Well, honestly there's not a whole lot to say about Manuel Antonio besides the fact that it was obviously the smart choice as opposed to Tamarindo (where there was apparently a massive celebration this weekend that left most hotels booked). We left on Friday at noon from the ghetto-ass "Coca Cola Station" which let me tell you, fully lives up to its reputation as a ghetto spot, and not someplace you want to just hang out. There were tons of shady-looking people who were all eager to get at us and/or our money. We had no less than three taxi drivers try to tell us that the roads were closed and we had no chance of getting there without their assistance. Needless to say, we took our chances and arrived just fine.
The ride was pretty short...about 3.5 hours which put us in at around 4:00 PM. Like usual, it was sweltering hot there and my shirt was pretty much immediately soaked through. This is not something I could ever really get used to, or even like. Every weekend trip we've taken, whether to the beach or up in the mountains always has two things in common: humidity and rain. This weekend was absolutely no different!
We checked into our hostel, which was nothing special. Again, it was pretty much just a small room, one bed, a fan, and a table where you could place all your crap. All this for the bargain price of $10. Every weekend, I've said that I'm going to "splurge" on a decent hotel, but every time, I've decided to stay with the rest of the group and save some dough (which I inevitably waste/blow on cocktails and food). I have decided however, that while in Nicaragua, I really am going to get a decent place, or at least one with a good air-conditioner (which will be a good investment as it's supposed to be in the 90's). Sorry, Stockton people. I realize now that that seems rather mild...lol
Anyway, after arriving, we hit the local tourist trap of a restaurant and spent the next few hours there having dinner and drinks, meanwhile avoiding the rain (which was pretty intense). It cleared up a couple of hours later and we left, heading for the local liquor store and subsequently, the beach. We drank enough beers that at some point, it seemed like a great idea to jump in the ocean and swim for a while. And you know, that's something I can only be convinced to do when A) It's late B) I've had a number of drinks and C) When other people are doing it. Normally, I'm pretty timid around the ocean because I can't stop thinking about sharks, killer whales, stinging jellyfish, etc. But, this night, I guess all the stars just lined up...
The next day, we got up and headed into the national park. It was a really nice walk, and even though we really didn't see much on the way in, when we got to the end (the beaches), the area was teeming with wildlife. If you look at my pictures on FB, you can see the multitude of monkeys and other animals. We stumbled upon a group of monkeys on a few occasions, and I got some really good shots. They were seriously within arm reach, and that was incredibly cool. Never did I have time to think about a rabid monkey attaching itself to my face and eating my eyeballs right out of the sockets, but of course, that was still an after thought. After sufficient wildlife viewing, we retired to the beach where we spent the next few hours lounging on the beach and floating in the ocean. The beach was stunningly beautiful, with gorgeous views and a really impressive panorama.
Later, it was off to another beach and an "all you can eat" spaghetti dinner at the hostel. That was a little ghetto, but hey, it was really cheap. Like $3 cheap. Later that night, it was back out for more drinks, which was pretty mellow as bars (THE bar, actually) was closed by midnight. We hung out on the beach (stayed out of the water this time) with the locals, who provided us with some comic relief. Serious beach bums in this place...
The next day came with a rude awakening. And that rude awakening came in the form of some serious pain on my shoulders and back. Indeed, it was not a good idea to go without the sunscreen. The only thing that was comforting about this was that I was one of the least worst sunburned in the group. At least I had the sense to only stay out for a couple of hours. Some German friends of ours didn't fare as well. I seriously thought their faces were about to peel off! We spent the rest of the day out on the beach, since we opted for the later bus. This time, I used generous amounts of sunblock and splurged on the beach chair and umbrella. Aside from hours on the beach just lounging, we got a wild hair and decided to ride "The Banana Boat," which was a giant tube pulled behind a boat. THAT was good times. We were out on the ocean for only about 10-15 minutes, but probably spent the majority of this time in the water (AFTER being thrown off repeatedly).
We caught the bus right at 5:00, and not a second too soon. I seriously thought I was going to kill someone after sweating that much. It was just constant, and it started to get really old. Add to that the sunburn and a big backpack on my shoulders...I was DONE. Getting back into San Jose was such a welcome relief, with it's temperatures in the high 60's. It felt SO good.
Which brings me to today...my last week in class. After today I have only three days left, which seems pretty crazy to me. I have resolved myself to the fact that after four weeks in class, I am NOT fluent, and really not anywhere near it. Obviously my Spanish is much better, but I am still in a fairly constant state of confusion and have many regular struggles. I think the thing I learned most about during this trip is the learning process, and what works and doesn't work for my own learning style. I have some great new insights that I will take with me back to the classroom, and that is an education that is worth its weight in gold. When I get back, one of my first orders of business is figuring out how I can continue to learn and keep fresh what I've picked up while here.
Alright, well that just about does it. I imagine I'll get in another post before I take off...maybe Friday night. This week will be action-packed, I'm sure, as it's all about enjoying our last few nights together. We're heading out tonight to Caccio's, which is a cool bar place that serves steins (called Olaffos) for about two bucks. They also have great pizza. What a great combination, huh?! On Friday, Jacob and I are cashing in on our "free trip" which will be whitewater rafting somewhere nearby. I'll take it easy that night, as I have a 6:00 AM bus ride to Grenada, Nicaragua. I'll be there until Thursday, coming back that night. I'll spend my last Friday here in town probably picking up useless souvenirs and crap that I'll stuff in drawers never to be seen again. Then, it's off to the airport bright and early Saturday morning.
This trip has been going by very quickly, and while I've never been eager to get back, last night I had my first USA dream where I was back at home wondering where all the time went, and late to school for my first day. I hope that wasn't a premonition...
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Epic...cold
Well, I don't think it'll be news to anyone that I've spent my last two days being super sick. I started feeling it on Friday, and combined with two days of pretty much being completely soaked through and sitting in wet clothes for hours on end, I came down with the worst strain of the cold imaginable. And it's kinda funny, because I really can't even remember the last time I've had a cold that I took seriously. However, this one absolutely terrorized me yesterday, so badly that I decided to stay home from school. I spent the day in bed, cheered up by all of my wonderful friends and family giving me their sympathy, but still feeling like a steaming pile of you-know-what. Facebook, I have to say, has got to be the greatest invention ever, especially when you want to stay connected when away. It was great to catch up with all of you, so if I chatted with you at any point in time during my "epic cold," thanks:)
Today I felt much better. I woke up with a clear nose, but the sense that I clearly wasn't quite through the woods yet. I definitely felt good enough to go to school, and that was funny to me because I remember what a thrill it was to stay home sick as a kid. It's just not the same when you're older, especially when you're essentially losing money while at it.
School was a ton of fun as usual, and like Monday, I got more private lessons. I think I mentioned on Monday that I was the only one left in my class (after writing a two-page rant about why the obnoxious 17-year-old should be removed). Well, since then, it's been awesome. On Monday, I had class solo for the first two hours, but was then joined by a really cool gal named Michelle, who is from Canada. She is about my age, and our Spanish is just about even. She joined our class for the last hour before lunch, just to kind of test-drive it. After lunch, I had the next two hours for myself, which was awesome because with my questions (I always have many), I was able to kind of guide the class in the direction I wanted it to go. Specifically, we worked on the imperative tense which is how you say things when you want to give commands. I made sure that I got this down pat. I can now safely say that I am proficient at telling people what to do! Very pleased with myself for this...lol
Today, Michelle was back for the morning, and then again in the afternoon, I had class to myself. I think I did pretty well, and even received a couple of nice compliments from Daniel telling me how much better I've gotten at knowing when to use the past tense versus the evil imperative that I complained about early on. Plus, when class is set up like this, I have more opportunities to speak, which is really important. I probably understand 70-80% of what Daniel is saying all the time with only the occasional, "de que estas hablando?" (what are you talking about?). Tomorrow is the last class of the week, and then I'll only have one more. I have really mixed feelings about this. One one hand, I'm excited to go spend the week in Nicaragua, but on the other, I think another week would really do me good. However, in the best interest of my own personal sanity (and those that I work with), I think I need to have this last week to decompress, and maybe even get a little bored so that returning looks a little better:) Throughout the summer, I have asked myself, "Could you go back to teaching yet?" My first week off, obviously it was a, "HELL NO!" Every day since, this sentiment has shrunken a little, but I still can't say that I am. It's been nice having a long break from kids, but I know that I'll be excited to start the new school year, especially with a somewhat new perspective.
Today, I had to make a really tough decision, you know, like a life or death situation. Should I spend my last weekend in CR up in Playa Tamarindo, or Miguel Antonio? I'll give you a brief run-down on the two places:
Playa Tamarindo- Ranked the #1 beach in CR. Located on the Pacific coast, northwest of San Jose. Also known as Playa Gringo-rindo, this place is notorious for it's party scene and beautiful beaches. It's feel is compared to that of Disneyland with big buildings everywhere, top-notch bars, clubs, and restaurants. It's expensive, but also one of the most popular spots in CR. Traveling time from San Jose? About 6-7 hours...
Miguel Antonio- This beach is also located on the Pacific side, but is actually more east-south-east. Travel time is about 3-4 hours. Miguel Antonio supposedly has some of the most beautiful beaches as well, but is also situated on one of the country's most beautiful national parks. Opportunities abound for great wildlife viewing, hikes, and back-to-nature type activities. Not as expensive as Playa Tamarindo, but doesn't hold a candle to its nightlife. Also supposedly has some of the best restaurants in the country.
And the verdict?
Miguel Antonio. I think I've gotten a lot of the partying out of my system. No more pictures of me drinking beer, time for some pictures of toucans, sloths, and monkeys. I'm "letting down" a bunch of our other travel buddies by not going to Tamarindo, but I can't pass up the opportunity for wildlife viewing just to get drunk. I can do that anytime...
So I'll be leaving Friday at noon, and returning late Sunday night. Hopefully I'll have some really cool pictures to share...
Pura Vida!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Epic Weekend
Man, this weekend was awesome. Again, I'm going to TRY to summarize it the best I can, as not ALL details are needed, but it seriously ranked up there with one of the best weekends I've ever had.
So we got in on Friday afternoon, after enduring a 4.5 hour bus ride (by most Latin American standards, this is a quick trip). As usual, I took enough Dramamine to knock out a hippo, so I spent most of my time there making an ass out of myself with my head cocked back snoring like an 80-year-old. I have realized that I now possess my late Grandpa Bus's ability to fall asleep pretty much wherever and whenever I want. He'd be so proud:)
We got into town, and it was effin pouring (as is usual for CR at this time of the year). I almost killed this Chinese guy who was cutting in front of everyone with his stupid umbrella in our faces while we were all waiting for our luggage. Sadly, this wasn't the only time that I hurled expletives at the elderly during this particular weekend, but again, I digress. We traveled with our ridiculously large group of 11 gringos in an effort to find "Gringo Pete's," which is a local hostel. After some initial confusion (and of course frustration to go with it), we found the place; it's owned by Pete, who is an older guy from Washington State. He seemed friendly at first, but this turned out to be untrue. I'll get back to that...
After some priming (see initial pics on FB...in front of the mural), we headed out to "Baldi Hotsprings," which was incredibly awesome. This place had a bunch of thermal pools of varying degrees, and we had a lot of fun bathing in them (and sneaking around our contraband of rum and coke...like everyone enjoys Coke so much that they feverishly pass around a 2-liter). We did this for a couple of hours, and then found the swim-up bar...something that has been on my Top-10 things to do for years. Later, we hit the buffet, where I proceeded with my "shock and awe" campaign. You should have seen the looks I was getting...LOL
After that, we found the deadliest waterslides imaginable. We went down them with pure recklessness, and suffice it to say, I am still having a hard time moving my neck and my back feels like Andy Rooney's must. Fun while it lasted though! After Baldi, we all headed back to the hostel for some more drinks. Jacob and I decided to go big and head out to a club. Back at 2:30 AM...enough said.
The next day, we got up and decided to do some gnarly zip lines about 45 minutes outside of town. We got picked up by the friendliest Costa Rican EVER. He was awesome. I think he was probably in his 50's and was SO eager to show us a good time and make sure we enjoyed ourselves while in HIS country. Ticos, like so many other natives of any country, are extremely proud of Costa Rica. Throughout the whole trip, he was telling me about their economy, produce, imports/exports, etc. Being the eldest, and the guy with the longest legs, I took it upon myself to sit up front. This also enabled me to practice my Spanish, which goes by the wayside when traveling with fellow gringos. We got there, and immediately set our eyes upon the biggest, scariest zip line imaginable. All of us were pretty nervous (varying degrees of course), but after getting suited up, nervousness was replaced by excitement. We headed out in our group to embark on the next great adventure.
The first cable was definitely mellow, comparatively speaking of course. Even though these cables could probably have supported a mac truck, I couldn't stop thinking of impending death on every single one. We worked our way up in length, until about the third, and then hit the "Tarzan Swing." I have a clip of it for those of you who don't use FB (I'll never understand you):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uti8enoa3T8
After the swing, the cables continued to intensify until we started hitting the 100+ meter lines. When we had finished all of the jungle swings, we headed back for three more super intense lines that were hooked up to really tall towers, all of which hung probably at least hundreds of feet above ground. This is when I started to get downright scared. As I said, there were three more, and unlike the others, these ones required us to climb up what I referred to as "The Towers of Terror." Now, it might seem a tad bit ridiculous that someone who is semi afraid of heights and gets vertigo pretty easily would do something like this, yet here I was. We had to cable up and begin the ascent up about 5-6 flights of super scary, Dutch-style skinny metallic steps while in the wind and pouring rain. Let's just say I walked up them rather daintily. Getting to the top and eventually getting off of the tower was actually the most relieving part of the trip. No kidding, I was scared to death climbing up these stairs.
The first tower and subsequent zipline were fairly gnarly; the cable was about 250 meters long. That one actually wasn't that bad. The next one was worse. As I was climbing up the tower, a crazy wind picked up and was strong enough that I had to start kind of bracing myself. The cable was about 300 meters long on this one, and really wasn't that fun as the wind combined with rain were hitting me in the face pretty hard throughout the whole ride. Plus, the fog came in and you really couldn't see. After this cable, and about to do the last one, several people in our group opted out. The last tower was really quite high, the wind and rain were there to stay, and the cable was 750 meters long. I debated skipping it myself, but didn't want to give in and certainly didn't want to regret not doing the "daddy" of all ziplines. As I said in my FB status post, 750 meters & 85 km/h, and the fact that it took nearly a minute to complete will never do this one justice. You'd have to see it to believe it.
We got home later that night with the intentions of going up with our new friend to check out the volcano, but the unrelenting rain put a damper on those plans. Our driver suggested that we get up at 4 Am and try to see it in the morning. And believe it or not, we did just that. At 4 AM, he came to pick us up. As I mentioned earlier, "Gringo Pete" really should have been called "Asshole Pete." We found out too late that he has a no-drinking-past-10 PM rule that he vigorously enforces. He came out the first night and proceeded to reprimand everyone who wasn't obeying his law, telling them that he'd give them the choice of A) Leaving voluntarily, and letting him keep their money and deposit or B) Calling the police and being escorted out. It was REALLY uncomfortable, but kind of funny at the same time. So, Cranky Pete apparently comes out around 3:45 in the morning to reprimand all the Germans (who were outside smoking, waiting for our taxi driver) for being too loud, saying something like, "Don't you know that there are people trying to sleep?" I guess they ignored him and continued, which ired Asshole Pete. A couple of minutes later, the taxi guy comes out and starts hollering, "Pura Vida!" and shaking everyone's hands. I was told that Old Man Pete came back out and said that he was going to shoot someone...LOL
Our driver took us up onto the volcano, where we waited for about an hour with the hopes that the clouds would clear...they didn't. While that sucked, and we didn't get to see any lava, we did get to see the base of the volcano and grab some rock souvenirs. After that, he took us to a somewhat "secret" thermal pool, where we clearly interrupted some CR's with our gringo-ness while also taking over the area. Again, our driver was all too excited to show off his "find" while running around in his skimpy see-through shorts and amazingly large beer belly. Regardless, it was a hot river that formed a couple of pools that were awesome (and free)!
After the early morning trip, we came back to the hostel and crashed for a bit before heading to the bus station. Here, we met a scene. Me, not wanting to get stuck in a seat with no legroom, was HELLBENT on getting on the bus first and securing a spot. Again, the bus driver seemed to find a problem with the bus, and spent the next hour or so tinkering with things using...what? A screwdriver?! Yet again! Rumors were flying that the bus was broken, and some criminal guy (who another gringo said he had seen get in a machete fight the day before...not that I think he actually used it, just threatened with it) told us that we would not be able to get a seat on it. Now it was on. I had been waiting for over an hour...mind you, the first one at the station. I was DETERMINED to get a seat and told Jacob that I'd fight someone if I had to (he replied that he believed me) to get a seat. Finally, rumor goes around that the bus is fixed, and we all lined up again. Some ass, who's sole job it is to stamp tickets, tells us that we have to move so the bus can pull up for some arbitrary reason. Now I'm really fired up. All the gringos are crowding around, pushing and shoving for their place in line. Some fat old lady comes up and cuts right in front of me, telling the bus driver that somebody had told her the line was over in another spot and that she somehow deserved to be in front. This was met by a "F&*$ NO" from me, and I pushed my way right in front of her. Finally, it was time to board. I jumped on maybe third, while the ticket guy implored us not to push, and found my way to the back, where I found a seat with a ton of legroom. I was happy.
The sad part of this story is that I somehow came down with a nasty cold, and can hardly move my neck and back without searing pain from the ziplines and waterslides of death. All worth it though:)
So we got in on Friday afternoon, after enduring a 4.5 hour bus ride (by most Latin American standards, this is a quick trip). As usual, I took enough Dramamine to knock out a hippo, so I spent most of my time there making an ass out of myself with my head cocked back snoring like an 80-year-old. I have realized that I now possess my late Grandpa Bus's ability to fall asleep pretty much wherever and whenever I want. He'd be so proud:)
We got into town, and it was effin pouring (as is usual for CR at this time of the year). I almost killed this Chinese guy who was cutting in front of everyone with his stupid umbrella in our faces while we were all waiting for our luggage. Sadly, this wasn't the only time that I hurled expletives at the elderly during this particular weekend, but again, I digress. We traveled with our ridiculously large group of 11 gringos in an effort to find "Gringo Pete's," which is a local hostel. After some initial confusion (and of course frustration to go with it), we found the place; it's owned by Pete, who is an older guy from Washington State. He seemed friendly at first, but this turned out to be untrue. I'll get back to that...
After some priming (see initial pics on FB...in front of the mural), we headed out to "Baldi Hotsprings," which was incredibly awesome. This place had a bunch of thermal pools of varying degrees, and we had a lot of fun bathing in them (and sneaking around our contraband of rum and coke...like everyone enjoys Coke so much that they feverishly pass around a 2-liter). We did this for a couple of hours, and then found the swim-up bar...something that has been on my Top-10 things to do for years. Later, we hit the buffet, where I proceeded with my "shock and awe" campaign. You should have seen the looks I was getting...LOL
After that, we found the deadliest waterslides imaginable. We went down them with pure recklessness, and suffice it to say, I am still having a hard time moving my neck and my back feels like Andy Rooney's must. Fun while it lasted though! After Baldi, we all headed back to the hostel for some more drinks. Jacob and I decided to go big and head out to a club. Back at 2:30 AM...enough said.
The next day, we got up and decided to do some gnarly zip lines about 45 minutes outside of town. We got picked up by the friendliest Costa Rican EVER. He was awesome. I think he was probably in his 50's and was SO eager to show us a good time and make sure we enjoyed ourselves while in HIS country. Ticos, like so many other natives of any country, are extremely proud of Costa Rica. Throughout the whole trip, he was telling me about their economy, produce, imports/exports, etc. Being the eldest, and the guy with the longest legs, I took it upon myself to sit up front. This also enabled me to practice my Spanish, which goes by the wayside when traveling with fellow gringos. We got there, and immediately set our eyes upon the biggest, scariest zip line imaginable. All of us were pretty nervous (varying degrees of course), but after getting suited up, nervousness was replaced by excitement. We headed out in our group to embark on the next great adventure.
The first cable was definitely mellow, comparatively speaking of course. Even though these cables could probably have supported a mac truck, I couldn't stop thinking of impending death on every single one. We worked our way up in length, until about the third, and then hit the "Tarzan Swing." I have a clip of it for those of you who don't use FB (I'll never understand you):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uti8enoa3T8
After the swing, the cables continued to intensify until we started hitting the 100+ meter lines. When we had finished all of the jungle swings, we headed back for three more super intense lines that were hooked up to really tall towers, all of which hung probably at least hundreds of feet above ground. This is when I started to get downright scared. As I said, there were three more, and unlike the others, these ones required us to climb up what I referred to as "The Towers of Terror." Now, it might seem a tad bit ridiculous that someone who is semi afraid of heights and gets vertigo pretty easily would do something like this, yet here I was. We had to cable up and begin the ascent up about 5-6 flights of super scary, Dutch-style skinny metallic steps while in the wind and pouring rain. Let's just say I walked up them rather daintily. Getting to the top and eventually getting off of the tower was actually the most relieving part of the trip. No kidding, I was scared to death climbing up these stairs.
The first tower and subsequent zipline were fairly gnarly; the cable was about 250 meters long. That one actually wasn't that bad. The next one was worse. As I was climbing up the tower, a crazy wind picked up and was strong enough that I had to start kind of bracing myself. The cable was about 300 meters long on this one, and really wasn't that fun as the wind combined with rain were hitting me in the face pretty hard throughout the whole ride. Plus, the fog came in and you really couldn't see. After this cable, and about to do the last one, several people in our group opted out. The last tower was really quite high, the wind and rain were there to stay, and the cable was 750 meters long. I debated skipping it myself, but didn't want to give in and certainly didn't want to regret not doing the "daddy" of all ziplines. As I said in my FB status post, 750 meters & 85 km/h, and the fact that it took nearly a minute to complete will never do this one justice. You'd have to see it to believe it.
We got home later that night with the intentions of going up with our new friend to check out the volcano, but the unrelenting rain put a damper on those plans. Our driver suggested that we get up at 4 Am and try to see it in the morning. And believe it or not, we did just that. At 4 AM, he came to pick us up. As I mentioned earlier, "Gringo Pete" really should have been called "Asshole Pete." We found out too late that he has a no-drinking-past-10 PM rule that he vigorously enforces. He came out the first night and proceeded to reprimand everyone who wasn't obeying his law, telling them that he'd give them the choice of A) Leaving voluntarily, and letting him keep their money and deposit or B) Calling the police and being escorted out. It was REALLY uncomfortable, but kind of funny at the same time. So, Cranky Pete apparently comes out around 3:45 in the morning to reprimand all the Germans (who were outside smoking, waiting for our taxi driver) for being too loud, saying something like, "Don't you know that there are people trying to sleep?" I guess they ignored him and continued, which ired Asshole Pete. A couple of minutes later, the taxi guy comes out and starts hollering, "Pura Vida!" and shaking everyone's hands. I was told that Old Man Pete came back out and said that he was going to shoot someone...LOL
Our driver took us up onto the volcano, where we waited for about an hour with the hopes that the clouds would clear...they didn't. While that sucked, and we didn't get to see any lava, we did get to see the base of the volcano and grab some rock souvenirs. After that, he took us to a somewhat "secret" thermal pool, where we clearly interrupted some CR's with our gringo-ness while also taking over the area. Again, our driver was all too excited to show off his "find" while running around in his skimpy see-through shorts and amazingly large beer belly. Regardless, it was a hot river that formed a couple of pools that were awesome (and free)!
After the early morning trip, we came back to the hostel and crashed for a bit before heading to the bus station. Here, we met a scene. Me, not wanting to get stuck in a seat with no legroom, was HELLBENT on getting on the bus first and securing a spot. Again, the bus driver seemed to find a problem with the bus, and spent the next hour or so tinkering with things using...what? A screwdriver?! Yet again! Rumors were flying that the bus was broken, and some criminal guy (who another gringo said he had seen get in a machete fight the day before...not that I think he actually used it, just threatened with it) told us that we would not be able to get a seat on it. Now it was on. I had been waiting for over an hour...mind you, the first one at the station. I was DETERMINED to get a seat and told Jacob that I'd fight someone if I had to (he replied that he believed me) to get a seat. Finally, rumor goes around that the bus is fixed, and we all lined up again. Some ass, who's sole job it is to stamp tickets, tells us that we have to move so the bus can pull up for some arbitrary reason. Now I'm really fired up. All the gringos are crowding around, pushing and shoving for their place in line. Some fat old lady comes up and cuts right in front of me, telling the bus driver that somebody had told her the line was over in another spot and that she somehow deserved to be in front. This was met by a "F&*$ NO" from me, and I pushed my way right in front of her. Finally, it was time to board. I jumped on maybe third, while the ticket guy implored us not to push, and found my way to the back, where I found a seat with a ton of legroom. I was happy.
The sad part of this story is that I somehow came down with a nasty cold, and can hardly move my neck and back without searing pain from the ziplines and waterslides of death. All worth it though:)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Breakthrough Day
At the other end of the spectrum (opposite "setback day") there exists another type of day known as "breakthrough day." Today, I found her. And, it was quite by surprise, because it really started off as a crap day. I went out with the youngins last night and stayed out fairly late (by my standards at least), and felt absolutely lousy this morning. As an aside, I am really quite proud of myself for the fact that not once have I gone overboard on this trip, and every time we go out, I'm the first one to leave (ninja-style AKA "Houdini" disappearing act). This usually prevents any sort of hangover, but even though I didn't think I had too much to drink last night AND I was back around midnight, I had a wicked headache this morning.
OK, back to the story. So class started, and I'm thinking to myself that today was going to be the LONGEST DAY IN HISTORY. I couldn't even fathom the idea of sitting through five hours of intense instruction and all of that thinking. Class started off pretty slowly, it got better throughout the morning, and by lunch it was going quite well. After lunch, we got out of the book, and just played games for the rest of the day. Class, lately, has been really fun and we're laughing all the time. Aside from our ridiculous role-plays, we play cards, board games, tell stories, etc., and at this point in the program, we have established a level of comfort that makes it much easier to learn. Seriously, at one point today, I started thinking about how often I'm wrong in class. I've never been SO wrong SO many times in my life. And right now, I don't even care about being wrong anymore. And that, in and of itself, is an amazing thing to hear myself say...
However, the real breakthrough happened towards the end of class, after a lengthy discussion initiated by yet another ignorant question posed by me. I don't know what it was about Daniel's explanation, but it just totally made sense to me. It was like everything just kind of came together. Walking to the bus after school, I thought about conversations I might have with a student's parent during a conference...things I might want to say, both positive and not-so-positive, and found that I had no problem doing so. This caused another brief surge in my level of confidence, and when I got off the bus and was walking to the house, I had the strangest sensation. I remember one Recreation class I had at Chico that talked about the concept of "flow." Used in a variety of contexts, "flow" can refer to a kind of distorted state of mind like many athletes experience when playing sports. Time kind of goes out the window and you get super focused on whatever it is you're doing. Well, it was almost like I experienced a Spanish flow as I walked home. I had this (distorted, I know) feeling that I now understood everything Spanish.
As I walked up the porch, my flow was disrupted when I saw Frank outside painting again. I thought to myself, "Shit, well here we go again." But, to my surprise, Frank was shockingly sober. We talked for a minute, he told me about earthquakes and his military "friends" and then invited me out for a beer. I told him something like thanks, but no thanks, and came inside to have a nice little fiesta. As I laid down, I flipped on the TV and found myself understanding much of what was being said on an awful telenovela (Mexican soap opera...if you've never seen one, you should check one out...they're ridiculous). I laid there thinking that finally, I had realized some serious progress, and I'm only halfway through my instruction. It was an awesome moment...
But, then I woke up from my nap and clearly, I had snapped out of this mental state. I didn't feel bad about my newly found gift of comprehension, I just didn't feel the same. I've been watching Mexican TV all night, trying to find my mojo again. I even made about 100 flashcards, but it's still not with me. I'm not worried about finding it again, I know I will, but I just hope it happens again soon.
This weekend will not be helpful at all either, as "the clique" and I are heading to Arenal Volcano for a weekend of zip lines, wildlife, thermal pools, and swim-up bars. I'm actually WAY more excited for the zip lines than a swim-up bar, which I think is really saying something! I leave tomorrow morning around 6 AM for a 2.5 hour ride up country. It should be a blast. I'll undoubtedly have lots of pictures when I get back that I'll post as soon as I'm able.
