Our last field trip was to a field station with a lookout over Volcan Arenál. We had an intense hike into the field station, incredible doughnuts for dessert, a night hike (with Mark Wainwright, illustrator of "Mammals of Costa Rica" and a very knowledgable biologist), singing in the sunset, and sunrise birdwatching! We also got to spend some solo time in the Bosque Eterno de los Niños.
Also got to see some incredible wildlife, like this moth!!
President Doña Laura came to speak in San Luis, to inaugurate the new community center there. My host mom's novio played marimba for her!
Molly and I shared our birthdays here, and got to celebrate for weeks! Emily baked her vegan cake for us and we all shared it at the Institute. I felt very loved :)
We also went out to dinner as a group, went dancing, and I got to go to Quaker Meeting on my birthday and the whole meeting sang to me in English and Spanish :) Also, our friend José gave me chocolates from the café that we frequent.
What else is new... my next door neighbors (my host sister's dad) dog, Susie, had puppies on the full moon last Monday! I got to watch two be born. So amazing!! Susie just did her thing and let us all watch, take pictures, and help keep the puppies warm and together.
I've been going on more explorations and adventures with classes. Curi-Cancha, a reserve just 300m above the Institute, is my favorite reserve that we've been to so far. We got to see quetzals (I cried) and this incredible tree.
Life's still good. Getting more accustomed to life here gives me more time to miss home, family, and friends, but thanks to a quote that my friend Maeve sent me from her study abroad in Scotland, I'm remembering to still be fascinated by everything, ask questions, explore, enjoy life.
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." -Albert Einstein
besos y abrazos,
emma
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