I LOVE COLORADO!

I am back in the States and absolutely loving it!

First things first, I believe that I have a new found appreciation for everything that comes with being in America. I can go get Wendy's at 1 o'clock in the morning if I'm hungry; if I go to the grocery store, there are way too many choices of bread (which I have realized is way better than two choices: molding wheat bread or stale white bread... hmm.... decisions, decisions); I can DRIVE MY CAR (which I missed oh-so-much); cell phones (although these are starting to annoy me a bit); everything is in ENGLISH! (even though I speak Spanish pretty well, English is just so much easier); I really missed my family and my friends; Starbuck's is heaven; I love American gyms; I can (usually) walk down the street without getting solicited by every man I walk past (except there is always the occasional car that honks and yells at you); Colorado has about 0% humidity (I can FINALLY straighten my hair); I live for Vitamin Water; internet connections are everywhere, and constant; the streets do not get muddy when it rains; movies in the theatre that are in English!; bookstores; and there is more, but I will stop here.

HOWEVER, there are things that I miss about Costa Rica, namely: waking up to look out on the balcony and see the ocean; days of torrential downpours when we just watched movies; watching the French channel; speaking Spanish every day; learning new things in Spanish; watching all the surfers on the beach; my girls (and Miguel); sunsets on the beach; hanging out by our pool; practically living in a bikini; Friday nights at Monkey Bar, all you can eat sushi for only $15; desserts at Pachanga; breakfast at Nogui's; jugo mixtos; hearing people say "con gusto"; snorkeling!; long walks on the beach....

Now that I am back in the states, I feel that I have so much to do before I leave, it's insane! I am working (a little), trying to do homework (I'm taking two self-paced classed to be completed in one year) which will not be finished by the time I leave, trying to figure out what I'm going to pack and bring with me, attempting to hang out with way too many people and still spend enough time with my family, driving up to Boulder to visit friends and pick up work, playing with a Delux puppy, going to the gym between 5 and 6 days a week with Jeremy, etc... It's all a little overwhelming, and I feel like time is going way too fast for me.

I flew to LA last week to obtain my visa, which was a fiasco and after spending about three and a half hours at the Consulado General de España, I finally got it. Afterwards, I spent some time with a few of my fraternity brothers hanging out in LA, which was really fun, and a total culture shock! I tasted some of the best tea I've ever had, and had some really authentic Asian food (most of it was good, a little different though). That was definitely an experience.

I have also been camping with my family, which was really fun. I love being up in the mountains, even though my allergies were driving me crazy!

We have been doing garage sales the past two weekends, which are interesting. The first weekend, we had SO many people and all these Mexicans showed up, so that was a great opportunity for me to utilize my Spanish skills, which was fun.

Other than that, during the week, I am attempting to complete all the tasks I have listed above, while still sleeping. I'm so excited for Spain, excited to start classes (because I'm a dork like that), excited to meet all the people from my program (I've talked to a few on Facebook, for you old people that is a social website where you can make friends and keep in touch with those who live in different states), and most of all, excited to get out there and experience a new way of life! If you guys want to see me while I'm in Colorado, just shoot me an email or call me! ¡Pura Vida!