Reaching high

After five weeks, I no longer feel strange here. I have gotten used to everything. The tropical climate, the nocturnal noises, the physically demanding days, and the situation of living alone.

I have various projects that I am currently deeply involved in. More and more frequently, I am allowed to climb very tall trees to install cameras in a nesting box or replace the nest material for the upcoming breeding season. When climbing, you have an incredibly beautiful view over the treetops and the sea. The other day, I saw a sloth hanging high up in a tree canopy. Climbing is a good balance to the otherwise rather monotonous tasks I get here, such as feeding or peeling sea almonds.

Another project is surfing. At the moment, I use all of my free time to surf, as long as the conditions allow it. Now I already know a few surfers and have made some progress. It's really funny how you meet all kinds of people in different situations here. A surfer whom I guided through the station the day before. Luis from the small supermarket, sitting on the beach with his family. The man from the fruit stand, enjoying his after-work beer at the local pub. The best place to meet local people is the small supermarket, the 'Pulperia'. I recently bought an ice cream there and sat down with the other people at the table in front of it. A gray-haired, sunburned man asked me in English what I think of the area here. I replied, 'I really enjoy my time here. It's like paradise!' He shook his head and said, 'No, no, no. It is not like paradise, it is paradise!' Then one of the eight cats from the Pulperia jumped onto his shoulder and let him scratch it. By now, the people in the Pulperia sometimes ask me how many waves I have ridden today when I buy a can of coconut milk and a zucchini for my curry just before it gets dark.

The people here use the words 'Pura Vida' for almost every occasion: to greet and say goodbye, to say one is well, to express joy that the other is well, to acknowledge something, to express enthusiasm, to say that one takes everything easy, to say that it is a beautiful day, and so on. So you can imagine that small talk here is not possible without the words 'Pura Vida'.

There is a French bakery nearby where I am now a regular customer. Even though the pains au chocolat there look more like misshapen empanadas, I could eat exclusively from this bakery. However, I am starting to get a bit confused with all the languages when I speak French with the baker and some tourists.

Other than that, I also spend a lot of time with my plants, which are developing wonderfully since I converted an old rain gutter into a flower bed.