The jefes (bosses) are gone...lets go to a volcano!

Volcano...check...
Waterfalls...check.
Monkeys...check.
Butterflies...check.
Absolutely insanely awesome day...check!

John and Jessie, our bosses, are in Nicaragua for the week for a lil´ International School YL conference, so we didn't have Young Life club tonight. And since Wednesdays are usually spent preparing for club, Kate and I pretty much had a day off! What what! Holler atchya´day off! Plus, our friend Damon was in town, so we opted to go on an adventure! I feel like if you have the choice, an adventure is always a good route to take! Done and done.

We caught the bus from downtown San José this morning at 8:30. For some reason it took us forever and 2 years to get to the Volcano, but on the way back it only took us an hour. I´m still confused about how that worked. Anyways, so the bus took us straight to the Volcano...essentially. Our bus driver stopped for some strawberries on the side of the road and a short pit stop, but other than that straight to Volcan Poas.

Here´s the thing though, there are these really sweet waterfalls about 30 minutes away from the volcano that the three of us really wanted to see, BUT there is only one bus, the one that we took, that goes to the volcano, and then it goes back to San José at 2:00 in the pm. Needless to say, if we wanted to do both, volcano and waterfalls, which we did, we were a little crunched for time. So on the bus we game planned. We decided we were going to book it up to the top of the volcano...check it out, bask in its glory, and then book it back down. I mean really, the volcano was sick, so awesome, but you can only look at a volcano for so long. Am I right or am I right?

Next part of our plan...figuring out how to get to the waterfalls. While we were still on the bus we asked our bus driver if he could pick us up from the Supermercado, at the bottom of the hill, because we were planning on going to the waterfalls. He said ¨Si¨and told us he would pick us up at the Supermercado at 2:10.

Now we just had to figure out how we were getting to the waterfalls. Once we got back to the visitor center after seeing the volcano, Damon wondered off, so Kate and I decided to check out the gift shop. Seven minutes later Damon comes into the shop and tells us to hurry up because we have a ride! He worked some kind of magic, and we jumped in this van with an older couple form California who had hired a tour guide. I thought our tour guide, Juan, was a little sketch because we were all talking about fruit, so I asked him what his favorite fruit in Costa Rica is and he said...Women. I mistakenly thought he said Lemon, call me crazy it sounded like lemon and after all we WERE talking about fruit, so I replied with...Oh, awesome! So that was kinda awkward, but other then his sketchy women comments, he was a great tour guide! Anyways, we finally make it to the waterfalls. Boom snap!

At this point we only have an hour before we need to leave again to get back to the supermarket. We ask the information guy at the visitor center how long it takes to get to the first waterfall. I was thinking maybe twenty minutes max, and he says one hour. Son of a B! One hour, we don´t have that kind of time dude. We were hoping to check out both waterfalls and all the other sweet stuff...like the monkeys. So, once again we book it! We are full on running, which was funny because there were a lot of old people who were walking suuuuuuper slow, and then we would just blaze past them. Sorrrrry Grandma....eat my dust! Just kidding... kind of! A.N.Y.W.A.Y.S, we were able to see both waterfalls, the monkeys, the bird exhibit, and the butterfly lil´pavilion thing. All of it was so awesome.

Ok, so now our last little task was to find a way back to the supermarket. We go out to the parking lot and Damon once again finds a man and asks if he will give us a ride if we pay him. Homeslice, is super nice, very friendly, and then when we get to the supermarket he is all...Ten mil. Ten mil! What the crap dude! Ten mil is what he charged us, and it is equivalent to TWENTY U.S. DOLLARS... for an 8 minute taxi ride. Moral of this story...we got jipped...hard. But we made it to the supermarket with 10 minutes to spare so we were feeling ok. I mean, a little pissed we got screwed by our taxi ¨friend¨Rouel, but whatever. That´s probably not even how you spell his name, but I don´t even care. Take that Rouel!

I know this is long story, but I´m almost done. So we are hanging out at the supermarket waiting for the bus, and then out of nowhere our bus, the ONLY bus that will take us back to San José, goes flying past us. This thing is haullin. Not even slowing down in the slightest as he passes the Supermercado. All three of us looked at each other with this look of ¨Oh mother! I think he´s gonna stop. I hope? He´s going to stop right? But it doesn't really look like it. RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¨ So naturally that´s what we did. We ran. And we ran freaking fast... after our bus. And don´t worry, homeslice is still cruisin´down this huge hill. Then thankfully, after sprinting 200 yards, with a backpack on which isn´t easy, he slows down....not for us though, but for the construction traffic. I have never in my whole life been so thankful for construction traffic. Thank.You. Jesus! Like for real, thank you Jesus because we were all out of money, thanks to Rouel, and who the crap knows how we would have gotten back to the city.

Synopsis of the day. Awesome, and a lot of running.
The end.

Dance Monkey Dance!

