"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."
-Andre Gide
Cinco de Mayo- The 5th of May
This day was engrained in my mind since January 2nd, when I left Minnesota for Costa Rica, and throughout the four months, 123 days, that I spent in Costa Rica. Originally it served as an encouragement for the time I would reunite with friends and family, but as the months sped by and that date got closer it began to to sink in that yes, I would reunite with my United States family and friends, but I would be leaving behind my Costa Rican family and friends. However, as I reflect on all of my grand Costa Rican adventures the simple Costa Rican catch phrase slips into my mind "Pura Vida!"
Literally this means "Pure Life," but in Costa Rica it has a deeper meaning. One of my Tico friends explained to me that "Pura Vida" is the countries slogan and it covers just about everything. You can throw in a "pura vida" if you want to say you are doing OK, if you agree with someone, or as an optimistic comment in just about any conversation. I often heard my Costa Rican family use it on the telephone, and I was even able to include it in one of my short Spanish telephone conversations :)
"Pura vida" was my Costa Rican experience. Words are still hard to come by, in expressing my blessed experience, but I'll give it a shot.
My #1 shout out goes to my Costa Rican family:
Originally the plan was to stay with them for one month, but God's plan was better and I ended up staying with them the whole time I was in Costa Rica.
Evelyn- my host mom/encourager/taxi driver/challenger/event planner/ and a whole lot more!
My favorite phrase she constantly repeated was "Tu puedes Rachel!"- "You can do it Rachel!" This was usually in reference to my Spanish (lack of), but I took it to heart and applied it to everything. Evelyn took me in as one of her daughters and I truly experienced Costa Rica with her. Evelyn also radiates the love of God, and I will miss waking up to her singing/playing the guitar outside at 6AM and praising God. Evelyn believes in me and she told me before I left that she believes I could start my own school. I never had that thought cross my mind before but as Philippians 4:13 says "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me."
There are more English phrases than Spanish that remind me of Vero. Vero in a nutshell "Yeah buddy!" "You're adorable!" and "Que cosi!" I had fun watching ridiculous youtube videos with Vero, as well as some ridiculously funny movies. I'll miss racing to the car and yelling "Shotgun!" as well as praying on the way to school each morning.
Caro- my 19 year old Costa Rican sister/friend/motivator/exciter/nuclear bomb ;)
When I first arrived in Costa Rica Vero asked me if my family was normal. She went on to explain that her family is loud. She said she was average but Caro (her older sister) was a nuclear bomb. Ha, Caro brought a lot of spunk to my life. She kept me on my toes and brought me out of my comfort zone. She even got me to scream inside the house once.
And I can't forget my extended Costa Rican family...as well as my favorite companion, Leo :)
 |
| Tata y Tita- Grandpa & Grandma |
 |
| Leo |
The people were one of the biggest blessings during my time in Costa Rica. God placed the right people in my life at the right time. A week before I left Costa Rica I broke out in hives four days in a row. It was rather scary, but two of my best Costa Rican friends took me to the beach that weekend and obviously the beach was the cure I needed ;)
Mani & Majo took me to the beach, Mani's "farm," and Puntarenas.
 |
| Crikey! |
 |
| Majo and Mani looking at the ugly crocs below |
 |
| I was glad to be safely above these hungry guys |
Punta Leona Hotel and Club- Jaco Beach
This is the beach/resort Mani and Majo took me to for the day. It was bee-yoo-ti-ful!
 |
| Majo and Mani chillin' on the beach |
 |
| Sneaky Pringles thief! |
 |
| Sun setting on the Pacific Ocean |
Our next destination after the beach was dinner in Jaco (one of the larger cities on the Pacific coast). One of Mani's favorite things to do is eat, so he always prided himself on taking me to the best restaurants and helping me appreciate food as much as he does :)
 |
| Taco Bar! Muy rico-very yummy. |
 |
| Majo and I at the Taco Bar |
 |
| M&M |
 |
| The Food Critic doing what he loves best |
And our last destination was Mani's "farm." Farm is a major understatement. It was more like a mini resort/palace/condo that you would find in Florida. Here are some pictures to better describe this "farm:"
 |
| Majo and Mani cooked me a feast for breakfast |
 |
| Provecho! -French equivalent for "Bon apetit" |
 |
| We ate breakfast outside and Mani whipped up some smoothies |
Next we toured the "farm" and I saw lots of interesting fruit trees, which I had never seen before.
Our 1st stop was the tennis courts and I saw this interesting fruit/nut.
Cashew fruit/nut!
The picture on the left shows its baby stage...the fruit is on top and the nut is on the bottom. The next picture on the right shows what it a ripe cashew fruit looks like. It smells awful and the taste of the fruit is rather oily, so I'm more a fan of the nut than the fruit.
 |
| Stage 1 |
 | |||
| Stage 2 |
 |
| Stage 3 |
 |
| The pool and hot tub |
 |
| Majo and Mani talking to the horses |
 |
| Swinging bridge |
 |
| The home amidst the jungle |
 |
| These yellow/greenish objects are star fruit! |
 |
| The best sea food in Puntarenas...according to Mani :) |
 |
| Shrimp spaghetti! |
 | ||||
| Majo and I enjoying fresh pineapple juice |
 | |
| The day before I left we went and saw "Avengers" in 3D |
 |
| Twins! |
 |
| My "surprise" good-bye party. I miss these little smarties. |
 |
| USA bound :) |
God taught me a LOT during my time in Costa Rica. Words cannot describe the many lessons I learned. Some of them were hard, but ultimately they brought me closer to my Savior.
One of the hardest lessons I learned, and I am continually reminded of is my dependence must be fully found in God. I love to do things on my own, and I often pride myself on being able to do it by myself. But God was able to humble me and show me that apart from Him I am nothing. Nothing, nada, zippo, zilch! I like to "cling" to my independence, but this only serves to push away the trust I must have in God.
Our two speakers at graduation spoke on how we need to fully trust God because in this world there are a lot of uncertainties but as Christian's we can be certain that we serve a loving, all powerful, God. He has everything planned out and we will never be unemployed because we are employees for the Gospel. I was deeply encouraged by these speakers and as I sat there listening I was reminded of the many ways God has worked in my life, which I never in my wildest dreams imagined.
God is alive and at work in my life. I hope the same is true for you as you read you this and reflect on how God is working in your life, or maybe you need to stop and ask Him to shake up your life. This is not an easy prayer to pray because God DOES answer prayer, so be prepared for the response. I close with this prayer request: God has opened my eyes and the eyes of my heart to a world of possibilities in which I can serve Him in all that I do. My host mom told me that she could see me someday starting my own school (never had that thought crossed my mind). My professor told me that she could see me being a principal in the future. My prayer request is that I would pursue the path that honors God, and I would step out in faith, fully relying on God and His plans for my life.
This semester I watched what it was like to touch student's lives. I saw the "light bulb" moments in my students' lives, but I also witnessed the struggles and behind the scenes work that the life of a teacher brings. Please pray as I begin to apply for teaching jobs, and also as I prepare to teach for a week in Montreal, Canada, at a Bible Camp. I'll have to do another blog post about that opportunity :)
God is so good, all the time!
And to think, this is the end of one chapter of my life but the start of a whole new one!
"If you cling to your life you will lose it,
but if you give it up for me you will gain it."
Matthew 10:39
