Life is tough....

Hola chicos! I don't have much time before my Spanish lab but I wanted to give a quick hello and say  I love yahs! Things are good and the weather is super hot. Spanish just got super hard with irregular verbs, it's really frustrating! Gah!!! Buttt talking with the locals helps, there always correcting u so it's super good to hang out. Well tonight's the big night I guess.... Everyones expecting me to Dance during the street performance tonight since I've been practicing for a while... But that makes me nervous! Lol, plus they use different gas here AND I just got new chains....and lots of people watch, so yah..... Lol it's nerve racking. But fun and challenging too :) tomorro some students r leaving so we get to spend happy hour in a swanky resort called ylang ylang and swim in there pool, only cuz our Spanish teacher is awesome and is pulling strings with the manager lol.

Well I gotta go, I still have not figured out how to put the pics I actually want on this hing, only a few show up and there not the ones I want to choose... Bah! So, someday lol.

Love yahs ;) ill write about tonight tomorrow or on the weekend! Xoxoxoxo

Zip lining and playa Carmen

Hola chicos! I hope everyone is well! We had a very nice laid back wknd! Well besides Friday, there was An amazing fire show and a party at this Argentinian woman's amazing house up on a hill over looking the ocean. She house sits for an American.... And throws big parties lol and has a live band a little bar and the whole works. Wut a life... Live for free and have sweet organized parties and make money tim it lol. So Saturday I just hung out in Cabuya, which is a tiny little town outside montezuma where our friend Kelsey lives. We went and splurged on an Italian dinner, drank some wine and sat on the beach, and watched the beautiful ocean and full moon. Lisa and I laughed our asses off for hours talking about hermit crabs, giant lizards and life on other planets.

Anyways Saturday was relaxing. I woke up super early and hitch hiked back into montezuma, to figures the only car in one hour was my teachers lol! So score!!! Then it was off to zipping with my friend Liz. She's my favourite. 47 years old, looks 35 years old, is super nice, loves yoga and Spanish and is a blast to be with , so naturally we partnered up for zip lining. It was included in school so we chose Sunday. She was sooooo terrified. Hehe but she did it and it was sooo fun :)

Last night as a team we went to Santa Teresa slash playa Carmen (same thing) and I'm so glad I finally went, I've been wanting to catch this sunset everyone raves about. Yes... It is a rave-a-ble
Sunset !!! Luckily Peter rakes these amazing photos so he gr some really neat ones of me spinning poi with the LED lights in my socks! I can't wait to get a copy and show my mom :)

Then boom!!!!! Home time, studied for two secs, tried to scrabble with Matt, and 10 secs later I was out for the count....

New day, new week, new Spanish class a d poi this afternoon /) I think now I am going to be more dedicated to studying te Spanish, cuz everyday I feel more and more excited to learn!!!! Djcidnkchwbdicjsnsi yayyyyy!

Love u guys :) thinking of yahs!

P.s ill try to post some photos later with my phone, I need a new app for that. Sorry all my good photos can't be seen until march when I have a computer :)

The fire show

Hey everybody :) things are going so good :) school has been great, Spanish is coming along and poi... And poi culture is making me totally happy. Last night the weekly fireshow happened when everyone takes over the streets, plays amazing music and lets the fire ignite! Everything and everyone from everywhere were going insanely creative and my jaw consistently hit the floor. I feel so priveledged to be here living my dream ... Actually. To be street dancing with Eli everyday, learning a language that will help me in all future travels and to be treAting my body with respect is so good for my soul. There's actually talk of some new friends just getting a place and actually not leaving till envision ..  To many good friends are becoming family fast. We love it here and eachother :)

For the poi-ers.... I learned today the concept of waist wrapping, pendulums and am starting to dial down buzz saws in every direction. Eli was disappointed I didn't light up last night, so he kicked my ass today and I have homework now for the weekend because.... I am one of the first to hit the street next Thursday.... So..... "Make it look sexy, move ur ass" looking sexy while learning is like.... Not easy, it's not easy ever, let alone with 200 ppl watching u and ur on fire ... So! Here we go. Cleaning up my dance and looking like a fairy basically is my homework LOL! Pretty hard life eh... We also watched an amazing Spanish movie today in Spanish class.... While drinking beer.  It sounds ridiculous sure... But u know what...

