Model UN weekend... "and China will give you kimonos..."

I think I just had the most academic weekend of my life, except maybe the weekend before the AP Government exam. My Model UN class (entirely English) had its first Security Council simulation, in which I acted as the lone ambadassor from Costa Rica. It was a lot of fun but definitely frustrating. I think the Russian Federation should just leave the United Nations. And Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. They refuse to compromise. Except Russia has veto power so this is probably not happening anytime soon.

Anyway, I was at the university in this conference from 4-midnight Friday, 9-8 Saturday and 10-6 Sunday... it would have been awful if I didn't love the class, professor, tutors and students so much. There is only one other American student, who is a good friend of mine (he was Burkina Faso so we sat next to each other during the simulation) and the Ecuadorian students are very nice and welcoming, moreso than other students I know here. I felt totally comfortable and interacted with a lot of different people. Saturday night we went out to a pizza place for dinner (and cerveza) and everyone took their turn standing up and talking about the class and being sappy, in Spanish (including me!) and we went to the house of one of the students and stayed out entirely too late considering the fact that we still had to be ambassadors the next day. But it was fun. We have a larger one at the end of November which is supposed to be the entire General Assembly.

I have an amazing weekend planned. I am going to Puerto Lopez with at least two friends, hopefully more! Puerto Lopez is a beach- I finally go to the beach!- and you can take tours to Isla de la Plata, known as "the poor man's Galapagos" to see the animals and swim and snorkel and visit an island!! Aaaaiiee! I am so excited. We are also going to go to the national park and spend another day on the beach. I am worried that my suntan lotion won't be enough, I have about five bottles of 30 or 50 but my host mom told me I NEED to buy 80, except I don't really have the money to this week, I am on a pretty strict budget. Even though it is ECUADOR, costs still add up like this-

$20 to $25 round trip bus
$15 to $25 2 nights in a hostel *probably $25, for a decent place*
$20 combined entrance fee to Isla de la Plata and National Park
$35 ish for trip to park (90 min boat ride each way, snorkeling, lunch)

So rounding up those prices is $105, not counting food and water which must be bought, and possibly having to take a cab back from the bus station, or to, and any other transportation near Puerto Lopez... ay. I have about $140 budgeted for it, it better be enough!

This week I have a lot to do with class- preparing for a MUN presentation next week and doing the Beloit app for the Nicaragua class next spring- before getting on a bus Thursday night... it will be busy! But I am so excited to finally go to the beach and do all these outdoorsy things! Pray I don't get fried like a lobster! I might have to find a way to get some better sunscreen...