Last one

So I suppose as of 11:45 yesterday (That was the approximate time I received my diploma in the excruciatingly long 3 and 1/2 hour ceremony that was called my graduation) I became a Clemson University gradute and can no longer refer to myself as an American College Student. I suppose maybe this is the last blog considering as of today I am living the life of a College Grad. It's kind of weird because after my super awesome party consisting of vball, an epic slip and slide, an appearance by wonder woman, and a freakin sweet Harry Potter cake (so you may judge me for having this as my graduation cake, but whatever haters haha), I was reading all of my awesome cards that people brought me [btw thank you so much to everyone who came. It is so encouraging to be reminded of all the amazing people in your life who love and support you, even if you have a harry potter cake. I am truly, unbelievably blessed] and I kind of realized that I am closing a chapter in my life. To me, high school is such a distant memory. High school is like the preface to a book, not really a chapter. You know the preface to a book, the part that doesn't really serve any purpose for the development of the story and most people just skip over all together or at least in my life it was that way. Life hit me in the face like a transfer truck when I went to college. I can't say I'm terribly sad about this chapter being over because college, as any of you who have read my blog at all can tell, has been a pretty difficult time in my life. I think I'm ready to move forward with my life. While most people shout from the rooftops that college is the best years of their lives, I daily hoped it would be over. And now the thing I have hoped for has come to fruition. I never understood why I have so disliked this thing most people love, but I've kind of always known that I've been a little different than most people. Despite the hardships, and probably because of those hardships, I learned A LOT. I mean more than any professor taught me in my four years of college, God taught me so much more about Him, other people, life, and myself. Maybe that's the only purpose it served, who knows. Maybe I will learn in the future, either way, I am thankful that God gave me the grace to finish. I give him all praise for getting me through these past four years because there were so many days I wanted to quit, and quite honestly It's a miracle that I passed any of my classes considering the lack of motivation I've had for the past 4 years. But I did. And I guess that's the point of that whole graduation thing right and that diploma that is laying somewhere in my room right now (yeah my room looks like hiroshima right now). So my friends, I will leave you all with a few things I have learned from the past four years:
1. Life doesn't go the way you want a majority of the time. But sometimes it goes in a completely different way that was better than what you wanted in the first place.
2. God isn't logical, so what looks good on paper isn't always what you should do.
3. You can do more than you think you can.
4. You have to take care of yourself before you can care for other people.
5. Awkward situations provide for great stories later.
6. Laughter is the best thing God created. Humor is how I have survived. I love surrounding myself with funny people.
7. Don't rush things. You have to go through things so you can handle whatever life brings your way next.
8. Disappointment is one of the worst things imaginable, but it won't kill you .
9. Tears cleanse the soul. They aren't a sign of weakness. (I just recently learned this)
10. Even when you feel like a failure, more than likely you are someone else's inspiration.

okay there are so many more things that I could write, but i'm just gonna stop here. Maybe I'll write more another day. I can't believe it's finally over, I feel like I've finished a marathon (which after running three miles this morning is something I will never do in my life, and I'm okay with that). It's been a long road, but being at the end and looking back, I'm glad I took that road. I'm so much stronger and I'm honestly proud of the person I've become. No doubt I am a work in progress, but hey, it's progress. Who knows what is to come, because I sure don't, but I'm just going to take it one day at a time. And that my friends is the end to my life as an American College Student. Pura Vida.

Sour Patch Kids...friend or foe?

So here we go guys, I just got my survival kit for exam week. I walked my little fanny (wow I haven't heard that word used in an extraordinarily long time) Anywho, like I said I walked myself to Walgreens to pick up the essentials: 2 five hour energies. Check. Big pack of Sour Patch Kids. Check. Arnold Palmer iced tea & lemonade mix. Check. and York Peppermint Patty for when I have to appease my raging chocolate craving. check. Yup, that should get me through the next couple of days, right? wrong people. Arnold palmer and half of the sour patch kids are already gone. Dang it! Procrastinating from studying for these exams is getting me all worked up, and I eat when I'm anxious. Hey people, as Chris farley would say, "LAY OFF I'M STARVING!" Okay, so I'm not really starving, but my blood sugar threatened me to feed it sugar, what was I supposed to do? Man, I'm pretty sure that "white" substance on the sour patch kids is some kind of drug. So as the title implies, are Sour Patch Kids really our friends? I mean look at the commercials. In one, this freakishly large sour patch kid cuts off this girls ponytail. Hmm, the ones I haven't eaten yet are looking at me with their rainbow colored eyes like they know I'm in on their little game. If you guys don't hear from me in a couple of days, you heard what happened here first. Okay so lets get off of my delirium shall we. 2 exams people. 2. that's one wednesday and one thursday. And then I'm done. So weird. Some of you who may not be in college any more may be thinking, "Man, she's about to get a rude awakening into the real world. She should be thankful she's in college" Yeah I get it, I'm gonna have to get a job. Im not going to be able to take naps everyday, or have sour patch kid hangovers anymore. Yeah I get it. But let me tell you guys something. I'm gonna be getting paid. See right now, I pay these people (a lot of money I might add) to send me into a mental breakdown. I mean, yes I will be faced with lots of stresses in the future, I am not naive about this, but I will be getting some sort of benefit, I hope. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful I had the opportunity to get an education and to have finally (almost) finished the race, but I think if I stay any longer I will have to be checked into a psychiatric hospital. Kudos to anyone going to grad school right after undergrad. You guys are clearly superhuman and have been bit by some radioactive spider. Way to go. Well I suppose I should start now. I'm trying to get all of my distractions out of the way before I start so I can just dive right in. I will probably be blogging more this week in my effort to relieve my brain from all of the cramming. I love you all! Pura Vida.

As I sit here preparing to give my last presentation in college Ever (Did I mention that its the LAST FREAKING ONE? oh I did? well yeah you get the point) I truly can't believe that I'm finally coming down the home stretch of this evil monster named college. Don't get me wrong I have another paper due, an eportfolio, and finals (blah blah blah...I'm boring myself just listing them) but this is my last day of class and I think that is a significant obstacle to overcome on my way to becoming a college graduate. As it is coming to an end, I just want to give a quick shout-out to all of the wonderful friendships I have developed over this past year. My neighbors Anshul, Banish, Chirag, and Dhruva have truly become the best Clemson friends I have (As in people I know that actually go to Clemson University). The kindness and joy that they have brought into my life this past semester is truly something I will never forget. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet them, and not only to meet them, but that they allowed my roommates and I to be their friends. For those of you that I haven't told (which isn't many of you haha) These 4 wonderful people invited me to their apartment at exactly 12:00 a.m. on April 24th (which was my 22nd birthday) where they proceeded to sing me happy birthday by the candlelight of an amazing chocolate cake they had bought me. Beside the cake stood my new friend Joey (which is a stuffed rabbit- I thought it was appropriate since it was also Easter that day as well). It was one of my favorite memories from my birthday, and the thoughtfulness of this action was truly heartwarming. I just have to say that these are four amazing guys :) Can you tell I love to sing their praises. It is nice to be reminded that there are people in this world that deserve that kind of praise. I must also give a shout out to my roommates and Mr. Colby Thelen. Together with ABCD, we make up some of the coolest people you will ever meet. I mean who else hokey pokeys and does the wobble on a regular basis. I wish our time together could continue, but as we go our separate ways, I would like to wish all of these wonderful people the best of luck in whatever opportunities they find. I truly hope and believe that we will all be reunited again, but if not (as in I move to India and become a Bollywood dancer as I have discussed with ABCD), I hope that we will all cherish the memories we have made. Thank you guys for being such amazing friends and the joy and friendship you have all brought into my life :) Pura Vida.

