Hello everyone! I had a long day yesterday getting to Costa Rica since I had to get up at 2 am in Brooksville. I arrived after 3 pm Florida time. I decided to take all my bags to the hotel where I will meet the other USF people on Sunday and leave the largest there and take my backpack on the next leg of my journey. It is a quaint little hotel with lots of small gardens through it. The breakfast area looks like a nice little park. And the breakfast was wonderfully tasty and healthy. I had gallo pinto and eggs, fruit, some very strong coffee (half a cup) and some tea. I am glad that I get to come back here on Sunday. The showers were not the suicide showers that I had to ... read more

Hey All! Yesterday I was in Cartago again to see my veterinarian friend Jose who accepted a job in San Jose in December. He is working for the department of agriculture here and for the USDA in the US. We had a nice breakfast very close to the Basilica de Los Angelos or as is commonly said here ¨La Negrita¨. The story is as follows: A little indian girl was in the woods gathering firewood and she found a small statue in a clearing in the woods. She took the statue home and placed it with her things to play with later. When she went to the woods the next day to collect wood, the statue was in the same place in the woods where it was before. She again took it home to place it ... read more

Hello Everyone! Yesterday, I spent the day with the family I am staying with. I baked some desserts for the kids and for the adults. In the afternoon we went to visit Marita´s sister and her parents up on the mountain where I had had my 4 hour hike on Saturday. The homes are built into the side of the mountain with ¨basements¨like in Pennsylvania. And the driving up in those mountains really does require 4 wheel drive. We did not have to use 4 wheel drive but if it were to rain heavily, driving would be nearly impossible. There were 6 of us in the cab of the small Nissan truck. Luckily we didn´t have to drive for more than 20 minutes. I met Marita´s mother and she keeps chickens on her property. The father ... read more

Hey Everyone! Every morning I have been walking with Marita around Orosi. Marita is the mother of the family in Orosi. We have been walking every morning for at least an hour. I will try to post some pictures of the Rio Mache which is the river that runs near the town. The town gets its electricity from the river via a hydroelectric plant near the town and the river. Our walks are always around the river. There is a foot bridge that is very scary to walk on since it is a suspension bridge and it sways when we walk across the river. Now I am finding it hard to find the words to write here since I have struggled all afternoon in Spanish Conversation. My teacher says that I am coming along ¨poco y ... read more

Hey Everyone! I made it to the village of Orosi and I am sorry that I have no pictures yet, but I hope I can post a map for people to see where Orosi is. I had no problems with my flights and from Miami to Costa Rica I sat with a very nice young guy who is an engineer in Costa Rica. We had a nice time chatting and he suggested that I go to Puerto Limon to see the Caribean Coast. I would like to do that on this visit and then see the Pacific on the next visit. I will see if I can work it into my schedule. I have been assigned a family with three girls and as far as I understand a single Mom. Today is the birthday of the ... read more