Pura Vida

The final dinner on Wednesday night was incredible. It was at Hotel Grano de Oro, a beautiful Victorian building converted into a small hotel. We had our own dining room, complete with a five course meal. It was so fancy! A famous musician played his favorite songs on his guitar in the corner of the room while we dined. We took pictures in the exact same spot the President of Costa Rica had stood in that day before. Waiters stood near the table to refill our water glasses as soon as the water went below the cup's halfway mark. Aside from some corny speeches, I really enjoyed my last meal with the entire group. The slideshow was great. I have a whole list of music I want to download to remember my summer. Eric gave each us a book about dreams. I thought it would be cheesy, but it's filled with creative doodlings and inspirational quotes. I love it. We laughed, reminisced and took millions of pictures, but finally, the night came to a close. It was so strange to say goodbye for the last time. I almost didn't believe it might be the last time I see some of these people. Neither Natalie, Amy or I could fall asleep when we got home. I think it finally started to hit me that I am leaving.

This last week has been just like any other week, and yet it has been so different. My routine has stayed the same. I've woken up to the sounds of roosters and washing machines and checked the mountain view out my window for signs of good or bad weather to come. I have gone on my regular morning commute, ignoring the car honks and resisting the temptation to take a taxi to work. I've sprinted from street corner to street corner, barely reaching the sidewalk before a bus blares past. I've given my usual salutations to the security guard, Eduardo, downstairs. I've sat at my desk, patient and diligent, organizing, working and waiting for lunch hour. My conversations with my co-workers have been the same. How do you say this phrase in Spanish? What are you up to today? I've wandered down Avenida Central, contemplating my minimal lunch options, always grateful that I remembered to bring my umbrella as the afternoon rain drops start to fall. I've boarded my usual bus, carefully pressing the stop button strategically after the red light but before the next corner so the bus driver stops in the right place. I've greeted my neighbors, fumbled with my keys and enjoyed afternoon coffee time with Patri and Amy. When more fish passed away yesterday, I found it both comical and metaphorical. I made a chapter of my life here. I was a part of my host family's life, in their home long enough to see beloved pets come and go. Living with them wasn't just a short trip or a temporary resting place; I became a part of their family. I've watched the news, munched on bread and cheese and laughed my last few nights away with Amy and Natalie. Should we go out? Should we stay in? I've completed my errands, walked my neighborhood streets and run into newfound friends along the way. I've teased Brandon, giggled at Jose David and joked with Juan Carlos. I've chatted with Patri and eaten second helpings of rice and beans. The only difference has been that every time I've done these things this week, I've stopped an extra second and realized, this might be the last time I do this.

Part of me knows that I am boarding a plane to go home tomorrow, but another part of me feels like I am leaving my home. I've created a life here. My hosts have become my family. My fellow group members have become my friends. My daily adventures have become my regular routine. Costa Rica feels more comfortable to me than I could have ever expected. Before coming here, I imagined my travels would feel temporary. I thought my host family would be like a dormitory, a resting place between work and travel. I figured my internship would feel more like a guest star appearance than an entire season series. I assumed I would feel foreign, almost invisible, in my eight weeks of travel. I never could have dreamed that I would come away from this experience with such a profound sense of belonging, personal growth and loss at the same time. I am leaving my new life here, and I am incredibly sad.

I am proud of what I have accomplished. I leave Costa Rica knowing that I can truly live in another country, speak another language and develop relationships with people completely different from me. In the end, religious, cultural and social boundaries don't matter. The barriers come down, and you see that all people can develop sustainable relationships despite the obstacles society has thrown between them. When it comes down to what really matters, we are all the same. I can only hope that I take these lessons with me into my future and never forget the feelings I have now.

With that, I am signing off. I know my written entries will never satiate the pangs to re-live my experiences, but I am hoping I have documented enough so that I can at least remember my time here in Costa Rica.

Pura Vida para siempre,

Lauren

La semana final

El Cuartel was great fun on Monday night. The live band played some salsa and reggae. They even threw in some Bob Marley songs. Our friends Randall, Leo and Eduardo showed up. David shortly found himself a dance partner, as he always does. Alira came along, too. We had fun, but we didn't stay too late. 

My family is panicking about swine flu. It is all over the media here. Yes, it is probably being completely blown out of proportion, but the minister of health is advising that people don't go out. Patri is totally frantic. She hasn't left the house, but she doesn't want us to leave the house, either. I can't just be housebound. I think Patri watches too much television. Brandon is apparently sick now, too. Everyone at work doesn't seem concerned. Regardless, I've been washing my hands so often that they are dry and chapped. I do not want to get that sick here.

Last night after work, I went bowling with some co-workers. Cesar, Rafa, Karol, Marilyn, her boyfriend Paolo and I went to the same exact bowling alley that I went to with the program. I stupidly forgot about these bowling plans, though, so I was inconveniently dressed in a dress and flats. Everyone in the office complimented my blue dress but kept asking me why I was wearing a summer dress in the winter season. I forgot that the wet season is considered winter here. It's still hot enough to be considered summer, but people here wear suede boots and pants all the time.

The bowling alley didn't sell extra socks, of course. I had to go to the nearby Auto Mercado and buy three pairs of stupid socks. I was so annoyed, and I looked ridiculous, but it was still muy divertido. I am a horrible bowler. I did improve throughout the night, though. I doubled my original score in the second game. Everyone was laughing at me, but I wasn't that much worse than the others. It was just for fun. I got home around nine, ate a late dinner and went straight to sleep. Bowling can really wear you out.

Today, I went on an adventure to find greeting cards during my lunch hour. It was absolutely pouring rain, but I was determined. I found a Hallmark and bought the only "Gracias" cards they had in the entire store. I braved the rough winds and wet sidewalks to buy them because Natalie, Amy and I wanted to get a little something for our host family and the program directors. I looked for flowers, too, but the flower shop near my job didn't have anything very pretty. I might go back and just buy single sunflowers.

Tonight is the final dinner for my program. We're going to a fabulous hotel and having a corny ceremony. We'll watch the slideshow and eat a lot, I'm sure. It hasn't hit me yet that I am actually leaving Costa Rica on Saturday. I know I am, but I don't feel like I'm leaving. I am so adjusted to my life here. I have a home, a job, a routine...re-locating right now just seems silly. Natalie, Amy and I have been planning our last few days. We want to go out to Castro's tomorrow night. We were talking about going to El Pueblo on Friday night, but today Juanca mentioned something to Amy about maybe having another fiesta at the house. I suspect it's because Patri doesn't want us in the crowded bars picking up germs and the H1N1 virus, but it still sounds like the perfect ending to my summer. 

Pura Vida,

Lauren

p.s. Fish update: the other day, I came downstairs and found the fish tank in a cloudy brown state. All of the fish stationed themselves at the top near the filter; my guess is that this was the cleanest water they could find. Patri was convinced they were all going to die. She went to the pet store and bought another tube contraption. The store clerk told her she was feeding them too much food and that the extra food was settling and decaying, thereby giving the water its murky color. I tell her every day she feeds them too much! I joke and say they're not Latin. They don't eat as much as we do. She cleaned out the entire tank, even though she insisted you're only supposed to do it once a month, and installed the new filter. It was like magic! The tank is back to clear blue, and we thought all was well. I had to laugh at Patri. I took a picture of her in her self-assigned seat, parked next to the tank where she literally spends hours watching her precious pets dart in and out of strategically placed rocks and fake foliage. Today, Amy messaged me telling me that Dory has passed away. It is predicted that Dorito is going to pass away within the next day. This is a grave tragedy for our family. Keep your thoughts and prayers with the remaining fish, both named and unnamed, in our beloved freshly-filtered tank. 

Tamarindo

Ila has come and gone. We had so much fun! On Thursday night, Juan Carlos and Patri took me to the airport. Ila had only been waiting for five minutes, so it was perfect. Costa Rica was in the middle of an intense soccer game with Mexico. After a brief drive through the center of the city, Juan Carlos randomly pulled over at a bar. He wanted to catch the last bit of the game! It was really entertaining. Ticans go crazy over the sport. Well, really everyone in every country except the United States goes crazy over soccer. Although Costa Rica lost the game, Ila and I had fun hanging out with my host parents. Ila even bought one of Juanca's drinks which was nice.

On Friday morning, Ila had her first traditional Tican breakfast of gallo pinto and scrambled eggs. Patri put pieces of ham in the eggs as a special treat because Ila was there. Neither of us had the heart to tell her we don't eat pork. I've avoided all pig products all summer. Regardless, breakfast was delicious. We packed our bags and headed into the city.

I brought Ila to Summa to meet everyone. Marilyn wasn't there, but Ila met Cesar, Rafa, Luis Diego and all the other women in the office. Luis Diego immediately commented on Ila's Argentinian accent. She learned all of her Spanish from her Argentinian friends and sounds so different! It's interesting to hear the differences in pronunciation.

When we left Summa, I showed Ila all of the pretty spots in San Jose (there aren't many). It started to rain, of course, so Ila had to buy an umbrella on the street. Obviously Ila didn't get the memo about keeping an umbrella with you at all times. We had a coffee break and even stopped by the big Catholic church in the center of the city. San Jose really doesn't have much to offer, but Ila liked seeing a Central American city. We ate casados con pollo at a cheap cafe and wandered the streets until it was time to leave for our Guanacaste adventure.

We caught our bus at Hotel Balmoral. Private transportation was such a great idea. I can't imagine doing that five hour drive on a bus without air conditioning, leg room or bathroom stops. There were some cool people on our bus, including a Swiss guy traveling on his own and a group of three Mexican boys from California. We finally arrived in Tamarindo after a long and bumpy ride. I don't think Ila has ever been as happy as she was to get out of a bus.

Our hotel was adorable. It was whitewashed with wood everywhere. Our room was clean and spacious and lovely. We managed to make it out to a late dinner at a beautiful restaurant. I can't remember the name now, but it was set outside with candles on the tables and green leaves. On Saturday morning, we woke up miraculously early. After eating our cold leftover dinner for breakfast, we headed for the beach in search of horseback rides.

Guanacaste really is gorgeous. All summer, any and every Tican has insisted I go there, and now I understand why. There were white boats docked in the shallow waters on one side, and millions of surfers flocked to the bigger waves on the other side. There were black rocks and calm pools set in front of lush green mountains. The only problem was the amount of tourists, but what can you do about that? It didn't take us long to track down the horses. We bargained for a good price, pulled on our jeans (brilliantly packed just in case) and got going.

