¡feliz cumpleaños a mi esposa!

I married a fixer. A problem solver. Quite the innovative man. I didn’t realize the full extent of this characteristic until more recently, when Chris put an end to a longing I was having to bake. (The stove top skillet oven just wasn't the same...) No, he didn’t go out and buy an oven or anything like that…he BUILT me one. Nor did he spend any money; he made it with the natural materials around our place. Yes, I'm serious.

When I discovered the birthday surprise he was planning (it's not something easily hidden from view), I couldn’t believe that he was really going to take on such a task. Well, after hours and hours, tons of sweat, many experimentations with clay/sand ratios, endless hauling of sand, sticky digging of clay, mixing the ingredients, etc…voilà! A clay oven just outside our bungalow. As if our place wasn’t cool enough before!

To give you a glimpse of the process, I documented it with photos.

#1: Constructing a shelter (built with bamboo

and string he found on the beach and banana tree leaves)

#2: Making the foundation (rocks gathered

by the bucket from the road to our place)

#3: Laying the top of the foundation
(sand, clay, water mixture)

#4: Designing the base (ceramic tile pieces found

on the side of the road or in junk piles)

#5: Filling it in with "grout" aka clay = awesome mosaic

#6: Shaping the sand to make the form
(brought up from black beach, thus it's black sand)

#7: Forming the clay mixture over the sand
(mixture was made "crushing wine grapes" style- with the use of our feet!)

#8: Smoothing the surface of the oven and shaping the molding around the opening
(Chris used his hands and the wooden tool pictured that our neighbor lent to him)

#9: Firing it! Building the first fire to complete the drying process

(with wood he found by tromping through the forest)

#10: Building a door (more clay and junky tools for the handles-

leaning on the left side of the oven)

#11: Baking. Our first trial attempt using the leftover heat from the firing.

(Not quite hot enough to brown the bread but it was still good!)

Once he finished this thoughtful gift, it was time to bake. And bake we did! We had a whole day dedicated to it, as it's quite the process- no flipping the switch and sliding in an electrically-mixed dough. No...this is as "from scratch" as it gets. Before we start we decide the line-up; because it's such a process you make several things per time we fire and then the baking is done for the week. Does it work successfully? I'm delighted to say, absolutely! We've fired it 3 times and experimented with several things. Of course...more pictures!!

As Chris starts the 2 1/2- 3 hour process of firing & heating it up...

...I prep the goodies (I have the better job in my opinion! :)

French Bread

We definitely had to eat a decent
portion of baked goods of course.

From scratch and delicious.

Sourdough-made w/a homemade starter,
not store bought-thanks to my Biologist Husband

Banana bread made with bananas from
the tree Chris chopped down recently.

Dinner rolls/Biscuits

Can you tell we're having fun? :) It's much more than having an oven and baking capabilities- it's now a hobby. (Some things not pictured: granola, mall pretzels, and lots of loaves of bread) We have time to teach ourselves and experiment with how to make different foods from scratch, which is something we definitely never had time to do in college, nor after we graduated. There are so many things we are learning by just slowing down, getting away, and being curious and creative.

Needless to say, I'm blown away by such a thoughtful and intentional gift from my sweet Husband. Christopher has already made my upcoming birthday (June 27th) so very special, and despite being apart from our friends and family, it'll be one to remember.

Thanks for sharing in my fun birthday surprise!

~Jennifer

Jesus Loves the Little Children, All the Children of the World

Our 2nd graders

     It’s now officially been the longest we’ve ever been out of the USA and also since we’ve seen our family. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here for 5 months now! The time is going by quickly for sure, and we know that it will only keep going faster, especially as we look forward to having family visit in a few months from now.

Life in the Caribbean has been just beautiful lately. Although the rainy season supposedly started a month or so ago, we haven’t noticed much of a change. Sure, a rainy day here or there, but nothing near as bad as we’d thought. Living in the rain forest means that the rain’s schedule is more convenient to live with. It typically rains in the evenings, making a lovely pitter patter on our roof, or making it so we have to yell to each other to top the noise of the pouring rain.

Last weekend we had the company of two friends who are currently living in the San Jose area, but  hale from the States. They caught a glimpse of the beauty we’re surrounded by, like the monkeys who were hanging out (literally) right outside of our place for most of the day on Sunday, the white and black-sand beaches, and the gorgeous foliage we call our yard. They were also able to experience the vast temperature difference between the Central Valley and the Caribbean-I think they were looking forward to sweating a bit less upon returning to San Jose. : ) One of the highlights of the weekend for us was teaching them the card game Pinochle (yes, the game that is played by mostly older generations, but it‘s seriously addicting!), and spending time with friends our own age. Considering that we spend most of our time with 7 & 8 year olds or 65+ year olds, it was just fun.

As for a not-so-fun thing that happened, several keys on our keyboard decided to stop functioning on our laptop. We attribute it to the humidity and are going to be leaving it on more of the time to keep it dry enough. Thankfully we found a cheap external keyboard that we can just plug in, so I’m appreciatively using it to type this blog.

