En Hora Tica

Propuesta

2010-04-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Casi me olvidé escribir mi propuesta para el ensayo final.

Quiero hacer una investigación del proyecto de ley que el Rep. Gutierrez introdujo en el congreso, el que es para la reforma migratoria integral. También quiero investigar la postura y planes que la administración Obama tiene al respeto. Pretendo hacer mi investigación con un enfoque en cómo estos cambios van a afectar a lugares como CARECEN, y qué es lo que quieren decir para la comunidad latina aquí en Washington.

Creo que eso es todo lo que necesita, ¿verdad Profe?

Quiereme

2010-04-14T11:55:00.000-07:00

Humor: Estresada
Música: Paulina Rubio - Yo No Soy Esa Mujer

Supongo que estoy atrasada en mis post... Bueno, ya casi estoy al final de mi pasantía con CARECEN. He hecho 201 horas aquí, y voy a tener 239 cuando termino (no quiero alcanzar 240, porque entonces ganaría otro crédito académico, y eso me resultaría caro).

La verdad, no me quiero ir. Pero entiendo la situación - no tienen los fondos para contratar a otra persona ahora. Es una lástima. Yo sería perfectamente contenta quedarme aquí y ser la asistente a Anita por el resto de mi vida, jaja.

Esta pasantía me ha dado más oportunidades de lo que pensaba. Hace unas semanas, me apliqué por un trabajo con un instituto que enseña clases de inglés y ciudadanía... bueno, todavía estoy esperando a que me digan algo, pero estoy cien por ciento cierta de que me lo van a dar. La señora que me hizo la entrevista dijo que yo era un "shoe-in" porque ya tenía experiencia con la comunidad latina, y aun más con un programa de clases de inglés y ciudadanía. Pero estoy ansiosa de todos modos; ya quiero tener esa carta de contratación en la mano (o más bien en el buzón de correo electrónico, jaja).

Buenoooo... Otras cosas que escribir... Ya empezamos la nueva sesión de clases la semana pasada. Yo creo que tenemos aun más gente matriculada de lo que yo pensaba que iba a haber. Yo sé que solo en las clases de la mañana los sábados hay 40 personas... Tal vez son unos 75 en total. En los formularios intake, siempre preguntamos al estudiante cómo se enteró de las clases, y esta vez muchos marcaron que por la TV, por la radio, etc. Eso me gusta porque quiere decir que nuestros anuncios están funcionando, que no estamos gastando plata en algo inutil pero que nos trae más personas para que esas aprendan algo importante.

Ayer me fui a la corte aquí en Washington para interpretar la ceremonia de naturalización de un tal Sr. Sanez. Yo no había ido a una ceremonía en Washington hasta la fecha, entonces me resultó interesante. En Baltimore, teníamos que llegar a las 9, y empezaron y terminaron antes de las 10:00. Pero en DC, teníamos que llegar a las 8:00, aunque la ceremonía empezó hasta las 10. Pero con buena razón, porque ayer se naturalizaron más que 100 personas, que representaban 44 países del mundo. Era la cosa más linda verlos a todos dándose la mano y felcitándose el uno al otro después de la ceremonia. El señor que estaba al lado del Sr. Sanez (que también era hispano) le dió la mano al Sr. Sanez y le dijo: De hoy en adelante, todos somos hermanos americanos. No es necesario decir que otra vez yo estaba a punto de llorar, jaja.

Bueno, ya es hora de irme para la U. Preferiría quedarme en CARECEN, pero así es la vida.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Los Miranda

2010-04-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Humor: Orgullosa
Música: Regina Spektor - Folding Chair

Esta mañana me hizo recordar del por qué hacemos lo que hacemos aquí en CARECEN.

Acabo de regresar de Baltimore, donde fui como intérprete para don Hector Miranda. Fuimos él, su esposa, y yo, pero no era para su examen de naturalización, sino para su juramento de lealtad. Eso quiere decir que él ya pasó su examen, y entonces fue a Baltimore para juramentarse y hacerse ciudadano estadounidense. Y aunque ella no estaba juramentando el mismo día, también su esposa doña Irma ya pasó su examen, y ella se va a juramentar de hoy en ocho.

Mientras estábamos en camino, los dos me estaban contando que tanto CARECEN les había ayudado, especialmente con las clases de ciudadanía. Me dijeron que Anita siempre estaba allí para apoyarles con cualquier cosa, aunque fuera solamente para leerles una carta. Lo más significativo para mi es que dijeron que no hubieran podido pasar el examen si no fuera para nosotros en CARECEN...

Y estar allí a su lado mientras dijo su juramento, mientras recitó por primera vez el Juramento a la Bandera como ciudadano de los Estados Unidos, yo casi estaba para llorar de orgullo. Doña Irma sí lloró, y me pidió que le sacara una foto de su esposo con su banderita de los EEUU, para mandarla a todos sus amigos. Fue algo tan conmovedor que renovó mi determinación a hacer cualquier cosa para ayudar a los que más necesitan ayuda. La verdad, fue unos de los momentos más orgullosos de mi vida, y espero poder tener muchos más.

Los Estados Unidos es un país de inmigrantes. Y hoy, uno de ellos se entretejió en nuestra tapiz, haciéndose para siempre otro hilo en la tela de nuestra cultura.

¡DON HECTOR, LE FELICITO!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Party Line

2010-04-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Humor: Cansada, media estresada, pero sobre todo contenta
Música: Maná - Clavado en un bar

Anoche me fui a la charla sobre el futuro de la reforma migratoria, con Cecilia Muñoz. Ella es la directora de asuntos internacionales para la Casa Blanca, pero también se considera una adjunta al departamento de asuntos migratorios. Vino a American a hablar sobre la reforma migratoria integral y del estatus del asunto en la administración de Obama. Dijo que quería tratar de tres preguntas que pensaba que componen el meollo del problema:

1. ¿Para qué vamos a empezar con un tema tan divisivo y difícil ahora, cuando hay problemas mucho más grande, como la economía defectuosa?
2. ¿Qué es la reforma migratoria integral? ¿Qué son los cambios que necesitamos efectuar?
3. ¿Qué impactos va a tener la reforma migratoria con respeto a lo cultural y económico?

1. Su respuesta a la primera pregunta tenía mucho sentido - tiene que ver con los objetivos de la administración. El presidente tiene dos metas gemelas. El primero es rescatar la economía del borde de un desastre, y el segundo es crear una economía resistente y fuerte para el futuro, una que va a crecer y crear más trabajos. Entonces, tenemos que arreglar el sistema migratoria, para que los empleadores puedan contratar a personas con confianza, los trabajadores no tengan miedo del abuso, y las condiciones vayan subiendo. El presidente sabe que la reforma es importante, porque si no lo hagamos, vamos a perder trabajadores con habilidades importantes dado a que esas personas no pueden estar legalmente en el país. Simplemente, si promovemos la reforma, vamos a tener más oportunidades para salvar a la economía, porque vamos a tener más trabajadores con empleos más seguros. Y asi, la economía será más fuerte, y podrá segir creciendo.

2. La respuesta al segundo tema tiene dos facetas interesantes. La Sñra. Muñoz dijo la reforma integral no solamente pretende arreglar uno o dos problemas del sistema, sino todos. Mencionó dos de esos problemas: la aplicación de las leyes migratorias, y la legalización de inmigrantes indocumentados.

Respeto al primer problema, dijo que cada año el gobierno gasta casi quince mil millones de dolares en la aplicación de las leyes migratorias, pero que ese gasto no infunde al público con confianza, porque aun asi, la población indocumentada ha subido a doce millones de personas. Pero dice que no es posible no mantener la aplicación, y que aun con cambios, la aplicación va a causar trastornos comunitarios. Entonces, para reducir a los efectos negativos, las nuevas políticas de aplicación van a enfocarse no en las niñeras y jardineros, sino en los empleadores y los criminales violentos. Repitió que no podemos dejar de aplicar las leyes, pero que lo importante es formular una política razonable para aplicar.

Para el segundo problema, Muñoz enfatizó que la administración no quiere una política de amnistía. Más bien, quiere una política que da la oportunidad de ponerse bien con la ley, o enfrentar la deportación. Si les damos esa oportunidad a los inmigrantes indocumentados, podemos tener más trabajadores legales, quienes están pagando sus impuestos (y, otra vez, salvando la economía). Dijo que también necesitamos reformar el sistema de visas, no solamente las visas familiares, pero también visas de trabajo y visas estudiantiles. Dijo que los residentes permanentes pueden esperar hasta seis años para traer a sus familias, lo cual les da más incentivos a venir de forma ilegal. Además, cuando las personas aplican para visas de trabajo, lleva tanto tiempo que en vez de venir a los EEUU, toman trabajos internacionales en otros países que son nuestros rivales económicos. Y con las complicaciones de las visas estudiantiles, personas calificadas, con títulos de universidades estadounidenses, no se pueden quedar a trabajar aquí.

Entonces, Muñoz dice que la realidad ahora es que si una persona no tiene un familiar inmediato, o un empleador que le quiere para un trabajo avanzado, no hay manera de venir a los EEUU. Por eso, solamente existen dos opciones para las personas que piensan inmigrar - venir ilegalmente, o quedarse en su país. Dijo que la reforma migratoria pretende crear una tercera opción. Esa sería la opción de esperar en una linea para recibir una visa, pero una linea que no es tan larga que no hay esperanza. También pretende dar más opciones a las personas que han vivido aquí ilegalmente durante toda su vida. Un ejemplo es el DREAM Act, que permite a los estudiantes indocumentados después de graduarse del colegio. Asi podemos parar el malgasto de talento y potencial que vemos todo el tiempo.

3. Con la tercera pregunta, Muñoz era firme en la afirmación de que la reforma migratoria no solamente es para los beneficios económicos, pero también que va a tener efectos culturales. Dijo que para la población latina, es algo más profundo, algo más significativo. Es el asunto de derechos civiles más importante de nuestro tiempo. El don de nuestra constitución es que está diseñada a proteger todas las personas, hasta las que evocan el menor grado de compasión del público.

Pasamos al significado que yo saqué de sus palabras.

Primero, el enfoque económico, aunque parece distanciarse del aspecto emocional, es para mi la manera más efectiva de convencer a un público escéptico y a veces hasta intolerante cuando se habla de la inmigración. En ese aspecto, me gusta lo que tenía que decir. Demostraba que la administración por lo menos sabe empezar desde una perspectiva más convincente.

Segundo, me parecía que la administración no está pensando en opciones alternativas. Sí, quiere arreglar el sistema, pero Muñoz seguía diciendo que la aplicación de las leyes no se puede evitar. No estoy de acuerdo. ¿Por qué no están considerando la posibilidad de una frontera abierta? Si van a venir al problema desde una perspectiva económica, deben de pensar en eso. ¡¡Imaginen cuanta plata podríamos ahorrar si no estuvieramos gastado 15 mil millones de dolares cada año en esa estupidez!!

Tercero, siempre me ha gustado la idea de la "amnistía parcial" (y la verdad, eso es lo que propone Muñoz, aunque sigue deciendo que no es amnistiá). Me gusta la idea de legalización condicional - dar a la gente indocumentada la oportunidad de ponerse bien con la ley y empezar el proceso de transición hacía una posición legal. Siento que eso es una manera justa - no solamente se dice "¡Todos son legales!", pero se dice "Vengan, digan que llegaron ilegalmente, cumplan con unos requisitos, y cambien su situación."

Cuarto, regreso a decir que la administración no está pensando en soluciones alternativas con respeto a lo de "la tercera opción" de Muñoz, esa de esperar en una fila. Ya estamos esperando en filas, no habrá ninguna diferencia. Otra vez pienso que una frontera abierta acabaría con esa necesidad, y otra vez enfatizo que ahorraría mucho dinero que no tendríamos que gastar en procesos innecesarios.

Quinto, aunque estoy de acuerdo con la mayoría de las ideas que propone Muñoz, mi gran problema con esta charla es que NO PROPONE SOLUCIONES. Ella habla elocuentemente y describe los problemas en una forma detallada, pero no nos dijo cómo la administración va a llevar a cabo los cambios que quiere efectuar. Sí, ella me dijo que la administración quiere hacer el proceso más rápido a que yo pueda tener a Daniel aquí conmigo, pero ¿CÓMO LO VAN A HACER?

En fin, fue una charla interesante e informativa, pero la verdad, creo que le hizo falta los aspectos más importantes. Se puede decir que Muñoz no más repitió el "party line", sin darnos la información fundamental que buscábamos de ella. Ya sabíamos qué quiere hacer la administración, pero no nos dió soluciones. Creo que fue productivo para mi ir a escucharla, porque por primera vez vi que aunque la administración HABLA de cambios, NO HACE NADA.

Otra vez me pregunto, ¿Si el gobierno no nos va a ayudar, qué podemos hacer nostros a efectuar cambio? Yo no soy nadie en particular. No siendo nadie, ¿qué puedo hacer yo? A veces me hace sentir inutil. Pero también reafirma mis objetivos para la vida - yo sé lo que quiero lograr, solamente no sé cómo hacerlo. Tal vez en eso, Obama y yo tenemos algo en común. Los dos tenemos ponernos las pilas. Yo voy a empezar ahora. Espero que Obama hace lo mismo.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Next steps

2010-03-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Humor: Simplemente feliz
Música: David Bisbal - Esclavo de sus besos

Pués sí, ¡aprobaron la petición! Y no solamente la aprobaron, pero lo hicieron tres meses más rápido de lo que pensabamos. Ahora hay unos cuantos pasos más que tenemos que tomar. Primero, van a mandar nuestro caso al National Visa Center. El caso se pone en una fila de otros casos iguales, o sea, ciudadanos estadounidenses solicitando permiso para traer a un prometido nicaragüense. Cuando ya hayan procesado los otros casos y llegue nuestro turno, voy a tener que entregar un formulario que dice que yo nos puedo apoyar financialmente (bueno, ahora no puedo, pero ya me van a dar un trabajo, y todo va a salir bien). Ya hecho eso, Daniel tendrá su cita allá en Managua, y entonces estará aquí conmigo :)

Ahora estoy aquí en CARECEN, pero hoy ha sido un día tranquilo. Solamente meter algunas cosas en el base de datos, pero no mucho más. He ayudado a unas tres personas a matricularse en la próxima sesión de clases, y eso sí me gusta. Me da esperanza, porque dos de las tres que se matricularon son de los que fracasaron en la entrevista práctica. No se han dado por vencida - van a seguir estudiando y mejorando. Y eso sí es algo positivo.

