Mi primer temblor!- My 1st tremor

"Who is shaking my bed?!"  

That was my first thought Monday morning at 4:57 AM, as I was rudely shaken awake. I couldn't figure out why my bed was moving and where all the noises in my room were coming from. Then it hit me...thankfully not literally...THIS IS AN EARTHQUAKE!!!

*I have to admit that I was more excited than scared, since it didn't seem like a huge earthquake, and I have never experienced an earthquake.

The earthquake didn't last super long. I later found out that it was a 6.0 on the Richter scale. If you are right now wondering, "Richter who?" I was too, so no worries. Here are some helpful facts:
#1. The Richter scale was developed by Mr. Richter :) 
#2. The Richter scale uses single numbers that measure the energy contained in an earthquake.
#3. Usually the range is 1-10 on the scale. To get an idea of what a 6.0 magnitude is I have provided an example of an 8.0 magnitude: A magnitude 8 earthquake releases as much energy as detonating 6 million tons of TNT. 

*Also, here in Costa Rica they usually classify earthquakes as "temblor" or "terremoto," "Temblor" is more of a tremor and "terremoto" is the beastly quake that destroys buildings and homes. I am fine with the "temblor's" but I do not have any interest in experiencing Mr. Terremoto...just the name is intimidating! 


That was definitely the main highlight of my week, but there are a ton more highlights to share and pictures too! 

 La escuela (School):








I took over Social Studies last week. I became "Lady Liberty" the tour guide. However, I have a smart bunch of 2nd graders. At one point my crown fell off and one of my little guys said, "Hey look! It's Teacher Rachel!" 

This week I began Science and we've been learning all about the Solar System Solar. Teaching them about the four seasons proved to be difficult, as Costa Rica really only has two seasons: The dry season and the rainy season. And a storm is brewing as we head to the weather section next week ;) 

La boda (Wedding): 


On Saturday I attended my first Costa Rican wedding! It was beee-yoo-ti-ful. It was held in Zarcero, which is about two hours away from San Jose (mas o menos- more or less). The drive was gorgeous! Zarcero is 1,736 meters above sea level in the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range). I went with Evelyn (my host mom) her sister (whom I call "tia," as that means aunt in Spanish), and Evelyn and tia's parents: Tata and tita (Grandpa and Grandma). I'm not sure of the relation, but the bride was somehow related to Evelyn.

This is the church where the wedding was performed, Iglesia de San Rafael. It was a gorgeous building and the ceremony was very nice. The groom even sang a love song at the end to his bride.

 

Evelyn's sister 
and I at the end
 of the ceremony.

 

 ***Parque Francisco Alvarado is the park in front of    
 the church in Zarcero. It contains special bushes/plants, which are described below.***
***Grandpa and grandma with the lovely bride.***

 I love spending time with Tata because he is a lot like my grandpa, who passed away when I was little. He is very funny and always has a sparkle in his eye. 


At the wedding reception one of the ladies at our table had a whistle in her purse. Tata took it, winked at me, looked around quickly and blew it as hard as he could. Then he quickly hid the whistle and looked casually around :)


He also loves to dance. No one was dancing, so he pulled Tia (Evelyn's sister and his daughter) out on the dance floor and eventually many people joined him, which even included me!

 One similarity I saw was the money dance. I know that I have attended many weddings where those attending the wedding pay a dollar or so and dance with the bride or groom. They did the same thing here, but instead of just putting the money in a hat, or container, they pinned it to the groom or the bride. Evelyn got me a pin to pin on the groom and dance with him, but we ended up having to leave early. Oh shucks ;)

 And save the best for last...

I had one of the best Valentine's ever! Here are some pictures to prove it:  

*Yesterday night I made little Penguin Valentines for my 2nd graders. Kudos to my loving mother for sending me all the cute stickers! 

Chef Rachel is back!!!

*The maid was gone, so I asked if I could make a special Valentine breakfast*

 

One of the moms brought little helium heart balloons for all the students! Made for a rather chaotic classroom :) But hey, it's Valentine's Day!!!  

This was my stash of treats and cute little Valentine's from the kids.

And last but not least, here are some Valentine flowers for YOU! :)

As I mentioned before, Evelyn loves to garden and the flowers around the yard are in full bloom! God's love is bursting throughout creation.

 

 

 I'll end with this little love note from God and one of His special reminders, which I was able to catch with my camera!

Psalm 121
 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.
 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.
 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.
 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.