Its been forever!

Well, its about time I had time to get back on and update! I am going to be putting some pictures up on my facebook soon hopefully as well so make sure to check that!

So, it looks like I havent written anything since November! So, so much has happened. first of all, my name has been changed. Nobody calls me Christina really. I am either something pronounced like "KREEES" or called Tiny (Teeney). And every once in a while I am called Tina. But never Christina. hahah thats ok though.

 Nobody really lives in the Quebrada anymore because of the flod. (The pictures on my last blog showing the huge landslide, that area has barely any houses anymore, as well as blow the landslide.) All the people that lived there were given a little rent money and told to go find a new house. So, we have been doing alot of moving. One of the ladies that is closest to us has already moved 3 times!

I got to go back home to Maine over Christmas for a week which was really really nice. I didn't relize really until I was getting ready to go how much I missed everyone at home. As awful as that is, we are THAT busy.

We are now hosting our second team from the States. The first (that came the beginning of Jauary) was from Grand Rapids, Michigan. And we now have a  team from Gahana, Ohio. With the Michigan team we went to Nosara (about a 2.5 hour drive) to stay for 4 days becuase we know some people there that are starting a Vineyard there. (The first step of their church plant is getting together for surfing and then doing worship on the beach, how cool is that?) With this Ohio team we are building a yellow house as well as doing a VBS-type program. It is going awesome so far.

Julie is really really good at this blog thing, so make sure to check out her blog alot. She has an aweosme sense of humor so its really funny, as well as there are alot of pictures. It is called My Life In Tupperware. And Steve, well hes as bad as I am at this blog thing. :)

I think Ive found that I like working with the teenagers here the most. We have youth group every Friday night which I look forward to all week. I absolutely love it. Alot of the boys that we hang out with the most are really on fire for God. I love them! For a reason really no one can figure out, there seems to be no teenage girls 'plugging in' to the chruch or any of the things we do. I really really hope that I can help bring down that wall while I am here. I have become friends with 3 teenagers I see alot and so we text alot (thank You, God for cell phones..haha) and chat alot so I pray that that is the beginning.

If I get back into blogging regurlary, I would love to write about some things about this culture that absolutely amaze me! I feel like Ive learned more about every subject in life in the last 3 months then in the 17.5 years before that. I would have to say that one thing I like most about the culture is the typical music. I love it! And it keeps up alot of the people that come at night, but not me. I like it alot.
-One thing about the culture that makes me hurt inside the way alot of the men treat woman. Cheating on their ladies seems to be a regular, not-a-big-deal thing. They can be in a relationship and still be cat-calling ladies on the streets and making comments that shouldnt be said outloud out in public. And for some reason, I feel like the woman seem to be willing to fight (even physically) over a man instead of the other way wround. What ever happened to these fairytale stories of the men fighting for a womans love and protecting her at all costs? I dont know. I guess its hard to explain.
-One thing about the culture here that amazes me, it is not necessarily good nor bad is their use of cell phones! We could be in the middle of intense prayer and be casting out demons and suddenly you will here, "ello? si! como esta?" It irks the older generation no end. But I look at it as letting someone else somewhere join in on the fun!
-Another thing that I like is all the "whooping" they do. I could be giving a 7 year old boy a hug and people will start hooping and hollering. hahaha I think it is so much fun.

So, to end, a few simple tips for if you ever come down. What NOT to do, speaking from expierence.
-If a huge coakroach comes flying at you during a quiet and tranquil bible study, dont jump up and yell. Ticos in said bible study will never let you live it down.
-If you absolutely cannot talk Spanish, please dont go out trying to invite people out ot events by yourself. Everything that Ticos think of Gringos (anyone from the states) is at stake. Please. This tip is not spoken from my expierence, but there was a certain Gringa here that went through the streets yelling, "Donde los ninos?" (where the kids?) "hot-o dog-os!" (hot dogs, which they call Peros Calientes), "No pesos!" (she was trying to get the point accross that we had free hot dogs for the kids, that you didnt have to pay. Well, they use pesos in Mexico! Not in Costa Rica!)
- Careful where you step in 2 places: on "Calle de Kaka" (litterally 'poop street'), and when you are at a festival where there are cows. lots and lots of cows.