I'm sitting here with my Papatico reflecting on my time in Costa Rica. I was thinking about what was my favorite part. I thought about the beaches and the mountains and everything. Then it dawned on me that what I was doing in this moment is my favorite. About 3 or 4 times a week, after 4 hours of classes, I just want to sit and chill. So, I come home, and watch TV, normally NCIS or CSI, with Papatico who is retired. We make origami stars or I work on homework or we just chat. The dogs are always here, either on the couch or laying on my feet making them incredibly hot. My mamatica is always in the kitchen doing something and usually Lorna is giving a lesson at the kitchen table. They usually end up making a great lunch and, even though they aren't supposed to, they invite me to eat lunch with them. These afternoons are what I've loved.
I decided to let Papatico know. I looked at him and told him that these afternoons that I spend with him are my favorites. He got the biggest smile on his face and told me, "Nina, oh, how happy that makes me. I know that I'm a little boring since I don't do much but I am so happy that you enjoy the time we spend together. I love it, too." (Roughly translated). Then, we went right back to normal and watched a little bit of futbol and NCIS. Sure, I've loved all of my time here, but these simple afternoons, or tardes sencillas, were my favorites.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
¡Que Dios Te Acompañe!
I cannot believe my time here. I've been on TV here, speaking Spanish. I've jumped from some incredible waterfalls. I've bruised my tailbone. I've danced Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, and mas. I've gone ziplining. I've gone to Panama. I've earned myself a tan (ask my family if you don't believe me). I've seen a night sky literally filled with stars. I've seen a rainbow that puts every other rainbow to shame. I've seen more beaches than I even have before. I've been electrically shocked by my shower more times than I can count. I've walked up a volcano. I've traveled through a cloud forest. I've seen monkeys, sloths, birds, cockroaches, fish, coral, dolphins, and more. I've had a sinus infection. I've gone snorkeling. I've stayed in some pretty crazy hostels. I've gotten sick from the water. I've stayed out all night and watched the sunrise over the mountians. I've made relationships in which I only speak Spanish. I have really lived "Pura Vida".
I'm officially down to the less than the week count down. As of today, it is officially 3 days. Pretty soon I'll be packing up my things and saying goodbye to the country that has become my home. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings that I've having. I'm so unbelievably excited to come home to the people that I love. I miss them more than I can explain. But that is the life that I have always known. Its nothing new, not like how everything I do here is brand new. I'm going to miss it here for sure.
I'm going to miss my Mamatica taking care of me all of the time. I'll miss watching NCIS with Papatico and making origami. I'll miss going out with Analia and Lorna all of the time. I'll miss the cutest little dogs, Simba and Inca, following me everywhere I go. I'll miss watching TV in Spanish and texting on my cheap little tico phone. I'll miss walking to the store and buy avocados to make some amazing guacamole. I'll miss the mountians that surround the city. I'll miss the parks and the buses too. I'll miss that everything is a test of my Spanish when I need something. I'll miss all of the amazing people I have met here. I will miss this beautiful country.
I know how I'll feel once I sit down in the car to drive home from the airport in Chicago: I'll be so sad because I have finally finished something I have been dreaming of doing for years. It'll feel like the end of your favorite movie, one that you never want to end. As I begin to accept that I'm leaving this dream, I've realized that while I'm planning on returning to Costa Rica, si dios quiere, I know that no matter what, it's been amazing. I've been supported by everyone, my family here and there. I'm so grateful for all of them.
Every morning when I left my tica casa, my mamatica would kiss my cheek and tell me "Que dios te acompane", which means "May God go with you". I cannot think of a better way to end my time here. It's been amazing and I loved it. The only thing now that I can wish upon people is that God goes with them. Entonces, que diosito te acompane!
I'm officially down to the less than the week count down. As of today, it is officially 3 days. Pretty soon I'll be packing up my things and saying goodbye to the country that has become my home. I cannot even begin to describe the feelings that I've having. I'm so unbelievably excited to come home to the people that I love. I miss them more than I can explain. But that is the life that I have always known. Its nothing new, not like how everything I do here is brand new. I'm going to miss it here for sure.
I'm going to miss my Mamatica taking care of me all of the time. I'll miss watching NCIS with Papatico and making origami. I'll miss going out with Analia and Lorna all of the time. I'll miss the cutest little dogs, Simba and Inca, following me everywhere I go. I'll miss watching TV in Spanish and texting on my cheap little tico phone. I'll miss walking to the store and buy avocados to make some amazing guacamole. I'll miss the mountians that surround the city. I'll miss the parks and the buses too. I'll miss that everything is a test of my Spanish when I need something. I'll miss all of the amazing people I have met here. I will miss this beautiful country.
I know how I'll feel once I sit down in the car to drive home from the airport in Chicago: I'll be so sad because I have finally finished something I have been dreaming of doing for years. It'll feel like the end of your favorite movie, one that you never want to end. As I begin to accept that I'm leaving this dream, I've realized that while I'm planning on returning to Costa Rica, si dios quiere, I know that no matter what, it's been amazing. I've been supported by everyone, my family here and there. I'm so grateful for all of them.
