Graduation Day

I finished my Spanish class today:




At lunch time, I went to San Pedro Mall to the Banco de Costa Rica to pay the impuesto de salida (exit tax) of $28. Yes, you have to pay to leave the country! I've talked about the banks before, but I am still amazed at how different they are than the U.S. banks. An armed security guard opened the locked door to let me in, scanned me for weapons and looked in my backpack. I entered some information on a big computer screen that indicated the number of transactions I wanted (just one, thank you), picked up the ticket, and then took a seat. Kesa came in to pay her tax and sat beside me. I asked the security guard how long he thought I'd wait. 20 minutes. Not too bad. I had an hour for lunch before having to return for my last hour of class today.

Much like in the driver's licensing centers in Washington State, I watched the screen for my number to come up. A man behind me offered me a ticket with a lower number. I don't know how he ended up with two, but he was giving one away. I pointed out that I only had one transaction and his ticket was for more than one. He assured me it would be fine and I could just apologize and feign ignorance. So I waited to see which of my numbers would come up first. Just like those licensing centers in the U.S., it was not a straight numbering system, but rather, a combination of letters and numbers. Everytime it looked close to my number (A63), they would switch to say E46 or Z75. Eventually my number came up and it was the number the man gave me! I gave my original number to Kesa so she could move up in line and then I walked to the teller window. Paying the tax was simple and didn't take too long. However, I did notice that the bank teller took a few moments to check her makeup with a mirror in her purse before going to pick up my certificate from the printer.

After lunch I finished my class and said my thank you's and good-bye's. It was an odd feeling to walk away from my school, a combination of excitement that I'm done, but sadness to say good-bye. That day-after-high-school- graduation feeling: the big world awaits and I'm on my own now.

I bugged out of San Jose by 2:45 today to avoid a nasty rush hour commute on that infernal bus! It was raining hard. As I waited at the bus stop, a bus passed me by and shot water that was running down the side of the road all over me. I really had to laugh. What made me think I could get home dry today?

The school's shuttle will pick Kesa and me up at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning to take us to the airport. It has been a wonderful experience to be in Costa Rica. I have learned and experienced a lot. I've met some very nice people and only one jerk (from a country that a certain type of waffles are named after). The natural beauty of Costa Rica is amazing. I will always treasure my time here.

Next stop: U.S.A.!

Do you know the way FROM San Jose?

Thursday, August 16, 2012

To answer the question in the title...evidently, not!  Today, my worst fears came to pass: I got on the wrong bus without knowing it.

I was downtown with a couple of friends shopping for souvenirs. By 5:00, knowing it would be dark in an hour, we decided to start heading back to our respective homes. Debbra (from northern California) stopped at the National Theatre to buy concert tickets. Stephanie (from Denver) and I headed for the bus stop. La hora pico (rush hour) was in full swing. People were everywhere and buses had formed a line up and down the street. This is Stephanie's first week in Costa Rica and she has been feeling lost and confused. I helped her find her bus and then starting walking down the street, looking at each bus to see if mine could possible be there, too.

One thing you need to know about the buses in Costa Rica is that they are old. There is no fancy computer-operated sign above the windshield. Nor is there a handle to change the destination like you see on some buses in the U.S. There are signs. Paper signs of varying sizes that are taped to the windshields. Sometimes they tape signs over old signs. There is never just one destination posted. I take the bus that says, "Santa Marta." But there is another bus that has Santa Marta listed along with 8 other places. I learned the hard way last week that bus just brushes by Santa Marta and I ended up having to walk quite a ways to get home. I've been trying really hard this week to look for the bus with the big letters that say, "Santa Marta," and not any tricky small lettered signs.

Anyway, as I was walking from bus to bus to hopefully find one that said, "Santa Marta," I was coming from behind each bus. I was looking for the white bus with red designs and all those buses fit that description. I was careful to look at the front of each windshield to find out where each bus was going. As I neared the last bus, hoping very strongly that it may possibly be my bus, I saw the words, "Santa Marta" on the INSIDE windshield in big letters. I knew I was reading what was posted outside on the windshield because it was spelled backwards. I thought I also checked the outside windshield, but I apparently did not.

We were in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The driver was the same guy that scared the bejeebies out of my last week and he was back in full force tonight: constantly blowing the pito (horn), zooming in and out of traffic when he could, and stopping within inches of whatever was in front of him. The route was the same familiar route as always: pass the San Pedro Mall, go around and under the overpass (kind of like a round-about), and pass Office Depot and various other buildings I've come to recognize this past month. Eventually we turn left and pass a church, and another left at the next corner and pass by Universidad Latina. Then it's a straight shot down the road to the bus stop at Santa Marta.

Two red flags should have caught my attention right away. 1) The bus was not full. The Santa Marta bus is always crammed with people. I noticed the lack of people, but thought maybe people were still off work from all their Mother's Day celebrations yesterday.  2) The bus just kept going and going and we didn't turn left.

It was already dark, so I couldn't see well, but eventually, I noticed that nothing looked familiar. "Oh, we must be taking a different route...Wait a minute! There's a Nissan/Mazda dealership...I didn't know...they...had...a dealership...in town..."  About that time, I tapped the shoulder of a man sitting in front of me.

"Perdon. Es el bus para Santa Marta?"          "No, senora..."

PANIC!

I ran to the front of the bus and frantically pointed to the sign on the windshield while I choked out the Spanish equivalent of, "What the heck..."  to the driver.

Yep. Wrong bus. We were in Curridabat, not Santa Marta. The Santa Marta sign on the windshield had been covered with one for Curridabat, which I would've seen had I looked at the outside of the windshield.

I was off that bus in a flash, heart pounding, completely lost. I didn't know where Curridabat was and if we were even there yet. Using the cell phone I bought for just such an emergency, I called the family I live with and tried to explain my predicament. All I could say is that I was near a Mazda dealership. I regained my composure and went in the dealership and explained that I had a problema and could someone please talk to my Tica family and tell them where I was so they could come and pick me up?

A nice young salesman told them where I was (and didn't even try to sell me a car!)  Jennifer and a family friend came to pick me up, and I found out that although I was heading in a different direction, I was only about 15 minutes from home.

Home tonight, sana y salva (safe and sound). Grateful...and glad I only have one more day to commute on those dang buses!

Last Cooking Class

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Today a woman visiting from Barcelona, Spain taught us how to make Tortilla de Patata (a Spanish omelet). No, it is not traditional Costa Rican food, but it is traditional in the mother country...and it was absolutely delicious!

Los ingredientes:

6 medium size patatas (potatoes)
6 huevos (eggs)
aceite (vegetable oil)
aceite de oliva (olive oil)
1 cebolla (onion)
sal (salt)
pan (loaf of French bread)
1 can black olives
1 jar Spanish (green) olives
4 large ripe, juicy tomatoes

1) Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes. Rinse, drain, pat dry. Fry the potatoes in vegetable oil until blanditas (tender.) The idea is to cook them tender, not make them crispy like potato chips:

2) While the potatoes are cooking, quarter 1-2 tomatoes. Slice the French bread. Rub the tomato quarters over each slice, imparting the juice onto the bread. Don't drench the bread, just add a little juice for flavoring. Drizzle olive oil on the bread and a pinch of salt. They toss the used tomatoes. I'm told they grow so many fruits and vegetables in Spain, they don't even think twice about tossing these used tomatoes.

3) Keep an eye on the potatoes and stir as needed. Make the salad: cut the remaining tomatoes into chunks and place in a large bowl. Add green and black olives, salt to taste, and some olive oil to taste:

4) Drain the oil off the potatoes. Mix 6 eggs very well in a separate bowl. Add raw chopped onions and potatoes. Add a little salt to taste. The mixture will be thick. Pour into non-stick pan and smooth out, forming a nice omelet:

5) When cooked on one side, gently slide out of pan onto a flat plate, invert, and slide back into frying pan to finish cooking.

6) Cut into sections like you'd cut a pie. Serve each section on top of the bread, garnish with tomatoes and olives or eat the tomatoes and olives separately as a salad.

Carmela, our Spanish chef, is on the left. Xera, our Costa Rican cooking teacher is on the right.