2+2=4?

While taking a break from the million things I have to do before I become an alum, I thought it was appropriate to write a blog. For some reason, blogging is always very relaxing for me. It's actually a way for me to turn my brain off and just let whatever comes to my mind free. My poor brain is on its last leg. Seriously. When I was in 9th grade, I ran track and field and I used to do the 4 x 4 relay race (Yeah don't ask me why my long legged white girl self got thrown up in that race). I have to say that the 400 in track is one of the hardest races because you are at a dead out sprint the entire time. By the last 100 meters, you have lost all control of your body and you are just hoping somehow that your legs will take you past the finish line so you don't bust it and embarrass yourself in front of everyone. Although most people would say, "You are almost there, its only 100 meters" I can honestly say that those were the hardest 100 meters of my life. I used to seriously want to die every time I came around the last bend. Well, folks, that is exactly how I feel right now. I have worked so hard for 17 years and these last two weeks will be the end of me. yes, i know I am almost done, but i think these next two weeks are going to kill me. Either that, or the cause of the large brown spot that has made its way onto our apartment ceiling. Remember the waterfall that happened a few months ago, yeah, I think its about to be freakin Niagra falls up in Apt. 201. Well anyway, back to the point, my brain hurts. I dont think I can remember any more formulas, espanol, theories, logarithms ( I still don't even know what those are). I think my head is just going to pop off. That would be a funny site. Not for me. For you guys though. There is no vacancy left for useless information that I won't ever use again. One thing I am certain, college has made me dumb. Yes, you heard me right. College has actually lessened my intelligence. I can write 15 page analysis papers, but you know, I think spelling and addition are more beneficial for my life, and sadly those two skills have completely gone out the window. I am not even kidding when i say that I use a calculator to make sure that 2+2=4. I really do that. I can't add even the simplest things anymore. Thanks alot college, guess I won't ever be able to be a cashier and give back right change anymore (that was my dream growing up, i used to love, and still do, those self check out lanes at grocery stores). Oh well, I guess that's the price you pay to learn about statistical research methods (I almost just threw up in my mouth thinking about how awful that subject is). Welp, I suppose that is enough for now. It was nice to give my brain a break, even if for just a little while. There will probably be more posts soon, just to avoid the whole head popping off thing. I don't think my cap for graduation will fit very well if there isn't a head to put it on. Well hope you all have a fabulous day or night (whenever you find suiting to read this) Pura Vida!

Soon to be American College Graduate

So yes, in just a few weeks I will have to change the name of my blog to "life of the 'what the heck am I doing with my life?' college graduate" no longer, no ever again, will I be a student. Weird. School is the only thing I really know how to do, seeing as its the only thing I've ever done. and the answer to your question, No, I don't know what I'm doing and don't have any plans. SHOCKER I know. I'm sure there has to be some sort of law against not having your entire life planned out, especially since that is the only question people ask me anymore, but to be quite frank, I don't really care. With the volume of inquiring minds increasing as the days pass by, sorry to burst your bubble, but i just genuinely don't know what I want to do. So let's get off that note. I do have a few more weeks of being a college student and enjoying the simple things like getting a free twix today, eating at three spoons, taking a run just to enjoy the sunshine (let me tell you this 5k is whipping me into shape) and working on my Eportfolio that I thought was due next friday but was really due two days ago- oh wait that last one wasn't something I enjoy. I have so much to do in the next few weeks, more than I think I have time to actually complete, and the responsible adult in me who I have kept caged up MY ENTIRE LIFE tells me that I need to do my work or else I may be writing this blog under the same title for a little while longer. However, the reality is I only have a few weeks left of being a college student, where I get to live with my best friends and new friends named ABCD, stay up late just to watch 30 rock, and go to softball games just to "hang out." Only a few more weeks and then BAM, that person I have been chaining up has to come out. Bummer. she will probably be mean and boring. The fact of the matter is, life is more than grades and homework assignments. Its about people, and memories. So screw you Stat test and Eportfolio. you are just gonna have to wait. Because there is fun to be had. Did I mention my birthday is coming up...not that birthdays after 21 matter much anyway, but still, its not like I want to be doing schoolwork. Well I suppose that is all for now. Just a side note: whoever said "all is fair in love and war" clearly had not experienced either and is just plain dumb. Random I know but it is just an opinion. Pura Vida Everyone.

This is the result of zero motivation.

Wow. I literally have not had this LITTLE motivation to write a paper or do homework in a long time. I think I've gone into full scale zombie mode as I cannot bring myself to write a single word of it. As most of you know, I tend to blog or stay glued to facebook, finding anyone and everyone to look at pictures of- if you just got married or had a baby, beware I'm on the lookout- when I am avoiding doing homework. Lets list all of the things I have done to avoid doing this paper (btw, this paper is on the analysis of two movies, both of which are in Spanish with subtitles, with one of them being about a Hermaphrodite-so yeah, do you see why I'm having trouble here). Lets see...yes, I tackled the thing that looks like a dead animal that got ran over by a trucker, who wasn't sure that he actually killed it so he put it in reverse and ran over it again, that is going to be used as my wig for cher in our upcoming show. I'm not sure how wigs can get so completely jacked up, but they really do. This one is by far out of control. Thanks alot Cher for your stupid, long, straight and shiny black hair that i can in no way recreate. Whatever, you sound like a man, and you are way to old to be wearing spandex nowadays, just letting you know. So yeah trying to somehow kill the pet cemetary wig (and by that I mean, it looks like the dead animal came back to life) took a while. After that fiasco I made lunch...which ended up being a conglomeration of things from bread dipped in some chick-fil-a sauce that has been in our apt for a while (yes, i eat bread by itself, i'm a carbaholic) to some Italian ice (just cuz I like it) to some cereal. Yeah, breakfast of champions, I assure you. I then proceeded to watch about 4 episodes of 30 Rock, mainly cuz Tina Fey is amazing. Then I took a nap. Got up, returned to duh duh duh "the wig" and lets see, hmm I watched another episode of 30 rock. After that, I watched several youtube videos of Grace Potter. She is unbelievably amazing. If I could be anyone, I've decided, I would be her. But since that will never happen, I will just have to watch youtube videos of her until I can see her in concert again. I think thats about it, oh yeah, then I had a 10 minute dance party to grace potter, and now I'm writing a blog. You may not agree, but I would say that is one heck of a productive day. Other than the fact that I still have a SEVEN PAGE PAPER TO WRITE! Priorities people, you have to do the most important things first. And making sure all of my facebook friends have the same relationship status they did five minutes ago is a priority. haha just kidding. sort of. Anywho, I think that is all. I feel the need to wobble and then maybe try to get started on...oh I can't even bring myself to say it. Well, I guess this is a rant from the crazy mind of an American College student. That is all. Pura vida everyone!

