Another update and it's not even Christmas!

Ok ok...I'm back. I really am bad at this blogging biz, huh?
But look! It's nearly 1:30am and I'm cranking out a good one for ya! It just simply must be done. So much has happened!

For those who were wondering, my dinner party/get-together was fab. I love hosting events like that! It's something I used to do in the states on a somewhat regular basis so it only seems natural to continue it here.

I can't remember if I mentioned this already, but my host dads have parted way. It has been a a sad and somewhat dramatic couple of months for them. After six years they are calling it quits. And no, it wasn't mutual. On a certain level, I learned rather quickly what it's like to be from a broken home. My allegiance formed instantaneously with the dad that stayed and I began to feel very weary of the dad that left. It was definitely an interesting process to experience for the first time. Now, with the inevitable selling of the apartment and dividing things (no doubt a messy process) looming on the horizon, I have decided to take my leave. For a couple of months my presence was without a doubt beneficial for the dad who stayed. We watched movies together and kept each other company, etc. But now, I am ready to move on out. Besides the break-up, I really want to live closer to work. This 40 minute bus ride each way is rather annoying and wasteful. Plus, most of the activities I take part in or want to take part in happen in the neighborhood where I work. So this Saturday I will be packing my things, calling a taxi and leaving "America." I'm sad to leave, but really excited for this change. Plus, I can't stand the dog here.

But that's the future. I would now like to take some time to regale you with the stories from this past weekend. Exactly one week ago my fellow WT volunteers and I gathered for our Midservice conference. This conference is about 4 days of "strenuous" evaluations and educational sessions on topics like Teacher Burnout and Re-evaluation of Goals...which all took place on the private ocean beaches of a beautiful resort called Alandaluz. This resort is located in a quiet coastal village called Puerto Rico which is just 20 minutes south of a well-known fishing/tourist community called Puerto Lopez. Needless to say, it was amazing and obviously too short. To those who are experiencing 20 degree weather with wind chills below 0...sorry. That really sucks.
This trip was relaxing. But. It was also adventurous...

On Friday of our conference, we had a break from 2-5pm. Most of us headed to the beach, cocktails in hand and freshly lathered with 80 SPF sunscreen tee-shirt in a can. I laid out on my towel for a bit just absorbing the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the heat from the sun, and the jovial conversations going on around me. I may have dozed off for a while...hard to say. Eventually, I found the energy to go for a swim. It was all I thought it would be...warm ocean water, crashing waves on my back and....a sting ray under my foot. Yup. Exactly what I was expecting. At first I thought it was just some slimy fish scurrying away from my size 1o's...but then I felt the piercing jab on my ankle. Expletives spewed forth from my mouth as I realized the initial puncture would not be the end of my pain. Apparently sting rays inject you with some volatile solution which is meant to incapacitate you for hours. I limped up the shore and headed straight to the reception desk for the local know-how. In Spanish, they explained that they were going to wash my foot and then they needed to get it really hot. They then started building a fire. I began to wonder what technique they planned on using. Then another guy said, "no, no, just use the candle." Ah, much better, I thought. As if the flame from a candle was more manageable than the fire in the fireplace. I gave them my ankle and they began dripping wax on the wound. Almost like a massage except I was in ample amounts of pain. They then took off the wax that had cooled over my wound and began this process again. After 20 minutes, they told me I could go rest in my room and continue the candle process if I wanted. Through gritted teeth I thanked them and hobbled back to the beach to retrieve my things and our room key. Once in my room, I grabbed my charging cell phone and decided to give my directors a holler just so they knew what was up. Well, they didn't take the news as nonchalantly as I had hoped and before I knew it, I was off to the clinic in Puerto Lopez with my director, Peter.
Well, all I can say is thank God for this clinic. (Drip that with sarcasm and you'll be on the right track.) We rolled into this hole-in-the-wall building with cement floors and completely open to the street outside. I sat on an examination table that, from my guess, was from circa 1978. There was a dirty baby scale next to me from that same era that I think was rejected from the Salvation Army ten years ago. Did I mention the flies? Yeah, they come standard with coastal towns. The doctor began examining my foot for any barbs which maybe still be embedded. After poking the puncture in my foot for about 5 minutes like it was a keyboard and he hadn't learned about the HOME keys yet, he began washing the wound. To do this, he reached for a used Gatorade bottle behind me that was filled with a yellow fluid. Soap? Sure. He then prescribed me some drugs. Not sure what. But we got them filled anyways and I took them religiously. Turns out these pills were anti-inflammitories mixed with a mild opiate. I was not complaining, let me tell you what.
This is probably why when this same director accidentally elbowed me in the eye on Saturday, I wasn't feeling too bad. But when I woke up Sunday and had a huge shiner, I knew the hit must have been harder than I originally thought.

In any event...it was a great weekend. Truly. For some reason lazy Sundays laying in hammocks, sipping on beer, being on the beach, hitchhiking with the friendly locals on the back of their trucks, eating Ceviche with shrimp and all sorts of other fresh sea food totally trumps the black-eye + sting ray attack.

And that's my story.