The trip was awesome. We had a great time, learned a lot of Spanish, met a lot of great people, both locals as well as fellow students from afar. I had the wonderful experience of meeting several volunteers and visiting them at their locales. Our homestay family was very friendly and kind, and ooooh, boy, our Costa Rica mamá can sure cook! Whew! Despite walking back and forth on the beach several times a day, I gained a pound and a half in the past 10 days.
When I wasn’t in class, walking, taking pictures, or eating, I tatted a little lace doily for my niece. At least, I think it’s for my niece. I might have to make a second one…. 😉
Tatting is “frivolite” in Spanish.
The only downside was the heat. Sámara is hot. I think the daily average was around 95, and it hit 107 at least once or twice. Too hot, for me, and I got to spend half the day in an air conditioned classroom. Poor John was in one of the outdoor classrooms, which are not air conditioned (though they are sheltered).
We are going to try to make the shuttle launch tonight after all. We’ve barely unpacked, but that’s actually good– just need to swap out some clothes and throw the extra camera gear into the car and go. It’s about a 4 hour drive, so we plan to sleep over in a hotel an hour south of the launch site (basically drive back to the hotel post-launch and sleep for a few hours before getting up and heading home to the RV.
*and mosquito bites (30 or so) and overheating and dehydration…. and now I’m done with the complaining part of the trip.