Christmas Day on Isla Bastimentos, Panama

Again, we have been slacking on updating the blog, but I guess that is just our adoption of the “tranquilo” attitude here.  We have been very busy with visitors and have enjoyed sharing our life down here with everyone that has come through.  December was an especially fun month; Ticos like to have as many parties as possible leading up to the New Year.  Todd experienced this first hand with us going to many barbeques and family festivities.  I think my favorite party was the Chicharrone party held here on our property by the head gardener.  He bought a whole pig, butchered it himself, and then proceeded to cook up just about every part you could imagine.  The majority was prepared into chicharrone, which is a typical dish of Latin American countries, basically large chunks of pork deep fried to perfection.  Though I think our favorite dish was the soup prepared with the pigskin, Todd and I enjoyed plenty, while our Tico hosts continued to feed us food and beer.

 

As soon as Dana was finished with school, we headed off to the beach for vacation with Todd.  We decided to bus it, so that we did not have to cross the border with our car and explain to the authorities why we owned a car and only had tourist visas.  So our first stop was Puerto Viejo, where we rented bikes, enjoyed great Caribbean food, and Todd and I surfed as much as possible.  Dana was a real trooper about letting us be in the water for long periods of time while she relaxed on the beach.  We enjoyed the Caribbean vibes for only two days, and we were off to cross the border into Panama.  

We arrived in Bocas del Toro, and were a bit surprised to find it much more developed than we had anticipated, plus it was pouring rain, so it was a rough introduction.  After scoping out the main drag in Isla Colon we found a little hostel as the rain burned off and we were able to start enjoying it more.  The first night it was a full moon with a full lunar eclipse, so we watched a Reggae band perform on a dock over the ocean and waited for the eclipse to start.  While we were watching the band a couple kids sat down next to us, and it turned out they were from Reno, NV which was a reminder of how small this world really is.  Todd and I made it for the eclipse, as we watched it close out the moon we bet on the exact time it would be fully covered up, but neither of us were right, so we watched and simply enjoyed it, as it will be something I will always remember doing in Panama.

Jacob walking his bike after a flat tire in Puerto Viejo

The following morning we packed up our bags and caught a water taxi to a nearby island, called Isla Bastimentos.  At this point we had made two friends who had traveled with us across the border and enjoyed the main island the night before so we all left to the more secluded island together.  Duncan was a great guy from England, and Shell was a sweet girl from New Zealand originally but who also lived in London at this point.  Bastimentos for us was an absolute paradise; we stayed at a brand new hostel set atop a hill overlooking the ocean.  There was a path through the jungle to a fairly secluded beach, with decent waves and perfect Caribbean water.  We stayed here for many days, through Christmas and enjoyed the ability to totally relax on this special little island.  The hostel had a nice Christmas dinner, with a bonfire to follow but there was just something weird about being in the tropics for the holidays.  It was a unique experience that I am not sure I would choose to have again, but I guess we have the rest of our lives to be in the snow and Truckee.

Waiting for a water taxi to Bocas del Toro

We returned home to relax and recuperate for a few days before Dan and Sabra arrived.  During our recuperation we went out to the Pacific for a day to Playa Bejuco.  This is a beach just south of Jaco, and I will never forget this day, because it was the first time I really caught a perfect wave, and was able to carve on the clean face.  Todd ducked under as I approached him, but after catching hundreds of other waves that quickly turned into whitewater, I felt like I had finally made the accomplishment of surfing a true wave.  Luckily Dana witnessed it from the beach and she was as proud of me as I was of myself.  It was truly the point in surfing that I was unsure that I would ever get to, and once it happened I was really hooked. 

Holiday meal with friends

Following our beach day it was New Year’s Eve which turned out to be a great time.  My cousin Toupi threw a party on the roof of our house, overlooking the entirety of San Jose.  It was a simple Costa Rican style BBQ, where they cook many different meats and you just grab a piece with a fresh tortilla.  (This was something Todd swore he would take back to the States with him)  The best part of the party came at midnight, when fireworks just lit up the city.  Every little neighborhood had their own display, so being up so high we had the best view you could ask for, watching probably 150 different displays go off all at once.  The fireworks and festivities lasted long into the night, and we had the following day to recover before picking up Dan and Sabra at the airport on the night of the 1^st.

