The end of a journey, beginning of another... I'm a long time traveling here . . . away from home...

so these are out of order---this is going to the paquera during semana santa :)

I was sicker than sick --pretty much unable to hear, taste, smell, breathe, stay awake, etc. but my family still loved me!

Ferry

waterfall, hike, swim, family, fresh :)

family minus Quillo : }

fishing out lombrises--we really were successful! before fishing with the suegra
my host dad, Gerardo Rojas had never had a successful fishing trip before--he was ecstatic and praising the lord, jumping up and down over this fish :D

Back in time a little bit...

miss these friends! after cinnamon rolls --yum! ICADS class--fab four + the non-varied teachers

non-date night: Alicia en el pais de las maravillas such a weird movie, but good friends!

the despedida : { I'll miss you, sweet familiy! leaving San Jose and arriving in Grecia!

up to the finca en chapolin de llegar :) --lasp girls and melissa--hermana de laura

Pues, me doy cuenta de que no he escrito hace mucho tiempo--es que siempre voy a escribir y ya, no lo he hecho. La vida es muy tranquila, pero a la vez, el tiempo se corre : ]

entonces, aunque me cuesta escribir completemente en ingles, puedo probarlo con algunos fotos para ver...

I'll actually have to do the pics later, because I have yet to upload recent ones : } but my weekly schedule mas o menos has been

mon-tues class at the curch--centro cristiano, where all of our families attend and are involved, it's a very interconnected body, pentecostal and lively, and buena gente :)

in class we learn more culture and what it's like to be in costarican class than spanish, and our teacher again is a classic

wed-friday I hang out at Colegio Bolivar--el gallinero--because it looks like a hen house : { the students are great and I have been able to see a few different classes andhelp sometimes with English :)

exercise=nothing alone. ever. ride the stationary bike at grandmas, soccer in the yard with my brother, games on friday nights with some muchachos y hombres de la familia y iglesia --it's a hoot, and walk/runs in the morning with my host dad

lots less independence and lots more cultural faux pas with timing and trying to figure out the non-planning/planning culture and the inderect/direct communication...

foods: lots of fish when we were at the beach, yum! gallo pinto, mondongo (cow stomach) arroz con pollo, too much milk, especially with coffee, which I never drank, really before coming, empanadas, chiveri, random fruits and really just getting fed too much, but, vale la pena, verdad?

made chocolate chip cookies twice, once just for my fam--disappeared! and the other for our pijamada :)

we spend a lot of time together, with family, and I have had some good and challenging conversations from topics of sports, expenses, familiy, education, salvation, etc.

and one comes face to face with weaknesses when life slows down but becomes a bit more duro

Yet, God is good and consistently reveals his sovereignty and love for every part of the world and mercies that are new every morning--great is his faithfulness! want to remain filled in him, growing from the vine, grafted in and traveling home ... :]

just more one day at the high school (dia de deporte :)), one essay, one trip to the volcano, one sunday, one graduation, one, well maybe more despedidas... one chance. live it up. learning to live the moment.

Little tid-bits: the beach included fishing out sea worms--lombrises--finding clams--almejas, chucking sticks into trees to recoger fresh mangoes, fishing at night without a light on the boat, playing jacks with the cousins, leaving at 3 am... :)

at the colegio, the 1oth graders love tongue twisters and card games, and I love hearing the kids speak english, although we mostly communicate in spanish

my family is tiny, of course, and they are great, although we clash at times, we have so much fun joking around all the time and lauging together : D

It's the final countdown...

<3>

Lina, Lin, Linny, Michelle, LinEa, etc.

movimiento

rapidamente, entonces
regresamos a costa rica en jueves el 25 despues de 10 dias en Cuba!
Cuba=una enigma para mi
en ingles aunque estoy pensando en espanol para mi tarea : }
Cuba included scary customs ladies, old u.s. cars from before the blockade, only political advertisements, beautiful architecture, the malecon (sea wall), the most brilliant blue ocean...

we went to a local concert--so much art/music culture in cuba, the old fort to watch the shooting of the canon, heard different lectures, read, journaled, met some crazy and cute cubans of every age and shape and color, visited schools and community centers...

spent time at Varadero beach :), saw amazing artwork, danced on a rooftop, on the bus, in the street, at the beach... lots of dancing, our bus (gua gua) broke down on the way back to la habana, it was a beautiful spot, but not really planned : } also desafortunadamente, 3 girls got terribly sick and had to make a short hospital visit-- maybe food poisoning, but nothing too serious since they are all better now!

heather and paige tried unsuccessfully to catch a cat for my medio cumple for two days and then decided instead to chase chickens--I received a rooster--Gaston el gallo--for my 1/2 birthday this year!

