More Panama

Rafi the sea captain and Adrian

Panama!

Picket Pirate Beach
Locals

Crossong the bridge at the border

Puerto Viejo

More Costa Rica

Garden in Cartago, Costa Rica

Basilica in Cartago

Basilica

Dora

School in Turrialba

Turrialba, Costa Rica

Jungle

C.A.T.I.E.

Waterfall near the school

My room in Turrialba

President Barack Hussein Obama

Last Day!!!!

Oh no!! I cannot believe this is my last day here. I am sitting in my hostel in San Jose waiting for my plane. I dont wanna go!!!! I got back from Nicaragua yesterday. I really liked it there. I did a canopy tour and went to the volcano and went shopping. I bought a hamaca!!! yay! I also had a great Holloween there. I convinced the crazy Dutch girls to dress up and go out with me. This guy John was Cesar. He wore a toga and all these little kids were trying to take it off. Really funny. We danced and knocked the crap out of a pinata. But then it was over. Now I am going. I do suggest to anyone who reads this to go to central america. It is a great place and really easy to travel around in. I had no problem traveling alone because you are never really alone here. there are so many people who want to know what you are about and have an adventure as well. Some of you I will see you really soon and the rest I will have pictures up very soon. Much Love and always Pura Vida!

Nicaragua!!!

Hello!
I am in Granada and it is wonderful! It is so beautiful here and there are so many things to see. I think this might be my favorite place yet. There is a huge volcano overlooking the town. There is also a huge lake. I think I am going to take a trip to the island on the middle of the lake for a night! It sounds like fun. I can only stay a week though and then I have to go home. Gotta go!!! love you all.

new adventure

hello everyone!
So I just spent the last week of my trip in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. So beautiful and hot and lots of mosquitos and a big party. I liked it while I was there but I dont think that is where I want to spend half of my vacation. I can party at home. There were a lot of cool people I met. Lots of tourists and the locals are really nice. I think I might go back one day for fun. The school was really pretty and so were the beaches. But now I have moved on...

I have taken a bus from panama to San Jose, Costa Rica and I am going to Granada, Nicaragua tomorrow!!!! I met a couple of girls going there and so I came along. I am so excited to see one more country before I leave. I will let you know all about it.

Dad& Pam, I called you this week but you didnt answer. did you get it? I was feeling sick and wanted to ask your opinion of what it was. But I am better now.

Nancy and Rick, The beer in panama is Balboa and Panama. I like Balboa better. Miss you!

Mom and Michael, love and miss you!

Alexis! miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No worries

I am sure I am going to feel better soon. I am drinking lots of vitamin C. I am tired and it is really hot here but I like it a lot. People are very nice here and I have met people from all over the world. Its really cool. I hope all is well with all of you. Miss you.

...

I think my body is giving up on me. I feel sick. This sucks. Its hot here!!! But it is so much fun I cannot stop!!!!!

10-13, 10-14, 10-15

Before I tell you about the last three days I have to chisme (gossip). There are around ten girls at the school and and they have split off into two groups and they hate each other. Then there is me in the middle who likes everyone. I am in no group. Its like I am in freakin high school again and it sucks. I am excited to leave this school so I dont have to hear it anymore. Its rediculous. People need to grow up!!!!!! Everyone is stupid.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, here we go!

Monday was nothing special. Flour and I went around the town and ate lunch and shopped. It was fun though. At night I watched the Dodgers lose!!!!!!! Jerks! Oh well.

Tuesday was better. We went to the Guayabo monument in the mountains. It is old ruins of the indigenous people who used to live there. Very cool and beautiful. We saw a Sloth!!! yay!!! I took pictures. The guide was very nice and didnt make us pay. He was also very cute but married. At the end of the tour he gave me a bracelet with flowers on it that is very cute. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot.

