Wednesday, May 26, 2010

My favorite classroom isn't on the university's campus...







I am liking my classes very much, and doing well thus far (9/10 on my first quiz!), but the best things I’ve learned have not taken place inside the classroom. I’ve compiled a bit of a list, I hope you find it as …umm….educational as I have! :)

1. When riding a zip line through the jungle, going fast may be fun, but knowing how (and, perhaps more importantly, when) to use the brakes is also a good thing (unless you prefer to get extremely close to trees). Luckily, there was an able-bodied guide on the platform where I learned this little lesson. Also, that zip line was so much fun! I sang His praise will flying over His creation – how cool is that?!?!?! That was over this past weekend, and I was also able to see monkeys in their natural habitat and ride a horse! So fun!

2. Don’t wear body spray in an area known for its jungles. Hahaha. You might think I would have been more insightful than that…but I have about 10 bug bites to prove otherwise. Thanks mom for the Benadryl stick! It works wonders!

3. If you are trying to leave the impression that Americans are less of a consumerist culture than foreign nations assume, your best bet is to avoid a conversion about Black Friday. However, this remains one of my very favorite conversations I have had with my host parents. Both their eyes got HUGE: “The stores open how early?” It was so fun! They laugh with me a lot over various things, not limited to the way I ask a million questions while we watch our evening soap opera together. I have really bonded with them and they are so great!

4. Wearing a skirt to mass is not only not necessary, it is not advisable. Turns out, kneeling while in a skirt is a bit of a trick (I was the only one not wearing jeans or dress pants)! In other news, my first ever mass was last night (yep, on a Tuesday) and I went with my host mom. She was so patient with my complete lack of awareness, and I am excited to go to worship with her more often and learn more about this part of their culture.

Hope that was insightful! Thank you again for your prayers (I really cannot say that enough, but I am going to continue to try. Please continue to pray for focus in school as there is SO much here that is distracting. Also, please pray that our group will be able to be of service and show His kind of love (there are several of us on the trip that are in to spreading it around! Praise Him for community!) when we go to bring aid to an indigenous people group in two weeks. I will update again soon!

¡Hasta luego!

Costa Rica Chica
About the pictures: The umbrella is the essential Costa Rican accessory! That is one cool tree, so I thought I'd get a hug from it! And I don't have time to flip that one on my limited internet time (so sorry! Tilt your head a little...a little more...just right!), but I swam in that waterfall! It was so cool!

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