DC in the CR

The beginning of this month we got to host a Spanish Immersion group from a high school in the States...but not just any high school: my old high school! It's sort of funny as I studied German throughout high school and was now hosting the Spanish group. God has a great sense of humor for sure.

Read this blog post I wrote about it for the ADE blog: Students Learning Together

Blessings of Friends Here

My prayer for a long time here has been to have some friends. I always felt a little pathetic asking people to pray that I find a friend, but God has been answering that prayer especially in the last few months. Praise God!

I have had my students and my teammates, who are all my friends, but I was really praying for another lady around my age and maybe a similar place in life that I could relate to on a different level than my students and teammates. So I now actually have 3 that I would call my friends here :)

Joselyn when we were ziplining with the students

Joselyn has been one of the teachers at the school with us this year. She's a little younger than me (19), but she's my neighbor! We get along really well. She's learning English, so I help her with that and she helps me with my Spanish. Her family also reminds me a lot of my family. Their house is always open and it feel comfortable to just stop by. There's always people over and are so generous. They have the kitchen and living room open and connected and often have the TV on. They also have a fireplace which I like to sit close to on these cold wet days. I actually took my parents over to see them while they were here and we stayed there talking with their family for a few hours. I love going over to their house. My neighbors have been a huge huge blessing to me!

Yuliana and her son

Yuliana has also been a good friend. I first met her a long time ago when I was teaching English classes to kids in San Rafael and she brought her 3 year old son and would hang out during class. Just over the last year I've gotten to know her better. She lives in a temporary housing shelter that her sister-in-law lived in before. She's 25 and is "married" with 2 kids now (a 5 year old and a baby). We're definitely in very different places in life, but we really enjoy spending time together. I don't see her all the time, but when we do I really enjoy it. A few weeks ago she sent (through her niece) a bag of clothes for me. It was so sweet and generous and humbling and really made me feel loved and thought of by her.

Kathya's beauty salon where I got my hair cut

Kathya is my friend that I've gotten to know the most recently. She's been one of my English students over the past few months in night classes. She's been so sweet to invite me to things and reach out to me. She's 30ish, lives in the town over, is a hair dresser, and as she's no longer married, she likes to go out and do things (which is not always the case here). We've made plans to do a lot of different things and though all of them haven't panned out, just her excitement and energy about it makes me really happy. Also a few weeks ago she cut my hair and she said because I'm her friend, it was free.


I really do praise God for these friendships that are building and am so grateful for them.
Psalm 147:1

A Little R & R

Everyone needs a little vacation every now and then. Our staff is no different. So as the students had two weeks off after exams, we as a staff took one week for lots and lots of meetings and then one week of vacation.

To kick off our vacation, we took the bus together down to San Jose and went to a soccer game in the national stadium. La Liga (my team) was playing against Santos. It was really fun to get to go to a game in the huge stadium built by China for Costa Rica. Then we walked through the central park, had lunch at Taco Bell (though I snuck away to Wendy's) and ate granizados before heading back up the mountain. It was a fun time with the team and a great way to start off the week of vacation.

Sunday night, when we got back from the game, Nadia and I walked in to Gabi's house for a sleepover. Gabi, Nadia, Sandra, and I had Gabi's (sort of) brother-in-law's house for the night. We ate snacks, watched movies (including The Princess Diaries) and talked about boys (like any good high school girl sleepover). Then I tried to go to bed. Unfortunately, it was all four of us in a double bed and the girls stayed up talking until 4am... meaning I also stayed up until 4am. All in all it was a good time. I love each of these girls so much. They are my little sisters here :)

I then went down to San Jose on Wednesday to get away for a few days. Most people go to the country to get away and recharge; however, as I live out in the country, the city is much more relaxing and renewing for me. I had found a bunch of hotels online and asked them all for prices. This one guy wrote me back and through a few emails back and forth gave me a huge discount on this awesome hotel. I could have just stayed at friends' houses the whole time, but I really wanted to recharge and spend some good quality solitary time with the Lord. I got to do that at the Adventure Inn Hotel. It was awesome. I also got to enjoy the hottub, great breakfasts, TV, and a shower with both hot water and good pressure.

During this week and specifically the couple of days alone, I was meditating a lot on PEACE. As I sought peace from and with the Lord, He continued to show me that He is working in me even when I don't feel it. The verse I mainly focused on is Isaiah 26:3 -

"You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind

[both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he 

commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You."

I then spent the final days of my vacation with my good friends Bob and B. They are missionaries working in the San Jose area. Bob works at a seminary and B works in the prison and a few slum areas leading women's Bible studies. They've become really good friends and encouragements to me since I've gotten to know them. During the few days I was with them, we played Scrabble (once in English and Spanish and once in just Spanish...not too easy), we talked a lot and had some really good discussions, we watched a movie, and we took a little trip out to Orosi Valley.