Y vivo por lo positivo :)

Pura Vida,
Sarah

APPROVED!!

2010-03-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

THEY APPROVED OUR PETITION!!!

¡¡¡APROBARON NUESTRA PETICIÓN!!!

Thanks, USCIS. I was freaking out, but this is WONDERFUL NEWS!!! I'll give more details later.

SO HAPPY!!!

WHAT DID THEY DO?!?

2010-03-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

I just checked the USCIS website, and it says they updated my case yesterday, but what did they do? THERE'S NO WAY FOR ME TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY DID. This is the problem with immigration, I swear to god, there's no straight answer with them. Ever.

So what? Approved? Denied? Need more info? How do I get them more info? Danny can't be on my bank account, because he can't be here to sign. He can't be on my lease, same reason. SO WHAT?!?!?

Seriously, USCIS, wtf? I need to know what to do here! Where's my email? Where's my text? WHY AREN'T YOU TELLING ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW?!?

I'm seriously on the verge of a panic attack here. I'm writing in English, and ignoring my chosen post format, for heaven's sake!

AAARGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yo soy quien elige cómo equivocarme

2010-03-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

Humor: Sonriente
Música: Shakira - Gitana (Yo sé, otra vez. Es una canción pegadiza.)

Me olvidé decir en el otro post que ese mismo sábado que hicimos el taller, también hicimos el exámen final de las clases de ciudadanía. Básicamente hacemos un "mock interview", que es igual a la entrevista que hacen en las oficinas de la Inmigración cuando una persona vaya a su cita de naturalización. Pués, las entrevistas siempre son una cosa agridulce para mi. Es que algunos de nuestros alumnos salen con una buena nota, todos feliz y sitiéndose listos para el exámen. Otros no reciben una nota tan buena, pero saben que van mejorando, y que con un poquito más de práctica ya pueden pasar. Pero otros... bueno, hay algunos que han llevado el curso ya varias veces, pero que siguen saliendo de la entrevista práctica sin haberla pasado... Y salen todos agüevados, y yo apenas lo aguanto. Me pregunto si es algo que nosotros estamos haciendo mal, si hay algun problema con el curriculum, o con los voluntarios que están enseñando el curso, o no sé qué... Es algo muy difícil, ver a algunos salir tan felices y otros tan desilusionados. Supongo que así es la vida de una maestra, ver a algunos pasar y otros fracasar. Pero después de las entrevistas con Teach For America y PGC Teaching Fellows, estoy de una perspectiva de que cualquier persona puede aprender con la manera correcta de enseñanza. Entonces, ¿qué es lo que necesitamos hacer? ¿Qué cambios son necesarios para que TODOS los estudiantes pasen?

Solo estoy reflexionando sobre esto ahora porque acabo de meter todas las notas de los estudiantes en nuestro base de datos. Con algunas de las notas, sonrio, sabiendo que esa persona si va a hacerse ciudadano. Con otros, fruncio la ceja, y me pregunto qué puedo hacer para ayudarles.

Entonces, ¿qué hago?

Pura Vida,
Sarah

¡¡¡EL PUEBLO UNIDO JAMAS SERA VENCIDO!!!

2010-03-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Humor: Cansada
Música: Paulina Rubio - Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes

Hay algunos que dicen "Habrá tiempo para dormir cuando me haya muerto". Pués, yo no creo que tengo tiempo para morirme, mucho menos dormir, jaja. Solo quiero terminar con la U ya, tenerme un trabajo seguro, de 9 a 5 (o 7 a 4 si sea con el Teach For America) con fines de semana libres. Yo no me he tenido un fin de semana verdadero desde enero, y siento que me hace falta. Sé que tenía mi vacación, pero el estrés se volvió en doble cuando regresé.

El taller nos fue buenísimo el sábado. Había 15 personas que llenaron su N-400, cuales son bastantes para llenar toda una tarde. También llegaron mucha gente para pedir información de las clases y del próximo taller. Siempre me gusta cuando hagan la clase antes de llenar la aplicación, porque entonces se sienten más seguros en saber bien las preguntas para el exámen.

También el sábado llegó Liza Lieberman, que es de HIAS Young Leaders aquí en Washington. HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) es un socio de CARECEN, y su programa Young Leaders nos ayuda a recoger fondos para proveer una beca a las estudiantes de nuestras clases, que les ayuda pagar el costo de la N-400. Liza hizo un video que promueve el trabajo que hace HIAS y la asociación entre HIAS y CARECEN, aquí está el enlace al video: http://vimeo.com/10318618

El domingo había la marcha, y como dije, no podía ir, lo que me desagradó mucho. Pero Ana (mi directora aquí en CARECEN) sacó bastantes fotos, que se puede ver al final de este post. Habían miles de personas que estaban allí para manifestar su descontento con el proceso migratorio actual, y para expresar su apoyo al representante Gutierrez y el proyecto de ley que este ha propuesto. Pero ¡que tanto me hubiera gustado estar allí!!!

Bueno, ahora me están esperando tres traducciones, todas las N-400 del sábado para inscribir en nuestro sistema, y las cosas logísticas para el nuevo semestre de clases que empiezan en dos semanas. Hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Prep work

2010-03-19T12:59:00.000-07:00

Humor: Estresada
Música: Marco Antonio Solís - Ojalá

Ya estoy de nuevo aquí en CARECEN, y la mera verdad, lo extrañaba bastante. Mañana tenemos otro taller de ciudadanía, esta vez aquí en la oficina. He estado todo el día preparando los archivos de cada persona y haciendo "screenings" para los que todavía quieren registrarse. Mañana va a ser toda una locura porue la gente que viene de voluntario para ayudar son todos nuevos, y no van a saber qué están haciendo, entonces quiere decir que van a estar haciendo muchisisisísimas preguntas. Pero no hay nada de mal en eso, solo que hagan bien las N-400.

Siempre me gusta hacer los talleres, porque me da un sentido de logro - no para nosotros, sino para nuestros clientes. Ellos han superado todos las destrezas de venir aquí como inmigrante, y ya están en el proceso final para obtener todos los derechos de un ciudadano. Me da un orgullo para ellos que es algo muy gratificante para mi.

Entonces, va a ser un fin de semana muy lleno para nosotros, porque no solamente hay el taller, sino también la marcha para la reforma migratoria. Lástima que no puedo ir :( Tengo que estar trabajando - no puedo faltar porque me hace falta la plata que perdí mientras estaba en Costa Rica. Pero muchos compas míos van a ir, y seguro me van a mostrar todas las fotos y los videos que tomaron. Bueno, sería mejor estar allí yo misma, pero no siempre se puede tener lo que quiere.

Ya va terminando mi almuerzo, entonces hay que regresar a los archivos. Antes de ir, hay que mencionar para la Profe Velleman que ya he hecho 133 horas aquí en CARECEN. Siento que no puse las horas antes, se me olvidó por completo. Pués, hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Well, at least it's nice out

2010-03-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Humor: Ugh
Música: The Mamas and the Papas - Leaving on a Jet Plane

Ugh.

Ya estoy de vuelta en los estados, ¿se habían dado cuenta? Y claro, no me gusta mucho. Sé que mis amigos están aquí, mi U, y mi futuro, pero no me gusta estar separada de Daniel. Es que me hace falta la paciencia. Pués, voy a sobrevivir. Creo.

El sábado, como les dije, fui con Jen a la playa, que fue lindísima, aunque casi no hizo nada de sol (pero me quemé, de todos modos). Llegue de vuelta a la casa como a las 22:30, y entonces Tommy nos dice, "Jale pa' la playa." ¿Como que jale pa' la playa? Ya casí era la medianoche... Pués despertamos a la Yanely, nos metimos en la buseta, y salimos pa' Puntarenas. Llegamos allí al puerto a como las 2 de la madrugada, y nos quedamos allí durmiendo en la buseta hasta las 6, cuando salió el ferry. Creo que al fin llegamos a la playa a como las 10, y pasamos todo el día allá. Y claro, ya estando quemada, me puse pero roja. Daniel me estaba diciendo "mi camaroncita" toda la tarde, jaja.

El lunes nos quedamos tranquilos - pasamos por Heredia a que yo podría hablar con las del programa IFSA, y les conté todo sobre Dimia y sus maldades (es una larga historia, mejor lo guardo por otro día). Entonces de nuevo en la casa, cociné quesoburguesas no solo para Daniel, sino también para mi suegro, los tíos y primos de Daniel, y unos cuantos compas suyos. Creo que hice como unas 12 o por allí... Fue interesante porque casi nadie sabía cómo encender a la parrilla, jaja.

Y el martes por la mañana me fui, y ahora aquí estoy de nuevo en el apartamento. No tenía ningún problema con los vuelos. Pensaba que tal vez me iban a dar todo el rollo por lo del machete, pero no - les interesaba más los Chiky Chip ue traje para Kelsey y Sarah McGhee, jajajaja. Pués, no regreso a CARECEN hasta el viernes, entonces no voy a tener más sobre la pasantía hasta ese entonces. Ahora me voy a acostar, pero ya al rato les escribo más. Hasta pronto.

Siempre Pura Vida,
Sarah

Huellas

2010-03-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

Humor: Todavía lo más feliz de mi vida
Música: Shakira - Gitana

Que semana más linda, además de relajante... Nos montamos en caballo, fuimos canyoning (en que se hace rappel por unas cataratas - y ¡una era de 40 metros!), comimos bien, y estuvimos tranquilos. Mae, no tengo nada de ganas de regresar. Pero dice Daniel que si no me meta en el avión, me va a quitar el machete. Entonces supongo que sí voy a regresar.

Ahora estamos aquí dónde el chino. Daniel está hablando con él a ver que van a hacer mañana - van a ir al X-Knights, alguna cosa de motocross, o no sé qué. Mañana yo me voy pa' Jacó con la Jen y algunas otras muchachas amigas de ella.

La verdad, estoy un poquito intranquila, porque llamé hoy a las compas en los estados, y me dijeron que todavía no ha llegado la cita para tomar las huellas dactilares. Es que como parte del proceso de inmigración que estamos haciendo, yo me tengo que ir a Fairfax para hacer un "biometrics appointment". Y dicen que la notificación para la cita debe de llegar dentro de 30 días... pués ya casi han sido 45. Me pone media nerviosa. Pués supongo que lo único que puedo hacer es llamar a USCIS cuando llegue de vuelta a los estados. Por ahora voy a intentar estarme tranquila.

Les digo otra cosa - me está dando pereza hacer este blog en ambos español e inglés. Claro que no es que no puedo, solamente que lleva más tiempo que escribir en un solo idioma. Así que por ahora, solamente voy a hacer los posts en español, y regresar luego al inglés después de que termine el semestre.

Bueno, ahora basta - vamos a salir con el padrino a tomarnos unas birras, aunque la verdad él ya ha tenido unas cuantas, jaja. Hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

No solo los inmigrantes

2010-03-08T21:09:00.000-08:00

Humor: Completamente y perfectamente feliz
Música: David Bisbal - Ave Maria

POR FIN! Estoy aquí con Daniel en Monteverde, y sé que dije que no me iba a conectar, pero él se está bañando, entonces creo que me puedo permitir unos cuantos minutos a decirles que estoy aqui y a salvo.

Quiero comentar algo. En mi último post, estaba molesta porque nunca marcan bien a los pasaportes cuando la gente pase por aduana. Pués, cuando estaba de escala en Texas, me di cuenta de que no solo se equivocan con los pasaportes de los inmigrantes, pero que ¡mi pasaporte también falta un sello!!! Parece que cuando regresé de CR la primera vez, no pusieron mi entrada a los Estados Unidos... Gracias a dios no causó ningún problema cuando entré de nuevo aquí en CR, y yo me voy a asegurar que me lo marquen bien cuando regrese.

Bueno, como dije, llegue sin problems, y Tommy, Yanely, y Daniel me vinieron a recoger en el Santamaria. Salimos a comer en el Ranchito, y entonces Tommy nos dejó en la casa. Hoy en la mañana fuimos de compras. ¡Daniel me compró el machete que siempre he querido! Por eso que él es el mejor. Pués entonces cogimos el bus para Monteverde, y ahora estamos aquí y alistándonos para salir a comer.

Pués, él acaba de salir de la ducha, así que no voy a tener el tiempo para hacer esto en inglés, pero ni modo. Hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Spring Break

2010-03-05T12:13:00.000-08:00

Humor: Ansiosa
Música: Enanitos Verdes - Lamento Boliviano

Los últimos cuantos días han sido despacios aquí en CARECEN. Solamente he hecho una llamadas follow-up con unos clientes de hace unos años, y también he inscrito los datos de la gente del taller a nuestro sistema. También hice un trabajito de espía - mi directora me pusó a llamar otras organizaciones en el área para preguntarles que es su precio para llenar el N-400. Al principio no entendí por qué tenía que llamar, pero entonces me di cuenta de que uno puede sacar más información de una persona que de un sitio de internet. Pués, las llamé y cuando me contestaron, dije que mi esposo ya tenía sus tres años de residencia y que queríamos llenar el N-400 pero que queríamos saber cuanto nos iba a costar. Me dieron todo tipo de información - cuanto cobran para la consulta inicial, para una consulta con un abogado, y para hacer el formulario en un taller. Me gustó mucho enterarme del hecho de que CARECEN todavía tiene los mejores precios en el área.

Otra cosa que hizo esta semana fue ayudar a una señora llenar su N-400 aquí en la oficina (había un problema el sábado y no podía llegar al taller). Pués, hay una parte de la aplicación que me dío una colera pero terrible. En la sección 7 del N-400, la persona solicitando ciudadanía tiene que hacer una lista de todas sus viajes fuera de los Estados Unidos desde que recibió la residencia permanente. Eso no debe de ser tan difícil cuando uno tiene los pasaportes para sacar las fechas, pero el problema es que 20 años de residencia quiere decir MUCHAS viajes. Además, en los pasaportes, no hay ninguna sistema de organización - los sellos están por todos lados. Ningún gobierno respeta que algunas páginas son para entradas y otras para salidas... Uff. Me llevó casi dos horas arreglando esa lista para la señora. Juuuueeee...