Culinary Critique
5 thumbs up...absolutely delicious and hearty.

The Oscar goes to...

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

We went to see the Disney Pixar movie, Valiente, after school today. Can you guess the translation?

Yep, we saw Brave.

Today was the opening of the movie in Costa Rica. We purchased tickets at lunch time to make sure we had a ticket for a late afternoon showing. Wednesdays are dollar days, so to speak. Movies cost 1000 colones (about $2.00) on Wednesdays, but because this was the opening day, we had to pay full price: 1800 colones (about $3.60).

The ticket did not look like a regular theater ticket. It was more of a cash register receipt. As with just about everything we do for the first time here, we mis-read the information about the show. The young man taking tickets looked at the 3 of us like we were nuts when we showed up at Theater 2, when we really should have been upstairs in Theater 7.

We made a quick stop at the concession stand for some palomitas (popcorn) and a refresco (soft drink). It was interesting ordering the snacks. No problem with the popcorn, but I didn't want Coke and asked for Sprite. The woman was trying to tell me they had 7-Up, but I couldn't understand her pronunciation of 7-Up. I find that I usually do better with Spanish words than trying to understand someone who doesn't speak English trying to tell me the proper name of a product in English! The popcorn was good, lightly seasoned, with an occasional sweet taste. I noticed many people were getting their popcorn drizzled in chocolate, so maybe we had a few drips of chocolate in our bag of popcorn. (Cost for popcorn and soda pop: 2900 colones, or just under $6.00) It looks like they know about inflating the prices for refreshments, too!

Next, we headed to Sala #7. The theater was small and although we had 10 to 15 minutes until show time, it was full and we ended up at the front of the theater in row 2. As the theater filled up, people wanted the seats we were saving for two more people who were going to join us. I learned how to say, "Lo siento. Estoy guardando estes asientos."(I'm sorry, I'm saving these seats.)

The movie was entirely in Spanish. Even the music had been translated and was sung in Spanish. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The art work was fantastic and the story was precious. The main character, Princess Merida, reminded me so much of my granddaughter, Ariana, that it is as if they used Ariana for the model. Ariana has a mop of wild, curly red hair, blue eyes, and chubby cheeks just like Princess Merida.

After the movie, as we walked through the mall, we could hear the loud noise of water. We thought it was a fountain out of control or something. It was really loud. When we reached the exit, we saw that it was pouring rain, lightening and thundering with a vengeance. That's what we heard inside the mall. Even with umbrellas, by the time we reached the bus stop, we were drenched. We only had to wait about 5 minutes for the bus, but the rain was so hard that water was running down the streets, making huge puddles everywhere. When I arrived home, I could have wrung water out of my jacket and my feet were paddling in the water in my shoes, but none the worse for the wear.

Mother's Day

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Today is Mother´s Day in Costa Rica. It coincides with the Catholic Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which also takes place today. Since the majority of costarricenses are Catholic (75%), it just seemed logical to celebrate Mother´s Day on the same day as the Assumption of the most holy mother of all time.

Today is feriado, which means the government offices, schools, banks, and many businesses are closed. It is a national holiday. A few years ago the government tried to change the date to the Monday following August 15th, so people could have a 3 day weekend. However that didn´t go over very well, the people protested and it was changed back to August 15th. Tradition!

Mothers have a very central role in the family and are respected much more in the latina culture than in ours. Needless to say, the people go all out to honor their mothers. On the way to school this morning, (yes, WE had school), the road was lined with people selling last minute gifts such as flower bouquets. I went to the mall at lunch and it was the same thing. They have been advertising this day for weeks.

At the mall this evening, mothers were walking around with their families. Some were carrying flowers and dressed up for a fancy evening. There appeared to be some "make overs" going on: a couple of women were getting haircuts and make up in the center of the 1st floor. A Mariachi band was strolling and playing. If you haven't heard Mariachi music, here is a sample:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmUjYeJehsM&feature=related

Here is a picture of the mariachis in the mall:

The family I am living with have their own tradition of preparing and eating lunch together on Mother´s Day.. After lunch they visit the grandmother. The children and husband shower their mom with gifts. Last night, Mayra´s son and grandson were trying to sneak their presents into the house, laughing and having a good time making their preparations for today. Like me, Mayra  doesn´t want electrodomesticos (things for the house), but would prefer lotions, jewelry and clothing, things that are more personal. She said the varones, (men) would make all the plans and surprise her today.

