Friday, February 29, 2008

Culture Day

Today we did not have class. We did, however, still have to go to school. Every trimester the teachers get together and set up various culture "stations" for us to participate in. I chose to do the food station and dancing.

8:00 AM
Typical Costa Rican breakfast preparation

MENU:
Gallo Pinto-rice, black beans, onion, garlic, pepper, cilantro, and various sauces mixed together to make a great-tasting combo.
Platanos con Queso (Plantains with cheese)-ripe plantains fried in a pan with brown sugar and cinnamon. Once cooked, slit open down the center and stuffed with tico cheese.

I had a very delicous breakfast and now know how to make a typical Costa Rican dish all on my own!

10:30 AM
Dancing

We worked on the meringue and the salsa. We also worked on one more but for the life of me I can not remember the name. I forgot to bring my camera today so the pictures are just something to look at that I got of the web. I'm pretty sure that a picture of me attempting these dancing isn't worth looking at anyway! hahaha

All in all it was an extremely enjoyable day. I got to see a different side of my teachers and learn about the culture here. Monday, its back to work!

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Musings...



Sure did have fun with Felice! Her visit here was a much needed encouragement for me! NOT that I am having a hard time. No, its just nice to see a familiar face and a reminder of home. We had a good time of fellowship. I'll admit that it was hard to keep up with school and entertain. But I managed just fine. Had another test...still all A's! I'm pretty satisfied with that.

Now, I'm gonna sound a bit crazy on this next part. But I am becoming more and more obsessed with Colombia. Not in a psychopath type of way. Don't worry, your missionary hasn't fallen off the deep end yet. Actually, I take that back. I have fallen deep into my desire to live in Colombia. I crave it. I miss the people so very much. I know this is the Lord's doing. He never had to convince of my move to Colombia to begin with. He put the desire in my heart right from the start. But the other night I was asked some questions about Colombia. The basics you know....safety, why Colombia, stuff like that. The questions came from a co-student who is not a missionary. I found myself speaking of Colombia as if it were my home. My nationality. And I'm willing to give my life for it. The reality of it is that there are some dangers there. It isn't a light place to live. Yet every part of me wants to already be there yesterday! I teared up just a bit.

I'm going HOME! Not a home that I have ever known before. But its home because that's where the Lord has set up camp for me. Because I'm at home in Him and He has my home in Bogota. This may sound odd. But for a missionary kid, a sense of home is a miracle! I suppose that's enough for now. All I'll say is: VIVA COLOMBIA!!!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

I'm feliz about Felice

Let's see....tomorrow my good friend Felice comes for a short visit. She will be here a week. Knowing that I am in school the entire time she's here, we only had this up-coming weekend to try and do something "touristy" so I'm taking her to a local volcano which, yes, its ACTIVE 24/7. You can see lava all the time (depending on cloud coverage of course).

This week went well. I had one of those "ahah" moments when you really feel like you get the hang of something. Here's what I got....I can understand about 95% of everything that is said to me. AND....I had a full conversation on the phone in Spanish today. For those of you who may not know, speaking on the phone is an entire different monster when it comes to a foreign language. It is rough! You'll notice that I said I UNDERSTAND 95%. My hang-up is still on the speaking end of things. That will come with time.

I anticipate not writing too much this next week as I will be busy entertaining my dear friend. I expect to have a fun "felice video" next weekend though so check back in soon!
Blessings
Zoe
p.s. the title: "feliz" is the Spanish word for "happy." "Felice" is the name of my friend. Her parents don't even speak Spanish, go figure!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

A day at the BEACH!



Accompanied by 4 other students, I got my first taste of a Costa Rican beach yesterday. Costa Rica is exactly as the name states: "The Rich Coast." It borders the Pacific to the west and the Atlantic/Caribbean to the east. We went to a west-coast beach called Jaco. A two hour bus ride will take you from San Jose to the warm surfing beaches of Jaco. Our bus pulled out at 8 AM and we spend 8 wonderful hours soaking in the sun, riding the waves, and walking the touristy streets of the quaint beach resort. The sun is pretty intense down here so I was careful about sunscreen. No BURNS TO REPORT! I collapsed into my bed at 9:30 last night and am so thrilled to have enjoyed my time at Jaco. I can tell that this is going to have to be a somewhat regular event. I even studied my Spanish while laying in the sand! Language school can be quite stressful at times so I'm looking forward to occasional weekend get-aways. Total cost for the ENTIRE DAY: $11. Pretty cool huh? Until next time!
p.s. the picture IS of Jaco but isn't from my camera. It can be risky to take valuables with you sometimes.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

MAIL!!!!!!!!


I love emails. Emails are great! Emails are the fastest way to communicate these days and most people respond to them before they'll return a phone call. And in that department, I couldn't be more pleased! But don't you agree that there is just something unique about a hand-written letter? Today I got a cherished letter from one of my close friends who is currently in Marine Boot camp. I have been writing him every week because we have been told that it really helps boost their moral. His 2 1/2 pages of scribles was more than I could ask for!
And so, if you ever find yourself, perhaps on a rainy afternoon, with nothing to do, I have a great idea! Find an ole piece of scrap paper, a couple of stamps, and write me a little note! Well, that's only if you want. I can't promise when it'll get here. The Boot camp letter took 6 days to get here. But it took my dad 4 weeks to get my postcard. Its a guessing game down here. But doesn't that just make it more exciting!?!
School is great...all A's and B's. Well, only ONE B actually. A little less than 3 months to go! Had my first experience with "cucaracha" today. They are as ugly down here as up there, only they are BIGGER! My new hero (next to my dad of course) is my tica mom. She just marched right in my room and gave it a good CRRRUUUNCH! Aren't you just so jealous? Sweet dreams to all!
Hasta Luego! (see ya later)

Friday, February 01, 2008

Students ministering to Students...

The students of ILE go every Thursday to one of the poorest areas of San Jose. In the following video I have tried to portray some of the realities of the area. Unfortunately, it is impossible to capture the sounds and smells. For a few hours every Thursday, I take a huge reality check. It is the reality of THOUSANDS of people around the world. I only get a small taste of it. But I'm reminded, this is why I'm here. When I get tired of memorizing vocabulary and can't get the verbs down, I remember La Carpio and the reason why I'm here, learning Spanish. Every word communicated with these kids serves a purpose. We are building kingdom relationships. Seeing these faces smile in the midst of the muck and mire makes everything worth it. Take 2 minutes to see some of what the Lord is doing here in San Jose. These are the faces of La Carpio, Costa Rica: