For The Better, I Am A Changin!

When I left Costa Rica in 2009, I swore I would never return to that shit-hole of a country. But I had to find somewhere to go this winter, and it needed to be warm. My chaotic summer left me little time to explore options so I bit the bullet and decided to give Costa Rica and UPeace another chance. Plus, Oscar and Vero are here and I love them.

I anticipated that it would be difficult to meet people as the year has already begun and cliques had already formed. But, it didn't take long before I felt like one of the group. I've had many highlights: A choking Hiroki asking me for a sip of my drink - not realizing it was rum; fashion advice and dancing lessons with Mariana and Lorena; Spanish classes, cooking lessons, and family-like love at the Gathering House; potluck after potluck; beautiful bus-rides through the glorious mountain landscapes, and so so so many smiles!

I didn't know it at the time, but if you smile at someone in Costa Rica – they nearly always smile back! It's pretty incredible!

I took a 4th trip to the famous volcano, Arenal, for the hot springs. I still haven't been able to see the mountain on account of rain and clouds - but nothing really matters when you're sitting in hot river in the middle of the jungle, sipping on some low quality local rum with really great people!

It's not all beans and rice, though, there are some shortcomings. My apartment sucks ass! There are so many bugs and I gave away my DEET to a nice lady who gave me a ride home from the airport... For the first month, my legs from the knees down looked like I had chicken pox from all the bug bites! I went through two tubes of hydorcortisone in one month! Plus, everything in this country is way overpriced because of the expat influence. Won't keep me down, though. I changed my apartment and am now living with a wonderful gal from Venezuela and our apartment is so clean that I expect my chicken pox to clear up soon!

Bottom line is, I'm loving it here! Such a contrast from my first year here. The country hasn't changed any, nor has the university. The difference is me. I've changed! My bitterness is gone and my battery is charged - hello open mind and positive outlook! This is great! 

I'm uploading pictures here: Here!

I Got Doored Down, But I'll Get Up Again!

So, it's been more than half a year since I was tragically removed from my happy bicycle by an aggressive corner of a car door. I'm still alive, but the recovery has been much slower than what I would have liked; and considering the effort I've put out, I'm quite disappointed with the whole thing. People keep telling me how lucky I am, and it's hard to hear, but I guess I do quite appreciate being alive.

Another disappointing thing was the driver who hit me with his door. I'm sure he didn't intend to do it, but half a year after the fact, he still hasn't even apologized! In fact, in the moment, while I was on my back waiting for the paramedics, trying to be as still as possible in case there was a serious spine injury, I remember someone grabbing my right leg and gently moving it to one side. I went with it because I thought this person had a better perspective and was putting my body in a more straight position to avoid potential injury. He moved me just a bit - and then shut the car door... It was the driver moving me out of his way... Ass.

A week after my tragedy, once I was able to walk around a bit, I walked down to the paramedics station to thank the people who responded and tell them how much I appreciate what they do. On walking in, they immediately said it was good to see me up and moving around. I was so surprised they remembered me before I could say anything! So I asked them about that day, a week before.

One guy told me I had started going into shock when they arrived, which shocked me to hear. I asked him how he could tell, because I was conscious the whole time and remembered the whole event kinda well. He said that I began to ask the same questions again and again. Well... I do that anyway. =) Another guy jumped in to say that they were literally watching my pulse - because my jugular vein was completely exposed! All the flesh covering it had been ripped aside, leaving my neck muscles hanging out of my neck! I asked if they had pictures - and they apologized saying they were too busy saving my life. Maybe next time.

Anyway, the recovery process has been extremely frustrating and slow. After the surgery and many doctors, I saw a physical therapist who taught me all kinds of stretches and exercises, which I used a lot. I also started going to a massage therapist. Each massage was excruciatingly painful, but I always felt better afterward. For a while anyway, and then my neck will tighten up again. He ended up finding a problem in my spine where a couple of my cervical vertebrae were knocked out of place. So, I went to a chiropractor who managed to straighten me out after a handful of adjustments. I'm currently only seeing a massage therapist, and doing the stretches and exercises on my own, but I sure notice how the muscle tightens up if I go two weeks without a massage. Hoping this will be over soon - but that's been my hope since the beginning.

I tried riding my bike again, but had a couple panic attacks while passing some parked cars. In fact, I occasionally get overwhelmed with anxiety when I'm walking next to parked cars! I'm back in the gym again, and still smiling, but I do get treated differently. I constantly see people's eyes drop from my eyes to my neck in conversation. The people who ask, say things like, "Were you a pirate in your previous life?" or "Oh my god! What happened?!" Otherwise, I've overused the phrase, "Hey, my eyes are up here." rather than going into details about how I got hit by a parked car.

The good news is, I'm still really pretty.