House or Home?

The word home in English, what it means literally as well as the feelings that often go along with it, is not easily translated into Spanish.  "Casa" is house, the physical place but there is no reference to the emotional connection that often goes along with the word "home".

Leaving Oregon for this adventure, leaving my home, was hard.  I was ready to travel and wanted to have some new experiences, but leaving my home has always been difficult for me.  Driving up the mountain to Monteverde in the dark was not as satisfying as driving in the day time and being able to see the green of the mountains that surround you as the bus climbs the rocky roads, but I could feel the air getting cooler and the familiar smells welcomed be back to the place I used to called home. 


After we settled into a hostel, we went in search of our new friends.  We didn´t find them, but we did find family.  We first met my younger host sister, Johanna, and she told us that her sister, Milaydi, bought the Pizzaria down the street, so we wandered that direction.  

Before we saw her, Milaydi sees me and says "Did you think I would not recognize you?  How are you here?  When did you get here?"  She jumps up and hugs me and leads me to her restaurant.  On the walls are very silly drawings that she designed herself but give the place a fun and inviting atmosphere.  

She hands us the menu and then tells us to choose something and she will make it for us, for free.  Then she begins to talk about family and how important it is.  A bit of history: she has always worked hard to keep her family together, working extra hard and making sacrifices that allow her mother to have a place to live and keep her brother in school.  Now she has a business and she can give back.  She told me that there is nothing more important than having people that you want to give to.  She made us an amazing pizza, she told us that she would pay for us to stay someplace nicer, and she would organize a zip-lining tour for us at a discount.  We ate our pizza and then talked for more than an hour.  Her brother, Andres, stopped by and when he realized that it was really me, (he saw me earlier when he was on his motocycle but I don´t think he believed it) he gave me a big hug and the traditional latino kiss on the cheek without hesitation.  I was on the verge of tears several times.  Being sleep deprived has a tendancy to put my emotions very close to the surface and all of this was a big surprise to me.  I had no idea I would be welcomed in such a way! 


My time in Monteverde was fun what with new friends, strangler fig climbing and zip lines, but the most amazing feeling was on the last night we were there, and Milaydi picked us up, took her to her house and, with her Mom, made dinner for us.  We laughed and I got to hear more fun stories about Marlenne´s childhood and more jokes with her fantastic humor.  The food was simple but by far the best we had had so far in Costa Rica. 

This was family.  
Good food that was simple but made with love.  
Sharing stories what were sometimes embarassing but always fun.


I hold a special place in their hearts, just like they do in mine.  


I may have left my house in the states, but I managed to find home in Monteverde.   

Un Dia Sobre Adrenelina!

As I am looking for my water bottle on the porch of the house, I hear a scream and I turn to see my host sister Milaydi running over peices of wood and broken stones with the flashlight in her hand.  I hear a crash and I realize that the car I had just gotten out of has rolled down the hill with my host mom, Melene,  and Jose still inside.  I run after her and find Jose and Melene standing outside of the car that had run into the bank of bushes on the side of the driveway.  I have never been more scared in my life.  I joined Melene in thanking God aloud for keeping my loved ones safe.

So let me back up a little...yesterday was very relaxed.  I slept a lot and am finally feeling better.  I think I as so deprived of sleep after the red-eye flight, the walking in San Jose for three hours and the 6 hour bus ride up the mountain.  I just needed sleep!  We met up with some friends that we had met on the bus the day before around dinner time and made our way to Bar Amigos to play pool.  Daniel (from South Carolina), Fayn (from Canada) and Alex (from Britian), Jose and I played a couple round of pool and then went in search of a place where the drinks were a little cheaper.  We ran into Evan and he told us that if we mention his name at Taberna and we could get the "local" price for drinks.  We spent the night talking, sharing our different travels, dancing, playing games and just enjoying the company of good people!

Our day today, however,was full of adventures and adreneline.  Jose and I slept in (10:30) after being out until 2 am with our new friends.  Then we walked up the dreaded hill to the school I taught at.  In all the time I lived here I had NEVER been able to walk up the hill to the school.  Well, today I did it!  I went to say hi to Bethany from the school and we chatted for a bit before I ran to join Daniel and Jose at the Strangler Fig.  A tree that is hallow because it killed the original tree.  It has changed a lot in the two years since I have been here but I suppose I should have expected that.  Living things grow you know!

