Ok I'm finally writing again after a month's break.
My Great Aunt Miriam wrote me a letter that actually arrived successfully to the house where I'm staying in Palmira, Gte, Costa Rica, and I'm going to answer some of her questions here, as well as questions other members of my family have asked.
1. What sort of things do you find most interesting?
I have found the local dialect interesting. For example, people here say "chunche" and "coso" as well as the typical "cosa" to refer to a "thing."
The cool thing for teenagers to do here is skateboard, play soccer, and smoke weed.
It is rare to meet a single 20 something in rural Guanacaste, as many girls get pregnant at a young age and start a family. Some of them continue studying if they have supportive husbands/boyfriends/families but others devote all their time to taking care of their children and don't get past a high school education.
People here eat salty snacks with their coffee, but I'm used to eating sweet things with my coffee, so when my students buy cheese crackers to share during the coffee break, I've had to adjust my taste buds a bit.
It is customary to drink coffee with breakfast in the morning and with bread around 4 in the afternoon.
The main industries are tourism and agriculture, and the technical colleges provide practical training for specific job opportunities, such as hotel receptionist, bartender, customer service, and server.
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| Heidy, one of Ana and Modesto's daughters, posing on our morning walk by a neighbor's flowers. |
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| Pastora Ana, trying my crepe with fried cheese, the same way she would eat a tortilla. |
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| Iris, one of Ana and Modesto's daughters, trying some strawberries with the crepes I made. |
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| "Cano," Iris's husband, with an empty plate after finishing the crepe I served him. |
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| Visiting with Keilin's parents, Marlen and Jose, in Santa Cruz. |
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Daisy, Ana and Modesto's oldest daughter, and I on a bridge that crosses the Tempisque River and leads to the CACSA cane sugar factory.
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2. What are the people like?
The people are warm, friendly, generous, hospitable and proud of their heritage and culture. They may not have large or extravagant houses, but they all have a tv in the living room. Rather than finish the ceiling tiles or the floor tiles, they opt for having nice electronics. The country is steeped in Christianity and originally catholicism. The government gives citizens the option of directing their taxes to the Catholic church or not, but evangelical churches are not supported by the government. When asked the question, "how are you?" They respond, "Good, thank the Lord/thank God" (Bien, gracias a Dios.) I have still not internalized that response, although I hope it becomes a part of my vocabulary while I'm here, because I really am doing well and living, thanks to God. Also, whenever you greet people from church you call them "sister" or "brother." It always catches me off guard because I think, "Wait, they're not related, are they?" Many people have brown-dark brown skin, brown eyes and black hair. There is no shortage of starch in the diet of Guanacaste, so many adults have round bellies, but muscular legs from walking everywhere.
3. Do the people speak English or do you use your Spanish?
Everyone here speaks Spanish and only a few speak English, so I have used my Spanish a lot. I speak English only with Pastor David (the one I work with) and his wife Raquel, my students, my fellow Berry grads, "las Profesoras" that live in Liberia, and Keilin's family in San José. Pastor Modesto (the one I live with) and his son Jireh speak some English as well, so sometimes I talk with them in bits and pieces.
4. What are your living arrangements?
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| Pastor Modesto and Pastora Ana |
I live in Pastor Modesto and Pastora Ana's house in Palmira. It is a three bedroom house that used to sleep all 8 of their kids, but now it's just us three. My bedroom is next to theirs in the front of the house and my window looks out to the patio and the street. Doña Ana makes me meals every day and treats me just as if I was one of her children. I do my own laundry and help out by washing dishes or going to the grocery store sometimes. The children and grandchildren and great grandchildren are always around and I love playing with them. In addition to caring for me and babysitting the grandchildren, Doña Ana and Don Modesto take care of Ana's ailing 84 year-old father who lives in a house that backs up to our property. They take trips to the hospital about three times a month for him.
5. Do you get to do any sightseeing?
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| The last waterfall of the "Vientos Frescos" tour |
Yeah, I've done a fair amount of sightseeing. During my first week here I took the scenic route from San Jose to the Arenal Volcano to Santa Cruz and then up to Palmira. Since then I went on the "Vientos Frescos" tour, hiking downhill to 4 waterfalls and then riding horseback up again, through fields, farms and dirt roads. I've gone to 4 or 5 beaches around the Playas del Coco area, as well as 2 beaches south of Santa Cruz. I've explored Liberia on foot and taken a 5 hour bus ride to San Jose to see the Transitarte festival. I know there's still a lot more out there I haven't done or seen yet, such as ziplining, canopy tours, hot springs and all the national parks, so I'm hoping to plan some more excursions soon. I've also gone to the Fiestas of Liberia, a risky choice, considering many evangelicals steer clear of public parties, for fear of ruining their witness and reputation.
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| Wendy, one of Ana and Modesto's daughters, arranged for me to take the Vientos Frescos tour. |
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| Who knew you could make a temporary tatoo from ferns? |
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| "Mascarada" at Las Fiestas de Liberia |
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| "Tope" at Las Fiestas Cívicas de Liberia |
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| "mascarada" and "tope" in Liberia |
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| Pastor David, Adrian and Pastora Raquel |
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| "Monte de Toro" in Las Fiestas de Liberia |
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| The view from Hotel Condovac- perks of being friends with the daughter of hotel associates :) |
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| Infinity pool at the Condovac |
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| Waiting in the Pulmitan bus station in Liberia, headed to San José for the Transitarte Festival. If you look closely you can see the remnants of an allergic reaction to mangos on my chin/bottom lip. |
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| Malpais, a hugely popular and very talented band from Costa Rica. |
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| You can see the Transitarte Poster in the background of the stage. |
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My friend Keilin's youngest brother Jose took me to Transitarte when I visited San José two weeks ago.
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