Campus has been invaded. A group of high schoolers from Minnesota showed up yesterday. I don't know how long I can take it. Last night after dinner I went to go to the bathroom and they were all in there. Together. Just hanging out. Then they made me wait in line when they were only using one of the three stalls. Strike One.

I came into the biblioteca to get some studying done after our rugby presentation last night and they were all in there. Together. Just hanging out. Actually this time the hanging out had a center: one of the boys was singing and playing guitar. All of the girls were fawning over him and giggling and being ridiculous, and the boy was just eating it up. Barf. I had to pack up my stuff and find a different locale for my studying. Strike Two.

In Spanish today they all came into the comedor in the middle of my lesson. They were all loud and obnoxious and horrible, so I shot them the evil eye and they shut up. Actually, their teacher ushered them into the kitchen and told them to keep it down. It was short-lived, but I was peeved nonetheless. Strike Two and a Half.

They better watch it. That's all I'm saying.

So yeah last night Cheesecake gave a rugby presentation. She was REALLY into it. She had a powerpoint presentation and music to go with it and a mattress to tackle on and was rocking all of her gear. Yeah she has it all here. I have no idea why. So now I know all about rugby and can be a good fan slash "rugger hugger" when I go to Tia's rugby games. Tia, the hooker. Ruck. Scrum. Tackle (shoulder.hip.knee). Yeah I'm set.

Let's talk about the AMAZING meals I have eaten since returning to campus. For dinner last night we had grilled chicken breast, veggies, rice, and beans. Okay that's not like so amazing, but then we had tres leches cake with ICING. BAhhhh. It made me so happy. Then this morning we had my favorite breakfast: fresh fruit, coffee, wheat toast, mysterious jam, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and gallo pinto. Oh my gosh I was freaking out. So wonderful. Lunch was rice, beans, salad with walnuts and raisins, and potatoes. And they had cornbread out today. And flan. And bean empanadas.

A couple just showed up to campus. Apparently they are crocodile hunters, with accents and everything. Lindsay told us to sit by them at dinner so we can figure out what their deal is.

I wrote my ode to Salsa Lizano last night. It ends with a declaration about how we can use Salsa Lizano to achieve world peace.

Tomorrow we are giving our final presentations for Deany. Then taking his final on Friday. I think the world may come to an end when we have to part with Dean. I really do. Luckily we will have an extra week with him because he and Kathy are coming to the beach with us. Woo woo!

I also have my Spanish midterm on Friday, my poetry portfolio due Sunday, and my poetry recitation on Monday. So I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I really should not be blogging right now. That's the sacrifice I am willing to make for you, faithful readers. I am sacrificing being productive in order to meet the needs of your inquiring minds. You're welcome.

My spidey senses are tingling.

It's time for dinner.

peace love and hookers

pura vida.

I am really missing mi familia already. Last night was so great. Mi padre y hermanos were making fun of me and cracking jokes about me and just treating me like legit fam. Kevin threw a pillow at me and called me crazy then gave me the fist bump thing. And mi padre told me that I was his favorite estudiante. Oh my gosh so much love. So much.

And this morning over a delicious breakfast of coffee, gallo pinto, tortillas, and omelets with corn (question mark?) mi madre was talking about how well we get along because we are so the same. We totally are. I can't wait to go back and live with them. I want to live with them forever.

Last night mi madre told me that they got new baby chicks and so I freaked out and had to go and see them asap. Obviously. So mi madre took me out to go see them. So precious. My other bebes are two weeks old now and not nearly as cute. Sad times. Then we came back inside and Kevin and mi padre laughed at me for going so crazy over mis bebes. Then we ate dinner: chicken, rice, beans, and some ginormous purple veggie thing that was green on the inside. Like Barney, but boiled and cold and edible. And kind of sweet? I couldn't decide if I liked it or if it made me want to puke.

After dinner we were all really giddy and were cracking up about everything. I was laughing so ridiculously hard. Have I mentioned that I love my fam? Because I do. Mi madre fixed the hot liquid flan again. I drank it, knowing full-well that I was going to put my stomach through hell in doing so, but it was delicious. Except for when I swallowed a fat piece of skin that had formed. Sick.

I have fat blisters on my feet from making my hike to and from school in wet chacos. The rain is still going strong. Freaking 3 days straight.

This morning in Dean's class we discussed solid and hazardous waste. I was literally choking down vomit. Dean was explaining to us about septic tanks and about the horribly vile men that crawl into them to check the levels of sludge and of water in the tanks. They also poke around to see if there are any foreign objects, i.e. used tampons. This is their job. To sift through human feces and to measure exactly how much is in a certain tank. Who does that?