So obviously I like to write to express my feelings; its really the best way I know how. Throughout my life, I have kept a lot of journals, and every once and a while I like to look back through them and read what I wrote. It reminds me of where I was in that moment and how I felt. Its amazing to see what I was praying for and how God answered those prayers. Sometimes I am amazed at the insight that I had in a moment that I had completely forgotten about and just reading it can help me in my life right now. So I was reading my journal from one of my last days in Costa Rica and it had some pretty interesting thoughts on a relationship with Christ that I thought was interesting. As I was reading tonight, I was somewhat envious of that girl who was writing the entry. Maybe I'll find her again. . Its amazing how your comfort zone can conform you into a person you don't always want to be. I'll just quote it instead of paraphrasing so I can get the point of it right.

August 3, 2010

"So many emotions right now. So sad, excited, optimistic. I feel like I've changed so much. I don't really know what to expect when I go home. I really dont. I'm in love with two places, but i guess you have to be with the one you love more. Which is obviously where my family is. Man, I love my family. I'm not that girl I was 11 weeks ago. I'm more confident. I'm okay with who I am. You realize worrying about things like that are stupid. Just live your life. Do the things you want and don't do the things you don't want to do. I don't have to please others. Love them; yes. Serve them; yes. But I don't have to say, do, or think what they want me to.

Christians are not meant to do it alone. For real. I took that[having other believers around me] for granted and I paid the price. I didn't maintain my relationship with Christ at the same level like I always have; However, I admire and respect Him more than I ever have. No, our relationship isn't perfect. But distance makes the heart grow fonder. I know that He is the one I want. That doesn't change the temptations and mistakes I make. I'm so far from perfect. But it's real, what we got. Because people make mistakes. Sometimes you don't talk. Sometimes you put other things first. That's real. Before it was real, but I always had a church and others to encourage me. I had crutches. Well without the crutches, I'm crawling again. But I'm getting stronger. I'm learning how to walk, like really walk. Not in some fairy tale kind of way. I've learned that in this life the valleys are deeper than you can ever imagine. Yes, there are two mountains for every valley, but the mountains arent as high as the valleys are low. But that's the truth , you know. Life is never the way you think its going to be. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, and sometime its just different. But you take it, you take it and go on. And you enjoy every minute of it. Dont worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough to worry about. Take advantage of every opportunity. Never let fear, what if's, or any other temporary thing that isn't certain stop you"

And then it ended. That was the last thing I wrote when I was there. I'm not sure why I wanted to put that in the blog, but I did. I also found a quote in one of the other entries that I will leave you with. It said, " Religion is about what YOU do, when it's really about who HE is. Different subjects, different verbs entirely." Pura Vida.

Poached eggs and broken shoes

So in lieu of doing homework, or anything even remotely related to school, I have decided to write a blog. I didn't think it was humanly possible to have less motivation than I did last semester, but it seems that miracles do happen. Like I said I've almost already missed as many classes this semester as I did all of last semester, and to be completely honest, I'm not sure I really care. It seems that I am in the severe stages of senioritis. I don't think there is a cure, so I'm just accepting my disease and making the most of it. Don't judge me, I've worked hard for almost seventeen years now (thats counting kindergarten and all folks- I was a tiny overachiever even then). That's a long time. Well off that uninteresting subject that no one wants to talk about. As you all may know, very strange and embarrassing things happen to me quite frequently. Well this weekend, something that was even strange for me happened. This past Saturday, I went out to eat and to a movie with some peeps. (We went to see The Mechanic with Jason Statham. Needless to say, it was definitely a dude movie. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for brains and guts flying everywhere and awkward gay scenes, but I guess this just wasn't quite my thing. I need a story line people with characters that live more than five minutes, is that too much to ask.) Anyway, before the movie I went to the bathroom and when I was walking out, the strap on one of my shoes broke. Now see if that was the only thing that happened, that would have been completely normal for me, especially considering these were my mothers shoes that I'm pretty sure she has had since the eighties. So I'm dragging my foot across the floor like freaking eegor to keep the broken shoe on and when I get to the ticket counter (which I swear is no more than 50 ft away-yeah not even that much) I can't find my ticket. while I'm in the process of finding my ticket, it feels like my other shoe is really loose. I took another step once I found my ticket and realized, yep you guessed it, that my OTHER shoe had broken too. At that point, I let my redneck side come out and straight up walked barefoot in the movie theater. I love walking barefoot so it didn't really bother me. The only reason I really only wear shoes is because for some reason other people don't think walking barefoot is socially acceptable. Society's standards are way too high for me. sheesh. Anywho, after the weekend, it still doesn't appear that I picked up any strange fungus or parasite from the Anderson Theater, which is kind of surprising. The next day I informed my mother of what had happened, and she actually told me my grandmother had passed the shoes down to her several years ago so yeah...my suspicions that the shoes were from the eighties or beyond were confirmed. I'm not sure what's worse, that my shoes broke, or that I was wearing my grandmother's shoes out in public. Either way, don't judge. That's just my life. This morning I tried to poach an egg. I'm not sure how many of you have tried to do this, and maybe I was doing it wrong, but that bad boy took like 45 minutes to make. My mom and I just stared at the tiny egg for about 30 of those minutes. You should have seen us just watching this egg cook, staring at it like maybe it was going to turn into a chicken or something. Maybe we did it wrong. Who knows. I honestly will probably just stick to fried eggs. They are much more convenient to make. Well anywho, I've ranted for long enough about very unimportant things, but I hope you all have a wonderful week. Hopefully all of my shoes will stay intact-fingers crossed. PURA VIDA!

FML

So 2011 has been going pretty good so far. I am very excited about graduation so Im kind of just on a constant high. Well I was on one until this week. Seriously, this week has been just one FML moment after another and Im beginning to see that it might be one of those semesters. Once again I only have Tuesday, thursday classes (woot woo) so you wouldn't think that much could go wrong with me only going on tuesday and thursday. Well, buddy, you would be surprised. Let's see, Tuesday started out with me being transferred from one person to another over the phone by two different companies, with a majority of the people being from India (that was fun let me tell you). After getting so frustrated because it seemed the Mr. Apu was telling me that some money that I was supposed to be recieving had somehow mysteriously disappeared into thin air, I decided to give up on that venture. You know when things happen in the morning and they just put you in a bad mood, yeah well it was like that. So anyway, I got ready for school and grabbed a LIGHT jacket and headed out. I didn't realize that it was freezing cold and raining. Typical. So I'm heading to school and I turn in to the parking lot I always park at and it is COMPLETELY filled up. Which annoys me because Clemson parking is GAY!!! So after speeding out of there like cruella devil, I headed to my backup parking lot that always has spaces. Well guess what everyone, Clemson decided that since they have all this time and money to spend, they changed all the parking lots and cat bus routes over Christmas Break-YIPPEE. So now my backup parking lot was a resident parking lot. I was in disbelief. So then I had no Idea where to park. So me and the hyundai are fuming and I proceed to go all the way to football stadium to park in the very back under some tree. I get out in my jacket that shouldn't even be considered a jacket and walk to the Cat Bus, which proceeds to sit there for 15 minutes even though my class had already started 15 MINUTES AGO. It drops me off at some building that is still a 10 minute walk from my class. So guess what happened when I got to my class 30 min. late? The door was locked. I huffed off to the library to read trashy magazines until my next class. Oh note, when I was in a hurry to get off the cat bus my watch got caught on my bookbag and pulled the little pin out so it stopped keeping time. So when I was in the library I kept thinking I had plenty of time. Until I realized my watch wasn't working and was almost late to my next class. I had to sit in the VERY front seat, close enough to smell my professor and close enough to where I couldn't doodle, I HATE CLEMSON, on my notebook like I normally do to waste time. So then in my next class I was doing that thing where you cannot control how heavy your eyes are and your head keeps bobbing back and forth as you are trying with everything in you not to fall asleep. Did I mention I was sitting right in front of my professor again. So then after my last class I remembered I was parked in the pit and it made me sad to think I was going to have to walk there. I tried waiting on the Cat bus which never came. So I walked all the way to the pit (which is like a 30 min walk) in the rain and cold. Did I mention I forgot to bring lunch. It was 5:00 when I left. The next morning I woke up with a sore throat as a result. Oh and this morning, I got up early to make it to my lab at 9:30. I got there early at 9:15, but there was a class in there. So I waited outside, and I waited until like 9:25 because it didn't make sense that they would still be in there. I walked in and asked the professor if this was the 9:30 lab and she said (while looking at me like I was an idiot, which I probably looked like because I had already walked by like 3 times lookin like a creeper) that this was the 9:00-10:50 lab. So I proceeded to walk out and look at my schedule. It said 9:00-10:50. FML. I was too embarrased to go back in and proceeded to sit down and write this blog. Sorry its so long but I just needed to vent. Just a couple more months till I'm outta here. Can I get a hallelujah. Well hope you all are having a better week than me. At least tomorrows friday, right? Anywho, have a good day! Pura vida. How I wish I was in Costa Rica right now.

