I’m back to it, all too soon and all too abruptly it seems. Reality. That’s what was inevitably waiting for me when I returned to the U.S.
I took my time adjusting myself it seemed, but it wasn’t enough. I was so rudely awakened today with a nightmare about school and not being in the right classroom. And so it has begun…
My family and I went to Lake Cumberland a week after I returned, and my brother and I got some big air on the wakeboard, while my dad carved the water on his slalom ski and mom was a good sport about it all and even got out there too. Kristen, still recovering from a back injury patiently watched it all take place.
I finally willed myself into going to school this week. I’m not sure what I accomplished but I think it helped me get back into school-mode. I think I may be ready come Monday.
My blog is signing off unofficially for the summer today. There will be periodic updates like last year, and most likely reflections of my summer that creep up on me when I least expect it.
To those returning to school, Buena Suerte y que te acompañe : )
Ahora vamos por todos, todos vamos por ellos.
Amor,
Jessica Lynn
Friday, August 13, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
NUTS!
Maybe the catchphrase of vacation, this term was coined by my siblings after borrowing it from the peaNUTS vendor at the Cincinnati Reds baseball games.
I’m home again. I’m back in the United States and having mixed feelings about it all. Without hesitating today, I told someone that ‘next summer when I’m in Costa Rica…’ I said it without thinking, but I mean it. I’ll probably find a way to get myself back down there.
My family and I wrapped up our week with a stay in Manuel Antonio (monkey sounds!) and our final day near San Jose. On Friday morning, my family walked through Manuel Antonio National Park and saw an abundance of wildlife. We saw birds, butterflies, lizards, two sloths, and muchos monkeys. We spent a little time on the beautiful beach inside the park before exiting and heading back to our hotel.
Back at the hotel, we showered up and hit the road back to the Central Valley. It was sometime in this time frame that I discovered that I may be having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic the pharmacy had given me the previous day. I was developing welts and bumps that resembled bug bites, but I was in the car, and no bugs were in sight. Needless to say, I laid off the medicine.
We arrived in the evening to the Central Valley and checked into the Marriot just outside of San Jose. The hotel is lindísimo. It was a fabulous way to end our trip. With everyone being exhausted, we opted for eating dinner at the hotel and calling it an early night. I called it a night little earlier than everyone else because I popped a couple Benedryl. (Dad managed to buy 4 individual pills at the pharmacy because the lady cut out 4 pills from the pack of 50 for him).
Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the Café Britt Coffee Tour. The whole family had a great time! My parents even got called up as volunteers during the tour and earned themselves Café Britt hats. My parents swear I had arranged something ahead of time, but I can promise you I didn’t. However, it could not have worked out any better.
On a side note, my dad was talking to one of the actors after the show, and they said ‘Oh yes, we know you’re daughter, she was here a week ago. I recognized her at the very beginning of the tour.” I guess I’ve been on that tour a few times this summer… : )
We wrapped up Saturday with a final visit to the artisan town of Sarchi to do some gift shopping and witness the local festival. Two adorable little tica girls were rather intrigued by my sister and I and our gringa skin and language. It was really cute because Kristen and I decided that we probably would have done the same thing at their age.
Saturday night was spent at a Peruvian restaurant celebrating my parent’s 29th wedding anniversary. It was a great dinner to finish out on!
Sunday was travel day and started at 4:00 a.m. We departed Costa Rica at 7:10 and arrived in Atlanta at 1:00 p.m. From Atlanta we made the drive home and rolled in around midnight. It was nice to finally arrive.
I’m making my cultural adjustments to the U.S. now, and I’m not fully acclimated yet, and I’m not sure I want to be. I miss Costa Rica already…
Time to get a run in.
Arroz y frijoles,
Jessica Lynn
I’m home again. I’m back in the United States and having mixed feelings about it all. Without hesitating today, I told someone that ‘next summer when I’m in Costa Rica…’ I said it without thinking, but I mean it. I’ll probably find a way to get myself back down there.
