Coco and Chanel
hidden treasures in San José, Costa Rica
It’s 10:06am in the city of San José, Costa Rica, and I am frantically searching for my lost debit card. I am also conveniently late to a private movie showing that is supposed to be happening at 10:00am. Feeling the pressure of my study abroad group rushing me to leave, I connect to Wi-Fi to double check my bank account and then head out the door trying not to think about the fact that I lost my only money source while in a different country.
. . .
We sit in the theatre enjoying an intimate screening of a not yet released movie by Ivan Porras, a director here in Costa Rica. We have been profoundly spoiled as a group of twenty-five college students to have so many connections to movies and music in the city. I am here studying Spanish and English, and this type of culture is exactly what I came here for.
I was doing my best to concentrate throughout the movie, but I was anxious about my missing card the entire time. The film was about a retired soccer player who had once lost his championship, and at seventy-two years old was now dancing in a competition for an opportunity to gain the trophy he never achieved. While I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I also couldn’t get out of it fast enough.
Once the showing was over we had about ten minutes to return to our hotel which was two blocks away and to grab whatever we needed to head out to lunch. As soon as I entered my room, I restarted my search for my card which I was hoping was just lost in the room somewhere. I started to toss things out of my bookbag and discover my card in one of the hidden pockets. From this moment on I will always put my card back in the spot it goes in my wallet and nowhere else.
I enjoyed my vegetarian falafel wrap followed by one of the most gooey, undercooked, delicious brownies I had ever eaten, and my mind was finally at ease. I felt ready to restart the day. We were to meet back as a group at 4:00pm so that we could all take a trip to Zamora Estate and have a tour of their vineyard.
When 4:00pm approached, all twenty-five of us students were on our big tour bus ready to go. I was sitting near the front of the bus and noticed that Patricia, the woman who had planned this activity for us, was on the phone. By her body language I could tell that this trip wasn’t going to happen. Because Costa Rica is in its rainy season, the vineyard was a little too flooded to be shown- and by a little I mean it had rained every day since we had arrived exactly one week ago. I got off the bus with my rainproof hiking boots in my hands and wondered what I could do for an hour. Call home? Catch up on social media news feeds? I decided I would set out to explore the city myself.
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. It is the seat of the country’s national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of Central America, bringing in more than a million people a day. The city was full of hidden treasures waiting to be found. I had an hour to kill and knew exactly where I wanted to go.
A three-minute walk from our hotel, a coffee shop with a sign out front that simply stated “Cafeteria” awaited me. I love coffee shops. Not Starbucks or Jittery Joes, but the locally owned, knitty gritty places with personalities that range from all pink walls to beanbag chairs on the floor. This one was no exception.
Me and another student buzzed ourselves in and were immediately greeted by a small white dog that was noticeably pampered. I couldn’t recognize the breed off the top of my head, but it looked like it belonged in a dog show. I don’t know about everyone else, but when there is a dog in the store, the place automatically becomes that much cooler for me.
We sat down in the only secluded area around a small table with chairs and ordered ourselves different kinds of coffees while enjoying the unexpected free time we had. When we were ready to pay, the woman working the register clearly noticed we were from out of town and sparked a conversation. She went by “Coco”, and she co-owned the local shop. Coco had lived in Costa Rica for ten years now but was originally from Venezuela. She was happy and eager to tell us her story about leaving Venezuela because of deadly riots and the collapsing of the economy which left many people without jobs. She left the country and made her way to Costa Rica where she made a life and a future for herself in the city of San José.
It was surprising to me that she fled from a dangerous situation to a safe haven in San José because of the reputation that San José has as a dangerous city. After wandering this city for a few days, I had the impression that it was very busy, fast paced, full of people, downright beautiful but never scary. I asked her if she ever thought about leaving and she said she didn’t see a reason why she would. Costa Rica was home to many sights that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. If people from around the globe were coming to see Costa Rica, why leave? Oh, and she also told me that the dog’s name was “Chanel.” Coco and Chanel. I should’ve known.
I thought about what Coco said for a long time. She was right. Costa Rica is full of beautiful things. The scenery is amazing, I have never been somewhere so lush and tropical. The city is full of history and unique architecture that I would never find in the states. But from my entire study abroad experience I know that I will always remember this little coffee shop directly in the city of San José. It’s not a giant theatre or a supermercado, but it is an incredible story of life in Costa Rica and taught me to look beyond the surface of the city to find things the eye might not immediately see.
. . .
I rush back to the hotel, and it’s almost ten minutes after 5:00pm. We were supposed to meet as a group at 5:00pm. I quickly go to my room to drop off my bookbag and sprint for the bus. I sit down in my seat and notice I left my debit card, hopefully in the room and not lost (again), but then I remember I’m in one of the most remarkable cities in the country of Costa Rica and all at once, my worries start to escape me.
