My host mom likes hens and roosters--is it obvious? (Keep in mind there's a whole other side to this kitchen.)Hello once again to the (few) people who probably read this blog. So much and so little has happened all at the same time.
This past weekend was a collection of random events. On Friday evening, I went out with Bonnie, Kristin, and Kristin’s host fam cousin. After arriving at the directions I’d gotten from Kristin, Bonnie and I realized we didn’t know which house it was. In
We surpassed a line, velvet rope subsided and we entered….(cue techno remix of recent top 40 hit)…Oblique. Apparently Kristin’s cuzzo is a big shot, because after paying the cover charge, we got “Guest VIP” bracelets. Walking into the club was like walking into a movie set. Everything was white or black pleather (not in a trashy way, but more in a everyone-here-is-wearing-clothing-that-is-more-chic-than-yours/ I-wear-my-sunglasses-at-night kind of way). We were the first people to arrive, but after sitting awkwardly upstairs in a VIP lounge overlooking the “dance” floor, some people finally started to trickle into the club. Everyone there was young (or wanted to be young), and fashionable. The only problem? No one was dancing. Figuring that we were already conspicuous enough as “definitely not Ticas” (Costa Ricans), and probably Gringas (but what is the Asian one?), we went to start the dancing. And dance we did. (Everyone else generally didn’t.) We left pretty late, mostly because we were waiting for Kristin’s cuzzo to give us a ride back. Needless to say, writing in this blog doesn’t describe how surreal/trippy/strange that club was, and how strange it was for three underdressed college students to be there. I tried to look for pictures of the club to post on here, but Oblique’s website is so exclusive you need a password to enter it.
Saturday night I went with Bonnie to meet a few friends of hers: Juan and Jose. Juan is a student from
Sunday I went with my host parents to Barva and San Raphael after lunch. (My host mom bought tres leches for dessert for lunch: so fattening, so wonderful). Barva and San Raphael are sort of like the ‘burbs of Heredia, just up the hill/mini-mountain from where I live. Coqueta, the pet cocker spaniel, came in the car with us. We actually didn’t get out of the car, just drove around and they pointed out stuff to me. Driving up the mountain/hill/thing, the climate changed very quickly and the landscape looked like
The church in Barva (taken from a moving vehicle--go me)
Sunday night, Bonnie and I went to a movie, or were planning on going to a movie. Unable to find a movie schedule, I was convinced that there had to be a movie playing that we’d want to see. Nope. So we had a better alternative. Ordering a large (Voldem—I mean, Amount-which-shall-not-be-named) amount of Brownie Dynamite ice cream from Pops, an ice cream chain of CR. After consuming said large amount of choclately ice creamey goodness, we went to a bar for lack of other things to do. We met four Ticos there, all 19 and three of them students. We talked with them (practiced our Spanish) for a bit, and then called it a night.
Monday was a rather uneventful day, I went to the bank, got a juice box from the school “soda” or café, bought some readings for classes and studied aka procrastinated from studying for philosophy. Textbooks here aren’t very common. Instead, there are more copy places here per square foot than anywhere on the planet, and students are sent to pick up their readings for different classes from different copy stands/shops. A coursepack that probably would have cost me between $40 and $70 at UNC cost me about $7 here.
One thing that I’ve noticed creeping up on me in the last week is a crazy craving for sweets. Chocolate, ice cream, cake, and the like. At one point, it got so bad (and consequently, sad) that I looked at pictures of sweet foods on the internets. Sad, right? While on the topic of food, I’ve tried some things I haven’t tried before in the past week.
Manzana de agua
Thing that I don't know the name of
Yay, figs!
I’ve had a fruit called manzana de agua (water apple), something else I don’t remember the name of (makes your mouth pucker, sort of chewy in a fibrous kind of way, and fruity but not sweet), fresh figs, fresh and more importantly—gigantic beets, mango verde (green mango, really like this—like a mix between an apple and a mango, but not really sweet—more sour), a dish which is basically beets mixd with (consequently) purple mashed potatoes (tastes good if you don’t look at it) and some other stuff that I’m forgetting. Why am I so enamored with food? Perhaps the answer will never be known.
After tea, I went to go get (more) copies for philosophy class. I waited in line (and by line I mean mini-mob) for a good 25 minutes, was handed the paper I needed only to find that they didn’t have enough change for the only bill I had: an equivalent of 4 dollars. Boo.
Classes on Wednesday were normal. In my Social History of Costa Rica class, the professor basically says this:
Today, I had Spanish in the morning. I really like this class so far. This week we’ve started reading Nuestra América by José Martí. We had a “meeting” (to check in w/ the students, etc.) with the directoras of the program at a restaurant/dessert shop, Trigo Miel. For lunch we had, what my host mom said is called lasagna de pollo (chicken lasagna), salad, and glorious chocolate cake w/ whipped cream icing and caramel.
Birthday girl, Ilana and Trigo Miel cake
Bonnie, Michelle and I at lunch: did you get the memo? It's black shirt and colorful skirt day. (not planned...total coinkydink! )
I had my first coffee here (black) and t’was good. After buying a few libritos for Philosophy (I knoow), I watched a free movie playing in their student union equivalent building w/ a few other people from the program. Talk. About. Weird. Cinema. As one friend put it, I want those two hours of my life back. (“El Lado Oscuro del Corazón” if you’re interested). When I got home, some clean laundry and a little gift were sitting on my bed. My host mom gave me chocolate hearts for V-day. Aw, shucks. (Ain't she sweet?)
Other random things/observations that have happened/been observed lately:
- While in the shower one day, the water was warm! I heard a “kkkkkch! Kkkch, kcch!” sound and the water went cold. I mean cold. My thoughts? “¡Puta madre! I cursed in Spanish, yay!
- When I saw my host brother while crossing the street, I said “Hey! What’s up?” Oops, not Spanish. Cursing in Spanish not such a big accomplishment anymore.
- Everything here is more colorful here than in the
- Only after seeing all the e-mails from UNC and all the opportunities there are there have I realized how many cool things are going on at good ol’ UNC. Pat yourself on the back, UNC.
- There is a dog that is beyond ugly that roams the campus each and every day. This dog, nicknamed Feo (ugly) by Amanda, looks to be half corgi half German Shepard. Its so long and short, that when it walks down hills, its back legs go limp and it just uses its front legs to drag itself down the hill. Pobre feo. We’ve deemed it the school mascot and it’s a goal to get a picture with it before we leave.
- My host mom has noticed that I take pictures of food. (I guess I'm not very smooth--but I've only taken pics of fruit I hadn't tried in the house.) My host Pa thinks its funny.
- Above. Philosophy Exhibit A. Tibetan book of the dead I don't even understand in English. (from L-R, my new BFF, puta madre x 100, book of motherlahnd, book about white people)
- Today, some students had a table out to sign petitions to hold a second referendum to stop TLC/CAFTA. Christine, from the program, took this pic.
Abrazos,
Erin
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