¡buenas noticias!

Yesterday I got some of the best news I've gotten in a LOOOOOONG time:  my very own Mamá Tica is coming to Orlando in January!!!!!!!!    I can't wait to see her and spend time with the girls!  I'll be interning in January full time, but I happen to have a school holiday while she's here!  Yippee!  I love having things to look forward to!


More good news:  I got my official internship assignment last week and I got exactly the placement that I had hoped for.  Third grade at Crookshank with the best and sweetest practicum teacher I've ever had.  We are going to have too much fun together...hopefully we get some teaching done. heehee


Tomorrow I teach my lesson in español.  So much for my whole lesson plan on Los tres cerditos, because I scrapped that one.  But no worries, it was all for a good cause.  This one makes much more sense and it's going to be good! (I hope.)  I'm just not looking forward to being video taped.  Yuckkkkk.
I had a little too much fun making my powerpoint.  I decided to use William and Kate, and plopped their heads onto random pictures of people doing all sorts of outdoorsy activities.  I couldn't stop laughing when I was making it, so hopefully I don't loose my composure while teaching and roll on the floor laughing.  That would be cute. Not.


Adios amigos.

viernes

Sitting in the library being real productive right now.  Aka I'm blogging, on facebook, texting, eating, and talking to my girls.  I'm never going to get this 10 page paper done!  But I clearly don't care that much or else I would be working on it right now. 
I'm teaching another lesson in Spanish next week and I'm excited. Yeah. I will be reading Los tres cerditos (The Three Little Pigs).  As Professor Artz says, you're never too old to be read to!  I agree.
Six days 'til the Sugarland concert! Woot woot! It's going to be soooo good. 
You know you're in college when you do what I did this morning:  My cardigan was stretched out from hanging up to dry, so I wet it.  I dried it with my hair dryer and then I got the wrinkles out with my hair straightener!  Whatever works, right?!

con ojos abiertos

Hola amigos.
It is nearly 1:30 am and I have been awake since 7 am.  I don't remember the last time I have been up so long.  I probably shouldn't have gone for the two sodas with dinner.  My bad.  My eyes are wide open and I'm not even tired.  This is a new record or something.  I didn't even take a nap today!  I'm pretty sure I did more homework today than I have done all semester.  That's what I get for playing around and pretending like school doesn't exist.  Time to buckle down, Morgan.  Tomorrow is the half way mark--the semester is already halfway complete.  Oh but so much work lies ahead--Personal Orientation Paper II, Application Project, Classroom Management Plan (HUUUUUGE project!), finishing portfolios for BOTH majors, more field research, etc, etc.


I officially don't like group work.  Tomorrow is my panel presentation with my group.  Last time, no one thought it was necessary to get together before hand.  What is a group project when you don't work together?!  One member "had absolutely no free time to meet," yet, I see her sitting in the student center twiddling her thumbs every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


This go 'round, the group seemed completely clueless that we had to present again.  I mean I'm nearly always zoned out in Curriculum now-a-days, but I at least now that we have been doing panel presentations for oh, 6 weeks now!  I didn't want to be the one to take charge, but no one else seemed to care, so I sent out an e-mail Thursday afternoon to figure out who would do what.  It wasn't until nearly 5 pm today that everyone responded and took a part.  Come on people!  And what happened to sharing the information with the rest of the group?!  I am the only one who e-mailed my debate questions to the group.  Thanks for sending me the other questions, guys.  NOT.  So who's going to look bad tomorrow?!  Not the rest of the group, because they will be prepared to answer my questions.  It will be me who looks like a deer in the headlights when I am asked questions that I am unprepared to respond to.  


But anyways, now that I've got my complaining out, I may continue.  I'm pretty sure there's like a hurricane outside or something.  Or it sure sounds like it.  The winds have been blowing soooo hard that the pond has waves like we're at the beach or something.  I'm afraid some trees are going to snap in half. The rain is blowing sideways.  It's so windy that we even lost power earlier tonight!  There's a 100% chance of rain tomorrow...what's going on here?!  


Perhaps I shall try to go to sleep tonight.  Or this morning.  Right now.  You know.


<3,
Morgancita


p.s. my font is blue to match the rain. jajaja  :P  


p.p.s  no more caffeine for me; ever again.


p.p.p.s  that won't happen.

estoy estudiando. <---- MENTIRA

I have senioritis, and I have it BAD.  I have my first linguistics exam tomorrow, and I stationed myself, my textbook, my notes, and assignments on the couch two hours ago.  But then Jersey Shore came on so...
It's not like I understand linguistics anyways, so why waste my time studying?!  I'm certainly not going to learn Swahili in one night.