I have been wished ¨Feliz Dia de la Madre¨ several times today. They tell me it is my day, too. So I guess I had two Mother´s Days this year!

When Kesa and I got home this evening, the family was all gathered together in the living room. Everyone was happy (the spirits were flowing so this probably contributed to the glee!) They were watching and listening to a DVD of a famous Mexican mariachi singer, Vincente Fernandez, a favorite of the family. Jorge, the son of Miguel and Mayra, called me into the room to give me a present from Jose Miguel, his 10 year old son. Because Jose Miguel was at his mother's house, he asked his father to present the gift to me. Jorge delivered a very sweet speech explaining that Jose Miguel knew that I am a mother and he wanted to make sure I was also given a gift and honored. Jose Miguel made a beautiful card for me and gave me a joyero (small wooden box for jewelry) and a box of chocolates:

A representation of the flag of Costa Rica is on the left of the card; Jose Miguel's school picture is on the right. The card reads: Congratulations. I wish you a beautiful day. - Jose Miguel

We stayed up way too late laughing, talking, and listening to the mariachi music and the music of Rocio Durcal, a singer from Spain, who passed away in 2006. What a lovely evening we had!

Finally, another bonus today was the easy commute to and from school today. With it being a national holiday, the roads were wide open...no traffic. Yeah!

Polite Manners

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

My four weeks in Costa Rica are coming to an end on Saturday. I have learned a lot of Spanish and a lot about the people of Costa Rica. What follows is a social primer of comportamiento en publico (proper public behavior):

1) Conversation starts with a pleasant greeting such as buenos dias (Good Morning),  or buenas tardes (Good Afternoon). I've noticed that many people have shortened their greeting to just saying buenas. Don't forget to greet the storekeepers, bus driver, and so forth. However, it is not a good idea to do this with random people on the streets. Remember to inquire about a person's well-being, Como esta?  A common reply is Todo bien (All is well). Some people add Gracias a Dios (Thanks to God). Another common and distinctly Costa Rican reply is Pura Vida.

2)  Women and men greet other women with a quick kiss on the cheek. I haven't noticed any men kissing other men; they do shake hands, though.

3) Older persons are addressed as Don + first name for a man and Dona + first name for a woman. I have also noticed that many people use the usted form of their verbs more than vos, even with their family members. This is the more formal and polite form of "you."

4) Table manners start by saying Buen provecho, (bon appetit) and end with con permiso (excuse me) as you leave the table. One time during dinner, a fly was buzzing around the table, and Mayra, the mother in the house where I am staying, calmly mentioned that there was someone who wasn't invited at the table and calmly asked her daughter to take care of it. I wish I could quote her exact words. They were so charming yet humorous and very polite.

5) If you don't want to do something, the polite way to get out of it is to make up an excuse. The custom is not to say directly when you don't want to do something. They do not want to hurt another person's feelings. So, saying that something is cooking on the stove will get you off the phone. A death in the family will get you out of homework or a job. If someone objectionable sits beside you on the bus, you explain that you must get up because your bus stop is coming up. Always tell the person a logical reason, don't just get up and move. That would be rude.

The following are no-nos:

5) Do not blow your nose in public. If you need to wipe a drip, that is ok, but do not "honk" ever!

6) Don't inquire about a person's salary...that is rude even in the U.S.

7) It is rude to chew gum while talking with someone.

8) It is rude to ask someone about their religious preferences.

9) Bullying and yelling to get your way does not work; a smile and a friendly greeting will.

10) Don't just pop in on people, even if they are your friend. Let people know you are coming for a visit.


Finally, smile! A smile is the international good will gesture and helps to cover any mistakes you make.

