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.
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