Friday, July 10, 2009

Paint Thief

There is a paint thief in my house. I have left my watercolors on the top of my dresser/closet/shelving unit, and come back to it to see all the drops of paint have disappeared, only the dried watered down paint remains. First I thought it may be due to the moisture in the air, but realized my clothes would be growing mold by now if that was true. So it is either the tiny ants that wonder around the house, the moths that come in late at night, or perhaps a Tico leprechaun that has an artistic side. Either way the investigation is on.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The Circle of Life

This past week has been one of my busiest and about to get busier. First, I attended 3 important Costa Rican events all in one weekend: a 15th birthday party, a funeral, and a baby shower. Also there is a group of Canadian students that are working on our community kitchen and the church garden. They are all about 16 and well behaved. Next week there is a group of students from the States coming and last year they were, well not the best group of volunteers to come through, so we will see. At least there will be a lot to laugh about with my host mom if this group turns out the same.

Other news, is we are preparing for the fiesta for the school. I may or may not be killing a cow with my uncle, but I'll definitely be spending all day making tamales. I'll also be dancing and maybe winning some bingo.

I've also been doing more house visits. For all you archeology buffs out there, there are giant rocks that have ancient maps of the area carved into them. The indigenous people used these to show where the cemeteries were and where different people's property was. It was pretty neat to see and hopefully next time I visit I can take some pictures and post them.

Overall things are good. I am slowly but surely visiting all the houses in my town and finally remember people's names. Meetings are happening and also not (rain sometimes puts a hamper on how much people want to get out of their houses) (below are pictures of a downpour I got trapped in, also more pictures of the town). I am also still teaching English and helping out with projects. The CAT (community analysis paper I have to write) is starting to stress me out a bit, but one day at a time and I think I'll make it through. And if you ever miss my voice you can always skype call me.