Day 1 in San Jose, Costa Rica

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My experience with Costa Rica is amazing so far. The weather is super hot, and it rained and cooled it down a little tonight. I was a little hesistant on the way here, but it quickly faded when I met Jess (ironically with the same name), a spanish major on her 4th visit to Costa to teach english in San Jose. When we landed, the taxis were unbelievably aggressive, but I enventually found my shuttle, Francisco the driver. He was smoking a ciguar with the hostel sign tucked out of view under his arm, on a cell phone, and was no where near the phones (normal pickup at the airport). He refused to speak to me in english the 1/2 hour driver here, which I didnt mind at all! Eso mi proxima vece hablar español con un tico! (This was my first time speaking spanish with a Tico, or anyone spanish for that matter). Once I got to the hostel, it was really disapointing. It was just gringos sleeping around the pool, and after an hour I was worried this was going to be a long four monthes. So I went against the advise of everyone, and ventured out into el centro (downtown) by myself. I quickly found a Mercado (market), and it was so cool to see hand-made nicauraguan and costa rican products (not made in china, they were all proud to show me). Once everyone sees my skin, they start speaking in english, but everyone gets really excited when you try your hand at spanish and they become really eager to help you. I spent about 3 hours in that market, no more than 100m in length, talking to virtually every stall and getting voluntary spanish lessons. I got an offer to stay at a beach house in Tamarindo (which I passed up...sketchy) and tomorrow night Im going out to a Salsa club with 2 chicas and 2 chicos (not sketchy at all) who run stalls in the mercado (none of them spoke very good english, so we conversed in spanish the whole time, and it was a really good learning experience). After I talked to this group, they sent me to a restaurant across the street, which turned out to be way past my budget ($12 US for the meal, yikes), but it was pretty impressive. The waiters didnt know much english, but everyone in there was american, and they were really impressed with my minimal spanish, so they would sit down at my table and talk. Yes, sit down, at a customers table, during work, and talk. This is Costa Rica. (The manager actually came over too..haha).

I was eating dinner and noticed two very familar looking characters sitting next to me, and it turns out they were two guys who flew to costa rica on the same flight as me from Charlotte. What are the chances in a city like San Jose. They turned out to be really cool americans, and we are plannning a trip to Volcan Arnel on Wednesday. This volcanoe is still active, you can see lava, and the river that runs beside it is like a hot spring. Im really stoked, I think there is a zip line that you can over parts of it as well.

In the restaurant, I ended up becoming really good friends with my waiter, Endrigo, who is Peruvian and working in Costa Rica. At first I was a little hesitant over this new friendship, because he wrote notes in spanish and casually dropped them at my table, being a quite a romantic, with such phrases as Desde que te veo, tu me gusta, me llamas si gustas, y no tengo malas intenciones.

I thought it was really funny. I wont translate that one (if you really want to know you can do it yourself on google translate). They warn you about how forward Ticos are when you come, buttt, it was still humerous regardless. Yet in my gut extinct, I believed that Endrigo was true to his word, and he had no malas intenciones, and we wound up at a pizza hut (yes. a pizza hut. In Costa Rica. It was gross), and taught each other Spanish and English for 4 hours. Well, there was actually more spanish being taught, and, THAT is why I cant believe how much my spanish has improved over the last 8 hours.

I got an escort back to the hostel from Endrigo, thanks goodness, and saw some pretty sad things on the way home. A women and her baby were homeless, and a little dirt encrusted boy all by himself tugged at my skirt for some money. There was lots of people with missing limbs scattered on the sidewalk and the Policia have to come out in the Centro at night because there is so much crime. There are lots of needles scattered around and drugs everywhere too. The city is terribaly dirty and busy, and there is garbage everywhere. I was lucky I was with a Tico, and learned some native tricks for being safe in San Jose, especially at night, which I would never do by myself (por tu, mi madre).

The hostel is just ok, I met a sweet guy from mexico and a girl from spain, but theyre both in their 30s. Everyone else is pretty drunk and a mess. Ill probablly move to Pangea or Tranquillo Backpackers in two nights.

Tomorrow, Im meeting up with Endrigio again in the morning, hunting for a bank and looking to do some laundry, going back to the market (or a different one) and going to the salsa club tomorrow night. That should be intresting.

I hope everyone is doing well at home...I miss everyone, but Im going to have a great time here.

Take care all,

Jess

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Comments

[Georgia jones]

Wow jess you are so adventurous and brave! i must say i am impressed... but i miss you!! have a great time and i will keep reading these because you just blow my mind! :):) love your biggest fan... Georgia