Tamarindo is real estate heaven. I discovered this while my horse refused to trot faster or go in the direction he was supposed to go in. There were all kinds of incredible beach homes, from wooden porches to white concrete to adobe brick to just plain huge. I had to switch my horse with the guide a few times, but it didn't matter. The view of the mountains and ocean was breathtaking. We stopped at a plateau and took pictures. I would love to own a house there some day.

As we descended the mountain, I couldn't help but laugh at myself as my horse refused to obey any commands. I was probably the problem, not the horse, but it was laughably difficult. We wound down the trails and past bungalows and rental homes until we made it to shore. Toddlers and their parents waded in the small pools in the black rock. This beach, Playa Langosta, was calm and serene. We stopped again for a beach photoshoot before continuing down the shore. Ila and I loved it.

The horseback ride ended up being almost two hours long. Afterward, we were sore and famished. We ate lunch at Copacabana, a friendly restaurant right on the beach. Ila insisted that we treat ourselves to fruity island drinks. We gorged ourselves on chicken, avocado and cream cheese wraps. It was heaven!

After lunch, we tried to find a snorkel tour for the late afternoon. We didn't realize that all the tours for the day had left during our leisurely lunch. Before we let ourselves get too disappointed, it started to rain. We would have been miserable out on the water anyway. We walked around the beach town a little bit before the rain became too much. After a brief swim in the rain at the hotel pool, we returned to our room for some well-deserved relaxation.

Once the rain stopped and we regained our energy, Ila and I got all dressed up for dinner. I wore my long dress. I had to; it fit in perfectly with the tropical summer atmosphere. We ended up going back to Copacabana for dinner, because we loved it so much. Ila really knows how to travel. We treated ourselves to fruity drinks and shared an appetizer and dessert for dinner. When you travel, you have to do it right.

A local bar called Sharky's was having 80s night, so we had to stop by. We immediately met Theo Rossi, a relatively well-established actor who no one has really heard of. Apparently he's on the TV show called Sons of Anarchy on FX. Anyway, Theo and his childhood best friend were a lot of fun. He bought us drinks and talked to us about his fabulous career (blah, blah, blah). We also ran into our three Mexican friends from the bus. All in all, it was an interesting night. We thoroughly enjoyed Tamarindo, I think.

On Sunday, we woke up bright and early to catch our bus back home. Ila made me proud. She only hit snooze nine times (this is great progress). Even the drive home from Guanacaste was beautiful. I hope the country protects it's naturally beautiful environments forever. We slept most of the way home and enjoyed a Burger King lunch when we got back. Ila insisted on taking a picture at one point, because she works for the world headquarters now. I still think fast food is disgusting.

We hung out at home for the rest of the night. Patri insisted that Ila write in her notebook for all of her students who stay in her house. It's so bittersweet reading the entries and writing your own. Time really has flown. I think Ila liked my host family, and I'm sure they liked her, too. She speaks really well and fits right in with the friendly culture.

Ila wanted to watch The Notebook last night for whatever reason. You can rent movies off of iTunes now. Technology really is taking over the world. Goodbye, Blockbuster? Anyway, it was a total rip-off. We weren't even halfway through the movie when iTunes shut down unexpectedly and we lost the download. Ugh.

For some reason, Patri was convinced that the highway was going to be closed this morning. Because of this, Ila left an hour earlier than she needed to. Osvaldo (Karen's friend and our beloved taxi driver) was going to have to drive through Escazu to get to the airport. The highway was not closed. I felt bad that Ila had to leave so much earlier. It turned out that her flight was delayed, too. I should have gone with her, but I think it was fine. Her trip was short and sweet, but I think she enjoyed Ticoland.

Today, I hung around the house. I napped, helped Amy with the slideshow and spent time with Patri (and her fish). There was nothing eventful, but it was great to just relax and rest. I can't believe my time here is coming to a close. It has gone by way too fast. Suddenly, I'm in my last week. I never thought I would have such a memorable and rewarding experience here. Having Ila visit made me realize how much I have learned and changed during these seven or eight weeks.

Tonight, we are going to El Cuartel for some live music and dancing. Last week in Costa Rica...vamos a aprovechar!

Pura Vida para siempre,
Lauren

The drama continues...

I am officially the worst go-kart driver ever. I had a blast last night at Formula Kart, but I truly am horrible. The first time around, I spun out so often that I might as well have been going backwards. I even broke part of the track in one of my many crashes. My claustrophobic helmet protected me, of course, but my reputation among the group was injured forever. I was put on the race track purely for entertainment value. My second time behind the wheel was much more successful; I managed to finish my laps without anyone having to help me out of a corner. It was a great night, complete with foosball games, chicken wings and a trophy ceremony for the fastest driver (Evan).

This morning I was completely blindsighted by an angry Patri. Last night, Alira came back to our house after go-kart racing. I showered (in ice cold water) and went to sleep, but Natalie, Amy and Alira stayed in Amy's room talking. I guess they were being loud, because Karen came out and shushed them multiple times. Apparently, Karen was up late studying and then couldn't fall asleep because of them. When we got home, part of the house's electricity was out (I wonder why). Marco woke up because of this and was trying to fix the problem. He couldn't fall back asleep because of their noise. Patri, miraculously, did not wake up, but she was livid when Karen complained to her this morning. These women are so dramatic. Patri went off on me the second I walked into the kitchen, saying we can't bring strange people into her house late at night. Karen had a test this morning; how rude of us to keep her awake. Finally, I told her...I wasn't with them. I was sleeping, but I knew that Karen had shushed them. They went into Amy's room instead of the kitchen so as not to disturb Patri, but instead they disturbed everyone else. Patri loses her temper before she even has the facts. Natalie came in the kitchen soon after and apologized. Patri said we always say sorry and never change. We tried to explain that we do try to respect her wishes. She was talking about calling Eric to complain about us. It was ridiculous. I wasn't even downstairs with them, and I felt like I was getting in trouble. From now on, we aren't bringing any friends in the house. I understood where her anger was coming from, but she blew up before she even knew the whole story.

After a busy morning, I met David for lunch at his favorite spot. I enjoyed a cheap casado con pollo and interesting conversation. David is applying for an internship that starts in January here in Costa Rica. It has something to do with human rights and Costa Rican government. He seems really excited about it. I didn't realize David loved Costa Rica so much. He wants to work here for six months, if he gets this position, before starting law school.

I helped Cesar today with some graphic design work. He taught me a little bit about the software program. I even got to authorize pages for the printer company in Mexico. Luis Diego is in Panama on a business trip, and Marilyn left early for an interview, so I got to leave on the earlier side as well.

I came home and helped Amy with the slideshow for our final dinner last week. The internet was being slow, though, which made it difficult to e-mail pictures. It's going to be a great slideshow. There were way too many funny moments documented this summer that I am sure will make re-appearances.

After the gym, I came home to find the house silent. Juanca, back from business in Tambor, and Patri were both resting in their room. All of the lights were out (surprise, surprise). Amy and I did our own thing, making sure to be quiet and not wake anyone up from their siestas. Finally, it was 6:30 p.m. We usually eat dinner around six, and we were starving. Patri had left dinner cooked on the stove, so we helped ourselves. Natalie came home from work a few minutes later. The three of us ate, washed our dishes and left.

A few minutes later, I heard Patri come into the kitchen. I went in to tell her that Ila's plane was a little delayed, because she is going to drive me to the airport. She proceeded to interrogate me about where all the food had gone. I was flabbergasted. I said...the three of us just ate. Patri asked again where all the food had gone. I repeated that we just ate. The food was in my stomach. Then, she yelled at me saying we took too much. There were still plenty of people in the house that hadn't eaten yet, and we ate almost all of it. For the record, I took one helping. Amy and Natalie took less than one serving, because they had plans to go watch the soccer game tonight at a wings restaurant. Patri was just looking for a reason to snap at us.

It's becoming a problem. Patri takes out all of her anger on the three of us. Usually, Patri encourages us to eat more and take seconds. She makes fun of me when I ask for less rice on my plate and tells Natalie she eats like a bird when she doesn't want a lot of eggs for breakfast. Now, we eat too much. I think Patri is upset about their money problems, but we paid to live in this house. Something is definitely wrong with their finances.

Now, Patri and Juan Carlos went out to eat because "there's not enough food for everyone." When they get home, they are going to take me to the airport to pick up Ila. Tomorrow, Ila and I are off to Tamarindo. I think getting out of the house for the weekend is necessary. Patri is stressing, and I don't feel like taking the brunt of her hostility.

I've grown accustomed to my life here. I like having my routine. I know my neighborhood and how to get around. My home stay has become my home (drama and all). I know a small group of people and can conversate easily with almost anyone. It's going to be sad to leave; I feel like I'm just getting started.

Pura Vida,
Lauren

Las telenovelas de Costa Rica

After an exhausting weekend, I was surprised on Monday when I received a call from the security guard downstairs (Eduardo, my best friend) saying I had a visitor. Eric was "in the neighborhood," and he wanted to shoot some video footage of me on the job. So awkward! I took him upstairs and did a tour of the office. I showed him my desk. I was so uncomfortable. "I have my own desk, chair and computer..." Marilyn, Luis and Cesar were laughing at me afterward for saying I have my very own chair.

I took a cab home and laughed the whole way back. My taxi driver was singing along with the radio the whole time. He wasn't just humming; he was actually belting out the lyrics and laughing at himself. It was great. I guess Costa Rica really is the happiest nation in the world...

Patri gave me sad news when I got home. Chumeco, also known as Michael Jackson (because he is small and black), passed away. Patri claims it's because he went to be with the ghost of Michael Jackson. She's also not upset about his death because Juan Carlos bought this fish and she only likes fish that are bigger. 

An old friend of Karen and Patri's stopped by Monday evening while we were getting ready to go out. He was a cool guy: young, scruffy, kind of a bad boy look. He sat with us while we ate dinner and had all intentions of going out with us later, when suddenly he got up and excused himself. When he was sitting with us at the table, Karen was shooting him death stares from her bedroom. She didn't like that he was talking to us. Latin women are so jealous here. Anything and everything makes them fume with envy. Whenever we went out with Amy's friend Leo and he ran into a female friend at the bar, that same girl would almost always text him after she left asking questions about the other girls he was with (us). Girls are just jealous.

