¡Otorrinolaringólogo!

¡Hola mi amigos!

I hope this entry finds you well. My stay here in Costa Rica so far has exceeded even my loftiest of expectations. My host family, Xenia, Boliviar, Alejandro, Leo, Cheespa, grandma, and [the other one whose name I cannot remember] are wonderful Ticos to be paired with. I have yet to begin any actual schooling, as this past week consisted of a few tours of the area as well as a trip to the Ecolodge San Luis & Research Station near Monte Verde.

It has been a busy week for me, where: I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to go bird watching (for the first time), milked a cow (for the first time), hiked every day for at least 10 miles a day, played football with my host-brother and his friends, visited the national museum in San Jose, jumped from a ledge into the pool at the bottom of the most beautiful waterfall I have ever had the privilege of viewing, ate the greatest food from the greatest kitchen known to man, played volleyball, learned about plants and their families at the Plant-o-rama, got sick of being stared at by the natives and dyed my hair black so as to fit in a bit more, spoke with naturalists from all over the world and made a fool of myself for not remembering that the Netherlands and Holland are the same place (and that I have been to them), lost my pencil at least six times (but luckily I have found it every time so far), helped a nice Ecologist trap, examine, and release birds living on the coffee plantations, went to a sustainable, shade-grown coffee plantation and got a tour from a native Costa Rican, improved my hackey sack skills, saw the biggest and awesomest rainbow I have ever heard of (!), had deep, thought-provoking conversations while staring at the night sky, wished on a few shooting stars, and probably I whole bunch of stuff I have forgotten already.

My trip to the lodge allowed me to see countless exotic (and not so exotic) wildlife, including but not limited to: bats, a praying mantis, a Clay-colored Robin (Costa Rica´s national bird), some cows, some sort of parrots, many chachalatkas (a turkey-looking bird), the biggest beetle I have ever seen, a few horses, a plethora of Hummingbirds, a Coral Snake (ooh! Poisonous!), plus many more. Unfortunately there was not a monkey in sight wherever I would go, even though some of my cohorts were privy to the shy devils nearly every day.

I start Spanish classes Monday morning, where I will ideally progress with such speed that both my teachers and host family praise me as the genius I am. Tomorrow is a day for a game of football against the Ticos, though I do not expect to put up much of a fight considering the ten year-olds can run circles around even the best players in my group. I hope you are enjoying whatever activities you choose to pursue, and drop me a line if you would like some sort of specific gift from Central America. I would not know where to start otherwise, you see.

I shall see you later, so do not die beforehand!