This time of vacation was really good for me to be refreshed personally just as a person (if that makes any sense). I praise God for this time and the things He's doing in me and in this community  :D

A Few Life Updates

Hi friends! I've got just a few life updates to share with you all. Things here have been overall uneventful as our main focus has really been on the school and our students. They have national exams that they have to take in order to pass their grade in that subject. So English and Spanish were last weekend and now the rest of the subjects (math, science, social studies, civics) are this weekend. Potentially all of our students passed the English exam, which was really exciting! If you think of our students tomorrow or Sunday, keep them in your prayers. Because of these exams, I've been doing lots and lots of tutoring mostly for math. I've enjoyed working with them, though I'm a little worried for most of this year's new students in math as so many came to us so far behind in math and have learned a lot but I don't know if they've really caught up. We'll see though.

Students: At least pretending like they're studying hard

What else is new with me? Some of you may know (and some of you may not yet know) that I'm working on applying to grad school for next fall. I'm looking at schools all on the east coast between VA and NYC for either an MA or MPA in International Development (or something similar as they all have slightly different names). So on my own time, I've been researching and contacting schools, working on my application material, and praying a lot for guidance throughout this whole process. So (si Dios quiere) I'll be back in the US for grad school in August 2012. (Don't worry...my dog will be coming with me). I'll be back for a few weeks in December due to some great gifts from some great friends and family, which is when I'll hopefully get to visit the places I'm applying to. Please keep me in your prayers in all of this and if you have any connections or suggestions definitely let me know!

My sis and I when I was back visiting her at VT.
I love this picture and it reminds me of moving back!

Psalm 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever."

I think it's important to get away sometimes and just be with the Lord reflecting on who He is and what He has done. I'm getting a chance to get away for a few days at the end of this month. It'll be sort of a solo vacation (which I've never done) but really just me and God and a time to reflect and praise. I'm excited and will report on how it goes  :D

Día de la Independencia

The 15th of September we celebrated Independence Day here in Costa Rica! It was sort of like the 4th of July, but then again not at all the same. It involved a parade, kids carrying homemade lanterns (most with real lit candles), a torch running across the country and some music and drama by our students. For me these type of activities are not fun because of the hour long walk to nowhere and back, but because it's a community activity that I get to be a part of. All of the kids are out and most of the moms and a few dads. You get to see people out sharing together for a celebrated day. It was really fun (and not just for the 2 days off of school)!  :)

The parade

My friend Julianna's two kids and me

Some of my students after their drama

Two more of my students

On a side note: I've been having some of my girl students over to my house recently, just to enjoy time together. It's been fun watching girly movies, doing hair, eating junk food. I really enjoy getting to be like a caring big sister to so many of these girls!

Gaby and Sandra showing off their pretty hair

Two Weddings and the GRE

This month I got the awesome gift of getting to go back to the States to be in the wedding of one of my best friends. Melissa and Caleb were getting married and I HAD to be there! So due to some wonderful friends and family I was able to come back to be a part of their special day (and do a lot more while there).

In the first half of my trip...I celebrated birthdays: Uncle Ken's, mom's, Brittni's and my grandfather's. I spent a lot of time with Melissa preparing for the wedding and all that goes into that. I spent good time with my parents and my grandparents and ate out way too much (gaining like 5 lbs in 2 weeks). I enjoyed the beautiful and Christ-centered wedding of Melissa and Caleb. We also danced a lot at the reception and had a great time with all our families from when we were kids.

Throughout that time, I was also studying to take the GRE for the Monday following the wedding. I studied a ton, but still had moments of freaking out (in particular the night before). God is so good though! Thanks for your prayers, because between others praying for me and my own prayers, God was faithful as always. I woke up Monday morning, spent some time stretching, reading the Bible, praying, singing, and eating a healthy breakfast. I had a great lunch with a friend who worked by the testing center and she paid for me. (Side note: God's given me some great friends and I'm reminded of that every time I go back to the States - oh and not just because they pay for me). So I went into the test a little nervous of course but really trusting in the Lord's sovereignty and knowing that His hand is over everything that I do even a "randomized" computerized test. I took the exam with that peace (and all the studying I had done) and came out on the other end alive and well. Praise God! [On another note for future blogs I'm sure - If you're asking why I took the GRE, well I'm looking into grad schools for International Development or something similar for the future and that was the first step.]

