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Published: October 22nd 2008
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Most of my blogs, thus far, have consisted of fun weekend trips and "the vacationer's Costa Rica." But I'm living here. I've been here for almost a month, and I think I've adapted to the culture fairly well, so here are some cultural subtleties and other fun facts about my day to day life.
Funny Rules: It's rude to put your hands in your lap at the table while eating.
Doors to every room in the house (except the courtyard... hmm... weird) are kept closed.
Never walk around barefoot; always wear flip flops or slippers in the house.
In my house: The definitions of the inside and outside of buildings here are very fluid. We have a courtyard which I would consider to be a yard, and therefore outside of the house, but the door to it is never closed - it's just like another room with grass carpet and no ceiling. The convenient thing is, we never have to walk the dog. Also, windows are always open, and as a result, when I got home the other night there was the largest moth I had EVER SEEN fluttering around my room, and I had to shoo it back outside. Speaking of bugs, I'm pretty sure a spider bit me last night, and even though it looked kind of icky this morning, I think I'm all better now.
In the kitchen: My Tica Mama is a great cook (no worries, Mom, not as good as you) but I'm pretty sure I ate chicken neck for lunch today. It was the only time I've been happy there was a bit of a language barrier. And you know what I miss, food-wise? Cheese. I guess cheese has never really been associated with warm-weather countries, but there's basically a monopoly on the dairy in Costa Rica by a company called Dos Pinos, and aside from Mozzarella on pizza, I don't think I've seen or tasted any cheese that wasn't uber-processed, comes wrapped in plastic, and would still be edible in 5 years.
Outside: It's the rainy season, and so it rains a LOT. I carry an umbrella and usually just wear chacos and roll up my jeans, but it's the thunder that gets to me. South Carolina has its fair share of crazy thunderstorms, but San Jose is in the center of a valley, and for some reason when lightening decides to strike in this valley, it prefers my neighborhood. Lightening struck so close this afternoon that multiple car alarms in the surrounding area went off.
Bio Classes: As with any school, classes were hit and miss. My Tropical Ecology class is great, the professor is young and charismatic and knows his stuff, and I think he likes me because, let's face it, I know my stuff too, and take his class seriously. My Environmental Impact and Social Development class, however, is atrocious. Great subject matter being taught by someone's awkward aunt. Bummer. (But it still counts for major credit!)
Spanish: My class is going well, the final for the first month is on Friday, and then I switch into Intermediate 2. Watch out world, I'll be advanced level when I get back to USC. Speaking of which, I might pick up a Spanish minor. Hmm. My Spanish comprehension and vocabulary have gone through the roof, and my speaking is getting better too. I have good days and bad days, but I don't feel panicked every time someone starts a conversation with "Hola?"
Fun fact: We don't have ice cream trucks here, but ice cream carts with little bicycle bells. One just went by my window.
Dance: So I'm taking a theoretical Intro to Latin American Dance class with a crazy lady named Rosi, and we are having a great time. We watch a dance movie once a week (we watched Dirty Dancing last week and it made me miss the station!) and the other days we discuss history and music of other dances, usually learning the basic and a turn or two. The same woman offers free dance classes at the university immediately after my Intro class, so I usually go to those too! We're learning meringue, salsa, and bachata right now, and last night was the best class yet. The male:female ratio wasn't as skewed as it usually is, so I got to dance with a few other study abroad students, a Tico named Jesus, and my Venezuelan friend Nestor. Apparently, considering I'm an American, I'm a decent dancer.
Nestor: Yes, he gets his own paragraph, because this guy fascinates me. Originally from Venezuela, he is the grandson of two former ambassadors, and currently studies photography at Veritas. He chose to study photography because he started taking pictures of the student/police conflicts in Venezuela and realized that taking pictures of conflict and war was his passion. He wants to go to Iraq, and next month he is flying to Mexico to give an exhibition of his photography. Aside from being a great dancer, he's an ex-pat, he's only 23 or so, and he's kind of a big deal. The other nice thing about Nestor is he isn't afraid to tell me what he thinks of Americans. Most of the Ticos and others we come across here either don't acknowledge us, try to steal from us, or work for us, in the case of the ISA employees, host parents, etc. It's nice to just hang out with someone who doesn't have an agenda of their own with the answers their giving. But American perception will be a blog in and of itself at some point, so I'll save his opinions for then.
Lastly, I'll admit it, little bits of Costa Rica just plain suck. At least half a dozen of my friends got really sick after visiting Puerto Viejo last weekend, and at least that many have been robbed (some at gunpoint, one girl twice in one week) since I've been here. But I try not to think about that.
PURA VIDA!
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Jamie
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Whoa
Stay safe miss! I want you back alive and in one piece! And what does tico mean?