Watching Mangoes Grow

We have a big, wonderful mango tree in our backyard, and I have watching the mangos grow and noting how long they have until ready to eat. This is both a sad and exciting activity. 

Exciting because eating mangos makes my heart sing, and being able to walk barefoot into my backyard (while carefully avoiding the dog poop) and pick my own mango sounds like heaven. On the other hand, the riper those mangos become, the fewer days I have until departure. This is sad.

I am super lucky that I have so many wonderful things awaiting me in the US that I am not dreading leaving Costa Rica, but I am not wishing the days to go by faster by any means. I have been reading a lot of Thich Nhat Hanh’s the Miracle of Mindfulness (sent by my wonderful grandparents), and have been doing well at living one day at a time. That being said, time to cram in as many adventures as possible into my month and a half left!!!!!

Last week my parents came to Costa Rica for a week and we hiked through Corcovado National Park (most biodiversity place in the world) for three days. It was one of the best trips that I have ever been on, both for the nature and for the wonderful company. Costa Rica showed itself off shamelessly with the amazing and helpful people we met during the week and with the amount of once in a lifetime plants and animals that we saw. I am going to rely on my dad emailing out the official list of what we saw, and I will post it when I have it as well.

Louis, our guide in Corcovado was just about the happiest person I have ever met in my life, and he could also see the most impossibly small and obscure things hidden in a jungle of leaves. After Corcovado we went to Drake Bay, and did a night insect walk with a brilliant entomologist couple.  We saw a Red eye tree frog, which is something I have wanted to see since I saw it’s red eyes and smiling face on the front of Ranger Rick magazine.  

Anteater at Corcovado

After Drake we bused to San Ramon and my America family met my Costa Rica family. Of course they loved each other, and what I thought would be a short visit for coffee turned into hours and hours of talking, laughing and storytelling. This was quite exhausting actually because my real mother Cindy would turn to me and tell me some super long explaining of chemical soil composition, and then I would turn to my host family and try my best to explain using fly ash to fertilize farmer’s fields. It was great, and I was so happy to be able to practice that much Spanish.

We stayed at a hostel on a farm outside of San Ramon, and got to be really good friends with the owners Viron and Eilyn. Eilyn cooked us traditional Costa Rican dinner and breakfast, and my dad is dead set on cooking like a Costa Rican now by eating mainly rice and beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Once tasted, no one can resist Gallo Pinto.

On Monday I stuck them on a bus, told the bus driver that the two gringos had to get off at the airport but they didn’t know where it was, waved goodbye, and then headed to class. Thanks mom and dad for such a great time!

Last week I went the Costa Rica national soccer game against Paraguay. I really haven’t felt so part of Costa Rica before as when we were screaming for what looked like a possible goal, or doing the wave with the whole stadium.

This upcoming week we have another week-long break, and I am going to Nicaragua with my friend Josie. We really have no plans, reservations, or ideas, but there is big volcano that needs climbing, and we have a tent. Sounds like a good week.

Here is a small list of lessons that I have been filing away, but wanted to write down before I forget.

1.      1) When choosing a place to live make sure you know if it is illegal for large trucks to use Jake brakes. If they aren’t allowed to, that’s good, but make sure you research how affective is your local police force. If Jake breaks are allowed, never buy a house that is on a downward slope or anywhere near a stop sign. If you do, you will never sleep.

2.      2) If you ever need a conversation starter in a Latin American country, bring up medicinal medicine. You will through away all your pills and start eating oregano and ginger, and you will experience some fierce cultural pride.

3.      3) It is best to just close your eyes and not watch how the bus driver or taxi driver is navigating traffic.

Also, I shaved my head two weeks ago, sort of on a whim, but also something that I have wanting to do for a long time. Pura Vida!

Costa Rica Catch Up

Well, this week I had my midterms, and this is my first blog for Costa Rica, so I am obviously really behind. This will be a brief over view of what has been going on.

When I arrived back in Costa Rica, I found out that we had completely changed out campus locations from the University of Costa Rica to a small branch in town of the University of San Jose. This is a teeny campus that is shared with an elementary school. My host sister Mariana actually goes to this school, and we wave to each other during breaks.

Not to complain, but this was a pretty crappy move. We don't have a library, and I think there is one computer you can use in a room somewhere. We lost our Spanish/English club with the university students, and we can barely hear our teachers over screaming kids.
However, I still get to wake up to sunrises that look like this, so I am content with everything, even screaming children...who wants to learn about direct objects anyways.

 A couple of weeks ago we went to Manual Antonio, a small biological reserve on the beach. It is mainly known for it's monkey and sloths, and we saw plenty of those. We brought tents, ate beans out of a can, and free camped that night on the beach. Lots of floating on our backs in the ocean at night trying to remember the constellations that people have so diligently taught me many times, and I still can't find them.

 My friend Josie and I did a weekend of surfing in Joca, and I feel like I might have finally made some progress in my surfing skills. It must have been the lack of a 5mm wet suit. Other adventures included visiting Rio Celeste, a brilliantly blue and stinky sulfur river, and judging a food competition to help students practice their english. The didn't understand the concept of "taste" testing, and almost every table (there were many) had huge dishes of food for us to try. Of course we had to try them all, and I don't think I have ever eaten more food in my life.

 Costa Rica has been experiencing one of the coldest summers that they have ever had. We have blustery days with some clouds almost every day. I LOVE IT, and my host mom leaves the house with a giant coat. I will take wind and clouds over suffocating heat every time. The coast is still blisteringly hot, and it is such a relief to come back to coolness after a long weekend of constant sweating.

 A few friends and I took a walk on her family's farm, and we were surprised by this mama sloth and her tiny baby. I had always heard that sloths can be dangerous, but never had thought out it until I was close enough to see the fish hooks in this thing's hands'. Advice: don't mess with sloths, they look like they could cut you in half.

 Went fruit shopping with my host dad. This picture does not include the fruit in the fridge or on the other counter. The whole time he kept getting things put in plastic bags, and I would change the bags for ones that I already had, and run over to return them to the vendor. He would just laugh and as I kept telling everyone that I already had bags that I wanted to reuse. They think I am  a wierdo.

We had a nice weekend going to the local waterfalls and jumping of the cliffs. This is Josie (my friend who goes to the University of Idaho, and who studied at Taylor Ranch as well!!!) making the leap

This weekend is my birthday weekend, and we are taking a whole class trip to the Arenal Volcano hot springs and waterfalls. Then...my parents come the next week! Seven months has been a long time, and I am so excited to see them!

List of things I am very grateful for today

1. Spontaneous ice cream runs with friends between study sessions

2. Listening to the Costa Rica national anthem playing on the news in the mornings

3. That I have made it 21 years in this world, so many good things have filled those years. holy cow!