but more importantly...

LAURA IS BACK IN THE COUNTRY!

how exciting! upon calling me today, after grunting "TERRI", she immediately demanded i tell her how happy i was to hear her voice. lolololol

i am very happy that she got back safe and i am looking forward to hanging out on thursday and eating some indian foods!

TEXAS MISSED YOU BUNS! and so did i.

intense

so this past week has been intense, for reasons in and out of my control. but, i've have read several books lately and have not blogged about them!

my ishmael

this was the third and final daniel quinn book in the ishmael series. i really appreciated his writing of this novel because i felt that it answer a lot of questions that still lingered after the first two books. i really enjoyed reading this one and i recommend the entire series very strongly. largely this book just further expands on his ideas about civilization, tribalism, systems, and ways that things can be changed. i love ishmael!

zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance

so i started this book over Christmas break and i picked it up on and off during the semester but this is the kind of book you really need to be able to devote time and thought to. i lacked about 1/5 of the book and i feel like i should read it again in a closer time period to really get it's experience and story. i enjoyed the book and the thought but it was hard to get into it a second time. also after reading quinn it is hard to read philosophy that kind of assumes that we already live the one and only way and only really speaks on civilization. but, for what it was i enjoyed it and i'm glad that glen and laura had me read it. also, i took it to the doctors office, (and im glad i did because i waited for over an hour (which i didn't mind)), and when i saw the doctor he looked at it and said, "You're reading that?! This is sooooo 1960's" then we had a brief conversation about how i liked it and as he was leaving he told me that he read it in college and enjoyed it and was glad i was reading it. i also took it to the physical therapy clinic and several people there saw it and asked me if i was learning to ride a motorcycle or become a mechanic. i thought the different views were interesting.

the heart of whiteness, robert jensen

this book was recommended to me by the group that i am working with, United Students for Fair Trade. a large part of their values lie in ant-oppression, which is something i am well aware of thanks to ed check and the visual studies program at texas tech. so i liked the book, which was largely about "whiteness" and what it means to be white today. he used the phrase, white supremacist society" a lot through out the book and i can see his point but am unsure whether or not he took it too far. i definitely agree that being white gives you privileges and that racism is still very apparent in our culture. he seemed to be very angry in his writing, which turned me off a bit, but at the begining he mentioned that he wanted to write a very honest book, and i think he did. so i appreciate that and the emotion that was expressed. however, i much prefer listening to ed talk about whiteness and thinking about it more on his lines of thought. i think that ed has a gift in talking about very hard and contreversial subjects with sounding angry and condescending. i really miss having class with ed. i wish i could go back and do it again, i feel like i would get so much more out of it now. but i digress! the book was good and gave me some things to think about and for that i appreciate it.

currently i am reading "brewing justice" by daniel jaffee. this is a detailed look into fair trade speaking on it's history, logistical operation, a case study in mexico, and examining many of the problems and paradoxes upon which the system operates. the book is good so far, i haven't gotten into in much, but i am very happy to be reading about it and learning more about fair trade.

i mentioned at first that this week has been intense, and it has. lots of buried fundamental issues surfaced in several areas of my life almost simultaneously. it has been hard but i have given myself time to think and to deal with things and i have prayed more than i have in a long while. i feel very at peace now and i am very thankful for God. i have come to many realizations about myself and the important relationships in my life and i am very excited for these forgotten issues to be talked about and hopefully made better. i know it will be very gradual and hard but i am looking forward to the challenge and to implementing new ways of thinking into my life and hopefully into others. i feel light again.

Crack the sky!

It is thundering mightly right now. The rain is heavy and thick. The lightening is bright against the gray sky. And the thunder is reverberating against the mountains. Or at least that is how it appears from the table in my home. Where I am sitting a comfortable distance away from the storm.
When I am in my room (my room with the window looking into another bedroom, my room with the not broken fan, my room that is most concealed room in the entire house) you can only hear the rain.

