Work Trip?

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending a Peace Corps meeting at the beach.  Costa Rica is divided into volunteer regions, and we are a part of the Limon region which includes a number of wonderful people, places and beaches.  We held our regional volunteer meeting in the quaint beach town of Cahuita and had a wonderful time with friends.

We left our house not so bright, but early, on Saturday morning and took the adventurous trip that had us ride four buses, get in an argument with bus terminal employees and eat some chocolate and caramel covered peanuts.  The first three of our bus rides went quite smoothly and lined up perfectly, allowing just enough time to buy tickets and grab a seat.  The fourth should have gone just as smoothly - we watched it happen with friends of ours on the same travel schedule.  

The transition to our final bus, or lack of transition depending on your point of view, led to our argument with bus terminal employees.  We got in line, the controller on duty asked us where we were going as he was getting ready to send the Cahuita bus on its way.  He stood in line with us, Chris ordered our tickets and handed over money, the controller took the slips that the woman passed through the window and we followed him to the bus.  He handed the slips to the bus driver through the window, we told the bus driver this when we got on, he looked at us like we were crazy, we got off the bus to look for the controller, Chris talked to the woman at the ticket counter who said she had never seen him or his money before and the bus took off.  We eventually found the controller again who explained that the slips he had taken were to tell the bus driver how many tickets he should have received from paid fares.  After we explained the situation he told us that the woman at the ticket counter was crazy and came with us to make sure we got our tickets and our change (since Chris had paid 5000 colones and it should have only cost 2010).  Thankfully we only had to wait 30 minutes (enough time for chocolate caramel peanuts) for the next bus and we were able to meet up with our friends in time for lunch in Cahuita.

We had a wonderful lunch of rice and beans (a dish prepared with coconut milk and a little Caribbean spice), patacones (one of our favorite items prepared with plantains) and fish.  Another group of volunteers met up with us shortly after we got our food and later we all headed to the beach to toss around a Frisbee and play some Ultimate.  It was great to catch up with people that we hadn't seen since Thanksgiving or before.

Before dinner we came together for our "business" meeting and discussed how things were going and how things could be improved in Peace Corps Costa Rica then the group split into smaller groups for more delicious food.  We went out with our friends Megon and Kevin and ate some delicious pasta full of vegetables that weren't cooked to the point of mush and then returned to the hotel to play a rousing game of Canasta (or Hand and Foot, depending on where you're from).  We had played earlier in the week and the boys had won, the girls were the champions at the beach and now we have a running tally for our remaining time in Peace Corps.  We'll see who walks away with the most wins at the end of May 2012!

We got up early Sunday morning and caught the sunrise over the Atlantic.  After it had passed the stage of beautiful colors a group of us headed to Cahuita National Park.  We walked about 3 kilometers of trail through the seaside jungle and saw Cara Blancas (White Face Monkeys) and Congos (Howler Monkeys) as we walked out to the point where we turned around.  On our return trip we ran into a guided group and the guide was nice enough to pause his tour to point out a Sloth to us and lead us down the trail a bit to see an Eyelash Viper!  Several photos later we walked out of the park and headed into town for a delicious breakfast complete with multi-grain bread (a real treat for us!).

After breakfast it was time for us to call an end to our weekend escape and we returned to the hotel for quick showers before walking to the bus terminal.  We had an uneventful trip home and as nice as it had been to be away for the weekend with friends, were glad to be back in the comforts of home.

"Summer" Camp

During the month of January we offered a series of camps for local youth to participate in.  We weren't sure what to expect as the community was really quiet starting in December.  People were using their vacation time to visit family in other parts of Costa Rica or in Nicaragua and so we crossed our fingers and hoped for a good turn out.  The first two weeks were rainy, but we had been given keys to the school so we had a classroom to work in and then for the third week we had glorious weather! 

Week One: Art Camp

Our first week of camp was quite successful.  We had an average of about ten kids a day, some days more, some days less.  We crowded in to our little classroom every day, seeking shelter from the rain and focused on our artwork.  Monday we drew, Tuesday we painted, Wednesday we made friendship bracelets, Thursday we did origami and Friday we celebrated by doing a little bit of everything.  The biggest hit of the week was coloring books.  We had gotten them so that we would have something for the little kids to do, but throughout the week kids of all ages colored and they loved it!  