We played tour guides once again for Dan and Sabra as we showed them around the Central Valley, showing them the school, the central market, Café Britt and many other great things about where we live.  We then had another visitor our friend Nancy, and the morning after she arrived we all headed up to Arenal Volcano.  Here we enjoyed relaxing with everyone as this area is famous for the Hot Springs that flow from the volcano.  We opted to enjoy the lower key, off the beaten path springs which was as good as private for us.  Nancy said she had never been to springs that were done so simply and so well.  Unfortunately the volcano was socked in with clouds so we were unable to see that, but it was a great way to enjoy CR with some visitors.

 

The following morning we brought Nancy to the bus station so she could get back to the airport and continue her trip to Honduras, and we could head out to the beach!  We went to Playa Gouines which is often referred to as Nosara.  This is a well known surfing destination, and we witnessed why first hand.  For the first few days we were there, the waves were breaking at 10-15 feet and creating just perfect barrels.   It was fun to watch the great surfers out there and see their excitement after they caught perfect waves.  These were a little much for Todd and I but after just surfing whitewater for a few days, they calmed down and we really started making big progress!  We enjoyed surfing while Dan boogie boarded and just relaxing in this great little beach town.  One of the days we were there we headed to nearby Samara for some snorkeling and a little souvenir shopping.  On the way to Samara we finally got to use our four wheel drive and crossed a river on some back roads.  It made me happy to know that it was worth buying the four wheel drive vehicle, until on the way home we saw a Toyota Camry doing the same crossing without any problem.  

Playa Nosara with the Fam

On the way back from Gaunacaste we dropped Todd off in Puntarenas to catch the ferry to Mal Pais, while we headed home with Dan and Sabra for a few last days in the Central Valley.  Nancy joined us again on the tail end of her trip, and we had an awesome experience at a place called The Herb Ark.  I would highly suggest visiting this place to anyone who is visiting the Central Valley of Costa Rica.  Here they have one of the largest collections of edible herbs and medicinal plants in the world, and Harvey the guy who owns gives great tours with enthusiasm and his Arkansas accent.  The following morning we brought everyone to the airport and looked forward to having a few days of relaxation before our next round of visitors.

Marrria

Dana’s friend Liz came through with two of her friends, and stayed with us for just a night before heading out to the Nicoya Penninsula.  After they had their fill of the beach and the jungle they came back to stay with us for a few more days, so we could show them around where we live, and what we’re up to.  After they left, Dana had to start school and Todd only had a few days left.  So for one last hoorah, Todd and I headed out to Playa Hermosa for a few days, where we surfed as much as our bodies could handle and enjoyed hanging out.  We both agreed that it felt amazing to be catching waves and riding them consistently, for we really pushed each other to improve our surfing.  I can’t say that either of us our great or anything, but we really enjoyed being in the water together and having the comradery of learning such a difficult sport together.  It was nice to travel with Todd, both Dana and I felt like we really got to know him more closely than all the time we spend with him usually.  It is far different spending so much time together as a group, especially while travelling, faced with decisions and sometimes adverse situations.  I think the three of us as a group did really well together, and we certainly had many experiences that we will never forget.  We are looking forward to more visitors in the months to come, and hope we can find time to spend with everyone that comes through.  We hope everyone who is reading this finds themselves in as wonderful of a place. 

Tourist Season Has Arrived!

It has been a while since the last time I have written on the blog, so there are quite a few things to cover.  First and foremost we had a great trip home to see all of our friends in California, and when we were there Dana and I got engaged!  We are really excited about moving forward with our relationship and hopefully getting married next September, back home in Tahoe.

