It's Been a While!

Well, where do I begin?  We have been slacking on the blog lately.  

Tahoe Rim Trail

Out of order, but very exciting, Jacob and I are engaged!!!! He asked me while we were home visiting Truckee, during my 2 week vacation, hiking on the Tahoe Rim Trail near Tahoe City.  When we came to a nice open spot, with a great view of the lake, he got down on one knee,  and told me all the reasons he wanted to marry me!  It was very sweet and, of course, I said YES!  He had chosen the diamond, but wanted my help finding the perfect setting.  We ended up going to a local jeweler and designed the ring from scratch.  We sat with the jeweler for a few hours, while he molded and carved my ring out of wax to my liking. It was so cool to be a part of the process and to watch him create my ring.  It is truly one of a kind.  After designing it, he worked hard to have it ready for me to pick up the next day, just in time to fly back to Costa Rica. 

Now, let me back up a little bit…

15 de Septiembre

School is now in full swing and I have settled in quite nicely.  I LOVE my group of students, although they have their moments :)  Gita, my assistant, and I are a perfect match!  We work great together and are becoming very close friends.  We are constantly coming up with new ideas, and motivating each other to provide the best environment for the kids as we can.  I love it.  I love her!  We have gotten into a nice routine and fill any spare moment with art projects for the kids.  I love that this school encourages fun and interactive art projects, instead of stressing about assessments and preparing for them.   The vibe in the room is positive and engaging, the way learning should be. 

The school had a big celebration on September 15^th for Independence Day that all of the students participated in.  It was very traditional and included typical dress, music, dance, and food.  The students and I practiced MANY times with the choreographers – I think I could do it in my sleep now!  It was worth it though, as all of the parents and students really had a great day. 

Jacob and I also went to a small traditional parade in San Jose de la Montana, about 20 minutes up the mountain.  We met Gita and her daughter for the parade and then joined the many families at the local park for a picnic.  Ember was also with us and was the life of the party at the picnic.  She ran for hours with all of the kids chasing her.  They LOVED her!  At first they were scared of her, as they are most dogs, but soon realized her friendliness and obsession with sticks.  They thought it was so funny!  It was also funny for us to watch 15 boys running after her, trying to get the stick! 

A Dutchman's Pipe- smells like rotting meat to attract flies

I have been on a few field trips so far this year.  The first was a hike with all of the second graders and their families.  At first I was thinking it was going to be a little much, with all of families coming along also, but it ended up to be really great.  It was at a nearby park named Bosqe de la Hoja (Leaf Forest) with trails of all levels of difficulty and length.  We did an easier hike of about a half hour, than ended at a nice picnic area with a playground and huge soccer fields.  It was a really fun day and beautiful scenery.  I enjoyed getting to know the families and kids outside school.  Getting to see the family dynamics always give some good insight…..

In science we are studying plants, so we also went to a place called the Herb Ark Farm.  Some parents were concerned about some big storm and didn’t want to send their kids on the outdoor field trip in the rain.  Wanting everyone to be able to go, I rescheduled and what do you know, no rain at all.  The following week when we actually went, it poured!  Typical!!!  It was a SWEET field trip though and I think the rain made it even more memorable. The owner gave us an extensive tour of the property and we were all fascinated.  The farm contains more than 300 species of medicinal plants from all over the world.  Along the way, they we were given endless opportunities to smell the different herbs and learn their purposes.  He showed us everything from kitchen spices to giant leaves that you put on your forehead for headaches.  It was amazing!  We ended the tour with crackers and edible flowers.   He also gave all of the kids a different plant to go home which got them very excited.   I can’t wait for the next field trip!!  We could not be studying plants in a better place!

We have been trying to see as much as possible of the country and have seen our fair share.  Jacob has seen more, as he has time while I am at school.  We did finally make it to the Caribbean side of the country and went to Cahuita, a very cute little town with beautiful beaches.  We went with Jacob’s cousin Toupi, his wife Liza, and their new baby boy, Felix.  We rented a little house across from the beach and had a blast playing at the beach (Jacob’s is now catching waves) and playing games at the house.