Pués, ya casi voy terminando con el día de hoy. No voy a estar haciendo unos post por un tiempito, dado a que ya me voy para Costa Rica en solo TRES DÍAS!! Al principio pensaba traer la compu, pero después me di cuenta que ni lo ocupo ni lo quiero tener conmigo. Puedo hacer post de lo que hice allá luego; por esta semana solo quiero estar con Daniel. Entonces, hasta el 17 de marzo!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Mood: Anxious
Music: Enanitos Verdes - Lamento Boliviano

The last couple of days have been slow here in CARECEN. I've only done some follow-up calls with some clients from a few years ago, as well as add the information of the people who went to the workshop to our system. I also did a little spy-work - my director had mi call other organizations in the area to ask what they charge to fill out the N-400. At first I didn't understand why I had to call, but then I realized you can get more information out of a person than from a website. Well, I called and when they answered, I said that my husband is about to have three years of residency and that we want to fill out the N-400, but that we want to know how much it's going to cost us. They gave me all kinds of information - how much they charge for the initial consult, to speak with a lawyer, and to participate in a workshop. I liked finding out that CARECEN still has the lowest prices in the area.

One other thing I did this week was help a lady fill out her N-400 here in the office (there was a problem on Saturday and she couldn't make it to the workshop). Well, there's one part of the application that makes me seriously mad. In Section 7 of the N-400, the person applying for citizenship has to make a list of all of his or her trips outside the United States since they became a permanent resident. It shouldn't be so hard when you have the passports to get the dates, but the problem is that twenty years of residency means LOTS of trips.. Moreover, there isn't any organizational system in the passports - the stamps are everywhere. No government gets that some pages are for entrances and some for exits... Ugh. It took me almost to make this lady's list. Sonofa...

Well, today's almost over. I won't be posting for a while, since I'm going to Costa Rica in just THREE DAYS!! At first I thought I would take the computer, but then I realized that I don't want it or need it. I can post about what I did there later on; for this week I just want to be with Daniel. So I'll be back March 17!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

A la basilica voy

2010-03-02T10:40:00.001-08:00

Humor: Enferma (tengo el estómago todo revuelto)
Música: Maná - Eres Mi Religión

Mae, la verdad no tengo nada que escribir hoy. Solo quiero notar qe VOY PA COSTA RICA EN SOLO SEIS DÍAS! Me pueden encontrar en la foto de arriba se me necesitan, jaja.

Man, the truth is, I don't have anything to write about today. I just want to mention that I'M GOING TO COSTA RICA IN JUST SIX DAYS!!! You can find me in the above photo if you need me, haha.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Taller

2010-02-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Humor: Cansada
Música: Juanes - Fotografía

He estado escuchando a muchas canciones por Juanes ultimamente. El mae es mi nueva obsesión, ja.

No podía hacer un post ayer porque estuvimos haciendo todas las preparaciones para el taller de ciudadanía que tenemos hoy. Básicamente tenemos cuatro horas hoy en la tarde en que la gente puede venir a llenar su N-400. Una persona trae todos sus papeles (en serio, todos - partidas de nacimiento, matrimonio, divorcio, sus impuestos de los últimos tres años, todos sus pasaportes desde que recibió residencia - y eso es tal vez solo la mitad) y nosotros extraemos la información que va a necesitar para la aplicación. Pues entonces ayer yo tenía que revisar todas las carpetas de la gente que ya nos dijo que iba a llegar, para ver que documentos hicieron falta y toda la vara, y entonces tenía que llamar a cada persona a recordarle que viniera. Y con unos veinte personas ya registradas a venir, eso fue bastante trabajo. Ni hubiera almorzado si Anita no me había traído un bocadillo.

Hoy ha sido bastante tranquilo, sorprendentemente. Es que yo soy la unica aqui en CARECEN, y solamente estoy para que la gente de las clases me pueda hacer cualquier pregunta. Yo pensaba que Anita me iba a estar llamando cada rato para buscar información de cliente, pero no ha llamado ni una sola vez.

Pues ya por ahora, me tengo que ir ahora al trabajo. Hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Mood: Tires
Music: Juanes - Fotografía

I've been listening to a lot of songs by Juanes recently. He's my new obsession, ha.

I couldn't post yesterday because we were doing all of the preparations for the citizenship workshop that we're having today. Basically we have four hours this afternoon in which people can come to fill out the N-400. They bring all of their paperwork (seriously, all of it - certificates of birth, marriage, divorce, stheir taxes from the last three years, all the passports they've had since becoming permanent residents - and sometimes that's not even half) and we extract all the information that they're going to need for the application. Well so yesterday I had to look over the folders for all of the people who already told us they were going to come to see which documents were missing and stuff like that, and then I had to call each person to remind them to come. And with some twenty people who had already signed up to come, it was plenty of work. I wouldn't even have eaten if Anita hadn't brought me a sandwich.

Today has been pretty calm, surprisingly. I'm the only one here in CARECEN, and I'm only here in case the students have any questions. I thought Anita would be calling every few minutes to have me look up client information, but she hasn't called once.

Well, enough for now, I have to go to work. Back soon.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Pensando en tí

2010-02-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

Humor: Maravillosa
Música: Juanes - La Paga

Por si acaso no sabían, yo soy fabulosa. Acabo de sacar en 95.5% en mi exámen de la semana pasada en psicofarmacología.

Lo único que me está molestando hoy es que tan lento va el proceso de inmigración que Daniel y yo ahora enfrentamos. Ya entregue ambos grupos de papeleo que tenía que entregar, pero todavía no me han mandado la fecha de la cita para tomar las huellas. Y solo deben de ser treinta días... Pues ya han sido 27... ¿Por qué la demorra?

Me pone a pensar en nuestros clientes en CARECEN. A veces entregan su solicitud de la ciudadanía (la N-400) y tienen que esperar AÑOS... Eso es demasiado. Todavía no he tenido la oportunidad de revisar el proyecto de ley que introdujo el representante Gutierrez, pero espero que hable de una forma de arreglar el proceso a que no se vaya tan lento.

Pues, no iba a hacer un post hoy, por eso que voy a hablar más del proceso y todo eso mañana cuando estoy en mi almuerzo en CARECEN. Hoy solo fue un pensamiento errante. Hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Mood: Awesome
Music: Juanes - La Paga

In case you didn't know, I am fabulous. I just got a 95.5% in my psychopharmacology exam from last week.

The only thing that's bugging me today is the slowness of the immigration process that Daniel and I are facing. I already turned in both rounds of paperwork that I needed to submit, but they still haven't sent me the date for getting my fingerprints taken. And it's only supposed to be 30 days... Well, it's already been 27... What's the hold up?

It makes me think about our clients at CARECEN. Sometimes they turn in their citizenship application (the N-400) and have to wait YEARS... It's too much. TI still haven't had a chance to look over the bill introduced by Rep. Gutierrez, but I hope it discusses a way to make the process faster.

Well, I wasn't going to post today, so I'll talk more about the process and that tomorrow during lunch at CARECEN. Today was just an errant thought. Back soon.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

CARECEN

2010-02-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

Humor: Productiva
Música: Juanes - La Camisa Negra

Pues la verdad no sé dónde empezar - ya he estado haciendo esta pasantía por casi dos meses...

Bueno, paso mucho de mi tiempo haciendo traducciones. Por ejemplo, hoy en la mañana hice una traducción del español al inglés de un certificado de difunción. También he hecho traducciones de certificados de nacimiento, matrimonio, y divorcio. Hasta la fecha, la traducción más difícil ha sido la de unos documentos médicos para el hijo de un señor que tiene cáncer terminal - no solamente porque eran documentos médicos sino también porque me sentaba mal para el hijo, que está al punto de perder su padre.

Las traducciones son lo que más me gusta hacer aquí en CARECEN, porque siento que me ayudan a mejorar mi vocabulario, especialmente el léxico legal. Ya casi no tengo ninguna dificultad con traducciones legales, especialmente con certificados de nacimiento. Los de divorcio pueden ser un poquito más difícil porque usualmente incluyen las condiciones del divorcio, que pueden tener unos términos que yo no reconozca.

Es especialmente interesante para mi hacer las traducciones porque me dan la oportunidad de ver el léxico usado en varias regiones del mundo. Aunque la mayoría de las traducciones son para gente de El Salvador, también he trabajado con documentos de Colombia, la República Dominicana, y Nicaragua. Yo creo que los colombianos escojan las palabras más técnicas a propósito para confundir a los y las traductores, jaja.

Supongo que eso basta por ahora. La próxima vez quiero escribir un poco sobre el proceso de inmigración que nuestros clientes enfrentan, y qué hacemos en CARECEN para apoyarles. Hasta pronto.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Mood: Productive
Music: Juanes - La Camisa Negra

Um, the truth is, I don't really know where to start. I've already been doing this internship for almost two months...

Well, I spend a lot of my time doing translations. For example, this morning I did a translation of a death certificate from Spanish to English. I've also done birth and marriage certificates and divorce decrees. Up to this point, the most difficult translation has been one of three different medical documents for the son of a man with terminal cancer - not just because they were medical documents but also because I felt bad for the son, who is about to lose his father.

The translations are what I most like to do here in CARECEN, because I feel that they help me improve my vocabulary, especially with legal terms. I pretty much don't have trouble with legal translations any more, especially with birth certificates. Divorce papers can be a little more difficult because they usually include the conditions of the divorce, which can have terms that I don't recognize.

I find it especially interesting to do translations because they give me a chance to see the terms used in various parts of the world. Although the majority of the translations are for people from El Salvador, I have also translated documents from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. I think the Colombians choose the most technical words just to confuse translators, ha.

I suppose that's enough for now. Next time I want to write about the immigration process that our clients face, and what we do in CARECEN to support them. Back soon.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Pasantía

2010-02-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

Mood: Overwhelmed
Music: Alejandro Fernández - Sin Tantita Pena

So I just got the syllabus for the academic internship I'm doing this semester. Apparently, we're supposed to be keeping a journal/blog. Well, guess I found my motivation to keep this going, ha. Thing is, posts have to be in Spanish, but I'll do an English translation after each Spanish post for my non hispanohablante readers (all two of you). So yup, you're gonna be hearing a lot about my internship for a while, it seems. But I'll have side posts to talk about my immigration process with Danny and spring break in CR, too.

Just start looking for tags; CR = posts from Costa Rica, DC = stuff that happens back here in Washington, Danny = posts about Danny (duh), Immigration = where Danny and I are on the immigration process, Internship = posts in Spanish/English that I need for credit, Work = work (duh again), USCIS = Immigration stuff that's not mine, School = school. If I come up with new tags, I'll let you know, and I'm going to work my way through my posts and do some back-tagging. All right kids, you'll be hearing from me soon.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Triumphant Return

2010-02-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Mood: Cold
Music: Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA
[Note - this song is not in my head by choice, my housemates are obsessed with it and sing it CONSTANTLY]

So shoot me, I never actually "finished" this blog. Basically, my last three days in Costa Rica went like this:

Saturday: Hiked through Manuel Antonio, saw all kinds of monkeys and sloths and lizards, and probably the most beautiful beach I had seen the entire time I was there. After the hike, we went back up to the hotel to get changed, then caught the bus down to First Beach. I fulfilled the last of my goals for Costa Rica - learn how to surf. Okay, so I can't really say I -learned-, more like I tried it, managed to stand up once, but otherwise it was kind of a disaster. I cut my nose on the surfboard, for heaven's sake.

Sunday: Our last day in Manuel Antonio. We ate a late breakfast, and then caught the bus back to San Jose and a cab back to Heredia. I left the fam to fend for themselves and went and spent my last night with Danny for a while. Maybe I shouldn't have left them alone, but hey, I needed time with my fiance.

And Monday we left to come back... Sigh.

Anyway, you're probably wondering why I picked back up on this blog now, of all the random times to do so. Well, I have wonderful news: I'm going back to Costa Rica over spring break!!! And this prospect could not come at a better time, as DC is currently expecting Snowpocalypse 2.0.

But I think I'd also like to keep this blog going anyway, even if I'm not in Costa Rica. It'll be nice to have an outlet for things that happen at work/school/internship and to whine about how USCIS is so slow when it comes to our paperwork (yes, I submitted the request for an immigrant visa for Danny).

So I guess that's it for now, and while my posts may not be too regular, I'm gonna try to make them keep happening.

Here's to the thought of summer in Monteverde in a month.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Dexter Marcel

2009-11-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

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!!!!

2009-11-24T23:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-11-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

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

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

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Repechaje fail

2009-11-14T23:39:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-11-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-06T12:47:00.001-08:00

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!!!

2009-11-04T06:56:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-11-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

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

Pride and Prejudice

2009-10-29T06:43:00.000-07:00

Mood: Still pretty gay
Music: Weezer - Pink Triangle

All right, I really shouldn't bother to post about this, but a certain Nicaraguan shopkeep showed up at my house last night, admitted that he was wrong, and promised to be more accepting. He told me that I was right, that it was about who I was with now, not who I was with before. Heck, he even cried a little. Hey, being able to admit you were wrong is a big deal, so it's good enough for me. Glad that's all worked out then.

Here's to living out the modern day version of a Jane Austen novel, with a Nicaraguan shopkeep playing Darcy and bisexuality as the new poor/unconnected. Am I Elizabeth Bennet? I think so.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Carlos is not for eating

2009-10-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Mood: GAY!
Music: ALSO GAY!!

All rigt, I'll admit from the start that it's been a rough day. Last night, a certain Nicaraguan shopkeep flipped out because I like women. Needless to say, I'm not exactly at my peak right now.

However, the day wasn't all bad. Instead of having Spanish class, we went to INBio Parque, which is in Sto. Domingo, so Kate, Vall, and I walked there. Basically, it's a biological reserve designed to teach children about biodiversity and caring for the earth. It's got an example of a farm and a self-sufficient house with an electric car. It's also sort of a zoo - they have snakes, frogs, butterflies, caimans, turtles, etc. And the mini farm has a petting zoo, with bunnies and goats and chickens for cuddling and loving (and not killing and eating).

Also, my Cultural Identity professor moved the date I have to turn in my final project from next Tuesday to three weeks from now. Score. And, I earned 15.000 colones for doing something that wouldn't be considered especially ethical in the states, but here in Costa Rica isn't all that out of the ordinary. Beach weekend? I think so.

Pura vida,
Sarah

Tequila Sunrise

2009-10-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mood: Hungover
Music: Ballyhoo! - Cali Girl

The amount of alcohol I have ingested over the past two nights is absolutely unbelievable.

