There ain’t no internet in this here cabin, so I’ll have to be updating this in the office. I moved into said cabin yesterday (Friday). I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the internet. There are 2 guys at school who don’t have email addresses, and in my head I just think “bad ass”. I’ve been house-sitting for the past few weeks, and my neighbor was one of these bad-ass dudes. After work he usually plays soccer with his son, or works in his garden, or (until recently) watched the world cup. I guess that makes me sound like a creeper, but it’s hard not to notice what your neighbors are up to when you live on your own.
My job really depends on internet and email communication, and I’m very thankful to be able to communicate with people in the U.S. and around the world, but sometime the idea of not having the need for internet is pretty great. Every time I meet someone who’s not on facebook I think.....what a rebel!
Lately, I’ve mainly been working, hosting my first visitor from home and house sitting. House sitting turned into kind of a mess. The family forgot to pay the electric bill so I was basically indoor camping for a little while there and all the food went bad. The electric company (also the phone company here) messed up, so the house was without power for 5 days. The hot water here runs on electricity (I’m sure it’s the same in the U.S. but I’ve never had to think about it since our power never goes out), so that meant really chilly showers. Now I’m sure you’re thinking “Costa Rica is hot” so cold showers aren’t a big deal. Up in Monteverde, we are in the mountains, and it actually gets quite chilly. I wore a fleece and fuzzy leggings today about town. The weather can change rapidly in a day, so at some point it’ll be sunny and I’ll have my lunch outside, and then 30 minutes later it’s downpouring. I always have my emergency umbrella on me!
Luckily during this no power situation, my friend Elise was here visiting. We met up in Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast, and spent a few days there. I was glad to see it. It’s very different from Monteverde. Still green and beautiful but super hot, and way more touristy. There’s a good amount of tourists here regularly (mostly from Europe or the U.S. or Canada), but nothing like the coast. Where there be more tourists, there be higher prices, so that was also different. Fruits and veggies are really affordable here, but anything processed is on-par with with the U.S. or more expensive because it’s being imported from a U.S. or foreign owned corporation. This isn’t a huge issue for me since I’m basically allergic or unable to digest all processed food. I’ll just take that as a blessing.
In Manuel Antonio, Elise and I shared a private room at a hostel, which we shared a kitchen/living room with 2 german girls. Ze germanz! They were interesting. Every morning they would have this massive feast of fruit on the balcony and then toot about town in their rented car. Oh the life of the Euro! One of the girls was here all the way from her motherland to adopt a cat she met last year on the beach. That’s right. A stinkin' cat! If it was a dog, I’d understand (dogs are the superior creature), but chances are that cat could care less about relocating to Europe.
Elise and I saw some monkeys and a few sloths in M.A. There were so many tourists that we didn’t need a guide because we would just follow the pointed fingers. Sometimes overly excited tourists would tell us themselves (or grab us in Elise’s case). Pretty different than Nicaragua which has a lot less white people. The beaches and all the greenery were very pretty. The animals are so used to all the people that they can be very aggressive with snacks. A giant fat raccoon stole my platanos in my bag when I walked down to the water. I would also like to add that he only ate half the bag and walked away- very wasteful! I guess he can afford to be choosey.
One of the best parts of our beach trip was the smoothie shack at the hostel. I had a smoothie every morning of banana, avocado, kale, mint and orange juice. It was delightful! Sadly, I can’t really have this anymore (which I’ll explain later). The fresh coconut water was also great which you can’t find (in any form) in Monteverde.
One of the worst parts of our beach trip was that I swam in a river contaminated with fecal water. YEP. You read that right. The main beach in M.A. has a small river running into it. There were lots of locals in the water, and it was cooler/more refreshing than the ocean temperature, which is surprising because of all the actual crap in it. The beaches there are also pretty rocky and have a strong undercurrent/rip-tide. So, naturally the river was a lovely choice. I never put my head fully under because it was really shallow in the moving part, but the policia came over and let everyone know that the water “is.....not so clean” in Spanish, because the hotels dump literal shit in there. Right next to a national park! There are no words. I kept thinking about Pamela Anderson in Baywatch having to be hosed down with a chemical rinse every time she swam in the Santa Monica Pier. Gross and a half.
Elise came up to Monteverde for a few days. There was a beautiful rainbow to greet us but no power, so we ended up staying at my friend Molly’s for a few nights. I’ve been moving around so much that it’s really nice to be in one place and feel settled. I also finally get to really unpack, which is a relief. We did yoga together at the Hotel Belmar (they also make really good smoothies and teas). While I was at work, she went canyoning down a waterfall and zip-lining. We also climbed this really amazing hollow tree that’s about 5 minutes from school. It was nice to see a familiar face and sad to see her go.
Besides Elise’s visit, I’ve been spending a lot of time on my own, learning that I have to be my own best friend and content with my own company. It’s something I’m still learning since I’ve never spent this much time alone ever. It’s especially quiet right now because school isn’t in session and a lot of the foreign teachers are in the U.S. Most of the Ticos (Costa Ricans) all have families and spend time with them. I’m also one of the only people not in a relationship, so that’s been interesting! I miss the guy I was with last year, but sometimes things just don’t work out and life goes on despite the sadness. Some of my favorite things to do here are cook a good meal, go on a long walk, and shop at the farmer’s markets. I’ve also been spending a substantial amount of time killing spiders. Exciting, no?!? My iphone broke so I’ve been taking less photos, but I’m trying to make more of an effort to bring my camera around. It’s also been really exciting watching the World Cup, so it was pretty sad when Costa Rica “La Sele” lost.
The only other thing that’s been going on is health-wise, I’m in kind of a weird place. I had a really painful ear infection last month that luckily passed with treatment (and everything was free on Costa Rican insurance). The main thing is that ever since I got here in May I’ve had a lot of skin issues, eczema on my face among other things....and it’s been real bad! I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so unattractive ever. I’ve tried lots of different things, but the only thing that’s worked is adjusting my diet (cutting out peanut butter, bananas, avocado, coconut milk, sugar, eggs and coffee). It’s weird and annoying, but it’s working and I’m desperate! I’m mainly eating only savory foods that are cooked (nothing raw). The idea came from my acupuncturist in Berkeley who told me to give him a list of everything I’ve been eating. Apparently in Chinese medicine, my entire diet was “damp” meaning really hard on the digestion and very imbalanced. When the stomach is upset, it will show on the areas of the face where I’m affected. I know a lot of people don’t believe in Chinese medicine (hi dad!), but it’s always helped me when nothing else works.
Anyways, if you made it this far, congrats to you for reading!
Lots of love to you all from this cabin in the woods, where I’ve successfully connected my propane tank to my 2-burner stove. Indoor camping for the win!
Until next time/Hasta la próxima,
W
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