Monday night, we went to El Cuartel, known for it's live music scene on Monday nights. We were slightly disappointed. It was swamped with students and young people from the United States. The bartender spoke to me in English. I hate that. After a while, we left to check out El Pueblo, a string of bars that Amy discovered last weekend. It was completely deserted with the exception of one bar that had maybe five people inside. We danced by ourselves for a while, but we left quickly. Amy and Alira wanted to go back to El Cuartel, but Natalie and I went home. Not impressed!

I finally worked up the courage to ask Patri if I could take leftover dinner to work the next day. Yes, it took me six weeks, but I finally did it, and she didn't mind at all. I didn't know, but Natalie has been taking her lunch for weeks. On Tuesday, I finally fit in at work. I brought my rice, beans and spaghetti with chicken and potatoes (such a strange combination of foods that is completely normal here) in a little plastic tupperware to the cafeteria. I felt so Tica. Someone at the table brought a bag of crujientes to share with everyone. Crujientes, as far as I can tell, are kernels of corn that are partially heated until crispy. It's not popcorn. Popcorn is the seed heated until it explodes. This is the kernel of corn removed from the cob and then cooked and seasoned (in this case, barbecue flavor). They were so interesting. Crujientes are popular snacks here in Costa Rica, but I have never seen them in the United States. Provecho!

I helped edit a few pieces and researched banks in Panama for the upcoming August issue. I worked with Cesar to make the changes on his computer. He makes design look easy. We talked about how he entered the drawing for Green Cards to the United States and lost. Part of him wants to move to the United States and be successful, but another part of him doubts he'll ever actually go. He thinks he would miss his family too much and have trouble creating a successful career for himself. He loves the States, though. His 10 months as an Au Pair in Michigan turned him into an English fanatic, so we practice speaking together.

When I got home last night, Patri and I had another one of our many heart-to-hearts. She told me all about Marco's family and his personal problems while we watched her favorite telenovela (soap opera) on channel 6. She loves this telenovela; the acting is horrendous. Marco's life could be its own telenovela. He had a sister with cerebral palsy who died recently, and he has another sister who his parents shower with money, love and attention. His father is super machista and believes that Marco needs to be independent. His father is strict and traditional; the wife does not work. She does all of the cooking and cleaning. They do not support Marco in any way financially and haven't for years now. Marco paid his way through university and now works full time. He pays rent to live with Patri. He's been having girl problems, because his love interest, Jessica, told him that she won't be his girlfriend unless he changes. According to Patri, he has been raised without affection and doesn't know how to pursue women or show affection. He's been secretly seeing a psychologist to deal with his family problems for weeks now, but he doesn't think Patri knows. He tells her he has meetings for work on Saturdays. Karen told Patri the truth in confidence, and now I am sworn to secrecy as well. So dramatic! Patri also asked me if I believe in heaven. I said I wasn't sure, but I would like to believe there is somewhere you go after you pass away. She agreed with me and told me that after her near fatal accident, she felt her soul leave her when she was in a coma. She said she felt an incredible sense of peace that didn't leave her for months. It was fascinating, but part of me thinks that Patri has been watching one too many telenovelas.

I found a gift in my room from Karen. She gave each of us a decorated coffee cup filled with candy and little figurines. There was the sweetest note attached. Karen is leaving for Mexico on Saturday, so we have to say goodbye early. The sadness is setting in. I also wrote in Patri's journal yesterday. She keeps a book for all of her exchange students to write her notes before they leave. It was cool to read the previous entries. Some of the students had the same inside jokes as we do, and almost all of them picked up the same funny slang we always use (tuanis, chiva, etc.). I wrote a long message, leaving every member of the family a small note. I should record it here. It made me realize how fast my time has gone here and how much I'm going to miss living with my family. 

Later, Patri took her three hijas (Natalie, Amy, me) across the street to her friend's house for pedicures. She showed us her old house on the corner and their old soda (a little convenience store on the street, usually with sandwiches and drinks). Her friend was a doll. She works in her salon during the day and lives upstairs with her son and father. She wanted to hear all our gossip. Natalie filled her in on her boy situation, and we were pleasantly surprised when she understood all of our slang English words for bad boyfriends (I'll leave them out here). She was hilarious. She told us that her job is half salon, half psychology with all the advice she gives.

After our pedicures (I tried a bronze color for a change - I like it!), Natalie and Amy had Burger King cravings. They are such bad influences! The four of us took a cab to BK (also known as Beh Kah) for a late night snack. I'm still fascinated by the prices of fast food here. It's so expensive compared to everything else. Fast food is costs just as much, if not more, than it does in the United States. Patri told us she likes hanging out just the four of us. I think she's going to miss me!

Natalie, Amy and I have been watching The Comeback every night. It's about an actress (played by Lisa Kudrow) who used to be famous for an old t.v. sitcom and is now trying to make a comeback with her own reality show. It's funny but painfully awkward to watch. I feel bad for her. 

This morning, I ate gallo pinto y huevos alone. Patri had some errand to run. I'm leaving in less than two weeks, and I can't believe it. What am I going to do without gallo pinto? Without Patri? Without Costa Rica? I don't want to think about it yet. I have a lot of planning to do before Ila gets here. We're going to have a fantastic time in Tamarindo. I don't think Natalie and Amy are going to Guanacaste anymore like they planned. They went to spend one more weekend relaxing and going out here in the city. They're going to go to some farmer's market with Patri. I'm jealous, but I am looking forward to spending time with Ila. After she leaves, I can let the depression sink in. I don't want to go back to the U.S. 

Tonight, the group is going go-kart racing somewhere near Cartago. They're calling it the Grand Prix. Much better than a boring guest speaker, verdad?

Pura Vida,

Lauren

p.s. Rafa just gave me old Costa Rican money. Costa Rica used to have paper bills for 5 colones. The coin for 5 colones is futile now; I can't believe they had a bill for it in 1989. It's colorful; there is a purple lily on it. Cesar told me that within two years, the Costa Rican government is going to make new bills. Right now, 10,000 colones is the largest bill. Soon, there will be 50,000 bills. Their economy is changing so fast. Ok, ciao!

Note to self

After much chaos and confusion surrounding Harry Potter all last week, Sam and I finally met up Friday afternoon to take a taxi together to Escazú. We were so thrilled with ourselves when we managed to find Natalie's place of work without trouble. Natalie met us downstairs, and we went into her office to take our movie tickets. Her boss was nice enough to call a taxi company she uses often to take us to the nearby Multiplaza. The plan was for Sam and me to get in line and save seats. Natalie was to meet us after she got out of work.

All was going according to plan. Sam and I found that there was no line for our movie yet, so we went to buy some sandwiches for dinner in the food court. I was feeling great. I ordered Sam's sandwich (she doesn't speak Spanish), I ordered my sandwich, I even made a joke with the woman who was helping me...I was on top of my Spanish game. When it came time to pay, however, panic set in. My wallet was missing. I swear my heart stopped. I had just paid my cab fare with my wallet in the taxi. I frantically had Sam pay for my food and instructed her to wait in line for the movie to save seats. I ran outside and jumped in the nearest taxi I could find. I needed to get back to Natalie's work as soon as possible; her boss had the number of the cab company. Note to self: never let a cab drive away without looking at the number on the side of the car first. 

Of course, this taxi driver had no idea where Natalie's building was. I had only been there once before, and the mall was coming from the other direction than the way I had come. Suddenly, I saw a street lined with cabs in front of a shopping center. One of these cabs could have been my cab! My time frame was small. Surely my original taxi driver had picked up new passengers by now. Surely those passengers would have seen my zippered tan Coach wallet pouch in the backseat. I jumped out of the cab and searched every car. No one had my wallet. I was sweating, stressing, panicking. My heart was racing. 

Suddenly, I recognized Natalie's building in the distance. I sprinted in that direction, disregarding every pedestrian on the street and all traffic signs. I fled up the stairs and through the entrance to the Aerocasillas office. I flung myself inside, sped around the corner and burst into Natalie's office. I screamed, "NatalieIlostmywallet andIthinkit'sonthetaxi andIneedthenumbernow helpme!" 

Silence. The general manager of all Aerocasillas in the Central American region was addressing the entire room. I have only met him once before when he was one of our guest speakers. He is kind of a big deal. Humiliation set in. I blathered, "Ohmygawd. You are running a business. Iamsosorry. Losientomucho. Iamsosorry Iamsosorry." Luckily, he was understanding, but I am still mortified. 

Natalie's boss called the cab company and informed that they were sending another cab over to the building to take me back to the mall. I kept asking, "But do they have my wallet? Do they have it?" All she said was, "I'm not sure. I think so." Um, hello? I need that wallet.

A few minutes later, I still wasn't breathing properly. Natalie and I went downstairs. I held my breath as we climbed into the taxi. The driver turned around and handed me my tan wallet pouch. Hallelujah! All was right in the world. I checked inside. All of my identification, credit cards and money was accounted for. Note to self: never let my wallet out of my sight ever again.

The adrenaline rush turned into an endorphine high. I glided back into the mall, back on top of the world as I awaited the start of Harry Potter. My nervous anxiety turned into excitement. Natalie, Sam and I discussed our favorite books while we waited in line. There is nothing like Harry Potter conversations between avid readers and fans. We finally made it to the theater, all limbs intact and all belongings in tow. We found perfect seats and chatted away until the previews started. Escazú is not like most other towns in the area. It is the wealthiest area, and it was obvious from looking around that most people were affluent. A family in front of us was speaking Spanish and English. There were many ethnicities there, from Indian to Middle Eastern to Asian. Peoples' overall appearances were just wealthier. 

Finally, the movie started. I was pleased, merely because Harry Potter can always make me happy, but there were a lot of changes. The romantic interests were played up much more on screen. The Weasley's house was burned down. There was no battle with the Death Eaters at Hogwarts. There was no funeral for Dumbledore. The special effects were fantastic, though. Quidditch games never fail to amuse, and most of the scenes were accurate. It's always going to be a challenge to condense such large volumes down to two-and-a-half hour movies. For me, the books will always trump the movies. Note to self:  re-read the series.

