I´ve got two days left of classes and about five days in country left. I´m about to run out of steam, and kind of have to keep pushing myself. It´s been a long three weeks, but I´m ready to go home. I keep having these imaginary conversations between the disciplined John and the lazy John where I keep telling myself to stop whining and suck it up.
So far I´m sucking it up, but I still really want a real taco and a hot shower. I´ve had enough cold showers to last me a long time. But I´m also sad because I have friends, and people recognize me on the street and talk to me.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Safety and Security in Costa Rica
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Costa Rican Women
Costa Rican women are not any different than women all over the world. The mix of races here means there are so many very attractive shades of skin. Costa Ricans come in every color of the rainbow, from African, Asian and European, to the indigenous races in this province of Guanacaste.
There are some interesting things about Ticas. They rarely leave the house without makeup and being dressed well. I have seen no one in sweat pants here,(its also too hot for sweatpants!). They love chunky jewelry and their earrings could choke a horse. I suspect that some of them do not possess shoes without a 3" heel. They seem to have no aversion to visible panty lines, and wear bare midriffs when its not necessarily a good idea.
One of the younger girls at the language school said the funniest thing about the women here. She said, "Have you noticed how they have such nice figures when they are young, but after they have a couple of kids their figure is not so great?" We all died laughing and assured her that this is not purely a Costa Rican phenomenom by a long shot.
There are some very attractive women here, that dress very provocatively to say the least. Combine that with a culture that is "overly" friendly,(at least to uptight gringo ideals) and you have a country where its not torturous to be a man.
All that aside, I still feel like I´m starving to death in a Chinese buffet, and all I want is Mexican food, my own enchilada at home...
I miss my wife.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Home Stretch
There are some interesting things about Ticas. They rarely leave the house without makeup and being dressed well. I have seen no one in sweat pants here,(its also too hot for sweatpants!). They love chunky jewelry and their earrings could choke a horse. I suspect that some of them do not possess shoes without a 3" heel. They seem to have no aversion to visible panty lines, and wear bare midriffs when its not necessarily a good idea.
One of the younger girls at the language school said the funniest thing about the women here. She said, "Have you noticed how they have such nice figures when they are young, but after they have a couple of kids their figure is not so great?" We all died laughing and assured her that this is not purely a Costa Rican phenomenom by a long shot.
There are some very attractive women here, that dress very provocatively to say the least. Combine that with a culture that is "overly" friendly,(at least to uptight gringo ideals) and you have a country where its not torturous to be a man.
All that aside, I still feel like I´m starving to death in a Chinese buffet, and all I want is Mexican food, my own enchilada at home...
I miss my wife.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Home Stretch
Money Problems
I spent my free time during the last two days dealing with some money problems. My credit card would not work. The first time I used it here, it was declined. I tried it in the teller machine here, and it was declined. My wife called the company and they said it was all worked out.
Today, I went to get some cash out and the same thing happened. So I spent a half hour on the public phone in the park making a long distance call. The bank said that I didn´t withdraw enough, that I was .63 cents short of the minimum withdrawl. That would have been nice to hear from the teller machine here. All it said was "transacción cancelado".
After feeling a little sheepish, I walked to the ATM machine and tried it again with a larger amount-same thing-no money and spit my card back out!
One thing I have learned about Costa Rica stands true for any developing country: if something does not work, try the same thing somewhere else. Really, if one phone does not work, try another. If one bank won`t help you, go to the other one. Things vary from person to person, from business to business.
I walked about another mile and went to the biggest bank in town. They are slow, but they have their act together. I went to their ATM machine first, stuck the card in and in seconds I had several brightly colored 10,000 Colón notes in my sweaty hands.
Amazing...
I still choose to blame my credit card company for being stupid, I called them a month before I left and told them the dates I would be in Costa Rica, then they said that was why they had a block on it. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. American Express they ain`t!
I got my money now, that´s all that matters.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Costa Rican Women
Today, I went to get some cash out and the same thing happened. So I spent a half hour on the public phone in the park making a long distance call. The bank said that I didn´t withdraw enough, that I was .63 cents short of the minimum withdrawl. That would have been nice to hear from the teller machine here. All it said was "transacción cancelado".
After feeling a little sheepish, I walked to the ATM machine and tried it again with a larger amount-same thing-no money and spit my card back out!
One thing I have learned about Costa Rica stands true for any developing country: if something does not work, try the same thing somewhere else. Really, if one phone does not work, try another. If one bank won`t help you, go to the other one. Things vary from person to person, from business to business.
I walked about another mile and went to the biggest bank in town. They are slow, but they have their act together. I went to their ATM machine first, stuck the card in and in seconds I had several brightly colored 10,000 Colón notes in my sweaty hands.
Amazing...
I still choose to blame my credit card company for being stupid, I called them a month before I left and told them the dates I would be in Costa Rica, then they said that was why they had a block on it. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. American Express they ain`t!
I got my money now, that´s all that matters.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Costa Rican Women
Cost of Living Increases
I had the weirdest conversation with one of my Spanish professors. I told her that I had not got a raise for a long time because business has been bad. She looked at me really quizzically, then said, "Don´t you get a raise every year?". I told her no, it depends on the company and if they can give you a raise or not.
She explained that if you work in Costa Rica, there are two cost of living increases made to your salary every year, it´s the law. The government decides the percentage of the increase. This is for private businesses as well as government businesses.
I was shocked to say the least.
It´s tough to say if this is all bad. Costa Rica has high inflation, and there are a lot of people without jobs. On the other hand, there is a larger middle class in Costa Rica than the rest of Central America. Costa Ricans say they want a more stable economy, like the US, maybe they don´t realize the problems that are inherent in a market driven economy.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Money Problems
She explained that if you work in Costa Rica, there are two cost of living increases made to your salary every year, it´s the law. The government decides the percentage of the increase. This is for private businesses as well as government businesses.
I was shocked to say the least.
It´s tough to say if this is all bad. Costa Rica has high inflation, and there are a lot of people without jobs. On the other hand, there is a larger middle class in Costa Rica than the rest of Central America. Costa Ricans say they want a more stable economy, like the US, maybe they don´t realize the problems that are inherent in a market driven economy.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Money Problems
The Ricky Martin Poster
I finally took down the Ricky Martin poster that the previous resident had left up in my room. I was really getting tired of him looking at me in that longing, wanton way of his. I wanted to scream at the wall, "Darn it! I`m not just a piece of meat! Don´t you realize that Ricky?"
There was part of me that was torn between wanting to explain to him that it would never work out, we come from such different worlds, and then there was the part of me that wanted to slug him in his perfect Cary Grant chin, to hear him cry like the niñita I suspect he is. I guess he´s always annoyed me even before he got the frosted hair. He has been my least favorite Latino singer since he was in Menudo,(I still can´t get off their fan club list, even after I sent them a notice in Spanish!).
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Cost of Living Increases
There was part of me that was torn between wanting to explain to him that it would never work out, we come from such different worlds, and then there was the part of me that wanted to slug him in his perfect Cary Grant chin, to hear him cry like the niñita I suspect he is. I guess he´s always annoyed me even before he got the frosted hair. He has been my least favorite Latino singer since he was in Menudo,(I still can´t get off their fan club list, even after I sent them a notice in Spanish!).
