language school

View from the stairwell...Pretty great!

Woohoo, language school!! I am SO excited about this opportunity! I came back to Costa Rica and started class the very next day at the Instituto de Lengua Española (ILE). Because of my Spanish background, I was able to start in the second of three trimesters. So, for the rest of my time here, I will be in class from 7:30am to noon, Monday thru Friday! This is a huge commitment, but I am grateful for the opportunity to improve my language skills with the goal of fluency! I am also excited about effectively communicating with kids in their primary language!

Admissions Building at ILE.

I have class on the second floor of this building!

fun fact friday!

DID YOU KNOW???

It rains “cat hair” here.  Yep, cat hair.  Pelo de gato.  They use it to describe the gross, misty, annoying rain.  Like the rain just annoying enough for you to get out your umbrella, but you’re not really sure if it’s raining actual drops.  So move over, “It’s raining cats and dogs,” cause it’s raining “pelo de gato” here!

You can’t buy return bus tickets before leaving for your trip.  Nope.  You’ve just got to go to your destination and hope you can get a ticket back!  It’ll give you a taste of “Tico Time” real quick, haha.  It’s usually not an issue, it’s just the first thing you do when you get to your destination.  But there is virtually always room, at least standing, on the buses.  (Yes, you might have to stand the 4-6 hour ride back from the beach).  Pura vida.

GOOOOOLs and ELLAbrations!!!

Today, I went to my first ever Costa Rican soccer game!!  And it lived up to all my expectations!  A cultural experience to say the least!  Ticos are passionate about their soccer and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!

We went to the Saprissa vs. Liga game, two of the biggest rivals in the country.  Rachel and I awkwardly lingered behind a group of people wearing Saprissa jerseys down Avenida Central downtown until we built up enough courage to ask them if they were going to the game/could tell us how to get to the bus...

Most of the game was zero-zero, and we were just hoping that someone, we didn’t even care who, would score so we could hear them yell GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!  And our dreams came true late in the second half when Saprissa scored and the stadium absolutely erupted!!  It was a home game for Saprissa, so the crowd was absolutely going crazy!  So fun to watch!!

Saprissa Stadium in Tibas

L to R:  Rachel, Me, Bonnie, Laura, Elizabeth (front).
Laura and Elizabeth are two girls from the States,
student teaching here, and being hosted by Bonnie’s family, too!

Later that evening we had an ELLAbration!!  We went out to dinner (to the only “Mexican” restaurant you will find in this country) to celebrate our sweet friend Ella who is finishing up her last trimester of language school here, and will be moving to Managua, Nicaragua next semester.  I am so sad to see her leave, although so excited for what the Lord has for her in Nica.  Ella is so full of joy and life.  Always smiling and laughing.  She cares for people deeply and has invested in her time here in Costa Rica.  Not letting it pass as simply “space inbetween”.  Our team will not be the same without her next semester, but the Lord is going to do awesome things in and through her as she joins the YL Staff team in Nicaragua!

In her own great words, “slightly awkward pic of a
super fun group of people...”  Els, you’re the best!
L to R:  Bradyn, Jason, Bonnie, Jessie, ELLA,
Grace, Me, Alex, Rachel.

fun fact friday!

DID YOU KNOW???

The Auto Mercado is not a car dealership...it’s a grocery store that has a lot of imported goods.  Tricky.

Ticos are not happy with the quality of fruits and vegetables grown here in late October/November.  Mama Mayra (my host mom) loves to tell me this, haha.  “No está rica/dulce.”  Apparently the amount of rain that they get in October in the height of rainy season, makes for less desirable produce.

¡feliz día de acción de gracias!

Today, Thanksgiving, was the first major holiday I’ve celebrated away from my family.  It was different, but I had a great time celebrating it with 50 other Vida Joven staff here in Costa Rica.  It was so fun to share with the Ticos a significant piece of U.S. culture.

I started the day with a Turkey Trot!  My friend, Susannah, and I have both Turkey Trotted with our families and wanted to have one here.  So I made tshirts, she mapped a course, and we had one!  There were about 35 people who ran and we raised almost $500 for a children’s home Susannah is volunteering with!

L to R:  Me, Ella, and Jessie before starting the
First & Last Annual Slightly Less than 6k Turkey Trot!

Kevin (YL Regional Director) and his wife, Michelle, host Thanksgiving at their house every year for all of the Vida Joven Staff.  And it’s awesome!  They are from the States, but have lived in Costa Rica for years.  I am so grateful for their hospitality.  There was so much love and joy and laughter in their house.  So much to reflect on and celebrate together.

“It is not joy that makes us grateful;

it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”

Brother David Steindl-Rast

I recently listened to a sermon from Common Ground (church in Indy I went to in college).  The pastor talked about this idea  that our job as the church is to be unusually and radically welcoming.  I think a lot of times this is done poorly.  It’s inauthentic and it turns people off.  But today was such a clear picture of what I think this idea looks like.  Being radically welcoming.  Realizing and embracing that everyone has a seat at the table regardless of culture or background.  I knew some people well, and others hardly at all, but we were warm and welcoming.  Rooted in Christ.  Celebrating the things He has done.  The way He’s provided and loved all of us this past year.  And that’s so much bigger than culture or place!  It’s beautiful the way the staff here have embraced the holiday, and it’s a gift to share it with them.  My heart felt full as I looked around the room, one of 10-15 Gringos in a room of 55, talking and singing in Spanish, just taking it all in.  Such a picture of the Kingdom of God.  

Most of the group!

We all had a paper leaf to write what we were thankful for.  Michelle keeps them, strings them on twine, and decorates with them every year.  Mine read,

I am grateful for a year of adventure and celebration.   

We sang.  We played games.  We laughed.  We ate.  We shared.  We celebrated.  So very grateful for this year.  For the lessons.  For the adventure.  For family.  For new and old friends.  For rich experiences.  For embracing opportunity.  For seeing and experiencing the Kingdom in a new and beautiful way.

Grateful for these friends.
Young Life International Schools Costa Rica.

They have the BEST view from their house
and the sunset was absolutely stunning!
It just kept getting better!
You can see all of Sabana, the National Soccer Stadium,
AND THE OCEAN!!!

fun fact friday!

DID YOU KNOW???

Every person/household/business is responsible for the sidewalk in front of their property.  Therefore, as you might imagine, there is quite a range of “sidewalks” here.  Ranging from inexistent, to crumbled, to brand new.

Costa Rica does not celebrate Thanksgiving.  This is obvious, it’s a U. S. holiday, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget (even when you live here!).  It’s interesting how powerful cultural constructs are.  I’ve always been part of the dominant culture celebrating a specific holiday.  I catch myself wanting to ask people what their plans are for the holiday, and sometimes actually do, which is embarrassing...

wowza!

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Psalm 19:1