Tuesday, October 2

Be impressed. This is my second entry in a 4 day span. I came to use the internet for research for my paper and decided to update my blog as well.

Saturday we (Caroline, Rachel, Amie, Allie, Becky) spent some time exploring San Jose and then went to the MultiPlaza to shop. We ate at a western type restaurant, but I was disappointed because they didn't have pulled pork sandwiches. Still good though. I didn't buy anything, but enjoyed looking around.

Sunday after church a group of like 15 students went to a soccer game between Saprissa and La Liga. They are big rivals so it was crazy. There were tons of policemen there, some even on horses, with pads and helmets; they looked like SWAT guys, crazy. They had to separate the fans from each other going into the game to avoid fights. The atmosphere was so fun as I felt right at home in the midst of so many futbol lovers. Watching the goalies warm up made me miss playing. It was an intense game because of the rivalry. There were lots of cards and it was rough. Before the teams came out and during the game, fans threw toliet paper on the field. Going through the air it would unravel of course and make a big mess. Just a normal occurance though. Fans had drums and were constantly jumping around and chanting their cheers. We weren't in the craziest sections, but of course there was still passion. The game ended 0-0 which made exiting the stadium easier since no one won, there weren't any fights. It was definitely one of my favorite experiences here and I hope to go back.

The game was in the afternoon and I got home around 7 and had to start homework since I hadn't done any before. I had to write a paper about interviews with Nicaraguans and perceptions of Costa Ricans toward Nicaraguans. There are thousands of Nicaraguans who come here to find better work. It kinda reminds me of the Mexican immigration back home and all the prejudices that exist toward Mexicans. I also had to read and study for a test.

Monday we had class in the morning and a missionary spoke, John Stam. He was very lively and quirky and a lot of fun. Oh and I forgot to mention that morning when I took a skirt out of my closet to put on, a lizard fell on my foot! It's the only animal, insect anything I've seen in the house, but now I always shake out my clothes before I put them on. This is the last week of ILE so that's a good feeling. I'm ready for a change.

This morning I played soccer with a few students which was really good to play again because it's been awhile. There were just 7 of us so we just played 4 v. 3 but it was fun. I think we're playing again Friday.

I found a churro place downtown. A churro is like a doughnut tube filled with caramel or chocolate or some cream. They have them in Brazil so I was very excited to find them here. My favorite thing here though is the fresh fruit. The pineapple is amazing and there's all kinds of little fruit stands that have a round slice of pineapple in a bag. Soooo good!

The biggest news is that we are leaving for a 2 week trip to Nicaragua on Monday. Now that we have kinda gotten comfortable with things here, we gotta get uncomfortable again. We leave at 6:15 am for a 8-11 hour bus ride. We spend a few days in Managua but the majority of our time is spent with families-communities around Nicaragua for 6 days. They told us to bring all kinds of medicines so I'm kinda nervous. Nicaragua is a poorer country so it is going to be a different experience. I am excited overall but a little sad about leaving my comfort zone here. It will be a good experience though to see that Costa Rica is unique in Latin America and most other countries are dealing with a lot more problems. I don't know if I'll have internet or anything so I'm just going into it expecting to have no outside contact.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading about my life!