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Cost of Living Increases
Monday, July 31, 2006
La Romeria
I watch the news every morning with my breakfast and I kept noticing all these pictures of people walking on the highway. It was like some Costa Rican Walk-a-Thon, but I never saw Jerry Lewis asking for money, so I was kind of confused. Then I noticed the newscasters were talking about the Camino de Fe,(The Road of Faith), and using the word Romeria.
I asked my friend Jorge, who I meet with twice a week to help him with his English and me with my Spanish. He explained that we are very close to the Fiesta de Los Angeles where people celebrate the patron saint of Costa Rica, La Negrita, or the Black Virgin.
The story goes that a statue of a black madonna was found in the jungle. It had been carved by hand out of black rock, presumably by the indigenous people. The statue was taken to the church and put on display. The next day the statue was gone. It was later found in the same part of the jungle it came from. They took it back to the church, and once again it disappeared to reappear at the same place in the jungle. The third time, they decided to build a church at the site where they found the statue.
La Negrita is said to have powers much like La Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico has. Jorge explained that people ask La Negrita to heal them, or help them with a problem, and they promise that if she does that they will go on a romeria to the basilica in Cartago where the statue is to "pagar la promesa", to keep their promise. It can be a very long journey, and it was to be done on foot, when they get to the basilica, some people approach the altar on their knees, much like they do in Mexico to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Ricky Martin Poster
I asked my friend Jorge, who I meet with twice a week to help him with his English and me with my Spanish. He explained that we are very close to the Fiesta de Los Angeles where people celebrate the patron saint of Costa Rica, La Negrita, or the Black Virgin.
The story goes that a statue of a black madonna was found in the jungle. It had been carved by hand out of black rock, presumably by the indigenous people. The statue was taken to the church and put on display. The next day the statue was gone. It was later found in the same part of the jungle it came from. They took it back to the church, and once again it disappeared to reappear at the same place in the jungle. The third time, they decided to build a church at the site where they found the statue.
La Negrita is said to have powers much like La Virgen de Guadalupe in Mexico has. Jorge explained that people ask La Negrita to heal them, or help them with a problem, and they promise that if she does that they will go on a romeria to the basilica in Cartago where the statue is to "pagar la promesa", to keep their promise. It can be a very long journey, and it was to be done on foot, when they get to the basilica, some people approach the altar on their knees, much like they do in Mexico to the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Ricky Martin Poster
In Praise of the Casado
Costa Rican food may not be as interesting as Mexican food, but its good, and normal and they do not skimp on the portions. When I am really hungry, and want more than a nibble, which is most of the time, I order a Casado.
Casado means literally married man, and its a good homestyle meal that fills most of the plate. Its generally not a bad deal. Today I ordered the casado con chuleta de cerdo, the pork chop lunch.
It came out with black beans and rice, a really tasty cold potato salad, some fried plantain chips and a large butterfly pork chop that was crispy on the edges.
I did not leave hungry, and actually did not have to fight the desire for the national dessert, Queque de Tres Leches, which I have had once, and it is outstanding.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: La Romeria
Casado means literally married man, and its a good homestyle meal that fills most of the plate. Its generally not a bad deal. Today I ordered the casado con chuleta de cerdo, the pork chop lunch.
It came out with black beans and rice, a really tasty cold potato salad, some fried plantain chips and a large butterfly pork chop that was crispy on the edges.
I did not leave hungry, and actually did not have to fight the desire for the national dessert, Queque de Tres Leches, which I have had once, and it is outstanding.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: La Romeria
The Stare
I met a guy from Liverpool last week who said the first thing he noticed about Nicoya was that everyone stared at him and his friend from Ireland. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall, and she had very blonde hair, so I could see why they stood out.
I hadn´t really noticed the stare. I figure its either because I´m kind of thick, or because if I see someone looking at me, I say "Buenas Tardes" or "Hola" or something like that, and they usually smile back and then look away.
On Sunday, I understood what he was talking about. Many of the restaraunts are closed on Sunday, except for the Chinese restaraunts and the smaller sodas,(thats what Ticos call a small roadside cafe). So I headed off for a restaraunt called "El Presidential", one of the people at the language school goes there for lunch all the time.
I walked in out of the bright sunshine into the dark room looking for an empty table, and everywhere I looked I saw these sets of wide eyes staring at me from eight different tables. It was kind of intimidating. I looked to the right, hoping to find a table, and there was a family that was enjoying a nice Sunday dinner. The difference was they weren´t gawking, they were smiling at me. The father was a big guy like me in a yellow shirt, and his wife was in a pretty violet top with her hair in a pretty bun. He said "Hi" in English to me, and we made small talk for about 10 seconds and I found a table next to them. It´s good to see the brotherhood of Big Galoots has a chapter down here too. It´s like the Masons, but not so strict, nor so energetic, and not normally allowed to meet at buffets for fear of financial ruin.
After I sat down, most of the eyes had stopped looking at me, except a hawk-faced thinnish grandfather, looking at me like I was the ruin of Tico culture with my Gringo ways, corrupting the children. I wanted to tell him that if he was so afraid of Gringo culture, maybe he should not eat at a restaraunt with a subtitled Matthew Perry movie behind him, I mean, could he be any more gringo?
Finally, grandpa gave it a rest and I settled down to my sweet and sour shrimp with french fries and diet coke with lime. The shrimp was fantastic, but I am getting tired of papas fritas, though they are good with the lime mayonaise that is served here.
Kvetching about staring aside, its part of the package. There are places in Costa Rica that are full of gringos, and no one stares at you. In these places you don´t have to speak Spanish, and you can get a proper cappucino, and there aren´t all these dirty street people asking you for money for food, even though you are sure its for liquor. There are proper places in Costa Rica, where a gringo can be comfortable. Why come to a place like that? Stay home if you have to have everything your way and don´t want to do deal with people that aren´t like you.
At least in Nicoya, its still not a popular tourist location, so you can see what the real Costa Rica is like, and talk to real people, without the homogenous cultural insulation and superior service that tourism seems to bring.
I´ve been on the other side too. I remember when I grew up in Central Oregon. Diversity hadn´t really become an issue out there at that time,and it was 95% Caucasian. I remember as a kid, I would stare when I saw someone different. It wasn´t because I was rude, it was just like I could hear that song from Sesame Street in my head:
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: In Praise of the Casado
I hadn´t really noticed the stare. I figure its either because I´m kind of thick, or because if I see someone looking at me, I say "Buenas Tardes" or "Hola" or something like that, and they usually smile back and then look away.
On Sunday, I understood what he was talking about. Many of the restaraunts are closed on Sunday, except for the Chinese restaraunts and the smaller sodas,(thats what Ticos call a small roadside cafe). So I headed off for a restaraunt called "El Presidential", one of the people at the language school goes there for lunch all the time.
I walked in out of the bright sunshine into the dark room looking for an empty table, and everywhere I looked I saw these sets of wide eyes staring at me from eight different tables. It was kind of intimidating. I looked to the right, hoping to find a table, and there was a family that was enjoying a nice Sunday dinner. The difference was they weren´t gawking, they were smiling at me. The father was a big guy like me in a yellow shirt, and his wife was in a pretty violet top with her hair in a pretty bun. He said "Hi" in English to me, and we made small talk for about 10 seconds and I found a table next to them. It´s good to see the brotherhood of Big Galoots has a chapter down here too. It´s like the Masons, but not so strict, nor so energetic, and not normally allowed to meet at buffets for fear of financial ruin.
