CR #5 - Journey to Samara (pacific coast)

March 4, 2007

Hola mis amigos! Ahora estoy andando en un autobús a Samara. Hay 4 chichas conmigo.

Ayer fue un buen dia. Ayer I wrote and sent out my last update, I came back home and we had pasta with carne (like a calzon with mince inside) – que rica!!! Then we all piled up in the car to head to San Jose – el capital de CR…it takes us a while cause traffic bad u fret – but it really is not that far. We make it to Gabby’s parent’s house in about 1hr.

On the way I see the following familiar spots – office depot, un mall grande, pricesmart, kfc, taco bell, true value, many car dealerships…my favorite included – range rover! J

The extended family

Gabby’s parents are very sweet – she is a great cook too I hear! So we settle in chat for a bit and I head to the mall with the boys and Gabby’s niece Paula. Looking for 2 specific items..we take a bus and in no time – we are in a mall…could have been in the states – signature shops included – Kenny Cole, puma, rave, etc… there is one store – 3 storey’s called Aliss – a great department store with very good prices. You can find everything in there. There are TONS of shoe stores – Aldo etc….similar prices there…AND1 is big and of course football jerseys.  After a long search I find what I am looking for and then we get to catch a magic show in the food court….very cool acts by some famous Columbian magicians!! The boys love it and get their cards signed by them….there was an accident where one of the performers swinging above the crowd – tried to dismount but ended up falling into the crowd – a lady and boy was hurt – but the show went on…

San Jose

Mall in San Jose

We head home to eat and get another Italian meal – abuelita has made pizza – her crust is like a pastry crust though – YUMMY!!! I gobble it up… I chat with mi abuelo who does not look ill at all (heart problems) – he look stronger than me and has a great spirit. He tell me about his life and how he got to work in oregan in kennedy time – he traveled all over the world…I enjoyed chatting with him and looking at his pictures.

Guido jnr. decides to stay with his abeulos and the rest of us head home so I can pack. Now I have a bone to pick with Guido snr. b/c he told me to take a sweater as SJ gets cold – I asked him at lunch if I need long pants – him sey – ‘nah man’….well memba mi tell u –IT GET COWL in San Jose….i was freezing. IT is the craziest thing b/c just a few miles down the road is hot as ras Heredia! It was really windy as well so….anyhow – I live and we get home in time for me to throw some stuff in my bag and hit the sack.

I rise, do my morning routine and eat with the family – I have left over pizza. They send me off and the students heading to samara meet up at the school. There r 2 minibuses going – about 10 students – so we can spread out…the 5 hour drive like sardines would not be good.

We chat for the first 2 hours and then conk out. Thank goodness for my ipod – it has been great actually – I wasn’t interested in it for so long – glad I came around in time for this trip! It’s very handy. Di bus hot so till – this heat is incredible…draining…We stop to eat at a restaurant in a TOTAL gas station –I have casado with fish. My plate had veges, plaintain, chips, pasta (??) and rice and beans…. Lawd a massey! Nuff food..but we have another few hours on the road ahead of us so I fill up.

ALMUERZO - casado with fish.
My plate had veges, plaintain, chips,
pasta (??) and rice and beans

Back on the road again…we are all sweating like mad and cant wait to jump in the water….we are heading to the pacific coast of the country. The local stations play a lot of english music – they play like I write – mix up di english and Spanish…They just played Jnr Gong – BEAUTIFUL… Now they are playing Pinchers…

Our luxurious autobus to Samara! :)

Hola otra vez mis amigos, es nueve menos quince de la noche y estoy en mi cuarto de la hotel in Samara Beach. It took exactly 5 hours by bus as they said – even with stopping for lunch and a delay for road work… it did hot bad in dere but we got here safely…they drive just as bad as us in JA on the country roads…there are a lot of Indian cows on the farms here – it is very dry. Rainy season starts in May. The town is indeed very small and rustic. We get to school and those staying with families are greeted by them, those staying in a hotel are carted off 2 minutes down the road. The hotel I am sharing with Mindy (the kidney doctor wanting a career / life change) is fine, basic but fine. It has AC, hot water and 2 beds – don’t need anything more really. Meals are not included but the food is very cheap – we are not worried. And if u share a room no hay extra cost. I opted for hotel cause I heard too many unpleasant stories from other students about the family stays here (no hot water etc.) HAHAH!

my bed in the hotel

There is a tour at 6p… we plan to go – but not before jumping in the water. We check in, change into our suits and head for the beach which is where the school is located…I think it is my first time in the Pacific Ocean – the water is NOT clear and the sand isn’t that pure white smooth sand, it’s the grainy – looks like dirt sand…

but the temperature and the waves are perfect..it is a likkle rough but I love it….we bask in it for a while and then head to chill in some hammocks on the school compound. We meet some other students – one from switerzland and one from Oregan. He is not a student actually- he came to help his friend paint houses down here from September and can’t seem to leave.

