An Unusual Thanksgiving

...En otras palabras, "Un día de acción de gracias extraño".

Well.

Obviously it´s been a while since I´ve updated. I would like to offer the humblest of apologies for this. I was so distracted by the details-good and bad, exciting and mundane- of daily life that the inevitable turning of the calendar failed to catch my attention. Suddenly, somehow, I find myself with only eight days of Costa Rican life ahead.

Eight more days. It seems so strange to say. The good news is, the adventure hasn´t ended yet. Actually, I have the feeling that the most significant parts of my journey may still be ahead. Time for for an update. I have decided to take my final exams early and prematurely leave my Costa Rican life in order to volunteer at a hospital in Honduras. I will live there, in a city called Choluteca, for 12 days. I have been in contact with the director of the hospital who is going to help me find some way to help out. By the way, he, like most of the population of Honduras, speaks only Spanish. Logically, I will also be speaking only Spanish while I am there. Pray for me. This trip will definitely be a huge challenge in more ways than one!

After Honduras, I will bus back to San Ramón, say goodbye to my host family, and head out with Quinn (a friend from Point Loma) to spend some time in Perú. We will mainly be wandering around finding cheap lodging and doing our best to experience the country on a college student´s budget. We will be celebrating Christmas, however, by trekking to Machu Picchu.

A word about my present situation. At this moment, I am sitting in a hiker´s hostel 3 kilometers from the peak of Costa Rica´s tallest mountain (About 13,000 ft high I think). It is freezing. (I am thankful for underarmor, wool socks and 0 degree sleeping bags!!) Today I, along with two friends from my program, hiked up 15 kilometers of incredibly steep and jungly mountain. We consequently celebrated our difficult (and muddy) ascent with a feast of PB and Js, the strongest instant coffee known to man, and delightfully creamy hotdog soup (a gift from some generous Germans haha). We spent yesterday, Thanksgiving, hauling bulbous backpacks bursting with hiking gear from bus to bus trying to avoid smacking too many innocent Ticos in the face. My backpack happens to be the grand patriarch of trail equipment- an outdated external frame monster from my pre-junior high years. Carrying this thing through city streets and crowded buses was an awkward experience to say the least! Our Thanksgiving fare? Casados* featuring cardboard fish (breaded and fried); sun chips; apples; and, in my case, an American-style hamburger. Awesome.

Well, my fingers are getting numb, and my sleeping bag is calling. I leav now to go enjoy my last few days of Costa Rican adventure. I will continue updating as I move through the next phases of this crazy experience. Wish me luck!

Peace and Blessings.
Paz y Bendigas.



*"Casado" literally means "married man´s food". It is a traditional Costa Rican dish, offered at most restaurants, featuring rice, beans, platanos, salad and the meat of your choice. It is filling, cheap, and usually somewhat tasty.