The second half of my trip...I spent in the great state of Virginia. I got to spend some amazing time with my little sister at my alma mater, Virginia Tech. It was of course interesting staying with her in her dorm room and pretending to be a college student. I was always able to use her ID and people knew I was her sister even without seeing us together. I also got to spend time with lots of people who are still in Blacksburg who are really important to me. That's still a home for me!

Friday afternoon I left Hokie Land and spent the evening at Smith Mountain Lake with Josh and Todd and Todd's parents. It was probably the first time in the whole trip that I actually got to relax. I was also (as usual when I hang out with my Young Life friends) so encouraged. I do miss having such awesome brothers in Christ who love me so well surrounding me and encouraging me regularly. Thanks, guys :)

Then Saturday, through the hurricane, we drove to Richmond for Kerry and Stafford's wedding. Our plan was to stop somewhere to eat and change into our "cocktail dress". Unfortunately the road we were on didn't have anything for so long and by the time we finally found somewhere (a Subway) Irene was in full force and the Subway was out of power with the two employees sitting outside on the sidewalk. Instead we went into the Food Lion next door running on generators. As we walked in with my dress and the boys' fancy shirts, the lady asked us if she could help us with an odd expression in her voice. We said we wanted food and to change for a wedding. She questioned whether the wedding was cancelled, a thought which hadn't even crossed our minds. Gladly the wedding was not canceled and though the power was out in both the church and the reception, nothing could have brought down the joy of that day and what it signifies for Kerry and Stafford. It was so great to get to be there and to share such sweet time with so many of my good friends from college who are still such good friends despite the long distances between us. I'm so thankful for all of you!

Our hotel that night did not have power and neither did my parents' house when I finally arrived home Sunday night. (Thanks for the rides Laura and Alex!) I packed up all my stuff and the hundreds of gifts to bring to the Dozier family all in the dark but with lots of candles (see the picture below). I slept for a few hours and then headed back here to Costa Rica to continue the adventure that God has thrown me into.

Thanks again for such a sweet and encouraging time in the States :)

Poor Puppy

While I was down at language school, my puppy was staying with a neighbor. When I got back, I found out that her leg got cut up pretty badly. She had a really deep cut - so deep that I could see her muscle and tendons. I decided to take her to the vet. When I took her there she was so obedient and friendly, all the people at the office loved her. I had to leave her at the vet that day so they could take care of her. I was unexpectedly emotional about leaving my hurt puppy in a place she didn't know. (Don't worry...no tears and I got over it quickly). They cleaned her up and bandaged her leg (as you can see in this picture above). I got medicine I had to give her every day and a spray to keep it healing after we took off the bandage. It was sad (and a little funny) seeing my poor puppy drugged up and not eating and sleeping all the time. It was also sad as she still tries to hide away from me when I have the spray in my hand, but I feel a little like a parent knowing that it's for her good though it hurts now and she doesn't like it. Aw...I so love my puppy!

Ashes is doing a lot better now. She's so tough! My jungle dog  :)

My US church & CR church

From the 16th to the 24th of July, I had the awesome chance to see God connect and work together through my home church in the US (Church of the Saviour - COS) and my church in Costa Rica (Iglesia Vara Blanca). The high school group from COS - that I was a part of way back when - came to spend time with our high school students here and be a blessing to this small rural church.

It was an odd convergence of two of my worlds where many things are different, but Christ unites.

• COS is a church of like 2000 people  -  my church here is about 30 people
• COS is all in English  -  my church here is in Spanish (obvious difference)
• COS brought a group of all high school students  -  the church here doesn't really have any youth involved
• COS is in the Philly suburbs in a pretty wealthy area  -  here we're located in rural Costa Rica

The differences are many, but I really believe that the church here was incredibly blessed and the youth and leaders who came from COS also left blessed. It's an amazing picture of the diversity of the Church. These are often things that divide and separate, but in Christ they can be things of incredible beauty and peace and fellowship. Praise God for how He unites! Galatians 3:26-28

The whole COS group

Helping us with our house  :)

Sharing with our students

Sharing testimonies with the church

Back in the Mountains & Busy

As I warned you, I haven't been as good about writing now that I'm back up in the mountains. I may be a little busier, but I think it's more that when I'm living and working in community (like I am up here) I'm so dependent on other people. It's not always fun and I feel busier as all the work happens not on my scheduled time and often last minute and I have to remain flexible. But I do believe that God calls us to seek community and seek to live that way. There definitely can be some great joys within it also and great opportunities to ask forgiveness and offer grace - living the Gospel every day with each other. With all that said, I do want to continue to update you all on my my last two weeks:

