I have seen some sights in the last couple of days that have stirred emotions within me for both laughter and tears. They are not stories that I want to write about, but will most certainly share in private company of friends and family. I knew and understood that there was potential for many emotions while volunteering and I'm appreciative of the chance to have such experiences. But with all the good that happens there is also the bad. And in communities that are in need of volunteers and people with open hearts and minds, there is always the potential to see and feel things that you wish you could change. By offering my love and compassion I hope that I am able to help a little, however, there are somethings which I cannot change at the present. And from those realizations that I cannot change things, comes a greater knowledge of what I want for myself, my family, and friends for our futures and the steps I can take to ensure that they are achieved and that no one should have to live what I have seen.
I don't mean for this post to be depressing. And without all the details it's hard to understand that both laughter and tears occurred, but just know they did. And I am not sad, I am stronger and smarter for it all. Learning is part of the joy of this experience, whether it's through laughter or through tears.
10/22/2008
10/21/2008
My Costa Rican Birthday
Well it happened! I made it one more time around the sun... and I'm officially 30! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! nah, not really. I don't feel a day over 24 and don't look it either, so it's just another day. Which is partially why I wanted to be in CR for the occasion. Just being here makes it all more memorable, which is good cuz I don't remember anything about bday 29 except I was with Kari Garner (maybe I was drunk or something? lol)
At my placement, all the professors surprised me with flowers and some yummy Chinese food for lunch! (who knew there was delicious Chinese food in CR?) They even gave me a super cute gift of one the crafts that the CAIPAD students make. I felt so honored and blessed. It really was so generous and kind of them!
At "home", the CCS casa, they prepared a lovely meal (Tostadas---a group favorite) and I dutifully ate my second yummy lunch of the day. Then it was time for singing and CAKE! And what a cake it was!!! I am seriously a lucky girl. Everyone at CCS has been so nice and really make me feel special. Everyone wished me feliz cumpleanos. It was a great birthday! I relaxed, had no worries, enjoyed my surrounding, my company and most of all, that yummy cake!
Cumpleaños Feliz,
Cumpleaños Feliz,
Te deseamos todos,
Cumpleaños Feliz.
xoxo
A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. ~Lao Tzu
iev
So true! My plans for last weekend were derailed due to weather and bad roads here in Costa Rica. For all who plan to visit CR in the future beware the roads! They are pretty bad and it's pretty ridiculous. And considering I am here during the rainy season, lots of things get washed out, including roads. So instead of going to Puerto Viejo (which I still hope to visit before heading back to the States), I stayed close to home.
Actually I didn't even go anywhere on Friday night. I stay right here in Cuidad Quesada and went out to dinner with the few women who also stayed behind. It was quite nice. I did some shopping, had a fabulous cafe frio, and a yummy steak dinner at one of the local restuarants. I also changed my sleeping arrangements and now have a private room, so I took the time to set it up and make it "mine".
After some thought about how I was feeling leading up to the weekend in regards to the sorority feel of the house and the mounting tensions due to a large group of women living together so closely, I felt that I deserved a little more privacy. I forgot how much I do appreciate the quiet and alone time. Granted, when I'm at home and bored in NoVa and I have all the quiet and privacy I need I don't want it. lol But I'm happy to have the option to share or not to share here in CR. So the change was nice.
Saturday AM I relaxed!!!!!!!!!! I stayed in my pj's and drank coffee. I ate pizza with Molly and had some nice chats. By 3 I was ready for some more action, so I hopped on bus to La Fortuna and met up with some of the other girls from CCS. We stayed at Gringo Pete's Hostel and it was dirt cheap ($5/night). My amiga Joanna met some Ticos on a previous trip to La Fortuna and they wanted to have some fun with us, so we went to the Festival La Fortuna (which is really like a cowboy thing... mechanical bull and all), and hit up the discoteque. It was WILD and muy caliente! All the boys were so nice to us and just wanted to dance (unlike some other places where the Ticos can get a little aggressive) and have fun. I called it a night a little after 12 since my feet were killing me and I had 2 giant blisters to deal with. The other girls followed shortly after.
