lists > paragraphs

Things I miss (from home):
- pancakes! mom's pancakes in particular, made from freshly ground barley flour, whole wheat flour, coconut flour, nuts, etc. yum.
- dad's homemade yogurt
- cardigans
- freely wearing havaianas. costa ricans are serious about their shoes...old navy/havaiana flip flops just don't cut it
- not being yelled/whistled at on the street
- clean-ish air...i breathe in quite a lot of exhaust during the day
- autonomy
- driving
- Persian food
- knowing my way around
- knowing lots of people around campus
- feeling academically confident (aka. not having to read 16th century literature in spanish)
- friends and family

Things I will miss (from Costa Rica)
- the Baha'i community
- public transportation
- exploring
- speaking Spanish
- the enthusiasm of my professors
- the weather
- the view from my balcony
- pops
- coconuts
- study abroad students
- walking/ being outside
- higher level of spontaneity
- friendliness
- social/ family cohesion in the culture
- having all my meals made for me and my laundry washed for me
- mangos
- the beach



Today is the second day of the fast :) Yesterday my 4:00- 6:30 class was cancelled which was really nice because sunset is right in the middle, which will be hard next week. Thankfully, I was able to just hang out at home and be sadly unproductive. Today's been a bit more difficult because I had to walk more, but there's less than four hours left before sunset, so it shouldn't be bad. My host parents have sweetly been sincerely trying to understand more about the fast, which is nice. Essentially, we don't eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. In Heredia, that's from around 5:50 am to 5:45 pm, but really the focus of the fast is more spiritual than physical. Here is a quotation about the perspective of fasting in the Baha'i Faith:

"It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul."




Ah, I love that (quote..and picture).

Ok, I better go start my homework! Peace.