Every morning when I left my tica casa, my mamatica would kiss my cheek and tell me "Que dios te acompane", which means "May God go with you". I cannot think of a better way to end my time here. It's been amazing and I loved it. The only thing now that I can wish upon people is that God goes with them. Entonces, que diosito te acompane!
La ultima
This was my last weekend. I cannot even believe that I'm writing that right now. It was the last. Trust me though, it wasn't the least.
On Friday, I went to the Mercado Central with my class. After, I definitely needed a nap. Once again, this week wasn't too great for sleeping. After my nap, I spent the afternoon with Melvin but then came back home for dinner. After dinner, I went to Iron Man 3 with Anna and Jen. I was so tired that I might have even taken a nap during the middle of the movie. I had promised Melvin that I would stop at the bar that he was working at to say hi so instead of going home, I ended up there with him at about midnight. I stayed until closing when the bosses of the bar called me over and told me that I was going to have some drinks with them and Melvin. Apparently, now I'm a part of the family there. They were really funny because they were making fun of me and Mel the entire time. We ended up leaving at about 4 and I eventually got to bed at about 5.
On Saturday, I sleep in nice and late. At about 3, my friends Kristen, Anna, and I went to the bus which we rode to the Teatro Nacional to meet up with Melvin. He was sweet enough to offer to help us get to Heredia because we had no idea how to get there on a bus. Silly Gringas. So we walked a few blocks and hopped on the bus to Heredia. I thought that Melvin was just going to take us to the stop but he rode the entire way with us and waited with us until we found our friends. We met up with Natalia and Karin, two of our friends that we met in Panama. After thanking him about a million times, we left him to go get some food and leave for the party. We drove for about 30 minutes and finally got to INCAE, a small international business school. Apparently, every year, they throw an amazing party that is about all of the different nations. And yeah, it was pretty good. They had live bands and DJs and everything. We danced pretty much every type of dance you could. We were out until about 2 and then we walked back to the car and went to Tico Hamburgesa for some much needed food. After, we decided to go back to Natalia's and crash.
On Sunday, I made everyone get up early because I had plans to go out with Melvin for a surprise in San Jose. So, even though we didn't want to, we got up at 8 and drove back to SJ. We hopped a bus back to our neighborhood and I left with Melvin for the surprise. Pobrecito, I don't really do surprises very well and figured out that we were going to the Parque de Diversiones, the tican equivalent of an amusement park. So, we met up in SJ and got batidos, or smoothies. Fresh fruit smoothies, oh, how I'll miss them. Then, we got on a bus to get to the park. The motto of the park is "El nino sano ayuda el nino enfermo", or "The healthy child helps the sick child", meaning that all of the money that is made in the park goes to help sick kids. It is run by the government in order to support the children's hospital. The park wasn't as large as Six Flags, but it was still really fun. We rode on the big rides and even went up on the giant drop, even though I thought it was going to kill me. After, even though the park was owned by the government, we went to the mass that was offered in the church there. It was actually really funny having mass while there were people screaming from the rides about 100 meters away. To end the night at the park, we rode in the paddle boats. The pond was filled with fish that would even come up to the surface. It was fun. We then took the bus back to SJ were we went to Popeye's for dinner. Yup, still delicious. I ended up coming home after and just going straight to bed.
That was my last weekend in San Jose. I cannot believe it. It was so much fun but a little bitter sweet because I know that I'll miss it. I don't even have words to describe this feeling.
On Friday, I went to the Mercado Central with my class. After, I definitely needed a nap. Once again, this week wasn't too great for sleeping. After my nap, I spent the afternoon with Melvin but then came back home for dinner. After dinner, I went to Iron Man 3 with Anna and Jen. I was so tired that I might have even taken a nap during the middle of the movie. I had promised Melvin that I would stop at the bar that he was working at to say hi so instead of going home, I ended up there with him at about midnight. I stayed until closing when the bosses of the bar called me over and told me that I was going to have some drinks with them and Melvin. Apparently, now I'm a part of the family there. They were really funny because they were making fun of me and Mel the entire time. We ended up leaving at about 4 and I eventually got to bed at about 5.
On Saturday, I sleep in nice and late. At about 3, my friends Kristen, Anna, and I went to the bus which we rode to the Teatro Nacional to meet up with Melvin. He was sweet enough to offer to help us get to Heredia because we had no idea how to get there on a bus. Silly Gringas. So we walked a few blocks and hopped on the bus to Heredia. I thought that Melvin was just going to take us to the stop but he rode the entire way with us and waited with us until we found our friends. We met up with Natalia and Karin, two of our friends that we met in Panama. After thanking him about a million times, we left him to go get some food and leave for the party. We drove for about 30 minutes and finally got to INCAE, a small international business school. Apparently, every year, they throw an amazing party that is about all of the different nations. And yeah, it was pretty good. They had live bands and DJs and everything. We danced pretty much every type of dance you could. We were out until about 2 and then we walked back to the car and went to Tico Hamburgesa for some much needed food. After, we decided to go back to Natalia's and crash.