  

Shortly after we returned to Costa Rica my parents came for a visit, which was jam packed with restaurants and fun activities.  The first day they were here we went to a Zoo that had most species any tourist visiting CR would want to see, followed by picking up Dana after school and driving out to the Caribbean.  We drove about three and a half hours south all the way to Puerto Viejo which is an awesome beach town just north of the Panamanian border.  We stayed at a cool little resort and enjoyed great food, rode cruiser bikes, and attempted to swim in the ocean; until the lifeguard came down the beach and said no more swimming.  The rip current was too strong, not to mention ten foot swells coming in, due to a hurricane.  Puerto Viejo is one of my favorite areas I have been to so far in CR, with the Caribbean vibe, Rastas everywhere and beautiful underdeveloped beaches.  It really makes you feel like you are in a place that is still very special.  We also had one of the best meals I have ever had in my life at an Italian restaurant, La Pecora Nera, where everything was so fresh and the service was incredible.  When we returned from the beach we had some nice dinners with the cousins and just enjoyed some time to show my parents what we’re up to down here. 

Not long after they were off we had our second set of visitors, our buddies Mike Hoopengartener and Kevin Embertson from Truckee.  I picked them up from the central square in downtown Heredia and we started having an awesome week.  We did all sorts of activities including going to the Central market, for shopping and some lunch, hiked to a Tapir reserve and to see two different waterfalls, went out to the beach on the Pacific for the day, and best of all going to see the sunrise over Poas Volcano.   My uncle was helping a film crew experience many great things CR has to offer for a PBS TV show “The Quest for Pura Vida” and the last day of filming was at the volcano for sunrise.  The volcano is a huge crater about 1.2 miles in circumference, but most visitors only see it covered in clouds because the park doesn’t open until 8:00 a.m.   They wanted to film the crater at sunrise, for the best footage and clarity, we got picked up in a bus at 3:15 a.m. and reached the crater at 5:00 am and watched the volcano slowly illuminate with light.  We stayed until maybe 6:30 witnessing two small eruptions and then went down the mountain for an amazing freshly prepared, traditional breakfast.  After that, we sent them on their way, with our friend Travis, for a day of whitewater rafting with his company on the Rio Sarapaqui.  It was really fun to have visitors, and to provide a place where they can feel totally comfortable in such a different culture, and a small reprieve from traveling.  It is also very rewarding to show friends from home our life down here and have them so excited to see what has now come fairly accustomed to us; it reminds us of how special the opportunity we have right now really is.

We are looking forward to having quite a few more visitors in the coming months, starting with Todd (Dana’s brother) this Friday.  We are planning to head south with him and see a bit of Panama, but most of our time will be spent in Bocas Del Toro.  Bocas is an archipelago of islands that are reached by water taxi only.  These islands are well known for their crystal clear waters, Caribbean vibes and open ocean surf breaks.  I’m looking forward to really traveling in the next couple months, as Dana has vacation for almost five weeks, followed by three of my good friends coming down in early February!  We’re planning an epic surf trip that we will surf the majority of the breaks on the Pacific Ocean.   We also have Dana’s parents coming for two weeks in January, so it will be fun to show them all over the country, probably splitting the time between the Central Valley where we live and various beaches throughout the Pacific.

Recently I have been working hard on building a new entertainment center for my uncle in the woodworking shop I work at.  Though I am looking forward to getting back to carving bowls and trying to do some salad utensils and table legs in the near future.  It is really nice to have the freedom to do what I want everyday so I am trying to embrace it as much as possible, and really experience everything that presents itself.  One of my favorite parts of being here is being able to create friendships with my cousins down here.  It has been great for us to get to know them as adults and friends rather than just seeing them at some family event once in a blue moon.  Steve and Anne (my pseudo aunt and uncle) are incredibly inspiring people to be around, they truly believe in what they do and are so dedicated to the arts and culture it is really nice to constantly be surrounded by such intellect. 

I am really missing the snow.  It has been an incredible start to the season in Tahoe and even wearing shorts and a t-shirt everyday couldn’t ever replace my love for the snow.  I hope everyone back home is loving the snow and skiing as much as possible, because I know I would be.  We are looking forward to being home next year for our wedding and the snow!  We’ll keep you posted on all of our journeys. Enjoy shoveling, and Pura Vida!

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. 

