Week 5

Monday night marked the start of week 5 and my last night with my wonderful host-mom Vicki :( Luckily I am able to talk to her more then just a few sentences now and we talked for quite a while on Monday and Tuesday morning we had breakfast together before she left and she made me my very last lunch. It is unbelievable how much I am going to miss her but I am so happy that she is allowing me to stay in her home for my last two weeks in Costa Rica. I'm very happy that her daughter has agreed to help take over as well. Vicki's house really has become my home and I'm glad I didn't have to move out my last two weeks...She told me if I ever come back to Costa Rica to visit her...Something I fully intend on doing in the future. Ana, Vicki's daughter is very nice too. She speaks a little English which makes certain things easier to get across to her but I'll keep practicing my Spanish with her while I'm here. I want to make Ana's life as easy as possible so I told her I would come to her house for dinners and breakfasts and that I am not a picky eater. She has her own family to take care of and I know she didn't sign up for this so I am grateful for her extending her help. I also am making it some what easier on her too because I am traveling all next week so she won't have to worry about making extra food for me :). 
Tuesday night became my nightmare in Costa Rica. I officially got some sort of food poisoning/flu. I was sick the whole night and all day on Wednesday. Ana and her family check on me throughout the day but I really didn't get out of bed until Wednesday night for dinner where they gave me soup, tea, and some medicine. They were very kind about it. It's hard being away from home when I feel sick like this...It's times like these you just want to be in the comfort of your own home. Thursday morning came as a relief as I started to feel better...The people at Maximo called me in the morning while I was having breakfast to check on me as well. Unfortunately because of how I've been feeling this week I don't think it would be in my best interest to go to the orphanage today..I'm the only one still at the project and the kids are wild...I fully plan to see the kids before I leave Costa Rica though. Just want to make sure I have the energy for it. I went in to Maximo on Thursday so I could go to the bank and run a few errands. 
As far as weekend plans go, things are up in the air until I start to feel better. Catherine was sick Monday and Tuesday with the same flu so I'm hoping that my recovery time will only be about two days as well. We are thinking about getting a group of people to go Saturday and head to La Fortuna and then after that go to Tamarindo. But, as I said...Things will be up in the air until I am fully better...It's frustrating because I only have a little over a week left in Costa Rica and I've spent this week dealing with an injury and now a flu. I am happy that I wasn't traveling when I got sick though. 
Friday Obama is in Costa Rica just for the day, so the whole town is shutting down. The airport is even closed! He is only in town for the day though. I know that there were protests about his arrival on Thursday but it amazes me how in the United States, I feel like we never know when Obama is out of town but when I have talked to other volunteers and have seen the excitement first hand in Costa Rica over his arrival it is such a huge ordeal. All week the city of San Jose has been prepping for his arrival...I guess that is how it was when Kate and William came to the U.S though. I met someone on the bus ride home on Thursday that was so enthusiastic that I was from the states and wanted to practice his English with me. He was telling me how crazy it was to see helicopters around the city while he had been in class that day and how the entire lecture had stopped so that every one could look out the window. It was really cool though. It's fun to meet locals who can kind of talk to me in English and are eager to learn. He told me that he had learned most of his English from Music and TV shows which I thought was impressive because his English wasn't that bad. I love the random encounters in Costa Rica some times.
Friday we decided that we are going to head to La Fortuna on Saturday and stay until Monday. On Monday we are going to be coming back to San Jose and go out with some of our friends and meet our new roommates. Then Tuesday, the second leg of the trip we are going to go to Tamarindo to enjoy some R&R before I head back to the states! Catherine and I will be in Tamarindo from Tuesday until Thursday...We are planning on going out Thursday night and going out Friday night for my birthday before I leave on Saturday :(. I cannot believe my time here is coming to an end...I know I keep saying it but this adventure has been unreal. I have met so many great people along the way and am so grateful for this experience! 
I'll try and update more this week when I can. But if I cannot then I will update at least once before I come home. Cannot wait to see you all in about a week!