The next morning we woke to lots of sunshine and were ready for another fun, but relaxing day. Our friend Carlos offered to take us to the local watering hole. And thankfully we had him and some of his friends with us, cuz there were definately some vultures circling. But we had a wonderful time, playing in the rapids and pools. It was beautiful and very much a true Tico experience.
We head back to the CQ around 3. We travelled back home by bus. The trip only costs c600 Colones. Which is about $1. Nice. We grabbed some snacks and enjoyed the 1.5 hour ride home.
I had originally planned to have a beachy weekend with hammocks and cool drinks along the Carribbean, but ended up having a super chill weekend near the volcano Arenal, with lots of new friends and lovely sunshine and good vibes. Oh and did I mention that it was "birthday weekend"? So that was toasted a few times (not a single person bel ieve that I, the most wonderful machita, could possibly be turning 30!) Yeah, so this was actual the best for me. However, I didn't do any adventure sports as I had originally thought (the other girls did on Sat. AM). I WILL however be doing them before I leave. La Fortuna is "close" by most CR standards and it is the PLACE for Canyoning (ie: repelling down waterfalls), so I will be reporting about that sometime around Nov.7th.
So all and all, good times! Pura Vida!
So true! My plans for last weekend were derailed due to weather and bad roads here in Costa Rica. For all who plan to visit CR in the future beware the roads! They are pretty bad and it's pretty ridiculous. And considering I am here during the rainy season, lots of things get washed out, including roads. So instead of going to Puerto Viejo (which I still hope to visit before heading back to the States), I stayed close to home.
Actually I didn't even go anywhere on Friday night. I stay right here in Cuidad Quesada and went out to dinner with the few women who also stayed behind. It was quite nice. I did some shopping, had a fabulous cafe frio, and a yummy steak dinner at one of the local restuarants. I also changed my sleeping arrangements and now have a private room, so I took the time to set it up and make it "mine".
After some thought about how I was feeling leading up to the weekend in regards to the sorority feel of the house and the mounting tensions due to a large group of women living together so closely, I felt that I deserved a little more privacy. I forgot how much I do appreciate the quiet and alone time. Granted, when I'm at home and bored in NoVa and I have all the quiet and privacy I need I don't want it. lol But I'm happy to have the option to share or not to share here in CR. So the change was nice.
Saturday AM I relaxed!!!!!!!!!! I stayed in my pj's and drank coffee. I ate pizza with Molly and had some nice chats. By 3 I was ready for some more action, so I hopped on bus to La Fortuna and met up with some of the other girls from CCS. We stayed at Gringo Pete's Hostel and it was dirt cheap ($5/night). My amiga Joanna met some Ticos on a previous trip to La Fortuna and they wanted to have some fun with us, so we went to the Festival La Fortuna (which is really like a cowboy thing... mechanical bull and all), and hit up the discoteque. It was WILD and muy caliente! All the boys were so nice to us and just wanted to dance (unlike some other places where the Ticos can get a little aggressive) and have fun. I called it a night a little after 12 since my feet were killing me and I had 2 giant blisters to deal with. The other girls followed shortly after.
The next morning we woke to lots of sunshine and were ready for another fun, but relaxing day. Our friend Carlos offered to take us to the local watering hole. And thankfully we had him and some of his friends with us, cuz there were definately some vultures circling. But we had a wonderful time, playing in the rapids and pools. It was beautiful and very much a true Tico experience.
We head back to the CQ around 3. We travelled back home by bus. The trip only costs c600 Colones. Which is about $1. Nice. We grabbed some snacks and enjoyed the 1.5 hour ride home.
I had originally planned to have a beachy weekend with hammocks and cool drinks along the Carribbean, but ended up having a super chill weekend near the volcano Arenal, with lots of new friends and lovely sunshine and good vibes. Oh and did I mention that it was "birthday weekend"? So that was toasted a few times (not a single person bel ieve that I, the most wonderful machita, could possibly be turning 30!) Yeah, so this was actual the best for me. However, I didn't do any adventure sports as I had originally thought (the other girls did on Sat. AM). I WILL however be doing them before I leave. La Fortuna is "close" by most CR standards and it is the PLACE for Canyoning (ie: repelling down waterfalls), so I will be reporting about that sometime around Nov.7th.
So all and all, good times! Pura Vida!
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