every day is an adventure

Lemonade Cleanse (Day 4)

2008-05-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

So, here I am. I've settled into a strange sort of routine these days, where I find that I wake up, wander into the kitchen, and spend 5-10 minutes slicing and squeezing limes, measuring maple syrup and cayenne pepper, and carefully pouring water from an enormous 6 L jug into my 1 L water bottle.

The cleanse is... interesting. Day 1 was okay (most likely because I didn't have work), but Day 2 was brutal. I had terrible headaches and completely lacked energy, so that evening I listened to my body and made a small cup of pasta with some grilled chicken. The next morning (Day 3), I ate a bowl of plain Cheerios (since milk is hard to digest) throughout the morning, which made me feel much better. During the day I ate some melba toast and then a cup of corn (off the cob) for dinner. I figured that I would continue this modified version of the cleanse for the rest of the days, and that hopefully it would be almost as effective.

Today (Day 4) I have not had any cravings at all! I've been drinking my mixture all day-- no cereal, no melba toast, no nothing-- and as of right now (almost 6pm), I'm not hungry! When I began the cleanse, my goal was to complete five days... because tomorrow is Day 5, I'm thinking I will probably continue and push through complete eight whole days, ending on Sunday. I've already gone through two and a half bottles of syrup (each bottle is about 8 oz) and 12 of my 30 limes. Originally I had planned for ten days, but I don't want to spend my last week in Costa Rica drinking this mixture-- especially since June 4 is my birthday!

In other news, my countdown to return home is now down to 11 days-- and I can't wait to be home. I've already begun packing-- which, for anyone who knows me, is a miraculous feat. Usually I wait until, oh, 7 hours before I'm supposed to leave to start packing. :) As always, thanks for reading, and for those of you in the USA.... see you soon!

Lemonade Cleanse (Day 1)

2008-05-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

Although my writing in this blog has been kind of sporadic, it's still a blog, and now that I actually have something to blog about (for the next 10 days at least), I'm going to treat you to the play-by-play of how it goes.

As some of you know, today I am beginning Stanley Burrough's "Master Cleanse," which you can do for anywhere from 10 to 40 days. I will be sticking to 10 days. Well, I'm going to shoot for 5 days, and then if I make it that far, I'll go for the gold and do the full 10. I actually only have 14 days left in Costa Rica, and I am spending most of them on this cleanse. However, the other four days include my birthday, graduation (and the subsequent fancy dinner), and my last night in town. Plus, the past few weeks have included some gastrointestinal problems for me, so this cleanse-- which cleans out your intestinal system-- seemed like a logical solution. One of my coworkers completed it and she looks and feels fabulous. Her skin was practically glowing and she had more energy than she had had in weeks. Now, let's see if my experience is the same.

For those of you who don't know, the lemonade cleanse includes drinking liters and liters of the same mixture everyday. Its ingredients are 1) juice, fresh squeezed, from limes or lemons, 2) pure maple syrup, Grade B or C, that has not been processed, 3) a pinch of cayenne pepper, and 4) pure spring water. I just mixed up my first batch and I am sitting here drinking it, and I have to say, it's pretty tasty. You also include a 1-L saltwater flush every day, where you drink a liter of spring water with sea salt dissolved in it to clean out your system. Needless to say, I'll be doing the saltwater flush in the evenings in the privacy of my own home. The way the lemonade cleanse works is by cleaning your system of toxins. The maple syrup provides calories for you to survive, the cayenne pepper stems hunger, and the lemon (in my case, lime) juice does the cleaning, I suppose. In conjunction with the salt water. It's about 1pm now, so I'm going to go about my day as normal (shower, getting a pedicure, doing some laundry if the rain ever lets up) and I'll check back in this evening or tomorrow with an update on how it's going.

Up, up, and away!

Courage

2008-05-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

I'll be the first person to admit that I love the show American Gladiators. I started watching out of mild curiosity (as well as faint throwback memories to the show's original run in my childhood), but I soon discovered that it is addictive. Very addictive.

Tonight's episode was a little different. I normal wouldn't blog about TV (I'm one of those people who used to claim that I didn't watch TV at all), but this was incredible. There was a competitor on American Gladiators with one leg, John Siciliano (pictured above). Talk about an amazing story-- this man's mother died when he was nine years old. If that wasn't misfortune enough, this college soccer player was on his way to lunch with friends at the age of 21, when they were struck by a drunk driver. It was because of this accident that his leg had to be amputated. As the doctors broke the news, he told his family: "Don't worry. I'll never give up."

Watching him on AG was extraordinary... particularly doing the final challenge, which is an unbelievably difficult obstacle course. Even though he was far behind, even though his prosthetic got stuck climbing the rope net and made it almost impossible to negotiate the rope tightwalk... he kept going. Doggedly, long after his opponent had completed the course, he kept going. It was almost like watching the Olympics. Something about his incredible determination to finish-- and he did finish-- it was inspiring. The phrase "triumph of the human spirit" has become cliché, but I can think of no better words to describe this man and what I saw tonight.

What an inspiration!

beauty // beauté // belleza

2008-05-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart's going to cave in..."

"It's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment..."

Sometimes I, too am struck by the utter beauty of the world... an incredible sunset over the ocean, a song so poignant or so real it makes my heart break (And the four right chords can make me cry...), tearful reunions, human relations, the realization of my own mortality and that of the people I am close to... sometimes the beauty of life is so much that it is overwhelming. I feel a need to stop it as it wells up inside me, when I don't think that my heart can stand the pressure. Lately-- and I mean in the past week-- when I think about leaving Costa Rica, my heart feels that kind of pressure. It is as though all the emotion I feel about this country, my return home, my leaving part of myself behind-- it's too much. My heart starts to swell and tears come to my eyes and I'm forced to think of something else, of something different, before my heart breaks entirely. It is not, however, because of sadness. It's something much deeper, something in the fiber of my being that seems to transcend levels of emotion like happines or sadness or even fear.

