Conversations from Costa Rica (Part 1)

Almost a week home and I finally emerge.
I am so sorry. It’s been an interesting few days. I’ll go into them at a later date. Not now. Right now, I wanted at least begin to spill the contents of my head about the trip to Costa Rica. I am surprised to be writing these words but: I miss it. And I wish I could move there. I just have no idea how to make a living. But if I find a way, like my like uncle likes to say, if you can count, don’t count on me (being here anymore that is)
But while I was there, I became a Chatty Cathy.
So I was chatty. Big deal. Actually it was a big deal. I found myself doing the reporter thing a lot because I desperately wanted to absorb as much as I could about the people I was spending time with.
I talked with the cabbies, I talked with our tour guide. I chatted with the young salesman who sold me the coconuts. And I asked lots of questions of my uncles and relatives. I had questions. And I got some great answers … and some interesting looks. Here‘s the first installment of my conversations of Costa Rica:

Taxi Please!
I did not catch their names and they never caught mine. But that didn’t keep the conversation from flowing.
“There’s not a whole lot to see in the city,” our first cabbie told us. “The museum is the best choice.”
We had approached our cabbie while he was parked in front of the main bus stop in San Jose, Costa’s Rica’s crowded capitol. The cabbie took us on a wild ride, diving between vehicles and through crosswalks. Pedestrians, many of them used to insanity of the traffic, boldly leaned in toward the cars. Their confidence in the driver’s ability to navigate around them was impressive if not well founded.
“There’s a big crime problem,” the cabbie told us. He went on to say, as unsafe as the big city was years ago, it was even worse these days as immigrants from Nicaragua flooded in. Our cabbie was surprisingly diplomatic about the issue. Others I spoke to, were less courteous.
Our diplomatic cabbie told us that many Costa Ricans are unhappy with how the immigrants don’t seem invested in their host country. They throw their trash on the ground, he said. Many are unskilled laborers desperate to survive the global downturn. Problem is that Costa Rica has been hit as bad as the rest of the world. So while some immigrants resort to hawking everything from cell phone accessories to plastic Bic pens for 100 colones (about 20 cents) apiece on the street, others have turned to crime. Jewelry, cameras, cell phones, hang on tight to your belongings or you may never see them again.
The conversation took on a lighter tone on our ride back to the bus station (after a very pleasant visit at Costa Rica’s Museo Nacional)
We hailed another cabbie, or rather stopped him, as he was leaving after dropping off people who were obviously tourists. One of them wore a college baseball cap. They left one of the cab’s back doors open. I ran to stop him.
“Well now that you’ve stopped would you take us to the Coca Cola bus stop?”
Oddly he seemed somewhat reluctant but then he said “sure.”
He told me he had picked up the group just before us at Pavas.
“What’s in Pavas?” I asked.
“Oh, lots of things,” he said. Bill and I were missing out apparently. There was lots of shopping and the national stadium where they worship soccer I suppose. Why those tourists came to San Jose, God only knows. I guess everyone is curious about the capitol, he said. He encounters a lot of tourists, he said. They jump in and, to his relief, at least speak in short choppy sentences. Or they may show him a brochure of a hotel where they are staying and give him the “take me there” hand gesture.
Good thing for a man who’s most practiced English phrase it “No speak-a Inglish.”
Sometimes when communication becomes impossible, he pulls out his cell phone, calls a friend who can speak English, and has him translate over the phone. It’s worked so far but for one time. In weird incident, he said a black man and a white woman shoved their suitcases in the trunk, jumped in the cab, then tried to tell him where they wanted to go. But neither spoke a word of Spanish and neither could make clear where they wanted to go.
The cabbie did what he usually does, pulled out the cell and tried to call his English speaking friend. As he did, the duo suddenly jumped out, and tried to hightail it out of there.
“I barely had time to get their suitcases out of my car before they took off,” he said. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he may have been lucky to survive that day.
When the riders are non-English or non-Spanish speakers, then they are all screwed, he said.
“I get them where they want to go, but other than knowing they’re human, I have no idea who I have in the cab,” he said.
Stay tuned. More fun conversations from Costa Rica to come.
GT.

The party rolls on

As I write this, we have moved from the busy and crowded area that my uncle lives in (Alto de Guadalupe), to the much less developed area of my cousin. I'd tell you the exact location, but I have no clue.

So, let's recap:

* Saturday was a day of rest after a full day of parties Friday.

To be honest, I kind of freaked out a little bit. My grandma's house was crowded and insane. And after a while, Lucky got tired and cranky, so we left early, over the objections of the rest of the family (who didn't fly the whole day before).