SO. I learned a new Spanish phrase the other day. Yep. Tome chi chi! It means ¨take that.¨It´s pretty much the equivalent to the English version of ¨touche.¨So, the other night I was in the car with my host mom, host sister and two of her friends, and I felt that it was an appropriate time to tell them I learned a new Spanish phrase. Lisa asked me what it was and I responded with ¨Tome chi chi!¨ and the whole car died laughing. I mean, I guess it is kinda funny that I´m this gringa chick that knows hardly any Spanish, but I know these crazy local slangs and phrases. Ever since then I have become a circus animal. Whenever I am around Lisa´s friends she will say ¨Say your phrase!¨ I say it, and then they all start laughing. And then I get my bone. Just kidding...about the bone part, but not about the them laughing part.

My host dad came home from the beach yesterday (where he lives/works) to be able to vote today. This morning at breakfast we were talking and then Luchi was all ¨Say your phrase!¨ And once again, being the circus animal I am, I said ¨Tome chi chi¨ and Don Tacho started cracking up. Dance monkey dance!!!! Come on gringa, say your phrase, say your phrase!!!!

OH, here´s some big news going on in the Rica. TODAY was the presidential elections! HOLY CRAP, elections are wayyyyy more fun here then they are in the States. No offense US. Here, everyone drives around with these colored flags representing their preferable candidate. The flags are either on their car, or sticking out of their car. And today people were flag LOCO! Absolutely crazy! People literally drove around just to wave their flags out their window. There were cars everrrrywhere, and each car was packed out. People were also riding on the roofs of cars. It was election day, so apparently you can do that! Kate and I stood on a street corner for about 30 minutes yelling ¨Otton!!!!!!!!!¨ He was one of the candidates, and the one that I was fake voting for. I kinda felt like I was cheating on my host fam when I was cheering for him though, because my host fam was voting for Laura. I liked Laura at first, you know, like a kid likes whoever their parents like. But here´s the thing, I´m pretty easy to sway when it comes to me liking political candidates in a country that I can´t actually vote in, and since my really cool new friends Stefàn and Ale like Otton, I started rooting for him. Go Otton! Whatever, I´m a gringa, my opinion means nothing in this matter. I just liked cheering for someone when I was standing on the street, and Otton was more fun to cheer for because there were way more Otton flags, which means way more honking!!! Anyways, Otton didn´t even win.... Laura won! Yep, a chick is now the president of Costa Rica. So, it´s kinda like Sara Palin...except people here like her...and she won....and it´s not even a big deal that she´s a chick. She is the first woman president in this country, and its no big deal. Weird.

Hasta Luego mi amigos! Tome chi chi!

My friends are coming!!!!!!!!!!

My friends are coming, my friends are coming, my friends are coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHH, MY.FRIENDS.ARE.COMING!!! Can you tell I´m so stoked by the all CAPS! So, my great friend Susan booked a flight the other day to come visit in March. And then yesterday I got an emailed flight itinerary from our friend Sarah, who I had NO idea was coming, but now will be flying out with Susan! Sarah could be the most spontaneous person I know...and I´m not just saying that. It took Sus no more then 24 hours to convince Sarah to book her flight to Costa Rica. Sarah Anderson, just flying by the seat of her pantalones. Good work Sus! Love you both! CAN´T WAIT TILL MARCH 11th. ¡Fiesta!

Bruce Willis is an idiot.

This past weekend we had our leader retreat...at the beach! Leader retreat at the beach...don't mind if I do! We planned all the clubs for Young Life and Wyldlife for the semester. A student from Lincoln has a house at the beach in Quepos, that her parents so generously let us stay there. We planed. prayed. played. and I can't think of anything else that starts with the letter p. But the weekend was real great. It was so good to spend time together as a team. Have I said yet I'm excited for this semester and what God is doing at international schools in Costa Rica? Stoked!

Also, on Friday I got to hang out with my friend Carolyn. Carolyn is a friend from KU who is studying abroad at the University of Costa Rica, which is no joke 5 minutes from my house. And she.is.awesome! Then yesterday after our meetings at the office Kate and I went downtown to meet up with the Hale's. Erin and Adge Hale are freaking ballers, and hilarious. It was soooo fun getting to spend time with them.

