Pura Vida, Pumas, and Living in the Mist

Whenever you move somewhere new, you have the incredible opportunity to experience strange and novel things.  This past weekend was the region's first-ever strawberry festival and ADE hosted a dessert-making competition, an eating competition, and a "strawberry war" (think paintball with rotten strawberries as ammunition) to raise money for the school.  It was really cool to see so many people from the community making food, selling trinkets, and having a great time.  The people here have rough, unglamorous lives, but still manage to celebrate living in the moment, express gratitude for all they have, and share themselves fully with others -- an attitude known in Costa Rica as "pura vida."

Green

I couldn't have come to a place more different than London.  Everything I see around me is the green and brown of nature..instead of the gray of cement and black of smoke and pavement and lights and lights and lights.  When I looked outside my window last night, everything was black; sky melted into earth until lightening burst forth every few minutes.  Everything smells different...fresh air, mingled with the smell of the old wood of the house, mixed with dog, and cow pastures, and mold from the ever-hanging mist.  No more cars and greasy Chinese food and cigarette smoke.  Church is different - loud, emotional, overflowing; not quiet, meditative.  The food is different..rice, beans, soup, tortillas, eggs, strawberries...in place of dark chocolate and crepes and sandwiches.