Por ahora: hasta luego, Costa Rica; que Dios te bendiga. ¡Pura Vida!

So today is it.  I have enjoyed such a marvelous summer of learning and growth, and I find the end bittersweet.  I'll pack my bags as soon as I finish this post so that I'm am ready to go the airport in the morning.  But I want to express one more time my gratitude to the National Spanish Exams, who made this whole experience possible for me. I know that I will be a better teacher now, and I am excited to start this school year, though I kind of wish that I didn't have to do it Wednesday already.

This morning we went to "La U," and before the last meal that we all had together, we collected our certificates and saw our transcripts before they were sealed and mailed.  Since I'm not in a degree program, my focus was more about learning than getting a grade, so I didn't really worry about my actual performance; however, when I started getting 10's (equivalent of 100) on my presentations, then I felt like I had established a high standard for myself and needed to continue to do well.  My sweet husband told me that I was always a 10 anyway, but that's another story.  I guess in the end, my professor agreed, and I just got the first A+ I've ever had in a class in my life, and it came in a six-hour graduate class at the University of Costa Rica!  I'm happy about that, but I'm still sad to have that final grade, knowing that it's over.

Here are a few pictures of my last day:

Me with my favorite professor (Even though I only had one, I still really liked him.)

Susan showing Sarita what her iPad can do;
she recorded this gruff, serious, manly voice in Spanish, which I found hilarious

Millicent and Amber filling out their exit tax forms;
I guess they're a bit more ready to leave than I am...

El profe with Dorothy and me: she's the only other older student who went out with the youngin's last night, though she bailed before we got to the dance club/karaoke bar, which was the fun part.  Even though I felt old, I had a blast. We made the house rock with Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like a Woman." Even the ticos were singing the refrain!

And some last shots of the country with a little commentary:

American influence at its worst: in addition to McDonald's, Burger King,  KFC, and Taco Bell, here are two other places where I refused to dine during our daily lunches out.  -I'm not saying I hate all those places, but I didn't come to another country to eat that food.  I may not have wanted more rice and black beans, but I was going to eat comida tica!

La Negrita, Patron Saint of Costa Rica, at the Mall de San Pedro, very near where I live:
"Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, Bendice a Costa Rica"
Yes, please, until I return.

Lamentablemente...

...tengo que pensar en la despedida. Mañana tengo el último examen de la clase; el sábado nos dan los transcripts; el domingo me voy aunque no estoy lista.

But first, before I get too sad about leaving, I have some happy things to report about this last week in Costa Rica.  Yesterday our class took a field trip to the Guayabo National Monument (I love that name because that's the word Colombians use for hangover; but Cost Ricans use a different word, so it's not so funny to them.)  It's really the only preserved site of pre-colombian natives in the country, and since it wasn't formally excavated until the 60's, there wasn't a lot left to find beyond the foundations, walkways, and water system.  It's not huge, but the drive alone through the beautiful mountains made the trip worth it.

View from up high

The foundation for the main hut in the community, just in front of where the cacique lived

A very full bus (25 passengers!) after being rocked to sleep on the two-hour drive back to San José

Today I went with two others to an exhibit at a local museum entitled "DaVince, the Genius."  It had nothing to do with Costa Rican history or culture, but I really wanted to see it before I left, and I am so glad I did!  I went from one display to another saying "Wow."  We weren't allowed to take pictures, but I have the memories -and as strong a desire as ever to get to Italy.

As regards my sister: she is now in Houston, though nothing is scheduled yet.  Her oncologist is working to find an ENT who is used to getting cancer out of the face, so we're hoping that her surgery will take place next week.  Nothing else has been decided yet, as far as I know, but she and her family and I really appreciate all the prayers and positive energy that are sustaining her right now.

Mixed emotions

I spent all this weekend, which was extra long due to a national holiday, lamenting that I have only one week left in Costa Rica.  To be precise, I'm not sad about leaving the country, because I'm sure I'll be back to this beautiful part of creation, but I am sad about the end of my class because I don't know when I'll get to just sit and learn so much again.  This is the first time I've been a student in twenty-one years, and I have loved every minute of it.  (The irony just occurred to me: I graduated with my master's before most of the students in this program were born! Even though I have not been tempted to party with these young whippersnappers, I just don't feel all of my 50 years.)

Giving my last presentation in class

The professor doesn't look bored, does he?