Next weekend will be my last official "weekend" trip with the crew. I think we're going to head out to the Pacific side, to a place called Playa Tamarindo. Following that will be my last week of class and then my final week here which will be spent traveling. Right now, I'm leaning towards getting on a nine-hour bus ride up to Managua, Nicaragua and spending my last days up there visiting the capital, Grenada, and Leon. It's supposedly incredibly beautiful and a hell of a lot cheaper. And if you, like me, cringed when you heard Nicaragua, fear not. Apparently, from what I've heard, the reputation it earned back in the 70's/80's is not at all an accurate description of what it's like now. In fact, it's actually dubbed the "land of lakes and volcanoes" by Lonely Planet. It sounds great, and I'm really excited to go.
Alright, off to bed. Got an early bus to catch!
Ben
OK, back to the story. So class started, and I'm thinking to myself that today was going to be the LONGEST DAY IN HISTORY. I couldn't even fathom the idea of sitting through five hours of intense instruction and all of that thinking. Class started off pretty slowly, it got better throughout the morning, and by lunch it was going quite well. After lunch, we got out of the book, and just played games for the rest of the day. Class, lately, has been really fun and we're laughing all the time. Aside from our ridiculous role-plays, we play cards, board games, tell stories, etc., and at this point in the program, we have established a level of comfort that makes it much easier to learn. Seriously, at one point today, I started thinking about how often I'm wrong in class. I've never been SO wrong SO many times in my life. And right now, I don't even care about being wrong anymore. And that, in and of itself, is an amazing thing to hear myself say...
However, the real breakthrough happened towards the end of class, after a lengthy discussion initiated by yet another ignorant question posed by me. I don't know what it was about Daniel's explanation, but it just totally made sense to me. It was like everything just kind of came together. Walking to the bus after school, I thought about conversations I might have with a student's parent during a conference...things I might want to say, both positive and not-so-positive, and found that I had no problem doing so. This caused another brief surge in my level of confidence, and when I got off the bus and was walking to the house, I had the strangest sensation. I remember one Recreation class I had at Chico that talked about the concept of "flow." Used in a variety of contexts, "flow" can refer to a kind of distorted state of mind like many athletes experience when playing sports. Time kind of goes out the window and you get super focused on whatever it is you're doing. Well, it was almost like I experienced a Spanish flow as I walked home. I had this (distorted, I know) feeling that I now understood everything Spanish.
As I walked up the porch, my flow was disrupted when I saw Frank outside painting again. I thought to myself, "Shit, well here we go again." But, to my surprise, Frank was shockingly sober. We talked for a minute, he told me about earthquakes and his military "friends" and then invited me out for a beer. I told him something like thanks, but no thanks, and came inside to have a nice little fiesta. As I laid down, I flipped on the TV and found myself understanding much of what was being said on an awful telenovela (Mexican soap opera...if you've never seen one, you should check one out...they're ridiculous). I laid there thinking that finally, I had realized some serious progress, and I'm only halfway through my instruction. It was an awesome moment...
But, then I woke up from my nap and clearly, I had snapped out of this mental state. I didn't feel bad about my newly found gift of comprehension, I just didn't feel the same. I've been watching Mexican TV all night, trying to find my mojo again. I even made about 100 flashcards, but it's still not with me. I'm not worried about finding it again, I know I will, but I just hope it happens again soon.
This weekend will not be helpful at all either, as "the clique" and I are heading to Arenal Volcano for a weekend of zip lines, wildlife, thermal pools, and swim-up bars. I'm actually WAY more excited for the zip lines than a swim-up bar, which I think is really saying something! I leave tomorrow morning around 6 AM for a 2.5 hour ride up country. It should be a blast. I'll undoubtedly have lots of pictures when I get back that I'll post as soon as I'm able.
Next weekend will be my last official "weekend" trip with the crew. I think we're going to head out to the Pacific side, to a place called Playa Tamarindo. Following that will be my last week of class and then my final week here which will be spent traveling. Right now, I'm leaning towards getting on a nine-hour bus ride up to Managua, Nicaragua and spending my last days up there visiting the capital, Grenada, and Leon. It's supposedly incredibly beautiful and a hell of a lot cheaper. And if you, like me, cringed when you heard Nicaragua, fear not. Apparently, from what I've heard, the reputation it earned back in the 70's/80's is not at all an accurate description of what it's like now. In fact, it's actually dubbed the "land of lakes and volcanoes" by Lonely Planet. It sounds great, and I'm really excited to go.
Alright, off to bed. Got an early bus to catch!
Ben
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Setback Day
Yeah, so today wasn't great. I call it "setback day." Nothing was going right:( Spanish class was brutal...we reviewed, again, preterite and imperfect verbs, which KILLS me. You see, there's this weird verb tense they use that isn't quite past tense, but kinda is. It supposedly describes things that have happened in the past, but on multiple occasions. Or, they are ongoing events. It basically boils down to a guess on my part. I keep reading various websites (in English of course, because my damned instructor WILL NOT speak English) and they really aren't helping. In addition, people in my class are all having trouble with it and it's a hurdle we just can't seem to get past. And it's not like it's something I can brush aside, because we keep coming back to it. If I were in the states, I reason that I could just use past, present, and future tenses (which I have down just fine), but he insists on hitting this GOD DAMNED imperfect tense (wow, that was kinda angry, huh?). BTW, if anyone reading this has a good tip for me, please let me know...
Class itself was really fun. I like my group a lot...I've been with the same two girls since last week. However, if I was to bitch about something (I almost always can), it would be about this OBNOXIOUS 17-year-old kid who came on Monday. He is an idiot, and frankly, I'm upset and insulted that he would even be in our class. I mean, for the love of all things holy, this kid can barely say his name in Spanish. Seriously. He can't even read the damned words in Spanish. To top it all off, he constantly beats on the desk, has an AWFUL nervous laugh, and when he's supposed to be working/concentrating, he scribbles lines on a pad of paper. Lines. It's kind of freaky. After our break today, I came back in and told our professor that if this kid stayed in the class, I'd change. He said he'd already thought about it and is going to move him. That should be that, but if it doesn't happen, I'm more than willing to voice my dissatisfaction. I'm getting good at that.
Otherwise, class is super fun. He likes to have us do role-playing (probably purely for his enjoyment). In the past, we've done such scenes as:
1. I'm the "jefe" (boss) of a company and I have to decide who out of my three employees should get a week of vacation, based on their excuses.
2. I'm an official from the health department, and I'm inspecting a "carniceria" (meat store) as a woman comes in and complains that her family was poisoned by the meat.
3. Today, we did a scene where I'm an angry "vecino" (neighbor) of a family who has a teenage daughter who plays her music too loud. I have to yell at the parents, and then go and complain to the manager of the complex. I played that roll pretty well:) LOL
4. Next up was insanely ridiculous. I had to play the father of a daughter who was terminally ill and the mother and I had to talk to the doctor and decide whether we were going to euthanize her. It was SO hard not to laugh, as I was kneeled beside her asking her if she wanted to die or not. Unbelievably, my teacher got upset with us for laughing. He kept telling us to be serious...REALLY?!
5. The final role play was me as a reporter, interviewing two of the girls who claimed they had seen aliens. I think my teacher is on crack...
So, yeah. It wasn't that the day was terrible, just frustrating. I also attempted to go to the intermediate dance class after a four-day hiatus, and that was a HUGE mistake. I stuck out the class, but then went back to the beginner class for the next hour. Unfortunately, that story doesn't have a real happy ending either. I sucked. Badly.
I've justified all of this to myself by saying that there are going to be up and down days, and today just happened to be the latter. However, (not to make this a Lifetime movie or after school special) I've realized that it's just important for me to not give up and keep giving it my best. Funny thing is, that prior to this trip I would have told you that I have a hard time being wrong. Not so much here. I'm wrong pretty much most of the day. I don't think that it's something I'll take with me when I get back stateside, but I think it's definitely been good for me to get a good taste of what that feels like and how to let go.
Alright, time to study and watch some Spanish TV.
Hasta luego y "pura vida."
Ben
Class itself was really fun. I like my group a lot...I've been with the same two girls since last week. However, if I was to bitch about something (I almost always can), it would be about this OBNOXIOUS 17-year-old kid who came on Monday. He is an idiot, and frankly, I'm upset and insulted that he would even be in our class. I mean, for the love of all things holy, this kid can barely say his name in Spanish. Seriously. He can't even read the damned words in Spanish. To top it all off, he constantly beats on the desk, has an AWFUL nervous laugh, and when he's supposed to be working/concentrating, he scribbles lines on a pad of paper. Lines. It's kind of freaky. After our break today, I came back in and told our professor that if this kid stayed in the class, I'd change. He said he'd already thought about it and is going to move him. That should be that, but if it doesn't happen, I'm more than willing to voice my dissatisfaction. I'm getting good at that.
Otherwise, class is super fun. He likes to have us do role-playing (probably purely for his enjoyment). In the past, we've done such scenes as:
1. I'm the "jefe" (boss) of a company and I have to decide who out of my three employees should get a week of vacation, based on their excuses.
2. I'm an official from the health department, and I'm inspecting a "carniceria" (meat store) as a woman comes in and complains that her family was poisoned by the meat.
3. Today, we did a scene where I'm an angry "vecino" (neighbor) of a family who has a teenage daughter who plays her music too loud. I have to yell at the parents, and then go and complain to the manager of the complex. I played that roll pretty well:) LOL
4. Next up was insanely ridiculous. I had to play the father of a daughter who was terminally ill and the mother and I had to talk to the doctor and decide whether we were going to euthanize her. It was SO hard not to laugh, as I was kneeled beside her asking her if she wanted to die or not. Unbelievably, my teacher got upset with us for laughing. He kept telling us to be serious...REALLY?!
5. The final role play was me as a reporter, interviewing two of the girls who claimed they had seen aliens. I think my teacher is on crack...
