In Denial.

There are only two days left with my group, West Coast. The final week of thier stay they will be accompanied by an official guide, and I will be elsewhere.

Today we went to visit a shaman/medicine man, who is a member of the Heutar tribe(?) decended from the Mayans. He is working to re-establish traditional indigenous culture here in Costa Rica, and spoke with us about traditional indigenous beliefs and culture, as well as gave us a tour of a temple, burial ground, and religious sites reconstructed today. He also performed a traditional farewell ritual for our group, complete with chanting, singing, and special smoke. It was a real first-hand glimpse of indigenous beliefs, and a really informative experience. Listening to his words made me feel more aware of the impact of globalization and the culture clash. We take so much for granted, including our roots.

Tomorrow we visit La Carpio, and work for the final time on the bunk bed project. In the afternoon we will be doing the Sarapiqui Riverboat tour, looking for wildlife. Wednesday we visit cafe Britt, and have a kareoke night in Heredia. Thursday, I head to Monteverde...somehow. I know how to take a bus, after all.

I am feeling pretty exhausted after this week. My group, while lots of fun, are very demanding. The kids are cool, but can strain my patience with thier antics. Some persoanlities are easier than others! My chaperones are also cool and it has been a pleasure working with them. Its taught me a lot about myself as a person and how to work successfully with other people. It can be challeneging with different temperments and perosnalities, but we have made it work very well for the last few weeks.

Today I made my fourth clinic trip, with one of my girls who had an ear infection. In total we have made about five visits to the clinic, and by now I feel like I know the system backwards and forwards. My medical vocabulary leaves a lot to be desired, but thats no surprise.

After four weeks with these kids, I can tell you something about each of them, even if its pretty random. There are some I am closer to than others, but on the whole it seems I've adopted a new batch of younger siblings. Many of them are dissapointed I won't be with them for the final week of the trip, and keep asking if I will be able to make it to the airport to say a final goodbye. This group has been more difficult than the first, but the kids are no less fun and the job is still a riot.

One thing I will definately remember about this group is the music!! West Coast groups bring a mix cd of songs that we listen to throughout the trip, and several are stuck in my head and I can sing along like an expert. The background music for this trip has truly defined some of our more fun, stressful and crazy moments with this group.

Not sure I am ready to leave them behind. My life will become very boring.