Our journey began in the wee hours of the morning and we headed out in plenty of time to make our flight. We were a bit skeptical because we were flying standby but had absolutely no drama with the standby... our problems were with weather. When we arrived our plane to Atlanta was delayed which meant we would not make our flight to San Jose. So we waited..... and waited. We got on the flight finally and made it to Atlanta. We knew we had a bit of a layover for the next flight but it ended up being VERY LONG. Sleeping in an airport is not so comfortable and we were VERY anxious to see the fam. We got on the flight (which was also delayed) and arrived late into the night. Brian and Ronnie Jr. were there to pick us up. When we arrived at their house the boys were snoozing but we still got to see them and Jenn. We went quickly to bed and slept late the next morning. Here are some pics of their home sweet home.
When we woke up Jenn brought the boys home from school and we played with them. They took us to a park and showed us around a bit. It is a quite humbling experience to be at the mercy of a almost 9 and 6 year old. They were not only our guides but our translators as well. They (along with Brian and Jenn) taught us about Gringo Traps, dog pooh, and the other many interesting characteristics about a San Jose neighborhood. One of the most interesting things to me was that their are no addresses..... Brian and Jenn handed us a piece of paper with their "address" to give someone if we got lost. Basically it consist of white house, black bars, so and so many meters south of Parque de Bosque (Forest Park) in San Francisco. We also learned that it really does rain everyday. Ticos (Costa Ricans) just go with it and it doesn't affect them much.
When Brian and Jenn got home from school we ventured out to the Jumbo (pronounced Juuumeboe). It was our first look at life for the new missionaries. Jumbo is their grocery store. You can even pay your bills there. American food (although there was no Dr. Pepper here) is very expensive. They have everything you need including cleaning products in bags, peanut butter and bar like dishwashing soap. We came home and grilled out some yummy chicken. The boys introduced us to some crazy addicting games and we played for the majority of the evening. We also got to share some goodies that we had brought from the states and that was fun.
The next day the boys stayed with us while Brian and Jenn went to take test at school (fair right
?) :) We waited for their empleada,(housekeeper) and told her not to worry about cleaning the room we were staying in. Jordan then ask her if she would teach us how to make arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) also very tasty. The boys took us to another beautiful park and we enjoyed watching some ducks and playing on some monkey bars. After the park we went to their school and watched the teachers do some traditional dances in the gym and then we ate something that basically looks like a big tamale wrapped in a banana leaf, it was very yummy. We went to eat at Otero's Pizza. A new misisonary family arrived that Brian and Jenn are big brothers to, and they went to eat with us. The pizza was yummy and a nice taste of home.
?) :) We waited for their empleada,(housekeeper) and told her not to worry about cleaning the room we were staying in. Jordan then ask her if she would teach us how to make arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) also very tasty. The boys took us to another beautiful park and we enjoyed watching some ducks and playing on some monkey bars. After the park we went to their school and watched the teachers do some traditional dances in the gym and then we ate something that basically looks like a big tamale wrapped in a banana leaf, it was very yummy. We went to eat at Otero's Pizza. A new misisonary family arrived that Brian and Jenn are big brothers to, and they went to eat with us. The pizza was yummy and a nice taste of home.
On to the big hoorah of the trip. We left early in the morning to go and see some beauty in Costa Rica. All the Penningtons along with Karen, Victoria, and our driver Ronnie drove around 4 hours to visit Los Lagos Resort. It is located at the foot of a Volcano and I can't explain the beauty that we saw. The ride there was gorgeous as well. We saw great coffee fields, waterfalls, and fauna all around us. (Check out another post for more pics). We arrived at Los Lagos and were taken immediately by the amazing sights. The hotel was AMAZING!! The roadsides were unmatched. We were literally in the jungle. We spent most of our time in the pool/hotsprings, hiking around, or looking at the volcano. At night we ventured closer to the volcano to see the lava flowing. I (Haley) spent a bunch of time napping- A BUNCH. It was great!
Our driver Ronnie was hilarious and we also got to know another family headed to Peru on the trip. (Karen and Victoria). It was a blessing to spend so much time with the boys and Brian and Jenn.
Ronnie and the boys.We returned to San Jose. It seemed like life as normal, as if no time or space was between when the Penn-Bs were right down the road from us. After a few more relaxed days it was time to say goodbye. We set off on our trek home, very early again and finally made it home late that night, excited to see Abby. What an amazing trip! The best part was visiting with the family and know that they were okay- great even. (BUT we still miss them terribly.)
(Disclaimer: There is PLENTY that we left out for sake of your boredom with details- we will fill you in on whatever you may want to know. :)
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