One Week

One week.  Has it only been that long?  I feel as if I’ve lived a month here already!  I am now officially thinking in Spanglish, a weird feeling to be sure.  The family here is great because we speak a lot in Spanish (which is super challenging and I am lost for many conversations) and then, sometimes mid-sentence, we’ll be speaking in English and my mind can take a mental break.  I go to bed exhausted from thinking so hard :)  

I have taken the bus here a couple of times and the train once too.   The two lessons I learned from that: they have a different meaning for “personal bubble” here and, I don’t know if the driving schools are at fault or if they even have driving schools, but everyone here drives crazy!  My dream of having a moped here has quickly evaporated because I fear driving one around and dying by being grazed by a car or bus…  I am also starting to get the hang of colones, the local money here.  Just as an example: 25,000 colones equals roughly $50.  Add another benefit of living in another country: my math skills are improving :)  

This week has been interesting because I never knew what was going to happen from one moment to the next.  We had four extra people in the house this weekend:  two family friends and two visitors from Nicaragua.  Talk about a full house!  Yesterday I assisted in tutoring a few local school kids (playing games and helping them with their English) which was a blast for me :)  Last night we also welcomed another visitor, a friend from Bolivia, who is going to be staying with us for the week.  Another name, another face—‘tis the life here at Casa Adobe.  From family dinners (all of us cramming around the one table) to movie nights to going to a local Anglican Church (or Episcopalian in the U.S.) to cooking meals for bunches of people, there is never a dull moment to be sure!

I’m not sure what this week will bring, but I’m sure I’ll be surprised by it and probably confused at times too.  But that is the story of my life right now :)  And so we go.  Stay tuned!

A New Day

While I am writing this, a torrential downpour cascades outside my window.  The thunder rumbles throughout the house and sounds much fiercer than the storms back home.  It is beautiful.  But before I get too carried away, let me recap about my trip here yesterday.

After a bittersweet going away gathering at the airport, I hopped on my first flight from GR to Dallas.  All in all, a short and uneventful trip.  The plane itself was the smallest puddle jumper I’ve ever flown in, with two seats on one side of the isle and one seat on the other.  I was in the one seater and my backpack didn’t even fit under the seat so I had nothing to do for most of the flight.  The couple next to me had a dog with them so that passed the time a bit J

I made it to Dallas and realized what a huge airport it is.  I hopped on the right commuter train to get to the right terminal (like a pro) and relaxed for the short layover between flights.  Once onboard, I found my seat and… no one sat next to me.  NO ONE.  I had the entire three seats to myself, much to my glee.  They also served us a meal, some chicken and mashed potatoes thing that I managed to eat J  I landed in a glittering city cloaked in night, so I was unable to see any of Costa Rica until today.  I made it through immigration without problems, huffed my luggage off the conveyor belt and through customs, and met the Padilla-DeBorsts outside.  By that time I was exhausted.  Once back at the house (Casa Adobe) I was greeted by an entourage of people, my new living companions totaling 15 in all (and four dogs, a cat, several chickens and ducks, and two goats)!  Introductions went around, most of which I have forgotten, and my brain reeled from the sudden immersion in Spanish.  I have a roommate from Nicaragua who is trying to learn English so we’ll be great for each other.  I gratefully collapsed onto my bed and enjoyed the peaceful night’s rest.

 

 

Or so I thought.  During the night, the nearby train thundered past time after time, blaring its horn for all to hear, including me.  The rooster (which lives outside my window) sang the song of his people all throughout the night, clearly unaware of his job description.  The two goats, who also live outside my window, bleated occasionally.  All in all, a great night’s sleep.

Today, I have been on tagalong duty, taking in everything around me and being as much a sponge as anything else.  One of the ladies here has really taken me in and has promised that she’ll teach me how to cook!  Haha.  I tried a local fruit as well today--It tasted good but looks like frog eggs and has the consistency of seeds encased in snot.  But if you can get over that, it’s pretty good J 

 

 

Much of the surrounding town reminds me of Ensenada, Mexico.  The mountains surround us in the valley making the landscape gorgeous.  And of course the daily afternoon “rains.”  More like monsoons.  But I like it.  Tomorrow will be another day of orientation and Spanish immersion, so please pray for endurance and excitement.  And so we go.  Stay tuned everyone J    

T Minus 1

Alrighty, so tomorrow’s the big day!  I just have to say the phrase “heart in your throat” has achieved a whole new level of meaning for me lately.  It seems as if the littlest things incite a wave of nostalgia in me, and I haven’t even left yet! 

This week presents a whole new world of the unknown and I have no idea how to prepare for it.  I suppose my specialty at winging it will come in handy :) I know the Lord will guide me throughout this time, but I wish he wouldn’t be so vague about everything!  Please pray for patience and endurance as I make this transition.

Most of all, please pray for my family as I know they’re going to be hit pretty hard by my absence.  Pray for strength and for them to find some joy in me not being there (after all, the bossy big sister has left the building so there has to be something good about that)  :)

I’ll try to post about my flight and arrival in Costa Rica so stay tuned everyone!