Week Two: Games Camp

Our game camp was a little slower than art camp.  Actually, a lot slower.  We had more rain and we were more or less without our classroom.  While we still had the keys, all of the chairs and desks had been moved out of it for a wedding reception over the weekend and had been returned to a different classroom.  We made due though with handy foam mats that we had purchased as a teaching tool.  We used the mats as protection from the concrete floors and played away.  Each day of camp was more or less the same since we didn't have enough kids to do all of the activities that we had planned on.  Instead we played numerous games of Uno, Garbage, Left-Right-Center, and Go Fish.  The kids enjoyed the card games, but we changed things up on Friday and introduced Checkers and Can't Stop!  It was a great week even if we didn't have as many kids as we would have liked.

Week Three: Sports Camp

Sports Camp was definitely a winner, as we had thought it would be.  We had about 14 kids a day, topping out at 19 on Friday.  We had perfect weather all week, not too hot with some cloud cover - just what was needed to get kids out from in front of the TV and into the plaza.  Monday we played soccer, Tuesday we played basketball, Wednesday we played baseball, Thursday we played Frisbee and Friday we played Ultimate Frisbee for an hour and soccer for an hour.  This was a special week because on Wednesday we had a couple of friends join us to help with baseball.  Kevin is a huge baseball fan and was able to teach kids games that we wouldn't have been able to come up with!  His wife Megon joined in and we were able to break the kids into two groups for stations - Kevin and Megon working on batting and Chris and I on catching.

"Summer" is quickly coming to a close.  School starts next week and so we are in planning mode this week.  We hope to meet with school directors and get activities lined up now so that we can get started right away this year.  We have big ideas - we'll let you know which ones actually work out!

Tradition

The holidays were far from what we are used to this year, but in the midst of all of what we perceived as abnormalities we were fortunate to learn about and take part in some Costa Rican traditions.  While we both brought our own family traditions into our lives together, this year we learned some new ones that we think we will add to our repertoire.  

A couple of days before Christmas we were invited to participate in the age old tradition of making tamales.  For several weeks we had been hearing talk of making tamales and people had been asking us what we would do since tamales are traditionally made with meat.  María, our host mom, had already talked with us about the million and a half options we would have.  We could make them with a bunch of vegetables, with hearts of palm, with beans, with soy meat; she was very concerned about us having tamales that we could eat and was thus very resourceful in coming up with ways that we could participate in one of the most important parts of the Christmas holiday.  In the end we made them the traditional way, just substituting the meat with refried beans.

In reality making tamales is a day long event.  There is masa to make, banana leaves to smoke and cut (unless you buy them pre-cut), vegetables to prepare, meat (or beans) to cook, and string to cut.  Then you need to put them all together and boil/steam them for about an hour and fifteen minutes (depending on how many you are making).  We only ended up participating in the second to last step - putting all of the parts together.

Rafa, our host dad, walked us through the steps and he and his sister kept a watchful eye on us throughout the entire process.  First we had to layer two banana leaves, one small one diagonally on top of a slightly larger one.  Then we had to put some masa in the middle and spread it out a little.  The masa was followed by rice, beans, green bean, carrot, red pepper, peas, and a sprig of cilantro.  Once all of the ingredients were placed on the leaves, it was time to roll them up.  Sometimes we had too many ingredients in one tamal making it difficult to roll, but with a little help from Rafa's sister, everything came together smoothly.  Once two packets were prepared they were tied together tightly to keep all of the yummy goodness from escaping during the cooking process.

All together we made ten pairs of tamales.  María put them in a pot to boil and an hour and a half later she called us out for dinner.  They were delicious.  They were still delicious the next morning when we at them for breakfast, and they only got tastier over time.  When we finished the last ones up at dinner the other day they were spectacular.

Needless to say, tamales will be coming home with us (or at least the knowledge of how to make them!)  We are excited about sharing this new skill with our families when we return state side and are perhaps even more excited about eating them again next Christmas!  New Christmas tradition, check!

The other tradition that we will be brining back home with us is a family tradition of María.  She learned it from her mom, who learned it from her mom, who learned it from an aunt, and who knows how many generations before her did the same.

On New Year's Eve day, a plate is prepared for the coming year.  On it you will find rice, beans, salt, bread and money.  Then, on New Year's Day all of the items are placed in a small pouch and hung on the back of the door.  It is hoped that in return your family will have plenty to eat and enough money to live happily and healthfully.