There will be many final thoughts about San Jose

Here is one with pictures. I took them last wednesday (almost a week ago!). That day, Lorna (the teacher I had been working with) and the fourth grade class through me and another volunteer (who I had never met and who didn't show) a surprise party! Their mothers baked cakes, brought icecream, and had coke. The class gave me a framed picture of one of the classes and thanked me for everything I had done for them. I felt truly blessed to have volunteered there.

I took out my camera to take a picture of the mountains, and got mauled by children instead. They love having their pictures taken. These girls are in third grade. Their homeroom teacher was Lorna's sister. Her name is Seidy. Seidy and Lorna shared their lunch with me that afternoon, when I didn't have one.

The Mountains with their Rain. It rained really hard that afternoon and thundered so loudly that the school rooms shook. The lights also flickered, and every time they would do so, the class screamed.
This girl was one of my favorites. Her name is Paola. She was always very happy to see me, and when I walked into the class room she would squeak "Laura", throw her hands into the air, and give me a hug.

I am going to remember the school most out of anything that I did here.

Last day in San Jose, Costa Rica. The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful, and so are you!
It is one of the first times I have felt really warm here. And it is one of the bluest skies! But there are still clouds. There are always Clouds in Costa Rica. I miss the empty skies of Lubbock. Maybe I am just getting excited about coming home, but I have been thinking about Lubbock and realizing that it really isn't as ugly as I make it out to sound. I miss the sunsets. Here it is too cloudly to have really seen any. And the sun sets at around 6 every evening! And rises at 5. I think the cycle of the seasons is going to be a shock going back. No matter how warm it is here, it isn't anything compared to the temperature it is in Dallas, Texas right now.
My last day here as been a series of cycles. I forgot how to adjust the shower, as I did on my first day here, I had a banana (we never have bananas! We always had pineapple), I had a bean and cheese sandwhich for breakfast...there were more but I can't think of them right now.
It's surreal to be leaving this place tomorrow. And to be in Texas. Where I can go out to eat and not have to worry about drinking the water. And not having to speak in Spanish. That will probably be the biggest, and saddest change. And being able to walk places and feel safe. That will probably be one of the best.
Oh I remember another, I saw a butterfly this morning in the garden. And I saw one when I was first here as well.
I feel very restless. I feel like I am caught between lives. I do not have any money left in which to leave the house. So I will spend my day here. Waiting, it seems.
But that is my decision. There is always much to do and think about. If I decide to use my day anticipating the next, that is a choice. Or I can use it to learn. To write. To think. To eat. Though I really don't need to be eating anymore...man I have experienced the eating-when-you-are-depressed/lonely/nervous-thing here and food doesn't taste anywhere near as good.
But I would like to make a list of what I have learned, and what I would pass on to people:
1. God is everywhere and with that comes the knowledge that you are never alone
2.You can show love without being able to speak the same language
3. People who barely knew me and had no reason to went out of their way for me.
4. Ask several times where it is okay to drink the water
5. Cheeses are different in different countries
6. Bring lots of books, they help your learning
7. It's natural and okay to feel lonely and homesick
8. Friendships take time
9. We need to conserve our planet.
10. The rainforests here are beautiful and should not just be stories we tell our grandchildren
11. It is not safe to walk anywhere with things that you would not want to lose
12. Don't walk alone, regardless the time of day.
13.Puncuation can be used cleverly
14. People deal with poverty in different ways
15. With poverty comes need, crime, and evangelicalism
16. Take time for yourself to think, read, write, whatever it is you do
17. Have patience with your spanish. It will get better with time.
18. There are so many stories, all we have to do is open our ears and listen.
19. Leaf Cutter Ants are one of the most fascinating creatures in Costa Rica
20. People are not what they appear to be. Take time to get to know them and be amazed by them.
21. There are many different types of dancing. Some are good. Some are not so good. Know before hand what you are comfortable doing.
22. Guilt is a remainder not a burden.
23. Pictures make good presents.
24. Share your books.
That is all I have for now.
Mostly I am glad I stayed. I am thankful for all of the support from the people here and in the United States. I had good days. I had bad. But I will look back upon my time in Costa Rica, and feel content.

