December 2010
12 posts
But seriously...where is it?
Running shoes. A crappy umbrella. Two skirts. A towel. Pajamas. A bathing suit. These are all things I didn’t bring back to the United States. Whether it was because I didn’t have room for them, or because they were infested with scabies, I left for home without them. It’s okay, though; all of those are replaceable. But there’s something I can’t find, and I’m...
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t quite...”
– Dad <3
Everyone you know.
When I left for Costa Rica, my mom told me that she put something in my backpack, and when I got to my gate I could look for it. So when I finally got through security, I checked my backpack and found the most precious gift I’ve ever received. I’m sure most of you who read my blog know what it is (because you contributed to it), but in case you don’t, I’ll tell you. My mom...
Let’s go home.
This blog is probably going to be the hardest one to write. Usually when I sit down to write one, the words come fast and easy because I just write what I feel. But right now, I can’t even express how I feel in words, because words aren’t enough. As much as I want to tell you all about my semester, I can’t. I think it’s because you wouldn’t understand if I told you. I mean, people always say “Oh,...
No hay salida.
This is the first sentence our guide, Lino, said to us today. It means “there’s no exit.” The reason I titled this blog that, is because as of right now, we’re not leaving the island tomorrow morning as planned. I’ve been trying not to use this word because it sounds super dramatic, but there’s no other way to say it. As of Friday morning, December 10th, we’re actually stranded on Carti...
Twenty-two hours
In the past 22 hours, I have left my hammock twice; both times to put on the poncho that looks like the Green Goblin and go to the bathroom. I haven’t even gone to the kitchen to eat because now they bring Nicole and I our food in our room. I think it’s because we don’t bathe twice a day and to them we’re really dirty. But here’s the thing: as soon as I’m done with my bucket bath, which is pretty...
“So if they keep the heads on while they cook...
Before I answered Nicole, I looked at the seven cooked but completely intact (heads AND feet) chickens that we were shredding. “You know…that’s a really good question.”
It’s day three on the island (this sounds like Castaway), and I’m starting to realize something: there’s a lot of things I don’t know the answers to. I don’t know why the sky is blue. I don’t know why I wasn’t born tan. I don’t...
“I have wandered all my life, and I have traveled. The difference between the two...”
Wait. Why is the pig sitting IN the potatoes? How...
That’s the question I tried to answer this morning when my sister took me to the neighbor’s lechería. Basically, a lechería is a milk-processing farm. There are tons of tubes and machines that go all over the place to transport and treat the milk after they get it from the cows. My brother Carlos works there, and I just watched him bathe like 15 horses today. One sneezed on me. Then I petted a...
Oh…did you mean for me to eat that?
My life is so ridiculous. I really can’t believe it’s mine sometimes. For example, right now I’m spending just under a month in San Juan de Chicuá. San Juan de Chicuá is like…the smallest baby town in the history of the world. Small as in someone in my host family told me we were going to the supermarket, and in actuality, the “super” is someone’s house with bread, shampoo, bananas, and booze for...