Fun with Friends!!

Amanda and Clint were here for 8 days total, and it was simply a delight to have them and show them my life here in Costa Rica. We kept things very simple, and cheap, but it was tons of fun to spend so much time together.

We went into San Jose and did the touristy shopping, and they got some little trinkets and bracelets, but the winner of the items they bought was something for their baby girl on the way!! It was a little white shirt and diaper cover that had a little frog on it and says Costa Rica. When Amanda showed my host family I'm sure you could have heard the screeches down the street, they thought it was so cute!! And it was! But Amanda said, "it's for our little girl, because she was in Costa Rica, but she won't remember it!" So cute!

We borrowed Emi's car (my host mom), and went to Cartago to the Basilica, and then we headed out to volcano Irazu! The drive was steep, we just kept going up and up!! We were above the clouds in the end I think! We saw the crater in the middle, not fully, but it was clear enough to see the green sulfuric acid.

We went to the ferria (farmer's market) so they could see all the fruits and vegetables, and they shared a Pipa water! Then I brought them up to the comedor to meet my friends up there, and they were so helpful! Clint even snuck in a game of fooseball with a little tico boy, he was pretty excited about that! And that night we all went to a soccer game!! This time it was the FIFA Costa Rica team playing against New Zealand!! It was very cool to watch, and Costa Rica won 4-0!!

One of the most memorable times was one night, after we had had a pretty long day, and were all exhausted, I left so they could go to sleep, and as I was washing my face and brushing my teeth, I heard this trumpet blare! So I started laughing, because random stuff like that happens all the time, and I was laughing just thinking what Amanda and Clint were probably doing!! We always talk about how loud the neighbors are, the dogs of the neighbors are, the cars, the horns honk, etc... and here at 11:00 at night, we start to hear a band play!!! So I went back to check on them, and check out what was going on outside with them. Then my host sisters started putting on their shoes to go outside and watch! So we went out with them... and here there was a Mariachi Band playing at the next door neighbors front gate because their daughter was getting married the next day!! It was so funny, because something like that definately would not fly in our culture!

It was SOOOOOOOOOO wonderful to have them here. I haven't spent hardly anytime with them in the last few years, and I feel like I got to know them better! I loved just hanging out with them, playing cards, laughing, and talking about everything! It was so fun!! So fun to feel their baby girl kick too, and just experience that with Amanda! Their going to be parents in just about 2 months! How exciting!