed by eyes and went back to my room, immediately putting my feet and all that is important to me up on a shelf or on my bed and not on the floor.

Before my run-in with the 100 legged bicho, I kept my door closed for the majority of the time, but not when I knew that I would be right back. From now on, it is staying closed 100% of the time! Because this little bicho amigo is wandering this house somewhere and he's NOT getting in my room! From now on, I will count my blessings realizing that a few ants on my floor are nothign compared to this 100 legged comrade.

surprises and oxen

I am living with two other student teachers: Samantha, who is from my same university and Bethany, who is from Ohio. My first night here, before Bethany got home, I was filled in on what was going to happen this weekend. Her boyfriend was flying here as a surprise on Friday night. He told her he got her a massage at this super nice hotel. The massage was supposed to be at 5:00pm that evening and was just a ploy to get her to the hotel. Oky, Sam, and I told her that afterwards we would go out for supper, so she should dress up a little bit. This was all put forth so that her boyfriend would be able to surprise her when she showed up at the hotel. Oky and I drove her there and sat in the car watching him surprise her! Oh what fun! Later that night, he proposed and she accepted! It was a fantastic surprise and one that she will remember forever, I'm sure!

On Sunday, we had the extreme pleasure of witnessing one of Escazu's most anticipated festivals: El Dia de los Boyeros (The day of the Oxcarts). Yes, Oxcarts, as in a cart pulled by oxen. Sam, Bethany and her boyfriend, Oky, and I all plied in the car and drove up to San Antonio, the town just up the mountain from us in Escazu. A parade of oxcarts began in Escazu and walked up the mountain to end at San Antonio. There were so many people there! We walked through an open air food market selling local cuisine and then a hand-crafted/souvenir market where we each bought some beautiful ceramic pieces.

The pictures above are, obviously, from the Oxcart Festival. The carts are very ornate and decorated and the drivers were all wearing authentic garb. The final picture is a view of the city of San Jose from San Antonio. It was beautiful.

Oky said that she doesn't like the sun, so she wanted to stay in the car. For that reason, we didn't stay too long in San Antonio, but what we saw of it was a lot of fun. Afterwards, she dropped the four of us off at the Country Club, where she is a member. We were able to use their pool and relax with some swimming in the hot afternoon sun. I did get a little sunburnt, even with my 70 SPF sunscreen, but only in the places I didn't reapply it after the market. For that reason, I'm proud that it worked so well even when the sun is so direct and brutal!

For supper that night, Oky made us personal pizzas (with pineapple, Mom!)...yum. For breakfast, before we went to the festival, she made her personal style French toast. She takes what we would call French bread (here it's just regular Costa Rican bread) and hollows out a small area in the middle. She fills it with cream cheese and a sort of marmelade or jam. This time it was guava (which tasted just like a berry jam would). Then she coats it in milk/egg/cinnamon and cooks it like we would fry up some French toast. It was delicious!! No syrup needed! This morning for breakfast, we had bananas cut up and covered in a thick oatmeal/milk mixture. Grandma, I told her how you used to make this for us all the time!

All in all, I have enjoyed the food. The water is safe to drink, which is amazing because the heat requries that you drink constantly. At the Country Club, I had a salad with my meal that did NOT agree with me. Thankfully that's the only experience I have had of that sort.

Love you all and miss you a lot!

in God's peace,

Molly

Pictures of my Costa Rica house

Here are a few pictures of the house. The first two are the dining room and the kitchen. Oky likes to cook and has made some pretty excellent food so far. You can guess that most of my posts will mention the food. That seems to be the cultural area most important and different for me when I travel.

The next couple are my bedroom. My room is quite a bit smaller than the other bedrooms as it used to be the maid's quarters. You have to go through the laundry room and a partial patio to get to it, however, Oky completely renovated the room and bathroom when she found out I was coming and so it smells new and clean.

The next two pictures show the front gate and the backyard. We live in Escazu, the wealthiest suburb of San Jose. It is a very safe neighborhood, but you'll notice the wrought iron gate out front of the house and barbed wire lining the wall in the backyard. These are common place on every home that I've seen and even the school that I'm working at. Just extra protection against any sort of intruder.

The last three pictures are pictures of our three living rooms. The first one, on the left, is the one we spend the most time in. It has cable TV and the internet router, so there is a great connection in that room. The second one, on the right side, is the sitting room. Oky calls it a great place to read and relax. It has a large window that opens up to the backyard. I like this room because it gets some great airflow from outside. The final picture is the third living room, which I haven't set foot in yet. Oky calls it a room for important guests: basically it's the "pretty room."