Physical therapy kicked my butt tonight!  If I wanted to work out like this, I should have just joined a gym. Let's guess how many calories I burned while biking for 2.8 miles?!  Thirty-seven, that's right 37.  That's not even half of a 100 calorie pack.  For the energy I was exerting, 37 calories sure doesn't sound like much.  Good thing I'm not counting the calories I eat!


Oh my goodness, I should have never stopped biking and running this past summer, because I have lost what little athleticism I once had.  I had to lift the weights with my leg, so the trainer set it on the lightest weight (10 lbs.)  All I had to do was move my leg out like kicking a soccer ball in order to lift the weight.  Not bad, right?!  I couldn't even make the 10-pounder budge, so I just keeled over laughing.  At least my abs are getting a workout from laughing at how pathetic I am.  


Definitely had a "blonde moment" today while interning.  I was playing a song from the computer for an activity we were doing, but we couldn't hear anything.  I made sure the speakers were plugged into the computer, they were.  I made sure the wires were properly connected to each speaker, they were.  I made sure the volume was on the speakers, it was.  I made sure the volume was on the computers, it was.  But I had neglected to plug the speakers into the electrical outlet.  Oopsie daisies.  It usually helps to have things plugged in if you want them to function properly.  Maybe I will remember that next time I try to use technology in the classroom.  Just maybe!  :)

¡estoy la chica loca hoy!

Finally sitting in one place!  For the first time in a long time, I ran around like a chicken-with its head cut off.  I set a new record today...I drove back from Ponte Vedra in 12 minutes (we are not going to talk about  how that happened!)  I left my internship late today so I had 35 minutes to race home, change clothes, and fly out the door and back into my car to get to PT.  After an intensive workout, I came home for a split second, then went to school for a leadership meeting and straight to CRU.  After all that craziness, I really had little desire to stay at school any longer for CRU because I had an un-written paper on my to-do-list.  But thank goodness I stayed, because CRU was just what I needed tonight.  It totally put my mind at ease to spend an hour worshipping and in fellowship with my friends.  Got my paper done, and now I'm back to being a bum.  It's so true that if you give time, you get time.  

lavanderia

Reason #37 why Morgan should not iron:  I just melted the lace off the bottom of my shirt. 
Oops!  Guess I should have read the "cool iron only" instructions before I ironed.  My bad.


Today I ate a hamburger for the first time in 17 months (and the hamburger I ate 17 months ago was only because I was in Mexico at the time and it was hamburger or nothing.)  Is it bad that I may have enjoyed the cheeseburger a little bit?! Bad vegetarian, bad girl!  


Right now I'm watching TLC, but there's nothing new about that.  That new show "Long Island Medium" is on, and it's just wacko.  I don't know how anybody can believe this.  A psychic cannot predict the future, only God!  And before that, "Sister Wives" was on.  What kind of religion is that?  Disgusting.  I don't see any benefits of living a polygamist lifestyle.  But I'll get off my soapbox now.


Speaking of soapboxes, we went to the wax museum on Friday after school.  Not sure why soapboxes made me think of wax, but they do!  Wax people creep me out.  Their eyes.  


Tomorrow starts another day, and another week of school, and more work.  Eww.  I'm pretty sure I have senioritis.  I mean, I don't even make my color coded to-do lists anymore...what's up with that?!  I think Applied Linguistics is crazy business.  First we are translating English into the International Phonetic Alphabet.  And as if that wasn't loopy enough...Friday we started learning Swahili.  If anyone can tell me why it is necessary to learn Swahili before becoming a teacher, you win the prize!

mi filosofía es...

I must be a good guesser tonight, because I definitely did not remember my username and password; however, I managed to get them both correct on the first try.  


It has been a while since I've updated this blog.  My intentions are good, but I'd hate to waste my talent writing this blog when I could use it to write papers for school.  I've been in school for 2.5 weeks and have already written 7 papers.  No fun Flagler College, no fun.  Since when do Education majors write papers?  We write lesson plans, children's books, and use glitter on every project, but papers?  Welcome to my final semester, I guess.