After I sat down, most of the eyes had stopped looking at me, except a hawk-faced thinnish grandfather, looking at me like I was the ruin of Tico culture with my Gringo ways, corrupting the children. I wanted to tell him that if he was so afraid of Gringo culture, maybe he should not eat at a restaraunt with a subtitled Matthew Perry movie behind him, I mean, could he be any more gringo?
Finally, grandpa gave it a rest and I settled down to my sweet and sour shrimp with french fries and diet coke with lime. The shrimp was fantastic, but I am getting tired of papas fritas, though they are good with the lime mayonaise that is served here.
Kvetching about staring aside, its part of the package. There are places in Costa Rica that are full of gringos, and no one stares at you. In these places you don´t have to speak Spanish, and you can get a proper cappucino, and there aren´t all these dirty street people asking you for money for food, even though you are sure its for liquor. There are proper places in Costa Rica, where a gringo can be comfortable. Why come to a place like that? Stay home if you have to have everything your way and don´t want to do deal with people that aren´t like you.
At least in Nicoya, its still not a popular tourist location, so you can see what the real Costa Rica is like, and talk to real people, without the homogenous cultural insulation and superior service that tourism seems to bring.
I´ve been on the other side too. I remember when I grew up in Central Oregon. Diversity hadn´t really become an issue out there at that time,and it was 95% Caucasian. I remember as a kid, I would stare when I saw someone different. It wasn´t because I was rude, it was just like I could hear that song from Sesame Street in my head:
"One of these things is not like the others,It´s just human nature to gawk at things that aren´t normally seen in your environment...
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?"
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: In Praise of the Casado
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Costa Rican Addresses
Its amazing what you can learn from everyday information. Take addresses for instance. Here´s the address where I live in Costa Rica:
Here´s the address for the language institute where I study:
I was looking for a phone yesterday, a friend told me, "Go 50 meters that way and and then 20 meters that way and you´ll find a phone." So I followed their directions and found nothing. I asked a guy walking by where the phone was and he said, "Oh, they just removed it. Look, just go 100 meters North and 100 meters West and there´s another phone there." I told him thanks and headed off. No phone anywhere near there. Then it started raining, so I decided to hold off making any calls for a while.
In my job back here in Gringolandia, I spend all day looking for accurate addresses so I can correctly dispatch mechanics and wreckers to help my customers. I actually get a little impatient if someone is vague with me. It´s such a different mindset. Most places in the U.S. have an exact address with a nine digit zip code that I can look up on Microsoft Map-Point. I can go to google earth and get a aerial photo and also find the closest Taco Bell to that address by using Super Pages.
So who´s right? It´s obvious that Ticos aren´t into incredibly exact addresses. There aren´t even street signs at the corners. No numbers on the houses. It´s all so sloppy to my uptight North American mind.
Of course, everybody here knows where everything is. They know everybody. They don´t have any problems getting around. I think the real difference is that exact addresses are just part of a North American mindset that makes being anonymous so much easier. You don´t have to be a local to find something in North America, you can look it up on the computer. You don´t have to ask for directions, or get to know people or even get involved.
It might be easier to find things in the U.S., but at what price? I think I kind of prefer the friendly, unstressed, vagueness.
Pura Vida...
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Stare
Bar los ranchitos, 25 metros al norte, casa blanca, verjas verdes canoa azulThat translates to:Go 25 meters north of Los Ranchitos bar and look for the white house with green and blue trim.
Here´s the address for the language institute where I study:
100 metros este y 100 metros norte de la escuela Cacicue Nicoa, Barrio El Carmen.Which translates to:In El Carmen Neighborhood, find the Cacicue Nicoa school, from there go 100 meters East and then 100 meters North.
I was looking for a phone yesterday, a friend told me, "Go 50 meters that way and and then 20 meters that way and you´ll find a phone." So I followed their directions and found nothing. I asked a guy walking by where the phone was and he said, "Oh, they just removed it. Look, just go 100 meters North and 100 meters West and there´s another phone there." I told him thanks and headed off. No phone anywhere near there. Then it started raining, so I decided to hold off making any calls for a while.
In my job back here in Gringolandia, I spend all day looking for accurate addresses so I can correctly dispatch mechanics and wreckers to help my customers. I actually get a little impatient if someone is vague with me. It´s such a different mindset. Most places in the U.S. have an exact address with a nine digit zip code that I can look up on Microsoft Map-Point. I can go to google earth and get a aerial photo and also find the closest Taco Bell to that address by using Super Pages.
So who´s right? It´s obvious that Ticos aren´t into incredibly exact addresses. There aren´t even street signs at the corners. No numbers on the houses. It´s all so sloppy to my uptight North American mind.
Of course, everybody here knows where everything is. They know everybody. They don´t have any problems getting around. I think the real difference is that exact addresses are just part of a North American mindset that makes being anonymous so much easier. You don´t have to be a local to find something in North America, you can look it up on the computer. You don´t have to ask for directions, or get to know people or even get involved.
It might be easier to find things in the U.S., but at what price? I think I kind of prefer the friendly, unstressed, vagueness.
Pura Vida...
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Stare
102 Degrees
I had planned to go to the beach on Saturday. About 2 am Saturday morning, I had an inkling my plans would be changed. I woke up shivering, and then had to spend some quality time in my bathroom, which thankfully has been spider-free since I used the insecticide. I was bundled up in my flannel shirt, jeans, and Sponge-Bob Squarepants towel,(never forget your towel!).
Then the other problem started, my temperature rose to 102 degrees, and stayed that way for about three hours. With the continual trips to the bathroom, and the fever that had not budged over four hours even with Tylenol and Ibuprofen and a cold shower, I decided it was time to break out the antibiotics I had brought with me: Cipro-good for Anthrax and whatever else may ail you.
The rest of the day I was pretty miserable. I spent the day reading my 900 page novel and listening to Dave Brubeck on the MP3 player. I still had a fever but it stayed around 100 to 101 and never went back up to 102 again. I could eat, and I didn't have to spend so much time exposed waiting for the spiders to return.
My host mother kept checking on me when I told her I had not been feeling well. I told her thanks for being so concerned, she said, "Pues, preocupo.", which means, "well, I´m worried about you." When dinner came around she made me this huge bowl of chicken soup with boiled eggs, cilantro, carrots, noodles and zucchinini and rice in it. It was just the thing. I got a blanket and toddled off to bed and slept for about twelve hours after a little pharmaceutical help from Mr. Vicodin.
It meant a lot to know someone was worried about me, and that they would take me to the doctor if I got worse. It's also comforting to know that there are several medical clinics, pharmacies and a good hospital in Nicoya. Being sick is always rough, but being a few thousand miles from home makes it worse. I can´t imagine what I would do if I could not speak Spanish. I´d be miserable and no one would understand what was wrong.
So far today, my temperature has not been over 100, I went to church, and am out walking around. I´m not 100% yet, but I´m about 75% well.
