Finca Hopping

Hey guys, so I know it's been a while and I apologize for keeping you all waiting. I guess I haven't really written since the first few days of classes here. Since then things have kind of been getting more into routine, but there's still a lot of change going on. Waking up in the mornings has surprisingly not been too much of a problem. It helps that I'm not staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. here every night, which is pretty common for me back home. Work experience hasn't really been much experience, more just work. We spend most of the time raking, weeding, or carrying stuff. We do have a short presentation about some medicinal plant at the end of every session, and we get cookies and juice which is nice. When it was my turn to give a presentation on a plant, I chose to do Mangoes. I was very surprised to find out all the different ways that they can be used in treating ailments and even things like bad breathe. I had a whole page handwritten about it. (I have it on my computer too if you're interested.) I guess it just made me realize that much more all the ways in which God provides for us. As for my other classes, I've got a few pretty big projects to do this semester. I'm doing an experiment with rooting hormones on pineapples in which I actually have to plant about 60 of them in a field and observe them over 2 months. I'm also working on a group report about a development project taking place in Central America. In addition to that I have to research a non-traditional crop (something not native to Central America, or that is only produced on a small scale) and figure out all of the problems that would occur trying to grow and market that crop and develop a plan to fix those problems. Sounds like I'll be pretty busy.

Something that I'm really excited about though is that I will soon be working on a semester long project related to turf in place of retaking entomology. I've been in contact with a professor B.K. Singh here at the university who has a lot of interest in turf. He gave me several options for things that I could participate in dealing with things like landscaping, golf courses, bio fuels, and even planning an international conference to take place here next year. I decided however, with my limited amount of time here and my interests, that I would try to do like a mini internship with one of the golf courses in San Jose. (the city that I was in for language classes) This would consist of me going to San Jose for Saturday-Monday every weekend and working on the course and learning about the decision making processes that take place, and the unique challenges that are faced in this climate. The only thing is that I would have to have a place to stay while I'm there and won't be able to afford it unless the golf course compensates me for the cost. Dr. Singh is in the process of trying to work that out and I hope that it is a possibility. Also, I've met a student here named Oscar who is doing his thesis work on water management in turf and wants to work at a golf course after graduation. This coupled with the fact that he's a fourth your student and is getting ready to graduate as well, has given us a lot to talk about. He also works at the golf course on the weekends and seems to be a pretty cool guy who's worth getting to know, and who could help me out quite a bit.

This past week I was blessed with the opportunity to go on a 4 and a half day field trip with my nontraditional crops class. It was a lot of fun. We left Wednesday after lunch and headed out on our cross country tour of fincas (farms). We started by visiting an organic pineapple farm then heading on to a place called Nueva Luna to spend the night. Nueva Luna is an organic farm that has a wide variety of plants and is owned by an American company that imports ginger from them and makes medicinal products from it. In addition to being a farm, 8 months out of the year Nueva Luna also functions as a hotel/ resort with many hiking trails, cabins, a pool, and beautiful scenery. We were lucky enough to stay in the cabins this night where we each had our own bed and a cool night made for a very good nights sleep. The next day we woke up and spent the first part of the day planting trees that would eventually be used as forage for cows. After that we went to another part of the property and picked our lunch straight from the plants. We gathered leaves and other vegetables to make salad. Even the juice we had was made from leaves. It wasn't too bad but definitely one of the more unusual meals I'd ever eaten. That afternoon we left and headed on to EARTH's other campus in La Flour. This land used to be owned by a former president of Costa Rica and was donated to the school. There are a few buildings already on the grounds including the presidents house which is now used as sort of a main office. They are still in the process of developing the land before there will be permanent students and classes there, but right now it hosts many research projects and a bunk cabin for people visiting (like us). We were given a presentation of what the new campus was going to look like and what it's main purposes were. We also helped out in the mango orchard a little bit. (unfortunately none of the trees had fruit at the time) From there we went on toward the west coast where we stayed at this guys house who raises shrimp, mangoes, and a few other crops on his property. We arrived in the evening and were greated by a feast of freshly caught shrimp prepared a few different ways along with a bunch of other food to accompany. It was delicious and very relaxing as we sat on the front porch and looked off over the hill at the lights lining the opposite side of the gulf. That night we slept on mats on the floor and we attacked by bugs all night, but when we walked out on the porch in the morning and saw the trees and farm stretched out before us at the bottom of the hill, and the gorgeous gulf reflecting the suns early morning beams it was all worth it. We were shown a little bit of what goes into shrimp farming then went on our way once more. Our professor, Panfilo Taborra, (one of the funnest, happiest and nicest men I've ever met) treated us to dinner that night at a fairly nice restaurant where we had civiche (traditional fish soup type dish that they eat a lot of in Costa Rice) accompanied with appetizers and even some calamari. It was sooo good and totally comped by the prof. We arrived that night at the residence of another one of Professor Taborra's friends. This place had a nice swimming pool and a guest house with large front and back patios. I was one of the people that had to sleep outside on a hard wooden bench which did not lend itself to the best nights sleep, but as I woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and put on some warmer clothes I got to witness one of the best starry nights that I've seen in a while. Everyone had gone to sleep and therefore most of lights were off and the sky was as clear as could be. I hung out for just a little bit and watched it before I went back to finish the night on the bench. (Sidenote: I've decided that it's one of my goals within the next 12 months to find a clear night no moon and a place with absolutely no lights around) For our last day we headed back toward San Jose where we toured an ornamental plants production and even got to take home some flowers. I've got 2 birds of paradise flowers and some other funky looking red flowers in my room right now. As you can probably tell the trip was very eventful and the small group made it easy to get to know people a lot better. I think being surrounded by Spanish 24/7 for those days helped a lot too. I've definitely been able to see a lot of improvement but know I'm still no where near efficient enough to have a fluid conversation.

