After a relaxing three-week Christmas intermission from what I prefer to consider my "real life", I'm happy to be back on the road and finding myself among friends in Central America! As is always the case, the tickets out of Chicago were miles cheaper than flying out of Sioux Falls, so I bused it up to Minneapolis for a relaxing night with my friends Aaron and Kristen, and then on to Chicago for two nights with Libby and Brian. It is funny to note here that the only problem in getting from Sioux Falls to San Jose, Costa Rica (where I now am) happened in the Sioux Falls bus terminal parking lot. The bus had moved about 20 feet when it got it's back tires stuck on ice. We sat there for about an hour and a half, blocking the road, waiting for ACE towing. Luckily none of the passengers went too crazy, and I certainly didn't care since Aaron said my being late was more convenient for them to get me in Downtown Minneapolis anyway. I would also like to note here that Libby and Brian joked that when I come through town it is like a mini-vacation for them (mostly because we eat a big meal out and then get ice cream, coming home stuffed). It makes me feel like a Good Samaritan to bring joy to others like that by simply doing what I like to do. Of course, I'm exaggerating.
I've been in Costa Rica since Thursday night, with all that time spent in San Jose. This is a very comfortable city for me to be in. Initially, it reminds me of Windhoek, Namibia. We are surrounded by hills, one of which is a sleeping volcano! The buildings are bright, and though there are far fewer shantytowns than Windhoek, driving around feels familiar. The one thing out of place is the amount of American fast food. There are so many Burger Kings, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, etc, etc. I'm almost ashamed to say, but I have eaten at both Burger King and Taco Bell in the three days I have been here. However, I am proud to say that I have eaten things on the Taco Bell menu that my brother never has, as they are not served in the USA. But really, if you ask me, we should have "Nacho Steak Fries" back home.
My friend Kat, whom I'm staying with, lives in an apartment attached to he school here she works for. I must admit that I would love to have this sort of living situation. Her backyard is covered in palm trees and tropical plants. When the students are gone on the weekend and the evening, it feels like living in a large retreat center. I'm sleeping on a small couch with a chair at the end and a stack of books so that my legs have something to support them from the knees on down. On weekdays, coffee is made and ready in the pot by the school cleaning lady, and I enjoy it on the apartment patio. My living situation right now seems like it couldn't be more ideal!
On Friday morning I was up and into San Jose. While the city itself contains about 300,000 people, the entire central valley where it is located holds a few million. Kat lives in an area known as Curridabat, so I had to take the bus. My main goal for the day was to walk the central pedestrian market and go to the Museo Nacional. The heat of the day seemed foreign after being in subzero South Dakota, and the humidity seemed even more foreign after being in Egypt. A day in the museum was going to be welcome. I'll admit here that I don't know much about Costa Rican history, but I found it interesting. A rich pre-Comumbian story of natives developing complex societies followed by conquistadors, coffee, bananas, railroads, and much more.
The central avenue did not impress me all that much. For one, I was not in the market for new clothing, and beyond food that seemed to be all that there was. This is also where you are really slapped in the face with U.S. fast food. I had no idea that Quiznos and Wendy's had gone global! There were lots of people, and a fair amount of tourists as well. I spent less time here and more time in the parks on the surrounding streets.
Friday evening Kat's boyfriend came out with us for sushi, where his sister works as a chef. My first thought was, "won't this be funny to be eating sushi in Costa Rica!" But then I realized that it is no more native to, or ridiculous, than eating it in the United States. The food was wonderful (much of which was given to us free of charge) and so was the conversation. As I sat talking with Anthony, I became amazed at how well he spoke English having never lived abroad. It really gave me hope that with some hard work, I too could achieve a high level of competence in Spanish with some serious study in the U.S.
Saturday brought a hike into the hills which surround the valley. Anthony is a mountain biker, and he took us on trails where he normally bikes. We got a full view of all of San Jose, as well as the volcano whose base the city is located at. What I also loved about this hike was how there was coffee being grown up and down the hills along the trail. Many of the beans were ripe and waiting to be picked. We pulled a bean and I ate the fruit off. It became obvious why coffee beans are cleaned of the fruit and then dried and roasted: it didn't taste very good. Like eating a crab apple almost. The plants looked beautiful (though, when you love coffee like I do, you bring a biased opinion to the table).
On Sunday Kat took me to a poor Nicaraguan community to go to church with a congregation she has been working with. Nicaraguans come to Costa Rica to work as migrant laborers or do other low paying jobs. The way it has been described to me is they are often mistrusted and treated as second-class citizens. This community was living the way so many people in the world do in tin-roof shacks or small concrete homes. But, again like so many people in the world living in these conditions, they were friendly and welcoming. A small congregation where everyone knew everyone, the sermon was told while children walked about the church and prayers were said with everyone holding hands.
That afternoon we went to a soccer game. I'm not an avid sports fan for any sport, and soccer certainly is not something I spend back home watching. However, it was a wonderful cultural experience, and I really enjoyed watching. The field sat at the base of a coffee hill, and the sun was bright and warm. You really couldn't ask for too much else.
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