Juanito
On the MP3 Player:"Never is Enough" by the Barenaked Ladies
Next Costa Rican Entry: Costa Rican Addresses
Then the other problem started, my temperature rose to 102 degrees, and stayed that way for about three hours. With the continual trips to the bathroom, and the fever that had not budged over four hours even with Tylenol and Ibuprofen and a cold shower, I decided it was time to break out the antibiotics I had brought with me: Cipro-good for Anthrax and whatever else may ail you.
The rest of the day I was pretty miserable. I spent the day reading my 900 page novel and listening to Dave Brubeck on the MP3 player. I still had a fever but it stayed around 100 to 101 and never went back up to 102 again. I could eat, and I didn't have to spend so much time exposed waiting for the spiders to return.
My host mother kept checking on me when I told her I had not been feeling well. I told her thanks for being so concerned, she said, "Pues, preocupo.", which means, "well, I´m worried about you." When dinner came around she made me this huge bowl of chicken soup with boiled eggs, cilantro, carrots, noodles and zucchinini and rice in it. It was just the thing. I got a blanket and toddled off to bed and slept for about twelve hours after a little pharmaceutical help from Mr. Vicodin.
It meant a lot to know someone was worried about me, and that they would take me to the doctor if I got worse. It's also comforting to know that there are several medical clinics, pharmacies and a good hospital in Nicoya. Being sick is always rough, but being a few thousand miles from home makes it worse. I can´t imagine what I would do if I could not speak Spanish. I´d be miserable and no one would understand what was wrong.
So far today, my temperature has not been over 100, I went to church, and am out walking around. I´m not 100% yet, but I´m about 75% well.
Juanito
On the MP3 Player:"Never is Enough" by the Barenaked Ladies
Next Costa Rican Entry: Costa Rican Addresses
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Bank
At about 12:10 pm I entered the Banco Nacional to cash a traveller´s cheque and change some Dollars into Colones. I got in line and there was about six people in front of me and three tellers working, out of seven cajas or teller boxes available.
A young woman had brought a big bag of 4 or 5 stacks of the pretty pink 1000 Colón notes and started a 25 minute transaction that probably strained the entire banking system of the country for a while, at least that´s what it looked like when the teller kept going back and forth to 2 or 3 superiors and she kept making cellular phone calls as he worked on this huge transaction.
A scraggly long-haired gringo in cargo shorts and his companion in a pink halter top and white hot pants were also putting a strain on the banking community with an equally intensive transaction. Their trip ended with a new debit card, a large bag of coins and the teller making 5 trips to all parts of the bank for several signatures, and several photocopies.
Bureaucracy is alive and well in Latin America.
The line had swelled to 19 people and most of us had been there 30 minutes with no movement in the line at all. The whole "Pura Vida" attitude was not holding firm, people were getting impatient. We all had a glimmer of hope when the two people who had held up the line finally left, and a new teller came back from lunch. One of the people stepped forward to a caja and the teller promptly put the "Cerrado Temporada" sign up so he could go to lunch. There was a group groan. We would never get out of here.
Then a guy with a rucksack cut the line and went to the window where the guy had just closed up, and he started helping him! Finally, an older bald gentleman with a yellow shirt, cell phone and a self-important look started making a fuss. First he started talking to the rest of us in the line about how this was so unfair and that this was probably the teller´s friend, then he finally walked up to the tellers window and told him that this was "Chorizo",(I guess it means more than spicy sausage), and it was not justo(fair) that he let this guy cut the line when there was so many people waiting. The teller said something that sounded like "if you don´t like it you can go to the back of the line. I´m entitled to take my lunch after I help this guy!"
Finally, the security guard came up and talked to the guy in the yellow shirt. He explained that the guy with the rucksack was an employee of the bank who was delivering papers to the bank, and that he was not cutting the line." It didn´t matter to the yellow shirt. He had now been embarassed because he lost his cool. The guard actually had to break out the, "Sea tranquilo."(Calm down! be cool!) on the guy.
While I hated to see him lose his cool, it was kind of funny to see that Pura Vida is not magic, people here lose their cool too. Everyone has limits to their patience.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: 102 Degrees
A young woman had brought a big bag of 4 or 5 stacks of the pretty pink 1000 Colón notes and started a 25 minute transaction that probably strained the entire banking system of the country for a while, at least that´s what it looked like when the teller kept going back and forth to 2 or 3 superiors and she kept making cellular phone calls as he worked on this huge transaction.
A scraggly long-haired gringo in cargo shorts and his companion in a pink halter top and white hot pants were also putting a strain on the banking community with an equally intensive transaction. Their trip ended with a new debit card, a large bag of coins and the teller making 5 trips to all parts of the bank for several signatures, and several photocopies.
Bureaucracy is alive and well in Latin America.
The line had swelled to 19 people and most of us had been there 30 minutes with no movement in the line at all. The whole "Pura Vida" attitude was not holding firm, people were getting impatient. We all had a glimmer of hope when the two people who had held up the line finally left, and a new teller came back from lunch. One of the people stepped forward to a caja and the teller promptly put the "Cerrado Temporada" sign up so he could go to lunch. There was a group groan. We would never get out of here.
Then a guy with a rucksack cut the line and went to the window where the guy had just closed up, and he started helping him! Finally, an older bald gentleman with a yellow shirt, cell phone and a self-important look started making a fuss. First he started talking to the rest of us in the line about how this was so unfair and that this was probably the teller´s friend, then he finally walked up to the tellers window and told him that this was "Chorizo",(I guess it means more than spicy sausage), and it was not justo(fair) that he let this guy cut the line when there was so many people waiting. The teller said something that sounded like "if you don´t like it you can go to the back of the line. I´m entitled to take my lunch after I help this guy!"
Finally, the security guard came up and talked to the guy in the yellow shirt. He explained that the guy with the rucksack was an employee of the bank who was delivering papers to the bank, and that he was not cutting the line." It didn´t matter to the yellow shirt. He had now been embarassed because he lost his cool. The guard actually had to break out the, "Sea tranquilo."(Calm down! be cool!) on the guy.
While I hated to see him lose his cool, it was kind of funny to see that Pura Vida is not magic, people here lose their cool too. Everyone has limits to their patience.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: 102 Degrees
Another Bomba
Here´s another Bomba:
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Bank
La piedra que mucho rueda,
No sirve para cimiento.
Como el hombre sin verguenza,
que no trata de casamiento.
Like a rolling stone,
Doesn´t work in cement,
The man without shame,
Never prospers in marriage.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Bank
I´m Thinking of Telling People I´m Canadian, Ehh?
Really, I am.
It´s not because I´m not patriotic, or anything like that. I love my country and am proud of it. I just think that there are other countries in the world and I wish people would stop being obsessed with everything from the U.S.
It gets a little tiring people asking you so many questions about anything related to movies and music and any kind of media from the U.S. After a while, you start to feel like the richest kid in school. Do people really like you, or do they just want to hang out with you because you are rich? When I tell them I´m not that rich and this trip is on my student loan, they give me that look that says, "sure, whatever you say Gringo. You´re not fooling us. We know you´ve got a solid gold toothbrush and silk toilet paper."
Now, not everyone is like this, but there are enough people that it gets old real quick. I´ve often thought that the obsession the rest of the world has with the U.S. media is unhealthy because it makes them less proud of their own culture and arts.