I also have a roommate now. His name is Fransisco and he's from here in Costa Rica. I moved into his room about a week and a half ago I guess, and it's been pretty good. There are a few things that I didn't have to deal with when I had my own room, but I'm glad that that change was made. He knows decent English and maybe uses it more than he needs to, but he's trying to learn too. He's super nice and helpful, and likes really loud rock music. He's also been pretty interested in talking about turf stuff (It seems like I've met more people here that are into it than I did at home).

While things are going well, I still have my hard days and am trying to find out where I fit here. I've still not found anyone who even claims to be an active Christ follower let alone a church community to be a part of here, and I'm trying to figure out what that means for me and what God wants me to do here on the campus. I'd also really like prayers to know how to really rely on God and make Him enough during those times that I feel really alone. That said, I'm really grateful for how all of you have kept in contact with me and kept me involved with what's going on in your lives as well. I'm just trying to follow God's calling for me one day at a time and trust him even if I don't what he's doing. Thanks for reading and I'll update again soon.

Address

A few people have been asking for my address so if you'd like to send me something you can send it here. Thanks.

Brian Bowe
EARTH University
4442-1000 San Jose
Costa Rica

I think it takes about 2 weeks to get here.

TMI

OK, so this week there's a lot of information and it's really long so just stick with me. I tried to organize it in a way that things won't get confusing and it's a little less story like than some previous posts. Enjoy.

Good Bye San Jose Hello Guapiles:
I finished up my last few days in Costa Rica hanging out at the language school (even though I was done with classes), spending time with new friends that I may possible never see again, and communicating with Melissa (the study abroad person here at the University) to get all the final loose ends taken care of before I left. They weren't the most exciting days of my time here but the rest was very much needed. I left on Thursday morning and shared a cab with Jocelyn. (the girl from Mizzou who is studying abroad this semester also) The trip took about an hour and a half and we were fortunate enough to have a very interesting and very nice cab driver. At one point he randomly pulls over as we're driving down the mountain and fills his water bottle up with water streaming down the face of the rock, then proceeded across the street to relieve himself. He also made a pit stop to let us buy coconuts or fruit at a local market if we wanted to. The trip wasn't cheap and ended up costing about 20,000 colones each ($40 ish). After being shown to our rooms where we were allowed to relinquish our bags we met up with Melissa and got a quick tour around the academic part of campus and were given our class schedules.