Wednesday two of the girls from the school and I went to Cartago because there was nothing to do here. Cartago is an hour away on bus. There is a beautiful basilica there that we took pictures of. We had a nice lunch and then decided to walk around and found all these people and shops. We had no idea all of that stuff was there and it was cool to find it. I went with Sumira and Sauscia( I am guessing her name is spelled like that). They are nice and silly like me. Great fun! We stayed all day and then came back to Turrialba and had a drink and laughed for hours. YAY!

Dad,
I havent been to the beaches yet but I am going to the best surf spot in Costa Rica tomorrow so I will let you know. The locals are too nice and the food is even better. In certain dishes yes they do use lots of garlic. Every dish has rice and beans with it.

Nancy and Rick,
There are lots of freaky bugs here and lots of mosquitos. But you get used to it. The food is meat, beans and rice mostly but it is very good. I made empenadas that were also very good. I think I am going to get fat. Rick, the local beers that I am drinking are Pilsner and Imperial. Very decent beers.

Mom!
miss you and love you and I will have plenty of stories and contacts for you so dont worry!!!!!

Love you all,
Martine

10/10, 10/11, 10/12

Hello everyone. I hope everything is good with all of you. Well let me think. Friday I went to school again and afterwards we all went horseback riding. It was really cool. It was raining a little but I didnt mind. I have never gotton to a full gallop on a horse before and it was really cool to do that. We rode all around the mountain and we didnt have to stay in a stupid line. I really enjoyed it. A lot of the girls in the school were leaving this weekend so we went out to have dinner and to celebrate. It was a really good time.

On Saturday we all went rafting. Oh wow. It was great. We went on the Pacuare river, one of the top five most beautiful rivers in the world, and it was. I couldnt believe how cool it was. There were honey moon resorts but also 25% of the indigenous population live in the jungle surrounding it. So we saw their homes. You can go on a three day rafting trip and go to their villages and bring them things but I dont have time. Maybe one day. We went on class four rapids and it was awsome. Our guide was great. They fed us a really good lunch and then beer at the end. I also bought pictures of our boat. You will all get to see them.

Yesterday we went to another waterfall. This was a hike and I was glad we had a guide with us. We walked through jungle and coffee fields. So beautiful. We went up to the top of the waterfall and I had to cross the river. I went first and the current was so strong that I slipped and got carried down the rapids. SCARY. But I survived and so did all my stuff. I am lucky that my backpack was waterproof. I turned out to be a great day.

I am really enjoying life here. When I get back to my house here I get to watch the Dodgers with Enrique. Awsome.

This Friday I am going to Puerto Viejo. Its a really nice beach town and I get to see the best surfing spot in Costa Rica, Salsa Brava. My friend Flour is going with me so that is good. I am really exicited. Then on Sunday I go on to Boca Del Toro! So excited for the beaches.

That is all for now. I will write again soon. Love you all!

Nancy,
The weather is hot in the morning and then it rains around 6 in the evening all night but its still hot. You can drink the water. It all comes from the springs from the mountains. Its really good. The water is cold but not too cold. Its perfect for how hot it is. Ask more questions I like to answer them.

-Martine

and...

I am sorry but I forgot my cord to upload pictures from my camara. So you all have to wait. ha! But I will show you all as soon as I can and you will be jealous. Much love!

10/8 and 10/9

Hello everyone!
I am able to speak Spanish much better already. It is really exciting to be able to have a conversation with my teachers and the people who live here. I am learing hundreds of words every day and it is hard to remember them all but I am getting better at it.

Turrialba is an interesting city to live in. There are no wealthy people here. They either get by or they don't. But they live well for the most part. I realize how spoiled I am when I take for granted having a warm shower every day. I have not had a warm shower yet and I dont think I will the two weeks that I am living here. But its fine because I have air in my lungs and I am in fargin COSTA RICA!!!!!

Yesterday we went to some other waterfalls by a big river. It was very beautiful. We swam in the river and just hung out for a couple hours. It made me very happy. Last night I watched Latin American Idol. Freakin hilarious. One of the finalists is from Costa Rica so everyone is really excited. Dora and I were making fun of both of them.

