My birthday!

A few weeks ago was my 21st birthday (July 29). The 21st birthdays I have witnessed in the United States have generally involved the partiers running around to various bars drinking a myriad of colorful drinks until the newly-21-year-old person is in near-death condition by the immense sugar and alcohol consumption, followed by two or three days of bed-rest. My celebration, however, was a little more "tranquila," the pace I prefer.

The day before my birthday, Sunday, I told Hilda that I would be turning 21 the next day. I was conflicted because I didn't want her to go out of her way to prepare anything special, but I also felt almost rude not telling her. So I nonchalantly let it slip that tomorrow would be my birthday. Immediately after hearing the news, she started singing "Happy baby to you" in English. I told her the word was "birthday," not "baby," to which she replied with a wink that she knew. I am not sure what to think of that; I think she was trying to tell me that I am still young like a baby.

The next day I was 21. At school, the assistants surprised me with a pastry at lunch, in addition to a happy birthday song in both Spanish and, as an additional present to me, English.

After school my friends Melissa, Niko, Ben, Christa, in addition to a Tican whose name I now forget took me out to dinner. We feasted on steak, sausage, avocado, and all passed around and took bites out of a cheese quesadilla-- college style.

My family had to wait a few days to celebrate, because of Manuel's work schedule. He finally had a day off on Thursday, so we had a little dinner party. My friends Ben, Niko, and Melissa came over to join in the festivities. Hilda repeatedly told me to be home at 5:30 sharp for dinner, so my friends and I rushed home to make sure we were on time. Hilda, however, was about two hours late and arrived around 7:30. These two extra hours were kind of a blessing in disguise; although I felt bad for keeping my friends who had homework/families/etc, it was fun being "home alone" with no parents. We chatted and ate cookies until finally, evidenced by Peter's maniac barking, they arrived home. Johan, as per standard, made a b-line to his room, Mila said a quick "!Feliz cumpleanos!" before going straight to her room, and then it was just my friends and my host parents! Our neighbors, Silvia and Antonio, came over and the celebration began.

While Hilda made dinner, Manuel invited us to play foosball. As I am recovering from a wrist injury, I chose to referee while Melissa and Manuel played against Ben and Niko. Unbelievably, something I have never seen or even thought was possible, Ben and Niko beat Manuel's team! There must have been some crazy birthday magic happening in that room.

We ate soup for dinner, and birthday cake for dessert. After we finished our iced tea (my drink request), Hilda brought out two bottles of tequila, which we shrugged and accepted with a "when in Costa Rica" attitude. After we finished the first bottle (which Manuel played a major part in), Hilda held it up to reveal a worm floating in the liquid. My friends and I almost died of laughter-- no, seriously-- before Hilda revealed that it was worm tequila from Mexico, and it's an expensive treat. With the knowledge that the worm was supposed to be there, we settled down. Manuel proceeded to drink the worm, possibly for good luck, possibly for fun. We proceeded to sing karaoke to end the night.

What an incredible birthday! I'm feeling so lucky to have had the opportunity to spend the day(s) with friends and family. Living in Costa Rica was a great way to start off my new age. Pura vida.

Superstitions

My host parents have many beliefs that are superstitions, wives tales, or just inaccurate logic. I think it is extremely interesting to see what people in other cultures believe. Some of the ideas I can understand how someone could potentially believe through skewed logic, and some I simply can't empathize with.

First, I will start off with my favorite myth: Manuel, my host dad, feeds Peter the dog dead scorpions that he cuts in half, because he says they will make him angry and therefore increasingly mean to humans. It took me a moment to process this information before having any reaction whatsoever. After I realized that he wasn't joking, the seemingly obvious problem with the plan is that, if Peter is eating the dead scorpions, he is likely viewing them as treats. Since a human is giving him these treats, it would seem to me that this action would make him like humans more, rather than less. Another problem is that the idea that eating scorpions will make him mean simply does not make sense. I have no clue if scorpions are inherently mean or not, but assuming they are for the sake of the argument, one does not obtain the traits of what it consumes. Humans eat cows, chickens, fish, and other types of meat on a daily basis and I have yet to hear of a human starting to moo, or growing gills. Saying a dog will become meaner by eating a scorpion would mean that humans would lose intelligence by eating a cow. It doesn't make logical sense and it simply isn't true.

Next, there is no walking barefoot permitted in the house. The reasoning behind this is because the cold floors will make us sick. It initially seemed innocent enough that someone uneducated on germs and bacteria could believe this wives' tale. After some experimenting, however, I noticed that, although we are in the middle of winter, the floors are not cold. In fact, they are a very comfortable temperature. Which makes me wonder-- how is it healthy for us to shower in the 20 degree water, but unhealthy to walk barefoot on 70 degree floor? It seems as though there is something inaccurate with this logic.

