Supervised Splashing!

For the last month or so, Steph and I have been teaching weekly swimming lessons at the local orphanage. We had some grand ideas about what and how to teach the valuable skill of swimming to the kids, but have come to find that our time at the orphanage is better spent supervising and playing than actually doing much teaching. But what the heck, at least we're all having fun!

We usually take a group of between 5 and 15 young kids (ages 2-6) to enjoy about an hour of splashing about in the 'big' swimming pool. These kids are pretty young and there's a bunch of them and the tias (women that care for the kids) at the orphanage are pretty paranoid (usually for good reason), so all of the kids are required to wear life jackets when playing in the 'big' pool. We do our best to give a couple quick lessons (blowing bubbles, kicking, etc), but the majority of the time is spent giving 'dragon rides' and loving on the kids and doing our best to help avoid any major injuries (only one split lip so far (-: ). The most challenging part of the whole ordeal is getting the kids in and out of their swim suits... it takes a while!

It's been so great to have this opportunity at the orphanage. For one, it gets Steph and I out of the office for a couple hours! But it's also such a blessing to hang out with the kids, get to know them, and hopefully show them a little bit of the love of Christ! And although the kids may not be expert swimmers, they are however leaps and bounds beyond the majority of Costa Ricans that have never learned how to swim! And based on the fact that a few of the kids used to be incredibly scared of water (even taking a bath!), I'd say they're doing pretty well! Enjoy the pics!

Family First

It's funny how life changes you... For as long as I can remember, small kids have always somewhat intimidated me, and I can never remember having a strong desire to ever have kids of my own. When my boss here in Costa Rica told me that I would be living with a 2 year old kid, I was a little nervous to say the least. But the Lord really does have a sense of humor sometimes. There have been some rough times with my small host family brother, but we have really grown close over the last several months. When I return home after work I am often greeted with jumps of excitement and a wet kiss on the cheek. We then spend the next hour or so running around the house, chasing each other or playing with toy cars and imaginary chickens. He really exhausts me at times, but he's such a joy!

Here in Costa Rica there are several things about the culture that really contrast that of the States, one of which is the importance of family! Don't get me wrong, I love my family, but the States as a culture really emphasize the importance of individuality and independence. It's very easy, once in that mindset, to take one's family for granted.... which is precisely what I have done.

Another big recent change has to do with travel plans. At the start of this internship in Costa Rica, I was 100% set on taking some time (maybe up to a few months) to travel around Latin America. What better time, right? Before getting sucked into the commitments of work, life, possibly a family some day. What could be better than seeing more of the world, learning about different cultures, and making new friends?

In November my brother and sister-in-law found out that they were going to have a baby! This news was quite a shock to me... and based on previously mentioned views about kids in general... I wasn't sure how to feel! ...so I just kinda brushed it off and went on with MY life and MY plans.

I don't want to get lost in the silly culture of the States anymore! I don't want to take my wonderful family for granted! I want to enjoy them and love them and grow with them! I want to enjoy the good times, the ugly times, the funny times, and the crazy times. I am so excited to be an aunt!

All of these new feelings and outlooks on life have lead me to a very difficult decision. My new niece or nephew is due to be born on July 23rd. My internship is scheduled to end on July 11th, just in time to get home to see my VERY pregnant sister-in-law and witness the first days of life for my niece/nephew.

I honestly don't know what I was thinking! I can't believe that I was planning on traveling instead of being with my family during this incredible and exciting time! I just hope that I make it in time and don't miss out on this beautiful time for my bro Jason, his wife Kendra, and my soon-to-be-grandparent parents.

I love you guys and hope you will forgive me for not sooner realizing the blessing that you are in my life! XOXOXO

Volcanoes and Beaches!

**In case you don't have the perseverance to make it to the end... check out the link to the left to view my photo album from the trip!

Last week my parents came to visit Costa Rica!!! It was great to see them and get a little taste of home to carry me through the end of my internship! Their visit was also a great excuse to do some of the traveling that I have been itching to do! This country is so beautiful and there is so much that I have left unexplored! Fortunately, this little excursion allowed me to cross a couple beautiful destinations off my list!