Orientation:
The next day began with breakfast at 7 followed by an orientation meeting starting at 8. Here we were able to meet the other exchange students. (8 of us in all: 3 from U.S., one from Peru, one from Switzerland, and one from the Czech Republic) We were given a rundown of the Universities rules and expectations followed by a video about the university that was, to my pleasant surprise, in English. After this we were given another tour of the academic grounds, this time by a student, and were dismissed for lunch and free time. This was nice because it gave us a chance to get to know each other a little bit. I quickly found out that I was the weakest Spanish speaker in the bunch, with all of the other having spent time growing up in or studying in a Spanish speaking country. Next we were given a tour of some of the other parts of campus. There was the medicinal plants garden, the pig farm, the cows, the lecheria (where they make milk), the water purification plant, and even a paper making factory where they make eco-safe paper from banana and coffee byproducts. The next day was simple, morning was free and the afternoon was a trip to Guapiles to purchase anything we might not already have for classes.

Campus:
This Campus is beautiful. There are plants everywhere, so I like that, and the buildings aren't to ugly them selves, and you can't beat being able to see a volcano in the distance on a clear day. The main part of campus (where the classes and dorms and such are) is pretty small. There are only 400 students which is a huge difference from the nearly 30,000 at Mizzou, but I like the change of pace. The buildings are mostly open air with large doors that can be slid open with ceiling fans running full speed when class is going on. The cafeteria is completely open and only actually has one wall while the rest of the sides are supported solely by pillars. The buildings are connected by covered walkways and the most striking feature of the campus is the raised library (there are wide walkways and meeting rooms and the school store underneath) that overlooks what can best be described as the quad, but isn't really an very usable space as it's webbed with stone walkways complimented by small bushes and in the center is a very tall tree (of which the only foliage is at the very top of the tree) surrounded by concrete and stones laid in the shape of a leaf. There's also a small store where you can buy snacks, sodas, and general hygiene items that is attached to a student building housing pool and ping pong tables, Foosball, and two TV rooms. The rest of the 3,000 acre campus is forest reserves or land for research or teaching. The professors and their families also have a section dedicated for their housing. One of my favorite places on campus is the athletic complex a little ways away from the main campus. Not a complex like the huge building at Mizzou; but a quaint section of campus with a sandlotesque baseball field, a rather nice sized swimming pool with lap lanes, a tiny room with some weights and machines, about 4 soccer fields, and a pretty nice covered basketball/5 on 5 soccer court. I also found today hidden away slightly, a cool little sanctuary with wooden pews. It is also completely open and surrounded by gorgeous tropical plants. It doesn't look like it's used much.

Classes:
So, this is the part I was dreading. My first day of classes started at 6 which meant i had to get up at 5 in order to get breakfast. (We go Monday-Saturday here and 5 of those 6 days i have something at 6 a.m. with my only slight relief coming on Tuesdays where I get to start at 7.) We bagan the 4 hour Entomology (bugs) lab everything seemed to be going fine. I think any problems I might have had were more due to nerves than not actually getting what was happening, plus the prof. would occasionally come back to my table and give me instructions in English if I had the "I'm from another country" look on my face. When we resumed the last two hours of the class at 4 I was much more collected and it went much smoother. The profe (that's what they call them here for short) even had the class come look at my grasshopper dissection cause I did so good. (Don't worry I'll try not to get a big head.) I was also able to meet a few people from class and ate dinner with them that night. One of the guys spoke really good English and kept my informed. My Tuesday class was a little more speaking intensive because it's a lecture class, but I think after a few weeks I'll be able to understand much better. All of the Profes seem really helpful and the small classes help a lot too. On Wednesdays and Saturdays we have what is called work experience. This is where we get some hands on experience. We were fortunate in that the first day didn't start until 7:25. After arriving at the meeting spot a short jaunt from the main campus, we broke into our teams and headed off to our various work locations. For the first three weeks I'll be working in the etnobotanical gardens that contains mostly medicinal plants. We were given a quick overview of the some of the plants in the garden and what they're used for. We were even told to smell or eat parts of the plant that we were talking about. (hibiscus leaves are really good, kind of acidy like a citrus fruit). After that we spent the rest of the time clearing out dead brush and leaves and basically just cleaning up the area. This was another great chance for me to interact and meet some new people. The only bad part was I ended up with two big blisters on my heels from my new rubber boots. I also found out today that there's a guy here doing turfgrass research (weird I know, who does that?), so I'm going to see if I can't figure out a way to work with him and get some experience and if so maybe even try to drop my entomology class that I've already taken back home.

