Thanksgiving Abroad

Living in another country means that you may miss out on some holiday events that are specific to where you are from. But, with Mom and Dad in town, I was determined to have Thanksgiving in Costa Rica!

First we had to find a turkey in San Jose....Have no fear, Price Smart (our Sam's club equivalent) had them for the gringos! One giant 16 pound frozen turkey? Yes, please!

Have you ever wondered how much will fit in a Costa Rican mini stove? Luckily, one large turkey fits perfectly. Whew! It was close!

Mom was a little under the weather on Thursday, but we managed to pull off a full meal with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, dressing, cranberry sauce, rolls, and gravy! And let me tell you - this was not an easy feat! We had to hunt down ingredients, get creative with some, and work in a not-so-well stocked kitchen to make this happen.

My colleagues from my office came for lunch along with my friend Casey (the one from Gaston County.) Everyone visited and enjoyed the food. (Or, so they tell me.)

Overall, I would call it a Thanksgiving success! I'm so thankful for being able to share this day with my family and friends here in Costa Rica.

More to come about the adventures of Ma and Pa Featherstone in Costa Rica!



<3,
Amber

La Gripe

I have arrived safely back to my home away from home in Costa Rica. The trip was long, but no real bumps along the way. Everything was just as I left it in my apartment and all of my luggage arrived with me. So, all in all, I call it a success.

Unfortunately, the US left me with a parting gift - la gripe (pronounced gree pay)!! In Spanish, la gripe means "the flu." I like their word for it better; it seems more menacing or threatening somehow. So for now, la gripe has me confined to the house. I cannot let it go on too long as Ma and Pa Featherstone arrive in just a week!!

That's all for now.

<3,
Amber

Mocking the Moth

I am thoroughly enjoying my time back in NC this week. I have had the chance to catch up with some of my trusty blog followers and have loved getting feedback and requests. I love sharing my stories with you, but sometimes the silence from your end can be a bit deafening. (Hint! Hint! Leave comments!)

Many of my followers have had a good laugh over my giant moth visitor. I do realize that the photo does not do it justice, but I promise it was GIANT!!!

This week, my company is having their annual meeting and my colleagues from all over the world are in town. I had a very rousing dinner the other night with my colleagues from England, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. They had me recount the moth story and all had a good laugh about how it was just a measly moth that could not have been frightening in any way. One of my colleagues compared my moth story to a big fish story - where each time it is retold the fish (or moth in this case) gets larger and larger. By the end of dinner the table created their own giant moth model for a good laugh. I think the plates were supposed to be it's giant wings...

I love that my stories make good dinner fodder. Glad I could bring some laughs!

More to come next week from what is now hopefully a sunnier and less rainy Costa Rica!

<3,
Amber

Attack of the Giant Moth!

The title of this post sounds like a B-Horror Movie. It very well could be one. And if it is not, it should be!

Anyways, sometime this morning in the wee hours I wandered to my kitchen for some water. As I passed my guest bedroom I could hear flapping and see the shadow of something quite large in the room. Fearing for my life, I closed the door to the bedroom and tried desperately to forget whatever it was that awaited me in the morning.

Well, Monday mornings are tough enough. Who needs to deal with a flapping bird monster on a Monday morning?? So, I left the door closed all day hoping that whatever was in there would just disappear somehow. Alas, I was not so lucky.

When I returned home, I mustered up all of my courage and carefully opened the bedroom door. There was no flapping...That's a good sign right? I walked in and closed the door behind me and turned on the light. Still nothing. I scanned the ceiling...nothing. I thought to myself "YES! It DID disappear." Silly girl...

As I turned to leave I saw it. It is quite possibly the world's largest moth, just chilling in the corner of the ceiling. It scared the bejeezus out of me!! So, I did what any strong independent girl would do...I screamed and ran and shut the door behind me!

Meet the intruder...