On Sunday, I made everyone get up early because I had plans to go out with Melvin for a surprise in San Jose. So, even though we didn't want to, we got up at 8 and drove back to SJ. We hopped a bus back to our neighborhood and I left with Melvin for the surprise. Pobrecito, I don't really do surprises very well and figured out that we were going to the Parque de Diversiones, the tican equivalent of an amusement park. So, we met up in SJ and got batidos, or smoothies. Fresh fruit smoothies, oh, how I'll miss them. Then, we got on a bus to get to the park. The motto of the park is "El nino sano ayuda el nino enfermo", or "The healthy child helps the sick child", meaning that all of the money that is made in the park goes to help sick kids. It is run by the government in order to support the children's hospital. The park wasn't as large as Six Flags, but it was still really fun. We rode on the big rides and even went up on the giant drop, even though I thought it was going to kill me. After, even though the park was owned by the government, we went to the mass that was offered in the church there. It was actually really funny having mass while there were people screaming from the rides about 100 meters away. To end the night at the park, we rode in the paddle boats. The pond was filled with fish that would even come up to the surface. It was fun. We then took the bus back to SJ were we went to Popeye's for dinner. Yup, still delicious. I ended up coming home after and just going straight to bed.
That was my last weekend in San Jose. I cannot believe it. It was so much fun but a little bitter sweet because I know that I'll miss it. I don't even have words to describe this feeling.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Como una tica
This week, I didn't exactly sleep very much. I didn't go to be before 1 am once this entire week. Part of it was that I just wasn't feeling any of the homework that I had been assigned. The other part was that talking walks with my friend when he got off work seemed way more fun. So, needless to say, Friday, was time to sleep. So, I went to class, quickly finished my presentation on El Salvador that I had finished about 2 minutes before class, and then came home. I took a 3 hour nap that was extremely necessary. After, I had planned on hanging out with Melvin until he had to work at 6. It began down pouring so we just hung out in the park under one of the giant trees here. After, I came home, ate an incredible dinner, and chilled out. It felt great. I was supposed to go visit Melvin at the bar that he works but I definitely fell asleep multiple times and didn't make it. I was so tired.
On Saturday, I woke up rather early since all I did was sleep the day before. I had some amazing breakfast (as always) and took care of some errands. I was supposed to go to lunch with Melvin but he wasn't answering his phone all day so instead I cleaned up my room and organized the mounts of papers. I even planned out packing a little bit. Not too much though, because I don't want to commit to leaving just yet. I also took a nap. Pretty relaxing.
For dinner that night, we had Analia, one of my hermanaticas, her boyfriend, Mario, and his family over. Before the dinner, I wasn't really certain if I was officially invited to the dinner. Sometimes, I just miss the little nuances like the difference between "we're having them over for dinner", meaning we or just us. So before dinner, I decided it would just be easier if I asked her straight up. She looked at me and said, "Little girl, of course you're invited." It was really cute. It only got cuter during the introductions when she introduced me as her "hija norteamericana" or her North American daughter. The dinner was amazing and so much fun. We had sangria, champagne, paella, pastel de tres leches, and more. The family was the funniest family ever. They all were teasing me because Mamatica told them that I am the bad influence on Lorna, my other hermanatica. This was only the beginning, especially when they found out that we were going to a concert at about 10pm after they left.
After they left, Lorna and I ran to change out of our family dinner clothing into our concert clothing. I finally got ahold of Melvin and we went to the bar in which he was working to discuss our plans. Lorna and I decided that we would go early and watch until Melvin came after work at 2 am. We went to this super shady club that was a short taxi ride away. We sat in the back of the club and just people watch. Melvin sent Lorna messages the entire time because he was worried that someone would carry me away. Shell, the main attraction, is a rapper/singer of reggae from Limon, Costa Rica. He started singing at about 2 am and immediately the atmosphere went from dance club to concert. I really liked his music. Melvin came and, since he sometimes helps out as a bouncer at this bar, he took us up to the VIP section. It was so cool. Melvin introduced me to all of his friends that work there. He is surprisingly popular because, according to him, "he is Costa Rica". How do I always make friends that say things like that? Lorna got really tired at about 4 am so we decided to leave. When we went outside, we met Shell, the singer. He was really cool. (See photos below)
On Sunday, I was supposed to go to Volcan Irazu with Melvin and Lorna. It was originally a surprise for me but I eventually got it out of him. I was all ready to go but then it started raining so we decided to go another day. Melvin was still going to come and get me so that we could go out together that night. Well, here comes another cultural miscommunication. He was 2 hours late and his cell phone was turned off. So, naturally I assumed I was being ditch and was really upset. Mis padres ticos were talking to me about not worrying about it and just letting it go. And then, I got a phone call that he was waiting for me. My familia tica must thing that I´m a nut case. So I went out with Melvin and watched the fútbol games and went to Rostipollos for dinner. Overall, it was a pretty good weekend.