My family and I wrapped up our week with a stay in Manuel Antonio (monkey sounds!) and our final day near San Jose. On Friday morning, my family walked through Manuel Antonio National Park and saw an abundance of wildlife. We saw birds, butterflies, lizards, two sloths, and muchos monkeys. We spent a little time on the beautiful beach inside the park before exiting and heading back to our hotel.
Back at the hotel, we showered up and hit the road back to the Central Valley. It was sometime in this time frame that I discovered that I may be having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic the pharmacy had given me the previous day. I was developing welts and bumps that resembled bug bites, but I was in the car, and no bugs were in sight. Needless to say, I laid off the medicine.
We arrived in the evening to the Central Valley and checked into the Marriot just outside of San Jose. The hotel is lindísimo. It was a fabulous way to end our trip. With everyone being exhausted, we opted for eating dinner at the hotel and calling it an early night. I called it a night little earlier than everyone else because I popped a couple Benedryl. (Dad managed to buy 4 individual pills at the pharmacy because the lady cut out 4 pills from the pack of 50 for him).
Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the Café Britt Coffee Tour. The whole family had a great time! My parents even got called up as volunteers during the tour and earned themselves Café Britt hats. My parents swear I had arranged something ahead of time, but I can promise you I didn’t. However, it could not have worked out any better.
On a side note, my dad was talking to one of the actors after the show, and they said ‘Oh yes, we know you’re daughter, she was here a week ago. I recognized her at the very beginning of the tour.” I guess I’ve been on that tour a few times this summer… : )
We wrapped up Saturday with a final visit to the artisan town of Sarchi to do some gift shopping and witness the local festival. Two adorable little tica girls were rather intrigued by my sister and I and our gringa skin and language. It was really cute because Kristen and I decided that we probably would have done the same thing at their age.
Saturday night was spent at a Peruvian restaurant celebrating my parent’s 29th wedding anniversary. It was a great dinner to finish out on!
Sunday was travel day and started at 4:00 a.m. We departed Costa Rica at 7:10 and arrived in Atlanta at 1:00 p.m. From Atlanta we made the drive home and rolled in around midnight. It was nice to finally arrive.
I’m making my cultural adjustments to the U.S. now, and I’m not fully acclimated yet, and I’m not sure I want to be. I miss Costa Rica already…
Time to get a run in.
Arroz y frijoles,
Jessica Lynn
Voodoo Chicken
Voodoo Chicken: A dish at restuarant Kapi Kapi in Manuel Antonio that lived up to its name...even 48 hours later. Just ask my brother and sister.
Note to self: any dish with the word voodoo in it should be avoided at all costs.
Note to self: any dish with the word voodoo in it should be avoided at all costs.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Coconuts
Here is an update of what my family and I have been up to for the past few days:
1. Watched a volcano erupt…sort of. It glowed red, so that counts.
2. Ziplining through a cloud forest…in the pouring rain with a little lightening.
3. Went surfing…or something that more resembled boogie boarding on a surfboard.
4. A really large raccoon bird-dogged my brother at the hotel…”I ain’t playin’” was his response as he bolted across the pool deck to get away.
5. Went on an ‘Adventure Snorkel’… although it was agreed that the company should probably remove the word ‘adventure’ from their title.
We are having a great time! The weather has cooperated and we have been enjoying the pura vida lifestyle down here. We are currently in the national park called Manuel Antonio and enjoying relaxing time on the beach and at our hotel. Tomorrow we are headed back to the central valley to spend our last few days touring around and visiting Café Britt!
Our accommodations here in Costa Rica have been amazing. CPI helped me book a few of the places and they are phenomenal! The food we have been eating has been equally as delicious and of course, the ice cream never disappoints!
