Hello friends!

Costa Rica is fabulous. We are so lucky to have the Humanitarian Foundation working with us. Through the foundation we have been able to take part in activities that normal tourists would have a difficult time gaining access to. Examples include: home stays, taking part in a major community service project along side some locals, visiting an Indian reserve where the emphasis on preserving ones inner spirit and working on natural healing go beyond anything most of us have ever experienced or red about, visiting a sugar farm, and last but not least visiting the poor area of Costa Rica (La Carpio) and seeing an entirely different lifestyle from the one we are familiar with today.

My family is great. From the cold morning showers to the wonderful food, I am really enjoying myself. Living alone with a host family is a golden opportunity for me and I am most grateful that I am able to speak Spanish with my family whenever we are together. My host mother, Isabella, tells me that she would love to take me with the family to see various parts of Costa Rica that are not on our current group agenda. An active volcano, a hill with a good view, and the Pacific Ocean are all on her list of places she would like me to see. For better or for worse, the very busy schedule that UURica has is making extra excursions more difficult than my host mother and I had anticipated.

A quick clarification: the phone cards that we have only last eight minutes, and they are expected to be shared by both youth staying at each house. Calling home is not the easiest thing to do here.

Story time! Last night Berry and Emily Black’s host mother picked them and I up from the ranch that our group was meeting at and brought us all to her house for dinner. I am a neighbor of the girls and because my mama Tica Isabella wasn’t home yet upon my arrival, I went to the girls’ house for dinner. Their father is a true prankster and everyone knows that about him. Naturally, he and I made friends quickly. While we were sitting at the table alone waiting for Emily and Berry to come downstairs for dinner, we decided to play a joke on who ever came down first. We decided to tell whoever it was that the potatoes looking vegetable on her plate was ¨colebra¨ or snake.

Berry arrived and asked me to ask her host father in Spanish ¨what is this¨ and pointed to her vegetable. I did so, and then replied ¨snake. ¨ The look on her face was one of pure shock. I tried to comfort her with the help of her father by telling her that the meat tasted good and by showing her that I had almost finished the generous portion that I had been given. She told me that she actually ate some of it before she knew what it was. I encouraged her to finish it! At that time, her host mother walked into the dining room and realized what was happening. With a laugh followed by a shake of her finger at her husband and I, she broke the news to Berry that the unknown substance in the cooked mixture was merely a vegetable. We all laughed hard. While the father and I tried to repeat the same prank on Emily when she came down from the shower five minutes later, our efforts came to no avail.

I hope all is well in Corvallis. Here I believe that with the exception of a few health related minor technical difficulties, everyone is having a wonderful time. How lucky we are to be able to have such a fabulous time here in Costa Rica while we learn rapidly about what the world is like. I am very much enjoying getting to know each youth and adult better. The ¨inherent worth and dignity¨ of each one makes our entire group unique and fabulous. Thanks to all of you who have made this trip possible for us.

Sincerely, Nathan

P.S. Kudos to Jamie Simmons for taking many great photos.