I will keep writing so keep reading.

besos,
Martine

Costa.....Rica!

Hello all!
This is my third day in Costa Rica and it has been very interesting so far. I am staying in Turrialba with a host family, Dora and Enrique. They are very nice people. They are both excited for me to learn Spanish mainly because they do not speak any English. Dora feeds me way to much dinner but I feel bad not eating it because it is so good.

School is great and I love my teachers and classes. Every other student in the school is from Holland but they speak English and are very nice to me. Yesterday we went to C.A.T.I.E. It is about 50 acres total and has botanical gardens (which I didnt get to but maybe another day) They also grow every type of fruit you can think of. We went on a hike down to the river and it was very beautiful but lots of bugs. Today after class we walked to the waterfalls. It was also very beautiful.

I have taken lots of pictures but I am not sure how to upload them yet. I think I will try tomorrow. Miss you all and I will keep writing so check in.

besos,
Martine

New hair!!!!

Adventure

"Leave thy home, O youth, and seek out alien shores... Yeild not to misfortune: the far-off Danube shall know thee, the cold North-wind and the untroubled kingdom of Canopus and the men who gaze on the new birth of Phoebus or upon his setting..."

OUTLAW

A bunch of us went horseback riding on Saturday. I was too much fun. We all dressed up like cowboys a set off toward the horizon( or we rode around the Hollywood hills). My horses name was Outlaw and he was the coolest. He was pretty fast and claustrophobic so it was really hard to tie him up ( a true outlaw). We ate Mexican food halfway through the ride. All in all I think it was the perfect day!

P.S. Ill have more pictures later.

Jingoism!!!!

Sooooo, tomorrow is the fourth of July and a great day to practice our jingoism!!! So glad I get to use the word. Let's think of what we do to celebrate this country... I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to think about it. Pretty sure I am going to see the great people of our nation at their greatest tomorrow. Oh, and the firewroks are pretty. At least it gives people a day off to enjoy their summer a little more. I am going to make my way down to the beach where one of my friends has made a slip and slide!!! Ahhhh, childhood. All and all I hope it is a day of peace and fun for everyone.

My Fantasticness

Today I am going on a bike ride to santa monica to visit my sister. It will be splendiforous. We are going to lay on the beach all day since it has been rediculously hot here. The water is really nice though. I went swimming yesterday at 5pm and rode lots of waves. Summer is officially here!!!! I hope everyone has a great weekend. Much love.

-Martine

P.S. another fun word is collywobbles or a bellyache

hehe...words.

You know what a great word is. Codswallop. It is a great way to say nonsense. You know what else is a great word. Jingoism. Or belligerent patriotism. Ha! Who thinks of these things.

sunny day

I woke up in a terrible mood this morning. It seems that I have no patients for anyone today. Its a good thing that I am stuck in this office with no one else around or I might have screamed at someone already. It is a beautiful day outside, you think that I would be in a good mood. I hope it goes away by this evening because I must chaperon and abundance of children at a dance that we organized for them. I will need all of the patience I posses for this event. I always think that I can just think positively and these moods will go away but it is really hard sometimes. I will go for a run so that I might relax a little. I hope that other peoples days have started out better than mine and tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!

Hello

June gloom is in full affect in southern California. The weather really doesnt know what it wants to be. Its cloudy and muggy in the morning and sunny and windy in the afternoon. Hopefully next month it will figure it out.

I am going to the zoo this weekend and very excited about it. Road trip down to San Diego!! I have not been there in quite some time. I get to hang out with some very fun people and my sister!!! YAY!

Mom and Michael are going to Australia tonight!!! SOOOO jealous. Oh well, I guess I will get my turn soon. Alexis and I might go to Costa Rica soon. I am going to stay and learn espanol. I would love to be able to speak another language and classes do not quite cut it for me. I think it will eventually help me get the job I want and if not I will just know another language, which is nice.

