Meeting the Parents

Last night my parents arrived in Costa Rica! It was great to be able to share a little bit of my life here with them. We toured the Whitworth campus, and they rented a dorm room to stay in for the night. I was surprised to hear that my parents couldn't sleep through the standard nightly rain, wind, and thunder storm; I didn't even notice it, which must mean I'm becoming more of a Tican. In the morning I have to admit I spent more than my fair share of time washing my hands in the warm water at the campus (a welcome change from the freezing water in my host house)-- it was paradise!

In the morning we enjoyed the lavish Whitworth spread of cereal before heading off to meet my host family for lunch. Unfortunately Hilda was in Mexico and unable to join us, but Manuel cooked and served us the meal even without her there! He is a phenomenal cook, which is a unique trait for a man in Costa Rica. He told me that he had a lot of siblings growing up, so he had to learn how to cook and clean in order to help out his parents. It is lucky for me that he did because I am now reaping the benefits! We enjoyed Costa Rican lasagna (which surprisingly included hot dogs), salad, refried beans and rice, and juice of a local fruit. After lunch we enjoyed a post-lunch snack of cookies, cheese, crackers, and coffee. The best part was how authentic to my experience the lunch was; Manuel didn't try to cook North American food or anything different, so my parents were able to enjoy the buffet that I eat every day, for every meal! 

We had a great conversation during lunch and our post-lunch snack. Manuel invited our English-speaking neighbors to join us which I was very thankful for because it took the pressure off of me being the translator. We shared many laughs over their vicious dog, Peter (who actually bit a student on the way inside who was gutsy enough to try to reach down and try to pet him). Manuel explained that he likes Peter to hate humans so that Hilda will be protected when he is not home. To make Peter meaner, he explained, he feeds him dead scorpions on a regular basis. Solid plan.

After our post-lunch snack we played a few rounds of foosball, which Manuel loves. He is an unrealistically good player, but strategically I put my mom on his team to even out the talent, and my host sister Mila and I were able to take advantage of the weak link and emerge victorious! While we were playing, my dad attempted to play with Peter, which was a bad idea. Peter's attempt to kill him resulted into his tooth getting caught in my dad's shoe, which created an awkward situation for the little monster as he tried to get it out. All in all, I would say that a day where Peter only bites two people with no casualties is a good day.

 It was great to spend time with my two families together. Manuel singlehandedly made a meal for 11 people, and yet seemed as happy and lighthearted as ever. Pura vida!

**Coming soon: a picture of my family with my host family**