We received our first pieces of mail this week!!! A graduation announcement and letters from George Fox friends back home were the highlight of my day on Monday. I don’t think we’ve ever been so excited for mail, but then again, we’ve never been without it for 5 months either. Thank you so much to you thoughtful friends of ours!

Some random observations as of late to share with you:

• We have yet to see a lawn mower here which is probably because there is very little grass, at least what we think of grass. So, weed eaters or machetes are used when needed! Those poor souls who have to bend over cutting grass with a machete!

• Three weeks ago it rained so hard that our landlord (whom we‘re fondly calling “neighbor” now) measured 6 inches of rain in ONE HOUR! We learned that he never has to fill his pool; the rain generously does that for him. We love watching it from our deck as it comes down in sheets. Then again, it wasn’t as fun to watch when we had to walk home in it from the “downtown” of Cahuita. We were soaked from head to toe by the time we arrived…despite the fact that we had an umbrella.

• We’re becoming vegetarians to avoid the high meat prices. However, we will definitely start consuming it upon our return to the States. We’re also boycotting the expensive yogurt, all the cheeses we miss that are similar to those in the States, and we mostly use milk in its powdered form to cook with.

• I have no idea what I’ll do with all of the kitchen utensils, pots, and pans that we have in boxes in the States. Here kitchen items double or triple in usage. My apron (which I never even used in the States) is also my pot holder; our glass cutting board is also a lid for the large skillet; and two pans with the cutting board = my oven! I am delighted to say that I’ve made several things in my makeshift oven and they are wonderful “tastes from home.” Skillet bread, banana bread, biscuits (the best so far!), and even brownies (which we ate but I probably wouldn‘t have served)! It’s a great way to get us through until we have an oven once again someday… It’s the little things in life, right? ;)

• One stop shop? Never heard of it here. We’re finally getting to know the best places for each item on our shopping list, although the prices fluctuate a ton here! What took us 15 minutes to find last year in Oregon definitely takes a minimum of 1 hour while in Limon.

• Personal appearance is big here. Matching outfits go so far as to be all one color from head to toe, including accessories, purses, and glasses! Bright colors are often worn and coordinated with perfectly. I’ve seen more turquoise, purple, and yellow shoes than I have brown. 

• There aren’t zoning laws for businesses and residences, so they are very intermixed. However, most homes sell something from their deck or front door (ice, bread, spices, coconut milk, or homemade ice creams), so it comes in quite handy for them!

• Curb appeal? Quite the opposite. Most homes either use walls, gates, or fences made from thick plant growth to hide the place. Or, the outside receives very little upkeep to avoid catching the attention of robbers. We’ve seen some private oasis’ when the gates were open and we would’ve had no idea.

As for our little kiddos:
We think it’s about time for an update on our students and how teaching is going! Well, ever since exams a couple of weeks ago the whole teaching piece has been rather tumultuous. It started when the 2nd grade teacher became so ill she missed 2 weeks of school. Instead of getting a substitute to cover for her, they just had the 2nd graders move their desks and materials to join the 6th graders. So, when we had English or Science class, they would turn their desks around and we’d imagine the room was split in half. Thankfully we could borrow a chalk board (it had been a while since I‘d used one of those!) and I used the top of a bookshelf as my temporary desk for my materials. It was during this setup that one day’s English class became unbearable to continue. The students were so disrespectful and the lack of classroom management (and/or discipline) was overwhelming. Long story short, English class only went for half of the scheduled time for the day and I left drying my eyes and with a new resolve to establish a much-needed change in that department. The good news is that a few weeks later it’s working, even if only in our classes. We were hesitant about starting something that wasn’t going to be used school wide, and only in place while we were teaching, but it’s been the best thing since mango sunrises! It’s amazing how the same students who can demonstrate such awful behavior can so quickly rise to the occasion when they have some sort of accountability and structure to work within.

Yuliana was the student of the week; the cards are for the new behavior system;
the points are received for answers in English.

On the contrary to their unruly behavior, they can really be quite darling! Plus, the last couple of weeks they have just been awesome and we’re able to enjoy each other so much more. When we arrive in the mornings we have about a half hour before we start teaching. I typically end up walking by their classroom at some point during this time since it’s along one of two walkways, and since they don’t have doors during the day (only pull-down metal doors that lock when they day is done) they inevitably catch a glance of me trying to discreetly pass. This is always a hopeless attempt and I’m immediately greeted with a group of 7 & 8 year olds yelling, “MRS. SAVAGE!!” This is just sweet in itself because they’re excited to see me, but it’s also special to hear my name, because it’s so rare to hear an actual teacher’s name instead of “Nina.”