Speaking of writing, I just finished my philosophy of teaching!  I had to write my initial philosophy of teaching freshman year.  I hadn't a clue what to do, but 'not to worry' they said.  Our education professors ensured us that by senior year we would have a well-developed philosophy.  Well, it's senior year, and I still don't know.  Better said, I didn't know.  Luckily once I sat down, I managed to get a few words onto the page.  I've submitted it, so it's DONE.  Woohoo!


That's all for now folks!


Buenas noches.

la felicidad

This is only the start of how I'm going to live out my senior year of college and my life in general.  I've come to realize that my life has become so much easier just by laughing a little (or a lot!) and I have become a happier person just by allowing myself to let my hair down and live in the moment. 

And let me tell you, it is a truly wonderful feeling to be genuinely happy and carefree!   :)

mis bebes

Before I left for St. Augustine two weeks ago, I was impatiently checking the mailbox hoping that my keyboard cover would come for my new mac before I left.  Finally it arrived, but as I was flipping through the rest of the mail, I saw an envelope from Faithful Servants Mission (who we served through in Bajo Tejares, Costa Rica).  Suddenly, my new keyboard cover lost all importance, just as it should, because I knew what this envelope contained: the photos of the two children we are sponsoring in Costa Rica.  I couldn't wait to see their precious faces again!  Here they are:

Greiven Chaves Sanchez
DOB: 7-07-07

Cristel Rodas Córdoba
DOB: 1-30-09

Aren't they just adorable?  I miss holding Greiven and I can't wait to meet Cristel for the first time.  I just don't know if I can wait until June 2012 to return to Costa Rica...

éxito

"The good Lord gave us mountains so we could learn how to climb."

Yesterday was the "big day":  I was to take my 3rd and final Florida Teacher Certification Exam. 
General Knowledge exam: √
Professional Development exam: √
Elementary Education K-6 exam: ?


I had saved the Elementary Education K-6 Content exam for last because it is by far the longest and content rich exam.  It covers Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Science/ History, Science, Technology, Music, Visual Arts, Physical Education, and Health.  NO BIG DEAL.


I've become more of a morning person since I came back from Costa Rica.  No clue why, because I certainly should have adjusted to the 2 hour time difference by now!! But having to be at the testing center at 7:30 am is just brutal.  


I began the 4 and 1/2 hour exam a little before 8 am.  I was chugging along and had reached the last section: Math.  That section was my confidence booster, because I love numbers!  I was on question 60 and clicked "Next" but another question didn't appear.  That's odd.  I thought it would at least told me that I finished the exam.  I waited maybe a minute and nothing happened so I waved through the glass wall for some assistance.  The lady who came to help me was unable to un-freeze the test and couldn't even exit the program to shut the computer down.  She had to shut it down by holding down the power button.  Now I'm not the most tech savvy girl around, but from experience, this method of shut down usually results in losing whatever you were working on before shutting down.  So as I'm watching the computer go through the black screen with flashing numbers, I asked the lady if I would have to start over completely.  Unfortunately, she said that was quite possible.  It's just funny that of all of the computers in the room, I would be the one person whose computer freezes!


I was soooo close to being finished with the entire exam and I didn't think I had the mind power to start all over.  While the computer was slowly starting up, I made up my mind that I would just have to take the test another day, as long as I wouldn't have to re-pay the $200 fee to take the exam.  The testing lady signed me back into the test program and I read the two words that determined my fate for the exam: "In Progress."  Praise the Lord!  All of my answers had saved and I got to pick up with question 61.  Although I had resigned myself to the fact that I would most likely have to retake the entire exam, I was very grateful that that was actually not the case!


Now I can officially cross the Elementary Education K-6 exam of my list.  √ because my score report read the four letter word that I had prayed for: PASS.  Woohoo!  Despite the computer problems (which Pearson should get fixed, by the way), I passed and no longer have to think about FTCE exams.  All I need is my college degree, and I will be officially certified to teach in the state of Florida.  That's just craziness, but good craziness.  


As planned (with the assumption that I would pass) Kelsey and I would "celebrate" by going to see Hangover 2; however, first she wanted to re-watch Hangover 1.  Once at Kelsey's house, I said I would be borrowing the couch to catch up on my missed sleep from the morning, but I just couldn't sleep through the Hangover!  I have probably seen that movie close to 30 times, and I know it's crude and inappropriate, but it never ceases to make me laugh!  As I was almost asleep, I would hear one of my favorite quotes from the movie and have to sit up and watch.  Therefore, attempt to nap = FAIL.  


