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| me, Sam, nearly 10 |
1. There will be plenty of reading time on the road.
2. There will be tons of mountains and I hope to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. I will see things I've never expected.
3. I get to sleep in my sleeping bag every night (soooo cozy.)
4. Road trip snacks are definitely my favourite (especially granola bars, dried fruit, and chocolate covered things.)
5. I'm going to be a Junior Ranger at many US National Parks.
6. There will be fantastic wildlife photography opportunities. Some of the animals I hope to see include sea turtles, monkeys, crocodiles, and coatis. I'm going to take a lot of photos and will publish them on this post and maybe make some books.
7. Soccer is the most popular sport in Costa Rica so it will be no problem finding lots of kids eager to play.
8. I'm looking forward to ziplining for my birthday!!!!
9. I'll get to spend lots of time up close and personal with the wildlife through volunteering at wildlife rescue and care centres and observing around our house and on hikes.
10. There will be mangoes every day.
11. Lots of our friends and family will visit and I'm sure we'll have lots of adventures to share.
12. I'm going to have 4 main projects, I think. a) Write a wildlife creatures field guide on this blog (of animals we see) b) Make lots of friends though soccer and in the town c) Learn Spanish d) Learn everything I can about the ocean (including snorkeling in it and maybe surfing and maybe underwater photography!)
The downsides:
1. There will be SO MUCH driving.
2. I would prefer to sit in the front seat instead of the back seat.
3. It's going to be really hot in Costa Rica and I really don't like the heat. I bet I'll spend a lot of time in the ocean.
4. I'm a teeny bit worried about venomous creatures and also not being able to understand people.
5. I think beans and rice might get boring after awhile.
As you can see, there are more upsides. Let's do it!!!
Dear Sam!
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing!
I hope I can go ziplining when I come to Costa Rica! I don't think I have ever done it. I bet it is fun.
I admit, I am very excited about learning to surf. That is one of my goals for Costa Rica, though I am not hopeful. I think it might be tricky. Still, I already know I love body boarding, so I know I will have fun in the water. I am also looking forward to snorkeling. I have given my own names to the fish I see here, and I tell myself stories about what hte fish are doing. There is a set of fish that look like they are answering emergency calls to vacuum the coral. They swim along in a school, and then all of a sudden, they all dart to the bottom, furiously jab at the coral with their mouths for less than a minute, and swim off, then suddenly all dart down to the bottom again for more emergency vacuuming. It is funny. they wear yellow and light blue stripes. I imagine it is their custodial uniform.
I have found out about myself that when the temperature goes over 40 degrees C, I can't do anything. I like to think of myself as intrepid, but when it is that hot, I get out of breath just standing outside, and I get spots in my eyes. How can I be intrepid if i actually almost faint in the heat? It is a blow to my self-identity. I think Costa Rica will be cooler, but I am planning to swim every day. We can go together!! Do you think we could take pictures of underwater things? do you have a book about underwater things? I have one about the pacific coast, but I left it at home. Darn. I love to learn the names of things I see.
Oh! That reminds me, the bookshop at the Scripps Ocenaographic institute in La Jolla, California, is pretty good!
I am looking forward to seeing you in a few months!
Patti
Sam, can you tell me more about what it means to be a junior ranger? That sounds exciting and cool and kind of official. I'd love to hear about your duties. :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the drive!