Blogs from Cerro Punta, Chiriquí, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 4

I had a couple of things planned for today's blog. I thought maybe I'd talk about how the word "Indian" means something different everywhere in te world, or maybe I'd talk about how it's crazy that it's gotten to the point that if a spider's the size of a quarter or smaller I just let it go, but now, I am unable to talk or think about anything other than the giant spider on my ceiling. I killed a spider just slightly smaller than the one I took a picture of the other day, only a few feet from where that one was. Then, I just had to look around, didn't I? There, on my ceiling, is the biggest spider (barring a tarantula) that I've ever seen. I think it was a tannish color and it's ... read more

First things first, I’d like to give a shout out to all the spiders out there. Hey spiders, we’re cool, right? I mean, I love what you do with all of those eating annoying bugs and whatnot, but I’ve noticed recently that you keep showing up closer and closer to my bed. Well, actually, the first night you were in my bed, but you were barely a centimeter in diameter, so it was okay. I just got a paper towel and killed you. I guess that upset you all, because the next day you sent bigger spider to hang out on the wall near my spiral staircase. Is this… intimidation? Are you trying to intimidate me into submission?! If that’s the case, it didn’t work, because I killed that one. But then yesterday you sent a ... read more

Yesterday was a great day. I woke up at 8 and hung out at my house until 11:30, when I went up to the main office area and saw that the other girls were working on a Saturday! I helped them out until they were ready for lunch and then I ate some really weird tropical fruit, flour, sugar, and water chowder-like mixture that we then added cheese to. Strange. After lunch I practiced my Spanish on duolingo and my parents Facetimed me. I’m pretty bummed that I’m going to miss the once-in-a-lifetime-storm! Anyway, the first thing that the one girl, Indira asked me when I got to Finca Dracula was “Do you like to party?” Now, granted, she doesn’t speak English, so you have to take the brashness of that question with a grain of ... read more

I have a feeling every day is going to get harder before it gets any easier. Yesterday was a tough one. I slept from 9pm to 9am, just like I did the night before. I had an excuse the night before, as I was running on four hours of sleep, but I should probably stop sleeping twelve hour nights. That can’t be good for me. Anyway, I went into the bathroom, hoping for a hot shower and was disappointed once again. I did a sponge bath and then just put my head in the shower to wash my hair with my jeans and sneakers on. That turned out to be a bad idea- the rest of the day I had cold feet from my wet shoes! I forgot to eat breakfast, grabbed my laptop, and headed ... read more

Hola It is little wonder that the expression "As delightful as a border post" has never been coined... The Costa Rica - Panama post of Paso Canoas was of course charmless and we had little reason to hang out there. We stayed only long enough to have a dashing glance at our passport stamps and to cherish the fact that this was the last overland border crossing of our trip...Ah! Hola Panama! What a feeling of relief as we rocked up to Cerro Punta and it´s clean, fresh mountain air, beautiful farm land and friendly people. At 1800 metres above sea level, we had forgotten what it was like to feel the cold! Our long sleeves and toques got their use after weeks in the backpacks. Shortly after arriving we heard a voice yelling from a ... read more