But we went and ran some errands in town with my uncle. We went to the bank and exchanged money (roughly 745 colones per dollar), then went to the store. There we bought diapers, milk, juice, sodas, razors and shaving cream for 15,020 colones ($25.84). We estimate that back home, the diapers alone would have been about $13. So, as you can tell, the dollar is still pretty mighty here.

* Sunday was a busy day, with many events planned. I just want to make a note here to say what an amazing host my uncle has been.

Not only did he have our family as guests (screeching 2-year-old included), but he had his brother (my dad) who is limited in movement with his cane and his "sponge" girlfriend in the house while being one the lead organizers for the weekend's events. He was gracious host, up every morning setting the table and putting out breakfast, and acting as taxi for his guests, making two trips per event in his small car.

Friday was big, Sunday was huge.

We started, of course, with a mass at a small little chapel within walking distance of my grandmother's house, where 98 percent of the people in attendance were family.

Then, we moved to a banquet hall on the grounds of the college of engineering nearby. The place was decked out, the band was booked and food and drink flowed aplenty.

Things started slow. My uncle gave a speech, and the band played while people got their food.

But when the food was done, the slideshow put together by my cousin Alfonso, brought everyone to tears.

And then we danced and danced. That was one hell of a party.

This was likely one of the most joyous family parties I've ever been to. And I've been to some whoppers. All of the cousins were just so happy to be together.


Life hasn't always been easy for us cousins, there have been moments of resentment, things we regret. It was all forgotten and I just wanted to hold all of them. I was just so happy to be there and so happy to share this with my son and my husband. It was just the best. I haven't felt that type of joy in a very long time.


After the party wrapped up, some of us went to my cousin Marcel's house (which had been my family's house when we had lived here). He has completely renovated the place and it looks incredible. We hung out for a little bit, until it was time to head back and get Lucky to sleep.

* And Monday, we rested. Though, we shopped, Bill made salsa. Yes, you read right, Bill made salsa for the Costa Rican family. And we had a small gathering and barbecue at my uncle's house. It was nice ... until it ended on weird note with everyone (aka my aunt) having had a bit too much to drink and either taking naps or going to bed early.

So, that's the summary for now. As more comes into my head, I'll vomit it onto this blog (how's that for a visual?).

Are you there God? It's me Gina

I went to church and did not burst into flames.


I didn't even get singed.


Nice. I was worried for a bit there. As most of you know, Bill, Lucky and I are in Costa Rica to celebrate my grandmother's 100th birthday. It is, by all accounts, a very big deal.


And what else would my very Catholic grandmother want to do on her birthday? That's right, she wanted to go clubbing. No, no, she wanted to go to church. And not just any church. The big church in Cartago. We have photos but, we're battling to get them to download. If they appear any time soon, you will see what I mean.


The service was beautiful to us, and boring to Lucky who decided the church perfect acoustics for the high pitched shrieks he likes to omit. They make him an ideal alarm for any occasion.


But that was just a start. I am in awe of what is being done for my grandmother. Things I would never have been able to afford for the ones I love at home. The church service was just the start of the day. After the mass, we all went to lunch at a place called Solo Rosas (Only Roses).


Set on a steep hillside, the place is a rose garden with a banquet area. The aroma of thousands of roses from around the globe swallows you as you step in. Small dainty bowls with a variety of roses rest on counters and tables.


The hillsides are steep. And the group, which included many elder members of the family, took a short tour while waiting for the tables to be ready. It didn't take too long, and we were all seated for lunch.

What do you get when you turn 100? A buffet style lunch with soup and salad, arroz con pollo, black beans and lots and lots of sweets. Chocolate fountain with strawberries, cake and cookies with coffee following the meal. And wine, tea and sodas to drink.

They rented a small van to help get everyone up there (and did it struggle up that hill). But my grandmother was surrounded by family and a nun. It was amazing. And the driver took the long way down the hill, so we were able to see some of the natural beauty of the region. Big forests with clouds misting around them. We were swallowed up by the clouds at certain points.

We were even stopped by the cops. They were looking for drug runners we were told. They took down the names and poked around the van for a second.

"It's getting dangerous over here. They just want to make sure they know who's coming and going," one of my grandma's in-laws said.

Sorry that all of these came in all at once, but we jump on when we can. We'll try to get more as we go.

Vamos al RostiPollos!!

I went to the RostiPollos Thursday night. A roasted chicken place for those of you not tipped off by the clever name. We were taken there right after we left what we could only describe as a bit of a Chinese Fire Drill at the airport. (You go there. No you go there. I don't want to ride with her, she's mean!) After a long journey and a bit too much snacking I was not hungry. But welcome to Costa Rica, if you ain't hungry, you better get hungry fast.