Friday night, Kate, Alex and I made dinner for Kate's family, since her host mom has been sick. Barbecue chicken, dirty mashed potato casserole, steamed broccoli, and brownie sundaes for dessert. It was an epic success, even factoring in the fact that we were cooking tipsy on rum and coke, ha. After that, we picked up Danny and made our way to Pedregal, where we have sort of become regulars... Tommy showed up too, and bought us all a round of tequila shots. Needless to say, it was one hell of a walk home.

Saturday morning, Danny realized he had lost his passport. Well, guess it was just one of those nights.

So then, Saturday night, we decided that the only way to properly mourn a lost passport would be to eat a bunch of fried chicken, drink a bottle of tequila, and watch scary movies at Kate's house.

And now, I don't think I'll leave my bed for at least 24 hours.

This post wasn't really necessary, but the pictures are, because they're too funny...

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Cow!!!

2009-10-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Mood: Lazyyyy
Music: Grupo Liberación - Ese Loco Soy Yo

This weekend, Sarah L., Sarah M., Stephanie F., Ashley, and I went with a group of twelve ticos to an indigenous community called Boruca in the south of the country. Although the bus ride was a complete and total nightmare (seven hours with 20 people crammed into a microbus is not exactly my idea of fun) and we only spent one day in the community, it was a great experience.

We stayed the night Friday at one of the schools we would be working at on Saturday. And when I say we stayed at the school, I mean that we slept on the floor in one of the classrooms. It wasn't bad at all, though, because they put a bunch of mattresses on the floor for us. Anyway, we got to the school around one in the morning, and nobody got much sleep, for a couple of reasons. First, there was no glass in the windows, so bats kept getting into the classroom. And second, they woke us up at 6:00 to get started.

After breakfast, we split up into two groups, and my group left to go to a different school, about forty minutes away. The students all showed up to give us a welcome presentation, even though it was a Saturday. They taught us how to say "good morning" in Boruca, and then a group of girls did a cumbia dance for us. After that, one of the teachers showed us some hand-carved, hand-painted masks from the community, and then her mother showed us how they go about weaving bags from natural fibers to sell to tourists.

Once they had given us a bit of an introduction, we got to work. First, we pulled all the decorations off the walls of one of the classrooms and sanded down the parts that needed it. Then we painted, although with frequent interruptions by the students, who brought us food every half an hour or so, haha. We only managed to get that one room painted, plus a little bit of the outside of the building... but even so, they were so grateful, and when we left, they had the kids breaking out the brushes and paint we had left them and continuing where we left off.

We went into town to the only high school for lunch. It was definitely interesting, because we had lunch in their cafeteria, and even with the lack of resources that they face, the lunch they served us still seriously outclassed any lunch served in the cafeteria of a US high school. The classrooms there aren't really rooms at all, just a couple of desks and a blackboard huddled together under a tin overhang... I can't imagine trying to have class in the rainy season. You wouldn't be able to hear anything, much less stay focused.

Like I said, it was only a one day trip, so after lunch and a quick visit to a museum of indigenous art, we piled on the bus for the seven hour ride back to Heredia. I got lucky, though, since the bus driver passed through Sto. Domingo, and he dropped me off right in front of my house. I was completely and totally exhausted, but what the hey, I can sleep when I'm dead, so then I dropped off my stuff and went out with Danny :)

And that's about it. Excellent weekend.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
lijar - to sand
gacilla - safety pin
weave - tejer

Emma Jean's 21st

2009-10-15T11:04:00.000-07:00

Mood: Fabulous
Music: Carlos Baute y Marta Sanchez - Colgando en tus manos

I don't really have anything to post about, but I'm trying to get back into the habit of regular updates. So here are some photos from Emily's 21st birthday party on Tuesday night. Enjoy!!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
topo - mole
ardilla listada - chipmunk
ludópata - compulsive gambler
repechaje - when Costa Rica plays against Uruguay for the last spot in South Africa 2010

Camaron

2009-10-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Mood: Lazy
Music: LFO - Every Other Time

Remember that time Tommy lost 19,000 colones at the casino in under an hour? I do. Doofus.

Yesterday, Steph L., Emily, Liz, Jen and I spent the afternoon at the beach in Puntarenas. We have a long weekend for Dia de las Culturas, but none of us really had the money for a big adventure. We were going to go rafting, but we had to cancel because not enough people got back to Jen in time. Anyway, the beach was kind of a spur of the moment thing, but it was nice, just what I needed. Well, minus the epic sunburn now covering the entire back half of my body, haha.

Later that night, when all I wanted to do was curl up in bed (with Danny, if possible, haha), Tommy starts yelling outside my window: "Gringa!! Get down here. We're going to the casino!" Tommy, it's already 9:30. I want to go to bed. "NO! You and me and Daniel are going to the casino. Put on a pair of shoes and let's go."

So that's how I ended up in the Fiesta Casino of Alajuela at one in the morning, watching Tommy lose his last 5,000 playing Pai Gow, whatever that is. Sometimes, I love my life. :)

Pura Vida,
Sarah

PEPE PEPE PEPE

2009-10-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

Mood: Muddy (No, seriously, I'm so covered in mud that it's turned into an emotion)
Music: Green Day - 21 Guns

Pros of this weekend: New friends, new music, awesome views, helping the community
Cons of this weekend: Barbed wire, bug bites, wet tents, mud, 5 AM wake up calls

This weekend, Alex, Alicia, the infamous Ross, and I went on a volunteer retreat in the mountains in Cartago. The electric company had a station there, but they abandoned it about 20 years ago. Anyway, UNA made a deal with them to let the university reconstruct it and use it as a biological research station for the next 50 years. That's where we come in - we went up there for the weekend as a reconstruction crew.

My crew was supposed to be on trail-clearing, but we only worked on the trails for the first morning (WITH MACHETES) because the people working on rebuilding the house needed some backup. So yup, I spent the weekend machete-ing and hammering things, eating, (barely) sleeping, and hanging out with some new tico friends. I think the best part of the weekend was when we walked out to see the reservoir. We were all worried about getting attacked by guard dogs, but instead the night guard let us in and told us all about it. Straight up awesome.

We just got home an hour or so ago, and more than anything, I want to curl up in my bed and sleep on a real, warm mattress for the night, haha.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
livelula - dragonfly
luciernaga - lightning bug
alambre de pua - barbed wire
pijiado - high
aserrin - sawdust

I Will Survive

2009-10-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Mood: Pumped
Music: Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1,000,000

Okay, I don't really have anything to talk about. I just wanted you all to know that I survived the month of September. It was tough, but I made it, haha. Now that all my major midterm type things are done, I went out with a bunch of people last night, and I'm going on a volunteer trip this weekend.

Enjoy photos from last night!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
resena - summary
poza - swimming hole
vega - fertile lowland
somera - superficial
recalcar - to emphasize
improrrogable - unextendable
caducidad - expiry
alce - moose

PS - Happy birthday to Michael Bates, J-dawg, and Sashka!! Hope you all had excellent days. Miss you tons!!!

Chocolate and Salsa

2009-09-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

Mood: Exhausted
Music: Daddy Yankee - Gasolina

Yesterday morning, we met up at UNA at an ungodly early hour, picked up the UCR kids, and headed out to La Virgen de Sarapiqui. We went to the Tirimbina rain forest reserve, which has the longest hanging bridge in Costa Rica (280 meters) and an old-fashioned cacao plantation. Cacao AKA the plant that makes chocolate. Which means there was a lot of chocolate involved. I think the only part of the day I didn't like was the Channel 7 television crew filming us... God knows I don't need to be on television all sweaty like I was.

Anyway, they showed us all the steps of the process for making chocolate. You start off with these orange elliptical fruits, and when you crack them open, out spill delicious chocolate seeds. Then there's drying, fermenting, and toasting said seeds. After that, grind them up with some cinnamon and some sugar (this is only for making the drink of the gods - Central American hot chocolate - though, not for any other chocolate). The paste that the grinding makes is delicious... I could have just sat and eaten it all day, ha.

After the tour, we all went home and got dinner and a shower, then a bunch of us headed into San Jose to meet up with the UCR kids. We went to a salsa bar called Castro's, where I actually... wait for it... danced. It was astonishing. If you missed it, you missed out. You also missed out on an excellent 24-hour diner experience, haha.

All right, screw this, I'm going back to sleep. Lotsa love!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
papeleta - ballot
intachable - impeccable; irreproachable
surtir - to supply
prelacion - preference; priority
mitin - political meeting; rally
sondeo - poll, survey
cociente - quotient
curul - seat
Pabellon Nacional - flag
dieta - salary

Noble Patria, Tu Hermosa Bandera

2009-09-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

Mood: Perfect
Music: Nine Days - Absolutely (Story of a Girl)

Best. Independence. Day. Ever.

Why? Remember the cute Nicaraguan shopkeep, Daniel? You can call him my boyfriend from now on. Things had been a little complicated on that front (as noted in my last two posts, ha) but we spent like three hours together tonight and finally have it figured out as to what we are... FINALLY. :)

Anyway, let's talk about Independence Day. I started the morning off by going to the parade in Santo Domingo, but it was kind of short, and it was all high school marching bands. I saw one float, and aside from that, nothing all that interesting. So then I hopped on a bus and went into town to see if their parade was any better. Better, yes, but far, far more uncomfortable. I ended up jumping the fence that surrounds the church in order to get away from the crushing hoard of people... Which still only half solved the problem, since that was apparently the area that tico teenagers were using as a spot for making out. Sigh. Still though, cool parade. I really liked the people who looked like they had wandered out of Mardi Gras and straight into Costa Rica.

In the afternoon, Alex, Kate, Val and I met up in the park in Santo Domingo for the culmination of the huge, weekend-long party. And since we try to go with the “When in Rome” rule, we started drinking along with all the ticos, ha. You can get a liter of beer here for about $1.50, fun fact. We hung out in the park for a while and listened to the music, then went back to Kate's to make guaro granizados and play Jenga. Well, strip Jenga, but I don't think Kate really wants me to talk about that...

Then I went home for dinner, and then it was Nicaraguan boyfriend time... :) God, I'm like a 13 year old, I can't stop smiling, even when I'm writing a blog post. Whatever. I'm happy, that's what matters.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
regidor - town council member
afinidad - affinity
suplente - substitute
sindico - trustee
remiso - reluctant
halagueno - promising; encouraging

Tintos y Blancos y Imperiales Rotos

2009-09-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Mood: I still hate men. But otherwise content.
Music: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)

Sarah McGhee turned twenty-one yesterday, and we all went out to Tintos y Blancos in Paseo las Flores to celebrate. Tintos y Blancos (Reds and Whites) is a wine bar; we wanted something a little more tranquil since Sarah M. is not exactly a partier, ha. We had a great time. Everybody got wine tipsy, and as it was Jen's very first time being tipsy, I would say she was the most entertaining, ha.

After that we were going to go across the street to Equuz, but it was packed, and there was a cover charge. So naturally, Alex, Kate, and I went back to Santo Domingo and went to Pedregal. Thing is, it's Independence Day weekend, and there's a huge party that started Thursday night and goes all out until Tuesday. So the place was packed. And by place, I don't just mean the bar, I mean the entire neighborhood. I freakin' love Costa Rica - we just sat around and drank some beers in the park, along with about a thousand other people, ha. I met Alex's host brother, and introduced Alex and Kate to Chito when he showed up, although that was quickly interrupted by me dropping a beer bottle and it shattering all over Chito's shoes. Oops. Oh well, he didn't get cut, and his shoes weren't very nice anyway, lol.

Um, that's all for now...

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
gremial - adjective referring to unions
indole - nature
cabida - capacity
consuetudinarias - customary
Ley Consuetudinaria - common law
albedrio - free will
tutela - guardianship
curatela - curatorship

Por favor, vaya a la playa

2009-09-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Mood: I hate men. Long story.
Music: Fall Out Boy - A Little Less Sixteen Candles A Little More Touch Me

Hm. This lack of internet thing is really starting to get to me.

Last Friday was a miserable, rainy, gross kind of day. Nobody was answering their phone, and I was like, "Man, I need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere, I need to do something." Five minutes later, I had a mini-vacation planned, and I took off Saturday morning to spend the rest of the weekend on the Caribbean. I went by myself and didn't do much of anything except lounge by the beach and read. It was exactly what I needed. But since there's nothing really to write about, you guys just get a post that's mostly photos, ha. Enjoy!

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Y si la quiero besar?

2009-09-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Mood: Itchy
Music: Fall Out Boy - Grand Theft Autumn

Bloody hell, I look like I have chicken pox. I'll explain in a minute.

Thursday:
I already commented on the most interesting part of the day in my last post, but I want to mention the scare I had at the ATM after class that day. So, I went to pull cash for my adventures this weekend, and it all went smoothly. I got my cash and my receipt, and the machine spit my card out, no problem. Well, apparently I took too long putting the money away, because as I was stuffing it in my wallet, the machine sucked my card back in and swallowed it. I started flipping out, cursing, and smacking the machine, but then I realized that it wouldn't do anything except maybe get me arrested. I ran into the bank (I'll only use ATMs attached to banks here, for just this sort of reason) and accosted the first employee I saw, and he was like, "Calm down. Let me see your ID real quick and we'll get it taken care of." I showed him the copy of my passport, and he got up and walked away. Meanwhile, I'm sitting there, freaking out, wondering how I'm supposed to get money while I wait for Charter One to ship me a new card and then while I wait for it to make its way through customs... Thank whatever higher power there might be, the guy came back three minutes later with my card in his hand, and just told me to grab it more quickly the next time.

Deep breaths. It's all good.

Friday:
I got up early and met Alex at the bus stop at 7:00 to go into San Jose, but we ended up not having to take the bus, because his host brother gave us a ride into town. In San Jose, we met up with the UCR kids - Ashley, Michael, and Katie - and caught the four hour bus to La Fortuna. La Fortuna is a little town at the base of the Arenal volcano, and it's rapidly turning into a tourist trap, but as long as you watch out for scammers trying to sell cheap tours, it's a great weekend get away.

Unfortunately, it was pouring rain when we got there. So we did what any college students would do: bought some guaro, spiked a watermelon, and ate it while drinking mango "screwdrivers" by the pool in the rain. I mean, hey, it's not like we could hike a volcano in that kind of weather.

