"This is the coolest thing I've done today!"

Week 4 began like this:

• Apparently nothing happened on Monday or Tuesday because I didn't journal about it. I'm sorry you're missing out :)
  
• On Wednesday 9/10 we had another CIDH (remember, the program through which I'm studying abroad?) Experience Sharing Meeting where we talked about Culture Shock. After the experience sharing meeting, all the students have their own experience sharing meeting, just like we do every time we get together (read: gossip and weekend plan-making) and it was general consensus that we all felt great about being here UNTIL the Culture Shock meeting. It made us think of home and start to get homesick and experience culture shock. Thanks a lot, CIDH ;)
  
• Wednesday afternoon, my Current Environmental Issues class took a field trip to INBIO, the National Institute of Biodiversity. It's an organization that has taken upon itself the daunting task of finding, recognizing, classifying and studying any medical or other benefits of all of Costa Rica's biodiversity. We saw some cool movie/slide shows,  pictures can be viewed here, of all places. The best parts were the 6 foot bright orange iguana and the caimans (especially the one that kissed the turtle). 
  
• 9/11 At first I failed to realize, but then my class mates pointed it out as we waited in line at the San José Police Station (not because we were in trouble, don't worry!!) that today was September 11th. Some of their teachers had apologized that they had to have class today, but it didn't seem like too much of a transgression. It's just weird to think that it happened 7 years ago, although I'm sure it feels shorter (or longer) for some people. Every year, whichever group of people I'm with discusses where we were when we found out. I was in Mr. Sands' 7th grade Social Studies class at Santa Fe, watching people's worlds collapse on tv; he kept telling us "war is eminent, the world is going to end, we are all going to die." Encouraging words, I thought. Where were you? [moment of silence]
  
• That night I went to Curridabat and had a fresh ingredient homemade pizza night with the girls, then a night on the town in San Pedro (at El Sultan bar...interesting, to say the least. My cab driver was smoking weed as he drove me there, Matito got offered cocaine in the bathroom, my name was written on the girls' bathroom wall, and the DJ was spinning tunes on Windows Media Player), girl talk till 3:00 then up at 6:00 to catch the bus to Montezuma. 
  
• The 9/12 trip to Montezuma happened via bus to Puntarenas, ferry to Cobano, bus to another little town, then a 4 wheel drive taxi to the quaint beach town of Montezuma. I had forgotten how much fun riding a ferry was :) We spent the night at Hotel Lucy (I recommend for the beachfront location, the verandahs and hammocks, and proximity to "downtown" but NOT for Lucy and her minions.) Then some exploring, twilight yoga, and a night with 2 in a twin bed.
  
• 9/13 began with getting screamed at and kicked out of the the hotel by Loving Lucy and her cohorts-in-casualties, but we ended up having one of the best days ever. We hiked up Montezuma Waterfalls, through the waterfalls (because we missed the trail, but we didn't mind), found swimming holes and "bathing" areas, jumped off rocks, then climbed through the woods (practically vertically, I might add) to a huge waterfall that we swam beneath (it was 36 feet deep) and eventually pulled ourselves along the rocks to climb behind it, an activity that involved lots of squealing and exclamations of "this is the coolest thing I've ever done! No, this is the coolest thing I've done today!" Then we jumped in the water and realized that the group of locals on the beach had been videotaping us, which was strange. If you google or youtube "gringas behind a waterfall" you might find us ;) There was a little boy in a puddle who was catching freshwater shrimp using a stick with a fork attached--how clever :) After some beach time we went to a live reggae concert at a nearby hotel that we got invited to while beach-lounging. The music was great+ everyone was dancing +most were drinking +some were doing harder substances +we danced in the sand (mind blowing, do it if you haven't!), a beautiful evening +awesome band +absolutely amazing atmosphere= a super duper time in Montezuma. 
• 9/14 involved exploring the town, wearing my hair up with a chopstick I found on the road, buying used books at a...used bookstore (has anyone ever read Glamorama? I bought it and 2 Spanish books....it's rather strange so far). Then the afternoon bus back to Cobano and the ferry to Puntarenas, then the bus back to San José a taxi back to ULatina and walking the rest of the way back home. Exhausted, let me tell you.