Happy Easter, Costa Rica style

Today was the highlight of our week!  We did not hunt for eggs, but we found a gorgeous beach and a Gram at the airport.   We started out early on a cool rainy Easter morning and were greeted by a very persistent full rainbow on our drive.  It got sunnier and warmer as we descended toward the coast.  Madeleine had found an interesting-sounding beach in the guidebook, Playa Ocotal, south of Playa Hermosa and Playa del Coco.  We found it with a little bit of trial and error and help from Google Maps.  It was quite lovely, even the plentiful jellyfish that we saw in the water and on the sand.  There were great tide pools at the end of the beach and what looked to be good snorkeling.  We will have to go back with Nik and our full gear.

Easter morning rainbow over Tilaran

Playa Ocotal

After a couple of hours of sand and sun, it was time to head back to the Liberia airport (about 30 min drive) to pick up my mom, aka the Easter Bunny.  She arrived safely, and we were all thrilled to see her!  We stopped for dinner at Aroma Tico in Tilaran, home of the generous casados, then on around Lake Arenal to home.   Gram's suitcase held many treats from home, but having her here with us is the best treat of all.

Welcome Gram!

Pipa fria stop along the PanAmerican Hwy

Easter booty, straight from the US

Our naturally-died Easter eggs: red cabbage, berries, juice, tea.
Not as effective as traditional Easter egg kits, but interesting.  A good experiment.

Hope your Easter was happy too!

Semana Santa continues

I wish that the lack of blog posts the last few days meant that we were wildly busy with adventure, but not so.  We have been keeping busy, but this spring break will probably not be one we remember for years to come.  Yesterday was our most adventurous.  We visited the Termales Los Laureles hot springs near La Fortuna again, but this time it was with crowds of Costa Ricans enjoying the Semana Santa holiday.  We’d had the place mostly to ourselves the first time we went, the day before our kids started school.  Yesterday the place was a zoo, in spite of cool weather and lots of rain that has moved in recently.  I was surprised at how many people could (and were willing to) cram into the pools.  We did not see or hear any other English speakers, which was kind of a new experience.  We had a few stares, but mostly felt quite comfortable, just crowded.  We stayed long enough to feel that we got our money’s worth, then headed on toward Arenal Observatory Lodge.  We stopped at a crossing of the Agua Caliente River to see a bit of early evening sun and watch a tiny frog do some rock climbing.  Portland friends of friends, the Kents, were staying at the Lodge (where we had stayed in October), so we joined them for dinner to exchange stories.  We thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and were grateful for the excuse to venture out for the day.  The drive home was dark and rainy but uneventful.

A small sample of the very large crowds at Termales Los Laureles.

Agua Caliente rest stop

Frog watchers

Rock-climbing rana

Today we were meant to help with a fundraiser for Madeleine’s sixth grade class.  They need to raise money for graduation, and today’s fundraiser was collecting money from campers at the lakefront park in Nuevo Arenal in exchange for using the bathrooms.  Apparently this week is a traditional time for families to camp.  We have heard that March is usually reliably sunny and nice.  This March is different however, and today was just about as cool and rainy as yesterday.  We arrived to find no campers, only a small group of sixth grade families huddled by the bathrooms (to stay out of the rain) having a picnic.  We checked in, said hi, established that they did not need our help and left.  If we were more confident with our Spanish, or if Nik had been with us, we probably would have stayed to chat for a while.

Back at home we worked on our naturally-dyed Easter egg project, which is still underway in the fridge.  Photos to come later.  Our super highlight of the week comes on Sunday with the arrival of Gram!  We may sneak in an Easter morning beach visit near Liberia before her flight arrives in the afternoon.

One of our many outdoor meals

Madeleine's shot of the full moon this week

Costa Rica staycation

I had to laugh today when one child complained that we were not going anywhere for Spring Break.  We are in Costa Rica!  Still I see the point.  It is fun to hear where Portland friends are for Spring Break: the Oregon coast, San Francisco, New Orleans, southern California, Washington DC, Florida, Germany.  I guess the fact that we feel a little bit of envy just shows that no matter where you live, some change of scenery once in a while is a good thing.  Please don’t feel too sorry for us though!  It feels like the height of summer here.  

