Just another weekend

I have been here for almost four months and there are still so many more new and wonderful things to see and unique and exotic places to go.  I have just two months left, and while that may have felt like ages in the US,   time here seems to fly by faster then I ever imagined possible.  As my time here winds down I am beginning to realize that I just don't have enough time to see everything I have tagged with the neon orange duct tape bookmarks stuck on almost every page in my tour book.  This weekend, after waking up at 2:30 in the morning to catch a bus, I did get the pleasure of removing one of my tabs, and hence checking off one of the many items left on my list of things to see before I have to go home.

On Saturday I met up with Ryan and Tieta, two other students from the US, in a city called Alujuela where we caught a bus up to Volcano Poas.  I stepped off of the bus about an hour later and was instantaneously shocked by the cold.  My town is the second hottest in town in Costa Rica, and I had been thoroughly enjoying all the perfect sunny days where all you want to do is hang out at the beach, until suddenly it was so cold I could actually see my breath!  I guess this doesn't seem that cold compared to winter in Colorado where that's a everyday occurrence, and I guess it serves as a good warning for me about what I can expect to come home to. From the bus there is a short walk to a lookout platform.  Initially my view was blocked by a group of other tourists, but they quickly moved on and I suddenly found myself gazing out at a completely breathtaking view into the crater, absolutely stunned by how huge it was.  We took a short “hike” to a nearby dormant crater that has become filled with a gorgeous lake, supplying some extremely needed exercise that, unfortunately, my everyday life here seems to lack.  

The bus took us back down to Alujuela and our plan was to take a bus from there to Puntarenas and sleep there, but no one seemed to know if there was such a bus and as we asked around we were given the names of a bunch of different stations that might have a bus.  For some reason, in Costa Rica it appears to be almost impossible to get the same directions from multiple people and as a result most of the directions are just straight up wrong, but after wandering around for a while we did manage to find a station and a rout that only consisted of one bus transfer.  After dinner, which ate picnic style at the beach, we went for a walk down the sandy coast, gazing up at the stars as we went.    We saw a few stars shoot across the sky, and as we walked I couldn't help but think for the thousandth time how lucky I am to be having this experience. 

The next morning we caught a bus to a beach nearby called Doña Ana.  Its a small beach, but absolutely beautiful.  There are thousands of beaches in Costa Rica – I can name at least 20 within an hour driving distance from my house – so we chose this beach for a very specific reason.  Monkeys!   This beach has monkeys that hang out in the trees at the edge of the beach and they came down low enough for us to feed them.  I suppose that feeding wildlife is not really the best thing for them, but they were just sooo cute!   We hung out on the beach for a little while longer until we got hot and jumped into the water.  The water here is always so perfect and I don't think i'll ever get tired of the ocean.

Trying to get home was an adventure all on its own and reminded me why I love the Costa Rican bus system, (thats sarcastic) because despite being about two hours away from my house in a car, it still took me more than six hours to get home.  I realize that my last few posts have gotten rather lazy, and therefore more then a little dull to read.  I apologize and I'll see what I can do about being slightly more entertaining in the upcoming weeks.

Me feeding a monkey!

Doña Ana. I dont think ill ever get tired of posting pictures of beaches...

The crater.  Not quite as stunning in picture form, but still beautiful!

Tortuguero

November 8th 

This past weekend I took a trip with AFS up to the Northern Atlantic coast to Tortuguero National Park.  I spent Thursday night in San Jose where we went to the mall for dinner and I finally satisfied my craving for Mexican food that I have had since like my second month.  We left bright and early Friday morning in buses and once again we had to take a boat from the bus to our hotel.  I think you can also fly there, but whats the fun in that?  The hotel was right on the river and made up of little cabins spread throughout the jungle which made it feel completely secluded.  After arriving, we had about two hours to walk around and explore before lunch.  My friends and I ran directly to the turtle shaped pool, despite the fact that it was raining and the pool, like all other pools here, was freezing.  After lunch we got back on the boats to cross the river to a little village and the beach.  The village had some houses, but most of the part we saw was composed of tourist shop after tourist shop after tourist shop.  We were given trash bags and gloves and spent a couple hours walking up the beach collecting trash.  While this task was definitely met by quite a bit of grumbling, I absolutely loved it! This was the first time since I got here that I have felt like I was actually doing something productive that might actually be benefiting someone besides myself.    That night we went back to the pool and stayed there until it closed. 

