Quiet nights in the villa ;)

Most nights, after class, Chad and I return to our villa and cook a tasty meal together and then retreat to our respective rooms in the villa to work on whatever is on our “to-do” list.  Most of the things on my list are things I never have time to do with the fast paced lives we live in the US.  Some nights I read or write, some nights I spend hours on the internet catching up on news, art, DIY projects, recipes, etc, and sometimes I go for a late night swim.  

One of our favorite dishes to make here, eggplant slop :)

My other fav, fresh everything!

Tonight we made burritos with refried beans and fresh veggies.  We have made some pretty delicious meals here.  It is fun to see what we can cook with limited resources and ingredients. 

My friend, Katie, introduced me to an interesting new beverage here in Costa Rica called Bamboo.  If this is anywhere in the US, I was unaware... Bamboo is simply a rum and coke but you buy it in a can, super convenient to-go cocktail for the non-beer drinkers of the world!

I had a girly night tonight (with Isla!) filled with nail filling and painting, and Pinterest.  For those of you that do not know about Pinterest, it is a wonderful website that my sister-in-law introduced me to that lets you organize and share all the fun things you find on line through virtual pin boards. For example, I have pin boards for Austin, recipes, DIY ideas, gift ideas, etc.  You should check it out!

For some reason my fingernails grow freakishly fast and strong here....?!?

As stated earlier, Chad and I started afternoon classes this week, so typically, I spend a portion of my morning at the pool swimming and studying. I have been going to the pool across the street from our villa as it gets better sun in the morning.  The hotel we are living at sponsors and hosts daily AA meetings in the “Tiki Hut” which is adjacent to the pool I go to in the morning and it just so happens that the meetings are held at the same time I usually head down for a morning swim.  It is really hard not to listen in as most people speak quite loudly as they tell their stories of addiction and recovery.  Many of the stories I hear revolve around people reminiscing on their past love and relationship with alcohol.  I cannot say that I completely agree with or believe in a lot of the practices of AA (every morning I hear the opening declaration of what AA means and is and who you have to be and what you have to believe in to participate) but I guess if it works for people who really need the help and support, more power to them.. For some reason I have always been freaked out by any sort of meeting/event where people talk/chant in unison.