At the end of the year, the old food is thrown out and the money is given to a local church or charity to help those who were not as fortunate.  It is a way to give back and to look forward.

We plan to add our own twist to this tradition when we bring it to our home, and that will be to add a locket with photos of us in it, so as to bless the year with family, friendship, and love.

The traditions may be small, but then, most are.  We look at it as a way of brining our Costa Rican life home with us and of always having the memories of our 'family' and friends here.

  

Top Ten Albums of 2010

Thanks to dropbox, I didn't lack for albums to listen to this year.  However, short of a few albums I heard on vinyl and/or a proper stereo before landing in Costa Rica, the music of 2010 has been heard via earbuds and/or laptop speakers, and that is no way to really listen to music.  Right after family and friends, I'm most looking forward to reconnecting with my vinyl collection and stereo.  I miss the smell of a brand new lp and familiar pop of the needle dropping.  I miss other things of course, but mostly I miss those other things while listening to music.  It will be nice to cook my own recipes, in our own kitchen, but it will be great to cook in a home filled with the sweet sounds of jazz/indie rock/folk/hip-hop...

Without further ado, the list:

10. Broken Bells -Broken Bells
This album is so predictably good, it almost feels like a guilty pleasure.

9. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid
Step aside Maya.

8. Sleigh Bells - Treats
I can't decide whether this is the most abrasive pop album ever, or the poppiest noize record ever.

7. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
It's no Funeral... the same way that In Utero is no Nevermind.

6. Yeasayer - Odd Blood
Replace the opener with the cut from Dark Was the Night and this album jumps 5 spots.

5. Fang Island - Fang Island
Math can be fun! (SUPER FUN!!!)

4. No Age - Everything In Between
This year's grower (give it another listen Jeremy)

3. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
The perfect mash up of Weezer (The Blue Album) and Pinkerton

2. Damien Jurardo - Saint Bartlett
2010's Bill Callahan

1. Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record
If I could only listen to one album from 2010, this would be it.  This collective is greater because of its parts.

Merry Christmas 2010!

December 2010

Hello and Happy Holidays!

As we sit here in a hot and tropical country, it is slightly difficult to believe that Christmas is upon us – even if our host family's house has been decorated with wreaths, trees, and little Santa Claus figurines since before Halloween! We hope that this finds you doing well and that you have had a wonderful year. It really is hard to believe that yet another year has passed, considering we are living in a perpetual summer.

This past February we said good-bye to family and friends before embarking on our current adventure – Peace Corps. We found ourselves in Washington D.C. on March 1 we officially began the Peace Corps journey by sitting in a conference room (for about 10 hours) with everyone else that was bound for Costa Rica. We went out for a nice dinner to celebrate what was to come and first thing the following morning we were piling into a bus and heading to the airport.

We spent March, April and May sitting in long training sessions and trying to learn Spanish. It was a frustrating time for us as a lot of training had to do with how to work with youth – which you know we have been doing for a fair number of years! We had our ups and downs, but it all came to an end on May 21 when we became official Peace Corps Volunteers – complete with a trip to the U.S. Ambassador's residence. On May 22 we loaded up our belongings, hopped on a bus (or 3), and several (4 or 5) hours later arrived in the comfort of our current home in Colonia, a small community in the middle of a banana plantation!

The seven months between then and now have also presented us with challenges as we try to figure out how to work most effectively in a new country. Every day is a new experience; whether we are going to cultural events at the school, hanging out at the playground and basketball court, walking through town or working with English classes at the high school we tend to finish the day in disbelief thinking, 'what just happened?' This is our new life. We're learning a lot – about Costa Rica, about how to adapt to a slower pace of life, and about ourselves.

Some of the highlights from our time here include (but are not limited to):

• Doing a cultural exchange with a Spanish Service Learning class from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and students from our high school. This included letter exchanges between the students and culminated in a video chat through Skype – our kids were so excited to look into a classroom in the U.S., it made their day and we were so glad that we were able to provide them with that opportunity. Thank you Professor Aaron Chambers and class for making a difference in our community!

• Chris teaching the kids how to play Knock Out, Around the World, and O-S-O (a shortened version of H-O-R-S-E) and then seeing the kids organize themselves to play on their own.

