We arrived in San Jose and boarded a charter bus with AC (thank goodness!) and drove to our hotel.
There we met our host from the Hope Center and had a semi-quick meet and greet with our guides for the week. Then we left for a tour of the city.
Some of the things we saw were:
Cork trees
A group of guys having a rap-off in a park
A school building made entire of metal (some of which is rumored to have come from the Eiffel Tower)
Real working PAY phones
Really large perfect sphere rocks - supposedly ancient
Local souvenir market - bought a few things, but not many
A very ornate Theatre
A Children’s Hospital
*The* Hospital - the line to get in was out the door and down the street!!! (We were told that healthcare is free, but the downside is very long lines)
And Many other things!!
After the last stop for souvenirs, we returned and had dinner and we returned to our rooms to relax, unpack and get some rest.
Sunday
We were able to sleep in - breakfast was at 9:30 and we left to go to a Farmer’s Market around 11.
At the Farmer’s Market we were divided into 4 teams and given a list of vegetables, fruits and condiments to purchase from the farmers. We were given how much of each to purchase and how much we should spend for that item (because honestly, we really haven’t gotten used to the exchange rate from dollar to colones in 24 hrs!).
It was a challenge to see which team could complete the task faster. Brady and I were separated from each other for this and he has been MY crutch for Spanish since we got here.
This took some of us (ok, ME!) out of our comfort zone - we were speaking to people who definitely didn’t speak English, and our Americanized pronunciation of the words we saw on the paper were laughable, I’m sure to them! I was deemed the Money holder. (Phew! I can deal with numbers!!!)
It was fun - eventually I wasn’t as afraid to ask Cuanto Cuesta? Or Tienes ____? But it took watching others go before me.
All the food we purchased we brought back to the Hope Center and gave it to them to gift a family food for the week.
We attended our partner church Open House - it is just like Northpoint! Our rising 8th graders went to the Transit service and the adults attended “Big church”.
Big Church was held in a Movie Theatre room, but very nicely done. I couldn’t tell you anything that was said because it was completely in Spanish! The topic was “Me and my Big Mouth”.
After church, we went to the Hope Center in the very center of some of the poorest areas of CR. Driving in you could see the change to bars -not just on windows, but nearly from ground to roof. Cars were all parked behind those same bars. It was pretty sobering to say the least.
The Hope Center fed us lunch of chicken rice and black refried beans with chips and “salad”. It was yummy and we all ate every bite. (By this time it was 3pm!!)
After we looked around the Hope Center, (which, by the way, was behind very thick cement walls with electric wires at the top of the wall and heavy metal doors that were locked down after we entered) we came back to our hotel to rest and enjoy some free time.
Brady went to the pool and I took a power nap!
Dinner and prep for the school were the last activities of the night. We are excited to see the children tomorrow!
Until then ——count your many blessings to live in the USA!!
Trisha
Other pics from our trip so far:
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