As if we hadn't had enough already, Dean went on to tell us about when he had rented 12 porta-potties for the Olympic track team he hosted in 94. So he has these 12 cubicles of death that need cleaning and this guy comes out to do the job. He brought out lunch for the good ol boy to be polite, but immediately wished he hadn't when the guy began to eat the sandwich as he was sucking the poop from the toilets. BARF BARF BARF

Really, Dean? Must you be so crude?

For lunch today we had the most delicious salad. Oh my goodness you do not even know. It was loaded with hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes and cucumbers. And ranch dressing. Oh happy day! We also had rice, garbanzo beans, and veggies.

Ann is the chocolate fairy. Our very own Willy Wonka. Today she busted out Reeses, M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, Milky Ways, and Snickers. I may have shed a tear. Don't judge me.

Then during Spanish they put out cookies. The most delicious kind. Sweet sweet goodness in the forms of spirals and hearts. Love them forever.

It is so cold now. I'm not much a fan of the cold because my toes and fingers never ever get warm. My circulation is better than Cayman's, though. The girl's fingernails are purple. What.

This psycho steroid tico bug scared me into bed last night. It was loud and made me scream stupid girl screams when the rest of the fam was already in bed. He bullied me into turning off my light because he wouldn't freaking leave me alone. So I did no homework and pulled my covers over my head and passed out.

Cayman made up for my bug problem, though, by stepping on a fatty bug this morning. She didn't realize the fat lump that was stuck to her sock was a bug until she went to peel it off. Sad times.

I should probably start my research paper that's due Thursday.

peace love and paolo?

sup peeps.

I just read an email from meems that put me in a scatterbrained mood so I apologize in advance if this post induces a seizure for anyone.

Mi padre eats chicken feet. Like passes right on over the rice, beans, and normal edible chicken parts, and eats the feet. 4 of them in one sitting. They looked like they had been fried because they were kind of dripping grease. I tried not to stare too much, but I couldn't help myself. He made a small pile of cartilage on the side of his plate. Barf.

Kathy has eaten duck feet. Duck feet soup, specifically. In China. Figures.

Cayman eats bugs at her homestay. Not of her on volition, but because that is what her mother serves her. In her juice, in her pineapple jelly, in her sugar. She thought the ones in her juice were seeds at first. Sad times when she found out they had wings. The jelly and sugar bugs were not functioning under any sort of facade, though. You can't really mistake a crawling chigger for anything but its nasty self.

Cayman also eats fajitas for breakfast. And leftovers from dinner. And a big fat steak.

Last night I slept for 12 hours. 12. What. Last night I discovered this sheet that I can put on top of the lace sheet that's over my window. Dangerous. I passed out at 7:30 because the fam was watching a movie in Spanish and I couldn't will myself to translate, and then I didn't wake up til 7:30 this morning. Yikes.

Headwraps are amazing inventions. They are also enablers of bad hygiene, which is really bad for Sarah. I wore mine today after an extended period of not showering. I will spare you the details.

Ann's parents came this weekend, loaded with goodies. They are really really great. They brought Reeses, M&Ms, Peanut M&Ms, Snickers, Dove Dark Chocolate, and Season 2 of One Tree Hill. Just necessities. You know.

Tonight is our last night at our homestay. Sad times. Good thing I am going back in a couple of weeks to be with my amazing fam.

Tess is really pumped that this is her last night at Aidee's. Apparently Aidee is crazy. And hates homosexuals with a fiery, fiery passion. And wants to hook Tess (18) up with her 29-year-old son. Yikes.

Oh I never posted about our Friday adventures. Our first legit group outing. Except Geovanny was our substitute Tia at dinner. Whatever. First we went to this crazy delicious Italian restaurant. We stuffed our faces with bread, pizza, wine, and ice cream until we wanted to die, and then went dancing at Bar Amigo. Cayman is definitely the dancer of the group. She is such a rockstar. Oh my gosh you don't even know. All of us crazy gringas went out and got our freak on while all the locals watched [and pointed and laughed]. Then the actual meringue/ salsa/ cumbia came. Sarah coaxed Jeff onto the dance floor and he was just loving life. Dean and Kathy peaced out before we even got there. Beeotches.

Mi madre is afraid of frogs. I discovered this last night when a frog jumped into the house and she covered her head with a blanket. Then, to her horror, the frog jumped all the way into her bedroom. It was quite the fiasco at the Garro-Cruz household.

Yesterday I felt really sick. It was really depressing because I was sick for the first distribution of chocolate goodness. I really wanted to cry. I think it was from being stuffed up in the stupid library for 3 hours in the morning. It was our morning of involuntary volunteer work. We just sat in this dank little shack all morning sorting through Spanish books and revitalizing our Dewey Decimal System skillz. Kill me.

The rain is relentless. I had to walk home in it yesterday. Like legit torrential downpour. I got home and had to ring out my shorts before I walked in the house. And that was with my rain jacket and umbrella. Ridiculousness.

