Back in the USSA
Friday the 21st was our last day in Heredia. I went to class in the morning while Chris took the coffee plantation tour. Everyone at IPED was in a last day of school mood, and we did more talking, laughing and hugging goodbye than learning Spanish.
Chris and I spent a rainy afternoon walking around town, under our umbrellas and getting our feet wet, returning loaned items and dropping off gifts. I couldn't believe I was actually leaving.
At our Costa Rican home, we told all the kids goodbye, exchanged email addresses, and did even more hugging. Maria and I promised each other we would see each other again, and we both had to break away and fuss around with suitcases, keys and kids in order not to start crying.
The night before, Maria had fixed a big dinner, and we had our last evening at home. We had her whole family, plus a niece, Chris, and John, our housemate. We sat around the dinner table and talked. In Spanish, of course.
After several rounds of picture taking, the bus arrived . Onec again, Luis drove us safely to our destination, which was the San Jose Marriott, thanks to one of the kids' dad.
The hotel was a world class beauty. The big tub of hot water, the huge fluffy towels and the king size bed with all the downy pilows, seemed like diving right into an overly rich dessert; fun while you're doing it, but too much too fast can leave you feeling a little queasy. The luxuries we take for granted and really, deep down, believe are necessities, can seem pretty indulgent after a month with no hot water.
In the morning, we had to tip the bellman extra to come for all the girls' luggage. They had stayed in one room, and the bellman even waded in to the hurricane of towels and tossed about bed sheets to make sure they hadn't left anything behind. They usually did. But after looking under the beds and behind the doors, they determined that everything was somewhere on the two piled high luggage carts.
The San Jose airport was busy, but orderly, the Dallas airport was big and shiny and new and that's where we said our brief goodbyes to our group.
Chris and I went on to LA where it was crowded and at full roar at midnight. After waiting forever for a shuttle to take us to the car, we drove south on the 405 and encountered a huge traffic jam.
After waiting for about 20 minutes, we jumped the curb and exited, winding around the city streets. It was 1:15 am.
We got home about 2:00. Kitty had waited up for us.
Sunday morning I woke up and realized I had been dreaming in Spanish. Chris said I had a smile on my face. Well.......yeah.
Chris and I spent a rainy afternoon walking around town, under our umbrellas and getting our feet wet, returning loaned items and dropping off gifts. I couldn't believe I was actually leaving.
At our Costa Rican home, we told all the kids goodbye, exchanged email addresses, and did even more hugging. Maria and I promised each other we would see each other again, and we both had to break away and fuss around with suitcases, keys and kids in order not to start crying.
The night before, Maria had fixed a big dinner, and we had our last evening at home. We had her whole family, plus a niece, Chris, and John, our housemate. We sat around the dinner table and talked. In Spanish, of course.
After several rounds of picture taking, the bus arrived . Onec again, Luis drove us safely to our destination, which was the San Jose Marriott, thanks to one of the kids' dad.
The hotel was a world class beauty. The big tub of hot water, the huge fluffy towels and the king size bed with all the downy pilows, seemed like diving right into an overly rich dessert; fun while you're doing it, but too much too fast can leave you feeling a little queasy. The luxuries we take for granted and really, deep down, believe are necessities, can seem pretty indulgent after a month with no hot water.
In the morning, we had to tip the bellman extra to come for all the girls' luggage. They had stayed in one room, and the bellman even waded in to the hurricane of towels and tossed about bed sheets to make sure they hadn't left anything behind. They usually did. But after looking under the beds and behind the doors, they determined that everything was somewhere on the two piled high luggage carts.
The San Jose airport was busy, but orderly, the Dallas airport was big and shiny and new and that's where we said our brief goodbyes to our group.
Chris and I went on to LA where it was crowded and at full roar at midnight. After waiting forever for a shuttle to take us to the car, we drove south on the 405 and encountered a huge traffic jam.
After waiting for about 20 minutes, we jumped the curb and exited, winding around the city streets. It was 1:15 am.
We got home about 2:00. Kitty had waited up for us.
Sunday morning I woke up and realized I had been dreaming in Spanish. Chris said I had a smile on my face. Well.......yeah.
posted by Karen | 9:17 PM
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