Nothing is Certain until it is

So this phrase "Nothing is Certain until it is" has just popped into my mind all of a sudden and I felt the need to share. I know it sounds pretty redundant so I guess I should explain my train of thought. In the past, I've heard people say, " I know for a fact that we are going to get married, I just know." And then a couple of months later they break up. Or someone says, "I just know I'm not going to get that promotion" or "I know that we are going to have a great season this year" (aka clemson fans). I myself have often said, "I know that I am going to fail this test," based on the lack of studying I had don't prior to taking it. but how do we know these things? No one can ever know something with certainty until the event actually happens. You can never know that you are going to marry someone until the moment you actually marry them. I mean think about runaway brides. Their husbands were probably pretty certain that they were going to get married since the wedding had already started, but things didn't turn out that way did they. and i for one have never failed a test that I thought I was going to fail. People always think that they can't do something, like pursue something they love, go to faraway adventure, or tell their objects of affection how they really feel all because "I know it wont work out." How do you know that peoploe?And if in fact it doesn't work out, well what have you really lost. I mean you'll just start back at the place you were before you ever did what you did. So people, nothing is certain until it is. And no matter what the circumstances look like, it doesn't mean it's gonna happen. Just because it looks like the odds are against you, it doesnt mean they are. And if things change, like you lose the job you planned to retire at or your boyfriend who gave you a promise ring breaks up with you, don't be surprised. Move on and do something you were always afraid to do like audition for American Idol or interview for that job that you may not think you are qualified because NOTHING IS CERTAIN UNTIL IT IS.
-From the mind of an American college student. Pura vida.

5 hour energy

Well I made it through Heaven week (oh yeah its opposite day didnt you know) as it it was the worst week of the semester. Yeah, for all you college peeps, I think we can all attest that the last week of classes and exams are the WORST weeks ever. All of my professors decided to make 10 and 15 page papers due the last day of class. How dumb. dont they realize they are going to have to read all of those in a week's time. and that my friends is why I will never be a teacher. I also had a group project, and not hating on people, but many I hate working in groups. they seriously are more painful than having to write a 15 page paper on human trafficking-talk about depressing. I seriously worked more in the last two weeks than I did the rest of the semester combined. Not even kidding. Its not saying that I did much, its just saying i did absolutely freaking nothing the rest of the semester. Two diseases rage within me at the present moment: senioritis and procrastination. a deadly combination for sure. Well with all that done, I am just two exams and a take home away from the end of this semester. PRAISE THE LORD. Im not sure how well I need to do on any of those things and considering I dont even have the books for one class, I'm not sure how its going to turn out. I honestly dont even care. I do have to give a shoutout to 5 hour energies. and yes some of you may know my addiction, and yes there is a patent pending, and yes "they may be bad for my health"- but I DONT CARE. they honestly are the only reason I was able to write approximately 30 pages. and they arent as bad a cup of coffee that makes me act like a freaking crack addict after one cup. Literally, my hands will be shaking so bad that I can even type. I just press all the keys as fast as I possibly can, making quite a ruckus I might add, just to appease the caffeine coursing through my veins. Its really awful. So for me, ill take my Vitamin B12 boost and my daily fulfillment of folic acid in a 5 hour energy. Ah how I love thee. Dont worry, i'm not addicted. After tomorrow I probably wont take another one until next he77 (turn the 7's upside down) week in April. and by next he77 week I mean, two weeks before I graduate HOLLA Playas. Woot woot. this one is checking out of this forsaken thing called college. I cannot wait. Super excited about the future as I'm kind of figuring out something I may pursue. Its definitely under wraps for now, and probably until I have some sort of success. Anywho thats all I'm saying for now. For now, I guess I'm just living the life of an American College Student. Peace out.

Zipper Troubles

No I'm not climbing volcanos or petting monkeys in Costa Rica BUT I am still an American College student and I feel the need to share the reality of college with those who are thinking about going. Things aren't like they are on t.v. No, quite often they are the complete opposite. Or if things are like they are on T.V., then most of the time you are just that shy girl in the background that no one knows rather than the main characters. Yesterday, as well as a few other days recently, I was walking back to my car from class [It was a yucky, rainy day yesterday so I was rocking out my new rainboots- I am very thankful that somehow rainboots have crept onto universities nationwide and become socially acceptable to wear them even though they are just downright ugly] but anyway as I was walking, somehow I realized that my zipper was down. How long had it been that way? Good Lord, I'm honestly starting to think that alzhiemers is setting in. I'm literally digressing as a person. How old am I? five. because it sure seems that way. I tried to remember if I had gone to the bathroom and then forgotten to zip my pants but I couldn't even remember that, so I zipped them up as inconspiculously as I could, which is an impossible feat, and proceeded to my car. When I got there, the zipper had come down again! Which was a huge relief to me considering that meant that it was the pants not me that needed the fixing. However, instead of changing the pants I proceeded to wear them the rest of the day, Mainly because I wore a long tshirt. I feel the need to remind you that that has happened to me on several occasions. Figures. Anyway, Let's see. Oh yeah. Basically my schedule goes like this. I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays GLORY. I have spanish, boo, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Biology, an even bigger boo, immediately following at 11:00. Then I have a break from 12:15 to 2:00 and a Sociology class about something, the biggest boo of all, from 2:00-3:45. I normally go home on my break between bio and sociology and eat lunch. Then I go to my sociology class and struggle with everything in me not to fall asleep or want to bang my head on my desk and then come home for a couple of hours GLORY!!! However, dont let that fool you. There is something even more awful than the three of those combined that lurks every tuesday night. NIGHT BIOLOGY LAB duh duh duhhhhhh!!! It really is as bad as you think. Luckily last night was my LAST ONE, that is until my lab practical in two weeks which I'm probably going to fail considering my lab partner takes it on himself to do everything. Anyway, yesterday after my Sociology class, I relaxed and watched t.v and ended up taking a nap, which I a regular occurance. Well, I can't quite remember when I fell asleep but I woke up disoriented and unsure what day or time it was. It was dark outside so I didnt know if I had slept through the night and it was time to go to work, or if it was nighttime. I had no idea. I then proceeded to check my clock, which was about the only thing I had the mental capacity to do at that time, and it said 6:30. That doesn't seem so bad until i tell you that My lab starts at that exact same time. Awesome. Needless to say I rushed around as if I cruella devil and proceeded to say things that no small child should hear. There was no parking, obviously. but I parked somewhere else and got to my lab like 20 minutes late. Whatever. The less I'm in that lab the better my life is so whatever. Anyway, that is all for now. Hope you all have a better day than me. But I guess this is just the life of an American College Student. I'm out. PURA VIDA!

