Pura Grad School

Costa Rica.  Just the name rings of a certain kind of life.  "Rich Coast".  Sand between my toes, sunshine, cold beer, and fresh fruit.  Pura Vida.  Pure life.  I love Latin America and coming here to study peace surrounded by like minded people in the land of plenty seemed, well, magical.  So magical that school work wouldn't even be work. HA HA HA!  It is wonderful here.  So wonderful that when I have to read instead of going to the beach I feel spurned.  So wonderful that when I wake up from my siesta in the hammock I panic when I realize I was supposed to be reading 70 pages for class!  At least I can drink coconut milk and hear the monkeys from my desk.  I know, I have it tough.  But I am serious.  It was so difficult trying to rectify the fact that I am a graduate student in Costa Rica.  These two things don't quite meld.  It's funny hearing students talk; and professors for that matter.  The professors are constantly telling us to enjoy our weekends and get out and see Costa Rica.  Then they remind us that our paper is due by midnight Sunday.  Quite a juxtaposition.  Students make plans to go to the beach for the weekend or to see turtles laying their eggs only to realize on Friday that they will be tied to their computer.  The two times I have been to the beach I brought my homework and I was not alone it this.  It's so funny to see us lugging around our school books with our suntan lotion and towels.  This Friday many of us took a break from our paper writing to play ultimate frisbee.  It was so nice!  We ran ourselves ragged and admitted we were drowning in work.  We bonded in our graduate school burdens and then headed back to our studies.  It is quite lovely.  Learning balance is difficult.  One could easily read and write all day and night and not do the extra curricular activities.  Extra curricular activities are what keep me sane.  I never imagined my sobriety of these days.  Gone are the days of wine with dinner and beer after soccer games.  I need to keep my wits about me so that I can produce!  After finishing my thirty page paper yesterday I met some friends to watch the Costa Rica vs Brazil soccer game.  I drank 2 beers.  I was totally buzzed and a little hung over this morning.  I like to think I was hungover from paper writing.  And look, here I am writing again!  I just can't get enough of it!

Orgainica Cafe - where work gets done

My very own hammock!
Today is my day.  I was going to go away for the weekend but instead I hung my hammock.  I am doing nothing.  Actually I am reading a book for pleasure!  Later I will go to a friends house to cook dinner and watch a movie.  Tomorrow I will read 70 pages and right summaries for Monday.  Tomorrow.  Today a coconut fell from a tree in my yard and I machete - ed it open and drank the milk.  Tomorrow I will begin injecting coffee into my veins again.  Today I am in the present and loving every dry second of it!

Comments

  1. carolinaOctober 8, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    Nice, Jenn!! Love the photos, and I know exactly what you mean about being in paradise with way too much work to do. I was supposed to drive over to Telluride this weekend with Mallie to enjoy the fall colors and visit friends and have a much needed break, but by Friday I had to admit I was too behind on a million things and I had to cancel my plans. Also it started snowing in the mountains and I didn't want to get stuck anywhere.... sigh.

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