Saturday:
Here's the only sucky part of the weekend. I woke up absolutely COVERED in insect bites, which quickly swelled up, and got red, itchy, and feverish. I'm only allergic to one thing, this one kind of little beetle, and naturally, they were in our room in the hostel, and moreover in my bed. Instead of the five bites I once sustained in a certain house full of Mexicans, I woke up with more than 120 bites (seriously, I tried to count them and lost count around that point). So I had to run to the pharmacy and get a bunch of Benadryl, which I had finished off by Monday (which reminds me, I need to go buy more). The swelling and feverish-ness have gone down, now I just have itchy red spots. Like I said, it looks like I have chicken pox.

But I'll never be one to let some itchy red spots ruin my weekend. After my Benadryl run, Alex and I went to look for a little swimming hole that our guidebook said was a kilometer or so outside of town. By the time we found it, it was pouring again (which was why the UCR kids wouldn't come with us), but hey, we were going swimming, so what the hell did it matter? This swimming hole has two small waterfalls and a rope swing, and it was a lot of fun. We had to have some tico boys show us how to use the rope swing, though, and thank god they were there, because I never would have figured out how to climb back out without their help.

Saturday afternoon, we split up, and the UCR kids went on one tour and Alex and I went on another. We hiked in the rain forest around the volcano, and we saw coatis, capuchins, (you better hold on tight) spider monkeys, and toucans. It was awesome, kid you not. Then we rode up to the viewing point for the volcano, and it was... well, it takes your breath away. We've been told that we got really lucky - a lot of times, the volcano is completely covered by clouds, and you can't see anything. One of our professors said she went on four separate occasions and never saw it once. But for us, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The volcano erupted twice, and spewed a lot of red hot volcanic rock, which looks sooooo amazing once the sun has set. In fact, the guide said it was the best day for seeing the volcano so far this year. And the sound was amazing. Costa Rica has awesome natural acoustics, ha.

After we had seen the volcano, we went to the hot springs at Baldi (it was included with the volcano tour), where we met up with the UCR kids again. It was definitely not what I had expected. I was thinking we were going to small, hot ponds inside of volcanic craters. Nope. It was a water park. There's no other way to put it. Twenty-five pools ranging from 85 degrees to 152 degrees Fahrenheit, with tropical gardens for decoration, two wet bars (which were wildly over priced), and three water slides. Yep. Water slides. I was impressed and disappointed all at the same time. I mean, I was expecting nature and I got a spa/tourist trap. A nice tourist trap with a buffet, but still. Whatever, I'm not one to complain about an all-you-can-eat dinner and the chance to lay around in glorified hot tubs for a few hours. (Though I am tempted to complain about the carepichas who worked in the locker rooms. Whatever, I won't waste my energy ranting about them.)

Sunday:
Nothing happened. Well, nothing important, anyway. I bused home. Isn't that exciting?!?

So yup, that was my mini-vacation. Oh, and si me quiere besar, besame entonces.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
agria - sour
ocio - inactivity, idleness; leisure time
boniga - manure
idoneidad - suitability
interdiccion - interdiction, prohibition
grey - flock

Descanse bien, sueñe conmigo

2009-08-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Mood: Fabulous
Music: Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies

All right, where did we leave off? Cerro Danta, right? Okay then.

Saturday and Sunday were nothing especially interesting. Sunday, Emily and I spent approximately 6 hours working on the ten pager we had due Tuesday (that we started at 14:00 on Sunday). I was really pounding it out (heh heh) until her host dad turned on Ms. Universe. Fortunately, I was already at the conclusion. Also, size 14 periods (with size 12 text) are a gift from god. Thanks, Emma Jean.

Monday, I had my meeting for volunteering (which I'm trying to turn into an internship - I already wrote up the proposal and everything). IFSA set me up a meeting in the Asamblea Legislativa with la Diputada Doctora Lesvia Villalobos Salas, a member of the Partido Acción Ciudadana. Or, for those of you who don't know Costa Rican politics, I've now got a congressional internship two days a week with a member of the most liberal party in the country (wait, did I actually leave AU?). The best part? Dra. Villalobos lives 50m from me, so she drives me to San José on Mondays and Wednesdays, so I don't have to take the bus.

Tuesday was boring. Actually, that's not true. I'm just so used to Tuesdays being boring that I say it automatically. No, actually, Tuesday wasn't bad. Instead of having class in Costa Rican Cultural Identity, we went on a field trip (yeah, my university still has field trips, because we're all teh ballers) to San José, and wandered around the mercado central and the National Theater. Since we gringas in the group had already had that field trip about three weeks ago, we just got to tag along and hang out (just being there was five percent of our final grade, haha). Emily, Vallerie, and I made two new friends that are in our class - Jorge Pablo, who is kind of timid and lives in San José, and Cristian, who is an absolute riot. Shame he's so young, otherwise he would have potential ;)

Yesterday was my first full day in the Asamblea with Dra. Villalobos. She set me to reading and taking notes on the Constitution of Costa Rica, so I'll better understand what's going on. After that, I get to work my way through two more books: one of the rules of the Asamblea and one of some other thing that I forgot. And then I get to read through all of the bills currently up for debate, and only then do I get to start working projects. But you know what? It's not bad at all, because this gives my volunteer work an academic component, which will hopefully make it easier to get it changed to an internship.

Then, last night, I may or may not have kissed the cute Nicaraguan shopkeep...

Today, we didn't have Advanced Spanish, instead we went on a field trip (not only do we have field trips, we have -lots- of field trips) to the Museo de Cultura Popular. Basically, we got to see a Costa Rican house from the late eighteen hundreds, talk about medicinal plants that they used, and cook prestiños, which are kind of like elephant ears, but not really. I'm baller at dough-making, fun fact for those of you who didn't know.

Now I'm in the library until class at 14:00. Tomorrow, a bunch of us are leaving early (like, 4 AM early) for La Fortuna for a weekend vacation. We're planning on hiking Volcán Arenal and through the Monteverde cloud forest. More on that on Monday.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
semillas de ajonjolí - sesame seeds
desfile - parade
hígado - liver
hostigamiento - harassment
seglar - secular
indigente - poverty-stricken
dozavo - one-twelfth
potestad - legal authority
yacimiento - (mineral) deposit
alegar - allege
derogar - abolish, appeal
abrogar - abrogate, annul

Never Let a Lady Fall

2009-08-21T16:33:00.000-07:00

Mood: Amazed
Music: Pitbull – Toma

I survived dance class.

Actually, I more than survived. Turns out I can dance, kind of. Bolero clasico and bolero piratiado are no problem for me, as long as I keep counting. 1...2...3...4...1...2...3...4... Merengue wasn't too bad either, but salsa, well, was a disaster. But hey, three out of four ain't bad.

Today, we went on a hike to Cerro Danta. So. Much. Walking. To get there, it's a bus to Heredia, then a bus to San Rafael, then 20 minutes up to Monte de la Cruz, where I went before, then another two hours farther up to get to the camp. But I got lucky. Just after we passed Monte de la Cruz, the owner of Cerro Danta passed us in his truck, and he gave me and Ashley a ride, because we were dying. We still had to hike 2 km, though, because the truck couldn't go any farther.

Once we got there, we split into two groups, and one group went on the “long” hike (it's supposed to take two and a half hours, but we did it in one) and the other group went on the short hike to the waterfall. The long hike was really cool; we had to use ropes at certain points to keep ourselves from falling, and we crossed like four rivers. Apparently, the forest we were in is considered one of the most dangerous forests in Central America, because so many people go missing in it. But we had a guide, so it was all good. It's a wildlife refuge, but we didn't see anything because people talked the whole hike, haha. But apparently you can see dantas, tapirs, quetzals, pumas, and jaguars. We only saw hummingbirds and caterpillars. Still cool though. And we crossed the continental divide. The guide told us that if it weren't cloudy, we'd be able to see the Caribbean on one side and the Pacific on the other.

We ended up going the short hike to the waterfall, too, once we got back from the long one. It was actually two waterfalls, though, one right next to the other, which was amazing to look at. They told us there's another waterfall in the park, the tallest in Costa Rica (200 meters), but that it takes eight hours to hike to it.

After that was lunch, and then the hike back. I went in the back of the group with the owner, Don Warren, and his employee (assistant? volunteer?) Andy, because Don Warren walks at a pace I can keep up with, while Yanori practically runs. Anyway, the three of us made it to the car, and Don Warren asked Ashley and I if we wanted to ride back down. Of course, we said yes. Then, he asked us where we were staying, and we told him, and it turns out he lives about five blocks from Ashley, and offered her a ride all the way home. I was joking around, saying, “Dang, wish I lived in San Pedro!” and he said, “You live in Santo Domingo, right? I drive home that way, I can drop you off, too.” Free rides home = awesome.

Well, Abuelo and Abuela, and Tio Marcos and Tia Isabel just showed up, so I'll leave off. Not that I had any more to say, haha.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

¿Sabes qué? He estado pensando en ti toda mi vida

2009-08-19T11:59:00.000-07:00

Mood: THER ARR NOOOO INTURNETS!!!!11!!one!!11!!
Music: Third Eye Blind – Jumper

Life gets kind of boring when you're broke.

Of course, it's my fault that I'm broke, but hey, I've been having adventures, right? Okay, so I've spent too much on stupid stuff, too. I think the temptation to take a taxi is the hardest to resist, especially when I'm tired or it's raining. That, and snacks. Snacks and Imperial. It adds up.

I realize that my finances probably aren't all that interesting to you, dear reader. They've just got me kind of stressed right now. There are some things I need to get – contact solution, pants and shoes for dance class (more on that in a minute), a new pair of jeans (I found there's now a hole right up the butt crack of one of the two pairs I have here) – that I've been living without, but I won't ask for money yet. Especially considering my parents' feelings regarding how much I've already spent...

I've said it once, I'll say it again. We should switch back to the barter system. Seriously, I've got some very pretty shells I can trade you, and I'm pretty good with a needle and thread.

Whatever. Moving on.

So, it's been a while since I last updated. Interestingly, I find that I don't think about blogging as much when I don't have wireless. Oh, I haven't mentioned that yet? Yeah, I don't have wireless anymore. Whoever we were “borrowing” our connection from learned to password protect their network. Lame. So now I share the family computer with Natalia and Sofia, which means waiting until they've finished. And since Natalia's obsessed with the new novela, she will sit and watch it online from 8 AM to 11 PM on her days off. Really, I'm not kidding. That was Saturday. Anyway, when it finally is my turn, I try to keep it short, because hey, it's not my computer right? But that means I don't think much about my blog. Oops. But I'm here now, returned to tell you about the handful of things worth mentioning from the last week and a half.

Let's start with fútbol. Last Wednesday (08/12), la Sele played Honduras in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers... And it was a disaster. The ticos lost 4-0 to the catrachos. Well... A disaster for the ticos, anyway. I can't pretend that I won't always love the Honduran national team, no matter how much I scream for the Costa Ricans at the time. Hell, you have to root for Costa Rica (at least out loud), unless you want to get jumped by a bar full of angry ticos, ha. It's like being a Michigan fan in Columbus when they play the Big Game in the Shoe, no joke.

But I do have to admit that the selección catracha played kind of dirty. It's not nice to elbow the goalie in the face and take him out of play in the first minutes of the game. I mean, I think the Hondurans would have won anyway, just that by taking out the first-string goalie, it was more a massacre than a win.

I can't be too upset, though. The Hondurans really needed this win to stay in the running, and my ticos are still in the lead. Not to mention Costa Rica only needs one more win to qualify, while all the other teams need at least two. The only problem is that our next game is against Mexico, and they're the CONCACAF powerhouse. Right now, the standings are CR-12, HD-11, US-10, and MX-10 (I'm not even going to bother discussing El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago; I'm calling it right now, they aren't going to make it). For the next round, I'm predicting wins for Honduras, Mexico, and the US, which would put the scores at HD-14, US-13, MX-13, and CR-12. Which means that we MUST win the next game after Mexico in order to qualify. There's no question there.

Whoa. When did I turn into ESPN Deportes? Jeez, I should just buy my World Cup tickets now. Anybody want to go? Wait, I'm broke. Anybody want to go to Umberto's and watch it on the big screen?

Anyway, Corin, Alex, Kate, and I went to a little bar called El Pedregal here in Santo Domingo to watch the game. It was a good thing we got there early, because otherwise we never would have gotten seats. The bar itself only had about twenty bar stools, but there were easily fifty people packed into the place. Alex, Kate, and I were drinking, and at the end of the game, we had a shot to drown Costa Rica's sorrows. We were joined by Big Boobs McGee (no, seriously, she was falling all the way out of the tank top she had on, it was ridiculous – see below), a random tica woman who was trying sooo hard to get with Alex. Or “Alejaaandrooo,” as he decided to be that night. Keep in mind that by the end of the game, the three of us were all in a state where we thought poll dancing at a bus stop was a good idea. Also, I distinctly remember picking up a cat. Oh, and Kate tried to climb a tree. Nobody remembers why.

Moving on.

So, let's talk about something that's very uncomfortable for me. I did something I'm very ashamed of.

I signed up for a dance class.

Done laughing yet? Take a minute, catch your breath. Good? 'But Sarah,' you must be wondering, 'Why on earth would you do something like that? You hate dancing almost as much as you hate the religious right and even more than you hate asparagus. Why would you do that to yourself?!?' Good question. Well, you know what they say – know your enemy. No, but for real, I may only be in Costa Rica once in my life, and dancing – salsa, merengue, swing criollo – is a huge part of the Costa Rican culture. That, and if it doesn't work out, at least I'll have given it the good ole' college try, and will be able to say that I gave it a shot, and it's really not for me. Just don't laugh too hard when I somehow manage to break my ankle.

Anyway, my first class was this past Thursday. It went... as expected. I was uncoordinated and sweaty, and the second biggest girl in the room. I was very, very far outside my comfort zone. By the end of the class, I was torn between crying, throwing up, and running to the registrar to drop it. But I won't do it, because if I drop the course, then I won't just be fat, sweaty, and uncoordinated, but a quitter to top it all off. I WILL survive this dance class, and maybe, just maybe, I'll come out of this having learned to manage my two left feet. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Ummm... Next: tramites de migración. Friday, everybody in the program had to do a bunch of things for the process of converting our tourist visas to student visas. First, we had to go to the Banco de Costa Rica and make 4 separate deposits to various government accounts. What a nightmare. Seriously, if you think a bank in the States on pay day is hell, try one in Costa Rica. Security guards, metal detectors, waiting 45 minutes in line. Oh, right, and the whole doing it in Spanish thing. Which normally doesn't bug me, when it's something like ordering food, but when it's something that's vitally important to remaining in the country, it makes me nervous that I'm going to screw up. But hey, it all worked out in the end. Next, we had to go get a copy of our passport to turn in to Immigration. And not just a copy of the information page and our entrance stamp, but the entire passport, cover to cover, even the blank pages. WTF? Why would Immigration need a copy of the blank pages?