Shiwai is constantly calling us his “Mami y Papi” for who knows what reason, and we receive the following questions and statements from our students on a weekly basis. “If I were your daughter/son… What would my name be? What would we do? Where would we go? How would this be? Can we come visit your house in Cahuita? I wish I were your daughter/son!” ect. We assure them that we’d adopt them all in a heart beat if the need arose, and we proceed to paint a picture of what we imagine life would be like with children. I think the idea that we would consider having children that don’t “look like us,” aka, have white skin and brown or blonde hair, was a stretch for them at first because they’re very observant of race and color. In fact, they describe people by using their skin color quite often, and they regularly comment on Shiwai being “Chino” or of Chinese heritage. I often tell them that it doesn’t matter in the slightest and we love them all just the way they are. This usually spurs on a huge group hug and clinging children as they profess their love for us and how they never want us to leave. How could we not love them, really?! : ) They see a more playful side to us than they do from other grown ups in their lives, because there isn’t a lot of playing that occurs between parents and children in this culture. Perhaps we will arrange a time for them to visit us in Cahuita at some point this year after all.

As for the academic side of things, I am very encouraged by the amount of English they understand and can speak now. There is obvious improvement and they’re excelling in their exams. I’m sure it’s tricky for the kids when they hear one version of English at home or on the streets, and then another in class when it’s English from the States. I always love when they attempt to explain things in English, and especially on their own accord. This week Argelyn responded to my question with, “She said she soon come.” This is a classic example of the English spoken here. In the States it would be considered terrible grammar, but here it’s the correct way, and the way we speak it is hard for them to understand at times. (To get a better idea of what it sounds like, just listen to some Bob Marley.) Their attempts can also turn into fun quotes. Denskel told me, “I’m goin’ to take a relax,” as he flopped down on the floor and folded his arms behind his head for a pillow. I could only laugh at the time, and now it’s one of the lines we most often repeat to each other.

We recently decided to “interview” each of them and find out some of their dreams, hobbies, and favorites in life. It was insightful and humorous as we went along.

Here are the following questions and each students‘ answers:
1. What do you want to be when you grow up?
2. Favorite hobby or sport?
3. If you could be any animal, what animal would you be?
4. Favorite food?
5. Favorite English word?
6. What would you want to do if you visited the States?
7. Favorite color?
8. What would you wish for if you had 1 wish?

Denskel:
Occupation: Professional soccer player
Hobby: Playing soccer and basketball
Animal: Cheetah! No…dolphin!
Food: Oranges and chicken
English Word: Mrs. Savage! (I was completely caught off guard by this one and burst into laughter as he grinned from ear to ear. His 2nd favorite? Mr. Savage…naturally!)
States: “I want to touch the snow and go to Hawaii. Aloha!”
Color: “Sky Blue”
Wish: A world where no one does bad things, no one kills, and there is no trash.

Shiwai:
Occupation: Doctor, because I want to help other people.
Hobby: Riding my bike and doing karate
Animal: A Chick
Food: Cereal
English Word: Long and Short
States: I want to see snow.
Color: Blue
Wish: Have a green automatic car.

Yuliana:
Occupation: “This is my dream: I want to go to space and I want to be an astronaut.
Hobby: Playing the violin and doing gymnastics
Animal: Dog
Food: Sopa de Magi (We‘re not sure what this is exactly, but some type of soup.)
English Word: Be quiet (They tell this to each other often to avoid losing points during the day.)
States: “I want to make snow angels.”
Color: Pink
Wish: Have a happy family, a pretty car, and be popular in school.

Argelyn:
Occupation: “I want to be a veterinarian.”
Hobby: “Playing with my gameboy and barbies.”
Animal: Dog
Food: Strawberries
English Words: Mr. Savage and thank you
States: I want to see snow and my family that lives there.
Color: Pink
Wish: Have a family and a red automatic convertible.

Riggionie:
Occupation: Soccer player so I can get a lot of money
Hobby: “I like to skateboard.”
Animal: Cheetah because they can go really fast. No…a turtle!
Food: Pineapple (I told them they were all such healthy kids, picking fruits!)
English Word: Sky Blue
States: I want to be cold.
Color: Blue
Wish: Have a dark gray Revington Lamborghini

Nicole:
Occupation: Police officer because I want to catch the guys that steal at the store.
Hobby: “I like to do gymnastics.”
Animal: Cat
Food: “Cookies!”
English Word: “She is fat.”
States: I want to see my Uncle and play in the snow.
Color: Brown
Wish: Have a pretty, organized family.

Unfortunately, Aaliyah wasn't there the day we took pictures (she was sleeping apparently...). Chris offered to make up answers for her, but I think we'll just try to post hers on a later blog. :)

That's enough for now I think. We could always use prayer for our work at the school and each of the kiddos. Also, for the small church we attend in Cahuita-for the congregation and for the children's ministry which is struggling. Thanks for reading and sharing in our adventure!

Our next blog? Chris' birthday gift/project to Jenn!!
Excellent photography: Christopher

Dios les Bendiga!

No Glass Windows; No Windex

The Cutting of the Banana Tree!

