There and Back Again

Once again I apologize for not having updated my blog in a week. Once again I found myself gallivanting across Costa Rica on another weekend paseo. As we are now half-way through the trimester we were given a three-day weekend that would be the equivalent to a spring break, so another weekend paseo was in order. This past weekend I jumped on a bus with about 50 other students from the institute and made the 4 hour trip to the beautiful beaches of Manuel Antonio.

"One of the most popular national parks in the country, Manuel Antonio is also one of the smallest, covering fewer than 1,680 acres. Its several neatly perfect small beaches are connected by trails that meander through the rainforest. The mountains surrounding the beaches quickly rise as you head inland from the water; however, the park was created to preserve not its beautiful beaches but its forests, home to endangered squirrel monkeys, three-toed sloths, purple and orange crabs, and hundreds of other species of birds, mammals and plants." -Frommer's: Costa Rica 2009

While I did not get to see any sloths, the weekend was full of sunshine and new friends, as the group was mostly made up of young families. In fact there were only 4 singles on the entire trip, and I spent a lot of time helping out the Garcia family with their four kids under the age of four. This was the same family that I babysat for on Valentine's Day. I really enjoyed spending time with the Garcia's as well as a few other families that I had not previously known. The weekend was a nice combination of beach time and hotel time, people time and alone time. We had gorgeous weather, and I came home a lovely shade of pink. In spite of these tender sunburns, I was so thankful to have had a few days to get out of the crazy city of San Jose, and relax with a good book and a good couple of friends.

This week marks the beginning of the second half of my time in Costa Rica at the Institute, and we have already jumped back into the swing of our intensive studies. Because I tested into a higher class than most first trimester students, we have moved quickly through the first trimester grammar curriculum and have begun the grammar established for second trimester students. This is a bonus for me, because it means that I will get to cover two-thirds of the grammar book in one trimester, and will hopefully be more equipped to begin the ministry in Peru.

March is looking to be a busy month, with a women's retreat coming up this next weekend, the birthday of my host niece, a day trip white-water rafting, and the start of a new weekly Bible study. The woman of the school will be starting Beth Moore's study on Esther this next week, and I am excited to be included, for the first time, in a study with women from every season of life. I'm looking forward to gleaning from their hearts and life experiences over the course of these next two months.