I'm beat and, actually, lava can be green.

****updated the next day of originally writing this because this 3rd world countries internet was down). Oh well, we fixed it.

Right now I'm laying in bed and it's 12:13 in the afternoon. I'm not just getting up, I've been up for a couple hours now, but I am beat. Yesterday was real cool but playing soccer barefooted for over an  hour can really take a toll on your feet and legs. (I'll post soccer photos later).

The day started off with Wendy, Stefany and I going to Volcan Irazu which was freakin' awesome. Quite the scene and it ended up being a real good day. Sometimes, it's so foggy up top that you can't see into the crater, but we were fortunate and got to see everything. Sometimes, when it's real clear, you can see the pacific ocean and the Caribbean but there were clouds so, no luck there. Afterwards, we met up with a  bunch of people for a birthday and played a mean game of Soccer. The only problem was I didn't know soccer was going to be involved so I only took my sandals, again another problem with me and sandals. I wear them as much as a I can, which in turn, I end up knee deep in mud in forests and also having to play games of Soccer barefooted- I need to stop wearing them so much. The soccer game was real cool but I ended up pulling a muscle in my left thigh because I didn't stretch, I took a couple nasty spills dribbling the ball (barefooted), I scraped the hell out of my left leg too, jammed my big toe real hard, and I got some kind of rash on the top of my foot as well. Sometimes, these tropical conditions really take a toll on my skin, (and don't forget about bug bites). So, I'm laying here recuperating and relaxing. My left leg is real jacked-up right now, oh well, I had fun.

Afterwards, we went up to buddy's finch (farm) again, they're not really farms, they're mountain "cabins." This one overlooks all of San Jose and the whole valley, it's real cool. We partied pretty good, none of them knew how to make a fire in the fireplace so I gave them a "how to build a fire 101" class and now they should all be professionals. I mean come on, I have been building fires my whole life. But anyways, everyone's always speaking spanish, and I'm always meeting new people so they always ask "what are you doing here in Costa Rica?" I'm always telling them the story and when I do, people are real stoked. Yesterday a buddy of mine pulled me aside and told me that what I was doing was one of the coolest things someone can do. 

It's a lot of work, it gets frustrating at times but it's what you make of it. Moving to an unknown country and not knowing what you're getting yourself into, what can be easy about that? In the beginning, nothing's easy. Even two months into it, nothing really easy, I'm having a lot of fun but it's a lot of work. Learning Spanish, learning the culture, trying to learn the town, city, and country, trying to make friends when there's a big language difference, working 40 hour weeks and trying to figure out the safest way around because, yeah, this country is not the safest place by any means. I live in a 3rd world country and it's awesome. 

I still have to post photos of my car and my guitar, I'll do that real soon. Again, I'm in bed, I could do it right now but I don't want to move, I deserve a little R and R. Also, I'll keep you posted on the build up to Panama. I'll be going there in two weeks for a few days, solo, on a bus and see what happens. Then a buddy of mine is renting a beach house and I'll be going there for a few days with a bunch of friends and then back to work. We have the whole easter week off so it should be real cool. The rewards are amazing and the hard work is paying off. 

By the way, the photo of the truck in front of us is a potato truck with 5 or 6 guys in the back. They were definitely passing a joint around (it's the guy on the lefts turn in the photo) and they were having a damn good time. We thought it was pretty funny. Just before I took the photo too, there was another potato truck that was being cut off by this potato truck and that one had about 4 or 5 guys in the back too. It was pretty funny seeing the two trucks battle for position around blind corners and solid yellow lined roads to be in front of the other, talk about giving a shit about safety. A photo can only do so much, it was damn funny though.

I'll be posting more now that we got the internet working better here in this 3rd world country.

Later.

Lots of work and bored right now.

I've just spent about 10 hours in the past two days writing tests for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade science, language, and spelling tests and I'm beat. I still have one more test to write, (6th grade language) but then I'm done. I'll do it tomorrow before it's due. You know, I'll work on it between breaks, at lunch and during my open period, and have it turned in by the end of the day. Even the teacher can wait to the last minute sometimes. I've only known about this for 2 days though because when the due date was established, (at the beginning of the semester) it was all in spanish. I guess I didn't catch that one since all I understood was "Hola" and "Quiero Ceversa" and that was about it. It's interesting to think that I've been here for two months now and it just keeps on going and my spanish gets better every day. I had a full on conversation with the maid today without even really thinking about it. However, I'm still in the learning process because I had a conversation with the school guard today and I didn't understand shit. It's all about vocabulary and I did not know what he was talking about. 