Nobody told me to run a mile before I got here, dangit! Food! FOOD! FOOD! We all crammed (about 10 of us) into a small booth and ordered several things. Boiled and fried plantain chips, chicken stripes, roasted chicken, black bean dip, fried cheese, tortillas ... it was a feeding frenzy that left me frightened. But they lured me out of my emotional coma with a diet coke, something I needed since I was sweating my hiney off at the humidity.

It was humid. I felt like I was sliding off of most surfaces. I've never been so intimate with my own clothes.

I should have known. As our plane was landing, lighting was flashing around the aircraft.

What an introduction for Bill. My poor husband, he looked like he fell in a swimming pool. And hauling around our youngster Lucky just made things worse.

So we're in RositPollos and I'm am mustering every Spanish phrase that indicates I'm not hungry. And it's not working.

So Bill and I ate again.

I hope this doesn't sound outlandish, but in case Norris and I explode, we loved you all.

Start of the journey home

By Wednesday morning we knew were in trouble.

"What do we have left to pack?" Bill asked me.

"Not much," I said.

After a 25-year absence, I would be boarding a flight bound for Costa Rica where I would see my entire extended family. But first Bill and I had to survive a nine- to 10-hour ordeal with an anxious 2-year-old and an even more anxious 72-year-old.

So here it is in a nutshell. We were packed and had all our bags ready Wednesday night. Even the 72-year-olds (my father). Bill and I were taking count. Making sure everything was the right weight and making sure that we did not miss taking we needed.

Bill's question was more of a request for reassurance. I had asked a few dozen times what we had left to pack. Enough clothes for a week and a few days for me, him and the boy. So that question was asked often.

We left our Inland Empire apartment late morning Wednesday for the last time for the week. Got a new pair of glasses. Indeed ladies and gents, I now have reading glasses. Bill got some pretty cool glasses ... FASHIONISTA!

Then we headed to my sister-in-laws where we slept on her floor.

"I have plenty of blankets," she told us. Minutes before, we found out that an air mattress we had invested in had a pump that would require a 12 hour charge. We had eight hours left before we were leaving.

Nice!

We set up a ton of blankets and the floor. At 9:30 p.m. turned out the lights. That's when the Lucky show began.

God bless him, the boy got up several times and turned the lights on for us. It was perhaps four times. He wandered and played. And the clock ticked. He jumped on me. Then he hopped on pop.

It was, exhausting. He finally fell asleep at 12:30 a.m. Four hours later I got him up. He was not a happy camper.

We arrived at my father's house soon after and to no one's surprise, all hell was breaking loose.

My sister texted me. COME AND TAKE HIM! GET HERE NOW! A superstitious man with a number of anxieties, he was was burning something that he was sure would bring him luck and ward off the bad mojo. We were almost to his house and he was stalling putting on his socks and shoes.

Bill walked in under the impression that he was completely ready to go. So, he went in and my sister said, OK, you're ready, right? And he looked at her like she was stupid and barked at her in Spanish no, he couldn't go yet because he didn't have his socks or shoes on. So, she got down and put his two layers of socks (one a support because of his diabetes) and shoes and got him up and going.

But no, not ready yet. Even though Bill made it out, my father didn't. He made one last trip to his room, and closed the door because he had to get his money ... and no one else can see where he hides it. Why? Because he´s convinced that the second his back is turned, we will steal it.

So, Bill's tapping his foot waiting, Steph (my sister) is fuming, and Lucky's whining because he's awake and trapped in his car seat. Steph and Bill used every ounce of their powers of persuasion to make him move faster. We had to stop and pick up some of his medicine (thank you 24-hour pharmacy with a drive-through). He wanted to get breakfast, and yet was dragging his feet because he needed to get some CD´s to bring with him.

Long story short (trust us, it's a lot), we finally get to the airport and checked in. It was hell carrying all the stuff through the airport, but we got on the plane on our way to Costa Rica (via Dallas).

As usual, my father's demands continued throughout the trip. But at this point, we're pretty used to them. The usual stuff, needing to go to the bathroom (with the fasten seatbelt sign on), needing food (and getting a burger he ate the toppings off of, then about half the burger) and then refusing the in-flight food (then complaining that they didn't feed him on the plane to the family).

But, we made it alive and well, and have survived the first few days of family. We'd post pictures, but we don't have the proper cords and plugs, so you'll see them as soon as we can figure that part out.