by air or by ground...i travel around

Happy 2011! Its mind blowing that 2010 is over and gone. A year of so many changes, ups and downs. I am looking forward to what 2011 will bring. The 31st was a real whirlwind. I left Monteverde in the afternoon in a CPI bus, heading down the mountain with 2 other students. we arrived in Heredia around 6pm, and went to our respective destinations. I am with a new host family that I already love...the house is full of extended family members and the two kids are ADORABLE.

To celebrate New Years I was with my real Familia Tica, Nidia and Miguel. We went to Nidia's parents house, where lots of her siblings and extended family gathered to eat lots of gallos (meat like beef and sausage grilled in a tortilla and eaten with pico de gallo) and watch a great fireworks display by her nephew. He saves all year to do a backyard show for New Years, and the lights sounds and colors were fantastic...and CLOSE!! That kind of thing would never fly in the USA, much less Ohio, where fireworks displays are done with a licence by pros...but it was incredibly cool. Afterwards I went back to my new familia, and we played UNO until about 2:30am, at which point I was falling asleep over my cards. This morning I slept in until about 10 am, which was GREAT!

Right now I am at CPI Heredia, to drop off some things for the group and waiting to go pick my first student up at the airport. I should've brought my sunglasses, because the sun is bright and beautiful here...
A beautiful day and a great way to start 2011.

Pura Vida!