So, yeah. It wasn't that the day was terrible, just frustrating. I also attempted to go to the intermediate dance class after a four-day hiatus, and that was a HUGE mistake. I stuck out the class, but then went back to the beginner class for the next hour. Unfortunately, that story doesn't have a real happy ending either. I sucked. Badly.
I've justified all of this to myself by saying that there are going to be up and down days, and today just happened to be the latter. However, (not to make this a Lifetime movie or after school special) I've realized that it's just important for me to not give up and keep giving it my best. Funny thing is, that prior to this trip I would have told you that I have a hard time being wrong. Not so much here. I'm wrong pretty much most of the day. I don't think that it's something I'll take with me when I get back stateside, but I think it's definitely been good for me to get a good taste of what that feels like and how to let go.
Alright, time to study and watch some Spanish TV.
Hasta luego y "pura vida."
Ben
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wow, I just had the most awkward experience so far on this trip...no, wait. It had to have been up there with one of the more awkward moments of my life (not that there have been a ton). You see, yesterday, when I came back from my weekend trip, I saw Sergio outside washing his car. On a side note, as with many other Latin American countries, Ticos are OBSESSED with cleaning. Seriously, these fools are crazy. At the mall, they are constantly mopping. I'm telling you, if these people were as litigious as they are clean, there'd be MAJOR problems.
OK, back to the story. So when I came back yesterday, I was trying to tell Sergio about my trip (my family ALWAYS asks me how my day was, how I slept, how I did in my classes, etc.). I told him that it was fun, nice, relaxing, expensive, etc., when suddenly, their neighbor jumps into the conversation and recaps my summary in English. Totally shocked, I asked him how he knew English and he goes on to tell me that he's a retired Marine, and has lived in just about every country in the world. He tells me that I'm free to come over and have a beer and practice my Spanish anytime I want to. So today, after getting back from class, and determined to practice speaking more (with anyone who will let me), I walked over to his place and rang the doorbell...
That's where I should stopped, but stupid persistent me had to ring it again, which was totally a stupid thing to do. After all, I did hear him inside on the phone...I should have just assumed he was busy and gone home to study on my own. A couple of seconds later, he emerges and I ask him if he's busy. He says no. I then ask him if I can practice speaking Spanish with him and he says that's fine. I come inside and dude is still on the phone, which seems fine enough, but what I really walked into was a clearly WASTED man drunk dialing his old military friends, trying to relive his glory days. It was really kinda sad, because I could tell that the guy on the other line was not into this convo at all. I could tell that the other guy was trying to tell Frank that he needed to go eat dinner. But Frank wasn't having it...he, like me, is too persistent for his own good.
Fast-forward about 20 minutes, and Frank is still on the phone. I want to leave. I can't. What the hell do I do? Not wanting to be rude (like him, or in this case "House Drunk"), I decide to wait it out until he's finished. I can tell that he's pretty wasted, but he has his coherent moments, so I'm not 100% sure. I figure I'll be able to tell pretty quickly his level of intoxication when we start talking. So finally he gets off the phone, and then it becomes crystal clear. He is ABSOLUTELY WASTED. He doesn't even bother to get up and come sit next to me, but instead opts to stay seated near his massive glass of whiskey and pack of cigarettes. He basically asks me what I want from him and I break into the Spanish. Now, I'M on the spot and he's asking me what I want to know. Having carried a conversation or two in my lifetime, I begin with the basics. I tell him my vitals, age, profession, what I'm doing in CR, etc. Now, I'm not great at Spanish (although I am now officially in the intermediate book...kind of a big deal...lol), but I do know the basics. It becomes apparent just how drunk Frank is when I use the word "todo" (basically, "all") when I'm asking him where he's visited. Even though I've been speaking decent Spanish the whole time, Frank jumps in to correct me. "Toh-DOH," he tells me...I repeat, "Todo." "NO!" he says..."TOH-DOH (using phonetic spelling now for emphasis)." I repeat, "Todo." (while thinking to myself what an idiot I am for getting myself into this predicament). "NO!" he says. "TORO is like a bull. You're saying TORO. You need to say todo." I make a very strong emphasis on the "d", which by the way sounded completely ridiculous, and he's satisfied. Crap, and the conversation has just begun...
I stuck it out for about another 15-20 minutes, painful as it was, before finding a nice exit strategy. He encourages me to come back for dinner in an hour. Yeah right. I'm going to avoid that place like the plague...
BTW- I posted all of my week one pictures on my Facebook account. They're too hard to load on this blog. If you have an account (which I'm thinking most of you do), you can check them out there. If not, well, this is your opportunity to get with the program!
Ben
OK, back to the story. So when I came back yesterday, I was trying to tell Sergio about my trip (my family ALWAYS asks me how my day was, how I slept, how I did in my classes, etc.). I told him that it was fun, nice, relaxing, expensive, etc., when suddenly, their neighbor jumps into the conversation and recaps my summary in English. Totally shocked, I asked him how he knew English and he goes on to tell me that he's a retired Marine, and has lived in just about every country in the world. He tells me that I'm free to come over and have a beer and practice my Spanish anytime I want to. So today, after getting back from class, and determined to practice speaking more (with anyone who will let me), I walked over to his place and rang the doorbell...
That's where I should stopped, but stupid persistent me had to ring it again, which was totally a stupid thing to do. After all, I did hear him inside on the phone...I should have just assumed he was busy and gone home to study on my own. A couple of seconds later, he emerges and I ask him if he's busy. He says no. I then ask him if I can practice speaking Spanish with him and he says that's fine. I come inside and dude is still on the phone, which seems fine enough, but what I really walked into was a clearly WASTED man drunk dialing his old military friends, trying to relive his glory days. It was really kinda sad, because I could tell that the guy on the other line was not into this convo at all. I could tell that the other guy was trying to tell Frank that he needed to go eat dinner. But Frank wasn't having it...he, like me, is too persistent for his own good.
Fast-forward about 20 minutes, and Frank is still on the phone. I want to leave. I can't. What the hell do I do? Not wanting to be rude (like him, or in this case "House Drunk"), I decide to wait it out until he's finished. I can tell that he's pretty wasted, but he has his coherent moments, so I'm not 100% sure. I figure I'll be able to tell pretty quickly his level of intoxication when we start talking. So finally he gets off the phone, and then it becomes crystal clear. He is ABSOLUTELY WASTED. He doesn't even bother to get up and come sit next to me, but instead opts to stay seated near his massive glass of whiskey and pack of cigarettes. He basically asks me what I want from him and I break into the Spanish. Now, I'M on the spot and he's asking me what I want to know. Having carried a conversation or two in my lifetime, I begin with the basics. I tell him my vitals, age, profession, what I'm doing in CR, etc. Now, I'm not great at Spanish (although I am now officially in the intermediate book...kind of a big deal...lol), but I do know the basics. It becomes apparent just how drunk Frank is when I use the word "todo" (basically, "all") when I'm asking him where he's visited. Even though I've been speaking decent Spanish the whole time, Frank jumps in to correct me. "Toh-DOH," he tells me...I repeat, "Todo." "NO!" he says..."TOH-DOH (using phonetic spelling now for emphasis)." I repeat, "Todo." (while thinking to myself what an idiot I am for getting myself into this predicament). "NO!" he says. "TORO is like a bull. You're saying TORO. You need to say todo." I make a very strong emphasis on the "d", which by the way sounded completely ridiculous, and he's satisfied. Crap, and the conversation has just begun...
I stuck it out for about another 15-20 minutes, painful as it was, before finding a nice exit strategy. He encourages me to come back for dinner in an hour. Yeah right. I'm going to avoid that place like the plague...
BTW- I posted all of my week one pictures on my Facebook account. They're too hard to load on this blog. If you have an account (which I'm thinking most of you do), you can check them out there. If not, well, this is your opportunity to get with the program!
Ben
Humility
I think, above all else, that this trip has (already) taught me about humility. For sure, I'm no rocket science (barely smart enough to teach 6th grade!), but I never really had too many troubles in school. And in my own classroom, it has often times been difficult for me to understand why students don't grasp some concepts (Math would be the exception here). Now, as I'm about to finish my lunch break and go back in for hours four and five, I sit here and ponder...
1. Why education thinks it's OK to speed ahead on to a new concept when students didn't understand/have time to understand the last one...
2. Why I think I can effectively "teach" students by standing in front of the room and spewing information every day? (in my defense, I try not to do this, but you have to sometimes)
3. What some of my students must have thought about coming into class knowing that they were just going to "fail" like every other day. And how must they have felt while sitting there for HOURS not getting it...
Right now, I'm feeling a little upset at myself for all the times I've been short with my students when they've had problems understanding. And now I know why so many of them never bothered to try. It's way too easy to give in to the "fail" mentality, and, it's way easier. All I know is that after this trip, I'll never look at teaching and learning the same...
1. Why education thinks it's OK to speed ahead on to a new concept when students didn't understand/have time to understand the last one...
2. Why I think I can effectively "teach" students by standing in front of the room and spewing information every day? (in my defense, I try not to do this, but you have to sometimes)
3. What some of my students must have thought about coming into class knowing that they were just going to "fail" like every other day. And how must they have felt while sitting there for HOURS not getting it...
Right now, I'm feeling a little upset at myself for all the times I've been short with my students when they've had problems understanding. And now I know why so many of them never bothered to try. It's way too easy to give in to the "fail" mentality, and, it's way easier. All I know is that after this trip, I'll never look at teaching and learning the same...
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Crazy party weekend...check
Hey Everyone!
