Holy Canolis!

It has been over two weeks!  However, I'm realizing that this blog is becoming just a memory saver for my own benefit because nobody looks at it!  OK, wow there is a lot to tell you.

First, I DID end up going to church two Sundays ago and it was a great experience.  It was all in Spanish, which was ok, but I found that every time I tried to stop and think I got completely lost!  But, the people were very nice.  AND the missionaries that brought us to church made us lunch last week! :)

Last weekend I went to Playa Hermosa (Beautiful Beach) with Ben, Bethany, Kelsey, and Rachel.  The beach had very hot, black sand and it really was beautiful.  The waves were big and sooo powerful, and there were many surfers.  We watched the sunset which was pretty, but kind of odd.  It literally looked like one red ball and nothing else.  We stayed at a very nice hotel that was owned by two gringos from Chicago.  There was a great pool and bar/grill area in which we cooked bacon and grilled hotdogs and pineapple.  The hotel was so nice that we didn't even go back to the beach the second day.

Last week was the final week of my second Spanish class.  I really enjoyed that class and I got my first A for a Spanish class in college!  Like I said, we went to the missionaries' house for lunch, that was on Wednesday.  On Thursday, Ben, Hope, Kelsey, and I got to experience something very cool.  We went to this church place called "Escuadron."  It was a big group of people our age and younger.  They were like a group of Christian social workers.  Children in bad situations had the opportunity to go there for free and play games, sing worship songs, read and hear God's word, go on trips sometimes, and more.  We definitely plan to go back.  I get a tingly feeling when I realize that Christians truly are almost everywhere worshiping our God.  But I know we could have more :).

PANAMA was this weekend, I just got back today.  There was a group of ten of us that paid for a trip through the school to Bocas Del Toro for three nights in a hostel.  It also included a "dolphin tour" which involved us chasing a solitary dolphin that chose to surface every once in awhile.  Also, we got to snorkel over the reefs in the crystal blue water.  I really enjoyed the hostel because it was directly ON the water, the room was nice (for a hostel), we got breakfast, and there were a lot of interesting nice people.  The town with all the restaurants and stores on the island across from us was great too.  Everything was cheaper than Costa Rica, the Panamanian people were different (darker and I think they spoke slower), we got to use US dollars which was refreshing, and the island was actually bigger than we thought.  On Sunday we walked about 8 kilometers to a cave in the center and it was amazing!  It was big, dark, full of water, and tons of bats.  That made my weekend.  All in all, we had a great diverse group and I was able to add another country to my list!

Now, March and another Spanish class starts tomorrow.  The class is called "Advanced Conversation," I have heard good things so wish me luck.  I had my first skype interview last week, with Spring Hill, and I think it went very well.  I receive a decision from them this week!  But, I've heard nothing more from Grace Adventures... I'm just praying that I can be lead to work wherever God wants me.

COSTA RICA. HALFWAY DONE. PURA VIDA

Comfortable

I feel strangely comfortable here.  I know my way around, I'm very used to the schedule of school and home, my Spanish is getting better, this is nice.  Spanish class #2 is halfway over!  My typical week 2 wasn't very stressful so it was very nice.

I saw 127 Hours on Wednesday for $2 and it was a VERY good movie, I highly recommend it.  On Thursday some friends and I played with some little Tico kids in the park for two hours and it was so much fun.  Futbol, "basketball", and kickball.  I was dumb and gave myself some huge blisters from not wearing shoes on concrete.  This weekend I decided to save some money and stay in San José.  It's a very big city and there is plenty to do.  Tomorrow there is a good chance that I'll finally be going to church.  We met some missionaries last weekend and they invited us :).  I'll be sure to let you know how it is.

I OFFICIALLY turned in my application for Grace Adventures and my next one for Spring Hill will be in any moment now, just waiting on one reference.  I'm excited to see where God leads me. 

Peace and Love

February Adventure

Yo.  Like I said before, I really enjoy my new Spanish class and professor, that definitely hasn't changed.  Last week was very relaxing and good.  For my first weekend without a school excursion, Hope, Kelsey, Mel, Ben, Brennan, and I did our own thing in Manuel Antonio.  The six of us bought our bus tickets and left San José at 2:30pm.  We arrived at the Pacific Ocean in Manuel Antonio at 5:30ish and found our nice Bed & Breakfast.  The place was very nice, clean, private, and had a pool!  The town of Manuel Antonio was laid back and simple, and the beach was beautiful.  We didn't do anything TOO exciting, but it was nice to be on our own and have no schedule or obligations :).

Back to another week of school at Veritas.  I don't think this will be a typical busy week #2 of Spanish class.  My friends and I still need to figure out what is going on this weekend.  No time in Costa Rica can be wasted!

OH!  I'm going to turn in an application to be a camp counselor at Grace Adventures VERY soon.  I went to that Christian camp for seven years and I would love to go back.  I'm beginning to look at jobs very differently.  I want to something that I can really enjoy AND that will benefit others.  It's definitely a plus to be surrounded by other followers of Christ too :).

Love

God Made Costa Rica First

I keep forgetting about this thing, but how many people are actually reading it?!  I guess it doesn't matter, because one day I will look back and read everything.  Then, I will realize how much I miss being 19 years old.

Anyway, the day after my last post I went white water rafting on the Río Pacuare and it was incredible!  The water was fairly warm, there was some huge rapids, we got stuck!, and just the fact that we were going through a rain forest blew me away.  My guide's name was "Mono" and therefore, we were the monkeys!  Oo Ah Ah!

After that grand adventure I had my last week of my first Spanish class.  Advanced 1 Spanish was tough for me, but I did ok in the class.  So, after the exam Friday we had our last excursion to Arenal and Monteverde, it was the best one yet!  Friday we arrived and went to a resort with natural hot spring pools and the craziest most dangerous waterslide of my life.  Saturday, we started the morning off going to La Fortuna, a giant waterfall deep in the rain forest.  I swam around and underneath it in the pool that it made, incredible.  Then we took a boat ride across Lake Arenal where we could see most of the volcano.  Finally, the day ended with the best van ride of my life, through the green mountains during the sunset.  We arrived in Monteverde.

Sunday, we had the zipline canopy tour!  There were a 11 platforms and at the end we got to do the tarzan swing.  You're attached to a rope and you jump off a 150 foot platform and swiinnngggggg.  The entire weekend was amazing.  God did a really good job creating this place :).

Now a new Spanish class is underway and I'm enjoying it more than the last.  My great friends and I bought our tickets for Manuel Antonio this week, a beach town on the Pacific.  I'm ready for another weekend of fun and adventures!


Love