My Weekend

We had Communion this morning and I was sitting in the front row.

We had a couple make profession of faith this morning and their three children were baptised.

Matias is in my "Sunday School" class.


Luciana is about a month old.

Writing Seth's name in Japanese.

On Friday during lunch we had a babyshower for two teachers that are expecting in October. This is the gift I gave Melissa. :)

Men at baby showers . . .
Left to Right: Andres (6th grade,) Athiel (5th Grade,) Donald (Bible and Spiritual Formation)

Most of the teachers from the school.

They showed clips on the screen while the orchestra played.

I went with Seth and Arnie. This photo was taken inside the theater.

The National Theater during daylight. I took this picture a couple weeks ago.

Well, this past week has been very busy with grades. On Friday we had "parent teacher conferences" in the morning and teacher in services in the afternoon. During our lunch break we had a Baby Shower for two of the teachers that are expecting in October. On Friday afternoon I went to the gym with Rosie one of the missionaries here. After the gym I came home and got ready to go to a concert at the National Theater. It was the first time I went to a concert there. We saw the Costa Rican Orchestra. They played pieces from different movies and showed clips from the movies on a screen while they were playing. Some of the movies were: The Incredibles, Star Wars, Polar Express, Prince Caspian, Titanic, Happy Feet and Batman.

On Saturday morning I went to the gym again and then met Seth in San Jose to go to the Japanese Festival. We ate Japanese food and watched Martial Arts. I bought origami earrings and Seth got his name written.

Saturday night Seth, Arnie, and I went to Nick and Rosie's for a BBQ and to watch the Costa Rica vs. Mexico game. I drove their car home and it was the first time I drove in Costa Rica. For those of you who think that driving can't be very different here than the states, it is very different! There are potholes everywhere. "Gutters" on each side of the road. Huge hills, especially in our neighborhood. But probably the most difficult part is not knowing what the other drivers are going to do. Will they pass? Will they stop in the middle of the road? It feels like there isn't any order.

On Saturday night we also had an earthquake. It measured 4.5. The epicenter was near the Costa Rica Panama border. I was sitting on my bed and it took me a moment to look around and decide it was really an earthquake and then I ran out of my apartment and met Seth and and the land lady on the patio.

Today we celebrated 3 baptisms, 2 Professions of Faith and Lord's Supper. I only had two kids in Sunday School today but it was fun and they were super cute. For lunch I went to Bill and Althea's. I usually spend my Sundays at their house for lunch and then work on my computer in the afternoon to catch up on emails and calling people and we play games in the evening.

He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 3:3

Conversation Play

I teach highschool conversation which is an elective course for 10th and 11th graders. We did a play called "The Bird Who Ate Everything." The costumes turned out better than you can see in this picture but I was disappointed with the performance.

My canary and props guy.

Costa Rican Blog

Hey this is the link to the blog of a friend of mine. Seth teaches English at the elementary level. He is a much more faithful blogger than me and more thorough.

http://www.richcoastblog.blogspot.com/

Young People's Activity!
We had our first San Jose Area Reformed Presbytarian Church Young Adults activity.

Jamming.
Playing cards.

Playing Rummycub

I had my eighth graders over for chocolate chips. It was fun. These three girls have attended CECRE since kindergarden.

Making sure Bill will annouce the Young Adults acitivty.

Seth and Arnie at Church

Sunday School

The room we meet in for church.

Annexation of Guanacaste

For the holiday the elementary students learned traditional dances for an assembly.

These are my prepa (Kindergarden) students. They were ready to perform and we didn't get much English done this day!

Two more of my prepa students.

My Week

So last Saturday I was at the Lammaes all day to help with Abby's 5th Birthday. I got there around 12 to help Rosie get ready. The party officially started at 2 but true to Latin culture people started coming around 2:30. Things went well. Rosie made BBQ beef sandwiches which the people called hamburgers. Rosie and I just looked at each other and smiled. A friend of hers made arroz con pollo. and we also had refried beans with chips and pop and cake. The pinata was in the shape of a minnie mouse. In latin America when you invite a child to a party you also invite siblings and parents. So there were about 50 people in their small house. Abby had a great time. I gave her a set of play food that I bought in the states last Christmas. They (Abby and her sister Ester) loved it. After the party I stayed to help get things cleaned up. Nick realized during the party that they had a flat tire so he was running around (by bus and taxi) trying to get it fixed so that they would have a car to take to worship in Cartago the next day.
I spent the whole day Sunday at the Greens. Aletha and I have about 15 kids in our Sunday School class if everyone comes. We have several new families that have been attending for about a month.
School was pretty normal this week. I'm reading Charlotte's web in 8th grade and Stone Fox in 7th grade. I need more copies of Stone Fox, Sarah Plain and Tall, Charlotte's Web, The Mouse and the Motocycle, The Giver.
On Thursday I had my 9th graders over for coffee after school. I have about 14 students in 9th grade and 7 came. The ones that take the bus had to leave but the ones that walk home stayed. It was fun. I could tell you some funny stories. Yesterday, Saturday, I went to the San Jose Zoo with Rosie, the girls, and
Seth. The zoo isn't too impressive but there are lions and monkeys and the girls loved it. After the zoo we went to Pop's an icecream store. In the evening I came to the Green's to work on the internet. I'm working on a shutterfly album for Joseph when he was here.