Another superstition: I am not allowed to exercise for at least one hour after I eat, because it is bad for my organs and I will get a stomach ache. I understand this misconception, because it reminds me of the "no swimming after you eat" idea that was widely believed in the U.S. until the Mythbusters busted that myth a few years ago. Generally things will come to Costa Rica many generations after they hit the U.S. (my 19 year old host sister is currently obsessed with Led Zeppelin), so I'm hoping in 50 years or so that episode will arrive in Costa Rica, the myth will be busted here as well, and people can exercise freely and as they please.

Additionally, there is no showering permitted until at least one hour after eating. This is because our organs are very delicate. I can't say I can understand with this one. Perhaps it is the act of standing, or maybe the fact that there is water going on you, but either way, Hilda makes sure that I follow this house rule. If I walk to the bathroom with a towel, she will give me a full interrogation until I can convince her that I am just placing it on the rack to dry.

Also, rubbing lotion into the pressure points in your arms will completely heal you if you are sick. I have already written about this; this wives' tale was discovered when I became feverishly ill. The logic is that by massaging lotion into your pressure points, it will increase the blood flow and the new blood will take over and heal you in two hours, exactly. There are, clearly, many problems with this idea. First, it is not your blood that heals you-- it is your immune system. Secondly, each individual person has a different system and is affected by illnesses differently, and even doctors can't tell their patients an exact time that they can be healed. Two hours is an awfully specific and short amount of time for a person's blood stream to heal them.

Lastly, I will end with a cultural custom that I agree with, which is that both morning tranquility and eating a big breakfast are very important. I am not permitted to leave the house without breakfast, even if I am not hungry or am sick with a stomach ache (occasionally some homeless dogs have benefitted from this house rule). I absolutely agree with Hilda that it is healthy to wake up a few hours before you need to leave in order to have a calm and tranquil morning. Sitting at the table, drinking coffee, and waking up slowly is my idea of a perfect morning. It has also been proven that children concentrate and perform better in school after they have eaten a healthy breakfast. Additionally, waking up early and leisurely getting ready would seem to be more healthy than having the daily stress of trying to rush out the door. I am going to try to have family breakfasts in my future like they do here in the Chavez family.

It is very interesting for me to learn and experience life through this new culture and with these superstitions and lack of education. Stories are passed through generations, from stay-at-home mom to their daughter, who will become a stay-at-home mom, and so on. I am so happy to be able to live in this culture and experience the ways of life of other people. It is important for me to emphasize that I am in no way writing in a disparaging fashion or pretending to be superior. In fact, I am positive I do, say, and believe things way more far-fetched than these six beliefs. I just thought it would be interesting to write about different beliefs that this culture has. Hopefully I will be able to experience, and then compare and contrast, many different cultural norms in my lifetime.

Homeless Dogs

When I first arrived in Costa Rica, one of the toughest culture shocks for me was seeing the abundance of homeless dogs wandering the streets. I felt so bad that they did not have a home, an owner, and someone to look after them. I was sad that they would never get the experience of being pet, or laying by a fire, or sleeping on a comfy bed with their human friends (see my dog below). I have to admit that I would even slip these orphan dogs treats if I thought no one was looking. After a month of living here, however, I surprised myself by realizing that these dogs are not to be pitied, and that they are actually a huge benefit to the Costa Rican community.

        (Above: Muldoon, my dog, enjoying the luxuries of living in a North American home)

During the 5k run for the Clinica Biblica, participants were given little plastic packets of water about halfway through the race that could be grabbed on-the-run. I noticed that the hundreds of participants simply threw these packets onto the street when they had finished with them. I kept hold of mine, however I was baffled to find that throughout the entire 3.1 miles there was not a single garbage can in sight. 

That large-scale community act of nonchalant littering grabbed my attention. The next day, while trudging down an unpaved road in my walk to school, I paused and took in my surroundings. Somehow I hadn't previously given much thought to the fact that there is not a single garbage can, nor have I ever seen or heard a garbage truck. Among my oblivion I also hadn't registered that the streets are absolutely covered and littered in garbage that people simply threw on the ground. Additionally, people throw their household waste in huge piles outside of their houses in an unstructured fashion.

