Random Thoughts-1st Month in Costa Rica

We’ve been here for five weeks and have spent four of them in school studying Spanish. So my mind has pretty much turned to mush dealing with my apparent inability to quickly learn a new language. It’s been very frustrating. On the other hand, it occurs to me that it is probably not as frustrating as working for a living. We’ve been having a good time staying in Heredia and are very happy to finally be in Costa Rica to stay. We’ve also applied for residency and health insurance. Random Thoughts:

Churches: The churches are all beautiful. And unlike other places I’ve lived, it seems their doors are always open, which is interesting. Open to everyone, as near as I can tell. In Heredia there’s a group of dogs that head for the area just inside the huge front church doors when it rains. It’s dry there. I love the church bells, which seem to ring all the time. Gene says they ring at 25 minutes after the hour and 25 minutes before the hour. That may be true. And if true, there may be a reason for it. I don’t really care. I just love listening to them. We can hear them from our apartment and it’s great.
Our Apartment: We had expected to be holed up in a little room somewhere the whole time that we travel around the country until we decide where to live permanently. I can’t believe we found this wonderful apartment at Apart-Hotel Roma. We ended up with a fabulous 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment for the month for less than we had expected to pay for a little room. We have an indescribable view of the Central Valley from our “penthouse,” and the lights at night are awe inspiring. The people here are friendly and helpful, there are grocery stores nearby, it’s near our school and all of the downtown activity. Absolutely perfect for our first month.
Everyone Will Help You With Your Spanish: And for this I’m very grateful! I’m amazed at how helpful and patient everyone is. Nevertheless, my Spanish is still so inadequate that it’s exhausting to try sometimes. People start up conversations with total strangers all the time around here, which, of course, coming here from South Florida, is not something I’m accustomed to. Once in a while someone will start speaking Spanish to me on the street, in the store, whatever, and I do not understand one word that they say. Feeling overwhelmed by it, I say, “No habla espanol,” thinking that will get me off the hook. Consistently, the other person will try to help me by (1) speaking more slowly, (2) speaking more loudly, and (3) explaining with 5 – 6 additional paragraphs so that I will understand!
Getting a Decent Meal: I’ve always judged new places first by their food. A lot of other criteria follow, but food is really the most important. Therefore Costa Rica is a pretty easy adjustment for me because I really like most of the food. I didn’t realize how easy it is for me until one of my classmates, who is doing a homestay, said that she’s starving to death and that she will never eat beans and rice again as long as she lives! I love fish and have had really good fish here. But all in all, I suspect that some of the best meals in the country can be found at the markets. I remember discovering it a couple of years back in San Jose and have now discovered it here in Heredia. The little sodas inside the market are the places to go for a good casado del dia. A complete meal, including a salad, rice and beans, and pork or chicken or fish. Add a couple of other things on the plate, sometimes fried platanos (love ‘em), and a refreshing fruit drink. Give me all that, charge me anywhere from 900 – 1100 colones – and call me a happy woman!
There’s Always Manana: I think I’ve spent my whole life panicking over everything I didn’t get done today. As soon as I put my feet down at Juan Santamaria, I discovered a whole new thing called “Manana.” It’s life-altering. Trust me.Speaking of Manana: Tomorrow we will meet a gaggle of new friends at Azzurra’s by El Parque Central in downtown Heredia. The band plays, the children chase the pigeons, the vendors display their wares, people actually fill up the beautiful old church, and right outside, the clowns clown and the bubble man blows bubbles. And across the street, at the (largely gringo) coffee shop, Azzurra’s, a small but animated group of friends from our online discussion group, Gallo Pinto, will discuss whatever comes to mind at the moment, face to face.