Now, I realize that this photo looks nothing like a big ol' donkey sized giant moth. But trust me, it is HUGE! I mean, It's got a bigger wingspan than most birds. This is not the "beat it with a magazine" type of moth. I don't even think a dictionary would phase it. Not to mention the possible mess involved....

So what the heck do I do now? Leave it locked in there to die or find it's way back out of the window? I am certainly NOT going to try to swat it with a broom - it will attack me for sure! So, unless someone comes up with a good idea...the intruder stays until it just disappears. (Wishful thinking?)

All moth exterminating ideas are welcome. In the meantime, I leave for NC in 5 days! I think I'll just ignore it. If it is still there when I return, I guess I have to name it or something.

See you soon NC!
<3,
Amber

**Update**
Tonight as I was trying to gently retrieve a suitcase from the closet in the room with the moth he got spooked and actually flew out the window! Hooray for both of us!!

Bogota Recap

I spent last week in Bogota, Colombia for work. In between the working, we were able to find a few minutes here and there to sight see. Bogota is not at all what you expect. The drugs, men with guns, and violence have all subsided in the last decade. What is left is an absolutely beautiful city with wonderful shopping, restaurants, and great historical sites. Really, a visit to Bogota will shatter any and all preconceived notions you may have.

Krisya and I arrived in Bogota a day early to try to catch some of the sights. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating. We managed to make the journey to Monserrate. Monserrate is an active Catholic Church that sits atop on of the high cliffs surrounding the city. Krisya and I took the funicular up the mountain and wandered around the top. The weather wasn't great, but I managed to get a few good pictures.

 

A self-photo of Krisya and I. 

Panoramic of a view from the top! If it weren't so cloudy, this would be a way better picture. 

A storm was obviously rolling in, so Krisya and I made our way down the hill. At the bottom, we met a very nice looking Llama. Krisya had her photo taken with the well behaved animal first. When it was my turn however, Mr. Llama decided he wanted to eat me. Hence the surprised look on my face.

The week was spent working. But on our last day we had time to go down town before our flight left. We visited Plaza Bolivar, the Gold Museum, and lots of great shops.

The plaza:

Krisya and Kevin in front of the cathedral in Plaza Bolivar:

The trip was great, but exhausting! Only 2 weeks until I am off to NC again! :)

<3,
Amber

That's SIR Featherstone to you!

Some of you know that I am frequently referred to as "Sir Featherstone" or "Mr. Featherstone" via email quite frequently. This is due to the fact, as I have been told, that Amber is not a very common name outside of the US. Furthermore, I have even been told it is a name used for guys in the Philippines. It never offends me; it only makes me laugh! Well, I am happy to say that "Mr. Featherstone" has made an appearance in Bogota this week. Sure they called me "Mr." and sure they mispelled my name, but at least this time the errors came with a free beer! Now, if only I had a free beer for everytime someone referred to me as "Mr." or "Sir"...

<3,

Sir Featherstone

A small victory!

Buenas noches from Bogota, Colombia! I arrived in Bogota today for a week long interview trip. My colleague Krisya and I came a day early to do a little sightseeing. It was a bit rainy today, hopefully tomorrow will be better. However, today I had a small victory in my journey to navigating Latin America! As in any country, when I entered Bogota I had to go through immigration. Last December when I came, the immigration officer took my passport and asked me if I spoke English. I frowned, and shook my head. The immigration officer frowned and shook his head, stamped my passport and waved me through. But today....I navigated the entire process and questions in Spanish! He asked me why I came, how long I was staying, where I was traveling, and the name of my hotel. And not only did I understand all of his questions, but I answered them in Spanish! Victory! I had a serious urge to fist pump the air and scream "YES!" as I waked away from immigration. I restrained myself because this isn't a place to draw attention to oneself. They probably would have thought I was so excited because I was doing something illegal. Has anyone seen any episodes of "Locked Up Abroad?" It's no joke here... So that is my story for today. A small little victory in my assimilation to my new language. Now, let's see if I can do it again when I go back to Costa Rica! More from Bogota soon! <3, Amber