OK, so I'm not invincible

The semester is well underway and has been off to a good start; all the internships are in place and we are working hard to prep for other details and future trips. But I have been Stateside for the last couple weeks, rather unexpectedly and unplanned, but quite necessary. I've been taking a sick leave from work, with much encouragement from my family and friends and coworkers. My lingering respiratory issues (bronchitis, allergies, and asthmatic symptoms) had gotten pretty bad, making work and basic breathing difficult, and I hear that breathing is pretty essential to living.

Doctor & respiratory stuff...

After going to a doctor, getting an x-ray, and receiving prescriptions for my aggravated bronchial tubes, we discovered that I never really recovered from the bronchitis I had a few months back, apparently. And the 6500ft elevation on our CRC mountainside wasn't allowing my respiratory system to heal, nor the windy environment that is likely to foster mold, dust, and other seasonal allergens that were aggravating my bronchial tubes and straining my breathing. 

(Retrospectively, it’s no wonder why I was huffing and puffing on that Punta Mona hike in and out in January! I felt terribly out of shape, especially just walking up from that bus stop, and that wasn't the norm for me before I had bronchitis. And the few times I rode the bike Mel so kindly left behind, I ended up with what I was calling "asthma attacks," experiencing strained and pained breathing for the next several hours following the wheezing workouts.)

So with support and permission from CRC Director Lindy, I quickly made arrangements for some sick leave. My Gramma purchased a plane ticket for me to come stay with her in California through Feb. 28. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, I took a quick 10-hour itinerary through Phoenix to Hollister, CA (about an hour south of San Jose, CA). Fastest trip I've made in a long while! San José, CR to San Jose, CA!

Bye bye, Costa Rica for a couple weeks...

Landed in San Jose, California, waiting to be picked up by the aunties.
There was a motorcycle motorcade, all done up USA patriotic-style.
(Not sure why, but yup... welcome back to the good, ole US of A!)

Ahhh, home sweet Gramma's

My aunt, who is a respiratory therapist, convinced me of the need to be at sea-level (as opposed to the mountainside), helped my lungs, bronchial tubes, and overall respiratory system recuperate and get healthy while taking medications and not having to worry too much about work stuff (I kept forcing myself to push the CRC out of my mind, as so much planning for March's madness--not of the basketball type but rather with the grand Dedication ceremonies and field trips, etc. etc.). 

Three generations: here I am with Tía Kati (my aunt Kathryn) and Gramma
(Photo courtesy of my uncle Russ)

Things in California were pretty restful--aside from Gramma's hybrid car's battery dying, and the ailing scooter that required replacement at the end of my stay, one of my aunts also backed into her closed garage door. I spent my days sleeping, watching old movies and musicals with Gramma, walking the dogs, grading school papers and homework with my Auntie Susi, and reading in the lounge chair on the back patio in the mild, but sunny, California weather. Cleaning (thoroughly sweeping, dusting, and cleaning patio furniture so that I could relax out back) and lots of baking and cooking were also involved, as was shredding no less than two dozen old checkbooks that Susi had from a few years ago before she moved. Also, amidst running errands and picking up things that can only be acquired while Stateside, I had a couple doctor's appointments and got a second opinion, as well as much-cheaper prescription refills!

The first morning I was there, I woke up to FROST on the backyard deck.
What IS this stuff?! Brrrrr! (Oh yeah, I guess it is February!)

Gramma's back yard. Needless to say, I pruned the well-overdue lavender while I was there.

We got a few really nice days in a row, in the upper 70s!

Watching old movies with Gramma...
(not that this one is an oldie so much as the films we love to watch
with big stars such as Cary Grant, Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, etc.)

Grading papers with Susan.

Yes, I love gallo pinto so much that...
I cannot live without a taste of Costa Rica for just 12 days.
So I made a batch. (Not quite the same as Mario's.)

Susi in the kitchen at Gramma, dishing herself some of the food I prepared.

mini muffins!

Susi and I went digging through old documents and found this treasure...
a newspaper clipping of my mother's birth announcement!

Reading on the back patio, basking in the mild February sun.

Reading to learn and apply...

Jimmy basks in the sun with me on the back patio.

Kisses with Susi's dogs, Ginger and Hermie.

Lovin' the lap dogs...
Hermie = size a lap dog should be.
Ginger = not so much. But still just as cuddle-able!!

It has been crazy to think that I've been Stateside since it was rather spur of the moment and I am not really going "home" or anything. This was a really good, restful and much-needed break from work, recuperating and regaining my health. I have definitely regained lung capacity, am not as cough-y, and have restored energy (getting uninterrupted sleep every night really helped)!

I definitely experienced a couple bouts of culture shock, during such an unanticipated visit Stateside. I forgot how to cash a check, and spaced out at how to run my debit card to pay for groceries, since supers in CR always run the card for you, and require ID. And they were confused when I instinctively handed my CR ID and debit card, the cashier pointing to the swipey-machine for me to do it myself, which I had forgotten my PIN. Whoops! And the lady at the post office thought I was crazy for a number of things, including not knowing how much standard postage was these days. I was very comforted by the fact that the environment in Hollister is predominantly Spanish-speaking, and nearly everywhere I went, I felt very at home with so much Spanish being spoken around me. 

Commodities acquired only in the USA.

Psalm 103:1-5:

1 Praise the LORD, my soul; 

   all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 
2 Praise the LORD, my soul, 
   and forget not all his benefits— 
3 who forgives all your sins 
   and heals all your diseases, 
4 who redeems your life from the pit 
   and crowns you with love and compassion, 
5 who satisfies your desires with good things 
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Thanks for the support from family and friends. It makes life so much more enjoyable and I’m so comforted by the support.

Amen.