Here we are four months into our year of adventure and service in Costa Rica.  What have we learned?  Have we done any good by being here?  Is this place better for us being here?  Questions such as these are daily discussed between the two of us, and we are finding them much more difficult to answer since leaving the Alajualita church building site.  When we were there it was easy to look at a completed wall or poured floor and know that we had helped construct a house of worship for God.  Now, I only wish that we could look into the future of each of our students and know that the English we are teaching them will benefit them some day in a way that will greatly improve their lives.  But alas, we can not know that.  Have we done any good by being here?  

We have recently realized that we are not going to receive any great encouragement or thanks from the Ticos (Costa Ricans).  It isn’t really in the culture of the Caribbean Coast to freely give out thanks, and we can’t expect them to understand what we have given up to be here.  More often we find that we take flak for being in a place where we are always thought of as tourists-that-can’t-speak-the-local-language.  But, “pura vida” (it’s all good).  We know that this is part of our learning experience.  We are all called to do good to the “widows and orphans” (James 1:27) and those that won’t be able to repay us with anything (even words).  We are working on it!

We continue contemplating these things and trying to adjust our course so that we are doing everything we can to help while we are here.  Thank you for all of your prayers.


Stories
It is not a law in Costa Rica that a person must carry identification.  Regardless (or irregardless…I always think it’s funny when people say that.  If you are one of those people, you should stop saying that because it isn’t a word), it is common knowledge that it is a good idea to carry a copy of your passport because the police like to look at it and shake their head (or nod, if you’re lucky).  Well, we were recently headed into Limon from Cahuita on the 8:00am bus for Jenn to tutor at 9:00.  The bus got stopped and boarded at a police checkpoint (another thing that Costa Rica has that the US does not; you guys don’t know what you’re missing!).  The policia quickly passed over the Ticos and headed straight for us, the tourists.  We provided our passports copies as we’d done before and we were immediately ordered off the bus.  The bus left without us and we were pointedly told that our copies were only good 200 meters from our place of residence, an erroneous claim.  I believe that this particular policia was just having a bad morning, but it caused our landlord to have to drive to the checkpoint and hand deliver passports to the two dangerous volunteer teacher tourists that were being detained.  As we boarded the next bus we were told we had to pay for another bus ticket.  We argued with the bus driver for some minutes while the whole bus waited.  Eventually we just said we weren’t going to pay and that we were going to sit down.  The bus driver finally gave in and drove on once we said that we might pay at some point and appeared to be reaching for our billfolds.  We never did.

During Semana Santa (Holy week, the week before Easter) the entire country basically shuts down and everyone goes to the beaches.  We went the other direction and spent Easter with the Baits family in San Jose (Woot Woot…that’s for you Gary).  It was a wonderful time in which there was a spectacular party, and we ate like royalty.   That’s exactly how a holiday should be; we’re still running those desserts off.  Quick tidbit, we eventually found a Catholic service to attend on Easter, but the first large church we went to wasn’t having mass because the priest was tired.  Hmmmmm….obviously Good Friday is a much bigger deal than Easter Sunday for the Catholic Church.

Since we didn’t have teaching that week, we were able to have a lot of play time.  I cut down my first banana tree to get a bunch of about 75 bananas.  It was spectacular, and since then I’ve already cut my second.



We went to Manzanillo (Mahn-za-nee-yo) Beach, a gorgeous picturesque beach about 25 miles from our home.  We actually got to do some snorkeling (Jenn’s second time)!!  It was very nice.  We got a little hungry at one point, so I just found a long stick, got a coconut down, and somehow opened it with my hands Castaway style.  It is incredible how full you can get on one coconut.

Jenn has still been tutoring Danie, the little six year old that is originally from the States but has been here long enough to not like speaking English.  This has been a wonderful way to help us offset the cost of transportation into Limon.  But, we’ve finally discovered that goods are expensive here (similar to prices in the States), but services are dirt cheap.  Common prices: tutoring is about $6 per hour, karate lessons are $20 per month, psychology and lawyer sessions are $15 per hour.

Cacao Pod

I’ve successfully made chocolate TWICE!  And a lengthy process it is.  First I tromp around in the rainforest collecting Cacao pods, crack them open and ferment the beans for 4-7 days.  The beans are then dried for a week then roasted until a few of them pop out of the pan like popcorn.  I then winnow the husks off of them, blend them, and add powdered sugar and milk.  We then enjoy an incredible dark chocolate paste that others have described as “marketable” and “I ate the almost the whole thing last night and my girlfriend yelled at me.”  Obviously these are words that prove its incredibleness!

Fermentation

Roasting and Winnowing

Powder with sugar

Amazingness!

Tidbits
1. Everyone assumes we’re not married.  Strange considering we moved here and live together.  But, not so strange in this culture where that is not uncommon.  Just weird to us.

2. One of our second graders (Denskel) demanded we bring back A LOT of snow when we come back from our trip to the States in August.

3. We make a fruit smoothie pretty much every day now that we invested in a cheap-o blender…hopefully it doesn’t fry on us.  We eat soooo much fruit!