There's a jungle cat in the bathroom!


-Nice man-purse.
- It's not a man-purse, it's a satchel.  Indiana Jones wears one.


Tigers love pepper.  They hate cinnamon.


You probably get this a lot.  This isn't the real Caesar's Palace, is it?


-Whose baby is this?
- I don't know; check its collar or something.


Zach Galifinakis is just hilarious!  And although the Hangover II was essentially the same story as the Hangover I, Kelsey and I still laughed our way through the entire movie.  It feels so good to laugh that much! :D


So that was my boring, uneventful, but good Thursday.
Buenas noches, if anyone still reads this.

21 años

     I know it has been a while since I have blogged, but it's not like I'm living the exciting life that I lived for two months in Costa Rica.  However, yesterday was a pretty exciting day.  I am writing this blog from my new MacBook Pro!  Around 8 am my parents woke me up with a dozen white and pink roses and several packages wrapped in pretty pink paper.  I opened the card which read "Congratulations on your new Mac."  I think my jaw dropped open because I definitely was NOT expecting to get a new laptop for my birthday.  
     Then, at 1 o'clock, I "let my hair loose" and did something I've been wanting to do for quite some time now.  Only 3 friends and my parents knew my plan, but for my 21st birthday I decided to go for it and get the tattoo I've been wanting.  Any of you reading this are probably thinking "WHAT?! Morgan got a tattoo??  That is so out of character for her!" Maybe it isn't something expected of me, but yes, I really did get a tattoo and I love it!
     Don't worry, I didn't a skull or some other funky design that I would regret 5 minutes later.  I got an Ichthus ("Jesus fish") on my foot.  
Galations 6:17  "Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."

     The thing I had heard about getting a tattoo on your foot is that it is extremely painful.  I've heard that from people who them there, and I went to check out several tattoo shops before I decided where I would get the tattoo done at and all the places told me it was going to hurt.  So I was expecting the worst.  Timmy was my artist and our conversation while he was setting up was the following:
Me:  So how long is it going to last?
Timmy:  Umm, you know tattoos are permanent, right?!
Me: (laughing) Yes, I meant how long is the painting process going to last?
Timmy:  It's not painting!
Me: Fine, how long are you going to have an ink-filled needle bobbing under my skin?
Timmy:  Not very long, 5-10 minutes.  You're funny, did you know that?
Me: Yeah, I get that sometimes.
     So, I was expecting excruciating pain, but I would endure for that short amount of time.  Luckily I couldn't see through my knee, which Timmy also thought was pretty funny, but I didn't want to see it happen.  Surprisingly, I didn't think it hurt.  I actually started laughing, because it tickled!  Go figure!

     Two of my best friends and my mom where there for moral support.  I felt like I had the paparazzi after me, because both Kaley and Kelsey were taking pictures the entire time.  One of them even took a picture of me putting my sandals on after it was all finished...why? I'm not sure!

     After getting "inked up" my Mom took me to lunch at P.F. Chang's.  I must have stared at the drink menu for 10 minutes, so I ask the waiter what he recommended.  He asked me what kind of liquors I liked and if I preferred fruity drinks or not.  How was I supposed to know? It was my 21st birthday and thus, my first time ordering a drink.  I finally ended up going with the PF-X.  I can't tell you what's in it, except for Sprite, because that was the only liquid I was familiar with. Haha.  

     Afterwards, we went to visit my "Aunt" Shelly and then went to Andrea's Cheesecake shop to pick up the Almond-Amaretto cheesecake that had been ordered for my birthday.  MMMMM.

     By the time we got home, I barely had an hour before my friends were coming over for dinner.  We went to Emiliano'z Mexican Restaurant.  Few people know of it, but those who do sure are lucky because they cook real authentic tasting Mexican food.  During a lunch date with my dad at Emiliano'z several weeks earlier I had already decided to order a Passion Fruit Margarita. (Always good to be prepared!)  When the waitress brought my drink out, I was like oh goodness because the glass was nearly the size of my face!  After dinner they brought me this interesting dessert and sang Happy Birthday to me.  To be honest, I was a little disappointed that they didn't sing it in Spanish, but at least they called me "chica!" 
     So, let's discuss this dessert...it was a big fried tortilla drizzled with chocolate, caramel, honey, and then topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry.  We passed it around and broke off pieces like picking a petal off of a flower.  After we had eaten all the "petals" there was a circle piece of the tortilla left.  Nobody wanted any more, so I went for it.  Before I knew it, all my friends and my parents were laughing at me.  I had no idea why... I asked if I had chocolate or whipped cream on my face, but they assured me that was not the reason behind their laughter.  Finally I think Caroline spoke up and said, "Look how much you've eaten, and you're still going!!  You never eat this much!"