Food:
Mmmmm... The food here is SOO good. We have rice and beans at every single meal but I'm getting used to it. Other than that there's usually some kind of meat (never fried), bread and salad. They also have fresh fruit, juice and milk, all of which I think come straight from the farms on campus. Needless to say I'm eating a lot healthier here than I was in the states, and with all the activities and walking I've had to do since I've been here I'm pretty sure I've lost some weight. There's also plenty of fruits and coconuts on the property that everyone just grabs at their leisure straight from the trees.

My Room:
The rooms here are simple but not too bad. I have a bed and a closet on my side of the room along with a towel rack and a ceiling fan. The room is divided by probably the biggest desk I've ever seek, which provides plenty of storage space for all my stuff. There's no air conditioning but it cools down enough at night to make it easy to sleep and it warms up early enough to make it hard to sleep in too late. The last few days I've entered my room expecting to see a new person occupying the other half of the room, but until now have been wrong. At this point I think it's safe to say that I have my own room which makes it easy to go to bed when I need to and also stay up and not disturb anyone. I was a little worried that it would effect my opportunities to speak Spanish, but with the amount of people I've been meeting and my insecurities of speaking the language slowly fading I think I'll have all the practice I want.

Que Mas:
The other day I was taking a picture of the "quad" with the library in the background and dropped my camera on the sidewalk, thus rendering it useless for the rest of my time here. I was able to get some pictures of the university before that and will post those as soon as I can find a way to get the files off my SD card. Nevertheless, the photojournalism of my trip is no more, so sorry for all of you that have been enjoying my pictures, and your welcome to those of you who felt I was rubbing it in your face with "another album" (just kidding I hope nobody really felt that way.) Also since I've been here I think I experienced my first real bout with homesickness. There were a few days that I just felt really down and didn't want to be here. That's gradually been going away as I've met people and am getting used to things here, but I'm not foolish enough to think that it won't ever pop back up again. I was told that there would be culture shock and mood changes and ups and downs while I was here, but I guess I felt like I was too strong/not emotional enough for that to actually effect me. I was wrong, and to tell the truth it sucked. I hate being presented with this great opportunity and then feeling like I'm complaining all the time, but I feel how I feel. (Thanks to anyone who let me mope to them.) Like I said though, things have turned around and today I'm super happy to be here, but I'm still trying to learn to be content in all situations and during the times when things are harder than I think I can deal with just then. I think I've also realized the blessing of having close friends near by that you can talk about lifes crap with. Without that stuff just stays in your head, there's no outlet, and it builds and pesters. Sure I have the instant messenger and skype to talk to people but I don't want to let my problems dominate the conversation (when there's always good things to talk about as well) when i may only talk to that person once or twice in that week. So, I guess I want to say sorry if I've done that to you, but also thanks for letting me. I know I've been super blessed with family and friends, which doesn't make it any easier when I miss everyone, but also gives me reason to miss everyone. I'm in Costa Rica and I'm going to try my best to be here more than just physically, but I'm glad I can be part of what's going on back home too. I just need to figure out where the balance is, and I think I'm getting there.

P.S. I have the largest feet in the country. I had to go to two stored to find boots and still settled for a pair that was slightly too small. Go ahead make your jokes.

Stress Fracture

Hard to believe it's been a month already. Spanish lessons flew by and I've kind of been using these last few days before I leave for the University to try and slow down a little bit. It's really weird the emotions that come along with an experience like this. On one hand I can't help but miss everyone back home in the states and can't wait to go home in December. On the other hand I realize that 5 months isn't a very long time and I want to be able to experience all that I can. I can honestly say i don't know what to do about it though. How do you speed up/ slow down time, especially since there are times where I want one, and times where I want the other. I know that it's better for me to not try to rush through this since it's maybe a once in a lifetime experience and since I know that that's the only way I'll get everything I can out of it. But like i said, I don't know the formula for that. All I can do is ask God to change my heart and somehow help me slow down.