I had my last week of language school July 4th to the 8th. It was a really great week and I got more connected with the other students that week, which made leaving sadder. I definitely got to know better those in my classes (AJ, Mary and Jim). We had a lot of fun together, and became a great encouragement to each other. Jim and his wife Pat are maybe going to come visit me here in Vara Blanca before they leave CR. I'm hoping to go visit Mary in Nicaragua the next time I need to leave the country to renew my visa. And I'm definitely planning on continue praying for and staying in touch with AJ and his wife Brittany as they get ready to move to Belize as missionaries. I really believe that God brought us all together even for this short time for greater purposes. Both my teachers were also really awesome and I wish I could be there learning from them for at least a few more weeks. I left in the middle of learning all the subjunctive rules and so have to try to learn the rest on my own. The work they're doing at ILE is definitely a huge ministry to all of Latin America. I was definitely encouraged and uplifted in my short time there.

The last week was really busy apart from school stuff with some really exciting things. Monday was 4th of July and the people at the institute decided for the first time ever (so I heard) to have a big party. Apparently the Canadians had one for Canada Day and so those from the USA had to do something. It was so fun. We ate stuff off the grill, had some great baked beans, burgers, apple pie and homemade chocolate chip cookies. We sat around and talked for a while (mostly while I held Titus - AJ and Brittany's baby). Then we watched as some of the guys set off some awesome fireworks. It felt very unusual, but oddly comforting.

Then my friend and one of my roommates from college visited me, Laura Welch! We became masters at the buses around the city and did lots of walking around and just spending good time together. My favorite bus ride was one evening when we got on only to be serenaded by a aspiring musician who wasn't really very good but was very entertaining. Our stop came up at the perfect time that we didn't have to give him money but got to see most of his "conciertito". Then we came up the mountain and I got to share with her some of my life here. For me it was so nice to have one of my closest friends in the world here and my favorite times with her was just hanging out amidst the craziness of my last week of classes.

Laura and I eating together downtown SJO

I'm trying to continue my Spanish learning and improving even though I'm no longer in classes. I'm trying to read an easy romance novel in Spanish (pretty cheesy), I'm reading some of my Bible in both English and Spanish, and I'm attempting to continue working through the grammar book and workbook that I was using at the institute. I'll also be practicing a lot, obviously  :)

Now I'm back up here in the mountains and though our students are on vacation until Monday, I've been working away preparing for a group visiting from my home church and the normal work I have to do. I'm glad to be back in my room and bed and with my puppy! Though to be honest, it's bitter sweet to be back here, but I know God has me here and is working. I'll try and keep blogging, but no promises at how often. Thanks for checking in, friends! I love your comments and messages and emails!

Remember Luke 1:37

Lo Mejor / The Best

On Friday I had to lead my conversation class in a Bible study in Spanish. As I was trying to think of what to share and discuss, I was brought back to the verses that helped to bring me here to Costa Rica in the first place. I'll share a little bit of it with you here:

We read- Marcos 10, 17-31 (Mark 10: 17-31)
The story of the rich young ruler who Jesus tells him he needs to give up everything in order to have eternal life. He goes away sad.

Specifically verses 29-30:

• “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.
• —Les aseguro —respondió Jesús— que todo el que por mi causa y la del evangelio haya dejado casa, hermanos, hermanas, madre, padre, hijos o terrenos, recibirá cien veces más ahora en este tiempo (casas, hermanos, hermanas, madres, hijos y terrenos, aunque con persecuciones); y en la edad venidera, la vida eterna.

How awesome is this?! Yes, God does tell us to give up everything we know and are comfortable with, but only so He can give us stuff that's the best and so much more. I was a math minor in college...so I know that "100 x (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields) in this life and eternity" is way better than what He asks us to give up.

Here's a few more examples of this for our lives:

Mateo 16, 24-26 (Matthew 16:24-26)

• Abandonar: tu vida, este mundo  (Give up: your life, this world)
• Recibir: vida mejor, vida real, vida eterna  (Receive: better life, real life, eternal life)

2 Corintios 5,17 (2 Corinthians 5:17)

• Abandonar: lo viejo  (Give up: the old)
• Recibir: lo nuevo, una nueva creación  (Receive: the new, a new creation)

Efesios 4,22-24 (Ephesians 4:22-24)

• Abandonar: el ropaje de la vieja naturaleza  (Give up: the old self)
• Recibir: el ropaje de la nueva naturaleza  (Receive: the new self)

I don't know about you, but I want the things we can receive. They definitely look better than the things we have to give up! The rich young ruler went away sad because he didn't understand or believe this truth: that God wants us to give these things away so that He can provide us with THE BEST (lo mejor).

¡Haga un intercambio!

Trade it in!

