Thanksgiving brings a change of season

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Hello friends and strangers!

Thanksgiving has passed, but not bringing some great memories. We threw a party for both Ticos and Gringos at the Angel Valley Farm Bed and Breakfast. About 30 people showed up in a pot-luck style dinner. It was interesting to see Costa Ricans reacting to the food we eat in the States. The running joke of the party was how I made way too many potatoes. I actually spent the previous evening sweating as I peeled and sliced dozens of eventually wasted taters. I actually added way too much butter as well. But, what can you do, right? I was really happy to see many of the friends that I've made since moving here 16 months ago show up. I even had a visitor from France who I had met about 3 years ago come by. French is a beautiful language that I would like to pick up someday. I actually studied it for 5 years but do not remember a thing. I never had interest in that type of thing until the last couple of years.

My favorite thing about this time of year is the change of season from "rainy" to "dry." Usually in late November there is only about 30 minutes of rain a day, so the grass is still really green yet the sun is always shinning. As the months progress, yes the weather is incredible, but the scenery gets a little more brown. However, as it happened last year, I did pick up a cold. I actually have a pretty weak immune system and usually get sick much more frequently than most. This climate is actually really good for me since I don't have to deal with snow anymore. However, I will be heading to New York to see my family for Christmas time. I can almost assure you I will come back with something.

Speaking of New York, I saw that the Yankees have signed Alex Rodriguez again. While I am very excited, it sure is frustrating to see how money controls the sport. There really is no loyalty to team anymore. It's getting over the top. He will make around 350 million dollars over the next ten years. But, this comes at the expense of higher ticket prices, leaving many young fans in the dark. Baseball is a great way to keep kids off the street and engaged in something positive. It's sad that many inner city kids will never be able to attend a baseball game in their childhood.

I hope you will check out our updated website: www.CRCommunities.com. We put a lot of thought and effort into it. I definitely encourage you to use the chat feature. We are already getting a lot more hits and emails from people from all over. Our Pacific Hills project has been a truly rewarding experience. I've learned a lot and made some great friends along the way. Seeing everything come together has been surreal. The roads are finished. To think that at one point you could barely walk on the land, now you can rollerblade through it. In celebration for this feat, we wanted to give something to the community. We decided to give a computer to the elementary school. The principal there told us that they had never had one, and desperately needed a better way of teaching their students. While we realize this is a small gesture to us, it will go a long way from them. We are also donating a classroom to the third national school of art and music. This part of the business is definitely what makes it all worth while.

For the next three weeks we are going to be very busy with clients. All of this work has not given me as much time as I would like to focus on my Spanish. While I have improved drastically, I am slowing down a lot. I am hoping over the holiday season I will be able to spend more time concentrating on the books! Especially after seeing my French friend, I realized how much I wanted to master Spanish so I could get on to the next language! Those Europeans are incredible!

I hope you enjoy the photos!

Until next time,

Preston

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Photos

Thanksgiving
Eating at the B&B

Thanksgiving2
Everyone else eating!

Hanging Bridges
I hate heights!

Ant Eaters
On the way to Arenal