Eres Todopoderoso

Whew, alright.....I'm finally back in one place for awhile! The group got safely back to San Jose on Thursday after a CRAZY full day of traveling from Nicaragua, with about 3 hours spent trying to cross the border! (that's a fun story) And then I was back in my house at about 6 last night after my jaunt into the rainforest with 5 other students. It's nice to finally have a chance to settle down somewhere again, but I loved all of it!

It's kinda hard for me to talk about Nicaragua, or really even describe how much I enjoyed the experience, because there was so much more to it than just enjoying the experience...but I just don't really have the words! :) All I know is that while I was there, once I had left, and even now as more time passes, the thought of never seeing them again just isn't acceptable. I have to go back......and that's about it! :) I should have pictures to share soon!

And the rainforest?! Wow, that's also an experience that can't be described fairly! Sure, I have pictures from that too, but there's way more about touching it, smelling it, feeling it, hearing it, and yes, even tasting it, in addition to seeing it...but those type of pictures don't exist...yet! :) We were totally tourists, being driven around with our cameras clicking and being babysitted by Jonathan our tour guide- but we got to climb trees, jump from trees, swing from tree to tree, and hike among the trees like probably no other tour would :) The business is called Santos Tours, which started out, literally, as a final project for Jonathan and his business partner, Carlos, to finish their college degrees six years ago. It's different for several reasons, but mainly because it's designed specifically to put money back into supporting the local community...we stayed in a local hotel, ate in local restaurants, and followed a local on our hike through the forest; so we were able to interact with real people during our whole trip! They are truly interested in helping the people make a living, not just putting the money back into their pockets! Anyway, I was really impressed, and totally recommend them to anyone who really wants to experience the country of Costa Rica...and for a great price! I'm also interested in taking a group back to do one of the community building projects that they offer.....yeah, these guys are so cool! :)

So here I am, Sunday afternoon, watching the last of the Olympics that I can (the US hockey men are losing to Canada right now). Church this morning was great...it was the first time I was able to actually sing along with ALL of the songs- it's a pretty big deal, let me tell you! I kinda don't feel like a total alien anymore- a lot of the people in the church recognize me now, so we're able to greet each other like I've been there forever....or at least like normal people. :) And the sermon was really good too, which is even more significant because I KNEW it was a good sermon! :) So we're getting there, little by little, but little by little I also realize that it's going to be even harder for me to leave...especially if the chunk of my heart left in Nicaragua is any indication! Two more weeks here, then another backpack excursion, and I have to say goodbye to my first Tica family. Bah, how sad...I can't think about it yet! Watch for more pictures, but that's all for now. Dios les bendiga! :)

Sobre Nombre

Hey everyone! I'm still in Nicaragua, but I wanted to write at least this much because I could. Our whole student group is back together at a hostel in Granada after our homestay experience. We're having a group de-brief type of discussion thing in the morning and then a group activity in the afternoon, but then we're back to San Jose on Thurday morning! Our leaders told us not to exaggerate our experience in our communities so the "people at home" don't worry, so I don't have much more to say other than that I am alive and well, except for a tiny tiny cold thing, I think, that I picked up in my last couple of days there.....and as always, but now more than ever, in complete awe of the human spirit, and the rest of creation in general......God did good work here, which is obviously an over-simplification, but it's interesting how living a simple life for a while smacks you in the face with the simple facts of life that too many of us forget too often.... Period. Smiley face [because I can't make one on this keyboard....it speaks Spanish]

What's in YOUR Backpack?

Wow, here we are again, officially one month into my Latin American experience! Yesterday, the 12th of February marked that checkpoint, but also the end of Core Seminar! That was the more college-like class that we have had twice a week since we've been here, and yesterday it ended with our final exam....the group that normally walks home from Spanish class stopped and had pizza, and then ice cream to celebrate :)But this doesn't mean that the semester gets easier from here...we're really just beginning (at least that's what they tell us!) Monday morning, all of us are leaving on a bus at 6:30 in the morning for Nicaragua! Yeah, it's pretty exciting...at least, I've realized that there's no reason to NOT be excited about the trip. We'll be spending the first few days together in the city, and then we'll be split up and go to our host homes for about a week. Trevor (kinda the guy in charge of LASP) told us that that we'll probably live in the same village as a couple other students from our group, but that's as much interaction as we'll have with each other....I'm pretty excited to have some time away from the other students....and to be able to just live with my family. We're supposed to keep a journal, and we'll have some assignments about our trip when we get back, but for the most part, the whole point is to just live! And I like that all we are taking with us is whatever we fit in our backpack. It's a bit of a stretch for me, but it's good for me too...I'm learning :) This trip also means I won't be in contact again, probably until March. Right when we get back from there, we have spring break, and there's a group of us who are hoping to do a two-day tourist thing with the whole zip-line, forest tour, hike to a waterfall stuff. That'll take us through the end of February! Man, time is flying! :)

