It has officially been raining for the past 3 days practically NON-STOP. I'm not just talking rain like drizzle, I'm talking torrential downpour; rain so loud you can't hear yourself talk; rain so loud it roars. You'd think that after a really heavy period the rain would dissipate, but here it just pulls off a little and then comes back full force for just as long. I have never seen rain like this ever.

It's been a frustrating time. For anyone who knows me, I am not one who enjoys rain or being cooped up inside - especially when I'm in Costa Rica and want to be out and about experiencing everything!!! But for my last days here I have sat inside, all activities canceled, doing little more than last minute Dawley work and wasting time.

But it hasn't been all bad. Yesterday the rain stopped for about a 4 hour period. For a moment the clouds left and revealed blue skies. This lull coincided with our morning birding hours and the bird team experienced our best morning for birding ever. It was non-stop action with birds hitting the net every 3-5 minutes. We caught 26 birds, a new day record (including the days when we did afternoon birding which we were unable to do here in La Selva due to the rain). While the elusive trogon and motmot avoided our nets, it was still the high I needed after the preceding miserable days.

For me work is done. We've just finished our presentations and our last quiz. The rain continues and I am left to shower, pack, and spend the rest of the evening as I please. The group will probably convene later in the evening to play mafia and other games as one final hoorah. We are a very cohesive group and I have been fortunate to be part of yet another fine group of UC elite.

I come home tomorrow which I am very ready for. We are leaving an hour early since the recent influx of rain has caused mudslides and flooding in some areas so we are afraid are primary route may not be accessible. There is a longer route that we can take instead as a back up hence the earlier departure. Keep your fingers crossed that traveling tomorrow runs smoothly! These last rainy days have been dreary enough to make me homesick and ready for the States. I've been living off Nutella which has been a God send and has curbed my other cravings somewhat, but the desperate need for non-cilantro laced food persists. I can't wait to for food. I am such a food-oriented person it's scary. I am wary of hitting the books immediately upon my return but my overall excitement outweighs that fear.

Check facebook for more photos later and other than that it's homeward bound for me tomorrow morning!!!