Hola chicos!

So for your info this is the second time ive tried to type this, but a power failure just before i posted the last one drove me to the beach to get a wee cerveza So, whistle stop tour - I left monteverde last Friday, was really sad to leave my tica family (tica = costa rica), they were so good to me and the most patient people in the world. I learnt so much practical Spanish from them. Was also sad to leave the school, the rain forest and the students. But hey, onwards and upwards!

Last weekend me Bobby, Carolyn and Dawn (all students from Monteverde) went to the active Volcano called Arenal. Our log cabins we were staying in were unbelievable! Fluffy white towels with HOT running water!! We went on a hike (god, I know, a friggin hike…) in the rain forest and saw loads of wildlife, sloths, raccoons, tropical frogs, butterflys and a pack of monkeys! They weren't very happy to see us so they started shaking the branches above us, flinging twigs at us and Bobby nearly got a Golden Rainshower J Pleasant, eh?!

After the hike, we were all achy and roasting so we went to the baldi hot springs, which are springs heated by the volcano - they were seriously fantastic. They ranged from a roasting 45 degrees to a comfortable 27 degrees. Sitting in the hot spring drinking a pina colada just at the foot of the volcano I could have died happy if it erupted fully then and there.The Sunday we went on another hike round the volcano (groan…) but we ended up at La Fortuna waterfall which was this tropical paradise!! We all got the cozzys on and swam at the bottom of it - an yes, it was as idyllic as you are currently imagining! Then the bus came for me and whisked me off to Flamingo Beach which was a stomach churning 5 hours along a twisty drit track road. To say I was green about the gills was an understatement!!

The school here is amazing. We are literally on the beach, it has a pool and the temperature is an egg poaching 35 degrees!! There are a lot more students at this school, about half from Europe, half from the states. Some of the latter are, like, so like, whatever!! but most are really cool.

My tica family are nice, I have a wee granny flat above the house with my own loo which is fab. The papa tico is a chef so I have all my dinners in his restaurant which all the other students want to kill me for! Though, it is still generally rice and beans for dinner, rice and beans for breakfast, rice and beans for lunch. The insects are killing me - I look like I have the chickenpox and am scratching like crazy!

Have been to the beach with the other students which has MASSIVE waves!! I can now see why costa rica is one of the surfing capitals in the world! You have to dive under every wave to survive otherwise you get tumbled and its impossible to know which way is up and gasping for air!! That happened to me twice and I was pretty shook up! But when I wasn't drowning it was a good laugh with all the other students.

We all went out for "ladies night" last night which means free drinks in the local pub on the beach for all ladies between 10 and 11. Me and the other English girl defo made the most of that - though my Spanish teacher this morning probably wasn't too pleased - I was a tad rough this morning for my 8am class. Have spent the afternoon playing table tennis and generally avoiding doing homework.

So, these are my last few days, I really love the simple way of life here, the people want for nothing but they have nothing as well. Im really sad to be leaving so soon and dont want to go, two weeks just isn't enough…