Got a very annoying virus the last day of the trip and now it's still going, but I have been able to dar de cuerpo finally : } anyhow, not feeling so hot, but trying to be all ready set for the next phase of the adventure that is Latin America!

Spent some time with my host family and my friends here in San Jose with enough time to wash clothes, pack, and make banana bread and wild rice minestrone before leaving for grecia (the town not the country, to avoid confusion) for the rest of the semester. Sad to leave my great family, but it's time, so here we go!

learning filipenses 2

<3>
buenas noches!

Fre(s)co! hasta hola ola! parte 2

adventuras de la gringa tonta (continued every day):
returning from a run this week, I went to the back patio to wash my clothes, I was proud of myself for remembering to stick a towel in the door and prop the lock so that it couldn't shut on me. However, I needed to do a second load, when, of course, I forgot any notion of the door, the towel, the lock, the wind... so, de repente, me quede encereda--the door slammed and I was locked in the patio. way to go.
nobody is home at this point, of course, and I never picked up the skill of picking locks, although at this point I figured, I'm a smart gal, let's try this bobby pin I just found--no go. I don't think that works on this kind of lock--who puts a lock on the laundry room anyway?
after pondering what God could use this time for and if I should just resign to skip ICADS, I notice the little window to my room above the main window--it as 3 little slates of glass which one can remove! I carefully slide them out, hoist myself up, hold on to the ceiling bars and slide myself through the hole into my room. success! oh man.
Late to ICADs, of course, but did my laundry and learned a little lesson that I thought I already new... : D


Went to "Alicia en el pais de maravillosos" maybe the strangest thing I've ever seen.
"I just love a good warm pig for my aching feet. Would you like one?" ...the futterwaken? I mean, really?
we were there with our backpacks, in the mall, oh boy, and anthony accidentally asked for an oatmeal cookie with frogs--avena con rana--instead of raisins--pasas-- :D

Rafting today in the best river in Costa Rica--soo beautiful all God's made! toucans, bright blue butterflies, waterfalls, green green green plants, rapids! I almost drowned a few times and think we were laughing too hard to be a great help, but it was amazing.

Woah. that's a lot. Thanks very very much for your time!

(as our panamanian dad says,) Amor, mucho amor, mas amor,
Linnea Ness--Lina, Michelle, Linita, Lili, Linnita . . . cualquier...

Gracias a Dios...Filipenses 1:9-11 9 Esto es lo que pido en oración: que el amor de ustedes abunde cada vez más en conocimiento y en buen juicio,10 para que disciernan lo que es mejor, y sean puros e irreprochables para el día de Cristo,11 llenos del fruto de justicia que se produce por medio de Jesucristo, para gloria y alabanza de Dios.

Vida Abundante.

Fre(s)co! hasta hola ola! parte 1

Digamos, hola hola coca cola! pero despues de hoy y porque mi papa me envio una carta con algo comico, hoy es hola--a la ola :)

No he escrito hace semanas por causa de viajes, vacaciones, y el inicio de una nueva clase más, me falta sueño…

Quiero contar algunos cuentos de las semanas pasadas en ingles y un resumen en espanol.

Pues, las semanas pasadas vivimos unos 10 dias en Nicaragua que ahorra parece un sueno a veces : } pasamos tiempo en Managua con charlas y preparando para unos pocos dias con una familia en un pueblo, digamos "cuenca de polvo" (no habia ni un gota de lluvia). --Fue un tiempo bonito pintamos la verja (dos veces) jugamos bastante kickbol, fuimos a la iglesia, cantamos, sentamos, fuimos al juegos de beisbol/kickbol, fuimos a la finca-- terminamos en Granda con el grupo otra vez--que linda la ciudad antigua!

Tambien, este tiempo incluyo mi "descanso/vacaciones" para este semestre y fui a Panama con dos amigas en el fin de semana, nos quedamos con una pareja, em, interesante, pasamos tiempo con abel--nuestro papa/abuelo loco y amable, el sol nos quedo un poco en la playa etc.

Empezamos nuestra clase de la fe en practica en latinoamerica esta semana en LASP y solamente tenemos una semana mas en ICADS.

Hoy, hicimos rafting!--un dia brillante, (como dijo una mujer de Inglaterra) Que bonita la creacion, muy fresco, y disfrutimos muchisimo. :)

[had a pic of lake nicaragua--lots of lakes, like home : }--this was supposed to be where the canal went through--much less work than Panama. Huge lake with two volcanoes on an island in the middle to welcome us to Nicaragua. not sure where the picture went : ( ]


Pasamos 2 dias en Managua, revisamos y aprendimos y vimos mas de la historia, incluyendo Sandion y el Frente . . . un gran personaje en mas que una manera.

New Cathedral after the earthquake, not as welcomed and a semi-eerie feel, juxtaposed with the Hermanos en Cristo church in Buenos Aires.