"The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder." -Virginia Woolf-

This has been one of the most difficult and challenging years I have ever had, but I also feel as though I know myself now. I know more clearly the kind of person I am, and the kind of person I want to be. Isn't that a beautiful thing as well, to know yourself? The difficulty-- and this has always been the difficulty for me-- will be remembering that knowledge when I am taken out of yet another comfort zone and thrust into a now-unfamiliar situation. When I first went to college, when I moved to France... soon after arrival, I had a tendency to "lose myself." That is to say, I was so overwhelmed that I kind of lost my sense of self, my identity... and while this can be a good, healthy change, it can also be quite scary, or at least disconcerting. When I moved here, it was a different feeling. I was somewhat overwhelmed, yes, but I knew I could handle it? These are very difficult emotions to articulate. I trust that those of you who know me (or who have been thrust into similar new situations) will have some notion of what I mean. Most importantly, I feel like I know myself now. This has been a year of self-reflection in a strange place, a sort of Narnia or Never Never Land where regular rules don't seem to apply and time moves at a different pace.

"Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time." -Albert Camus-

I feel as though I am on the edge of a grand precipice, with no idea of what lays before me other than an imminent, bittersweet departure. Beyond that, the way is cloudy. I cannot wait to be back home, to see my family, my friends, to be once again settled well inside my comfort zone. And what of Costa Rica? This whole year, everything that has happened... in the grand scheme of history, of the world, this year that has changed me and challenged me and scared me and shocked me... isn't even a blip on the radar. Life is ephemeral. And doesn't beauty flee fastest of all? Flowers wilt, people grow old, the sun sets, much of poetry and music and art is forgotten. This is reason to appreciate it all the more. Costa Rica has been a strange, occasionally terrible place for me, but it has been above all a beautiful place. Now, where to?

And the wheels just keep on turning
The drummers begin to drum
I don't know which way I'm going
I don't know which way I've come...

How Times Change

2008-02-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

How was there ever a time in my life when I didn't like:

1) Guacamole

2) Cottage cheese

3) Fresh tomatoes

4) Sauteed mushrooms

5) Iced coffee

6) Shrimp

Gratitude, a few weeks early

2007-11-02T22:35:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who wished me well after my most recent post... I was certainly not feeling my best, and your comments and e-mails really brightened my week. :)

That being said, I've been feeling much better lately about life in Costa Rica. The library is just about done with its move to the new space, and I could not be happier about work. I am finally forging what I feel are great friendships here, and recently I have felt more and more just how lucky I have been in my life. Lots of warm fuzzies, to say the least.

My whole life, I have been blessed with the best parents imaginable. Supportive, loving, funny, brilliant... basically, there aren't enough words in the English language (or French, or Spanish) to describe how incredible my Mom and Dad are. If you've met them, you know this is the case. If not, well, hopefully someday you will have the opportunity. :) The more life experiences I have, the more I marvel at how absolutely selfless and amazing they have been, and the more I strive to emulate them in all that I do. To say the least, my parents are my heroes.

Okay, minorly sappy moment over. Other than my fantastic parents, life is great. Halloween was this past Wednesday, and included an amazing trick-or-treat Halloween party at school, full of kids ages 5-12 running amok in costumes ranging from adorable to scary. Later in the night, I chose to go out with several of my girlfriends, and I was pleased when two of our good friends (a married couple) won the Tamarindo Halloween Party Costume Contest. Their costume? Wet t-shirt contest entrant and judge.... only Dustin (the 6'+, macho husband) played the role of contestant, and Kim (the 5', petite, demure wife) was the judge. Hilarious costumes, and they hammed it up, much to the delight of the packed bar Pasatiempo where the party took place. This was the first time I have been in a place other than work and felt almost overwhelmed by gringos-- but it wasn't a bad thing! Laura and I were delighted by the live band, who played hits like "Sympathy for the Devil" (!!!) and "Play That Funky Music, White Boy" -- that one was for you, Mom! Despite some ups and downs, it was a pretty good celebration of one of my favorite holidays. I'll post pictures from the students' darling costumes later this week.

Maybe it's because Thanksgiving is coming soon, but I have been feeling extremely thankful the past few days. For my parents, for my amazing friends, for all the great opportunities which I have had. Education, travel, love, friendship, and unique experiences-- just to name a few. I am such a lucky girl, and I really like when I step back and realize that fact. It's easy for all these great aspects of my life to fade when I'm feeling physically miserable (as in the last post), but a week of antibiotics and anti-histamines can do wonders. November is shaping up to be a pretty wonderful month, and I have so much for which to be thankful.

Peace be with you.

This country is trying to kill us!

2007-10-26T22:47:00.001-07:00

Okay. So over the past nearly three months, people have been getting sick off and on. This is inevitable in a dormitory environment... there are lots of germs floating around and people are living in close quarters.

However, recently, it seems that circumstances have definitely taken a turn for the worse. First, one of the day students has a horrible case of chiggers (I might have mentioned this before) that covers her entire body. Her wounds scabbed over but some are bleeding and she is now in San Jose (the capital) seeking treatment at a hospital. A few dorm students have infected insect bites as well; one was awakened last night to a scorpion in her bed, stinging her. Don't get me wrong, I still love Costa Rica, but now the health problems have reached me.