Puda Vida

A place we stopped to fuel up and get a drink

A lot of things have happened since the last time I have written.  First and foremost I did complete the dirt bike ride!  It ended up being 174 km which is roughly 105 miles.  We rode from Sarapiqui all the way to Rio San Carlos which is the river that separates Nicaragua and Costa Rica.  It was a pretty amazing experience but I won't lie I didn't know what I was getting into.  CR mud is deep, juicy and plentiful not to mention as slippery as ice.  Luckily I was borrowed all the proper riding equipment, because I certainly put it to good use (I crashed maybe ten times and by the end of the ride I looked like I had swam in rice and beans).  The ride was with eight other guys, the group my cousin Ben usually rides with.  I rented a 2009 KTM 250 2-stroke so it was a nicer bike than I am used to at home.  I made it and enjoyed it, I just couldn't walk comfortably for at least three days after wards.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to go again, maybe just a bit shorter ride, but at least I got my money's worth out of the rental!

Looking across the river to Nicaragua

Since then Dana has started school, which leaves me with a lot of free time.  It is pretty nice to have the opportunity to take in life and enjoy whatever it is I choose to do each day.  I have surfed at Jaco, Hermosa, Play Negra, Boca Barranca, and plan to keep exploring.  I do enjoy the quickness of simply cruising out to Jaco and nearby Hermosa, and have found it to be a pretty nice break with consistency and plenty of space to have your own wave.  It is so much more enjoyable to learn to surf here than trying in California.  People are helpful, attitude and ego are something that doesn't affect my time in the water, unless it's some bro from SC!  I'm at the point where I am enjoying every time I get in the water.  I can paddle out comfortably, catch most waves I go for, and about thirty percent of the time stand up and ride it for a ways.  I haven't actually gotten to the point of feeling comfortable, and I can't quite surf across the wave as much as I ride where ever it takes me.  But these are all good and reassuring steps to finding out that I am not surftarded(which I questioned for a while).

Hiking near Ciudad de Colon

More recently I have been spending some time in a furniture shop, in nearby Sanisitro.  I told the owner of the shop when I met him that I wanted to learn how to turn bowls on a Lathe, and asked if he had one.  His response was perfect, " I have a lathe that I never use, I have too much on my plate and every time I look at it I just wished it was used."  Needless to say I got the opportunity I was looking for, not to mention the lathe he ended up having was a Powermatic which is considered one of the best brands of shop tools money can buy.  I watched a few videos, and have been reading some books that Carlos(the owner of the shop) has lent me.  With some basic knowledge I was able to successfully turn some cool items.  I plan to spend a ton more time in the shop.  It is incredible for me to actually be creating, holdable art out of wood.  Building houses in Tahoe is rewarding, but to shape a log into a bowl, and watch the beautiful grains of tropical hardwoods unfold as I carve away more wood, is a rewarding experience.  I have been using wood from fallen trees, so I feel pretty good about the whole process.  I hope to create quite a bit of work during our year, so that I will have it to share with our friends when we come home.
Most recently I have worked on an organic farm, a connection through my buddy Leeland.  Roderick the owner of the farm is super dedicated to the green and organic movement in Costa Rica, and is an awesome guy to be able to help.  I may try to set up a program with Dana's school, where the high school students can volunteer on the farm, and learn about organic farming, where their food comes from and why organic is important.  It could be a great thing to start, I think Roderick the farmer and the kids could both highly benefit from the relationship the program will create.  His dream is to have a farm that people can come stay at in return for their work.  Dana and I have also just finished an amazing course called The Arte of Living.  It incorporates some yoga, meditation, and a a breathing technique called the Shardashan Kriya.  It was an insightful experience, and we are now trying to continue with the breathing exercises for forty days after the course.  The part that most moved me was seeing a short video about what the course has done for other people around the world.  It is used in prisons and extremely poverty stricken areas, in 142 different countries in the world.  It's unreal how much happiness, and serenity it has created in the world, and we would both suggest it if anyone is interested in taking it.