--

I was reminded again and again about this over the weekend. On Friday I spend a little time talking with one of the people from the team that was visiting. She was a great encouragement and blessing to me. As she was praying for me, one of the things she said was that I would believe that God is not holding back from me the best. That's so true, though I often don't believe it. He isn't holding back the best from me. He wants to give me the best!

Then at church on Sunday the pastor talked about John 21. This is after Jesus' resurrection where his disciples were out to fish and they hadn't caught anything all night. Then from the shore, Jesus tells them to put their net in the other side. The part that stuck out to me the most is where it says that when they came ashore their net was full of LARGE fish, 153. God didn't just give them any old fish in the water that night. He gave them the best. He set that aside for them, just like He does for us. He wants to give me the best!

He's good! Here's a couple pictures from the group here last week:

The kids leading us in a song with motions.

Singing a song with parts in English, Spanish and Korean!

Special Things & More Studying

I just wanted to fill you all in on my past week. Mostly it's been the same, filled with studying, going to class, studying more, and working. There have been a few special things and lots of things I've been learning that I'll share with you here.

Last Wednesday after classes and today, some of us from the intensive course have decided to get together to do a Bible study. It's been really good just to get to know some of the other people during this time on a different and deeper level. We've shared a lot personally and we all come from so many different places but the Lord has brought us all together in this place at this time. It's really cool to see and be encouraged by the other students.

This past Friday evening (after giving an 11 minute presentation telling the story of Zacchaeus in Spanish for my conversation class), I took a couple buses to meet up with my team in Alajuela, a city by the airport, and then go up the mountain with them. I got to spend Friday night in my own room in my own bed, which was really great. Then Saturday we had a great meeting for potential board members for our ADE Costa Rica board. It's something we've been working on for a long time (getting Costa Rican nonprofit status with that comes a board) and it was really exciting to see this big step forward. It was a really diverse group of people and amazing to see how God brought all of us together with an interest in caring for the people and educational needs of the area. **Click here to read more about the meeting on the ADE blog**  After the meeting, I traveled back to San Jose with a few of the people who were up just for the meeting. We stopped on the way down the mountain for coffee and chorreadas (sort of like pancakes but not at all). So good!

Sunday I went to church and then spent the afternoon with Kim Chavarria! Kim and I used to work together and live together in Vara Blanca, but then she needed to spend more time focusing on her studies down here in the city. It was so good to catch up with her and talk to her and just be with her. We spoke both English and Spanish, which was good. It was crazy, because Kim knew me here when I didn't speak a word of Spanish and I've definitely come a long way. So, it was a little weird for us to be speaking Spanish together, but great! We definitely laughed a lot.

This week I've been back to study and class and work, however, there's a special treat this week at the Institute. This week is what they call "Spiritual Emphasis Week", which really just means that there's a special team here to minister and encourage us. The Institute is mostly made up of people heading out to the mission field and it's a great encouragement to be surrounded by people who are also seeking to serve the Lord. It's be really good this week to get to know them better through the extra activities led by the visiting team. Every morning there's a time of singing and hearing from the Bible and then every afternoon there's another time of singing and more of a discussion time. Monday in the afternoon we split up into guys and girls. It was really good for me to get to meet each of the other women here and hear a little of their stories as well as their struggles. What an encouragement to me! It's easy to sometimes feel alone here, but I've been greatly encouraged this week by the team and the other students.

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement to me! I hope you each know what a blessing you and your friendship with me are in my life!

Blessings, Lindsey
**John 15:9**

P.S. Check out the pictures of our new kittens up at my house in the mountains!

How cute are they?! (And I don't even like cats.)

Meet Elefante

Meet Pirata

Study, study, work

Study spot at the Institute

I hope you've enjoyed the last updates. I'm going to attempt to keep them coming. Believe it or not, I'm not too exciting, even though I finally have some time in the big city. My typical day has stayed mostly the same with lots of studying and ADE work.

For class we started close to the middle of both the grammar book and the corresponding workbook. However, since I've never studied Spanish, there are a lot of basics that I want to learn properly. I've decided not only to go back and read all the first parts of the grammar book, but also to do most of the exercises in the workbook that go with the grammar points. I've done a lot of verb conjugations, pronouns, direct and indirect objects, questions and a lot more practice. I really want to take advantage of this time and, though I'm cramming a lot in, I'll have time here to ask for guidance while I'm here and to practice over the next year and a half. So, most days I spend in my room or one of my other study spots studying!

Around the Institute - admin building on the right

I tried to have a little fun this weekend, also. On Friday after class I took the bus with some classmates to see "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," at the movie theater. It was fun and made me think of Kirsten the whole time, who was leaving for Zambia that night. (If you didn't know, my sister Kirsten will be in Zambia for a month working with a ministry there. Definitely keep her in your prayers!)

