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!

Tour Day 6: San Carlos Valley

7/13/2013

This morning we set off from our stunningly beautiful hotel in San Carlos Valley to travel to Guanacaste, which will be our final destination of the tour. En route to Guanacaste, we visited the hanging bridges. We were given the choice to take a guided tour or venture off on our own, and thinking the guides would be able to spot wildlife and supplement our information, we chose the guided tour. Unfortunately, we were sorely mistaken. 

The hanging bridges were beautiful! Gorgeous greenery, a little bit of wildlife consisting of snakes, birds, and monkeys, along with streams and waterfalls made for an incredible afternoon. Our guide Fernando was not a great contributor to our experience, however. His strategy was to walk up front and tell something to one person. That person would then, out of either kindness or pity for the rest of the group, relay the information through our group (passing through both English and Spanish speakers who would attempt to translate to each other) until it reached the last person. It was similar to the common game played in childrens camps, telephone. Our guide would generally say about three words to the first person, along the lines of "There's a frog." By the time it would filter down to the last person, however, the information would be that of "There's something on the right side of this giant forrest." Needless to say, Fernando did not receive a tip from anyone except the first guy. Rolando however, always on top of things, tossed him a water bottle as we were driving away to supplement his low income.

(Above: my parents and I at a waterfall by the hanging bridges)

After the hanging bridges we made a pit stop at a shopping center. My mom made a b-line to the shops, while my dad and I hung back at an ice cream shop. We noticed that in the little standard rides that children can take for a quarter, which are the same as in North America, there is honking programmed in to the music! It never ceases to surprise me how nonchalant honking is in this culture.

When we returned to the bus, there was a bee on my window. I removed my shoe and asked Rolando permission if I could kill it, and he proceeded to both de-wing it and be-head it all in a half a second and with one hand! This guy is unstoppable!

Our day ended with us arriving at our beautiful hotel, which is right on the beach and also has the largest infiniti pool in Costa Rica.

Another great day in Costa Rica! Another benefit of this hotel is that there are free drinks for three hours every day. Needless to say, there may not be a posting tomorrow. Pura vida!

Tour Day 5: Los Chiles (and Nicaragua!)

7/12/13

This morning we set off for a wildlife boat tour on a river along the Nicaraguan border called Rio Frio, which translates to "Cold River."

On the bus ride to the river, we passed a restaurant with a lizard theme. Rolando informed us that people recreationally eat lizards in Costa Rica, and even that some restaurants will serve it in the place of chicken to unsuspecting people. I made a mental note to switch to beef for my next month here.

(Above: there were seemingly hundreds of lizards on a bridge outside of the lizard restaurant)

The boat tour was amazing! We saw monkeys, "Jesus Christ" lizards (I've heard two explanations as to why they are nicknamed Jesus Christ: one idea is because they can walk on water, and the other is that, when they walk on water, you yell "Jesus Christ!"), cows, birds, ducks, and more. We lucked out to have beautiful blue skies instead of the standard lightning storm, which was an added bonus, and perhaps even allowed us to see more wildlife. We were also fortunate enough to see "Blondie," a mutant yellow monkey. We were told that she is the only blonde monkey to exist-- however, to be honest, they could pretty much tell us anything and we'd believe it!

                 (Above: a Costa Rican bird)

               (Above: Blondie and her son)

             (Above: a crocodile of some sort)

We then headed off to Nicaragua! Our tour company has some sort of deal set up with the border patrol, so we were allowed to be temporary illegal immigrants for a few minutes. While our group was taking tourist pictures with the Nicaraguan border sign, Rolando enjoyed carrying around a giant black grasshopper of some sort and parading it around.

        (Above: my mom and me in Nicaragua!)

                                      (Above: crossing the border)

  (Above: Rolando carrying around the giant grasshopper)

Afterwards we were off to a hotel with a wide variety of hot springs for an afternoon of swimming. We enjoyed the warm water, with springs ranging up to 130 degrees! I think the consensus was that our favorite part was riding the fast and furious water slides. My dad and I went on the fastest slide, and I think we're partially concussed from smashing our heads so many times against the slide. I'm skeptical of the safety regulations required here in Costa Rica.

One benefit from today's events that I can take away is that now I can officially cross being an illegal immigrant off my bucket list. Pura vida!

Tour Day 4: Fortuna

7/11/13 

This morning we nostalgically left Limon and set off to Fortuna! To get out of our hotel in Tortuguera, we took an hour or so boat ride to reach land. At the tourist pit-stop, there were many people on bus tours similar to ours all taking a break and getting situated. I saw one little girl petting and hugging a dirty homeless dog with her mom looking on and smiling. To top it off, they fed the dog a bag of Cheetos. I wonder if my laughter at this typical Gringo situation means that I have officially lived here long enough to have made the transformation into a Tican.

We stopped off for lunch at a private restaurant in Civolo en route to our hotel in Fortuna. At the restaurant, a few people performed a dance portraying the Costa Rican cavemen becoming friends with the animals. It became awkward when the main character forgot his dance moves. We were then allowed to walk around the beautiful grounds of the hotel, where we saw a giant tree, a few sloths, and a venomous frog of some sort. Rolando was not afraid of the poisonous frogs, however, and scooped one up to show us. Not even the fear of venom can slow this guy down.

