I
woke up extra early this morning to say goodbye to SL, which did not feel real
at all and was as if I was watching myself leave.
Today
was my last day in San Miguel… so I spent pretty much my whole time reflecting
on my time here and on everything that I have learnt and everyone that I've
met.
So
the majority of the day I must have appeared like a zombie and I feel like I am
getting ready to return to a foreign country.
I
helped DL pack up and clean the lab one last time. The Harker teachers
entertained me and one of them taught me to play a game of Crabbage, which is
the first card game with many rules that I actually enjoy.
The
Harker kids were pleasant too but I felt a little disconnected from them as PS
was starting to take over in my position, which was decided beforehand as he
would be involved working with them at their other field site once I leave. I
tidied up my final pieces in my room then gave PS the last of his
"presents" from me - from kitchen utensils to administrative
documents including species sighting lists for snorkelling etc.
In
the evening we had a fire, my last, which I built tall and proud - where I
loved once more at these silly American ghost stories… seriously, they should
just give up on these altogether. DL pulled me away for help, which was help
eating ice-cream with the cooks (I knew something fishy was going on). I was
given a card from the staff which I will cherish forever, but was very sad,
then we took some group photos. Before bed I helped M (and everyone else) to
finish the puzzle, which I saw as kind of symbolic of me and my time here, and
then I slept in my now empty room for the last time…
.JPG) |
| The L's, The Cooks And Myself (D.Philpot) |
.JPG) |
| The ATV Park Guard (D.Philpot) |
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| The Staff & Me (D.Philpot) |
I
was reminded of all the stuff I'd broken during this trip, which was more than
in my entire life easily, and included; my laptop, two pairs of good sandals,
three pairs of flip-flops, and two cameras at least…
I
will however withhold a proper "Month Summary" here seeming as I will
only have a couple more entries in this journal. I will provide a summary of my
time in Costa Rica thereafter.