Anyways, yesterday we had 3 earthquakes, one 6.4, one 5.4+/- and one 5.2+/-. They were off the Nicoya peninsula and there was a little damage but not like the earthquake in January. My students felt it and freaked out and I just stood there, writing the spelling words on the board, not knowing what they were talking about. A lot of people felt all three and I didn't feel one of them. Until today. While I was writing the tests my whole table shook pretty good and water splashed out of my glass but that was about it. Nothing crazy, I've felt bigger earthquakes but the thing is is that if a earthquake happens here in Costa Rica, because the country is so small, you can feel it anywhere. Who knows where that earthquake was; I haven't heard of any bad news so it couldn't have been that bad. Apparently earthquakes happen all the time here, I'm just not feeling them. That's fine. 

That's it for tonight. Just thought I would write a thought or two and leave you with that. Have fun everyone and the best.

I don't edit blogs, here's some more photos.

A couple of quick facts on my posts. I don't ever really edit so I am sorry if sometimes my writings are bogus. I usually write my blogs late at night when I'm almost asleep. Also, that's my sandal in about a foot of mud, the picture doesn't do it justice but it was a good time. Second, look at the earthquake photos that I have. The house in the back was completely taken out by the hill side. Very devastating and quite a shock. I think all of the other photos are gone. That kind of sucks. Third, everyone here has been real cool and gracious, real good people here in C.R. On that note, I'm going to bed. Later.

Las Montanas de Cartago

Como Vas?

Entonces, mi fin de semana fue buenisimo. Ok I'll leave the Spanish for here. However, this weekend was the first time I got to hike through the rain forest, while at the same time getting completely soaked and muddy. It was great. I went in sandals, something that's not new, and I was a complete mess after it was said and done. If you look at the photo of me standing underneath the extremely large plants, you wouldn't realize that I was pretty standing in a nasty mud puddle at that time, which in turned ended up with me knee deep in nasty mud. While I was pulling my leg out of the hole, I jerked my foot so hard that it slipped out of my sandals and it was completely submerged in the earth. After that, and the whole process of me trying to dig it out, I can explain how much crap was on me. Oh well, that's what you get for going into a rain forest in sandals. I enjoyed ever minute of it. In my eyes, you have to get your sandal eaten by the earth and be covered in mud to really enjoy something. Oh by the way, you see the gun Stef is holding? it's your everyday pellet gun, but damn I was good with it. I was the only one that could pick off our targets. Thanks Dad for the hunting skills. 

Anyways, so the property you're looking at in this photo is my buddies and while we were here there was no power. We B.B.Q'd on open flame and I played my new guitar for everyone. It was an awesome time. I drank the Costa Rican equivalent to Moonshine and it wasn't bad. Just don't try playing any drinking games with it. Duh. 

So I was jamming with my new guitar and yeah, I'm singing now which is awesome, and my buddies told me that I should start playing at cafes and stuff. Maybe come up with a set list and do an acoustic thing. They were all stoked on hearing me play and I think I'm going to do it. I'll try and figure something out down here to get that going but first is coming up with a set list. 

Finally, I posted some photos at the top and two of them are of the house that I had to take down when I first went up to the earthquake site. These are the only two photos I have from the first trip and, again, I didn't take the camera on the second time but I did get a cool shirt from it. I can't wait to get up there again. Also, other photos are of people I've met and of good times. I hope everything is going well for all of you and I hope for the best. Keep in touch and "Pura Vida!" 

*Literal translation of Pura Vida is Pure Life. In Costa Rica Pura Vida is a way of life. You can say Pura Vida to a complete stranger and they'll smile back. I have not met one person that doesn't say or become stoked when someone says "Pura Vida." It's pretty rad.

Ha, this weekend!

Hey everyone, what a weekend! 

I'll start with my week which wasn't all that exciting, work=work. I've been here for almost 6 weeks now and things are moving right along. My students are, um... psycho, but damn cool. I'm having fun, even though it's tough to get the biggest procrastinators ever to do their work/It's a pain in my ass trying to get them to do there homework. Well, I guess its all full circle and a never ending cycle. Now I know what my teachers had to go through with my punk ass as their student. But because I was a punk ass, I know how to play the game. The balance is good. We have fun but we get our stuff done. Even though only about half of all of my students past their science test I'm patient and working with them. (I gave questions straight from the test in the review the day before and many of them still missed the questions.) Come on guys, I give you the answers and you still can't get them right? So, I'm stressing studying to them more than ever; I'm teaching them study habits too because they've never learned them before, (study groups, flash cards, etc.). Remember how I caught one of my students cheating on his research paper? Well, they all know not cheat anymore because they do, they're screwed. One step at a time - let them learn the hard way and they won't do it again. It will also set an example for the other students to not do it as well. 