After having a sore throat for a few days, I ventured to the doctor where I was poked, prodded, and examined. When I arrived, my legs had several small red dots that looked like mosquito bites (though some were smaller), but the doctor didn't seem concerned. Instead, he was more worried, and for good reason. A) I have strep throat. Great. This resulted in a ~$60 expenditure on antibiotics at the pharmacy. B) I have some sort of infection in my ear. It may be bacterial, it may be fungal (GROSS), but overall I am not allowed to get in water again without earplugs for some time. Great. So those two things suck, but both seem treatable, and antibiotics make life way better.

However, I spent my evening tonight dining and playing a board game with my coworkers. In their air-conditioned, closed house. And at the end of the night, the 50-some "bites" on my legs have expanded exponentially. They now reach all the way up my legs and they are occurring in much greater quantities. Great. It now appears that I have either an allergic reaction or a rash. Or some kind of pox (I'm hoping not that last one). So I will be returning to the doctor tomorrow and begging that they look at it. If it isn't better by Monday, I swear I'm booking a flight to the United States for our Thanksgiving break. I must see a real doctor about this nonsense, and soon! Thankfully I chose the international coverage insurance. I love Costa Rica, but given all my suffering and that of my fellow students/employees (to wit: the aforementioned maladies, as well as dengue fever, an intestinal infection, a terrible burn, a broken arm, an ATV accident, and a back scratched up by barbed wire), I think that this country may just be trying to get rid of all us foreigners in whatever way it can

Cross your fingers for my health to return!

Explorations

2007-10-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard a howler monkey? Chances are, probably not. Or if you have, the monkey and his noisy comrades were probably in a zoo or a park or some sort of enclosure such that, if they became quite angry, would keep them from reaching you. On our school campus, however, we have a plethora of howler monkeys. They enjoy climbing in the trees overhead, and occasionally coming down on the back sides of the elementary school to peak in the windows from a low-hanging branch. This is a picture of one of our local friends:

(Photo courtesy of Tony, one of my fabulous co-workers who has a phenomenal camera). Anyway, the howlers are noisy. VERY noisy. They make a pant-hoot sound that often sounds like some sort of angry rampaging beast, rather than just a group of monkeys. This afternoon, the monkeys were howling surprisingly loudly, and in a tree right near the school swimming pool. Upon investigation, my friend Laura and I discovered that what originally appeared to be three monkeys was actually eight or nine. Why the mathematical difficulties? Well, as it so happens, the monkeys were actually copulating rather vigorously and continuing their trademark howls the entire while. We watched with curious giggles for a few minutes, until some of the pairs broke apart and began to hoot even more loudly-- even coming down the branches until they were only about 20 feet overhead. Let me tell you, if you see an animal like this monkey pictured here baring his teeth and hooting (probably howler code for "get away from my mate choices, you big pale hairless ape!"), you should probably do as we did, and make your exit.

This week has marked the first change from two weeks of torrential downpours leading to the peak of the rainy season-- and about time, too! After ten straight days of rain, tempers were flaring, people were irritable, and the boarding students were stuck inside, Cat in the Hat-style, forced to watch the deluge with little options other than TV or movies. Parasailing? Cancelled. ATV rides? Led to people wiping out, falling, getting muddy, etc due to poor road conditions. The beach or the pool? Forget it.

This Monday, for whatever reason, the weather changed completely. The past four days have been filled with sun and fluffy white clouds against a perfect blue sky. It seems like a completely different universe from the weather that we were enduring before, and I am crossing my fingers that the sun is actually a sign that the rainy season will end 2-3 weeks early this year. In addition, students all over campus are being struck with strange maladies. One day student has a terrible case of chiggers-- all over her body, scabbed and infected (I'll spare you the details). Apparently she fell asleep in the grass in her yard.... never a good idea in a tropical climate such as this. A few dorm students have had allergic reactions to some sort of insect bite. So far, the worst I have suffered is about a half dozen mosquito bites on my leg, but now more than ever we have to be careful of dengue. Because of the two weeks of heavy rain, a plethora of mosquitos will hatch soon, and many of them may carry the dengue virus. For those who don't know, dengue is a dangerous virus that has no treatment and no cure short of rest and crossing your fingers. It causes immense joint and bone pain, fever, and other fun symptoms. If you come down with dengue once, you will be very sick, but you should survive. If you come down with it again, there's something like a 35-40% mortality rate (if I remember correctly.) For those thinking of a visit, not to worry... these cases are actually pretty rare-- one older gentleman who retired here 17 years ago told me he has never known a gringo to get dengue fever. :) Knock on wood!

In other news, two weekends ago I visited the extraordinary Volcan Tenorio with the Alcantara family. Our hotel--candlelit, rustic, isolated, and beautiful--was situated on a freshwater river, some of which was piped around a wood fire into a stone "natural" jacuzzi. The lodge was tranquil, refreshing, and filled with beautiful wildlife-- including many birds, butterflies, and even a sloth high in the tree above our cabin! The second day, we hiked the volcano park-- about 5 miles total-- although it really brought a true meaning to "hiking." The path began flat, but soon thereafter became a slippery mess of tree stumps and volcanic rock, about 24 inches wide. On one side was usually a steep drop; we were climbing 2100 feet up the mountainside. Our guide was a local man, age 44, who told us he had been coming to the volcano since the age of 7 with his father... the volcano park is only 13 years old. Our path up the side also sent us through a waist-deep river, past a beautiful waterfall, into hot springs, and over bridges made only of a log across a ravine (Indiana Jones-style!). In addition, there was some amazing wildlife, like this awesome frog...

And this ENORMOUS millipede!