After the movie, we jumped into the first taxi we could find. We forgot to ask if he had a meter amid our post-movie chatter, and by the time we did, we were too far to get out. He didn't have a meter, and he planned to charge us 7,000 colones to go back to Zapote. It should have been 3,000 - 4,000. We asked him to take Sam home first, given her recent mugging incident. This was a little out of his way. When we finally pulled up to our house, he demanded 9,000 colones for the change in route. Unbelievable. I told him he was being ridiculous, but we had to pay. We were completely taken advantage of. Note to self: never get in a taxi without a meter. Ugh! Whatever. I had my wallet, at least, but now it was empty.

On Saturday morning, we were at Veritas by 7 a.m., ready for white water rafting and zip lining through the rain forest canopy. I slept easily on the 90 minute drive and woke up just in time for our arrival. Unfortunately, we were a few minutes late. The 9 a.m. rafting group had already left, and we had to wait until 11 a.m. The wait wasn't too bad. We ate a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, watermelon, gallo pinto and tortilla with cheese. We walked around the facilities and found a butterfly garden. I love butterflies; I admire their colorful grace. 

We had to tie rubber bands onto our flip flops so they wouldn't fall off in the river. Note to self: don't forget Tevas next time. The bands were so uncomfortable, and the second we stepped in the water, our flip-flops twisted and almost fell off. I was annoyed with myself for forgetting. Once we were in the rafts, though, it didn't really matter. All of the recent rain had caused the water in the river to rise. The conditions were around 3 to 3.5, with 5 being the highest, deadly/professional level. It was exhilarating! I absolutely loved it. Natalie, Amy, Evan, Eric, Karol and I were in one raft. The rest of the group was in the other. The river water was brown from recent mudslides and bad weather, but it didn't affect the natural beauty of the surrounding trees and forestry. We definitely got thrown around a bit. Amy slammed down on her leg at one point and seriously injured her ankle. She can barely walk now, but she managed to make it all the way down the river. It started pouring rain in the middle of our tumultuous ride. We were soaked, and I loved it.

We showered off at Pozo Azul and got ready for our next adventure, zip lining, but were stopped short when they told us that the combination of the bad weather and a bee nest infestation on the lines meant we could not go into the canopy. I was so disappointed. Zip lining was what I have been looking forward to all summer. After another delicious meal, we lounged around in comfy chairs that overlooked the rushing river. As it poured rain, I watched the smooth black stones disappear under the white foam rising on the banks. We hung out at Pozo Azul all day doing nothing. There was a brief soccer match between some locals and the boys in our group, but no one could keep score or see what they were doing in the heavy rain. They mostly just slipped in the muddy grass and ran around.

After a long, relaxing afternoon, I was looking forward to a hot shower and our "tent" facilities that were rumored to be pretty upscale. Amy, Natalie and I navigated our way through the trails to our tent. It had a large wooden balcony and two full beds inside. There was a nightstand with a lamp and vase of flowers, and a complete bathroom was attached. We were thrilled. It was a hotel room with sturdy tent flaps instead of concrete walls. It was camping with a twist. I opened the bathroom door to check out the shower situation and fumbled around for the light switch. I turned on the light, thoroughly impressed with the quality of our lodging and suddenly I screamed. 

Yes, I screamed, louder than I ever have before (and I reach volume levels that only the heavens can hear). There was a spider. No, I wouldn't call it a spider. There was a monster the side of a softball on the wall above the sink. I thought creatures like this only existed in movies or in boxes in science museums. The only spider I have ever seen even close to this size was made of rubber and safely packed in plastic wrapping in the aisles of Party City around Halloween. It was the size of the palm of my hand. I think my heart stopped. 

I cannot document what happened next, because I can't remember. I blocked out the anxiety attack that followed. I was told that the security guard heard my screams (along with every other guest in a three mile radius) and came running. He tried to kill the spider but only managed to injure its leg before it ran behind the cabinet, out of reach. Eric tried to convince us that it was safe, but I knew better. The second the screams stopped and the light went off, the monster would come out of hiding and crawl into who-knows-what. How could I shower knowing there could be a spider in my hair? How could I sit on the toilet knowing an eight-legged insect could be lurking under the seat? How could I sleep without feeling a distant tingle crawling up the blankets? No. No, no, no. My reaction was completely justified. I was not being high maintenance in the slightest. This was so unbelievable it could have passed as fake. 

Of course we changed rooms. After three ice cold showers, our tent was flooded. Annoying, yes, but I would take a flood over a killer arachnid any day. We ventured out of the wild and back to Pozo Azul for our third meal there. The hot tomato soup as an appetizer was just what I needed to calm my nervous after my near-death experience. We were just digging in to our grilled chicken and vegetables when our bus driver came inside with some bad news. 

The thunderstorm was causing so much water surge from the rain that the river was rising too rapidly. There was a flash flood warning for the bridge and road leading up to our lodging. We went outside. The water was coming up so fast; it was scary. We had to leave right then. Everyone was saying, "Go now or don't go at all."

So, we left. No dinner for us. We gathered in the storm and played team Scrabble (Spanish and English). Alira, Natalie and I came in second place! I was amazed at how my English vocabulary has worsened. I couldn't think of words in either language. Everyone retired to their tents early given that there wasn't anything else to do. Natalie and I did a full bed scan before we got in. There really was no point in getting in bed, because I didn't sleep at all. Thunder, lightning and pouring rain is not conducive to a full night's rest. Note to self: never use sounds of the rain forest on noise sleep machines.

Sunday morning finally came. We found out that Pozo Azul's zip line still wasn't up and running. Luckily, it was arranged for us to zip line at nearby location instead. I would have been so upset if we hadn't gone. Zip lining was so much fun! There were a few other families there. One group was from Holland, and one was from Belgium. The zip line employees spoke English with them. I marveled at how English was neither groups' first language, but it was their only way to communicate on the same level. 

The rain forest was beautiful. I zip lined over the river and through the trees. We were supposed to brake at every platform, but I had trouble slowing down. I wanted to go faster and faster. There were a few hikes between the platforms and even one ladder to climb. I liked the platforms high up in the canopy, though. They felt like tree houses. By the end, my clothes were splattered with oil from the lines. Two of the guys working the zip lines told me I speak Spanish really well! I was honored, but who knows if they were just trying to deliver top notch customer service...

After a shower and another scrumptious lunch, we hit the road to drive the 90 minutes back to San José. I was just getting excited for an afternoon of relaxation at home with my host family, when we came to an abrupt halt on the highway. The bad weather had caused a mudslide. The mudslide, or errumbe, was blocking the pista (highway) and had to be closed. We got out and watched the soccer game on television in a roadside restaurant. Then, we found it the road was going to be closed all night. Note to self: always know shortcuts when you travel.

We had to take a five hour detour through the mountains to get back to the city. I was so annoyed, but it had to be done. We stopped at a pharmacy in a random town at one point. Natalie has had a strange rash on her stomach for almost two weeks now. I thought it was ringworm (there was a red dot surrounded by a perfectly round, raised red circle), but the doctor in the pharmacy said it was a fungus. I think she got it from the sweaty disgusting exercise mats at the gym. I hope the doctor is right. I think ringworm is contagious...

We finally made it home by 8 p.m. The family got a new fish and a new refrigerator over the weekend. I couldn't believe it. Now, we have five fish: Dory, Dorito, Duck, Chumeco y Miranda. Yes, Miranda. 

All night the electricity was going on and off. This morning, Patri said something to me while I was in the shower about the hot water affecting the lights. I couldn't really understand her, so I just told her I would shower quickly. I'm annoyed. How can they afford a new fridge and new pets when they can't even pay their electric bill on time? Note to self: always pay the utilities bill first.

I'm happy I survived my rougher-than-intended weekend. It was a lot of fun aside from the unforeseen circumstances. I think we definitely got the full rain forest experience in Costa Rica's wet season. 

Tonight, we're going to El Cuartel for some live music. We're all going go-kart racing on Wednesday. Ila comes Thursday! I can't wait.

Note to self: expect the unexpected in Costa Rica.

Pura Vida,

Lauren

Harry Potter madness

Another person in my program was mugged yesterday morning. Sam was walking near Veritas around 8 a.m. on her way to work, when a man (similar description to David's) held her at gunpoint and took her money. I am so scared. 

Eric sent out a huge e-mail with specific instructions. We're not to walk anywhere alone anymore, we should take a taxi directly from our houses at all times, we shouldn't carry around a lot of money with us, etc. etc. I just can't believe Sam was mugged in daylight. Last night, I had a nightmare about a man with a gun. It's obviously on my mind. 

I did notice yesterday walking back from the gym that there were more cops and security guards on the streets than normal, so that is slightly comforting. 

Last night, Amy and I helped Karen straighten her hair for a birthday party she was going to. I like spending time with Karen. She's paying her own way through university to become a speech pathologist. She takes night classes and works as the secretary for her dad's business during the day. She and I practice our English and Spanish together all the time. She speaks in English, and I correct her mistakes and vice versa. We have a good system going. Right now, she's a little upset because her boyfriend, Billy, is in Zarcero. His sick grandfather is most likely going to pass away soon, and Karen can't miss any of her classes to be with his family because she is going to Mexico next week.

I successfully stomached the most disgusting dinner I have ever eaten in Costa Rica. Patri made her usual rice, beans and cabbage salad with tomatoes. The main dish, however, was tilapia cooked in some kind of creamy, white disgusting sauce. It tasted fatty and salty and all wrong. It was just...bad. Bad, bad, bad. Latin women are very sensitive about their cooking. They take it extremely personally if you don't like their food. Natalie, who has been having some personal problems this week, didn't have much of an appetite last night. Without fail, Patri asked, "What's wrong, Natalie? Do you not like the food?" Of course, we all respond with, "Que rico, Patri! Me gusta mucho esta comida. Gracias!" Ugh, I could vomit.

We had plans to go out last night, but given the recent crime in the area, we weren't in the best of moods. Instead, we piled into my room and watched an episode of a T.V. show that Amy has on DVD. It's called "The Comeback." It's an HBO show starring Lisa Kudrow. She's supposed to be an ex-sitcom star who is trying to make a comeback in the industry by having her own reality show. It was amusing, but the filming was very rocky. You were supposed to feel like you were actually the camera crew filming her. I don't always do well with that kind of filming. I was nauseas in United 93. No es bueno. It was nice to just relax and hang out at home, though.

