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.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
"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.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
"Why are you so white?"
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Adultos de Tercera Edad
In my last class, we went on a field trip to a Retirement home. It was a conversation class so we could literally do whatever we wanted so long as we were talking. We went on the last Friday of class that we had. I´m so glad that´s what we decided to do.
We arrived at the home at about 9 am with our fruit and yogurt we brought as gifts. Our teacher introduced us to a few people and then basically set us free. I began speaking with one woman that used to have exchange students also. She told me how much she loved the students that she had from the US and Europe. She told me how they impacted her and that now she missed them so much. As I was speaking with her, a man came over and introduced himself. After flashing the biggest smile I have ever seen, he told me that he knew someone that would love to meet me. I followed him over to a man that was drinking coffee in the eating area. This man took one look at me, finished his coffee, and decided to take me on a walk. We walked around the home and saw the men working and the garden. He paraded me around, showing me off to all of the other men. He told me how beautiful I was and always laughed at whatever I said. He kidnapped me from the rest of the group for about 40 minutes. My favorite part of talking with him was when his face lit up when I told him he had the same name as my tico friend, Manuel.
After my walk with him, I convinced him to come play cards with the other people and me. We played ¨Ron¨ or what I´m pretty sure was gin rummy. We played that and dominoes for a good chuck of time. Manuel was right next to me laughing at everything I said for the entire time. There was also a man that my teacher befriended. He was the jokester of the group. He told us that he was a ballerina and singer but then denied it when we asked him for a song. He eventually sang to us, with his mouth that only had one tooth left. He also surprised me when he came up behind me to sing to me and I didn´t see him until he was right behind my face. My scream almost gave him a heart attack, or "ataque de corazón" according to him.
These people were the cutest. They loved talking and telling us about everything that they knew. They were so happy to have people to talk to that they spoke so quickly that they were almost impossible to understand at times. It was cool to see that they were happy to receive us, even if we didn't speak the language all of the time.
We arrived at the home at about 9 am with our fruit and yogurt we brought as gifts. Our teacher introduced us to a few people and then basically set us free. I began speaking with one woman that used to have exchange students also. She told me how much she loved the students that she had from the US and Europe. She told me how they impacted her and that now she missed them so much. As I was speaking with her, a man came over and introduced himself. After flashing the biggest smile I have ever seen, he told me that he knew someone that would love to meet me. I followed him over to a man that was drinking coffee in the eating area. This man took one look at me, finished his coffee, and decided to take me on a walk. We walked around the home and saw the men working and the garden. He paraded me around, showing me off to all of the other men. He told me how beautiful I was and always laughed at whatever I said. He kidnapped me from the rest of the group for about 40 minutes. My favorite part of talking with him was when his face lit up when I told him he had the same name as my tico friend, Manuel.
After my walk with him, I convinced him to come play cards with the other people and me. We played ¨Ron¨ or what I´m pretty sure was gin rummy. We played that and dominoes for a good chuck of time. Manuel was right next to me laughing at everything I said for the entire time. There was also a man that my teacher befriended. He was the jokester of the group. He told us that he was a ballerina and singer but then denied it when we asked him for a song. He eventually sang to us, with his mouth that only had one tooth left. He also surprised me when he came up behind me to sing to me and I didn´t see him until he was right behind my face. My scream almost gave him a heart attack, or "ataque de corazón" according to him.
These people were the cutest. They loved talking and telling us about everything that they knew. They were so happy to have people to talk to that they spoke so quickly that they were almost impossible to understand at times. It was cool to see that they were happy to receive us, even if we didn't speak the language all of the time.
Montezuma: Se sube y se baja
This past weekend my friends and I went to Montezuma. If you look at a map of Costa Rica, it is located on the peninsula all the way to the west of the country. Montezuma is known for its waterfalls, or catarratas, beautiful scenery (including stars), and the go with the flow mentality. We left for the bus station right after classes. My backpack was completely full of clothing for adventure and food. My goal was not to spend any money on anything other than a hostel. We stood in line for about 2 hours to get on the bus because we couldn´t buy tickets ahead of time. We got on and rode the first bus for about 3 hours. My friends and I occupied the whole back seat of the bus and slept and told jokes. The bus was almost 40% filled with other gringos from our school. For some reason, we all decided to go at the exact same time. Next, we hopped onto a ferry that took us across the water. It was gorgeous. We watched the sunset on the upper deck with the mountains and foot hills in the distance. After that ride, we got onto another bus that took us a little bit closer. I met a guy that was from U of I and chatted with him for a while about his program that is located in Heredia. After about another hour ride, we hopped onto another bus that was the local bus that took us to our hostel. I talked with a man from Belgium and some girls from Germany and Holland. These girls told us about how they learned all of the different languages and how they were traveling together. I think that the US could learn a ton from Europe in the way that we teach languages at a certain age.