Saturday morning we woke up early and got in boats (again), and as we traveled through the canals of the park, we had the pleasure of seeing some iguanas (which wasn't quite as exciting as it was when I first got here because I see them basically everyday at my house), lots of birds, and monkeys!  After a delicious breakfast of gallo pinto (I'm not planning of eating rice of beans for a solid year after I get home) we pulled on rubber boots for a trek through the rain forest.  I figured the boots were just to keep our shoes clean, but what we found had to have been at least six inches of mud.  After lunch we got to paddle up the river in duckies and swim and then hung out in the hammocks at the hotel.  While we were hanging out by the cabins, we saw a little sloth about two feet away in a tree. Later, we all gathered to plant a tree which I guess is a tradition for every time an AFS group goes to Tortuguero. 

Sunday was an even earlier morning.  We woke up right at sunrise, boarded the boats, and crossed the river again to the beach where we watched baby turtles crawl out to to ocean.  This was probably my favorite part of the trip.  The turtles were sooo tiny and its amazing to think they grow up to be so big! Unfortunately, like usual, the weekend flew bye and before we knew it the trip was over.  I had such an amazing weekend hanging out with friends and relaxing.  I am enjoying my time here, living with a host family, going to school, and stumbling my way through the Spanish language, but sometimes it can be stressful and its nice every now and then to kick back and just enjoy this beautiful country that I am learning to call home.

Some other Americans, and a German

We were met at the hotel with smoothies!


















 My cabin

 


















Beach clean-up

Tieta rocking a sexy green rain poncho they gave us for the canal tour; it rained basically the entire time we were there.
 

Baby Turtle!

Just another beautiful beach

I have about a billion more photos that I will add when I find a computer that doesnt take a million years to upload a photo...

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

October 16th

 If you had asked me a couple weeks after I arrived in Costa Rica how I thought I would feel half way through my exchange, I probably would have just looked at you in confusion because in reality, the only thought that I had was, “what the hell am I doing here?” and halfway seemed more like a dream to me at the time, but here I am, three months down, three to go, and so it seems only fit that I spend some time reflecting on the first half of this crazy adventure called 'studying abroad.' 

Ok, so I guess its not really much of a change in latitude, but living abroad has definitely changed some of my perceptions of  what is important in life.  There's a saying (and a Broadway musical) “You can't take it with you,” and in theory I understood it, but being here has definitely put it into perspective.  As I set out on my journey three months ago, I took with me only memories and what I could fit into a 50 pound suitcase, and living here has helped me realize that is all that I really need.  I should start by saying that Costa Rica is a third world country.  It may be one of the slightly more developed third world countries, but it definitely still lacks many of the common luxuries that we take for granted in the US, even in some of the more tourist-ed areas.  Few people here that live in the towns have cars, and its not uncommon even for the people that live outside the towns to rely solely on the somewhat reliable bus system.  Basically all of the “new” cars here are bought used, and although my family does have a car, we don't always have money for gas.  Its rare to find a building with air conditioning, many classrooms lack fans, very few windows have screens, and it is certainly not a rare occurrence for there not to be running water at my house.  Aside from the frustrations of taking bucket showers, I've realized here that I don't need most of that stuff, and I have begun to notice just how much excess stuff we have in the US.  Instead, I have come to value memories more and more.  I don't miss my car nearly as much as I miss playing cards in a tent with my dad and sister on a camping trip, just driving in the car listening to music with my mom, or going to the Spot with my sister, things so simple that I never gave a second thought to before, but actually mean so much now.  I guess it just goes to show “you don't know what you've got until its gone.”  Living abroad has definitely helped me recognize how lucky I am to be living the life I do.