During the tour with my parents this past week, my dad and I saw a few crabs on the beach. He explained to me that crabs are the ultimate scavengers; if something dies, they will eat it until there are no remains, and no one will ever know it was there. They are nature's way of removing waste. I realized that the homeless dogs in Costa Rica are like the crabs on the beach. Without them, the garbage piles would stink and become health hazards. But, with hundreds of dogs roaming around eating much of the waste, these piles are generally odorless and harmless. These dogs are a necessity to the Costa Rican ecosystem.

These dogs are free, and if they can avoid getting hit by cars they seem to actually have pretty good lives. Whereas my host dog, Peter, sits in a dark garage all day attached to a very short chain, the homeless dogs always have a purpose: find food, find shelter, bark at another homeless dog, bark at a person walking by... Their lives are full of stimulation and activity, which is a huge improvement from some family-owned dogs.

(Above: Peter, wishing he was a homeless dog. Lucky for him he got a little light exposure during the time this photo was taken.)

In the USA, we do not need to have homeless dogs because we have developed waste and recycling systems. With the seemingly lack of protocol here, however, these dogs are a great asset to the community, and I believe they frequently enjoy their work as well. What a relief! 

The Inevitablilty

In an earlier post I had reflected on how one thing I have learned during my experience living here is that germs are not necessarily something to freak out over. I spoke of how my family hardly even rinses their dishes before reusing them, and I have not yet experienced any negative effects by this. I was momentarily feeling that the processes of North America were frivolous, unnecessary, and solely ploys of marketers. That was before someone in my house contracted an illness.

While I was on my tour, Hilda also took a vacation to Mexico. While there, she came down with a major cold. Now that we are all in the same house again and eating off of the same utensils, I am feeling as though those extra sanitary measures in North America are the best thing that ever happened to me.

The first problem with Hilda being sick is that she feels as though it is her job as a stay-at-home mother to prepare the meals for the family. This mentality is relatively common for a stay-at-home mom in any culture. However, the difference with Hilda is that there are no alternatives. In my home in California, if my mom were to contract an illness, we would explore a plethora of other options for dinner: take-out, tv dinners, pizza. Likely, my dad and I would collaborate together and prepare something ourselves. Hilda, however, will not give up her role in the kitchen. I try extremely hard to remain oblivious to her sneezing on the food, coughing into her hands and then grabbing at the food, and wiping her nose with her hand and then, once again, touching the food. However, it's like a horror movie that I can not take my eyes off. The worst part of the whole scene is when she proceeds to set the food in front of me. I feel conflicted because, on the one hand, I am hungry, but on the other hand, I don't want to eat the food. I also don't want to be rude. I also don't have any other plausible alternatives. So I eat the food and wait for my inevitable demise.

The second problem is that there are very limited amounts of sanitation efforts when it comes to cleaning the dishes. I can almost see the bacteria multiplying and spreading on the "drying counter" after the dishes have been "cleaned" (aka rinsed off). This morning-- I kid you not-- Hilda, while feverishly sick, rinsed a spoon with an extremely conservative amount of [cold] water, dried it with her fingers that she had literally just sneezed into and wiped her nose with, and then stuck it into my rice and beans for me to eat with. Excuse me if I'm being a gringo, but I can't help but to internally scream, 'WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

The lack of health education in this country is baffling to me. Superstitions, wives tales, and intuition all seem to come before science with the people I have encountered. How in the world can Hilda think it is sanitary for her to dip her unwashed, soiled fingers into the peanut butter (that she bought for me, I might add), lick her fingers clean, and then repeat the process four or five times?? How can she not realize how, the next morning, I do not want to eat the crackers and peanut butter that she serves me? Costa Rica prides itself on being the highest educated country in Central America (as the US fights its wars they have extra money to spend on their education system), so how can its people not know about germs, bacteria, and ways to spread an illness?

When everyone was healthy, it was all fine and dandy. However, with the lack of germ-consciousness and sanitation efforts, the illness in my house is, inevitably, spreading like wildfire. First Hilda, then Johan (who is now in worse shape than Hilda), and now Manuel is showing symptoms of early infection. I do not want to be next, but I know that my crash-immune-system-building efforts will only delay the inevitable illness that I am going to contract.

Needless to say, Peter, who gets our leftovers, has been feasting recently on the food that I'm too scared to eat. To thank me he has been lunging for my throat twice the amount as he had previously-- that sick, twisted, mentally ill rodent-dog.

This is sure a unique experience. I hope I can make it out alive.

15 Seconds of Fame

In North America, there is usually an effort to include minority races in advertising ploys to attract more demand, or to remain politically suave. Living in Costa Rica, however, I did not initially consier that this might affect me. Although I was well aware that I am a minority here, I figured people solely viewed me as someone very out of place and not worth their time. Unfortunately I was mistaken.