Then, we had to go get some passport sized photos taken. This gets its own paragraph, but for a reason completely unrelated with the whole visa process. See, the owner of the photo studio that we went to is very nice, very handsome, and very much asked me out... We were talking about his taste in music while he was getting our photos printed, because his iTunes was playing Johnny Cash, and I asked him which song was his favorite. We canvassed Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty before moving on to how he studied in the States, and once did a motorcycle tour all the way from California to Costa Rica. Swoooon... And then, he informed me that there's a really cool biker bar in Heredia where they play all of the aforementioned music, and told me that if I'd like to go, I could just swing by the photo studio some time and he'd take me on his motorcycle...

And I jizzed in my pants.

I'm sorry, where was I? Immigration? Oh, right. Whatever, I think I already got through the important parts. Anyway, as far as the handsome photographer, I'm not sure if I'll actually take him up on it or not, because we aren't exactly sure what his marital status is. There's a picture in his portfolio of him and a girl kissing, and we think she's his girlfriend, but she might also be his wife. Or she might be an ex, who knows. Well, I will soon, thanks to the lovely Yanori, one of the assistants who works with the program. See, I told her about it, and as the photo studio is across the street from the program office, she's just going to stop in under some pretense of getting copies of some one or other of our photos, and as she casually flips through the portfolio, say something like: “Oh what a pretty wedding! Is that you?”

Good lord, I just devoted two full paragraphs to someone I saw for fifteen minutes. Oh no, I'm turning into Telemundo – it's all soccer and novelas!!!!!!! Save meeeee!!!! Ha.

What else? Oh, on Sunday, Kate, Kelsey, Ashley, and I went to Jacó, a beach on the Pacific coast. To get there, you have to bus into San Jose, walk to the central bus terminal, and then get another bus to the beach. It takes about two and a half hours, altogether. It wouldn't have been so bad if we'd gotten seats, but as they were all taken, we ended up just sitting on the floor in the space for a wheelchair, haha. The beach was very nice, but it had a lot of rocks. We spent the afternoon snacking (on Cacique-filled watermelon and tamales, yummm), napping, and playing in the waves. Which pretty much made for the perfect day. Well... until it started raining, which kind of sucked balls. But whatever, it wasn't the end of the world. We got back to Heredia around 8, and I just crawled into bed and crashed.

And that's pretty much it for now. Like I said, adventures are kind of limited when your budget is tight. Still though, I'm having a great time, and there's really nothing to complain about.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

Refranes:
El que solo se ríe, de sus maldades se acuerda. - He who only smiles is thinking 'bad' thoughts.
Si el río suena, piedras trae. - If the river babbles, it contains rocks.
Para atrás, ni para coger impulso. - Don't even think about looking back.
Agua que no es de tomar dejala correr. - If it's not healthy, let it go.
Cada cabeza en su mundo. - To each his own.
Al vivo con una ceña, y al tonto ni a patadas. - [Said to] someone who refuses to see the truth
Al que cae el guante, que se lo plante. - If the shoe fits, wear it.
Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente. - Closed eyes, closed heart.

PS - I find it funny that I've now grown so accustomed to Spanish-language keyboards that I constantly type things incorrectly when using my own computer. Just a random thought.

Look at that big rock. It's just sitting there!!!

2009-08-09T00:06:00.000-07:00

Mood: Sleepy
Music: Aquagen - Everybody's Free

I did a lot of adventure-seeking this weekend. On Friday, Alex, Stephanie L., Kelsey and I took a bus to Barva and went looking for some cataracts that Kelsey heard about on a travel website. After surprisingly little searching, we did find them. We had a little picnic, drank some wine, and did some exploring. Of course, I fell in the river. Show of hands, who's surprised? It was nice to spend a quiet afternoon with tranquil people, that's for sure. I was about ready to take a nap right there on the rocks, but ended up going home and taking one there instead, ha.

Today, Stephanie L., Kelsey, Emily and I went bungee jumping. It's a 260 foot jump off a bridge, outside a town called Naranjo. Coolest thing I have ever done, kid you not. Seriously, the guy counts down from five, and you swan dive off of a bridge. There's nothing like it. And the fall, oh man, it's the coolest feeling. It's not like when your stomach drops on a roller coaster or anything like that. It's a completely new sensation, it's hard to describe. Just look at the pictures, ha.

So for all of you panickers out there (AKA my wonderful host Mami), don't worry, I'm alive, and I have the pictures to prove it.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

P.S. - Apparently I can only load five images to a post. More pictures (and if my connection cooperates, the video of the jump) can be found on my facebook page.

Me Fui al Monte (de la Cruz)

2009-08-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

Mood: Tranquil
Music: Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

Apparently, Wednesday is everybody-be-boring-and-do-homework day. But, if you know me, you know I don't like homework, so I jumped on a bus and had an adventure. I went an hour outside of town to Monte de la Cruz, in San Rafael de Heredia. It's just a bunch of little picnic spots and trails that crisscross a mountain, with an overlook over the whole Central Valley. Since I was the only one, there's not a lot to say, just take a look at the pictures.

On the way home, I was feeling a little homesick, so I gave in and ate fast food. I went to Taco Bell... Don't judge. Anyway, it turns out Taco Bell is different in Costa Rica, so it was still a cultural experience. I ordered the chicken quesadilla combo, which was more or less the same as at home- quesadilla, ground beef hard taco, and pepsi... Except that it came with fries. Fries? At Taco Bell? WTF? The quesadilla was weird. It had ranch dressing in it instead of quesadilla sauce, and, wait for it... REAL CHICKEN!!!?!?!!!11!!one!!! I wasn't really sure what to make of it. But the taco and the pepsi were normal, at least. And they played Journey on the stereo, so it still kind of felt like home.

And now, Mami is trying to make me eat again. Oh lord.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

It's Okay, You Can Sit On the Grass

2009-08-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Mood: Inclusive
Music: Mago de Oz - Hoy Te Toca Ser Feliz

Two things to comment on today.

Numero Uno: Now I'm one hundred percent sure - History of Women in Costa Rica and Latin America is going to be my favorite class. Last night, we had an awesome discussion that intertwined Christianity, the Cult of the Goddess, and feminine free will.

Okay, show of hands, who knows about Lilith? [Of course YOU would know who Lilith is.] For those who don't, they say Lilith was Adam's first wife, before Eve. God made her out of clay, same as Adam, and not from his rib. The thing is, Lilith was independent, and believed that she and Adam were equals, and that she was not to be subservient. She wouldn't obey Adam, so God threw her out of Eden and started again with Eve. Of course, Lilith isn't in the Bible, because an all-knowing, masculine god would never screw up like that.

But here's the thing: Lilith IS in the Bible. As the story goes, Lilith marries a demon and transforms into a serpent, and makes her way back into the Garden. And of course, anyone with even a basic knowledge of Christianity knows the rest of the story - Serpent tempts Eve, Eve eats from the Tree of Knowledge, original sin, we're all screwed.

Now, keep in mind, Lilith stands for female independence, our right to free will. And it was Lilith, a woman in serpent-form, who showed Eve, another woman, how to find unlimited knowledge. Here's where it gets (more) interesting. The serpent has been the symbol of the Goddess, of Mother Earth, for 35,000 years. The monotheistic religions took the symbol of the Goddess, united it with a known representation of feminine free will, used this combination to tempt another woman, and through three women all together, completely ruined the human race forever by not letting a man have his way.

And even better, this whole discussion was in Spanish. Goddess, I love my life.

Numero Dos: Today, IFSA-Butler brought in a Costa Rican doctor, licensed by the University of Costa Rica (keep this in mind for later), to give us a talk on preventing tropical diseases. Everything was well and good as he talked about Dengue fever, and he was going strong as he hit malaria... But then he instantly lost all credibility with me when he blamed malaria on the illegal Nicaraguans. I'm sorry, but malaria isn't contagious. Care to explain that one to me?

He then continued on to inform us that we shouldn't take our anti-malarial medications, which were prescribed in certified travel clinics, and recommended by the CDC, because "they just don't work". We also shouldn't eat any salads while outside of the central valley, because we'll get Leishmaniasis. It's okay to sit on the grass, though, he promised.

But you know what makes me almost certain this guy was a hack? He didn't know the facts about A-H1N1 Influenza, even in his own country. First, he said that the biggest symptom of Swine Flu is "congestive mucus". Wrong. Swine Flu comes with a DRY cough, and a RUNNY nose. It's not congestive at all. [Source: http://www.vidaestudiantil.una.ac.cr/salud/influenzaah1n1. This is the handout our university gave us, taken directly from the bulletins handed out by the Ministerio de Salud/Ministry of Health]. Second, and perhaps even stupider? He informed us that the death toll from A-H1N1 in Costa Rica was at 12 people. Wrong again. When he gave us that talk this morning, the count was at 22, and three more died today, for a total of 25. [Source: http://www.nacion.com/ln_ee/2009/agosto/04/pais2048833.html. An article from La Nacion, the Costa Rican newspaper.]

Sorry, Dr. Embustero, but your threats of malaria don't make the cute Nicaraguan boy at the corner store any less attractive.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
garua - drizzle
somera - slight/superficial
recalcar - to stress/emphasize
corregimientos - country subdivisions (ant.)
aunar - to combine

Manana Es Para Siempre

2009-08-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Mood: Anti-Monday
Music: Makano & Monica - Su Nombre en Mi Cuaderno

All right, let's talk about my first "real" week here. And by real, I mean the first week that didn't feel like an awesome vacation, but instead involved long classes and taking the bus everywhere. Okay, so Saturday was still kind of vacation-y, but whatever.

Monday:
I went and swam laps at the pool with Kelsey. It was nice to swim again, but as Kelsey swims for the team at AU, she put me to shame, ha. The only not nice thing about the pool is that there are constantly large, hairy old men also swimming laps, and like all old Costa Rican men, they seem to think it's their god-given right to stare at gringas. The fact that we were in swimsuits only made it worse, of course.

After the pool, Kelsey and I found a pupuseria near UNA, but, horror of horrors, the pupusas weren't going to be ready until four o'clock. I wanted to die inside a little, but the lady informed me that it was only like that on Mondays, since they aren't open on Sundays to prep.

I had my first class at 5:00 - The History of Women in Costa Rica and Latin America. I'm pretty sure this class is going to be my favorite. The professor is very accommodating to the gringas in the class - she doesn't mind when one of us asks her to explain something three times over. She's also a feminist "from the highest hair on her head to the calluses on the bottom of her foot" (her words, not mine). She reminds me a lot of Amy M. back home, ha. Also, the readings seem interesting - the one I read for class today was called "The Creation of the Patriarchy", and it discussed how women were actually forced into a subservient role long before the creation of social castes. Good stuff (the reading, I mean, not the forced subservience of women).

Tuesday:
I had class all day, from 8:00 AM straight through to 8:20 PM. Okay, not quite that late, but only because the prof for the last class let us go early, being the first day and all. As if twelve hours of class wasn't bad enough, it's only THREE classes. Here in Costa Rica, classes are only taught once a week, usually in three hour blocks. My classes for the day are Advanced Spanish (8:00 - 12:00), The Costa Rican Cultural Identity (1:00-3:30), and Costa Rican Spanish (5:00 - 8:20). Okay, so I do have a couple of breaks, but that doesn't mean that Tuesdays will not constantly make me want to drop out of school and go work as a guide for a canopy tour.

Wednesday:
DAY OFF!!! God knows I deserve it after these Tuesdays I'm going to have. Honestly, I didn't do anything interesting on Wednesday - I only went with Sofia while she ran errands for a couple of hours, in order to get out of the house for a while. We had delicious gelatto though.

Thursday:
Last school day for the week. I had Advanced Spanish again, from 8:00-11:00 AM. It's my only class that meets twice a week, and that's only because it's through the IFSA-Butler program and not through UNA. We watched the most awful movie, an Argentinean film called "El Asadito." This movie was actually the WORST movie I have ever seen. Released in 2000, but filmed in black and white, this movie has terrible lighting, little action and even less plot. It's just a bunch of fat, old, hairy, shirtless Argentinean men sitting around for 18 hours, arguing about nothing. Of course, I couldn't actually tell you what they were arguing about for about half of the movie, because this particular Argentinean dialect happens to be completely unintelligible. The half I did understand came from IMDB and an indie film discussion forum. Apparently, there are people who actually really liked this movie. I hope they're all sterile.

Moving on. From 2:00-5:00, I have Cultural and Development in Costa Rica and Latin America. Well, it's technically from 2:00 to 5:00, but the prof likes to end around 4:15, which is nice. We already got assigned group projects in the class, but fortunately my group isn't until the ninth week of school. We've got a presentation on the presence of the US in Latin America. It's going to be easy, as long as I remember not to go off on a tirade against United Fruit company, ha.

Thursday night, a bunch of girls from the program got together for drinks at Heredia's most popular bar, Bulevar, to celebrate having survived the first week of classes (nobody, and I mean nobody, has class on Fridays). I was excited for us to order a beer tower, but somehow, the beer taps for draught beer weren't working, so beer towers were unavailable. It was upsetting. However, there was a "6 bottles of Imperial for ¢5000" promotion, so it was okay in the end. We didn't stay out too late though, because a bunch of people were leaving Friday morning to go to the surf competition in Jaco.

Friday:
A mostly lazy day. I did go into Heredia; 5 other girls and myself met up with a girl who works for a tourism company. She got us a discount on a canopy tour - 2 people for $50. We made reservations to go Saturday at 13:00. After that, Corin and I wandered around Heredia for a couple of hours, just poking our heads into stores and eating ice cream and chatting. Like I said though, it was a lazy day, so when I went home around 6, that was it for the day.

