¡Sopresa!

On Wednesday, Papi brought us to their farm, which Ines (our sister) named “Mariposa” when she was a little girl. It was absolutely beautiful! He gutted an old bus and made a bathroom inside and bedroom so it’s like a little house. By the bus, he also has a table and chairs that he made with his marble/stone and some chairs are simply big rocks. He’s so creative! We even got to catch some fireflies in a jar when it got darker outside! Papi said that they would come at 6:05 and he hit it right on the dot! I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera…definitely a magical place.

Thursday Sarah and I went on an adventure to Cahuita, which is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. We ended up taking the wrong bus about an hour and a half in the wrong direction (unfortunately I brought my directional capabilities with me to Costa Rica haha), but we made it there before dark! It’s such a relaxing place and was just what we needed for a last adventure in this amazing country. The hostel we stayed at was adorable…a colorful little bungalow with a hammock in front that is owned by a very friendly Swiss lady, Brigitte. We also went to the Cahuita National Park and got to see monkeys, crabs, birds, and a few other animals in their natural habitats, which was really fun! We ended our trip with a whole lot of reggae music and some fun on the beach. Living the rasta vida!

Our Bungalow :)

Sunny on our last day!

Easter Sunday was by far the best Easter I have ever had. We got up early to go to church for 5…I love seeing Guácimo start to wake up in the morning. It’s so pretty to watch the sun spread light on the town. I knew church would be tough, because it was our last Sunday here and everyone there has been so welcoming supportive of us literally since our first day here. Sarah and I have definitely made a lot of friendships that will last. Mami stood up front and gave her little schpeel about us leaving. A whole lot of “See you later!”’s later we made our way out and back home.

Surprise! Tres leches cake is the best :)

After church, our cousin Xiomara came to pick us up to show us her house in Guapiles. She primarily lives in the San Jose area, but lives here on weekends. She has a beautiful home, but we didn’t realize this was all a distraction. After driving all around Guácimo, we finally got home for our family lunch and there was a lot more than just family waiting. Mami and Papi threw us a surprise going away party and the majority of our friends and family were all there!! Sarah and I were so taken aback. We have been so blessed with our support system here and at home. I honestly could not have asked for a better second family. Mami and Papi have treated us as if we were truly their daughters from the get go and their extended family and friends have done the same, too.

Our beautiful family..just missing a couple! :)

Classroom management has been like a 180 for me in the past week. Many thanks to Miss Amy LaCrosse for coming to my rescue with some simple strategies! I had my kids write down something that they wanted to work for (day to wear normal clothes to school, class without shoes on, bring something to share with the class, etc.) and told them that they would be able to earn one star each day. After they earn five stars, they earn whatever they decided to work for. One of the boys didn’t earn his star yesterday and it was basically the end of the world, so he behaved a lot better today so he could get one. I think it’s funny how during my last week I finally got through to them. They are finally starting to realize that I need to go soon and they are making it ten times harder. I may have been placed in a very challenging class, but I still love them all the same. They find ways to sneak into your heart when you aren't looking. :)