So sorry I'm super late at posting another blog! Better late than never though :)
These past 3 weeks have been a complete blessing and I have learned so much about the Costa Rican culture, myself, people, and about God.
Here are a few really neat/interesting/weird things that I've noticed about Costa Rica!
Culture:
- Always wear shoes in the house
- Throw away toilet paper, don't flush it
- Public Display of Affection is everywhere, all the time... gross
- Kids are very into the emo look, lots of interesting piercings
- Men wear A LOT of hair gel and about 2 gallons of cologne
- The majority of women wear very tight clothes, very tight
- There is a very "macho", male-dominated sense of entitlement in most places
- Lots of rice and black beans are common for most meals
- Plantains are super popular here. They're usually mashed up or fried into chips
- Tres Leches cake... oh my goodness (vanilla cake with regular, evaporated, and condensed milk poured into holes in the cake)
- Snow cones have a layer of shaved ice, powdered milk, more shaved ice, syrup, and condensed milk
- They eat more bread than humanly possible
- Tons of mangos and pineapples
- Papusas are really popular here, they're this thick tortilla with refried beans, pork, and sauce cooked in the tortilla mixture... they're ok
- Mamones... look 'em up!
- I learned how to surf!!! I'm addicted... Cali here I come ;)
- Saw real live crocodiles in their natural habitat, way cool.
- I tutor 1-6 grade kids 5 days out of the week and I love it! I work with the staff leader Krysta and then we have teams that rotate every 2 weeks from the U.S. We tutor in all subjects and then we usually have a craft or game time at the end of their sessions!
- I was able to teach a hip hop dance to girls who have "Girl's Group" on Friday mornings. It was to "Never Say Never" by Justin Bieber... they loved it!
- As you know, the "emo" scene is very big here in Costa Rica. With that being said, it's supposedly cool to cut yourself and A LOT of the kids in middle school have a problem with that. Please pray that kids would find an alternative outlet and that Jesus would be their hope and answer instead of self destruction.
- A lot of weird things have been going on at our sites with kids having really poor attitudes and many of them have stopped coming. The tutoring center hasn't had this problem but at all of the other places, it has been quite discouraging for us. Please pray with me that God would move and work through S.I. to reach those who don't know Him.
- Pray for all of the interns and students coming and going from the S.I. sites that we wouldn't be discouraged by any lack of spanish skills or feelings of inadequacy.
Thanks friends, I'll be sure to post again soon! I love you and miss you all oh so very much!