My parents took a non-stop red-eye flight from Denver that arrived in Costa Rica at 530am! They were joined on the flight by Steph's parents and sister. Even though they were completely exhausted when they arrived, their spirits were high and they were ready to start the adventure. We went directly from the airport terminal to the rental car lot to pick up our vehicles for the week. After a quick bite an Denny's (yes, you know the one), we hit the road!

The first leg of the trip involved a 3 hour drive on the narrow, curvy, fog-covered highway toward La Fortuna. The drive was gorgeous and amazingly uneventful. La Fortuna is a quaint little town that lies at the foot of Arenal Volcano, a quite impressive, lava-spewing monster that has been erupting everyday since its awakening in 1968. We pulled into town, struggling to pull our gaze away from the cloud-covered volcano, and quickly found our hotel.

After settling in and taking a quick walk around town while my dad caught up on some sleep, we rallied the troops and headed off to the Baldi Thermae hot springs. This was the cheaper of the hot springs options, but turned out to be absolutely incredible! If the other place is actually worth 3 times the price, I can't even begin to imagine the extent of its extravagence! There were dozens of pools at various temperatures ranging from 98 to 145 degrees!!! There were acres of beautiful tropical gardens surrounding the hot springs as well as the most extreme water slides I have ever seen and numerous bars that you can just swim on up to. We must have spent over 4 hours at that place... and it was still difficult to leave when they closed down!

The next day we woke up early to find the best deal on canopy ziplines. This is one of the largest tourist spots in the country, so there is no lack of options for the common tourist. We ended up finding the best (as several parties claimed) zipline experience in the country! The excursion consisted of ten ziplines, including the longest one in the country (980 m), a horse back ride, and frog & butterfly farms. It was such a blast!!! Being quite the adventure seeker... this one tops the charts for me (even surpassing skydiving)!!! The ziplines were fast and exhilarating, and the incredible wildlife was the icing on the cake! During our couple hour excursion through the rainforest, we spotting several animals including a sloth, a blue jeans dart frog, and toucans! So awesome.

It turns out that Steph's dad (Steve) is quite the social butterfly, able to strike up a conversation with absolutely anyone that he comes across! As an introvert, it was very interesting to witness him in action and benefit from his boldness! All of us ate at a small, locally-owned restaurant right across the street from our hotel 3 times in 2 days! As a result, and with Steve's help, we ended up making pretty good friends with the owner and waiter of the restaurant. On our last night in La Fortuna, Steve invited our new friends over to our hotel for drinks and conversation. It was so fun to get to know them and learn more about each other's countries and cultures. It was especially memorable because a local high-school musical group was staying at the hotel that night and entertained us for hours with traditional Costa Rican serenades. The night made complete with a dance from my new tico friend and we finally turned in around 2am.

Our experience in La Fortuna was beautiful. We were very blessed by relatively clear skies, being able to see the tipity top of the volcano at several different instances, beating the typical visibility odds. It was sad to leave, but we were beach-bound and ready to see more of this incredible country.

On Sunday afternoon, after about 4.5 hours on the road, we rolled into the beach community of Tamarindo. We quickly checked into our hotel, dropped our stuff and headed to the beach for sunset! It seemed a little odd that we didn't really see anyone else swimming in the water at sunset, but we decided to take a quick dip anyway. The water was warm (seriously... like getting in the tub) and the sunset was breathtaking.

The next morning we made our way to the tourist booth to plan out our next few days. Steph, Jen, and I immediately booked a surf lesson for that afternoon! I was pretty nervous about the whole situation... being from the Rocky Mountains and fairly intimidated by the big blue ocean! Despite my nerves and fears, we had an awesome experience. Our instructor was very patient and knowledgeable and encouraging. I was stoked to pick it up pretty quick and catch several waves. I think the years of snowboarding may have helped! It was sad to see our lesson end, but it would not be our last time on a surfboard.

The next day we enjoyed an afternoon catamaran excursion. We sailed for several miles to find a calm and prestine snorkeling location! We spent almost an hour marveling at the incredible underwater world. God is so creative! We saw some incredible things including blow fish, angel fish, parrot fish, puffer fish, octupus, and an eel. After eating some yummy food, we pulled in the anchor and headed back toward shore. The experience was topped off with an incredible golden sunset! Unbelievable.