This morning mi madre made me gallo pinto and plantains and coffee.

Last night Kevin made his freaking delicious spaghetti sauce.

Yesterday for lunch I barely stomached my rice and pureed beans.

For breakfast yesterday I had coffee and cheese empanadas. That may have been the beginning of my stomach's demise.

For dinner on Saturday I had a FAT plate of rice, beans, and chicken. I barely made a dent in it. Mi padre told me it was dangerous to eat when I am not hungry. Question mark?

Last night someone called the house and spoke English. I know this because mi padre spit out a fat slew of Spanglish. I was loving it. He asked me why I was smiling and I told him that his Spanglish made me very very happy.

Some rando stopped me on the road this morning to chat. He just wanted to talk about where I was going and who I was living with and all that. After a sufficient number of awkward silences, I told him hasta luego. Weirdo.

My toes are freezing. I have been SO cold all day. Ms Nash always said I had bad circulation. That's why she made me wear gloves before performances like a freak.

We are writing odes in poetry. I think I'm going to write an ode to Salsa Lizano. Or maybe to gallo pinto.

peace love and ADD is contagious

tuanis.

Today was INCREDIBLE! Oh my gosh easily the best day yet. I am going to try my very hardest to do it justice..

For breakfast mi madre fixed me a FAT plate of scrambled eggs and plantains. Deliciousness!

Then our TOURISTA taxis picked us up at 7:30 to head over to Selvatura Canopy Tours for a day of zip-lining through the cloud forest. We had a group of 12, and our taxis were divided up with 9 in one taxi and 3 in the other. Then, once we made it up the trocha, the 3 of us in the second taxi got into the other taxi and our driver peaced out. I just love the taxis. So much.

We got to Selvatura at like 8:15 and the place was packed with fellow touristas. So many rando languages to be heard at a Costa Rica zip-line attraction in the early morning. Also, I could see my breath, which is endlessly fascinating for me. We filled out waivers with our names, ID numbers, and signatures. ID numbers could be your social security number, your passport number, your drivers license number, or your phone number. What? I chose all of the above in hopes my identity would be stolen.

Then they took us into this room that at first glance looked like total chaos but then you realized all of the yelling and harnesses and craziness was a system. Eduardo strapped me up in my harness and bright orange helmet and handed me my hardcore gloves. I asked him how I looked and he gave me the once-over and said "guapita." But what's new, right?

I was very confused by the gloves because they were construction gloves reenforced with a fat slab of leather on the palms. I quickly gained an immense appreciation for them, though. When you zip line, you sit in your harness with your knees up and your ankles crossed and you have your non-dominant hand on the rope connecting your harness to the cable (aka your polyester life support) and your dominant hand on the cable behind your head. So that fat slab of leather ensures that the friction doesn't burn your palms to a bloody mess. Yay for weird gloves.

We started out with a baby line just to practice. Then we got to the good stuff. Oh my gosh it was so amazing. I zip lined through clouds, above the trees of the rainforest. What? Yes. That happened. This is my life. There were 15 lines. The highest altitude was 300 feet, and the longest line was 2100 feet long. The longer ones were awesome because being in the cloud made it so that you couldn't see very far in front of you. It looked like the line just cut off mid-air. It didn't, though. The shorties were fun, too. You got to zip through all the flora and fauna and all things beautiful and green. And there is nothing more amazing that flying through the air and looking down on a rainforest. It was breathtaking and made me feel so alive. At one point, I just had to scream "PURA VIDA!"

And at other points, I just had to scream. Yes, I was that girl--the screamer of the group. At the end of every line when I was sure I was going to hit the tree and intermittently on the really fast lines. And most of all on the Tarzan swing. The Tarzan swing made me a woman. Let me explain: you climb up about 30 feet of stairs, get strapped in, and fall. Straight-up fall 30 feet. I was FREAKING out. Cayman, being the rockstar she is, jumped to the front of the line. Then Cheesecake, our fearless leader. Then Deany Weany (if you haven't noticed by now Dean and Kathy are like the most BA grandparents ever). Then me. Our favorite guide Jeff was giving me a hard time telling me not to cry and that only 2 people die a week as the other guide clipped me in, bent my knees, and pushed me to my death. As I plummeted towards the ground, all I could think was death, death, death and then I started to swing and life was good again. And you know I screamed bloody murder for those death seconds. Then Eduardo caught me with the black tube thingy and brought me back to land. Sweet sweet land. My hands were cracked out shaking, but I couldn't stop smiling.