During the 5k run for the Clinica Biblica, I disregarded the cameras, assuming that they would prioritize the Ticans over me. However, it seems as though I miscalculated, and being one of two white people at the race, I actually made it onto television with this horrendous picture:

And no, I still haven't received a dime for my modeling efforts. (Likewise, I haven't been fined for the decreased number of viewers after they showed this picture, either.)

Tour Day 8: Tarcoles: Final Day

7/15/13

Today was the last day of our tour! I am feeling very sad to end this experience and return to Whitworth tomorrow morning. Rolando told us that he is feeling nostalgic also, claiming he has to set us free like little birds, and he can no longer tell us where to eat, sit, and throw the toilet paper (sometimes it goes in the garbage can).

The first activity of the day was to drive to a restaurant called Tres Hermanas, or Three Sisters, for a pit stop on our way to Tarcoles. There, my parents and I enjoyed ice cream from a popular shop called Pops, and viewed the giant statues on display. There was a statue of a bull that is rumored to make a person pregnant if they touch it in a specific place. The man below (yes, from our group) was clearly unaware that. 

                 (Above: giant gorilla statue)

  (Above: legend has it that this man has now increased his chances of becoming pregnant)

We then continued our trip towards Tarcoles! The drive was beautiful, as per standard. 

After a few hours we stopped for lunch, which I opted out of after the feast we had for breakfast in addition to the ice cream. Before we loaded back on the bus, a few local dancers performed for us. I did not like this. I was front and center in the audience, and I felt very uncomfortable. Who was I supposed to look at? I tried to quickly weigh the pros and cons of which scantily-dressed person I should watch jumping around. I discovered that no matter who I looked at, they would stare back right into my eyes, which made me feel even more uncomfortable! I watched with envy as many people in the back or outer edges of the seating arrangement would sneak out (including Rolando, our guide), but as I was in the front of the group, there was no way I could join them. So, I ended up becoming intently focused on scratching my bug bites while making an effort to think of a happy place. Even so, it was a scarring experience.

                        (Above: the dancers in their most modest outfits)

We then reached Tarcoles! Whereas the trip I took with my classmates was more of a crocodile-watching tour, this time it was more of a nature trip, which was equally great in its own way. We saw many small crocodiles, lizards, iguanas, and different species of birds. Not to mention the stunningly beautiful scenery!

              (Above: a baby crocodile)

                   (Above: an iguana)

We returned to the hotel, ate a delicious farewell dinner, and said our goodbyes. I can't believe the tour has come to an end already! I'm very sad to see my parents and new friends leave. This trip will be a memory I remember forever, and it was so great to share my new home country with my parents. Tomorrow I will return to my host family, and continue in my pursuit to learn more Spanish. Pura vida!

                                      (Above: our group)

                       (Above: my parents, Rolando, and me)

Tour Day 7: Guanacaste

7/14/2013

Today we had the day off, and we were able to enjoy our amazing hotel in Guanacaste. We played and hiked on the beach, swam in the infiniti pool, ate, drank at ecstatic hour (superior to happy hour, because the drinks were free!), and even went zip lining! It was the ultimate "tranquila" day.

In the morning my mom and I woke up and spontaneously decided to go zip lining. It was incredible! Our group consisted of a family from New York of around 20 people, who were all hilarious. I especially enjoyed talking to the extremely loud-mouthed father, because he would laugh at whatever I said. My favorite part was listening to the little boy, who was making a huge attempt to be funny like his father. When someone asked him how old he was, he exclaimed with a wink, "I'm 13, but by the pool I'm 14." 

We zip lined forward, backward, upside down, spinning, and many other accidental ways. It was fun being able to speak to the guides in Spanish, since nobody else in this particular group could understand our conversations. One time, when the loud-mouthed man asked why he kept stopping before the platform, the guide smiled at him and told him it was random. He then proceeded to tell me in Spanish that it was because he was very fat. That little sidebar was perhaps my favorite part of the whole experience. 

When we returned back to the hotel, my dad and I ordered free piña coladas, while my mom enjoyed a stiff bottled water. We then proceeded to sprawl out by the pool, swim, and read for the rest of the day (I am reading a great book on Oscar Romero, who was a Latin American theologian who promoted peace in times of injustice and war before he was brutally assassinated. I recommend it to anyone looking to learn a little something about Latin American history). 

Great company, scenery, food, and piña coladas all made for a wonderful and "tranquila" day!