Last few weeks!!!

     Ok, it has definitely been a while, i'm sorry about that! However, its good, that just means I have been busy!


     Can I please tell you about the weekend I went to Guanacaste? It is north of Costa Rica and all that I have really heard about it, was that it was hot there but the beaches were beautiful. The trip I went on last week was part of the culture study that I am in. Well, little did I know that this was the start of one of those weird trips that you don't really like but ends up being the most memorable type of thing...
     We kept asking our teacher Carlos Naranjo, what to bring... he said "you gringos (slang for americans... sometimes offensive) you always have to know every little detail!" Haha, yes we do! So I thought the bus trip was going to be 8 hours but he informed us it was only 5. We all showed up to leave at 6am but of course one person was late and we left at 7am... I didn't care, such is life in Costa Rica. Then, an hour out on the road and we get a flat. I'm that person that always saw cars with flats and said "oh, that sucks" and here was my bus, with a flat! 45 minutes later and we were out on the road again. I had no idea where we were, but we started going down some dirt path and then the bus stopped in the middle of no where, I thought "Oh great, the bus broke down again" but I was wrong, we had arrived out our destination! And our destination was what exactly? A place where they used to mine for gold, cool! No not cool, the life of a gold miner is kinda depressing. Before they knew about the effect it had on the lungs, at least one person would die a day. They still mine for gold for 24 hours twice a month and just hope by luck they find gold to profit on. I guess that means if  you don't find gold, you don't get to eat meat that month! Only rice and beans for you! Did I mention it was super hot? Then we hiked up some trail with huge steps and slippery dirt. As I said to myself "its always worth the climb, its always worth the climb" I got to the top and wondered where the beautiful view was. Everyone was like WOOOOW! But after you have climbed the largest mountain in North Carolina, the Great Wall of China, and Mt. San Jacinto in California, you just don't find many views that top it. Don't feel bad for me, i'm spoiled. But really, i'm serious, there was no view... I mean there was a mountain in the way of what was probably a great view. We kept traveling along the path which dead ended to a mine... I thought we had to go through it but no, we had to turn around and travel back. We went a different way and climbed down a very steep slippery hill on which I fell, but wasn't the only one! I was so happy to get on the bus! The next place we stopped at we learned how they made pottery. It was very cool, and nice to know the pottery I bought my mom and sister was homemade and not just imported from China. That night we stayed at a hotel which was interesting... Chinese owned, which made it more interesting. I was dead tired and passed out that night. Only to wake up to a 5 hour bus on the way home. We could have gone to the beach but it was hot, and it was going to be 14 more dollars for only a couple of hours... plus the beaches here don't have clear water. I'm going to Bocas del Torro for Spring break and leave tomorrow, they have clear water.


Oh and by the way, the serial killer that was running a hostel in Bocas del Torro was caught in Nicaragua... so I should be fine. AND I am not staying in a hostel, but an apartment with 4 other friends! Half of our meals for the week include the phrase "Just add water!" Haha, I think it will be a great time!