On a side note, besides the hand-painted ox cart I am bringing home, I am also bringing home a bacterial infection. I received an insect bite (or something) about three weeks ago, and it never healed. In fact, the wound has been growing. Despite my stubbornness about wanting my body to heal on its own, I broke down today and went to the farmacia to get some medicine. Here in Costa Rica, if the ailment isn’t life threatening, you can simply go to the pharmacy and a pharmacist will recommend and give you medication. When I showed the woman my leg, she simply told me this was pretty common in Costa Rica and gave me an antibiotic and cream. I’m hoping it all goes away…
It’s time for dinner here in Manuel Antonio! We have a good recommendation, so I’m looking forward to dinner. My Spanish skills have yet to order us half of the Burger King menu, so I’m feeling successful. (In Spain when my brother came to visit, I accidentally ordered what seemed like half of the BK menu for us one night at dinner.)
¡Buen provecho!
Jessica Lynn
1. Watched a volcano erupt…sort of. It glowed red, so that counts.
2. Ziplining through a cloud forest…in the pouring rain with a little lightening.
3. Went surfing…or something that more resembled boogie boarding on a surfboard.
4. A really large raccoon bird-dogged my brother at the hotel…”I ain’t playin’” was his response as he bolted across the pool deck to get away.
5. Went on an ‘Adventure Snorkel’… although it was agreed that the company should probably remove the word ‘adventure’ from their title.
We are having a great time! The weather has cooperated and we have been enjoying the pura vida lifestyle down here. We are currently in the national park called Manuel Antonio and enjoying relaxing time on the beach and at our hotel. Tomorrow we are headed back to the central valley to spend our last few days touring around and visiting Café Britt!
Our accommodations here in Costa Rica have been amazing. CPI helped me book a few of the places and they are phenomenal! The food we have been eating has been equally as delicious and of course, the ice cream never disappoints!
On a side note, besides the hand-painted ox cart I am bringing home, I am also bringing home a bacterial infection. I received an insect bite (or something) about three weeks ago, and it never healed. In fact, the wound has been growing. Despite my stubbornness about wanting my body to heal on its own, I broke down today and went to the farmacia to get some medicine. Here in Costa Rica, if the ailment isn’t life threatening, you can simply go to the pharmacy and a pharmacist will recommend and give you medication. When I showed the woman my leg, she simply told me this was pretty common in Costa Rica and gave me an antibiotic and cream. I’m hoping it all goes away…
It’s time for dinner here in Manuel Antonio! We have a good recommendation, so I’m looking forward to dinner. My Spanish skills have yet to order us half of the Burger King menu, so I’m feeling successful. (In Spain when my brother came to visit, I accidentally ordered what seemed like half of the BK menu for us one night at dinner.)
¡Buen provecho!
Jessica Lynn
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Ya Llega Mi Familia!
JAJA! Adam (chaperone from last year) and guide Selma!I take back my title from yesterday. Today I am twiddling my thumbs.
In anticipation for the arrival of my family, I am hanging out at the hotel today and just being a bum. When was the last time I did this? I can’t remember. That being said, my lazy day probably won’t last long. I’ll need to find diversion.
I woke up this morning at 5:30 to get to the fitness center before anyone else. Mission accomplished. I ate breakfast, read the newspaper and went back to bed. I woke back up, took a lap around the outside of the hotel to find something to do and only found the casino. I may be gambling later. I’m thinking about taking a bus to the mall but I’m not sure it’s worth the effort. I’ll keep you posted.
Approximately 12 hours after I started my day, I repeated everything I did this morning in the same fashion as when I woke up, including running for a second time. It was like the movie Groundhog Day.
For the first time in my life, I ran twice in one day so I could meet a weekly mileage goal. Don’t misunderstand me though, I have run twice in one day before—especially running collegiate track and field. However, I have never run twice in one day to meet a mileage goal. I’ll become a distance runner yet.
Yesterday I met up with a chaperone I worked with last year. Half of team JAJA was reunited again in Costa Rica! I was stoked to see him and right before we parted ways we realized we would be in Manuel Antonio at the same time. Que ta bien tuanis : )
In anticipation for the arrival of my family, I am hanging out at the hotel today and just being a bum. When was the last time I did this? I can’t remember. That being said, my lazy day probably won’t last long. I’ll need to find diversion.