Not only was yesterday the one-month mark, and the end of Core Seminar, it was the opening games of the 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS!!!! I was able to watch the torch be lit at least....which is always cool...and from Costa Rica....that kinda makes it even cooler! :) I didn't get to watch all of the ceremony, but for good reason: Brenda, Michael and I were the only ones home last night, and they planned an American night for me: we all helped make hamburgers (but still Tico-style, of course), and then ate them while we watched "The Prince and Me" :) Michael is such a good sport! To round out the evening, I shared the wonder of S'mores for dessert...at least as well as I could. All the ingredients were there, just a little different! :) They went over pretty well too! :) We're still working on corn dogs...I told them that's really the only food I miss from America, but they hadn't even heard of corn dogs...so I'll probably just have to wait for those, not like I'm not surviving on the food here! :)

Since I'm sure there'll be a TON of pictures to share after Nicaragua, I went ahead and posted my most recent ones: just read the captions for the documentation :) I put those in the second album so far, so just use the link from my last post and keep clicking to see the new ones. I also wanted to share this video from worship at church this Sunday, because it might sound familiar :) It should be there, so just click play:



As always, I'm learning a lot...each new day, I have a new experience that teaches me a little bit more about myself, the world, and my place in it....especially how God is working in all of it too! That's all pretty mind-boggling...which is GREAT! :) For those of you who are praying, please pray for our safety during our little excursion, and all the relationships and experiences that are going to be had and hopefully learned from. Also, the time is soon coming for everything having to do with going back to JBC (I know, it's seems kinda early), but that means I'll be making some decisions (like whether or not to be an RA, and how to pay for THIS semester) and I would appreciate some extra prayer for guidance! :) I ask because I know the prayers are working up 'til now, so I may as well... :)For now, I will leave you to go prepare my backpack after I finish my rice for lunch! Chaio! :)

Feliz febrero!

21 days down, and things are going strong.....the challenges, that is....not exactly me! :) The college part of this semester is really kicking in, so I don't have a whole lot of time these days...but I'll give you a quick update on the past...2 weeks? Already...wow!

I had my first experience at a beach here, with a group of other students last weekend at Manuel Antonio National Park. That's near the city of Quepos, so I got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time, but that also means I rode a public bus for 3 and a half hours....? as well as stayed in my first youth hostel. Those pictures can be seen in my first album with this link again:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034154&id=1004910161&l=d9d0fd8cdb

Yes, the old pictures are still there, but keep clicking! :)

This past weekend was spent with the whole group on an educational trip with the program to the port city of Limon. So much happened that it's easier to just look at the pictures instead of reading about it. They are in this album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035173&id=1004910161&l=12a5b6f0e5

Same procedures apply :)

Other than all of that, I mentioned the college reality hitting, to accompany the roller coaster of emotion that goes along with my constant battle against the Spanish language! But, with about three weeks finished, we've only got about two more weeks to go in this portion of the semester....then it's off to Nicaragua for about two weeks, and the semester really takes off pace-wise. The only problem is...these next two weeks aren't going to be easy ones! Uh! :) But pity party aside, I'm not in it alone.....I've really felt the support from everyone at home, and I've finally started to make some connections with the other students here who, it turns out, share most of my feelings about the whole thing! Go figure :) It's just my tendency to voice/show/dramatically express etc. my emotion at any given time.......which is, it turns out, not always to my benefit! :) So, like I mentioned, busy time ahead, but there is also much more to document as time goes on, so I will do my best to go back and fill in the gaps! :) Until then, keep in touch...I love you all! :)

One down......?

I have been in Costa Rica for officially UNO SEMANA (that's one week to all you "gringos"), and so far, I have:

-spent that week living with people who do not speak my language

-eaten beans in probably every color possible

-ridden on my first public bus, AND in my first taxi

-watched President Obama speak with Spanish dubbing on CNN espanol

-had my first wave of homesickness while watching a pit bull rescue show on the National Geographic channel

-watched a Hallmark movie (they really do just watch a lot of TV...it's not just me, I promise!) with my host sister, and we covered our eyes at the same time :)

-really enjoyed bonding with her (Brenda) more each day by: having a girls' (plus her husband Michael, but he's cool too) night with pizza and a chick flick in her room, teaching me some secrets of the kitchen, embarrassing me in front of everyone while I can't make decisions in the grocery store...or any other time, for that matter, and teasing me through all of it- in the way of a sister that I get to experience for the first time in my life! I'm so thankful I have her! :)

-become BEST friends with two girls (one blonde, and one brunette) who are just about a foot and a half tall! (they're my dogs!) I also would not have survived without Kathy and Molly...a dog knows no language other than love (and how to get me to scratch them in the right places), and it's so refreshing!

-gotten used to throwing my toilet paper in the trash can

-gotten used to getting the right combination of heat and pressure in my shower...you can't very easily have both (but I'm so thankful for the heat period...several of my peers have cold showers!)

-been kissed by more strangers here than by people I have actually known anywhere else in my life! :)

-eaten ice cream sandwiches with Mama, Brenda, and Michael while we ripped the staples out of over 300, 2010 calenders.....I'm still not really sure why, but I had fun!

