Dexter Marcel

Mood: Relaxed
Music: Micky Avalon - Jane Fonda

So on Wednesday, I took the family around San Jose, then back to Santo Domingo to meet my host family (which was soooo awkward... I had no intention of informing my host family that I was engaged, but my mom forced me into it. Sigh.). Then, the part I was really nervous for - my family met Danny and we went out to dinner... It went as well as can be expected, considering the language barrier. I can't really tell if they like him, heck, THEY probably can't tell if they like him yet. Hopefully they'll decide that they will...

It's funny, I expected that they would be less than thrilled about my being engaged (so soon in the relationship, so young, whatever), but I didn't really think they would take to completely ignoring it. They haven't yet asked me how he asked, when he asked, or what kind of plans we have. I kind of wonder if they ever will.

Whatever. Anyway, yesterday morning I had my last meeting with IFSA (*tear*), then we grabbed lunch in Heredia at Cafe Scarlett (which happened to also be the very first place I ate in Heredia). In the afternoon we cabbed into Chepe and hopped a bus to Manuel Antonio, a national park on the Pacific coast that's known for having "more monkeys than people". We didn't get there until about 6:30, so we just ate dinner and went to bed early to be up in time for a canopy tour today.

I wasn't ready to believe their slogan, since Manuel Antonio is being rapidly converted into a tourist trap, but I was proved wrong this morning when a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys passed by in front of the porch of our hotel room and then onto our roof. Seriously, there were at least twenty of them - momma monkeys with babies, teenager monkeys sticking their little monkey hands in everything, grumpy grandpa monkeys trying to hurry the troop along... It was AWESOME. I've been waiting to see a monkey this whole trip, and in 20 minutes, I see an entire troop.

Then, this afternoon we went on a canopy tour. For me, it was kind of been there, done that, but this tour WAS nicer than the one we did back in August (jeez, was it really that long ago?). For starters, the hike up wasn't even half as bad - I was barely sweating (maybe quitting smoking really DID help... oh, I quit smoking. I just realized I forgot to mention that before). Also, it was about twice as long, and included a tarzan swing. And the muscle-y Jorge, ha. The fam had lots of fun, even though it was drizzling the whole time. I'm personally of the opinion that the drizzle was kind of nice, though. It meant we went faster on the lines, and that it was a lot cooler than it would have been otherwise.

After canopy, I had a nap, and then for dinner we walked up the hill to El Avion restaurant. The owners of the place bought an abandoned C-123 airplane that had been left in the San Jose airport for 20 years after the Iran-Contra scandal broke - the plane was the twin of the one that was shot down over southern Nicaragua and that started the whole thing. Anyway, they paid $3000 for the plane, and had to have it shipped to Manuel Antonio by boat, since it was exactly 10 inches too wide to fit through the railway tunnels. Now, the inside of the plane is a bar/night club (The Contra Bar) and there's a restaurant built around the outside that overlooks the ocean. The food was pretty good, too, haha.

Now it's bed time, since tomorrow we have a 7:30 hike through the park.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

IT'S ENORMOUS!!!!

Mood: ECSTATIC
Music: ALSO ECSTATIC

I can finally tell everyone: DANNY ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM!!

Okay, so he actually asked me quite a bit ago (November 6, to be exact). We were sitting outside the store that night, and he asked me, "What do you think about matrimony?"

Me: It's for two people who love each other and want to be together, why?
Danny: Do you love me?
Me: Duh.
Danny: Do you want to be with me?
Me: Double duh.
Danny: So what do you think about matrimony with me?
Me: ...Are you asking me to marry you?
Danny: Um, yes, is that okay?
Me: OF COURSE THAT'S OKAY!!!

And then there was lots of kissing and me saying yes about a thousand times. But then he broke me off and said, "Okay, here's the thing. Your ring isn't here yet. It will be soon. But I want you to promise not to say anything until that ring is on your finger. I want to be able to prove that I'm serious." Hence why I haven't said anything until now.

For real, who is impressed with how well I kept my mouth shut? Show of hands.

Anyway. Tonight, I FINALLY GOT MY RING!! So now, you're reading the blog of the future Doña Sarah Beth Pitney de Aguilar. It's a long name, but hey, Sarah de Aguilar really rolls off the tongue :D

Pura Vida,
The future Sarah de Aguilar

Whew

Mood: Pleased
Music: Pitbull ft. Pharell - Blanco

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! I finished my Costa Rican university stay with an exam (in partners) in Costa Rican Cultural Identity and a presentation in Costa Rican Spanish. My grades for the semester, so far, are 2 A's and 2 B's. I'll take it! And I'm pretty sure the last grade will be an A-, so I'm sitting pretty. Whoooo hoooo!!!