Manuel Antonio National Park

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Kesa, Melissa, and I left by bus for Manuel Antonio at 6:00 this morning. The ride was supposed to be 3 to 3-1/2 hours long. The bus stopped in Quepos (although we didn´t know it at the time) around 9:30 so we knew we were close. However, there were no announcements or signs, so as usual, we looked around for some kind of hint as to whether we were supposed to get off or not. Very few people got off, so we assumed we were not at Manuel Antonio yet. I still can´t believe we didn´t ask; we just ASSUMED and stayed on the bus. About 10-12 minutes later, the bus made a final stop right beside a beautiful white sand beach:

We all got off the bus and the 3 of us stood there looking at each other like, ¨Now, what?¨ At 10:00 in the morning the weather was already stifling hot and humid. A few people were on the beach and there were some markets and restaurants on the other side of the road with a few street vendors roaming around.

We asked a man who was setting up his fruit cart for directions to the hotel Flor Blanca where we had reservations. He asked a woman to help us and she told us the ¨taxi¨ would take us back up the hill to the hotel. She took us to an old blue car, said a few words to the driver, which I couldn't hear, and gave him a knowing look and smile. I didn´t have a good feeling getting into an unmarked car. We had been warned that official taxis are red with a yellow triangles on the side doors. This car was not red, nor did it have taxi markings. We had no sooner sat down in the cab, than I immediately grabbed my bag and said, "Ï´m getting off. Please open the trunk so I can get my suitcase.¨  Melissa and Kesa looked at me like I was nuts and asked me what was wrong as they reluctantly got out. I explained my concerns while the so-called taxi driver was waiving paperwork at us indicating he was licensed. Sorry...no red car with yellow triangles, no ride for me...

Soon a real taxi came along and we hopped in. I asked the driver to turn on the meter, but he said it was a flat rate of $6.00 for the three of us. Another red flag: we were also told not to allow flat rates. However, this time I didn´t want to be the one to speak up and really look like a wierdo, so I kept my mouth shut and we split the cost of the $6.00 ride three ways.

After checking into the hotel and enjoying 10 minutes of air conditioning, we decided to head to the Manuel Antonio National Park and save the beach for the next day. We caught another bus back down the hill to the same beach we just came from, got off, crossed the road and walked through what can best be described as an alley lined with one souvenier tent after another. I couldn't believe this muddy alley was the way to get to the park entrance, but it was! We walked quite a ways,  listened to vendors calling for our business, and tried to figure out just where the park was located. After several twists and turns down the muddy path and eventually past a residential area, we came to a little street crawling with people trying to get us to pay them for a 2-hour guided tour through the national park with guarantees of seeing monkeys and sloths. We decided not to pay for a guided tour and had to go to the bank to buy tickets into the park.

Entrance to the park

As we entered the park, we saw a white tail deer grazing at the entrance:

There were trails throughout the park leading to the Manuel Antonio beach as well as several other beaches in the area. As we walked, we could hear that the forest was alive with insects. We could hear their noises so loudly it was as if someone had set up microphones throughout! Along the way, we saw crabs in the forest along the side of the road. I was surprised to see crabs so far from the beach. They live in holes in the mud.

Crab along the side of the road.

The flowers along the trail were lovely. They are called heliconias and were everywhere:

Lots of insects, too:

Stick bug.It was about 10 inches long.

Spider web.

We could hear birds all around us, but this is the only one we saw:

We kept looking for monkeys and sloths and asked people returning along the trail if they had seen any. One person after another assured us there were monkeys, sloths, and iguanas at the beach which kept us motivated as we walked in the insufferable heat.

Eventually, we came to the beach, still not having seen any monkeys or sloths.

One person after another told us about the monkeys they had seen. They would come in droves and then disappear. Unfortunately, they were gone when we were there. We looked and looked but never found them, but we did see a cute video that a man from New Jersey shared with us. It showed the monkeys fighting over some garbage they found. One took a juice bottle up in the trees and was trying to take a big drink out of the bottle.

We did see a mapache (like a raccoon):

And several black iguanas:

The Manuel Antonio National Park is interesting and the beaches beautiful. I recommend an early start to avoid the heat and humidity of the afternoon and a better chance at seeing the monkeys. It sounds like they were out and about earlier in the day.