MOM AND DAD ARE HERE!!!
Today's the day! The Nelsons asked for a later check-out time from the hotel so that Hannah and her older sister could come with me this afternoon to pick up my parents. I was definitely having a hard time sitting still while we were eating breakfast and packing up our things to check out. It was finally time to get on the shuttle, and we were headed to the airport once again.
They got through the terminal about half an hour after we got there, and I only cried a little when I hugged them. We thanked Hannah and Emily for coming with me and for having me at the hotel, told them to have fun on their long weekend together, and my parents and I headed for the bus to Heredia. Luck was in our favor, and the bus was at the stop and there was a short line of people letting us know where it was headed. We hopped aboard and were on our way.
We got to Mama Tica's house, and she and Mati were waiting for us to arrive. She hugged them hello while Mati ran around our feet. We were all welcomed inside, and my parents were able to put their luggage down before a short tour of Mama Tica's house. Since it was still relatively early afternoon, we headed for Central Heredia so I could show my parents some of the things that I've seen here: the old market, a beautiful church, the house of the first president of Costa Rica, and one of the fortresses used to hold the weapons of Costa Rica's army when they still had one here.
When we got back to the house, Mama Tica was just finishing up dinner, so we sat down at the table to eat. Even with a language barrier, I loved every second of the time we all had together. My mom knows a bit of Spanish from her students, but my Dad doesn't know much more than hola and grácias. So it was time to put my translating skills to the test. Mama Tica knows quite a bit of English, but she prefers to use Spanish. Overall, I think we did really well! My parents and I headed into the apartment to regroup for tomorrow morning's trip to Manuel Antonio, and shortly after, turned in for the night. This is Pura Vida indeed. <3