El Ultimo

Welp, this is it. The bags are packed, closet empty, bed made, bathroom clear. Now all thats left to do is wait. Wait on the shuttle thats coming to take me to the airport. such a surreal feeling. Cant believe its all over. Yesterday was a great day because I got to spend a lot of time with my tica family. Some of my friends wanted to go out for our last night but I am really happy with the decision I made to stay home and just spend time with my tica family. I had one of the best meals yet. chicken with mashed potatoes, rice, veggies, and this homeade gravy that was off the chain. After dinner, they gave me a gift. They gave ME a gift, after everything they have done for me, they still got me a gift. They gave me a tshirt which I was very excited about, some homeade earrings that my mama tica's sister had made and a keychain. Also included was a homeade card. I couldnt even read it because I knew I would bust out in tears. I read the card later in my room. I was just so overwhelmed by their kindness. I never once felt uncomfortable from the moment I entered their home or like they didnt want me there. I bought some flowers and chocolate and a card, where I tried to write in words what they meant to me, but really there arent any. So I did the best I could to express my gratitude for all they had done for me. I cant believe how fortunate I was to be placed with Ligia, Pame, y Nicol. I will never forget them and they have such a special place in my heart, and I know that without doubt if I ever came back, they would open their home to me again. After dinner, Nicol and I watched some FRIENDS and then Pame joined us to watch my sister's keeper, which is not what I needed to help me NOT bust out in tears. It was great to spend time with them. I wanted to share a few things I learned here to sum up my experience in this last blog:

1. PURA VIDA: it means living day to day, enjoying life and taking advantage of every opportunity, not worrying about things that dont matter or that you cant control. To not rush through life or always be in a hurry, but embracing and enjoying every moment

2. Take the time to sit down and talk with people. Getting to actually know someone is such a wonderful pasttime.

3. You dont need that many things to be happy. There are very few things that you actually need. Simplify your life. Not having a cell phone was actually kind of nice.

4. Appreciate the things in your life. Going to church every sunday is such a privilege. You are blessed not entitled to having a car to drive around.

5. Complaining is an American Habit. As is slamming car doors-FYI. and what you considered closing a car door is considered slamming here.

6. San Jose is not as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be-in my opinion.

7. Eating healthier makes life better and can be as tasty

8. People everywhere are essentially the same. I became part of a family from a completely different culture although I was from a different country and do not speak the same language fluently.

9. Smiling means the same thing in every language.

10. Even if you dont believe, agree, or understand something, you should still respect it.

11. Put yourself out there. Embarrasing and awkward situations make for GREAT stories. never let fear or pride make your decisions for you.

Well those are just a few things. I have changed a lot this summer. Ive grown up. I detatched myself from everything I had ever known and learned to live without them. It was not always easy. Change never is. But it makes you into the person you always imagined yourself being. And that is an amazing feeling. I have no idea what the next step for me is, but I'm excited about it. I'm optimistic about the future. and as much as I love and will miss Costa Rica Im looking forward to starting my life. Because I feel that the end of this summer is the beginning of something new. This summer, as much as I dreaded it, was completely necessary. I needed it. So for that I thank you Costa Rica. and thank you Lord for bringing me here. You always know what you are doing. Well I guess that is all from San Jose, Costa Rica. A great quote that my roommate merri told me is the attitude I am going to have as I head home, although it still might be difficult not to cry. But it is a good cry. The best kind of crying you can have, the one that makes you realize how great of an experience you had. Dr. Seuss always had the best quotes, He said, "Dont cry because its over. Smile because it happened" And that is what I plan on doing. Adios. Costa Rica. Te amo. PURA VIDA

Here are some things I just realized. One, I have not used a brush or a hairdryer the entire time I've been here. Two, I ran out of body wash, I dont know, like a month ago so I've been using my shampoo as body wash because toiletries are so dang expensive. Life of the American College Student in Costa Rica let me tell you. Actually, its kind of funny/embarrassing/ the usual for me because about a week ago I realized that using our hand soap might be an alternative than using my shampoo (which ironically I dont think is true. the shampoo foams up more) So I used the hand soap like 2 times, but somehow my mama tica must have realized my schemes because a couple of days ago, two bars of soap just miraculously showed up in my shower. oops. whatever. Yesterday was a really great day. I got up and ate breakfast (which is always one of the highlights of my day) My mama tica and I talked for a little bit. Then she took me to see the university of Costa Rica (UCR) which is pretty close to our house. UCR is huge and its just like a little college town. It reminded me a lot of clemson. However, it has no dorms interestingly enough because I've said before, students dont stay on campus. thats weird to them. they live with their families. Also, they have pharmacy, medicine, dentistry etc all in this one school. Its not like you do undergrad and then go to pharmacy school, or med school, you just do one 6 or 8 year program all together. pretty good if you ask me. We walked around and then went to eat lunch at this amazing place that made crepes. It was pretty funny, because I've only eaten crepes with fruit in them or ones that are sweet. Well they did have those, but they also have ones filled with chicken or mushroom, basically real food. I got one with bananas and strawberries covered in dulce de leche and powdered sugar. Yum. My mama tica got a mushroom and chicken one. I told her that I had never seen crepes that werent sweet before and she told me "yeah, Ive never seen ones that were sweet before" haha. She paid for my meal too. She is so sweet. She was like "I invited you" when I most distinctly remember asking her if she would show me around sometime. After we had our little date, we went back and I went to go see Despicable me at the Multiplaza-which is a fantastic movie. one of the best animated ones I have seen in a while. It was so incredibly sweet, and actually pretty funny. I would recommend it. After that I came back and my mama tica gave me a mini cooking class, which is much needed. It was cool to learn how she makes our food. It takes some time and preparation but its not too hard. After dinner, I just chilled around. Last night was my last night at castros :( sad day. it was really fun. At the end of the night, I danced with this guy who was the best salsa dancer I had danced with yet. He was spinning me in ways I had never been spun before. Like seriously, sometimes he spun me using my head. It was crazy. I didnt know what was going on half the time, but you just have to surrender yourself to the music and just let it go. It was really fun. Its my last day. weird, sad, exciting, overwhelming, nostalgic and more all in one. I cant believe I get to see my sis tomorrow and then the rest of my friends and family the next day. its crazy. I may or may not be writing anymore from Costa Rica- I want to but we will see how the time goes. I havent even started packing, it looked like my closet threw up all over my room. So I guess I should get on that. Im literally the last one in my group to leave tomorrow because my flight is at 5 pm. Anyway, this could be the last one. ADIOS. and gracias to all those who read my blog. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I will see you all soon. PURA VIDA

