After wrapping up my time in Costa Rica, I realized how much I learned and grew from the experience. Not only did my Spanish improve significantly, but I learned about the culture and the educational system. I also learned a lot about myself by being forced to adapt to new and different situations. This is definitely an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
We spent the last weekend in Nicoya and celebrated the Festival de la Luz on Sunday night. Megan, Stephanie and I went to my house in the early afternoon to find my host mom making a ton of arroz con pollo (rice and chicken). The house smelled delicious and there were a half dozen people moving around and working in the kitchen in an excited frenzy. Later that day we went to San Ambrosio to help them make the float for the parade. They were very creative with their resources and had made several butterflies out of cardboard. That night Stephanie and I helped serve the arroz con pollo to the participants of the parade. It was a fun and tiring experience to serve food to over 1000 people.
It was hard saying goodbye to my family, but I hope to visit Nicoya and Costa Rica in the future. As a goodbye gift, my family gave me a small plaque that had the old church in the park on the front and it said "Festival de la Luz, Nicoya 2008." I think this is a very sweet gift, because it was an experience that I shared with my family.
At the rodeo in Belen, a nearby village
Stephanie and I serving Arroz con Pollo
The fire truck decorated for the parade
Lena, Stephanie, Megan and I hanging out at the Firestation