Jimmy and José picked us up and we headed to Braulio Carillo National Park. It was a scenic drive through parts of San José, then the rain forest, with great views of the volcanoes surrounding San José. This was especially good today because it was a very clear day - not many clouds.
Hiking through Braulio Carillo National Park was fun, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. We saw lots of different vegetation, but the animals we saw were very small--lots of leaf-cutter ants, some termites and butterflies. I really had my hopes up to see a toucan or a sloth. Regardless, it was enjoyable!
I was a little nervous meeting our host family (I can only imagine how the students felt). Our “mamás” and some host brothers & sisters were waiting for us at a meeting place in town. We were paired up and met Marzarella, our host mom. Then we walked with her to our Costa Rican houses. It was a little jaunt, down a dirt/gravel road with lots of pot holes. We arrived at our home and Marzarella showed us our rooms, and at first it was really awkward! We didn’t really know for sure what to say and there were lots of awkward silences. Personally, I felt like I didn’t want to dominate the conversation because I wanted Scott & Amanda to carry the conversation, so I felt a little conflicted because I really wanted to talk to them. Marzarella served us fresh-squeezed juice and some “Chiky” cookies - very yummy. We gave her our gifts we had brought (I brought a Spirit Lake football and an Indians baseball cap) and started showing her our photo albums to introduce ourselves. While we were doing that, her youngest son, Douglas arrived home. He’s 17 and is in high school (el colegio). Marzarella’s husband, Norberto, was working on their farm truck at the time. (He ended up being gone most of the day because he ended up changing the truck’s tires.) Marzarella & Douglas’s family farm pepper. We asked about their pepper fields and she and Douglas brought us back through their land to see their fields. That was an experience! First, right behind the house & the yard was the pasture for the cows. They have about 7 cows, from what I can see. Then is the pepper fields. They explained to us how they grow and harvest it, and showed us many other plants that supply food for their family, as well - corn, banana, plantain, coconut, yucca, just to name a few. Then when we reached the end of the pepper fields we headed down a wooded path and they told us we were going to the river. Along the end of their land runs the Sarapiquí river, which is quite large and clear, with rapids right by their land. Check out the photos below! This was really fun. They told us stories, like when Douglas was 7 he almost drowned in the river when he and his friend got a little too ambitious exploring, and others.
Then we headed back and were chatting, and Kayla, Lexi and their two host sisters, María (16) and Ana (younger than 16) came over. We started playing catch with the football and we ended up going to their house, which is across the street, because they have a more open yard to play in. There we played a little more catch, played soccer (until the soccer ball rolled under their house and we couldn’t get it out), and then more catch with the football. María suggested that instead of just catch, we have to ask a question to whoever we throw it to, then they answer and ask a question of the next person they throw it to. What a great idea! We got to know each other better.
By the time it was dark (6:00) it was time to head home & eat. We got home and Marzarella was preparing dinner and asked us if we wanted to make tortillas. Of course we did! See the photos below. What a great way to include us and teach us about their culture!
We ate a supper of picadillo, rice, beans, and tortillas. It was very good.
After supper, Kayla, Lexi, María & Ana came over again and we played cards. We played BS, Burro (exactly like spoons but without the spoons) and a new game they called us called “Tonto”. It was fun. I can’t tell if Douglas & María are just really good friends or if they’re more than friends, because they’re very flirtatious. But, they seem to be that way with everybody. Then when the others went home Douglas did a card trick for us, and ended up teaching us how to do it. I can’t wait to try it on Josh and others back home! By that time Marzarella had joined us and we ended up playing more cards. It was a good night.
It is obvious that our host family truly enjoys spending time together. They are very open to sharing their lives with us, which is awesome! Marzarella got teary-eyed today at dinner when she was talking about hosting students and how it’s affected their lives.
Tomorrow we’re going river rafting and then doing the bat tour. I’m looking forward to another great day!
¡Pura vida!
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