It is a surf / beach / very relaxed town. Not sure I could do more than a week here…let’s see how I feel by Thur. I am suppose to leave on Friday. It is beautiful yes, but dem nuh have nutting pan fi we beach dem!!! ES LA VERDAD!!!

Our beach campus view!

At 5:30p, we follow our amiga ana to eat since she never had lunch – we watch her eat a ‘super burito’ and we have a ‘ron y cas bebida’ – cas is a local fruit – very refreshing and of course – RON is RUM!...it goes down well… we pass an internet café and the rates are almost double in Heredia…yeah – it is the beach – but come on!! Guess I will have to pay it if I want to email unu…a ver! J

We leave her at 6p to catch the tour. Let me tell u, if u blink u miss it…we walk along the beach into the town – she shows us the 6 or 7 restaurant options, 2 internet cafés, lots of bars, sidewalk vendors selling jewelry (cheap and beautiful), ropas etc., convenience store / supermarket, laundry, tour guide etc.

We look for a dinner spot and end up at ‘Pizza y Pasta a go go’ – that’s the name…we have a vege pizza and a drink and estamos cansado! We head back to the room, bathe off that pacific ocean salt and hit the sack…

YUMMY!

Pizza joint for din.

Manana es un dia nueva! I have class at 8a but since I don’t know my level or teacher – I have to get there at 7:30a. Cant wait to get back in the water after 12p. There is surfing here – I hope to take a class this week…see if I am any good on this side of the world! J The waves are certainly good here.

Intercultura - Samara campus

Mindy is cool – she went to JA for the first time en enero con su hermana y su novio….she was supposed to stay at a new hotel in runaway bay – wonder if anyone can guess which….well they canceled on her due to construction and so they booked at Hedo – not really being aware what was in store…she says she is not a prude but there was sexo around them all day long and dem couldn’t tek it…so they asked for their money back with the understanding that they would find their own place…she ended up staying at round hill and enjoyed the golf, the caddy and the reggae music – but she did express that she wasn’t sure the JAcans liked them…she said they felt guilty to be waited on…..HMMM!!! told her she needs to come back with a native and get out of the hotel…they were told it wasn’t safe!! UHHHHHH!!! She is open to that of course…don’t want to hear any more of these stories!

It is necessary to drink LOTS of agua here – the heat will dehydrate u quickly…they do tell u not to drink the water on ur journeys though – get bottled water.

Words I screwed up recently – ‘cake’ vs ‘caca’ – cake vs. doo doo

‘mierda’ (afraid) vs ‘mierdo’ (shit)…both times I am saying I want cake or I am afraid of lizards….i end up saying I shit…NOT GOOD!!! I am corrected after some laughter!!

I am still adjusting to using the usted form…Tu is very easy for me but not used much in conversation here at all…

I miss my tica family already – they have grown on me quickly. I asked the abuelos last nite que es el secreto de cincuenta anos? – abuelita me dijo – SUPPORT for each other! Gabby and Guido agreed (they married 17 years now). I miss you all too of course…

It is so amazing – on the bus, we were talking about how we are all from different walks of life and our ages are varied – but we are all on a similar journey – looking for that purpose i suppose…and truly having an amazing life experience in CR…

Did I tell u I haven’t watched a TV since I got here?…and I don’t miss it either! Neither do I miss being attached to my cel. phone. I thought I would get one here, BUT WHY? I really don’t need one and I am living fine same way so…sometimes disconnecting is good!! It’s the little lessons in life…

Another thing I realize – (men skip past this paragraph if you like)...women don’t wear tampons here… wid dis ya heat – how u mus wear ‘kotex’ – that’s all dem sell in di spmrkets…u lucky u find a box or 2 of tampons…and they are expensive… mindy noticed same too… I asked my mama tica Gabby about it and she said she is not accustomed to it so she don’t use it…Can imagine dat in dis heat really…ok ok, men reading this- I wont spend anymore time on that!  Had to mention though! J

Let me soak up di likkle AC yaw….a las nueve de la noche y estoy muy cansada después de un bus ride por cinco hoars. En la manana mis amigos. Muchas besas!