We planned to hit the road the following day and explore another beautiful beach town further down the coast. However, some sickness in Steph's family convinced us that it would be wiser for us to avoid any extended travel and take it easy in Tamarindo for a couple more days. We finished out with week with several days of surfing and a small snorkling excursion to a quiet beach called Playa Conchal, named after its unique entirely shell-pieces sand. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the beach and my shoulders are sufficiently sore from the five straight days of paddling around on a surfboard. It was also such a treat to be visited my large families of howler monkeys right outside our beautiful hotel!

On Saturday morning we finally bid farewell to the beach and headed inland to introduce my parents to my little town called Atenas. It was really cool to see my parents meet my host family! When we left their house after dinner my mom started crying! She said she was so happy that I lived with such a nice family... Aw. I also took my parents to the little church that I attend here in Atenas. I think they appreciated the experience, but it was a long service entirely in Spanish! Oh well, at least they got to witness the church sing happy birthday to me and enjoy some cake!

It was sad to say goodbye when my parents had to head back home, but I am so thankful to have shared this place with them. Now it seems like no time at all until I will be back with them in Colorado. Love you mom and dad!

P.S. Check out the link on the left to my online photo albums!!! Now you can see many more pics, with much less effort on my part! Enjoy!

La Visita de Mis Padres!!!

Tomorrow morning, 530am, my parents arrive in Costa Rica! I am super-excited to see them! We have a busy week planned including Volcano Arenal, Tamarindo beach, Hermosa Beach, Manuel Antonio, and Atenas! I expect it to be a great time of relaxation and rejuvenation! I'll post updates and pics after the trip!

Wedding, Maracuya, & Good Friends

As many of you know, I served as a volunteer with Youth For Christ in La Paz, Bolivia about two years ago. It was an unbelievable, live-changing experience! Randy, the missionary that I worked alongside in La Paz, proposed to his Bolivian girlfriend while he was home in Colorado for the holidays! Randy made it into quite a production and I, along with many other friends, had the opportunity to be involved in the proposal. Anyways, he and his fiance, Dani, planned their wedding to take place in La Paz, at the end of April. I didn't really even consider going since I am down here in Costa Rica serving with Engineering Ministries International. BUT, sometimes God works in mysterious ways. Randy kept dropping little hints about me coming to the wedding, but I didn't pay much attention to them, since I figured that flying down to La Paz would be out of the question. The interns and I were scheduled to leave the country the same weekend of the wedding to renew our visas, so it turned out to be perfect timing, and due to many fortunate circumstances, I was able to make it down to Bolivia! I've been dreaming about getting back to Bolivia ever since I left, and I feel so blessed to have gotten the opportunity to return!

I flew out of Costa Rica last Monday afternoon and arrived in Bolivia around 1am. I was graciously and enthusiastically greeted by Pedro and his kids as well as a good friend Ramiro. It was so good to see them!!! I stayed at Pedro's house (Youth for Christ director) in his daughters' room. It really did feel like home!

The week consisted of a bunch of pre-wedding activities, but also some great time to catch up with old friends! It was especially cool because almost all of the gringos that I worked with down in Bolivia came down for the wedding, so we got to have a bit of a reunion! I won't go through all of the specifics, but some of the highlights include: playing soccer with the shoeshiner guys, eating my favorite mayacuya (passion fruit) ice cream (several times!), riding around the city in public transport minibuses, dancing the night away at the wedding reception, eating anticucho (grilled up cow's heart) from a street vendor, visiting with Bolivian pastors, volunteers, and shoe shiners, late nights of chatting with Pedro's daughters (definately like the little sisters I've never had!), seeing many of the shoe shiner guys wearing suits for the first time in their lives, falling in love with Bolivia all over again!!!!