So I´m now going incognito as Gordie McDonald, Ehh? I have to remember I´m from Cornwall, Ontario, I love hockey and eating donuts at the Tim Horton´s on the weekends.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Another Bomba
It´s not because I´m not patriotic, or anything like that. I love my country and am proud of it. I just think that there are other countries in the world and I wish people would stop being obsessed with everything from the U.S.
It gets a little tiring people asking you so many questions about anything related to movies and music and any kind of media from the U.S. After a while, you start to feel like the richest kid in school. Do people really like you, or do they just want to hang out with you because you are rich? When I tell them I´m not that rich and this trip is on my student loan, they give me that look that says, "sure, whatever you say Gringo. You´re not fooling us. We know you´ve got a solid gold toothbrush and silk toilet paper."
Now, not everyone is like this, but there are enough people that it gets old real quick. I´ve often thought that the obsession the rest of the world has with the U.S. media is unhealthy because it makes them less proud of their own culture and arts.
So I´m now going incognito as Gordie McDonald, Ehh? I have to remember I´m from Cornwall, Ontario, I love hockey and eating donuts at the Tim Horton´s on the weekends.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Another Bomba
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Police
I have seen a lot of police and soldiers during my trips to Latin America. I also worked for six months as a police dispatcher, so I have went on ride-alongs and spent a lot of time working with policemen.
Policemen in Mexico are kind of scary, the soldiers even more so. They are very grim-faced, spit-polished, squared off individuals. They don´t smile much, and have this look like they are ready for anything. They are heavily armed with light machine guns, assault rifles and pistols. They have been known to be corrupt, and try to shake down people for bribes. In some parts of Mexico, many people think that the police are the ones responsible for the crimes. Now, these are some generalizations, but the description of the armed forces and police as scary, grim individuals that you do not want to mess with is accurate. Costa Rica is very different. There is no army here. There are no checkpoints where soldiers search your bag, and the police here are very different. Here´s an example.
Sunday, I was standing in the park watching the fireworks on the last night of the fiesta. I watched a group of college students from California pose with a group of Costa Rican policemen. You would never see this in Mexico.
The policemen here are much older, they aren´t all pumped up and bulky with muscles. They look like very ordinary guys, some of them are older or middle aged. They are not young guys with flat tops who look like they take steroids.
Most of them carry a revolver and a nightstick. They do not have belts that are bulging with ammo and stun guns and pepper spray like cops in the U.S. . In fact the only times I have seen a bullet-proof vest was when the president came to town. But even then I did not see a machine gun of any kind, only pistols (I´m sure the presidents guards have some). The weird thing about that day was that I was able to get 30 feet from the president with no problem or being searched. Today I saw cops on the morning news with machine guns, but they were doing a drug raid, so that sort of makes sense.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: I'm Thinking of Telling People I'm Canadian, Ehh?
Policemen in Mexico are kind of scary, the soldiers even more so. They are very grim-faced, spit-polished, squared off individuals. They don´t smile much, and have this look like they are ready for anything. They are heavily armed with light machine guns, assault rifles and pistols. They have been known to be corrupt, and try to shake down people for bribes. In some parts of Mexico, many people think that the police are the ones responsible for the crimes. Now, these are some generalizations, but the description of the armed forces and police as scary, grim individuals that you do not want to mess with is accurate. Costa Rica is very different. There is no army here. There are no checkpoints where soldiers search your bag, and the police here are very different. Here´s an example.
Sunday, I was standing in the park watching the fireworks on the last night of the fiesta. I watched a group of college students from California pose with a group of Costa Rican policemen. You would never see this in Mexico.
The policemen here are much older, they aren´t all pumped up and bulky with muscles. They look like very ordinary guys, some of them are older or middle aged. They are not young guys with flat tops who look like they take steroids.
Most of them carry a revolver and a nightstick. They do not have belts that are bulging with ammo and stun guns and pepper spray like cops in the U.S. . In fact the only times I have seen a bullet-proof vest was when the president came to town. But even then I did not see a machine gun of any kind, only pistols (I´m sure the presidents guards have some). The weird thing about that day was that I was able to get 30 feet from the president with no problem or being searched. Today I saw cops on the morning news with machine guns, but they were doing a drug raid, so that sort of makes sense.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: I'm Thinking of Telling People I'm Canadian, Ehh?
Bomba
Nicoya is in the province of Guanacaste. Something that is unique to this area of Costa Rica is a type of poetry called a "Bomba". This is a short burst of poetry, normally about four lines. It is also put to music, such as a flute. It is very similar to Rap.
My Spanish teacher said that they are normally considered part of "La Conquista", such as a witty saying a man would use to impress a woman, or something a woman would say to respond to a witty saying. Essentially, they are considered part of courtship.
During the fiesta, Bombas were everywhere. Everybody knew a bomba, from old people to little kids, its expected that you know two or three. Here´s one my Spanish teacher taught me, with the English translation to follow.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Police
My Spanish teacher said that they are normally considered part of "La Conquista", such as a witty saying a man would use to impress a woman, or something a woman would say to respond to a witty saying. Essentially, they are considered part of courtship.
During the fiesta, Bombas were everywhere. Everybody knew a bomba, from old people to little kids, its expected that you know two or three. Here´s one my Spanish teacher taught me, with the English translation to follow.
Yo nunca me casaría
Con vieja por la moneda,
Después la plata se acaba
Y la mula vieja queda
I would never marry
With an old women for the money.
When the silver is gone,
The old mule remains.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The Police
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Seafood Pizza
(Playa Carrillo)
We took a side trip to the beach today, and it promptly started raining when we got there. We stopped to get some lunch at a nice pizza restaraunt in Playa Samara on the Pacific Coast. The place was just bustling with tourists, germans, french, and I even heard a nasally-Long-Island-accented Spanish,(it was not pretty).
It´s so strange the way I feel about tourists. I don´t like them. I find them annoying. I know thats incredibly stupid, me being one, but there it is. Maybe its this desire to be the only one, maybe I can´t stand hearing picky gringos with bad Spanish asking for impossible things, maybe I think that they are going to ruin a perfectly good country because they are so picky and freak out at the sight of spiders and cockroaches.
Whatever it is, I don´t like them, but I am them, so there it is...
I ordered the seafood pizza, and it was very different. There were piece of shrimp, scallops, crab legs and squid. It was good, but could have used more garlic and less squid.
(More of Playa Carrillo)
I did dip my feet in the ocean, it was warm as bathwater. I will visit on Saturday if it does not rain again.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Bomba
Latino Culture
Today I had a long talk with my Spanish professor about Latino Culture. She explained that to Latinos, people and their feelings are more important than business. She said that it is really impossible to do business in the Latino world without developing personal relationships.
I explained to her how people in my business can be so short to each other, that we don´t spend time with pleasantries, and we are told to get off the phone as quickly as possible. She said she found that revolting, and that speaking in such a way is a foreign concept to Ticos and most Latinos.
They see taking the time to greet each other, ask about your family and how you are doing as essential to any kind of business. To Latinos, building a personal relationship with people is always the first step in any kind of business, as you can´t do business with people you don´t trust.
