The last blog from Central America

Hey again! Okay, so I might, once I get home, make one last entry to let you know en masse how Panama went instead of telling everyone ten times individually. But this will be my last message to you all from Central America! I'm almost entirely packed and ready to leave tomorrow. Today, we had a birthday barbeque (Thanks, LJ) :) for my host sisters' cousin who lives a few houses down. It was really fun! There were about twenty of his friends and my sisters, my friend Ruth (who lives with that family), and his parents and me. The parents just kept bringing out food and grilling different kinds of meats (Ruth and I discovered that we had eaten just about every animal normally eaten by the end of the lunch: turkey, chicken, cow, and pig). It was delicious and fun and made a glorious last day. Also, the younger brother (the one not turning 18) kept throwing little pieces of tortilla at everyone and me and Ruth just kept watching people trying to figure out what was happening. Hilarious!

So tonight, Ana Laura (my roommate) and I and maybe the other sisters if they want, and Ruth are going to watch Facing the Giants in Spanish, and then our parents get home from Nicaragua sometime later. Then, I'm going to give them their host family gift and have a little goodbye ceremony probably, and then go to bed.

Tomorrow here's the schedule: leave my house at 5:15 (yes, a.m. because Costa Rica does not respect my love of sleep), meet everyone in my concentration at 5:30 at the program offices, leave by 6 for the airport, fly out of Costa Rica on our 8:36 flight. Then, we fly into Panama City and spend the first night there.

Tuesday morning (the 4th) we fly and then kayak to our respective islands (our group of 15 plus two leaders will be split between two islands).

We spend the next five nights (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights) on the islands sleeping in hammocks under bug nets and using the dock-outhouses.

Then, Sunday morning we kayak and fly back to Panama City where we get to know the city and the Panama Canal that night and all Monday.

Tuesday morning (the 11th) we fly to Guatemala City where we meet up with the entire group of 51 students and three of the leaders. We all fly together back to Miami for Tuesday night. Once in Miami, those of us potentially having scabies, lice, and internal parasites (oh yeah, that's a new one we just found out about the other day) will spend the night taking 30 minute showers slathered in the special cream, picking out lice eggs from each others' hair, and beginning to take our anti-parasite medication.

Wednesday (the 12th) we spend together doing who-knows-what and that night we have a big talent show.

And finally Thursday morning (the 13th) I catch my flight from Miami to Atlanta and then to the QC and am (hopefully) home by 5 p.m.!

So...there you have it. My itinerary, or at least what I know of it. So yeah! For now then, I guess that's all I can really tell you. I'm really excited to go, even despite the bugs and outhouse situation, but definitely keep up the prayers for this next week! Thank you for staying with me through all this! I love you and can't wait to see you all again soon!