If you look closely at the leaf you can see the leaf-cutter ants. Yesterday, Jessica and I went to Braulio Carrillo National Park. It was beautiful. The trees were old and covered in a green fuzz moss like material. The air was humid and moist. We sweated more than I have here, and afterward it rained! We got rained on in the rainforest. But one of the coolest things that we saw during our two hour hikes there, were the leaf-cutter ants. They followed our path, wove around it, and went into paths deep into the rainforest. Some of their paths were worn and old.

I had seen pictures of leaf-cutter ants in several books and heard different stories about them. But to see them beneath my feet with their bright piece of leaf held high above their heads...

it was good.

I have had some recent thoughts on God, and I wanted to share them. I wrote this on friday night.

I believe that God is all around us. That all around us is a deep beautiful energy full of love and goodness. I believe that everything in this world fits into this cycle of energy. I believe that we are born into it and gradually come to shut ourselves off from it as the years go by. Some people never do, and they are good for it. But we need this energy, this God, because we are it and it is us. It completes us and helps out lives in ways I cannot define. So when we open ourselves to it, we are made whole. Energy, love, God--the names mean the same.

So...I tried to write about why our lives become so much more richer and full when we have faith...but why? Does anyone have an answer?

My mom is the only one at home and is trying to get on skype. For some reason our skype at home doesn't function correctly and so they can never hear me, but I can always hear them. So it turns into a frantic scramble for the phone, them calling Glen, and the problem being fixed. Only to start again the next time we try to talk. Maybe life really is cyclical like that and we just never notice it's cycle. Life gives and life takes away.

broken english

People talk so loudly! I have a couple of hours off this morning and am in the ISA building catching up on the world. I don't think I really checked my e-mail yesterday.
So much has happened since I last updated. So much is always happening!
But I wanted to update about my weekend and share some pictures. I am beginning to think that pictures and stories really are the best things you can give people. I think that objects are nice for some things, and I LOVE finding people gifts that they would really like.
It has been kind of difficult here. So today I am giving you stories and pictures.
This weekend I went with ISA to Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio is a national park on the pacific ocean side of Costa Rica and, most importantly, a beach.
It was so beautiful. I hung out with some different people on this trip (mostly allison's friends, who now, I might venture to say, are my friends), saw different things, and tried different things.
But I am going to focus on the saw.
On Saturday, we spent the day at Manuel Antonio Park. It was very overwhelming...there was so much green everywhere! We decided to go for a hike first to see a waterfall.
This is the Meera with the waterfall. The hike wasn't It wasn't a long hike, more of a fast one, in that we didn't stop. So when we reached the waterfall we stopped and rested and sat with it for a while. I could have spent longer with it. I felt like it was old and just felt God all around me at the moment. I think it would have been interesting to try meditating. But we left soon after.

And went to the beach! I haven't been in a beach that seemed as natural as this one did here. After we got away from the tourists (mi gente, mi gente!) we wandered into a more secluded area. The jungle was really close to the beach, so you had a little area to lay out in the sun and tan, and shade! People were sitting on the beach reading as the waves came up to them.

Meera and I went hiking while the rest went to tan. The rainforest is so bright and so pretty. There is light everywhere--and it is such a relief to see the light when it is always dark and cloudly in San Jose. And the birds. I think because there really isn't space for animals to live in San Jose, there isn't as many birds as well. The forest was so alive. We also saw two sloths, an iguana, several crabs, and cappacian monkeys.
Our hike took us to another area of the beach. I loved watching the waves crash into the rocks. I am trying to remember specific moments or memories for you guys...but it is all blurred into a memory of being overwhelmed by how beautiful everything was.
How beautiful it still is.
And how much we truly do need to conserve it. I went for a run on the beach later than evening and thought that I didn't want to just tell my children about what I had seen.
I also don't want to just tell you guys about these places as well. I want you to see them.

double rainbows on boston

HAPPY FLIPPIN BIRTHDAY BUNS!