I slept horribly last night, probably because of the mugging situation, and maybe because my neck has been killing me for weeks because of my cement mattress. This morning, Natalie and I (both late, as always) rushed to get ready. We woke Patri up by accident (we can never win with Patri when it comes to sleeping). I had slept in an oversized T-shirt and boyshorts underwear, and Patri exclaimed that I was a gringa chinga! A naked gringa! It was so funny. Don't use that phrase in any other Latin American country, though. "Chinga" is the most vulgar word of all vulgar words in Mexico. Patri made us eggs for breakfast, along with fresh bread, of course. We got taxis together. I don't want to get mugged! I told the taxi driver what has been happening. He couldn't believe it happened in the early morning.

Today, Natalie and I are executing our master plan to see Harry Potter 6 tonight. Harry Potter really is a global success. Contacting movie theaters has practically consumed my entire week. First, I Facebook messaged her the movie times for the Multiplaza Escazú theater. Natalie is going to go there during her lunch hour and buy tickets. Natalie Facebook messaged me directions to Aerocasillas, her work. I will take a taxi directly from Summa and meet her at her building to get the movie tickets. Then, I will go to the mall and futz around until I meet Natalie at a designated location. Most likely, I will get to the theater early and save seats for us. By the time Natalie gets off work and meets me, it will almost be time for the movie! I can't wait. I hope the plan runs smoothly.

I've also been spending time trying to plan Ila's visit. After great debate, I think I want to go to Tamarindo. It's in Guanacaste, the most beautiful region of Costa Rica, and everyone keeps telling me I have to see it. Hillary recommended an adorable place she stayed when she went there, and the pictures look fantastic. Travel takes so much coordinating, though. I have to figure out transportation, lodging, meals, plans...everything! I think I want to take a snorkel and turtle tour. Apparently, leatherback turtles gather in Tamarindo to lay their eggs and you can travel by boat to see where they all live. I want it to be perfect. Ila is only staying for a long weekend, so we don't have much time. She's going to meet my host family and my bosses. I keep warning them that she is crazy. No one understands...

Tomorrow, the whole group is going to Hacienda Pozo Azul, and adventure tourism place about 90 minutes outside of San José. I chose to go white water rafting and zip lining in the canopy. We're also supposed to be camping out, but our tents look more like hotel rooms. Either way, it's going to be another memorable weekend. 

Amy volunteered last Wednesday to make a slideshow for our final dinner with pictures from the whole summer. I volunteered to help her, so I need to compile my best photos and send them to her. I hope we can make it really creative and funny.

Fabulous weekend ahead!

Pura Vida,

Lauren

La gripe por cina

I'm running out of money. I've been late and/or lazy so often in the past two weeks, that I've taken way too many cabs. Now, I'm down to about 800 colones. Yesterday, I thought I only had 135 colones in my wallet, which is 40 short of the 175 tarifa for the bus. I didn't think I was going to be able to get home, but luckily, I found some coins in the bottom of my bag. I need to find an ATM before this weekend.

Yesterday, I worked on the interview with the Vice Mayor of Stockholm. I've done everything with this article. I transcribed it in his broken English, edited it into proper English, translated it into Spanish, and wrote it in Spanish. The only thing I didn't do is go to Sweden and record the conference where he spoke. Marilyn is going to help me edit the article, but I really hope I get my name on this. It would be a great clip to have, and I definitely want credit for my work.

I also made a huge Excel spreadsheet with all of the months, years, portadas (magazine covers) and editions from 2004 to present. Don Jorge and Don Ronald, the big bosses, wanted to see how many issues there have been. They want to do a special edition for the 100th magazine. For the record, there have only been 62 or 63 editions. They have a long way to go. I helped them get organized, though.

Natalie and Amy came into San José to meet me for lunch yesterday. We went to El Patio. It's expensive,  but you know your food will be delicious. I love my roommates. We live together and yet we still want to meet each other for lunch, as if our time together at home isn't enough. We saw a German boy and girl eating at the table next to us. I found myself eavesdropping, even though I obviously don't speak German. It's an ugly language - very guttural and throaty, but sometimes you think you hear English. Amy told me it has to do with sounds. I don't know. We went to Pop's afterward, where Natalie and Amy convinced me to buy a brownderby. A brownderby is a regular ice cream cone, but the ice cream is dipped in chocolate that hardens. It was so difficult to eat! I love ice cream, but I have a tendency to eat it very slowly. This does not work with a brownderby. You have to hurry before the chocolate shell breaks. By the time I finished, half of the ice cream had dripped down my fingers. My brownderby experience was a little too messy for my taste.

Apparently, when Amy and Natalie left me after lunch to go home, they ran into Patri on the street. She had just finished some errands, so the three of them took the Barrio Lujan bus together. Natalie told me that when they got home, Juanca was there, so Patri made Natalie carry in two of her shopping bags. This is why they have money problems! Patri has a shopping addiction. Every single time she buys a new shirt, she buys matching jewelry and shoes. Yesterday, the refrigerator wasn't working. Patri was begging Juanca to let her buy a new one. He said no, obviously. They've been behind on their electric bill payments (observe: last week). How can Patri buy new clothes when they can't even keep up with their utilities! What?! She's hiding it from her own husband; she knows what she is doing is wrong. I know some people have a problem and are actually addicted, but this is unbelievable.

Cesar and Marilyn have tickets to see Harry Potter tonight, and I am so jealous. I've been calling every theater I can find, and none of them answer the phone. I heard they're all sold out. All I want to do is see this movie. The Spanish subtitles will make it even better! I had my heart set on going with Sam and Natalie this Friday, but that obviously is not going to happen. I don't know what to do. Yesterday, Cesar took Harry Potter images off the internet and photoshopped my face for Hermione. He made himself Snape, Luis Diego  became Malfoy and Marilyn was Bellatrix Lestrange. The photos are hilarious and realistic at that. I made Cesar upload them on Facebook. I commented on the picture of Snape, Malfoy and Bellatrix - what great bosses, verdad? I was, and still am, cracking up. I made some kind of joke when I commented and said, "Broma, broma" to signify "just kidding." Marilyn told me that it's better to say "vacilando." The phrases never seem to end, but I like my signature line. "Broma, broma...pero en serio."

Last night was our final guest speaker, Diego Something-I-Can't-Pronounce-Or-Spell. He was interesting. He grew up in Argentina (his father is Polish, snaps for Argentinian Jews!) and has worked in the United States, Europe and through Latin America. He mostly works with information technology and entrepreneurship. I don't think he was very prepared, so he tried to make it more interactive by asking us to define success and other vague questions like that. It was awkward, and I hate dead silence, so I ended up talking a lot. I need to learn to appreciate silence. 

Afterward, there was another "Crash" party at Veritas. We had one our first week, but there was another one because of a new study abroad group that has recently arrived. By the time we got there, the big band of drummers and dancers was in the middle of the same routine we saw. It was a total flashback. We hung out and danced for a while, but we didn't stay too long. Been there, done that.

When we got home, an old friend of Patri and Juanca who had stopped by for afternoon coffee (around 3 or 4 p.m.) was still there. People just do that here. They stop by without notice and stay forever (in this case, 1:30 in the morning!). Everyone was sitting around the kitchen table, snacking on galletas and tuna fish (Costa Ricans have a weird tuna fetish, don't ask). I love when the whole family spends time together. It's so much fun. I couldn't stay up forever, though, and apparently Juanca and this guy had important business to discuss. 

Patri makes me so paranoid about this city. She hates coming downtown, like most people do, but today she told me that 10 more people have died from gripe por cina (Swine Flu). She keeps telling me to wash my hands after I ride the bus, wash my hands after every time I leave the building, wash my hands when I am bored, wash my hands when someone in the room sneezes...! I can't figure out if she's actually worried about me getting sick or if she's worried about me bringing home the flu to everyone in her family. Either way, she's made me into a paranoid freak. My hands are so dry from washing them constantly. 

I'm looking forward to going to Hacienda Pozo Azul this weekend. We chose which activities we want to do, and I chose zip lining through the canopy and white water rafting. It's going to be awesome! The other choices were rappelling, horseback riding and hiking; it was a difficult decision, but I think I picked the best ones. We're sleeping in a tent on Saturday night, but from the Web site, it looks more like a luxury hotel room with a tent over it. I heard it has Wi Fi, in which case, we are really roughing it...ha. I'm just excited to be in the rain forest.

Back to work!

Pura Vida,

Lauren

Por dicha

Luis Diego is something else. Yesterday, we got into this huge discussion about relationships. He went on a date with a very attractive woman last week and enjoyed himself, but he does not plan to pursue it further. Why? She plays hard to get but not too hard to get, they had a lot of things in common and she even invited him a few days later to play volleyball with her friends at a local park (to which he refused). According to Luis, it would never work. This woman happens to come from a very wealthy family, and Luis claims that he could never give her the lifestyle she is accustomed to. She is 29 and she works full-time as a psychologist. She makes her own money, but she is wealthy. Luis Diego says he has to marry a woman who makes less money than him. Hello, chauvinist? He said women look at a man's wallet before a man's heart, and she knows he makes a mere middle-class salary. I argued that he is just insecure. If she really cared about money more than love, she never would have agreed to go on the date in the first place or invited him somewhere after. Everyone in the office got involved. Men here are traditional; they have to be the breadwinner or else they don't feel needed. I even asked Cesar if he makes more money than his girlfriend. His response was, "Of course!" Luis Diego is living in another decade if you ask me. Times have changed. Women work. There were so many facets to this conversation that bothered me. I argued in my best Spanish, but I doubt I got my point across.

Last night, Patri told Amy and I the longest story ever about her past. Juan Carlos isn't Karen's dad! Patri told us that Karen lived with her mom and sisters for a long time while she worked in San Jose to make money. For some reason, they didn't want Patri to have Karen. I suspect there is another side to the story. Her mom apparently dropped Karen off at an orphanage without telling Patri. After months and months of struggle, Patri finally got her baby back. Juan Carlos stuck by her side through all of this strife. Karen considers him her one and only father (he adopted her). Growing up, though, Karen was really difficult. She always resented Patri for whatever reason and acted out accordingly. Karen eventually was treated for depression, and the whole family went to see her psychologist. Something must have changed, because now Karen and Patri get along so well. It was a strange story. Latin women are so dramatic sometimes!

Today I was busy at work translating one of the Swedish interviews from English to Spanish all day. It is so draining and took me all day, but I was glad to be occupied. Luis Diego showed me the article I helped write about the Latin American transportation rankings. It looks good, but I don't know if it will have my name on it or not. I hope so.