4. Doors don’t have doorknobs.  A key must be turned to open a door.

5. Windows with glass are beginning to seem strange to us.

6. We mostly always have water now that we have two wells!

7. I consider eating a mango seed as my flossing for the day.

8. We’re obviously getting used to the heat here.  In San Jose we actually felt COLD! (San Jose=70 degrees and dry-ish; Caribbean Coast =85 degrees and HUMID!)

9. We’re finally being recognized by certain Ticos around town.  The security guard at the bus station is my best bud (after the bike transport) and gives me a good fist in the air with a, “Pura Vida” every time we walk by. Yesterday, the guy at the panaderia that we frequent said he was starting to wonder where we’d been after we hadn’t been in within the last week or two.

10. We wonder what the monkey are thinking when we howl back at them.


Blessings to all,
Christopher (and Jennifer) Savage

Once Again Legal

Red Frog Beach, Panama

Wow, so much has happened since our last blog! Life has definitely been exciting for us the last couple of weeks with several changes and new experiences under our belts.

Biggest event? We moved to Cahuita! We LOVE our new place. It truly feels like home, something we haven’t had in awhile, and it holds the record of the biggest place we lived in since being married. Bonus: It’s all on one floor and we have a couch! We’re clearly moving up in the world… :)

Our new home!

So a little about our place: It’s a bungalow in the jungle that our landlord, Sebastian, built after building his own home when he moved here with his family from Canada. It’s only about 1 ½ years old and constructed with beautiful wood. When we saw the place and the surroundings of God’s beautiful rainforest, we eventually decided that it was the place for us, despite the fact that it adds about an hour commute to school each way. Contrary to when we were in the States, time is something we have here. So, a week later we’re adjusting to the monkey’s echoing and quite terrifying howling at about 4am and our pet gecko that chirps from somewhere in the rafters.
The stillness of this place is so rejuvenating and the sound of the rain on our tin roof lulls us to sleep. Yes, we are so pleased with our new home.

Our lovely deck

Technicalities. It hardly seems like 3 months have gone by since we’ve been in Costa Rica, but we have another 90-day visa after spending a weekend on the island of Bocas del Toro, Panama. The trip there began with a 2-hour bus ride to the border town of Sixaola. Once there, we went through customs in Costa Rica and walked across the border river on a super sketch, wood-plank bridge with many dangerous gaps.

Treacherous Bridge

On the other side we went through customs in Panama, which involved paying ridiculous tourism taxes and buying proof that we were leaving soon, and squishing into a crammed van. We were then transferred to a speed boat for the 30-min ride to get to the islands. It was there that I snorkeled for the first time and saw the world Christopher loves so much. He enjoyed educating me on all of the fish and coral I was seeing, and we even saw a lobster! If we’d had a net, we would’ve taken him home with us for dinner.





While it was the prettiest water I’d ever seen, we were thankful to leave the stifling hot room that we rented for $15 without A/C ($25 with A/C) and the high tourist prices. We had to repeat the above process to then leave Panama and re-enter Costa Rica. All that to say, at least we have more stamps in our passports!

Mobile. We’re now the proud owners of 2 mountain bikes! I say proud because it was quite the feat getting the bikes from Limon to Cahuita AND because I’m so proud that Chris handled it all in Spanish while I was off tutoring. He’s learned so much! One of the few ways to transport things here is by bus and only a few have space beneath to haul items as large as bikes. After talking with a nice security guard at the bus station and the unwilling bus driver, Chris managed to successfully load the bikes into the back seats…all it took was a quick slip of 2 mil ($4) to the bus driver and presto, more willing!

Also, along the lines of being mobile we were searching for a more economical way to get to and from Limon 3 days a week. The bus is relatively cheap, but it adds up after 8 months. So, our friend Roy connected us with a van that takes students from Puerto Viejo and Cahuita up to Limon for school everyday and had 2 empty seats. Since he goes that way already, we were able to settle on a price that was a little cheaper than the bus. However, after the first day he said he’d been thinking more and wanted to charge us more, about the same as the bus fare. We believed that he was trying to milk us (not literally Chris adds), which is a common attempt towards “rich” Americans, so on principal we called and told him that we were going to take the bus after all, unless he’d honor the price we originally agreed on. He quickly decided that he’d still take us even though he would be “losing money.” Most of the people we’ve met have been kind and helpful, but there are definitely those who see us as dollar signs. Which, as you all know, is quite far from the truth in our current state. :)

Teaching. Most recently Chris has done some experiments with the 6th graders, including making sugar crystals from super-saturated sugar water and tin-can telephones to teach the nature of sound as vibrations. He’s also taught the 2nd graders about amphibians and reptiles by replicating scaly skin and proving the worth of camouflage by tossing colored noodles into the grass. They refer to Thursdays as the “fun day” because that’s when Mr. Savage teaches science. In English class they’ve been learning food vocab, many of the fruits and other typical dishes, and using more sentences. “I like…apples/I don’t like…watermelon.” I’ve found that using sentences gets them speaking more so that’s been a productive approach. Also, when they use English in class they receive points, and at the end of the week I give out an English award (including suckers of course). They’re so competitive that they’re always super eager to answer questions or offer responses just to have the most points for the day. At least it’s a great motivator!

