There's a Chill in the Air...

Please don't laugh, but there really is a chill in the air in San Jose right now! The last few days the weather has really taken a turn. After the torrential downpour of last week (and consequent landslides and flooding), the temperature has dropped and the wind has started to blow. In fact the wind was blowing so hard the other night it actually woke me up! Now, I know many of you will laugh at me when I say this but at night the temperature is going below 20. Yes, it's true. That may still seem tropical but it's a damp coolness that chills you right through. I actually put my feather duvet on my bed last night, since concrete walls and a lack of a furnace can make for a chilly night. My Tico hosts say that over the next month it's going to get quite cold, some nights getting down to 14 degrees. This makes for an interesting season here in San Jose...I went shopping at the mall a few weeks ago and we went into 'Zara'...I was shocked to find wool pea coats, winter jackets and vests, toques, mittens, scarves, and boots....I left these things behind in Canada for a reason!!! My phonics teacher was knitting herself a scarf last week, and my pastor told me at church on Sunday that I was 'brave' to come without a jacket on! When you think about Costa Rica, you often think about sunshine and beaches...but there is another side to this country that I had no idea about! Sadly (yes, sadly) I'm going to be missing out on snowmen and skating this winter...but a bright spot is that for a few days at least, I get to wear sweaters!

You may have heard of the difficulties here in C.R. last week. If not, here is an article...and here is a link to a blog of some fellow Canadian students here in Costa Rica who helped this past weekend with some clean-up. It wasn't too long ago that their own house was flooded and they were forced to move. please continue to keep Costa Rica in your prayers, especially those who are recovering from losing their homes and loved ones.