Dearest Buns,

Today is your 21st birthday which may or may not feel just like any other day. I hope your everydays are amazing. I did not send you a card, or a tiny painting, or any note or anything... mostly because I am probably a bad friend. But! This present is free of carbon feets and since time doesn't really exist, it matters not if you receive a present today or the next time we occupy the relatively same place under the sky. So here is you present in digital photographic form and may you enjoy the breif eye candy. I loves you very much!

and watch the clouds fall from the sky

(if you look very closely you can see another rainbow on top of the first. i also believe this is the street in which your beloved Caswell resides.)

heaven on earth in lubbock texas






ty has a rash thing! mmm.






and your real present... knowing that an Africa movie rental section exists at 'I <3 Video' In Austin Texas

just for Terri

I have no idea why I did this. And I hope that you like the hat. Everything I was wearing is thanks to Natasha.

I don't think I can describe the clouds and fog.

I have a lot of pictures that I want to post, so I will post the pictures, and then comment on them. I had a rather amazing weekend and so far a decent week. I am busy and there are always things to be doing, but not necessarily always computers to be doing them on. I didn't think that I would feel rushed here, but I tell myself that I am the one who is making myself feel rushed. No one is rushing me.
To start with:

La Basilica de Los Angeles. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And I didn't think that I was going to get to see it. I heard about the legend behind the Basilica on my second day here (the story is very similiar to the Virgin of Guadelupe. The difference is that it was a black virgin appearing to a young indian girl in Costa Rica) and had wanted to visit. I was supposed to the weekend after I got robbed, but I was too shook up and didn't (and still don't) feel comfortable traveling by myself. But last weekend, Wendy and her friends took me to see Volcan Irazu. To get there we had to pass through Cartago, which is where the Basilica is. We stopped at a supermarket, and I asked Wendy if we could go and see some old Catholic ruins across the street. She agreed and then said "let's go see another church." And we went to the Basilica! It was Sunday, so the church was packed. I didn't get to go inside, but instead looked at all of the people standing around! So many people. What I remember most was a mother holding her son to a side of the church and him peeing.

I couldn't believe that I had got to go. Seeing the church helped me to believe that it was good for me to stay in Costa Rica.

After Cartago came the long climb up the mountain. We passed through small towns with people playing soccer in the cloud/fog of their pueblos. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the drive up the mountain. I liked seeing a side of Costa Rica different from the city and cages of San Jose. But with the rural towns came the small shanties, the people standing in the rain holding up cheese for the cars that past, and a few starving cows ambling by the side of the street. And we were so close to the clouds. We were in the area of the mountain that was wrapped in cloud and fog. It was beautiful. You could see the fog rolling off the farms.

This is everyone I traveled with! I wish I could tell you all of their names. From the left there is Gabe, don't remember her name, don't remember her name, me, Wendy, Rudi, Allen, and David. They are all in their late twenties early thirties, most are married, and all go to Wendy's church. They have by far been the most welcomming and accepting group of people toward me in Costa Rica.

This is Volcan Irazu! The water is such an unnatural shade of blue. It was really really cold there and I felt a little silly decked out in my hiking gear (complete the with hat), but the view was amazing and the fog was so thick! We were lucky. When I left the fog rolled in and you couldn't see the crater.

And if you look hard enough you can see the mountains behind the fog.
Afterward we had a pinic lunch of this bean dip in a pouch, tuna, and chips. Mostly I enjoyed that they all spoke spanish and a few spoke english, so it was fun to switch between the languages.On the way back Wendy asked my why I had picked Costa Rica. She told me that there wasn't poverty here and to go to Nicaragua.

