back on land

I think something strange happened to my center of gravity afer being on a ship for 72 hours...I still find myself a little wobbly!(below the sunset leaving Caldera on Saturday)

Now I can say I have seen Drake Bay and Golfito, though I did not stay in either place for long. The rest of the week the cruise will be in Panama, and E will again get to cross the canal! I loved the boat...being at sea was great, everyone was very friendly (passengers and staff) and the accomodations were amazing! Even the food in the staff dining room (getting real salad every day was great!), and having a glass of wine with E on deck in the evenings, dressed up for the night events was phenomenal! Neither of us has seen the other dressed up like that before, and it was a lot of fun.

It was a wonderful experience, and I learned a lot  being behind the scenes and getting a look at what makes everything function.Sadly, the couple that E and I were going to take over for has decided to stay on for the coming season, and so the position is no longer available. They were however, very impressed with both of us and in the case that anything opens up we are at the top of their list.
As E said, it was a good ride either way...and it was great to be together. This Saturday he comes home! Hoping I can be there.
Before getting home I stopped over in San Vito, where E and I got married to visit with some friends who recently welcomed a new child into the family! I stayed here (the owners are the friends I mentioned). It was quick and satisfying visit, and I hope I can go agagin soon...despite the long, LONG bus ride!

Right now I am back up in the mountains of Monteverde, and the weather change has been a bit of a shock! I slept with socks last night and still felt cold. My rain jacket will be my constant companion, and I was outraged at how expensive a sandwich was yesterday getting a quick lunch. On the whole though, it is great to be around familiar faces and have good company...this place will always be very special to me.
Yesterday I went to visit with Muni at her house, and her baby boy is so big! Later tonight we are going to visit the jacuzzi here at the school, and hopefully make brownies. After leaving yesterday evening I stopped by the little supermarket to get some basics for breakfast the next few days. And of course I run into another good freind, Royner! And we go to a new place that opened recently and caught up over a glass of wine and a beer (just for the record, I had the beer!). Only here can I run into someone like that...! Monteverde is just that kind of place. Looks like I will be here for about three weeks...and I am kind of wishing that I hadn't left so many of my sweatshirts in the USA.
Good thing I have friendships that will buffer me against the mountain chill!

Pura Vida

what is happening in the natural world....

In an unusual natural occurance here on the Pacific Coast, we are seeing now the results of a red tide. The water in Flamingo Marina is red and murky, while Playa Flamingo, the popular swimming beach, has stayed clean.
This happens from time to time and is described by the locals as "oceanic mensttuation." From the sight and smell of the sea today, I can tell you we will be glad when it is over... This also happens in the US, in coastal places. It doesn't just affect Costa Rica.
E warned me about getting in the water while this is happening, that it can result in a rash or some other kind of skin irritation. So be careful if you see any red beaches while you are here!

Pura Vida.

tgif.

This week initially looked like a black hole, especially after the long Monday!! But here we are staring Friday in the eye, and I am feel pretty chipper this morning.
The reasons for my good mood are many...

I have been getting a very good night's rest.
My Familia Tica this week has been excellent, and I have enjoyed having hermanitas all week to talk and laugh with. My Mama Tica has been great, and is such a tranquil and practical soul, not to mention a phenomenal cook. I don't know what it is about the beach...the sun, air, heat? Or maybe just the job this week has left me worn down every evening and I have slept beautifully. Being with a family the last week has been an absolute pleasure!

Snorkel tour.
Today as a closing activity for the group we are going on a snorkel tour! This is on a huge catamaran with a great company, and the students always enjoy swimming and sunsets. I love being on the water as well, and have been looking forward to this experience all week. It is a perfect tour to wrap up your experience here! The students always love it.

Saying ADIOS!
This group has really worked me out all week, the adults being more demanding than I am accustomed to. Every day has birthed all sorts of extra odds and ends to fix, but all has run smoothly and more than ever I have had practice in being flexible, rolling with he punches, and getting things done. All the same, looking forward to waving goodbye tomorrow at the airport!

Getting on a boat...!
This is by far the main reason for my good mood. Remember how I mentioned a job opportunity that E and I were looking at? We applied for a position on a cruise ship for this upcoming season, as the company is looking to hire couples. They already know and like E very much, after his working with them for the last two months. They have asked me to come on board to observe, learn procedure and "try me out" for a guest relations position. So until Monday I will be on a cruise ship! For the next few days I may put internet on my phone, so I can still check mail, etc. Internet on board is a dollar a minute...! Which does not fit in my budget. On the whole I am excited and more than a little nervous, and looking forward to seeing E! Again will keep you posted about how it all turns out...

Pura Vida.

platano maduro-fried plantain

If you have tried this staple of Costa Rica, often found on your plate for breakfast next to a mountain of gallo pinto or accompanying a typical casado, then you can try replicating the same flavor at home...