In other news, my family gets here tomorrow and I'm taking them around San Jose. I'm excited for them to come and see my adopted country, but them getting here means I'm far to close to my own departure. Let's not think about it, shall we?

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Adios, UCR

Mood: Morose/Anxious
Music: Nope. My head is completely blank right now.

Sad face. Tonight was my last night seeing the UCR kids. Kate and I met up around 3:30 and did a little shopping in San Jose, then we went through San Pedro to check out a tattoo parlor (Kate's now got an appointment for a tattoo next Thursday). Then we caught the bus to Michael's house, where he and his (real) mom were making dinner for us. We had chicken in Coke sauce (weird, but delicious), a salad with an awesome dressing that we made out of garlic, salsa Lizano original, vinegar, oil, cilantro... and one other thing that I can't remember right now. Whatever, it was delicious. We also chopped up a bunch of fruit for a fabulous fruit salad.

It was a nice little last reunion, Michael, Ashley (and her little sister Onnie), and Katie from UCR were chilling with me, Kate, and Vallerie. Michael's mom was there, as well as his host mom and host cousin, plus his tico boyfriend (although said tico boyfriend stayed locked in Michael's room all night working on a huge paper he had due, lame).

Kate, Vall, and I just caught a cab back to Santo Domingo, and now I'm going to get to bed early so I can go with Danny to the Nicaraguan embassy tomorrow morning when he goes to get a new passport.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

LAST DAY!

Mood: Ecstatic
Music: Marco Antonio Solis - Antes de que te Vayas

LAST DAY IN THE ASAMBLEA!!!!!! WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Repechaje fail

Mood: Exhausted
Music: Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out

Day 2 of our last IFSA excursion. We were up at 6:00 this morning to leave early for Isla Tortuga... we were supposed to leave by 7, we left at 7:30. I often wonder why we're made to get up so early when they KNOW we'll ALWAYS be running late...

Anyway, at least we can say that they split us into 2 boats today. The ride from Isla Venado to Isla Tortuga was about an hour and a half long, and I fell asleep twice. That's right, I can sleep ANYWHERE. We got there around 9:00, and it was easily the most beautiful beach I've seen in Costa Rica. The beach chairs for rent and the volleyball net made it feel a bit tourist-y, but considering that aside from that and the one shop there was nothing else at all on the island, it wasn't too spoiled. In fact, a bunch of people ended up getting a volleyball and playing, so hey, it was all good. I sun-tanned, attempted to explore a cave and gave up because there was so much coral on the ocean floor, and watched Kelsey, Kate, Katie, and Ashley screw around with a giant log that they found floating in the waves. Mostly I just took pictures, because that's what I do. I did get some nice color (which later turned into a horrendous burn... I'll be peeling again by Tuesday, sigh).

After we ate some delicious fruit on the beach, we all piled back into the boats and hopped over to Isla San Lucas. Although the island is now a nature preserve, it used to be a penitentiary. A maximum-security prison built in the 1800's, San Lucas was used to house only the most dangerous criminals, like the man who stole the Virgen de los Angeles from her temple in Cartago... (No, seriously.) The ruins of the prison are still there (even though it was still in use up until 1989, somehow it's now ruins...). We were informed that some of the drawings on the wall were done with human blood. Supposedly, the bikini on one of the images was the blood of a nurse from the prison hospital, who was captured by the prisoners and then raped and killed on the beach... I don't know if I believe it. Sorry for the vivid imagery, I just found it interesting. Moving on. They also had this giant hole in the ground in the center of the main courtyard, where they apparently tossed poorly-behaved prisoners or the really violent offenders. They told us that they just left them there, either until they burned up from the heat, starved to death, or killed each other; nobody ever lasted more than eight days.

And I cuddled with a kitty. Just to lighten the mood a bit.

We left San Lucas around 1:30 and headed back to Venado. We had plenty of time for showering and relaxing when we got there, and I did homework until dinner to make up for what I didn't get done last night. After dinner, we went out to the bar to watch Costa Rica play the tie-breaker against Uruguay for the World Cup (of course, la Sele lost 1-0). It was still fun, though, because Steph L. has an "island lover" who told her he loved her within five minutes of meeting her, and now he wants to go back to the States with her. Steph F. danced with a creepy old dude, and Lauren kept fending off this wanna-be cowboy. Apparently on the island there's some kind of law that doesn't let the locals fish for two months, so we've developed this theory that they're all drunk (or at least the creepy old men are) for the entirety of said two months. This one guy was so drunk that we were sure he was going to lose it all over his table, but remarkably he got up and stumbled home (Jen later informed me that some other drunk guy fell out of his chair).