When I first got here everything was new and different, but the more time I spend here, the more I become accustomed to life and the less things seem out of place.  Every window here is barred up, in the cities porches are often barred off, and all fences have barbed wire lining the tops of them.  At home, a place like this generally indicates an area that you probably don't want to get out of the car if you don't have to, and at first their presence made me uncomfortable and often made me feel constricted, like I was in jail, but I quickly became accustomed to them and now hardly notice they're there.  Morocco had stray cats in the cities,  here they have stray chickens that run around the town and this has ceased to surprise me, and stopping to let a pig cross the street is normal.  While I was initially surprised every time we didn't have class, I now find myself shocked every time we actually do have to go to class, a habit that probably won't serve me well back at home.  Little earthquakes have become a part of life, to the point that I don't even leave my room when the ground starts shaking anymore.  I have been here three months, and unfortunately I don't think that I will ever get used to the icy water that flows from the shower head and shocks my body ever morning.  Though I have learned never to expect hot water, I can't help but hope every time I turn on a new faucet, and every so often we end up in a hostel here that has hot water showers and it reminds me of how amazing it feels. 

I have sat down a few different times attempting to write this, but for some reason it has proven to be more difficult then I expected.  As I sit here reflecting, I am shocked at how much has happened since I have been here, so I realize that this is a short and somewhat insufficient reflection, but unfortunately the Costa Rican life style is starting to rub off on me, and as a result my work ethic has declined greatly, so this will have to do.  Three months ago, I landed in San Jose, bubbling with excitement, a giant knot twisting in my stomach, with absolutely no idea of what to expect.  In three months, I have grown stronger, more independent, and learned how to connect with people through a communication barrier.  I have also learned to how to keep a smile on my face through the hard times, finding the strength to pick myself up every time I fail and the courage to keep pushing on, while building friendships that will last a life time along the way.  Everyday here is an adventure with its own set of challenges to overcome, and I wouldn't have it any other way.   

"Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow."

~ Ronald E. Osborn

Before I left, who would have guessed that I would end up here?                                                     

Tyeing Loose Ends

I have finally found a computer!!!  I have about three more posts already written to add, but those will come the next time I find a computer, which hopefully will be soon, because this time it has been almost two monthes...  I figured you all should have enough to read for now though.

I feel like lately there have been a lot of little things happening, so this post is going to be about all of them that don't exactly make the cut for their own post.  I have been going to school, though between senior exams and teacher meetings, we have had a lot of days off, like all of last week off and most of this week as well...

Halloween is slowly creeping closer, and as it does, I find myself missing home far more then I expected.  I didn't think that I would even notice that Halloween was coming up, rather that it would pass without a second thought, but that assumption has proved to be far off the marker.  Even though Halloween isn't really celebrated here the way it is in the US, there is definitely a very strong American influence.  In the tourist towns there are Halloween parties, a lot of the television is American so we get the Halloween movie marathons, and advertisements are all Halloween themed.  I guess I just didn't expect this time of year to be so hard. 

Two Fridays ago we were supposed to have midterms in chem and psychology, but instead my section rented a van and went to the mall in San Jose!  It's not what your thinking though, there was an educational aspect to the field trip.  Inside the mall there was a temporary museum exhibit called “Our Body and the universe within,” and it was exactly what the name implies.  We spent about half an hour there, learning about different systems, and then were free to explore the mall for the next like four hours.  The exhibit was actually mostly just text, but I was surprised to find that I can now understand everything I read in Spanish without having to exhort and extraordinary amount of effort!

