Puerto Viejo!

This past weekend, we went to Puerto Viejo! It was interesting. We saw more monkeys - it was very cool! Here are some pictures! I can't believe I only have 3 days left of class! I feel like I have learned a lot, which is good. We watched this movie today... it was absolutely one of the most touching movies I have ever seen. It was called Voces Inocentes (Innocent Voices), and it was about the civil war in El Salvador, and how the US supported the government and gave them lots of money troops and arms, but the government was basically abducting all the children over 12 years old and making them fight in the army. It was soooo sad! Sometimes I don't want to believe that the US has done such horrible things to almost every other country - or at least support the other countries in their atrocities.

Anyways, I will be coming home on Saturday! How crazy! I'm excited to be home!

Found!

Max, my host mother's son, came home last night, and everything is okay.  Thanks for all of you who were praying for him.  They didn't tell me the story, so I don't really know what happened, but she was worried sick.  Pray for me - I'm feeling sick - I'm not sure if I ate something funny or what, but it's my last week.  I want to enjoy it!

Please Pray!

Hey everybody! Today I got home from my weekend at the beach and found out from my host mother that her son is missing. He went to work yesterday and didn't come home, and he didn't show up for work tonight. Nobody has heard from him, and she is very worried. Lots and lots of scary and bad things happen here - lots of people get assaulted, robbed, kidnapped, and even killed over really stupid things... even just a few dollars. Please pray for his safety, and pray that just something happened that he wasn't able to contact her but that he is okay. Thanks.

Terremoto! (Earthquake)

Today... we had an earthquake... well not really a full earthquake - just a tremble really. I was up in my room, and the walls were starting to rattle, and someone was actually at my mama ticas house putting in a new tile floor, because they are building an addition - so I assumed it was just some sort of machine he was using that was making the house shake until I heard my mama tica call me downstairs. We stood in the doorframe until it was over, and everything was fine. It was very minor, and I don't think there was any damage anywhere, just a little tremble - she said it was because of the change in seasons. Who knows?

Monos! (Monkeys!)

Last weekend, I went to a place called Manuel Antonia, and we got to see lots of Iguanas, Sloths, and Monkeys, which I have pictures of here! We had a good time!

This week has been good! I definitely feel like I am improving on my Spanish! On Tuesday, I went to church and understood the entire sermon except for like 5 words - and I had a guy that is bilingual sitting next to me, so I would just say the Spanish word and he would tell it to me in English, so I understood it all. The church was a lot better than it was last week - the talked about knowing for what reason you have been saved... granted I wanted the pastor to say that it is so we can be co-workers with Christ to bring about the restoration of the world... and he said it was because we have a destination of grandeza, so we can arrive at the level of blessings and prosperity... but at least he doesn´t think the sole purpose of our faith it go escape from hell! Anyways, enjoy the pictures. I am off....

Pura Vida! (A saying in Costa Rica... which can mean almost anything... at least anything good)

Today I did my first 15 minute presentation on the Sandanista Revolution and the Contra War of Nicaragua. It went really well. And I am very proud of myself because I did ALL of my research in Spanish. It was actually a lot easier to do the research in Spanish - than to do it in English and then have to translate it back into Spanish. I have my midterm Friday - it's crazy!


Last night, I went to a church. It was absolutely terrible... I have never been to a health, wealth, and happiness church in Latin America and it was the first! It was worse than chapel. The message: do the right thing and you will be prosperous... God will bless you. I was like... wow... Anyways, the worst (at least I thought) thing about it was that a guy came with us who doesn't go to church and isn't sure what he thought about God, and then afterward when we were walking back another of the girls was trying to convert him - like with all the Christianese jargon... so terrible... like seriously trying to walk him through the steps of salvation (... as if there are steps that even exist...) so that Jesus could save him so that he wouldn't go to hell. After she left, though, I got to talk to him, and I just talked to him about how everything wasn't as black and white as she made it sound, and I told him about my Jesus, and about how my Jesus is not just fire insurance and a free ticket to heaven, but it truly means something for here and now, and I talked to him about the kingdom of heaven and its reign on earth, and some of the things that I struggle with such as who will actually be saved, what does the new heaven and the new earth actually mean, etc., and he said that he really like my perspective on it! So hopefully we will get to talk more! I feel like I am making an impact. I feel like if people knew what Jesus was really like (not what people make him sound like... the free ticket to heaven...) they would want to follow him too because they would get to be a part of the restoration of our world!