  
     I felt like a little 5 year old because I had chocolate syrup all over my hands!  Then the bartender came over to ask me how I liked my drink.  Since I still had tortilla deliciousness in my mouth I remembered to use my manners and not speak with food in my mouth so I gave him a chocolatey thumbs up.  After the bill was paid and we were getting ready to leave, here comes the bartender with another face-sized passion fruit margarita that was "on the house."  No one would share it with me, because "it's your 21st birthday, not mine," and I wouldn't waste a free gift.  

     Let's just say by the time I had finished it and we were leaving, I was standing on the front porch of the restaurant doing some Latin dance moves I had learned in Costa Rica, while my friends and family stood in the parking lot in disbelief.  Then on the way home, I remembered one of my favorite commercials and decided to re-enact it.  With my mom driving, I rolled down my window, stuck my head out and squealed WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE like Maxwell the pig from the Geico commercial.  
     As if I hadn't eaten enough already, we had cheesecake and Costa Rican coffee for dessert after I opened presents.  All in all, I had a fantastic 21st birthday and felt very blessed to share it with my friends and family.  I'm so gracious to everyone who went out of their way to make my 21st the best birthday ever!

algo más

I thought I should share the video I made about our mission trip to Bajo Tejares, Costa Rica.  This will be shown during next Sunday's service (pending Pastor approval).  Hope you all enjoy!

pensamientos al azar

Meet my new friend Flip Flap. She came home with me from Costa Rica and loves her new home! She's solar powered, so she dances happily when the sun shines and goes to sleep when the rains come. (Just like me) I like Flip Flap even though she's just "chunche." (a thingamajig).

Life since I got home has been pretty boring, but in a good way. It's nice that I decided not to work this summer because for once I'm actually not running from one place to the next. I've already printed and completed a photo album of our mission to Bajo Tejares. Now this is real progress for me, considering the fact that my scrapbook from last year's mission to Mexico is still uncompleted. I'll probably need to take out a loan to print the rest of my pictures from studying abroad! That's what I get for buying a fancy new camera before the trip....1,902 pictures!

I've decided once again that I do not like American Food, so I decided to bring some Costa Rican flavor into this home on Tuesday night. Kelsey and I went shopping and I prepared a traditional Costa Rican dish: Gallo Pinto. (It's eaten for breakfast in Costa Rica, but I feel like beans and rice are better served for dinner). My recipe wasn't kidding when it said it served 15 people. I definitely should have halved that thing! And apparently I was still on Costa Rican time when I made the Gallo Pinto because once everything was on the table, it was 9 pm! Ooops, it only felt like 7 pm to me!

So this has been my first week behind the wheel. I figured my driving couldn't be nearly as bad as some of the taxi rides I took while in Costa Rica. I started out the week driving my mom's car simply because it is smaller than my tank of a car. After warming up with the Accord, I decided to take my Mustang for a spin yesterday. Ahh how I have missed the purr of that engine! I just went to Kelsey's house and about five minutes after my arrival, her dad comes in the room and asks me "So they park in the grass in Costa Rica?!" Oops, my bad. But actually, yes they do.

My driving has been fine, but my walking on the other hand could use some help. The Flagler College Dance Team would be happy to know that I can still do a split, as I did one in the middle of the parking lot of JoAnn Fabrics the other day. It was raining, so I don't feel like a complete loser. Not only did I skin my knee, but I also hurt my pride because I ungracefully descended in front of three cars.

It has been nice to see my friends again, and hear from the ones who are far away. But KALEY ELIZABETH McCANN, if you are reading this, I am coming to hunt you down!!!! (I forgive you for being MIA this week, but I MISS you!)

Poas y Paz (July 1, 2011)

Since several people have asked what happened to the end of my blog, here it is...  I have enjoyed blogging over the past two months, so don't expect this to be the last you hear from me; however, I will not be updating everday because a) that is too time consuming and b) my life in the US just simply is not as exciting as it was in Costa Rica!

For your sake and mine, when you read this blog entry, pretend you are reading it on the 1st of July when all this occured. I'm just 4 days late and several thousand colones short. No big deal.

