Day 2

Day 2 has been wonderful, but first, a note on our accommodations. We are staying in the town's "resort", as it's called. When we first heard this, we laughed, as it's not much more than a four room shack. As we've settled in and seen the town, we realized that we truly were in a resort, as we have a bathroom (!), running water (!), air conditioning (!!), and locks on the doors. What was first a joke quickly turned into the realization that we are so lucky, and we don't know what we would have done without all of these luxuries. One of the town children came into one of our rooms today, and was amazed that it was so "frio" (cold). He had probably never experienced AC before, and it's been something that we've been taking for granted.







After we wrote last night's post, we hurried over to the town's private soccer field. The field is rarely used, as the owner charges $20 american for each hour. Most of the town's kids have never even dreamed of playing on this field, so you can imagine their excitement when we told them we were buying an hour, and challenging them to a game of soccer. As the game began, a torrential Costa Rican downpour started again, and only heightened the excitement on the field. Every single person playing or watching the game had a gigantic smile on their face (just look at the group picture!) and we were all having the time of our lives. The Costa Rican kids ranged in age from 9-17, but they're no taller than the average American 11 year old. The kids were phenomenal at soccer and really gave our boys a run for their money. Luckily, the Scots pulled it out in the end and won by 1 point! The final score didn't matter, as both sides were cheering each other on and giving high fives after each goal. Another match is planned for tonight, and the news has spread throughout the town. The excitement is palpable around here today and a few older kids want in also. (Our hunch is that the older kids will cream us tonight, but we'll keep you posted...) Cassie, our Peace Corps volunteer, works closely with these children. After the game, she remarked that she had never seen these kids smile or giggle so much. Not only did the kids have the time of their lives, but so did our boys, and they all agreed that last night's game was one of the most amazing things they've done in a long time.




This morning, we started building our court? (Well, kind of...) We thought it would be concrete ready today. As we arrived at the site, we were surprised to see huge piles of dirt and rocks where there should have been a flat, smooth surface. Our boys jumped right in with shovels, and spent most of the day distributing the dirt, breaking rocks, and prepping the ground for concrete. Even the leaders didn't expect to work as hard as we did today, and everyone was more than exhausted by the end of the afternoon. The town is so excited for this court, and many members of the community have come out to help - and many kids! Most of the kids worked barefoot all day, and took breaks throughout the afternoon to play soccer in the mud field nearby.



The boys have been working hard, and are excited to finally start working on the court tomorrow. (Everything operates on "tico" time around here, so we'll see!)



The town's kids are amazed at how tall our boys are, and wanted to measure them during lunch. Here's how Keith stacked up...



Jessie, one of the kids, wanted to be measured next, to see how he compared. Keith and Jessie are roughly the same age! Look at that height difference!





Our kids have been great with the local kids, and have taken the time to play and speak Spanish and English with them.



Our boys have won their way into the hearts of these kids, and they have quite the following in town. Here is one of the typical groups that follows us around. (In fact, this group is swarming Sara and Amber as they type this right now! If only our Spanish was better...)

Finally, our boys are doing really well. No sicknesses to report, injuries, or other problems. We're drinking plenty of water, enjoying the local food, and getting as much sleep as possible. It's been a wonderful experience so far, and we can't wait for our journey to continue!