La Gloria

The beauty of Costa Rica is indescribable!! This weekend I traveled to a little town called La Gloria about 2 hours from the city. We spent the whole weekend swimming in the river, riding horses and driving around in the jeep. I now know what 4 wheel drive is meant for. You would not believe what we drove through. I think my motto for life after this year will be ´NO FEAR´. The embankments that we drove up and the terain that we crossed was nothing I had seen before. We traveled mostly on red dirt roads and across rivers and under bridges because they were unsafe to cross. I felt like a pinball machine bouncing back and forth in the car as it tried to avoid huge potholes in the road. We were surrounded by lush green mountains that touch the sky and rainbow colored parrots flying in the sky above. Did you know that parrots in the wild are never alone but always with their mate. We encountered the red bitting ants, and got a little too close for comfort to a poisonous snake (terciopelo) that was on the path to a waterfall we swam in.

Pato

My Rotary counselor´s name is Ronald Garcia Solano, but you can just call him Pato. That´s short for duck in English as in Daffy Duck. Here in tikolandia, as my professor likes to call Costa Rica, everyone has nicknames, sometimes endearing, but most of the time a name that plays off of some physical charateristic that the person has. For example if you are skinny, your nickname might be gorda (fatty). And usually the nicknames are used so frequently that the person´s real name is not known. So the lady down the block is named Macha (Blondie) and one of the director´s at school is named Gata (Cat) because she has green eyes. And on the phone, all you hear is mi amor, mi vida, mi cielo, (my love, my life, my sky).
My counselor works in the advertising business. He has been in the Rotary club for 15 years now. The Rotary Club has seen him through some very hard times. The commaraderie, the brotherhood as he likes to call it, is what Rotary is all about. He is currently the President of the Club in Alajuela, which has approximately 20 members. Some of the projects they have completed in the past have been making the sidewalks in their city accesible for wheelchairs, distributing school supplies to needy children, and establishing microloans to the poor who want to start their own businesses. Ronald is a connesieur(spelling)? in meats, loves to Barbeque. He drives a 4x4 jeep, which is great for avoiding all the potholes here, and he loves the local beer which is known as the Imperial. He lives with his mother and loves to babysit for his 2 nieces for whom he bought princess diaries with a locket and key. They sat down and taught me all the Spanish names of the Disney princesses(Snow White, Belle, Cinderella, etc). You never know when this information might come in handy. Don´t you love the picture of Pato with his apron that reads, ¨Boss of the BBQ¨.

Paraiso

I was really sick this week. I had the Montezuma runs as my friend likes to call it. I can honestly say that I have never felt so lonely in my life as I did this week. I think it was because I layed in bed for 2 days practically quarantined. A virus is going around at school, so that´s probably what it was. There have been at least a dozen of us who have gotten sick at school. The healthcare system is intriguing here. You basically are your own doctor here. You prescribe yourself whatever medication you need and go to the pharmacy and request it. The ticos also believe strongly in shots, even shots for vitamins. I personally hate shots, so I opted for the suero(vitamin-mineral water) to regain my strength. I asked the pharmacist what flavor was preffered and was told fruit punch, but I think I would go with grape next time.
On a side note, I love it how everything tastes different in this country. My favorite difference is the Coca-cola. I have asked some ticos about it, and they say it is due to the fresh spring water that is used to make the Coke here. Although I am not usually a coffee drinker, the coffee is incredibe here. The caffeine doesn´t give me a headache, and it has such a smooth texture-unlike the Coke, the coffee is so rica because it is grown on the enriched soil of the volcanic mountains of Costa Rica. The cheap coffee here is just as good as the expensive stuff. Jacquelinda-I sip my coffee and think of you. The fruit here is also out of this world. Like the white pinneapple-never knew it existed before this. I guess there is no market for it in the USA. Usually the big meal here is during breakfast and lunch, and coffee and a roll for dinner. For breakfast there is gallo pinto (black beans and rice) and fruit and always fresh juice for every meal. Buen provecho!

Megan squared

Megan cuadrado or Megan to the second power. Maybe we became good friends because we had something in common right off the bat-like the beautiful name MEGHAN. She spells her without an ´H´but we won´t get into the correct spelling of the name today. Megan Nelson or Megan numero 1 as she is known. She arrived in Costa Rica before me so she honestly got the title numero 1, and I am known as Meghan numero 2. Our stories are somewhat similar. She is an Ambassadorial Scholar as well, a homegrown girl from Iowa who will be studying a masters degree in Peace Studies at the local University with me. I like to point out that she is younger than me and I will be taking care of her this year as I promised her dad, but as I have quickly found out she can carry her own. Full of smiles and lots of love, we make a great team, double trouble, and we love introducing ourselves because we get immediate smiles.

I really don´t know how I would have made it through the first weeks if I hadn´t had her by my side. We are able to bounce ideas off of each other, correct our Spanish, walk each other home at night and make Rotary plans together. I am sure I will have many more stories to tell of my media pina (media naranja is a term used for novios-so I just invented a meganism to fit our friendship).

Pura Vida!

The exact translation of ´Pura Vida´ might be the pure life, but it is the Costa Rican way of saying Hakuna Matata. It literally means no worries, or hang loose. Ticos (Costa Ricans) greet each other on the street with Pura Vida, or answer the phone by saying Pura Vida. So what is this Pura Vida all about? One of my quests this year will be to discover how a tico defines this Pura Vida. Another interesting think that I have noticed is that ticos say Adios to each other when passing in the street, instead of Hola like other Central American countries.
It´s hard to know what to write in the first journal entry. Because this is not the first time I have been outside of the United States everything is not so overwhelming, but Costa Rica definetely has its unique sabor. So here is my top ten list. How you know you are in Costa Rica:
1. The teachers review the hammock rules the first day of school
2. You don´t ask what you are eating for lunch because you know there will be beans and rice
3. Futbol (soccer) is the national religion
4. You can spot the gringos because they are all wearing Chaco sandles
5. Ticos ask you questions about Johnny Dep like he´s your best friend
6. A whole pinneapple costs 40 cents
7. From the tallest mountain you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
8. Everyone goes to the beach on the weekends
9. There is no such thing as a huge bug-because they are all huge here
10. If you don´t own a rotweiler or a pitbull someone will break into your house