We arrived at the hostel which was called Luz en el Cielo. It was gorgeous. The owner was from Colorado and there was a girl there doing a work stay program from Minnesota. Due to some problems with reservations, I was only able to reserve a hammock to sleep in. I has planned with my friends to just keep my things in their rooms and just sleep outside. I was hoping that someone would not show up and I would just get their bed. I had to wait to see. We ate a little family dinner of all of the food that we brought from home. For me, refried beans, corn tortillas, and a ton of hot sauce. After, we walked down with our friend from Minnesota to see a fire show. It didn´t happen, but my friend Brittany and I ended up in a local bar that played a mix between Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, and pop music. I´m going to miss these bars were they do pair dancing so much when I leave. We laughed as we watched older travelers dancing the way that university students normally do in the States and as younger adults were dancing salsa. It was way different. After, Brittany, Josh, and I went for a walk on the beach to look at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It was increíble. En serio. You could see everything. You could even see the spiral galaxy stripe. I was in love. After, we went back and sat around the table in the common room and drank coffee. Brittany decided that she wanted to sleep in the hammock and so I slept in her bed. Funny enough, she said she didn´t sleep. Ademas, Shelby didn´t sleep either so they sat outside my room talking all night. Poor girls.
Since it was a hot room with bunk beds that creaked and moved, I didn´t sleep very much either. I woke up at about 7 am just ready to go. So we all got up and went downstairs to hang out. We made friends with a guy from Seattle named Mike and spent the morning telling jokes that in reality wouldn´t have been so funny if it weren´t for the lack of sleep. We ate a breakfast that was amazing for the $15 we paid for the night. We then went with our friend Mike to the waterfalls.
Let me paint a picture: We walked for about 10 minutes on the road and then cut off into the woods. We followed a stream and climbed over boulders and what not to get to the first pool. The first pool was rather large and had a waterfall that spilled into it. It was surrounded by rocks that you could jump off of. My friends and I immediately jumped in and swam out to the rocks to jump. We didn´t loose any time. It was a blast. Mike then explained that there really wasn´t a trail up to the others. We just had to climb and follow him. We climbed up a rather steep foot trail that took about 15 minutes. I was sweating bullets by the end of that work out. We arrived at the next two pools. The very top pool had a small waterfall that flowed into it from the stream. Then from that pool, there was a huge waterfall down to another pool, which had the huge waterfall that flowed down into the very first pool. In the top pool, there was a rope swing. Between the middle and bottom waterfall, there was a 50 ft. waterfall that you could jump from. We watched as Mike didn´t even blink before jumping off of the huge waterfall into the pool below. It was so high that I doubted that I would jump. So we swam around and swung on the rope swing. After a while, I worked up the courage to jump off of the waterfall. My friends explained to me that in order to land and not get hurt, you had to be completely straight and point your toes. I ran off and jumped down to where my friends Rosie and Chelsea were waiting for me. As soon as I jumped, I realized that this was actually really huge and I was probably going to get hurt. I landed in the water and felt a horrible pain in my lower back and butt. I apparently had my legs just a little bit in front of me and that was all it took. I came up and realized that I wasn't really able to swim. Thank God I had Rosie and Chels because they carried me over to the rocks to hold on while I waited to stop hurting. To make a long story short, I had to climb up the rocks and hike a trail with a sore back. Not the best but it was still really gorgeous. Some crazy guy that climbed like a monkey helped me across some rocks too.
We went back to the hostel and I took a shower and relaxed my back. Everyone else went to the beach. I spent the time doing some homework and hanging out with a girl I met from Australia. She was really interesting. She was taking a break from reality before she went to work full time for a new company. We talked and she gave me a scarf she bought in Morocco because she didn't need it in the heat of Costa Rica. After my friends came back, we all just hung out and talked. We played a little bit of cards and basically relaxed. It was just a big family atmosphere. We thought about walking down to a bonfire that was going to be on the beach but when the time came, my group decided that it would just be best to go sleep. So we packed up and got ready to leave at the crack of dawn.