As of my schedule, I'm here at 7:15 every morning, I teach until 10:00, and then I have a break until 10:20. I then teach until 11:50 and then I have lunch from 11:50 to 12:35, and finally, I teach from 12:35 to 3:00. It's pretty repetitious, but that's how it is with any job. At least I get to create my own plan while doing it in Costa Rica. 

And I bought a car. More photos to come soon. 

It's a 1991 Subaru Legacy and it will be perfect for this place. I paid 100 million colones for it ($1,750 dollars) but I can legitimately say that I'm a millionaire - far from it.

Anyways, This weekend started off with Stef and I meeting a friend of hers for Chi Frijo. It's an awesome pork/bean/rice meal that is unreal. It was at a karaoke bar in local San Josecito which is about 5 miles from the house so we partied there Friday night and then just went home. 

Saturday, some buddies and I went to one of their farms they have in Cartago. They call it a farm but it's more of a (4 chicken, 3 Geese and a dog) piece of paradise were we had a fat BBQ right next to a nice pond with a fountain in the middle of it. It was awesome. (I brought my camera with me but I forgot the memory card with my computer. My bad. Anyways, we'll be going again soon so I'll make sure to bring it next time). I need to show photos, words can't describe this place. 

Saturday night= a friends birthday party. She lives in a house with a man made river in it. I mean, this house looks like it should belong to some big hot-shot in So-Cal with more money that he/she knows what to do with. Stef put it as "a statue in that house is worth more than four of our friends combined." Seriously, this place is insane. Anyways, there was about 40-50 people there and I've been getting to know a good amount of them. They're all having a blast with me learning Spanish and (yeah, I know how to have fun) so it's working out. 

Sidebar topic-The first time I went to Ana's house (the house that should be the C.E.O of some big time company con mucho dinero) I was waiting for the bathroom in the front entrance and her parents came home. This was about 10:00pm at night. I was standing there alone like a deer in headlights, "Hey I'm Gringo. You're probably wondering what the hell I'm doing in your house." The father was in suit and tie and the mother was nicely dressed and they don't speak english. I ended up talking to them in Spanish for about 5 minutes but damn, muy interestante.

Back to this weekend...

I left around 1:00am because that night I found out that a buddy of mine was going to be going to help with the earthquake and I wanted to go.  So we left and we had to be up at 5:30am to catch the bus there. Let's just say I'm not the best morning person in the world.... But we made it at 7:00am and we were ready to work. The plans were for our group to build two houses for the earthquake victims on a shared piece of land and we had the day to complete it. Now, the houses are 4 walls and a roof and that is it. Nothing more, no electrical, no plumbing, nothing. But we had to start with the foundation and I had a metal rod about 4 feet long and I had to bust through concrete that was there for some "only god knows" reason and it took me about 1 1/2 of just pounding away at this concrete. My hands later in the day would lock up on the hammer and I couldn't open them. My hands are still killing me. Anyways, there were about 6 or 7 people per house and we just went to town on them. We started about 7:30m and finished at about 5:00pm. 

Check out this website for photos of what happened to this area:

http://www.pixcetera.com/news/costa-rica-earthquake/44806

There's a lot of photos of some random race-car drivier which is pretty lame but the other photos are pretty unreal.

By the way, we made the nightly news. I was on T.V. in Costa Rica. Ha, my buddy was interviewed and I'm working in the background which was pretty cool. I just thought that was funny because there's two dozen ticos walking around and working on houses and then there's one gringo in the picture. Where's Waldo? 

5:30pm came and the family that was going to be able to move into the house was going to cut the ribbon (We strung balloons and rib on the front door). The mother began to cry and the kids were extremely happy. It was an amazing site to see and to experience. I can't believe that I am able to contribute like that. It's also amazing to see a family that has lost everything in an earthquake and practically have nothing, be so happy and joyful for a 4x4 house. In reality, it doesn't take much to be happy. The family was overwhelmingly grateful for our work and I was glad to help. (Yeah, I didn't have my camera too. I was gone the whole weekend so I never had the chance to get back to the house to get my card. I'm bummed but there will be more times to take photos.) I have a bunch but I still need more. 

Finally, getting home last night after helping out was a pain in our butts. Our driver never showed up and he was never going to show up. We were about an hour and a half from town and we had no ride. We finally were able to talk the people that set it up to drive us back to town when they were going back and they did. It actually was their responsibility to get us back but our outside source bailed out. We did have to wait an extra two and a half hours for them to clean everything up and close everything down (they had an assembly for themselves and it was the kind of speakers that would talk for way to long and go far over their Oscar award speech time) but we got home. What it came down to was me and my buddies complaining a bit that we had to wait an extra two hours for our ride to get us back on the road but when I put it into retrospect, I new that I had nothing to complain about. I have to wait two hours for a ride, when the gym next-door was full of people having to wait two months for a house. 

Later Mae's.