Thoughts on 2009

This was a really really really hard year for me and I know for many of you. Every single thing that could change in my life has, which is both really good and really hard. I think we sometimes we need change and difficult situations to push us toward what we can be. With out change/adversity it's really hard to challenge oneself and to grow as a person. Basically, when life kicks you while your down, it's usually for your own good in the end. This year, I was kicked multiple times while I was down, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have lot's of hope for this coming year. It will be a full year dedicated to the Peace Corps and La Palma. I have a lot of hope that some of my projects will work out. God has me there for a reason and I hope that in this next year I'm able to realize that reason. Life is good. I love, love, love the United State! I'm sad to have to leave in just 2 short weeks, but I'm happy that I had the opportunity to visit. It's been a real treat to have a cell phone, internet, my car, a 'real' bed, hot showers, the mountains and my family and some friends. I'm seriously blessed and I hope that all of you out there can see the blessings in your life. God is good all the time.

Thrift stores, Target and r-ball

Colorado is so great. Today I went to Target and was able to find a bunch of really cool things. I can't believe how easy it is to find stuff here. I then went to my local rec center and played r-ball (aka - racquetball) with my best good friend Mandy. After some serious games of the r-ball Mandy and I went to a thrift store and let me tell you, I was amazed. It's just so easy to have anything here. Lamps with lamp shades are so cheap. I saw a really nice looking couch for $25, that's crazy! I'm blown away by how much we as Americans have and can get a hold of. It just blows me away. At least I know when I get back from CR I'll be able to find a lot of nice stuff for really cheap. Yes, I'm talking thrift store shopping. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Home for the Holidays

I arrived in Colorado on the 22nd at about noon and I was so excited. A few days earlier I had spoken with my best good friend Mandy and she had told me that she was going to go skiing the day I was getting in and might not be able to make it to dinner that night. I was pretty bummed, but I was just hoping that she would be able to stop by when she was done skiing. As I exited the international passenger area I was looking around for my mom and got quite the surprise when I saw Mandy standing next to my mom. My brain was like- does not compute, does not compute. I couldn't believe it. I said "but you were going skiing" and Mandy said, oh that was just to throw you off. What an awesome surprise!! As we drove home we headed to Jim's Burger Haven for some good old fashioned American food and then we had a spaghetti dinner with my whole family and Mandy where I got to meet my brand new baby nephew. He's just a little button and about 3 weeks old. I spent probably 3 hours yesterday just holding him and plan to get some serious baby action with both nephews every day for the next 3 weeks. I'm sooooooo happy to be home. I feel like I haven't really slept for 9 months. I'm just so happy to have my family with me. I love them so much, this time so far has been totally perfect. It's going to be really hard to leave them, but I'm not going to think about that for now. God bless you all and please, show your family how much you love them. Happy holidays!

Random stuff

On December 3rd my new nephew James was born. This little guy came a week late and had to be forced out of the womb. James is 9 pounds 5 ounces and a little chunk. I can't wait to meet him in person in just 2 and a half more weeks and I'll be home in Colorado.

In La Palma we are moving out of the rainy season "winter" and into the dry season. It's so hot, you have no idea. Yesterday I worked out and was literally wringing my cloths out, literally. I'm talking it's hot. 2 showers a day, you sweat all day long kind of hot. I don't know how people can live like this. I make it because I know I'm leaving in a year and a half, but forever? I think it would kill me.

Last night I watched the movie P.S. I Love You and I think that's the most I've ever cried at a movie. I cried throughout the entire movie. Super sad, but good. So if you want to cry a lot, check it out.

That's all for now, not much going on since things kind of shut down in December.

Thanksgiving in Costa Rica

Many people have asked me how I spent my Thanksgiving in Costa Rica, so here it is. The Peace Corps was nice enough to ask the US Embassy if they had any families willing to host volunteers for the holiday. There were quite a few families willing to host and I was able to celebrate with my fellow volunteer and friend Becca and 3 families (2 from the Embassy). We stayed with an Embassy employee named Julie, her husband Mauricio and their 4 year old Claudia and 6 month old Lucia. Their home is beautiful and they made us feel right at home from the start. For the actual holiday another Embassy employee and his family came over for dinner along with another American family. The food was beyond good, we ate the traditional Thanksgiving dinner and everyone shared what they were thankful for that year. It was a really nice time. One of the things I'm thankful for this year (among many) is the generosity I've encountered since I've arrived in Costa Rica. I have never had more people offer their homes, food, exercise equipment, rides, etc. to me in all of my life. There is such an attitude of look, I have this, you can have some too (or more often than not, I really want to share this with you, please let me). It's been a really important lesson for me. I hope that is something I will take away with me when I go. I hope to write further on the subject as it is so important to me. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Here is a list of what I'm thankful for:

