adventuresss: not even a week!

Hello All!

Trying to blog more often than every 2 weeks!

Rae is aaaaalmost done with the Let Your Yoga Dance training. Tomorrow is her graduation! The twins and I were lucky enough to attend a practice teach session the other day! Let me tell you… it was an experience! Our instructors lead us through the 7 shakras (sp?) in our body, using a different song for each one. The music built up to a big dance party, with scarves (you know that I was in heaven) and a big dance circle, and then calmed back down to a slow meditation and cool down. It was pretty eccentric, and you definitely had to not care about what other people thought, and really just let loose. It is something that I couldn’t do every day, but it was fun, and a good work out for sure! The twins loved it too, which was so cool to see. They thought it was really fun, and saw a different side of yoga.

It was amazing to see Rae in her element here. Although we live together, we don’t really see each other that much. She is so busy with class, and I have been exploring on my own time, and we haven’t connected. We had to even set a date for breakfast last Saturday, and no one else was invited! That was fun. But, what I was saying was, that it was so amazing to see what she has been practicing, and Rae in her yoga element, is beautiful. She has this gentle, hermosa, caring ora around her. Her voice and presence could calm anyone; yet brighten the room at the same time. You can tell that everyone in the program really respects her. She has made a name for herself in the institute, and it is a good one.

It is like when Bridget came down here. Gosh, I wish I could have been here for that. But I remember when she came home, I was still wondering about this whole yogi thing, and wasn’t sure what taking a class from her would be like. I remember taking my first class from her, and thinking, man…she really is good at this! You could tell that she was so happy doing it, and sharing with other people what she loves, and what she learned, was exactly what she wanted to be doing! I can’t wait until we are all together again, and they can both surround me with their yogi-ness. And then, I can cook afterward, because apparently that is all I’m good for here! I really need to get my own hobby, one that doesn’t involve ingesting calories.

Nelson had given a lesson to a Canadian couple (well, he gave Todd a lesson, while Christian-another instructor- gave Lise a lesson), and he just spoke so highly of them. Actually, he didn’t stop talking about them for a while. They happened to be at the Harbor Reef restaurant on Saturday, when we went there. He was so cute, he called me over, and told me that he wanted me to meet Todd and Lise. That they were his clients, and they were good people. We were all kind of chatting, Nelson wandered off to say hi to someone, and Todd and Lise started telling me how much Nelson adores me. They said that during Todd’s lesson he told him about my life, and where I was from, and that I wanted to stay here longer, and how I extended my trip, and that I wanted to extend it again, and that I am learning Spanish, and that he wants to teach me to surf, etc…etc. They decided that if he was telling complete strangers all of that, he must really adore me :) What a guy.

We ended up talking them into going to the Tropi that night. I told them they needed to experience it at least once, and they were in! We rode with them, and Rae, Justin, James, and Lucy all rode in the taxi. We had a lot of fun dancing the night away! Todd and Lise left early, and gave Rae a ride home. Nelson, Lucy, James and I all hitched home with some guys from Connecticut (small world). Although the ride home was awesome, and totally generous, it wasn’t the most pleasant. It was like being in a van full of drunken immature American college boys. We all were so annoyed, when we got out of the car we just screamed! So stimulating. It once again, showed us the difference in this place. It is so tranquilla (chilllllled out… a common word used here, just to remind people to take it easy!)

Rae and I went to an ashtonga (sp?) yoga class on Sunday morning. A man named Karl taught it, he is a freak of nature. He was just a little ball of muscle and energy. He would tell us to do something, that looked nearly impossible, and I just laughed and said, “okay.. yeah.. right.” But, it is always good to test your body like that. It was a great way to start the day!

On Monday, Nelson and I went to dinner with Todd and Lise. We tried to go to this really pretty place on a mountain, where you could see the sunset, right at the mouth of the Nosara River. The place had been reserved for two weeks. We just got a drink, and headed into central Nosara town, and went to a place called Rancho Tico instead. Although the other place was really beautiful, it is always fun to go to the local joints! Nothing better. We also went beach hoping with them yesterday. We drove an hour or so to a beach called Marbella. It has ridiculous huge amazing waves. Naturally, Lise and I laid on the beach, and took pictures of the boys surfing. Todd was a trooper. He maybe shouldn’t have been out there, but he took the wipeouts like a champ. It was all worth it to him though! The two waves that he caught and rode put him on cloud 9! Nelson, of course, was out there for two hours. Freak. We headed back, and stopped to eat at a little place along the road. It was such a pretty drive. Although it felt like we were driving on dirt and gravel the whole time… oh wait, we were! After lunch, we went to a beach called San Juanillo. It was BEAUTIFUL. Looked like the Caribbean. No surfing there.. shoot, dang. We snorkeled a bit though! Then we made the final stretch home! It was a nice day, spent with some really nice people!

The job at the Spa fell through :( I guess that the day after I applied, a Tica (local girl) applied, and they have to honor her “local-ness”. It was really unfortunate; I was really looking forward to that job. Tammy said that she really liked everything I had to offer, and that she wanted to hire me so badly, but that she wasn’t able to. She said that she would keep me in mind though, cause she would love to have me on her team! I am still searching around, to see where I could make a living here. I am not sure what that means for my return date, but I am not worried about that right now. The more I think about it, I worry, and get anxious, which is not okay here. Remember… tranquilla! So I am just taking it one day at a time, and think that it will all work out. Because, here, it usually does.

Don’t worry mom/all my parental units out there, I am not going to stay here forever! Not sure if I could anyways. No matter when I come home, I will come back at some point, so don’t be shocked when I do. Just think of it like this… what a good excuse for all of you to have someone to visit in Costa Rica. And by that time, I will know this coast like the back of my hand! You will have your own built in tour guide. And if I don’t know everything by then, I sure know some people that do!

Pura Vida mis amigos…Pura Vida.

The breakfast I made for Rae for our date last Saturday :) Mmmmmm.

Nelson, James, Lucy, and Justin riding on top of the Canadian's rented Jimmy. We have been comparing it to a roller skate. It is pretty much the same size, and shaped the same!! Don't worry, we didn't drive that far like this.