I've been here 2 months- today!

We have been having so much more rain here. I guess it’s more like I expected it to be in the first place. Sometimes it pours ALL night. It’s pretty crazy. Lots of lightning and thunder too. The good news is the rainy season is almost over. It should be dropping off in the next few weeks. The dry season should be so easy for me! Last week was a slow one, no cooking or dance class, which was a bummer. I did see a doctor on Wednesday on the request of my REAL Mom. ;) USAC recommended a clinic and when I went to see the doctor, he said a quick “buenas,” and nothing else. I then assumed he didn’t speak English and I went on for about 5 minutes in Spanish trying to explain all the treatments I had with the other doctor and my symptoms. Then I showed him the antibiotics that I had taken. He said (in English), “These pills won’t help you.” I laughed, because I must have sounded silly with my broken Spanish, but he just let me keep talking and didn’t correct me! Anyway, he was very nice, told me I had an intestinal infection, gave me a prescription for “better antibiotics” and some kind of powder to be mixed with water. Can you believe that the pills were almost as expensive as the US? My antibiotics cost $4 a pill! After started both medications, I was immediately better and still feel better now. I can eat everything- including cookies! I ran into another student going into the clinic with an ear infection. She and 2 others that saw the doctor there ended up having to get a shot or two in the ass, so I guess I was lucky!
I don’t think I told everyone, but my good friend Loren had to go to the States before our week off (on the 6th) because his dad had emergency surgery. It was scary- all of our worst fears, to have something happen back home while we are so far away. I got a little homesick/emotional after hearing the news and wrote my mom right away to tell her I love her! Anyway, he was home for over a week, and his dad is doing much better. He and I headed to Montezuma on Saturday. I had already been there on a day trip, but wanted to go back and explore a little more. It’s a really lovely ferry ride across the gulf. We had an awesome dinner and stayed in a cute hotel. I posted some pics since I haven’t taken many of places we’ve stayed. It had been raining almost all week and was still raining when we got up in the morning, but luckily cleared up before our banana pancake breakfast. While we were headed up to the waterfalls we were warned to be careful by a local since the falls/rivers were very full due to the rain. We got lost trying to find the “easier trail” that I had heard about, but saw some howler monkeys and I got some great video of one with a tiny baby! You’ll have to wait and see that when I get home. We never found the other trail, so headed to the one I had taken in September and found that ohmygoodness the water was HIGH. There’s a part on the trail where you have to cross the river, and last time we got our feet a little wet crossing the rocks. This time we were in a swift current up higher than our waists. I have to admit- I was a little scared (mostly of dropping my bag that contained my cameras). After an intense hike- we arrived to the overflowing falls. Compare the new photos to the ones from the earlier and you’ll understand what I mean. We couldn’t swim very much because the current was so strong and cliff jumping was definitely out this time. We did have fun though. It was quite the adventure through the jungle to get there, so we felt we “earned it.” Had a great lunch at this cute outdoor restaurant right on the beach. I was so tired from the day I feel asleep just after 9 and slept until 7 then next morning!
Now, I am sitting in cooking class- waiting for some empanadas (sweet ones) and scones to bake. I know that you’re thinking- yummy scones… add a little jam and perfect! But let me tell you, these are not scones as we know them. They are scones (skoe-nays) and are rolls with bacon, onion, bell peppers, and basil. Tasty! When I cook theses recipes back home, I think you will be surprised since I think most of us associate Latin American cuisine with Mexican food. We actually haven’t learned any recipes that are spicy or anything like Mexican food, probably because our teacher is actually from a chef from Uruguay. However, Costa Rican cuisine is not spicy at all- plain rice and black beans. Simple meat dishes to accompany, sometimes in sauce/gravy. Cabbage salad is common also. Batidos, fresh fruit shakes in water or milk, are the drink of choice at any restaurant, although my mom serves Coca-cola with lunch and dinner a lot. Iced tea is very common here, but it’s extremely sweet and has lots of lemon. I really like it.
That is all for tonight. We may go white water rafting or turtle watching next weekend.
Hope you all are doing well. Thanks for the messages, cards, packages and e-mails. It really helps me stay connected and not feel too homesick. I love you all very much!