Time for some pictures!!

Below are some pictures of where I've been recently. And some of the scenery I see almost daily - and it is still always breathtaking. Even as I get accustomed to the landscape, the colors somehow never fail to amaze me. Blues and Greens and Grays have never been so beautiful (and these were always my favorite colors! .. well, maybe not always gray - but now it is!)

This first picture is the view of the Gulf of Dulce on the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica - it is taken from "Paul's place" one of the buildings on the Ighani farm. This is where we often have Ruhi classes (which we are taking to help practice our spanish - and because it is quite probable we will tutor this book at some point and it's good to be familiar with it)


These are the people I live with (minus Anne who is taking the picture). Left to right: Parviz, Laura (from Greece), yours truly, Komron (from TN), and Linda (from Iceland).




This spot is about midway through the walk from Conte to the farm. I love the mist!

Below is a view of the sunrise. I've made the walk down to Conte starting at dawn many times now. And it is always a beautiful morning (.. likely because if it wasn't we wouldn't head down - partly because who would want to walk in bad weather but mostly because that usually means the rivers are high and either dangerous or impassable)

One day we walked about two hours in the opposite direction from Conte - heading further into the mountains. We visited the old Chief and his family. This man has an amazing garden and this woman makes the traditional crafts of the Guaymi people. She asked us to put on the dresses - and I am also wearing a hat the Chief made (though usually only the men wear those). And, by the way, the woman in pink is lovely Anne.

And this beautiful place is the beach, Zancudo. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite places on earth. Beautiful soft sand, waves that are fun but not too powerful or dangerous and comfortable lodgings with great food. Whoever comes to visit me definitely deserves a stop here.

My Day

This morning was an interesting morning. I woke up at my usual time (around 5:15) to the sound of the cat rustling my tent. For some reason I wanted to sleep in... so I tried... and failed. I got up - and I'm always glad when I do because I love my mornings before the others get up. I washed my face and brushed my teeth and then sat in the hammock with my new novel. I have two books that I am reading. One I keep down at the main house - The Prophet's Daughter, and the other I read only in the mornings in my hammock - at the moment it's The Memory Keeper's Daughter. I don't have a watch anymore (my new Guaymi friends like to tease me about it because I wore it into the ocean.. and water proof does not mean saltwater proof) but I am usually exactly on time in the mornings because I have discovered that when the sun tops the tree and the rays begin to shine brightly into my eyes it's 7:00 and time to start the day. But this morning it was very cloudy.. still bright, but very cloudy. So I guessed. I think I was very close to the right time, but when I got up I noticed what the cat must have been occupied with the night before... I found a rat skin and some of the insides left outside my tent. So, I had to clean up that mess. I wonder what happens to the bones because there are never any left there. Strange. So, I made it down to breakfast - I was still first, but I was 13 minutes late (not that we really have such a strict schedule.. we just like to have some bit of order).

Then, a rather spur of the moment idea (at least to me) we decided to take a trip down to Conte to spend some time on the internet. So, we took off right away and spent 2 hours walking down. Near the end of the walk we met Don Freddy who I've heard much about (though, to be honest, I don't really remember who he is) but I was glad to meet him. He said that he has been good friends with Parviz for about 10 years and that we are welcome to visit him at his house anytime. This past week I feel like I'm finally getting to know the people in the community. I'm starting to really remember people's names and their relationships to each other. Before it always felt a little like a blur. Now I just wish my spanish would come faster. I talk with people, but still, at times I'm not really sure I am responding correctly to their questions or if I really understand them or I just think I do. All I can do is keep up what I am doing - continue to read Harry Potter ;) and study with Anne (the youth are doing Ruhi 1 in spanish to improve our language skills) and most of all continue to talk with people.

But back to my narrative: the little cafe only had two computers. So, Laura and I waited at a bar while Linda and Komron used the computers for 1 1/2. And now I'm here, using it myself. I've been trying to follow up with my ideas for the enrichment center of using some of the old Montessori materials for math and reading that I used as a kid to use with the kids up in Progresso. I think I can make a lot of the things - right now I just really need to remember how to get them to use it. What do I have them do? Eh, I'll figure it out. I guess I'm actually getting ahead of myself. I should be figuring out how to make the materials because they don't even have a chance to use them until I make them! So, besides the garden (which we've gotten the first batch of plants in the earth) my other main project will be to get some of these materials ready.