Saturday night I went to church with a missionary couple, Bob and B, who live here but have helped us up in Vara Blanca a number of times. It was really great to get to worship the Lord in Spanish but with the words on a screen to sing along. Also the pastor spoke on Luke 15:11-32 about "Influencia positiva a nuestros hijos" (how to be a positive influence to our children). It was Father's Day here in Costa Rica also, and, looking at the example God gives us to be good fathers, it made me so so grateful for both my awesome fathers: My earthly father, whom I love, and points me so well to my heavenly father. I'm so thankful for both, and the encouragement, compassion, and unconditional love that they offer to me. ¡Feliz Día Papá!

Since then I've mostly been studying and working. Keep praying for me in this time as I seek to focus on my studies and the gift it is that I can be here.

Language School in the City!

I'm writing to you from my bedroom in a host family's house down in the city of San José (more specifically San Francisco de Dos Ríos) and a big change from the rural mountains. I moved down here on Sunday and then had my first day of language school Monday and will be here for 4 weeks.

The first day was really interesting. The first half was orientation and was sooo much English, which was weird to me but informative. Within that I took 2 placement exams: a written grammar one and a verbal one. I was taking the written one and thinking how awful it was and how I might be put in the total beginner class. It was my first time doing some verb charts and things in Spanish and I had to keep trying to say them in my head to maybe get a correct answer. The conversation on the other hand went smoothly and though all my grammar wasn't perfect I felt like I expressed myself fine. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was placed in level 3 (out of 4) for both grammar and conversation. On that same day we had our first day of classes which were really great. (I'll talk more about classes down below).

My host family is really great also. It's a couple and they have 3 sons. The mom, Maribel, is so sweet. She cooks for me and I try and help out with dishes and things as I can. We talk a lot and she's always happy to help me with my homework or whatever I need. I think she likes having another woman around the house. The dad seems nice, but I don't see him or interact with him much. The three boys are Andres (7), Pablo (9) and Manuel (11). They're so funny. Manuel and Paulo are cute and I ask them about their day and what they learned in school, but they like to give me short answers. Andres is my little bud though as he likes to hang around me and help me with homework and talk to me a lot. He's a little cutie and not at all shy. (He's my favorite, but don't tell the others).

The boys Adrés, Paulo and Manuel

My host mom in the middle
(unfortunately not the most flattering picture)

You can see why Andrés is my favorite!

So now on to my typical day...I wake up around 8 and have breakfast, get ready and head over to the Institute, which the entrance is literally less than a block away from where I'm staying. I then spend the morning studying for 2 to 3 hours. One of the nice things about the workbook is there are lots of extra activities that I can do, plus since I never studied even the basics I'm going back and doing a lot of those too. I then take the long walk (2 minutes) home and eat a quick lunch before heading back to the Institute for class that starts at 12:35. My first class is a grammar class with Lissette. She's a great teacher and explains things really well. She's happy to go back and quickly review things that we might not understand. We're moving really fast (we did Pretérito Perfecto on Monday, Pretérito Imperfecto on Tuesday, and along with a few minor points Futuro today), but I love it because it's pushing me and gives me lots to study outside of class. I'm definitely trying to take advantage of this time here. In that class it is me, Mary (she's Korean, in her mid-thirties and is currently working at a bilingual school in Nicaragua), and A.J. (he's from the D.C. area, mid-twenties and is planning to move with his wife and 4 month old to Belize in the fall). It's a small class which is awesome, though I seem to be the one always with lots of questions. My other class is the conversation class that is supposed to build on the things we're learning in our grammar class but to really be comfortable using it. My teacher, Dixiana, is very lively and very blunt. It forces me a lot to try and speak well which is good though not easy and we're always put on the spot as this class is also only 3 people. In this one it's me, Mary and James (he's in his sixties and him and his wife have worked short term in different areas though live in Florida...they both say they don't yet know what they want to be when they grow up - he's funny and definitely keeps things interesting). Today in class we were practicing narrating stories and as you probably know I'm not a good story teller in English and so it was really hard for me in Spanish, but great practice with the past tenses. After class I spend most of the rest of the night mixed between a few more hours of studying and homework, getting work done for ADE, and talking with my host family (OK...I'll admit and some time watching House online). Today right after classes I took a nice little walk around there area as I was feeling a little bit of cabin fever stuck between the Institute and the house a block away. It was good to get out and I found a nice park I might have to try out for a few of my study hours in the next few days.

