To tell you about this weekend, I have to tell you about this week. It was an awesome time. I had fun every night. It started on Wednesday. Manuel and I decided to have an adventure in San Jose. After work, we hopped a quick bus downtown and have an adventure. We went for a walk and then I mentioned that my family was coming and that I´d like to find out where their hotel is. So we ended up looking for 2 hours for our hotel. He was so sweet and we eventually found it. After, there was a talent show in my school put on by the international club that was interesting to say the least. It was only funny because it was my friends doing their acts.
On Thursday, during breakfast, I heard that there was a basketball game between Costa Rica and El Salvador for Los Juegos Deportivos de Centroamerica, or the Central American Olympics. I convinced Manuel to go with me. We hopped a bus as soon as he was off of work at about 5. We rode down to San Jose center and asked around to find out where the game was. We took a bus to Hatillo Stadium and were able to see the end of the women´s game and the beginning of the men´s game. The style that they play is completely different from that of the states and it was so cool to watch. I was even able to explain the game to Manuel who knew absolutely nothing about basketball and also does not speak a lick of English. Outside of the stadium was also the pool that the news has had in the background for the past week and I was so shocked to see what I was just watching on tv.We then hopped a bus and a taxi home so that he would have time to go back and catch a bus back to his home.
On Friday, I walked downtown with my friends and we went out to pizza. We then went thrifting and spent sometime at the artisan market. Después, my friends Brittany and Shelby and I spent some time just hanging out in a park down there for a little while. We all decided to watch a movie at Brittany´s house after dinner. After a little bit of drama, though, Shelby and I ended up watching a movie at my place and splurging on some ice cream. It was a really relaxing Friday night, something that I haven´t had in a while.
On Saturday, I woke up early and met my teacher at 8:30 to go to the market with her and another classmate of mine. She drove us to an organic market and it was so cool. All of the farmers bring their own produce and people come to buy it because it is certified as organic. We even had some breakfast there of wraps and pitas that were to die for. I even splurged a little bit and bought veggies to eat for lunch during the week. After, my teacher dropped us off at the U and we walked home from there.
I decided that I wanted to get my hair cut right after the market. I joked with Manuel, who works 2 building away from the salon, that I was nervous that they were going to cut off all of my hair. Well, guess what. Call me superficial but after telling them that I only wanted my dead ends cut off and layers put in, I was shocked to see four inches of my hair cut off. I might have cried a little and, since mamatica never misses anything, received a pep talk for 10 minutes about how beautiful I am. She is great.
After growing up and telling myself that it was only hair, I got ready for a lunch date that my family invited me to. The couple that came over was amazingly sweet. The wife is tica and the husband is Spanish. Papatico and the husband, Jesús, didn´t only talk, they had what seemed like a heated conversation for about 4 hours. Hands were flying and they were talking so loud. Mamatica said that it was just because they both are from Spain. The wife, Sonya, the twins, mamatica, and I all spent the time talking and eating the amazing paella-like dish that mamatica made. I was so full. We chatted until the twins went upstairs to get ready for going out and I left for a date.
I went with Manuel and we went out to Popeye´s for dinner to remind me of home. I forgot how good chicken strips taste. We then walked downtown for a little while. Funny enough, he was pooped on by a bird, which is kind of common for us when we go out. We must be super lucky because here they say that brings luck. Unfortunately, it put a little bit of a damper on the day so we left and I went out with my hermanaticas. We went to a bar where I immediately realized that I would have to be really on with my Spanish because I was the only gringa. Good thing their friends are super fun and welcoming. I ran over to another bar to quick say hi to some other friends that were there and watched our friend Lucho play the guitar and sing there. I went back and my group decided to go to a different bar. This one was more dancing and music. It was so much fun. We danced and hung out until the bar closed at 2 am. I really like that group of friends. They were funny and super understanding with integrating me in when I don´t speak Spanish fluently.
Sunday, I slept in late. I got up and finally had breakfast around 11am. My papatico then invited me to go to mass with him and mamatica. We went to the church that is known as the Police church because it is in the same building as the local police station. Absolutely no separation of church and state here. After, they took me to a local mall that was a quick car ride away. We walked around and had McDonald´s for lunch. Papatico insisted that I have a double big mac, not just a big mac. He is precious. After walking in the mall for a couple of hours, they then drove me over to mamatica´s sister-in-law´s house. We had coffee there and chatted for a while. They joked that they kidnapped me for the day because I was gone until about 6pm when I agreed under the pretense that I would be only going to mass with them. It was funny, but definitely exactly what I was thinking. After coming home, I skyped with my family for a little while and watched the closing of the Central American games.
During the coffee time with mamatica´s sister-in-law, they talked about how mamatica was still shocked that I was still so white. After trying to explain to them that this is just how my skin is, and that it probably will not get any darker (even though this is the darkest I have ever gotten), she looked at me and said, "No, its just that you never go out." It´s true, I´m not like every other gringa that is always running to the beach because let´s be honest, it is so hard on my skin. This weekend, though, was a testament as to how much fun you can have not on the beach. I spent the whole week doing something and having fun without going swimming once. So, while by their standards, I am still incredibly white, I am having an amazing time.
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