Auburn University has a large contingency here, and they invited everyone in MLSA to join them on an excursion to the Pacific coast, staying in the town of Quepos, and enjoying activities in and around Manuel Antonio National Park.  I am so glad that I went!  I got to see and learn about lots of flora and fauna while hiking in the park, hanging out on the beach, and kayaking down a river in a mangrove of the rainforest.

A Jesus Christ Lizard, so named because it runs on water

Sloths are so cute

And these capuchin monkeys are a hoot!

Sunset on the Pacific in Quepos, Costa Rica

The reference to my mixed emotions is because at the end of this lovely weekend, I learned that my sister's cancer has returned.  Suddenly I just needed to be home.  But she doesn't even have a plan of action yet; indeed, she hasn't even met with her oncologist at MD Anderson in Houston, so there is nothing I can do in the US at this point.  I get home very late Sunday night and start inservice Wednesday, so I'm going to have to figure out when I can help her the most: in Houston for surgery/treatment, or when she's back home in Ohio- or maybe when she's in Houston and I can help with her kids in Ohio; I'll just have to wait and see.  (If any of you reading this happen to believe in the power of prayer and positive energy, as we do, please hold up my sister Stephanie.)  For now I am trying to stay focused during this last week of learning, do well on my final exam, enjoy my new friends, and soak up as much of the culture as possible.  I'm planning on going to the "DaVinci the Genius" exhibit at a museum here in San José on Thursday afternoon.  Not that Da Vinci has anything to do with local culture, but it looks fascinating, and since I still haven't been to Italy, I'll take this while I can get it.

I should probably mention my own family for once: I miss them too, but thanks to Skype, I see and talk to my husband and one or more child almost every day.  I really miss the daily hugs and kisses and their physical presence and energy, but I still feel very close and connected.  That's why I'm able to enjoy my time here so much. 

Museo de Oro

My class went to the Gold Museum today.  The bad part was that the majority of the gold exhibit is closed due to renovations, but I got to see enough to appreciate that part of the museum.  The good part was that it has a temporary exhibit of sculpture by the Costa Rican José Sancho.  Wow.  I fell in love with sculpture today.  What a treat.  -And then we all went out to lunch together.  That was just plain fun.

Catching up

Well, I was right: I've been too busy to take time to post anything, but this weekend is all down time for me, so I'm trying to get caught up. I'll also try to be as terse as possible.  ..Okay, I said I'll try.

The program is half-way over already!  I'm in one class for which I will get six hours' credit, so we meet five hours a day, with the two Fridays in the middle of the month free to travel.  Because July 25th (a Monday this year) is a national holiday, we'll have a four-day weekend next week, which means that for five days, we'll be in class six hours each day.  That's a long time for this old body to just sit in a wooden desk, but I learn a lot each day and feel very engaged in the class, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

I've enjoyed two major excursions already; the first, as I mentioned before, was to Volcán Poás and Las Cataratas La Paz, and then last weekend to Isla Tortuga.  They were two days full of physically exhausting fun and mind-boggling beauty.

We have also spent an afternoon in Cartago, where the Basilica de la Virgen de Los Ángeles is, which is the site of the miracle of La Negrita, as the Costa Ricans (aka Ticos) lovingly call their patron saint.  Another afternoon we went to the Teatro Nacional, but the day that we were to go the the Museo Nacional, I had a big presentaion due the next morning and was already dog-tired, so I opted out of that excursion and came home to work.

So how's the food, you ask?  Every morning is the delicious same in my home: the traditional gallo pinto, a dish made with black beans and rice that I love, especially with Salsa Lizano (Maritza's sister Pita already gave me a half gallon to take home!) We also always have fresh fruit, either toast or home-made tortillas, usually cheese (queso fresco), coffee, and what my grandfather would have consumed with "I could make a meal out of this": home-made fruit juice. You can't imagine how delicious it always is.  And I'm not talking about freshly squeezed orange juice. Nope.  It's made from some exotic fruit that is not readily available (if at all) in the United States, or it's a yummy recipe using strawberries, or my favorite: watermelon juice.  Chacha has a woman who comes six days a week to cook, clean, do laundry, and work her tail off.  She's really good with the cooking part of her job.  Our evening meals, though they often have black beans and/or rice as a part, are not typically Costa Rican foods.  We're spoiled with things like asparagus lasagna.  No one here has ever heard of that, but OMG! I've kidded with Neyli that I'm going to skip class one day to shadow her in the kitchen because every meal she makes is fabulous.  We are on our own for lunch each day; depending on who has to do what, most of the time a few of us meet up to eat somewhere around campus. 