Chaos is a human invention

I wanted to post something here other than children and gates. This is a picture from Teatro Nacional. I went there on Tuesday with Kate (Escuela Castro Madriz Kate) to listen to a special performance given every Tuesday at 12 for only 500 colones! (570 colones to a dollar, so very very cheap!) The group was from Northern Iowa univeristy, and there were five people who sang gospel and jazz. It was beautiful! The inside of the Teatro is designed to look like one in Paris, and it is beautiful! I sat in the canopy section, and didn't get to look around much, but waht I saw was pretty. I like the idea of having an opera house where people dress up to go and see a play.

Mostly it was good to hear some music in English. I love speaking spanish and hearing spanish, but it is exhausting at the same time. Really...I spend a good part of my day in English.

But not the weekends. The weekends the ISA students leave on their various excursions and I am left with my Tica Family. And they only speak Spanish. I am also starting spanish lessons next week for 3 hours every tuesday and thursday!

Bah!

This weekend will be quiet, which is good. My weeks are busy and fly. It will be good to have some time for myself. I have spent this evening taking time for myself by reading, writing, and talking with Allison. And my Mama Tica just walked in to give my a piece of pizza.

Last night the local university that the other study abroad students attend (veritas) had a party. I went not really knowing what to expect, and ended up dancing for over an hour. I love it! I danced a little merenguie, but mostly to whatever other music was playing, with some of the people from ISA. I've been attending Salsa and Merenguie dance classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and I love it! I love to dance. I know that I am not good, but I no longer care.

The point of the story is when I got back, I was really hungry and made myself a sandwhich. I don't really know why, but I went by my mama tica's room and asked if she wanted one as well. And she did.

So now she gave me pizza.

ahorado!

I believe this means "hang man" in spanish. Today there was an assembly and I spent the morning help decorate for it, instead of teaching class. Occasionally we would rush into the class, and either play hangman or teach the kids to sing "happy birthday" in english. They actually already knew how to sing happy birthday, but they enjoyed learning it again.

It has rained a lot here. It poured this afternoon and thundered and lighteninged rather magnificently. Yesterday, I tried to go for a run with Kate (lol there are so many kates). The Kate I run with is different from the Kate I work with. The Kate I work with is leaving this saturday. But yesterday Kate and I ran for maybe a mile when it POURED. Man...it comes out of nowhere here and it doesn't stop. We got soaked, but at the same time it was fun holding our arms out and reaching for the rain.

I wish I felt as tranquil as I sound. In reality I don't. I have good moments and I have bad, that people have told me are normal. I've felt really sad these past couple of days, but last night I felt really peaceful and unburdened. I think that these feelings are going to be normal and a part of my life until I return home to somewhere where I truly can feel safe to.

I've been taking a taxi everywhere I need to go and walking with someone else when possible. I haven't had to walk alone, and I've decided that I'm not going to.

I've also been spending time alone and thinking. I've decided that next time I go abroad to volunteer, I am going to try and find somewhere rural. I don't like the fast pace, dirt, grime, and fences of San Jose. I don't like the bars or the night life. I want a quite place where I can think and read at pleasure. Here I feel rushed. Not near as rushed in the US. But still rushed.

But we'll see. I'm looking into traveling to the fair trade farms that are in a small town called Agua Buena. I would get to stay with a family there and hopefully see a different part of Costa Rica than the city.

But there is beauty everywhere. The picture I posted above was one of my favorites I have taken. The students were coloring outside, and it got hot so they hid under the tables.

They are so adorable!

