Rain is not good for Internet...

Because of the rain, the internet here has been pretty spotty. So here's the latest update and I hope it gets posted today! On Wednesday, we helped out with an after school program called CREAR. We were driven to El Torito about 3 km from Samara. There, we met the kids (about 12 of them) who ranged in age from 2-10. We had a relay race with balloons, played games like 1,2,3, STOP! (like Red Light, Green Light), Capture the Flag, and Tiburones (like Sharks and Guppies). Afterwards, some helped to cut up fruit for a mini fruit salad for everyone and then half of us left to go play some soccer! The plan was for half the group to go and start playing and for the other half to come in the second trip. Unfortunately, we in the first group got to the entrance and saw that it was so muddy we would have to walk up. Our driver turned around so that he could go pick up the rest of the group and got stuck in the mud! Some of the strong guys in the group tried to help push him out but it was too stuck. So we went up to play soccer while he waited for a car to come help him. The second group did get there eventually but could only play for about 20 minutes :( After a sweaty day, that cold shower felt great! Speaking of weather, it has been decent. With all the rain we've been having it hasn't been as hot as it could be. It's really sticky with lots of mosquitos and sometimes the rain makes things tricky (like having a bonfire) but I think we've been fairly lucky to not have it rain hard while we are at activities. Thursday was an easy morning since we didn't have cooking and dancing class until 10. The kids (and chaperones) needed this slow day! Even with the extra sleep, they were still pretty tired but seemed to enjoy salsa dancing class and cooking class where they made empanadas. After lunch, we had class, then supper with families, and then came back to school to watch a movie. We got to eat popcorn and drink some juice as we watched our movie. Finally - Friday! Since our school has classes both in the afternoon and morning, on Fridays it's different because everyone needs to be done by noon. The teachers are double booked with cultural classes and tests. While one group takes a test, the other group has class and then switch. I'm happy to report that all the students passed and we had a mini graduation service for them at noon. They were given their certificates and had to make a tiny speech :) After graduation, we went to eat before our hike. We hiked up a mountain and then down to a hidden beach full of rocks, lots of waves, hermit crabs, and a hidden waterfall. It was hard work, but worth it! After supper with families (and showers!) we went to a local restaurant on the beach and got virgin cocktails as we listened to some live music (classic rock from the US). During his break, we were able to put our dance lessons to use and danced some salsa on the tiny dance floor. We even inspired 2 couples from Holland to dance with us! It was so cute to see most of the students on the dance floor cheering on and interacting with them :) We didn't stay super late because of their curfew and because the next morning some would have to get up early for zip lining! Today, we got to go zip lining on 8 cables and 2 rappels. It was an amazing tour that lasted about 3 hours. Thankfully for the first group it didn't rain too hard and even though it downpoured on the second group, it wasn't terrible since we were in the trees. It was wet and muddy, but gorgeous with all the trees and plants and streams that we got to cross. We even had one where we could see the ocean and little island that we had kayaked to earlier in the week. Our guides were fantastic and it was exhilarating flying through the trees. After zip lining we had the afternoon free to shop and enjoy our last day. Unfortunately, it has been raining on and off all day. We had planned to have a bonfire tonight (which had gotten postponed from Tuesday) but with so much uncertainty about the rain, we decided to cancel it and rest up and pack for our early departure tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we leave Samara. We are sad to leave the generous and easy-going people who live here. Their phrase "pura vida" (literally pure life - but is used for everything!) is a perfect motto for the town. Tomorrow we head to a town near the base of Arenal, a dormant volcano. We will get to hike and swim near a waterfall and then go to a resort that has hot springs heated by the volcano. I'm not sure when I'll get to post again - it may be when we are back!