A Few of my Favorite Things
Yes, I know I haven’t updated this basically since I started classes, and I need to get to that. But right now, I feel like making a list of some of my favorite things about/in Costa Rica.
Favorite sight while I’m on the bus: We pass by a Japanese/Korean restaurant called Moby Dick and it has a picture of a white whale in a kimono. Very adorable.
Favorite Treat: Amazilia Chocolate Bars. They are absolutely amazing, made from organic cacao in an all-woman co-op. They have tons of flavors, both milk and dark chocolate, with tons of different stuff in it: ginger, cacao nibs, coffee stuff, peanuts, rice, all kinds of stuff.
Favorite Drink: Probably the hot tea with milk I have for breakfast every morning. Or Coke, with real sugar.
Favorite Food: That’s a tough one. I really love gallo pinto for breakfast on the weekends. Of course, having fresh fruit with breakfast everyday is pretty nice too.
For lunch, I’ve mostly had sandwiches, so I can’t judge that much. Although the director, Chris, brings in bananas from his farm every Monday, so it’s not uncommon, if you get hungry, to just step outside the sliding back doors of the main classroom and grab a banana from the huge bunch hanging just outside.
For dinner, I’ve had so many wonderful foods, though always with rice and beans. Luckily, I’m rather fond of rice and beans. ^.^ I generally don’t ask the name of anything, I just eat what my mama gives me. I have yet to have an experience where this didn’t work out wonderfully.
Favorite Unexpected Foods: Salad here is rather different than salad in the US, at least in my house. It’s much greener, and sometimes almost like coleslaw without the sauce. I’ve also noticed my family tends to put mayonnaise on a lot of things we would never think of, like something I was surprised to realize resembled pickled beets. (By the way, it was suprisingly good.) It’s also not uncommon for me to be served an avocado half, to mix in with rice and beans, put salt on, or just eat plain. I also love the torilla chips here. They’re thicker than the ones I”m used to in the US.
Favorite Distraction: Watching the hummingbirds in the beautiful garden behind the classroom.
Favorite Saying: “¡Está vivo!”- It’s alive! Said when you drop something, like a spoon. I’ve had this said to me frequently. ^_^
Favorite Thrill: Riding the city buses. This may sound silly, but riding the buses is actually at times a bit of a terrifying experience. People in the area drive like I’ve never seen before, not even in Chicago or New York. ACM really isn’t joking when they say their biggest worry is students dealing with traffic. Even if we were allowed to drive in the area, I would NEVER. I’ve seen a bus stop about a foot behind the car in front of it. It can be scary at times, but also kinda fun.
Favorite Random Moment of Gratitude: I believe it is at least partially thanks to my ballet class that I am able to successfully balance on one foot on a wet tile floor in the shower while laying my shin of the other leg against bar on the wall that is a few inches higher than my hips so I can shave my legs. Yes, this is the easiest way to do it.
Favorite Thing I Can’t Find a Word For: I really love having availability to people that I would never have a chance of being able to reach in the states. For example, I didn’t realize until a few days ago that my music teacher is a pretty big deal in Latin America and elsewhere. He’s toured the Americas, Europe and Asia. Look him up, Manuel Monestel, with his band, Cantoamerica. He’ll be leaving for three weeks to go on a tour with his band. Our director, Chris, was key in helping the Oso Peninsula be declared a natural reserve. Our dance instructor, Roy, coaches a couple that is competing on Bailando Por un Sueño, the national dancing reality television show. The other day, I sat down and had a very informal interview with a woman who is a research advisor for ACM. I realized later that she is a fairly famous poet and dramatist.
Looking through the list of other local research advisors, I realize that there are not only authors, researchers and professors (which is generally not unusual in a university setting), but also business owners, editors of an international scientific journal, founders of a wildlife management graduate program, and activists in a number of fields. In short, important people who are making differences.
Now, I’m not trying to downplay what our home universities give us. What strikes me more here is that we are such a small program, yet these well-known and acclaimed people take time to help us out. Another aspect that surprised me is how little fuss is made over these “celebrities”. With most of these people, I didn’t realize what big deal they were until after I met and talked with them. This isn’t to say people aren’t respected for their work, for they certainly are; they simply aren’t fussed over. They are who they are, and they are here to help us, so that’s that.
Maybe this is because it’s a small country, or maybe because of the sense of community. Which brings me to my next and final favorite thing.
Favorite Concept: Pura Vida. Literally, it means pure life, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a sense of community, a sense of peace with life, of not trying to rush through things. A concept they taught us about early on was “Tico Time”. For example, if you get invited to a party that starts at seven, if you arrive much before seven-thirty, you will probably be the first one there and the hosts will probably not be ready yet. In social interactions, time is more relaxed. Things aren’t as rushed as they are in the states. Another aspect of Pura Vida is avoidance of confrontation. In general, problems are addressed much more subtly and non-confrontationally than in the US. This makes for a rather pleasant atmosphere, though you do have to be careful to analyze statements to ensure the person speaking isn’t “dropping hints”.
Pura vida is heard often, sometimes as a greeting or farewell. The taxi driver may wish you Pura Vida when he drops you off, or someone may reply Pura Vida when asked how they are. It’s such a great concept, and something I really want to incorporate into my life as much as I can.
Well, that’s all I can think of for now. I may update this as I remember more things I’m fond of.
Pura vida!