I guess this is always one of the things that I have found attractive about this culture. People are put before business, and transactions are not always a cold impersonal call, but something worth spending time on.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Seafood Pizza
I explained to her how people in my business can be so short to each other, that we don´t spend time with pleasantries, and we are told to get off the phone as quickly as possible. She said she found that revolting, and that speaking in such a way is a foreign concept to Ticos and most Latinos.
They see taking the time to greet each other, ask about your family and how you are doing as essential to any kind of business. To Latinos, building a personal relationship with people is always the first step in any kind of business, as you can´t do business with people you don´t trust.
I guess this is always one of the things that I have found attractive about this culture. People are put before business, and transactions are not always a cold impersonal call, but something worth spending time on.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Seafood Pizza
"Be on Your Best Manners in Costa Rica"
That was the advice a gringa living in Costa Rica gave me when I asked what to expect. It´s been probably one of the best pieces of advice I have heard. Manners are important all over Latino America, but in Costa Rica they are very important. This shows up in the way Spanish is spoken here.
In many countries when you say "gracias", the standard answer is, "de nada", which translates as "it´s nothing, think nothing of it". Here in Costa Rica, they say "con mucho gusto", which translates as "with much pleasure". I like this better. It makes me feel good.
One of the other examples is when you leave a room, or get up to go, you say "con permiso", which means, "with your permission", its not really necessary, but its such a nice touch.
Now you don´t have to worry that Ticos will upbraid you or yell at you if you are rude. They aren´t like that. They are truly gracious. But if you are sensitive to people´s feelings, you will know when you have done something wrong.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Latino Culture
In many countries when you say "gracias", the standard answer is, "de nada", which translates as "it´s nothing, think nothing of it". Here in Costa Rica, they say "con mucho gusto", which translates as "with much pleasure". I like this better. It makes me feel good.
One of the other examples is when you leave a room, or get up to go, you say "con permiso", which means, "with your permission", its not really necessary, but its such a nice touch.
Now you don´t have to worry that Ticos will upbraid you or yell at you if you are rude. They aren´t like that. They are truly gracious. But if you are sensitive to people´s feelings, you will know when you have done something wrong.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Latino Culture
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Helado
Helado is the word for ice cream here. I recently went and got two scoops of one of the craziest flavors I have ever had, Orange with Choclate Chip.
Actually, it was great.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Be on Your Best Manners in Costa Rica
Actually, it was great.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Be on Your Best Manners in Costa Rica
"I Love the Smell of Insecticide in the Morning...It Smells Like Victory!"
I slept very well last night. I stumbled out of bed, and headed to the bathroom that is attatched my cabina. I was sitting there deep in meditation...and stuff, when that incredible cat-like peripheral vision of mine promptly tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Yo, dude, there is something brown moving on the shower door about 10 inches from your head.
I jumped up, pulling my jockeys up in order to protect..stuff. I looked around and saw nothing. Then I looked up and saw what must have been el más grande, pinche, feo, araña, that I have ever seen!(The Spanish phrase meant big ugly spider, and a little more added for emphasis). The body was about two inches long, and with the legs it was the size of my palm, which is pretty big.
I was suddenly transported back to playing Doom III, where these huge spiders with skeleton heads come out of the walls and I had a full blown case of the heebie jeebies. They should put a warning on that game, "Not recommended for persons with mild cases of arachnophobia". After I got my composure, I killed the spider with my tennis shoe. I took my shower and dried off and put my robe on and turned to shave and there was another one!
I suddenly rethought the whole clean cut look, and decided to get dressed first. I came back and killed this one. I didn´t have the energy to do anything else. I went to get some breakfast before I continued facing one of my minor phobias that felt sort of major today. I mean, what´s next-Sarah Brady in the White House? It was really enough for one day.
After gallo pinto, watermelon, fresh pineapple, and coffee, I was ready to face the menace again. I asked my host mother if she had anything to kill spiders with and she said real off-handedly, "oh yeah, I keep a big sprayer of insecticide just for that, its over there by the washing machine."
So I sprayed the hole where they are coming out, and sprayed under the toilet,(I like surprises, but not while I am there), then headed to school. The Lonely Planet Guide says most of the spiders in Costa Rica are not venemous, and that most of them are harmless. This is confirmed by other places, and everybody around here agrees that the spiders will not kill you and they are good for killing other pests.
It doesn´t make them any less creepy, ok?
Juanito
On the MP3 Player:"Island Life" by Michael Franks
Next Costa Rican Post: Helado
I jumped up, pulling my jockeys up in order to protect..stuff. I looked around and saw nothing. Then I looked up and saw what must have been el más grande, pinche, feo, araña, that I have ever seen!(The Spanish phrase meant big ugly spider, and a little more added for emphasis). The body was about two inches long, and with the legs it was the size of my palm, which is pretty big.
I was suddenly transported back to playing Doom III, where these huge spiders with skeleton heads come out of the walls and I had a full blown case of the heebie jeebies. They should put a warning on that game, "Not recommended for persons with mild cases of arachnophobia". After I got my composure, I killed the spider with my tennis shoe. I took my shower and dried off and put my robe on and turned to shave and there was another one!
I suddenly rethought the whole clean cut look, and decided to get dressed first. I came back and killed this one. I didn´t have the energy to do anything else. I went to get some breakfast before I continued facing one of my minor phobias that felt sort of major today. I mean, what´s next-Sarah Brady in the White House? It was really enough for one day.
After gallo pinto, watermelon, fresh pineapple, and coffee, I was ready to face the menace again. I asked my host mother if she had anything to kill spiders with and she said real off-handedly, "oh yeah, I keep a big sprayer of insecticide just for that, its over there by the washing machine."
So I sprayed the hole where they are coming out, and sprayed under the toilet,(I like surprises, but not while I am there), then headed to school. The Lonely Planet Guide says most of the spiders in Costa Rica are not venemous, and that most of them are harmless. This is confirmed by other places, and everybody around here agrees that the spiders will not kill you and they are good for killing other pests.
It doesn´t make them any less creepy, ok?
Juanito
On the MP3 Player:"Island Life" by Michael Franks
Next Costa Rican Post: Helado
The President Comes to Town
Today we all cut class early, even the teachers, in order to go hear the president of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, speak. Today is a national holiday that celebrate the annexation of the region of Guanacaste as part of Costa Rica. After this occurred, Costa Rica was a nation that stretched from the Pacific to the Caribbean Ocean.
As we walked to the town square, a convoy of tractor trailers drove through town. They kept using their air horns and driving really slow. They had signs on their trucks protesting the condition of the roads here in Costa Rica. They were also protesting because there has been a new call for all truck drivers who haul trailers,(they call them "traileros" here), to receive psychological testing after a rash of deaths caused by traileros. The traileros say this is not fair, and that everyone should be tested who drives any type of motor vehicles. I´ve met enough truck drivers that I think they should all be sent to a shrink, its a good idea. Besides that, 100,000 pounds of metal and steel, is a little different than a 1 ton pick-up truck.
When we got to the park, there were a lot of people. Personal space was not really an issue. There were people everywhere, and very few people sat down. There were protestors, and picket signs, mostly against TLC. When the president arrived, people started yelling very loudly, "No TLC!". There was only one person yelling, "Sí, TLC!". I was managed to get a really great place to stand, about thirty feet directly in front of the president. The bad part was that the sun was brutal. I think I got a bit of a burn, I hope it was worth it.
