Odds Off

I have been here for just under two weeks and it feels as if I have lived here for months. I have made so many new friends and met so many happy Costa Rican people. We all stick out like a sore thumb but the welcome is unreal, and it isn´t just because they want to jump into bed with you! J They are so ready to help you and dudes and dudetts I am telling you their love of food and sharing it is out of this world. We are all finding ways of working the weight off! My favorite is this walk I can do around San Ramon and it takes you up the steepest hill ever but OMG is it worth it!! The beauty surrounding this place is paradise! Talking about paradise this weekend we did a trip to a beach called Santa Teresa and let me tell you this, anyone who knows me knows my love of see sun and fun but this beach took my breath away! I have never seen anything like it before. Thank god it was this beautiful though as the trip there definitely tested the Pura Vida way of life. We got up far too late...

What can I say! I am here!! And what a a week it has been. I wish I could say I was speechless however you aren´t that lucky!! I have so much to tell already but not enough space or friends and family with enough patients to tolerate it. Took the bus to San Ramon after an eventful journey to the station packed as a Sardine in a car!! and what a beautiful journey it was. I started to get to know the people I was staying with better and it I was skeptical that the friendships that were forming would last through the long hot days to come….. We got greeted by our host families and had to walk with our luggage to the house…. That is when I really realized how hot it is here… the beginning to my muscle building! We dropped our bags off and picked up our lunch boxes and headed straight to work. 5 minute walk we were promised – yeah Costa Rican 5 minutes are 40 minutes!! I am still getting caught out on this one…. Since then we have literally torn down a whole house with only three hammers an...

Well what an experience so far!!   I am only 2 days in and already I am changing my view on everything :) The poverty is so surreal !! I have seen people strip searched - machine guns - pistols - drug taking in the middle of the street - our hostel got broken into so there was police but we are in the reality of it. No one speaks English and it is mad!! Certainly is different from traveling!! haha!! However a Tico (Costa Rican) saw my ghostly expression off it all and gave me an Orange to make me feel better so we sat there in the park me and Mr Tico with this amazing green Orange and talked about life in CR and Iceland and we wrote together ways he could look at getting ways of going back to school in San Jose to learn engineering. We talked in weird Spanish (me) and pretty good English (Mr Tico) on the world and how he would love to have no violence and a centered earth - so there is always a silver lining to all experiences... I wanted to feel humble and that moment I ...

Hola Everyone! 24hours from start to finish until my head hit the pillow last night / morning / afternoon depending on where in the world you were! :) What can I say this week has been surreal! In one week I have been told off for taking a road sign of working men, walked around a castle with Starbucks, Seen the biggest Shark attached to a ceiling possible, had a water fight with two grown ups, had a hot shower and a COLD shower but most weirdly had breakfast at 8am on Friday with the whole family sat at the dinner table!! Now let me tell you - now that has happened I believe in ANYTHING being possible!! haha So my journey really started when we played Don´t stop me now with McFly driving past the plastic cows by Twickenham, followed by post sorting (not kidding) and the most fabulous mean at the Wharf and finished nicely with several cyders at the Teddington Arms! AndI have to say a massive thank you to Matt for driving. Tan for staying awake and Cy for the most amazing shower! ...