As many of you know, I love volleyball. In fact, I would consider myself a volleyball fiend. Lol!
Anyways, today I got to practice with the university team! It was a blast! I was worried about my skills because it has been so long since I played regularly, but it all came back quickly. I was beaming from ear to ear - felt so good to be back on the court.
So, I will now be practicing with the team on Wednesdays and Saturdays! Yay! This will be a great way to stay in shape, stay happy, and learn my Spanish (Haha! None of the Ticas on the team speak English).
Today was Dia de San Ramon! The day began with a parade in which saints from all the districts are carried through the streets and placed at the central church. The parade was great fun - bright colors, dancing, and crowds!
Before the parade started there was traditional Costa Rican dancing performed on campus! =)
The parade started at the central park.
The procession was led by the Saint of San Ramon (on the top of a fire truck!)
After the parade I went home. I returned in the late afternoon for live music and dancing! It was a blast and the energy was amazing! The streets were filled with people and everyone was dancing and singing along!
The rest of the evening I spent with several classmates and some new Tico friends (connections through our program director)! We danced, ate (see picture below), and then hung out in the central park and listened to the live music. It was great to spend time together, make connections with local students in a relaxed context, and learn practical Spanish in a very hands-on way.
By about eight o'clock, many of my classmates and the Tico students had gone home. It was just Lindsay, Ellie, Me and two of our Tico friends (Jose and Libia) left. We stayed and talked for several more hours - exchanging stories, clarifying phrases and words (in either the Spanish or English language), and laughing. Toward the end of the night we were invited by both Tico students to come visit their families and spend time at their homes. Libia said she had never had "gringa" friends before because she had always found the female USAC students to be standoffish and unfriendly. She was so cute, she said, "So...you guys are my first gringa friends. You are special!".
Once again, God provides. What a joy it will be to build these relationships!
Goodnight from a tired, but thankful Me.
Tonight I have no pictures, but pictures are not necessary for telling the real story of today.
I just got back from an evening with Lindsay, a girl in my program. Lindsay and I have spent limited time together, but the time I have been in her presence I have found her gentle, kind, and delightful. I have desired to get to know her, but not found the means to tell her or to do so. Tonight that changed.
This last week has required lots of adjustment and "figuring". Part of this process has been negotiating nighttime activities. Many of the students in my program have desired to party or go out to the bars every night. Although I am fine with tagging along and love the chance to hang out with everyone, it is not my desire to do this every night. I learned that Lindsay had sensed this and found great comfort in knowing that she was not alone.
This afternoon I got a text from her asking if she could come with me to the Dia de San Ramon festivities. I had not planned on going, but jumped at the opportunity to spend time with her and the see to what God might do with my evening. On the way to the park she spoke openly about her distaste for drinking every single night and the strong desire to spend time with me and Ellie, another girl in my program. I finally vocalized my longing to get to know her and grabbed her arm with excitement as I told her about the blessing it was to hear her reciprocate my emotions regarding the situation and our friendship. The rest of the evening was comfortable and fun. After eating dinner, enjoying double scoop ice cream cones, visiting the animals, listening to live music, and strolling through the vendor booths, we called it a night.
Sadly, in terms of walking, Lindsay and I live quite far from one another. Because it is unsafe for a female (especially a gringa!) to walk alone at night, I walked home with her and then took a cab back to my house. The charge was only 580 colones (aka. $1.15)! I texted her as soon as I got home and said, "Home safe. Only 580. =) I'll pay a buck to hang out with you any day!".
Praise God for his provision over me! He continues to amaze me with his great love and blessings unending.
I just got back from an evening with Lindsay, a girl in my program. Lindsay and I have spent limited time together, but the time I have been in her presence I have found her gentle, kind, and delightful. I have desired to get to know her, but not found the means to tell her or to do so. Tonight that changed.
This last week has required lots of adjustment and "figuring". Part of this process has been negotiating nighttime activities. Many of the students in my program have desired to party or go out to the bars every night. Although I am fine with tagging along and love the chance to hang out with everyone, it is not my desire to do this every night. I learned that Lindsay had sensed this and found great comfort in knowing that she was not alone.
This afternoon I got a text from her asking if she could come with me to the Dia de San Ramon festivities. I had not planned on going, but jumped at the opportunity to spend time with her and the see to what God might do with my evening. On the way to the park she spoke openly about her distaste for drinking every single night and the strong desire to spend time with me and Ellie, another girl in my program. I finally vocalized my longing to get to know her and grabbed her arm with excitement as I told her about the blessing it was to hear her reciprocate my emotions regarding the situation and our friendship. The rest of the evening was comfortable and fun. After eating dinner, enjoying double scoop ice cream cones, visiting the animals, listening to live music, and strolling through the vendor booths, we called it a night.
Sadly, in terms of walking, Lindsay and I live quite far from one another. Because it is unsafe for a female (especially a gringa!) to walk alone at night, I walked home with her and then took a cab back to my house. The charge was only 580 colones (aka. $1.15)! I texted her as soon as I got home and said, "Home safe. Only 580. =) I'll pay a buck to hang out with you any day!".
Praise God for his provision over me! He continues to amaze me with his great love and blessings unending.
Today we had a field trip to Café Britt and INBio Parque!
We started with a tour at Café Britt where comical guides informed us (in a very fun but tourist-y way) how coffee is grown, picked, processed, roasted, and assessed for quality. We then sampled the coffee and chocolates they export. This was my favorite part, of course! Hah! Yum, yum.
We then traveled to INBio Parque, a reserve and research park representing the climates and biodiversity of Costa Rica. We spent the afternoon touring and exploring the many trails and exhibits. My favorite was definitely the butterfly garden - so peaceful, so colorful. =)
The day was an absolute blast and the weather was beautiful! It rained only on our drive home. =D
