Mi Barrio
My Tico Lifestyle is Underway
Oof-dah! So much has happened in just one week. We’ve met the semester students, explored downtown San José, gained more confidence using the Costa Rican buses, and made significant progress on our projects.
Downtown
On Friday, we got a nice tour of downtown San José from our Spanish instructor, Mario. There are a ton of beautiful parks with fountains, statues, and exotic trees, but also some really cool architecture and museums. We learned a lot about Costa Rican history on the tour, and about some famous landmarks like Casa Amarillo and Escuela Metálica, a school made out of metal that came to Costa Rica by boat! Our professor also pointed out a street musician who has played guitar in the same spot for years, as well as the awesome national post office and nearby fancy private club. My favorite place was Teatro Nacional, the national theater modeled after Paris’ opera house — super elegant.
We ended our tour in Mercado Central, which is incredibly unique and unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s feels like being in a sprawling building with a huge tin roof, but also like being in an outdoor farmer’s market because there are tons of winding pathways throughout the fruit, fish, meat, and coffee stands. Some shops felt incredibly touristy, while others seemed like authentic Costa Rican vendors, with regular customers and everything. We ate in the market for lunch, where I tried cow tongue! (Full disclaimer: it tastes pretty much exactly like beef except softer)
Our group of four liked San José so much that we decided to return Saturday to explore more. We didn’t get to the museums as planned, but had a ton of fun in the main city park full of cultural events. There were non-traditional bikes to ride (like one that was twice as long as a normal bike, and one twice as short), dancing and music, and awesome food.
Friday night was also our first night out on the town as a group, which was a much needed break after a long week. We met up with some of the semester students at a bar near the University of Costa Rica. Also, we let ourselves speak in English for the night to let our brains relax a little after five days of non-stop Spanish.
¡PAC! ¡PAC! ¡PAC!
On Sunday, I decided to go with my family to a political campaign event that I hardly knew anything about. As soon as I got into the car, I was handed a red and yellow flag on a wooden stick and told to fly it out the window — along with the four other flags (in the exact same style) that were already poking out of my family’s car at odd angles. It turns out I was going to an event for the Partido Acción Ciudadana (Citizen’s Action Party). The whole drive, cars were honking for us and we were honking for all of the other cars that also had the PAC flags flying.
The campaign event was super interesting because Costa Rica is in the middle of a unique election period. Presidential elections were held back at the beginning of February, but none of the candidates received the required 40% to win the election, so there is a second round of voting coming up this Sunday. But what makes the whole thing really fascinating, is that the PAC is a new-ish party trying to overtake the PLN, a more conservative and dominant party … and the PLN candidate hasn’t campaigned for the second round! However, Costa Rican law prohibits candidates from stepping down from the second round, so while the PLN candidate is technically still in the race, his lack of a campaign means that Luis Guillermo, the PAC candidate will probably win. The actual event was a lot of fun, with concerts, cultural masks, food, and even a speech from Guillermo.
Mi Barrio
Overall, I feel like I’m really adjusting to my lifestyle here in Costa Rica. I continue to get along with my family, and have gotten even closer to my siblings and host parents. I’ve also started to master the bus system to and from classes, which feels great. It’s nice each day to have some time to myself to look around my community, especially in the afternoon walking from my stop to my house.
I love seeing the stray dogs and cats everywhere on my walk home, and people calling out to each other on the street. Lots of times, I stop at the little shop that my older host brother’s father-in-law owns, la pulperia, for a Coke or afternoon snack, and to chat with my host brother or other workers. My Spanish is definitely improving, too. Every day I feel more comfortable speaking with stranger and my family, and for the most part everyone is patient and understanding. Taking taxis is another adventure completely, but one that’s usually pretty fun. And speaking in Spanish with the drivers is usually enough to get a couple good tips about Costa Rica — from traveling, to how to dress for the weather (hint: wear less clothes), to what fruits to eat when. I’m excited to continue getting to know this city over the next couple months.
Thanks for reading! Check back next week for a post from the cacao farm and nature preserve that I’ll be visiting this weekend.