I woke up this morning at 5:30 to get to the fitness center before anyone else. Mission accomplished. I ate breakfast, read the newspaper and went back to bed. I woke back up, took a lap around the outside of the hotel to find something to do and only found the casino. I may be gambling later. I’m thinking about taking a bus to the mall but I’m not sure it’s worth the effort. I’ll keep you posted.
Approximately 12 hours after I started my day, I repeated everything I did this morning in the same fashion as when I woke up, including running for a second time. It was like the movie Groundhog Day.
For the first time in my life, I ran twice in one day so I could meet a weekly mileage goal. Don’t misunderstand me though, I have run twice in one day before—especially running collegiate track and field. However, I have never run twice in one day to meet a mileage goal. I’ll become a distance runner yet.
Yesterday I met up with a chaperone I worked with last year. Half of team JAJA was reunited again in Costa Rica! I was stoked to see him and right before we parted ways we realized we would be in Manuel Antonio at the same time. Que ta bien tuanis : )
Okay, time for dinner and to patiently await my family’s arrival. Big day of touring Costa Rica tomorrow!!
Pura vida,
Jessica Lynn
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thumb Twiddling
Cafe Britt Coffee Map from yesterday. Very useful information for coffee lovers.Today was my last day of work. I would like to know where in the world this summer has gone.
This morning at 4 a.m. my group left for the airport. I didn’t go with them so I said my goodbyes last night. It was a whirlwind of a night full of food, memories and fun. After the Café Britt Coffee Tour we returned to our hotel to get ready for the farewell banquet dinner.
I arranged a fantastic meal at a place called Los Cebollines. The ambiance was phenomenal and we had a private room all to ourselves. Dinner was excellent and my cheesecake dessert was amazing. We followed dinner and dessert with presentations from the kids and staff. I even joined in on a skit! We also had a birthday to celebrate so earlier in the day we bought a cake and when it was time, the Los Cebollines staff brought in a sombrero and we all sang and ate cake. It was the perfect send off meal.
Back at the hotel we had some time to pack our bag and then there was a piñata to break. Sound like an overdose of sugar last night? It was. : ) We hung out around the pool until late and then the group and I headed to bed.
This morning I woke up at my normal time to go running. I relaxed in my hotel room, packed my bags, gathered my clothes to donate, and took a nice long shower and quiet breakfast. It was a wonderful way to wake up. I have not had a day like this the entire summer. I am hoping to spend today and tomorrow this way—taking time for myself. It’s a rare day even in U.S. that I take time to care for myself, so what better place to do it than in Costa Rica?
One morning before my 5 a.m. run. My group thought I was crazy for running every day!
This morning at 4 a.m. my group left for the airport. I didn’t go with them so I said my goodbyes last night. It was a whirlwind of a night full of food, memories and fun. After the Café Britt Coffee Tour we returned to our hotel to get ready for the farewell banquet dinner.
I arranged a fantastic meal at a place called Los Cebollines. The ambiance was phenomenal and we had a private room all to ourselves. Dinner was excellent and my cheesecake dessert was amazing. We followed dinner and dessert with presentations from the kids and staff. I even joined in on a skit! We also had a birthday to celebrate so earlier in the day we bought a cake and when it was time, the Los Cebollines staff brought in a sombrero and we all sang and ate cake. It was the perfect send off meal.
Back at the hotel we had some time to pack our bag and then there was a piñata to break. Sound like an overdose of sugar last night? It was. : ) We hung out around the pool until late and then the group and I headed to bed.
This morning I woke up at my normal time to go running. I relaxed in my hotel room, packed my bags, gathered my clothes to donate, and took a nice long shower and quiet breakfast. It was a wonderful way to wake up. I have not had a day like this the entire summer. I am hoping to spend today and tomorrow this way—taking time for myself. It’s a rare day even in U.S. that I take time to care for myself, so what better place to do it than in Costa Rica?