• Playing games with our neighbors. The boys are 6, 10, 11, and 12 and can't get enough of card and dice games. Over the course of seven months we have seen them go from being shy boys who would reluctantly say hi, to quiet boys who participated in camp activities with us, to outspoken boys who shout to us from their houses whenever they see us and have no qualms about stopping by the house, peering into our windows and asking us if it is time to play yet. They also tell us that we're their best friends. If we're having a bad day all that we need to do is keep an eye out for them and soon enough we're all smiles.

• Camp. During July the students had a two-week long vacation and we spent four hours a day playing games with them. We averaged about 25 kids a day. This was our first real attempt at doing anything in the community and it was a great success. It broke the ice between the kids and us. Their shyness was forgotten and they started hugging us, hanging on us, and acting out – in other words, acting like we know kids do! It was wonderful. This also showed us that the parents we had been saying hi to at every opportunity trusted us enough to let their kids spend the day with us.

• Wednesday night English sessions with our friends Jorge and Alberto. Sometimes there are more people who show up, but these guys are consistent. They joke around with us and also help us with our Spanish, ensuring us that we're all together to learn from each other. It's pretty great.

• Making friends from around the U.S. and Costa Rica. We have met some pretty incredible people throughout this journey. They have made all the difference in our time here.

So, in a nutshell, it has been a very interesting year. We have pushed ourselves and have benefited from the challenges that we have faced. It is hard to believe that we will soon be approaching our year mark here in Costa Rica. We are actively planning for the year to come and cannot wait to see what opportunities we will be presented with.

If you want to learn more about what we have been up to or want to keep track of what exactly it is that we're up to when we're not sitting around to avoid sweating, check out our blog: tarahandchris.blogspot.com – we try to keep it relatively current!

Many blessings to you in the year to come! We hope that it is adventurous as ours is bound to be!

Be Well,

Chris and Tarah

Wet

Surveying The Water Levels

Colegio Students Out For A Swim

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

December has brought with it more rain than our community's numerous drainage ditches and lazy rivers and streams can handle.  While most volunteers experienced flooding during November we had come through the effects of Tropical Storm Tomas with little more than an occasional shower interrupting our normally sunny skies.  That is being made up for now.

Yesterday (Wednesday) as we were going to the kitchen to eat breakfast María, our host mom, told us that Rafa, our host dad, had called to say that he couldn't make it to the Colegio and was on his way home.  When Rafa got back he told us that the water had been over the bridge by the Colegio and María encouraged us to go out and check it out.

We pulled on our rubber boots and raincoats and opened up our umbrellas and stepped out into a wet, wet world.  We started out in the direction of the Colegio and soon saw that the road that we would need to take was indeed under water.  We decided to try an alternate route, but didn't have any better luck.  

The Road Through Company Housing

We turned back to the main road through the company housing and were cut off by a couple of guys from the Colegio who were excited about the opportunity to go for a swim in the street.  The water reached mid-thigh on most of them and one student tried riding his bike through, but had to stop when the water covered his tires.  We laughed and took some pictures, and then followed a group of students on their walk to the school (even though classes had been cancelled).  

Needless to say, our rubber boots were no longer effective by the time the water had reached our thighs.  We made a few stops along the way, talking to students and a couple of families whose kids we regularly play with.  We asked questions about how often floods like this occur [note: we had asked these same questions upon our arrival in the community and were told that there are never floods, or at least nothing that can't be handled by donning your rubber boots] and were told a variety of things: never, every once in a while, not since my daughter was a baby (she's 10 now), last year it was worse - they brought boats in and everything.       

The Road Out Of Town

We pondered these responses and why we had heard differently six months ago and can only figure that people didn't want us to worry.  We had even asked in the local police station if there were any environmental concerns or natural disasters that have occurred in the area - everyone said no.  Well, we know now that flooding does happen.

Walter In His Raingear

We had also asked if an emergency committee existed in town, and were told that no, we don't have emergencies.  Someone did mention that the Junta (town council) takes care of things like that if need be.  On our walk though town we witnessed the president of the Junta opening up the church to be used for emergency shelter.  He then opened up the school cafeteria so that food could be made for those who would be without the comforts of home for the night.  María later told us that he was also the president of the Emergency Committee.  It's amazing what you can learn once you are actually integrated into your community.