I finally met David today for our long-awaited lunch date. We met at the bus stop, and David took me to his favorite restaurant. He works in a part of San Jose I've never been to before, and I was pleasantly surprised. I finally found the pretty part of the city! We ate a small corner cafe, relishing our arroz con pollo for only 1800 colones. Afterward, we walked around the area, checking out the street shops and vendors. Weird thing about Costa Rica - pigeons aren't considered a dirty animal. People buy bird food and children try to lure pigeons to them so they can feed the birds and hold them. Yes, they try to hold the filthy birds. We went on a hunt for a cheap dessert (after being mugged last weekend, David is on a budget). We found bakeries and supermarkets, and we eventually settled on ice cream cones from AutoMercado for 275 colones. I'm happy I found a more picturesque area of the city. The street I work on is so drab and industrial looking.

Later this afternoon, Numar (a butter manufacturing company) came to Summa to do some sort of promotional event. I walked into the conference room to find a spread of all different types of bread, crackers and cookies all over the table. Numar models (literally, they wore tiny yellow dresses with frilly white aprons) presented different types of butter and margarine, emphasizing the advantage of their vegetable oil and lighter taste. It was so comical. Everyone indulged themselves in the bread spread and enjoyed complimentary coffee (really high-tech machine with four different flavors). I couldn't get enough of it. It was like I died and went to carbohydrate heaven. Or maybe hell. Carbs kill.

After work, I forced myself to go to the gym. I ended up running into almost everyone I know here on the way there. I saw Tyson (David's roommate) on the street, and then I passed Sam walking home from work. I practically ran her over with my nervous energy and excitement for the Harry Potter release tomorrow. She, Natalie and I are trying to go on Friday. Then, David and Evan were both at the gym. By the end of my cardio, David's other roommate Keith was on the machine next to me. It was comforting to know I've met people. I have a life here. Exciting, isn't it?

I finally spoke to my family on Skype! Ila is coming in a little over a week, and David got home from Israel last night. He is so tall; I can't believe it. He had an amazing time. I couldn't be happier for him. It was good to talk to my parents, too. They had a relaxing week in beautiful Tuscany. I'm a little jealous, but not really...I'm in Costa Rica and loving it!

Tomorrow I am working and then attending our last guest speaker. After that, there is another Crash party at the University for an incoming group of study abroad students. It should be fun!

Pura Vida,
Lauren

p.s. Patri bought another fish. It's a little black one that looks like the tough guy in the fish tank in Finding Nemo. I can't remember his name, but Patri named this one Chumeco. Chumeco is another word for a small black thing. Little black dogs are chumecos. It can also be a racist term, but the family uses it so casually. Oh, Costa Rica.

Lucha libre

In the midst of all my Costa Rica experiences, I totally forgot about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince coming to theaters on Wednesday. I went absolutely nuts in the office when I realized it. I was jumping up and down and practically screaming, "En serio?! Esta semana? Aqui? En miercoles?" Everyone laughed at me. It made my day. I feel like such a horrible fan for forgetting, though. I thought that it wouldn't come out on Wednesday here in Costa Rica, but luckily I was wrong! I can't wait to see it with Spanish subtitles. My co-workers helped me look up different movie theaters and times so I can buy tickets. I think Natalie and Sam are going to go with me. How I love those books.

Today, I went to a nearby restaurant to buy a salad for lunch. While I was waiting to pay, a little girl wearing rags came over to me, tapped my shoulder and started begging for money. It was so sad. Usually I don't give anything to beggars, but I probably would have today had I brought extra cash. I didn't know what to say, so I just apologized. I thought she walked away, but a minute later, she popped up from behind me, even closer than she was before, harassing me. She caught me completely off guard. She would not leave me alone. Finally, luckily, thankfully, an employee behind the counter told her she couldn't be inside the restaurant. The little girl still didn't leave. It was only after the employee started to scold her more and more that she gave up and left. It was tragic and slightly scary, too. I was grateful to the woman who worked there.

I tuned out from the conversation again during lunch. I can't help it sometimes. I try to keep up with conversation, but everyone speaks so quickly and all it once. It can be quite overwhelming. My brain starts to hurt, and soon, I'm in my own world, daydreaming and staring out the window. I need to work on that. Anyway, today, there was a fist fight in the streets. A huge crowd surrounded the fight on the sidewalk, and once everyone at work noticed, we all gathered at the windows to watch. An older homeless man, shirtless, was fighting another middle-aged guy. What shocked me was that no one stood back or rushed past. Everyone wanted to see, like it was a schoolboy brawl or something. We watched for a few minutes. By the time I tired of it and walked away, the police still hadn't come. Everyone was calling their fight una lucha libre. A free fight. I thought it was an interesting expression. 

Speaking of crime, my friend David was mugged the other night. He and his two roommates, boys from other programs, were heading out around 10 p.m. to go to a bar. They were joking and talking loudly on the street, oblivious to their surroundings as they tried to hail a cab. David said a man came up to them, flashed a gun and demanded money in broken English. The three boys emptied their pockets. The man took their money and fled. He didn't hurt them at all, but I am in shock. They were standing where I catch my bus every morning. I know it's unsafe to walk the streets at night, which is why I take a cab if I have to go anywhere past dark, but this is literally too close to home.

Amy,  Natalie and I might check out El Cuartel tonight. Hillary recommended it to me, and a friend of Amy's invited us to go. Rumor has it that there are cool live bands and a fun atmosphere. We'll see!

Looking forward to getting my Harry Potter fix this week. I can't wait!

Pura Vida,

Lauren

Jocko, Yocko, Hocko.

Hola!

I just got back from a much-needed beach weekend. On Friday, Patri and Juan Carlos called all three of us in to the living room for a talk. Patri was livid about Thursday night. I didn't go out, but Amy and Natalie did. When they got home, they tried to heat up a snack in the microwave and Patri woke up. I don't know why, but she thought there was a boy in the house (there wasn't) and was furious. She went on a huge rant about how it's dangerous to bring strange boys back late at night. She was also upset about them leaving a light on; the power conveniently went out on Friday when we were getting ready to leave because they're behind on their electricity bill. None of this was my fault, but we all got yelled at anyway. They turned it into a safety talk, too, when clearly they were just angry. They tried to make it sound like they were concerned for our safety, when really Patri was just mad about being woken up en la madrugada. Oh, well. We knew it was time for us to go.

We took a taxi down to the main bus station to catch a 3:30 p.m. bus to Jaco Beach. We thought we were so cool, navigating the city and using public transportation to travel. What we didn't realize was that most people buy their bus tickets weeks or days in advance. The 3:30 bus was full! We had a moment of panic when a man pretending to work for the bus company told us that the next available bus only had two open spots, not three, and recommended we pay $75 for a taxi. He was totally hustling us! I demanded we stay in line and ask the real employee behind the counter. Sure enough, there were three tickets for the 4:30 p.m. bus. I couldn't believe what easy targets we were for that guy. The tickets were 1380 colones a piece. That's not even $2. Love it.

We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of public transportation. I fell asleep, of course, and so did Natalie. A cute little girl sitting next to us had been watching us earlier. I remember being fascinated by older girls, too, when I was little. Natalie woke up during her nap because the little girl reached out and touched her leg. Her grandmother didn't notice what she was doing. It was weird and cute at the same time. After a short nap and drive through the mountains, we arrived in Jaco Beach.

Jaco Beach is said to be the Maui of Costa Rica. People flock to Jaco Beach for the surfing, the nightlife and the beach. We stayed at a small hotel right on the beach and used Natalie's travel guide book to find great restaurants. Our hotel was perfect and much better than we thought it would be given the cheap price. There was a slight ant problem upon arrival, but it was nothing Natalie's bug spray couldn't handle. We had a small balcony overlooking the pool and ocean, and our air conditioning system saved us from the humidity and constant heat. Though the nightlife was slightly disappointing, we managed to entertain ourselves.

On Saturday, we woke up to overcast weather. We walked all over town, which is full of overpriced restaurants and touristy gift shops. There was a mix of surfers, families and Ticos, but no one was very friendly. We walked on the beach. I think Jaco Beach is slightly overrated; there were rocks all over the black sand which made it hard to walk. The waves were huge, though (perfect for surfing). After lunch at Los Amigos (two for one berry smoothies and avocado wraps), the weather cleared up. We spent the afternoon by the pool shaped like a guitar and played in the ocean.

That night, we dressed up and treated ourselves to an expensive dinner at a place called Poseidon. I wore my long dress! We tried out the nightlife again. We must have gone back and forth between every bar (Plankton, Le Loft, Monkey Bar). No one satisfied our musical needs, and no one seemed very friendly. It was strange, but we made our own fun, as usual. Amy used her iPhone for our stereo sysem so we could have a dance party in our hotel room. The videos are priceless. We went swimming in our hotel pool and listened to the waves crashing against the shore all night.

Today, we checked out of our hotel and explored a little more in the pounding heat until our 2:30 p.m. bus. After such a good traveling experience on Friday, we didn't think that our bus ride would be sans air conditioning. I practically melted. When we finally made it to San Jose, we picked up a loaf of bread at Musmanni (a franchise bakery) for our family. We wanted to say peace offering without coming right out and saying sorry for last week. I think it worked.

I uploaded more pictures on Facebook from nights out in San Jose, our day trip in Zarcero and this weekend. I am exhausted! I'm looking forward to my last three weeks here, but right now, I just need to go to bed.

Pura Vida,
Lauren

Come here now please!

Hola!

It's been a busy couple of days. On Wednesday, I didn't go to work. Natalie, Amy and I ran errands with Patri.

We waited forever for the bus, Zapote Pista, to show up. Sometimes the buses come every five minutes; sometimes you wait for almost an hour. Patri has started speaking bits and pieces of English. Her favorite (and only) phrase is, "Come here now please!" When she speaks, you can't help but laugh. She tries so hard.

We went to the bank and then to a big store that I swear was Costco under a different name. The two are probably owned by the same company, because they were so similar. We walked around and got lunch in the store. After lunch, Patri bought a frozen caramel cappuccino. She didn't like it for whatever reason, and after a few minutes, she asked three kids sitting at a table next to us if they wanted her drink. They took it without hesitation. That's how Costa Rica is - you don't have to worry about a stranger trying to kidnap you by offering you a treat.

