Sunday, January 23:
On Sunday morning Brittani and I woke up bright and early to attend a birthday party for Kianny, one of Mami and Papi's granddaughters. We went to the bus station to catch a bus to San Jose. Once we arrived in San Jose, we got on another bus for a short time before taking a taxi to the park where the birthday party was being held. The views were amazing and Brittani and I were so excited to see how a Costa Rican birthday party was celebrated. Mami, Papi, Brittani, and I were some of the first guests to arrive and so we were able to help with the set up.
Doc McStuffins was the theme of the Kianny's fifth birthday party! We had fruits to snack on before everyone started arriving. Soon there were many of Kianny's friends and family there. There were games for the kids to play like frisbee, egg races, sack races, and jump rope. It was so fun to see all of the parents also participating in the games with their kids. Towards the end of the birthday party we got to see a game of soccer played by all of the family and friends.
Monday, January 24 - Friday, January 29:
On Monday morning, Brittani and I began our first day of helping out the teachers and students of Guácimo prepare for the upcoming school year! We learned many new Spanish words, many tricks to creating books and laminated folders, and to make copies for the teachers and professors. The people we had the opportunity to work with were very welcoming and helpful in giving us a taste of life in Costa Rica. We got to try a new type of food almost every day this week. We tried manzana de aqua (a type of apple), guanavana (a white, stringy fruit that neither Brittani or I liked), two types of cookies (one made of corn, and the other similar to a hard sugar cookie), a smoothie made with raspberries/blackberries and powdered milk (really yummy!), and a type of cookie made with coconut (it reminded me of the girl scout cookie, Somoas). On Friday after a long day of making copies and helping many teachers, the staff ordered pizza and got Brittani and I spaghetti! Our first taste of pasta since we arrived. A difference about it was that instead of beef as the meat, it was made with ham, still very good.
On Wednesday after we got home from working at the libreria, we went to the super market with Mami and Papi to pick out some food to have at the house for ourselves, we of course looked for food we knew, ingredients for spaghetti, Pringles, peanut butter, and Ritz cheese crackers! We were shocked at how many bags of rice and beans were at the store and the fish display was staring at us!
A few photos from our walks to and from the libreria.
Saturday, January 30: Puerto Viejo!
For our first adventure, we chose to go to Puerto Viejo in Limón. We got on a bus around 8:30 in the morning and made it to Limón in time to get on a bus to Puerto Viejo by 10:30. The bus ride to Puerto Viejo was very long because of the number of stops that we had to make, both picking up passengers and letting passengers off. The closer we got to the beach, the more packed the bus became! But we finally arrived in Puerto Viejo around noon. The views were absolutely amazing and totally worth the trip! |
After soaking up some sun rays, we walked through some of the souvenir shops and got ourselves some ice cream. Our day at the beach was a success! We got back on another very crowded bus, with only standing room left, to get back to Limón. Once back we had to get to a different bus station to get back to Guácimo only to find out that all of the tickets were sold out. I called Mami to find out what we should do! We ended up getting a ticket to San Jose and had the bus driver stop in Guácimo where Papi was waiting at the bus stop to drive us home. We were so relieved to have made it back home safely and it was clear when we walked in the door how worried Mami had been for our safety! It's an amazing feeling to be loved by our host parents so dearly. |
Sunday, January 31:
Today was a relaxing Sunday at home. I had time to read my book on the patio and take a nap this afternoon. We took a walk to the park this afternoon after trying our first plate of Rice and Beans. Mami brought home tons of containers of it from her church and was gracious enough to pass it out to friends and neighbors all day long! |
Brittani and I cooked dinner this evening, noodles and spaghetti sauce! It was nice to have something that tasted so much like home! Although my host family is the best I could have asked for I am still missing home a lot! Speaking Spanish throughout every day has been both a challenge and a reward, it can become especially difficult when I only have Brittani to speak English with because there are so many new situations that cause confusion like getting on the right bus and using a different form of money. After only one week I am feeling more confident in myself than I thought I would and I have seven more weeks of life here in Costa Rica to improve my Spanish speaking abilities even more! |
An entire week has gone by so very quickly! I am looking forward to another week of new foods and new experiences here in Costa Rica!
Pura Vida!
Buenas noches y hasta luego!
Pura Vida!
Buenas noches y hasta luego!