This whole weekend, I kept rerealizing that I have very limited time here in Costa Rica. I started thinking about how I started this semester traveling literally every weekend trying to see as much of the country as I could. Now, I´ve calmed down and have started just enjoying the culture. I don't need to go to a beach every single weekend, nor do I really want to. I can just spend time with my familia tica and enjoy San Jose. I realized this weekend that I´ve stopped living like a gringa and am now living como una tica.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
A cada persona su propio
I made it until now, about 2 weeks before I leave, without any major cultural clashes. The only thing I can think of was being told that I couldn't cross my legs in church and having to always remind myself of that. Another was that people here think that shorts are inappropriate more often than not. Pretty minor if you ask me. Today, though, I had my first few golpes, or hits. What specifically they were about isn't really important. What is was how I felt. I was talking to my tico friend, Melvin, and we encountered our first disagreement. We were talking about showering and how often people should. Ticos here are very, very, very clean. It was weird how we both just couldn't see eye to eye on it. We decided that it wasn't anything and we just joked about it. After about another hour, we hit another bump. He obviously felt very differently than what I had been raised to feel. It was odd. I couldn't get past the fact that once again, we were completely different. We were on such completely different sides of the world on this issue, that I knew he was seeing me differently now. It hurt a little bit to be perfectly honest.
What I've come to realize is that I cannot judge anyone. Culture is something completely different for every person. It is what defines what you think and how you feel. No, I cannot be upset about us seeing the world differently. It's not my place to judge. I think that it just reaffirms the fact that you need to understand why you think something and why someone else may think differently. You just need to remind yourself sometime that every person is different. To each their own, or, a cada persona su propio.
What I've come to realize is that I cannot judge anyone. Culture is something completely different for every person. It is what defines what you think and how you feel. No, I cannot be upset about us seeing the world differently. It's not my place to judge. I think that it just reaffirms the fact that you need to understand why you think something and why someone else may think differently. You just need to remind yourself sometime that every person is different. To each their own, or, a cada persona su propio.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Ahora o Ahorita?!
Want to talk about confusing? Tell me the difference between ahora and ahorita. Sure, to the untrained eye, or that of google translate, both translate as "now". Here, though, time is a completely different idea. Ahora is like right now. Ahorita means soon, like in 5 minutes, 30 minutos, or 2 hours. I've heard that one of the biggest cultural differences is that time isn't money here, like it is in the gringo world. Ticos have all day. I'm not kidding. I know whether or not my teachers have lived abroad judging by how on time they are. Those that haven't, well, 15 minutes late to class is on time. At the beginning, this was difficult to understand. I would show up for class and the teacher wouldn't come for a while. I would go to meet my tico friends and would end up waiting for un ratito, or a little while. I would run home thinking that I was late for dinner and then be teased for running when 10 minutos is nothing. Going home will be quite the culture shock because whatever way you say it, ahora, ahorita, luego, or despues, all of these translate as now, right now.
Amor
Love is definitely cultural. Or, por lo menos, the way that we express love is. When we first arrived here, our orientation leader put up a statistic that talked about how often couples from different countries touch. 180 for ticos. For the US? Zero. Couples here touch a lot. Actually, everyone does, but couples especially. It is weirder to see a couple not touching than if they are holding hands, kissing, hugging, or anything else. And there isn't really a difference in location. Park? Sure. House for a birthday party with the family? Why not. It just doesn't faze anyone, unlike in our culture where PDA is a little controversial at times. Even the language is different. It isn't uncommon to call your boyfriend "Mi amor" which translates to "my love". Likewise, a girlfriend is commonly called "preciosa", "mi amor", "mi vida" or any other sweet thing that someone can think of. Names even go a little farther like "mi gordito" or "mi flacito", which translate to my little fat/skinny boy.
Whenever I go out with my tico friends, I get to experience it first hand. They never finish a sentence without a "piropo" or compliment. Furthermore, despite my objections, they refuse to let me pay. It makes them actually mad if I even try.
The biggest difference for me besides being complimented all of the time is definitely the eye contact. I am known for not exactly enjoying people looking me up and down. Here, there is absolutely no stigma whatsoever. People look and even stare without problem.
I really like this part of the culture here. It is different because I´m a firm believer that chivalry in the states is for sure dead. Here, though, if you are someone´s girlfriend, you get treated like a princess. I definitely think that el amor is better here than the love up there.
Whenever I go out with my tico friends, I get to experience it first hand. They never finish a sentence without a "piropo" or compliment. Furthermore, despite my objections, they refuse to let me pay. It makes them actually mad if I even try.