One of my many study areas

Hopefully that gives you a good idea of what I'm up to, mostly just studying. I'm so happy to be here and have this opportunity, which I'm definitely trying to get  the most out of. Before I left, my students were telling me I had to come back with perfect Spanish (impossible, but I'm gonna get as close as I can). I'm excited to see how God uses this time and the work I'm putting into this. I was encouraged today by Galations 6:9 (go ahead and look it up!).

Little Updates

So this stretch of not updating my blog has been longer than ever before. SORRY! The summer was crazy busy and then I was back in the States for most of the fall with my family. Well to be a little better I decided to try something a little new and hopefully more interesting than a somewhat monthly update. I'm going to try to regularly update an album on facebook with a lot of the daily type things that occur in my life here. I just started, but hope to keep up with it better. It should give you a greater glimpse into my daily life here.

Check it out here: Life in the CR is always interesting

First Summer Update (and much too late)

As you can probably tell from my lack of blogging, we've been kept very very busy this summer. It's hard to know even where to begin, but I'll try. (Warning: I'm way behind, so this is going to be long!)

Eastern: The Masters students from Eastern University's International Development program spent a week with us at the end of April. We outfitted the ADE center with a new kitchen and bunk beds enough for 27 people - and just in time. It was a great experience for everyone involved. The Eastern students got to see some of Costa Rica, study natural disasters (specifically volcanos), work with the ADE colegio students, and help both ADE and our local community. There were also lots of really good discussions between individuals and the whole group and development, sustainability, ecology, and community resilience to name just a few. For our ADE colegio students, it was great for them to get to build some relationships with new people, learn about development and disaster preparedness with the masters students, get a view of higher educational possibilities and take part in serving their own community alongside others. It was great for our staff (myself totally included) to really get to have meaningful conversations with others in the same mind and gain the experience of hosting a group of that size. I was really exhausted after that week, but it was definitely good.

Nicaragua: Shortly after the huge group left, I headed on the Tica Bus to Nicaragua to renew my visa, visit my friend Leah and relax. It was so great to see Leah and Hemby who are in Nicaragua for the year with Manna Project International. I just hung out in their house (and pool) for a few days and read. I also got to see some of their projects and have lots of good convos about community development, learning from the good and bad of their program. It was a sweet time thanks to Leah - You're awesome :)

Interns: We've got interns (and volunteers) here for the summer! Amanda Rinker, previous YL leader at East Mont, came down in May. She's taking her summer break from getting her masters and seminary degrees to get her hands dirty in this community. Her specific role is working with our agriculture project (which Morgan, who was here over spring break and then came back for a couple weeks in May, helped to start). Lauren Ko, also a Hokie alum, came down in May also to be here for the summer. She just graduated from Tech and is working hard here. She's specifically working with some of the environment issues going on here with the reconstruction. Lauren and Amanda have been each so helpful with all of the different projects and needs we've got here. They've done everything from moving rocks and painting signs, to creating handbooks and inventories. For one week in the end of June we had Karen here doing a week of intensive English learning with our students. With years of experience in teaching English and in the process of getting her masters degree in it, she worked hard for a week and brought down tons of awesome resources. Hopefully from the training and resources she gave me, I can be a better English teacher! Now Maria is here for the month of July all the way from Austria (we met while I was in Vienna). She's up for doing anything and everything we need and filling a great need for us this month. And of course, we can't forget Mikki who was here from April to the end of June. She definitely was here right when I personally needed her - and I miss her lots now that she's gone. Look at all the amazing people God brought to join us during this summer. Blows my mind!

Georgia Group: We had a group of high school students from Georgia here for 2 weeks. They spent the first week down in our ADE Center seeing the area, working with our students, and learning and serving in this area. For the second week, they went to a small town on the Caribbean coast to do some service/learning there and our group went with them. Our students worked hard to fundraise for the trip. They hosted a Bingo night in town and made enough money for everyone to go. (Bingo is maybe the most and only successful fundraiser in this community - no lie). It was a great time with our students and serving another small community like ours.

Restaurant: Here's the big one that has totally changed my time here in many ways. On June 11th, 2010 along with the opening of the World Cup, we opened a restaurant with women from our community! It's been an exciting but very challenging venture. I myself have never really worked at all in the food service industry (much less starting a new one). So I've been learning a ton. The women are incredible! For me that's been the greatest part, getting to know each one of the "associates" (as they're definitely not employees as we're all partners in this business). The women range in ages and family status, but what is greater is bringing together and seeking relationships across borders that are usually not crossed - specifically between Evangelicals and Catholics in this community. It's been so great for me getting to know each one and feeling more and more like a part of the community and have friends (close to my age or older - unlike before when my only friends were my students)! It has also been very challenging and definitely needs your prayers in terms of money and response from other local businesses. You can check out our new website (still with lots under construction) at: www.RestauranteArcoiris.org


To come in July and August... visitors, camps, and my family!