Every Parting is a Foretaste of Death

Yesterday I finished the magnificant Corelli's Mandolin. I bought it on a whim at Hesters before I left, because I remembered Stephanie telling me that it was really good, and recommending it to us. I think that Ty read it at some point as well...whether or not he liked it I don't remember. But it was good. It was really good. The author was very poetic and had a rather extended vocabularly. Up until I was robbed, I would read with my computer next to me, so I could look up words in the dictionary. But the author, Louis De Bernieres, wasn't using these words to seem smart. He used them cleverly and humerously. He also had some great great lines and passages. My favorite line of the book was the name of a chapter entitled "every parting is a foretaste of death". Because it's true. It might be a bit dramatic to think that EVERY parting is, but the ones that most stay in our minds are. And not that death is bad. Death could be the adventure you are leaving to.
De Bernieres had a lot of wisdom about death. I am going to share a little with the blog.
"When loved ones die, you have to live on their behalf. See things through their eyes. Remember how they used to say things, and use the words oneself. Be thankful that you can do things that they can not, but also feel the sadness of it. This is how I live without Pelagia's mother. I have no interest in flowers, but for her I will look at a rockrose or a lily."
I have had very random mood swings lately, so maybe I was just feeling a little homesick and lonely, but I still really like that passage. I think it's one of the best pieces of advice about death I have heard.
The book was about World War Two in Greece. One would think that we would tire of World War Two...but I have always found it so interesting! Especially to know what was occuring in other parts of the world. Greece had it HORRIBLE! That is one of the things I really liked about this novel, was that it was realistic. The characters acted realistically, and for the most part, their lives were sad and they lost many of their friends and family.
The only problem I had with it was the ending was rushed and stupid. But I don't want to ruin it, so I will leave it at that. But the beginning and middle were amazing.

the world's a changing!

light light light! i feel so light!

today was amazing. early breakfast, riding bikes in town, friends, rosa, getting my grandma lunch, showing her my easel, reading my ishmael, going to paris with tom and tracey, having more free time than expected, leisurely exploring the paris square, not belonging in a boutique that sells $70 shirts, stumbling upon a FAIR TRADE selling framing store/art gallery, talking to the super cool co-owner, finding an antique store with a huge used books section, feeling inspired, walmart, sitting under trees waiting for tom, driving with the windows down due to tom's smell, organizing paintings, talking to me boy, a beautiful storm, and soon painting.

God is good.

champ

My little sister Tracey recently competed at State UIL Ready Writing. She's an amazing writer, but more importantly she is a very amazing person. I'm really really lucky to have her as my sister. Saying she's in her own world is a glorious understatement. She is very convinced time does not exist. Anyways... I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate me writing a biography on here so I'll just say she's an inspiration.

So in Ready Writing you choose between two quotes for a writing topic, you get two hours, and you go.

Here is her essay:



Long Awaited Moment

America has come far from the face of the tired and determined immigrant worker. The new generation of America stands with fresh faces and carefully cultivated minds, clearly stated rights and vast sources of information at their fingertips. Greider suggests that this generation, in the new millennium, is called to change America. Since its beginnings, the United States has dreamed, crossed bridges, and spotted new ones on the distant horizon. As Greider says “The United States is not a finished story.” This is the generation that must cross new bridges and barriers and bring the people closer to history’s final pages.

Greider muses about the challenges on America’s horizon with a dual sense of hope and trepidation. He states that the United States is “…profoundly troubled in new ways.” Yet some of America’s most pressing problems are very similar to the difficulties faced by Americans throughout the country’s history.

Dominant in the American mind today is concern over the economy. With the collapse of the housing market, the sharp falls of stock on Wall Street, and the initiation of the phrase “bail-out” as a household term, a quiet fear creeps into the homes of American families. The people’s fears were swiftly acknowledged and calmed during the 2008 presidential election—yes, the economy is of the utmost concern, the politicians assured them, but this is only a recession. Regardless of party affiliation, however, Americans are by no means completely mollified. In spite of all the new legislation and bail-out bills, the initial fear that stole into the homes of the people lingers, nestled in the shadows, surfacing in dinner conversation and rising in the thoughts of parents drifting wearily to sleep. The Great Depression resurfaces in the people’s memory, and the mantra “it won’t happen to me,” begins to wear thin.

