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Today marks our 4th month of arriving in Costa Rica. Many lessons have been learned. Much work has been done on the farm. Many friends have been made. Some sanity has been found. Some weight has been lost. A little Spanish has been absorbed. A little English has been taught. I'd say we've integrated into our little community quite well and we feel accepted, which is not always easy especially in a small, rural village. Our experience so far has been a really good one. We're learning a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a couple. I, personally, am learning to surrender, letting go of being in control all the time. I also find myself taking the time to appreciate my surroundings. I live in the moment a lot more, probably because I don't have appointments and meetings booked 3 and 4 months in the future, nor is every minute of my day scheduled. I enjoy friends stopping by without notice, and I don't hyperventilate if my house is not pristine and tidy (well, not as much). I'm definitely learning to relax a lot more. I'm learning to cook with simple, fresh ingredients and managing to make flavourful meals. I've also learned that I don't really miss all the variety and conveniences available back in Canada... but if we were ever to move back, I would try not to take the variety and conveniences for granted or judge them. And although we're very lucky to gain new friends here, I'm so glad for technology where I can still remain in daily contact with all my family and friends in Canada, England, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, etc. I simply cannot imagine what it must have been like in the pioneers days, well, we really don't have to go back that far in history... 15 years ago only!!! The fact that I can write this blog and those who are interested can read my entries is simply amazing to me. And that I can click a little green button on my Skype page and within minutes be sitting face to face with my kids, my parents, my in-laws or any of my friends, is just absolutely astounding to me. And let's not forget Facebook. Without a doubt, it makes it possible for me to remain so far away, without suffering serious bouts of depression. For that, I'm most grateful. We do have the best of both worlds in so many ways. All this reflection after only 4 months... can't wait to see what I learn after a year! :)
These carrots are very tasty and crunchy, but they're pretty small. I'm now wondering if the variety Isabel and I planted are 'baby' carrots. And I'm a bit disappointed with the amount of carrots... of lack thereof. At first it seemed like there would be quite a bit, but I think I was just so thrilled to see the little green tops that it appeared more to me at the time. I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact I really don't know what I'm doing yet as a gardener. I brought a pack of carrot seeds from Canada, I'll start planting those soon, once we finish up the ones we have. We'll see if the new seeds produce a bigger variety and a larger crop, too. It was a beautiful morning, but then it started to rain that strange misty non-rain for most of the afternoon... and then it just became normal rain. The wet kind. We haven't had rain like that in a long time. Kevin and I were just talking about how we actually really like the rainy season and kind of miss it. Although, the sunshine is nice, too. As I was walking in the rain, down the path from the chicken coop to the house, I noticed our first sunflower, which was planted in October, is growing nicely. I decided to capture it. I went inside to get my camera... the chances are good the flower will still be there when I get back, unlike a bird. Maybe that's why I'm developing an affinity for photographing flora. It's a lot easier to get their attention. It sure is a happy flower! Today, Kevin and I were following some vultures who were flying and circling the pond where we had tried the Tilapia experiment. They all died, by the way. We may try again, but next time introduce them to colder water in stages so they can get used to it more slowly. We think it might have been too much of a shock for their system. Anyway, we often see vultures hovering over Martin's restaurant and ponds, but rarely do we see them on our property. We saw two and figured they may have spotted some dead Tilapia. We decided to see what they were up to. We snuck up very quietly, but they flew off before we could see if they got lucky for lunch. On our way down the driveway, in the tree where the Quetzals are supposed to live, was a bird we had never seen before. I wish I could take credit for the picture; however, I never seem to have my camera for these precious moments. This was borrowed from the internet. I had to go through many different images to find the right colouring. Who knew there were so many different types! It's called an Emerald Toucanet. It was pretty thrilling. This is not your everyday pigeon or sparrow. After I spent the morning conducting Skype interviews with the volunteer teaching position candidates, and Kevin was done with the pond, we drove into San Marcos to run some errands. We needed to buy some paint for the entrance gate, some hose clamps, propane and medicine for Frankie. She's been suffering from an eye infection for the past week and it doesn't seem to be clearing up on its own, so we decided to get something from the vet. When we drove back home and drove through Santa Maria, Kevin asked me if he could treat me to a cup of coffee. What? Really? Kevin doesn't drink coffee normally so I was a bit surprised that he was offering. When he went on the coffee plantation tour with Paul, they had both tried a coffee at the end of the tour and he really liked it. So, I graciously accepted his offer... it kind of felt like a date :) We both ordered some decadent coffee with caramel (real caramel, none of this fake syrup stuff). It was pretty darn delicious, I must say. And it only cost the equivalent of $1.80... they even serve special coffees with Brandy or Irish Cream for only $2.50. We might have to try one of those some day!
We had lots of fun at our first Rio Blanco English Summer Camp. The premise is to only speak English to the kids and have them repeat as we play and sing, etc. We practiced counting by playing 'What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?'. We learned our colours with "I Spy With My Little Eye' and our body parts with 'Simon Says'. We also sang 'The Wheels On the Bus', "Old MacDonald', and "I Knew An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly'. I had pictures for them to look at so they could match the word with the image. Then they drew Christmas themed pictures and coloured them... they love to colour! And while they were colouring, I read them the Christmas story 'The Little Crooked Christmas Tree'. They were quiet and very good at sharing their pencil crayons. Paola came to help me, which is great for me, and great for her to practice her English. Win/win, as they say. I asked them if they will come back next week, and they all said 'yes'... so I'd say it was a successful day. Today was our first Rio Blanco English Summer Camp, which I'm organizing. Sharon, Nicole, Daniel, Kevin and Tamara all showed up... plus Sharon's little brother Thomas and Kevin's little brother Yulian (pronounced Julian). The first thing the kids decided they wanted to do was to create a poster to say 'thank you' for the large donation the school received to finish the kitchen. The finishing touches on the kitchen are almost complete and should be ready for when they return to school in February. Everyone is so thrilled. Since we didn't have any large paper to make a poster, the kids wrote one word on one piece of 8.5 x 11 paper and we taped them all together. We have to be resourceful around here, and we certainly don't let limitations slow us down :) |
EASY
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