Thoughts.

Well, Mom won the cookie contest, and she's been requesting a new post so I thought I'd conjure one up. Also I know it wouldn't be fair of me to say I'm going to start writing again and then never post anything! The thing is, I want to write about my thoughts, but what are the main things taking up my thoughts these days? Here they are, in order of the amount of brainspace they occupy:

1. Exams

2. Hoping my ankle will heal so I can run and play soccer and do other fun stuff

3. Looking forward the end of exams and the beginning of summer

So you can see my dilemma: 1 and 2 are boring, and 3 just relates back to 1. These topics would definitely not make very interesting posts, unless you want to read long posts about - if I chose number 1 - the body plan of an echinoderm, or the recent dilemmas facing the modern beef industry or, if I were to choose 2, the many colours of the rainbow being displayed on my ankle these days. Actually, 2 doesn't sound too bad, now that I think of it. I could tell you all about the neat shades of blue, red, green and purple which have recently displayed themselves on the area between my foot and mid-calf. I could go on and on about how this silly joint of mine is still swollen - but has dropped from almost tennis ball-size to slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball - and how I am starting to suspect that this injured and re-injured (and re-injured and re-injured) ankle might be permanently engorged. Ugh.

No, on second thought, I won't talk about my ankle.

Who am I kidding?! You guys probably saw this coming, but I definitely have an exciting topic on my mind. Summer. I need to write about my upcoming summer adventures! I have a strong suspicion that this upcoming summer (which, by the way, starts for me in only 11 days) might just be the best one yet in all my twenty years. I AM GOING TO COSTA RICAAA!!! And working with SEA TURTLES!

Through the work of an organization called GoEco, I will be living in Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica, from May 6th until.. well, some point in June, and I will be volunteering on projects designed to conserve the Leatherback sea turtle population. The Leatherback turtles are in serious need of some conservation: they're an endangered species, mainly because of poachers who eat their eggs and use the shells of adults to make jewelry and other things. But these guys deserve to live! And not just because they are really cool... But they are. Check 'em out! They're huuuge! They can grow to be over 2m long.. but the babies are just tiny and adorable. I'll be living in a research station with other volunteers, doing night patrol on the beach, finding nesting areas and gathering data etc. on the babies as well as the mother turtles. I also hope to get in some surfing and travelling while I'm down there. I've heard a lot about the fantastic sun, surf, pineapples, and wildlife down in Costa from my family members who have been there (I think our family has spent about a year down there collectively in the past few years?) So, to sum this up: sunshine, sea turtles and more cool wildlife, surfing, fresh fruit, and a laid-back, chilled-out Caribbean lifestyle are all things I am really looking forward to for the summer.

Anyway, I don't want to give away too much now, because once I get down there I'll want to post some of my own pictures and tell you about the projects and the area in more detail! For now I will just explain to you - by means of a photo - the next reason why this just might be the best summer ever. Drum roll...

June 27th.

I can't wait!! Seeing Cirque du Soleil has been a life dream of ours for many, many years, and now Heather and I get to go see Corteo in Vancouver. So so so excited!

Okay, I hate to cut this short, but I really need to get back to #1... Exams. Studying. It's not exactly my favourite pastime... but hey, it's only for a couple more weeks, and then.. let the summer adventures begin!