If economic insecurity were not enough, America also faces a trouble seen by all countries throughout history—issues of national security. The controversy of the War of Terrorism endures even after the exodus of the unpopular president George Bush. The situation in the Middle East is by no means stable, and questions arise over issues of torture and plans of action for Guantanamo Bay. A new threat also looms on the horizon; Korea develops and tests more and more missile technology, and the American people are left to wonder when this ‘research’ will become action.

Finally, the United States confronts another major issue warned about by history. After developing so many grand technologies and luxurious cars, the world begins to realize that fossil fuels are in finite supply, just as decades ago people realized that the oceans were not so bottomless and infinite as they imagined; Earth is not vast enough to swallow the all of the bitter waste of the growing human population. In America, a sweeping Green movement rises to the challenge. The energy crisis is discussed as thoroughly in the American home as the economy, and recycling begins to make a rapid comeback.

These are the issues that loom in the fore of the American consciousness, the issues that largely determined the 2008 presidential election. However, these issues are not entirely new and original. These issues are not the factors that define the moment described by Greider as “a great turning point in the national story, unlike any that occurred before.” The true problems the new generation faces are questions of ethics, not survival.

Chiefly among these concerns is the role of science. Since the beginning of his time on earth, man has sought to control and change his surroundings. For centuries man mused on the great possibilities of science. This issue has been explored thoroughly by literature, as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein explored the ramifications of man discovering the secret of creation, and men like Ray Bradbury dreamed of fantastic new technologies and how they would affect the world. Bradbury’s statement “Science fiction becomes science fact,” proves to be true; in the past, man dreamed, but now he stands on the precipice of discovery. Stem cell research, cloning, and genetic engineering are no longer mere possibilities, but probabilities and capabilities.

“The Unites States today is fabulously wealthy, awesomely well armed, and abundant in goods and pleasures and power,” barring worldwide disaster and Armageddon, America will most likely maintain her position of power. The true question is, what will she do with this power? In the past, questions of ethics have been debated calmly, subjects for the musing of philosophers far removed from immediate issues. Ultimately, the general public dismissed the issues with that popular phrase, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Now the new generation stands at the edge of discovery, at the edge of action. Greider states “We have a chance to dream. I think we have an obligation.” America, though facing economic instability and issues of limited resources, indeed has a chance to dream. Moreover, America has a chance to act. With all the wealth, arms, goods, pleasures, and power accumulated by the United States, the question must now be asked: What will this country do?

America, the time has come. You are crossing the bridge.



So much to her suprise, she won! My dad now simply addresses her as, "Champ."

esperanza

I love some of the spanish noun endings. For example: esperanza (hope), belleza (beauty), naturaleza (natue). It's that "eza" sound that is so pretty. And I love the "be" (it's not pronouced "bee", it's more like "bay") sound. It's a beautiful language.

And today I have learned a lot about it. Almost all of the ISA students and ELAP participants are in Monte Verde for the weekend. I'm glad that I didn't plan on going, because I don't think I could have considering what happened this week. I'm assuming everyone who reads this blog knows what happened so I won't go into detail. I'll just say that I was robbed at gunpoint and it was very scarey. I was very lucky and blessed in that he did not hurt me or touch me at all. What he took were just things, and he could have done more.

But it has been hard to heal. I would not begin to say that I have healed from the incident. It happened on Thursday, and is still so fresh in my mind. But today, for the first time, I had conviction. I woke up with a sense of strength and purpose. I do not think that I should leave Costa Rica. It's going to be hard to stay--hard and lonely, but I think it will be worth it. There is still so much to see and so much to do in Costa Rica. What happened opened my eyes to the fact that I AM in a different country, and more, in that country's capital! I feel like I am more alert now.

