Welcome

Hello and thanks for checking out my blog!  Costa Ricans like to call themselves "ticos," which inspired my title.  For more information about why I'm in Costa Rica, take a look at my About page.  Here's a recap of what's been going on so far:

I stopped working at my job on August 3, and from then until the 14th my full-time job became trying to get everything in order so that I could leave the country.  I was amazed at how many things had to be accomplished before I could go - vaccinations, a visit to the dentist and eye doctor, shopping, thank-you notes, planning my good-bye party, cancelling subscriptions, notifying the credit card company of my upcoming travel, packing...the list goes on and on!  I did have a little bit of free time:

Dancer and I

This summer I helped my friend Phyllis drive her horse and carriage a couple of times, and on our "last hurrah" ride I got to drive a little bit by myself.  I'm grateful I had the opportunity to learn about carriage driving - what a neat pastime!

On Sunday morning we all got up around 10 after 4:00 am to make sure we could get to the airport on time for my 6:30 flight.  Everything went off without a hitch...we even had time to catch a mouse that the cat was chasing around our living room!  At least I felt pretty awake after that.

  At the airport

A view from the plane window

The flights went smoothly - on the first one I met a priest who has heard of the community in Ann Arbor and said that he would pray for me.  When I arrived in Costa Rica, the gap program director Ray Gudiño and his mom were waiting there to pick me up.  Ray loaded my 120+ lbs. of luggage(!) into the car and we drove straight to the house of my host family.  The surroundings on the way reminded me of what things looked like when we were on vacation to Puerto Rico.

Here are some pictures of where I live - click on any one to make it larger:

The condo complex where many Árbol de Vida families live, including mine.  "Agape" is a word that comes from Greek and means "unconditional love."  It is used many times in the Bible.

Inside the condo complex - the bushes had just been trimmed

My side of the street

 Our house!

Carnela, the one-year-old Chihuahua.  I was lucky to get a picture of her standing still!

Nina the parrot

A playground inside the condo complex

 Views down the street just outside of the complex 

Views from my window

Other scenery visible from the neighborhood:

Some of the plant life:

Yesterday was Mother's Day here, so nobody had to work.  I was invited to have lunch down the street with the family of another man that oversees the GAP program.  They were very hospitable - we ate a nice meal, had plenty of conversation, and played with the two little grandkids, one just learning to walk at fifteen months and the other only three months old.  Some of us watched a mother's-day-themed Disney movie called "Marte Necesita Mamás" ("Mars Needs Moms") afterward.  I also got to meet the woman who will be my mentor here, and two of the people closer to my age offered to give me their phone numbers so that I could call them if I needed to.  

One of the most challenging things about being here so far is the language barrier, and already I've realized more clearly how comforting good hospitality can be.  Everyone has been really nice so far and made sure that I am well fed and taken care of, which is good because it is very stressful to be in an environment where everyone is speaking a language and living out a culture other than my native one.  A couple of people have told me that I speak Spanish well, but there is still a lot that I don't understand and a lot that I don't know how to say.  I've met so many people from foreign countries living in the United States, and I never knew how hard it really can be.  Moral of the story - the next time you meet a foreigner, be extra nice!  You might not realize how much it might help.

Hopefully, things will get easier for me as I learn more and more Spanish and become more acclimated to my surroundings.  Sometimes I get a weird feeling and think to myself, "is this really me and my life?"  I think this is because people's sense of self is probably connected in a lot of ways to their surroundings and relationships.    Maybe this is a good opportunity for me to really root myself in the Lord.  He is God of all places, cultures, and languages.  I do trust that this is where He wants me and that He will continue to take care of me.