On Fridays, children don't come to the mission, so it is a free day for the groups staying at the mission that particular week. Lalo, our wonderful bus driver, picked us up at 7 am for the day's adventure. Think 7 am is early? Well think again, because in Costa Rica, the people rise when the sun rises, and that's 5 am. And that's why they drink coffee! (or that's why I do at least) We began our two hour journey to Volcán Poas. I was very excited to go to Volcán Poas because, although it was about 30 minutes from Heredia, it was one place Flagler actually didn't visit. Volcán Poas hasn't erupted since 1996, so it was completely different from what I had seen at Volcán Arenal several weeks earlier. Poas has a steaming crater of boiling torquise water, a laguna (lake) which used to be another crater, and also many walking trails.

 (The cake purchase is a story of its own. It is a miracle that we and the cake made it back to the mission in one piece. I have taken many dangerous taxi rides during my stay in Costa Rica, but the return ride back to the mission was by far the scariest taxi ride I have ever taken. It was POURING rain, and the taxi driver's window was completely fogged up. My dad was in the front seat and he said there was no way the driver could see through the glass. I was in the back with Sam and Andrew. With every turn, the three of us would slide up against one door or the other.  I was holding the cake, and we were all praying we would make it back in one piece. Although ALTO means stop, those red octoganol signs mean little to Costa Rican drivers. Most just hold the horn down to let others know they are coming through an intersection, but this taxi driver didn't even slow down when approaching the intersection, nor did he blow his horn! He sped through at what my dad guessed to be at least 40 mph!)

Spoiled much?!  (I got tired of walking)



the crater





the lake, which used to be a crater

After leaving Volcán Poas, we heading to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. I had been here my first weekend in Costa Rica, but I was very excited to return, because I had enjoyed it so much. And I was doubly excited to have the opportunity to show everything to my parents in person instead of just through pictures. Since I had already been to La Paz, the women in our group had asked me for suggestions on what to wear. A) walking shoes are a must if you want to see the waterfalls; other than that it really doesn't matter, but I suggested wearing shorts and sleeveless tops because it can get pretty hot at La Paz. Well, bad call on my part. As our bus pulled up to La Paz, it began to sprinkle, and then the sprinkle turned into an aguacero (downpour) which never let up. Welcome to the rainy season in Costa Rica! Against my will, I wore a poncho. We were quite the colorful family.



FYI: that smile on my face is fake.  Wearing a poncho is against my personal dress code.

 
Despite the rain, I had a great time spending the day at La Paz with my parents. My mom loved the colibris (hummingbirds), and the orchids. And just because I had been to La Paz before didn't make the day any less special. This time, I held a toucan, and so did my parents! (last time I simply took pictures of the toucans) Also, the oxen who were closed up in their pen/pin (?) last time I went, were out loose this time. Well not, running wild, because they were attached to a coffee cart. I was so excited to see them out. I had seen many coffee carts throughout my visit to Costa Rica, but this was the first time I had seen the oxen pulling one! As we approached, a park employee came out of the casita and told me we could get into the cart and he would take our picture! How fun!




colibri, before my camera battery died :(



I don't think too many people hold a toucan in Costa Rica on their birthday!!



going for a ride!

 The waterfalls were just as gorgeous as I remembered them, but they were much more forcefull because of the heavy rain. Judging by the amount of waterfall pictures I found when I loaded my mom's pictures onto the computer, I can safely say that she enjoyed them too.

 

After we had returned back to the mission that night and eating our last Costa Rican dinner, my dad and I snuck down into the downstairs kitchen to retrieve the birthday cake we had been hiding since yesterday. A portion of the icing was messed up, but we were a-okay with that and the next paragraph will explain why. My mom had ask that we not do anything special for her birthday, because simply spending the day together as a family was the perfect gift, so she said. But what's a birthday without a cake?? We also hung a FELIZ CUMPLEANOS banner across her bunk, and I've already been informed that it will be recycled for my birthday in less than a month. haha

¡sorpresa!