The biggest difference for me besides being complimented all of the time is definitely the eye contact. I am known for not exactly enjoying people looking me up and down. Here, there is absolutely no stigma whatsoever. People look and even stare without problem.
I really like this part of the culture here. It is different because I´m a firm believer that chivalry in the states is for sure dead. Here, though, if you are someone´s girlfriend, you get treated like a princess. I definitely think that el amor is better here than the love up there.
Mi país
On Monday of this week, I went out with my hermanatica, Lorna, to the bars. She and I have become pretty good friends and we always go out together. This time, we went so that we could meet up with her friends for someone´s birthday. I still have no idea whose. We went to Terra U, a three story bar on La Calle, or the street with all of the bars near Universidad Costa Rica. There, we met up with her friends that I have meet before. We drank, talked, and danced some salsa together. Her group of friends are great. I´m like the little pet gringa. They all talk to me and put up with my broken Spanish. They even get me to dance and always include me. I really like going out with them. This time, though, ESPN was playing on the TV behind our table. For those of you who don´t know, I love ESPN. I watched it every morning before going to middle and high school. Here though, I don´t know what channel it is on. So naturally, I was a little excited to have an imperial in my hand and watch it.
A story about baseball finished and the coverage of the bombing at the Boston Marathon started. It felt like my world stopped. I was watching the different footage while all of my friends were still dancing around and talking. I was watching people from my country getting hurt and they were talking about which beer is better. It was a little weird to feel so out of place. I was glued to the TV because I had missed all of the news coverage earlier that day and wanted to know what was up.
Normalmente, I try not to associate with the USA. It´s not exactly my favorite all of the time, but none the less, it is still home. Watching the tragedy in Costa Rica, though, made me feel something a little different. Normally, it would´t have bothered me much, but since I was with people who had no idea what my home is like, I felt oddly connected to the states then. I guess that even though I hate that this violence is always happening there, I can´t deny that the states are mi país.
A story about baseball finished and the coverage of the bombing at the Boston Marathon started. It felt like my world stopped. I was watching the different footage while all of my friends were still dancing around and talking. I was watching people from my country getting hurt and they were talking about which beer is better. It was a little weird to feel so out of place. I was glued to the TV because I had missed all of the news coverage earlier that day and wanted to know what was up.
Normalmente, I try not to associate with the USA. It´s not exactly my favorite all of the time, but none the less, it is still home. Watching the tragedy in Costa Rica, though, made me feel something a little different. Normally, it would´t have bothered me much, but since I was with people who had no idea what my home is like, I felt oddly connected to the states then. I guess that even though I hate that this violence is always happening there, I can´t deny that the states are mi país.
"Pruébame y olvídelo"
This weekend it finally happened. I´ve been putting off leaving the country for my entire time here and I finally had to do it. On Monday, I heard that we didn´t have classes on Thursday. So in two days, I planned to skip town on Thursday to leave the country and just miss my class on Friday. The only problem was with who I would go and where we could go. I really wanted to go to Nicaragua but that filled up before we even got to pay. Panama it was. As for who I´d go with, I´ve come to realize that you can judge a person´s character by how willing they are to help you out when they know your situation. Luckily, I´ve made some pretty amazing friends. So, Anna, Kristen, and I ran around to pack and get out US dollars and get ready. We left Thursday morning at about 5 am.
Exhausted and nervous was the best way to describe the ride. The night before, I stayed out a little late talking to my tico friend Melvin. By the time I got home and finished up packing, it was about 1 am. I woke up every hour because I was so nervous. Technically, I was rather illegal and didn´t know how leaving the country would go. We shared a cab and rode to the station to catch the bus. From there, we drove for about 4 hours to the boarder. Kristen, being as considerate as she is, gave up her ticket so a man with a cane didn´t have to stand the entire time. So we watched as she fell multiple times because the bus driver was pulling some pretty crazy stunts. It was so funny. I was able to eat an adorable little breakfast that Mamatica packed for me, complete with sandwich, napkin, straw, and drink. She spoils me. We got to the boarder where we had to get off the bus, get a stamp to leave the country, and cross a bridge that was a little on the sketchy side. We met one of the guys that was affiliated with our contact in Panama before we went to the bridge. We had no idea what his name was, so we called him lil Papito, because, if we understood correctly, he is the son of Papito, our contact in Panama. Yes, our contact se llamaba Papito. We crossed over while lil Papito carried our bags and talked to us. We had to wait in line to get the new stamps on our passports for entering Panama. In the lines on both sides, we made friends with some people from Sweden and Belgium who were staying at the hostel attached to the bar that we were going to on Saturday. After getting stamped and paying the $3 to enter the country, we quickly ran down to get some water from the corner store close by because it was boiling out. We were definitely gawked at by all of the locals in the market. It was a little uncomfortable. The upside, though, was that they use dollars in Panama. To be completely honest, it was a very weird feeling. Have you even noticed how small a dime or quarter is?? I completely forgot how to pay with that money. I even forgot how to look at a price and not immediately start to convert the price into dollars. It was a very odd feeling to know that something that used to be so normal was now so different to me. After a few minutes, we met up with Papito and he drove us in his truck to the port that would have water taxis to Bocas del Toro, our final destination. Papito taught us slang that they use in Panama. According to them, you can call a girlfriend ¨mi pastel¨ which is a cake. So not true, Papito.
