I’ve been studying in Italy for a few weeks now, and yesterday, because everyone else was studying, Avery and I woke up early and took the train to Pompeii. Unfortunately my camera wasn’t working so I didn’t get any pictures. But we will be going back in the spring, so if I can get my camera working, I can take pictures then. As we walked into Pompeii there was a sense of awe from all of the patrons. Pompeii is even more beautiful than I ever imagined it would be.

The shops still have marble countertops smoothed down flat, the houses have intricate patterns in one by one tiles, and you can see the wagon ruts in the stone roads. It’s like being transported back in time. We trailed a couple of the tours that were in English but eventually we went off on our own exploring the temples and even getting all the way to their coliseum and theaters. Mr. Guarnaccia told us that Pink Floyd played in the theatre there one time. What I would give to see a show there! It’s beautiful. After leaving Pompeii we decided to take a bus up to Mount Vesuvius. The bus is terrifying because it comes so close to the edge of the mountain; I didn’t think it was going to make it up those steep hills.

Read more about Courtney’s amazing day on her blog…

Don Jaime, the founder of Proyecto Asis, picked Safiya and me up for work this morning!  He has been on site every day, so far, and seems to be very involved with the day-to-day operations there.  Actually, it’s cool to see how dedicated everyone is, and easy to see why the project is going strong after seventeen years!

We did lots of cleaning today!  It took all morning.  It might have taken less time if I hadn’t been continuously set upon by the wildlife!  It seems that dreadlocks are a novelty to birds and beasts alike.  Mine were constantly in danger of being eaten…or nested in.  Either way, the morning cleaning was very lively!

It slowed down after lunch.  The students from Texas were around for most of the day today, so there wasn’t a lot of work left over for Safiya and me.   We had a leisurely lunch and caught up on some internet surfing, then did a bit more work before Don Jaime picked us up and brought us home.

Rosi and Fabio hosted the vet students for dinner in the evening.  We made tomales!  It’s not easy to fold those banana leaves; even harder to get them to STAY folded.  Even with all my previous origami experience (thanks Tom V.), my tomales were a bit misshapen and leaky.  I won’t know how they taste until tomorrow…maybe that’s for the best.

After dinner, Safiya and Laura found a common interest…Jenga!

I’ve only been studying abroad in Ireland for a little over a week, but I already have routines that come to me as easily as breathing. It feels like just yesterday that I was exploring my town on google earth and now it feels like I’ve lived here forever. Sometimes I think that I’m dreaming, but then I remember that rain doesn’t feel this cool or refreshing in my mind. Five months can seem like an eternity to study abroad, but then it feels like too short a time to experience everything this place has to offer.

Even though my mind is full of contradictions, I can definitely say that these are the top 10 things I love about Castleisland:

1) My host family and how the refer to me as ‘love’

2) The short walk to school that wakes me up in the morning and gives me energy after a long day at school

3) School that starts at 9:00, so I can get 8 hours of sleep even if I go to bed at 11

4) How the grass, in fact all plant life, is a vibrant green

5) The roaring fire in our living room every night

6) The candy shops with old-fashioned wood shelves filled with jars of candy that you can order by weight

7) A 45 minute lunch break with plenty of time to head into town and chat with friends

8) Soaps (the shows, not the cleaning kind) that everyone avidly watches

9) The tea, and the electric kettle that has hot water ready in just a few minutes

10) The rain! Yes, I even love waking up to and walking through a slight mist almost every day

Read more about Emily’s time in Ireland on her blog…

Excerpt from Saturday, December 24, 2011

Ah, our first day of rest here in Costa Rica! Safiya and I slept until a decadent 10 a.m. Actually, everyone slept in; Rosi stayed up late last night making tamales, a traditional food served in abundance during Christmas celebrations. She was tired, too!

There was a lot of cooking today, actually, and Safiya and I helped where we could.  Rosi es una buena cocinera, a very good cook!  I am definitely picking up some tips from her.  There may be hope for me yet.

In the evening, we went to visit with Rosi’s sister Cindi. We met more relatives, including this lovely bunch…

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…and we ate more good food!  I REALLY like it here! The one bit of discomfort—these!

Yes, something has been munching on me.  And here is why.  Yesterday, in a wild fit of gringa bravado, I was purposefully lax in my application of bug repellent.  I figured hey, the Ticos don’t seem to need it, I’m gonna be like them. I’ve been here all of five days. I’m probably immune to being bitten. So, I spent a large part of the day roaming around the project “unprotected”. Travel tip number whatever…don’t do that!

Our colleague, Adra, recently returned from her trip to Thailand and shares a bit of insight on Theravada Buddhism, temples and incense.

Did you know that 95% of religious Thais practice Theravada Buddhism?  All young men are required to spend at least one week of their late teens/early 20s at a temple, learning the ways of the monk-hood.

Temples are peppered all over Thailand, as well as stores that sell decorative offerings and offerings to the monks, most popular of which is a pre-packaged bucket.  Buckets are offered to monks as a way to get merit. In buckets,many items such as rice, washing powder, medicine, monk clothes, fruit juice, candles, matches, soaps, umbrellas, sandals, lights, milk, tins, toothpaste and brushes, water, toilet paper and noodles can be found. Bulks are wrapped with transparent paper.

When praying and requesting a favor to Buddha, Thai people take three incense sticks (ธููป), i.e one for the Buddha, one for the Sangha (สังฆ – Buddhist community), one for the Dharma (ธรรม – teachings of the Buddha), a flower (ดอกไม้ – orchid or lotus, which symbolizes the Buddhist teachings purity) and a small candle (เทียน – it symbolizes comprehension enlightenment). They lit the incense sticks and kneel three times and put the incense sticks in front of the statue.  For Buddhists in Thailand, incense is an important element of worship to pay respect to Buddha.