But the best of all was the scenery... it was worth the ridiculous hike and the aching muscles for two days to see a sparkling azure waterfall like this:

And to hike through some bona fide old growth rainforest. It's never been torn down, and it's absolutely incredible. An entire ecosystem!

All I can say is that I'm a lucky girl... it makes all the bug bites and the rain worthwhile. :)

Now, don't you want to come visit?

Long Overdue

2007-10-10T20:48:00.001-07:00

So... remember that time when I didn't post for two weeks? Sorry, everyone.

For whatever reason, the intervening weeks post-kitten rescue have become increasingly hectic. There is a National Honors Society induction to plan, there are French classes to teach, there is the impending library move to the new elementary building... not to mention the day to day work of storytime, teaching literary concepts, shelving books, and the like. Don't get me wrong-- my work is not stressful. The students are lovely and I enjoy what I do. However, there is a constant flow, and if you get behind for a day, you find yourself struggling to catch up. [I suppose that's true of many jobs.] In this intervening time of activity, though, there have been some highs and lows.

The first high is that I had the most wonderful opportunity to travel to Arenal Volcano, one of the most beautiful places in Costa Rica, with the 7th and 8th graders. The group that went on the trip was absolutely wonderful, and we stayed at a beautiful resort about 1mi from the volcano's base. As it is nearing the peak of rainy season, the evening saw clouds around the volcano, but we could see orange and red lava sprays in the air. Oh-- did I neglect to mention that Arenal is an active volcano? The other neat aspect of our hotel was that it had three beautiful pools with neat water slides. One (my favorite) was a short waterslide into a hot pool... so relaxing! There were also two cold waterslides: a short one into a small pool, and another one about five stories tall into a bigger pool. Now, let me begin by saying that it was pouring down rain when we arrived, yet this did not deter our 7th & 8th grade charges from immediately changing into bathing suits and heading to the pool. Nor did it deter them from repeatedly enjoying these stone water slides. The tallest one had both a tunnel (tunnels make me nervous) and a few overhangs where water spilled down onto the slide. Easily coerced by 12-14 year olds, I agreed to go on the slide. However, I did not account for A) the rain, B) the water pouring down, or C) needing to duck to watch my head due to the overhangs. My contact lens knocked out and water pouring in my eyes, I slid at breakneck speed down the slide and as I reached the bottom, braced myself towards the left. Bad decision.

As it turned out, the bottom of the slide had a stone lip up on the left to prevent people from sliding up as a result of the final turn. Not seeing this, I braced the wrong way, and my left temple slammed into the stone with my full body weight after coming down about 5 stories. Given that force = mass * acceleration, I am going to guess that my force was pretty high entering that collision. Immediately after, I shot into the deep, cold pool with the sense knocked out of me. My head throbbing, I dizzily flailed in the water, attempting to locate the stairs, or even the side. Fortunately, the 4th chaperone (a student's mom, certified in CPR) had preceded me on the slide and heard the crack as my head hit the side. She put her arms out and helped me out of the pool and to a chair. The moral of the story? Do not succumb to middle school peer pressure at the age of 22. The rest of the week continued with some pretty bad headaches and dizziness... I think I probably suffered from a mild concussion, but since I didn't go into a coma either of the first two nights while asleep, I'm not too concerned. However, I'll still be avoiding blunt head trauma in the future.

The rest of the trip to Arenal was incredible... our hotel also had a horse farm, a crocodile garden, a butterfly room, an entire setup of leaf-cutter ants (ridiculously strong!), and a diverse array of wildlife on the hotel grounds. In addition to the crocodiles, my favorite was the "Jesus Christ Lizard" (Emerald Basilisk Lizard) we saw, thus named because they run so fast that they literally walk on water. Extraordinary. Visit this Youtube video for a 30-second clip of the same type of lizard, so you can see for yourself. Other than the wildlife, we also went on a hanging bridge tour... about 2 miles through the jungle on suspension bridges up to a few hundred feet high. One allowed for a beautiful panoramic view of Arenal Volcano. The volcano overlooks Lake Arenal, a massive body of water often used for sailing because of the strong winds over its choppy waves. Although I haven't seen much else of Costa Rica other than Guanacaste and San Jose, I think Arenal is my favorite area so far... truly what one imagines when one thinks of Costa Rica. The volcano itself did indulge in some pyroclastic flows while we were there, with one smoky eruption on the final morning where we could see debris flying out. The students had to do a lab (after all, it IS an educational field trip) and discovered that, should the volcano erupt, we would have had approximately 44 seconds to get far away. In other words, we would have been goners.

That may look like a friendly cumulus cloud, but it's actually the result of the smoking, spitting, fiery volcano just moments before. A bit unsettling, to say the least, though extraordinarily beautiful-- I took this picture just a few minutes before we headed to the hanging bridges.

This week began Monday night with a terrifying interaction with a scorpion (some of you have already heard the tale), but I'll leave that for tomorrow or Friday when I'm not falling asleep at the keyboard.

For any of you who are thinking about visiting, please contact me! I would love to have you and I might be able to provide cheap accommodations (this is especially true for low-maintenance students). Keep me posted-- it's a beautiful country and I think you will love it.

Til next time...

Animal Precinct

2007-09-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday I exercise with my friend Lucia, a fellow teacher, and then we go to a little local joint for ceviche. For those of you who don't know--never fear, I didn't before I arrived--ceviche is "a citrus marinated seafood salad" that is absolutely delicious and originally came from Peru (Thanks, Wikipedia!). This is one of those rituals I look forward to: a chance to get off campus, a chance to dine out (and cheaply too), and best of all, a chance to catch up with one of my favorite people.