Caimito--uhhh, hmmm. about that... Kickbol! do(s) ou! (nicas drop s's--ma o meo)
food wise, though ate more food than I ever
thought possible. wow, even lactose.

boo hoo pictures are failing again, will put more up as computer allows.

A couple stories to share

could take place any day of the home-stay--

¡Batea muy duro, muy duro, Michelle! (They call me by my middle name here, and it sounds like Meechel)

¡Pst. Pst.A la surda!

¡No, a la derecha!

Just as I am about to kick, Cesar runs up with a cookie for me. This is a normal occurrence throughout the game, last time it was a coca cola and before, a mandarin. –Everyone shares and gives so freely and frequently, I am constantly humbled—

I pawn off my cookie to another little friend as the little crowd looks on... I kick a home run again and almost hit the horse that was standing in the field!—it is one of the best feelings to come to home plate covered in sweat and plovo (dust—we live in a dust bowl : }), laughing with my new friends.

We play kickball every day for hours, such a simple part of the day, but it brings everyone together.

the final day in our home-stays:

I couldn’t stop smiling in church last night—I decided just to go all out and could hardly keep from cracking up when we sang todo poderoso for a special with some of our friends and it hardly had a recognizable melody, but we were so happy and praising God together. I pretended like I knew all of the alabanzas with a rhythm and melody that as some say “only God knows,” and sang and clapped along. I had no idea that I was going to have to read the scripture passage for the night and lead the church in prayer in Spanish, but it all works out. How great to fellowship with people almost every night—sometimes it might seem tedious or repetitive, really, but there is so much joy and sharing, how can you miss it?
This also provided a neat opportunity to say thank you for being Jesus to us, passages like John 13 were literally acted upon in such a short time of hosting us, even my mom sneaking my clothes to wash every day on the washboard or kari's sister washing her feet . . .

note
My family was pretty complicated, woven and connected in strange ways, but afforded so many wonderful relationships : ) and apparently I earned the best compliment in that I was "casi baron"-- normally I wouldn't choose to be called a boy, but it translates to a high status... huh.

Granada--the colors and combinations in the colonial city are great! Minibus, horse-drawn cart, car, bicycle, pedestrian . . . all sharing the street.

Panama! no stories ahorita, but we swam/boogie boarded in the ocean, hung out in the little towns, ate delicious fish, met some crazy people, hiked and saw beautiful views, laughed a lot, slept . . .

Mama, Lina (hija mas grande, mas gringa), abuelita --que bellas, no? :)
mi corazon para el dia de amor-- a veces, me cuesta caminar--estaba un poco atanrantada : }

Exito!! Y tambien, yo soy ganadora, Laura es la presidenta nueva de este pais!

voleibol!! gringas y ticas/o
Bueno.
Un breve repaso de esta semana :

Domingo--acompane a mi mama y papa y dahlia para votar. Que emocion! Ninos, familias, banderas, gritas, filas, etc.
Laura gano!

Lunes: Primer dia de semana llena--me desperte solo por dios--llegue exactamente en tiempo a ICADS : }

Martes: El medio-cumple de Paige!! : D queque, fiesta, pina, etc.
Arte en Latinoamerica... panchito--who felt responsible for the bubonic plague in africa...

Miercoles: ok, perhaps a bit of english--worked and finished my 9 pg. essay on "the church in a globalized context" en espanol--ufda--creo que no es buenisimo, pero, ya.
debate en ICADS de Romero/El Salvador/Nicaragua . . .

Jueves: Don Juan--missionario en Latinoamerica con bastante experiencia, fe, cuentos etc. wow.
me calli en la calle cuando estaba caminando con heather desde ICADS : { I ate it--hence the beautiful gouge in my knee--sometimes it's tough to walk, you know?

Viernes: el ultimo dia de seminario base! We made it--and we're only at the beginning, but so much has passed. Final exam: 2 hours, group, money, resources, experience, readings, bible, etc. --Problem and action plan.
Final day working with Carina at ICADS--We worked well this week, still had fun, of course :)
POPS--cas y pina--yum! Going to Panama for break!

home, of course mom wants to feed me, then off to meet up with people downtown
oh, of course, gringa tonta, forgets her idea without even a thought, return with Hector, thanks, bud, and make it back for matt's karaoke and the discoteca with the gemelos--rafael y diego--haha yeah salsa : ] "you dance pura vida"

late night, sleep at heather's
Sabado: home late, run--steep hills, stomach ache, wooh!--, volleyball at the cutest condominiums --whitney's mom's birthday, yummy cake, new friends

Domingo--the Ferria--yay fresh fruits and veggies! agua de pipa y un hombre "loco y divertido" according to mama :] El dia de comida--ate all day it felt like as we were with my host mom's family and eating good, but bastante, food :) grandma, aunts, cousins, grandpa's house, too jaja

Dios es bueno.
Amamos porque el nos ama.
Amor tiene que ser sincilla...
Amor es . . .
God shows up in every moment when we look because he was there before we got there. Live, breathe, love. <3 Feliz Valentino!

buenas noches, hasta marzo!
<3 Lina

semana loca

Esta semana no fue demasiada loca, pero le pareci como gringa loca a veces. :)
ok, primeramente ya estoy como siempre, tarde. Al principio de este viaje, estaban en tiempo, a veces temprano, hice tarea antes de tenia que hacerlo... pero, ahora, no. : { pero, todavia, esta bien.