March 5, 2007

Buenas tardes mis amigos! Es cincdo y media. Mindy and I got up at about 6:30a and found a little spot for a simple breakfast –nothing NEAR what mama Gabby would feed me. I had a plate of pineapple (mi fruta favorite) y pan con natilla (like sour crème) – cant escape di white bread man!

I had class from 8ª-12pm – I have moved up to level 4. We start with a review of the last level and will get into reflexive verbs this week I think. The teacher Ilsen is a bit boring but I am learning sooo…there is only 1 break for the morning as well…I get snickers bar and pray I don’t fall asleep…we introduce ourselves and tell about our weekends..todo en espanol, si. The hours alternate on this campus so tomorrow I will have class in the afternoon….i didn’t make surfing today so maybe I will try in the morning if the have a class. It costs U$25 for students…I would like to try it and maybe do some other tour b4 I head back on Friday.

Getting our teacher assignments

We had an orientation for about 15 minutes to the campus here – there are a few rules – we must wear cover ups and shoes – no swimsuits on campus…no guests in the homestays or in the hotels…no problemas con estes rules.

A few chicas eat at a restaurant on the beach and then go to an internet café. It must be dial up connection cause it slow like molasses. Aftawards we go to lay out on the beach and soak up the sun…we chat and decide to do dinner at 6. Our firefighter friend (anna) from Montana is craving a steak…

I head back to the room to journal and bathe off…well after mindy showers I hear her cussin in the bathroom – I ask ‘que pasa chica’…she says ‘hay agua todo el piso’…. As I put my foot on the ground to go see…there is UN LAGO (a lake) in the entire hotel room…lawd have mercy – how she manage fi flood we out so? I grab up all my books and bags which were wet and she calls the front desk…the tico with a grill in his mouth comes up to assess the problem…she blames it on the guy showering next door….he laughs and shows her where the hose was hanging out of the curtain…the shower system here is very funky…anyway – so we take about 3 towels and soak up the agua…after all that work I am definitely ready to eat! I laugh afta her so till! Pobrecita chica!

Mindy mopping up the lake she
 made in our room:)

We meet at this BBQ type place on the beach – I order grilled Mahi Mahi with grilled veges – IT EAT GOOD U SEE!! YUM!! 2 ordered steaks the size of montana! J it’s the most expensive meal I have had here…can’t continue at that rate…gotta watch the $$$ flow.

Din at BBQ spot!

Supposed to head out at 9 to some bar but Mindy and I crash…am I getting old? NO – ethnic fatigue – that’s it!! I am out cold – I wake up stuffy in the nite – not used to this AC thing…feel a cold coming on but I think is just the ac….

March 6, 2007

It’s now 10:15a en Martes and we have had a full morning already. We got up about 7:30a and decide to exercise. We go for a run on the beach, do some lunges, squats, side skips, front kicks etc..then we do some abs and go for a swim. Perfect way to start the day…feels good! We grab a banana and pineapple shake which is very yummy and get some breakfast (which wasn’t so tasty this morning – they microwaved it I think)… I try to use a calling card I got here to call Debs – but that doesn’t work….oh well! L - u need one bag of numbers to get an international line – too much!

I am ready to go back to bed. I bathe off and am considering skipping school…the teacher is not exciting…anyway – let me go do my homework and be a good student!

ESTE ES PURA VIDA!! ahhh...

I feel like something wild and crazy…hmm – not sure what! Any ideas? Will keep thinking…I don’t need to do Samara for more than a week – I can do the beach thing at home of course and it really is more of a relaxing place…closer to heredia I can get more tours – volcanos, national park etc…I miss my tica family – they spoil me soo much! J

No – ladies – there are no hot men here. Haven’t come across any so far. The locals so far are short and not attractive to me…

Mindy cracks me up – we talk about how perceptions (of ourselves and situations) affect our lives…she says – ‘I am perceived as a white gringa from Seattle, but I really am a strong black woman from Africa; you think you are Jamaican, but you really are white trash!’…. mindy is a red head with freckles all over…she has the greatest sense of humor and we have jelled well…she is going to do a volunteer dr. prgrm in guatemela for a week.

Food for thought - How do you perceive yourself?

Gwe upload some fotos and go to the internet café to send this off. Found one I can take my lap top to.

Mas tarde.