Calling this home

This past few days have been wonderful professionally and personally.  The Hubs and I spent Monday and Tuesday in the capitol because of meeting I had with my boss and few other PCVs.

The meeting itself was extremely insightful and encouraging.  It provided clarity for my work with Peace Corps as well as my work with my counterpart (To ensure sustainability, all PCVs work with a counterpart).  It got me excited to for the upcoming year and a boost to finish this year.  Great things are going to be happening for PCCR TEFL.

It is a big deal when I wear my bangs down now.  

After the meeting, the Hubs and I spent the rest of our time soaking in the capitol and enjoying the pieces of the States that it offers.  The Hubs surprised me with dinner at Chili's!  Now while we lived in the States, Chili's was not my top choice for date night but when I am living in a foreign country my opinion changes.  Chili's was PERFECT.  It offered me cheese dip and a chicken wrap.  Foods I have been craving for a long time.

I waited a long time for a butterfly to land on my finger.
I am patient now.  :)

The next day, the Hubs took me to the National Museum.  Where we enjoyed the butterfly garden, indigenous art, and a peek in Costa Rica's colonial past.

The Hubs has good taste.  

The beautiful mountains surrounding the capitol.  

On the 4 1/2 hour bus ride home I did a lot of thinking.  One was that I was glad to go home.  Home is now Santa Cruz, wow!  I was ready to go home.  Home is where a person invests their time and energy.  And that is Santa Cruz for me.
Being a PCV means uncertainty and instability of knowing your place and purpose in your community.  While that is still the case for me, I feel comfortable with the Host Fam, have a strong desire to work alongside my teachers, and love to laugh with the women in the office.
Second was that I was ready to hit the ground running with my goals.  I can't wait to start my women's exercise group with my co-workers, visit my teachers in the surround area, and begin my conversation club.  While there are inevitably frustrating moments (like today) I am enjoying my life here.

See?

I am better at taking the illusion photos.  

I am writing this as a reminder for myself.  Accepting this life was harder than I thought.  Coming to this realization was long time coming.  I am committed this part of my life.  This is my personal journal that I am willing to share.  This means while the Hubs and I will visit the States, we welcome anyone to come experience our life here is Costa Rica with us.  Whether that is by visiting us, Skyping us, snail mailing us, or Facebooking us do it.  We also want to hear from you.  We are working hard to stay connected to our forever friends.  If we are failing on our end, reach out to us.