Ahh, the smell of fresh burning plastic...
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2006
1
9
20
Trip End
Aug 2007
San José, Costa Rica
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
I've been doing some exploring of San José over the past couple weeks. It's a pretty cool city. Certain sections have their staples...fruit vendors, lottery ticket hawkers and resident homeless. I actually recognize some of the latter; there is the guy with the crazy lion's mane of ratty, dreaded hair...the barefoot lady who wanders and mutters to herself, and the two old guys who share a stoop and sleep on the cardboard boxes. Mind you, there are plenty more homeless, but these are just those you can depend on; they're always in the same spots
00 Watercolor tattoo
. While Latin music abounds throughout the city, pouring out of shops and cars and bars, there is quite the array of 'popular' American music. Some of the more hip and with it stores have rap music blaring. Not any kind that we could pick up on the radio...no...this is uncensored. Filthy, filthy, FILTHY rap music! I'm pretty sure that most people don't understand what they're listening to. Of course, the occasional obscenity will shine through with glistening comprehension, but for the most part? Background noise. So, we have our Latin music, whatever nastiness is NOT being played on air in the States, and... 80's love ballads. Seriously. People love crappy 80's music here, probably on the same level that the Germans love David Hasselhoff. No joke (if you are reading this, Silvia, DON'T DENY IT!). There are some pretty little parks throughout the city, with plenty of sitting benches. My favorite people watching area is the Plaza de Cultura, which houses the National Theater and a museum sponsored by one of the giant banks here. At night, the Theater is backlit in certain areas...mint green. It's pretty neat. You can buy all sorts of cheap, crappy touristy items once the sun goes down. They are, of course, available during the day, but somehow they multiply like bunnies at night. People just lay down their goods in the center of the pedestrian-only thoroughfare, and yell out whatever they're selling. I tend to attract the yells more frequently than others, due to the fact that I'm a gringa; blazingly white means "I want to buy whatever junk you can sell me." Last weekend I went to the Zoo in the city...smallish; I think Point Defiance in Tacoma is bigger. The animals were housed in circle-esque pit type things. I should have taken a picture, but alas...didn't. All I snapped was a few shots of trees and the like. I mean, Zoo animals are usually the same across the charts. There were a couple species I had never seen before, but they as well had taken up the aura of extreme boredom; thus blending in with the regulars
01 Maria Fernanda in her Birthday duds
. While it was a smallish Zoo, it was absolutely gorgeous to walk through. The pathways were narrow, and the jungle foliage was bursting with colors (primarily a slew of lush greens) and flowers and spiders and all sorts of non-Zoo chaos. The cement was weathered in a way that only a true tropical environment could create; it held a sense of damp tranquility. You knew that the only reason it was still visible was because you were walking on it, as the people did the day before, and as they will the day after. Were we, the clientele, not here....the jungle plants would eat it right up. I'm kind of tired right now, and on the down side of being 100%. I've been harboring a head cold, and try as I might, I can't seem to kick it. Yesterday it was only aggravated when the people down my street decided to throw a huge "let's burn our garbage" party. Smoke reeking of burnt plastic came billowing in my windows...I rushed to shut it out, but the lack of ANYTHING being sealed really kept my efforts from being useful. The water kicked off this morning...I was doing a final rinse-out of conditioner in the shower when the stream slowed to a trickle, and then nothing. At least I got a shower, though. Marci had to cancel lunch today, and since nothing in my kitchen right now can be eaten without being boiled....well, I had what was left of the raisins for lunch.
The classroom has been pretty busy as of late, with big turnouts in both the morning and afternoon sessions. It's been hot, as well; someone snitched the knob of the floor fan, so I have to use pliers to change the speed. Unfortunately, it only acknowledges one speed while using this method...super slow. The kids don't seem to mind too much. Sure, they sweat a bit more, but it doesn't deter them even the slightest from donning Batman and Superman capes, sparkly dresses and full body Power Ranger suits (I think that's what it is...it has a Utility belt...I could be wrong, though.) There is a group of about four new boys, all under the age of 6
02 ...and her sweet new kicks
. They always have great big smiles and happy dispositions, even as I'm lecturing them for the fourth time in 25 minutes on the 'no running in the classroom' and 'no play-fighting' rules. When put in timeout, they sit quietly, and as soon as they're finished, they RUN on over to where the others are playing. Then there's Fernando, with his hugely cheeky grin, who half the time 'plays' at cleaning the art area. No joke; he'll be playing over in the dress up stuff, and then just switches gears and will go sweep under the art table, and make sure everything is neat and tidy...this is a 4 year old I'm talking about. If only there were more like him! I've been extra diligent with the 'books are friends' talks lately...there's been some book abuse going on. On the flip side, there haven't been any banishments as of late, which translates to: no one has been stealing. I hope it stays this way for a while longer!! That's all for today, folks. Thank you for your patience, and I'll try and get another posting up in a more expedient manner. Note: Always remember your umbrella; if you don't, you might just end up being stuck under a gazebo in a random park with the pigeons, watching the deluge of rain drown out your hopes of a dry walk to the bus stop.
Comments
Hi Morgan
We need a new update to your weblog. Words are fine. I am wondering if it's your Spanish or your typing that gives you trouble with the keyboard? Keep up your good work and let us all know how you're doing.
Vaya con Dios.
Herb and Cindy