Here I am in the airport waiting for my flight, and this is my last chance to post from Costa Rica. What an adventure. I feel so grateful for the amazing experiences I have had in the time that I have been here. Today I got an email from a workshop participant thanking me for what we taught him. He told us that he just got a great job and that he used the techniques we taught him. He is ecstatic about his job, and it was one of the best emails I have received in a long time. It's great to find out that what you do really helps people.
Last Friday my sister Diana arrived here in CR. We have had all kinds of adventures together since then. The following Monday, Nikki and Laura, fellow interns who have been working in Puebla, Mexico, came to visit. We spent the day walking around San José, seeing the sights, and spending way too much money.
Jonathan and Ezra were nice enough to accompany us as all five of us girls shopped and talked. They are saints.
That night we had a FHE with our friends that doubled as a going away limbo party.
It was a lot of fun, and it was so good to be able to see people again. Franklin came as well, and he got to meet some of the young adults from around here, which was great.
Tuesday Allie and I taught our last workshop, which was really special. We had a couple of special education students, who really needed some extra help, but seeing their confidence increase as we worked with them made it all worthwhile. While we taught, Diana, Nikki and Laura took off to the Pacuare river rafting trip that Allie and I did awhile back, and they totally loved it. That evening, the young men from the ward came over and threw us another going away party.
We worked with them a few weeks ago on a skit from the Book of Mormon for camp, and we all really hit it off. It was so much fun to hang out with them and say goodbye.
In the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday the five girls took off to the bus stop hoping to find a bus that would take us to Quepos. We were lucky to find one that was leaving a few minutes after we arrived. The four hour ride was long and hot, but the views were breathtaking. We found a hotel (turned out to be a bit seedy, but it was VERY cheap...less than $5 per person!) that was in Manuel Antonio, right outside the national park, and we booked a canopy tour for that afternoon (huge zip lines that go through the rain forest). It was an amazing adventure. I did canopy in the park in San José, but, as they say here, "nada que ver".
The views were totally amazing, and the rush of speeding over the rain forest was unforgettable.
The next day we headed to the park, which was another absolutely incredible experience. It is all protected land, and there are miles of gorgeous beached, walks through the jungle and animals everywhere!
We had multiple run-ins with monkeys, including one where a monkey stole the bag of garbage we had, ran up a tree, and drank the remains of the three drinkable yogurts that were in there.
After Allie wrestled the bag with the real food away from him. She made off with only a few scratches that hopefully aren't enough for her to contract some serious tropical disease. We visited three beaches in one day and didn't get as sunburned as you might imagine for a day like that.
On the way back to the hotel, we walked through a torrential tropical storm, which was okay since we were already wet, but I did feel badly that Diana's copy of Harry Potter is now scarier outside than inside, with the destroyed cover and all.
We caught a bus back to San José and hit our pillows as soon as we could. Friday was dedicated to packing, cleaning and saying goodbye one last time.
We went roller skating with Jonathan, Ezra and Luís Carlos, and went to lunch with Edwin and Rodrigo and their families. It was a good day.
This morning Allie left at 4am. I went for one last stroll through San José and bought a few final items. Then I met up with the missionaries and Franklin for a last meeting before leaving. Then Diana finished up the last of the packing and Jonathan and Pamela drove us to the airport, which was so wonderful of them. And here I am.
I don't think that it has really hit me yet, but in a few short hours I will be back in Provo. Fortunately, a few short days after that, I'll be hitting up the beaches of Hawaii. Not that they are going to do anything for me after this. But it will be so good to spend time with my family and catch up on life in the USA.
Until the next adventure...
Sarah, honorary Tica.
I think we are rather good looking. :) 
About half the family saw a sea turtle. Unfortunatley I wasn't part of that half. But it was a ton of fun, and I did see plenty of tropical fish. And also got plenty sunburned. Later we headed to Waimea and jumped off a big rock into the ocean. Actually, I guarded the stuff while everyone else jumped off the rock. Turns out I have a hidden fear of jumping off rocks. And there was a crowd, so I didn't feel like standing there talking myself into actually jumping for 30 minutes. Maybe next time. 
If they have to float me back the mainland because I don't fit on the plane, I hope you'll all still be my friends. 
