Livin the Pura Vida

I just returned from the all volunteer conference (it was four days) where all 98 volunteers in Costa Rica met up in the mountains surrounding the capitol. We had some workshops and a fun time to hang out and meet some of the other volunteers that are also serving alongside us but all over Costa Rica. It was a very good time because I met new volunteers, played in a poker tournament (for candy—we cannot gamble! Apparently volunteers cant make money—who makes these rules anyways?), and watched the different talents of other volunteers in a talent show.

After the four day conference, two other volunteers and I had planned on taking a two day vacation to the Caribbean coast to enjoy the beach. We found out there was flooding and heavy rains, so the day of the trip we changed our plans and found some buses to the pacific coast. We found a nice little hotel (really just a house with an upstairs to ourselves—a kitchen, two bedrooms, cable tv! Whoo!) and stayed there two nights. The beach was so beautiful and it was nice to get away and also hang out with some good friends that I had met in training. Today me and one guy I was with went snorkeling and I was about 10 feet from a sting ray! This was my first time ever snorkeling and I was really scared at first. We saw some really colorful and bright fish and the guide took us to a secluded beach for a while afterwards.

Last night we went out late and had a bonfire on the beach. I love bon fires and sitting around talking. The only thing we did not have was smores and hot dogs…but hey, I am not gonna complain. It was a nice little two day vacation.

Tomorrow at 8am I have another English class, and the rest of the week I will continue gathering information for my community analysis paper. Thursday and Friday I will be up at the high school again for the business class, where I am learning more than helping. Its a really good class and feels a bit weird to be sitting in on a high school class. It also feels really weird to be teaching high school seniors.

The all volunteer conference was great because I love to see the different perspectives and experiences of the other volunteers. For example, a group just left at the end of September because they completed their 27 months. It was really helpful to have gotten to know some of them while I was in training, because they are where I will be in a couple years and they survived. They more than survived. I also like talking to the volunteers that are newer and are just a few months ahead of me (there is a group of volunteers that arrived here 3 or 4 months before my group). So last night my friend Ren and I sat around the bonfire (okay laid on the beach next to it) talking about life here and all the good (and hard) experiences.

Well tomorrow is back to the real world after a nice little vacation. Its good to be back in the hot weather (I couldn’t stand the cold mountains—mostly because everything is wide open and there aren’t heaters) and Im realizing how I do like the hot weather. Christmas in Nebraska will be a little crazy change, but I cant wait to come home!