 The mall is in a “town” called Escazu, and is either a part of San Jose or else right outside, though it looks like it belongs right out side of Miami of Las Angeles.  Its composed of a brand new mall, fancy hotels, and expensive houses.  Most of the stores were American, including a North Face, which made me super happy, but definitely a little home sick.  There was also a cart selling the nuts they sell at the creek fest, but they weren't nearly as good here. 

When I got here, I didn't think it was really all that different then back home and didn't expect to that I would really end up with any kind of culture shock coming back home, but just spending a day back in an environment closer to back home, made me realize that that certainty wont be the case.  The mall had to have been smaller then Flatiron, and yet this felt like a completely different world than I had ever experienced before.  I watched as my classmates gawked in wonder at the escalators and elevators, things that I would never have given a second thought to back home.

I went surfing not once, but twice this week!  The first day I went to Tamarindo with three other German kids that live “near” me.  We paid $10 and rented boards for the entire day.  It would have been a perfect day, except that I definitely don't understand German.  The three Germans spent the entire day speaking in German and I had never had any idea what was going on.  It was extremly frustrating and made for a rather lonely day that I don't think I will do again.  The surfing was amazing though, and I after only one day I could already understand the surf bums that just spend all of their time surfing.  It was definitely harder then I expected, and by the end my legs felt like it was the first day of ski season.  Its kinda like back country skiing in an area that you don't really know; you put an exorbitant amount of energy hiking out, and you may find an incredible stash and have the best run of your life, or there might not be anything there.  The rush of catching one is definitely worth the effort though!

The second time, I went with my brother and his friend to a beach called Playa Grande for just a couple hours.  We left at four in the morning, but it was 100% worth it.  Playa Grande is one of the many beaches that are protected here, so it lacks the monstrosity of condos and overpriced all-inclusives that seem to be sprouting up right and left.  Its a beautiful white sand beach that stretches as far as the eye can see, and with big waves and perfect brakes, it is a surfers dream.  Watching the sunrise is always beautiful, but there is something magical about watching it from the ocean as it rises over the horizon.  It was so peaceful.  Im still not a huge fan of getting pounded by waves though, and while I love the warmth of the beach, I think if I had to choose between ski bum and surf bum, I'd choose skiing. 

Enviro-saster?

My brother ran outside and started the car, telling me we would leave in a minute, but it had been three hours since then and we had yet to go anywhere, instead the car sat idling in front of the house.

There are two questions that I can always expect when I am meeting someone new here, and when I first arrived I didn't speak much Spanish but I quickly learned to recognize them in conversations.  The first was always “do you have a boyfriend?”  I'm not kidding when I say that this was usually one of the first things out of someones mouth.  In my first week, teachers would actually stop class in order to ask me. 

While there is simple answer to this, the second question was always a little more difficult for me.  “Why Costa Rica?” they'd ask, and despite being asked this about a million times in the US, I still don't have a good answer.  I suppose the quick answer is that I wanted a Spanish speaking country, but that still leaves like 26 countries to choose from.  Sure, I wanted beaches and someplace warm, but that honestly didn't have a huge influence on my decision either.

Expectations are funny in that usually, you don't really realize that you have them until they are shattered.  Thinking back now, I realize that the factor that tipped the scales was a certain reputation of Costa Rica.  Based on a study done by Yale University, Costa Rica was ranked fifth for most environmentally conscious countries in the world.  I was intrigued by what I'd heard about the governments attitude toward environmental conservation, after all, around a quarter of the country is protected by reserves and parks.  I wanted to experience and learn about this kind of dedication, but the reality that I found here was filthy, literally.  I arrived here and was quickly brought to the realization that Costa Rica isn't quite as “green” as the tourism department would like us to think. 