(The cake purchase is a story of its own. It is a miracle that we and the cake made it back to the mission in one piece. I have taken many dangerous taxi rides during my stay in Costa Rica, but the return ride back to the mission was by far the scariest taxi ride I have ever taken. It was POURING rain, and the taxi driver's window was completely fogged up. My dad was in the front seat and he said there was no way the driver could see through the glass. I was in the back with Sam and Andrew. I was holding the cake, and we were all praying we would make it back in one piece. Although ALTO means stop, those red octoganol signs mean little to Costa Rican drivers. Most just hold the horn down to let others know they are coming through an intersection, but this taxi driver didn't even slow down when approaching the intersection, nor did he honk his horn! He sped through at what my dad guessed to be at least 40 mph!)

no tengo palabras para describir que pasó hoy

Today was shoe day, where the children were given the shoes that we had packaged a day prior.  We met one of our sponsor children today.  His name is Grieven and he will turn 3 on the 7th of September.  Today Grieven and his sister, Dulce, received their first pair of tennis shoes.  His mom told me that up until this point they have only worn flip-flops and sandals.  He was SO PROUD of his new shoes!!  I can't even describe the emotions today as we each held Grieven for the first time.  I think I will simply let my pictures speak for themselves.



Grieven and his first pair of tennis shoes!



Our first family photo with Grieven



galletas, zapatos y pulseras (6/29/11)

Today after I read the 10 o'clock story to the kids, a little 2-year-old boy came into the classroom whining to the teacher. He wanted his cookies. (After listening to the story at 10 am, all the kids are given a package of cookies.) The teacher asked him if he had listened to the story, and he shook his head no. She said if he would listen to it now, she would give him his cookies. Then he said he didn't want to listen to the story, but only wanted the cookies! Finally the adorable munchkin decided the cookies were worth listening to a story. He was the cutest little boy, and I enjoyed watching his personality for the remainder of the day.

It's so neat when the kids come up to me and wrap their arms around me. I regret that I have the memory of a goldfish when it comes to names; however, I did remember Julieta's name and she was one of the kids who ran to me and embraced me. She had remembered the other day that I told her we could make bracelets, so a few of us made gospel bracelets and I explained the significance of each of the colors.

Later, I helped sort the zapatos. We had four large tables where we spread out new and barely used shoes. We had a list of what size each child needed, so we bagged shoes up and wrote their names on the bags.



muchos zapatos





After lunch, my mom and I started making the gospel bracelets so we could pass them out on Thursday. By the end, we churned out 164 bracelets!

A little later in the day, we went into the city of San Ramón to check it out. I much prefer the city of Heredia to that of San Ramón; however, we did encounter a Cosechas, so I was content that I could share the deliciousness with my parents.

Later in the night, my parents told me that they had decided to sponsor a child! We were given a big bag of pictures of the children who do not yet have sponsors. Six photos were set out of "recommendations." (We had wanted a younger child so we will be able to sponsor them longer.) As soon as my dad saw the pictures, he said "pick two." So we picked out a little girl and a little boy. And again, with my goldfish-like memory, I can't remember their names, but I am very excited to meet them tomorrow!


"new additions" to the Hill family



en el Bajo

Ya pasaron dos días de este trabajo de misión y lo estoy disfrutiendo. I would describe this place as a giant safe haven for the kids of the bajo. When they aren't at school, they are free to spend their days at Faithful Servants Mission. I have been helping in the reading classroom, and I am in heaven. Helping little children read in Spanish...perfect task for me! Every day at 10 am the teacher goes outside and gathers all the children from the playground and reads a story aloud to them and on Monday she let me do this. She has a wonderful library of children's literature, all in Spanish of course and I chose to read Si le haces una fiesta a una cerdita por Laura Numeroff. (If you give a pig a party) I don't know why, but I get a sense of joy when I am reading to kids, and reading in Spanish just multiplies this joy for me!

Yesterday, the men started their project: mixing and pouring concrete to make a basketball court for the little ones. This is quite an arduos task, and a messy one too, but they seem to be enjoying themselves.




and this is where my translation skills come in...





I have also been practing my painting skills...on nails that is. The little girls AND boys love having their nails painted! I'll start with one child and within 5 minutes, I will have a group of nearly 10 children around me picking out their color.



estoy pintando  las uñas



Two special moments occured for me today. The first one was in the morning when I was helping a Kindergartener with basic reading skills. She was kind of struggling, and I could tell she would prefer not to be reading. I thought she was going to flit right on out of the room as soon as her 10 minute timer went off; however, she put her materials away and returned to me, took me by the hand and led me to the playground. Although she showed little interest in reading with me, she obviously felt comfortable enough with me to hold my hand and want to play tag with me. I played tag for a little while and eventually returned to the classroom to continue helping the niños read. At a certain point, the little ones stop trickling through the door, and the older kids read novels to themselves.