Saturday:
Sarah M., Sarah L., Meghan, Jen, Liz, and I went on the canopy tour. It's in the province of Cartago, outside a town called La Carpintera. The tour has eleven platforms (so ten ziplines) and 2 rappel lines (one of which is a 90 foot drop - sooo awesome). The hike up the mountain was kind of grueling, and I think we all thought we were on the brink of death (except for Liz, who followed two steps behind the guide and didn't need to take a break the whole way up). But we finally made it to the top, thank god. The first lines were pretty easy, but poor Meghan was really scared, and ended up going across attached to one of the guides on about 7 or 8 of the lines. As for me, well, I think it may have been one of the coolest things I've ever done. I was all ready to let go of the line entirely and slide across upside down, ha. I did let go once for a half second, but Leo (the main guide) gave me hell for it when I got to the next platform, so I didn't do it again. The guides were both really nice, and at the same time very bad ass. Leo is in his mid-forties, and has been doing this his whole life. He has a degree in engineering, and actually designed all of the lines. As a side note, he has a ponytail. Ranier, his assistant, is nineteen, and a bit of a practical joker. He thought it was great fun to let Liz and I fall almost all the way down the 90 foot rappel line, both of us shrieking the whole way down. Of course, he and Leo both knew 100% what they were doing, so they stopped us with about ten feet to go. The last line was probably the most awesome, as it was the longest and the fastest. I was upset that it was over, ha. But it was totally worth the $25 dollars. Hell, I would've paid double that, it was a great tour. If you're reading this and are interested, send me a comment and I'll get you the info for the company.

Also, we saw a sloth. And that was it for my week, ha. The end.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words for the week:
rifa - raffle
eje - axis
juicio - trial
soborno - bribe
tocador - dresser
cajón - drawer
estantería - shelves
apretarse - to make out
abatido - miserable
sicario - hitman/thug
mora - blackberry
defenestrar - to throw out the window
bucal - oral (as in mouths - adjective)
lesbica - lesbian (adjective)
travestis - transvestites
borroso - blurry
nuboso - cloudy
capa - film
genero - gender/genre
rollos de genero - gender roles
peripecia - incident
afán - zeal
coterraneos - compatriots
susodicho - above-mentioned
indagar - investigate

P.S. - Congratulations to my host Abuelo and Abuela on their fiftieth anniversary, and also to my own parents on their twenty-eighth!!! Love you Mom and Dad!!!

Something that's been bugging me...

2009-07-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Mood: Frustrated/Sad
Music: Flogging Molly - Rebels of the Sacred Heart

"Es solo una india, no le haga caso."

That statement has been bugging me all weekend. See, on Saturday, we were out shopping for a Mother's Day present, and we passed a homeless lady on the street, begging for spare change. Nothing unusual, right? What caught my eye was that she had on the most beautiful dress - it was dirty, but undeniably beautiful, with no holes or threads out of place. She was barefoot, and didn't even have a cup to beg with - she was just putting the change into a pocket in her dress. I mentioned to Sofia that in the US, the homeless are generally more... well, tattered, and often somewhat crazy... and that it was something unusual for me to see someone begging in such pretty clothes. And Sofia responded "She's just an indian, don't pay attention to her."

Really?

I keep trying to write some kind of deep commentary on the social situation in Costa Rica, and how it's completely unjust that the indigenous populations here are so discriminated against, but I can't seem to find the right words. All I know is that those thirty seconds of my life really, really upset me, and I know I'm never going to forget that woman's face.

-Sarah

I have THREE left feet, and I'm still gonna do it!

2009-07-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

Mood: Ready for school to start already
Music: Weezer – Pink Triangle

Yesterday, we started the day by meeting at UNA to get our fingerprints taken, as part of the process of converting our tourist visas to student visas. I didn't want to do it – fingerprinting is a little too “Big Brother” for me – but I bit the bullet and dealt with it. I don't want my study abroad screwed up over a bit of ink.

After we finished with that, we all took one of the public buses into San Jose. Kate, Alex, Kelsey, and I went with Mariana, the same girl who took us around UNA two days ago, and her friend Yeimi. She took us down the avenida central, which is closed to all but pedestrian traffic. We got to look around in the mercado central, where they sell a bit of everything. Then we went to lunch at the Teatro Nacional, were the kids from UCR (Ashley, Michael, and Katie) met up with us. We got a private tour of the theater, and they informed us that student tickets can cost as little as 240 colones (about 50 cents american, though those are nosebleed seats). After that, we split up again, and Mariana took us through a bunch of parks and two artisan markets. The first was apparently kind of a big deal – it was the first day they had ever held the market, and they asked us all to sign our names in a memory book. For some reason, they found it really awesome that gringos had come to their market, haha. I found a Mother's Day present for Dona Dimia there – a little dish made from coconut with a butterfly hand painted on the inside (I checked with Sofia, she says Dona D. will love it). The second market was the Mercado Nacional de Artesania, which was actually a lot like the mercado central, minus the food. I got myself some presents there – a Sele jersey (La Sele is what the Costa Ricans call their national soccer team; it's short for 'seleccion'), an Imperial t-shirt, and one of those hand-woven bracelets that you see everywhere.

We got home around 4:30 or 5. I had about a half an hour to relax before Dona D.'s family showed up to watch the game – La Sele played Mexico at 8, and before that we watched the US play Honduras. Unfortunately, Honduras lost to the US (2-0), and even though Costa Rica and Mexico tied in points (1-1), Costa Rica lost on the penalties. Sigh. But still, it was a good excuse to sit around, drink Imperial, get tipsy with the family, and scream at the television. Dona D. informed me that I should call her “Mami” the same way her own girls do; I'm part of the family now.

Today was the last day of orientation. All of us (UCR kids included) took a microbus up into a hotel in the mountains, where IFSA had rented a conference room for the day. The view of the valley from up there was absolutely gorgeous, but I forgot to take pictures... Not to worry, though, at least five other people did, ha. The orientation itself was kind of pointless, like most of their orientation activities have been, but it was a good bonding experience. The only planned part of the day that was actually fun was when the dance team showed up. That's right. IFSA payed a local dance studio to send up an instructor and some students to teach us how to dance salsa, merengue, and swing tico (or cumbia). Now, if you know me, you know I don't dance (unless I've had tequila, ha). I took the opportunity to be the photographer, but even then, I still somehow got pulled onto the floor. As predicted, I danced like an idiot, but it wasn't tooo bad... The dance instructor was hottttt (*fans self*) and I jokingly told Ashley that I wasn't big on dancing in public, but that if he wanted to give me private lessons (*wink wink*), I would be more than willing.

Now I'm just at home, relaxing. A bunch of people went back to Liberia for the weekend, and a bunch of other people are going out. We're just having a night in with the family though - I plan to go to bed early-ish and sleep in late-ish. I'm sure I can get Naty and Sofia to go out tomorrow night. Hasta manana.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
Apretarse To Make out
(care)picha (vulgar) dick
Esta hecha picha (vulgar) It's ruined
chocante annoying
eructo burp
Esta cayendo un pelo de gato It's misting
lodo mud
curita band-aid
arbitro referee
portero goalee
renovar renew
guanabana chewy white fruit

How many ADD kids does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

2009-07-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Mood: Lazy
Music: Wisin y Yandel – Sexy Movimiento

I didn't bother to write yesterday, because the only interesting thing that happened was that I registered for classes in the morning. I'll be taking: Advanced Spanish, Costa Rican Spanish, The History of Women in Costa Rica and Latin America, Culture and Development in Latin America, and The Costa Rican Cultural Identity. Baller. I also got to hear the story of Dona Dimia's ex (Naty and Sofia's dad), and see him from the upstairs window, where Dona D. and I sneakily spied on him (she won't let him in the house). Dona D. is rather scandalous, as it turns out. We're going to get along fabulously, I can already tell ;-)

Today hasn't been especially eventful, either. This morning, we were shown around UNA and Heredia by a student guide. She was a lot of fun, and I think I can find my way around campus now. The Heredia tour was kind of useless, though; I got hopelessly turned around. Going to the market was cool, though – we got to try all different kinds of fruit and the program paid for it. We surprised Mariana (the guide) when we already knew how to eat mamones chinos, haha. She also showed us where the nearest gym is. The school has one, but you have to pay an extra fee to use it, so she told us we might as well go to one of the nicer gyms off campus. I'm thinking about maybe signing up for the few months I'm here – it's only 14.000 colones a month (roughly $28) for a plan which gives full access to the machines and the indoor track, and that also includes aerobics and spinning classes and a personal trainer at no extra charge. We'll see, though. Anybody who knows me knows that the gym and I are not friends.

I got home about two hours ago, and I've just been relaxing since then. My eyeball started to hurt on the tour today (of all the random body parts) and I had been rubbing it, so I didn't really want to go do anything with it looking all gross. Some people think I might have pink eye, but I'm pretty sure it's just allergies; the same thing happened back in Ohio over the summer, now that I think about it. Anyway, I think it's about time for a nap.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
Tiritita Band-aid
Alfareria Pottery
Se me hundio el barco Wedgie
Escampar To let up

Mmmm Internets

2009-07-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Mood: Settled
Music: Britney Spears – Circus

My host family has wireless!!! Okay, not really, we steal it from the internet cafe down the street. But still.

Today was almost entirely travel. We left Bahia Salinas at nine and got back to Liberia at 10:30. I just had a quick hour for brunch with Dona Melida and Don Carlos (unfortunately, Edgar and Angeles weren't able to leave San Jose until 15:00, sad), and then after goodbyes and well-wishing all around, we hopped on a giant bus to leave for Heredia.

We got into Heredia around 16:00, and our host families picked us up outside UNA (the Universidad Nacional Autonoma, where I'll be studying this semester). My host mom looked... well, angry, and I was kind of nervous, but as it turns out, she always looks that way and never actually is :-). I live with Dona Dimia (my host mom) and her two daughters, Natalia, 23, and Sofia, 21. Natalia is studying to be a dentist, and has her last exam for her license coming up in September. Sofia is studying special education, though she still has a year to go. They're both really nice. Sofia reminds me so much of my friend Stephanie (especially with her facial expressions) that I constantly have to remember to call her the right name, haha.

Anyway, I haven't done much since I got here except unpack, talk and hang out with my family, and catch up on all the things I've been missing on teh internets. The house here is gorgeous – huge cathedral ceilings and open, well-lit rooms. Not to mention a view of the mountains out every window. My room is great, too. I have a corner room, so two windows, and one is an enormous bay window that lets in so much light and so much breeze. I have my own bathroom, complete with jacuzzi bathtub and hot water (which is a commodity here, let me tell you). And my family has a washer and drier, and knows how to use fabric softener!!! My life is officially perfect.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

P.S. - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! You're old, dude.

A Senate of Crabs

2009-07-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

Mood: Ballsy
Music: El Canto del Loco – Canciones

Today was easily the most adventurous, outdoorsy day I've had so far. After breakfast this morning, we caught a boat for a tour of Isla Bolanos, that island that we saw yesterday that's just off the coast. It's home to the greatest number of bird species in Costa Rica (or so they say), some 200 different birds. Anyway, when we left, it was looking gray, but not too bad – our guide, Adrian (who we think also owns or runs the hotel) said it would probably just drizzle. Fail. For the entirety of the twenty-minute boat ride, it poured. We were all soaked to the bones when we got there. But most of us didn't let it screw up the day.

Corin and I started the morning by walking around the beach. On Isla Bolanos, there are tons of perfect conch shells, and they are everywhere. They aren't especially large, but seriously, they're flawless. There are also these crabs, and they're so pretty that they look fake – you would think they had been painted by how colorful they were. Anyway, after we walked around for awhile, Adrian said we were just going to wander the beach for the rest of the morning. We were confused, because we were under the impression that we were going to hike to the top of the island to see the birds' nests. But Adrian said we couldn't, because it had been raining, and Ecoplaya (the hotel) didn't want to be held liable if one of us fell in a mudslide and snapped our necks.

Well, Alex and I decided we were going to try and hike up anyway, even if Adrian couldn't (wouldn't?) send a guide with us. Corin came with us, and we literally scrambled up the hill to the top of the island (carefully avoiding the crabs all the way up – they don't just chill on the beach, they're all over in the forest, too). When we got up there, the view was too amazing for words. We took so many pictures, of the view, and especially of the birds. They're everywhere! There were big black ones called garsos negros, and littler white ones called garsos blancos. There were pelicans, too, and one ginormous iguana (or rather garro – the males are garros, the females are iguanas). It turns out that a bunch of other people had decided to climb up, too, and I had to laugh because Adrian gave in and sent two guides along, Marven and Manuel. He probably figured that we would sue either way if we got hurt, so better to have a guide than not, haha. I was glad he did, because Marven knew a ton about the birds, and pointed out to us which ones were recently hatched and told us how to tell males from females. Both the guides were clearly at home with the climb – they both did it barefoot. And they both scrambled back and forth like mountain goats in order to help the girls who were having trouble getting back down to the beach.

When we got back down, a few of us decided to just go swimming with our clothes on, since we were still soaked from the boat ride out. Just my luck, ten seconds after I take off my hiking boots, I manage to step on a pointy something or other that's sticking out of the sand and gouge out a bit of my foot (gross, right?). Fortunately, Corin is a walking pharmacy, and soon had my wound disinfected, gauzed over, and taped up. Of course, it didn't do much good, because I decided to hell with it, I was going swimming anyway, and the bandage was off five minutes later, ha.

After a quick lunch back at the hotel, 13 of us jumped in a microbus with Teresita, Yanori, and Xiomara and went to a nearby virgin beach called Playa Rajada (the others stayed back at the hotel to lounge around the pool). I was really glad I went, because Alex and I had a grand island adventure. There's a little island that's not even a half kilometer out from Playa Rajada, and Alex and I decided to swim out to it. Nobody else would go with us, because the hilos de mar (those baby jellyfish) were out in force at this beach. But we said screw it, and swam out anyway. When we got out there, we decided to walk all the way around the island, just to have a good look. It's really cool, because at one point, there's a fissure in the island that runs almost all the way to the top, but stops just short to where there's a little bridge thing over the crack. The awesome part is that the waves crash right through the fissure, from one side of the island straight through to the other (it's not very big). And even cooler – there had to be 2,000 crabs, just hanging out. We decided that a group of crabs would be called a senate (you know – pack of dogs, pride of lions, pod of dolphins. Though as it turns out, it's actually a cast of crabs [http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html]. Whatever, I like senate better).

After we had gone all the way around the island (ask me about our daredevil stunt to get across the fissure on one side :-)), we swam back. This was the only part of the day that sucked. Apparently, the hilos de mar had had enough of gringos in their waters, and I came out with so many red spots from their stings that I looked like I had a rash all over. It was really sore, but I wasn't about to let anybody pee on me, and we didn't have any vinegar, so when the shuttle driver offered to take one van load of people home early, I went willingly.

