The drama continues...

I am officially the worst go-kart driver ever. I had a blast last night at Formula Kart, but I truly am horrible. The first time around, I spun out so often that I might as well have been going backwards. I even broke part of the track in one of my many crashes. My claustrophobic helmet protected me, of course, but my reputation among the group was injured forever. I was put on the race track purely for entertainment value. My second time behind the wheel was much more successful; I managed to finish my laps without anyone having to help me out of a corner. It was a great night, complete with foosball games, chicken wings and a trophy ceremony for the fastest driver (Evan).

This morning I was completely blindsighted by an angry Patri. Last night, Alira came back to our house after go-kart racing. I showered (in ice cold water) and went to sleep, but Natalie, Amy and Alira stayed in Amy's room talking. I guess they were being loud, because Karen came out and shushed them multiple times. Apparently, Karen was up late studying and then couldn't fall asleep because of them. When we got home, part of the house's electricity was out (I wonder why). Marco woke up because of this and was trying to fix the problem. He couldn't fall back asleep because of their noise. Patri, miraculously, did not wake up, but she was livid when Karen complained to her this morning. These women are so dramatic. Patri went off on me the second I walked into the kitchen, saying we can't bring strange people into her house late at night. Karen had a test this morning; how rude of us to keep her awake. Finally, I told her...I wasn't with them. I was sleeping, but I knew that Karen had shushed them. They went into Amy's room instead of the kitchen so as not to disturb Patri, but instead they disturbed everyone else. Patri loses her temper before she even has the facts. Natalie came in the kitchen soon after and apologized. Patri said we always say sorry and never change. We tried to explain that we do try to respect her wishes. She was talking about calling Eric to complain about us. It was ridiculous. I wasn't even downstairs with them, and I felt like I was getting in trouble. From now on, we aren't bringing any friends in the house. I understood where her anger was coming from, but she blew up before she even knew the whole story.

After a busy morning, I met David for lunch at his favorite spot. I enjoyed a cheap casado con pollo and interesting conversation. David is applying for an internship that starts in January here in Costa Rica. It has something to do with human rights and Costa Rican government. He seems really excited about it. I didn't realize David loved Costa Rica so much. He wants to work here for six months, if he gets this position, before starting law school.

I helped Cesar today with some graphic design work. He taught me a little bit about the software program. I even got to authorize pages for the printer company in Mexico. Luis Diego is in Panama on a business trip, and Marilyn left early for an interview, so I got to leave on the earlier side as well.

I came home and helped Amy with the slideshow for our final dinner last week. The internet was being slow, though, which made it difficult to e-mail pictures. It's going to be a great slideshow. There were way too many funny moments documented this summer that I am sure will make re-appearances.

After the gym, I came home to find the house silent. Juanca, back from business in Tambor, and Patri were both resting in their room. All of the lights were out (surprise, surprise). Amy and I did our own thing, making sure to be quiet and not wake anyone up from their siestas. Finally, it was 6:30 p.m. We usually eat dinner around six, and we were starving. Patri had left dinner cooked on the stove, so we helped ourselves. Natalie came home from work a few minutes later. The three of us ate, washed our dishes and left.

A few minutes later, I heard Patri come into the kitchen. I went in to tell her that Ila's plane was a little delayed, because she is going to drive me to the airport. She proceeded to interrogate me about where all the food had gone. I was flabbergasted. I said...the three of us just ate. Patri asked again where all the food had gone. I repeated that we just ate. The food was in my stomach. Then, she yelled at me saying we took too much. There were still plenty of people in the house that hadn't eaten yet, and we ate almost all of it. For the record, I took one helping. Amy and Natalie took less than one serving, because they had plans to go watch the soccer game tonight at a wings restaurant. Patri was just looking for a reason to snap at us.

It's becoming a problem. Patri takes out all of her anger on the three of us. Usually, Patri encourages us to eat more and take seconds. She makes fun of me when I ask for less rice on my plate and tells Natalie she eats like a bird when she doesn't want a lot of eggs for breakfast. Now, we eat too much. I think Patri is upset about their money problems, but we paid to live in this house. Something is definitely wrong with their finances.

Now, Patri and Juan Carlos went out to eat because "there's not enough food for everyone." When they get home, they are going to take me to the airport to pick up Ila. Tomorrow, Ila and I are off to Tamarindo. I think getting out of the house for the weekend is necessary. Patri is stressing, and I don't feel like taking the brunt of her hostility.

I've grown accustomed to my life here. I like having my routine. I know my neighborhood and how to get around. My home stay has become my home (drama and all). I know a small group of people and can conversate easily with almost anyone. It's going to be sad to leave; I feel like I'm just getting started.

Pura Vida,
Lauren