Me: "How are we able to breathe?" Student: "Through our hearts?"

It's responses like that... the goofy looks across the room, whispered stories, surprise hugs, the light in my students' eyes when they finally understand, shared tortillas and juicy mango, and endless amounts of curiosity that leaves my heart smiling constantly here when teaching. There is not one day that passes where the joys during the day aren't able to overshadow all the challenges and struggle.

It's finished! The U.S. puzzle map. They all really get a kick out of doing this puzzle every day.

                                Look at these beautiful ladies enjoying their meriendas! (snacks)

I cannot believe how fast these past two weeks have gone in school and looking ahead seems even crazier. Just two days ago Kayla and I celebrated being here one whole month. One month. Here I am in the middle of one of the biggest adventures I have ever had in my life and it's still so surreal.

I don't even know where to start, like normal, maybe I'll start with SLOTHS!!! because I have seen a grand total of two in the last few days. Imagine seeing your favorite animal just meandering through your school, place of employment, or home...it's pretty unreal, amigos. Yesterday Kayla came running to my classroom and told me to come outside. I didn't believe that there could be a sloth hanging out in the middle of the school, but sure enough hanging snuggly from a branch was the lazy, tranquil creature that I love. During the following recess, a swarm of students and I watched this school sloth make its way (slowly of course) from one tree to another. Ten minutes later, our sloth friend made it to the neighbor tree. There were lots of screams, giggles, and happiness all around!

 Today we sighted the sloth climbing through school ( I think it was late for class...)

To share a little bit about what the last few weeks have been like I will start with our surprise weekend with our new cousins, Xiomara and Marlon, 2 of the coolest people I have ever met.

Two Saturdays ago, Xiomara and Marlon showed up to the house and said we were going mountain climbing in Suerre, which is a city close to Guácimo! Xiomara and Marlon were so excited to show Kayla and I everything. We stopped at a Tilapia farm to chat with a few of their close friends and see a beautiful stream in their backyard. There are so many Tilapia farms here in Costa Rica, it's great! Past the farm we were doing some serious off-roading up and up until we reached a perfect spot to get out a walk.






We found our way to a gorgeous waterfall that absolutely took my breath away. Simple bliss is what I felt the whole time being in this environment. I want to plant my future home right there.

The following Sunday Marlon and Xiomara picked us up at 6:15 sharp for an all day adventure around the Limón province. *Little note about Marlon and Xiomara: these two are absolutely the most "Pura Vida" people I have met here in Costa Rica. They are so full of life and were so thrilled to take us to all these absolutely amazing places. Here is a brief outline of what we accomplished together in one unforgettable day:
1. Breakfast stop at an adorable outdoor cafe called "El Primo," where we tried out first Costa Rican coffee...mmm, rico.
2. Pit stop to pick up our favorite fruit here, Guanabana :) Like a mixture of pineapple, strawberry, and oranges.
3. Visit a few hidden rivers.
4. Watched huge cargo boats being loaded, including Dole fruit company!
5. Tour around the center of Limón.
6. Drive through the indigenous villages in Costa Rica; so peaceful and discrete.
7. Check out what cocoa trees and their fruit looks like.
8. Taking a boat from Cash, a small city, to PANAMA (what!?) to get some items at a import store.
9. Peaceful afternoon in the Caribbean, snacking on the beach.
10. Driving home with uncontrollable smiles and content hearts.
11. Dinner at "El Primo."
12. Best night of sleep ever.

It was honestly the best weekend I have had here, and all the other weekend have been pretty amazing themselves. I am so thankful for Xiomara and Marlon, their gracious hearts, and their love of adventure. I will not forget it.

The following week was our first full week of school, which was great! I have come to accept that my students are definitely going to be teaching me more than I will be able to teach them in my time with them. I love them and how they surprise me in many ways every day. I played soccer with the boys in gym the other day... oh my goodness... I'm pretty sure they are better than my high school's soccer team was. They love sharing soccer stats with me even though most the time I have no idea what they are talking about, I just smile and nod :) I am slowly learning the team names, I fear I might be quizzed one of these days soon!

One of my students favorite things to do is have me quiz them in math facts once they are done with their work. I make little problem sets and they set to work with determined minds, it's so fun to see their faces when I correct their work. Also, riddles. Today I wrote a riddle on the board for them today and they went crazy (in a good way). Once they figured it out they were begging for more.

Parents. I love talking with my students' parents, they are so kind and loving. The other day one of my students' moms told me she doesn't know what is going to happen when I am gone because her son likes having me as a teacher in his class. It made my heart melt. Yesterday one of the moms brought me a bag of recently cooked corn on the cob, which was awesome and yummy! That was a good walk home, snacking on come corn and discussing the day. The other week another one of my students' moms invited Kayla and I over to just sit and chat.