I just walked in the door and am back, alive and unscathed, from our weekend of debauchery in Puerto Viejo. Although the town wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was a really fun spot to spend a few days. I have to say that it's completely unlike any place I've ever been to before, which makes for a unique experience. I guess I didn't really know what to expect there based on the various reviews I've been going over for the last few months. I guess what struck me the most was how small it is. Really, PV consists of one main street that's maybe 200 meters long. In addition, there's another road equally long that runs adjacent to the coastline that's a little less touristy. On the main road, there are lots of little souvenir shops, bars, restaurants, etc. On the whole, yes, this place is geared for tourists and unfortunately, has lots of unsavory characters just waiting for an opportunity to strike (which I'm happy to say did not...well, at least not me anyway, but I'll get back to that).
So we left on Thursday immediately after school and got to the bus station. When we pulled in, I realized I had left my Dramamine back at the school. Without Dramamine, the bus ride was sure to be hellish, so I made the decision to go back to the school with the taxi driver and ended up cutting it really close. Anyway, we got on the bus and headed down to the coast. As we drove out of the city, the REAL Costa Rica began to emerge, with vast forests of green, only interrupted by rivers and streams. It was beautiful. As we got closer to the coast, it started to get humid, but it wasn't obnoxious; it was actually kind of a nice change.
We got into PV around 8:30 that night and found ourselves a place to stay, but split the group. Most of the people we were with immediately followed this woman to a hostel, and two other girls and myself said, "No thanks" to hostel living. We found our own place and unloaded our gear there. We all met up later, had dinner, and drank beer out on the beach until about 3:00 AM. Nothing terribly exciting happened that night to speak of...it was just really an awesome thing to be able to hang out on a Caribbean beach and wade into the water periodically to cool off. The funny thing about Caribbean weather is that it sometimes feels like there is NO weather...it's just perfect. Water included.
The next day, we got up and I walked down to the hostel to check in on everyone. I found that the place they were staying at was actually pretty cool. It consisted of about 75 "cabinas," little one-room places with a bed and fan. It was really basic living, but cheap! $10 a night to be exact. I went back to my place to grab my stuff and moved in. Later that day, we all headed down to the beach and just hung out in the water and on the sand. We found that if you went up a little further, you'd hit "Playa Negra" with really cool black sand. We hung out there for a few hours and then went back to the hotel and out to dinner. Later that night, we ventured down the road to a place called, "Rockin J's":
http://www.rockingjs.com/
This place was AWESOME. We were told that there'd be a rock and roll cover band playing, but we had no idea how great they'd be. They were from all over the world, England and the US mostly, but they had this dude who busted out, of all instruments, a trombone and just COMPLETELY rocked it. Now, for those of you who weren't already aware of my prodigious skills as a child, let me now make it known. Yes, I played the trombone. So well in fact that I was actually too good for the LHS band. So good, that after we came back from marching in the Rose Bowl my Freshman year, our director told me I needed to leave...apparently, I was embarrassing all the other trombone players. But, I digress...
So this guy is totally awesome and he's just basically freestyling it the whole time. Maybe it was him, maybe it was the beer, but whatever it was, it had the crowd on its feet. We drank and danced there for probably three hours and then moved back into town. At this point, I found a fried chicken place, grabbed myself a little snack, and pulled my famous "Houdini" trick by sneaking back to my room and going to sleep. Now, before any of you give me crap for leaving early, A) It was like 2:30 AM and B) This is my survival tactic that keeps me from getting too drunk or having a brutal hangover. And for the record, this weekend I had no trouble with "authority" nor was I ever hung-over. Take that!
Yesterday was kind of lousy weather, so we just hung out on the beach and farted around town. I caught myself being bored, and thought about what a ridiculous thing that was. Here I was in the middle of the freakin' Caribbean coast, and I'm complaining. Wow. Later that evening, after some pre-partying back at our hostel, we went out to the beach because Jacob had made himself a "message in a bottle" that he wanted to launch into the sea. This turned out to be a really bad idea for a couple of reasons. He picked the absolute WORST area to launch...on a coral reef. So he takes off his shoes, shirt, and shorts and begins trying to navigate the coral in the dark. The whole way out there, he's practically crawling because it's hurting his feet so much. It probably takes him about 15 minutes to go out fifty meters. In the meantime, we begin to realize that Scott, one of our group members, is missing So Jacob begins to realize that he needs to come back in as he's getting nowhere near the breakers, and thus, will not be able to successfully launch his bottle. As he comes in, he takes a header into the coral and lands on his hands and chest, which causes bleeding from a number of areas on his body. Right as he's coming in, Scott rolls up. When we ask him what happened, he tells us this story about him getting surrounded by a group of police officers on quads and dirt bikes who search him, and then produce a bag of pot they say was his (it really wasn't). They tell him something like, "Oh no. What should we do with you now? You know that you have to go to jail because you broke the law." They end up taking all of his money, which really sucked for him. And because he's a peace-loving Canadian and also has never had experience with this sort of situation, he's pretty upset about it. We tell him to just shake it off and move on. Lesson learned. However, this whole situation kind of puts a damper on the rest of us, and about this time, I decide that I'm going to call it quits. We had been spending a TON of money (the place isn't cheap), and honestly, I had had enough beer for one weekend. So about five of us called it early and headed back.
We got up this morning, ate breakfast, and headed to the bus stop where we got to deal with one final bit of drama. We were supposed to leave at 11:00 AM and were assured we had seats. We got there and saw one bus that was nearly full. We jumped on and grabbed what seats we could, leaving some people without seats. People begin to get agitated, but then relax after being told that another bus was coming. So, here I am up towards the front of the bus, feeling all proud and a bit smug about MY seat, and how the other people should have come earlier, when all of a sudden this mechanic dude boards the bus and opens a hatch. What does he then do? Did you guess work on the engine with a screwdriver?! Good for you! Yes, he begins trying to get the bus to start by banging a screwdriver on various parts of the engine! Now I'm starting to get a little worried. A second (nicer) bus pulls up and all the people without seats go running. "Alright, I think to myself. Stay positive. Your bus is going to start. These guys know what they're doing. It IS possible to start a car by banging somewhere with metal (my old monster truck once broke down in a Taco Bell drive through, and some dude standing in front of a nearby Quickstop banged on some part and started it right up)." As time goes by, and several shoulder shrugs later, someone on our bus gets up. People start looking all around, and before you know it, we're exiting like the bus is on fire. I grab my stuff, and start pushing my way through the crowd towards the other line by the second bus. Knowing that I wasn't going to get anywhere by being polite, I cut directly to the front of the other line and got myself a spot. Ugly American? Yes. American who didn't get stuck waiting in Puerto Viejo for another five hours? You know it...
And that's about it. Good weekend. Expensive weekend, but a good one. Next weekend, we're off to Arenal Volcano for some zip lines and thermal pools. Now, it's time to gear up for another week of Spanish and Salsa, which really should be my main focus while here...just too many distractions!
Thanks again to all of you for keeping in contact. I love the comments! Oh, and a special shout-out to my friends Kevin and Myra Meis, who welcomed little Brandon Antonio Meis (AKA Bam-Bam) into the world on 7/8/09. Congrats guys! And can't wait to meet him:)
Ben
Friday, July 10, 2009
Puerto Viejo!
Hello, and greetings from the Caribbean:) Puerto Viejo is a town unlike any I've EVER been to in my travels. Our bus ride from SJ was pretty uneventful, well, except for the fact that when we pulled into the bus station, I had to have the driver take me back to get my forgotten Dramamine pills...we made it with about five minutes to spare. However, I didn't feel like I really had a choice...I would have been miserable had I not gone back to retrieve them. The ride was about four and a half hours, and was pretty mellow. Once we got out of the concrete jungle that is SJ, we started to see what the REAL CR was all about...GREEN. Seriously, just green everywhere.
I don't need to go into any great detail about what it's like here, rather, you just need to see the pictures. Unfortunately, I've tried two times to upload the pics with no success. I have lots of good shots of the town, which is a funky dirt-road hippy type of place. It has a unique Afro-Caribbean flair all its own. Last night, after getting in, we found our way to "Johnny's" and drank beer on the beach, pausing every once in a while to go wade in the water. That was really cool. Every once in a while, I'd stop and say something like, "Hey guys! Cheers! We're in the $*%#(*% Caribbean!" I'm sure that got old, but I felt it was appropriate to keep reminding myself (and others) that we were in a really cool place...
Today, we pretty much just hung out on the beach...Playa Negra to be exact. It's got black sand and although certainly doesn't claim to be the nicest beach in CR, it'll do. After a few hours there, we headed back to have some lunch and have been at the hostel ever since. Oh, and speaking of the hostel, it's super low budget. Actually, it's pretty ghetto, but then again, could I really expect luxury accomodations for $10 a night?
So that takes me to the here and now...I'm taking a *break* by hitting the internet cafe down the street. Pacing here is important;)
Tonight's going to be another wild and crazy one, but I have NO problem boning out early. I get crap from everyone every time I do, but really, I don't care what they think. I'm doing my best to behave myself, and am actually being suprisingly successful! I think you'd all be proud of me...
Alright, gotta go as my time is running low. I'll post all of my pics when I get back on Sunday night. Talk to you all later!
Oh, and I understand that some of you are having trouble posting messages. Would one of you (who has had some success at this...Kelly perhaps) give any pointers that you can think of? Thanks:)
Pura Vida!
Ben
I don't need to go into any great detail about what it's like here, rather, you just need to see the pictures. Unfortunately, I've tried two times to upload the pics with no success. I have lots of good shots of the town, which is a funky dirt-road hippy type of place. It has a unique Afro-Caribbean flair all its own. Last night, after getting in, we found our way to "Johnny's" and drank beer on the beach, pausing every once in a while to go wade in the water. That was really cool. Every once in a while, I'd stop and say something like, "Hey guys! Cheers! We're in the $*%#(*% Caribbean!" I'm sure that got old, but I felt it was appropriate to keep reminding myself (and others) that we were in a really cool place...
