Happy New Year!!!!

On a fantastic note for the new year, my boyfriend and I are going to China in June!!!! One of the ladies I used to work with is a nurse practitioner and missionary and they're going this summer and I have invited myself and Adam. I am so excited.

Kansas City, Missouri

Hi!! It's been awhile but that's because I haven't done anything!! Today is my first day in Kansas City, Missouri because I picked to be Grayson County College's Honor student to go this year!! All the conference festivities start tomorrow- so far I've taken a nap in the room (I woke up at 4:30a to catch my 7:45a flight) gone to an awesome "gourmet" grocery store called Cosentino's and eaten dinner at a really upscale seafood place. I had sushi, of course, with spicy shrimp gumbo. Good combination of cultures, right? Lol. Tomorrow I will be exploring the Arabian Steamboat Museum with a group of people that I have never met- these kind of things like to throw students together to meet new people. And I will probably go back to Cosentino's to get one of their delicious looking deserts.


(The view from our hotel- a historical "Muelenbach" section of the Merriot hotel)

Cool website

Another website that I've recently started devoting a lot of time to is matador.com. Their an online travel magazine with an incredible amount of information, opinion, and photography. It's the place to be to find inspiration and advice on traveling and documenting your experiences.

I'm trying to get a short article I wrote about studying in Costa Rica published but I just don't know where to start. Any suggestions?

Discovery

I found a blog that I really enjoy reading titled "Two Backpackers". It's about a couple (I think theyre in their late twenties..) who are making a year long backpacking trip throughout Central and South American. I really like their writing style, it's interesting to reading both the guy and the girl's opinions. Especially since they're not just preaching about the tourist-y spots and actually mention the negative aspects of places. Anyways, check it out: http://www.twobackpackers.com/

Home

Being home after a long journey is bliss.

Bizarre

The other day a couple friends and I were in line at the ice cream store when were acosted by some really freaky Evangelistic people... This one guy was older and was wearing every Christian paraphenalia you could possily think of, and he started trying to talk us up and asked us if we were practicing Christians. Then he started telling us about how he and his group wait in the park to talk to unbelievers in Costa Rica. I didn´t want to burst his bubble and inform him that Christopher Columbus already converted almost the whole country into Catholics about 300 years ago, but I didn´t want to encourage him. He was very odd.

Sunday in Costa Rica

So as you should know, I didnt go to Arenol Volcano with the rest of the group because it was going to be way too expensive after all the money Ive already spent. So instead Ive spent the weekend with my family, and it has proved... interesting. This morning we walked to a little Catholic church in their neighbor for the early service. I am not Catholic, so that was an experience in itself without in being in a different language. It was more boring in a language that I am not fluent in. But anyways, church is basically the same here as it is in the States. There was bunch of old ladies who like to sing louder than everyone else in a horribly out of tune voice, and the little acolytes were up front picking their noses in front of the congregation. It was weird having to sit down while almost everyone else went up for communion, but I think thats a Catholic thing not a Costa Rican thing. There werent any instruments, either. After church my tico dad and brother went to the Costa Rican equivalent of Walmart in Heredia, called Hiper Mas. Everything is so expensive in Heredia!! My tico dad told me that my Champion tennis shoes, which I purchased for 22 bucks at a Payless in Sherman, Tx, are worth 100 bucks here. A couple of their family members are going to Los Angeles to buy clothes to resale here, because they are literally at least triple the price here. An Aeropostale tshirt which values less than 20 at home is 40 or 60 here. The mall prices are outrageous, too.
After shopping, we had a little family party where my tico mom made me manicotti because I told her in passing that I really liked it. My family are the sweetest people, I really lucked out with my homestay. I do not like parties, however. It is so hard to understand everyone because they talk so fast. And my family tells them that I am good at Spanish so they dont hesitate to talk to me, REALLY REALLY fast. I feel stupid having to ask them to repeat what they said over and over again. But oh well. I was so glad that this party didnt last forever... the family left after 2 hours or so. The first party I went to here lasted almost 6 hours. That is pretty tiring when you cant understand what anyone is saying, and the guys hit on you, and the women glare at you. Its definitely a little different from home.

Well, I am going to finish up my stuff on this wonderfully fast computer at this new internet cafe I found and walk home, because its 5pm and its about to get really dark. And it is not safe to walk alone, or with a friend, after dark. Ciao!! (Thats a Costa Rican saying too, not just an Italian one. I dont know how its spelt, though).

Oh, and USA lost to Ghana! Very sad.