Turbulence

On a regular basis since arriving in Costa Rica, we try to check in with the kids to see how they are feeling and experiencing all the change in their lives.  Kevin shared one night that it is completely normal to one day feel excited to be in a new place and the next day, seemingly out of the blue, to be frustrated, discouraged, or sad.  Seth had been quietly listening and then he shared, "I think being in a new culture is like feeling turbulence on a plane.  You are going along just fine and then, boom, you feel it!  It's kind of scary and exciting at the same time."

Seth's Granadilla taste test

     

            Looks like...

·       Stalagmites

·       Covered with sunflower seeds

·       An orange with a stem

·       A pile of frog eggs

          Smells like...

·       Sweet but sour

·       The seeds sit in a skinny pouch

       Feels like...

·       Soft but crunchy

·       Smooth

·       Hard

·       Slimy crunchiness

    Tastes like...

·       Sweet and sour

    Sounds like...

·       eating a cracker

·       crunching sound when you bite into the seeds

·       cracking a rock

The adventure at the Pacific

Me and my family went to the beach.  The sand got just on your feet.  The water was hot.  I liked the rip tides.  There was a speedboat.  They asked if you wanted a ride.  I saw a monkey.  I saw a iguana.  I like playing in the water.  I like playing in the sand.  It was a long drive to the beach.  There was a dance group. 

Poem

I have a pretty grand hand

To dig in the sand

There were people getting a ride behind a boat

They sure didn't need a coat

I saw a sick fish

Who had a wish

The wish was not to be a sick fish

I saw a monkey in a tree

It sure wasn't a bee
-Seth Wilson

Life Learning Lab: Rip Currents

          I felt the water rushing toward the sea.  I held onto Joel's life jacket tightly, for fear that he would float away.  What were we in?

          We were in a rip current.  A rip current can occur wherever there are breaking waves.  A breaking wave appears when it hits something like a sandbar or pier.  It then breaks and pushes toward the shore.  More breakers push the water parallel to the shore.  When the water finds a break between the sandbar or pier, it rushes out, carrying anything in it's way with it.  Soon, it splits up, at the 'head' of the rip. 

          It is important to know how to get out of a rip, and most people try to get out of it by swimming directly against it.  This doesn't work, so make sure you know how to really do it: To get out of a rip, wait until you get to the 'head' of the rip, and then swim a few strokes at a right angle to the current.  Most rips aren't very wide, so getting out should be easy.

          Unfortunately, many people don't know how to get out of a rip, so US rips are responsible for 46 deaths annually.  To help reduce that number, here's how to identify a rip:

·       It is almost always a darker, more murky color then the water around it

·       You can usually see a gap between the breaking waves

·       It can be more foamy then the water around it

I hope you can find this information useful!

This information was collected from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_current

-Kyle Wilson

Facts About my Two Dogs

I have a big dog and her name is Chloe and the little dog is named Tucker.  Tucker needs a cone.  They are very fun.  I like how Chloe loves to play fetch.  Tucker slept with Kyle for a little bit.  Chloe eats her food before you can say sgadl.  They both bark at dogs.  Tucker sometimes chases Chloe off the porch. 

 

-Seth Wilson

It's Quite Different Here in Costa Rica - Food

First, let me tell you about the food.  There are a few different foods that don't grow in the U.S. that you can get at the farmers market here.  For example, there's one fruit called guanabana, and it's REALLY sweet!  You have to watch out for the seeds, though.  There are tons of them!  Did you ever think coconuts were filled with milk?  They're not!  At a market, there is almost always a coconut stand.  They open up the coconut with a machete and stick a straw in.  Some people really like them, but I don't.

                                             Joel drinking coconut water

                                            Guanabana

                                                   Mamón Chino

-Kyle Wilson

It's Quite Different Here in Costa Rica - Driving and Parking

Here's a notice about driving and parking in Costa Rica: it's terrible.  Almost all of the roads are two lanes total, not each way (even in the city).  All day, it's bumper to bumper traffic.  And parking...  What a mess!  We drive a big Sequoia, and it's practically a truck.  Most people drive only small cars around here.  That means the parking spots are smaller.  Dad had to make about twenty turns before he got into the spot.  There was one turn when he was literally two inches from the car next to us.  Another complication is how all the roads in Costa Rica are twisty-turny.  Maybe you haven't noticed, but most of the roads in the U. S. are mostly strait, on a grid.  In Costa Rica, you have a place in mind, (or be very directionally gifted) or it's very hard to find your way around.  It is probably also caused by there being no road signs or addresses.

-Kyle Wilson

It's Quite Different Here In Costa Rica - City Park

Dad heard about this city park near our house.  He expected it to be just a small field, packed with people playing futbol, or soccer. It turned out to be a HUGE park with barbecue grills, outdoor swimming pools, trails, playgrounds, and much, much more.  Just don't go on Sunday.  It's very busy!
-Kyle Wilson

It's quite different here in Costa Rica - Weather

The weather around here is very different.  The sun seems to always rise at 5:30 am and seems to always set at 5:30 pm.  The rainy season lasts from mid August to mid November.  During that time it almost always rains from 2:00-dark.  We are done with breakfast by 7:15 am and are done with dinner by 6:00 pm!  We have a back porch, and at least a meal a day, we eat out there.  In the mornings, it's so clear that you can see the mountains, which are several miles away.  The temperature is at least 75 F in the day, but it cools down at night.  That's weather in Costa Rica for you!

-Kyle Wilson