We only stayed in Armenia for one night because there was a parade we had heard of and it sounded very interesting. The parade was 4 hours long, with plenty of jeeps that had as many things in the back as posible. There was a section of fruit, furniture, and rice. Some jeeps even had little villages on them. 
It was so heavy the jeeps were only on two wheels. There were also dancers and bands. There were people dressed up like queens on top of cars and people in animal costumes. There were people dressed like birds on stilts. We watched the parade from our hotel because we were staying on the same street.
Author: Leane
Week 1 Medellin- by Amelie
We arrived in Medellin Colombia almost a month after we left Vancouver, we arrived on the 21. 
We got settled into our homestay, went to blink our Spanish school for the week and went for a walk around our neighbourhood with the oner of blink, Christian. On Saturday, we went to parque explora the science centre it was lots of fun we saw some very venomous snakes, some fish and did some science stuff. On Sunday, we went for a very interesting gondola ride. We started at the metro, took it to the gondola, and took the gondola over a little neighbourhood, it was beautiful. We got out at a place called Parque Arvi, we went for a walk around and tried some very interesting foods like a bright orange thing that I did not really like. We tried a marshmallow food that I loved. A lot of empanadas. And a coffee caramel pudding that I also enjoyed. 
The next day was our first day of school and we had a teacher named Olga. We just learned things you would have in a house. Our homework was fun but hard. We drew our dream house on a piece of paper, then at school we made mini people and played in the houses with them but the hole thing had to be in Spanish. On Wednesday we learned new things and we went over the things we had done in the last couple days. The next day we learned how to say different jobs and did another little game. On Friday we made dresses out of paper. 
We went for a weekend trip to Guatape and I loved that it was super fun we went for a lot of walks, climbed a huge rock with 659 stairs and went to com fama the water park on a lake.
We were only going to stay in Medellin for a week but we loved it so we stayed for two weeks!!!
My favourite things about Costa Rica- by Elise
I really like the monkeys especially the hawler monkeys. I really like the different types of birds. My favourite bird is the toucan.
Wen I went to the first day of school I was really nervous but I really enjoyed it.
I made new friends and we even had sum play dates with Australian friends.
We ate similar food to Vancouver food like bins and rice fish and chicken. Sum new things we tried is ceviche and refried bins and plantains.
We went zip lining and lots of walks in the rain forest.
We went boogie boarding in the big waves. Way bigger then Vancouver.
Life in Samara- Leane
I am of mixed emotions as our final days in Costa Rica wind down. We are already discussing our return and have sniffed about the real estate listings on a couple of occasions. There is a tennis center nearby. I can see us as Costa Rica snowbirds.
Samara has been the perfect start to our trip, offering a quiet oasis for all of us to find our groove living in close quarters and being away from many of the comforts of home. I am tempted to dig out the Word Press tutorials for instructions on how to change the blog to oneyearinsamara.com. We are comfortable here- we walk down the street and wave to the fruit vendor, the taxi driver, and our teachers. Besides our ‘pelo rubias’ and ‘poco Español’, we feel like local Ticos ; ) We have made mistakes in the process of becoming comfortable in Costa Rica (leaving our bank card in the ATM, drowning a phone in the rainforest, bringing the girls to the wrong school on their first day, to name a few) and I am a little anxious at the idea of starting over again already. However, I guess that is what this year is all about- making connections and getting to know a little about life in many places around the world. Steve is excited to continue on…perhaps he feels he has saturated Instagram with photos and stories of this beautiful, quiet town.
Speaking of Steve, I am enjoying my new husband. He is a little hairier but he is very relaxed, he goes for runs and bike rides with me and he does yoga. This new version even COOKS. I’m keeping this one
Our trip out to Playa Ostonial wildlife reserve was certainly a highlight. The girls have summarized this experience in their posts, it was one that none of us will forget. Seeing so many Olive-Ridley turtles come to the beach to lay their eggs in the volcanic sand during the peak time of the year (the week before the new moon in the rainy season) was truly a natural miracle.
We survived our adventure at Wingnuts, the local zip line company. It was a throwback to our adrenaline junkie days. The girls loved every minute of it. Abseiling upside down off a platform is uncomfortable in your forties and exhilarating if you are under 12. However, sailing through the canopy on the zip lines with monkeys in the trees and flashes of coastline in the distance is quite spectacular at any age.
Learning Spanish is a great challenge. Steve and I have enjoyed our two weeks at Intercultura Language School. Besides the daily language classes, we tried the yoga classes (I could make out the names of a few body parts and very little else) and had an opportunity to practice our new skills with a group of local grade seven boys, who were learning English. We continue with our spanglish over dinner with the girls in the evening. Between the five of us, I hope we have gathered enough words to make ourselves somewhat understood in the coming weeks/months. The girls are picking it up quickly. Steve and I…well, we are trying.
The girls have loved their school experience at Samara Pacific- a small, private bilingual Spanish/English school. To our surprise/delight, they have even expressed interest in finding another school experience in our travels! Every day, they arrive home with plans to meet friends down at the beach for a swim or boogie board. Tomorrow, they will participate in the running of the torch in celebration of Independence Day. A lantern parade and festivities will be held in the main street at night. Unfortunately, the national huelga (strike) is limiting the extent of the celebrations this year as Ticos are opposing the increased taxes imposed by their new government, and the local celebrations are usually headed by the public schools. Fingers crossed that it does not interfere with our flight out of San Jose on Tuesday morning…
First Week in Samara- By Amelie
We arrived in Samara on the 1st of September. Eugenio dropped us off at a restaurant and we said goodbye. After we had finished eating, we went for a walk along the beach then we headed to our lodge. The next day, we had a relaxing day at home and went exploring through Samara. On the 3rd of September we had a little math lesson and my dad and I went for a bike ride, that afternoon we went to see the turtles that Anna has blogged about. 
