Ok, so now we're in Turrialba which is where my professor, Paula lived for 10 yrs, her husband is from, and where her daughter was born. It's apparently one of the more traditional towns in the country and we can definitely see that. It's like going from the secluded wilderness of Monteverde & the San Luis Valley where campus to a bustling city. The ride over here was about 6 1/2 hours including stops. Additionally, we had to travel over 2 mountain ranges and now find ourselves nestled next to a volcano. The place we're staying at looks more like a hostel than a hotel, but it's a long ways away from the bug filled homes with cold water that we are used to. So hot water, here I come!
It was kinda bittersweet to leave my homestay this morning. They came and picked us up in the middle of breakfast and I didn't quite get a chance to finish my (hot) chocolate. The family that we stayed with are the type of people who are happiest with life's simplest things. For example, last night, I gave my Papa Tico (Costa Rican father) a UGA water bottle that made his night. He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and expressed how grateful he was to have something like that for his long days working. Up in that altitude it's easy to become dehydrated especially when you're doing such laborious work as William. He told me that I was very intelligent and that I would go far and life and that he had appreciated the time that we spent together in his household. Additionally, he also felt as if we (Lauren & I) were a good influence on his children as well. I didn't have all the words to say back to him, but I shared some kind words as well. At the end of the week, I see that it wasn't so bad.
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