Packing...

It is my last full day in Nosara -- tomorrow I hope on a little airplane to go to Lapa Rios ecolodge. I am excited to have one last little adventure before heading back home. 

I've never felt so certain I would return to a place, but I know I will be back to Nosara when I need to slow down and reconnect. Which might be sooner than I think. I am excited to see my family and friends and be able to communicate easily, but I will definitely miss the pace of life here. I'll miss the ocean, the fruit, and the stillness. It was a very cool summer and I'm grateful I had such a cool experience.

Today I've been packing, reading, and trying to absorb my surroundings. I just went for a swim and the waves were really strong. It was fine diving under them and getting pushed around. I swam until I was really tired and then reluctantly left the warm sea. I hope to live on the beach again. I'll be heading down for a job and the sunset soon, and then coming back to put everything in my suitcase. 

Here are some pictures from today...

I bought a pair of earrings made by a local woman... I think they are really beautiful and its important to me to get a special piece of jewelry each place I go.

One of the men who I work with made this for me. It is a seed that he hollowed out and painted. He is a really kind man and I love this little treasure.
So here are all my belongings! Not too bad for 3 months if you ask me. I used almost everything I brought and each item because really important to me. I loved not having tons of stuff around me and just having nice, useful things.

Well it's spaghetti for dinner tonight so I'm going to go carb up before hitting the beach for my last jog. Yikes!

I won't be able to blog at Lapa Rios but I will post some pictures after the trip. Here's the link if you want to check out where I am: www.laparios.com

Well, onward ye!

Two photos on a Saturday morning :)

I have just three days left at Harmony and then I am off on a mini adventure before heading back to the US in exactly 1 week.  Yikes!

Well here are a couple pictures:

The sunset in Santa Teresa... Gorgeous.

Julie, one of the chefs, picking oregano in the garden.

Staff Meeting

On Wednesday I read 10 highlights from my internship and handed out ice cream cookie sandwiches to the staff. I was nervous about the Spanish but it went well and I am glad I had a chance to thank everyone. I am too lazy to translate but here is my speech en espanol...

But first - a picture of of the ice cream sandwiches at the meeting:

~~~~~

Hola! Tengo solo una semana más en Harmony, entonces me gustaría compartir con todos ustedes los diez mejores recuerdos que me llevo de mi intercambio.

1. Los jugos! Especialmente el de zanahoria con jenjibre de Marcos y el de chocolate con café de Tony.

2. Los puestas de sol son muy muy muy bonitas. Me gustó vivir cerca del mar… voy a regresar por las puestas de sol.

3. Olita – mi gato pequeño. Ella (o el… no se sabe?) me encanta! Espero que Pablo y Nina sean buenos padres.

4. Surfear! Algún dia voy a aprendar. Me gustó mucho el mar, y me encantaba verlo especialmente cuando las olas estaban grandes.

5. Las classes de yoga en el Healing Centre. Muy divertidas!

6. El día de la Anexion de Guanacaste! El baile de Jose y Gaby fue fantastico! Y la comida tradicional… muy rica.

7. Viviendo en Casita con ustedes. No me gustó el sonido fuerte las motos a las cinco y media de la manana ni el fubolin al mismo tiempo… Pero igual me encanto vivir con ustedes!

8. Kalani! Normalmente le tengo miedo a los perros grandes. Pero pienso que Kalani es muy amigable y bonito.

9. La comida… me gusta el aguacate de casita y le agradezco a Grettel por su paciencia cuando yo le pedía …menos arroz… no carne… Gracias! Y me gusta el sushi mucho mucho! Y los postres… gracias Kevin, necesito que me pase las recetas…jaja

10. Aprender español! Espero que algun dia pueda hablar con todos ustedes. Gracias por ayudarme y por practicarlo conmigo.

Mi verano fue muy bueno gracias a ustedes.

Muchisimas gracias.

Espero verlos pronto!

A Cookie Baking Extravaganza

Tonight I baked 100 cookies to make ice cream cookie sandwiches for the staff meeting tomorrow. They turned out really well. I didn't want to mess anything up and am really lazy when it comes to conversions so I measured out this 3x recipe with only a 1/3 measuring cup. Pretty intense.

I am excited to surprise everyone with these treats tomorrow. But first, I need to add the ice cream and dip them in chocolate. So it's 8:40 and I am going to get this done by 10 so I can go to bed and be to work by 6am tomorrow for the inventory. 

Buenas noches!

I love smoothies.

So here I am with a chocolate, coffee, soy milk smoothie. My motivation to purchase a blender the moment I step onto U.S. soil. 

Here are a couple recipes:

Mango Mint Margarita

1/2 cup Ripe Chopped Mango

1 1/2 oz Tequila

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1/2 oz Lime Juice

5 Fresh Mint Leaves

Combine all ingredients with ice and blend til smooth.

And here is a non alcoholic one... simple but so nice and refreshing.

Pineapple Mint 

1 cup Fresh Pineapple

2 oz Coconut Cream

7 Fresh Mint Leaves

Combine all ingredients with ice and blend til smooth. Add rum to spice things up.

For the record, carrot juice is still my fav.

Erica is here. :)

So we had a little photo shoot on the beach. It is so fun to have all these friends visiting! Erica and I just had some sushi and ceviche and enjoyed some nice conversation. OK not much to write.... enjoy the photos! And please note the Harmony Hotel uniform.

We wouldn't want to kill the birds!

I came across this quote and I love it:

Half the modern drugs could well be thrown out the window, except that the birds might eat them.  ~Martin H. Fischer

I have to take my malaria pill today and I must say that I totally agree with this Martin H. Fischer character. I hate taking pills and would rather just let my body fight things on its own. But alas, Cornell travel nurses convinced me otherwise...

Here are a couple other quotes that interest me since I am living in one of the Wellness capitals of the world:

Nothing is more fatal to Health, than an over Care of it.  ~Benjamin Franklin

The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd druther not.  ~Mark Twain

Those obsessed with health are not healthy; the first requisite of good health is a certain calculated carelessness about oneself.  ~Sydney J. Harris

I am not sure what I think yet about these quotes. There is a lot of cynicism floating around on these websites and I'm too jaded by the Nosara Health Nuts to have a real opinion! A horrible thing to admit!