It took about an hour before the president spoke. First, they signed three or four new projects into law: a new clean water act, and an act that formed a new group of police to help with tourism, and two others I did not catch.
They also presented certificates to local people for new houses. The Costa Rican Government actually builds very modest houses for the poor or elderly that truly cannot afford them, and presents them to the people as a gift with no strings attatched. I talked to a lady today whose 70 year old mother just recieved her new house, they were very excited. Her mom got to meet the president, and was presented with a certificate for her new house.
Finally, the president spoke. He is very interesting and a very good speaker. He said he had been raised on a finka(farm) and that he felt he was a part of Guanacaste,(all politicians are such suck-ups). But then he spoke about his plans for the future. He actually admitted the roads suck, which is good, because the week before the local government was fixing them up before he came. He explained what they are going to do for tourism, and how they are trying to promote the economy. He did not really say much about TLC.
He finally turned his attention to more global matters. He´s very good about being a very intelligent voice for the smaller countries in the world. He is a Notre Dame Graduate, and also won a Nobel Peace Prize, so he is not a slouch by a long shot.
He said that lately many larger countries in the world have made a big deal about helping poorer countries in Africa and Latino America, but they still persist with the hyprocrisy of subsidizing industries in their country, so that poorer countries still do not have the chance to compete in a fair global market. Pretty harsh words, but well thought out and fair.
He then turned his attention to the problems in the Middle East. He pointed out that no good ever comes from the slaughter of innocent civilians, such as in Lebanon and Haifa. He reminded all of us how there had been a peace accord in the nineties in the middle east and how important it was that all sides sat down to negotiate,(It seemed a little idealistic to me, but I´m a cynic and he´s the nobel prize winner).
After he finished his speech, I beat feet to get out of the park and head to Cafe Daniela to get out of the sun and get some diet coke with ice,(the ice is safe here!). As I walked in and sat down, I saw the TV with the image of the central park in Nicoya, where I had just been becoming un plato de gringo asada. I could have kicked myself. Except for getting a couple pictures of the president, why didn´t I just come to the cafe? I could watched the speech in the shade with a fan, and nice Latinas bringing me cold drinks and snacks. Oh well, I´ll just mark this one up to my incredible desire to learn, and my commitment to do whatever it takes to understand Latino culture, and hope it helps my final grade here.
Are you reading this Professor Davis?
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: "I Love the Smell of Insecticide in the Morning...It Smells Like Victory!"
Monday, July 24, 2006
Hamburgers
While I am thinking about food, let me tell you about Saturday night. My madre tica, (Costa Rican Mother) made me hamburgers and french fries. They were lovely...
The buns were soft, the meat had spices and onions and tomatoes mixed in it, and was soft, not greasy or overcooked. There was fresh onions and tomatoes and real lettuce, not cabbage. The french fries were outstanding and steam came out of them when you broke them open. She even had cold ketchup and this great mayonnaise with lime in it on the side,(I dip my fries in mayo-got a problem with that?).
It was a beautiful thing. I was choked up. She went out of her way to cook something American for me, and she did as good of a job as any American cook.
I gave her a kiss on the cheek and said Muchas Gracias. That´s ok here...really.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The President Comes to Town
The buns were soft, the meat had spices and onions and tomatoes mixed in it, and was soft, not greasy or overcooked. There was fresh onions and tomatoes and real lettuce, not cabbage. The french fries were outstanding and steam came out of them when you broke them open. She even had cold ketchup and this great mayonnaise with lime in it on the side,(I dip my fries in mayo-got a problem with that?).
It was a beautiful thing. I was choked up. She went out of her way to cook something American for me, and she did as good of a job as any American cook.
I gave her a kiss on the cheek and said Muchas Gracias. That´s ok here...really.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: The President Comes to Town
Costa Rican Chalupas
I ordered this Saturday at Cafe Daniela. It was like a chicken tostada with tomatoes, onions, cabbage and mayonaise. I´m not going to order it again. I´m dieing for some cilantro here....
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Hamburgers
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Hamburgers
Muy Machista
Machismo is alive and kicking in Costa Rica. Here, they describe a macho as being "Muy Machista". That would mean he believes the usual litany of macho b.s. . You know: a woman´s place is in the house, cooking and cleaning, woman are only good for certain things and are not equal with men, etc., etc. , etc.
When I have shot the breeze with men here, they are just as big of dogs as Mexican men,(maybe not as violent, or nuts as Mexican machos), but Tico men do have their macho side that is not that pretty. Men here don´t whistle at women like other places, instead they hiss to get their attention, like some air leak gone awry.
My professor Alberto told me that Machisimo is not the problem in Costa Rica that it was. There are very good laws in place protecting women from domestic violence, and even verbal abuse. Alberto pointed out that Costa Rica´s high rate of education and good economy has really helped diminish the effect of Machismo. There have been several female vice presidents in Costa Rica, and many of the ministers in the governor now are women.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Costa Rican Chalupas
When I have shot the breeze with men here, they are just as big of dogs as Mexican men,(maybe not as violent, or nuts as Mexican machos), but Tico men do have their macho side that is not that pretty. Men here don´t whistle at women like other places, instead they hiss to get their attention, like some air leak gone awry.
My professor Alberto told me that Machisimo is not the problem in Costa Rica that it was. There are very good laws in place protecting women from domestic violence, and even verbal abuse. Alberto pointed out that Costa Rica´s high rate of education and good economy has really helped diminish the effect of Machismo. There have been several female vice presidents in Costa Rica, and many of the ministers in the governor now are women.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Costa Rican Chalupas
A New Week
Today I started a new week and a new level of Spanish. I am incredibly fortunate that there are no other students in the advanced level right now, so I have my own professor. This option is available to anyone, but its not cheap. I just happened to come during a slow season, and lucked out.
My professor from last week is not here and he has been replaced by a lady named Grecia, who is an honest to goodness Spanish Teacher in a local high school teacher. She does not speak much english at all, but that is not an issue at this level, actually it´s good to not have that crutch. She´s very nice and we get along great.
Tommarow, I am going to another pronunciation workshop and then on Wednesday we are going to the beach.
Ohhh Yeahh....
Juanito.
Next Costa Rican Entry: Muy Machista
My professor from last week is not here and he has been replaced by a lady named Grecia, who is an honest to goodness Spanish Teacher in a local high school teacher. She does not speak much english at all, but that is not an issue at this level, actually it´s good to not have that crutch. She´s very nice and we get along great.
Tommarow, I am going to another pronunciation workshop and then on Wednesday we are going to the beach.
Ohhh Yeahh....
Juanito.
Next Costa Rican Entry: Muy Machista
Tutoring
Last week I signed up to be part of a program here where they match students at the institute with local people that want to learn English. So I can practice my Spanish with someone that needs help with their English.
Today I met my new friend, Jorge Carrillo. He is a little older than me, he is married and has about four or five kids. He is a finquero, a farmer, and has been learning English off and on for some time. He may have an accent,(not that I am one to talk), but his vocabulary is very good and he is very understandable. We hung out for about two hours and had a coke at Cafe Daniela.
