a new day, a new project...

This morning I walked to Su Espacio to see if Tina had any news about where I might volunteer. She had not heard from the education official yet so I agreed to go to the preschool fora few days. These old bones and knees are not really up to the preschool scene anymore but I wanted to do something... Then a call came in from someone who said it is all right for me to come to the high school tomorrow. Hooray!

While I was waiting for that call, Tina asked if I wanted to tutor a 10 year old young man who is fairly advanced in his English studies. "Of course" I wanted to do it. For the next two hours, we went talked. We used one of his English language workbooks. That was not very interesting so we just started to talk about his interests. That was so much better for both of us. He is very bright and loved telling about his future plans, his family and what he did on vacation in the USA. Only a couple of times did we need Tina to explain a new word concept in Spanish. I had a great time and he seemed to enjoy the change. The time went by really fast too. At last, I felt productive here. It was a good feeling.

Now more than ever, I am truly looking forward to working with the teenagers. I am a glutton for punishment anyway.... Hannia will take me to the high school tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM to meet their English teacher.

While I was waiting , Tina called and made a reservation for Karina and I to go to an organic coffee farm nearby. It is a highly rated tour by Tripadvisor and also by several local people. Here is a link to their blog:

http://cafeateniense.blogspot.com/

After the lesson, I walked over to a cafe Karina introduced me to yesterday. It is a pleasant place to enjoy the view from the second floor open air cafe. I had plenty of time before I was to meet two sister s who recently moved here from Oregon. There was only one other person there. He said "hello" and was an American who has lived off shore for over 15 years. His name was Paul (seemed familiar for some reason...lol.) People here are so easy to talk to. I joined him at his table and soon another German man, George, joined us too. It was quite an interesting conversation as they have fairly checkered pasts (and present too I imagine.) I was not afraid in any way but enjoyed the new experience. I finished my lemon cake and water and we all parted ways. Once I arrived at Kay's, she told me this man was somewhat well known in the ex-pat community and was considered to be a little bit odd. He teaches gun classes here in CR and also arranges for motorcycle tours. He even offered to teach me while I am here. Ha! No thanks! I don't like guns or motorcycles but I never told him that. Anyway, I did make a couple of photos from the balcony of El Balcon de Cafe.

This photo I found on a webpage.

Today I met two sisters who recently moved here from Oregon. They have a blog called http://sistersintransition.blogspot.com. Roxi, Judy, Karina and I had a really fun afternoon. They took us on their Pathfinder (aptly named Dora the explorer) to a large restaurant on the north end of town. I had some of the best fried chicken anywhere and as always a huge portion. Thank you to both Judy and Roxi.

As you can see, this trip is not all work. Every day I am learning new Spanish phrase sand feeling more comfortable here. It s very satisfying to be able to communicate fairly well even if part of it is my charades. Flexibility......

Yesterday and today the humidity has almost disappeared. No rain today either.

Tonight Anita and I watched the news. There were many more pictures and stories from Samara and the earthquake epicenter. Lots of houses, buildings, schools, hospitals etc. have fairly substantial cracks in them. Many are closed and considered to be unsafe. It looks like many families are just collecting what they can and moving away. There are still aftershocks in that area. This morning on my way to Su Espacio, two men were out collecting funds for the earthquake victims. I wonder how they will repair those buildings or if they will have to tear many down and begin again. It is still very much a topic of conversation here.

Please remember these hardworking people as you ask for God's blessings.

Pura vida!!!

La Paz Waterfall Gardens....

Today was a really special day here in the land of pura vida. I made new friends with Pat and John and we shared an incredible experience in one of Costa Rica's most beautiful parks. Here are some pictures from our day. And yes, it really does rain a lot in the rain forest!

This park is very well maintained. They are expanding it so most of the big cats had been moved until the new, bigger cages are completed. It rained really hard for a while. Fortunately, we were inside the butterfly garden. Even so, it was much cooler there and also cooler back in Atenas today. More photos...

My connection is slow so I will just add a few more from the butterfly garden.

We also saw toucans, mountain lions, monkeys, snakes and tiny little frogs. There were more hummingbirds than I have ever seen in one spot. And lots of Florida familiar plants and flowers.

And lastly, we drove to the waterfall instead of taking the 45 minute walk. After wards we had a wonderful lunch at one of their favorite restaurants. It was a very good day...

Unexpected blessings....

I corresponded with several American ex-pats before I came to Atenas. Some of them said to look them up and that is exactly what I did. Since I have no new project to go to tomorrow, I am able to take Pat up on her offer to go sightseeing with she and her husband. She lived here many years ago and has been a resident for over a year now.

It was a little tricky getting Anita to understand that I wanted her permission to use her phone but we got it done. All outgoing calls have a fee. Once I had Pat ion the phone, I asked her to explain in Spanish what our plans are so I won't be in trouble again....lol. Pat made sure Anita knows where she lives and has her cell phone in case we are later than expected.

http://www.michunche.com/


We are planning to drive to Poas and LaPaz tomorrow morning. I am meeting them at Kay's and off we will go. Hopefully there will be LOTS of good pictures to share. Pura vida!