Esta semana ha incluido una viaje a limon con demasiado ingles despues de una charla sobre racismo y pobreza. Limon una ciudad y lugar muy bonito y tan diferente que San Jose. Visitamos a una mujer Bribri y hicimos entrivistas con la gente de Limon, comimos comida tipica y bailomos como gringos locos, pasamos tiempo en la playa de cahuitta con olas locas tambien y aprendimos de la belleza, la poblacion, y la pobreza.

Creo que mi espanol peora despues de mucho ingles cada vez, pero estoy aprendiendo cada dia, claro.

Un poco en ingles: some memories of the week

lunes: group worship at LASP : D. drank coffee which made me feel sicker than ever, unfortunately or fortunately, I don't know how to throw up...so I took dramamine--ufda! went una poca loca, luckily our fab four ICADS class is always a little weird. I pretty much crashed upon getting on the bus but still made it home : ]

martes: spinning class--que trabajo! great workout. went on our first mission of the week, paige and I, to get paraphernalia from the clubs of Laura Chinchilla--presidential candidate, but we didn't get shirts : ( made it to the class my mom teaches at church for illiterate people--it is interesting to think about how to meet people where they are at...

miercoles:Liberation Theology. huh. Spent time with an English class at a local elementary school Wed. night --teens-adults at various levels. get to know you, talk slower, tipical costa rican food--carbohydrates to the max. "schizophrenic ode to bananas" Matt dubbed the memory story we told as a group for one of the activities. :)hope we can visit again.

jueves: Finca--farm field trip to learn about environmentalism/sustainable development. The farmer we met connects with God through his farming and tries to use things the way God made them to be. beautiful land, lots of hard work, delicious coffee, juice, fruit, and bread. yum! ah. talked with laura about wheaton's diseases.
Maria full of Grace--hits hard about drug trade in Columbia.
Adventure for Laura. Traipsing around sabana, San Jose on our quest for T-shirts added a few miles to our walking for the day along with a couple buses, taxis, clubs, and a sweet bathroom until the gringos finally made it the balcon verde and received our shirts, celebrating like locos once again :)
hot dog with rice and beans for dinner. proceeded to fall asleep when I was supposed to do homework, so I wrote my paper in the middle of the night instead--woohoo yay college!

viernes: spiritual journey with LASPers--great time to come together and open up as to where we are at spiritually to some extent--stays in the circle :). yuuummmyy cinnamon rolls at break. walk to ICADS of course, surprise quiz, more of angela's amazing encounters with Dios. awesome presentations of the political candidates. bahah
futbolcinco--yay soccer :) preeettty sure we lost : ( warm shower at heather's :) met up with people later, but decided the smokey bar was not the place to be and went to a saprisa game instead!
mas x menos for an apple and popcorn after a late-10 o'clockish dinner of sweet bread and a couple potato chips haha
began an intense movie--forgot the title--late at night...killed another cockroach
return home late late in a taxi sin problemas

sabado:wake up 11:30--must have needed some rest! Left the day open for fam, but they didn't have any plans so...oh well. lots of food today from mom.
Ice cream with Dalia and swings. New furniture for Adriana and cafecito with lots of sweets/bread from the bakery and it was fun to observe the whole family together joking and interacting.
freaked out and began to cry--still not sure that I really can cry-- cause I thought I lost money cards... no worries, I just hid them too well
little cafe time to breathe. felt stupid in the store when I went to buy bread--shocker haha. because I found a little bimbo stand but it had hardly any bread which I thought was weird, so I asked an attendant who took me to an unlabeled aisle which had all kinds of pan integral (wheat bread). oops.
working on paper stuff for next week--yikes! four credits will be done by Friday!

Elecciones manana--que emocionada! bastante trafico y ruido hoy...
Tal vez superbowl
Vamonos!

Buenas Noches.

Phil. 1:6 dios es bueno.

una nota: mis emociones y digestion cambia con gran inconcecuencia... : }

ok, sad day, I tried to post pictures, but the internet failed to do so. I'm sorry! when I can, I will show my family, house, beaches, gym, adventures... ;)

g'night! tengo que dormirme : O