Gosh, have I told you guys lately how much I love my mama tica and my tica family? cuz if not I'm going to tell you now how amazing they are. (dont worry Mom, Dad, Justin, and Laura-No one can or ever will compare to you guys. Being down here has made me realize how amazing you all are-even more than I thought before. No one can replace you all and I am so unbelievably thankful and blessed to have you all in my life. I cannot express in words-written or spoken- how much you all mean to me. I love you all so much) However, being here I have been so amazingly blessed to be placed with such a wonderful family. My tica sister and I played basketball yesterday in the court right beside our house. I havent played basketball outside my house since I was little, so it took me way back to the summer nights that my family and I would play until it was dark. Dad, we played around the world. I thought you would enjoy it. It was fun, but it wasnt the same as playing with you :) My mama tica and I just had this 2 1/2 hour conversation after breakfast. It was great. I love learning about her life and her viewpoints because believe it or not we are very much alike in the way we think. Our personalities are very similar, so despite the fact that she is 45 and I am 21 we can have a conversation on the same level. She is such a giving, funny, tranquil person who always puts others first (very much like my own mother, whom I cannot rave about enough) I've been trying to find her a boyfriend since I've been here because she's divorced and on the market, but after what I learned about the Ticos, I told here I would find her a gringo haha. She is just such an amazing person. we had a long convo about "religion" well faith really this morning at breakfast. My mama tica is catholic and before you rile up of your pre conceived thoughts and judgements about catholics let me just inform you what she told me. she said "I dont really care about religion. To me, your relationship with God is what is important, not religion" and yeah she's catholic-I couldn't have said it any better and quite frankly I have said that a few times and have heard that from practically every "evangelical" pastor I know. We talked about how its more important to respect someone even if you dont believe in what they do rather than tell them what they are doing wrong. To be honest that is one of my pet peeves- you can tell someone what they are doing wrong because what you believe is OBVIOUSLY the right thing. ugh, get over yourself. The best way to show that what you believe is the truth, is to actually live it and not worry about what everyone else is doing wrong. (sorry for the soapbox). Anyway the other night, I did this think called the romeria. Basically, its a pilgrimage that catholics from all over costa rica and other parts of central america make to this catholic church in Cartago called the Basilica (a city in the mountains 30 minutes by bus from san jose). They do this to show their devotion and to pray to La virgen de los angeles. Yeah, whether you agree with it or not, you have to admire and respect their devotion. I will be the first to tell you that it was beautiful and yes, I'm not catholic and dont necesarrily believe in what they do, but I do respect them and admire what those thousands of people did. Some people walked for days. We walked 35 km or 20 miles. It took us about 5 hours. Once we got to the church there were sooooo many people. craziness. after walking for 5 hours we had to wait another hour and a half just to get in the church. most people who are catholics go the entire length of the church on their knees. okay I dont know if you have ever tried to walk on a tile floor on your knees for an extended period of time, but let me tell you it doesnt feel very pleasant. I knew this big girl would not be able to get up at the end if I did that, so I decided to do the walking thing. Honestly it was one of the coolest things I've done here. My roommate merri left yesterday and I am seriously so sad to leave now. When she was in her cab, honest to goodness it all hit me and I teared up. It surprised me bc I really didnt think I would cry at all. But now there is no doubt. Im almost crying now as I write this. Last week I was so ready to go, but now things have changed. Cant wait to see my family and friends, but at the same time, I really do love my tica family and Costa Rica. I have had such a wonderful experience and I am going to miss it so much. Gosh, this is going to be way harder to leave than I had expected. Only four days. Yup, the tears are blurring my vision now. Well I love you all. I will see you all so very soon. PURA VIDA!

It makes me happy to realize that people everywhere are the same. No seriously, no matter what country you go to people are all essentially the same. Yes there are cultural differences, but in the things that really matter, like family, love, and laughter people are all the same. For example, today I went downtown, and I was walking back instead of taking the bus (1 because I like to walk and 2 because I spent all of the colones I had in the market. I had to eat ice cream for lunch because it was the only thing that I could afford and unfortunately I realized that the banks are not open today or TOMORROW because its a national holiday AFTER I had spent all my money-son of a..so I guess I'm living off 200 colonies or about 37 cents for the next two days haha)Like I said I was walking and my mom and dad will be happy to know that I saw a minivan with a luggage carrier. Not kidding. I guess its a universal concept to rock something that points you out as a tourist from miles away and prevent you from parking in anything even remotely close to a parking garage. Also I was walking up this hill, a pretty steep one at that, and I saw this minivan at the top gun it over the hill. But then I heard these two little kids laughing so adorably in the back seat as they passed me. Apparently their dad had sped up so they would go airborn a little bit. It was so cute. I laughed to myself. I remember riding the bus when I was younger and there was this one hill right by the public library and everyone would tell the bus driver to speed up so we could go airborn in the back. It was serious though. Like you would have to brace yourself if the bus driver went through with it and there was no chance in heck that the kids in the back of the bus were even remotely staying in their seats. SO MUCH FUN. See people are the same everywhere. As I was walking today, I realized how much I'm gonna miss this place. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the people. Im gonna miss being the only white person walking down the street. I wont however miss this dog that is barking shrilly in my ear right now err. But no seriously, this place is amazing :) I really do love it here. Dont get me wrong, I cant wait to see my family and friends, but this place has really grown on me. The hard part is that when I got here it was a hard transition because I had to uproot myself completely and plant my self back down again. Change isnt easy. Its uncomfortable. So I had to go through the whole process of getting used to everything. Now that it feels normal and confortable to live here, I have to uproot myself ALL over again and get used to living in America again. and let me tell you, it will probably be a culture shock going BACK to america. Where taxes arent included in the prices, people are alwasy in a hurry, and being late just isnt acceptable. Where guys arent going to tell me how pretty I am when i'm walking down the street, and where and umbrella isnt going to be a 5th limb. Driving...yeah what does that word mean again, and where the food is fresh not fried, preserved, with high fructose corn syrup and sodium included. And where I wont hear spanish unless I choose to. A place where people dont want to dance, and there isnt anwhere to dance. Yeah its gonna be a reverse culture shock I think. But I assure you, I do love America, and i do look forward to some good SC air. I have had an amazing summer. i took advantage of every opportunity I was given. I met so many amazing people with so many amazing stories. I did things that I didnt have the confidence in myself to do. I was humiliated all the time, but it helped cultivate my humility. I learned how to slow down and relax and do the things I wanted to do. To somewhat put myself first and be independent. I learned a little bit more how to have a personality and be funny when Im speaking spanish (you wouldnt realize that that is probably one of the hardest parts of speaking a language) I got to invade someone elses home and I went to another country while I was here. It was not always easy, but this experience was necessary. I've grown up so much, and I've learned so much about myself, life, and other people. Its been good. i dont regret it one second. Not that i would necessarily do it again, but I enjoyed the experience that I had. Well I love and miss you all. PURA VIDA.

