FAQ!

Do you ever feel homesick?
I hope this doesn't sound bad, but no, not really. I miss Tulsa and my friends and family, but I LOVE it here!  I love the language, culture, classes, our churches and ministries. It's all incredible! I'm excited to come home to see everyone in December, but it will be hard to leave this!

Hardest thing to get used to?
Less freedom. At home, I can get in the car and drive if I need something or want to go somewhere. Here we have to bring a guy with us, we sign out when we leave (well, we're supposed to), and we always walk, unless it's far away; then we take a bus or taxi. It's not really bad but it took some getting used to.
Also, money. Everything that's a name brand is expensive. Fresh fruits and vegetables are cheap, which is probably best, but I have to limit my snacking and smoothie-runs. 
*PS- if you're ever in San Jose, find a Cosechas.

Best part so far?
Bible class. Our teacher, John, is absolutely awesome. I'd never had bible classes before, coming from a public school, and after every class, my mind is exploding with new information. Everything he says is practical so we can start using it right away! I love it! 

Favorite food?
Well, the feria is my favorite place to get food, but it's got almost every fruit or vegetable you could want, plus tons more I've never heard of. My favorite traditional dish is arroz con pollo. I also like chayote. I don't know what's in it, but it's pretty good. 
Gallo pinto (rice and beans with eggs) is the most common traditional dish but I'm not a huge fan of beans or eggs in the first place, so it's not my favorite. There's also a restaurant called El Sabor. I've only been once, but my chicken burger was REALLY good.

Who do your friends remind you of in Tulsa and why?
Well... I won't put specific names but almost everyone here reminds me of someone I know. It's mainly mannerisms, things they say, the way they react to different things. And it's really random people. If you want to know if you're like someone, just ask me!

What has been your most bizarre experience?
I haven't had that many, but two specific things come to mind.
One: the night half my church group was almost killed in our taxi. The driver was completely insane and talking on the phone, swerving and almost hitting three motorcyclists, a few pedestrians, and almost every car. We could have sworn he said "tengo tres" (I have three) in a hushed voice to whoever was on the other line. Safe to say that's the scariest thing. But no worries. We survived.
Two: the other day on Guadalupe Park, four of us were peacefully talking in the park and drinking our Cosechas, when a man on the other side of the gazebo (pavilion? I don't know what to call it) started singing. He was good and we watched him. The he noticed us watching him. Then he slowly came closer and closer to us and sang to us. So after one song we started to say "good job, thank you," etc. But he kept going... And going. And our bible teacher even came up and listened. When he finaly stopped he went on and on in Spanish about what an embarrassment it was that he had to ask the guys for money in front of the ladies. I can't count how many times he said "what a shame" but it was a lot... So we got up and left him standing there to sing for the rest of someone else's life.

What souvenir am I buying Jane?
Beans, rocks... Maybe 5 colones if you're good.

Prayer Requests:
-Most of the students here are struggling with what God's plan for them after this year. Please pray for patience as we all wait for God to show us His plans in His timing!
-We leave for Panama at 1:00am on Tuesday morning! Please pray for our ministry there (we're working in a nursing home and an indigenous tribe's school)! Also, 4 people were at camp all weekend and 5 of us were in a town called Guacimo! I'm working on a post about our time in Guacimo, but that won't be up until after Panama.
-Continued prayers about distractions would be awesome, too! Sometimes it's hard to focus on Spanish sentence structure when there's so much to do outside of the Villa!