Arenal Day...no recuerdo

Today was a great day after a great day. We went rafting yesterday which was a total blast besides waking up at 5 am. We got in the bus and realized it would be 3 hours to get there. Luckily, we were the only two going with the guide and his girlfriend so we both got bench seats to ourselves. nat and i slept the entire way. We arrived at the main camp where we met up with 25 people. We ate a hearty meal of rice, beans, eggs, pineapple, and of course costa rican coffee. there was a group of 20 Indian guys that were celebrating a bachelor party. Talk about fun. We then had to go on a 30 minute drive in a huge bus. Nat and I truly thought our lives would be over before the trip even began. An unpaved, downhill (and I mean downhill) winding road to the river. the main guide was also giving us our instructions and worst case senarios and what we should do. Let´s just say all of the Indian men were asking for shots of alcohol just to get out of the bus. it was hilarious. We got all our gear on and headed for our death (that is what he made it seem). I was only slightly nervous. My team (you can see in one of the pics) consisted of two guys from London, a couple from the czech republic and nat and I. what a team we were.... actually we were the best, i wont lie. the guys said we should be in the olympics. we actually were so good that our guide (who was the head lead) had to switch with another guide because his group was doing so terrible. supposedly, they got super drunk the night before and the groom, yes the groom, was having severe heartburn. haha. i didnt enjoy the idea of a new guide, but whatever... jimmy was his name and throwing me/splashing me was his game. he definately told me I should be his wife and i preceded to tell him i was engaged and getting married in december. he then decided he had to come to my fiesta. i told him natalie was available . there are numerous times you see me in the photos either checking out my nails or not paddling or getting down... i was only following directions, no one else listened. besides my nail, i really felt i ripped it off. the rapids were class 3 and 4. The only thing i feared was the signal to ´highside right´or ´highside left´. pretty much that meant we were tipping over and we all had to jump to the side he yelled. good thing we never got that one. i am not sure i would have done so hott. nat and i were studs though. we ate lunch with the pigs on the side of the river. and then we conquered rio pacualme at least 21 miles of rio... i have to say it was one of the most beautiful places i have seen. you really see God´s masterpiece as you raft through the rainforest. we then made our way back to fortuna. the czech couple ended up coming with us to arenal. we then had to say good bye to our tica family. it was slightly awkward, but I guess that it is how it goes. A guy in our class told us that all of our difficult experiences are building character in each of our lives. Boy did we build some character. i was glad he said it to us. i put some pictures of our family online. So with our heavy baggage and all we left our family. we met the czech couple for dinner and had fun learning about a new culture. i think it is my most favorite part traveling here. we have met so many people in such different walks of life. then...dun dun dun nahh!!! our hotel room... oh my gosh... can you just say, what a difference a room can make. a television, hot shower, balcony over looking the central park, comfortable beds with neon green sheets, and a fridge, and i cant forget the a/c. so incredible. natalie and i slept very well. besides the noise and freezing room, we really didnt care at all. just to be in a comfortable place where we could sprawl. it was just what we needed. plus it has a pool and area to lay out. nothing grand, but after our past week, it feels like luxury. i was outside today and thought how funny it was that our room (similar to like best western) could be so wonderful. i mean there are still electrical wires sticking out and reebar (spell check?) sticking out, but it was so worth it.
week two of class began today. i am so impressed with both of us. we really have learned a lot. i am able to hold a conversation with someone and really know what is going on and nat is getting better to. she understands but needs some time to respond. we have 3 new students that are at school with us. two girls my age from london. i now have a people to meet on my next adventure. yeah kel! after class we went to our hotel and did some homework, slept, and watched tv. we then went and watched a cultural dance at the park for their independence day. the kids from the school here danced away in their cultural outfits. the best part was when they would get confused and push each other into their spots or yell out what they needed to be doing. then we heard a guy give a speech about the country´s independence. he wouldnt slow down for us... all we understood was spain and blood shed. our class met for drinks... virgin pina coladas for us ladies and had a fun talk with our guide andre... he is the bear grills of costa rica, seriously... he told us tonight that he sometimes straps himself to trees to sleep. we also went grocery shopping... $25 and it should last us the rest of the week... sweet
my new best friend is skype... 2 cents a minute to call home... love it... natalie is being a good student and bypassed the internet cafe to work on her homework. i believe it is time for bed and i look forward to updating... and ps- to check out our pictures, you have to click on the picture and it will take you to photobucket.com. thanks for your continued prayers... we are doing so much better (or I am, nat was strong through it all) good thing.