"it's like jurassic park over here..."

so the hills episode just aired and what can i say the girls whine most of their way through the trip but god damn it's so good to see my love, my second home all again...watch! watch! (without sound might be preferred)! ;)

headed home.

i used to write a lot and then i stopped. but sarah gave me this amazing journal for my trip and seeing santa last night made me look back through it and i came across something i wrote in nicaragua....

note: citibank 800# is very important when you lose your card about every other month. ;)

headed home.
this journey is a voyage
of experiences,
locations,
friends,
loves,
joy and sadness,
gains and loses.

the miles may be measured,
the days counted,
but the change,
self evident
and the subtle shift
will change the course of this life
long after the plane has landed.

kelly's bar - granada, nicaragua. 6 May 2010

auntie trin.

besides having kids of your own is there anything better than hearing this..."Judah loves reading little hoot and little pea. We always read your dedication in the beginning and we always say 'love auntie...' and he finishes with a cheerful 'Trin!' every night."

....and the best part is that i bought that book because his mom, who happens to be one of the people i love most in this world, refers to her "hoots" as something only us girls have. ;) kapes and OMD (old man dave) just had a little girl too! how lucky am i to help teach Bea all about her own "hoots", i swear there is nothing better than seeing two people you love, in love, and making a baby...i feel really lucky to be around that a lot lately.

i missed this.

local beers. a girl loves pilsen and imperial but a draft of local beer is rad. i know one girl who agrees...kristen?

mi gente: my people

missing people, places, things and the me i am in costa rica. now, i know it’s not as i left it and i know i need to be present but i can’t help feeling homesick even in situations or places i used to love here. i’m working on it…but it’s nice to talk to friends (thank you girlies) who get it too and make me feel a bit more normal for feeling not normal.

here's a sampling of the cast of characters i miss, some as dear friends and some are just pure entertainment...

el telefono: the telephone

today i found myself once again an iphone addict, and as i waited in line for hours in soho for i had to laugh at myself....i just spent 4 months in central america sans cell phone and loved the freedom but here i am "needing" one now (like i'm 5)!! i guess almost everything is relative, huh?

lunes: monday

in a land that seems pretty far away, monday was my favorite day of the week. monday = reggae night at D&N in santa teresa. it also means a night of dancing and hanging with friends under a thatch roof steps from the ocean. you've prob heard me talk about it, so here it is...i dare any bar to compete! ;)

tinta: ink

i got some while in costa. :) i've talked about it for years but like most things there, this just fell into place. the flower is plumeria, it's my favorite! it is white and yellow, the blossoms cover the ground in may and it gives off the most amazing smell at sunset.

my tattoo was done by a friend named guy mark (amazing name for a tattoo artist, huh?), he is israeli and travels around central america tattooing people like me! having it done there was something i didn't think i'd do but once again i proved myself wrong. it was definitely memorable, i got it while lying on a couch with friends around and when the pain started to get to me a friend kyle picked up a guitar and played to ease me back into zen.

el regreso: the return

besides my own personal hard transition to this change of living, it was interesting and a bit surprising to see the reactions of others, specifically my family and friends at home.

i'm the niece, grand daughter, cousin, etc. that doesn't have the cute kids and can't tell you about the little ones first day at school, i don't have the job that everyone understands, etc. so i thought this adventure would actually give me something to say, something they would be interested in. but not so much.

sure i got a couple questinos or comments about my time on the "island" but nothing more. i have to think it's because they just can't relate? or know what questions to ask? hmmm.

back to the grind.

believe it or not, today was my first day back at my old job. they actually waited for me to come back and I even got a raise. so here I am again freelancing as a Project Manager at Porter Novelli, a PR firm. being back here is pretty awesome and just what i need…i like the people and i know my way around, the hours are good, the money is good and will be piled away into my “Pura Vida fund”.

day one back is going OK but pretty slow since i had too much fun with wendi last night and the fact that i haven’t sat in an office since January…i’m a lucky girl. now if i could just take the good fortune i’ve had with work into other parts of my life, like maybe dating ;) this blog could get a lot more interesting!! ;)

jungle to concrete jungle.

well i'm back. leaving was not easy, i basically lost it my last night...it was hard to leave behind my life there, the way of life, the friends i had.

so here i am and there have been some funny adjustments...
1. i keep speaking to people in spanish
2. i clean off my feet expecting sand when i climb into bed
3. i keep looking at people on the street expecting to know them like i know or atleast recognize them
4. my instinct is to hide my computer when i leave
5. figuring out what to wear or where my clothes are is almost impossible
6. little things like grocery shopping make me terribly miss costa rica
7. everything seems extremely expensive
8. i'm kinda freaked out by the amount of stuff i still have in this apartment, summer cleaning begins again
9. i'm still throwing my TP in the garbage (no system in CR) - tmi? ;)
10. hot water, it's really hot.

but i am loving...
1. seeing my favorite people and their babies
2. my sheets and comforter
3. bloody marys, vino and dark beers
4. thai food
5. heading home to see the rents
6. full length mirrors, it's been 4 months without one (maybe that's how i got dressed so quick?)

goodbye santa teresa.

last night was my last night in santa teresa and it was a unique one, not what i imagined but that's usually the case. i went for a run and walk on the beach, then had plans to meet my friend amy for dinner, grab drinks with the girls before dancing it up at D&N...but the rain came and the power left. after hanging in the dark for awhile, jamie and i made the venture into town with hopes of getting to see some friends. when we got to good vibrations it was quite a scene...only candlelight and chad sitting on the bar playing his guitar and singing along with the whole bar.

i didn't get the chance to say goodbye to all the people i wanted to but it was still a really good night with good friends. in the morning, jamie let me drive the quad out of town to keep my mind of the fact that i was leaving for more than a drive.

a few of my favorite verbs

well in the last few months my spanish has definitely improved but i still have lots of work to do. these 10 verbs have helped me through a lot so i thought they were worth sharing. who wants to practice with me in NYC? ;)

conocer - to know
viajar - to travel
recordar - to remember
poder - be able to
regresar - to return
hablar - to speak
visitar - to visit
viviar - to live
hacer - to make
ir - to go
ser - to be