Usually Lucia and I drive to our gym, exercise, and then drive to the restaurant, but yesterday we were feeling adventurous and decided to walk instead (thus killing two birds with one stone--transportation and exercise, all in one go!). The weather was sunny and clear, which is becoming increasingly unusual as rainy season nears its peak in November, so we wanted to profit from it. As we meandered down the road, Lucia gasped upon seeing a teeny, tiny KITTEN on the other side, about to plod right into oncoming traffic. Being the animal lovers we both are, we dashed across, and she picked up the little furball, a beautiful deep black kitten with piercing blue eyes. In Kitten #1's wake was a smaller, quieter kitten with dappled cream and brown fur. While Kitten #2 sat on the side, mewing fearfully, Kitten #1 (black) kept trying to evade me and saunter back into the road. This, Lucia and I decided, simply would not do. We looked around but saw no sign of a mother, a nest, other kittens, or anything to suggest that the kittens were on the side of the road for a reason. Unfortunately, it appeared as though they had most likely been dumped off by a local who didn't want two more feline mouths to feed. Although I love Costa Rica, there are a fair amount of people who do not treat their animals well... but that is a different story entirely.

Deciding that Kittens 1 and 2 will surely be hit by a car if we leave them alone, Lucia and I decide to transport them. I take the calmer, quieter cream-colored one, and Lucia takes the wildly-mewing and wiggling black one. I'm sure we were quite a sight: two young women, walking on the side of the road in exercise clothes, each cupping a tiny kitten (each one was probably ~8-10 in long at most) and talking to it softly in an attempt to calm them. Creamy settled down in my arms almost at once and even purred a little bit. We continued walking and stopped at a security guard stand to ask for a box. Once supplied with this little box of cardboard, we put both kittens inside and continued on our way to ceviche heaven.

Now, here you might ask-- animals? In a restaurant? Surely that is unsanitary! Well, probably. In the USA. However, you forget that I live in a developing country (I find the word "third-world" a bit too pejorative for a country with as much modernity and foreign wealth as CR has). Even in our school cafeteria, which is also open-air, there are a few cats and dogs that meander through that belong to faculty members or administrators. Just about any open-air restaurant plays hosts to dogs during your meal, be they strays or pets of guests and employees. Roy's, our ceviche place of choice, is no different. Although we picked Tuesdays arbitrarily, it just so happens that Tuesday is when Roy's receives its bountiful fresh shipment of fish for the week--caught, literally, just off the coast. In addition, the waiter every Tuesday is a sweet, friendly, and all-around adorable Tico boy named Carlos who recognizes Lucia and me by now. When we arrive, Carlos is surprised at our little kittens, but upon hearing our story, immediately offers to take one for his new house. He tells us that he has just moved in, and he cleans obsessively, but he still has mice. This is a problem, and he has been looking for a cat. He likes the creamy-tan one (the black one "is a symbol of bad luck, bad for a house") and brings us a saucer of water to give to the kittens.

In the meantime, there is a small, smiley black dog who resembles a longer, squatter Labrador observing the kittens with some trepidation. Carlos tells us that this is his dog, who accompanys him to work every day and waits for him in the back. He even demonstrates how, if he walks with a purpose (e.g. out the front of the restaurant), she trots after him almost immediately. Being avid dog-lovers ourselves (see post below re: Goldie; Lucia is Reina's owner), this endears Carlos to us even more. Also, we discover that Carlos's little dog is a little frightened of the kittens, which results in a hilarious scene of two tiny kittens chasing a full-grown medium-size dog. Blogging simply does not do it justice. The kittens are antsy in their box, so Lucia and I end up keeping one each on our laps as we eat. Yes, this is a ridiculous idea; however, before you start lecturing me on germs, I encourage you to pick up a tiny kitten sleeping on your lap (less than one month old), wake it from its slumber and endure its plaintive mews of supplication, and deposit it in a cold, hard cardboard box.

In addition to the kittens, we met a new two-year-old friend, Annika, who toddled back and forth saying "That's a nice little cat!" about each kitten. All in all, it was actually a pretty delightful scene: two kittens, a dog, and a toddler. While we sat with the felines, we befriended Annika's father, a Canadian businessman who lives here in Costa Rica, and his friend, a saucy 71 year old British expatriate with whom I spoke French. The Englishmen drove Lucia and me back to campus (cats and all), and we spent about another 30-45 minutes bringing the tiny kittens inside and trying to introduce them to Reina. Reina, for all her sweet demeanor, seemed utterly alarmed at these tiny intruders in her apartment. She seemed distinctly bothered-- had her human owner gone mad? These were invaders, unidentifiable tiny creatures, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" style--and she sat whimpering and wagging our tail as not one, but both kittens fell asleep in my lap. When I finally woke them about an hour later (heartbreaking mews and plaintive looks included), we gently placed them in their cardboard box, now lined, and closed them in the bathroom to make them both off-limits to Reina and easier to find in the morning.

All in all, an adventure of over five hours to save two little animals' lives. And yet, isn't that what life is about? Every day is not only an adventure, but an opportunity to put a little more good in this world. One tiny positive contribution-- giving another person a compliment, picking up some trash that isn't yours, letting someone out of a parking space, nursing a wounded baby bird back to health-- it might make a world of difference. Not just for someone else, but for me as well. And I feel better for it.

P.S. Lucia and I (temporarily) named the cats "Noche" (night) for the black one and "Luna" (moon) for the cream-colored one. Noche has a home with two of our high school teachers who are married, just built a house, and want something around to catch mice, roaches, etc. That, and they want a cat to grow up with their two new (ADORABLE) puppies. Perfect.

