Toto, We Aren't in Kansas Anymore.

WE ARE IN COSTA RICA! The most beautiful place on earth. That I've yet to see. ABC couldn't pay enough to have filmed lost here.... although it does look quite similar. I've never seen so much greenery in my life. It is lush. Take offense Los Angeles.... you are one plain ugly jane next to the supermodel that is Costa Rica.

Check it.

Right. Totally unreal. Snapped that little sucker coming back from our hike today.

Everything honestly has been wonderful. We are just here for 12 short days, orienting ourselves with the program and program goals. I couldn't be happier. I know this might change and I'm being spoiled right now with the three meals served to us at the hostel a day and the great connection everyone makes. Right now, it kinda feels like idk... camp? But in reality, we are preparing for what is yet to come. The crudity of what is ahead. The emotional impact of what is to come. All of that.

Not to say that four days in, I haven't already had to do a lot of growing up and conquering my fears... let me just tell you about a villian I've already had to deal with. Please meet Jifar. Jifar is the little fruit bat that has decided to live in my room and poop all over my stuff throughout the day and take laps around the room in the middle of the night. I haven't seen him though in almost a full day, so I think he may have left. That evil bastard. AND STAY OUT JERK! Anyone who knows me knows I jump at the sight of a G-force reference... I'm that scared of rodents... and I'm currently living with a rodent with WINGS. My self progress is pretty much shooting through the roof for only having left home about 90 hours ago.

Within four days, I've pretty much already realized what I've forgotten. The one that sticks out the most (no, not the inhaler... although I forgot that too...) is a TOWEL. So today, a few of us decided to go into the little grocery mart around us... and I bought a towel among a few other little snacks... let me tell you something about people outside of America... THEY DON'T EAT AS MUCH AS WE DO AND THEY ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL AND THIN. So, naturally, four days in, all of us decide we need to go out and buy food to hoard in our rooms for snacking. Classic American Teenagers. Anyway, back to the towel, one of my program leaders simply told me "Buy local, or go home". So I bought a nice looking towel, one folded up in a plastic bag. I saw a palm tree and some blue skies... I assumed the towel to just have a little beach scene on it....

However, this is what my actual towel looks like.

Yup. There is a naked lady on it. Please appreciate who I have become in the matter of four short days. This picture was taken at one of my more beautiful moments... can you tell? None of us wear make up and we all look like poo all the time. Its honestly wonderful. There is absolutely no asethetic pressure here... I mean with the humidity and the most gorgeous surroundings I've yet to witness... there really is no need to compete.

Long story short, I'm going to have to buy another towel in Quito when I get to Ecuador.

Today was an awesome day. As a group we hiked to this AMAZING WATERFALL. It was a stunning hike and I SAW A MONKEY FOR THE FIRST TIME! IN A TREE!  A LITTLE HOWLER MONKEY. it was freakin awesome. I couldn't take a picture though, it was way too rainy. Let me tell you something about the rain here... WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS. Metaphor or not... I feel like forest gump walking through vietnam. I don't even know where the rain is coming from.... I just know its real wet. (One of the kids in my group describes everything as real. love him. BEN!)

Anyway doggies, we are sharing three computers between about 15 people right now, and two other people are already waiting on me to get off. I'm attaching two more little pics, one of a bunch of us on our way to the waterfall, stopped to get a DELICIOUS burrito, and one of my program leader, Andrew and I joking around at the waterfall itself. Enjoy! I miss you all very much. xoxoxo. OH. AND A HUGE PUBLIC THANK YOU TO THE BEST MAMA IN THE WORLD. LOVE YOU. :)