Costa Rica: Day 2

After getting a good night's sleep we were all up and at 'em this morning!

Costa Rica is 2 hours behind North Carolina time so it was actually easy to get up and going! I went to bed a little before 9 Costa Rica time (but my body thought it was 11 pm based on my internal clock). My alarm was set for 6 am but I was awake a little after 5 am.

 The stained glass window as you walk down the stair well of our hotel.

 Walking out of our hotel. The sun was shining bright!

Beautiful few of the mountains from the hotel court yard.

 

Sending Keri Yates a happy birthday wish from Costa Rica!

 Sending Evan and Cameron a happy graduation wish from Costa Rica!

 Sending the Papa Horton crew my love today! Sadly missing the crawfish boil benefit in his honor today.

 On to the farmers market!

                                              
                                                        

Chinese cucumbers!

                                                             Coconut water anyone?

                                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                                 Wow! That's a lot of eggs!

 There were all sizes of bananas! From these large ones to these baby ones.

 Valerie's roommate "d" explaining this fruit is kind of like a tomato.

 The orange fruit to the left of the watermelon is pumpkin.

Half of the group road with Valerie back to the hotel and the other half road in a cab.

 Here we are squashed into Val's car!

After we dropped off our farmers market goodies we took a short break at the hotel and then headed over to the school to begin setting up for VBS!
                                                                                                                                                                                    

With Valerie our missionary who has been here 26 years teaching at the Sojourn Academy.

                           

Might as well pose with the cow in the hotel court yard!

Time to get started with set up!

 Blowing up the inflatables and balloons.

Working on my room- turning it into an underwater cavern! Making seaweed out of green plastic material.

  Putting my teacher skills to good use and working on a bulletin board!

  Jason and Missy inspecting the mural.

 The stage beginning to take shape!

 Pizza break for lunch!

  Yum!

 My job was to make sea anemone out of balloons!

 The stage is coming along!

After we came back to the hotel and rested a bit everyone reconvened in Melissa's and my room to make our own meal, share devotions and a time of prayer.

                                             
Our meal consisted of macaroni & cheese with a side of Spam (you only eat that food if you are desperate)... and a few vegetables and fruit we bought at the farmer's market earlier today!
                                                                                                                                                                                       
Here I am preparing an avocado ... One in the shape of a gourd! The avocados I've seen outside the United States are much larger than the small ones we see in our grocery stores!

Yum! Yum! Eat 'em up!

                                              

                                                                      Jason washing dishes!

                                 
                                            Rhonda, Margaret and Jenny P cutting out things for VBS!

                                                      

After our gourmet meal we decided to treat ourselves to dessert at the hotel restaurant. Coconut flan was my choice of dessert and it was delicious!