Four stories. Print one, fill the blanks in pen, read it aloud.
Your First Morning in Playas del Coco
I woke up at ______ (a number) in the morning to a sound like a ______ (an adjective) ______ (an animal) being ______ (a verb ending in -ing) outside my window. It was a howler monkey. It was the size of a ______ (a thing) and it wanted the whole of Guanacaste to know. I stumbled to the kitchen, poured myself a glass of ______ (a liquid), and watched a ______ (a colour) iguana the length of my ______ (a body part) sunbathe on the wall like it paid rent. By eight it was already hot. I put on my ______ (a plural noun), walked down to the beach and ordered a casado with a side of ______ (a food). The waiter said "pura vida" and I said "______ (an exclamation)", which is not how you say it. I have lived here for ______ (another number) days. I have never felt so ______ (an emotion) in my life.
Buying a Car in Costa Rica
My friend ______ (a friend's name) said buying a car in Costa Rica would be ______ (an adjective). The first one I looked at had ______ (a big number) kilometres on it and a ______ (an animal) living in the ______ (a part of a car). The seller assured me this was normal. At the Dekra inspection, a man in a ______ (a colour) uniform stared at my ______ (a body part) for ______ (a number) minutes and then stamped something. The lawyer needed three copies of my passport, a bag of ______ (a plural noun) and my signature in blue ink, not black. Then I paid the marchamo, the yearly tax named after the sound you make when you see the amount: "______ (an exclamation)!" Now I drive a ______ (a year) ______ (a made-up word) with one working ______ (another part of a car). It is the most ______ (another adjective) car I have ever loved.
Saturday at the Feria
Every Saturday morning we go to the feria. You need a ______ (an adjective) bag and about ______ (a number) thousand colones. The first stall had ______ (a fruit or vegetable)s the size of a ______ (a thing), and the man behind it called me "______ (a pet name)" and threw in a free mango. My ______ (a relative) tried to speak Spanish and accidentally ordered ______ (a number) kilos of ______ (a vegetable). A ______ (an animal) walked past like it owned the place, which in Guanacaste it does. We ate ______ (a snack) out of a paper bag while a man with a ______ (a musical instrument) played something ______ (another adjective). We got home sunburnt and happy, with ______ (a plural noun) in every pocket, for less than a ______ (something expensive) costs back home.
Nobody Warns You About October
Nobody warns you about October in Guanacaste. It rains every afternoon at ______ (a number from 1 to 12) o'clock as if someone ______ (a verb, past tense) a switch. The road to town turned into a ______ (an adjective) river with a ______ (an animal) floating past on a ______ (a thing that floats). My ______ (a relative) tried to drive through it in a ______ (a colour) ______ (a vehicle) and is now known as "______ (a silly nickname)" at the soda. Everything I own smells like ______ (something that smells). A frog has moved into the ______ (a room in a house) and sings every night, out of tune, about ______ (a plural noun). But by seven the next morning the sky is ______ (another adjective) and blue and the whole coast is the greenest thing you have ever seen, and I would not trade it for a hundred ______ (another plural noun). Green season, they call it. They are not wrong.