We spent some time with our neighbors who wanted to show us the flooded farmland behind their house.  We ended up staying at their house for a while so that they could take pictures.  Then we went out to the road in front of our house to check water levels.  The water had covered the road, and we couldn't see dry land in front of us.  They took a couple more photos, including the one below of people after they made the journey through the flooded road so that they would have a dry place to spend the night.  We played some games until dark at which point we were left to be entertained by our endless supply of podcasts.  Due to the lack of power we also had a romantic candle-lit dinner!

Our Neighbors Standing At The Water's Edge

After Crossing To The "Dry" Part Of Town

When we went to bed the rain still hadn't stopped so we were hoping for sunny skies in the morning.  Instead we woke to the sound of more rain.  We had a couple of moments today when we thought that the sun might come out to play, but in reality we've spent another day under a storm cloud.  

There has been some slight improvement in conditions, water levels have lowered despite the continued rains.  The power has come back and we only lost water for a couple of hours this morning.  Unfortunately, for those who live in lower areas of town they will be spending another night on the floor of the church and will have a dinner of donated food prepared in the school cafeteria.  One wonderful thing that we have been able to see in all of this is how the community has come together so naturally to help one another.

We are thankful that we live on a hill [don't worry family and friends - we're safe] and that aside from our few walks through town we have been able to remain dry when so many have not had this luxury.  We're keeping our hopes up for sunshine tomorrow, or at least for the rain to stop falling.  

6 Months [in site]!

So we realize that a couple of months ago we posted a blog called 6 Months...Really?!, but that was just time spent in country.  We have now officially been in our site for 6 months, meaning 1/4 of our time here is done.  We have had days that seemed like they would never end, we have even had weeks that were drenched in the same feelings.  However, we have also had days and weeks that have flown by, and looking back on things, we occasionally wonder where whole months have gone.  So, to give you all a glimpse at all that has passed since that last 6 Months blog, here is another peek into our journal and photo album.

September 4

We discovered our current dream for when we return to the states.  Western New Mexico University.

September 6

There were discs and boomerangs flying all over the place.  It was a safety hazard - it was wonderfully entertaining!

September 9

I don't get it, we were there, we looked through the drawings and essays in the hour + that we waited.  Did no one see us or remember talking to us?

The bands here are amazing.  We're working with some pretty special youth.  We're luckier than some.

September 12

Fail.  Or success.  It all depends on your point of view.

I got going a little too fast downhill, hit a rut/hole and took a tumble over the handlebars.

September 14

Then the kids promptly began setting their creations on fire.  Several small bonfires ensued with multiple faroles being set to burn together, kids started jumping over the fires, the crowd grew and so we decided it was time to go.

September 15

We were up at 3 and started hearing Mike's firecrackers shortly thereafter.

What a great community we live in!

Oh, Independence Day, you have left us exhausted!

September 16

It was hot and sunny, then cloudy and thundering, then hot with sprinkles, then windy, then hot and sunny, a quick burst of hard rain and never failing, hot and sunny.

September 17

He asked us if we would like to teach English to about 40 children who attend the church.

If anything, we have met someone who we think will become a great counterpart as we develop community - youth projects.

September 20

While we were in with 5th grade another storm came.  All of the kids slid their desks close together and as far from the windows as they could get - they mostly stayed dry - however, half of the classroom had a standing layer of water by the time things eased up a bit.

September 23

Who doesn't want to spend their weekend with 60 teenagers that speak a different language (in more than one way!)?

September 24

Some games played today included charades where students acted out TV shows such as MacGyver (complete with a gun made from a watch and some sunglasses), CSI (which was not guessed correctly because the students failed to indicate the correct city - New York), and Superman (with actions of flying and dying from kryptonite).

October 1

Wow, October is already here.  This means we have completed 7 months of service, are starting our 8th - are midway thought our 5th in site - essentially a little more than 25% of our way through service.  20 months left.

October 3

We had our first English class this afternoon.  There were about 25 people.

October 7

We had a video chat with one of Aaron's classes today, it was pretty awesome.

They taught us the Costa Rican version of M.A.S.H. (P.M.R. - Pobre, Millionario, Rico).

So yeah, today was a smile day!

October 13

Today we had two great charlas with kinder and materno students.  We had fun playing "Soap and Water" Tag where we captured the bacteria (kids) in our soap bubble and eliminated them.

October 19

In all, even with the frustrations, today was a good day.  I think the big thing is reminding myself to laugh in moments that would otherwise frustrate me like crazy!