But with the alertness comes fear. I am very afraid of any men I see passing. I am blessed in that I no longer am going to be walking anywhere by myself. It is very easy to take a taxi here, so I plan on doing that for everywhere I go. My Mama Tica has also offered to walk with me, which I appreciate.

And my friends and family have been wonderfully supportive as well. Ty and Glen owned the internet in trying to figure out who robbed me...and though I don't think they had much success, it was the thought. Terri e-mailed and called me whenever I needed it (which I needed a lot), and I was surpised by how much other people have cared as well. All of which I couldn't be more grateful for.

My tica family has been amazing. I spent a good part of this afternoon with Angie. She gave me a manicure.

I don't think you can really see it very well in this picture. Oh well. My hand is facing the small garden in the back of the house.

Both Angie and Wendy invited me to go with them to watch the game. I decided to go with Wendy, because I had met the people she was hanging out with before, and really liked them. And Angy was going to a bar, and I didn't really want to do that.

So I went with Wendy and had a great time. We went to her choir practice (OMG they sounded amazing!) and then over to one of her friend's house to watch the game. So far, it seems like futbol is an excuse for people to come together. Don't get me wrong, the men watched the game, but the women sat in the kitchen and talked. I had my first cup of Costa Rican coffee...which was good with milk and sugar. One of the girls there I had met before when I went with Wendy to her bible study last monday. Her name is Maricela, and she is so awesome! She and her husband both know english, so I am able to help them with their english as they help me with their spanish. But they were very welcoming and friendly to me. Maricela bought me ice cream when we went to the mall. She's so nice...because I feel like she takes care of me, but at the same time, is my friend. Oh man the mall. Well--it was big and full of stupid american clothing stores. It's frustrating because I want to get people things from Costa Rica that they couldn't get from a mall back home. I am also beginning to realize how even if Americans rose up against these comercial chains, it wouldn't matter since they are all over the world.

A sad thought.

BUT probably the most exciting thing of the day is that I found out that Maricela and Allen (her husband) offered to take me to see one of the Volcanos in Costa Rica! Let for a whole weekend! Evidently Maricela told me this directly, but I did not understand. OMG! I am so excited!

I can not express how blessed I have been. What happened was horrible, but people I do not really know have come together to support me. So, do not let what happened to me trouble you, because for this one bad act, several people have made good out of it.

Here is a picture of the mountains. The clouds around them are always changing.

loves me buns

i would leave you a super long voice mail if i could. several in fact.

No one really knows what to say about Costa Rica, so they title everything "pura vida"

Bah, these pictures are so small! You can't really see them. Oh well. I have a lot to write about, so I'm going to try to include a picture of what I am writing about as well. I think that might help. I would imagine that it is hard to visualize another country, because San Jose is nothing like I expected. It is a city of cages. I think that has been one of the most startling realizations about San Jose. I didn't really look into it before I got here, so when I saw houses with thick gated walls and barbed wire it was the furthest idea in my mind of what San Jose was like. lol not to be depressing or anything. Oddly enough I feel a lot safer here than I do at my homes sometimes. I asked one of the directors, Catalina, why all the houses had so many locks and gates, and she said that while Costa Rica is not a poor country, it is not a rich country either. Therefore, they don't have a lot of money to pay for police. Because of this, the people don't feel safe, and turn to their homes as a means of feeling secure. Yesterday I came home when no one else was there, and had to unlock five different locks. I was not quick enough and set off the alarm.
That is kind of a depressing way to introduce Costa Rica. I probably should have started with what I love most about the city so far...the mountains! Los montanas son bellas! (The mountains are beautiful!). Today it was less cloudly than most days and I noticied that some of the mountains were a lot higher than I had thought. it was so cool! They look different every day. And at night you can see the lights going up the mountain side.
But the city is surrounded by mountains and the mountains are beautiful.
At some point Catalina is also going to take me to a poor community in the mountains to volunteer at a school there. I told her that I really came to Costa Rica to see a different life style and experience poverty. So she is taking me to the moutains.