Here's a story for you all. On Sunday night I was eating dinner at my house with Luchi, Lisa, and then two of Lisa's friends, Dani, and Diego. When we were almost finished with dinner Lisa yelled for Pecas, the dalmatian. Luchi asked Lisa why she was yelling for Pecas, and Lisa told her that the bathroom door was open and wanted Pecas to come into the kitchen so she wouldn't get into the trash. Pecas came quickly, and had no trash in her mouth. BUT, as everyone was so concentrated on Pecas's mouth Bruce (named after Bruce Willis) came into the room with a tampon applicator with the plastic wrapper in his mouth. Surprisingly, I was the only one that saw this. My eyes got really BIG and my mouth literally dropped open. About a minute went by and I decided I had to do something. I had a brilliant plan. I was going to pretend I was going to the bathroom, and then find Bruce in the hallway, take the tampon wrapper out of his mouth, throw it away, and then no one would have to know about it. Well, that plan backfired. I left the table, went to go look for Bruce, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I came back to the kitchen table, and sure enough Bruce was under the table....still with the tampon wrapper and applicator in his mouth. I sat down, and had to hold myself together and try not to laugh. Two seconds later Bruce gets up from underneath the table, and puts his head on Luchi's thigh to beg for food. Luchi looked down, screamed, and then died laughing. Everyone asked what was so funny, and she pointed to Bruce with the wrapper STILL in his mouth. He's a dummy.

Dear Influenza,

Suck it. Whatever is going around, its official, I caught it. Last night I was babysitting for the cutest little Costa Rican baby, and then BAM, out of now where I´m throwing up my brains. Ughh. People, I set a new record. Between last night and today I threw up a total of 16 times. There has been a bug going around, and a lot of people at the YL office have had it. When I came out of my deep hibernation today, since I got zero sleep last night, Luchi came into my room with yet another beverage! It wasn´t a margarita this time...it was tea. When Luchi was handing me the mug that said ¨Sisters by birth, friends by choice¨ she told me that this tea is magic. I'm truly convinced that it was a hot toddy though! Whatever the magic potion, I am feeling much better. So, as Luchi, Lisa, and I were at the kitchen table drinking our ¨tea¨ my host sister Lisa asked me if I got a hair cut while I was home. I said yes, and then Luchi said ¨Que Bonita¨ which is hilarious, because I looked like absolute death today and nothing was beautiful....especially my hair. It was dis-gusting. Seriously Luchi, get sweeter, oh wait, it´s not possible! I´m so thankful that that she loves me so well. She is such a servant, and can make all sorts of mean beverages!

And I was all whhhhhat!

SO. There is a train that runs pretty much in my backyard, which has a tendency to shake the house. This morning I was laying in bed, but still kinda asleep, and then all of a sudden everything started shaking. Naturally, I thought it was the Polar Express about to bust threw my window, but NO NO. I get a text message a minute later from Kate that was all...¨I think I just felt an Earthquake.¨ And, I was all...¨Whhhhhat¨ Then, over some french toast this morning with Luchi, she asked me ¨Did you feel?¨ and then she started skaking the table.

Costa Rica, I am drinking you in, and you are smooth.

Yes, I am back. Round 2! It´s really good to be back. When Kate and I got to the ticket counter at the Denver Airport, we experienced some ridiculous stuff due to visa problems, so we hand to finagle some things around, but luckily we didn't miss our flight! And in the midst of all the stuff going on at the ticket counter Kate goes ¨ So here's the real question. Are you going to let the 8 extra pounds in our bags slide? I mean, I knew they were strict about the 50 pound bag limit, but dang. Clearly, the guy working the Frontier counter did not think it was as funny as I did. The timing was perfect...or in his case, not so perfect..at all!

We took off at midnight thirty, flew direct, and arrived in San Jose at around 6:45 am. If you didn't already know this about me, here you go...I absolutely hate flying. Hate it, Hate it, Hate it. But the flight was sweet. It wasn't bumpy, and for some reason we flew pretty low. Maybe since it was so late and dark? I actually just made that up, I have no idea, but flying low made me feel more comfortable, because if our plain did happen to fall out of the sky, we wouldn't fall as far. Yes, those are the thoughts that go through my head, and hence why I hate flying. I remember waking up at one point and looking out the window and seeing nothing but stars! It. was. INSANE. I have never seen so many stars in my life. All 22 years of it. For real, it was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. And then...I woke up again, and got to see the sun rise over Belize...which was insane as well! Yes please, don't mind if i do. By far the prettiest flight I have ever had!

I got home yesterday around 9 am, and slept for a solid 7 hours. When I woke up, I started unpacking, and Luchi, my host mom, came into my room and gave me a margarita and some nuts...you know, for an unpacking snack! Man, I love that woman!

In other news, there is now a train that runs behind my house. Literally right behind my house. Last night at dinner my whole family was talking about how awful the train is. They said it comes by at 7:30 am, and it is wayyyy worse then the egg man. You know, the egg man. They guy who sells eggs at the butt crack of dawn while yelling ¨Huevos, Huevos, blah blah blah, Huevos!!!!!!!!!!!!!¨ I literally thought to myself ¨What could be worse then the egg man?¨ and then at 7:30 this morning I learned what was worse...the train. I felt like the freaking Polar Express was coming straight threw my window, and call me crazy but I'm pretty sure the whole house rattled.

Alright, that's all for now from the Rica. Young Life stuff doesn't start for a couple weeks, but kids go back to school at Lincoln on Monday, and we have a leader retreat next weekend.

Much love, and ¡Pura Vida!