October 21

We went with her after school to check in with her mom who said that if we were going to be at camp then Yanet could go.  That made us feel pretty good.

October 24

So, the overall camp experience was pretty great.  We really saw some young leaders emerge and Michelle and Yanet were involved all weekend.  Yanet came out of her shell and was a group leader and in one activity was selected as someone special to the team.

October 25

My [Tarah] crazy rashes have come back again.

October 26

I [Tarah] spent the day travelling to and from San José.  My rash got checked out and I was basically told I'm allergic to the sun.  Go figure.

October 31

Happy Halloween!  We dressed up as hikers and walked the Progresso loop.  

November 1

It is so nice to have conversations with relatively like-minded people. 

November 2

It was a little sad to see Megon and Kevin go this morning.  We had such a good time with them - we're keeping our fingers crossed that they'll be placed near to us [side note: they'll be less than an hour away!]

We got the cards from Aaron's class!

Today we also picked up a package of photos from Peter - so awesome!

November 4

Today presented us with some highlights for our service so far and also brought some disappointing news.

During lunch today we did a video chat between colegio students and Aaron's class at UNL.  The kids were so incredibly happy to get to talk to students in the US - to see the people they had gotten post cards from and who they had written to.  They ended up using all of Aaron's class time - but we couldn't deny them the chance to talk.  After all, when else are they likely to have the chance to look into the US and talk to someone (in Spanish?).  Smiles all around!

When we got back Susanna met us on the street to tell us that we needed to call Peace Corps.  The rains/floods in CR have moved us to steadfast.  All plans for the weekend are now cancelled.

In other news another CYF volunteer decided to leave the program today.

November 6

It may not have been the Saturday we had planned, but it turned out to be rather fantastic. [see link above]

November 8

The house was full this morning as María and several students worked to fill every imaginable container they could come across with water.  The cuadrantes have been without water since Friday and they needed to be able to clean the bathrooms.  Then it was back here to prepare lunch in our nice, clean kitchen.

November 11

I hope we've seen the last of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and camp in general. [students prepared a dance to this at camp in September, we had seen it about 15 times over the course of that weekend, on the 11th it came back for a community presentation]

November 12

We returned home when school ended and left again around 3 to go to the planchel.  We played and played and around 4:30 Elvin showed up saying we were going to dinner tonight.  So we finished up our games and around 5 or so we went home to change and headed out with Elvin.

November 14

So much food, too delicious to turn down.

November 15

Olympics are ready to print and present.  Summer camp plans are in the works.  Ideas for how to occupy our time next year have begun to grow.

November 19

Curiosity has struck the colegio and it seems that students are already discussing which class is the best.  Hopefully this will lead to a good participation rate with the Olympics come to town.

On the walk home we were given a new yummy fruit to try.  It's purple and round and grows in the tree at the turn for the cuadrantes.  I'm sure with that description anyone could tell us the name since I can't remember it!

November 20

There were aguaceros several times today.  Once when Chris was getting ready to go on a bike ride - but when he couldn't see across the road he called it off.

November 21

It was raining when we woke up this morning and I'm pretty sure it's still raining out there.

Today marks 6 months as volunteers!  Tomorrow begins our 7th month in site.

November 22

A day at the hot springs!

November 24

We went to the escuela and worked with two second grade English classes to do a letter exchange with Hannah's [a cousin of Tarah's in 2nd grade in NY] class.  

November 25

The food was amazing and mostly vegan.  The tofurkey was delicious and flavorful, there were sweet potatoes with nuts and craisins, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, deviled eggs (obviously not vegan) and yeah, it was exciting!  We had pumpkin pie and apple pie with ice cream.  Our stomachs were all very happy! [THANK YOU DORSEY FAMILY!  We had a fabulous time!]

November 26

It is beautiful here.  I miss the mountains.

November 27

We spent the morning exploring with Megon and Kevin's family.  We climbed a little hill into the middle of a forest and played soccer until the ball rolled all the way down the mountain.  It was successfully retrieved after quite some time - but that was our sign to move on.

It's nice to be back, but we had an amazing time.  A "vacation" that was well worth it!

November 28

There were clowns.

November 30

We woke up to the sound of a downpour and promptly rolled over and went back to sleep.  When we eventually made it out of bed an hour later we started making rain day plans for Friday [olympics].  Let's just say we're really hoping for sunshine!