Just thought I’d check in and report on my recent activities in Central America. We’re staying in a valley that’s in the middle of a cloud forest. There are other houses nearby (maybe a five minute walk to the nearest one), but it’s at least two hours driving to the next biggest city (San Jose). Needless to stay, much of our days here are spent at the QERC (Quetzal Education Research Center) or within walking distance. Besides devoting hours to study and research, some of the events that have been of interest thus far include:
• 45 minute hikes up out of the valley to Laura’s bakery. Laura is a Canadian who opens her bakery every weekend. It’s quite nice to sit around up there and visit with her, or her two yoga teacher tenants. Quite nice.
• Hike through the jungle-y forest to two different waterfalls. These involved a good deal of actual climbing on rocks, crossing rivers on logs or Indiana Jones type bridges, and avoiding the slick spots on the moss covered rocks. Four of us went on that hike.
• Futbol with the kids of the valley. Every Saturday and Sunday, at 4:30, the local kids come in from afar and we all play soccer. Unfortunately, Costa Ricans have innate soccer skills that most of us gringos were born without, and therefore we’re highly challenged by children. It’s fun though… especially after a good afternoon rain. Coming inside all mud splattered makes one feel like a lot cooler of a soccer player than one probably really is.
• ESL. Every once in a while I go help teach English to the kids of the valley. They get really excited about knowing English words and I practice my weak, weak Spanish on them. So far we’ve only really covered colors. Little Julian is six years old and is probably the most eager to show off his skills. He still thinks “brorange” is a color though.
Other things have happened as well. We do a lot of studying and research during the day. My research is centered around the Sceloporus malachiticus, a green lizard that’s as common here as squirrels are at home. I’m glad they’re so common though… I can just wander out with my coffee in the mornings to observe them, go wash my cup or refill it, depending on the intensity of the previous night’s card game, and go back out to capture them. I catch them with a noose. It’s a process I’m still learning. So far I’ve only captured babies, who are too curious to run away when the noose falls near.
And this weekend is our “spring break,” which means we have a day off and have to leave the QERC for a few days and explore Costa Rica. We're staying at a hostel in San Jose and a hotel in Manuel Antonio, so it looks like I’ll have the classic spring break at the beach. We're in San Jose right now. Therefore, I am taking full advantage of the wireless internet.
That’s all for now. There will probably be more later (read: pictures).
