Ver/Mirar/Buscar

I overslept today. It was the greatest thing, because even though I was 20 minutes late, I was still only the third person to get to work! Love Tico time.

I realized on my bus commute why I keep getting sick. Public transportation is a germfest. I had to stand up because there weren't any seats left, and I realized how many people touch the metal bars I hold on to. As soon as I thought about it, the man standing behind me coughed up a lung on my back. Needless to say, I washed my hands a million times today. I need to buy hand sanitizer. Maybe I should develop some obsessive compulsive disorder tendencies. Or maybe I already have them. I think it's justifiable; la gripe is getting old.

I tried to transcribe an interview in Spanish this morning, but it was way too fast for me. Cesar even downloaded a program called VirtualDJ to slow down the words. I couldn't understand anything. I have so much to learn.

Luis Diego and I picked up lunch at KFC. I know, I know...disgusting. I don't even remember the last time I ate KFC in the United States. In Costa Rica, fast food is considered upper class. My lunch was the equivalent of about $4, which is not cheap by these standards. Everyone here loves KFC, Burger King and McDonald's. Keh Effeh Seh. Ha. Ticans like Taco Bell, too, even though Tican food is so much better than any Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

After lunch, I researched and wrote about two upcoming movies to put in the August issue. Movies come out later here. Angeles y Demonios is out with subtitles. The Hangover hasn't come out yet here.

Luis Diego was going to let me leave early for the day, but Marilyn skyped me from Sweden and asked me to transcribe an interview for her. Isn't technology crazy? She sent the audio of an interview with the mayor of Stockholm, Sweden. It was very hard to understand her English. I was so frustrated with her broken speech, until I realized that the way she speaks English is exactly how I speak Spanish. She kept using crutch phrases, like "as you can see," and "for this reason." I do the same thing in Spanish! I stick to the few words and tenses that I know will work. I need to push myself out of my comfort zone. I've hit a Spanish plateau.

When I got home, Amy was helping Patri cook dinner. Las cebollas always make my eyes water. Brandon, Amy and I proceeded to chase each other around the house for a solid 30 minutes. He is just like my little brother, David. They're annoying and obnoxious, but you can't help but love them. Brandon purposely speaks as fast as possible so that Amy and I can't understand, so we started speaking to him in English. It was a great dialogue. I wish I recorded it.

Jose David wanted another English lesson today, so Amy and I tried to help him read the first page of Amy's book, My Sister's Keeper. Teaching is challenging. I spent 10 minutes explaining the differences between the verbs ver, mirar and buscar in English. To see, to look at and to look for are different. Jose David understands this in Spanish but not in English. My mom always tells me I would be a good teacher, but it requires a lot of patience.

One of our neighbors is a lovely old woman who has the cutest grandson in the world, Santiago. I don't know if I've written about him before, but he loves Patri. She babysat him when he was a baby. Now he is two years old, and he only talks to Patri when he is here. If you say, "Patri es mia," (Patri is mine), Santi will say, "No. Patri es MIO." No, Patri is mine. That's all he says! He is adorable. Today, Patri told me that the woman's husband recently committed suicide. It was in the newspaper. Apparently, he took a gun to his own head while driving and was discovered after he crashed on the side of the road. It's funny how I pass this woman every day and say hello without another thought. She and I make small talk on a regular basis. She stops by and takes a plate of food for dinner sometimes. She speaks slowly for me so I can understand, and she corrects my mistakes without making me feel small or stupid. You don't realize that everyone has a past, a story, a life beyond a friendly exchange of words. I want to know about people.

The more I learn about my family, the more I love them. Dinner was another comedy routine in and of itself. Juan Carlos is a prankster. During dinner, I accidentally said "Nos comemos" instead of "No comemos." Everyone laughed at me! I've got to work on my skills. We eat ourselves instead of we don't eat. Oy vey. Karen, my Tica sister, told me that she likes me a lot. I feel so special. She told me to continue speaking in Spanish as much as I want, because she thinks I have a happy light around me and a kind spirit. At least that's what I think she said...

Now, Amy and I are watching Garden State. I'm going to go to bed early tonight and hopefully get over this bug I have.

Pura Vida,
Lauren