As this blog post turns into a chapter book I will resort to a list of things I am so blessed to have experienced recently :)

-A Saturday trip to San José, the capital city, to visit some popular sites like the National Theater, the Zoo, Casa Amarilla, The Cathedral, and Central Market. Kayla and I walked around for 7 hours taking in a very different city life! :)
-Surprise Birthday Party for Papí's sister. I am in love with this beautiful family. Almost all 11 siblings were there at the party where there was karaoke, copious amounts of food, dancing, piñata, merriment, and did I mention food? It is so wonderful to be in a place where the love between individuals is so visible.
-Talking with Mamí about God and other beautiful topics. She is such a strong woman of faith and love, I look up to her very much!
-Teaching Papí how to use the computer and set up an email account, tehehe.
-Wednesday Pilates with the ladies from church (and a small crab that wanted to join us on the floor). I was so relaxed after this!
-Being able to take time to reflect and see how truly amazing this opportunity it. God is good, life is sweet, and living in each moment just keeps getting better.

I pray that you all are in great spirits no matter what the weather is, literally and emotionally :)
Much love and peace from Costa Rica,
Hasta Luego!

"You say goodbye, I say hello."

The title of this blog post pretty much sums up awkward greeting moments between native Costa Ricans and myself, and I love everyone of these awkward moments. When passing someone on the street it becomes an instant battle in my mind what I should say because I never know if someone is going to say "Hola," "Buenas," "Buenos Dias;" all pretty natural greetings for "hello," or my personal favorite "Adios," which translates to "goodbye." I am so accustomed to saying "hello" to people in passing that the first time I heard someone say "Adios" here when Kayla and I walked by, I was slightly to mildly confused.

By this time in my adventures here I know that whatever I say in greeting, someone is going to say "adios" in return of my "hello," and it's just easy to use in short passing for hello and goodbye. I can't help but chuckle every time, however, because I literally translate it to "Hello," "Goodbye." 

Anyways, look! an Iguana!

 More to come mis amigos, bendiciones a todo! :)

I love my students (who choose to believe I also speak French...)

I cannot express the elation in my heart. Today was the biggest affirmation in my life of why it is I feel called to be a teacher. Since being in Costa Rica, Kayla and I have had our fair share of challenges, which turn into blessings nonetheless, but today...oh today. Today was the biggest blessing so far.

Everyone knows that feeling on the first day of school, whether you are a child, parent, relative, or teacher. The day wakes you up with butterflies and uncertainty about the day ahead, and minutes feel like days. This morning Kayla and I woke up really early to get ready for school and didn't really have much to say; anticipation was in the air.

Something that is very different between schools I have experienced in the States and here is time. The teachers here arrive 10 minutes before the beginning of the day and there is really no rush for anything, like most things here. 20 minutes before the start of the day was early for Kayla and I because there was hardly anyone at the school. We are teaching at a school of excellence called "Los Geranios," and it is a beautiful place. I will post pictures of it later, but it is a teal-colored cluster of buildings and is very open. There are plants and trees growing right in the middle of the school, it's gorgeous. The classroom sizes are smaller, around 25 students per class, because in Los Geranios they want to focus attention on each individual to help make as successful students as possible.

This morning all the students and their families trickled into the school to have a reflection and welcoming to a new year of school. All the students looked so sharp in their blue uniforms and were carrying big smiles on their faces. The principal, Doña Laura, introduced all the teachers and called off the names of the students in their respective classes. I am student teaching in the third grade, tercer grado, with a teacher named "Saira" (yes, it sounds a lot like "Sarah," match made in Costa Rica).

Meeting my students. I don't think I could stop smiling all day seeing these beautiful children and their bright eyes looking up at me with curiosity. Brother, did they have questions.... all throughout the day I would hear a little voice behind me ask "¿Profé? ¿Profé?" (short for "Profesora"-teacher).

"Where are you from?"
"Have you seen snow?"
"How old are you?"
"Did you come here in a plane?"
"Do you have boyfriend?"
"Is she (Kayla) your sister?"
"Do you have beaches in the United States?"
"Do you speak French?" (This question is the winner as it was the most reoccurring...???)
"Who's in your family?"
"How do you write my name in English?"
"Do you watch wrestling on TV?"
"Are you going to stay in our class?"

You get the picture :) This is one of the reasons I love children and want to spend my every day with them; they have curiosity, they are giggly, their beautiful minds are constantly fired up, and they love you for everything you are.

It took me a little while to get a hang of what the schedule was like during the day because I hadn't gotten any information on what a normal school day consists of. Shortly after starting the day there was a small "recreo" (recess), where the students could have a snack and play for a little bit around the school. Immediately two of my students took me by hand and walked me around the school, asking more questions. Every time we had a recess today a swarm of students would surround Kayla and I, firing questions at us left and right with giggly voices :) I think this is the closest I will get to feeling famous. Some students would try to use what English they knew to say hello, which is such an awesome feeling when someone makes that effort. I am in love with the energy in this school and all these students. I have known them for maybe 7 hours and feel already that come that last day of school, it's gonna be rough to say "hasta luego."