Upon leaving, one of Randy's friends (Keith) who works for Youth for Christ in the States had a little talk with me. He said that he would really be praying for my future and the decisions that I will be making for my life over the next several months. He told me that the Lord can definately use me as an engineer in a typical job in the States, but that he can really see a fire inside of me and a passion for Bolivia. That I really look comfortable and like I belong in Boilvia. The conversation kind of took me by surprise... but made me think a lot too. I always think about Bolivia, but haven't really seriously considered moving back there long term. I guess you never know what the Lord might have for my future. Please pray with me as I seek the Lord's will for my life!

I feel so blessed to have been in Bolivia and shared in the amazing union of two incredible people! Please enjoy the pics!

My Bolivian sisters, Deborah and Priscila

Getting my nails done with the girls!

I got the hot wax treatment!

The end result! Kinda cute, eh?

Eating anticucho with Jon and the happy couple!

A breath taking view of Mt. Illimani and the city from the soccer court!

Ross and Freddy, an old shoeshiner friend

David, Ramiro, and Ross chilling at Randy's place

Dani trying to identify her man by only being able to feel his calf at the bridal shower! And she did it!

Eating a ginormous ice cream cone at Brosso's!

Most of Randy's groomsmen at the rehearsal dinner

Me and Ramiro at the rehearsal dinner

The church just before the wedding ceremony

Half of the wedding party during the ceremony

The shoe shiner gang after the ceremony!

Randy and Dani - their first dance as a married couple!

Hanging with the Fam

Last week I was really frustrated with my host family because I had yet to spend a weekend with them. They usually just relax at the house and watch tv on the weekends... so I usually make my own plans with my friends. So, last weekend I made plans with my friends to go to the zoo and the pool and have breakfast with a neighbor, but very late the night before, my family informed me that they were going to the beach! I didn't want to cancel my plans, so I just hung out with my friends and missed out on the beach. This has happened a few times...where my host family doesn't tell me about their plans until the very last minute after they know that I have made my own plans. So, I was beginning to think that they didn't like me, and didn't want me to hang out with them! But... after informing the rest of the gringos of my family woes, my boss told me that it was simply the latin culture, and that next time, if I really wanted to spend time with my family, I would just have to commit to canceling whatever plans I may have already made to be with them!

So... low and behold... my friends and I made plans to travel to Montezuma (a sweet tourist spot on the Nicoya penninsula) over the weekend, but my host mom invited me to go to this new zoo nearby! Even though it was tough to do... and Steph was really pulling for me to go with them to the beach... I decided to stick with the game plan and cancel my plans!

Saturday, I headed to the zoo with Lucy, Flor, and Walnercito. It's this new zoo that they just opened called PANACA (Parque Nacional de Agro-something). They only have farm-type animals and really promote the importance of agriculture. Their slogan is, 'Sin campo, no hay ciudad', which means 'without country (farming/agriculture), there is no city'. It was a really fun day, especially with the little one, because there is so much to do and see! Walnercito feed a bunch of different animals, took rides on a buffalo and a pony, and got a huge hug from the park mascot! It was a very long day... but so fun to be with the family!

Then on Sunday the family decided to take a trip to the beach! Of course we had planned to leave right after church, but we didn't get out of the house for several hours! Right when the clouds rolled in and the lightning started, we piled in the car and headed to the closest beach. Unfortunately, there wasn't any sun at the beach either, but it was still plenty warm to enjoy a nice dip in the sea! The beach we went to was in Puntarenas... not a very pretty beach (lots of trash and dirty sand), but it was fun none the less! We enjoyed our time swimming in the water, building sand castles, and burying each other in the sand! As the sun was setting, we packed up our things and stopped for some ice cream. Yum!

Steph, Brad, and Josh had a great weekend in Montezuma and it was slightly painful to listen to their fun stories! But I am so glad that I finally got some time to be with the family! Especially since I recently found out that they are planning on moving to San Jose in the very near future! It sounds like they may be moving away in less than a month! ....leaving me homeless! So, you can be praying for good quality time with my family before they move and a new host family for me to stay with for the remainder of my time in Atenas.

Zoo Ave

Last weekend, Steph and I took a trip to the local Zoo with her Costa Rican sister. It was a fun day and really cool to see all the cute and colorful animals! Our favorite attraction was the toucans! They are so cool, especially how they hop around and turn their heads to see past their enormous beaks. Enjoy the photos!