Macaw at Playa Negra

We have really been enjoying our time down here, but we are starting to experience small doses of homesickness.  It is nice to know that we are coming home in October for a two week visit, and when we return is the time some visitors are going to start coming.  We are excited to share this beautiful place with our friends and family, but I can definitely say that where the majority of the people reading this live, in Northern California, is a pretty special place.  I feel lucky to have the life that we do in Truckee, and don't think we could be happier to call any other place home.  It was exciting for us but hard to not be a part of the ToeJammers winning our second kickball championships, and I really think this was the catalyst for the effects of homesickness.  Don't take this the wrong way, we are fully enjoying everything here, we are just happy to know that we always have a place to come back too.  Tuesday the 31st is Dana's birthday, so we are going out to a fancy Italian restaurant, and both look forward to celebrating her quarter century.  On the 14th of September we are planning on seeing Israel Vibration, at an independence day concert, which is the following day(Dana has off of school).  Enjoying our lives to the fullest, and can only hope the same for everyone connected to us, Pura Vida and remember to smile!

School

So much natural light, I have yet to use the lights!

Last week was my first week of school and I couldn't have asked for it to have gone more smoothly.  I am one of two second grade teachers at the European School, and Mrs. Norma has been great getting me into the groove of how second grade flows. 

We are in the primary wing of the school, with gardens and grass outside every door.  Each classroom has a bulletin board outside the door which is redone every month.  The amount of creativity from the teachers is amazing- I can't wait to see them throughout the whole year.  I have an amazing full time aid in the classroom with me named Gita, from Latvia, and I can already tell we are going to be great friends- We have a very similar way of working with the kids and couldn't be a better match!  As of now, we only have 19 kids and I am proud to say I already know all of their names and am already getting to know them well academically, as well as personally.  I have a lot of freedom in the way we do things in our room and it allows much more time to really get to know the kids and what motivates and interests them.

Their props for the first poem

     Each morning the kids begin the day with Morning Music in the music room and I can't help but get the chills when they sing!  They love it and sing songs in English and Spanish.  Every Monday they get a new poem to study for the week, and on Fridays they recite the poem for the class and share a homemade prop that represents the poem (always made from recycled items at home).  The school uses notebooks for every subject and photocopies are pretty much against the rules- I love it.  The kids take a lot of pride in keeping their notebooks nice and orderly, because they keep them for the entire year.  The students only know the Costa Rican cursive alphabet at this point and their penmanship is beyond impressive! It has been YEARS since I have written in cursive so I have really been trying to practice mine! 

    Lunch time is a sight to see.... Kids are not allowed to bring any food on campus.  The teachers eat in the lunchroom with their students everyday.  Two students leave a couple minutes before the rest of the group with Gita to set the table properly and serve the salad.  Once the salad is eaten, they are served the main course, then fruit for desert. There is no toleration of students not eating their food and they must eat everything before being excused.  All of the food is fresh and organic (some of which is grow on the property we live on) and so far I think it is delicious!!!  I have mixed feelings about making the kids eat whatever is on their plate, but it really hasn't been an issue so far- they know the drill at this point.  Once a week I have recess duty and the only rule strictly enforced is "No climbing to the very top of the trees".  I love it; they can use their imagination, run around all they want and BE KIDS!
   We had a back to school night already and it went very smoothly.  The parents were requested to bring either wine or cheese, to mingle after the classroom meeting.  The amount of trust and faith in the teachers and the school's philosophy by the parents is incredible!  It was great to take the edge off of meeting the parents by sipping some wine with them and chatting about school and life  :)

Laguna Barva

The school offers so much for the students and teachers.  Every Wednesday is a half day, so that the kids can take extra curricular classes on or off campus (baseball, soccer, ballet, art, music, dance, etc.).  They also expect that the students and teachers will use this time for any dentist or doctor appointments, so they will not have to miss any school.  For teachers, they offer yoga, massages, chiropractor, Spanish classes, etc. weekly.  They also just began a program this year where 11th grade students organize and take a younger class (the same class) hiking one Saturday each month, as part of their community service for the IB program.  Jacob and I joined my friends Nicole's 5th grade class today just  for fun.  We went to the Barva Volcano (not quite to the top) and it was beautiful!!!  It started to POUR while walking back, but the students were troopers!  I think it was a bonding experience....

All in all, I can already tell that it is going to be a fantastic year down here and an incredible teaching experience!!!!   I don't think I will ever want to come back and teach in the States!