P.P.S. My left leg is oddly, unexplainedly blue. How did this happen?

¡Felicidades Costa Rica!

2007-09-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend marked Costa Rica's Independence Day (September 15th). I realized that I have never witnessed such celebrations anywhere outside the United States in person. I suppose it comes with the territory; another really neat fact that accompanies actually living somewhere, rather than just studying there or vacationing for a few days, weeks, or months. We had a 2-hour celebration/assembly at the school in which all of the K-6 kids participated, performing poems in Spanish, skits, and dances. We also played host to some local students from both a musical group and a dance ensemble.

The musicians played an instrument unlike anything I have ever seen; similar to a xylophone, it was small, higher-pitched, and held in one arm and played with the other arm. The dance group was co-ed, full of darling girls in brilliantly-colored skirts, and shy boys dressed in all white with straw hats and red ties. These pictures are blurry, but you get the idea. First, the girls in their vibrant skirts:

Next, the boys in their white and red:

The dancing was interesting, though I wouldn't know what to call it... a mix of Latin American styles, reminescent of flamenco and an absolute pleasure to watch. I wish I had a proper video of it, but my camera battery was starting to die as they performed. You'll have to look at the pictures and imagine the small girl (probably age 5) who shouted "Ay! Yi! Yi!" as she and the others danced, which only enhanced the authenticity of the whole thing. Here in Costa Rica they also make these neat lanterns called faroles, which are usually made of paper or cellophane and have a little candle inside. Often the paper or cellophane is decorated with the Costa Rican flag or its colors (red, white, and blue). They have a desfile de faroles where people (often children) parade through town to celebrate Costa Rica's independence. All in all, I am really glad to have been able to witness all the ticos celebrating what is possibly the biggest holiday of the year, except for maybe Guanacaste Day-- which is only emphasized more here because, well, we live in Guanacaste.

Lastly, over the weekend I went SURFING for the first time since I arrived... and I am addicted. I am even thinking that I might eventually buy a surfboard. My body was exhausted the next day, but it is easily the most exhilarating full-body workout I have ever had! You have to use your arms, legs, and especially your abs and core-- and yet it is such a blast. I only made it to my feet once (after which I promptly fell over as I tried to look at my friends and shout), but I rode several waves in on my knees, trying to get used to the board. I want to start going as frequently as possible...

Who knows, maybe I'll even be the next Cody Maverick.*

*--Major props to those of you who know this is without having to look it up. :)

A Swiftly Tilting Planet

2007-09-11T21:41:00.000-07:00

Have I really been here over a month?

The time has flown by. And yet, in some ways it feels as though I have lived here for ages: no hot water for a shower? Hot water is a delightful surprise, no longer a common expectation. Tiny millipedes running rampant in my room? They do no damage as long as I leave them alone (stepping on them releases a pungent smell that takes about 48 hours to go away totally). A torrential rainstorm breaks out midday? I always bring a pair of rubber flip-flops to wear in potential mud or rain on days I wear good shoes.

And yet, all the same, there is the limitless beauty. The unique and unnameable color the sky turns right before sunset, when all is bathed in a golden-tan glow. The frequent and seemingly endless rainbows that jet into the sky after a hard afternoon rain; they seem not so much rainbows, but a multicolored ribbon that leads straight to the stars. The beautiful span of oranges, rose pinks, lilacs, deep purples, and all manner of blues cast across the sky above the sea as the sun sets over the Pacific. And the stars! The vast night sky remains unspoilt by streetlights or high-rise buildings or anything that might diminish the majesty of the heavens. To behold the innumerable blanket of stars (and the occasional full moon) from a vantage point on a dark beach is nothing short of monumental. I highly recommend Costa Rica for those who spend their days in concrete jungles, gazing up through the smog at searchlights or skyscrapers, never seeing more than a hazy ball of sun. I may never live in an urban area ever again.

My entry title is borrowed from a novel of the same name by Madeline L'Engle, who I think may have been the first author I ever read who absolutely blew me away. In second grade I remember checking out A Wrinkle in Time from my elementary school library, attracted by the title, and after reading it, I was completely amazed. I wanted to read the book over and over again, to have the same surge of overwhelming pleasure that I later learned cannot be replicated. Better to enjoy great books the first time, and sit afterwards basking in the glow of a master at her craft. L'Engle wrote many more books that I loved and enjoyed, but I think she was the first author who ever sparked the thought, however deep in my heart, that someday, I too, might create such amazing literature for children.

There is time yet, I suppose. I am still young.

I have, however, decided to name my room's second gecko Charles Wallace.

*******

In other news, Jane Goodall, who visited last week, was fascinating and awe-inspiring; I had the pleasure of taking a picture with her and Mr. H, the stuffed monkey who has so far accompanied her to 59 countries. I also learned that Jane, though 73 years old, travels approximately 300 days out of the year-- basically 10 of 12 months. Can you imagine? I get tired when I go away for a long weekend. What an extraordinary, courageous, dedicated woman. One of my favorite quotes from her whole speech was as follows, after being asked about why she wanted to work with animals:

"I have always loved animals... When I was a child, I was fortunate to have a very wonderful teacher... this teacher taught me so much about animals, but most of all, this teacher taught me that animals have souls, and that they have emotions, and that they have feelings, too. That teacher was my dog."

