21!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow
I´m not sure where to begin. I feel like it´s been forever since I´ve last blogged, and now I have so much to say. If I was only to write one more word to describe the past week it would be "beach goodness," which is actually two. Thankfully I wont only be writing that one word, but most likely a novel or two again.

Last weekend was our Limón trip from friday to sunday. Something I´m extremely thankful for in this program is how much I´m learning about the culture. It would be easy to just travel around Costa Rica somewhat removed from reality while hardly getting to know the people you encounter. But one of the main reasons we went to Limón was to understand poverty in Costa Rica from an Indigenous and Afro-Costarican perpective. There was a lot of preparation before we left with speakers and reesarch. We were also required to interview 3 people in San Jose before we left, and 3 people while in Limón about poverty. All I can say is that it made me see Limón, and Costa Rica in general, for more than just it´s beaches, although that was a huge part of it, it´s been a healthy mix of fun and learning. But I´ll try not to bore you with the school stuff too much.

On our way to Limón we stopped at 3 different plantations (fincas). I don´t think I´ve ever been to any type of plantation, so all 3 were new to me. The first was coffee. A plantation I probably should´ve visited a long time ago considering how much I drink. The second was a pineapple plantation, which in case you were wondering, pineapples from the ground out of bushes. First, I thought they grew on trees... silly me. Then I thought they grew IN the ground. But no, they grow from these weird plants. The third was a Del Monte Banana plantation, which was loud and exciting, and we got a bunch of free bananas.

During our drive to Limón, we could immediately tell by the weather when we had reached the Carribean. Once we finally got there the weather was unbelievable. It was some of the hottest, stickiest, most humid weather I´ve EVER experienced. I´m not what I was expecting but I wasn´t prepared for the massive amount of sweating I did the entire weekend. Showers felt pointless, and towels were useless, since nothing is dry there. Although it was uncomfortable at the beginning, you get used to it quick, since everyone around you is equally sweaty.

Saturday was the best day of our trip, mostly because it was my BIRTHDAY!!! We started the day by visiting an indigenous reservation of a tribe called the Bribri. The reservation was crazy. They raise animals and grow all of their own food, but the biggest thing they farm are Iguanas. Iguanas are realy important to them not only for food, but also help replenish the forest. They are extremely in touch with nature, and always seek new ways to sustain the resources they consume. But they are also really marginalized in Costa Rica, and hardly have a say in any political decisions. They receive little medical care, and many times the government treats them as if they don´t exist.

After that, we went to a nearby national park, Cahuita, where there were tons of beautiful beaches. As I was swimming in crystal clear, warm water, while everyone in my group sang me happy birthday, I thought to myself, "I´ll probably never have a birthday like this again." And it´s true. We spent several hours at the beach, and although it wasn´t very sunny, everyone had a really good time. When we got back, we had an authentic carribean meal, which was amazing, followed by dancing, with music from a live carribean band. Literally, one of the best birthdays I´ve ever had.

The next day we went home, and I immediately appreciated my situation in San Jose more than before I left. The weather, which I use to think was hot and humid, felt dry. And my house, which sometimes made me squirm with cockroaches, felt like a mansion after seeing the wasy people live in Limón. That afternoon when I got home, I decided to eat an early dinner. Then I found out that it was my cousins birthday and that we were going to their house to eat more. Basically I´ve never eaten that much in my life. I´ve learned how to say no to food at my host home, but when I´m a guest at a different home, it´s harder. Sooooo either I ate so much that I made myself sick that night and next day, or I had a bug. Who knows.

On monday my family surprised me and told me that since I wasn´t in San Jose for my birthday, they wanted to take me to the beach on Tuesday, which was Independence Day. Woo hoo, more beaches! So since everyone has school and work off on September 15th, yesterday we went to a city called Puntarenas to a beach called Playa Blanca. It was equally, if not more beautiful than Limón. Like nothing I´ve ever seen. There were vendors that came by selling fresh Ceviche and Coconuts, and the sand was made of only seashells. I basically spent 8 hours in paradise all in the name of independence and my birhtday. I definitely wouldn´t say that I´m living a vacation here everyday, although it sounds like it, but it´s crazy to me that I can drive only 2 hours to places many people dream of vacationing. Very fortunate.

One downer, is that during the past two trips to the beach, I´ve gotten water in my ear that wont come out. So on top of not always being able to understand the language, I´m now part deaf. Great. Hopefully they have something at the store that can take care of this little problem.

I definitely could say way more, but now my fingers are tired of typing. I´ll try to write again before we leave for Nicaragua on Monday, but if not I wont have any communication while we´re there for two weeks. So if you have anything to say before I leave, ya better do it soooooooon. Much love

P.S.- please please please comment and leave me updates about yourselves. I really miss you all!