- This week went by awfully easily in many ways. I only had 3 1/2 classes due to one professor being out of town (and country, and continent) and the little earthquake that "shook up" my schedule on Wednesday. Of the classes I did have, Monday's Politics and Democracy was my favorite. It's very interactive and engaging. Also of note is my Spanish class. The professora is lively and fun. Her makes learning funner, as they say in places where grammar is not taught very well.
- In other ways, this week was a drag. Due to the disruption in the schedule, there was a lot of downtime. That meant a lot of watching YouTube video, a lot of writing blog posts, a lot of reading, a lot of prayer. None of these activities are bad; in truth, it was nice to have ample time for once! Perhaps the reason this week felt sluggish lies more in the fact that...
- I CANNOT SLEEP!!! Well, let me clarify and expand. I have been going to be at a reasonable 10:30 or 11:00. I sleep through the early morning hours without issue. The problems start when I wake up at 5:00 and cannot get back to sleep! At first, I thought it might be because my bed is near a window with the blinds open, causing me to awake with the rising of the sun. So I closed the blinds one night and, lo and behold, I woke up at 4:00 in the morning! What is one supposed to do at 4:00!? I sure have no clue, because I basically spend 45 minutes staring at the ceiling before giving up hope of falling back asleep. One thing I have found is that getting up at that hour makes for a LONG day, especially when that day includes an earthquake and a walk home in the rain. Progress is being made, however: today I woke up at 6:30...
- I am ever more grateful, as I read the news from the party conventions, that I am not going to be subjected to this year's election in the United States. It saddens me, but I am so disgusted with our politics in this country and the dearth of quality candidates. The American people and the Office of the Presidency deserves much better. That's not to say I do not have desires. Above all else, I would like a Pro-life candidate who will not cut student loans and Pell grants over military spending. Alas, as they say in Costa Rica, evidentemente eso no es possible.
- One of my big things is respect for all people. There are few things more cruel and unnecessary, in my opinion, than demeaning an entire group of people in order to crack a joke or humiliate someone else. But I cannot say that I have a perfect record, and today was one where I spoke without thinking. I used the phrase retarded and immediately regretted it. I used it to describe something dumb I had just said, but that doesn't make it any more acceptable to use. I felt especially bad because someone who has a brother with muscular dystrophy overheard me. I think how embarrassed and pathetic I would feel if I had to say that to his parents or the parents of any of the special needs kids I teach during the summer. It was certainly a reminder of how words can hurt others, and that there are sufficient faults in ourselves to correct before we go chastising others. Hurrah for life lessons!
Tomorrow, the group is off to a nature park-like place with sea turtles and monkeys!!! I hope to return with some more photos to add to the highly acclaimed Facebook album "Joe gets unreasonably close to wild animals while in Costa Rica." I'll let you know how that turns out, unless I get my hands chewed off, in which case it might be awhile until you hear (read?) from me again...
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