pura vida

and so i'm an english teacher. HA! hardly.
we are here in costa rica and my new endeavor is to teach three "ticos" (costa ricans) english.
kendra teaches three of the beginners, and i teach the advanced three. they all need to learn english because they are going to be going to africa and the middle east as missionaries. three of them actually need to learn english so that they can take arabic lessons - i do NOT envy the next few years for them!! they are some really great people and i really like them a lot. i just feel horrible that i am responsible for them and their knowledge of the english language. sigh...poor them. i was never all that great of a student, and never have had to teach before in my life, so this is a bit of an overwhelming task at the moment.. but i am determined to get better, and they are very forgiving of my awkwardness so far. it also helps that they are very eager students.
so, we do apologize for not updating. we have been spending our time on lesson plans and getting over jet lag. i think this is the first time since we were maybe ten that either of us have gone to bed before midnight, but now we are dead tired by 8:30. we usually extend it to 9:30 and then sleep til around 6. tho i would NEVER make a habit of this sleeping style, being a late nighter, this is not such a bad thing for costa rica. we have a LOVELY breakfast ready and waiting by 7:30. this is the first time in my life that i've actually enjoyed a fully balanced breakfast too. oatmeal, or french toast, or ceareal, with toast, and coffee, and topped with the most delicious, freshly made mango papaya smoothie. top all that healthiness off with a few vitamins - aahh...i love breakfast!!! coffee is so delicious here, and so are the fruits. aaahh..so nice to be eating healthy after a month in austria of having to feed ourselves and having a not so balanced diet. costa rica = deliciously.
haha ok, enough about food. i really like the culture here. people are warm and inviting and fun-loving. very laid back. i was told by my english students that the tico way is pura vida. the answer to everything is "pure life."
i am also enjoying the beauty around me. seeing as i am waking up before the sunrises everyday, (on my own, too, not with an alarm clock or anything - ?!) i am able to enjoy the sun rising outside my window over the view of luscious garden, the city in the valley below, and the not so distance volcano. it is interesting to compare the different beauties of austria and costa rica. in one it is so cultured, and the beauty is by the man's God given eye for design and architecture. the beauty here is uncultivated, completely natural. i feel like i have all the perks of camping, but am able to live in a lovely home, at the same time. it's a win-win.
i love costa rica