Catching up (part three)

March 23

Well, Easter was low key. I went to church and they hardly even mentioned it. After church, we served lunch to the MEI kids and their homestays. This was originally going to be the time when the MEI kids and their homestay families would say goodbye but so many families wanted to have the afternoon to do things (They had Friday to do this but just about everything was closed) so Delynn said that the extra afternoon was optional. Every family chose to spend the afternoon with their homestay kids. It was pretty sweet to see how attached they had all become after just a week. It makes me think about how sad I will be to leave my homestay family.

March 24

I'm back at Bella Flor's. And guess what, I am shoveling more dirt! What a surprise! I don't care that much anymore though. I'm just glad to be back and to be hanging out with people. On the way to Bella Flor's, Gloria and I talked about my whole walkabout (it's the last time we were going to see each other because when I am back at the base for the last time the Hoover's are going to be out of town). She said that she was impressed with how I was with the groups and how I always seemed to put myself into whatever needed to be done. That made me feel really good. I definitely think my work ethic improved while I was here- I'm not sure I had the best work ethic before walkabout. It was really cool to hear that she thought I did a good job with the groups because half the time I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I felt like one of the kids in the groups because I was their age but I was also kind of part of staff. It was kind of weird but I guess I did OK at it.

Gloria told me an interesting story about the first time she saw Little Miss Sunshine (a really good movie, if you haven't seen it). Delynn, Carmelinda, and her were going to see Night at the Museum and they had already bought their tickets when they were told that the projector wasn't working but that they could pick another movie to see. Little Miss Sunshine was one of the movies listed and they didn't know what it was about so they asked the lady at the ticket counter who said it was about a little girl who enters a beauty pageant. Gloria and Delynn thought that might be something Carmelinda might like to see so they picked it. Carmelinda was probably six then and Little Miss Sunshine is rated R. The whole movie they kept debating whether to leave or not but it was so funny they ended up staying for the whole movie. They had a long discussion with Carmelinda afterwards about all they things in the movie (They had a lot of things to discuss: suicide, drugs, homosexuality, etc.) and Gloria is actually glad they did see they movie with her because many of those topics are ones that kids hear about at school before they hear about it at home and the movie was a funny way to introduce Carmelinda to them.


March 25

Yesterday, A big dump truck dumped a huge pile of dirt that we had to haul. Well, that was big, but today FOUR big dumptrucks dumped dirt so there is a HUGE pile of dirt down the street. I can't believe it! I asked Bella For, and she said she doesn't have any groups coming in the near future and tomorrow is my last day so only the people in La Tabla with their three wheelbarrows are going to hauling this dirt. Hopefully this will finish up the wall!

Today is my last full day in La Tabla. Tomorrow will be different because my mom will be here so I felt kind of like it was my last day. I am really going to miss everyone here.

In other news, My mom is here! Here flight was delayed 40 minutes and she had to wait in line for 2 hours at customs, but she made it!

March 26

I had to say goodbye to everyone today. It was really hard but I didn't cry or anything (I was expecting to but because my mom was here I think my brain was kind of in two places at once). My mom brought stuff for the kids to play with. The kids had a lot of fun playing with all the stickers and drawing and it was a good last afternoon.

After La Tabla, my mom and I took a bus to Cahuita, a small town on the Caribbean. I picked it out because it was small so we could walk to most places in town, it was on the beach, it had a coral reef, and it was on the Caribbean which I had always been told how different that part of Costa Rica is and I wanted to see a different side to Costa Rica. Anyway, on the bus ride there, I checked out a little map I had of Cahuita and realized that the hotel that we picked wasn't actually in the town but down the road a couple kilometers by the playa negro. This wouldn't be a problem except we were arriving at about 9 (sunset is about 6) and we were unfamiliar with the territory. Uh Oh. When we got there, the bus station was empty except for a security guard (At least that what we assumed he was because he had a uniform and a gun) who after hearing that we needed a taxi handed my mom's huge suitcase to this guy who he said was a taxi. Now, in my reading in preparation for this trip, I learned that all registered taxi's had a red vehicle with a taxi number on the side and that it wasn't recommended to go with non red "taxis". Well, this guy didn't have a red car so I was a little nervous. My mom, who didn't want to walk and figued that if the armed security guard trusted him, we could too. My mom was right. It went fine, the guy was nice and we got to the hotel ok. Whew!


March 27

Today was sweet! This guy Johnny (the brother of Cesar, who drove us last night) drove us around and we went to the Bribri Indian reservation and saw authentic native americans, hanging out it their house, cooking food. One of them was a 108 year old guy sleeping with a parrot on a shoulder. It was cool! We were really close to the Costa Rica/Panama border so we went to the river that divides the two countries and so we saw Panama! Then a Bribri woman showed us how chocolate is made (it comes from a fruit!) and we bought some really good black pepper chocolate from her. After that we went into Cahuita, grabbed some lunch at this Pizza place that named it's pizzas things like Marilyn Monroe, LSD, and John F Kennedy (we ordered "The Doors" pizza). We then walked along the beach in the National Park. We saw iguanas, white faced monkeys, and a beautiful beach. It was such a great day. It was beautiful and the people were nice. The beach was amazing and I got to see the Caribbean part of Costa Rica. it was a great vacation.

March 28

We took the bus back to San Jose and I realized how much I have learned about agriculture while I have been here. I learned that gourmet coffee is grown at high altitudes, pineapples don't grow on trees, and that chocolate comes from a fruit. In coming here I didn't even consider that I would learn anything about the things that are grown here and I just realized that in fact, I have.

March 29

I spent most of my day in a bus. It was my last day in Costa Rica. I think I have grown a lot while I have been here, my Spanish has improved a lot (and my willingness to make a fool out of myself while trying to speak Spanish), my work ethic has improved, my ability to have my things semi-neat when I am sharing a room with someone has developed, and I feel like I am more independent from my family now and more my own person. I also know more about the struggles of people in poverty and how we have so much more in the states than we really need. I am so glad I came here. I wouldn't be the person I am now if I hadn't.


My first walkabout is now complete.