chao, CPI

I am officially done with my work at CPI. Last Sunday I dropped a group off at the airport, after explaining to the professor for a third time how to pay the exit tax and where to go to check in for the flight. At 6am I wasn't feeling very friendly, but many of the students gave me hugs and from there I went back to my familia's house and slept another 45 minutes, before showering and going to drop off my iPhone with the girl I sold it too. We chatted for a while and I hope to see her again when I go back to Heredia!

Sunday morning around 10am Muni, Nidia, Miguel (Nidia and Miguel are my "papas") got picked up to run errands for Muni. We went looking for furniture for her house, and ended up getting a couch, a coffee table and a small shelf along with a variety of other items...It was a TON of fun just joking around, being toegether and helping Muni, who is very pregnant at 36 weeks.

Speaking of Muni being prego...on Saturday I accompanied her to a prenatal class at CIMA, the hospital where she will give birth. Jonle couldn't go, Nidia wasn't up for it, and her sister-in-law never called her back...so I went. There were many couples, all of them having their first kid (Muni joked that we should have said we were lesbians, just to see how people would react haha) and it was an all day thing, with snacks and lunch included. We covered all kinds of topics, from how to bathe a baby, what happens at birth, epiderals, how to care for baby's skin, breast feeding...the whole thing really convinced me that Elliott and I will be waiting to have kids for a good while. It was really great info, I was impressed. Muni fell asleep twice while practicing breathing techniques, haha! Good thing she can relax.

I have spent the last two days in Monteverde at Muni's with Nidia, cleaning house and helping with cooking and laundry etc. The trip was also my chance to pick up my bag that I had in storage there with winter clothes, which I will be needing in Ohio. Also a chance to say goodbye to many people, especially those at CPI Monteverde. I had a GREAT time, going out one evening with just the girls (Muni, Nidia, Arelys and myself) and doing some errands like paying my exit tax and picking up some small gifts. I spent the last evening with Grettel and then with Royner, and we had sooooooo much fun!! This morning I barely woke up in time to catch the 6:30am bus (my alarm didn't go off at 5:30 like I thought it would), and Nidia and I headed down the mountain. I will very much miss Monteverde, and all the wonderful people there. That small mountain village in all of it's natural beauty will always be my first home here, where I truly started to fall in love with Costa Rica. The cloud forest won my heart.

My stop was Esparza, where Elliott was waiting for me and we went home and ate a real breakfast! Tomorrow is independance day, so this afternoon we will be going to watch the parades and "faraloes," which are handmade lanterns that were historically used to alert the country of it's independence, the light representing the torch of freedom in Central America (and Costa Rica). On independence day there are lots of parades, red white and blue, and almost everything is closed. Last year I watched the parades in Monteverde, and it was really cool!! Looking forward to this year.

The rest of my time here I will be with Elliott, and we have a lot to do before my time here is up. Making the most of every moment!!

Pura Vida.