Anyways, I need to go study for my midterm and continue reading my 90 page Spanish novel that is due next week (... that I have to look up like at least 1 word a paragraph...). I can't believe that it is almost halfway done!

Hechos interesantes de Costa Rica! (Interesting facts about Costa Rica!)

Costa Rica is the only country in the entire world that does not have a military. In 1952 at the time when all of the social revolutions in Latin America were starting up and much violence was forseen, the president of Costa Rica decided to rid the country of the army. This has helped Costa Rica in unspeakable ways. During the alliance for progress era after the Cuban revolution and during the cold war, the US was afraid that Latin America was going to turn communist, so they started putting lots of money into Latin American countries. When we did this, we said that the countries must have a more centralized state. Many countries had democratically elected leaders, but since we feared that they were communist or that they would turn communist (by doing such things as land reform and trying to equalize the distribution of wealth... communism or trying to make life bearable for the masses?), we underhandedly overthrew the democratically elected leaders and installed our own dictators that ruled by terror and violence - but not by communist. Because of this, there were many more violence social revolutions in countries, such as Nicaragua with the Sandinistas, Chile with Allende and Pinochet, and others, which left their countries in shambles - and whose legacy still lives on today through the poverty that many live in. Costa Rica did not have an army, so they were not forced to create a stronger centralized state through use of arms, and therefore, there was no US-backed dictator to rule through terror, and no social revolution to overthrow the US-backed dictator, and no wars to prevent people from bettering their lives. For Costa Rica, instead of spending all of its money or wars or rebuilding, they have been able to improve their industry, social services, and their lives!

This weekend, 3 others from the school and I took a trip to Volcan Arenal and Monteverde. Arenal is a location of the ancient Maya indians. We actually visited some hot springs, which come from the volcano which are on top of ancient mayan ruins, and we hiked to a waterfall. Then we went to Monteverde, which is a town that was actually founded by Quakers during the Korean War. The Quakers were pacifists and were refusing to be drafted into the army and when the US was going to make them to go war, they moved to Monteverde, why? Because the quakers are pacifists and Costa Rica has no army, and they would enjoy greater religious freedom. In Monteverde, we did a zip-line canopy tour, which you see in the picture - I am on the Tarzan swing! It was super fun!

Now, don't get me wrong, Costa Rica has its problems too. Like the US, since Costa Rica is a wealthier nation, there are many immigrants, legal and illegal. They come from Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, etc. And with them, they bring crime. My mama tica was telling me that crime used to not be a problem in San Jose, but now because of all of the immigrants (which may be a stereotype, like us saying - because of the Hispanics...) there is a lot more crime. In fact, someone got kidnapped 3 blocks from my house here last week. Granted, it was at night - and don't be worried, I never go out by myself at night. Also, around San Jose, you cannot carry a camara, a computer, an ipod or anything really of value unless it is very disguised inside a bag, because many people get mugged. We have to be very careful here - definitely can't carry around just my camera bag or a laptop bag or anything. Here, for many people, they say it's better to not be wealthy - or you are more likely to get mugged. Also, cars get stolen very frequently as well. Just for your information, I live with my mama tica in a gated apartment complex with a 24 hour security guard to buzz people in and out, so it is very safe where I am at, and I know how to keep myself safe, and that is what I am doing.

El Museo de Oro! (The Gold Museum)

Yesterday, another girl and I went to the Museo de Oro! It was absolutely beautiful. It tells about the history of Costa Rica from the pre-columbian times (before Columbus sailed to the Americas) - and shows lots of artifacts that have been found - made out of lots and lots of gold. There are animal figurines of all shapes and sizes that they made by melting the gold and making molds out of wood or just by hammering it into shapes. They are beautiful and intricate - I don't think a machine could make a better image. Here are a few of the figurines. I have about 50 pictures of them.

