Weekend in Manuel Antonio

Sunday, June 17, 2012 I have weekend adventures to recount!  We arrived at the Vista Serena Hostel after 10 on Friday night. It was like walking into a college dormitory, which was rather shooing after weeks in city/rural Costa Rica; music was blasting, hammocks hung from everywhere, and college-age kids were the only ones present. Two nights in the hostel was only $20! Accordingly, we slept in large un-airconditioned "dorms" that were reminiscent of cabins at Girl Scout camps in the screened in windows sin glass and the variety of insect life that made their way in. But I loved it :)  We met so many new people, mostly people solely on vacation. I could see myself living their backpacker  lifestyle, carrying their life on their back wherever they please and meeting so many people and seeing so many sights. I'd love being able to take vacationing at my own pace like that, and not having to spend so much money.  We didn't do much Friday night except get settled and talk to fellow travelers. Saturday morning we walked down the hill (brisk 30 minute walk) to the public beach where we spent a wonderful low-key beach day. The waves were superb for bodysurfing! We also took pictures with the local wildlife (iguanas seeking snack scraps) and played in the sand a bit. During lunch there was a torrential downpour, so we overstayed our welcome in the local restaurant and played cards and Bananagrams until it stopped.  Today we spent in the National Park. We expected to be going hiking on the trails most of the day, but we were once again drawn to the beach! We got a good look at the local wildlife (this time white-faced capuchin monkeys!) and then went swimming again.  When we got bored of that we undertook an industrious project, to bury a whole group of people under the sand. Nathan drew out a rectangle in he sand and we spent a few hours removing the sand inside to a depth of 2 feet. Absolutely hilarious times ensued. I will have to obtain the pictures from those who had their hands clean at the time so you all can see. :) Meals were awkward today. Free breakfast at the hostel is comprised of unlimited bread/jam. If you want anything more sustaining, you buy it from the grill. I must have eaten my weight in bread, so I wasn't hungry until after 3. I was low on money again, and rather than going to the ATM and withdrawing more, I decided to use what little I had at the supermarket and make my own lunch. Only two other people did the same; the rest went to the restaurants again and some couldn't see why we would ever want to do what we did. This is totally baffling to me. We would spend a fraction of the money for the same quality. I've heard the argument too that going out to eat at the restaurants is part of the vacation experience, a way to get to know the culture of the place. But we'd already been there and it was a hamburger grill - hardly authentic Costa Rican food. I almost get the feeling that people are too scared in general to suggest taking a cheaper route for fear of sounding cheap or poor or whatnot. It's peer pressure that's keeping us eating out all the time. I'll see if I can do anything about it. I think I make a pretty good ham sandwich,  and with all the local markets around selling whole avocados, I don't think I can go wrong :) This is our last full week in Costa Rica. We get this upcoming weekend here, but next Tuesday we'll be shipped off all across Nicaragua and Kate and I will be as good as on our own up in the mountains in Boaco. I feel more or less confident in my ability to express myself in Spanish; it's quite rudimentary, and I'm sure I'll have to take many roundabout ways of speaking to make up for my vocabulary being as limited as it is, but I will make myself understood to anyone with enough patience. Repairing medical equipment though... it'll be interesting! When we brought up the fact that in a week and a half we'd be in charge of medical equipment repairs at a distant foreign hospital, we all laughed. None of us feel particularly ready, but we have learned much more than we realize, I am sure. We have an excellent textbook for reference, and we will have seen all types of equipment in our hospital visits or in class. I'm pretty sure we're permitted to call in to the program directors, too, if necessary. With that security blanket, I don't think we have anything to worry about.  I love every moment of this program. Thank you again to all of you who support my trip for allowing me the opportunity :)