Time flies when you're having fun!

In the last two weeks my parents came, they saw and they bought the T-shirt (OK, really it was a hat). And boy did the time fly. Some tears were shed when I met my parents at the San Jose airport on the 14th of Feb. This was the first time we were seeing each other in more than 7 months. Mostly those tears were from me. We had a good two days in San Jose visiting my training community, the Peace Corps office, and eating at two wonderful restaurants. It's always nice when someone else is footing the bill. Following the brief stint in San Jose, we took the four-wheel drive and set out for a little exploring. Stopping to visit the town of Sarchi where a lot of woodcrafts and furniture are made was among the highlights. We saw a lot of beautiful terrain, animals and rainbows along the way. Just from this little bit of exploring and seeing a part of the country which I never knew existed, gave me a newfound appreciation for Costa Rica. On day four, we finally arrived in Fortuna where we would spend the next three days exploring the Arenal Volcano, taking a horseback ride to a canopy tour through the rain forest (think zip line), and soaking in hot springs at night. Next on our agenda was visiting my site. We made the four hour drive around Lake Arenal and finally arrived to Santa Cruz on Monday night. The following day was filled with more than 75 formal introductions so my parents could meet the people with whom I live, work and play. My brain was really fried after that day from all the translating. I am happy that my parents will now actually be able to visualize my town and work and acquaintances when I talk about them. My parents really enjoyed meeting everyone and commented on how friendly the Ticos are . The next day we headed to the small town of Guaitil where I am learning to make an ancient form of pottery derived from the indigenous people of Costa Rica. A small dent was made in my dad's wallet as they bought up a bunch of pottery. Finally it was time to head for the beach. We stayed for the next two nights at a beautiful paradise called Lugar Bonita. Gracious Gringo owners, Jerry and Wanda , rent out two cabinas on their property. Each cabina has a theme and is decorated to the max, with every detail covered. There is a very inviting swimming pool, lush plants and flowers, and a rancho (think large tiki hut) filled with lounge chairs and hammocks and a stocked fridge. After we arrived, my dad made the executive decision that we would stay for two nights and not just the originally planned one. It was a very tranquil place that I would recommend to anyone looking for a very relaxing spot to vacation. Check out their site at http://www.lugarbonita.com/ Though a lot of these last few days were spent enjoying the company of the owners, we did manage to take a trip away from paradise to visit two different beaches, watch the sunset and eat at a few more good restaurants. It was sad to see my parents leave after their 11 day visit, but I know it is only another 10 months till I go home for Christmas.

Fiestas, Training, Camp and Vacation

The third week of January commemorated the annual civic festivals in my town of Santa Cruz. Bull riding, marimba music, parades with folkloric dancing and scary clowns, dances into the wee hours of the night, and your typical carnival food and rides. Unfortunately, this ended up being the same week that Peace Corps decided to hold our first In-Service-Training of my training group (Tico 13, project: Children Youth and Families) since we had sworn in as official PCVs at the end of September. Since then, we have lost two people who found that their site (it was our only married couple, fellow UVA rivals) was not up to their expectations. We are now a group of 11 scattered throughout the country. It was nice to all come together for a week in San Jose after being apart for 3.5 months. PC put us up in a nice hotel that had efficiencies, free internet and a pool. Too bad it was always too cold to swim. The week entailed Spanish lessons in the morning, and then sessions throughout the week on health and safety, cultural and work related challenges, sharing goals and accomplishments, work report and grant writing, using puppets to work with children, and private time to talk with our boss. The food was wonderful. A nice change from what most of us are use to in our sites. In the evenings, we found ourselves catching movies in downtown San Jose, celebrating a fellow volunteer's birthday and searching for wisdom from our fellow volunteers...around bottles of unapproved PC beverages. Oh how I look forward to Mid-Service-Training which will take place in September.

The last week of January into the first week of February found me in the town of Liberia (an hour and a half NE) helping a fellow volunteer in my Tico group run an Environmental Day Camp for kids of her barrio. Three other volunteers were there to help as well. We spent the week helping the boss run errands and take care of last minute details. I was usually in charge ofpreparing and making sure all the 30+ kids got snack which usually equated to a mini lunch. The week ended with a trash pick-up and mural painting at the school in her barrio. It turned out really well and all the kids had a wonderful time. As for me, I got attacked by every mosquito and biting ant in all of Central America. Over a week later, I am still trying to recover as the bites turned into "poison ivy like" patches on my legs that no cream or pills seem to heal. I guess that puts extra emphasis on the term "Environmental Camp"!

I spent this past weekend with my host mom visiting her family in the countryside. It's always nice to escape there to get away from the noise of the city. Typically we just sit around shooting the shit. This time we sat around doing that and attended a Rosario for a distant family member who had passed away 9 days before. During these trips to the country, I usually find enough time to finish a book. This was my second visit. The food is always out of this world, always a plus!

Tomorrow is Dia de Los Enamorados or better known to Americans as Valentine's Day. Usually this is not a day I look forward to with much anticipation but this year will be different. Tomorrow my first true loves arrive in country, my parents! We will spend 11 days visiting my training town and current work site and throw in a few touristy attractions here and there. I look forward to seeing them for the first time in 7 months and hope I don't find myself packed in their luggage on their return flight home!

Thanks to everyone for all of the cards and packages that rolled in throughout the month of January and throughout the other months of the year. It's always nice to have something waiting for you when you arrive to your mailbox.

Happy Valentine's Day to all!!!