I have to admit I got a little teary-eyed at this point, thinking about my own wonderful dog, Goldie, who I was blessed to know for 14 years of my life. She was a Golden Retriever, and the only picture I brought from childhood to Costa Rica is one of her and me from when I'm about 7 or 8 years old. Her nose is almost at the camera, and my arms are around her, and I look utterly, completely happy. Dogs are truly magical creatures. The picture of Goldie actually fell off my nightstand a couple days ago and the glass cracked diagonally across the frame, which I'll have to fix over Christmas break. However, after it fell, I did notice a formidable spider who was attempting to scale the edge of my bed. Maybe it was Goldie trying to protect me from a nasty spider bite? :)

Here in Costa Rica, my friend Lucia (a fellow teacher from the United States) brought her delightful 9 year old border collie named Reina (Ray-na, Spanish for "queen") with her. Rayna is one of the most well-mannered and delightful dogs I have ever met, and I am holding her to the gold standard (no pun intended) of Goldie. I'm thankful for Reina, through whom I get my quick fix of puppy love, though I'm thinking more and more that as soon as I return to the states, I want to get a dog.

The happiest I have ever been in my life was living with my parents and my dog.

A Little Monkey Business (Going Ape)

2007-09-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, so it's been a couple days, huh?

Due to generally overwhelming circumstances as of late, I've been remiss in updating this lovely blog. And as I'm sure you are all waiting with baited breath, checking your computers constantly and kept awake at night wondering if I've updated... well, I decided to indulge you. Is that how you spell baited? Is it bated? Where did that expression even originate?

Anyway, on a much more interesting and exciting note, tomorrow my school plays host to none other than JANE GOODALL!!! This is hugely exciting, because as many of you know, I worked in a comparative cognition lab for three years in college. I worked with brown capuchins (Cebus apella), who are actually a species of New World monkey that live naturally here in Costa Rica. So far, the only monkeys I've seen in the flesh (fur?) here are the howler monkeys who howl every morning around dawn. As far as a natural alarm clock goes, it sure beats a rooster. As for Jane, she has spent almost fifty years working with chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), which are NOT monkeys. They are apes. Monkeys and apes are two entirely different types of primates. Here is Jane with one of her chimpanzee friends...

Many of the kids have asked me if Jane will bring a chimpanzee with her to speak, but they don't really seem to grasp that she is 73 years old, and also that Jane's whole platform revolves around preservation of both the species and their natural habitat. Overall, I am delighted to meet her-- one science teacher prepared a brief biography of her with the categorization as the scientist who "redefined man." She certainly made great strides not only in primatology, but in the way we view and study other species.

Lastly, we went to a BEAUTIFUL beach this weekend--Bahía de los Piratas, which means "Bay of Pirates" or "Pirates' Bay"... it was gorgeous. I'll blog more about that later when I'm a tad less exhausted.

Today the weather was sporadic rain; I think we're getting (or going to get) the fallout from Hurricane Felix over on the Atlantic side of Central America. That being said, the weather here has been strange the past few days, culminating in the sunset here this evening where everything was bathed in a bizarre tan glow. Towards the east though, a beautiful, HUGE rainbow rose from the hills that surround Brasilito. Absolutely breathtaking. And last night, when I was sitting outside chatting with two friends, I was blown away by the blanket of stars above-- it was like sitting in a planetarium. Except that it's real. It's truly amazing to be in a locale where there really are almost no lights at night except for the stars. There's nothing better than having nature remind you just how amazing the world truly is. :)

curiouser and curiouser...

2007-08-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

I checked out Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass from the library a few days ago, and I've been reading a chapter or two a night... for some reason I feel it kind of parallels my experience here. I kind of feel like I'm living "The Real World: Costa Rica" + a summer camp + well, a parallel universe.

There isn't a day that goes by that doesn't surprise me, and I still haven't gotten used to going out to clubs and seeing students (as young as 14 or 15!) there. Thursday night's adventure was to reggae night at a club called "Babylon," which had a pretty big crowd and a good mix of both locals and gringo tourists. To say the least, it is more what I imagined when I thought of Costa Rica: chill reggae music, a soft breeze under a palm tree-surrounded veranda, lots of tan people, lots of people partaking in cerain illegal substances in flagrante delicto (not the least of whom were students at the high school. Oy.). Friday night involved some after-school teacher fun and an early bedtime, and Saturday was very similar to Thursday, except that Babylon was our third stop, and that it was Ladies Night instead of Reggae night. I get the feeling that I'm going to grow tired of going out in Tamarindo pretty quickly...

During the day Saturday, I ventured at last to Liberia, the capital of the Guanacaste province and the second-largest city in all of Costa Rica.

Liberia was... well, urban. I tend to prefer Tamarindo, also on the map above, and only about a 25-30 minute drive as opposed to the hour-long trek to Liberia. However, I did make some wonderful, much-needed purchases in Liberia, such as a brand new lovely blanket, a hair dryer (at last!), and a tablecloth that greatly improves the ambiance in my kitchen. On the way home we had an experience that was, for lack of a better term, very "Costa Rica." Jon, the student dorm manager, took us down a side road on the outskirts of Liberia where there was a river between two cliffs. And thus, four in our party decided to go cliff-diving. Now, if you know me, you know I am a pretty rational person who occasionally has a flair for adventure. But you could not pay me a large enough sum of money to hurl myself off a piece of rock into a river-- even if the river IS about 15-20 feet deep. (None of the people who jumped felt the bottom when they landed). I suppose it's one of those experience that will "make you feel alive", but seeing as how I've enjoyed my 22 years of life and plan on many more, I'll stick to the sidelines, thanks.

However, one awesomely cool thing was that high on the rock face on the other side of the river were petroglyphs (!!). Think of the cave paintings in Lascaux, France-- only much more Mayan-looking:

Below the moss, on the right, you can see where someone carved into the rock many, many years ago. It reminded me a lot of the carvings on the buildings at Chichen Itza (I know that's missing an accent somewhere). Anyway, that was maybe the coolest part of the whole experience for me. :) However, if you so desire, you can see the four daredevils (with commentary from myself and the other awed/terrified/amused spectators) below:

First Day!

