The Weekend

Hola everyone!

Here’s a run-through of the rest of my weekend. Saturday afternoon we all got in the car about 3:00pm and I was told we were going to drive and go have lunch (a little later than we are typically used to!) Well, we took off and drove through Costa Rica. It was so beautiful! We drove up through the mountains and through the various cities. The cities are really fully, colorful, and busy. The country does not really have the spacious area like Iowa, rather it is covered by mountains and green trees. So beautiful! Pictures definitely could not do justice to this country.

After awhile, I realized that once again, I was kind of in the dark about what we were doing. We actually ended up driving to a couple’s house who had bought my dad’s car that morning. We were driving to their house so his wife could see the car. The day ended up being far from a short jaunt! At 6:30pm, we got to a restaurant where we had lunch/supper! I was really enjoying the experience though and did not mind at all. It was really fun to drive around for 3 hours and just see everything. We ended up driving through 3 provinces (Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces), and it was a really good opportunity to see more of the country.

We stopped to eat at a restaurant that overlooks the airport in San Jose. We watched the planes come in and leave, and it was really cool. The planes were super loud, and the weather was perfect for sitting outside and eating.

On the way home from the restaurant, we ended up stopping at the supermarket to get a birthday present for one of their little relatives. This was so interesting to see! It was like a huge Wal-Mart (called Hiper-Mas). We parked in a parking garage and took an escalator up into the store. We were there at 8:30 at night, but it was totally packed. We waited in line at the checkout for probably 15 minutes because there were people everywhere! It was really interesting to try to compare what prices are like here versus what they are in the United States. From my rough conversions, I would say that things are a little bit cheaper here, but they are fairly similar to what they would be in the United States. However, food in restaurants is not as expensive here.

Saturday night I asked my family if we were going to their church on Sunday, and they said that we were not going because we had a birthday party. It was the 2^nd cousin of my sister (I’m not entirely sure about the connections, but that’s what I got!) She was the little girl that we had bought the present for the at the supermarket. The little girl was turning 3, and her party was on Sunday morning. The party was going to start at 8:30am at Pizza Hut. I’m sure you can see the many ways that this is different than something I would typically be used to!

So birthday party it was! We were going to leave at 8:20 but didn’t leave until 8:45. Time is not as restrictive here! We drove to Pizza Hut where about 40 relatives gathered to have a party for this little girl. When someone arrives to a party in Costa Rica, you go up to each individual present and greet them and kiss them on the cheek. Clearly, this is not something that is comfortable for me to do, but I tried to be a champ and go up to probably 20 people and give them kisses and greet them. I’m trying to fit in as much as possible!

 The Pizza Hut had a play set like McDonalds, and it was cute to watch all the little kids running around! The party was so interesting. People were still rolling in around 9:30, and we started eating about 10:00am. They served everyone pop and breadsticks, and then they served each person 1 piece of pizza on an individual plate. Next, the little kids went out in the play area to hit the piñata (a must-have for birthday parties here). Once the y broke the piñata and gathered all the candy, we all returned inside to eat cake. After a little bit more socializing, we all took off. I can honestly say that was the first time I have had a birthday party on a Sunday morning at Pizza Hut! But that’s why I’m here: to learn about another culture and to gain a deeper appreciation of their values. One thing was certain during our time there, family is central. Family is important and dearly loved. I love that.

After we got back home from the birthday party, we all kind of had some time alone. I took advantage of this time and worked on my homework and spent some time with God. At 1:30pm they told me we were going out for lunch. Off we went again! This time we arrived at the restaurant about 20 minutes later. After lunch, we started driving again, and we again took a road trip to Cartago, another province of Costa Rica. Now I have seen 4 of the 7! Cartago looks different than the others because you can see many more mountains. The mountains are a lot more bountiful, the streets are wider, and it seems less packed (although still very busy, even for a Sunday afternoon). Cartago was beautiful. After driving around for a long time again, we got back home around 4:30 in the afternoon. I love how they randomly just get in the car and drive. They are perfectly content to have no plans and just do whatever happens without being rushed. It’s really a refreshing thing.

A little later that night, my mom’s brother and his wife stopped by (I’m guessing this was unplanned :) They stayed for about an hour and a half. I love how the family just drops by all the time and how they spend so much time together. There is probably some relative that comes by every day. I think that is so awesome and so welcoming. They are so inviting and welcoming to their family, and they just sit down and talk. I love the family emphasis here. Like tonight when they came over, we just sat in the living room and talked. This is where I wish my Spanish was better than it is. I can make out most of the main ideas, but there are definitely times when they lose me. When they are talking really fast together it is really hard to keep up! I really hope that this is an area that will really improve over the next few weeks: I want to catch all of the conversation comfortably.

Thanks for checking in on what’s happening in my life :) BUT I also love to know what is going on back home…so any emails telling me what’s going on with you guys are awesome! :)