This time tomorrow I'll be in Cuba!

Who would have ever thought I'd be saying that? This time tomorrow I'll be in Cuba! If only you could see the excitment. And we are even going legally with the US government approval. I can't wait. We are going to go to the beach and see all the historical parts. And we get 3 free nights to wander around the city and explore all night. I can't wait to walk around the streets of Havana at midnight. But don't worry, Cuba is the safest place I'll have been all semester. On Thursday, we watched 2 documentaries on Cuba and it just increased the excitement. Cuba is absolutely gorgeous and Fidel Castro is so interesting. The only thing that could make this trip even better would be the chance for a charla with Fidel. He is such an interesting guy and I would love to hear him speak. But that's not going to happen but at least I've met a person who has sat down and talked to Fidel. His stories were so neat. But anyways while we are in Cuba we won't have internet so don't expect an update until I am back in the states. We fly into Miami on the 9th and have classes and goodbye activities until the 11th when I fly back to Boise. It is going to be so hard to leave all these new LASP friends. I've gotten close to a lot of them and not being together for 3 weeks was hard enough. Tonight we went to the Costa Rican National Symphony together for one last outing together before Miami. It was absolutely amazing and I loved it. My host mom and brother Vini came along too so that was fun. But it was one long day. I got up early to do homework and then spent all afternoon shopping for souveneirs one last time in San Jose and then came home for 10 min to change for the symphony and after the symphony we went grocery shopping because I am cooking breakfast tomorrow. So Vini and I got a little bit ready for tomorrow and now at almost 1 am I am updating my blog before a long and busy day tomorrow. Tomorrow will be hard with the sadness of leaving Costa Rica and this family mixed with overwhelming excitement for Cuba. When I was in San Jose today, I just couldn't believe it was going to be my last time there. There was still so much I wanted to do and see and leaving was hard and in just a few hours we are leaving the whole country. This place really has become like home as I have become familiar and used to it. But it's late and my mind is scattered in case you couldn't tell from this post. But main message: I won't have any contact until after Cuba so don't send me urgent facebook messages because I won't respond and don't worry about me. I'll be safe enjoying beautiful Cuba!!

San Juanillo

So I am in San Juanillo right now...well actually I am in Naranjo at an internet cafe waiting for my sister to get done with school so we can go on some adventures around Costa Rica. Tomorrow we are heading to San Jose for the weekend and then hopefully next weekend we will go to the beach and Volcano Arenal. But we will have to see...I´ve learned not to really make plans here because it always changes. But anyways my friend Marly is in San Juanillo with me so that has been fun to see her everyonce in a while. She lived in the same village with me in Nicaragua and we live in the same area in El Carmen so we have been together for most of this trip which has been a lot of fun. Yesterday she came over to my house to hang out with me and my sisters after work and we went for a walk to the Mirador. It´s this restaurant and souveneir shop that has an amazing view of the valley. From there you could see San Jose, Heredia, the ocean, just about all of Costa Rica it seemed. But anyways it was absolutely gorgeous and Marly and I found our house we are going to buy when we move back and marry Nicaraguans. And we decided this house was perfect for a bed and breakfast. So that is our new plan for what we are going to do when we move back and marry Nicaraguans. But anyways I love all of you and can´t wait to see you in December even though I am definately going to miss this place. It seems so wierd to think it is almost over. There is still so much to do and see and I am getting so close to both of my families that it will be so hard to leave. I almost cried leaving Nicaragua and I was only with that family for 1 week. But it will be okay and when we leave we are going to Cuba. So really there is no better way to end of this trip then to be going to Cuba. There aren´t words to describe how excited I am about Cuba. I mean it´s Cuba!! How could you not be excited! But I have to go so take care and I´m praying for you all!

Off to San Juanillo

So I´m headed to my next home stay in Costa Rica. It is a little town about an hour from San Jose (the capital where I have been living the past 2 months) that I hear has only 50 families. I will be working in a government run daycare for ages 1-6 and I´ll be living with the director so that will be good for me. It's really sad though to be leaving this family. This weekend has been so much fun. Saturday I went to Mariano´s soccer practice and then spent the afternoon downtown with my mom. Then I went to the doctor (I have a cold, ear infection, and a parasite...my immune system is terrible since Nicaragua) and then I took my family to HSM3! It was soooo much fun and such a great movie! I really had a great time with the family! Then today we went to the Pejibaye (a type of fruit) Festival with Tia Rita and Tio Jose's family. We didn't spend a long time at the festival but it was still a fun day. Also this weekend we rented Mamma Mia, Walle and Corpse Bride so we spent a lot of time watching movies together. It is sad to think that I will only be back for 2 days before leaving for Cuba :( I´m really going to miss them and it's like I'm finally to the point where we can communicate and joke around. But this home stay will be great! I don't know if I will have internet there so if you dont hear from me for 3 and a half weeks dont worry. I love you all and miss you!