Overwhelmed

It's not what you think. I'm not overwhelmed by the work I'm doing, though it is tiresome at times. I'm wholly, utterly, unreservedly thankful for everything I have. I know it's not thanksgiving, but why wait for a holiday when I can be thankful right now? Everything about today just threw my blessings right in front of me and I can't not share them with you.

Clear skies - This morning, the sun came out and it remained clear for much of the day. In fact, I can see all the stars right now. It rained for a total of 9 days straight. I hope I never take a clear sky for granted again. I love the sun and I love stars. Sometimes, it takes horrible weather to remind me of this.

New tastes - Almost as soon as I got home tonight, Jeison handed me a piece of sugar cane. Soooo yummy. I've had it before, but it just reminds me of all the wonderful things I've gotten to eat and try here. Firstly, you should know that I've been reconverted to the love of eggs. For those of you who don't know, before last spring, I hadn't eaten an egg (by itself) for at least 3 years. Now I eat them all the time and they're quite delicious, I must say. I even had one over easy and liked it! Big steps for me. I also got to try Mamon Chino (lychee fruit) and starfruit, both of which are absolutely delicious. I've also tasted quite of few things I don't like (I don't remember names otherwise I'd share) but they make me enjoy everything else so much, I don't really mind in the end. I love food.

My Costa Rican family - They are one of the biggest joys in my life. This morning I had to chase Sofia through the house in order to get her hair combed before school. We laughed the entire time. Then this afternoon as we were watching a video in Kinder class, she gently worked her way onto my lap and fell asleep. Have you ever had a child fall asleep on your lap? It was perhaps the most sublime interaction I've ever shared with another person. She is precious and I love her. Aileen is maybe the most kindhearted person I've ever met. She always draws me darling pictures of the family (with me included!) or asks me if I need anything. She loves to tell me stories. I hope to have a child as sweet as her one day. Kindria is like a big sister and a mom all wrapped into one. Not only does she take care of me, but she talks with me, shows me new things to cook and laughs at me when I get freaked out by the giant bugs that frequently wander into our home. Jeison is awesome too. He built me a door for my room and is always ready to share exciting things about Costa Rica with me. He has a wealth of knowledge to share and I appreciate it.

My biological family - I got a package from my parentals today! It was filled with stickers and other small trinkets for kids. It also contained a MUCH appreciated Spanish/English Bible, an Adventist Hymnal (in Spanish and with the actual music so I can learn the songs properly), earbuds, a recipe for homemade play-doh, and chocolate covered caramels (definitely my Dad's doing). So much joy from one box! My parents are really so wonderful. They never fail to take care of me and even when they don't give me what I want, I know that they're doing what is best for me. I miss them like crazy. I miss my brothers too. It's been so great getting postcards from Phil and I always hope that he and Mike are online when I have free time because I love talking with them. They have had a profound influence on the person I am today. I love my family.

Mail - As evidenced by the bit about the package I received, you probably already realize that I love mail. It's such a joy to get something by mail. A postcard, a letter, a package...all are wonderful. Mail is extra special because we all know that it takes more time to write a letter and put it in the mail than it does to get online and leave a comment via facebook or send an email. Not that those are bad; I love those too, but I always squeal in delight when I get a letter. Snail mail is beautiful.

Friends - I'm so glad Nate and Calle are here. I'm really going to miss them when they leave. They've been so much fun to work with and hang out with too. In fact, we just finished doing Yoga (P90x). We are just like a little family and I'm really glad I've gotten to know them here. Now to all the rest of you. You know, I miss you a lot too. If you're reading this, I would like to send an extra little dose of thanks your way. =] Really, I'm just thankful for all of you. Thanks for the prayers and the letters and the kind words on facebook and the skype time. I can feel the love even though I'm countries away. I love you all!

God - I'm thankful for God because he's the reason I'm so blessed. He gave me friend and family and he's the reason I'm here in Costa Rica. God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.

Nicaragua

My most recent adventure was to Nicaragua. The purpose, to renew visas. Mission accomplished, and then some. The original plan was to head to Panama, but there just wasn't enough time. You should never be rushed on vacation, even if vacation is only a weekend long.

To summarize, it took, a bus, a hostel, a taxi, a bus, several taxes, numerous border checkpoints, another bus, another taxi and a ferry to get to our final destination, the beautiful island (really, two volcanos) of Ometepe in Mar Dulce (Lake Nicaragua). The hot, blistering and yet humid climate of Nicaragua is very different from the cool, wet Monteverde I've grown accustomed to. That being said, the heat was by no means unwelcome. As you may know, as much as I complain while in it, I dig the heat.

So, back to the adventure. We finally arrived by ferry and wearily staggered up the last few blocks to our hostel, Indio Viejo. We mumbled our way through check-in and plodded down the hall to our room. Once we claimed our beds, we stepped outside to check out the hammocks. I doused myself with bug-spray and settled in for a much needed nap. 4 hours later, I awoke. I was still tired but after conferring with my comrades, we all agreed that food trumped all and we went out in search of sustenance. But first, ice cream. I really like eating ice cream before my meals. I also like eating it after. Actually, I just love eating ice cream. It's delicious. Always.

After ice cream came food. My salad was the best part. Soooooo yummy Fresh veggies, and normal cheese. None of this smelly crumbly stuff. We spent a ridiculous amount of time at the restaurant. We played high-jack (world's best card game, I'll explain sometime) and listened to amazing music. Seriously. It was Coldplay, Norah Jones, etc. all put to Salsa music. If I ever find it again, I will be sure to let you know. It changed my life.

Sunday was the real adventure. After breakfast, we rented a motorcyle and a scooter and headed to Ojo de Agua (eye of water). We got caught in a huge rainstorm but eventually made it. It was beautiful!!! The water was clear and cool and it was surrounded by so much lush vegetation! The pictures don't do it justice. At all. Despues (after), we decided to take an alternate route back to the hostel. We knew the road would be rough, but we had no idea just how bad it would really be. Good story now, but soooooo bad at the time. As you already know, we're on an island volcano so naturally, the rock is volcanic. This makes for very tough going on a scooter. Not too bad for a moto, but on the scooter, it was bad news. It took nearly 3 hours getting back to our hostel when it had only taken 1 hour going. We got stuck a couple times and local kids laughed at us. But you know, I was laughing too. Then we took a wrong turn and stopped to ask for directions. An older drunk man came and told us where to go and then he tried to kiss me. Luckily, my reflexes were in working order and I shoved him away. Crisis and violation averted.

After returning our rentals, we grabbed a bite to eat and hit the hay. Another early morning and a full day of various kinds of transportation landed us safely back in Monteverde, all before dinner time. A weekend, chalk full of memories, never to be forgotten.