Yesterday we ventured out to Tronadora across the lake and tried out their soccer field.  Sullivan, being 5 and not having experienced real team sport yet, does not like to share the ball.  Family soccer games always end with him screaming, even more so when he is overheated.  A little embarrassing since Costa Rican kids don’t seem to act like that.  Once we returned home, water fights helped to cool the 5-year-old temper for a while.

Tronadora

Solution to hot weather

Today we stayed home all day, which is usually a recipe for disaster, but it worked today.  There were Easter crafts, some science studying (in Spanish), pesto making, and Sullivan wisely spent some time outside again with the hose and big bucket.   One of our neighbors kindly invited us to use their pool, so that is on our agenda for tomorrow.  Our staycation continues!

The classic duck rabbits

Perfect end to the day!

Sad sendoff for Nik

At the Liberia airport, a sloth and turtles keep on eye on your car, no tipping necessary.

Today we had to say good bye to Nik, as he headed back to Portland for two weeks of work.   We had an easy drive to the airport in Liberia, but it was very sad for our kids, especially Madeleine and Henry, to let him go.  We have been so tight these last (almost) 2 months, and our kids have become so used to having Nik around all the time.    We are very lucky!  As we were walking out of the airport without Nik, the thought occurred to me that I was now alone with 3 kids in a foreign country.  Not a big deal really.  Fortunately we all feel comfortable and at home here.  

For some distraction from the goodbye blues, we stopped at a sparkly new-looking mall just outside Liberia.  We found a movie theater showing a couple of movies in English with Spanish subtitles (including Les Mis) and more movies that we did not recognize in Spanish.  This is the first movie theater we’ve seen in Costa Rica.  We were too early to see a movie, so Sullivan and I checked out the kids play area instead, where you pay by the amount of time you want to play.  We opted for 15 minutes for about $2.  Most of the features were familiar, but there were some new things too, like the mini zipline (fitting for CR!) and a waterbed/ trampoline thing with little fake fish inside.  Afterwards all 3 kids shared a banana split, and we headed for home.  The return drive was longer, thanks to many slow trucks on the 2-lane PanAmerican Highway.  Today while we were driving, the temperature peaked at 38C (100.4F)!  

5-year-old's oasis.

Zipline feature with an awesome crash landing.

Ice cream almost makes up for missing Dad.

Back at home, we got ourselves organized for a productive spring break week, we hope.  Our to-do lists include lots of Spanish, some science studying to get ready for Madeleine and Henry’s last exams, and some soccer playing.  We gawked at the snowy photo of the Costa Rican team playing last night in Denver.  We feel for them, as we know what a shock it would be coming from 100 degree weather to play in frigid snow.  Coincidentally, Nik flew through Denver this evening on his way to Portland and reported that the temp was 18.  And of course that’s F, not C.

I got a little Spanish work in today, translating the directions on the toilet cleaner.  The important word  I missed when I bought this a while ago was “repuesto” (replacement).  The all-important mango (handle) is not included for this strange contraption in the repuesto.  Well, once I get the whole thing, I have the Google translation of the instructions ready to go!  Soon our sanitarios (toilets) will smell of brisa de mar (sea breeze)!

Huh?

Thanks, Google Translate.  Now I get it… I think.

Pura vida!

All-American day

Our good morning view.

Today we paid a visit to the US Embassy in San Jose in order to sign refinance documents for a property we own.  The closing documents had to be signed on "US soil" with a US notary, so the embassy was our only option.  This made for a long day of driving, about 7.5 hours round trip.  Nik and I both had to go and sign, therefore the kids all had to go too, which meant that Madeleine and Henry missed their last exams of the week.  They were not too sad.  In spite of the early departure (6:30), long drive and long wait at the embassy, it was an interesting and pretty fun day.  We just about exhausted our blue ink pens with the endless signatures and paid the embassy notary quite well for her services on this ridiculously long document, ouch.  

Our 7 am view of Volcan Arenal, on our way out to San Jose

One more of Arenal…

US Consulate.  The Embassy building next door was more impressively official looking.