So where am i at now? Well I leave for the University on the 4th (Thursday) and we have orientation the 5th and I'll get a chance to meet the other foreigners who will be there this semester. After that I don't know what will happen before classes start on the 8th. As far as my Spanish goes I'm not where I expected to be. That in no way is a reflection on my teachers or even my ability to learn the language. I've come a long way already and don't know how I could have learned more than I did. I simply had false assumptions of what learning a language entailed. I guess I just expected it to click one day, which I admit sounds really stupid. That said, I'm almost excited that I'm where I am. This is hard, and I don't do hard things very often. I think it'll mean just that much more when all is said and done. I'm also excited because seeing how far I've come already helps me to see how much more I can still learn while I'm here and that pertains to things other than the language as well. While I'm at the University I'll have a roommate from another country, not necessarily Costa Rica. I have no idea who it will be and am anxious (both in the good and bad sense of the term) to find out who I'll be sharing my life with for the next 4 months. I'm also pretty anxious about classes as they will be taught completely in Spanish using vocabulary that I'm sure I've never heard before. But hey, that just means more stuff to learn, right? :-s No matter what happens I'm sure it'll be something that changes me, and I'm sure God will use it.

In other news, I'm still waiting on loans and there fore am pretty limited on doing anything only letting myself spend money on lunches for the most part, and entertaining myself anyway I can. (I actually got bored one night and gave myself sharpie tattoos. they're actually kinda cool and I have pictures if you want to see them. Anyway I'm a huge dork.) Mostly I've been walking, walking a lot. I spent the past three days trekking around San Jose this time trying to get away from the touristy stuff and experience the real San Jose. The other day I came across a cemetery that I spent about an hour walking around and taking pictures. It was probably the prettiest day we've had since I've been here and there was an odd sense of peace that I felt walking through grounds surrounded by mostly white raised burials, most of which sported broken or painted on crosses and long since gone name plagues. I know, it all sounds kinda weird to me too. Nevertheless, i was able to keep myself busy this weekend, and now have a really sore right foot to show for it, which I can only hope isn't a stress fracture.

Yesterday (Monday) was one of highlights from my time here. My friend Anna Wagner (who's dating one of my really good friends from Rolla and whom I've hung out with on several occasions) is in Costa Rica with a program from Greenville College where she goes to school. We'd talked only briefly before I left about the possibility of meeting up and weren't sure it was going to happen. Well, we eventually figured things out and made some plans. I walked across a crowded plaza infested with at least 100 pigeons eating seed that kids were flinging this way and that, and as i approached the "Teatro Nacional" I saw her get up from her bench and come over to greet me with a hug. It was so refreshing to see familiar face, and also very surreal at the same time. We spent the day along with one of her friends from the program walking around downtown as i showed them various places I'd visited and told them stories of my adventures here. I also got to meet her host mom, a very sweet lady who works at an art gallery down town, and who refuses to speak English with us (even though I think she's fluent) in order to help with the learning process. We finished the day sitting in Wendy's after I downed a jr. bacon cheeseburger (or JBC) just talking about everything from missing people, to what we're excited about and what scares us, to false expectations, and the general roller coaster of ups and downs. We even talked about dogs for a little bit. It was nice to be able to be really honest with someone and not have to pretend like every moment is absolute excitement and bliss. It was especially nice to realize that I'm not alone in those feelings.

So, I have a day and a half left, and after getting used to things here I get to dive head first into the unknown again. I'm beginning to like that though. I don't know what kind of lessons God has planned for me still. I don't know how I'm gonna get through classes, but I'm sure it'll be something I've never experienced before. I'm not sure who my roommate will be or what kind of people I'll end up befriending. I don't know what kind of church community I'll be able to find although I'm sure that'll be quite different than what I'm used to as well. I don't know if time will slow down or if tomorrow I'll wake up and it's a week before I leave. I don't know when my loans are gonna kick in. Heck, i don't even know where my favorite green T-shirt is right now. (the Key Sport 25th anniversary one) Surprisingly though, with all this unknown I'm not worried. In some way I feel that same sense of peace that I had in the cemetery. It's good to know that stress fractures are only effecting my feet and not my spirit or my mentality. Maybe God is working on me after all.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6)

Fluttering Inspiration

As you can see, my blog has a slightly updated and improved look to it... (I got bored Friday) Let me know if it makes things hard to read or whatnot. I don't have much to report on this week as far as events go, as I spent yet another weekend in San Jose. This time I at least had some money and was able to see the city and some museums, parks, etc. In other news I begin my last four days of Spanish class this week, which will be followed by 6 free days that I plan to use traveling a little (granted my loans come in my then). Also, the girl who had been living at my house and a few other of my closer friends here left today to begin their volunteering programs, which leaves me to find more people who I will in turn be leaving soon.