I’ve also begun tutoring a 6-year old in reading. She’s the granddaughter of a woman who attends the New Hope Baptist Church in Limon, and it’s been fun to have yet another experience connected to the field of teaching.

New Hobbies. Chris has discovered a love of gardening (yes Jeff, be proud). We decided that since we’ll be here for a while, we might as well try to grow some of the produce that we readily consume, and hopefully even save some money. We’ll see how the seeds survive after the constant rain the last 2 days. Also, we don’t have easy access to a washing machine, so I did my first load of wash by hand and in the sink, which is not exactly what I would call a hobby, but a new experience for sure. I now understand the advice to avoid wearing jeans…it’s likely they’ll take all week to dry at the rate things are going on the deck.

Internet. Unfortunately we no longer have unlimited internet access. We’ve only had access once this past week, so that’s why we haven’t responded to messages and haven’t been able to talk on Skype. Please know that we love you all and we wish we could communicate more, but since the move it’s been a little trickier and we’re working on figuring something out.

Other random tidbits:

* It’s been steadily raining all night and morning…we may be welcoming the rainy season!

* We’ve moved on to powdered milk. No more warm, spoiling stuff sold in the stores for us.

* We’ve actually been “cold” several times and for the first time since moving to the Caribbean, we slept with a light blanket in addition to our sheet. This is clearly a sign of adjusting.

Bedroom-Note the blanket?

* Fans are super expensive here. Go figure, as they’re a definite necessity.

* Just as I got used to cooking solely with a rice cooker and electric griddle in Limon, we now have 4 burners, a toaster, no rice cooker, and no microwave.

Kitchen view

* People use the busses to preach or sell things and as the passengers can’t exactly go anywhere, they’re guaranteed a decent-sized audience.

My view from the sink- See Chris' cacao seeds
fermenting on the clothes line?

* Going without an oven makes you do pretty desperate things. For example, last night I made cookie dough (without chocolate chips as I haven’t seen any in months) and we tried cooking them on the stove…The few we tried ended up somewhere between a pancake and a pretty tasty cookie!

* We will never have to buy bananas as long as we are here because there are tons of un-owned banana trees around us with hundreds of bananas on each, so all we have to do is cut down the tree. They are quite delicious!

* If we ever master chocolate making, we’ll be able to rival the Wonka chocolate factory in production with how many cacao trees there are out here.

Thanks so much to those of you who continue to support us and for all who are praying for us. We are encouraged to know there are so many who care about us and keep up with us via the blog.

Dios te bendiga!

So this is why we are here.

The entryway and offices to the school. 

The 2nd grade classroom is the first door on the left.

We're several weeks into the school year now and during this time we've learned quite a bit about what it looks like to teach here.
1. We seem to find out things on a need-to-know basis.

2. If we need copies or materials, we have to go to a copy shop and print whatever we've created on our computer and make copies for our students. If we ever received a receipt, I suppose we could turn it into the secretary to get reimbursed.

3. The students (and parents) need 8 school days to prepare for coming tests. Therefore, study outlines must be given according to this time guideline, lest the parents complain that their children didn't have adequate study time.

4. If we need scissors, glue, paper, etc, the student is responsible for buying it and bringing it to school. This also requires several days notice.

5. Teachers here are called "niña/niño" which actually means "child," but in our classes we pretend we're in the United States and the students call us Mr. and Mrs. Savage. (I'm getting more used to being called a "Mr." however, primarily and randomly by the 1st graders, who have a hard time distinguishing between the two words).

6. They are just so cute in their little uniforms! :)

Shiwai, our little perfectionist

As for what our roles look like at the school, here's an overview. We teach English and Science in English (they have Science in Spanish too) three days a week at the Centro Educativo Bautista del Caribe aka the Baptist School. The school is a ministry of the

New Hope Baptist Church here, and the Pastor of the church is also the Director at the school. (Director is the equivalent to principal.) It's a growing ministry still, with about 60 students from pre-kinder to 6th grade. We get to spend our time with three of the grades: 1st, 2nd, and 6th. We spend most of our time with the 7 2nd graders (Argelyn, Denskel, Riggionnie, Aaliyah, Yuliana, Rieshly, and Shiwai-yes it took time to learn their unique names), since we teach them over the course of all 3 days. I only get to see the 11 adorable 1st graders once a week, while Chris is molding the minds of the 4 6th graders for the same amount of time.

2nd Grade English: "Today is sunny. Yesterday was cloudy."

