Two reasons:
1) October is the rainiest month of the year here in Costa Rica, and that means the humidity has finally reached a level that my body can’t seem to get use to and thus is rejecting and lashing out by making my head feel like it is in a vice and my stomach slightly off kilter. I know it isn’t me it hates, it just doesn’t know how else to react.
2) Enid’s driving.
Yes, there is a story to go along with this, and I am glad I am alive today to tell it.
So Friday there were two presentations MUSADE was giving about an anti-domestic violence campaign, and I had helped with the preparation and was going to get to help with the presentation as well. Very exciting, since a lot of my practicum to date has been based in observation.
What we weren’t told, until 4:30 pm on Thursday, was that the first meeting was at 8:00 am in Upala, which is the northernmost town in this area of Costa Rica, about a half hour more north and you hit the Nicaraguan border. We were told that we would have to leave at 5:30 am sharp.
Now, to give you some perspective, by bus from San Jose, this is a 5 hour trip. Last time we did it in a car, granted with a couple of stops, it was a 3 and a half hour trip. This time we did it in 2 hours and 10 minutes. Thank god it was early enough that the roads were clear.
We didn’t leave at 5:30 am, but rather closer to 6 am, because one of our group was coming in from a neighbouring town and there just aren’t any buses prior to 5:30 am in her area. So she ran to MUSADE.
This, on top of Enid’s already un-Costa Rican need to constantly be running, seem to have brought out the speed demon in her and soon we were bouncing and whipping around mountain turns. Now, I am not exactly a slow driver, and I appreciate efficiency in getting from one place to another, but when you fishtail and have to swerve to avoid hitting a tractor trailer, IT IS TIME TO SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!
We all held our breath after that one and thanked god that there was a ditch on the side of the road we could have gone into had it been necessary, as oppose to well, nothing off the side of the mountain. You would think, this would have cautioned the women, but no, it didn’t, and we proceeded on at the same that makes your head rattle and your stomach want to strap on a parachute and jump ship.
I don’t think it helps the matter that we arrived at our location at exactly 8:00 am, only provides encouragement for the future.
The people for the presentation of course, all arrived at 8:45 am so that we could start at a “prompt” 9:00 am.
Oh Tylenol, how I love you.
4 comments:
yeah this is a story i will not be tellin mommy and daddy :p
lol...thanks. you are a smart sister
I love your choice of commments ... you are a good story teller. I loved the bit about the stomach strapping on a parachute and jumping ship!
I'm glad to hear that you lived to tell this tale and I am amazed that Enid is that good of a driver but at the same time, I'm glad for this exciting tale. The survival stories that cause one's throat to constrict in tension and fear - are an awesome read.
I am glad that you enjoyed the tale. But I think you were missing my point if you think that Enid is a good driver. Unless I misread some sarcasm. She is not.
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