While this was a comparatively ordinary week in Costa Rica there was one, seemingly insignificant event, did stick in my mind and kept coming back. As I was touring the city I stopped in at the National Museum, which I'd already visited but didn't have time to check out the "Secret Garden" (a butterfly garden situated in the middle of this old historic fort). I remember thinking as I was about halfway through the trail that I hadn't seen any butterflies. It was about then that I happened upon a contraption holding some old fruit in which a large, yet fairly unimpressive, butterfly was feeding. It was a kind of brownish gray and the only significant feature I could see was an eye stop for deterring predators. I stopped and simply watched it fill its proboscis(nerdy entomology term for the mouth thingy that it uses to eat) with the fruits contents. Once it was satisfied it took flight and as it fluttered this way and that I got to see the vibrant blue colors it had been hiding. This somewhat caught me off guard and being the dork that I am, really intrigued me. There was just something about that that wouldn't leave me alone, and i found it interesting how something that small could change my attitude from almost pessimistic to joyful. I know this is part of it's survival strategy but as it sat there and did next to nothing it blended in and was almost unnoticeable; but once it started doing something, flying and moving, you'd have to have to be blind not to notice it.

It's strange how God can use something you've seen over and over again and this time somehow use it to teach us something. I couldn't help but think there was a reason this stuck me so strongly, but what was it. As I replayed this image in my head throughout the day, it eventually associated itself with a bible verse I'd been trying to memorize. (A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35) (Tangent: this verse originally stuck out to me because of the repetition of the phrase "love one another" three times. I got the image of Jesus just being like, "pay attention this is important... I'm not just saying this for my health... no listen, you need to love one another.") Anyway, I began to try and connect the two, the image and the verse. I tried relating us as people (and particularly as Christians) to the butterfly. If we sit around and do nothing we blend in. There may be a few interesting qualities, but over all nothing special, nothing significant. In order to show what's on the inside (a life changed by knowing Christ) we have to be doing something, but what. How do show the world what we have, how do we share that, how do we open our wings in a way that catches the attention of others and is almost impossible to miss? That's when the verse comes in. Jesus tells us three times exactly how we show the world that we are his disciple, "love one another." This love is more than an emotion, it's an action. That's what evangelism is.

I get excited thinking about this with everything that's going on back home on the Mizzou campus as my friends get an amazing chance to put this into practice starting a new school year with thousands of new students (and old ones too). It helps me focus on the reason behind handing out icee pops, talking to random people in Brady Commons, and going around to dorm rooms at the risk of being awkward or thought of as a little strange. But isn't that kind of the point. There's something different about a person that loves, something that registers as not quite right or normal, something that is noticable. This makes sense because Jesus says this is how we make ourselves known. Jesus also put in the qualifier, "as I have loved you". This, I think, is the ultimate kicker. How has Jesus loved us? The short answer is that He loved us even though we didn't deserve it, and that's how we're comanded to love one another, without making people earn it or even when they've done something that deserves the oposite. Interesting what can happen by watching a butterfly for a few seconds.

A Couple Hundred Colones Short of a Dollar

It has recently occurred to me that many of you, even those very close to me, may not know exactly why I'm here. I'm writing this as much for that purpose as I am for my own benefit and clarification. As I know my explanation will contain much talk of God I fear coming off as self-righteous or, on the other hand, with an air of false humility. Neither is my intention, only to recount the story and give credit to God where it is due. Keep in mind my tendency to do what is easy and my inclination to do what is expected, the logical next step that most people take if you will. This is a story of obedience and breaking that tendency.