Today, we pretty much just hung out on the beach...Playa Negra to be exact. It's got black sand and although certainly doesn't claim to be the nicest beach in CR, it'll do. After a few hours there, we headed back to have some lunch and have been at the hostel ever since. Oh, and speaking of the hostel, it's super low budget. Actually, it's pretty ghetto, but then again, could I really expect luxury accomodations for $10 a night?
So that takes me to the here and now...I'm taking a *break* by hitting the internet cafe down the street. Pacing here is important;)
Tonight's going to be another wild and crazy one, but I have NO problem boning out early. I get crap from everyone every time I do, but really, I don't care what they think. I'm doing my best to behave myself, and am actually being suprisingly successful! I think you'd all be proud of me...
Alright, gotta go as my time is running low. I'll post all of my pics when I get back on Sunday night. Talk to you all later!
Oh, and I understand that some of you are having trouble posting messages. Would one of you (who has had some success at this...Kelly perhaps) give any pointers that you can think of? Thanks:)
Pura Vida!
Ben
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wow!
Again, words escape me, and that's really saying something. Today was another great day. I stayed in last night, but rather than socialize with my Tico family, I decided to lock myself away and enjoy the cable TV in my room (with Spanish subtitles, of course). It's always funny to watch Spanish TV...often times, it's a program that's translated with a pretty strict Mexican dialect, which is not always applicable to the kind of Spanish that we might hear in CR or in CA. However, it was a nice respite, and despite the mild feelings of guilt for not being social (thanks mom), I don't regret it one bit.
So, today was a good. one. I made it just in time for class (on the minute to be exact...9:00), and we met in the garden. This was a nice break from our somewhat dreary classroom. Again, it was a great reminder of what a lot of kids probably feel like in my own classroom. It wasn't that I didn't want to go to school, it's just the fact that I know going into it that I have five hours of pretty intense study where I know that I won't necessarily be "successful" and/or know what is going on. However, since my dark place episode, I've made a promise to myself that I won't be negative (you hear that, Robin?). If I struggle, I'll just laugh it off and keep trying my best. Today was no exception...
Now, let me get to the best part of the day. After class, I went to my Salsa lesson. Yesterday, I totally stunk it up and felt really bad, like I'd never learn how to dance this way. Today, I started with this new girl, who was...how shall we say???...not friendly. Insert your own "name" here...
I realize now that it wasn't MY problem. SHE sucked, not me. I ended up doing the next song with the girl in my class (the German who I thought was...insert another "name" here). However, I think she's taken a liking to me. She's actually quite nice, and was an awesome person to dance with. It was almost like something "clicked" with me, whereby I was suddenly able to dance with relative ease. I was busting out all sorts of moves that we had been taught and it felt GREAT! I can now say that officially, I can dance Salsa! I'm SO stoked about that:) Although I won't be there tomorrow for classes (and I'll get to that in a second), I'm looking forward to next week when I feel like a pro, and hopefully get moved into the "advanced" class. Wouldn't that be something? Me? Advanced? LOL
After class, we were supposed to meet for a movie, and later, drinks. However, just about every Costa Rican in the country showed up and that spoiled our plans. We ended up just going out for drinks. Now, you don't need to hear about us drinking (I'm sure you can imagine me doing that...), but I will say that it was a fun night because we ended up back at the same bar I was at on Monday night. We got there and although at first I was standing in a corner, I worked my way back through the crowd and became part of the nucleus. It was funny, because earlier I was talking trash about how "these are the kinds of people I USED to hang out with in my fraternity days..." and then all of a sudden, I'm working my way into the crowd, and ultimately, playing some HILARIOUS drinking games with them. We played one game called "Chickens Up" which was insanely funny, and then another where you do some "hand signals" which require some sort of memory. That one was tough...
I will admit that I boned out on them because I didn't want to have a hangover tomorrow (wait, it IS tomorrow!). Class is ROUGH with a headache. Tomorrow, we are going into San Jose to visit "El Museo de Oro" (Gold Museum) for the first part of the day, and then back to class. Then, at 3:00, we will be making our way towards the bus station for our first trip to THE CARIBBEAN! That's right...we are going to Puerto Viejo, which is a town that I've been dreaming of for quite some time! It is going to be EPIC. I'll give you an update when I return Sunday night...
In the meantime, thanks for all of your comments and emails:) They really do make me feel connected. I know I haven't gotten back to all of you, but I'll do my best to try and do that in the days to come. I hope you are all doing well and I look forward to catching up with you soon!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
My first "real" day recap...
OK, so I almost started blogging last night after I got back from the bars, but then I kept missing keys and realized that it'd take me forever to get it all down the way things were going. So, I decided to wake up early this morning and start blogging. I started going crazy and was giving a play-by-play narrative and came to another realization; people wouldn't have enough time in their day to read what I had written. Let me tell you, I was really going for it. I decided this afternoon that rather than finish my novella, I'd recap yesterday in bullet format:
* Woke up to my usual rice, beans, and egg breakfast
* Dora continues to literally wait on me and the other guy who lives here (cool German dude, also about 10 years younger than myself) hand and foot. It's crazy...
* Arrived at school and immediately felt like a high schooler...seriously
* Took a short oral test (which I blew b/c I was totally nervous)
* Went outside onto the "yard" and tried to look busy reading so I wouldn't have to start "making friends"
* Made and held eye contact with a guy who is now my official wingman
* His name is Jacob and is almost 10 years younger than me...a total spitting image of how I used to be when I was his age
* We attracted some other guys and girls (all Americans) and invited them into our new clique
* Moved into the orientation room (STUFFED with people, especially Germans) and were assigned our new classes
* When Jacob went up to join his group, I said, "Go get 'em, tiger"
* Lady next to me, who is a high school principal (and surly as hell), immediately says, "He's gonna be trouble. Drunk and disorderly." (I told you he was a younger Ben!)
* Get assigned my class and move upstairs into our classroom
* "Profi" is a guy named Daniel, and there are three other students in the classroom with me...girl from Germany, girl from Italy, and guy from Germany (ALL 10 years younger than me...notice a pattern?)
* Daniel, immediately starts inundating us with CRAZY amounts of Spanish (it is an immersion program, after all)
* I feel good to start, and understand SOME of what he's saying
* Class continues to go well, until we hit irregular past tense verbs
* Daniel starts drilling us, and I'm getting EVERYTHING wrong
* Begin to feel like a complete idiot, which doesn't rest well with me
* Completely disengage and start thinking about going home and packing my bags
* Figure I can just travel throughout Central America, have some crazy adventures, and to HELL with the Spanish language
* Continue to hate Daniel and begin hating everyone else in the class...especially the German girl who I begin to think is giving me negative body language
* Continue to think about what a poor decision it was to come down here and do a program that makes me feel dumb
* Daniel "puts me on blast" and asks me (in Spanish) if I'm mad
* I tell him that I am and that it's been almost 15 years since I've studied Spanish (not like all the other students who just graduated from college and had Spanish classes recently)
* Hate everyone some more
* Go into a REALLY dark place...REALLY dark
* Start playing a game that is way too hard for all of us...this makes me feel a little better to watch the other students struggle (evil laugh)
* After class, decide to tell Daniel how he SHOULD be teaching (with more activities, games, interaction, etc. and NOT four straight hours of book work that makes me want to stab myself in the eye with my pen)
* Daniel clearly does not appreciate my feedback
* Class ends and I go to my first Salsa lesson, which is really fun (I suck, but it's still fun)
* Meet back up with my new clique and we make plans to go out that night
* Leave to go try and catch a bus (in the POURING rain), while getting lung cancer from the crazy amounts of exhaust
* Stand in said pouring rain for OVER AN HOUR waiting for a bus
* Go to my dark place again
* Finally catch one that is basically a sardine can
* Ride on the bus for over an hour (usually it takes 15 minutes)
* Have a complete breakthrough
* Realize that this trip is going to teach me patience and gives me an incredible insight into what it feels like to struggle in school and how some of my students (especially EL kids) must feel on a daily basis
* Realize that this experience is EXACTLY what I need
* Get home to no power and two REALLY hyper girls
* Begin to study the irregular verbs with my German roommate
* Eat a really good dinner, which makes me happy
* Begin to speak with the two girls, play some games, and draw pictures. I found that speaking Spanish with them made me feel much more confident. They're closer to my level...
* Head out to meet Jacob "Wingman"
* Drink the NASTIEST beers I've ever had in my life on the sidewalk while waiting for the bus
* Meet three gringo girls (all from Europe) and start shooting the breeze
* Get to the bar and start drinking beers and meeting people (speaking English shamelessly)
* Realize that this is also really good experience for me to kind of step out of my shell and be social (I know it's hard for some of you to believe that I'm kind of introverted, but it's true)
* Have a blast drinking beers with them and move to another bar down the street
* Continue partying and realize that the place serves pizza slices and completely emerge from above-mentioned dark place
* Return home in a cab and go to sleep
Wow, that wasn't any shorter at all. Are you still reading? Did you make it that far? Good for you! You are a true friend...
This morning, I woke up and decided it was going to be a good day. Although I had kind of a nasty headache, I told myself that I was going to pull through and do my best to hang with the class and be positive Ben, instead of dark place Ben. I did come to class 15 minutes late, which sucked and was totally my fault, but I brushed that aside and walked into the room and was pleasantly surprised. What were they doing? An activity! It was really fun, and I learned a ton. For the next hour or so, we played the game, did a little bit of book work, and then went to break. I decided to be a stand-up man and apologize to Daniel for my bad mood, which he gladly accepted (at least I think he did). For the rest of the day, we had more activities, games, conversations with each other, role playing, and on Thursday, we're going to a museum in downtown San Jose for a few hours. He did listen! It was a breakthrough moment. After class, I stuck around for an hour of Salsa (which I still suck at, but am getting better), got on a bus without an hour wait, and rode home in the normal amount of time. Which brings me to to present moment, at the table writing all of this down for you to read.
