The last week of the academic semester at the CRC...

Time flies... when you're having fun. And/or are supes busy...

Last weekend, Lindy, Trav, and Bean went to the Pacific side of the country for the second of two ecology class field trips. (And some beach time, fishing, kayaking, crocodile tour, etc.) Dinorah and I stayed here. Lots of computer time for me in the Fun Times Room, working on internships and prep for coming groups, as well as preparing for debriefing finals week for the students. We ran errands to deliver letters to host families, did shopping for the week ahead, and I even took a little down time to read Cat's Cradle and bask in the summer sun (yes, summer is coming here, amidst the seasonal wind and rain on our mountain!). This week was packed. Classes and debriefing sessions for students, prep work and more computer time, running lots of errands, getting things ready for the Fiesta de Despedida/Navidad (going away slash Christmas party for our students and host fams).

Josh and Nanda emanate rainbow, in our herb garden on campus one sunny/misty afternoon.

Sending the group off to the Pacific trip Friday morning 12-2

Luis (far right), with the help of our guard, his brother, Carlos (far left)
and Feijão of course, pose with CRC Director Lindy (middle)

There were some late night crazy shenanigans that went on at the CRC while the students were on campus this last week. Stretch pants and Cosby sweater/sweats, late-night electronic keyboard, guitar, flute, and violin jam sesh, with interpretive dancing included (imagine violin music meets Russian, country, Riverdance, ballet, and modern). SO MUCH FUN. Probably a bit embarrassing in retrospect. But quite enjoyable. Josh may or may not have some photos of this night he could use as prime bribery material! :S

It all culminated with last night's despedida. Live music (yours truly on the keyboard, Emily on the violin, Bean on guitar...), singing, JBiebs Christmas carols intermixed with the Bing and Frank classics and Charlie Brown, great food, many laughs and tears, photos and memories shared with host families, White Elephant gift exchange, and Ugly Sweater contest... photos follow:

Ta-da Ugly Christmas sweater party!
(Trav and Eme show off) 

Mamá Kuki and Bean

Eme, Nanda, and Mamá Ku with their decorated Christmas cookie mittens!
(Emily, Ticcia, and Mónica helped me make the cookies, and Josh dyed my homemade frosting!)

The students present us staff members with notes of gracias. SO sweet.

My regalo-thank you card the students gave me :)

The students singing their "gracias, gracias, gracias" canción at the fiesta de despedida.

Crazy family Christmas photos in front of our tree in the rotunda.

Emily gets a Justin Bieber toothbrush in the White Elephant gift exchange. Perf.
Trav clutches his stuffed animal (soon to be "liberated" by Dinorah, and then by Mónica).

Papá Noel Lindy during the White Elephant gift exchange.

Emily plays us a few songs on her violin.

And this morning, after dropping Emily off at the airport (our first run with four of the students was this morning at 5:30), Sara and I went to do a little Christmas shopping at a fería in Heredia, where we saw a dead body at the scene of an accident/crime. Not really sure what happened exactly, because it was roped off and there were policemen, and some aid vehicles. Tried listening in on convos of observers, since the atmosphere was so sensationalist, but didn't really get any good info. Just people gossiping about their neighbors and such, and not the happenings of the accident. We'll probably read about it in the paper, or hear it on the news tomorrow.

To lighten the mood, we got Cosechas on the way back up to campus. Today has the feeling of a nice summer's day... sun's out, school's out, and holidays are approaching with vacay ahead!

Holiday festive Christmas cosechas cups!