where do i begin! saturday i went with my two friends, meghan and christina, on a cruise around the nicoya peninsula. we got on a bus at 6am in san jose, had a number of different pick up locations and a breakfast stop and by 10am we were boarding a 70 ft catamaran in puntarenas. the boat cruised for an hour and a half to tortuga island and it was there we spent the day on the beach, swimming, snorkeling and soaking up the sun. within an hour of arriving on the island, the staff transformed the picnic area into a 5 star dining location, where they served us a really nice 4 course lunch. we then cruised back to puntarenas in the afternoon and watch the sunset on our backs...truly a beautiful sight and a really fun and relaxing day!

70 ft catamaran that we spent the day on
the setup on the beach for our lunch
meghan, christina, and i on the boat
puntarenas sunset

sunday is a special day around here....very family oriented with many of the shops closed and most people not having work. so it took me a trip downtown, rather than a walk around the corner, to find some medicine for the head cold i've been fighting with the past few days. it was kind of nice to hang out at home with my host family though, as both parents and both daughters were around to spend the day with one another. we had soda, chips and ice cream with our lunch yesterday---3 things that i had not yet been offered in our house until yesterday! such little things but things that i notice, none the less :)

i am currently reading the book "three cups of tea" that my good friend meghan gave to me as a christmas gift. for those that are unfamiliar with the book, it is about a man, greg mortenson, that travels to pakistan and works to build schools. he comes to realize in their country, they drink three cups of tea to do business: the first you are a stranger, the second you become a friend, and the third you become a family. today i was reading in a local park and something really stood out to me and i thought was very appropriate for what i am currently doing....

"that day, haji ali taught me the most important lesson i've ever learned in my life," mortenson says. "we americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. we're the country of thirty-minute power lunches and two-minute football drills. our leaders thought their 'shock and awe' campaign could end the war in iraq before it even started. haji ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. he taught me that i had more to learn from the people i work with than i could ever hope to teach them."