Chile! Tomate! Aguacate!

Oh how much I enjoy a Saturday with nothing that I am obligated to do!  And praise Jesus, this morning my body actually let me sleep in until 9, which is not very common.  I will take it!  Something that I enjoy doing when I have a precious free Saturday like today is go to the feria, or the farmer's market, to buy produce for Cailah and me to enjoy.  But a trip to the feria is so much more than just purchasing produce, and I thought I'd highlight some of the reasons why I love going to the feria:

• It is only a 10-minute walk from my home, and on breezy mornings like this one, it is a great way to get out and take in the beauty of the day.
• The feria is a wonderful cultural experience where I get to practice my Spanish with strangers and continue to reinforce my knowledge of the names for common and more exotic fruits and vegetables.
• I get called "mi reina" (my queen), "machita" (light haired/blond girl) and on occasion, "princessa" (princess) by the men and women selling their produce.  Normally I do not really appreciate these names said to me, but I don't mind it when I'm talking to a fruit vendor for some reason.  It's better than "muchacha" (young lady), which just sounds so formal. :)
• I will typically see a neighbor or a fellow gym attender when I go, and this morning was no exception when I saw the sweet lawyer who is a friend of mine.  He also is probably only five feet tall, so it always makes me smile a bit to stand next to him and chat.
• I get a lot for my money!  Below is a picture of what I bought for 5 mil (about $10)

  

  I'm pretty sure I'm the only one shopping with Disneyland bags...

  
  

  

  YUMMY!!

  • And perhaps my favorite reason to go to the feria, really, my excuse for going, is to buy a homemade tortilla de queso (cheese tortilla).  They are SOOOOO good.  I'd almost make the twenty minute round trip walk just to get one. :)

    

    When I pair it with avocado, natilla (sour cream type condiment popular here), fresh mango, and coffee, I am just as happy as a clam.

  
  
  
  
  The feria is very much a part of the local culture, and for that reason I try to go when I can.  It is fun to see little old ladies with their little shopping carts that they drag behind them, and to see children helping their parents with their purchases.  You can also buy goldfish for pets, blankets, freshly squeezed fruit juice, and a whole assortment of cheese and meats.  Too bad I'm limited to my two Disneyland bags and what I can carry for the ten minute walk back. 

  

  The inside of the feria in Por Venir, Desamparados

We are family

Family, by definition, is the people with whom you share a blood relation.  I am so fortunate and blessed to have been born into a wonderful, silly, and God loving family.  The Frantz family is my biggest support system for my living and working in Costa Rica, although I know they miss me a lot.  And I miss them everyday as well.  I got to spend last week with my family and friends in California, and it was a wonderful time that made leaving again quite bittersweet.  My sweet niece Kate will be nine months older by the time I see her again, which means she will be running around and babbling to everyone.  Thankfully, there is this great invention called the Internet that makes communicating with each other in real time quite easy.  

But lately I have been learning about other families that I am a part of that I was NOT born in to.  This past month I had a situation that I needed help from one of my co-workers for, and knew that he had gone out of his way, above and beyond, to be of help to me.  I thanked him profusely at the time and then also later on when I sent him a text to thank him again.  He told me that "we are your family here, Tara" and "con mucho gusto."  That really hit me hard, knowing that my friends on my staff think of me in that way and have my back when I need it.   

Going to both Nicaragua and Guatemala last month and spending time with the Students International staff there was also confirming that I'm part of a bigger family of people who love the Lord and are interesting in serving and working with communities in Latin America and also with students from the States.  Although we live in different cultures, have different ministry sites, and speak with different Spanish slang and phrases, it was so refreshing and encouraging to my heart to get to see a bit of what SI looks like there.

I think the Lord knew what He was doing when He created family.


 

Our wonderful hosts in Guatemala and the SI directors there

Some of my favorite kids, children of co-workers Diego and Cindy

My SI Costa Rica staff and dear friends

All the Frantz ladies celebrating Spring birthdays together last week!