Day 8 - Remembering Back

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[youtube=xDh_pvv1tUM]

Day 8

I spent most of the daytime hanging out in the office with ISA friends while figuring out Skype and calling friends and family back home to let them know I was alive and kicking. Skype is pretty dang tight. I’m making international calls for almost nothing. I can’t wait to get internet at our house (in CR) so that I can call people back home and what not.

At dinner/before we went out, my friend Nick, roommate Matt, and I had an incredible conversation with our mama Tica. We talked about September 11th, as it was the day of, and how other countries viewed it and what not. She told us about the incredible pain and sadness she felt and the empathy for Americans she was overcome with. She talked about how it was a universal empathy for humankind as a whole. It was a conversation that morphed into discussion about economics and disparities in wealth, and then politics. She talked about how Costa Ricans are paying close attention to this coming U.S. election because they know it will affect them. It made me realize how much attention the rest of the world pays to the U.S. If I remember my high school history classes correctly (I may or may not have been awake and/or making this up), the U.S. was founded by Puritans who wanted America to be a “city upon a hill” so to speak. At this moment, I’m overwhelmed by the feeling that it really is. Whether or not the US is a ‘shining beacon’ can seriously be debated, but regardless of how the power is used or abused, I do believe that America is the city on the hill that everyone looks to.

Ok, I think I got that out of my system. On that note, I went to another club tonight. Great transition, yes? Well, as you might know, my first club experience was fairly miserable. Complete 180 tonight. Before we went out, we got acquainted with something called Guaro. It’s basically what Tequila is to Mexico, what Rum is to the Caribbean, what Coors Light is to Seattle U. It’s a hard alcohol that is sort of like rum with lots of sugar minus the bite that rum can have. It’s pretty much like candy - give it to kids and they go crazy. It’s also $6 for a liter. The club we went to was called “Castro’s” and even Fidel couldn’t ruin this place. It was a schnazzy locale with a real dance floor and a waterfall inside. Instead of blaring rap and sketchy Ticos that made me feel gross, there was salsa and merengue and music to DANCE, not GRIND, to. The people there were nice and everyone had fun dancing, even me. I don’t know what that means for the future…. It’s like acquiring Shaq nowadays. I have no idea what to expect. It could mean a great future, or it could mean a broken knee…

Side notes:
- I had some flaming drink at the bar that a friend of mine got me…… it was called a cucaracha. I’ve decided that flaming drinks scare me. Go ahead, start judging.
- The cab driver on the way home only talked about “hot blooded girls.” It was hilarious, but also creepily frightening. My daughter will never get to go to Costa Rica. Period.

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Photos

My drink
It looked like this.

Anniversary
I'll never forget.

Comments

[Hussy]

Just something to think about.
I heart you, Hussyface, and I'm glad to hear you're doing well. However, while your blog is, quite honestly, much more thorough and entertaining than I had expected, I am troubled by one thing: there is not a single reference to me in any of these entries. On a side note, I went to Danny Bailey's birthday party at his parents' house - like 30 seconds away from yours - and we most definitely missed you there, though I did have fun playing Rock Band with a bunch of dudes.