The next day was our first day of school, my sisters and I were quite nervous but mostly excited. We woke up super early that morning because school started at 7:45 so once we were ready for school we started walking, on that walk we saw howler monkeys on a telephone wire and an iguana.
We finally arrived at the school that my mom had said was our school but no one was there so we kept walking. After walking for about five more minutes we came across a teacher from our real school ( which we still didn’t no where it was ) and she started laughing when we told her we were trying to walk to school because apparently it was 2 miles away. My mom ran to Pali the grocery store and asked for a taxi but ended up getting an old man in a very old car with a broken steering wheel.
The school in Samara was very different from the school in Vancouver, the school in Samara is different because it only has three classes and goes up to sixth grade only. Grade five grade four and six are together, grade three and grade one are together and grade two is by itself. There are only three teachers and a principle. There are a couple subjects like Spanish, French, English, math, natural resources and science. I don’t understand Spanish very much. I like English because we are reading a good book called wonder. I haven’t had French yet. In math we are learning long division which I haven’t learnt yet. In natural resources they are making eco bricks ( which is non recyclable products packed into a bottled and transformed into bricks ). In science we are learning about planets. You bring your own snacks and if you would like you can buy lunch from the school which we do. On the first day three people introduced them selfs and now Anna is friends with two of them. I am friends with another girl, and so is Elise.
Friday was a pro-D day so we went ZIP LINING !!!!!! It was so fun, that afternoon we went boogie boarding in the ocean and the ocean was naturally warm so I also loved that!!!
Rainforest to Beaches- Costa Rica
First blog post, take two!
Post number one drowned in the Costa Rican rainforest along with my Iphone. Enough about that, other than to say it was an early (and pricey) lesson on saving passwords and the importance of being able to access content on more than one device.
We arrived yesterday afternoon in the little town of Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula, our home for the next 17 days. Surrounded by wildlife, our little villa is equipped with a pool, zipline and hammocks… a perfect setting to clear the webs between our toes and catch up on some much needed laundry.
Six days in the rainforest/volcano region guided by our new friend, Eugenio, was a fabulous start to the trip. Eugenio is a biologist- incredibly passionate about birds, plants, and preserving and sustaining the environment. His lessons were rich and I was pleasantly surprised at how he managed to keep the girls interested and engaged, even on day 5 of hiking in the rain! Surely, I can tick “Science grades 2,5,and 6” off the to do list. Butterflies, toucans, monkeys (Howlers, Spider, and White faced) were highlights. Contrary to Steve’s fake news story on Instagram, I have been extremely adventurous and even held the Golden Orb spider for at least 3 seconds.
Best last minute buy for the trip so far are the raincoats, credit to Steve. My plan was to chase the sun for a year- raincoats were not on my list (nor did I have room for them in my carry on suitcase!). One of the biggest storms of the year in Arenal arrived in the midst of our hike up the volcano- the trails became rivers, it was difficult to see through the streams of rain flowing down our faces. The girls were troopers and managed to see the humorous/adventurous side of the experience. I discovered that I don’t really mind tropical rain, it is very different and much more pleasant when it’s not cold (and gray and drizzly for 6 months nonstop).
The food is fabulous. Amee would tell you it’s “different but not bad”. Anna is enjoying it and willing to try everything. The two of us got up early one morning for a cooking class at our lodge and helped the cooks prepare breakfast for the guests. Anna mastered the Tostada and replicated it beautifully for our dinner tonight. Elise…well, she is trying everything, only somewhat reluctantly, and being a good sport. 
I do miss Starbucks and my afternoon Tim Horton coffee (with an occasional timbit on the side) but have enjoyed some great coffees here despite the fact that their brewing technique appears as though they are pouring water through an old sock.
Blog post one, take one, would have reported that my children have all embraced traveling without any difficulties and they love one another at all times. Take two allowed enough time for everyone to finally realize today that this is not entirely the case. We woke up in this beautiful haven to the sound of Howler monkeys playing in the trees, and I couldn’t wait to spend the day relaxing, reading, playing in the pool and exploring the town that will be our home for this next leg of the journey. Late nights, early mornings, and exhausting days caught up with all three girls. Anna and Amee realized how much they will miss their friends. I think we knew this would happen early on in the trip and that we would need to work through the “togetherness” of this year. There will be some trial and error in figuring this out, but the girls were able to identify that they do like some structure and planning in our days, as well as protected “free time” that does not involve outings or educational experiences.
The next week will see the girls start 2 weeks at the local school here in Samara, in the hopes of learning some Spanish and meeting some new friends. Steve and I will also seek out some Spanish lessons, to date we have been slowly making our way through the Babbel Spanish App (which really does not approve of my Spanish accent). We are looking forward to a few beach runs, long coffee dates, reading in the hammocks, and more trip planning while the girls are at school.
I think Amee plans to document our coming week in Samara…more posts to come! Steve is posting most days on Instagram @puddy_steve. Thank you for all the messages and emails, it is so nice to stay connected to our families and friends from home!!
The Countdown is ON!
I found this in my inbox today from our new friend/biologist/guide, Eugenio. Clearly, he knew I needed a little motivation to continue this long, tedious job of sorting and packing up our lives.
It did the trick…35 days until the big day!
One Family, One World, One Year 