We went to the mall, where Patri bought a pair of orange earrings to match her new shirt. Tican women dress up when they leave the house. Patri was shocked when we wanted to wear our gym shorts and sneakers anywhere but the gym. We also went to a store called El Rey. I think it was a dollar store.

After our productive shopping, I took a little nap and went to the gym. A new group of students from a study abroad program just arrived, so the gym was packed. I don't know what it is, but for some reason, I don't like that more gringos are here. No one in my program does. Maybe we feel some sense of ownership? I can't quite figure it out. We're acting territorial.

Wednesday day, we headed downtown for another guest speaker. I loved this week's speaker. His name is Mohit, Mo for short, and he has lived the coolest life. His father worked for the World Bank, so Mo was born in Greece, lived in Paris for four years, then in Bengali for four years, then Switzerland, Singapore and Japan. He went to Stanford University for undergrad, where he majored in industrial engineering. A few years after working as a consultant in a consulting firm, he went on a roadtrip with an old friend from Geneva and had a realization that he didn't love what he was doing. He decided to go to graduate school (at Harvard, no less) for international education. He went to Ecuador and taught physics in schools, and eventually he made it to Costa Rica to work for the University of Peace. University of Peace, which is almost as corny as University of Dreams, is a newer school that was created solely for graduate work in peace and conflict studies. Costa Rica offered to start it in their country because Costa Rica is the only country without a military.

Mohit is so cool. He speaks English, Bengali, French and Spanish. He used to speak Japanese but he lost it. He married a Brazilian woman, and they had to decide what language to use with their children (the kids get English from their parents, Spanish from their babysitter, both in school, and eventually will be taught Portuguese). He talked to us about conflict and different perspectives. I was fascinated; the conversation became very philosophical. I had so many questions; he gave us a little card about the university and told us to call him any time for a tour of the campus. We all want to go. His work sounds awesome.

One of the things I like about working for Summa is that the articles they write are surprisingly relevant and on point. For example, my sister Karen has a lot of cousins and friends who work in customer support centers for companies like Hewlett Packard. They are trained to speak English with a New York accent or a Southern accent so that the caller doesn't know they are talking to someone in Latin America. The Ticans that do this well end up getting paid extremely well. The other day at work, I edited an article studying customer support centers in Central America and how they are affecting both the United States' and Central America's economies.

I'm also working on an article about public transportation. The World Economic Forum recently issued the 2009 rankings of ground public transportation all over the world. Panama came in second to last on a global level. Honduras was the best out of all of Central America, but it was still in the 60s somewhere. We groan every day about the lack of organization in the bus system here. I like studying and writing about issues that actually impact the readers.

After working on that article and meeting David and Amy for lunch yesterday, I came home and went to the gym (in the pouring rain). Our group was supposed to have a cultural event last night, but the live band canceled. The back-up plan was bowling. So cultural, right?

It turned out to be a lot of fun. A little boy bowling with his family next to our lanes bumped into my on accident and screamed "Sorry!" at the top of his lungs. I laughed and thought, he speaks English? His mom told me he goes to a bilingual school and that she speaks English. I told him that if he wanted to practice, he had a whole group of gringos right here. Some students here are fortunate enough to go to bilingual schools. They have a huge advantage in the working world in Costa Rica if they do.

There was a group of old men in their own league on the other side of our lanes that were insanely good. They got mad and cursed if they got anything less than a strike. One of them was asking me tons of questions. What were we doing here? Where are we from? Where do we live? He told me I speak Spanish well! Ticans are curious about foreigners. They aren't rude at all; they just want to learn about us.

After bowling, we went to dinner at Cafe Mundo. This was my second time here. I went the first time for Susie's birthday at work. It was so good. Natalie and I shared pechuga de pollo a la parilla with vegetables. I haven't had a lean piece of chicken like that in so long. It wasn't salted at all. I miss healthy food.

Amy, Natalie and David went out last night, but I wasn't up for it. They gave me a hard time, but I was exhausted. Natalie just told me that when they came home last night, Patri heard them in the kitchen and came downstairs furious. She yelled at them for making noise and for leaving the lights on. Apparently, their electricity bill was ridiculous this month. Patri won't stop unplugging things (like my computer, so it dies) all over the house. She's been turning the hot water off during the day. I don't understand why she can afford to buy a new pair of earrings at the mall but can't cover her monthly payments. Natalie told Joaquin at dinner that we don't usually get a lot of protein at home because Patri is cooking for so many people (there are nine of us total). Joaquin said our family is getting enough money from the three of us that we should be able to eat whatever we want. It all sounds a little suspicious to me. All I know is that I miss unsalty food and vegetables. I never thought I would say that...

This weekend, I am going to Jaco Beach. It is supposed to be lovely but extremely touristy. Amy, Natalie and I are starting to hate tourists. We want to fit in with the locals. Somehow, I don't think I'll blend in anytime soon.

I'm off to eat breakfast, go to the gym and pack!

Pura Vida,
Lauren

Me da igual.

Buenos!

I've recently realized that some people don't correct my Spanish mistakes. Yesterday, when I went out to lunch with Eric, the hostess showed us two tables and asked which one we preferred. I instinctively said, "No me importa." I use this phrase all the time to say "It makes no difference to me." Once we were seated, Eric told me that "No me importa" can be construed as rude and indifferent. The better and more polite phrase to use is, "Me da igual." 

I was, and still am, in shock. I have been here for a whole month and not once has anyone in my home stay or at work told me that there was a more appropriate way to say I don't have a preference. When I spoke to Marilyn and Luis Diego about this, they agreed that it's better to use "Me da igual." When I asked them why they never corrected me, they shrugged and said they knew what I meant. What?! I'm here to learn. Don't appease me!

I've also noticed that a lot of things I learn from my host family are not always appropriate for work. "Que tuanis," which I thought was equivalent to "Que chiva," is apparently very slang. I talked to my host family about the "Me da igual" mix-up, and they said it has a lot to do with context and tone of voice, but that "Me da igual" is a safer bet. Ugh.

Last night, I did Zumba in the living room with Natalie and Karen. Karen insisted on doing the advanced version, which was a huge mistake. Natalie and I could barely keep up. I also happen to be the most uncoordinated person in the world. I couldn't figure out how to do half of the steps, so I just bounced around until I got the hang of the exercise. Effective? Maybe. Entertaining? Definitely.

I adore my Tico brother, Brandon. He acts like such a rebel, but once in a while, he does something really sweet and unexpected. Natalie, Amy and I were watching a movie, and Brandon brought us a bowl of popcorn. We didn't ask for it, but Brandon was making some for himself and wanted to give us half. How cute! But then again, he has been begging all of us to borrow our credit cards. He wants to buy a $70 computer game online, but he knows his parents will find out if he uses their credit card. He has a Nike baseball cap that his buddy, Carlos, wants to buy. Brandon wants to sell it to him for $70! I told him that was ridiculously overpriced, and he agreed. However,  he insisted that he has to "take care of business" and make profits for his computer game endeavors.

I made a brave attempt to clean my room last night. I re-folded all of my clothes and organized my desk a bit. Disclaimer: this was a one time occurrence. It won't be happening again any time soon. While I was putting my jewelry away, Patri came in. I showed her my favorite pairs of earrings. She left and came back with all of her jewelry. It was so cute; she took such pride in showing me her earrings, rings and necklaces. When I complimented a pair of earrings, she tried to give them to me. Of course I refused, but the gesture touched my heart. How can someone be so generous after only knowing a person for a month?

This morning, I came in to work to find the best surprise ever. A copy of the July issue of Revista Summa was sitting on my desk. My name is on the masthead. It says "Colaboracion - Lauren Gold." How exciting!

I also received a gift from Rafa today. He went on a vacation to Cuba last week and brought back wooden figurines for everyone in the office. I now have a ballerina dancer made of wood that reads, "Para Lauren, De Rafa." I feel honored to be included in the office group.

I'm working on editing some of the articles translated from The Economist and the Times. Hopefully, I can get to dance class tonight.

Ciao!

Lauren

Broma, broma...pero en serio.

I’ve decided that Castro’s is the best bar/club ever. Though mild amounts of tourists are to be expected, the majority of the patrons are locals. The music never fails to impress, and I have never left disappointed with my evening. On Friday, almost everyone in my program ended up dancing at Castro’s. I loved it. Our friend, Randall, came with his friend Leo. Leo is hilarious. You can tell he’s spent time with gringos, because every other English word he uses is “like.” He also loves football. He kept saying things along the lines of: You go to like the University of Florida? That is like so cool, like I love like Tim Tebow and like football games. I want to be like a running back. Like USC is like my favorite school.

On Saturday, I met up with Hillary Grey’s cousin, Sarah. Hillary had told me Sarah was studying abroad nearby, so I sent her a Facebook message when I first arrived in San Jose. We met at Bagelman’s (the cure for homesickness: poppy seed bagel, toasted with cream cheese). I had such a good time. Sarah goes to GWU and is studying international affairs. She is on a six-week program through GW, and from here, she is going straight to Buenos Aires for fall semester. It was cool to share our home stay horror stories and experiences (bathroom miscommunication story – huge hit with the gringos).

Later, Amy, Natalie and I went four houses down to visit David, another boy in our program. He lives with two other male students from the United States. They were having a 4^th of July barbecue. After accidentally blowing up glass conveniently located inside the grill, they grilled hot dogs and pieces of meat. There were potatoes, onions, corn, papas tostadas and more. David’s host dad, Don Alfredo, was so generous. He and his wife own a pet store/veternarian office. Patri brings our dog, Mindi, there.

Don Alfredo and his wife have two or three kids (I’m not sure if one of them was a friend or one of theirs). They have a three-year-old son, Luis, nickname Luigi, who is absolutely adorable. He has bright blue eyes and blonde hair. He was running around the whole time throwing a ball with Amy and showing me his drawings. He drew about four payasos (clowns) and a porcupine. He showed me one picture he couldn’t explain. I asked him if it was una fantasma (a ghost), and he was so happy that I found the word for him. I guess I speak on a toddler level.

Tyson and Keith, David’s two roommates, were interesting. Tyson is from California and goes to school in Oregon. I didn’t even realize people lived in Oregon. Keith is 29 and has a crazy tattoo covering his entire left arm. I asked him what he’s doing here. I don’t think he really knew. 

