Last week: Monteverde
This last week went by faster than any other week on this trip. It's been a whirlwind. If there's one word to describe Monteverde, it's GREEN:
The drive to Monteverde was long, hot, and windy. Although I took Dramamine and drank lots of water, I still ended up very nauseous and overheated. I figured after a good night's rest at my new host family I would be feeling better, but that wasn't the case.
Unfortunately my host family was not great. The host mother was a very sweet lady but worked long hours (very busy) and didn't take very good care of her 4 year old son, who was always misbehaving. She also had a 14 year old daughter who was fun but also very rebellious. It made for a loud household and I felt uncomfortable eating the food she made (they would let it sit out on the stove.) Since I was already having problems, I decided to buy my own water and food. After day 3 of being sick to my stomach and feeling very weak, I went to the clinic in town. I was put on 4 different medications for stomach and throat infections, and sinusitis. I have a feeling I just wasn't used to the climate, food, or water.
By Wednesday I was feeling a little better but still not up for ziplining (really bummed I missed out on that, but there's always next time!) I was still upset about my family, and my friend and the school staff helped get me moved to a better homestay. After some solid rest and fresh food, I was feeling up for school and activities again.
Thursday morning my friend went to milk a cow! I tagged along just for the heck of it, because I thought it would be interesting. We walked down a hill to this guy's farm. The owner ended up being my new host father's father! Quite a coincidence. The man was very sweet- he showed us his chickens, pigs, cows, hors
e, and later, his vegetable garden. The farm was interesting. I can still remember the incredibly strong stench that made me feel like vomiting, although I'm sure it would have been much worse if all the animals had been more closed in.
On our way to the vegetable garden, we found some guava trees and some beautiful butterflies (can you tell I like these?) including a bunch more glasswing butterflies. The walk was absolutely gorgeous. Once we got to the garden, the man showed us the fresh lettuce, tobacco, beets, tomatoes, squash, potatoes, radishes, and other veggies he grows. I was really glad I tagged along!
Friday I slept in and then made French toast with my friend. I spent only a couple minutes studying for the very difficult test we had in class. We had covered a lot that week and I had missed some of it. I ended up doing okay, but it has motivated me to continue practicing a very difficult grammatical point in Spanish, a tense that doesn't exist in English, the subjunctive.
I just finished some delicious, homemade pancakes and fresh fruit for breakfast at my host mother's lounge, "Historias." She speaks English pretty well and she's very friendly, so she makes a great receptionist. Although I've only really spent a couple days with her, I'm really going to miss her. I've squeezed in a lot of practice with her and she's got a great sense of humor.
We have a long day of travel ahead of us! 5 hour bus ride back to San Jose', 8 hours on the plane, lots of waiting in lines (customs, etc.), and the ride back from LAX. I still can't believe we're already leaving!
The drive to Monteverde was long, hot, and windy. Although I took Dramamine and drank lots of water, I still ended up very nauseous and overheated. I figured after a good night's rest at my new host family I would be feeling better, but that wasn't the case.
Unfortunately my host family was not great. The host mother was a very sweet lady but worked long hours (very busy) and didn't take very good care of her 4 year old son, who was always misbehaving. She also had a 14 year old daughter who was fun but also very rebellious. It made for a loud household and I felt uncomfortable eating the food she made (they would let it sit out on the stove.) Since I was already having problems, I decided to buy my own water and food. After day 3 of being sick to my stomach and feeling very weak, I went to the clinic in town. I was put on 4 different medications for stomach and throat infections, and sinusitis. I have a feeling I just wasn't used to the climate, food, or water.
By Wednesday I was feeling a little better but still not up for ziplining (really bummed I missed out on that, but there's always next time!) I was still upset about my family, and my friend and the school staff helped get me moved to a better homestay. After some solid rest and fresh food, I was feeling up for school and activities again.
Thursday morning my friend went to milk a cow! I tagged along just for the heck of it, because I thought it would be interesting. We walked down a hill to this guy's farm. The owner ended up being my new host father's father! Quite a coincidence. The man was very sweet- he showed us his chickens, pigs, cows, hors
e, and later, his vegetable garden. The farm was interesting. I can still remember the incredibly strong stench that made me feel like vomiting, although I'm sure it would have been much worse if all the animals had been more closed in.On our way to the vegetable garden, we found some guava trees and some beautiful butterflies (can you tell I like these?) including a bunch more glasswing butterflies. The walk was absolutely gorgeous. Once we got to the garden, the man showed us the fresh lettuce, tobacco, beets, tomatoes, squash, potatoes, radishes, and other veggies he grows. I was really glad I tagged along!
Friday I slept in and then made French toast with my friend. I spent only a couple minutes studying for the very difficult test we had in class. We had covered a lot that week and I had missed some of it. I ended up doing okay, but it has motivated me to continue practicing a very difficult grammatical point in Spanish, a tense that doesn't exist in English, the subjunctive.
I just finished some delicious, homemade pancakes and fresh fruit for breakfast at my host mother's lounge, "Historias." She speaks English pretty well and she's very friendly, so she makes a great receptionist. Although I've only really spent a couple days with her, I'm really going to miss her. I've squeezed in a lot of practice with her and she's got a great sense of humor.We have a long day of travel ahead of us! 5 hour bus ride back to San Jose', 8 hours on the plane, lots of waiting in lines (customs, etc.), and the ride back from LAX. I still can't believe we're already leaving!
Comments