Generosity, so many people have given me so much in this past year.
Shingles, I know that sounds weird, but I am thankful for it. God has taught me so much about him, about me, about life through shingles so I wouldn't change that.
God, for not allowing me to go blind.
Clinica Biblica, for helping me when I needed it most.
My family, for keeping me sane when I was losing it and for being my greatest support.
My friends, for getting me through.
Jesus, for making the ultimate sacrifice for me.

A Cause for some Laughter

Before I begin my funny story I need to breakdown my current funny/laughter situation and my past funny/laughter situation. In the past (pre-Peace Corps) I laughed all the time, I mean all of the time. Especially when I'm with Mandy, Jess and my Montana crew. It was probably really annoying, when Mandy and I are together we can seriously laugh all day, there are a minimum of 3 laughing attacks per day. It was a lot of fun. Also, in Avon, my friends and I laughed all the time. We joked around and we did funny things. It was a lot of fun. Okay, so that was my past funny/laughter situation. Currently, I maybe laugh once a day. Jokes are so culturally based and based of on history and a million things, so I don't get the Tico humor. I try, and sometimes I can pick up on most of it, but usually since it's Spanish I'm still super literal. I'll ask what they meant and that just makes them laugh harder, and then they explain it to me and I usually say “oh”. Trust me, it just doesn't work. To remedy the situation I have 3 seasons of Arrested Development a super funny series and I make sure to watch at least one show per night so I can laugh. Okay, so here's the funny...
Today I was looking at some magazines on a shelf in the corridor that leads to my room. The shelves are really high, and go probably 6 inches over my head. So, I'm sorting through old News Weeks and Cosmos from 2002-2004 and contemplating reading them when out of the corner of my eye I see something move on the self over my head. Just as this happens my friend Carla was walking past me in the hallway. The thing I saw move was a giant green iguana and it scared the crap out of me. I screamed, scaring the poor lizard and causing it to jump, consequently, Carla just happened to be right in the path of the lizard and it almost lands on her, causing her to scream. The iguana hits the ground and takes off at a sprint for the garden and Carla and I were left just cracking up. It was really fun. That's the hardest I've laughed in a really long time. While I'm such a fan of flying iguanas, I do love a good laugh.

Back in La Palma. Again.

I would like to be able to say that after my week in SJ/Acosta I was ready to get to back in the swing of things in La Palma. Well, I'm back, but for some reason it's always difficult to come back. I think I miss being around people and when I'm in La Palma for a long time I forget that I miss it, but when I leave and am surrounded by friends it makes the feeling of being alone all the stronger. Anyway, I'm working on it.
We had our first Guias y Scouts meeting last Thursday and things went great. Now we are forming la junta or the board of directors and then we will begin the process of training the adults. I'm trying to do a good job of making sure everyone knows that we are running a marathon, not a sprint, so the process needs to be slow and steady so we can build a strong foundation. I'm excited to see where this goes. This program has the potential to really benefit the community. Regarding other project ideas... Well, the computers are on hold at least until February. I'm waiting to see if the internet really does make it here in December like we have been told. If that's the case, I'd like to encourage an entrepreneur to open an internet cafe, it's really the most sustainable form. When a community hads donated computers they are hard to maintain because there is no way to charge for the use, therefore you cannot pay someone to be there and keep the center open. You can see the problem. English classes are still going, I'm going to continue on with just one in the coming year. I think it will be better to teach one class well, rather than two classes mas o menos (more or less). Asi es (that's how it is). I'm heading to San Jose on Wednesday (or Acosta more exactly) and then to Escazu, then San Jose for the weekend. I'm going to spend Thanksgiving with an embassy family and Becca my Peace Corps friend and then I'm going to hang out with Mellany a former roommate from my first season at Beaver Creek.