We spent the later part of the afternoon planning our fiesta with Juan Carlos and Patri. Juanca took it so seriously. He wrote out a list of everything we needed from the grocery store and estimated the costs. We went to Pali and Carrion, two different grocery stores, to buy all of the food and party supplies. At Pali, we were dancing down the aisles with our shopping cart. They were playing such good music! A group of employees laughed at us. Frankly, I think they’re the weird ones. Who wouldn’t dance to those Latin beats?

When we got home, we all went to get ready while Juan Carlos set up the grill outside. There was so much food: barbecue chicken, individual pieces of beef, pork shops, tortilla, tortilla chips, frijoles molidos, ensalada y mas. We invited neighbors and friends. Alira and Evan came, along with our neighbor Mitzi, her boyfriend, her brother, another neighbor and one of the boys who works for Juan Carlos. Patri had a few girlfriends over, including her sister, and Randall and Leo came later. A few families and close friends stopped by, too. Jose David and Marco were home for the weekend, but Karen and Billy even came to party with us.

It was such a fun night. We had all kinds of music, from reggae to salsa to rap to meringue. One of Patri’s friends had to go to the hospital, though. She and her husband walked behind Juanca’s car, and everyone just assumed they were going to talk or have a private moment. A minute later, she was knocked out, slamming onto the concrete. She was rushed into the living room. She didn’t wake up for way too long. She said she felt weak. I felt her pulse; it was racing. I thought maybe she had had a low blood sugar attack, so I insisted that she eat something with sugar immediately. Someone dumped five spoonfuls of sugar into warm milk (gross), but she refused to drink it. Finally, she and husband left for the emergency room.

I guess everyone but me knew that her husband is violent and most likely punched his wife. I was in absolute shock when someone told me, especially after I made a big fuss over her probable low blood sugar. Apparently, she had turned her cell phone off and her husband didn’t know where she was. He was home with the kids all day and came to the party, furious, to find her. No one says or does anything about this. I am still in shock. Everyone pretended that she just fainted for an unknown reason. He knocked her out and she hit the ground hard. I can’t believe it.

After a successful fiesta, all I wanted to do was sleep in, but no! I am in Costa Rica, and Patri and Juanca invited us to go with them to Zarcero for the day. No time for rest, verdad? We woke up at 6 a.m. and left around 7 a.m. to head into the mountains. An hour and a half later, we arrived in Zarcero. Patri grew up here and immediately assumed the role of tour guide. She took us to the center of town, where there are huge sculpted bushes. The gardener who created all of the shapes lives right there! There were plants shaped into birds, faces, dinosaurs and even a bull. We took a million pictures. A beautiful church overlooks the whole garden; we peeked in for a minute, but a Sunday morning service was underway.

Patri and Juanca are slowly building their retirement home in Pueblo Nuevo, a little town on the outskirts of Zarcero. It’s in a beautiful location and conveniently right next door to the house where Patri grew up, where her mother still lives. We stopped there and walked around. There are cows, horses, goats, fields of plants, a view of the mountains (and sometimes Volcan Arenal) and crisp air. It was breathtaking.

I guess the whole reason that Patri and Juanca wanted to go to Zarcero yesterday was to see all the action that surrounds Cuatro por Cuatro, a 4-wheeling and jeep competition that they have once a year. Every other person that we met in town was Patri’s cousin or niece or nephew. We met her mother, cooking all kinds of food for the celebration of the big race. I ate something called lomo, which is like an individually sized piece of meat that tastes like brisket with a soft tortilla (no silverware). After we watched the race kick off, we hopped onto the back of a tractor. I was under the impression that we were going up into the mountains to watch the 4-wheelers race by, but apparently, Patri just felt like taking a ride. We literally drive through the clouds; I could feel the chilly mist on my face and see the condensed air. It was absolutely fantastic. Our journey came to an abrupt halt when we found almost 10 jeeps backed up, a few of which were stuck in the mud. There is an expression for this race that everyone was using all day, which says that for every five cars that finish the race, 5 have to turn around and come back. If one car gets stuck, everyone gets stuck.

We went on a walk to see all the cars and explore, but of course it started to rain. Patri didn’t tell us anything about what we would be doing in Zarcero, so we were all inappropriately dressed for the climate and subsequent events. When I asked Patri in the morning what activities we would be doing, she said we would be doing everything and to pack a lot. Uh, okay? I wore shorts and sneakers. Luckily, I brought a sweatshirt. Poor Natalie and Amy wore flip flops and had fun getting stuck in the mud, that only got more muddy as it rained harder and harder. We were the laughing stock of every person up there. One of the men who worked for the race, as a helper at certain checkpoints along the muddy trails, offered the back seat of his yellow jeep for us to sit down while it poured rain. We climbed in. I thought we were just going to wait for the rain to let up, but then Patri left to walk back to the tractor all the way at the end of the pile up! I guess in the middle of all of the confusion we made it seem like we wanted to get a ride home with this guy instead of on the tractor. It took us about 10 minutes to realize this was a bad idea. We were going to have to wait for all of the cars ahead of us to be towed out, not to mention we didn’t know anyone we were with. When we told the guy that we wanted to go back and find Patri, he got on his radio and sent out a message that LAS TRES GRINGAS (begin laughter) were coming back. Notify Patri that her three gringas are coming back and not to leave without them.

And so begins our adventure, retracing our steps in the pouring rain. The only gringa wearing sneakers (me) was the only gringa who fell in the mud and got completely covered in brown muck. Everyone else was wearing rain jackets and thick rubber boots. One woman even asked me why we were stupid enough to wear shorts. It was hilarious. I was trying to keep my balance, move quickly and protect my small wallet and digital camera the whole way.

We finally made it, soaked through our sweaters and caked in el barro. We were freezing the whole way down, but I’m glad we went back to Patri. We didn’t want to get stuck or lost.

We went to Patri’s mom’s house to clean up. The shower there made me so grateful for my home stay here in San Jose. It wasn’t ice cold, but it wasn’t warm either. Natalie, Amy and I scrubbed the mud off and struggled to clean up. Patri graciously lent us the three most hysterical shirts ever: colored polos from our neighbor’s old job at a video game store. We could not stop laughing at our situation.

In Patri’s mother’s bedroom, where we changed and cleaned up, there was a huge Jesus nailed to a cross. There was also another Jesus mounted on the wall, looking down towards the bed with rosary beads in hand. She had a brown apron-like dress that looked like a nun outfit hanging from the closet, with a cross over the chest, of course, but on the polished tile floor beneath it was a pair of skull and crossbone slide-in sneakers. What an oxymoron, verdad? I took a picture; I thought it was funny.

We went back to the fiesta, where we once again stuck out. It was so embarrassing: three gringas wearing hideous t-shirts, messy and exhausted from our muddy experience. I ate another lomo for lunch (my choices were limited). I was absolutely freezing from my mountain adventure. Juan Charlie (his new nickname) bought a raffle ticket and won! Our prize was a box of Oreo cookie knock-off galletas. We didn’t stay long, but Marco met up with us. Marco and Jose David go to their homes on the weekends and live with us during the week for school and work. After the fiesta, we went to a nearby finca so Juanca could talk with the owner. Juanca is trying to sell him the car we went in. It’s a big SUV; I can’t remember the name right now, but I like it. When Juanca opened the backseat to show him how spacious it was, the three of us told him that las tres gringas come free with purchase.

I fell asleep on the short drive across Zarcero. We were supposed to stop by Patri’s cousin’s house for coffee, but coffee turned into a five hour family get-together. Their house is gorgeous. The ceiling was made of wooden beams, designed in an architectural pattern. There were huge glass window panes overlooking the mountains and all of Zarcero. You could tell the family was slightly upper class; their kitchen appliances and bedrooms were relatively upscale. I met all of Marco and Jose David’s extended family. Jose David has two sisters. One has a two-month-old baby, and one has a four-month-old baby. They were adorable. Oh, how I love those babies. Yesterday was the birthday of someone’s niece, so the whole family was there. The little girl, Mariel, was running around with a fancy up-do and white princess dress. I loved watching the family life. The men gathered around the television to watch a soccer match. The children ran around and played. The mothers tended to the babies and gathered in the kitchen to cook dinner and gossip. Marco was the perfect uncle; Natalie, Amy and I all fell a little bit in love with him, watching him play with Mariel and Josue (two and a half – crazy hyper/cute). Here, families are incredibly close. Everyone’s family is loud and big and generous. I love it, I love it, I love it.

Amy, Natalie and I took a nap on the couches in the living room. When we woke up, we ate a delicious dinner of frijoles molidas, galletas tortillas y arroz con vegetales y carne. By the time we left, it was 7:30 p.m. On the drive home, Patri told us about a terrible car accident she had just months after having Karen. A trailer full of cows rounded a corner in the mountains too fast and hit Patri. She woke up in a hospital five days later. All of the muscle in her left arm was destroyed, and she hovered between life and death for days (at least that’s what I think she said).

I am so glad I went to Zarcero. I like seeing actual pueblos y lugares sin turismo. Me encanta la cultura. We had so much fun with Juan Carlos and Patri. We laughed all day; I can’t even begin to remember how many jokes we play on each other. I hope I didn’t forget anything about yesterday. I think it was the best day I’ve had in Costa Rica so far.

This morning, it was back to work. I was so confused when I turned around at my desk to find the whole office coming into my room (I’m in a room with Marilyn, Luis y Cesar). Don Jorge y Don Ronald held a meeting to discuss problems with behavior and dress code. From what I understood, people have been coming in too late and taking too long for lunch. Even though Fridays are casual, jeans are not allowed. One of the new people who recently started working here is not only working on finances but is also in charge of human resources. He had a lot to say. They discussed the rules for using Skype and MSN Messenger (very popular here) at work and emphasized a need to renew the professionalism in the office. I liked being included in a meeting; usually, Marilyn and Luis leave for their editorial meetings y lecturas. I was shocked to hear reprimands. Everything is usually so relaxed here.

I went to lunch with Eric, the director of my program. I like him. He’s lived here for 10 years and is dating one of our other directors, Karol. We talked about our families and our lives. I gave him some feedback on the Costa Rica program. We went to News Café, an expensive restaurant in the middle of the city. We had a good time.

I hope I didn’t forget anything about this weekend. I love it here!

Pura Vida,

Lauren