What else is going on in this life of mine. I just got done reading Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. A very strange book. You think you got it bad, read that book. Puts things in perspective when I want to complain about something. Now I have started on one of his other books, Possible Side Effects. Cannot tell how it is yet but I have no doubts it will be good. He reminds me a lot of David Sedaris. Whom I really enjoy reading.

I am at a very strange point in my life right now where I can pretty much do whatever I want. I just have to figure out what that is. There are things that are expected of me by society and family and I wonder how much I can stray from these expectations without dissapointing both. I see my life right now as this rediculous adventure that I am guessing my way through. I am enjoying every minute of it even though its not always happy. I am just greatful for it and all the people in it. They all make me excited for the next step. Fathers day is coming up and I am fortunate to have two of them to thank. So, to them, thanks for stickin around.

What's with today, today?

So, I am now playing soccer every thursday morning with a group of women and I love it! So much fun. They are all out here to have fun so it makes it that much better. The El Segundo channel came and filmed us today for some reason. They are also going to come film my after school program. I am famous!!! Well, not really since it only runs in El Segundo. But I can still pretend that I am. I am not a frequent blogger and I am sorry for that. I will try to do better. Mom finally gave in and blogged. hahaha. Soon our lives will be controlled by it and we will not know how to live without it. Oh well. Hey! maybe I'll even write back again in a couple hours since I am stuck in this office. I do not know how you people do it.

Today

I am currently watching twenty-four smelly men play soccer. It's pretty funny. I have a non-stop day today until 9pm tonight and I am already tired. It is open house at the middle school I am working at. This means that I have to convince parents that the program that I run is worth sending their children to. What a joy that will be. This week is seeming extremely long and I feel that the only thing that is getting me through it is the knowledge that I will be going to PALM SPRINGS!!!! this weekend with the great women I love. I know time is relative but I think it has definatley slowed down this week.

ACL

Finally!!! I am able to accompany my mother and sisters to a legendary music festival like Austin City Limits. In September we will be seeing some of my favorite bands in the weirdest city in Texas. Cannot wait to be hot and dehydrated for six days!! Thanks mom!

more

That was the day we saw our last sunset.

Earth Day

I found myself in the company of good friends in the mercy of mother nature this weekend. We went camping in a wind tunnel up north. One of the harshest nights I have ever had to endure. When I did sleep I dreamt of tornados. But we lasted throughout the night and did not give up to go home. The next morning I went on a hike that was one of the best I have ever been on. A wonderful way to celebrate and appreciate our Earth. Hopefully I will have pictures to share soon. I am impressed with what I saw this weekend and hope to go on many adventures much like it.

nonsense

It remembers me always. It does not judge me if there are changes. It will adapt to every curve and memory of my being. Taking away feelings I do not desire. My friend will always be around. Although I may abandon him. He will never forget. If I ever find myself in a thought or place without him, I will be lost.

Dream

In fields of sunflowers. On top of it all. I look for the beginning. I see it is a dark place. Not beautiful like the fields I first layed my eyes on. There is something strange and warm about this place. It is old and waiting. Waiting for me to come back. I wake and will never discover the beginning.

unknown

Revolt against all restraints on free captivity, including logical reason, standard morality, social and artistic conventions and norms, and all control over the artistic process by forethought and intention.

unknown

The human being is an isolated existent, who is cast into an alien universe, to conceive the universe as possessing no inherent truth, value, or meaning, and to represent human life-- in its fruitless search for purpose and meaning, as it moves from the nothingness whence it came to the nothingness where it must end-- as an existence which is both anguished and absurd.

Joesph Conrad

In the immutability of their surroundings, the foreign shores, the foreign faces, the changing immensity of life, glide past, veiled not by a sense of mystery but by a slightly disdainful ignorance; for there is nothing mysterious to a seaman unless it be the sea itself, which is the mistress of his existence and as inscrutable as destiny.