Gringo Day

This week has been a long week for us. The kids started school and we started a 4 day orientation that doesn't end until Monday afternoon. By the end of the week we were a little bit tired of the massive amounts of information we had been receiving about just not blowing our nose in public or tossing an object to another person, or disciplining our children in public, etc... as these were all found to be culturally offensive. We also spent a few hours listening to how the pick-pockets work and what the various scams were in Costa Rica that the locals use to extort money. We even saw a TV program in Spanish for women about how to protect your valuables while you are out and about in the city. Despite all this, we decided on Saturday to do what any good gringo would do and go shopping!

Taking the bus downtown to San Jose we managed to get on the same bus with the local "loco hombre" who likes to sing loudly and ask for money on the bus. Not to be deterred we continued on to our destination, the Mercado Central. We had a mission to start a little early Christmas shopping because I have always started my Christmas shopping in August (can you say type A?).

We arrived downtown and made the 8 block walk to the central market which is a large building full of small kiosks of local food, goods, animals, knick-knacks, and the sort. The entire area is kind of like a maze, so we kept the kids close and looked around the area for a certain item I had seen at one of our friend's houses and thought would make a great gift for Ken's mom and my mom for Christmas. Well, we looked, and looked, and looked...I think we went by every store over 3 times in the hour we were there. We never found what I was looking for, but it was fun to just look at all the different items and the way the people interact. This place is a local hangout that a lot of tourists like to come and see too.

When we were done we were really hungry, so we did what any good gringo would do and went to Wendy's. Ken had been craving a hamburger that was 100% beef ever since we got here (the Ticos use mostly soy burgers for some unknown reason). We ordered our thoroughly gringo fare and sat down to hamburgers, fries and frostys. We did detect a bit of soy in the Wendy's burger, but it was great none the less and there were no morsels left at the end of our meal!

The rain started in a little early during our lunch. We have usually found it to start raining at 1pm off and on until about 9pm lately. We took the 8 blocks back to our bus and rode home. When we arrived we took a short but much needed nap and then prepared to have our fellow gringo friends, the Bredbenners, over for a dinner of enchiladas, some awesome guacamole, rice and beans, and even brownies!

As we were eating the feast the phone rang and we were informed of the most wonderful news our family could hear, the Alabama game was on channel 70! We quickly turned to see the Crimson Tide take the field at the Georgia Dome. Oh, it was so good for our homesick eyes to watch the Tide Roll down that field for the next 3 hours. I will spare my Auburn fan friends from the gory details, but the Tide slaughtered Clemson 34 to 10. Yes, it was a day of celebration. So, we felt at the end of the day like we had received from God a gift of home just when we needed it most.

We are so grateful to be here knowing this is where God wants us to be, but it is also nice to know that God cares enough about us to give us those wonderful little moments just when we need them. ¡Gracias a Dios!