During block time in my classroom, the students were asking so many questions about me and the United States that my teacher pulled up a chair to the front of the classroom and told me to sit down. Saira told the students that they could ask me any questions they wanted. It was so much fun. I got to share with my students pictures of things that are important to me from home and things I like to do.

After it was time for the last class of the day, Religion. We played a little game and then the students had a little picture to color. The Religion teacher gave me one to color and one of my students jumped up, pulled a chair next to his and said, "¡Venga!" (come here). He shared his brand new colored pencils with me while I taught him the colors in English.

When it was time for everyone to go home, I did not want to say goodbye. So many of my students came up to me to affirm that I was coming back the next day. After being flooded with kisses, hugs, and "hasta mañana's" (see you tomorrow), it was the end of the very first day of school.

Running into the principal on our way out she asked me if I was tired and I honestly responded that I think I have more energy than ever. Maybe every day won't be like this, but I have today, and Gracias a DIOS (Thanks to God) for every moment of it.

As Alicia Keys would say, "This girl is on fire."

Bendiciones to you all, I hope that your week is going stupendously! :)

  Desks ready for a new school year!

 Saira's desk

  

 2 of my muchachos guapos! :)

 Front of the classroom

 A beautiful picture from one of my students and a project from Religion class!

Happy First Day of School!! :)

These pictures will never do justice to the view we get to wake up to every day!

Tejas..... somehow you seem out of place.

Bendiciones (Blessings)

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I first arrived in Costa Rica; it's safe to say that every day feels like a dream that I'm afraid of forgetting when I wake up the next day (isn't that how it always goes? ). To be honest with you all, Kayla and I have yet to teach in our time here, which has been a little difficult for us because we are anxious to be in school. However, over the last few weeks we have been occupied by helping prepare for the school year to begin and even got to assist in a preschool yesterday! In addition, I cannot believe how much Kayla and I have been able to grow in the last two weeks, we are extremely grateful for each day and new experience.

There are so many things that happen everyday that bring a smile to my heart and remind me of how thankful I am to be here. When I get downtime I blast words, thoughts, and emotions into a word document that I tell myself I will put in my blog eventually. To extract a tidbit from this document, here's a list of things that I will never get sick of here:

1. The way it can go from complete sunshine to a refreshing, lovely-smelling rain in seconds. Seriously...you never know when its going to rain. I love it.
2. Being reminded that everyone smiles in the same language. No matter what language/cultural barrier there can be at times, I am constantly comforted by smiling people. I don't think I've actually met a grumpy person yet!
3. Green. EVERYWHERE. To me it seems that people here live amongst nature and appreciate its value, where other places it is certainly taken for granted.
4. Being greeted by a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Where is the love, yo?" Well, it's here. In Costa Rica. I also appreciate that people appear to be in no rush and can always be found "shooting the breeze" down every street.
5. Panaderías baking fresh bread and pastries everywhere. I may come home 100 pounds heavier, but alas, 100% happy. The smells are irresistible. Papí goes to nearby panaderías every morning, so we eat fresh bread a lot. Don't even get me started on the cream cheese-filled bread.
6. Music. A silent day is a strange day. Between all the stores in the center of Guácimo and peoples' homes, every day is a party. Also, popular music here is much more optimistic, go figure :)
7. How open everything is here. Homes, stores, and people (and the containers of ice cream in the refrigerator ;) Thanks, Mamí!)
8. Colors. This country is a vibrant place in many ways, I never want to blink because there is so much to take in!
9. Having access to beaches x 1,000 on two major bodies of water. I'm down with that.
10. How much everyone loves Bob Marley.
11. Learning new "dichos" (sayings or idioms) of the Costa Rican people

To name a few:
"Tuanis"- this is a popular response when someone asks you how your are doing, similar to "good."
"Pura Vida"- this is really the country's saying, meaning "pure life," "it's a good life," "full life," you get the idea :) 
"Por/que dicho/a"- this translates to "what bliss" or "how good."
"Mae"- more popular for really close guy friends to use, but it's similar to "dude."
"Mucho brete"- Kayla and I learned this one from our friend Don Omar (who has a voice like King Julian in Madagascar...just saying), but means "hard work."
"Pachuco"- this word is used to describe a native person who speaks very informally.

12. Fresh fruit. I don't think I've eaten more delicious fruit in my life! It seems that everyday Kayla and I have gotten to try something new. Today we are going to have Zapote!
13. How often people refer to God in their daily speech, giving him thanks :)
14. How wonderful the Crawford family is. I already know that it's going to be very difficult to leave.

I have a feeling this list will only be growing longer...

I hope that you all are well and living the dream wherever you are :)

To celebrate Kayla's birthday we took our first solo trip to Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean :) It was amazing and I'd say we mastered the bus system that day ;)