The schedule is as follows:

Monday- 3 periods of 2nd grade English (Jenn)

Tuesday- 3 periods 2nd grade English (Jenn)

Thursday- 2 periods of 2nd grade English (Jenn)

2 periods of 2nd grade Science (Chris)

2 periods of 1st grade Science (Jenn)

2 periods of 6th grade Science (Chris)

Planting seeds during Science

Thursday is obviously our longest day and the only day we're there during lunch. Sometimes we eat there to experience the local food. Just to help you picture the situation, the cafeteria is different than in the States and is more like a Canteen. In fact, it's like a mix between a typical restaurant here and a snack stand. They serve breakfast and lunch to those students and teachers who buy it and don't bring food from home. They also are open during the morning and afternoon recess to sell chips, drinks, green mangoes in vinegar and salt (a common snack here), and other random munchies. They eat in their classrooms

at their desks unless their parent comes to eat with them at one of the 2 tables in front.

La Soda aka Cafeteria & Snack Shop

So, now that you have a general idea of the school situation, why exactly are we here doing this?? How is God using us at the school? Why do the students here need to learn English? Why isn't someone else teaching it to them if it's so necessary?  One question at a time.

Why exactly are we here doing this and how is God using us here?

The school doesn't have sufficient funds to even break even currently, and hiring another teacher to teach English and Science in English is out of the question. Last year the Director taught both of these subjects, but confessed that he simply does not have the time or experience needed for the position. By volunteering here, we're saving the school money and providing the students with the opportunity to learn English from native speakers and a certified teacher, and Biology from a Biologist. It's truly amazing how God brought this opportunity to us, matching our skills and desires with a definite need. Not only are we in Costa Rica learning all about the culture and, honestly, gaining a better appreciation of the many opportunities and privileges we left in the States, but we're also able to serve with our time, resources, experiences, knowledge, and even our presence. I'm getting to teach while using Spanish and Chris is getting field experience in teaching Biology before he completes his Master's Degree in teaching back in the States.

Bring technology to them: Watching a video of a seed growing.

Why do the students here need to learn English?

We were wondering the same thing until a conversation we had yesterday shed some more light on the subject. It started our with a question about tourists and how the locals view them. We found out that people here really like tourists because they recognize that tourism is currently their #1 income. Based on this they are figuring out how to bring income into their homes, and one way to do that is selling things on the streets and being able to converse with tourists, which often requires English. By teaching the children English they are learning a skill that will help them open doors all throughout their lives. The skill of being bilingual is very valuable and the school is striving to provide their students with a bilingual education.

Denskel- "Give a hug, sugar love." :D

Why isn't someone else teaching it to them if it's so necessary? 

If we weren't the ones teaching English, it would be the Director or another volunteer that came to them to serve. The students do know some English already, although it is very limited. They have memorized some phrases, such as when you ask them how they are, they respond with, "Fine, thanks, and you?" in the cutest accent ever. However, I found out that even if I asked them what their name was I got the same, "Fine, thanks, and you?" response. :) Needless to say, they have a lot to learn. I'm attempting to teach them more conversational English because they struggle the most with speaking and won't respond verbally even if they know the answer. I'm also focusing on practical words and conversation pieces that will be most helpful to them in real life outside the classroom. Furthermore, they are hearing English spoken by a native speaker, that is when I'm not re-explaining things in Spanish, which is quite different than listening to English spoken with a Jamaican accent. Like we've mentioned, we even have a tough time understanding that dialect of English. Hopefully their listening and comprehension will improve as well as their level of proficiency in speaking.

Learning shapes in English-showing off the "circle."

In English class we're progressing with parts of the body, commands, commons words that start with A, B, or C, family members, shapes, and so much more. In Science we've been learning the five senses and I think we've said "We see with our eyes, we taste with our tongues, we smell with our nose, etc." more times in the last two weeks than in our entire lives. It's okay though, because the whole time we're slowly saying this, I'm being intently stared at by the cutest 11 grinning faces of the concentrating 1st graders. Chris is teaching the scientific method and the characteristics that constitute life to the 4 6th graders. If anyone can email Chris and tell him why fire is not alive, you'll win a prize (he claims).

We Have Friends! (and a maid)

It had to happen. 

We're on our own. We were protected for a while with the Baits around, but now things have changed. We're vulnerable.  Story time.

Playa Negra, 10 min walk from our future home in Cahuita

Roy, our landlord and friend, took us for a walk down the beach a bit to the south of Limon. It's a dirty beach, but still quite nice and, obviously, still a beach with waters of 85 degrees.  A few days later, Jenn and I decided to go for a nice walk along that same beach. So, we packed up our new beach towels and water bottles, donned our swimming suits and headed out.  We soon turn off the main drag and onto the road along the water front.  I quickly notice something that I hadn't noticed the time Roy took us; the houses along that area were very shabby, and I would expect much nicer ones along the beach.  We also noticed the lack of people.  It looked like an abandoned area of town with newspapers and coconuts blowing across the road.  Soon, a number of cat-calls came (yes, for both of us), and one of the cat-callers came our way on his low-rider bike. That was our cue to be on our way-forget a walk on the beach, we'd head to the water downtown.  We made a bee-line for the main road and found plenty of people.  The next day Roy came up to us and said, "WHAT in the WORLD were you doing down there?"  His sister, whom we'd met once, had seen us there and reported back to him.  Only then did he inform us that we had taken an evening stroll into a well- known drug dealing and trading part of town.  He said, "If you want drugs or to get mugged, feel free to go by yourselves, if not, wait for me to go with you next time. I grew up in that area so they know I don't do drugs. Glad you're okay."