2007-08-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, this past week has flown by. Work started today, which was both exciting and a little scary... I was late to the full meeting this morning at 7:30, but only by a couple minutes, and I still arrived in time to introduce myself to everyone alongside the other new employees. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly except for this afternoon's torrential downpour, and I'm pretty pleased overall.

I'm trying to figure out how to upload this great noise I found of a Costa Rican gecko so all you excited fans can hear exactly what they sound like-- it's kind of a combination clicking/kissing/etc noise, and it cracks me up. Oh well, I guess you can all Google geckos if you're really that interested.

So, Costa Rica. I am impressed every day by the natural beauty that surrounds me. After spending the past four years in an urban environment , the lush Costa Rican landscape is a welcome change for me. It's easy to see how one can get caught up in the "Pura Vida" lifestyle here and never want to leave. "Pura Vida" is sort of the Costa Rican motto. Literally, it translates as "Pure Life," but more than that it symbolizes the entire pace of life here in Costa Rica. Nothing is done in a hurry, and nothing is done stressfully. This is especially evident because I live in a beach community-- it's normal to see people wandering around in flip-flops, bathing suits, and other beachwear at all times of day. I have to say, I do enjoy it...

...this is a picture from Playa Conchal, which is about a 10-minute walk from where I live. We spent pretty much all morning there over the weekend (at least, until the rainy afternoon), and I think I might just be addicted to beach living.

Maybe I can just blame my lackadaisical blogging attitude on the Pura Vida lifestyle. :)

a different world

2007-08-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, I had wholly intended to blog much more frequently than I have, but by the time I sit down to write, a dozen more blog-worthy events have transpired, and I don't know where to begin. This past Friday night was... interesting, to say the least. I went exploring the local nightlife with several of my co-workers; the evening culminated at one of the biggest bars/nightclubs in the area, which had great music but was filled with gringo tourists.

Also, interesting fact of the day: San Jose, Costa Rica was the third city in the entire world to get electricity in the 1880s, after New York and Paris. Crazy, huh?

...So every time I start a blog entry (like this one), I lose momentum part way through. Hm.

In more interesting news, yesterday morning I discovered a baby gecko (!) in the corner of my bedroom, and I am absolutely delighted about it. He looks something like this, but about two inches long:

Now, some of you might not like little lizard-y things, but I promise, the little gecko is adorable. Plus, he won major points with me by eating a bug; after all, that's what geckos do. Anyway, I totally terrified him, and he ran away, but not before he tried to sell me some car insurance. I have decided to name him Claude. He also makes this crazy clicking noise that I tend to enjoy, except for when it happens at 4 in the morning (as it did this morning) and wakes me up. Ah, gecko night terrors. But basically, ever since Claude showed up, the millipede numbers in my room are down (I used to see them everywhere), and I have yet to see another terrifying spider. So basically, Claude is my new best friend.

Not to be an old woman (it's 8:15pm), but I think I'm going to sign off and get ready for bed... I promise more exciting adventures (and/or gecko news) soon. :)

new beginnings

2007-08-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today marks the end of my first week spent in Costa Rica. I am living here for (at least) a year on the Pacific Coast in the Guanacaste region.

Costa Rica is an absolutely beautiful country; flying in to San Jose involves descending into misty, lush mountains which you can see from almost everywhere in the city. The unit of money in CR is the colon; about 520 colons are worth one dollar, which means that most everything is cheaper here. Last Saturday I made the 200 mile trek (which took about 6 hours due to traffic and one-lane roads) across the country to reach Guanacaste, where I've been since.

The Pacific Ocean and a beautiful white sand beach are about a 10 minute walk away. One inevitable aspect of Costa Rica is the wildlife: some of this has been great so far, like the monkeys perched in the trees at a little roadside stand as I travelled cross-country, or the vivid green chinche (stinkbug!) that I saw at dinner-- harmless and so cute in shape and color that it didn't scare me. An unfriendly surprise awaited my return home my first evening when I entered my room and saw not one, not two, but five spiders. After disposing of the first (smaller) four, I begged a male neighbor to kill the largest (about 3 inches across). His reply? "Why do you want to kill him? He won't bite you. He'll eat the scorpions and other stuff." Which, as you might guess, did not make me feel much better. However, the profusion of creepy-crawlies here in Guanacaste is something to which I'll have to become accustomed, and I am definitely thrilled to be living in a foreign country again.

Lastly, my first impressions: Costa Ricans, as a whole, are extremely friendly and extremely polite. Costa Rica is a nation in transition: while most of the population earns the equivalent of $2000-$3000 annually, there are $1 million condos in San Jose, and expensive, beautiful five-star hotels here on the coast. At once there is the construction of a brand-new high-end shopping center alongside aged 'tico' buildings and small businesses that families have operated for years. I will be interested to get to know more of the locals here in Guanacaste to see how they feel about the boom of expatriates and foreign retirees in their country. Moreover, every Costa Rican I have met has been delighted to help me practice my Spanish, which is a huge plus, as I will be working in an English-language environment.

Lastly, the most amusing thing about Costa Rica is that they have no street names. Addresses are written using landmarks; for example, my hotel in San Jose was "400 meters west of the second cemetery". Needless to say, it makes driving an adventure, especially since the rainy season is in full swing.

Hopefully the future entries will be a bit more lively than this introductory post, and I look forward to any readers helpful hints about blogging.

All the best for now--