iguana

joan,holly,iguana
Originally uploaded by hollybrekken.

Also at Santa Rosa. my friend's mom and I posing with the huge iguana in the tree behind us

santarosa

santarosa
Originally uploaded by hollybrekken.

Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Behind me is, among others- Rincon de la Vieja- a volcano we visited later.

monos

monos
Originally uploaded by hollybrekken.

a mama and baby monkey in the trees outside our hotel

myfavoritedaquiri

myfavoritedaquiri
Originally uploaded by hollybrekken.

Taking my first sip of one of my new favorite drinks. Pineapple-lemon daquiri. Oh man. Its great. Those and Cuba Libres...

playahermosa

playahermosa
Originally uploaded by hollybrekken.

this is Playa Hermosa, the beach that our hotel was on. I took this while sunning myself on a mat. Fabulous. Notice how dark the sand is- it is from the volcanos.

Costa Rica!!!

I am sitting in the library on a Friday night, it is snowing heavily, and the guy next to me is blaring Whitney Houston on headphones. Two days ago at this time I was sitting in an open-air restaurant eating the most amazing dorado-dorado and drinking my new favorite pineapple and lemon daquiri in 90 degree weather. Life is cruel like that. But at least I have a tan...

I'm not even going to attempt to describe the wonders of this amazing country, I would not do it any justice. And right now I don't have the patience in me to try... But I will try to post some pics for you.

Some of my favorite things from the trip:

• Chatting it up with the locals- my spanish is not as rusty as I thought it would be- I met some amazing people! Like the guy who I bought some necklaces from- Nic (I couldn't remember his name but he was from Nicaragua, so I called him Nic. He clued us in the the hotspots and we were supposed to meet for pool but we both ended up standing each other up)
• The beaches- body surfing, kayaking, jet-skiing, morning and late night strolls...
• exploring- we rented an suv- you really need one there the roads are steep, windy and full of holes- really fun.
• cuba libres- or 'lies' as they call them sometimes, lemon-pinapple daquiris, and pilsen (the local brew which is way better than imperial)
• monos and other critters- getting woken up in the middle of the night by the howler mokeys- then eating breakfast with them playing in the trees above our heads.

There is a lot more- but last night played a toll on my thinking abilities. See Kait for more about that.

I still believe

that generosity is its own reward
that kindness will prevail
that might does not make right
that a soft answer turns away wrath
that there is power in gentleness
that there is more to us than flesh and bone
that life will bring more happiness if lived for peace and not possessions

I still believe people of gentleness and faith can change the world one unseen, unsung, unrewarded kindness at a time and nothing in this world can make me stop.

Thank you for proving me right.

mmmm, more scuba in my near future...

scuba2
Originally uploaded by hollybrekken.

I've always wanted to fly. When I am scuba diving- I imagine that I am. Oh, it is a wonderful feeling. You are absolutely free- as long as you don't drop your mouth thingy (gosh my instructor would get mad when I called things thingys, ha ha ha).

It does require a little more concentration than I sometimes care for (don't get too carried away, right Eric?), but the closest to flying I have come yet!

January- I love you.

Wow. I have a feeling that 2005 is going to knock my socks off.
If the rest of my year goes anything like January has and will, I am going to have no complaints.
I started out this month, and the year, in Chicago with most of my closest friends at WSC 2005. What a great conference. New Years Eve was extra special because it served as a Salaam reunion. A good majority of the people I came to love this summer all got to reunite, and for those of you who couldn't quite make it, your presence was missed.
The conference was awesome in so many ways. Too many to list here. We had so many amazing conversations which got me really pumped about the direction that Aiesec US is headed in. One of the things that made this particular conference exceptional was our chair- seriously Maz, you rocked my world. She is the most enthusiastic, motivational, fun and crazy person I have ever met! Talk about ending on a high note- I left this conference feeling motivation that I have not felt in a long time!!!
The lack of sleep and close quarters caught up with me though, and as I hear, many other people as well: sickness. Its been a rough week, but its almost over. And no way does this put a damper on my January. Its given me an excuse to catch up on sleep and recharge. Plus get a few things done that I would not have had the time to.
So- more rockin January-ness: On the 15th I am bound for the beautiful Costa Rica! OOO- I can't wait. I'm packing up all my summery stuff for a few fabulous days in the sun!
Then I am back on the 20th to start school. Why does that get a showcase in the 'fabulous january' entry? Because (if all goes to plan) it will be my last 'first day'!!! I'm all ready to have an awesome last semester!
Two days later it is off to my cabin for the LC retreat. Always thrilling. Unlike most, I actually enjoy retreats. But I am usually not on the recieving end, which I plan to be this time, so it might be different. It is always fun hanging out with the LC though- particularly this year. We have such an awesome group!
That Sunday night I am back in St. Cloud for my work holiday party. I think I might try to have a little less fun than last year. But it will still be a blast!
And that following weekend, the last of January, is ICE FISHING!!! Oh man. I can't wait. Ice Fishing will be tops this year. With most veterans returning and plenty of new faces. Not to mention two of my favorite international men who may grace me with their presences. Oh the anticipation.

Not bad for what is supposed to be the coldest month of the year filled with post-holiday blues, eh? Not for this girl.