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It is about 9:30 here and we just finished finalizing our plans for this weekend. We decided to go to Monteverde, which is supposed to be the best cloud forest and natural reserve in Costa Rica. I am going with seven other girls I have met--we're all really excited to get out of San Carlos and see some more amazing scenery.
Today started at 6:30 again with breakfast. I brought my peanut butter my mom sent with me and I was mobbed at breakfast! haha, I guess it was a good idea. Maybe I should hide my treasured PB tomorrow morning. At 7:45 our vans came to pick us up. I was the last stop this morning and didn't get to my placement until 9:30! I'm sure this was because it was the first day. I started at AMURECI, which is the women's center where they make hand-made paper out of recycled materials and make them into picture frames, bookmarks, etc. They also make jewelry like necklaces and earrings. We started by working on English practice with two of the women there--Mayela and Mily. We had to say the flashcards in Spanish and they had to practice in English. I was surprised by how much I actually understood. They complimented me on my Spanish which made my day--they said I speak fast and smooth, which sounded like a joke to me since I haven't practiced in AWHILE. It all just started coming back to me as I was thrown into it. I was asked to start painting some bookmarks with pictures of butterflies and tucans. We actually had a great conversation. They were very easy to talk to. We were picked up around lunchtime and driven back to the house. Today was clear for awhile so we could see another volcano in the distance. This place gets more beautiful the further out I get in the city. Dogs run loose everywhere, cows are lined in fields with palms trees--weird, and every house is framed with a fancy gate. These are just a few odd things I have observed.
We had another delicious lunch and then a group of us went to the zoo which was GHETTO! I was standing 2-feet across from a puma and a leopard which was only separated by a small fence that looked easily breakable YIKES! Of course when we arrived it started pouring---I mean POURING. They have a special word for the different kind of rains, which I can't remember right now, but it meant heavy, long, rain. At least my rain jacket from Nick works :D We saw monkeys who were very silly, muskrats, tangors?, lions, toucans, etc. and it only cost $4 to get it!
I wasn't feeling very good after that--there's something about this place that gives me a headache about the same time every day. I hadn't fully unpacked yet, so I got everything organized and feel 100% better...except for the fact that nobody warned me about cockroaches ewwwwww! I just found one and I'm kind of afraid to go to sleep now.
Tomorrow I start at Hogar de Ancianos (nursing home) which will be my main placement. I'm a bit nervous but I guess I will just have to see how it goes before I start worrying about it to much. Let's hope the language barrier isn't too rough.
Thanks for the sweet messages--its nice to know you are thinking of me while I am away.
Grandma--hope you had a great flight and I will try to call you this week.
Buenos noches!
Love,
Sally
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