Costa Rica is BEAUTIFUL. I wake up every day and thank God for such an incredible blessing. Our Hosts are amazing, the sunsets are breathtaking, the food is delicious, and the people here are so friendly! I see why people move here, and live for the remainder of their lives. People walk or ride bicycles almost everywhere in Jaco. They are typically in bathing suits, or barely any clothes at all. There is no winter or fall here, and the weather is usually perfect minus a few summer showers. I could seriously get used to this. We were warned before we came…Your host Hannah will “Set the bar” she will spoil you rotten. Boy were they not kidding! Hannah and the people of Jaco have been so good to us. They have taken us to fancy resorts and let us swim in fancy pools along with serving us home cooked meals, and lavished us with great food and good company. They have gone out of their way to make us feel loved and right at home. I felt bad at first, for receiving all of this love while our other squadmates are “roughing it”. But I was reminded…Your heavenly father Loves you and Loves to bless you with gifts. James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.” He wants us to be happy and he wants us to smile and know he cares for us. So he blesses us, and he has done just that.
I would love to tell you all that life here is always glamorous. That everyday is perfect in everyway, and nothing bad ever happens. But we all know that isn’t the case… There are good days, and there are bad days. That’s life. And sometimes life is messy, even in beautiful Costa Rica.
If you know me at all you know I am a NEAT FREAK. I am Ms. Clean. My floors shine. My shower shines. My kitchen shines. and even my toilet shines. Sadly life on the World Race makes my neat and tidy life pretty messy. I am living in close confinement with 15 other people. Things tend to get a little disorganized. Things get lost or misplaced. Things get dirty, or broken. People get frustrated. The kitchen space barely fits 10 of us comfortably. The fridge is overflowing with To-go boxes and half cut veggies. The sink has a leaky drip. The floors are constantly muddy, and its always muggy. We recently found out by means of half eaten food in our pantry, WE have RATS. The bathroom ALWAYS looks like a hurricane just came through. The floors are wet and dirty , the amount of hair is unimaginable, and it always smells because you cant flush toilet paper here (due to the poor septic systems) so the trash is filled with bag fulls of used toilet paper. You need your clothes washed? Grab a bucket. You hand wash your clothes and hang them on a line to dry. ( I am becoming a pro but the smell..will never go away.) Ps the water is ALWAYS COLD. Unless you have money bags and eat out every day, your meals consist of PBnJ, or rice and beans, if your really lucky you get quesadillas with chips and homemade guacamole. We sleep outside in tents or hammocks so we get a wide range of hot—>cold throughout the night. The amount of lizards, spiders, and iguanas are too high to count. We spend roughly eight hours a day in the blistering sun, or pouring rain on our feet shoveling dirt, planting plants, or moving cinder blocks. All of which leave us tired, sweaty, and with a scent of smelly that is off the charts.
You see.. All of this may sound like complaining but this is just life on the World Race. Its not pretty, or glamorous, often hot, and very tiring. You don’t always match, or look cute and people often give you strange looks or plug their noses when you walk by. Living in community is not easy. But God is always showing me something in the midst of the mess. He is always stretching me in new ways.
This month he is teaching me I am NOT in control. I cant control the amount of dirty dishes (because they instantly multiply) I cant control the dirty bathrooms, or lack of hegine. I cant control the way other people, eat, shower, prepare food, walk around barefoot, or keep their living quarters. I cant control, if they read their bible, when they pray, or if they are spending time with the Lord. I cant even control my health… more than half of us myself included have been blessed with a parasite or stomach bug of some sort, and has left us feverish, sore, and constantly in the restroom…(Thank God for Cypro, tums, and Imodium.)
I have realized…Not everyone is like me. NOR should they be. We are all different. Equally special in our own way. Although we are ALL on the World Race. We are each on our own race. God is growing us, and calling us in different directions, and he is teaching us different things. And I am learning to be okay with that. Slowly he is softening my heart, and showing me… Life is sometimes messy. Its not always neat and tidy (although I wish it was) and as bad as I don’t want to admit it… I AM NOT IN CONTROL. (Proverbs 16:9 A man may plan his course but the lord makes his steps firm.) I am slowly releasing the reigns, and giving him authority and control in my life. He is teaching me how to love people the way they are, and also how to love myself. This year is going to be an amazing journey of falling in love with people, myself, and my heavenly father. Every day I realize more and more, its not about your living conditions, what you have or even don’t have, what you wear, or even where you are. It’s about the people around you, and the person right in front of you.
A few fun facts about Costa Rica:
-Costa Rican Time is not like American time. People are ALWAYS late, or just show up when they want. (sometimes they don’t even show up!)
– you greet men and women with a kiss on the right cheek (while making the kiss noise Muuuuuah)
-shampoo, conditioner, mayonnaise, jelly, and other assorted condiments are sold in BAGS. NOT jars, or containers, or plastic bottles.
-most people don’t have the luxury of washers and dryers, they hang things on fences and clothes lines to dry their clothes.
-there are no road signs here. or addresses they give directions based on kilometers and landmarks (ex: turn left after 100 kilometers and drive down 30 kilometers and its the second left on the right past the produce market)
-rice beans and eggs is a trademark breakfast
-the Spanish people LOVE American Christian music
-Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos and Ticas.
-CR only takes up .03% of planet’s surface but holds 5% of its biodiversity!
-In CR there are over 130 species of fish, 220 of reptiles, 1,000 butterflies (10% of the world’s butterflys are in Costa Rica!), 9,000 plants, 20,000 species of spiders and 34,000 species of animals
-Costa Rica has a female president, Laura Chinchilla.
-currently Costa Rica has no standing Army
-“Pura vida” is the national saying, which means “pure life,” a sunny, feel good expression used as a greeting, goodbye, or if someone asks how you are doing. (everyone says it)
-Names are confusing in Costa Rica. Ticas do not take their husband’s last name. The woman uses her full maiden name for life. No changing of national ID cards, drivers licenses, etc. She also adds her mother’s maiden name. Children take their father’s name
-The older generations of Ticos are not tall, so most furniture, like chairs, couches, beds, etc. are built 6-8 inches lower than in the US
-Costa Ricans call pedestrians “targets”
-You don’t tip at restaurants
-the currency is called “colones”
Pura Vida from Costa Rica