Costa Rica has an abundance of readily available fresh produce...find the freshest yellow plantain (larger than a banana!) you can. Keep in mind you may also stumble across the green variety, which can be used for stews or picadillos. But pick a nice ripe yellow one.

Remove the skin. I usually do this by cutting it evenly in half, right through the middle. Short-ways, not long.
Then cut in quarter inch pieces.

The key to making this dish correctly? The OIL.
You want to use regular vegetable oil in a pan, covering the bottom well so that the plantain will not stick. Be sure to let the oil heat until it is hot enough to fry. (This is a common mistake...if you put the plantain in to early it soaks up the oil, gets mushy, and takes longer to cook...make sure the oil is ready for frying!)
Fry until both sides of the plantain are a light brown.
Remove from the pan and let excess oil soak into a paper towel or napkin on a plate before serving.

Serving suggestion: natilla! (sour cream)

Try it! and enjoy a little taste of Costa Rica...buen provecho ; ))

Pura Vida

24 hours of chaos

I already miss my group of kids from Indiana. There is just something special about people from the Midwest, being open and friendly and just really nice in general...not that I am biased or anything, haha!
In any case a group of 22 twelve-year-olds was more managable than the folks I am with now...! It seems that adults tend to make a lot more fuss when removed from their comfort zone, and can be a little more...delicate?



After dropping my kids off at the airport Sunday morning and making sure they got through security, I took a bus to Liberia (about 20 minute ride) and had lunch, and waited for a pick-up.
First impression was great! This group seemed full of friendly folks, with lots of good questions. We arrived on time to the school to do testing and orientation, and all the new students sat down to take thier written and oral entrance exams...this helps to place them in the correct level of Spanish, so the teacher knows where they are starting from and what to work on in class. One student was a mother who is a beginner...and after taking one look at the exam she totally broke down in tears! And decided not to study.
I can understand feeling overwhelmed when faced with a learning challenge, and the frustration of having to start learning another language from scratch...I was there once! And it is a challenge. But I was surprised by this woman's reaction...it seemed overdone.
So a crying adult...well at least it wasn't a crying student! And at least we knew from day one that she decided not to study, instead of a mid-week meltdown...!
Afterwards I went with everyone to meet thier new host families. This region of Guanacaste is pretty rural and the locals live more removed from the commercial beachfront properties, more inland and not usually right on the ocean. Most do not have air conditioning, or running hot water, or all the things we North Americans consider "necessities." Homes are smaller and simpler, many older folks do not speak English, and to keep cool they drink lots of liquids and keep doors and windows open. In an uncommon and unfortunate turn of events, the water was out Sunday night in the host family neighborhood. In talking with my Mama Tica she told me that this happens from time to time, but that in the morning it would be back on, no worries. Around 9pm I got a call from the profesor of my group, very anxious and concerned...how are the students to bathe? What will they drink? Could we have them stay elsewhere? So after 10 minutes of calls and reassuring her, we agreed to see in the morning how everyone was and go from there. I ended up getting everyone to school early to shower, and by the time class started the homestays all had water again...but this professor was not content. After only one night with a host family, almost all of the students left to stay in some nearby apartments maintained by the school. The reasoning was that they were afraid of the water running out, and expected a different environment. And they were very lucky that there was room in the apartments, otherwise they would have had to stay with the host families.

Bottom line? SUCK IT UP! If you come to another country and expect everything to be the same as where you are from, you are sadly mistaken. Not everyone lives the North American lifestyle, and you have to come with an open mind to really appreciate and get the most out of any intercultural experience. I was embarassed for the students and sad for the families (after working to prepare thier homes to recieve a student, and then have the student leave after only one night!)...and I think this group has already given me more gray hairs than my kids from Indiana.


Having an open mind and being flexible make you a good cultural ambassador and make your trip and experience more fun.
Hoping the rest of the week goes smoothly, after 24 hours of chaos.


Pura Vida.

pictures of la playa

 Playa Flamingo

 Afterglow in Playa Potrero

Soaking up some sun!

beach living

This week has been hot hot HOT. Here in Guanacaste summer is scorching, literally. With the heat and lack of rain there has been an increase of forest fires and you can see smoke rising all around as the ground slowly smolders and the fires spread. Not the fast burning forest fires (Bambi anyone?)but slow and steady fires that leave the ground scorched and some trees standing. It has been unnerving seeing the smoke so close to residential areas, but if we are in real danger we will be forewarned and evacuated. Today we visited Tamarindo and the kids learned to surf! It was so cool to see some of them get up on the first try. I always feel like a mother hen when I have kids this age...11 and 12 years old. I am thankful that they are very respectful and well behaved! It has been wonderful with them so far. This week I have also had a room-mate. One of my co-workers has been here at the school helping with all the little deatils for each group. I realize how much I miss having room-mates after having some good conversations in the evening. E and I are seriously considering an exciting work opportunity that would be for a few months. We will both be interviewing soon; all I will say is that is in tourism and hospitality. Well the evening is winding down and the sky is full of stars, seen so clearly over the Pacific ocean without light pollution from the city all around. There is a refreshing breeze and the air smells like dust and salt... What I wouldn't give for E's company and a glass of vino tinto :)) This is....PURA VIDA.