There are three levels of lines. The level of a line is determined by how hard it is to break at the end of the line. Breaking requires you to pull down with your dominant hand on the cable, thereby assuming that a person has at least a minimal level of upper body strength. Unfortunately for our guides, I am profoundly lacking in the upper body strength department. So, instead of me slowing myself down before getting to the platform, I came in FULL speed, bracing myself for the tree that seemed to be my inescapable fate. I nearly killed Jeff a few times, but somehow he managed to catch me before I hit the tree every time. He laughed at my lack of breaking skills a lot, and told me that I was putting an awful lot of trust in someone that I didn't even know. Well, we're bffl now, Jefferson Rodriguez and I. His personal fave was when I literally did not even try to brake and ended up slamming my knee into the cable when he caught me. Cayman said that she could tell it was a bad landing from the other end of the line. Yikes.

So three hours and one and a half miles of zip line later, we were all on such a high. I love today!

For lunch we went to this seafood restaurant in Santa Elena. We pre-ordered our meals yesterday. I got the fish meal that came with beans, rice, salad, and plantains. We all got chips and bean dip for appetizers and ice cream with chocolate syrup (AHH!) and cherries for dessert. And weird but delicious juice with lots of foam and lots of pineapple pulp. The fish was so wonderful. I just went to town.

Then we walked around Santa Elena for a couple of hours. I feel like I have drawn today out a lot already though so that's all you need to know about those couple of hours.

We got back to campus a couple of hours ago and I passed out on the couch in the biblioteca for a blissful 20 minutes. I have done nothing productive as far as school work is concerned, but it's whatever. There's always tomorrow.

peace love and yes this is my life

This morning for breakfast mi madre made me mashed potatoes, gallo pinto (rice and beans), and tortillas. I'm worried that I'm not getting enough carbohydrates.

I made it about three-quarters of the way up the hill before I started sweating. I'd say that's progress.

The punk-cows were out again, and this time they had friends. All of the cows that were behind the barbed wire were staring me down. It was the creepiest thing ever. There were like 20 of them, just eyeing me. Bah!

Dean in all his crazy liberal wonderfulness had a movie about global warming for us to watch this morning. Its narrated slash hosted by Alanis Morissette. Random. So we were about 2 minutes into it when all of a sudden the power went out. Apparently it does that a lot. Dean didn't skip a beat and just talked right on through the 20 minutes without power. He's a rockstar.

In Jeffs class we did these crazy poems called "Ghazals." They're Persian and weird as heck. I was feelin it.

To my dearest Katie Yang:

Yesterday my "friend" Tess told me that I shouldn't write about every meal I eat. Same "friend" that told me that my blog is boring and refuses to read it. I will include all my meals from here on out.

For lunch we had veggies, rice, pureed beans, and ceviche with lettuce. I wanted chips with my ceviche, not lettuce. Ugh. Then I had tea and coconut cookies.

Apparently in Social Problems (Dean's other class that I'm not in), Dean jumped up on the table and did a dance on the table in celebration of cereal with beer instead of milk. What? Dean why are you so weird? Also shout out to sb07 and Dave's beer-ios.

While they were dancing on tables in Social Problems, I was in the comedor taking my first Spanish test. 5 pages. You're killin me, Carla.

Jennifer was a no-show for English lessons today, so we decided to hold off on the animal charades. I just felt like that would be really awkward for Susan. So instead we played go fish to practice pronunciation of numbers (a stretch, I know). Geovanny came and played with us. He has the week off, but has been around like every day this week just hanging out. He sang Ricky Martin songs and Mambo #5 for us. The boy loves to sing. Oh, Geovanny.

Then I walked home to mi familia with Tess. No rain today. Crazy.

Marta got home from university today. She gave me chocolate. I like her.

We ate dinner with some rando who was at the house buying chickens. It was so awkward. No one was talking. I just watched the TV. Unfabulous is the new series on TeleTico (ps on teletico, there is one chosen series that runs every single day until the series is over, so the weird patito feo show is over and now it's unfabulous for the next couple of weeks I guess). For dinner we had chicken. FRESH chicken. Like mi-padre-killed-it-just-a-few-hours-before-it-was-on-my-plate chicken. Chicken and rice and beans and some delicious orange-esque juice. Yum. I finished all my chicken and all my beans and still got hell for not cleaning my plate.

Tonight was the Latin American Idol finale. I don't think I have ever experienced a more dramatic and drawn-out decision. For the two hours leading up to the decision, every commercial break had a "Text MARIA to 43657" commercial and there were news casters at 5 different bars across the country interviewing people about Maria Jose and Margarita. Toyota gave Maria Jose a Yaris. People were just going nuts. Then Margarita won. Mi madre was crying, the newscasters were crying, and it was just a sad, sad night for Costa Rica. My whole fam was pissed. They were just cursing Margarita and Panama (Margarita's country) and were so torn up over Maria Jose losing. I was pretty sad, too. I have grown to love Maria Jose.

Now it's time to pass out.

peace love and carb fests