We rode on the water taxi to Bocas and met the next contact that took us to our hostel. We arrived at about 3pm but were so exhausted. We watched some NCIS and CSI Miami and relaxed. Then, since our hostel had a kitchen, we went out and bought some pasta and sauce to make dinner. It was a nasty, dirty kitchen, but we had a feast of pasta, chips and salsa, and nutella. So good. After, we were so tired that we slept and watched TV. We may or may not have been in bed by about 7pm. No shame whatsoever.
We woke up the next day and got ready to go on the tour that was included in the package that we had. We made some amazing tortilla and nutella sandwiches for breakfast and nutella and bread sandwiches for lunch. We waited for our guide and went over to the boats. We got in and quickly made some friends with some ladies from Alajuela, an area about 40 minutes from San Jose. We went out and rode to Bahía de Delfínes, or Dolphin Bay. My friends had told me that there are always a ton of dolphins. I was a little disappointed at the beginning because I hadn´t seen any. We were about to leave and then all of a sudden we saw two groups of three. They were so cool. I´ve never seen dolphins in the wild before. It was pretty cool. We then rode to a restaurant that was on stilts over the water. We ate our little sandwiches and befriended some other ticos that were spending time in Bocas. They were so much fun. Our little group of three, plus Ron and Cintia, and another group of Natalia, Pablo, and Karen. We learned phrases ¨pachucu¨ which is like the gangster slang here. It was so much fun. We even laughed so hard that I spit water out all over Kristen. Poor girl. After lunch, we went back out and got ready to go buceo, or snorkeling. It was gorgeous. I loved snorkeling more than anything. We had and hour to go out and just explore. Anna even showed me a type of animal that grows out of a tube and when the water pressure around it changes, it goes back into its hole. So we spent most of the time looking for that animal. We were the last ones off the boat and so they pulled up to us to make us get in. Too bad, getting into boats is something that I have never been very good at. I was the joke of the boat ride because it took like three different tries. None the less, it was fun. We then went to Red Frog Beach and got to go swimming. The rip tide was really strong and we got pulled out a couple of times so we spent most of the time playing on the beach. Our group of 8 was now officially a group. After that, they dropped us back off on the island the we were staying on and we went home to shower and change. We made plans to meet up with our friends later that night so we decided to splurge and go get some dinner. We went out and when we were looking for dinner, we got yelled at from some people up on a balcony of a hotel. It was our friends. We went up and had some beers with them but were quickly kicked out for being too loud. Typical gringas. So we got some dinner and then headed to the bars. It was a great night. We got home at about 4 am.
We slept in on Saturday until about noon. Then, I´m ashamed to say, that we spent most of the day just watching NCIS inside our room. It was raining so a beach wasn´t really an option and we were just too lazy to do much. In all honesty, though, it was great. We went for a walk later during the afternoon and got some ice-cream. We looked out at the sea that surrounded our island for a little while also. We then got ready and went out for a great dinner with Ron and Cinita because the others had to go back home already. After dinner, we went back to get bug spray because the bugs in Bocas could almost carry you off if you weren´t careful. We then spent some time with Ron and Cintia but when they told us they weren´t going to the bar that we were planning on going to all weekend, we parted ways. We had to go to find the amor de la vida de Kristen, who was a bartender at this place, Aqualounge. She also had friends from San Jose that were staying there and our other international friends were there too. It was pretty fun. We met people from Panama and Uruguay. It was definitely a good time. We got back home at about 4 or 5. I hopped in the shower and we slept for 2 hours because our boat ride back was at 7 ish.
After packing, we rode back on a different bus that Papito hooked us up with. It was huge, and air-conditioned, and beautiful. We had some McDonald´s for breakfast and rode to the boarder where while we were waiting, joked around with lil Papito. Then, after passing through and paying $3 more, we got onto our bus and I slept almost the whole way to San Jose.
This weekend was so much fun. There is a saying in Panama when you are going to drink something that is ¨Try me and forget it¨. It means that you are drinking this for only a short time and then you can forget it after. After my friends left, I was pretty homesick. It kills me to admit it, but I really missed them as soon as they were gone. Going to Panama was exactly what I needed to remind me to have fun with some new people now. I definitely tried Panama and forgot about my homesickness, which was amazing. ¨Pruebame y olvidelo¨ was just what the doctor ordered.