Sorry about the glare with the photos...it's so sunny here that it's difficult to find a time of day when I'm home to take pictures but avoid the sun's glare. Oky's ex-husband was American but was born somewhere in the Middle East or Africa. The reading/relaxing living room is full of artifacts from Egypt: books written in Farsi, sculptures of Egyptian pharaohs, authentic seat-things around a little table, and even a wooden elephant sculpture.

Well, we are off to lunch. My appetite has gotten much better over the past few days, so I'm looking forward to trying more Costa Rican food.

In God's Peace,

Molly

The Country Day School

The school I am working with here is located in Escazu, a suburb of San Jose. It is a private American school that began in 1963. The staff and students are about 1/3 American, 1/3 Costa Rican, and 1/3 from other countries. Annual tuition rates for the students in grades 1-12 are just over $10,000 which is double the annual average income per capita in the country. The students, obviously, come from very wealthy families. Many are diplomats, embassy workers, and business owners.

I am teaching English Language Development with grades 1-5 while I'm here. The students in my class are from all over the world: China, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, Korea, Spain, Canada, etc. The majority of the students are fluent in multiple languages. My student from China speaks 6 languages!

The campus is set up similar to my experiences at Camp Foster. The school was built in sections, so there's not necessary a great flow to it, but there are covered walkways connecting each of the buildings. Most of the classrooms have an indoor and outdoor section as there is no air conditioning. In fact, since I've been here I haven't experience a/c except for in the car on the way home from the airport. This has been a huge adjustment for a few reasons primarily that it is 90 degrees and as humid as Iowa is mid-summer. Plus I'm coming from Iowa winters where 40 degrees has been a heat wave lately!

I've been able to try some unique foods in my past 48 hours. My first night here, Oky made us mashed yucca and beef. The yucca, which is a root vegetable, tasted just like mashed potatoes. Last night we had chicken and rice (which was very similar to something I'd have back home) and fried plantains (which are a sweet banana fried in oil). Both were pretty tasty! Breakfasts have been very simple: cereal and milk, bananas, tea, and eggs. Today she made a cornmeal patty to go with the eggs which were sunny-side up (my first!).

All in all, I've enjoyed the food. I don't have much of an appetite still which I think stems from the culture shock and the malaria pills I'm taking. It's so unlike me to not be able to finish a meal! For lunches, us student teachers just pack a turkey and cheese sandwich with some yogurt and fruit. It's nice and cheap and fills my small appetite.

Tonight, Oky is taking us out for supper to the local country club. It should be fun!

Love and miss you all!

In God's peace,

Molly

My trip to San Jose!

!Buenos Dias familia y amigos! Hello family and friends!

I have safely arrived in Costa Rica after flying for many hours yesterday (Wednesday, March 10). Geoff drove me to the airport at 2:30 am for my 5:15 am flight from Cedar Rapids to Chicago. Then Chicago to Charlotte, and finally Charlotte to San Jose. I arrived around 2:30pm and was greeted by Mr. Large (the elementary school principal) and Sam (a fellow student from UNI, who is staying at the same home I am). It was so nice to have them there and that they drove me straight to my host house.

I'm staying with a single woman, Oky, who has three student teachers now: Sam, Bethany, and now me. A fourth girl is arriving later on in the month. I was the last to "sign up" to be with her, so my room is separated from the others, but it's very nice and I have my own bathroom. Unfortunately, it was 90 degrees when I landed yesterday and the home does not have air conditioning. It'll definitely have to get used to that quickly! I felt like I was sleeping in a sauna last night.

Today I was going to stay at the home, sleep late, get my things in order, but I decided that it would be better for me to get moving and try to get busy. This will hopefully help me with culture shock and coping with missing that wonderful husband I have. Leaving him at the airport on Wednesday morning was pretty tough, but we've been able to talk over the internet a few times already and so it's been great to stay involved in each other's lives. We know we won't be able to make it through the next few months on our own, but know that God is helping us out and guiding us to become excellent communicators!

A couple of things I've learned so far:
1. There are bugs EVERYWHERE! Lots of ants last night and a screaming gecko that freaked me out. Apparently they're harmless but his scream startled me quite a bit. I haven't seen one yet, just heard them.
2. Little kids with accents are adorable!
3. Hot water is like royal treatment around here, and Oky made sure I had some in my bathroom shower. How nice!
4. I did not pack enough light weight clothing...
5. I really love you all back home because I miss you so much!

I'll give some more information about the school tomorrow. I'll be teaching English as a Second Language, which they refer to as English Language Development (ELD) and will be working with 1st through 5th graders. I look forward to doing some tutoring and/or working with extra-curriculars while I'm here.

Love you!

In God's peace,

Molly