The things u love to do most in life SHOULD be that fairy tale like, so If ur laughing  at me and not with me and others don't feel the same about parts of their life, try changing something so u can laugh with me :)

I love u all :) I wish I could hug everyone of u and tell u in person. Ill write another one on Sunday, there's som big journeys till then ;) since its the wknd and we don't have school, surf instructor just this second beside me ( his names blue... Go figure ) told me its salsa night and another fire show....

I'm gonna find a Tico to teach me to salsa! And speak more Spanish... Wut a beautiful language.



Love u!!!!

To health and fun :)

I should write more often otherwise it's to much in 48 hours lol. I had a few friends ask what the hell I am doing over here in Central America so in short... I am doing a 2 month travel in the area beginning with Costa Rica at la escuela del sol to learn Spanish, practice yoga and enhance my fire dancing skills with lessons from Eli - a fire dancer that blew us all away last year at envision at Bahia ballena. And why I'm so stoked is that I am his only student right now in poi... So I'm learning one on one with my hero, by luck! It's not like I came here with a million bucks and ordered the best, I just got lucky in our super small school setting!! So after this I meet Heidi, Amy and Adam in Nicaragua.... Also by luck that they will be here! So yayyyyy! And coming back down to Bahia ballen to end with envision music fest and meet with the beautiful Ticos I have already met :)

So to continue... Spanish and poi Re goin awesome!!! I have an Aussie roommate whose in the surf school so hopefully I can mooch her skills and vice versa :) montezuma is awesome, small and easy to meet the locals, I have a new friend David who is making my hair look pretty cool with his awesome wrapping skills. It's been 30 and above but omg when they thought it would never happen... it downpoured for 10 mins tonight, such a lovely feeling! While trapped in the rain I got squished In a corner with a local who didn't know ingles, and u know what, I think we had a conversation! Awful and broken but we did it! Lol.

Yesterday (and the day before)... Allergies which I didn't know I ever had, almost killed me ( i guess from all the beautiful plants.. what a shame) my head was in the sky and all I wanted to do was sleep, but Gerry's ( my roomie) antihistamines, moringa and Tylenol blew that shit back to Canada. I woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed. Eli showed up and kicked my ass into some serious poi-ing. He taught me things I don't even know the names of... Lol but they will look sweet on fire. A "simpler" move he taught me was backwards boxing butterfly, which helps for some sweet variations, but it definately took me a solid half hour to even remotely get it, as he says "now make it look sexy! Move ur ass, it's not Terrible dancing... It's fire dancing" lol! We r going to video tape each other tomorrow for fun listening to his awesome tunes, he blows my mind, I guess he only started nun chucks for the first time two weeks ago....but  I bet he's better then professional ( if there are...) "nun- chuckers)..... Jaw dropping!

Ended the day with a cocunut, wAterfall hike and a 40 of imperial beer teaching Lisa ( new friend fro. Penticton) how to poi on the beach in hopes she's going to show me some hooping skills mañana!

Last but not least, whoever reads this tell grandma I love her times a million! And happy birthday! I love u and ur on my mind all the time!!!! The most young at heart women I know! Xoxox sorry I can't call, it's just nearly impossible, but this way ull have a bunch of relatives calling saying the same thing :)

Love ya all! Things are lovely, Spanish is quickly coming.... And no worries it is way more safe here then like... Simpson street in Thunder Bay so we, re good ;) plus my knifes bigger then a Ticos forearm... so to my family... Stop worrying! I love u ;)

montezuma!!!!

