El chiquitico dicho costarricense, otra vez chiquitillo

i love Costa Ricans man. They say cool things in their español, their attitudes are pretty laid back, and they usually say ¡pura vida! over the course of a conversation. Of course, this is not always the case and there are some very impoverished Tico families, not to mention immigrants from Nicaragua (which are very stigmatized and controversial, sort of like the Mexican population in California, but still very different in many ways).

i have been to the rainforest/jungle twice, both times in the province of Limón, which were both fabulous in their own ways. i saw "balas" which are humongous ants (balas literally means "bullets") along with many other types of flora and fauna which these eyes have ne´er afore seen. i saw some toucans, but only from afar and usually flying, so they were difficult to really closely observe. i saw some neon-colored, likely poisonous frogs which were very cool. Some of the trees in the jungle are astounding with their trunk systems and all the vines that twist and twangle and twine around everything. There are many and i´ll gladly tell you about them (or show you photos) in person if you so desire.

i have been having an interesting time living with a family who i both love dearly and get really annoyed with at the same time. i have learned a lot from them and had fun, but will be glad to go back to my own place. i certainly have had an opportunity to practice some day to day Spanish with them and have learned some of the local coloquialisms and sayings. In about an hour the whole group will depart for Playa Manuel Antonio, which is a beach on the Pacific coast side of the country. i regret not having the opportunity to go to Puerto Limón where the music is ripe with Carribean flavor and about which i have learned much and am very intrigued. Perhaps another time. i have gained a greater understanding of the geographic, economic, and social situation, not only here in Costa Rica, but also in the rest of Central America. i have met people from all over the place in Latin America, and even from different places in the States, which is always fun. Welp, class is about to start, so i need to go, but i´m going to upload some photos onto my photos page pretty soon. If i can´t do it before we leave, i´ll do it when we get back on Monday. There´s the bell, gotta fly!

¡Pura vida!

Welp, Costa Rica is fabulous, things are crazy with school and activities and i need to go home! (meaning back to my host family´s place.) i guess we´ll be playing billiards tonight which sounds awesome. Class is pretty cool; i´ve got an instructor from the Limon province named Ilda. She´s excellent and super interesting. My host family is nice and welcoming but a little exhausting to deal with at times. Not as understanding as Frau Schottke in Salzburg was. ´Til now i´ve been to the rainforest, participated in a Temazcal (similar to a Native American sweat lodge), to downtown San Jose (Costa Rica of course...i sometimes have to clarify that i´m from San Jose, California, which is fun), to a graveyard near the school with my guitar, and much more. Hopefully i can write a better update tomorrow or something and figure out if i´ll be able to post photos! love in the LORD, ac

Welcome 2006 and adios E.E. U.U.!

Hey folks, just thought i'd write a little somethin to ring in the new year and give my regards to everyone (or no one) before i travel to Costa Rica! i'm planning on doing some e-mail updates as well as posting some photos online if technology allows whilst i'm in the Central American nation. If i can't do that while i'm still in the country, i'll definitely post them after i get back to CA. Today i have many things to do including reading and packing for the trip, so i best get moving! Love in Him,
ac