Guilty

Yes, I know I haven’t updated this in forever. So, some stuff that shouldn’t be skimmed over will be skimmed over. Sorry.

So, El Día de Independencia.  Mine was GREAT.  We went to the beach. That was my first time in the ocean in about sixteen years. It was amazing.  I got VERY sunburnt, but it was worth it.  The drive out there was fun, with me, Mama, Henry, Dinia, Shirley and the dog.  Henry’s music choices ranged from Spanish stuff (I actually heard a Spanish version of “A Whole New World”) to Metallica, with a whole lot of Madonna mixed in.

The next weekend, a bunch of us visited Manuel Antonio.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  The hostel we stayed in, Vista Serena Hostel, was run by some awesome brothers from Southern California. It was super cheap and we met some great people. 

The next day, we went to Manuel Antonio park.  Our guide was great at spotting random birds and insects in the trees, so we got to see a lot through the scope.  We went to the beach there too, which was absolutely amazing and beautiful.  I got some lovely scrapes on my legs from rocks, though.

Not much worth mentioning happened the next week. On Friday, I left for my rural stay. My trip there was a complete fiasco.

Basically, there was some form of miscommunication and I ended up two hours from where I should’ve been. I ended up in Guatuso, spending the night in some hotel.  Then, while I was in the grocery store to buy dinner, the power went out.  Due to the looks I had been getting on my way to the hotel, I wasn’t exactly comfortable, so I went back and just locked myself in my room for the night.

Anyway, after that whole ordeal, I was picked up the next morning by my new host mom, dad, three-year-old sister Angelina and 24-year-old Juan.  We all went to Guanacaste to look for an apartment for Juan, who started working up there on October 1. While we were there, we stayed with another of my “siblings”, Esteban and his wife Xiomara. Everyone was supernice and I had a ton of fun. ^_^

Now, I’ve been working at the school for special needs children in Alajuela.  It’s been pretty interesting and unlike anything I’ve done before.  

Living here has been fun. I’ve met a lot of people, including another “sister”, Maria Mercedes, who lives about five blocks from the ACM building!

I’ve really enjoyed it here. Angelina is absolutely adorable and we’ve had a lot of fun together. My mama (along with everyone else) is super-nice.  We visited the family’s rancho up in the mountains, which had a beautiful view, and I slept in a hammock there. ^_^  Last weekend, we visited La Paz Waterfall Gardens and Peace Lodge. It was really nice and beautiful. I got to see tons of waterfalls and animals.

I am sad to leave, but also looking forward to seeing my San Jose family again. 

Well, I’m exhausted, so I’ll leave it at this for now. 

Ciao!