Nik had the brilliant idea that we should complete the United States experience with a trip to McDonald's just down the street.  Normally you would not find us in a McD's, especially in a foreign country, but this was a special day, plus we had to find out if the Costa Rican McDonald's were any different from the US variety.  This was a pretty new and nice looking McD's, complete with a PlayLand that our kids refused to enter.  And the food... just about exactly as we remember it.  It is possible that the Quarter Pounders were made with local beef, but we did not ask.  I think it is safe to say that the fish sandwich was not fresh and local. Anyway, it hit the spot, and everyone was happy.

We skipped the Auto-Mac (drive thru) in order to fully experience this Costa Rican McDonalds.

Some kids were pretty thrilled to eat at McD's, complete with soda and sundaes (all for research purposes!)

We took a different route home, along a new-looking toll road (27) that took us to the coast of the Gulf of Nicoya near Puntarenas.  We stopped to test the waters and admire the boats, including a cruise ship that was just leaving port.  From there we headed north on Highway 1 (PanAmerican Hwy) to Cañas, then east toward home.  The temperature as we drove along Highway 1 peaked at 36C (97F), but it cooled off nicely as we neared Lake Arenal.

We could not just drive by this beach without a quick stop!

Cruise ship just before departure.

Our kids do not have school next week, for Semana Santa (Easter), so it turns out that Portland's spring break coincides with ours.  Nik is heading to Portland tomorrow to work for two weeks.  It will be strange to be here without him, and we will miss him.  I will need to take on his role as tutor to help Madeleine and Henry study for their science exams that they will have to make up when they go back after Easter.  We will only be on our own for a week though, as my mom is arriving on Easter to stay for two weeks.  We are very eager to see her and show her our slice of Costa Rica.

Henry and his classmates on Thursday, post math exam!

Race day and more exams

This morning was what I will call the regional track meet.  There was probably another name for it, but we are somewhat out of the loop, thus don't have the official name.  If it had not been for the Kindergarten committee meeting that Nik attended on Monday, at which the committee planned to sell food at the race, we would not have known about it.  Madeleine qualified for this race by coming in second at the local race a few weeks ago.   Runners from other schools in the area came to Nuevo Arenal to compete today.  We were told that the event would start at 8am, so we arrived on time, only to wait for an hour and a half while they marked the race course with tape around the soccer field.

Waiting for the race at la plaza

Inside Escuela Arenal; the director addresses his students and all of the visiting runners.

 The visiting teachers were apparently having meetings with the Arenal teachers while the race course was being set up.  At last things got moving, around 9:30.   Madeleine was not thrilled with the idea of a long hot run this morning, but she rose to the challenge and did very well against the two competitors in her age group.  Her race was two long laps around the outside of the field, and with a sprint at the end, she almost caught the leader, but came in second.

At last, Madeleine gets to race.

First lap!  Madeleine is in the pink shorts, in case her pale skin did not give her away.

Second lap; the runners are still neck and neck.

We are very proud of her for competing!  It sounds like there is another race in early April, but our girl may have had enough for a while.  She finds sprinting to be more fun than longer distance running.  Perhaps though she will agree to some rocky road runs with Nik up toward Lake Cote.

The rest of the day was taken up with more studying.  Both Madeleine and Henry had their social studies tests today.  Henry's covered the geologic formation of Costa Rica, and Madeleine's the early explorers in Costa Rica and the regions of the country today (all in Spanish of course).  These were challenging exams, but it sounds like their many hours of studying with Nik paid off.  Madeleine's friend, Tatiana, reported to Nik that Madeleine was one of three students to get a perfect score on the Spanish exam.  Madeleine is skeptical, but somehow we would not be surprised.  Tatiana came home with Madeleine after school today so that Nik and Madeleine could help her with math, the subject of tomorrow's exams.  Nik put both girls through their paces, while also helping Henry and keeping Sully under control (I was getting some work done).  Nik has been a tireless tutor these last few days.  He may find his next couple of weeks back in the ED in Portland relaxing!

