Withdrawal Symptoms

Tuesday, I went through a very scary experience commonly known as withdrawal. Or at least, that's what I think it was... As you are already aware, I was given two medicines that have been banned in the US because of lack of evidence that the positives outweigh the negatives. They are pain-killers/anti-inflammatories are were very strong - they got the job done and my throat is 100% better now (minus a little cough here and there). But, here's the scary part - I stopped taking them on Monday, feeling a lot better and thinking that it would be good to save two pills just in case it came back when I wasn't close to a good hospital during my Semana Santa escapades, and I woke up on Tuesday burning hot then freezing cold, head spinning, stomach swirling, general miserable-ness. I spent the day with a fever wrapped cocoon-style in a comforter upstairs on my brother's bed trying not the vomit or pass out. All day I only ate two saltine crackers and a cup of tea which meant even if I tried to throw up, all I did was dry-heave. Not fun. I slept most of the day (luckily I don't have classes on Tuesdays) or watched TV or tried to walk around. The next day (Wed.) I had a test in my gringo class and was supposed to host a study group. I completely forgot to cancel it until too late and had to tell two of my buddies that they would have to fly solo or face the consequences of me sitting up for more than 5 minutes...

But that stopped the second I woke up on Wednesday, and I unfortunately had not studied much for the test, which I probably didn't do so hot on. Meg and I went to San Jose (after one of my freak-outs) to buy tickets for Nicaragua. They were sold out on Friday and Saturday as well, so we had to settle for tickets on Sunday at noon. You see, no Costa Ricans want to go to Nicaragua because they hate everything Nica, but there are a million or so illegal (or legal) Nicaraguans in Costa Rica who all want to go home for the Semana Santa (Holy Week, fyi). So we were actually lucky to get tickets. We couldn't buy the return tickets, so we'll have to wait until we get to Nica. I've reserved two beds in the International Backpackers Hostel and hopefully we'll be able to return on Friday so I can meet up with my parents who are coming down for a week! I'm a little worried, because Meg informed me that most of the national Costa Rican buses aren't running on Thursday and Friday of Semana Santa, so hopefully the international ones are still in service...

We walked around San Jose a little afterwards and tried on some of the most poorly made items of clothing I have ever seen. Then, we happened to stumble onto a moderately priced, adorably fancy Italian restaurant. We were treated to fine dining and we even splurged and bought a little bottle of white wine. I, of course, had some gnocchi which was so so so so good. Then we headed home and to Casona for just a bit because there was some German guy there who knew all my brother's friends from when they went to Germany with their band. He turned out to be really drunk and like 30 years old, so we bounced (after meeting Fabricio "how you say another word joke? kidding?" of course).

Now, here are my plans for Semana Santa which has already unofficially started for me:
Today, Meg and I leave for Puerto Viejo, a beach on the Caribbean side of the country. I have heard that it's full of stoners, hippies, and rastas, but that the beach is absolutely amazing. We will stay there Thursday and Friday night and come back on Saturday so that we can get ready for Nica on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to having a beach weekend before Nica because I'm sure that Nica will be un poco stressful. Well, now I have to go, because we have to go to San jose before we go to the bus to the Nicaraguan Consulate to buy a $25 visa for our trip.

Pura Vida, have a great holy week, and PAZ!
-E