I have been in Costa Rica only a short while, and although I have just seen the Coast for the first time yesterday, I had already been experiencing the Rich-ness daily since my arrival ;) My friend Claudia’s cousins picked me up at the airport. Pri, who I had been communicating with by email, gave me a hug and as we drove provided helpful orientation to the city. The family received me into the house with the warmest of welcomes and showed me to my own room! (which had actually been appropriated from the youngest brother, Luis). The next day poor Luis also drove me around to do errands. When I changed money in the bank the teller only spoke to me in Spanish; I was pleasantly surprised that I could complete the transaction with not even a day’s warm-up!
The next few days were spent planning and carrying out job interviews. Again Luis drove me to both of them and even waited for me for 45 minutes at each one! I really do not deserve this much kindness. The interviews went well- I was offered both jobs! Now I just need to complete a third interview today and then it seems I will have my pick =) The cousins have spent significant time with me taking me around. I was able to get my fix of the English language in healthy doses as they all spoke English very well (I never realized I’d be so grateful for this, but when adjusting to a new country that one has just moved to, it is very helpful to be able to speak one’s native language, not only for logistics but also for emotional support). Luis drove me around downtown pointing out landmarks. Pri took me with her on the bus so that I could get to know the mind-boggling process of transferring =/ They both explained Costa Rican directions over and over to no avail; I still don’t get it. *Example: this section of that neighborhood, 50 meters south and 75 east of the field, the yellow house on the right with orange trim. Yes that’s the “address” of the house here!
Tomorrow for my interview I will need to get on the bus to go downtown, then I need to walk to the park past a church and stay on the side of the bank to find the green buses that say they’re going to Hospital Mexico. I will tell the driver to drop me off at the Toyota dealer and then head east, away from another park, until I see a Subway (the American sandwich chain, not an underground train), then I turn right and walk 200 meters south and the building is there across from yet another park. What a headache! I have to pysch myself up more for arriving at the interview than for the interview itself! While this all might seem ridiculously confusing right now, I know that in a few months I will probably be a pro at using the buses and determining directions and I won’t know what I ever thought was so difficult about it.
On the weekend the cousins invited me out with their friends. One unforgettable meal was an extremely greasy (and extremely delicious!) empanada filled with chicharrón (fried pork rinds). This alone could be the deciding factor in whether I can ever become a full-time vegetarian. I tried out different combinations of sauces and condiments on the divine morsels: lemon juice from lemons that are green with a light orange interior, only slightly sweeter than yellow lemons; a sweet tomato salsa that I liked best; a mix of carrots and cabbage that had an almost clear sauce dripped over them, disguising the reality of its spiciness; and a Costa Rican favorite, salsa Lizano- a brown sauce in a bottle that is both spicy and sweet and smells delicious due to its quantity of cumin, which Pri assured me would not be good with chicharrón but which I was determined to try regardless (result: not bad!).
Indeed it’s hard to go wrong with the food here. Claudia’s aunt Vilma (originally from El Salvador) is a very good cook and we often eat meat flavored by various succulent seasonings. But there are two staples that I eat everyday that would be sufficient for me even though they are not considered main dishes. The first is gallo pinto; the second, maduros. Gallo pinto is a mix of red beans that have been cooked in, you guessed it, salsa Lizano, along with plain white rice (¡Qúe rico!) And then there are maduros. I think anybody who has ever had these just loves them. Sweet, firm plantains fried in oil. Simple, but soo good! And sadly, a habit I will have to kick soon (all that oil is really not good for you).
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