-gotten in my first (possibly of more to come) debates about private, supposedly close-minded, sheltered, and basically brain-washed Christian colleges vs. state universities in the "real" world that give you "real"- life experiences and education, because they don't force beliefs down your throat...I almost wrote a whole other post on this one subject just to vent, but I've identified with my previous, yet forgotten expectation of this type of encounter. In summary, I consider it an opportunity, both simple as well as complex...but that's all I need to say now :)

-spent three hours in my first typical church service here (which is also worthy of its own post...probably to come later)

-had my first melt-down, right on schedule...during our first assembly as an actual college class at the program office- due to many things, but mostly self-pity

-had a couple more since then, but am slowly recovering one day at a time

-been dating T.J. Rycraft for 13 months, today!

-totally benefited from all the encouragement I've gotten- both from the states, as well as the people here (I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to be best friends for life with the other students here, and honestly, some just simply get on my nerves! But I am continuously proven wrong in my assumption that I can't connect with at least some of them at all while we're in the same situation, going through similar struggles, but also with different gifts, skills, and abilities that we can use to help the rest of us...I kinda hate the term "community," but that's the word the program uses, and I am kinda seeing it in action- as cheesy as it seems to me)

-literally hurt my brain listening to our first two-hour+ lecture in class today on Latin American history, Costa Rican economic and political structure, and neoliberalism....completely in Spanish! (with summary translation, but still!) And I know that's one, with six more to come, withOUT translation!

-seen 1 Yankees hat in this country- worn by my, probably, 85 year old abuelito! :) He made me laugh!

-seen, heard, thought, SMELLED, eaten, and touched even more than what I can document like this, and it's only been a week! But, this is a pretty good summary for now :) Tomorrow, I will not only be seeing Avatar for the first time, I will be seeing it here, in an IMAX theater- and seeing Avatar in an IMAX theater here means I will be watching a movie on the only IMAX screen in the country...for now at least!

I felt guilty when I saw pictures from Egypt that Danielle (my friend who is also doing a BestSemester program like I am right now) put up on facebook, because I have not been able to put worth to my 1000 words thus far. So, I snapped some shots today and got them all ready to put up on this page.....however, this blog site did not seem to want to cooperate with me and my pictures......however, facebook did- so my pictures can be seen there. I realize that not all of you are in the loop with facebook......however, facebook has also graciously provided access to my pictures for outsiders with the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034154&id=1004910161&l=d9d0fd8cdb

Click on that directly (maybe), or copy and paste it into the html browser (Mom, you know how, but Craig can help too!) :) From there, navigating through the pictures is easy...and be sure to look for my narration at the bottom left corner of some of the pictures! Ok, that's a lot for today...and as always, I appreciate you reading my thoughts that may not be all that important- but it makes me feel good to know that you all love me enough to at least pretend! :)

El fin de la semana!

I simply MUST document a commercial I saw today: The opening shot was a split screen of a girl and a guy talking on the phone. As I watched the girl suddenly express frustration of some kind, and throw the phone off of the screen in a rage, my initial thought was that it was an ad for a show of some kind. The scene then cut to an office building, where a woman walks past a man sitting at his desk. While walking, she dumps an entire file of papers onto his head. The final shot shows the woman taking pills, which I came to realize were the subject of the advertisement, and immediately feeling relief in a visually specific and indicated region. I have lots I could say about my reaction to this commercial, but my surprised laugh was good enough to get my thoughts across to Papi at the time :)......so you can take that how you wish too! More later, but this was too good to forget, and I have a feeling I'm going to need plenty of sleep for my first visit to a Costa Rican church in the morning (and maybe afternoon?) :)

Culture Shock

I realize that everyone's first post of a blog in a new country is probably called Culture Shock, but that's ok, because I totally underestimated how high that level of culture shock would really be! I have known my host mom for about...2 hours now, and I honestly think her encouraging me to get on the Internet was mostly hospitality, but also perked by getting rid of me for awhile. She speaks absolutely NO English, and my Spanish is...well, broken at best....so our first meeting has been entertaining :) I love her already though, she's terribly sweet...and we can both just laugh at our awkward lack of communication. The house is AMAZING...I have my own room...and it has been made clear to me that it is "mi casa" now too, which is great! :) So with a new mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, two dogs, a ham and cheese melt sandwich in my stomach with my first cup of Costa Rican coffee, a full day of travel yesterday, and a full morning of orientation today, with a full day of being set loose in downtown San Jose (completly safely I should add......Mom) tomorrow, and lots more awkward language barriers along the way, I proceed with confidence...in the fact that I'm going to be embarrassed more times than I care to think about, but also that my shaken pride will prove valuable eventually...and the general fear that naturally comes before that shaken pride, but also excitement for what God's going to do! Because my short time in this experience thus far has already taught me that God must be enjoying watching me make a fool of myself....that's how I've gotta learn, I guess...and He's probably right! I know I AM learning already (it helps that my mom is a teacher, too! :), and I know that I'm DEFINITELY making a fool of myself at the same time! :)