Saturday, October 31, 2009

Funny thing happened to me the other day...

Okay, here is a really funny story. As you consider what I'm about to write, also, please consider that this type of thing happens to me all the time. And so I begin...
On Thursday I went walking at 6:00am with my ladies (these are some friends and my host mom and we go for an hour walk on Tuesdays and Thursdays). So, we are walking and one of the ladies asks me “Laura, are you going to run in the race? I bet you're going to win”. I respond, “oh, wow, that's today? I don't know, maybe, I haven't eaten or drank anything today, so I don't think so. Also, I haven't been running in weeks, but I guess I'll see if there's time for me to eat and maybe”. Okay, so we walk on and I find out that the race starts at 8:00am and it's only 7:00am so there is time. So I go to this race, where there are including me 8 participants. There were 2 woman and 6 men. I'm thinking, okay, I'll run, why not. So we begin the race and me and the other lady start to run together, I was pretty happy with it, we ran the whole race together. So, towards the end of the race the last Kilometer I'm thinking, well, in the past usually I take off and bust it out in the end for the win, but, I don't think that would be really cool to do since I know that lady that I'm running with really well and we've been together the whole time and I think it would be really cool for us to finish together. So I think this whole thing out for the last lap of the race and I finally decide, I'm not going to sprint the finish, I'm going to be cool and finish with my friend (I really did debate about this for like 3 min in my head, I'm super competitive, but that's not always good). Okay, so when we are about 75 feet from the finish line, I'm thinking oh, how great, we made it and just as I'm about to say something to my friend, she takes off at a full sprint. Typical. At first I started to run after her, but then I thought, “no vale la pena” or, it's not worth it and I just let her go. Wow, is all I could think. Typical, enough said.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I'm just going to go ahead and say it, I hate rice!

Okay, I do, I hate rice. I don't care what the rest of the world says, I've never really liked rice. Ever since I was little I've only liked rice one way with milk, butter, sugar and cinnamon. That's a tasty breakfast all warm and delicious. So, back to my hate for rice, here in Costa Rica it just so happens that rice is eaten as the main part of every meal. I'm not exaggerating. It's seriously the base of every meal and sometimes it makes me really angry. I'm laughing as I write this because the irony of it all is just too much. Okay, when I eat at places like Chipolet or Moes Southwest where they have awesome burritos; when I placed my order I always said “no rice please”. So that you know, I didn't eat it before I came here, I don't like sushi and I almost never go out for Chinese food, why, because I hate rice. Now that you all know that, recently in one of my English classes we were learning “I'm going” so learning the simple future tense. One of the activities was that we were going on a picnic and then we would go around the class and say “I'm going to bring ...”. So I started and then had my class go. Maurice says “I'm going to bring rice and beans”. I just looked at him and said “I'm sorry, you can't come to my picnic” (joking of course). Then we got into a conversation about the rice and beans and I asked them “do you guys seriously like rice and beans, I mean really like, you're serious”? They all said that they did, they like it, they really like it. Unbelievable. I'm shocked, I just can't imagine a day when I'm going to say, wow, get me some rice and beans. I don't mind the beans by the way. I am sick of only ever eating one type, I would love to switch it up a little, not just white rice with black beans. What's wrong with red beans? And, if we're eating pasta, why not skip the rice? Or, when we're eating potatoes, why not pass on the rice? I know I'd be okay with it.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Just Some Random Stuff

I don't have a whole lot to update on. My English classes have another test this week, with one class finishing the book. Instead of starting the next book just to take a massive break in December and January, we're going to have conversation classes and do little work shop type things (this will be easier and more fun for me, I hope). Guias y Scouts is coming along nicely, I'm hoping to have the adults in place and ready to go by December and then find the niƱos sometime in February. That's a pretty ambitious time line, so I'm not too worried if it takes a little longer...
I'm planning on getting a dog soon, probably in January. I think it will be really nice to have a little friend to hangout with and keep me company. Other than that, I'm still reading a lot. I'm currently reading Jane Eyre, a classic which is really good so far. After this I think I'm going to finish up my No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books which will be really sad. Not much else to report for now. The rain has picked up a little in the past couple of weeks which is a big relief and a nice break from the heat.
Weigh lifting with my friend Elena is going really well, she loves to work out as much as I do and we help to push each other so that has been a really pleasant surprise.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Here are some strange things that have happened or that I do...

First, I used to hate the show Xena Warrior Princess. It was on when I was in high school and I thought it was super lame. I don't think it's on anymore, but they are showing it here in Costa Rica, dubbed in Spanish. Now, one of my favorite things to do is watch Xena with my adult host brother every morning. We sit down and watch it and if I miss something or can't figure something out he explains the show to me. Today I asked him, what are the little gremlin looking monsters all about and he said “who knows what those strange little monsters are supposed to be”. I don't know why, but I thought it was really funny. Anyway, I love the show now and when I get back to the states (permanently) I'm going to be Xena for Halloween, she's awesome.

Second, here is something that happened just the other day. My host family and I were hanging out on the front porch where we spend most of our time and I saw a little black thing about the size of a lime in the curtain. I thought it was a giant spider and it kind of freaked me out. I asked them what it was and they said something, but I didn't know the word. I asked if they were just going to leave it there and my host dad says “no” and walks over to it and picks it out of the curtain. I see that it's a little bat. I've always really liked bats for some reason and I'm thinking oh, how cool, maybe he's going to throw it into the air and the little thing can fly away. Wrong. My host dad grabs it by the wing and slams it onto the ground. I was soooooo sad. I didn't kill the poor thing the first time so he did it 3 times and then chucked it across the street. I was crushed. That was a sad moment, but stuff like that happens a lot.

Third, I've found a place to lift weight and use an elliptical machine to avoid the sun. It's awesome and I love it. My new friend is great and we have a really nice time lifting. There is just one minor problem. You can't imagine how much I sweat in that little house with no A/C and it's super humid here. It's a total problem. I bring a towel with me, but by the end of the session all of my cloths are soaked, and I mean soaked. The towel is soaked and my shoes are soaked. I don't think there is anyway to stop it. I'm a sweater and put a sweater indoors in a humid climate on a hot day (everyday) and you're going to have a problem. It's okay though, I'll take it over weak arms.