Day 2: Performing in Alajuelita and Grecia!

Hola from San Jose!

Today has been an incredible day of performing for the beautiful people of Costa Rica! We began the day bright and early with a delicious breakfast provided by "El Vesuvio." The breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, rice and beans, fresh fruit, coffee and orange juice. It really hit the spot!

Breakfast Time!

Following breakfast, we all met in our black concert attire on the patio of the hotel to warm up our voices for our performance in Alajuelita. The other guests of the hotel and the hotel staff were really glad to hear us sing and it was a wonderful space to make music together. Following the warmup, we took a great group picture and loaded up the coach bus for the church!

The entire group!

Performing for the church in Alajuelita was simply breathtaking. The people of this part of San Jose were SOOO loving and thankful for our being there and sharing our music. Alajuelita is an extremely poor part of San Jose and the people rarely get to experience music like this. They were so happy and grateful for our giving hearts and our message of peace and love.

Interacting with the church in Alajuelita

The people of the church greeted us with open arms and we got the chance to meet almost every member of the church.

Performing in the church

 Following the performance at the church, they graciously provided us with cookies and drink to thank us and to send us off to our next destination. What a touching and rewarding experience!

When we returned to the hotel, we were able to spend a little time relaxing and getting lunch before leaving for Grecia. Most of us ate at "El Vesuvio" and some were able to go out and grab at quick bit to eat at local stores near the hotel. After eating, some of us spend time walking around San Jose, the SHS girls wrapped gift bags for tomorrow's performance at the hospital and some decided to just relax.

Below are some great pictures from our afternoon!

Some cool graffiti in San Jose near the hotel

A break dancing circle downtown!

SHS girls wrapping gift bags :-)

Following our relaxing afternoon, the group reconvened on the patio and loaded up the bus to travel to Grecia, where we would give our second performance of the tour. When we arrived in Grecia, it was hard to miss our performance space, the Cathedral de la Mercedes. It is a huge cathedral just outside of a beautiful park, where many Costa Ricans were walking and enjoying their Sunday evening.

Cathedral de la Mercedes

The park near the cathedral

When walking in the cathedral, you can't help but notice the enormous space and beautiful acoustics. Also, up in the back balcony was the cathedral's famous organ that Dr. Eppink and Dan (from St. Rose) were later to perform on during the concert. The concert was exceptionally great! There were hundreds of people there and again, they were so appreciative of our message of love and peace.

The famous organ in the balcony

Inside the Cathedral de la Mercedes

Although it was a long day, it was incredibly rewarding and had many moments to add to the list of Costa Rica memories. Tomorrow, we look forward to more performing, new people to meet, new sights to see, and more fun in Costa Rica!

We are learning all about what the Costa Ricans meet when they say "Pura Vida," which means "pure life." Moment by moment, we are discovering what the Costa Rican culture is all about!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for more great news!!!

Pura Vida!

-SHSWC