At this point, I returned to the playground to find a little girl sitting on the stairs all by herself. I couldn't just walk past her so I sat next to her and asked her name. Celini. Que bella. I quickly realized that her hands were deformed and in total, she only had 3 fingers. This just broke my heart, but at the same time, her gentle spirit lifted me up. I pushed her on the swingset for a while until she got tired of swinging. I asked her if she wanted me to paint her toenails and she was very excited by this. I wasn't even going to approach her about painting her 3 fingernails, because I myself didn't even know how to handle that, but after I finished her toes, she asked me to paint her nails too, so I did.



Celini y yo

 This mission trip is a lot different from my trip to Mexico last year because in Mexico not only was I playing with kids, but I was also doing a lot of manual labor. Since the men in the group are handling the manual labor, I'm not even getting my hands dirty. This is difficult for me, because I feel like I'm not doing enough. But I have to remind myself that by giving children my full attention in the reading classroom, and by simply playing with them, I am sharing God's love.

1 Peter 4:11
If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

Despedidas y Bienvenidos

I got up extra early this morning so I wouldn't be rushing to get to the aeropuerto. We got to enjoy one last desayuno together and she made me Gallo Pinto, fried eggs, a huge piece of my favorite cheesy bread, watermelon and an apple. And yes, I ate it all. I think my stomach has grown in the past seven weeks.

It finally came the time that I had to leave to meet my the church group at the airport. Before that, however, we had to say our goodbyes. It was a tearful goodbye for both myself and Mamá Tica. After living with her for 6 out of my 7 weeks in Costa Rica, we've come to be like family. There is hope that I will see her again, because they are possibly taking a trip to Orlando for Maria Fernanda's 15th birthday in January. And hopefully, I will return to Costa Rica one day in the future.


Mamá Tica y yo, before the tears started flowing

 My hermano tico, Juan Carlos, drove me to the aeropuerto in his taxi and his son Esteban came along for the ride. It was a good thing I asked my dad to wear his pink polo today, because I spotted him immediately. As sad as I was to say goodbye to Mamá Tica, I was equally excited to see my parents!

Mamá Tica had sent me with a 3 foot loaf of my favorite bread, and my gringos devoured it on the ride from the airport to San Ramón because they were still on American time. We are now at Faithful Servants Missions Camp. After getting settled and eating lunch, we took a walk around the Bajo Tejares neighboorhood. We started in a group, so that Lynn could point out things along the way, but less than 5 minutes into our walk, my parents and I were WAYYYY behind the group because I kept stopping to take pictures and talk with all the kids! The kids are soooo cute, and I can't wait to spend more time with them.

Boys, hamming it up for the camera (in the distance, is our group!)

I eventually had to catch up to the group, because Lynn doesn't speak Spanish and she wanted me to tell one of the girls to come by the church this week, because her sponsor had sent her a bag of clothes. I also had to talk to the cook on the phone. I guess I'm already the go-to-girl for translation. There's a lot of English speaking around these parts, but I plan to keep speaking Spanish, considering I'm still in Costa Rica!



I can already tell that I'm going to like it here!



Estoy pensando en el futuro...

Yesterday I graduated from Centro de Lenguas Intercultura. Thinking about that, I had a strange realization--in less than a year I will will be a college graduate with two Bachellor's degrees in my possession. Sound exciting? Not to me! Maybe slightly exciting, but mostly scary. Here I was thinking about how fast the past 7 weeks passed by, but what happened to the past three years?? I only have ONE semester of classess left, before my full time student-teaching internship. Yikes, that sure came fast.

So what comes after college? Today I'm not really sure, and I'm okay with that. I have a list of things I'd like to eventually accomplish, but the timing and order is not really up to me. And I'm okay with that.
Jeremías 29:11     Porque Yo sé los planes que tengo para ustedes,’ declara el SEÑOR ‘planes de bienestar y no de calamidad, para darles un futuro y una esperanza.
(Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.)

I do know that tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my familía tica who has taken such good care of me during the past 7 weeks.  That won't be easy.  But on a brighter note, I get to say hello to my parents who will be arriving in Costa Rica, along with several others from our church.  Tomorrow we will head to Bajo Tejares, a small barrio (neighborhood) located right outside of San Ramón.  Here we will be working with Faithful Servants Missions.  I don't know what the Lord will have in store for us, but I am very excited to find out!