Saying good by is never easy...

Today was my last day at the Hogarcito. The children were so happy to see Alex and me today. They had no way of knowing we would not be back. I took matchbox cars, some McDonald's Happy Meal toys and a frisbee. They seemed to enjoy everything. It is hard to explain the affection they freely give to anyone who comes to see them. The Tias were also sad.


There really is no good way to say good by to anyone is there? I wish I were able to post photos of them, but that was strictly forbidden. Rest assured they are as beautiful as any children anywhere in the world, inside and outside. We both had tears in our eyes as we taxied away.

May God bless them richly and give them hope.

This and that

I finally took a photo of one of the other family members , Guido. He is 42 years old and has his own locksmith and key making business. I wondered how much need there might be for that in such a small town but I got my answer yesterday. He already works six days a week. Yesterday morning (Sunday) while we were having breakfast, his cell phone rang. Apparently someone was asking for his services on Sunday. He told them he would come on Sunday afternoon. After he left, another man came to the door asking if he could help him too. Apparently , locksmithing is good business here!

I also took a photo of the shower system here. They call them “suicide” showers. You can see from the wires wrapped around the shower head (I have no idea how that really works) it is best to shower carefully and NEVER TOUCH THE SHOWER HEAD or WIRES or PIPE. There really isn’t anything resembling warm water here anyway….but it sure feels GREAT after a hot, muggy day.

The only AIR CONDITIONING I have here is pictured below. God bless whoever invented fans.

I did make some pics of the broken pavements which are everywhere. I am being REALLY careful as I walk around. Two left feet are not welcome right now…

Today I stopped in at a small market nearby. That water could not have tasted better and it was ice cold!

And the last picture is a good representation of how I spent most of my week end…

A new snack food….yummy

Yesterday Anita served up a totally new and interesting snack food (certainly new to me but not to them). The best I can describe it is this way:

Fry some plantains made into round patties. Salt heartily.

Spread some mashed up pinto beans on top.

Cover with shredded cueso.

YUMMY! Really, this could be a new treat in America. Wish I had taken a photo. If I see it again, I will.


The rains have finally arrived tonight. It sure cools things down quickly. Sort of reminds me of my childhood, pre air conditioning days…… Ahhhhhh, refreshing.

Rain, rain what else can happen?

Once the rain started yesterday, it got worse and worse. Lots of thundering and lightening. It made for a pleasant change and really cooled things off but the humidity is still extremely high. This morning it is 73 degrees and I am dripping… I pretty much stayed in my room yesterday and enjoyed reading a book, Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser. I also “talked” to a few of you yesterday by Skype or messenger. That was a treat for me. 

In the evening I watched some tv with the family. A Mexican comedy movie was on. It was easy enough to follow the plot and they seemed to really enjoy it. Later Anita and I watched the news. Seems there have been more aftershocks, the latest about 2 PM. I felt nothing…..what gives with that? We also saw that a volcano in Nicaragua has erupted somewhat. I think she was saying “better in Nicaragua than in Costa Rica”. It is north of us. Next Sunday some of us are planning a trip to a volcano and park here called Poas. Sure hope Poas is silent! http://www.costaricabureau.com/nationalparks/poas.htm

Later Anita’s two daughters came in. One had a worried look on her face. I sensed that they needed to have a private conversation so I retreated to my room again. I really enjoy this time alone. As the rain continued, I decided to get some sleep. Did I tell you I am sleeping in the bottom bunk of a bunk bed? It actually works out well: I use the top bunk for storage! My room is about 8 x 10, cozy but functional. No problemo….

There were a lot of night noises last night: not jungle sounds but car sounds. I didn’t sleep very well so I slept in until after 8 AM. Usually on a weekend, it is forbidden to call me before 9 or 10 AM! Here, people are up and about so early. When I got up, the house was empty. I am sure Anita went to church.

I decided to see if Kay’s was open today (she is open 3 Sundays each month). I ran into Guido on the street walking back towards the house. I continued on only to find this was not one of those Sundays. I thought I remembered seeing a small bakery nearby. Voila! (See how that French keeps getting in the way of my Spanish?) Sure enough, there it was. And it was open too! I bought a loaf of sweet bread and some orange juice. I want to contribute something once in a while so this was my treat for them. I walked back home and had breakfast with Guido and Anita. It was muy gusto!

Guido likes to trade Spanish words for English words so we had a mini lesson. I also enjoy this. It helps so much more than the classes did. And I am starting to feel more relaxed as I reach into my brain for more Spanish phrases. It’s about 10:15 here now, a long day ahead. I have no plans…just to see what unfolds again….


Oh yes! The street in front of mi casa is only wide enough for one vehicle at a time. It is interesting to see how the Ticos manage that. Imagine having to back down a street and not know if somebody else is coming up behind you? Apparently there is a swimming pool at the end of the road so it is quite busy. Remarkable...