Exhausted and nervous was the best way to describe the ride. The night before, I stayed out a little late talking to my tico friend Melvin. By the time I got home and finished up packing, it was about 1 am. I woke up every hour because I was so nervous. Technically, I was rather illegal and didn´t know how leaving the country would go. We shared a cab and rode to the station to catch the bus. From there, we drove for about 4 hours to the boarder. Kristen, being as considerate as she is, gave up her ticket so a man with a cane didn´t have to stand the entire time. So we watched as she fell multiple times because the bus driver was pulling some pretty crazy stunts. It was so funny. I was able to eat an adorable little breakfast that Mamatica packed for me, complete with sandwich, napkin, straw, and drink. She spoils me. We got to the boarder where we had to get off the bus, get a stamp to leave the country, and cross a bridge that was a little on the sketchy side. We met one of the guys that was affiliated with our contact in Panama before we went to the bridge. We had no idea what his name was, so we called him lil Papito, because, if we understood correctly, he is the son of Papito, our contact in Panama. Yes, our contact se llamaba Papito. We crossed over while lil Papito carried our bags and talked to us. We had to wait in line to get the new stamps on our passports for entering Panama. In the lines on both sides, we made friends with some people from Sweden and Belgium who were staying at the hostel attached to the bar that we were going to on Saturday. After getting stamped and paying the $3 to enter the country, we quickly ran down to get some water from the corner store close by because it was boiling out. We were definitely gawked at by all of the locals in the market. It was a little uncomfortable. The upside, though, was that they use dollars in Panama. To be completely honest, it was a very weird feeling. Have you even noticed how small a dime or quarter is?? I completely forgot how to pay with that money. I even forgot how to look at a price and not immediately start to convert the price into dollars. It was a very odd feeling to know that something that used to be so normal was now so different to me. After a few minutes, we met up with Papito and he drove us in his truck to the port that would have water taxis to Bocas del Toro, our final destination. Papito taught us slang that they use in Panama. According to them, you can call a girlfriend ¨mi pastel¨ which is a cake. So not true, Papito.
We rode on the water taxi to Bocas and met the next contact that took us to our hostel. We arrived at about 3pm but were so exhausted. We watched some NCIS and CSI Miami and relaxed. Then, since our hostel had a kitchen, we went out and bought some pasta and sauce to make dinner. It was a nasty, dirty kitchen, but we had a feast of pasta, chips and salsa, and nutella. So good. After, we were so tired that we slept and watched TV. We may or may not have been in bed by about 7pm. No shame whatsoever.
We woke up the next day and got ready to go on the tour that was included in the package that we had. We made some amazing tortilla and nutella sandwiches for breakfast and nutella and bread sandwiches for lunch. We waited for our guide and went over to the boats. We got in and quickly made some friends with some ladies from Alajuela, an area about 40 minutes from San Jose. We went out and rode to Bahía de Delfínes, or Dolphin Bay. My friends had told me that there are always a ton of dolphins. I was a little disappointed at the beginning because I hadn´t seen any. We were about to leave and then all of a sudden we saw two groups of three. They were so cool. I´ve never seen dolphins in the wild before. It was pretty cool. We then rode to a restaurant that was on stilts over the water. We ate our little sandwiches and befriended some other ticos that were spending time in Bocas. They were so much fun. Our little group of three, plus Ron and Cintia, and another group of Natalia, Pablo, and Karen. We learned phrases ¨pachucu¨ which is like the gangster slang here. It was so much fun. We even laughed so hard that I spit water out all over Kristen. Poor girl. After lunch, we went back out and got ready to go buceo, or snorkeling. It was gorgeous. I loved snorkeling more than anything. We had and hour to go out and just explore. Anna even showed me a type of animal that grows out of a tube and when the water pressure around it changes, it goes back into its hole. So we spent most of the time looking for that animal. We were the last ones off the boat and so they pulled up to us to make us get in. Too bad, getting into boats is something that I have never been very good at. I was the joke of the boat ride because it took like three different tries. None the less, it was fun. We then went to Red Frog Beach and got to go swimming. The rip tide was really strong and we got pulled out a couple of times so we spent most of the time playing on the beach. Our group of 8 was now officially a group. After that, they dropped us back off on the island the we were staying on and we went home to shower and change. We made plans to meet up with our friends later that night so we decided to splurge and go get some dinner. We went out and when we were looking for dinner, we got yelled at from some people up on a balcony of a hotel. It was our friends. We went up and had some beers with them but were quickly kicked out for being too loud. Typical gringas. So we got some dinner and then headed to the bars. It was a great night. We got home at about 4 am.
