Love the Love

**Please be forewarned, I may use the word LOVE excessively in this post.  But sometimes a synonym just won't suffice**

I have been living in Costa Rica for a little over three weeks now.  Since I've been here, I have eaten entirely too much rice.... and beans.  My brain has been overloaded with Spanish.  I have asked the question daily or even hourly, "Are we going the right way?"  I have done Zumba three times, each time very very poorly.  I have gotten locked out of my house.  I have fulfilled entirely too many American stereotypes.  I have walked more in one week here than I have in the past year.  I have experienced more rain in one HOUR here than I have in the past year.  I have seen some of the most beautiful scenery and of course pictures never do it justice.  And my love for coffee hasn't changed one bit.

Yet the thing that has stood out to me the most is the Love, the Joy, the Kindness.  Maybe it just takes leaving America to notice it.  But man oh man, let me tell you, these people love each other real well.  Neighbors take care of neighbors, and strangers are kind and helpful.  Like when I locked myself out of my house, yelled "Help"once, and the neighbors came to my rescue within minutes.  Or when, on multiple occasions, I've seen people give up their seat on the bus for a mother and her baby or an elderly person.  Or when Ashley (one of the other interns) and I got on the wrong bus, and the bus driver as well as 7 other people helped direct us to the right one.  Or how my host mom did all my laundry for me when I simply asked her if I could just wash my towels later.  Or even when people laugh with me for my terrible spanish rather than at me.

Sure, it's not all unicorns and rainbows all the time.  There's crime and poverty and sadness too.  But I'm learning that if we only focus on the bad things, it robs us of our joy.  I am thankful that the blinders are off and I'm beginning to see all the love around me.  Selfless love.  A kind of love that doesn't have an agenda or a price tag.  Just love.  And I love it.  

And No, I can't say I have truly loved everything in my time here.  Like the second degree burn I got from 2 hours at the beach or choking down rubbery cheese. But overall, this experience has been the greatest adventure and that, I have loved.  This place culture has taught me so much about myself in the last few weeks.  It has challenged me, stretched me, and put me in some rather uncomfortable situations.  And that's the thing, I think sometimes we forget that its OK to be uncomfortable.

"The Ways of the Lord are not comfortable, but we were not created for comfort, but for greatness, for good" ~ Pope Benedict XVI

I'm not saying you need to move to a foreign country, start an orphanage and live in a hut.  But find what challenges YOU and go there.

xoxo
Becca

I just LOVE this place... see what I did there. 

Beauty everywhere 

Ginger probz.

Costa Rican Living

I’m here, I’m here, I’m here!

Yes its true, I am officially here in Costa Rica.  Currently I am sitting at a coffee shop, eating chocolate cake, and loving life.  I have been here a total of four full days so I’m basically a local.  But actually culture shock is much more real and apparent than I ever could have imagined it would be.  I often have felt like a baby deer in headlights, especially when people speak Spanish to me.  Smiling and nodding has become a very common part of my daily life here (while most of my thoughts consist of “slow down homegirl, I don’t speak Spanish).  Culture shock aside, I have loved every minute here in Costa Rica thus far.  My brain is filled with so many memories I want to share and its only been four days!  But here is a little overview of what my life here looks like.

Living Situation:

I live in Escazu Centro which is in San Jose (this is equivalent to Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, etc. Within Phoenix, but on a much smaller scale).  I live with a host family or I should say host mom.  Dona (proper term, such as mrs or mr) Cecilia is an absolute gem.  Though we don’t understand much of what each other says, I can tell she is such a kind, gentle person with a great sense of humor.  I have my own room and we share a bathroom.  Fun fact about Costa Rica, we don’t flush the toilet paper here.  Its not as gross as it sounds, but its definitely something to get used to.  Also, shoes are worn in the house ALWAYS.  Costa Ricans think their floors are dirty so walking around barefoot is not an option.  We pretty much walk everywhere we can, and then take buses or taxis everywhere else.  No time like the present to get used to using public transportation. 

Food:

So far, the food situation has been much more normal than I expected.  My Host mom cooks breakfast and dinner for me.  I’ve had things like spaghetti, chicken and rice, eggs and toast.  Nothing really out of my comfort zone.  However, today I had my first unfortunate food experience.  My host mom made me a sandwich for breakfast.  It had ham, butter, mayo, and cheese.  Doesn’t sound too scary, right?  WRONG.  The cheese was not normal american cheese and was very thick and had an incredibly awful rubbery texture.  You may think I’m being dramatic, but this was the first thing here I’ve had to physically and mentally force myself to eat while gagging.  I’m preparing myself for much more of this in the next year, since its rude not eat all the food on your plate here.  On the opposite side of things, my favorite thing I’ve tried is called patacones.  These are fried plantains and you top them with avocado, beans, and cheese. So. Delicious.  

Daily Life:

My day to day life here is pretty flexible, which I love.  Starting Monday, I will be in language school 4 hours a day, 5 days a week.  I actually can’t wait to start school because that means I can start communicating, Yay!  Aside from that, my schedule looks similar to that a full-time Young Life leader.  I will be leading Young Life at the international high school in Escazu.  The school is english speaking and our clubs are also in english.  So there will be contact work, club, campaigners, etc. each week, but most days won’t ever look the same.  Aside from Young Life, we take part in different Costa rican holidays and events, spend time with our host families, and explore the country too!  For instance, Ashley (one of the other interns) and I went to Zumba in the park the other night.  We we’re expecting maybe 50 people to be there.  Nope.  We were the only gringos (what they call white people here) in a crowd of about 200 ticos (what they call locals here).  It was such a blast and also hilarious.  

I am so grateful for this experience and to finally be here.  Though their have been moments of discomfort, I have genuinely loved and embraced each part of this journey so far.  The Young Life community here is incredible and I am super stoked I get to be a part of it.  The people I get to work with are so passionately pursing Jesus.  It is so encouraging!  I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me in this next year!

Buenos Tardes!

Becca