I transferred to the University of Missouri (Mizzou) my sophomore year and quickly became involved with a church called The Rock, comprised mostly of college students. About a month or so into the school year came the Fall Retreat. This is where we spend a couple days out in rural Mid-Missouri away from Columbia and school to spend time with our church community and focus on god with less distractions. I knew there would be an opportunity available to be baptized. This was something I’d been thinking about since I started taking my spiritual life more seriously and gave my life to Christ a few years earlier. I'd been presented with the opportunity several times each accompanied with the inner conviction to go ahead with it. I always had an excuse ready and said I'd do it next time. (How many next times do you need?) I finally decided to obey that inner voice but only at the last minute as we were about to head to the lake, and only after talking the matter over with people like my mother and a friend I'd only known a few months (who would eventually become one of my best friends and most trusted advisors.)

This small act of obedience opened the door to more of God's requests. After years of only being asked one thing, I started to feel God's urging towards other things. One of those was to go on a mission trip to Honduras, and this time without much convincing, I attended the information meeting. I was trying to trust and follow God's tug a little better. This was maybe the first off the wall out of the ordinary thing I've done and once again god proved my obedience worth while as I was blessed with an amazing, eye opening, life changing experience.

It wasn't until after we boarded the plane and were in the air on our way home that I idea came to me that I didn't quite feel was entirely my own. What could I do to help the problems and poverty I witnessed? I mean, I study grass for Peat's sake! Well, pretty convenient for me grass is a plant and my classes have given me pretty good knowledge of plants as a whole and how they work. What if I was to go to an impoverished country like Costa Rica and start a business, a farming business perhaps? (Sounds perfect in a place where any kind of high tech business would be out of place next to houses without walls much less anything else.) I could use this business to provide jobs and pay decent wages, something that's almost unheard of in certain parts of Honduras. Build relationships and use that as a basis for sharing the most valuable thing I have, a relationship with Jesus.

Well, that was a nice idea. Not really sure what to do with it, I stored it in my mental archives revisiting it and dusting it off from time to time. I went back to Honduras in January and shortly after returning, the experience still fresh in my mind, one of my classes was visited by a man talking about study abroad. He talked of Thailand, Ireland, Australia, and Costa Rica (a country the distance of only a few states from Honduras). Study Abroad? That didn't fit into my predictable plan of high school, college, job... but again came that quiet voice. If I'm ever going to do something with this idea, this may be my best/only chance to really find out what it'll take. I picked up a brochure at the Ag School's study abroad fair that outlined the 2 and 6-week summer programs. 2 or 6 weeks, that sounds comfortable enough and I could say I looked into it and made an effort no matter how feeble.

I read about the summer programs, neither of which were really what I was looking for. When I normally would have given up there, I decided to talk with the study abroad advisor and find out if either trip was worth my time or money. After telling him about the idea I'd gotten on the plane, this eyeglassed curly haired man excitedly started telling me about a place in Costa Rica called EARTH University (sounds a little corny to me). He then continued to throw out things like semester...5 months...classes in Spanish...HOLD UP! This is more than I asked for! But in his ramblings however, he mentioned EARTH's 3 main principles of entrepenuership, community development and betterment, and sustainable agriculture. The fit was a little uncanny. All 3 things lended themselves perfectly to the idea I had waiting patiently in the file cabinet of my mind.

After taking some time to think about it and talking it over with several people, I decided that it was obvious what I needed to do, no matter how crazy or difficult it sounded. I'd be taking 4 months of classes in Spanish when my previous experience consisted of a few years of mediocrely taught Spanish from ages ago in high school that I had no problem letting slip my mind once finished with a test. After all, I was never going to need it again. Nevertheless, I decided to trust God once again and obey.

So that brings us to where I am now, a 1 month Spanish crash course, still scared of the task ahead of me, still dealing with leaving the security of friends and community back home, still trying to figure out how to depend on God fully. I don't want to make this sound like Hell, however. This is a blessed opportunity that few get to experience and that many covet. I get to be immersed in a new culture and learn a new language, even if the process sucks and is hard sometime. God has given me the opportunity to see some of his most beautiful creations from paradise-like beaches, to towering waterfalls, tropical rainforests, and the powerful awe inspiring fireworks of active volcanoes. Being a nature lover and feeling God's presence most convincingly through that creation, I could not ask for more.