Like I said before, my Spanish class seemed really easy, so today I got moved up to Advanced II and I think this is the first Spanish class that I have not known every single thing already. It is going to be a lot harder. I have to write a paper by next Wednesday, but I think I am going to write it about Social Revolutions in Latin America, and she said if I wanted I could focus on the Sandinista Revolution, since I will be studying in Nicaragua in the fall. It is going to be much more interesting than writing about cloning, which is what I was going to have to present on in Advanced 1. Also, I have to do a 15 minute presentation in Spanish, and by two weeks from now I need to have read an entire book in Spanish - that is 90 pages long... it is going to be crazy. I very much more like the class, and it will be challenging. The class is totally about Costa Rican culture with some grammer brought into it. I had to catch up on the two days that I missed though, so my brain is fried from all of the reading that I missed - over 20 pages and many new vocabulary words. Also, there is a girl from Canada in the class - Vanessa - and she is a Christian and we had lunch together today after class before "conversation club".

Everything is getting better. I've learned that I don't like going to clubs, but I like the dancing, so I only go to the class but not the club... I am learning a lot, but at times I feel totally lost because all of the other students have been here for awhile and I don't know the culture yet. It is crazy. Voy a aprender mucho!

Mi Primer Clase! (Translation: My first class)

Today was my first class! I am in Advanced Spanish I. The proffesor talks very fast. After the first hour, my brain was on overload, from trying to figure everything out. After awhile my brain started working faster and I was able to understand almost everything. There are only 3 other girls in my class, so we all get to speak a lot and we will get to discuss things. I have Spanish class from 8-12 and then everyday Monday-Thursday I will have 2 1/2 hours of homework. Next week I have to do a 10-30 minute oral presentation - without any notes! Our book has different readings about Costa Rica and then the grammar study is within that. It is very interesting. It is nice to learn all about Costa Rica while I am here.

Last night was an interesting experience. Apparently, in Costa Rica, children learn to dance before they learn to walk, so dancing is HUGE here. The band was really good - and we danced some salsa and merengue. The school gives dance lessons - for Salsa and Meregue and other Latin dances - on Tuesday nights, so I will be going to that tonight. It should be interesting. It is sad because all of the international students hang out together and speak English, but I am trying to talk more to my mama tica, so practice more. Everything is great here, but I feel like I don't know anyone. Most of the people aren't people I would hang out with normally, so it is going to be an experience. However, I have met a few people that seem really cool, and we are going up in the mountains this weekend to Volcan Arenal and Monteverde. It'll be really nice to see everything all around Costa Rica!

El llegado!

I arrived yesterday in Costa Rica. All I knew - was that someone was picking me up that had my name on a sheet of paper, that my mama ticas name was Ana Cecilia and her address, and that I needed to be at school this morning at 8:30. I arrived... I did not see my name on any sign... I waited... However, there were some very nice people around. One guy with a travel agency called my mama ticas house and made sure that someone was planning to pick me up. Sure enough they were, and someone arrived within 15 minutes to pick me up and take me to my homestay.

My mama tica is 57 years old and single. She has one son whose name is Max but Max works during the week and it only home on Monday, so I met him today. There is another girl, Melanie, who is a student as well and she is staying here as well. I'm excited to get to know her. She has already been here for a month and is going to be here until the end of June.

Today, I had the opportunity to walk around the city a little bit with the other (there are only 2 of us) independent student, Collin, when we had down time between our oral exams and orientation and between orientation and lunch. La Universidad Veritas is actually the most expensive private university in San Jose. There are 1500 students, and all study art, design, or architecture, but we are just in the Spanish program. I'm excited for classes to start. Not very many people (international students like me) are Christians, so I am really excited to get to know them and hopefully be a light. Tonight, we are going to a "bar" because there is live music, so I am excited to be their friend and hopefully help them to know that Christians aren't horrible people. Already today, Collin was asking me about how I was a Christian and everything. He has gone to church, but I am not sure if he is a Christian. This trip is going to be an experience.

This weekend, we may be going on an excursion to Monteverde, which is a mountain up in the rainforest and there is like a zipline up above the canopy and everything! During our orientation (of us 2 students..) we were talking to Luis about the excursions and he said we could go this weekend, and the school would set everything up, since Luis has a travel agency which is part of the school. We are going to try to get a ton of other students to come with us as well! It should be really cool. That's all for today! I will update later.