The final week

April 27-30, 2007

Here I sit in darkness once again with a few candles lighting the room. Over the past week there have been black-outs all over the country because there is not enough water for running the electric plants. The summer was long and dry and the rains have not come soon enough. I guess that my parents are getting a good taste of what life in Honduras is like because there brown outs are much more common. I thought Costa Rica would be a gentle adjustment for them.

I can hardly believe that I leave tomorrow for Honduras. My parents will fly out in the morning and I, twelve hours later at 8:00PM. The goodbyes have not been the easiest because I made a lot of good friends here. I will probably get to see most of my Costa Rican friends again since Costa Rica is almost the closest country to Honduras where I can go to renew my visa. Some of them may also travel to Honduras and we can visit there.

The past few weeks have gone quickly. I passed all my exams and was able to graduate on Wednesday. The exams and attempting to pack made a long week from April 16-20. My parents arrived on the 20^th and we headed almost immediately to Volcan Arenal where we spent the weekend. I was up late journaling and from the porch of our hotel room I was able to see a bit of the orange lava shooting out of the volcano. Both days in the area we were blessed with good weather and visibility so throughout the day we would see ashes and rocks tumbling down the mountainside. According to the locals, Arenal had not been that visible for months so the timing was great for us.

After Arenal we went east and visited the town of Sarapiqui. There we took a riverboat tour and saw many lizards, birds, and monkeys. The highlight for me was seeing a caiman up close. (I had hoped for a crocodile but a caiman is close enough that I cannot complain). The hotel we stayed at was a bit of tropical paradise but without air condition (I had forgotten to ask for it) so it was a bit stretching for my parents. My dad and I took an early morning hike and saw howler monkeys and many kinds of birds, including the Montezuma Oropendola.

I returned to San Jose for classes on Tuesday though in reality there was no learning that took place so late in the school year. In the afternoon we went to downtown San Jose and my parents were able to experience the bus system. A true experience involves standing in the aisle for a good 20 minutes or more but since the bus was not crowded, they did not have to deal with that adventure. In the evening we had a birthday celebration with my parents and my Tico family. I had to do a fair amount of translating from Spanish to English and English to Spanish. The challenge came when I would forget to translate into English and would just start talking to my parents in Spanish. On Wednesday I graduated from the Language Institute and helped to make sure that the reception went smoothly. After scrambling to pack several bags to send to Honduras with friends, my parents and I left for La Cumbre camp in the mountains. I wanted to be there during their science camp but unfortunately I missed all of the science classes and was there for the activities that I had already witnessed, such as the high ropes course. It was fun nonetheless.

I had yet another birthday cake and had opportunity to talk with my camp friends and say the goodbyes. My parents and I relaxed quite a bit, hiked, and played games. Just before we left we were able to see the Resplendent Quetzal, my favorite bird that I have seen here in Costa Rica. We were quite the tourists standing out under a steady rainfall, trying to peer through binoculars from beneath an umbrella to get a better view of the Quetzal.

During the last 2 days that my parents were here we went on a tour to an old, working farm where they showed how they process sugar cane, coffee, and macadamia nuts. In spite of the rain off and on throughout the day, it was a beautiful setting and I learned a lot. Then on Sunday my Tico family, my parents, and I went to Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall Gardens. I do not think I ever had a more beautiful travel day which was an incredible gift from God. The day was sandwiched between many dreary days. We were able to see both the crater (with its sulfuric smoke) and the lagoon at Poas. And at the waterfall gardens we enjoyed the birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and of course the waterfalls themselves. I thought it fitting that I finished my journal (of the past 2 months) sitting by the La Paz Waterfall. La Paz means “the peace” and as I leave Costa Rica today, I want to go in peace knowing that though I leave behind many friends and memories, I can go in peace because the Lord is going before and with me to Honduras. My prayer too is that I will have peace in my heart as I trust in Him to do His work and His will in my life. Peace as I follow Him. That is not to say that there will not be stormy times – quite the contrary. But I know that God can fill me with His peace in the midst of those trials. A key is that I keep the focus of my heart, mind, and eyes on Him. It is interesting how the lessons of the beginning of my time in Costa Rica are coming back to me.

And so an hour before I left the electric was out again. I was actually glad to arrive at the airport where I could use my computer. Having just been at the airport at 6:00AM this morning when it was a madhouse, I was shocked to enter and find that I was almost the only customer there for any airline. Apparently the evening flights are not so busy and 2 hours for the lines is not necessary. There were no lines! I was quite ecstatic. Today, my last day in Costa Rica, I finally found a place that sells Chai Tea. And I was drinking coffee for nothing!! Oh well, I enjoyed a cup of Chai with one of my Tica friends before having to say goodbye. I guess I just have one more thing to look forward to when I visit Costa Rica again.