Loving Life!

At this point we are really settled in.  I know because the weeks are starting to fly by and every time I look at what day it is, it is the weekend again.  I have been surfing at an awesome break called Playa Boca Barrnaca which is one of the longest left hand breaks in the world.  I swear it looks like a movie, just perfectly shaped waves breaking consistently in the exact same spot and then pushing into the bay, and any good surfer can easily get a two plus minute ride.  I am not a good surfer yet but I am planning to explore more breaks, such as Jaco, Hermosa, Dominical, and eventually Samara, and Pevones and eventually I am sure will be pretty comfortable.  For now I am really focused on building my endurance for paddling and just consistently paddling into waves, but the whole standing up and carving thing is still a few more times away. 
We have made some pretty cool friends around the area where we live, one couple just had a baby girl two nights ago, so it has been pretty exciting.  The other benefit to knowing Carlos is that almost everyone that lives in the small town we are in is related to him in some way and his aunt owns the best and cheapest Soda (a little typical CR restaurant) we have been to yet. We are also getting closer with another couple, Leeland and Faviana, who are recently married.  Leeland is from Vermont and he went surfing with me this week.  We plan on exploring more breaks together. His wife is a Tica so his Spanish is really good, and she is in charge of organizing one of the local all organic markets in Heredia, so their interests and simple lifestyle are right up our alley.   It has been amazing to have my family here, for the transition has been as close to flawless as we could have imagined. 
We are starting to feel pretty official, we are now the proud owners of our own corporation, which allows us to have a cell phone, own property, and own a car all under the corporation's name, without having to gain citizenship.  It sounds funny but this is the safest and most official way for us to possess anything here, it also will allow us to sell the car more easily whenever that time may come.  Yep, we bought a car, a 98' Toyota Rav 4.   I'm sure this created a few laughs when you just read this, I am a pretty good size guy to be in this little car but it really makes the most sense.  Gas prices are about $5.50 a gallon once you convert it from liters and colones (the local currency) and the Rav 4 has only a 2000 c.c. engine, and offers us everything a Pathfinder or 4-Runner could have, specifically 5 comfortable seats and four wheel drive, not to mention how easy it will be to recover all our money because Toyota s are definitely the most respected car here.  With all this said we did pay 4.8 million for the car, yeah that's right million, I'm not sure but I think that was the gringo price.  Just kidding this is an incredible deal and I think the Tico salesmen were actually a little pissed at how hard I negotiated it, but I got what we wanted and made them throw in a set of racks for the surf board.
Today I may hike Irazu volcano, which is not very far from where we live, but tomorrow is what I am really excited for.  My cousin is taking me on a 150 km dirt bike ride, which we are going to ride all the way to the Nicaraguan border and back!  I'm renting a bike and can't wait for the mud and the whole experience.  I have been helping Dana get her classroom ready this week, and all the other teachers are very complimentary on how the whole thing has come together.  We organized a ton, and decorated the whole thing without buying or using any new materials.  The school is absolutely incredible, they are very focused on recycling anything possible, use almost no plastic, and have fresh, all organic, mostly vegetarian lunches everyday.  She starts on Monday, and has 19 students as of now, but is assured she will have the full classroom of a whopping 20 with a full time aid.
I start language school on Monday and have been looking into volunteer opportunities ranging from CR's version of habitat for humanity to a three week stint on an island in the middle of the Pacific that hosts its own ecosystem.  It is Isle do Cocos which sits halfway between the Osa peninsula and the Galapagos Islands, and only hosts about five hundred visitors a year!  The entire island is a nature preserve, so I would be volunteering in the park, getting a free ride out there on a supply ship and staying for three weeks.  It would give me/maybe us the opportunity to swim with schools of hammerhead sharks, and live amongst one of the most uniquely bio-diverse ecosystems in the world!  As for now we are just finishing up Dana's classroom and enjoying everything that comes our way.  We miss Tahoe a little bit, but really we are embracing the life experiences that we are currently gaining.  Can't wait for everything and anything, and we hope everyone is doing well.  Remind people to read the blog and maybe we will see some of you soon to share part of the adventure!  Pura Vida!!!!!