Howdy y’all. Today was awesome, just like any other day on this trip. I’m at the San Luis site and today was our very last day with the community due to the long drive we have to take. WE wouldn’t get back in time to leave if we drove out tomorrow. I don’t really know what I should write about, considering the number of things that have happened throughout my day. I’ll give you the not so short version, which would make that the long version. So, be prepared to read a lot of stuff.
So, if you don’t know, we wake up at five thirty every morning. Despite what my mother may believe, I actually manage to wake up early. We went to mass at six, getting our Jesus on early. Rice and beans are everything here. We’ve literally had it for every single meal while we’ve been here, including breakfast. I cannot complain one bit. It’s super good, but I’m really craving a burger right now. Anyways, that was breakfast again today. Then, we headed out to our site, which is way up in the mountains. Our view is amazing and I could not stop taking pictures. I took over 200 pictures today (you’re welcome parents) and my camera even ran out of battery by the end of the day. Once we got to the site, which is a community center and church, the place was strangely empty. We went down to the soccer field, which is sunken into the ground to play with a few of the kids that were there. Pretty soon, we were called to take a tour to see how coffee was made, along with the plants it grows on. We even tried coffee at the end. After our tour, most of the community had gathered for mass. Since their chapel is being worked on, we had it in the storage room that accompanies the church. Father Philip said mass in Spanish, which was very entertaining. Afterwards, the community gathered for a massive soccer game. By this time, a massive cloud had rolled in (remember the mountains) and covered the field. There was also a light drizzle. As a soccer player, this was literally a dream come true. No joke. For real. We organized into teams and played for as long as we could. I found out that Cat and Brother Francis are really good at soccer and they scored most of the goals for our team. Mrs. Evans, Mrs. Donnelly, and Mallory held it down on defense. Our team won 4-3. It was so much fun. After the game, we had to say goodbye. It was heartbreaking for all of us. I gave my cross to mi amigo, Kenneth, who was very quiet, but was also fun and easy to talk to. He understands my gringo Spanish perfectly, which is amazing. He and I hugged for a few minutes and we talked for a bit. I almost cried. No shame though. It was just that hard to leave. The connections all of us have made here, with fellow students and the Costa Rican people, are just so hard to break. The hardest thing to do is to say goodbye. For us, that not only meant that our time at San Luis was ending, but so was our time together. Our group has grown so close, despite the fact that we’ve only been here for ten days.
I DON’T WANT TO LEAVE
- Ethan
P.S: Mom, if you’re reading this, could you do my laundry please? I want clean clothes 😄