Vamos a la playa!!

Tomorrow I head to Guanacaste for a while. Om Monday I pick up at the airport and then have a group for a week. I am looking forward to the distraction work provides... Being alone at home so much is starting to get to me a bit. Not to mention that the beach is a beautiful place to go. Guanacaste is renown for it's beaches. After I will head To Monteverde for a while. So in my backback you will find both my rainjacket and bikinis. You have to be ready for nything, you know! At least in my job. Lately I have been missing E a lot. He will be home in the next 3 weeks but I will be working. I am very much looking forward to when we will both have some time off. Quality time does wonders! Come find me at the beach: I will be the girl with a seriously fabulous tan. Pura Vida

postcards

Just yesterday I sent a few messages home to loved ones. During the time I visited in the USA I think I really took for granted the fact that so many of the people I care about were just a phone call or a short drive away. Now that I am back here in Costa Rica it is that much more difficult to stay in touch...on the one hand it really is a testament to the kind of friendship you have with someone, making the effort to reach out and send an e-mail, Facebook message, or a little note. But the other side is that it does take just that little extra push on your part...making time to sit down and write the message, stopping to collect your thoughts and convey them to that person, in the middle of what we are wrapped up in at the moment. And it is a two way street. The person has to write you back! Isn't it funny how we always seem so busy, that we are left without time to do something so quick and simple as reach out...?

It really is an effort. And it teaches you who really matters.
If you would like to get a postcard from me, leave your address as a comment on here! I will be more than happy to write you.

Saludos!

Pura Vida

a taste of gallo pinto

Yesterday was pretty good!

E was nearby at the Port of Caldera, and came home for a little while to drop off  and to pick up some things from home. His one request was a good, typical breakfast...on board the ship they do not serve a lot of rice and beans, as the style of meal is more North American. So I whipped up some coffee, gallo pinto, fried banana, scrambled eggs and fried cheese for him...and in true form, he ate two plates! We worked on the whole Visa thing some too, and I have to tell you...the questions they ask are out of this world ridiculous!!!
"Do you plan to engage in any terrorist activity while in the United States?" Well no, and even if I was, do you really think I would divulge that in my application?! Honestly, we Gringos are so silly sometimes!!!
It was great to see E, in any case, and of course now I find myself wishing I had gotten one last hug or kiss before saying goodbye! Not sure when we will be able to touch base again. We are investigating a work opportunity that could be very promising...I won't say anymore, but will keep you posted. Let's just say we would be working together.

This next Thursday I begin working again, my month of vacation is almost over. I will be going to the beach, not sure for how long...and so I had better pack sunscreen and flip flops! Packing really is pretty difficult though, as I am not sure of the locations I will be vsisiting. Between Monteverde, Heredia and Flamingo you have to be ready for all weather, which means I need both a bikini and a sweatshirt. The most important thing to remember about the job: be flexible!

I am super happy with my new phone! Note about the phones here: until recently one company had a monopoly on all telecommunications here, but now there are various companies and plans. My phone plan is pay as you go and I spend something like $10 a month on average! And the other day I discovered that I can enable my phone to have internet for the day for a charge of about 50 cents!!! How cool is that?? I wonder if any companies in the USA have a similar offer...I only know of Tracphone as offering pay-as-you-go.
In any case, I love my phone!

Well, just got out of church here and now I am headed home for a late breakfast...
Loving the sun and already missing E!

Pura Vida

things i miss about the USA

Sometime last week I wrote down a list of things that I find myself missing, and while I do not have it here with me, a lot of it is still fresh in my mind. I sent a couple postcards a while ago, and in the last few days I have gotten messages from the recipients and it has made me feel sentimental...thus the topic of this post.

-hugging my family
-Reeses Cups
-postal service
-highways
-Starbucks (let me be clear, it is not the coffee so much as the frappaccinos! because the coffee here is infinintely better)
-Bud Light
-online shopping
-being able to visit/call family
-family vacation
-cereal (specifically Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds!)
-gym
-IKEA

There are many more things, but that is all I can think of for the moment.
Not to say that I do not love where I live now! On the whole I think life here is much more satisfying, and much less materialistic, and well, much cheaper than the typical lifestyle in the USA. What people here pay for rent, fresh fruits and veggies and cell phone bills are much more economical here.
I will finish by saying that I have a pineapple waiting to be cut at home, and that I know it will taste much better than anything I could get in the USA : ))

Pura Vida!

ps. Excited to see E tomorrow!