Hola!!! I arrived in montezuma today and it was fricken hot. Left at 6 am today in a blustery rainy beautiful mess after an amazing weekend in Monteverdi. The hiking and cool conditions didn't phase me, the rainforest was absolutely amazing. Saw some white face monkeys, the infamous sloth and the most luscious veg one could ask for! I went up with a brother and sister from Sweden who were very nice, very young, and great at Spanish , so they gave me some good lessons before school and its amazing how much u pick up. We also came up with a man who sat beside me named Ivan from Quebec, he's about my paps age and was so nice, a sculpture artist who was taken a bit of a break, we shared a bottle of wine and had some local sausage (I was skeptical but I survived). He was a great chat and I got to practice my French! I thought of Lesya Roberts the whole time and what a linguist she is, and hope we can speak In a " triangular" dialect one day hehe. Anyways so with my morninga and a banana I set off for the 6 am bus in the wind, made it to puntarenas, thank god for a nice Israeli man who could speak Spanish and helped me get from A to B when things got reallllly "local" before the one hour ferry to Paquera to be transferred to montezuma in a hot sweaty disgusting dirty mess.
I got here, checked in to la escuela del sol and ran for the ocean, I was so stoked... Met a girl from Burlington in the water, got my shoulders burnt, walked around met some Tica's and just... Watched. It's a happening yoga, surf and poi village for sure.... With thise three goals in mind I just took it in and said ya.... I can do this. It will be a hard month but so worth t. Also.... I am the only poi student being taught by the most maybe best poi performer in the whole world. His name is Eli, we saw him perform at Envision last year and all our jaws dropped!!!! I cannot wait to be one in one with this man for 90 mins a day non stop.... His girlfriend is a contortionist and they do partner poi together.... Like huh?!?! Also!!!!!!! Nick woolsley is in town right now doing aTen day workshop... A world renowned poi artist (playpoi.com).... Heaven!!!!! Anyways so... Here I am in my hammock listening to the ocean..... Pura vida!!!!!! Buenas noches. Tomorrow is day one of many, te amo.

Monteverde! avec les francais! I have been travelling with some french canadians and some from france, some aussies and some suedes! Its good! I have lots to say and the mountains are beautiful, but so is the wine and beer with new friends at our amazing hostel in my second and last night here so i must go fast, but i have lots to say! But i shall say it from Montezuma!

Je t'aime! Adios amigos!

San Jose

hola!

Arrived today safe and sound, the flight was short and sweet, it was cold in toronto for the first time in a week and the layover in El Savador almost made me toss my cookies it was so hot, or it felt so hot to me... it was 20 degrees when we stopped, and going up to 26, but i thought i was going to die. San Jose however, not so much, it was cloudy coming in and its windy and a little chilly right now. But last two times I was in San Jose I didn't find it hot then either. I won't be in the heat for three more days, i decided to take off tomorrow AM and go to the Cloud Rainforest and fingers crossed.... I SEE A SLOTH. That's my goal, be in heaven.... SEE A SLOTH. There so damn cute and I've researched them to no end... sooo I will get more detailed if i finally see one! I think I will be going on the paths less travelled so I have better chances of seeing the creatures I really want to, that would be Santa Elena. Theres amazing hostels, goood trails, and ten times less the people on those runs, soooo I might not get to see the crazy panoramics of the Monteverde Parc, but I only have one full day of hiking to do and goddamnit.... I WANNA SEE A SLOTH. And since ill be up and down the pacific coast for a month between my circus school and journeying on days off, I think this is my only chance to see the cloud forests because... the lakehead forestry goons are meeting up directly after i finish and nicaragua... so no more time for costa rica until Envision.

We will see what these savvy travellers have to say to steer me in the right direction tomorrow. Oh Yah... SO... I am at the Galileo Hostel once again. I'm sure its not the number one in San Jose, but its awesome, and good conversations FLY, theres a cute ittle bar with a well vegetated patio, its 10 bucks a night, they have two dogs, quaint and traveller-esque decor and clean dorms... Why would i totally reccommend this hostel? It is so damn easy to get here from the airport and get back (Located in La Sabana). It is a one dollar bus ride, If your coming to San Jose, book a dorm room.... When you exit the airport turn left down the sidewalk, go out to the main street, look RIGHT, ignore everyone hustling you and go where the busses are. Hop on any bus to San Jose or La Sabana San Jose, some busses say San Jose Alahuela and go to Alahuela.... but SOME of them go to La Sabana as well, make sure you ask the driver!

Heres how you do it. Write down where the hostels located and show the driver, theres no addresses in San Jose so... the location is: Avenida 2 (dos) Calle 40 (Cueranta) de la Soda Tapia (A Soda equals fast food little diner) de Sabana 100 mts este (506) 2248-2094. Youll get dropped off near the hostel, just say La Soda Tapia? And the bus driver should give you a point in the right way. Look for the Galileo sign on the corner. I wouldnt steer yas wrong ;)

Love yas! Dont hold your breath... but ill try to write as often as possible.