No Scorpions Last Night....

We'll see how long that lasts and I promise I won't only write about scorpions. I do sort of feel like I've been unknowingly placed into an immersion therapy course to eradicate my debilitating fear of all things creepy/crawly. It's been a life-long struggle (just ask my dad and brother who had to often check the shower for spiders when I was growing up, before I'd get near it) and maybe 30 is the year that I'll conquer it!

I promise to upload pictures soon because the 16k hike that we went on yesterday was literally breathtaking. It was the school's (Monteverde Friends School) annual fundraising walk and it was a great way to talk to so many different people in the community. A very common story seems to be people who came down here for a few months and then stayed for years.... I'm not quite there yet. I'm definitely in awe of my surroundings and loving my daily 15 minute walk through the jungle at a perfect 70 degrees to get to school, but..... Part of the love I feel for this experience is knowing that in a few months I'll return to the cafes, art museums, and bustling streets of New York and/or San Francisco. I know, it makes me a little pathetic, but I think that at heart I'm a city girl who relishes the occasional camping adventure.

do So, the walk. We hiked uphill through the tiny towns and lush farms of the Monteverde zoneuntil we reached a lookout high in the Santa Elena Could Forest Reserve. On a clear day you can see the Arenal Volcano, but yesterday was not a clear day. The mist came rolling in and I reallylove the mist rolling in. It's a lot like the fog rolling in in Berkeley and quite lovely. Everywhere you look is saturated with green and everything smells fresh. Sometimes Rob and I have to remind ourselves that we live in a jungle, which is pretty hilarious, like when there are bugs with glow-in-the-dark eyes and huge, indigo Morpho butterflys right outside our door. Andthe birds that just hang out in the backyard are huge and decked out quite flamboyantly. I'm going to get a good bird book soon and identify them all. We also discovered my favorite insecthanging out next to our bowls-he looked exactly like a leaf with tiny legs and antenae (spelling?). Exactlylike a leaf.

Last thing for this LONG post- we went to our first Quaker Meeting yesterday which was a moving and calming experience. A few messages were shared and the room was filled with a sense of shared energy. This really is a strong, warm, welcoming community. I will have more thoughts on community for my next blog. Smiley Face.