Rocking chair

One of the things which Costa Rica is known for is leather rocking chairs. The other week I had the opportunity to go to the rocking chair factory. It was interesting to see how a really nice and comfortable rocking chair could be made from the pieces of wood.

Have you tried tongue?

The other day I tried a new meat...it was tongue of a cow. It was good! But I couldn't think about what I was eating I just had to eat it and enjoy the taste. I mentioned that to another Costa Rican lady and she said she thought the same way. She said she couldn't think about what she was eating when she eats, I just had to eat and enjoy. So if you have a chance eat it and enjoy it!

Lunch with a friend

Something I miss doing that I enjoyed when I was working in NC was having lunch with friends. The other day I was able to have lunch with a Costa Rican lady. It's a lady I had met with some other friends in October. Because of the school schedules and her lunchtime schedules this past week was the first time we were able to have lunch together.

I was able to even get a taste of American food as we ate in Kentucky Fried Chicken.

One thing we talked about was the differences between Costa Rica and the US. She said Americans are hard workers, they have a hard time resting and enjoying. She asked how I liked the food here. I said well it has taken some adjustment to get used to having rice everyday. I said when I lived in the states I maybe had it once a month.

We also mentioned the independence of Americans and how different it is here. Kids here live at home a lot longer than kids in the states.

It was an enjoyable time, I hope to get to do it again...

Who is Jethro?

In class we were playing a Bible game called Who am I? The other person looked at a name and then made up a description of the person and then the other person was to guess who that person is. Well, some were easy such as John the Baptist or Mary. Then the other guy started describing Jethro to me and I couldn't think of who he was talking about. Until he gave me the hint and said think of the show Beverly Hillibillies. Immediately I said Jethro which was the correct answer. The teacher commented you know the TV show better than you know the Bible? I said there are only 4 main characters on the show...Plus I said it was our American minds thinking alike...It was a good challenge to think of things to say in Spanish about the person and to get the name correct in Spanish. For instance James in English is Santiago in Spanish. Actually Jethro is Jetro in Spanish.

Update 1-20-09

Hello friends,

How were your holidays? Mine were good. It was a good time of rest which I greatly needed. Also Kim and I had a good visit together here in Costa Rica. We did a lot of things together while she was here. If you want to see pictures and more info be sure to look on my blogspot. However I do have to tell you about one day. We had gone to the bullfights during the day and we got home around 6 pm. When we got home that evening I put on my pajamas and I said I’m not going anywhere else today, if you want to go somewhere you are on your own. I was tired. Thankfully she was okay with staying home that evening.

Classes have started again. This time I’m taking grammar classes in Spanish and then I’m also doing a different program. It’s a program called FARO in which I will interview and converse with 7 people on a specific route 1 or 2 times a week. Then I’ll write a report on the interviews, complete a project regarding the topic for the week and meet one on one with the teacher for evaluation. This week, I am working on getting the route together. I have some ideas of people I just need to talk to them and solidify the route. I think it will be good for me to get out and talk to different people and hear the different accents of people. Topics I’ve selected include food, tourism, education, culture, sayings of the Costa Rican people, birthdays and other topics like that.

A praise is that I have found a church which I enjoy attending. It’s a neat story about how I found it. I’ll try to make it concise for you. As most of you know mom works at Baptist Hospital. She knows a Costa Rican guy who also works there. In the midst of a conversation with him, he commented that his brother is a pastor in San Jose, Costa Rica. She got the information about the church here where is pastor. During Christmas, Kim and I were able to visit the church with another missionary. Since then that is where I have been going each week. I enjoy it and the people are really nice.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. I would just ask for your continued prayers in the language learning process and for the Costa Rican family that I live with…Blessings, Carol

Bible study

On Tuesday afternoons I along with another lady are leading a Bible study. It's in the house of a Nicaraguan lady. I would ask for your prayers as we teach them different Bible stories. Pray that they would be able to share these stories with others.

Playing cards

I had a fun time the other day when I went to visit Dora, one of my Costa Rican friends. She has another student living there. The student got out the Dutch Blitz cards to play with Dora's grandson. It ended up that we all played. Dutch Blitz is a fast paced card game, it's a lot of fun. We were able to teach Dora and her grandson how to play. Then Dora taught us two card games which they play here. I've noticed here that they don't seem to be as competitive in the games. I guess it's like the Mozambicans were, they liked for everybody to win.