Shelby, Brittany, and I decided to get up early and take the earlier bus that left at 6:30 am. We got to the station and waited for the bus. That bus took us to another bus. We we bought tickets, Brittany and I decided to be nice and let a 2 ticos go ahead of us. Wrong decision. We were told that we probably wouldn't have seats on the next couple of buses after the ferry. Awesome. So we hopped on the bus and sat in the back. Shelby and I began to eat a quick breakfast of refried beans and pb and j tortillas. I was sitting next to a tica woman and her daughter. They were super sweet. She even gave Shelby and me an empanada when she saw our pathetic breakfast. After than, while I was just sitting thinking about how tired I was, her daughter leaned over and gave me a pair of Hello Kitty earrings. Yea, she gave me her earrings. When I told her I couldn't accept them, she said I had to because she didn't have pierced ears. She also gave Shelby a pair of teddy bear earrings after Shelby said how cute mine were. People here are really amazing. After that bus ride, we boarded the ferry and I decided to splurge and buy a torta. My back was really hurting and the benches were hard to sit on so I just hopped that the ride went faster. When the ferry reached the land, Brittany and I basically ran to try and get seats on the bus. It was pointless because the man made us wait regardless. So we waited and by the luck of God, Josh saved us a seat. I sat in it first and Brittany took the floor. We promised to switch so that one person didn't have to always be on the floor but seat opened up after the first 30 minutes and a couple of stops. So we all had seats. We made it back in record time and I was home making guacamole by about 1 pm. Amazing.
This was a great weekend. I absolutely loved Montezuma. The people there are super nice and really understand the idea of solidarity. Nature is beyond abundant and beautiful. Even though I hurt my back, I think that this was the most beautiful weekend I have had. Sure, it has been about 4 days since my horrible jump and I am still having trouble sitting down, especially now as I write this blog, but it was definitely worth it. I just needed to relearn the lesson of what goes up must come down, or se sube y se baja.
We arrived at the hostel which was called Luz en el Cielo. It was gorgeous. The owner was from Colorado and there was a girl there doing a work stay program from Minnesota. Due to some problems with reservations, I was only able to reserve a hammock to sleep in. I has planned with my friends to just keep my things in their rooms and just sleep outside. I was hoping that someone would not show up and I would just get their bed. I had to wait to see. We ate a little family dinner of all of the food that we brought from home. For me, refried beans, corn tortillas, and a ton of hot sauce. After, we walked down with our friend from Minnesota to see a fire show. It didn´t happen, but my friend Brittany and I ended up in a local bar that played a mix between Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, and pop music. I´m going to miss these bars were they do pair dancing so much when I leave. We laughed as we watched older travelers dancing the way that university students normally do in the States and as younger adults were dancing salsa. It was way different. After, Brittany, Josh, and I went for a walk on the beach to look at the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my life. It was increíble. En serio. You could see everything. You could even see the spiral galaxy stripe. I was in love. After, we went back and sat around the table in the common room and drank coffee. Brittany decided that she wanted to sleep in the hammock and so I slept in her bed. Funny enough, she said she didn´t sleep. Ademas, Shelby didn´t sleep either so they sat outside my room talking all night. Poor girls.
Since it was a hot room with bunk beds that creaked and moved, I didn´t sleep very much either. I woke up at about 7 am just ready to go. So we all got up and went downstairs to hang out. We made friends with a guy from Seattle named Mike and spent the morning telling jokes that in reality wouldn´t have been so funny if it weren´t for the lack of sleep. We ate a breakfast that was amazing for the $15 we paid for the night. We then went with our friend Mike to the waterfalls.
Let me paint a picture: We walked for about 10 minutes on the road and then cut off into the woods. We followed a stream and climbed over boulders and what not to get to the first pool. The first pool was rather large and had a waterfall that spilled into it. It was surrounded by rocks that you could jump off of. My friends and I immediately jumped in and swam out to the rocks to jump. We didn´t loose any time. It was a blast. Mike then explained that there really wasn´t a trail up to the others. We just had to climb and follow him. We climbed up a rather steep foot trail that took about 15 minutes. I was sweating bullets by the end of that work out. We arrived at the next two pools. The very top pool had a small waterfall that flowed into it from the stream. Then from that pool, there was a huge waterfall down to another pool, which had the huge waterfall that flowed down into the very first pool. In the top pool, there was a rope swing. Between the middle and bottom waterfall, there was a 50 ft. waterfall that you could jump from. We watched as Mike didn´t even blink before jumping off of the huge waterfall into the pool below. It was so high that I doubted that I would jump. So we swam around and swung on the rope swing. After a while, I worked up the courage to jump off of the waterfall. My friends explained to me that in order to land and not get hurt, you had to be completely straight and point your toes. I ran off and jumped down to where my friends Rosie and Chelsea were waiting for me. As soon as I jumped, I realized that this was actually really huge and I was probably going to get hurt. I landed in the water and felt a horrible pain in my lower back and butt. I apparently had my legs just a little bit in front of me and that was all it took. I came up and realized that I wasn't really able to swim. Thank God I had Rosie and Chels because they carried me over to the rocks to hold on while I waited to stop hurting. To make a long story short, I had to climb up the rocks and hike a trail with a sore back. Not the best but it was still really gorgeous. Some crazy guy that climbed like a monkey helped me across some rocks too.