The boys in search of bugs behind our house.  Sully always has some vessel in need of a bug occupant.

Monkeys, monkeys and exams

It's not unusual to be awakened early by birds and sometimes howler monkeys but today was different. These monkeys were close and LOUD!  Around 5:15, just before it was getting light, a couple of them started "howling" though barking might be a more appropriate choice of words.  We tried to sleep through the cacophony but couldn't.  I finally just laughed, got out of bed and took some video.  What an adventure.  Couldn't see these guys this morning but they are in a tree about 200 feet from our house.  We did get a good look at them this afternoon, happily munching away.

Later in the morning, when coming back from school, Sullivan took credit for spotting another large group of howlers in a couple of trees along the road a short walk from our house (the group of tourists standing in the road may have helped).  What could be cuter than a couple of mothers with babes in tow, jumping from tree to tree and hanging upside down?  As we were watching from the side of the road, a couple from New Zealand and then a very large tour bus pulled over to have a look.  In the end I wasn't sure who was watching whom.

Silhouette of mother and baby Mono Congo 

Pretty much the entire remainder of the day was occupied by studying for the kids' school exams, or so it seemed.  Both Madeleine and Henry studied hard for a couple of hours with me.  It was actually exhausting.  Both had Spanish exams today and seemed to think they were okay.  The multiple choice questions were a pleasant surprise and the questions requiring writing paragraphs were not unexpected nor as popular.  Again, we're proud and amazed at what they've been able to learn so far.  Erica continued to work away and the day flew by.  At this point in time, all the kids have been chased into bed, resting up for another busy day tomorrow.  It'll start off with a bang, as the interschool running competition will be at 8 in the morning and we'll be helping to sell food for the kindergarten class.

Yes, we have to work in Costa Rica too.

Mid-March morning view

The last couple of days have lacked any significant drama in our household.  And we're okay with that.  After a busy Saturday for Erica's birthday, we had an equally lazy Sunday.  I'm pretty sure this is the first day we didn't really leave the house.  Among the highlights were a couple of naps and a car-washing session that happily devolved into a water fight.  And nobody cried!  A short attempt at a family soccer game in the yard was thwarted by the combination of chasing the ball down the steep hill (while carefully avoiding potential snakes) and the unfortunate mix between a lack of sympathy towards the youngest player and a parental desire to toss some of the kids down the aforementioned hill.  Fortunately no major injuries ensued.

Happy car washers

We enjoyed the fish and rice dinner originally planned for our friends Friday night.  Erica's birthday cake was amazing and much enjoyed.  Today, Sullivan had school at 7 am, Henry had the day off and Madeleine went at 12 pm.  Erica managed to do honest-to-goodness work work for four hours or so while I split my time between shuttling kids, shopping and spending several hours helping both Madeleine and Henry study for their Spanish exams tomorrow.  Both still have plenty of work to do but impress me in what they have been able to learn.  Each kid can do a decent job at translating a fair amount of what is in their books and are working at answering the questions in Spanish.  Although they may not be fully aware, they've come a long way in a month in school.

Our resupply today included more local eggs that were collected four days ago.  Despite the warm temperatures, eggs are not refrigerated in the stores and sometimes are even sold in bags.

My final trip to school today included another "reunion" meeting for Sullivan's kindergarten class, this time just for the committee of which I am a part.  Sully ran around outside with several classmates while the two teachers, 8 mothers and I met for a bit more than an hour.  This is a warm and welcoming group who took time to explain the important points to me (including the requisite sausage jokes) with a slower pace of speech.  We again discussed selling food to raise money for the class.  The next event is in two days, the field sports event where kids from schools all around will come to compete.  It's a good thing I was at this meeting as this was the first time we'd heard the date and time for this event in which Madeleine apparently is competing.

Several other simple pleasures were also enjoyed by our crew today:  hanging wet laundry out to dry in the warm sun, catching lightning bugs, watching another enormous toad on a path to the driveway, more guitar practicing and spotting LOUD congos (howler monkeys) from our house for the first time.  I'm actively trying not to take any of this for granted and to savor every day, especially since I'll be heading back to the States to work a bit pretty soon.