VCHS Engage: COSTA RICA

Day 11--Sunday Today we have two groups flying out!! Both groups left the hotel at 2:30 AM to head to the airport, our first group arriving in Phoenix as scheduled, around 1 PM. Our second group unfortunately got delayed in Houston due to some mechanical errors, so they didn't make it back home until 7 PM. Sleeping in the Airport During the Layover Our remaining group of 6 stuck it out in Costa Rica one more day. We slept in a little then walked down the the Rodrigues' house to make a late breakfast and to play a full litany of games--psychiatrist, silent football, Egyptian War, Push, and more! After a lazy morning we headed back up to the hotel for some nap time and, since the Costa Rican National Team was now gone, the six of us had the whole hotel to ourselves! Our big activity for the day was going to the Saprissa vs Heredia Fútbol game! It was quite the experience and for many of us, it was our first fútbol game! The stadium was SO steep and not super sturdy. ...

Today we had the option of sleeping in or getting up early to go to the Farmer's market, so most slept in and a few of us trekked into the city! At the Farmer's Market we got to try a variety of fruits, some which we liked (Mananas de Agua) and some we didn't like (Booger Fruit Part II). Clearly our host Ronald, and his mom, Wendy, come here often because every booth they went to the people knew what they wanted and would actually hold onto their purchases until we walked back by! On our way home we stopped by the Church of Coronado and walked inside, some of our kids have never been inside of a catholic church before, so seeing the stations of the cross was different! The next stop was the bakery, where the family picks up fresh pastries for us daily! We also got to try some new breads and desserts that were delicious! Our small group arrived back at the farm and prepared breakfast for the rest of our kids, but we were lucky enough to have a special breakfast down at the R...

Well, we should have flown out today at 6 AM, but due to the crash in Africa, our flight was cancelled. So instead, we slept in and ate a late breakfast, hung around the house, then went into the city for some lunch and a little bit of souvenir shopping. While we were downtown doing some shopping we came across a LOT of birds in the city center and of course we couldn’t avoid them! We then came home and started The 2019 Costa Rican Ping Pong Tournament, a double elimination tournament complete with the National Anthem to kick it off! We enjoyed some pizza for dinner and played late into the night, but stay tuned for the results of the SemiFinals and Finals tomorrow! We’re still hoping to get on an earlier flight than Monday, but at this point it’s not looking promising. A huge thanks to our families for working on these details stateside and to the Rodrigues Family for hosting us and taking great care of us even though they have so many other things to be working on! On a side ...