Adios JTerm!

Well, a few hours ago we loaded up the majority of our Jan Term freshmen into a bus and sent them off to the airport. In another hour we'll send the last few of them off as well. There were (and probably still will be) smiles, hugs, tears, and waves goodbye as they drove away.

Saying goodbye to this group has been so much more difficult than I expected it would be. Because of the length of this term and the intensity of the course, students spent the majority of these 3 weeks living on campus. Now, the last couple of years I haven't really missed living in a dorm; I actually have vivid memories of being pretty sick of living in a dorm my junior year, but for 3 weeks it has been a blast! Actually having people around all the time to chat, laugh, sing and joke around with has been a nice treat up here on our sometimes lonely mountain.

A few highlights from this term:
-the witty comics Rose created depicting the funniest moments, not to mention alter egos, of the term
-Bus rides that made for great group bonding time....oh so many bus rides.
-Practicing archery and taking part in a traditional Maleku (indigenous Costa Rican) ceremony.
-Catching a glimpse of Rio Celeste - it really is celeste!
-Watching our campus turning into what felt like the typical Whitworth campus - since the sun was finally out, students went out en mass to play frisbee, swim in the lakes, and just generally disfrutar the sol.
-A visit from Beck Taylor and Michael LeRoy.
-Playing Curses with Beck Taylor and almost all the students at once. I don't think I will ever again see a University President taking the time to interact with students in this capacity.
-Freestylin! (as in jamming - thank you Lara) On buses, in the rotunda - good times! Or as Rose would say "That sh*t is cash!" (Asterisk included for my more sensitive readers).
-Community! ("Buenos Dias Children")
-Watching students swim in the lakes. (I know, this was already kind of mentioned, but it really was funny. I personally stay away from the water in the lakes at all costs - unless there is a raft or something).
-Elbow licking (I felt that Jonathan!)
-And all other general shenanigans which shall not be mentioned here. (You know, what happens in Costa Rica stays in Costa Rica).

But seriously, these last 3 weeks have been such a blessing. Even though it was probably the busiest 3 weeks we've had yet (I know, every post says that) - constantly planning the next activity, running a hotel/dorm, organizing primetime-ish evenings, orienting, debriefing, grocery shopping, and doing just anything else that needed to be done - this has been the happiest 3 weeks for me here. Last fall I felt so stressed so constantly that I wasn't able to enjoy the students and our location to the fullest. But now that we have Lara (a 3rd volunteer), and now that the sun is shining a little more, life is great.

Thank you so much to my 31 freshmen, Rick Hornor, Josh & Mandy Orozco and their boys for being so wonderful! Students, I was constantly impressed by your maturity, flexibility, helpfulness, and general love and care for those around you. You will be sorely missed!