Now I'm in bed, and we're getting up early tomorrow for community service. Trash pickup in the sun really doesn't appeal to me... Sigh. Oh well, anything for the community.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

I didn't see any venados...

Mood: Curious
Music: John Mayer - Who Says?

This weekend we're on the last excursion with the IFSA Program. We left early this morning for Isla Venado, a tiny island in the Gulf of Nicoya, home to approximately 800 people, 50 bicycles, 20 motorbikes, and 2 cars. After a three hour drive, all TWENTY-ONE people had to pile into this TINY boat; I only went without whining because the boat was named La Perla Negra (the Black Pearl). We drove (? boated? motored? skimmed?) another 40 minutes or so to the island, and then hauled our suitcases across the beach and up a small hill to the hostel (sort of) that we're staying at.

Lunch was a quiet affair, and when I say quiet I mean it, because everyone was so hungry that we pretty much forgot to talk. After lunch, one of the locals was going to take us all on a hike around the island, but when we found out it would be a 10 kilometer hike in the blistering heat, Ashley, Katie, and I decided we would rather wander a stretch of beach close to the hostel and go swimming instead. We looked at pretty rocks/shells/sea glass and waved at various people in their boats (we REALLY wanted to make friends with someone who would take us for a ride, ha).

We got back to the hostel before everyone else, which was nice because it meant we didn't have to rush in the shower. After everyone had returned, we ate dinner and then walked into "town" to get ice cream from the pulperia. Then, and don't ask me how we got started, we ended up playing a 17-person game of Never Have I Ever. It was RIDICULOUS! I was laughing so hard I was crying. And I learned some very interesting things, haha.

Now, about half the group is out at the bar (one of 2 on the island), and I'm supposed to be doing homework, but I got distracted. Hey, it's easy to do in this heat.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Neoliberalism and xenophobia

Mood: Politically frustrated, personally philosophical
Music: Laura Pausini - Víveme

I'm sure anyone reading this can guess how my morning started. Something along the lines of: "Did you see what the nicas did this time? They're ruining our country!"

I have had it up to here with all the hating. One man commits homicide in Nicaragua and tries to flee to Costa Rica - yes, it's a terrible thing to have happen, but it's ONE MAN. You CAN NOT generalize the entire population of a country based on one psychopath!! The way that many Costa Ricans manage to take one incident and blow it completely out of proportion constantly astounds me.

Doña L. tried to compare Nicaraguans/Jamaicans/Colombians in Costa Rica with Mexicans in the United States. I told her that yes, the two situations do have certain things in common: many immigrants enter the country undocumented, and because of that tendency, there tends to be a certain amount of prejudice against them. She told me that wasn't what she meant; she was thinking more along the lines of how said immigrants don't pay taxes, raise crime rates, impregnate female citizens, and use illegal arms to start firefights.

Wasn't that what I just said? PREJUDICE?!?

Yes, illegal immigration has negative effects on a country. But instead of assuming that all undocumented immigrants are criminals and immediately deporting them, we should work on immigration reform to allow people into the country legally so that this won't be such an issue. Moreover, we need to have some way to educate the populace about the situation, and break the prejudices that surround immigrants and their roles in society.

Anyway, it got me thinking. Costa Ricans tend to claim that in their country, racism has been eliminated. But honestly, go out and ask a tico right now about their views on Nicaraguans, Jamaicans, or Colombians, and you'll get the truth of the matter. So if Costa Rica is still racist, what else is being covered up here?

The answer? Neoliberalism. If you've been following this blog, you know that I'm doing an internship of sorts in the Costa Rican legislative assembly, which means that right now, I know more about the upcoming Costa Rican presidential elections than I do about Obama's health care reforms (I promise I'll start following US politics again in December). Anyway, there are 6 candidates to the presidency, four of which actually have a chance, according to the most recent Gallup poll. They represent four different political parties: Liberación Nacional, Acción Ciudadana, Movimiento Libertario, and Unidad Social Cristiana. Between these four, there are three ideologies: social-democrat, libertarianism, and christian-democrat.

I don't think I need to say much about the christian-democrats. An explicit repudiation of communism, no opposition to capitalism, support for a free market economy, support for CAFTA and the economic colonialism of the United States. Compassionate conservatism. EW.

Movimiento Libertario, though they accept the state intervention in matters of health, education, and infrastructure, continue to accept the theories of neoliberalism in regards to the new "soft imperalism" of the United States. Just like the christian-democrats, the libertarians supported CAFTA and continue to advocate for limited government.