My Birthday Weekend

Friday was my 24th birthday. Fridays are not really my favorite day because I teach an extra long elective class in the morning. I teach English Conversation for 160 minutes without a break. Conversation is a fun class but also a challenge to plan activities for that long and keep student's interest for that long. I go straight from that class to preschool and then kindergarten. Finally I have a break. After lunch I have 8th grade, 9th grade, and tenth grade English. Friday evening I went to the Green's for my birthday party! I recieved a pan and muffin tins from the Greens and a mini crock pot from the Lammaes! I was surprised by how many people were there, I didn't know anyone was coming.
The tradition here is to crack eggs over the head of the birthday person. Sooooo I got a bunch of eggs crushed on me . . . It wasn't as bad as last year. This time they were only on my head not my whole body. On Saturday morning I went to the gym with Rosie (the wife of one of the missionaries here.) Then I went home and took a shower and then went out with her again to the outdoor market, to HiperMas, (a store owned by WalMart and kind of like WalMart but not as cheap) and then to Subway for lunch.
On Sunday I went to church in the morning (I go to Pacto de Gracia/Grace Covenant.) After church I went to the Green's for lunch and spent the day at their house using their internet and working on my new computer.

Whirlwind Panama City Trip

Last week we had a long weekend and I took a "quick" trip to Panama City with Seth. It was my first time going to Panama so I was super excited and I wasn't disappointed. We left Thursday night a 11pm bus. We arrived Friday afternoon. By bus it's 16 hours each way. It wasn't too bad though because I slept most of the night. The city was beautiful and the people were super friendly. We took public busses (brightly painted school busses with flashing lights and disco music) everywhere and people were always super willing to help us find the right bus and then to help us get off at the right spot. On Friday afternoon we shopped for electronics for the school (they're cheaper in Panama.) Saturday we visited some of the older parts of the city and also went to an artisian market and then to the canal in the afternoon. Sunday we went to an English church in the morning and then someone from the church drove us out to the causeway which connects three islands on the west end of the canal. Sunday night we took the 11 pm bus back to Costa Rica and Tuesday morning was back to school. It was busy but it was great to get away for a weekend. I definitly came back feeling refreshed.

From one of the islands looking back towards the city.

Lunch!

A ship entering the lockes.

Seth and me at the canal.

Miraflores Lockes on the pacific side of the canal.

One of the buildings in Old Panama which was set on fire by the English pirate, Henry Morgan.

The following pictures are all with in a few blocks of each other but very different. They taken in Casco Viejo which is slowly being renovated.

Our Hostel

Teachers Conference December 2009

Reformed School and Church in Nicarauga

Bill Green was one of the speakers.

In December we had a Reformed teachers conference in Nicaragua. Our school hosted and we invited a Reformed school from Nicaragua and Honduras.

Las Vegas

When I was in the states in December I got a great deal on tickets to Las Vegas so I took my sister Elisa for her 10th birthday. We went out to Red Rocks after it snowed. We stayed with one of my best friends from college, Becky.

My brother Joseph was here for 2 months and he took a surf lesson when we went to Jaco Beach, he did pretty well.

While we were in Honduras we visited these caves. The end has yet to be discovered. It's amazing to think how long it's been forming.

Seth's cousin visited and her and her friends cooked dinner at out house. I just made the drinks but the meal was amazing, chicken fajitas with homemade tortillas and guacamole

One of my more creative pictures. Here are two of my tenth grade couples. They've since broken up but such is highschool life . . . believe me highschoolers are the same in Costa Rica as in the states.

During "Semana Santa" (Easter week, schools have off all week and everything else is closed from Wednesday noon through the weekend) we (me, my brother Joseph, and Seth another English teacher) went to Honduras to visit Rev. Ernie and Betsy Langendoen. I had a great time visiting with old friends. It was especially fun because my spanish is so much better and I could have deeper conversations with my friends. In the picture are Eva (on top) and Davina, two of the Langendoen's children.

In Costa Rica ninth graders receive a certificate of completion (it's not really na diploma.) So I got the "priverlage" of being one of the teachers to hand these out. I had to read FULL NAMES IN SPANISH. I probably butchered most of the names but at least they understood me well enough to know when I was saying their name! Instead of shaking hands we give the diploma, I say congratulations (in English, afterall I am their English teacher and then give them a kiss on the right cheek.