We went back to the hostel and I took a shower and relaxed my back. Everyone else went to the beach. I spent the time doing some homework and hanging out with a girl I met from Australia. She was really interesting. She was taking a break from reality before she went to work full time for a new company. We talked and she gave me a scarf she bought in Morocco because she didn't need it in the heat of Costa Rica. After my friends came back, we all just hung out and talked. We played a little bit of cards and basically relaxed. It was just a big family atmosphere. We thought about walking down to a bonfire that was going to be on the beach but when the time came, my group decided that it would just be best to go sleep. So we packed up and got ready to leave at the crack of dawn.
Shelby, Brittany, and I decided to get up early and take the earlier bus that left at 6:30 am. We got to the station and waited for the bus. That bus took us to another bus. We we bought tickets, Brittany and I decided to be nice and let a 2 ticos go ahead of us. Wrong decision. We were told that we probably wouldn't have seats on the next couple of buses after the ferry. Awesome. So we hopped on the bus and sat in the back. Shelby and I began to eat a quick breakfast of refried beans and pb and j tortillas. I was sitting next to a tica woman and her daughter. They were super sweet. She even gave Shelby and me an empanada when she saw our pathetic breakfast. After than, while I was just sitting thinking about how tired I was, her daughter leaned over and gave me a pair of Hello Kitty earrings. Yea, she gave me her earrings. When I told her I couldn't accept them, she said I had to because she didn't have pierced ears. She also gave Shelby a pair of teddy bear earrings after Shelby said how cute mine were. People here are really amazing. After that bus ride, we boarded the ferry and I decided to splurge and buy a torta. My back was really hurting and the benches were hard to sit on so I just hopped that the ride went faster. When the ferry reached the land, Brittany and I basically ran to try and get seats on the bus. It was pointless because the man made us wait regardless. So we waited and by the luck of God, Josh saved us a seat. I sat in it first and Brittany took the floor. We promised to switch so that one person didn't have to always be on the floor but seat opened up after the first 30 minutes and a couple of stops. So we all had seats. We made it back in record time and I was home making guacamole by about 1 pm. Amazing.
This was a great weekend. I absolutely loved Montezuma. The people there are super nice and really understand the idea of solidarity. Nature is beyond abundant and beautiful. Even though I hurt my back, I think that this was the most beautiful weekend I have had. Sure, it has been about 4 days since my horrible jump and I am still having trouble sitting down, especially now as I write this blog, but it was definitely worth it. I just needed to relearn the lesson of what goes up must come down, or se sube y se baja.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Mi poema
This is the poem I wrote in class one day:
Si hubiera nacido como pez,
no habria sentido la brisa.
Si hubiera nacido como pajaro,
no habria sentido las olas.
Si Dios me preguntara si uo quisiera cambiar,
le diria que no.
Si yo tuviera que cambiar,
no podria hacerlo.
Porque yo puedo saltar,
como si fuera cangauro.
Porque yo puedo cantar,
como si fuera un violin.
Me gusta ser quien soy,
y agradezco a Dios cada dia de ser rana.
Translation:
If I had been born a fish, I wouldn't have felt the breeze. If I had been born a bird, I wouldn't have felt the waves. If God asked me if I wanted to change, I would tell him no. If I had to change, I wouldn't be able to do it. Because I can jump as if I were a kangaroo. Because I can sing as if I were a violin. I like who I am and I thank God every day that I am a frog.
Si hubiera nacido como pez,
no habria sentido la brisa.
Si hubiera nacido como pajaro,
no habria sentido las olas.
Si Dios me preguntara si uo quisiera cambiar,
le diria que no.
Si yo tuviera que cambiar,
no podria hacerlo.
Porque yo puedo saltar,
como si fuera cangauro.
Porque yo puedo cantar,
como si fuera un violin.
Me gusta ser quien soy,
y agradezco a Dios cada dia de ser rana.
Translation:
If I had been born a fish, I wouldn't have felt the breeze. If I had been born a bird, I wouldn't have felt the waves. If God asked me if I wanted to change, I would tell him no. If I had to change, I wouldn't be able to do it. Because I can jump as if I were a kangaroo. Because I can sing as if I were a violin. I like who I am and I thank God every day that I am a frog.
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