Besides the bug bites, snake threats and scorpions. . . she's still having a good time in Costa Rica.

I'm back in the village where the renewable energy course was held. I don't know if I'm getting all the fullfillment I was hoping for by volunteering at Rancho [X], but I am learning some cool stuff. I'm getting more enjoyment from the homestay I'm doing. I'm staying with a family that has a small farm, so on some occassions, I help the mother and daughter milk the cows in the morning. It's been really great staying with them.

The reason why I don't feel satisfied with the work I'm doing is because we've been building a house out of natural materials, which is great, but it is for the owners of the ranch. They're great people and they are doing a lot for the community, but I would rather be helping out more in the community. I skipped work for two days to help the family plant squash at another farm that is funded through the government. It was tough work as you can imagine, especially because they don't have much equipment. Literally, all they have is a shovel and a few machetes. The machetes are used in conjuction with a stick to cut the brush. I wanted to try it out, but was scared to get bit by a snake, especially since there are venemous snakes in the
area.

The family has much interest in opening up a guesthouse with the expectation that more tourists will come to the area. Their oldest daughter is working on a proposal to get funding/financing from the government. The village I'm staying at doesn't have a phone or internet, so I traveled to the nearest town with internet, which is
two hours away. I brought their daughter with me, so she could open up an email account, so she could email her proposal to the appropriate person in hopes to get things rolling along a bit faster.

Well, that was a quick summation of what I've been up to. I've been doing well with the expection of being attacked by ants and other miscellaneous bugs. I pretty much wake up each morning with a few more bug bites. Oh, and I killed my first scorpion yesterday - not to worry, it was a little one. I hope you are doing well and fill me in on what has been going on in your life.

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