Spring Time Pictures

I just put up lots of pictures on my facebook! You can check them out here whether or not you have facebook. I hope you enjoy.

I'll soon write more about the Eastern University group that was here at the end of April and my short relaxing trip to Nicaragua I took last week. Things have been busy. Please keep me and our team in your prayers!

Video of Spring Break!

Hope you enjoy and it gives you a good understanding of the week with our college student visitors.

Spring Break 2010!

So this week we've got 4 spring break students from different schools in the US here learning Spanish, contributing to the community projects and getting to see Costa Rica. We've done so much already and it's only Tuesday:

• Worked on Spanish with local community students
• Gone to church (awesome cultural experience)
• Seen waterfalls, butterflies, and jungle cats
• Eaten typical foods
• Held toucans
• Made empanadas
• Seen the volcano
• Hiked in the jungle
• Tracked a tapir
• Milked cows
• Laughed a lot

There's a lot more to come and I'm really excited. I'll write more and put up pictures after the week. Definitely be thinking of and praying for us :)

Pictures

It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words...so I basically wrote 80,000 words through Facebook. I just posted tons of pictures. Check them out here. If you didn't see my pictures from the first month I was here you can find those aquí. Well enjoy :)

Lots going on...Sorry

Yet again, I'm sorry for not having written in like forever. Things have just been so busy here, but they're moving forward, which is awesome and exciting! I don't even know where to begin.

Well Jason (a good friend of mine from college) came down January 20th to spend a couple of months volunteering/interning with us. He's been working hard and helping out a ton where we need it. It's also nice to have someone that I've known for more than a few months around. Jason is living down at the ADE Center - meaning he is the first official ADE Center resident. We're still doing a lot of work on it but it's definitely come a long long way!

Jason and his roommate.

Shortly after Jason arrived and started working I actually headed back to the States for a week. My grandfather was turning 90 and we were making a big deal about it (as it definitely is a big deal). I took advantage of being home and spoke to all the Spanish classes at DCCS, which was sort of funny considering the whole time that I was a student there I took German. I also met with a biology professor at Eastern and spoke to a grad class there as well. Overall it was a good week, but very very busy and I was excited to get back here.

Once I got back, it was full force ahead getting the center and everything ready for school to start a week later. The night before we were up late as a team building desks and benches and talking about schedule.

And our school started February 10th, 2010! It was so exciting to actually see some of our hard work begin to be played out through the lives in this community. We only had 8 students this week (we'll have a few more soon), but they are awesome! Kim (my roommate and the "School Director") just kept talking about how our students are such angels. They're all between 13 and 16 with most of them just starting 7th grade. It's so exciting because most of them would not be going to school at all if this hadn't opened. This week was mostly orientation and going to get books. On Monday we'll be having biology professors from the University of Costa Rica come and see what we're doing, meet our students and families, and discuss how they can partner with us. And then Tuesday will begin more normal classes. So it's definitely an exciting time!

The bridge on the way to the ADE Center.

Now you should be at least sort of up to date on what's going on here. I did want to share with you a few random stories that have happened here that at least I find interesting:

*Walking back to the cabin at night, we often turn off our flashlights and things when it's clear outside and you can see so many stars it is ridiculous. You can often even see the Milky Way. I've also seen bats fly right in front of us and then learned that this is one of the few places in the world where there are real vampire bats...a comforting thought :)

*This is a large dairy area. So though you don't usually smell it (which I'm very grateful for), you pretty much always know as there are often cows or cute little calfs right on the side of the road. One little funny story that just happened the other day: I was walking up from the center and there's a little wire gate that was open because a truck had just gone through and so I left it open. A little while later as I'm hiking up the huge hill I look back and see 3 cows following me in a line on the gravel road! They had gotten out of their fence and weren't stopped by the wire gate and just kept following me. I didn't know what to do. So I turned around and started shooing the first one back and it starts to go...Until it gets to the second one that decides he's just going to walk passed me. So two cows are walking up the hill towards the main road in front of me and one behind me. I try and get in front of the two but they start running faster. I'm about to break down, thinking that it's going to be my fault that a family loses 3 of their cows. Then the son of the family sees and runs down the hill to put them away. I was so sorry and so grateful for him!

*Oh and I just wanted to share that my puppy is doing well and growing so so fast. She's great and I still love her a lot (even though she beats up on the other puppies and the now only one kitten).

Well thanks for reading and Happy Valentine's Day! I'm so grateful for such incredible support and encouragement from the people back in the States. You guys are awesome :)