(Jorge Carrillo)
Its always great to work with people who really want to learn another language. Many people try a little and then lose interest, but there are others who just will not be satisfied until they speak well, no matter what. In learning another language, a steadfast desire to learn is really the most important thing. Accent will improve, and vocabulary will grow, but desire has to be a constant.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: A New Week
Today I met my new friend, Jorge Carrillo. He is a little older than me, he is married and has about four or five kids. He is a finquero, a farmer, and has been learning English off and on for some time. He may have an accent,(not that I am one to talk), but his vocabulary is very good and he is very understandable. We hung out for about two hours and had a coke at Cafe Daniela.
Its always great to work with people who really want to learn another language. Many people try a little and then lose interest, but there are others who just will not be satisfied until they speak well, no matter what. In learning another language, a steadfast desire to learn is really the most important thing. Accent will improve, and vocabulary will grow, but desire has to be a constant.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: A New Week
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Marimba in the Park.
Today there was a Marimba concert in the park. There were no bum dancers this time, I think they are on strike after yesterday. The Marimbas in Costa Rica are made of wood and are beautiful. They have a full, rich, sound that is incredibly happy. Because of the tone that comes from the wood, they aren´t really good to use for any kind of really fast music. They remind me of what Steve Martin said about the banjo, "You can´t sing a sad song with a banjo!"
The Marimba is the same way. It is warm and unhurried, it is almost the musical equivalent of Costa Rican favorite phrase: Pura Vida. This means so much more than Pure Life. It means everythings ok, live the good life, don´t be worried about anything, enjoy yourself, spend time with friends, enjoy the pure life.
When you meet people on the street and ask them how they are doing, many times they answer "Pura Vida!". It´s an all purpose expression that is useful for so much.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Tutoring
The Salsa Concert in the park
(Salsa Concert)
Saturday, there was a Salsa and Merengue concert in the park as part of the fiesta. I found a seat close by and got a diet pepsi with lime and sat down to enjoy it. It was a good group. They had a saxaphone, trumpet, piano and an incredible percussion section. There were three singers. A guy with perfect hair and sunglasses and two girls who seem to wear that same brand of flare-cut-two-sizes-too-small jeans that are very popular around here.
They were having a great gig and everyone was sitting around enjoying themselves when the real show started. Out of the crowd came an older Asian man who looked to be mentally challenged. He also had a larger than normal butt,(not that I´m one to talk, but this point is important to the story).
As the group played, he started to dance. It was a very, well, shall we say, provocative dance. He had some incredible hoochie mama moves. You know that thing where the girls shake their hips back and forth really fast, like you see on rap videos? He was doing that. It was like a car wreck, you could not take your eyes off it. It was like if Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas had a child with Forest Gump.
Soon he left. I was both relieved for the band, and kind of sad to see him go. I just had to respect that the home-boy had studied, and he brought all the love he had for us. It was like William Hung on American Idol. You could not help but like him for being so utterly brave in the face of utter mediocrity.
The band was relieved for about one song, and they were twirling and moving their hips in perfect timing. I just love Salsa, even if I could not dance it at gunpoint, I still love it. Then, out of the shadows came the next dancer.
Actually two showed up. The first had a mustache and blue shirt. He had a real interesting style. It was obvious he had studied Michael Jackson during the early "Billy Jean" days, but he was influenced by something else, but what was it? Then it hit me. He was mixing the subtleties of Michael Jackson´s "Billy Jean" moves with the incredibly retro Wild-West Gold Prospector shuffle. But in the end, try as he might, it just ended up looking like bum dancing. It was sad, because with some real choreography, maybe a 12 step program, and some mousse, he could do something with that.
Then his partner showed up. He was also wearing a blue shirt, but he proceeded to take it off and do some freestyle Merengue moves about five feet from the band. He was wearing his pants very low on his waist, I was pleased to see there was no thong sticking out. He tired of the freestyle dancing after awhile, and seeing there was no oil to put on his burnished chest, he was struck by a flash of inspiration. He soon moved to the far left side of the bandstand, and started waving his partner to get out of the way. He was going to do some acrobatics!
He kept teasing us by taking three steps and then stopping. His partner persisted in getting in his way. Finally the wait was over and he did a cartwheel. It was really a half-hearted attempt. He went back to some free style Merengue, and then another pathetic cartwheel. After the cartwheel, he went to the band leader and they seemed to have some conversation where he put his hand out.
I assumed he was explaining that he should be paid scale for the sort of artistic expression that he had brought to the exhibition that day. He left empty handed. The police had been watching all of this. I assumed they were either just too tired from the heat to care, or bum dancing is a constitutionally protected form of free speech. I´ll have to do some more research on that.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry:Marimba in the Park
Sunday Morning
Today I went to church. I found a little church about three blocks from my house called "Jesus es el Señor" Pentecostal Church. The service started at 9 am, and I was there by 10 minutes til 9. I still have not got on Tico Time. I seem to show up early for everything. The service did not start until 10 minutes after, I don´t know why I thought I had to be early.
From the moment I came in the building, everyone came up and shook my hand. They were very warm, and it felt like home. That´s the great thing about church. No matter what country you are in, you can go somewhere and people will be glad to see you, because you are family.
The sermon was very good. The pastor said that God´s most important plan for your life is not what you do. Instead, the most important plan for your life is if the character of Jesus Christ is cultivated in your heart.
Its amazing how much similar churches can be even though they so many miles apart. Except for the language difference, and Ticos being more affectionate than churches in the U.S., I felt like I was in the Assembly of God where I attended as a kid.
When the pastor said "Ya Termino", which translates to "I´ll be done with the sermon very quickly.", I could tell by the clock that it meant exactly the same thing that it means in Gringolandia.
Absolutely nothing...
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Salsa Concert in the Park
Saturday, July 22, 2006
The Eternal Stuggle Between Good and Evil.
I hate cockroaches. I don´t know what it is, but they represent everything bad in the world. Like they are the Satan´s personal hordes, sent to piss me off. I went to get into bed and a two inch one came out of nowhere and started making laps around my bed. He finally jumped on the floor and I distributed three hundred pounds of ugly to him in a personally negative way.
I thought we had some sort of understanding. I would not look for them, and they would not show themselves to me. I thought it was a good plan, but the little terrorists keep showing up to get on my last nerve.
Really, this is only the third one I have seen since I have been here. My house is very clean, and this not that big of a deal. I just really don´t like them. But I have an ally that keeps them at bay: the gecko. Geckos live in most houses, and you see them in gardens and on the street. They are cute green lizards that make these cheerful chirping noises, like some happy little bird. They eat the roaches. They are my heroes, and they never try to sell me insurance if I tell them I´m not interested. I appreciate that.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Sunday Morning
I thought we had some sort of understanding. I would not look for them, and they would not show themselves to me. I thought it was a good plan, but the little terrorists keep showing up to get on my last nerve.
Really, this is only the third one I have seen since I have been here. My house is very clean, and this not that big of a deal. I just really don´t like them. But I have an ally that keeps them at bay: the gecko. Geckos live in most houses, and you see them in gardens and on the street. They are cute green lizards that make these cheerful chirping noises, like some happy little bird. They eat the roaches. They are my heroes, and they never try to sell me insurance if I tell them I´m not interested. I appreciate that.
Juanito
Next Costa Rican Entry: Sunday Morning
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