Yeah, Yeah I know its been a while...but school has been crazy. Okay people I literally leave in a week from tomorrow. How crazy is that. And yes I am ready to leave but I will say that this has been such an incredible experience. I dont regret coming. I was really excited about leaving until today, because some people in my program are leaving tomorrow and when I had to say bye to them, it hit me that Im leaving in a week. Let me just tell you guys. Costa Rica is awesome. You really cant complain about anything. The only thing I've found to complain about is the rain. But it does make everything green, so I guess it serves a purpose. whatever. I mean the people are amazing, the country is beautiful, and the way of life here is awesome. I'm basically done with my classes. My spanish class is done!!!!! Wooo Hoo. I have to say undoubtedly that my spanish teacher, mila, was the best spanish teacher I have ever had. Had I had her as my spanish teacher the entire time, I would probably be fluent by now. actually, I just completely made that up bc I doubt I will ever be fluent BUT she was the best spanish teacher I have ever had. I learned so much from here, not just about spanish, but just about life. so yeah, like I said this week in school has been crazy. Wednesday, I had my final exam where my partner and I had to be a doctor and nurse (only in Costa Rica does your final exam consist of role playing and make believe). We had to have a consultation with a patient who had hypertension and tell them what they needed to do to control it. Well Mila had told us that our patient was going to be this older woman who really had hypertension. So I was preparing myself for that. I made all my adjectives feminine and I practiced what I was going to say alot-with that little old hypertensive lady in mind. So I get there wednesday morning and I was pretty nervous (which I always am when I have to present something in spanish). So my partner meg and I are just roaming anxiously about, and Mila comes in finally (you know, tico time) and informs us that our patient was here. Well guess who walks in. It sure wasnt the little old tica that I had been imagining. It was HOT 26 year old Esteban that works for Veritas. So on top of being nervous about having to speak spanish, my brain completely stopped working once I saw him. I got so nervous, and I was tripping over all of my words. I had to take his blood pressure, when someone clearly should have been taking mine at that moment. And guess what our "hypertensive" patient's blood pressure was...126/83 which is about as perfect as you can get. He asked me what that number meant and I had to make up some bull that it was a little elevated even though normal was 120/80. Sheesh, cant a girl catch a break. Of cours young sexy esteban wouldnt have high blood pressure. After that, I had to give him a speech on how he should be eating better and exercising more although I could tell from his perfect physique was completely unneccessary. After he informed us that he went to the gym several times a week, Meg and I were completely done for. Fortunately, we finished and Mila said we did fine. That was a miracle considering my brain had stopped working and my heart was literally about to burst out of my chest. Well the next day was interesting as well because I got to be the patient for the beginner and intermediate students. I had diabetes at one point and the girl proceeded to tell me that I ate too many greasy foods and was overweight. Confidence booster for sure. Well before class let me tell you guys what happened. Right before I was heading to class, I went to use the bathroom and brush my teeth and stuff. Well when I went to shut the door to the bathroom, the handle literally broke off. from the inside. Yeah. I kept trying to put it back on but it just wasnt happening. so there I was Locked inside the bathroom. I had class in like 20 minutes, and it takes 15 to get there. So I kept trying and kept trying to put the handle back on because I really did not want to have to start screaming my mama tica's name. Of course, this WOULD happen to me. So I looked up and remembered there was a windo you could see out of. I climbed on the shower so I could peer out like I was a freaking convict. My mama tica was nowhere around. Right beside my shower is a mirror and when I saw my reflection in the mirror, I just busted out laughing at how funny the situation was. After this moment, I just decided there was no way out so I started screaming my mama tica's name and beating on the door. She still never came! so then I starting thinking she had left the house and I was just going to be stuck in my bathroom until she came back. I kept screaming her name, which was interrupted by my own laughs at how ridiculous this situation was, until finally I heard my mama tica say that she was coming. She came downstairs and I literally had to say "I cant open the door" to which she proceeded to turn the handle like it was nothing, she kind of just looked at me like I was someone retarded to which I tried to explain the handle was broken (which in spanish was kind of a fail) I then just got my books together and marked that as another random situation that would only happen to me. Well after I was a patient for some of the beginner students, meg and I had ANOTHER presentation about contraceptives. that was fun. And I finally got to put a condom on a banana. I was deprived growing up in Walhalla. We never got to do that. It was a fun and entertaining way to end the class. Only in Costa Rica. Well this has been really long. Hopefully I will have more time this coming week to blog, since it will be my last week to blog about my costa rica experiences. I hope you all have enjoyed them. I'm glad my humiliation can bring you all entertainment. Well Love you all. My return is so imminent that I'm not really even that homesick anymore. mainly just because I know I will be there in a little over a week. PURA VIDA

Okay so remember last post how I told you all the derogatory terms they give to things related to marriage, well today i learned that Costa Rica has a SEVENTY percent divorce rate. Thats 20% higher than in America. And its only about the size of West Virginia (or so they say all the time). My profesora also informed us that about 90%, yes 90%, of men are unfaithful here. I guess we girls dont have it too bad in America huh. My professor is married to a gringo. She made gringos sound like princes compared to ticos. She says all the men here are "machistas" which literally translates to "male chauvinists" in English. Okay in costa Rica, people, guys and girls, live with their parents until they are married. So there are literally lots or thirty plus guys that still live with their moms, not only live with their moms...their moms do EVERYTHING for them. clean, cook, give them money to do things. So they basically never grow up, or thats what my professor said anyway. She even said that when a man gets divorced, which happens a lot, a majority of the time he will GO BACK and live with his mom. I literally said this in class today, "okay in America, if a guy doesnt have a job and doesnt do anything and expects his mama to do everything, he AINT gonna have a girlfriend" To that, my professora responded that it doesnt matter here. Okay ticas, if a guy doesnt do anything and expects his mama to do everything, when you get married hes probably gonna expect the same to you. And then he's probably gonna cheat on you. and then you are probably going to get divorced. My professora said the only friends of hers that are still married are those married to gringos. Interesting. She said mainly bc gringos are more respectful, dont mind when a woman is independent, and tend to be more faithful. Although Im sure a lot of gringas might disagree, compared to ticos, I think she's right. Guess I wont really complain about guys in America anymore, not that I really did in the first place. I really enjoy my class, because out of the Four hours of class we have everyday, we talk for about three and work/learn for about one. And we talk about interesting things, like cultural differences, and relationships, and what we think people are going to look like in the future (yeah we actually talked about that today). Its all really interesting things and we laugh a lot. We also talk about lots of spanish words that have bad connatations that a lot of gringos dont realize-so when they say them its pretty funny. One thing that I found funny today is that sometimes women here call their husband's television "la zorra" which is the word for "slut" haha. meaning that he spends more time with it than with her. well technically "La zorra" means "the fox" which in english is traditionally a compliment to be called a fox you know. Like my mom, she's a fox. And shannon Hamilton. She's a foxy lady as well. I dont think either of those ladies would get offended if I said that. Its a good thing. however, here calling somone "a fox" has a totally different meaning that could potentially be offensive. Yeah, I think thats one of the hardest parts of learning spanish. There are so many different sayings. so even when you think you can speak spanish, there is always more to learn, because every country has different sayings. tonight I'm going to a cooking class...woop woop..because this girl needs to learn how to cook. En serio. Well I guess thats all for today. I'm going to an awesome beach called Tamarindo tomorrow for the weekend. We are staying in this BOMB hotel. I'm excited. I hope and pray that I can get some sun because this is my last chance to get anything that is even remotely close to a tan. Seriously you guys, dont expect me to be tan or to be able to speak spanish fluently when I get back. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. I promise you that you all have seen the sun WAY more than I have. The sun is like a distant cousin that you only see on holidays down here. And just because you go to a country that speaks spanish doesnt guarentee that you are going to be fluent. I can GET BY. thats about it. and to be honest, i think I'm okay with that. So dont hate when you ask me how to say something in Spanish and I dont know. I'm still a gringa after all, which I wouldn't change for anything. Well love you all! countdown: 16 days until im in the US. 17 days until SC-the best state EVER! PURA VIDA