There are so many things that drive me nuts here, but among the worst is the everyday disrespect that people here give to the environment.  I have always believed that many of our environmental issue in the US are caused by a disconnect between us and nature, that if you show people the value in the environment, they will want to protect it.  Here they practically live in nature.  My backyard opens up into the forest; isolated beaches are a short bus ride away, and yet, the majority of people couldn't care less.  I'd like to believe that its a lack of education, but not throwing your bag of trash into a river seems like common sense to me.  When my friends are done with their soda, they just toss the empty bottle onto the ground, resulting in litter everywhere!  Our washing machine drains strait into the creek behind our house, which I wouldn't have a problem with if they used non-toxic soap, but they don't.  We have a school bus that takes students and faculty home, it even drops us off right in front of the house, but my mom generally will call my brother to get him to drive all the way to the school to pick us up because she says the bus takes longer, but we don't actually get back more then five minutes before the bus anyway, and for what reason?  All she does after school is sit around watching television or talking on the porch.  The list goes on and on, but perhaps the thing that ticks me off the most is when my brother brings home turtle eggs to eat, and while that might well be a lack of education issue, it still kills me inside.

Living in a foreign country is definitely a challenge, but one of my biggest struggles has come from this false reputation.  I have grown up in Boulder, where recycling and composting is a given; gardening has become part of the curriculum in many elementary schools, in many peoples opinion throwing your trash on the ground is among the worse crimes you can commit, animal rights are more important then human rights, and you can always count on there being bikers everywhere, even if there is a foot of snow...  I have always been surrounded by people who care about conservation and it was easy to believe that everything was changing, to believe that the little things that ETF was doing around the community was actually making a difference.  In theory I knew about the Boulder Bubble, but that didn't stop my shock when I saw how little some people care, even in a country that is supposedly among the most environmentally friendly in the world.

I really struggled at first.  I became angry, falling straight back into that “cycle of cynicism” that I had worked so hard to get out of.  I started thinking there was nothing I could do; that nobody was even trying so why should I?  Convinced that this was a problem that wasn't going to ever be fixed until it was far too late, I became incredibly upset, to the point that I even considered dropping ETF when I got back, the club that I love and care so much about. 

Luckily though, last weekend we took a trip that rekindled my passion.  It was an almost eight hour journey from the capital to paradise.  (I will try to avoid repeating my previous post, but I apologize in advance for any repetition that occurs)  The hotel we were in was a two hour boat ride into almost complete wilderness and on our way we motored our way past virgin forest that had never been attacked by a saw, and pristine beaches that made you believe you were the first person to even lay eyes on them.  There were no roads, carved like scars into the earth, and no gassy fields built by deforesting and displacing thousands of species of animals to accommodate our societies growing hunger for BigMacs.  The hotel we stayed in didn't even have electricity, only a generator they ran from six to ten at night for light.  The trip was inspiring, and reminded me of why I cared.  Since then, I have begun to notice more and more positive changes, like for example, my school just began recycling, reminding me that although progress is slow, it is happening, and that nothing is impossible. 

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.  Impossible is an opinion.  It's a dare.  Impossible is nothing.”  

-Muhammad Ali

Osa

October 17^th, 2012

Saturday:

Imagine deserted beaches and white sand coves.  A hundred monkeys swing from the palm trees and scarlet macaws circle overhead.  Its a scene out of Hollywood, and as we  were jumping in the bright blue waves or throwing a Frisbee on the beach at sunset, I couldn't help but think how unreal all of this was.  Its moments like these that make me truly thankful for everything I have.  Just being here is the experience of a lifetime, but my adventure down to the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado was a spectacular weekend that I will never forget. 

The trip began Friday night in San Jose, where most of us stayed the night in the hostel in order to get an early start in the morning, and it certainty was early.  We woke up at 4:15 Saturday morning and jumped on the bus, stopping around eight in Jaco for a quick breakfast of... Gallo Pinto.  I thought people were kidding when they told me all that they eat here is rice and beans, but I eat Gallo Pinto everyday for both breakfast and dinner and I am definitely getting enough.  We stopped again later at a “farm”,  which ended up being more of a rock farm...  It was called Finca 6, and was some kind of archaeological site.  Basically it had a bunch of large spherical rocks arranged in triangles.  It's possible that the history was actually of some sort of interest, but I'm not sure that anyone was even bothering to listen...  And while this was a landmark that I probably would have survived missing, it was amusing to make fun of them. 

