A Taste of Home

I've been living in San Jose, Costa Rica for one month now.  It's insane how fast that month has gone.  So, one month down, 11 to go...not that I'm counting down or anything.  (Really, I'm not counting.)  It's been an adjustment living in San Jose.  Things are just different here.  Different cultural norms and language.  Both will take some getting used to. And just as I get comfortable with them, I'll be off to Ecuador.  
One of the adjustments has been to city life because I'm a country girl.  I've lived on a farm my whole life, with the exception of college.  I love the country - so peaceful and quiet, not a lot of traffic, wide open spaces, clean air, huge skies full of stars....really, I could go on.  Now, this country girl is living in a city.  There's noise, vehicles everywhere (they're crazy drivers here), exhaust, houses are tight up against each other, with the exception of parks, there's not a lot of grass or trees.  Pardon me, I do have a small back yard that does have grass and trees.

I admit, I probably should count my blessing for having a backyard, not many people have them here.  But it feels cramped and is enclosed and just doesn't seem the same as back home.   

So, how does a country girl survive in the city?  Rely on the beauty of God and stare at the mountains every single day as I walk to school.

Without views like these, I honestly believe, I'd go mad.  God knew by putting me here in San Jose, I needed some views of nature.  I do miss the mountains of Pennsylvania (especially now, since it's autumn back home.), but the mountains here outdo the mountains back home.  

Even though I do get to see the mountains every single day, I still miss the wide open fields.  Yesterday I took a trip with some of the students at school to La Paz Waterfall Gardens.  I was excited to get away for the day, but I had no idea what was in store for me.....a taste of home.

As we drove out of San Jose, we ended up driving into another city - buildings, traffic, noise, blah.  BUT then we entered the breathtaking countryside.  As we drove there were miles of mountains, fields, grass, flowers, and trees everywhere!!  I could feel myself relaxing and my heart was glad.  I didn't realize how much I missed the country until I saw it!!

This is just a glimpse, a tease really, of what I saw.  Sigh.  I could live here.  I relished the views and tried to drink it in as much as possible, because the reality was it was only for the day.  I was in awe of this gift from God and felt that He went above and beyond to give me a taste of home.