So cheers to our new blog guys! Thanks to those of you who have already posted, I love reading about your summers. Ok, I’ll be honest, I already added the SOL blog to my bookmarks…perhaps I should add it to my interests on fb (kidding, sort of).

Karmel, I perused the conference, it looks awesome! I can’t wait to get an update about how it went. And, I also enjoyed your letter home. Anything with Harry Potter is usually pretty awesome (and yes, I am counting down to the next book, but shh).

Christian, good to hear from you. I am having a lot of similar struggles to yours. How about an update on what life is like in Tanzania. I can’t really even imagine. I mean, I was unprepared for a lot of aspects about life in Costa Rica. Even though I knew I wouldn’t have a cell phone or Internet most of the time, life without the Times every morning has definitely taken some getting used to. Laugh, but really, it’s been a an adjustment

So finally, I got my IRB approval. I started my interviews this week. The hardest part of doing the interviews, besides speaking in Spanish, is actually just finding the place. For example, to interview an association of organic farmers, I had to go to the “Beneficio.” Ok mind you there are no street signs here, and address? Haha come on, everyone just knows where things in this town are….well, except for the gringa. Anyway, It’s the rainy season in Costa Rica, so the torrential rains have rendered my speedy little red bike rather useless. So I have been taking taxi’s to my interviews, and trying to find the Beneficio is the best story yet.

The taxi I hired, George number 324, had to run through a fence, cross a coffee field, go up a hill seemingly in the middle of the rain forest to reach the Beneficio—a barn in the middle of a field. The shiny little red taxi actually got stuck in a mud puddle on the way. It’s a good thing that I know how to drive a standard because I actually had to drive the taxi while George, the grisly taxi driver, pushed the car out of the mud.

Anyway, I have about two weeks left! And Frances is coming to visit this weekend! I can’t wait to see her again! Ok keep the updates coming people.

Ciao!