On Sunday afternoon, I arrived here in San Jose, Costa Rica with my new community and the FrancicCorps directors, Friar Rick and Jordan. Our travel day was smooth and we were greeted very warmly by two friars, Jorge and Tono, and Yammi, who we've been told will be our "superwoman" this year. They took us to our new house which they had made sure was clean, stocked with staples for breakfast and lunch, and filled with gorgeous fresh flowers. After lunch at the friary at St. Francis College (which is right across the street), we had time to unpack and get settled in our beautiful new home. Coming soon is the a little video tour of the casa that Molly, Amanda, and I put together to show the Syracuse FrancisCorps volunteers our new digs! Fair warning: it's more than a little shaky so I hope you don't get too motion sick! Also, it's in two parts.
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| Our first night in our new home! |
Before we left Syracuse, we spent Friday visiting the volunteers work sites. It was really neat to see where they will all be working for the year. Rebecca, Kaitlyn, and Cari work with after-school programs in different neighborhoods, Luke (the solo FrancisCorps man!) is at a food pantry, Gina works at a L'Arche community, and Julianne works in Refugee Resttlement through Catholic Chartities. They were all adjusting to their new jobs really well and gave great tours.
That evening, we surprised them with dessert in the spirit of St. Francis, thanks to Nicole's patience and creative cake decorating:
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| From left: Molly, Amanda, Nicole, Me, and Margie |
After dinner, we went to the NY State Fair! I had heard a lot about this extravaganza and was sure to check out some of the staples like Dinosaur BBQ and wine slushies! We had a great time walking around to all the different exhibits (like butter and cheese sculptures, all kinds of farm animals, and endless rides and games) and of course, some stellar people-watching.
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| 9/11 Memorial Sand Sculpture...incredible |
Can't wait to hear about your first day of work!
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