And God Bless America

Just an FYI- that spider migrated from my bedroom to the bathroom while I was away at the beach this weekend. As I brushed my teeth this morning, I looked to the left and he was there, waiting for me. Good morning.

This blog is long but I promise worth it so please sit back and enjoy the tales of this weekend.

So yes, this weekend I finally got to see the Pacific Ocean. We ventured to Manual Antonio National Park (the park is named after the Costa Rican guy who apparently used to watch over the area while rich white business men from the US went to that spot to party- no comment) Anyway, its absolutely beautiful. However, I would be remiss in not mentioning the 6 hours that if took us to get there because of 1. the fact that we drove over mountains and volcanos on roads that make any hill in Yonkers seem like an goosebump, 2. we were stopped twice for over 30 min. each time because the road had one way bridges and we were forced to wait for the direction of traffic to change and 3. because we had to stop to watch crocodiles lay out on a pile of mud in the middle of the river (ok that was sort of cool).

To continue, now you may hear alternate accounts, but I do not believe our hotel was that bad. I was a bit nervous given that Alejandro (the director of the program, not the cute tour guide from last week), casually mentioned that we had to downgrade hotels because of booking last minute. Either way, it was a room (with no clock, t.v. telephone, electric outlet or hot water), and it was literally a five minute walk from the ocean.

Let me begin by saying, that while I do have the greatest fondness for the Atlantic ocean ( you all know that), the pacific ocean is absolutely incredible. The color is so different than on the east coast. Also, the water was so warm! Perhaps it was because of the area being more of an inlet. Both Saturday and Sunday we swam for hours in this cove that to me seemed to be a movie set. It was simply too beautiful. We also toured the rainforest on Saturday (in torrential rain) but saw many animals and unique trees. I must give props to the Bronx Zoo for its “rainforest exhibit”. I remember going as a kid and the real rainforest felt just like that, however at the Bronx Zoo when it started pouring, it was behind glass.

So don’t get angry but I decided not to zip line across the top of the rainforest at 7am on Sunday morning. I have a few reasons. 1. Given that it poured (and that’s an understatement) almost the entire day on Saturday, I really wanted to spent time in the sun on the sand, 2. getting up at 6 on the weekend after what has been a very physically and emotionally draining week didn’t appeal to me and finally 3. I’m okay with not flying hundreds of feet over tree tops while strapped into ropes and harnasses. When it comes down to it- I am a beach girl and was very happy to sit with my book for a few hours. Now I realize it’s a “once in lifetime opportunity” and in all seriousness I wasn’t afraid, I simply just didn’t have the energy. I’ll admit, this hasn’t been the easiest week and yes this time I copped out and sat on the beach, with a few of my fellow social workers who had little interest in adventure sports either. We had a wonderful morning talking about our jobs, lives and thoughts on Costa Rica. I felt rejunivated (until I almost hurled on the bus on the way home because going around dangerous curves on mountains in pitch dark doesn’t sit well with me)

I know it seems as if I am complaining so much, I promise I thoroughly enjoyed this weekend, and saw the touristy Costa Rica- which is very interesting. On Friday night after we got there, we went to this bar type place. Let me set the scene: Drunk Americans who were either vacationing or living down there to surf, listening to a live blues band, 20 feet from the pacific. It was a bizarre altnerate universe experience. I knew I was in a foreign country but everyone was speaking English and it sort of felt like being in NY at a “tropical” themed bar. Of course I had a weird drunk guy interaction but we’ll save that for a later time.

Saturday night we were supposed to go dancing- now I’m super excited thinking “yes I’m going to finally get to latin dance in latin America”. Oh how naïve. So we go to this place “Barba Roja”- red beard. This place is the epitome of the parallel universe experience. So I’d say almost the entire place is Americans “Gringos” if you will. The music is exactly the same hip hop, rap and techno that you hear at home. The place was packed. Here is my story for the night: Foreward: I was not drunk/or drinking.
Chapter 1. Good looking blond kid (maybe 22, could barely pass for 16) comes over and in the worst Spanish accent asks if I like to dance. Which of course I needed him to repeat because I couldn’t comprehend a word he was saying. So I finally just looked at him and said “I speak English”. And he was like “oh great…blah blah blah what are you doing down here” After I explain, he tells me that he lives here and is the financial advisor for real estate developers. He then explains that part of his job is taking “rich guys out and showing them a good time down here and he needs pretty girls to dance with them”. So I said “what’s in this for me”, for which he had no answer.
Chapter 2. I get introduced to Steve and Derrick. Steve had no interest in this bar it was quite apparent, however Derrick was already rather inebriated. He was excited because he lives in Rochester NY and I told him I visted Rochester when I went to the national championships for speech and debate (hoping this would completely bore the hell out him) not so. Anyway, so he tells me he’s a real estate developer but couldn’t stand the politics of development in the US anymore so he’s looking abroad and wants to build some hotel tree-house type thing in what he continually referred to as a “depressed area” of the Costa Rican coast. So I just asked him “ Are you one of those developers who exploits native workers and destroys the rainforest?” And he says “no, I’m sort of like you, a social worker, I give people jobs”. Oh please.
Chapter 3. So Derrick liked to dance with me. I found this all more entertaining than anything else. For example his dance moves I can liken to those of the great M.C. Hammer as Derrick would bounce with his legs apart from one part of our circle to the other. He had some other interesting moves which included ball-room waltz style turning me to techno and reggaetone. At one point he just looks at me and says “God Bless American, God! Bless America” followed by “You have such a beautiful smile, and look at you, always laughing, having a good time”. I’m laughing at you buddy.
Chapter 4. Eventually I was able to extricate myself from the Derrick situation, however I went back to see Adam (the young kid) to remind him he owed me a free weekend in this grand hotel- too bad that will never happen. Marietta (one of the others in the group) and I took a cab back to the hotel, listening to meatloaf’s “I would do anything for love” all the way. I’m in Latin America?? The only stranger experience was the bus ride back to Grecia when Luiz our driver turned on the radio and we drove through the mountains of Costa Rica listening to Styx “The Best of Times” followed by the Motown hit “Mother-in-law”. Ah, God Bless America.

Tomorrow I will write more about some of my other experiences here in Grecia which have improved from last week. I feel a bit more comfortable, esp. with my host family as my Spanish is improving.

I’m absolutely exhausted so I will leave you with all of that for now. Enjoy the photos Thank you for reading. I can’t wait to get home and see everyone.