Dominance Asserted

One of the coolest parts of running these trips is seeing students grow closer to one another. New friendships form and old bonds strengthen. The six boys on this trip, or, as they call themselves, "The Hexagon," are proof of this. I have several examples from today as they have "asserted their dominance" over... well, I'm not sure what. But they have made it known.

It started last night as we tried to fall asleep. Although Robby said that he wanted to go to bed, he turned 3 headlamps on the brightest setting toward himself and "attempted" his summer reading. Reese was giggling uncontrollably about something and all of them were giving Baz a hard time, most likely about his reluctance to sing the chorus of "Mambo No. 5" to the group (Note: I am SICK of this song, as I have heard them play it all day and try to get Baz to sing it, which he has yet to do). Four of them got up on a rock in front of the group to attempt to perform something, did nothing, then did a "T pose to assert our dominance."  They were quickly booed off stage, the girls put on their rain jackets to protect themselves from lizards, and Robby was yelled at to turn off the lights so we could get some rest.

We were treated to an impressive thunderstorm last night some time between 9:30 and 10:00. It was raining hard, but all the lightning was out over the ocean, so we could watch it from the cave. Some of us struggled to fall asleep because one of the lanterns kept flickering on and off and some of us just weren't used to everything being damp all the time. But everyone seemed to be out cold until the dog started barking at 6:30 AM to assert his dominance and let us all know it was time to get up.

We had our bags packed by 7:30 for breakfast, which consisted of oatmeal, cinnamon toast, scrambled eggs, papaya, pineapple, tea, and coffee. Several of us had seconds- we needed it for the hike down the mountain. While we were waiting for our guides to finish up so we could leave, 3 others came up the mountain with supplies. Two of them were carrying two VERY heavy bags containing food and new bedding for the next group. They rode horses up to the garden, but still had to carry all that for the remaining 20 minutes (that's what it took us- it took them about 10 to get there). A third came up later- barefoot. He had his jeans rolled up, cowboy hat on, and was completely barefoot. Horses or not, still impressive.

Our journey back down the mountain began at 9 AM. Carolyn was at the front of the group yet again (she enjoyed the banter back and forth with Diego) and it paid off when she spotted another pit viper- this one was brown and very small. We stopped at the garden for a short time to check out some jack fruit and to feed the horses. Diego tried to take his time because we told our bus driver 11 AM, but this group is too fast. Thankfully Maya was there to meet us shortly after 10:30 anyway.

We drove an hour back to Uvita to get lunch at Restaurante Marino again. This was the meal where the students probably ate the most off their plates- and there were requests to go to the grocery store afterward. I am proud to report that 11 of the students and all 3 guides got Trits. I'm so happy that I could share this Costa Rican wonder with everyone.

We got back to the hotel and had about two and a half hours of free time before community service. Some showered, some didn't have much water so they washed their clothes, and others took advantage of the wifi. At this time the afternoon thunderstorm rolled in and it was really coming down. Thankfully a rain jacket is part of the "Big 5," (oh yes- not the Gurney Big 5, but Rustic Pathways has one as well) so we were prepared for community service... or so we thought.

Uvita is home to a UN funded program that helps alcoholics and drug addicts get clean and learn new skills to be active members of the community. In order to provide the services the community needs, renovations need to be done on the current facility. We drove a little ways down the road to meet up with Eddie, the construction manager, and Eva, the program manager for Rustic in Uvita (and one of our guides from the 2016 trip) to find out how we could help. Our project was to remove all of the plaster from the walls. This will help them to put in a better electrical system and perhaps wifi. We worked from 3 PM until close to 6. We had plaster in our hair, stuck to the sweat on our arms, in our ears... it was everywhere. EVERYONE worked very hard this afternoon and we managed to finish one of the rooms and make a lot of progress in another. We will go back tomorrow afternoon to finish up and likely start on another project.

When we returned to the hotel, we found that the water was low again. A few of us got showers, but most of us washed our faces and hair in the sink. We are hoping for better showers this evening, but at least the plaster is gone.

Tomorrow will be a busy day- we have breakfast at 7 again, then we'll walk to Bahia Ballena. We are going to tour the national park, swim, then head to our surf lessons. They are currently getting salsa dancing lessons from Kara, Christian, and Olman... and now.... Mambo No. 5 is playing for the thousandth time today...

Pura vida!