Volcanos and other things

Okay, so valuable vocab I learned in Spanish Class today. The word for wife "esposa" comes from the word "esposas" which means handcuffs. A wedding band is called "El Cancer" which is exactly how it sounds, and the title given to one's "mother-in-law" is literally "La Serpiente" or the snake. So yeah, I guess you get the gist of how they feel about marriage here in Costa Rica. We also talked about politics, and our teacher told us that most people in Costa Rica didnt think the Clinton Scandal was a scandal at all. They thought that the most powerful man in the world should be able to have as many women as he wanted. That's an interesting perspective huh. This weekend was the most amazing weekend of my time here in Costa Rica. It was awesome. Okay saturday morning I woke up at like 5:30 to get all my stuff ready because we had to leave at 6:30. I had no idea my mama tica was going to get up to make me breakfast but when I came out of the bathroom, she was in the kitchen and she said she would make me sandwich and a coffee. When I came out of my room, she had already gone back upstairs and had left me a note that wished me a good trip beside my sandwich. She got up super early JUST to make me breakfast even though she didnt have to. She is SOOO sweet. And did I tell you guys she washes my clothes BY HAND! Yeah, I feel so bad now. I didnt know that until I went up there one day and she was scrubbing my clothes in this sink on the patio. And she does our laundry twice a week. We left at 6:30 saturday morning and all 70 of us gringos piled onto two large buses. We made a pit stop to eat breakfast (pancakes YUMMY. I've eaten eggs every.single.day since I've been here so pancakes tasted amazing). On our bus we watched FRIENDS the entire time. Lets just say that I was one happy camper. Its funny cuz on our bus rides they just literally hand out dremamine to anyone and everyone who needs it. Im proud to be a part of an organization that hands out drugs freely. Go ISA. We went to this waterfall called La Fortuna. It was so pretty. The hike down should have been called "La Muerte" or the death, because the stairs were so steep and between my clumsiness, the fact that I was holding a freaking umbrella [cuz obviously it was raining. Ive decided that wherever I go, the rain feels the need to accompany me. Its like a lost puppy looking for a home and feels the need to find whatever location I'm at as its home] and trying to hold on to the rope that was only like a foot off the groung (yeah that did a lot of good) The chances that I was going to slip and die far outweighed the posibility that I was going to make it down safely. Somehow by the sweet grace of God I made it down without killing myself or any of the other 70 kids with me. The water was really cold so I didnt swim even though most people did. We left there and stopped for lunch. This was the first time I could behold the magnificence that was called "Arenal Volcano" it was awesome. There was smoke coming out of the top. I know this sounds bad but I really wanted to see lava. I realize that had their been lava, it could have potentially destroyed the hotel that we stayed at, but whatever. It still would have been awesome. Okay, can I just tell you guys that we stayed in the most pimp daddy hotel that I've ever stayed at. Like I said, it was directly in front of the volcano, there were freakin natural hot springs, pools, slides, a swim up bar, a spa with massages, and a restaurant that fed us buffets for breakfast lunch and dinner. The food was so delicious. Buffets call to me. We speak the same language of "yum" Its quite funny, because our group really is like a big group of cattle, roaming about in search of food. Everyone is always asking what time we are going to eat next, and where we were going to eat. Yesterday, I went canyoning. We got to repel down 5 waterfalls. in three of them we were literally in the waterfall. It was really awesome. I didnt take any pics because I didnt take my camera, but we all bought a disk with the pics on it. the first waterfall i went down, I was zoom zooming, but by doing this I didnt get to put my legs out in time and I just banged into the side of the mountain. Dont worry, it didnt hurt at all. Whats better is that everyone in the group who has already gone, is looking up watching every move you make, and basically just staring at your butt essentially. But its all good. When we were canyoning we had this harness with this harcore hardware that would clang together when we walked, and seriously guys we sounded like a bunch of cattle with cowbells on. Everyone like our directors or tour guides just have to herd us along. Well thats about it. Sorry this one was so long, but I figure if you guys want to read my blog you wont mind how long it is ( I still cant believe anyone wants to take the time to read anything I have to say, but whatever) You guys are amazing. I love you all and Miss you. 20 days. thats it!!! then I will be in good ol SC. I miss that place. well PURA VIDA!

It's Friday!

Okay so I'm using a spanish keyboard to write this so if it looks like I need hooked on foniks just ignore it. Man these keyboards are tricky. Its like when you go into Walmart and for some really retarded reason they have decided to change the entire store around and you cant find ANYTHING you are looking for. Yeah its kind of like that. Why do stores do that? yeah it might look asthetically pleasing, but you are confusing your poor consumers. We are like lost puppies just trying to find where the darn toilet paper is. Sheesh. Yeah none of the keys are in the right spot, all of the punctuation looks like someone just ate all the keys and threw them up back onto the keyboard. They are all in different places. I am trying to avoid writing questions or things that need anything other than a period. Well like the title of todays blog implies ITS FRIDAY baby. And although fridays arent quite as sweet as they were when I didnt have to work because now I have school, they are still pretty awesome. I just finished my first exam! phew...i was super nervous because we had to do "patient simulation" as our exam (this class is all about application). So basically we had to be doctors and we had to diagnose a patient (who was some random person that our teacher somehow convinced to volunteer.) My patient was one of the cleaning ladies. She was super sweet. The part I was so nervous about was that we had NO idea what symptoms the patient was going to tell us. We had to take what they told us and then decide from all the medical expertise we have (yeah my medical expertise is at about a negative 2) what lab tests and exams they needed. Then we had to give them recommendations about what they needed to do. First of all, IM NOT A DOCTOR. Im not even studying medicine and quite frankly i dont really want to. and how the heck am I supposed to know what tests you need when Im not even quite sure what some of them are. But whatever. Luckily my lady had the symptoms of high blood pressure, so luckily I had somewhat prepared for that. Thank you hypertension. I am so relieved thats over. I only have TWO weeks of spanish class left that consists of 2 presentations and one final exam, which is similar to the one I did today and then I'm done!!! woot woot party over here. Last night I went to Castro's (that salsa club I go to every week) with none other than my mama tica. My mama tica is so cool. Seriously, she is so pretty, I was so excited that she wanted to go with me to castros. She looks so young and has the cutest style. You would never guess she has a 17 year old daughter. And she is an amazing dancer. I loved watching her dance. There were a lot of people there last night. It was pretty fun. This weekend we are going to Arenal Volcano. It was erupting when I first got here, so there may be a chance I could see some lava. When I was younger, I used to be obsessed with the movie Dante's Peak. The volcano movie with Pierce Brosnan so this is like fulfilling a huge dream of mine. Hopefully this trip will be better than my nicaragua volcano experience. Hopefully there wont be any sulfuric gases to burn my corneas. (fingers crossed) Okay guys I come home in 3 more weeks from this sunday. I can totally do this. This is like the last couple of miles in the marathon. My legs are basically moving by themselves as if independent from my body like Micheal flatly lord of the dance (thank you chandler from FRIENDS for that quote) Well I love and Miss you all....Also a big shoutout to the group going to Colombia today!!! Im going to be so close (only panama seperates us) but so far away. I cant wait to see what God is going to do through you guys. Be fearless and do great things!!! Love and be Loved. Im so proud of all of you for the sacrifices you made to go on this trip and for what you are doing. We are ALL the church and I'm glad that although I am not there, you guys are there loving the people of Colombia. It doesnt matter who does it, just as long as someone does. Cant wait to hear stories and see pics! You guys are awesome. Ill be praying for you guys :) love you all