A similar story took place one day when Jenn suggested we explore on our way home so we could find a shorter walking route.  We ended up down some dirt road in the hills above Limon.  Once again, our cue to get out of there was a guy heading us off with his bike. We decided to change our route going the opposite way he thought we were headed.  Man, how are we still alive? (just joking parents)

We just stand out here a lot since we're two of the ten (rough estimate) North Americans in this city.  It just isn't a tourist destination, but that's how we like it.

Our favorite baby girl three-toed sloth, Lola

Lola coming to give me a hug

Lola hugging Jenn

Exiting news.

We've officially made friends.  Randall and Keyla are a dating couple that are really into SCUBA diving, snorkeling, turtle conservation and the like.  They both grew up here and speak very little English, although Keyla is learning. They're about our age, and we get along with them great. We've already spent plenty of time together kayaking, boating, and helping out at the Butterfly Garden of Moin (also a rehabilitation center).  Last night, they randomly stopped by our apartment, and tonight we're all going out for Chinese food.  And, sometime soon we're all going camping on Isla de los Pajaros (Bird Island); of which the best part will be diving for lobster and cooking them over a campfire.  It is such a blessing to have locals here that are good friends (and also to have Jenn so that I can talk to them through her).

On Randall and Keyla's boat (owned by the University).  Also the river we kayaked down for many an hour...with crocodiles.

Another story.

We attended a leather back sea turtle training program with Randall and Keyla.  That evening we were going to go walk on the beach to watch the leather backs (up to 2000 lb sea turtles) come up and lay their eggs.  There is a huge problem here with poaching, and we are going to be helping out protecting the nests over the next couple of  months.  Well, we ended up waiting around for 9 hours before we got to go, in which time we're warned that the poachers typically all carry guns...comforting.  So, the time had arrived (9pm...we had to be up to go teach the next morning at 6am, by the way) to head out to the beach.  Suddenly we learn that we are going to a special location only accessed by a bicycle modified to ride on the railroad tracks, and only about 6 people can go at a time.  Some hop on, we start to walk.  Apparently this is a 3 hours walk, or 30 minutes on the rigged bike train thing.  Oh, and if a train comes, which it did, I have no idea what the plan would be.  We walk for about 45 min, and it starts to rain... really hard.  Then the mosquitoes come out, with a vengeance. We stand there and wait for...who knows what.  Then the powers that be say to turn around and go home.  Arrival at home = 12:45pm.  Did we see turtles, or anything for that matter? NO.  

Oh, the wonders of living abroad.

The hawk-bill turtle at the Butterfly Garden we will be returning to the ocean ASAP.

Teaching is going excellently.  The first week we discovered that the second graders don't know a lick of English, and if the language is hiding somewhere in their brain they don't give a hint that it is there.  And, they are lazy little buggers.  We've got some work ahead of us.  But, the first graders are about the most bright eyed and bushy tailed tykes I have ever seen and I want to keep all of them.  They love speaking English and listening to me telling them why the sky is blue, why cement is hard, and why ants walk in a line.  Jenn has been teaching incredible English.  She has been focusing on greetings, days of the week, months, body parts and simple actions.  They're getting it.  And, my science class was on the 5 senses (tough stuff for 1st graders).  I'm pretty sure I said "We see with our eyes" more times than I've been bit by mosquitoes here.  Jenn teaches 3 days a week (Mon, Tues, and Thurs), and I teach science only on Thurs.  I'm also picking up 6th grade science as well!

Jenn and Keyla heading into the Butterfly Garden

Other random things:
1. Jenn is loving cooking Costa Rican foods.

2. We got a cell phone.

3. Clothes washers here are weird. There are no dryers, if you don't count the clothes lines.

4. We've found we like reading to each other (currently half-way through The Hobbit).

5. We'll be returning to the States in late July for Keith and Nicole's wedding on Aug 5th (Bashies back together)...and then coming back here to finish out teaching for the year.

6. Copo's are an icy, milky, sweet heaven on earth.

7. We're getting quite used to the heat, but we still strip down to swimming suit amounts of clothing once we regresar (return) home.

8. A wonderful rooster friend of mine wakes us at about 5am every morning. I think I understand why roosters aren't legal in cities in the States. 

9. We have a maid that cleans our place every Saturday...how sweet is that?

10. We don't have an oven or stove. We cook with only a plug in skillet and a rice cooker (incredible little contraptions).

11. EVERYTHING can come in bags (as we said before)...to add to the list: Jam, milk, liquid soap.

12. We've pretty much become vegetarians here...just because meat is so expensive.

We feel that we are in the right place right now and that God has prepared the way for us.  It is harder to see work being done here than it was building a church in Alajualita, but we are content.  May God bless this school and the New Hope Baptist Church that is affiliated with it.

We love you all.  Thank you for your support and prayers.