Next, we visited a pineapple plantation! We were given a crash-course on useful tips about pineapples. We learned that, to pick an ideal, ripe pineapple, you should look at the eyes; the bigger the riper the pineapple. The pineapple should be green on the top and yellow at the bottom, and have symmetry.

We also learned a little bit about the daily life of a pineapple farmer at this particular plantation, which has caused me to cross pineapple farmer off my list of potential future careers. The life of a pineapple farmer sounds extremely rough; these men stay bent over for long hours sticking the fronds of pineapples into the ground-- it hurt my back just hearing about it! Another interesting fact we learned was that an average of seven pineapple field workers per year get struck by lightning in Costa Rica, since there is so much open space. As soon as the presentation was over and I returned back to my seat in the bus I started doing homework-- I've never been more motivated to earn my degree!

The pineapple plantation itself, however, was stunningly beautiful. A diverse collection of plants, blue skies, and thousands of pineapple fronds made for a great afternoon to just look around and soak in the beauty. 

        

(Above: pineapples! A worker has to poke a hole in the tarp each time before they stick a frond in.)

We arrived at the hotel around three and were given the rest of the day to just relax, which was lucky for us because the hotel is stunningly gorgeous! I keep looking for Oprah or another A-list celebrity to walk by, as there is no way this place can go unnoticed by the rich and famous. Flowers, greenery, waterfalls, ponds, streams, warm hot springs, pools, and a three-hour happy hour all made a great afternoon for us. The cherry on top is our view from the hotel: an active volcano! I feel like this place is too good to be true.

                                                  (Above: the volcano)

                        (Above: towel animal courtesy of our hotel maids)

Today marked the half-way point of the trip; I can't believe how fast time is flying! Pura vida!

Tour Day 2: Limon

7/9/13

This morning my parents and I woke up around 5 a.m. to set off to spend the next two days in the province of Limon, Costa Rica. Limon is a poor, relatively dangerous town full of English- and Spanish-speaking Jamaicans. I was excited to learn we would be traveling here, because it is a place I would be too nervous to travel to alone or with friends. In the safety of the tour bus, however, with Rolando our guide knowing every person in Costa Rica and their mother, I feel safe and excited for this experience.

We started off the day by driving through the busy city of San Jose, which I am familiar with, and I was able to quietly supplement Rolando's information to my parents. For example, when he pointed out the theatre, I told my parents that on Thursdays plays are only $2.00. Once again I felt like part of the elite having this small piece of knowledge.

The route to Limon was very pretty, with trees and greenery looking like large pieces of broccoli, and at one point we passed a yellow river. We also passed pineapple and banana fields. Fun fact: in the banana plantations men rope 25 bunches of bananas together and run them from place to place as the main method of transportation. These runners make around $25 a day, which is big money. Another fun fact: bananas start out as flowers, and only half of the flowers turn into bananas.

        

       (Above: the yellow river)

       (Above: the yellow river)

       (Above: pineapple field)

We entered Limon after approximately an hour and a half and made our first stop at a butterfly garden. My mom's favorite part was looking at the blue butterflies, my dad liked the women dressed in butterfly outfits, and I enjoyed the diverse greenery in the garden, and the cookies offered in the waiting room.

    

                (Above: a banana runner)

                          (Above: casaba root, which is similar to potatoes)

                                             

As we drove through the town of Limon, my suspicions about the safety were confirmed. Police were everywhere! I told my dad to move his wallet into his front zipper pocket and to be very aware, and to take away all money from my mom for safekeeping (which, let's be honest, he should probably do anyways).

 (Above: a Limon police checkpoint onset by a recent robbery)

As we approached the hotel, Rolando warned us not to be surprised by finding a frog, beetle, or other kind of creature in our hotel room. He told us that if this was the case, not to freak out, and he suggested that if we're having trouble adjusting to the uninvited company to try giving it a name, which might take the edge off. I have pre-named my room critter "Peter," in honor of my host dog.

The Tortuguera province, where we are staying, is only accessible by boat and plane; we were driven by boat. We saw plentiful wildlife and greenery on our trip, including a few monkeys! Our guide's name is Willace and I enjoyed speaking to him in Spanish and listening to his Limon accent.

                         (Above: Willace)

(Above: workers on the lake digging up sand to fill the holes in the houses to prevent water from getting in.)

We arrived at the hotel and were greeted with thousands of mosquitos who were eager to get a taste of our exotic Gringo blood. in addition, the mystery critters Rolando spoke of ended up being bats! We spent the afternoon eating, walking along the beach, and lounging at the hotel before our evening tours.

(Above: the bats in the hotel. Notice the "Wake up Knock" sign, because there are no phones in our Tortuguera hotel rooms.)

      (Above: the definition of "tranquila," or "calm")

We ended the day with a tour in a Limon jungle with the intentions of spotting some red-eyed tree frogs. To our surprise, however, they were everywhere! In trees, on the ground, and even jumping and climbing on people! My dad, ever the explorer, ventured into the wilderness when the guides weren't looking and surprised everyone (himself included) by discovering two iguanas! When he pulled the leaf back to reveal the iguanas, he almost grabbed one by its face-- possibly the reason the tour was guided. My rebellious financial advisor father, however, cannot be tamed.

       (Above: a red-eye tree frog)

                     (Above: two geckos)

After a post-dinner swim in the pool we are off to bed (yes, at 8:30...) in preparation for the 5 a.m. sunrise hike along the beach my parents and I have planned for the morning. Buenos noches!