One morning before my 5 a.m. run. My group thought I was crazy for running every day!Time to spend the day with my boss’s family and their youngest son! I can’t wait : )
Paz, amor y libertad,
Jessica Lynn
P.S. 1.5 days!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Key Investments
Every time I leave the country I learn how to pack more efficiently. This year was my best packing year by far. I was efficient and compact. I attribute this to a few key investments:
1. My Osprey hiking backpack—probably the best investment by far. No more rolling luggage!
2. My North Face hiking pants—quick drying and not the zip away kind.
3. My compact, super absorbent travel towel.
This ends up looking for a plug for certain brands of clothing/gear, but it’s not. I am a nerd for how much I love my pack. I think I will travel more just to use it.
I survived 6 weeks of work, travel and running this year with just a hiking pack and day pack. My groups are usually shocked when they see how little I carry with me. It’s amazing how much they pack for 2 weeks of travel—one girl brought a 70 pound bag for two weeks. I made that mistake once with a 50 pound bag for 6 weeks, and I will never make that error in judgment again (although my dad did try to warn me before I even left that it would be too much).
5 year travel packing recap:
Peru (2 weeks): 36 pounds, 3 medium bags
Spain/Europe (6 weeks): 50 pounds, 1 large bag, 1 small carry on, backpack
Costa Rica 2008 (4 weeks): 47 pounds, 1 large rolling bag, backpack
Costa Rica 2009 (10 weeks): 42 pounds, 1 large rolling bag, backpack, computer case
My total weight year: 26 pounds. 1 hiking backpack. 1 daypack.
Success. My big determining factor for buying a pack this year was my bus fiasco last year where I spent 12 hours hauling around my luggage trying to get to the coast for work via the public bus. I decided then that if I were to ever travel for long periods of time again I would find a better way to pack for it. I am also very nomadic in the summer, traveling somewhere new almost every five days. A backpack is a necessity for this sort of lifestyle.
It just occurred to me I’ve spent a whole blog talking about my backpack and travel habits. Pura vida. : )
Time for breakfast and the Café Britt Coffee Tour!
Café y caffeine,
Jessica Lynn
1. My Osprey hiking backpack—probably the best investment by far. No more rolling luggage!
2. My North Face hiking pants—quick drying and not the zip away kind.
3. My compact, super absorbent travel towel.
This ends up looking for a plug for certain brands of clothing/gear, but it’s not. I am a nerd for how much I love my pack. I think I will travel more just to use it.
I survived 6 weeks of work, travel and running this year with just a hiking pack and day pack. My groups are usually shocked when they see how little I carry with me. It’s amazing how much they pack for 2 weeks of travel—one girl brought a 70 pound bag for two weeks. I made that mistake once with a 50 pound bag for 6 weeks, and I will never make that error in judgment again (although my dad did try to warn me before I even left that it would be too much).
5 year travel packing recap:
Peru (2 weeks): 36 pounds, 3 medium bags
Spain/Europe (6 weeks): 50 pounds, 1 large bag, 1 small carry on, backpack
Costa Rica 2008 (4 weeks): 47 pounds, 1 large rolling bag, backpack
Costa Rica 2009 (10 weeks): 42 pounds, 1 large rolling bag, backpack, computer case
My total weight year: 26 pounds. 1 hiking backpack. 1 daypack.
Success. My big determining factor for buying a pack this year was my bus fiasco last year where I spent 12 hours hauling around my luggage trying to get to the coast for work via the public bus. I decided then that if I were to ever travel for long periods of time again I would find a better way to pack for it. I am also very nomadic in the summer, traveling somewhere new almost every five days. A backpack is a necessity for this sort of lifestyle.
It just occurred to me I’ve spent a whole blog talking about my backpack and travel habits. Pura vida. : )
Time for breakfast and the Café Britt Coffee Tour!
Café y caffeine,
Jessica Lynn
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