Pura Vida!

Hola everyone. Sorry I am late on posting, but I just got back to civilization, again! I really like not having access to the internet, but it is stressful when I do get the opportunity to use it!

Right now, I am in Buenos Aires, Costa Rica. I have spent the past two weeks volunteering and studying at a coffee co-op and eco tourism center. We stayed in homestays and it was such an amazing experience. My family treated me like I was there own kid. We laid out at night watching the stars on the soccer field, made bananos con leche from fresh cow's milk and bananas from their backyard, and played danced the night away when it was my mom's birthday (my costa rican mom). There was also a local bar-club thing in town so the group spent a couple of nights dancing the night away to bachata, salsa, and reggaeton!!

I am going to keep this short but here are the highlights in my life right now:

1. I am staying in Costa Rica to vacation for a week after my program ends on March 25th and then heading to Nicaragua to do research for my thesis.
2. I was rewarded more than the amount I asked for for my grant to do my study on solar panel installation and investigation in Nicaragua, so I don't have to pay a thing!
3. I am running my first half marathon (13.1 miles) in San Jose, Costa Rica on the 27th of March. I am super excited and a lot of people from my program are staying on to vacation with me and cheer me on!
4. I visited hot springs with the group, came back in a truck freezing in a terrential downpour for an hour but was never cold because it turns out that when you sing and shout really really loud you stay warm. And canoodling helps too!
5. Cashews come from this fruit!! Who would have known. Harvesting cashews is such hard work, I will definitely appreciate them a lot more now when I eat them!

6. I am officially sick of white rice...i wish it was brown rice!
7. I love the simple life. I have made a list of everything that I am going to give away when I get back to the states. I am sick of having so much stuff that makes moving around difficult and just clutters my life...less stuff to clean!
8. My days this past week have consisted of running in the morning, making trails for hiking (hard work!) or working in organic fields, lunch and then making marmelade or shampoos or working with ceramics to make this really cool artistic floor, playing a pick up soccer game with the locals right outside my house, and then dinner with the family and going to bed! Oh and occassionally we have a reading to do for class! lol.
9. Waking up at 4 am to watch my first sunrise on Isla Chira. It was the most beautiful everything and a wonderful hike!

 Sunset from my fishing boat in Isla Chira...I didn't catch a thing, but my friend and I were good luck for the fisherman!
10. So many others, but I don't want to bore you...

 Singing Wagon Wheel for the community that we left in Isla Chira

Looking forward to hearing from you guys! I know you are all busy, but we made a pact...remember!


Pura Vida,
Clara