Jose and I then ran most of the way back down the hill to town to catch the bus to our Zip lining tour.  Milaydi set things up so we didn´t have to pay full ´prince for the tour.  It was really fun.  The tarzan swing was very different from the ones I did a couple years ago.  You walk out on a sky bridge, they hook you up to the swing, and there you are being pulled against a gate, 50 stories above the ground, and then they open the gate and you have no choice but to fall.  I screamed like a little girl the entire time.  Mema - you did the other one, but you wouldn´t have survived this one.  It was such a rush!!

After the tour Milaydi picked us up and took her to her house.  Well, a house in the making.  She has but a ton of work into it but there is still a ways to go.  It is absolutely beautiful.  It is in the reserve so there are animals all around and it was just beautiful!  She has come such a long way since I was here two years ago.  She owns her own business, is married, has a house and has some fantastic dreams and aspirations about her future!  At her house Melene was also there and they cooked us a fabulous dinner!  The way they cooked the plantains was different but it was SO good!!!!  I´ll have to write it down.

Here enters the car incident.  Melene was so thankful for Jose and I was just thankful that everyone is fine, including the dog in the car.  This is family.  I have missed them so much and I am so happy to have had the oppotunity to return and find my family happy and healthy.  Monteverde itself has changed a lot, and not entirely in the best way, but my family has changed for the better.  I only hope it doesn´t take me another two years to visit again.  Even if it is only for a couple of days.

I can hardly believe it has only been a week since I left Portland, so much has happened.  Tomorrow morning Jose and I are going to depart Monteverde and head north to Nicaragua.  it wasn´t in the plans but everything here is SO expensive and I have seen and done what I really wanted, well, needed to do. 

The most fantastic memory that I have so far is the love on Melene´s face as she kissed us good-bye tonight.  She told Jose to take good care of me, she sent love and health to my parents and my aunt and she told me she loves me.  What more could I ask for?

Is it really only Thursday?

 Yesterday was SO long but it was full of fun and adventure!  Our flight was ok, but on this airline, being in the emergency exit row means you get more leg room, but your seats do not recline.  Neither of us got much sleep.  We spend several hours wandering around San Jose, finding stores, watching the different people walk by and changing our monies at the bank (the exchange rate at the airport was HORRIBLE but we needed some money for the bus into San Jose (the airport is in Alejuela...you don´t want to walk it) since a taxi would have been 25 dollars where the bus cost us a little more than a dollar.

The bus up the mountain was as I remember it.  Long, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, a little crowded and the last hour is very bumpy.  We both slept on and off for the first couple of hours and then made fun conversation with the people around us on the bus.

Once in Monteverde (it was dark but it still felt familiar) we checked out a couple different hostels, chose one and went to find our new friends.  We couldn´t find them but I ran into my two host sisters!  Johanna (the younger) barely recognized me, but we didn´t spend much time together anyway.  She told us that my other host sister, Milady, bought a restaurant and so we went to check it out.  Walking in she saw me before I saw her.  She hugged me, welcomed me and made the rediculously long day worth it!  She took us to her restaurant, gave us food and when we told her where we were staying she said "what?  why there?  you sure you want to stay there?"  We made our argument about why we chose the hostel and she offered to put us up in a friend´s place, for free.  Private bathroom, balcony, quieter...I almost cried.  She wanted to give to me.  It was almost overwhelming, there were almost tears.

We ate pizza, talked for about an hour and I got caught up on some of the things that have happened since I was last here.  Other than Milady buying the business, she has bought a house,  Andres (my host brother) lives with her, my host mom, Melene; lives in an apartment off of Johanna´s house and Andres is going to Washington next year for his 12th grade year in school!  Andres stopped by and was also happy to see me.  He´s all grown up!!!   It was fantastic to catch up but soon my lack of sleep caught up with me and I needed to sleep.  Today we are going to move to the different room, go zip-lining and hopefully I will get to see Melene.