Friday, September 18, 2009

Starry Skies

Last night I looked up at the sky and literally saw thousands of stars. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. I really do live in a paradise where every night I get put to sleep by the river thats in my backyard, wake up to sunshine, and nap during the afternoon showers.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Of Moths and Mold

There are two things in Costa Rica that will sneak up on you when you least expect them: moths and mold. Moths I've known for quite some time now. Every night they find the nearest light and flutter around in a mad craze. These moths come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. I've seen one as big as a bat (I know you'd love that one mom), and ones as small as my thumbnail. Either way they are very pesky when you are trying to work on your computer late at night (around 9 pm these days). I've also noticed they have a habit of eating clothes. We were all told throughout training that our mother's vigorous washing of our clothes would ruin them, but for me that couldn't be farther from the truth. Already I have small holes in 2 shirts, I'm just waiting for more.

All my friends have been talking about the mold that seems get on everything they own. I hadn't seen any of it, and thought my place high in the mountains prevent that kind of stuff from appearing on me. No such luck. After I had gotten back from a long meeting in San Jose, I was getting ready for the day. I looked around my "closet" only to see my belts (which I rarely if ever wear) with a thick coat of mold growing on them. I took them to my mom and she just shook her head and plopped them in some soapy water. Hopefully they will be the first and last things to mold.

Of course there are always the ants, who also eat everything, including the moths that eventually die (I'm guessing from overeating). They have eaten my watercolors, gotten into my body wash bottle, and I've also found them swarming my dirty laundry bag (no it hadn't been sitting out for weeks). They have formed a nice little procession across a ledge in my bedroom. Day and night, they truly are the hardest working animals on this planet.