Finally, our bus stopped for the last time and we were greeted by a muddy river and a much welcomed transfer from land transportation to water.  As our little boat motored up its way up the canal, I couldn't help but notice how similar it looked to Florida and felt a slight ping of homesickness as the memories of Thanksgiving with my family flooded back. 

 After some slight detours through side passages winding their way though the mangrove forest, the channel opened up and gave way to ocean.  The view was absolutely breathtaking, and somehow the farther we traveled the more beautiful it got.  Most of the time I could not believe my eyes and at least half the time I was absolutely positive that I had to be dreaming.  It was about a two hour boat ride to our hotel, and that was definitely the only possible way to get there as the area is completely undeveloped with no roads and only the occasional shack.   

The hotel was at the top of a mountain that overlooked the ocean, so we had quite a hike to get there, but it was absolutely worth it.  I was definitely happy to have my backpack as I watched other people struggling to pull their suitcases up stairs.  Its actually kinda funny; back home I have access to a ridiculousness amount of beautiful, mountain open space a couple blocks away from my house but I didn't really like hiking all that much, but take me somewhere else and tell me I'm not allowed to hike and I have become desperate to go for a hike!  I was so happy to finally be hiking again here!  We checked in Saturday afternoon, ate a quick lunch, and practically ran back down the hill to the beach where we stayed, splashing in the waves, until the sun went down. 

Sunday:

I got to sleep in all the way until 6:15 this morning!  While this probably doesn't sound to exciting to most of you, its later than I have slept in a while.  Generally I wake up around 5:30 for school and my family likes me to get up before 6:30 on weekends...  We left around eight and had a rather bouncy  boat ride to the National Park, though it felt more like a roller coaster ride at times.  Unlike the national  parks in the US, this one actually seemed geared towards protecting the environment, and all there is is a ranger shack with bathrooms, a small grassy field, and some trails leading into the rain forest.  We had two barefooted guides that led us on a hike through the forest and along the beach.  About half way we stopped at a little waterfall that led into the ocean and learned how to open coconuts without a knife and proceeded to eat so much coconut.  It was raining most of the time, but then again we were in the rain forest so...  The rain was nice and actually didn't really effect us at all besides making us absolutely soaking wet, and really just made me feel so much more adventurous!  On our walk back we saw, among other things, a toucan and a monkey that the guide said only lives in Costa Rica!  Later that afternoon we went on another hike up to a giant waterfall and then swan in the river which had its own little waterfall.  I honestly forgot how much I love swimming in fresh water until now.  We got back to the hotel beach and immediately went swimming without even going up to the rooms to put our stuff away.

Monday: 

We had pancakes for breakfast today!!!!  And though they didn't have maple syrup or butter (Im almost positive that it doesn't exist here...)  they were still tasty and I think we all miss pancakes a little here.   Today, the boats took us to a little island where we got to go snorkeling!  I was amazed by the brilliantly turquoise water here and as the boat motored its way slowly along the coast looking for a good spot, we all gazed into the water in excited anticipation.  By the time we could jump in, the sun was shining and it had finally stopped raining.  One of the many things that is on my bucket list of things to to before I can come home was see a turtle, and I am excited to announce that I can finally check it off the list.  We also saw tons of gorgeous fish, including Dory and Gill from Finding Nemo, and even a shark swam by!  Later in the boat we found a wale and baby calf and were joined by a family of dolphins playing in the waves beside us.  Later, we returned to the island and hung out at the beach while the other groups snorkeled, time in which I spent the majority banging a coconut against the rocks trying to get it open, but it was well worth the effort as it was the best coconut I have ever eaten!  When we arrived back at the hotel in the early evening, the waves were huge so we dove right back into the water before making our way back up the hill to catch the sunset over the ocean, which was, unfortunately, kinda lacking tonight, but it was still beautiful gazing out over the ocean as night fell. 