I hope I'm through being negative and hope for the best during the rest of the trip. I did decide to only register for three weeks of classes, and maybe travel for two weeks instead of one, but we'll see by the end of next week what I ultimately decide to do. If I feel like I'm really learning a lot, I'll sign up for one more. If I feel like my Spanish is as good as it's going to get, I'll pack my bags and head out. That will be the true test...
OK, done! I doubt that any more of my blogs will be this lengthy, so don't be afraid to come back. As you can see, there was just a lot going on yesterday. It's also kind of therapeutic for me to get this all down and will be something that I'll enjoy reading weeks, months, or years from now. Thanks for sticking it out!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
First Excursion
OK, clearly I'm a little bored at this point, but that's totally OK with me...here's to hoping that once tomorrow rolls around, some of you who are unhappy to be at work will enjoy having copious blog entries to keep you entertained (or at least occupied!).
So, here's today's recap:
After the last post, Dora, Sergio, and I went out to the "feria" which translates more into "fair," but in reality is more of a farmers market...actually, that's exactly what it was. It was a pretty entertaining place, with tons of vendors selling all sorts of cool fruits and vegetables. One of the things that sets my presence here completely apart from my experience in Colombia is that nobody pays any attention to the giant gringo. While I miss that a little, I think it makes for a safer, more low-key profile which is good. Anyway, the market was fun. Dora swept through there like a pro, grabbing fruits and vegetables like I'd imagine a professional chef doing back in the states. Clearly, she's been there before.
We drove around for a while after, through the town, and hit a grocery store. Nothing exciting to talk about there. However, I will say that driving around and talking with Sergio is a lot of fun for me. He's really easy to understand (doesn't have too much of an accent, and I think chooses words carefully for me so I get what he's saying) and he's also got a nice way of correcting me (which I asked him to do for me). It's also funny because "machismo" is alive and well in this country. Dora does all the work, sits in the back seat, makes us food and constantly cleans the house, etc. It makes me feel bad, but I guess I have to remember that it's completely normal. It's just hard to get used to. Which brings me to my nap...
When we got back, Sergio and I took a nap while unbeknownst to me, Dora got to work making lunch. I maybe slept for an hour or so and awoke to some knocking on my door. When I emerged, the first thing I saw was a plate full of food waiting for me! She had made rice, frijoles molidos (squashed/mashed beans...like a paste), pan-fried chicken, and salad. It was awesome!
After lunch, I started to get a little stir crazy after the TORRENTIAL downpour had let-up, so I decided to venture out to San Pedro Mall (about 1-2 miles away), but required me to use the bus for the first time. It's always a little crazy to get on a bus in a foreign country. You're sitting there being taken away from the one place that's familiar, all the while thinking, "Will I ever be able to get back?" Of course I knew I'd be able to find my way back...if all else failed, I could take a cab, but I wanted to be successful with the bus system.
The mall was gigantic, and full of teenagers and families...really not my scene, but I stayed for a while and people-watched. What struck me again, as with all Latin American countries, was the family-centered focus. You see ENTIRE families there...not just kids with single parents, but totally intact families. It's just not something I'm used to seeing.
After the mall, I tried to find my way back to the bus stop going the other way, and got myself nice and lost. While criss-crossing the streets, I noticed a blanket under a sign that looked like somebody was having a snooze. I went further down the street and on my way back was quite confident there was indeed a man underneath, as there was some "movement" towards the middle of the blanket. I'll leave it at that...I promised my mom this blog would be G-rated!
Anyway, I guess that's enough for one day. And wouldn't you know it, Dora has sandwiches on the table. Gotta run:)
What a difference Sergio makes...
So last night, I was a little worried about my new family. Why were they being so quiet and timid? Why were they so soft-spoken? Why wouldn't they really make eye-contact with me? Was it just part of their culture? Would they ever lighten up? I imagined myself sitting around, drinking, laughing, having a grand old time with the family. Granted, I knew that would take time, but still, I wondered as I went to sleep last night whether this would be the right family for me. But ah, the difference the man of the house makes. This guy is awesome! He's totally friendly, outspoken, helpful, etc. I just had my first real conversation over some great pinto gallo that Dora made (I could get used to that stuff!). We talked about education here and back in CA, about vacation spots and tourism, where I should go and where I should stay away from, and he even gave me a couple of mini-lessons for some words I was having trouble with. I am SO much more relieved now that he is part of the equation. In fact, he just stopped by the room and saw me on it and asked me if it worked. I told him that I was shocked that it did, and he then told me he works with computers for a living. Boy did I get lucky with this house...
And BTW, I really didn't expect to want to do this much blogging (I wanted to do "only" English while here) but as my friends Kevin and Myra suggested, I think this will be a good way to give my head a break. I'm sure that I'll have plenty of time to speak "only" Spanish in the time that I'm here...
Two more pics
So, after I finished my first post, I decided to brave it into the shower. There were no hot or cold knobs, just the one. I think I'm going to have to learn to be OK with cold showers! But the weather right now is so mild, I don't mind. The good part was that when I woke up, Dora and her husband (who I just met) were up. She's now busy in the kitchen making breakfast "pinto gallo," literally, spotted rooster, which is a mixture of looks like green onions, rice, and beans. Smells good!
Here are two more pics. One is of their dog (no idea what the hell her name is, but she's super friendly) and the other is outside the house...
Estoy aqui!
Wow, I am completely shocked and amazed right now. I mean, I guess it's not the craziest thing ever, but to open up my laptop in the middle of a barrio in Costa Rica and have wireless internet access is pretty amazing to me!
I just woke up after a pretty solid eight hours of sleep. As some of you may have already known, my initial flight on TACA was canceled, which meant that I had to fly out the next morning. I was mad, just like everyone else in line who had come to find out that their seat had been given away, but I played it cool. Result of playing it cool? A $400 voucher for a flight within the next year on TACA or any of its partners! Sweet!
So I finally got in to San Jose last night, only to find that NOBODY was there waiting for me. Not being terribly worried about this (and in the back of my mind thinking, wow, this is going to be an adventure going into SJ blindly and looking for a hotel), I just kind of hung out looking at everyone's signs (for other people, of course!). It seemed practically everyone out there wanted to help me by putting me in a cab, or letting me use their cell phone. Realizing that many were probably just looking to make a buck or two, I was cautious, but in the end, I think I realized that several of them just wanted to help out. That's the "pura vida" lifestyle, and although I'm just beginning to know it, I have a feeling it'll just be the first of many instances where a foreigner like me can't believe that people are helpful just because they enjoy doing so.
So anyway, after a while I find the lady with her "CRLA" (that's my school) sign waiting for another student. I tell her that I am with CRLA as well, and she produces a sign with my name on it from her back pocket. Apparently, my midnight email the day prior never was read by anyone. So much for that! She tells me that I will go with her and to just wait with her for the next kid to arrive. He comes out a few minutes later (a 19 white kid from Zimbabwe who speaks NO Spanish) and we get into a cab with "Chino." Spanish begins immediately, and I find it remarkably easy to communicate with this guy. All the way home, we make small talk about soccer, music, parts of town we're in, the prostitutes along the side of the road, etc. It was almost as if all the studying I've been doing for the last couple of months had paid off. Imagine that!
We pull up to Michael's "house" and we're smack-dab in the middle of a barrio. Not necessarily a bad barrio, but just not quite what I expected. I'm sitting there thinking, "Boy, he got screwed. Or did he? Is my place going to be the same type of thing?" I didn't have to wait long to figure that out! We pull around the corner to my new home and it's almost a carbon copy. The place is very meager, very simple, but I think it'll do just fine. I walked in, and of all things, they have practically the same TV as me (46" Samsung). Priorities, right?!
So I met Dora, who is the abuela (grandma) and the youngest daughter, Dorothy (about 6 years old, who is entranced by her television show...lol). I find it a little more tense speaking with them as there is clearly a little bit of nervousness on all parts. They've probably only seen gigantic gringos like me in the movies! A few minutes later the rest walked in (apparently back from getting their burgers and fries). There's Arelys, the mom, who is maybe a couple of years younger than me, Jason the dad who is about the same age, and their other daughter Kristhel, who is nine. I still haven't completely figured out where Sergio, the grandfather is. I keep hearing something about him riding a bike in the mountains. I don't know what the hell that's all about, but I figure I'll meet him at some point.
So the girls are super cute, and me being such a nice guy (and incredibly bored with my four hour layover in DFW), I pulled out the "regalitos" (small gifts) for the girls, which consisted of those sugar crystal things, giant lollipops (you know, the multi-colored ones you might find at Disneyland), and each a Pez dispenser. I told them that when my sister was a girl, she used to collect them. They marveled at such items and probably looked forward to today when they get to actually eat instead of admire them:)
Today, I was told that we're going to head into the market to buy some fruits and vegetables. I still have absolutely NO idea where we are, other than we are about a 10-15 minute bus ride from my school. I know there's a gigantic grocery store "Mas por Menos" (literally, more for less) around the corner, as well as a church, school, etc. Today will be fun and interesting to go around and check out the sites, and perhaps get gawked at a little with my new mohawk and all! Should be interesting...
Tomorrow starts school, and I'm told that Dora will accompany me there. That's when the real fun begins!
I'm going to go outside now and take a picture of my "casita" so you can all be jealous of my new digs...be right back.
OK, that was a bust. I was able to figure out the one door that looks in, but apparently, the outside door is locked and since nobody else is up yet, I'm going to leave it alone! I did take two pictures though, one of my room, and the other is looking in from the front door. Here they are:
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