¡Hola todos! It’s Gracie and Charlotte, back by popular demand. We’re coming up on our final night in Guadalupe/Volcán. This homestay experience is definitely different from Pedasí, but it’s been just as fun and welcoming.
Our host sisters, Paulette and Cati
Our host family consists of five sisters (Patricia, 18, Paola, 16, Paulette, 14, Yolani, 13, and Cati, 9) and their grandparents, Marina and her husband, who we haven’t gotten to know as well as we would have liked. There are constantly cousins and friends filling the house so there’s never a dull moment. Some of our favorite times here have been playing cards with our host sisters, accidentally watching a horror movie, and playing with their five dogs and talking parrot, Toto.
Like many families in Guadalupe, ours grows and sells flowers and plants from their house; we loved being able to learn more about this part of their lives. 
Since we’re here for Carnaval, we’ve been able to see many people selling food and crafts along the street. While Carnaval seemed to be a widely enjoyed holiday in Pedasí, many people actually travel to this area if they don’t like Carnaval and want some peace and quiet during this holiday.
Patchwork hillside farms of Guadalupe
During our stay, we’ve been able to see the presence of religion in our family’s lives. On Saturday, we accompanied our sisters to a meeting in order to plan for a celebration that took place at their church on Sunday. Even though we’ve only had three nights here, it feels like much longer.
Every night we have a new adventure of some kind. Last night, Marina asked us if we wanted to go with the family to drop off Patricia in Volcán. We said “Yes,” to which she followed up with “Would you be okay with going by ‘mula’?” (said in Spanish obviously.) Given how many cognates exist between English and Spanish, we assumed that “mula” meant “mule.” We were a bit concerned seeing as Volcán is a 25 minute car ride away from Guadalupe and neither of us have much experience riding mules. However, our fears were soon assuaged when Paulette revealed to us that “mula” meant “truck!” Minutes later, thirteen of us piled into the front of their 18-wheeler.
“la mula” aka big truck!
The truck had two beds inside, one on top of the other. We started the ride sitting on the bottom bed, but after dropping Patricia off, we moved up to the top. The bumpy ride would not have been the same without a playlist of disco classics playing in the background. “Funkytown” was one of our personal favorites.
We’ve had such a wonderful experience in our homestay here. Everyone we’ve met has been incredibly warm, greeting us with hugs and always including us in their conversations. While we’re jumping for joy to see Steve and spend time in Cotito, we’re definitely sad to say goodbye to Guadalupe.
Sincerely, your favorite blogging duo, Garlotte and Cracie.