As to what God's ultimate purpose behind me being here is, I can only speculate at this point. What I can do though, is to try to be fully where God has me at this season in my life, and continue to trust and obey him the best I can, no matter where that takes me.

Prayer Closet- Mathew 6:6

After meeting at the mall, a large group of us headed to Castro's; a latin dance club/bar. We arrived to discover a cover charge of 2000 colones that hadn't been required on my previous visit. (I supose it was because Dia de los madres was the following day and people had the next day of and the night to party.) This unexpected fee sapped abou 2/3 of my funds and with the prospect of paying for a taxi ahead of me I had to abstain from purchasing anything. The night was not a loss, however, as making a fool of myself on the dance floor came complimentary with the cover charge. I took a taxi home along with two other people who live near me. I was the first to get dropped of and so gave all the money I had left to the others, saving just enough for a bus ride to school in the morning.

I don't have class on Friday, but since some people do I planned on spending the day at the school working on some personal things like registering for classes at the university. My other reason for going was to get my ATM card that I had chacked into the school's safe as to not have it stolen. I used the day off to sleep in a bit and after breakfast, a shower, and a little reading was on my way. I arrived at school around 11:30 and started getting a little worried as I rounded the corner to see no cars in the parkinglot and no smiling security guard at the entrance. Having previously assumed that school would continue regardless of the holiday, I approached the door anyway. I rang the bell and hoped for something, anything, knowing I had only 15 colones (about 3 cents), not even enough for a bus ride home. My spirits lifted as the janitor answered the door, but soon faded as it became clear that he could not get into the safe. Still, he let me in to show me that my things were secure and wished me bueno suerte (good luck) as I left. Without any other option I began the trek home on, fortunately, the only day it hasn't rained since I've been here. My plans of seeing the city all weekend had been shot. I couldn't even get to the city, much less pay entrance fees to museums and such.

I can to Costa rica with the expectation of having to rely on God more than I was used to. I'd be in a new place without the friends and community i have at home. Even normal activities would be harder simply because of the language I barely knew. I was reading my devotionals, my bible, and even a little in books about prayer and grace; but I was not, I realized, relying on God. When i was lonely I'd turn to the technology of the internet and the interaction with old friends via the phenomenon that is Facebook, and when I was bored I'd go to a movie or a bar with people from school. Finally, I was at a point where I couldn't turn to those things. It was just me, God, the few books I had, and my closet of a room; even if only for a few days.

I conceided to my circumstances knowing there was nothing I could do, save waiting for Catalina to come home and borrow me some dinero. I began reading through my book about prayer that I was about half way through already. I paused from the book occasionaly to look at memory verses I'd been neglecting, or just to talk with God (my only company for most of the weekend). Eventually I was able to find Catalina and she so generously shared with me her money she'd received only days before. (Her original stash had been stolen a week ago.) I went with her and some others to a bar Friday night, downtown for lunch and a speed tour through the free national museum Saturday, and a short trip to the mall on Sunday. This only comprised a small segment of my weekend though. The rest was spent in my room. I wasn't even able to buy lunch except for the one Catalina paid for and had to use up my rations of oreos and plantain chips, since we're only provided breakfast and dinner.

By the end of the weekend, after getting over my initial disapointment and inevitable boredom, I came to apreciate the time. I still welcomed the breaks to the city but realized I was getting some much need rest in the presence of God that I couldn't help but feel like he had a hand in engineering. I nearly finished the book, only 2 of 22 chapters left. I eventually began to view my tiny closet of a room affectionately as my prayer closet. there I can be in solitude with god; reading, talking, or just sitting in silence. I simply spent time with and hung out with God; which, when you think about it, is all prayer really is. I mean how else do you build a relationship?

There were also some very interesting by products of this weekend. The frequency that I was reading the book opened up the continuation of a God talk Catalina and I had the first night we met. "What can somebody possibly say about prayer for 300+ pages?" (not an exact quote) And prayer was only the beginning of that conversation. I also had a lot of time to think, and for obvious reasons thought about money. Such power it has over us. It amazes me how much money (or lack there of) affects what we do and what we focus on. 20 bucks would have completely changed the events and focus of my weekend. It has the power, great power, to control us. Now, i'm not saying money is a bad thing, but I can see a little more clearly now why Jesus warned so harshly against the love of it.