It was a lifestyle I could have easily gotten used to, but all too soon our adventure had come to an end and it was time to board the boats, say good bye to friends, and make our way back to our families.  While I certainly wont miss the challenge of taking a shower here (I had to use a facet about two feet off the floor meant for washing feet, and shower on my hands and knees),  I honestly wish I could just stay here forever.  For some strange reason my mom here requires that I wear my shoes all the time, even for just hanging our in my room, so it was a treat here to wear them so little (enjoy the little things in life right?)  Best of all though, it was amazing to get out of my little cowboy town here for a substantial amount of town and spend time relaxing and traveling with friends!

Some Americans

Lovin the orange life jackets!

The beach we landed on

The view from our hotel!

My new favorite sign

Drinkin pipa!

There were monkeys on the beach!

Despido

September 25^th, 2012

Friday night my school hosted an event called El Despedido.  I was dictionarryless when my friends asked me if I wanted to go, which was actually a rare occurrence as my dictionary has become a constant companion, so trusting my luck and figuring that I was here to have new experiences, I jumped at the chance.  I later found out that 'despedido' translates to 'farewell'.  The big night turned out to be a dance type thing exclusively for Juniors and Seniors, essentially the equivalent to Prom.  I suppose its actually a stretch to ­call them the same thing.  I should say that the idea behind the events are essentially the same, but most of the similarities ended there.

The school bus was supposed to pick my cousins and I up around six, tico time of course, and getting to the bus however, proved to be an adventure all on its own.  I had been told to dress up a little, but my mom found both of the dresses that I brought to be to racy (too short)...  Luckily, the dress code for the dance here is nothing like what people wear to dances in the US and I was perfectly fine in jeans.  I did end up in high heals though.  I already have problems with tripping over invisible obstacles, but in heals that coordination is greatly reduced.  I'm not entirely sure what happened, but one moment I am sitting on the porch talking to my cousin (it was about 6:30), and all of the sudden she realizes that the bus has arrived so we have to run to the stop. To get to my house you turn off the main road and then onto this little dirt road which goes down a hill to my house, so not only was I trying to run to the stop in high heals, I was on an uneven dirt road, in the dark, and of course, it was raining.  I'm sure that it was amusing to watch, and although I was absolutely positive that I was about to face plant into the mud, I pride myself on staying on my feet!  The bus drove the normal bus rout picking up the rest of the kids and then finally dropped us at the local “Salon”, where basically all events around here happen.  It has a concrete floor, probability a little bit larger than a Basketball court, and like all other buildings in Costa Rica, is covered by a giant tin roof, but thats about all there is.  Its enclosed by walls about four feet tall and bars reaching the rest of the way up to the roof. 

We walked in to find that tables had been spread across half of the floor and we quickly pushed four together so that our class could all sit together.  They gave us a gigantic dinner of, wait for it... RICE AND BEANS!  Whats new?  They also gave us like five different types of meat and enough Coca Cola for the entire state of Texas.  (You can choose to interpret that however you choose ;) When people were finished eating they turned on some music and every one stared dancing.  Somehow everyone here is just an amazing dancer, and this served as yet another reminder to me that white girls can't dance... Or maybe just this one can't...  At one point toward the end some belly dancers showed up and the teachers handed out fun masks and kazoos.  Of course there was no way that we were going to be able to drink all of that Coke, so kids started throwing it in the air and at people which made for a rather sticky mess. Sometime around 11 people started singing some terrible karaoke, and by 11:15 we were back on the buses heading back home.