We slept in on Saturday until about noon. Then, I´m ashamed to say, that we spent most of the day just watching NCIS inside our room. It was raining so a beach wasn´t really an option and we were just too lazy to do much. In all honesty, though, it was great. We went for a walk later during the afternoon and got some ice-cream. We looked out at the sea that surrounded our island for a little while also. We then got ready and went out for a great dinner with Ron and Cinita because the others had to go back home already. After dinner, we went back to get bug spray because the bugs in Bocas could almost carry you off if you weren´t careful. We then spent some time with Ron and Cintia but when they told us they weren´t going to the bar that we were planning on going to all weekend, we parted ways. We had to go to find the amor de la vida de Kristen, who was a bartender at this place, Aqualounge. She also had friends from San Jose that were staying there and our other international friends were there too. It was pretty fun. We met people from Panama and Uruguay. It was definitely a good time. We got back home at about 4 or 5. I hopped in the shower and we slept for 2 hours because our boat ride back was at 7 ish.
After packing, we rode back on a different bus that Papito hooked us up with. It was huge, and air-conditioned, and beautiful. We had some McDonald´s for breakfast and rode to the boarder where while we were waiting, joked around with lil Papito. Then, after passing through and paying $3 more, we got onto our bus and I slept almost the whole way to San Jose.
This weekend was so much fun. There is a saying in Panama when you are going to drink something that is ¨Try me and forget it¨. It means that you are drinking this for only a short time and then you can forget it after. After my friends left, I was pretty homesick. It kills me to admit it, but I really missed them as soon as they were gone. Going to Panama was exactly what I needed to remind me to have fun with some new people now. I definitely tried Panama and forgot about my homesickness, which was amazing. ¨Pruebame y olvidelo¨ was just what the doctor ordered.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Chao for now
Three month have come and gone. So have my friends. The majority of the students that came to Veritas with me this January were only going to be here for three months. This weekend I had to say good bye to them.
To say the least, it was weird. Sure, I've only known them for three months, which is minuscule compared to my friendships from home. But see it from this angle: Mark Twain once wrote, "The best way to find out if you like people or hate them is to travel with them." Traveling with someone is how you get to know them. You find out how to push their buttons as they are pushing yours. Yes, sometimes while traveling with my friends, I was going to scream, just as I'm sure I made them want to scream. But these trips together were where I grew the most with these people. We always ran into problems, such as injuries, hostels with questionable beds, buses without seats, or even just having no idea where we were. It was in these moments where we eventually had the most laughs. Our two favorite sayings were "I promise we'll laugh about this some day" and "There isn't anything you can do about it, so just take it". When I look back at my time with my friends, I am so grateful for it all, both the ugly and beautiful moments. Like how after every time at the beach, we all almost always ended up completely fried. Or when Brittany gave us a show we'll never forget. Or when Chelsea and I spent a whole bus ride in accents. When Josh, Shelby and I had wars of pick up lines. When Rosie and I made a pact at the beginning that we would hold each other's hand whenever we could, and did. Or the night that we spent just sitting in the hostel rooms taking crazy pictures. Or every single bus ride that always ended up with Shelby, my eternal bus buddy, and me completely car sick. Or the time I bruised my tailbone jumping from a waterfall and needed my friends to just promise me it would be funny some day. Or just all of the nights we've spent looking at the stars in disbelief that we were in Costa Rica.
This weekend has been just a parade of good byes. So, now that they are gone, you can understand how empty San Jose feels. Its a weird feeling knowing that about 50 of the people that I am used to seeing every single day are no longer here. Thank God, though, that we all decided that it isn't goodbye, its just chao for now.
To say the least, it was weird. Sure, I've only known them for three months, which is minuscule compared to my friendships from home. But see it from this angle: Mark Twain once wrote, "The best way to find out if you like people or hate them is to travel with them." Traveling with someone is how you get to know them. You find out how to push their buttons as they are pushing yours. Yes, sometimes while traveling with my friends, I was going to scream, just as I'm sure I made them want to scream. But these trips together were where I grew the most with these people. We always ran into problems, such as injuries, hostels with questionable beds, buses without seats, or even just having no idea where we were. It was in these moments where we eventually had the most laughs. Our two favorite sayings were "I promise we'll laugh about this some day" and "There isn't anything you can do about it, so just take it". When I look back at my time with my friends, I am so grateful for it all, both the ugly and beautiful moments. Like how after every time at the beach, we all almost always ended up completely fried. Or when Brittany gave us a show we'll never forget. Or when Chelsea and I spent a whole bus ride in accents. When Josh, Shelby and I had wars of pick up lines. When Rosie and I made a pact at the beginning that we would hold each other's hand whenever we could, and did. Or the night that we spent just sitting in the hostel rooms taking crazy pictures. Or every single bus ride that always ended up with Shelby, my eternal bus buddy, and me completely car sick. Or the time I bruised my tailbone jumping from a waterfall and needed my friends to just promise me it would be funny some day. Or just all of the nights we've spent looking at the stars in disbelief that we were in Costa Rica.
This weekend has been just a parade of good byes. So, now that they are gone, you can understand how empty San Jose feels. Its a weird feeling knowing that about 50 of the people that I am used to seeing every single day are no longer here. Thank God, though, that we all decided that it isn't goodbye, its just chao for now.
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