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.