This post was longer than I would have liked. For those of you still reading at this point, thanks for your interest and persistance.  I love you for that.  :)

Thursday's solo bus trip from Cañas to San José was uneventful, though Maritza worried about me so much.  Perhaps it was uneventful because she took such care in making sure that everything was arranged. I got off the bus at the airport and met up with other students arriving from all over the US.  In the end, there are probably over 150 students in the program, and I am pleased to know that I'm not the only old lady!  I am definitely not the only person who currently lives in Alabama because Auburn Universtiy has a HUGE presence here.  (There is one young man who proudly wears a different Alabama shirt every day.)

I am LOVING the cool weather here.  Though it has rained every afternoon, my clothes are no longer damp from the heat and humidity of Guanacaste, and I now remember why I packed jeans, a question I was asking myself while in Cañas.  Some people have complained about being cold, but I'm nowhere close to that: my bedroom window is still open.  And speaking of bedrooms, I feel that I must be one of the luckiest in the program with my living situation: three of us are staying in a big condominium only blocks from campus with Chacha, a sweet and generous woman who told us the first night that she wants to spoil us.  A divorcée, she has two grown children, and though she is financially fortunate, she was tired of coming home from work to a quiet house, so she's taking us in for the fun of it.  She and I have a few things in common: our bachelor's degrees are from Indianapolis (hers from IUPUI and mine from Butler).  She asked if I was a true Hoosier (a term the other students might not even know, let a lone a tica!), and when I said yes, she said, "Oh, I have goosebumps! My son is too!" And her daughter is currently working on post-doctorate work at Ohio State in Columbus, which is where my sister lives.  In fact, Chacha has a virtual phone number on an internet program called Magic Jack, so we can call anyone in the US for free from that internet phone.  It shows up as a Columbus number on caller ID, so it was a hoot for me to surprise my family with those calls.  -But Skype has been great to see them every night anyway.  Technology sure makes the world small, in a good way.

Yesterday we had a quick orientation about general knowledge things around the campus and city and host families.  Today was the orientation for the university with an introduction of the instructors and a tour of the campus.  Tomorrow I am going with others who paid extra for an excursion to the Poas volcano and waterfalls; I have to be out the door at 6:00 am, so I'll post a few pictures and sign off.  I expect to be tired after a long day tomorrow, and classes start tomorrow night, so I expect my posts to get shorter as I get busier.  My writing will probably come in the form of papers to turn in...

My first sloth-sighting, on the campus of UCR

A full house at orientation, with my sweet house-mates in the front.

Directors od MLSA in Costa Rica: Vickie, Nancy, Rodolfo, and Sarita

Paseo a Lago Arenal

Yesterday, Maritza's sister Pita, who is a public school special education teacher, had the day off.  Actually, the teachers were striking because for years they have continued to lose benefits and vacation time while taking on more responsibilities (like having to do the canvassing for the national census!) without any extra pay.  So they sent a little message that they are serious about not accepting the latest of what the education minister is demanding of them.  I don't understand it all, but I know I got the benefit of the strike because she took Christina and me on a little outing to Arenal Lake.  It's a man-made lake that is one of the primary sources of power (hydroelectric, of course) for Costa Rica and even Nicaragua.  When a drought a few years ago had everyone scared of a national lack of electricity, they began to install windmills around the lake, as you can see.  You can also see the big Arenal volcano.  We didn't get that close to it, but perhaps I'll take another little paseo on my own during a free weekend between classes and explore it a bit more.  On the drive home, we finally got to see some monkeys, which supposedly are everywhere but seem to hide from me, playing on a telephone pole and wires.  Surely the people in the five cars behind us understood the importance of waiting while we got out to take pictures.  :)

I will take a bus tomorrow to San José.  I learned last night that I will be staying in a home with two other students, who are probably my daughter's age, so they'll end up in a home with two old ladies.  (And they're probably thinking that they're getting away from parents for the summer.) I'm fine with whatever the arrangement, especially now that I know the host has internet -wi-fi, even- so I will be able to keep Skyping with my husband and children and keep up with this blog from my room in the evenings instead of from some random spot on campus during the day.

Tomorrow evening, in fact, I should have some time to organize and post a few more pictures of Cañas.  So stay posted!  (Pun intended.)