And then there are the social-democrats. Both Liberación Nacional and Acción Ciudadana claim to be social-democrat, although Liberación is more of a third wave movement. Both claim to follow the basic principles of socialism, however they belive more in the primacy of political action as opposed to the primacy of economic action or economic determinism. AKA they're too wrapped up in getting themselves reelected to realize that every economic move they make brings them closer to being colonized by the United States.

So basically, all four of the candidates with a shot at the presidency lean towards neoliberalism and United States economic imperialism. Great. Racism and neoliberalism. The two things that this country needs most.

But what about the people?, you may ask. Don't the people know what's going on with their government? Don't they know that they're getting sold economically?

From what I've seen, nope, not really.

Sure, you can always find university students and the occasional politician who have read the newspapers (and moreover, read between the lines) and know what's going on in their country. They're the ones who voted against CAFTA, the ones who are voting for independent candidates who truly espouse the concepts of progress. Unfortunately, the views of this minority are largely overwhelmed by the herd mentality of the rest of the country. CAFTA's gonna create jobs? Awesome, bring it on! Dolarization? Sounds good! GET INFORMED PEOPLE!!! You want a way out of this economic crisis? Abandon the principles of neoliberalism. Period. Oh, and hey, you should think about legalizing those undocumented immigrants. The income you would make on their taxes alone would be worth it.

All right, I'm done for now. I'm so frustrated with all of this crap that it's entirely likely that I'll smack the next person who says the words "free market economy" or "nica".

And now, back to your regularly scheduled brain-washing.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
lid - combat
dimitir - to resign
reo - defendant

La hora tica

Mood: Unproductive
Music: Luis Fonsi - Yo No Me Doy Por Vencido

Okay, I realized that I named this blog "En Hora Tica" and that I find the concept of tico time to be interesting and amusing, most of the time. But seriously, this is my day off. I really had no desire to leave Sto. Domingo, more specifically Los Chinos, but here I am on campus to work on a group project. Guess how many other people from the group are here?

I guess I'm just frustrated. I only have 24 days left in Costa Rica. I would prefer to spend that time with my Costa Rican friends, of course, more specifically with Danny. My time now is limited, and I would rather not waste it on useless meetings that nobody ever shows up for, and if they do, only last fifteen minutes.

At least I brought other work with me. Let's see if I can't be at least a little productive.

Wishing time would slow the eff down, but always Pura Vida,
Sarah

NO NO NO NO NO!!!

Mood: Aggravated
Music: El Canto del Loco - Porque no ser amigos

Call me a screaming toddler throwing an epic temper tantrum if you will, but NO NO NO I WON'T DO IT, I WON'T DO IT AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!!!

Okay, I understand that xenophobia is a problem in Costa Rican culture. Everyone hates Nicaraguans, Colombians, and Jamaicans, got it. They steal Costa Rican jobs, raise crime levels and the amount of drugs in the country, and reap the benefits of free health care from taxpayer money. Same as the Mexicans in the United States. Right.

But the Diputada is asking too much of me.

Last week, a 20 year old college student got caught in a cross fire outside of San José, and she was shot in the head. When agents of the OIJ caught up to the suspects and pursued them, one agent also wound up dead from gunshot wounds. It was later determined that the suspects were Jamaican.

So now, Doña Lesvia wants me to go through the Ley de Migración (Immigration Law) with a fine-tooth comb, and find a way to prohibit: recently arrived foreigners from marrying Costa Ricans, the children of undocumented immigrants from receiving Costa Rican citizenship, and the adquisition of citizenship for any person who is or was at some point an undocumented immigrant in Costa Rica. Additionally, she wants me to find a way to legalize the immediate deportation of any immigrant suspected of a crime, even before they are taken to trial.

I. WON'T. DO. IT. It goes against everything I stand for, every principle I believe in. Sure, the people who killed that girl and that law enforcement agent were Jamaicans. But that is not a reason to start discriminating against every person who comes to this country to seek a better life!!! Their means of entry may not always be entirely legal, but that's not saying that just because they enter the country in an unconventional manner that they will automatically turn into hardened criminals! I'm sorry, but this just isn't okay. This is punishing people who have nothing to do with the issue.

I'll go through the Ley de Migración with a fine-tooth comb all right. And I'll find everything I can to prove that she can't do this. ¡Viva la inmigración, el intercambio de culturas, y la multiculturalidad del pueblo costarricense!

Always pura vida, even when the ticos aren't,
Sarah

New words:
hampa - underworld
quisquilloso - fussy
morbosidad - perversity
conurbación - an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities
otrora - former, one-time
paulatina - gradual
acosar - harrass

All Saint's Day?

Mood: Whoa
Music: Michael Jackson - Thriller

Epic Halloween win, despite calling it an early night and falling down in front of a taxi. Here are the pictures, enjoy.

Pura Vida,
Sarah