Lisa Lisa Bo Bisa

I always wondered how a "day in the life" post would turn out for me.  Rounds of them have circulated through many blogs that I frequently read and I've always loved catching a glimpse into what someone else's "normal" was - stranger or friend.  But could mine be nearly as interesting to everyone else?  Doubtful, but I'll let you be the judge of that.  I did not remember to take many pictures.  ---------- Tuesday, March 27 5:45am: My alarm goes off and jolts me awake.  It can't be morning already.  I realize that I am freezing, as we had already taken off our down comforter when it got super warm out last week.  Note to self to wear more clothing to bed (or maybe actually put another blanket on our bed). 5:47am: Out of bed and head to take a shower.  There's no snoozing or wasting time laying in bed for me - I've never been one to do that, weekends or not.  Plus I'm terrified I will fall back asleep and be late...

Last Friday I finally saw a chiropractor, and oh my gosh, I had forgotten the amazing things they can do. I hadn't been to one since a couple of years ago, when I was rear-ended at a stoplight.  I remember being reluctant to see someone about my neckpain, having had no experience with chiropractic care and expecting the whiplash pain would go away after a few days.  But it didn't, and I finally made a call and was convinced to get evaluated.  Diagnosis was two torn ligaments in my neck, which caused the curve of my neck to go flat.  Freaky.  My first adjustment was terrifying.  Having your head yanked and cranked in all sorts of directions is bound to make anyone imagine the worst.  But I survived (and was told it would be impossible for him to break my neck doing what he was doing), and spent the next four months getting adjustments and massage therapy and loving it!  I had never felt better.  My headaches that I...

We spent a week in a little piece of paradise on a glorious get-away-from-normal-life getaway, and it couldn't have been better.  Some may consider Cancun to be a spring break party city, and may wonder why a girl like me would want to go there, but there is so much more to this place.  Plus, it's actually pretty safe to go there in comparison to much of Mexico.  Stunning white sandy beaches, various shades of blue water, prime scuba diving, Mayan ruins, delicious food, and adventure excursions galore.  We went there on our first vacation together several years ago and knew we'd want to go back someday.  Fast forward 3 years and there we were.  The place that won us over is the Sun Palace, an all-inclusive adult-only resort.  It's smaller than most resorts, full of adult amenities, and always feels serene.  This resort would normally be waaaay beyond our means, especially going twice, but because I have travel agent status, I...

Final post in this series, I promise.  Unless I think of anything else worthy of sharing, because my 30-something self doesn't really have anything as interesting to blog about. All in all, I had an amazing 2.5 years in Costa Rica.  It became my home, my new normal.  I ate a lot of rice and beans and plantains and yuca.   Yum.   I greeted everyone with a kiss on the cheek (it’s really an air kiss, touching cheeks).   I reluctantly drank warm milk (their milk is sold in cartons on the shelf and does not require refrigeration...somehow).   Maybe that's how my lactose intolerance started.  I opened two bank accounts and bought a cell phone.   I drove through massive roundabouts on the highway and dodged potholes like a champ.   I said things like, “Si dios quiere” (God-willing) all the time.   I bought skin-tight clothes like all the other women (once I had worked out a bunch and felt semi-comfortable ...

This series is getting a little long, but it's so hard to condense 2.5 years in just a few little posts!  Hang in there, if you're still with me.  I'll finish this soon, I promise. As you may have noticed in my email excerpts in Part 4, I kept pretty busy in Costa Rica.  I had a full classload which changed every 4-6 months, I did some traveling, spent time hanging out with friends, and just plain LIVED.  Because I was there on simply a tourist visa, I had to exit and re-enter the country every three months to renew it.  It was awesome, because my job would allow me a day or two to take a long weekend and go somewhere (usually north to Nicaragua or south to Panama).  I timed some of my exits to coincide with trips home for Christmas and another for Alicia's wedding.  Those trips home were amazing, the perfect time to cure any homesickness I may have had, and for the most part, I always looked forward to re...

The best way to remember some of my experiences is probably through the emails I sent home during my time in Costa Rica.  Here are the most interesting ones I sent home to family and friends. (I apparently loved exlamation marks and writing in all caps for extra emphasis at this stage in my life, so please excuse the excess use of both in the emails below.  I hope my writing has improved since then!)  March 2004 I hope life is treating you all well!!!   As always, it’s a joy to hear from you.   All of your emails somehow manage to make me feel just hundreds of miles away from home instead of thousands.   Anyways, here’s an update on “la vida en Costa Rica” which I’ll try not to make too long or boring!   Last time I wrote I think told you all about my new teaching job and how excited I was to start…well, scratch that!   What they failed to tell me is that this school is where all the kids with extreme learning/behavior/...