Vacation getaway

Vacation is over. I'm suntanned and relaxed but I think I forgot all of the Spanish I've learned so far this year. Thirteen of my fellow volunteers and I met in Montezuma, a beach town in northern Costa Rica.

Last night we took the rental car back and checked into the fourth hostel of the week. This place is actually a hotel, so we get bath towels, television and hot water in private bathrooms. Heavenly.

Night before last, in Montezuma, we had no running water. Here there's even wireless Internet, so I am able to type this in real time from the comfort of this wonderful, breezy room.

In about an hour, though, I have to begin my six-hour bus rided back to the dirty south. I'll spend two days preparing for school, then on Sunday, I plan to go to the beach with my host family. Afterwards, I'll give a full report on how Ticos rest. I've yet to see that happen in my home and am looking forward to it. I half expect to see my host mom sweeping sand off the beach.

My stomach hurths most of the time, which I assume is because of the parasite my doctor thinks I have. But really it's not as bad as it seems to have a parasite. I am taking medicine and am sure to be rid of the little guy in no time.

Vacation was fantastic. It was nice to hear the stories of the other volunteers, unless they were stories about having classes of only four or five students. Those stories made me jealous.

Everyday we all woke up at 6 a.m. and went for walks and to breakfast. One day we hiked straight up a mountain to a gorgeous waterfall, where some of my friends made the 50-foot plunge. I did not.

Other than that, we ate food that wasn't rice and beans, watched MTV and sat on the beach in the shade. It was a much needed rest, considering these are the first few sentence of the blog post I had typed up before vacation:

I hate Potrero Grande. It's so hot, and I don't think I'll ever understand the language. The kids at the school are wild. My family doesn't have time to do more than put a plate of food down for me three times a day, and sometimes not even that. This morning I had stale hot dog buns for breakfast. I am homesick, sick and hungry.

I wasn't very happy then, but now it all seems fine. I actually sort of miss all of that stuff now, even my hot room and the lizards. I'm ready to get back to Potrero Grande, even if it means I eat a few stale hot dogs buns every now and then.