Now I'm back in the hotel room, relaxing after a shower and watching Friends in Spanish. I would save this until later, but the truth of the matter is that I don't think I'm up for much more tonight than going down to dinner. And I doubt I'll even get out of my pajamas for that, ha. But whatever, I explored two islands in one day. I think I deserve a night off, don't you?

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
canegua/caricaco hermit crab
garro male iguana
garsos species of birds

I stepped on it!!!

2009-07-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Mood: Utterly Content
Music: Green Day – She

For once, I'm not completely exhausted as I write this. How odd.

Today was our last day of classes at UCR. We had to present the recipes for the foods we made last night, and then we read an article and had a debate over the pros and cons of vegetarianism. My half of the class got stuck on the anti-vegetarianism side, which sucked, because the article we read had absolutely no helpful information. So we just made up really ridiculous arguments, i.e. Costa Rica is a Catholic country, and since Jesus ate meat (see the story of the loaves and fishes), then so will we! Today was probably the best day as far as the snack they gave us: a little spiky red fruit called “mamon chino”. The seed-spitting contest we had was pretty epic, to say the least.

After class, I had a quick lunch of leftovers with Don Carlos (Dona M. was out giving a cultural discussion). A lot of people said goodbye to their families at lunch today, since we're supposedly only coming back on Monday long enough to get our suitcases, but I know Dona Melida is planning to have brunch, so I didn't get into goodbyes with Don C. Afterwards, I rode with Jen and her host mom to the Burger King at the edge of town, where 19 of us (Brittany is spending the weekend with her host family) crammed into a microbus to leave for Bahia Salinas. We stopped along the way at the prettiest overlook I think I've ever seen – on the top of a hill, looking out over a valley down to the Pacific coast.

We got to the hotel we're staying at, Ecoplaya, around 16:00, and we all had a snack (ham sandwiches with butter and cheese whiz. Weird, I know). We had 2 hours until dinner started, so Corin and I changed into our bathing suits and went down to the beach. There's this island about a kilometer off the coast, and I joked that we should swim to it. Well, we started wading out into the water, and it turns out you can practically walk to it! About halfway in between the island and the shore, I could still touch the sand with my head above water. If it hadn't been so late, I probably would have convinced Corin to walk/wade/swim all the way, but the sun goes down around 18:00 here, and we didn't want to be caught alone on that island in the dark. When we got back to the hotel, everyone was in the pool, so we hopped in with them for a bit, but after a while, Ashley and I got cold and went back to our rooms.

We all met for dinner at 16:30, and then afterwards went for a night walk on the beach. Alex had his flashlight with him so we could (kind of) see what we were walking on, but even so, Emily and Stephanie L. were completely terrified of stepping on the crabs that were everywhere. Of course, neither of them had anything to worry about, as it was inevitably me who ended up stepping on one. I don't think I killed it, because I'm pretty sure I didn't put much weight down before I felt it under my foot (I was barefoot at the time)... I hope not, anyway.

Now I'm laying in bed, watching Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley/Matthew MacFadyen version) in Spanish, and well, writing this. I'm out of things to say, and it just got to the part where Darcy proposes to Elizabeth at Rosings, so I'm going to leave off for now.

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New Words:
jerga slang
rocío dew
transgredir to transgress/to break
testarudo stubborn/pigheaded

BOMBA!!! (No, not bomb. Dance!)

2009-07-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Mood: Exhausted. Again.
Music: Pitbull – Calle 8

Classes today were all right. A lot of people complained, because we had to go out and find a tico to interview on the UCR campus, and it was really awkward. Well, not for me, because me and the cafeteria lady, Xelmira, are biffles. Our class had to pair up, so Ashley and I went straight to the dining hall, and Xelmira was nice enough to put up with the stupid questions we had to ask. She's such a sweetheart, and she's pregnant!! She wants a girl; she thinks a boy would be too difficult, ha.

We got out at 12:30, so I stopped by an internet cafe on the way home and checked my email and facebook. This one was much, much better than the first, though still slower than snails. I only stayed about an hour, and then went home for lunch with Dona Melida. She was still cooking when I got there, so she told me I should go over and look around La Ermita, the little church that's across from our house, which also happens to be a religious art museum (I don't remember if I mentioned before that Dona M. is on a cultural preservation committee). It's small and simple, just big enough for mass once a month and for the nuns who come to pray at three o'clock every day. There was nobody there when I got there, so I just looked around for a few minutes and went home.

After lunch and a nap, Dona Melida and I were going to discuss how to make horchata, but she wasn't quite awake from her nap yet, so I went with Jen to see La Ermita again. Jen's host grandma (who happens to be Don Carlos's sister) is also on the cultural preservation committee, so she gave us a full tour and explanation of the cultural heritage of the church. We still didn't stay too long, though, because the church was supposed to be closed to visitors (we borrowed the keys from the caretaker).

When I got back home, Dona Melida taught me how to make horchata. She had made a big jug of it to take to the party later at UCR. We were technically supposed to make it together, but she wanted to make it in the morning so it would have time to chill. Anyway, we had a big long discussion on how to get the measurements just right, and about the history of packaged horchata.

Dona M. and I left around 6 to go to the farewell party at UCR. Our program, IFSA, puts this party on every semester for the students and their host families, and they do a potluck, where every family brings a Costa Rican food (hence the horchata – which is sort of like a chocolate/vanilla/cinnamon/clove spice smoothie, AKA delicious). They also invited a dance troupe that performs traditional dances of Guanacaste, which was really cool to watch. After we ate, part of the party was a dance for us, but well... I don't dance. Not to mention I once again found myself about to fall asleep in my food. Dona Melida and I went home around 9, I packed up my things to leave for the beach tomorrow, and now, like always, I'm going to go pass out (has there been a single night yet that I haven't been exhausted? I don't think so...)

Pura Vida,
Sarah

New words:
Cordura Sanity
percha/colgador hanger
estuche case (for a camera)
grumulas granules (like in hot cocoa)
agriarse to spoil/to go bad
recular to back up
pegajoso sticky

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYLEY!!! Finally legal, but go figure, across the world in a country where it doesn't matter, and suffering from malaria to boot. Hope you feel better soon. Love you!!!

Spoiler Alert: Dumbledore Dies

2009-07-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

Mood: Worldly
Music: Harry Potter theme

Today, class didn't start until one, so I got to sleep in... until 9:30, sigh. I guess tica families think Americans are really lazy for how late we sleep, so I tried to get up as early as I could. I couldn't bring myself to do any earlier though, god knows nine thirty is hard enough for me. Once I dragged myself out of bed, I sat and had brunch with Edgar and Angeles, and said goodbye to them, because they were taking off to San Jose until Monday, and I won't get to see them again. After they left, I sat and read the paper for a while (in the news today: ninth person in the country dies from swine flu, PAC candidate criticizes PUSC candidate), then left to go to UCR an hour early to try and use their wireless internet (epic fail).

Class went from one to five thirty, and it felt a lot like kindergarten again – we had to write a song called Ojala and use the subjunctive in it, and then we were forced to sing it for the class. That was about as eventful as it got for the day.

At five-thirty, we all went home and got showers and dinner, and then we cabbed out to the mall to go see the new Harry Potter movie. It was interesting, because in English, the title is Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, but in Spanish it's Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe, which translates to HP and the Mystery of the Prince. That sort of thing has always seemed cool to me, and I spent a good half an hour wondering why they translated it like that, ha. The movie was in English with subtitles, so it was still relatively like seeing it in the U.S. Spoiler: Dumbledore dies.

After the movie, Alex and I shared a cab home, and now, like every night, I'm about to pass out from exhaustion.

Pura vida,
Sarah

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!! Sorry I couldn't call you, darling. You know I love you!

Playa Hermosa

2009-07-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Mood: Sick (sunstroke?)
Music: Ben Kweller – Penny on the Train Track

This morning, they split us into intermediate and advanced Spanish classes and we met the professors for the semester. 12 of us are in advanced with Lucia and the other 8 have intermediate with Gaby. But... the classes are, well, easy. Today, we reviewed the pretérito and the imperfecto, and then we had to write (and act out) a fairy tale. We all kind of felt like we were in kindergarten again, especially since we got to have arts and crafts time to create “scenes” for our fairy tales.

Our fairy tale was pretty fabulous. Literally. The gay prince Michael and his fruit fly Kate are locked in a tower by his homophobic parents until they fall in love and have a baby. The witch of the mountain keeps them trapped there, and for seven years, they can't escape. Finally, the brave and handsome prince Sarita rescues Michael from his (incredibly phallic) tower, shoves aside the witch, and he, Michael, and Kate ride off into the sunset. But then they all faint and die of swine flu. The end. It's very postmodern.

After school, 17 of us got on the bus and went out to Playa Hermosa. It was (you guesses it) gorgeous – crystal clear water, palm trees, and blue skies all afternoon. The water was the perfect temperature, just warm enough to be comfortable but cold enough that it was sooo refreshing. We played monkey in the middle with a water frisbee for a while, but it got a little boring when it was constantly Corin and Stephanie in the middle. Also, there are what the ticos call hilos de mar – little baby jellyfish that sting you all over. They aren't bad stings, just really uncomfortable, like somebody pinched you. They leave these little red marks, but they're gone an hour later.

Once we got out of the water, Alex, Ashley, and Kate went to go pick up some booze, and I had Alex bring me back a six-pack of Imperial. It was a perfect afternoon on the beach. About 12 people decided to go back on the five o'clock bus, and then Ashley and Kate took off to Playas del Coco with Michael and his family, so only Alex, Corin, and I stayed to eat dinner at the little seafood restaurant on the beach and watch the sunset (which was amazing, and only lasted about two minutes).

The three of us caught the seven o'clock bus (the last one for the day) back to Liberia. I went home and grabbed a quick shower to get all the sand off, and then we went out to the Bar Palermo again. I didn't stay too long, though, because after one beer, I felt kind of sick and more than a little exhausted. I think it's either sunstroke or dehydration, so I just walked home and now I'm going to drink some water and crash.

Pura vida,
Sarah

Noches de Palermo

2009-07-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Mood: Tipsy
Music: Michael Jackson – Thriller

This morning at breakfast, Dona Melida was really excited to get me to go to an orchestra concert put on by the Liberia Youth Orchestra. She told me I had to invite everybody, ha. After breakfast was my first adventure with the Liberia city bus. Jen and I got to the bus stop and Stephanie was already there. Her host mom was busy harassing a tico boy who was also waiting for the bus; she ordered him to help us with paying the driver and telling us where to get off. We later realized that she didn't even know the kid – she was just ordering around some random dude.

We got to UCR right on time, but Teresita, Yanori, and Xiomara (the other assistant) showed up on hora tica (about fifteen minutes to a half an hour late). The actual orientation wasn't all that interesting, but getting to know people was cool. People here are pretty relaxed. Everybody's really open and chill, and Michael (the gay guy) is a riot to be around. Corin, one of the other AU girls, is really nice, too, though a little bit awkward. Ashley's fabulous, too, and such a crackup.

While we were at orientation, we decided to go to the beach tomorrow, because we have the afternoon off. Go figure I got stuck going to the bus terminal and figuring out how to get there, since I'm one of the top three speakers in the group. I wasn't sure how far my host family's house was from the terminal, so I ended up walking a half an hour to get home, but all in all, it wasn't a bad time. The lady at the terminal was very patient with me, and wasn't rude about answering all of my stupid questions (which were already answered on the time table in front of me).

I got home around 5:30 and got a quick shower, and then tossed back a quick dinner with Dona Melida and Don Carlos (Edgar and Angeles were off scuba diving somewhere). After that, I picked up Jen and Alex, and we walked to the parque central to meet up for the orchestra concert. Probably three quarters of the group came, and we all squeezed into three pews in the Iglesia de la Concepcion Inmaculada. The music was all right (no TYO, haha) – almost all well-known classical pieces. It was a little awkward, because Michael and I gossiped all the way through it, and Corin was apparently really upset that we wouldn't shut up. I think she forgave us, though, because after the concert, ten of us went out for drinks and she came along.

Nobody really knew where to go for drinks, so I suggested this cocktail bar that I saw on the avenida central, close to Alex's house. It was called Bar Palermo, and we ended up going there. I tried the Costa Rican beer Imperial, and then started throwing back liquor drinks, including the Costa Rican version of the screwdriver. Their screwdriver is made with Cacique (a guaro liquor). Our waiter was freaking hot, his name was Johan. More than one of us (cough Emily and Stephanie L. cough) would have gladly gone home with him, haha. People sort of trickled out as they needed to get home to their host families, and there were only five of us left by the end of the night. Alex and I stumbled home, and now I'm in bed, and kind of astonished that this doesn't have too many spelling and grammar errors (god bless open office).

Pura vida,
Sarah

Familia Guanacasteca

2009-07-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

Mood: Even more exhausted than yesterday
Music: Mago de Oz – Posada de los Muertos

We didn't have to be ready to leave this morning until 8, so of course my body woke me up at 6:30. I sat on the porch of our room and just watched it drizzle for a bit. Everything here is so freaking green!!! Mango trees grow in the hotel yard, and instead of spiders, there's a gecko infestation (I want a gecko infestation!). We went to a restaurant called Pan y Miel for breakfast. Apparently it's a chain, though I never would have guessed. Breakfast was rice and beans, some kind of carne and some orange juice. It was also not air conditioned... we've been informed that just about nowhere is, unless it's a brand new building or the owners are loaded.

Orientation was a couple of kilometers out along the highway (a kilometer is .6 miles, fyi), and they made us walk. Which was great for digesting breakfast, but not so great for someone who sweats buckets, and especially not in a climate this humid... It wasn't too bad, though, and at least the orientation room was air conditioned. They're having orientation at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)'s Liberia campus. There are 20 of us, 18 girls and only two guys, and one of them is gay (feels just like AU). We were only in session for about an hour and half before we took a break, which involved a snack - a potato-chili thingy on top of a tortilla. While it was really delicious, it seemed kind of unnecessary, because we ended at noon and walked back, at which point we met our host families, who took us home and fed us (they eat so often here).

My family is just a retired lady, Dona Melida, and her husband Don Carlos, who's also retired. They have three grown sons; two live in San Jose and the other lives in California. The youngest son, Edgar Eduardo is actually here to stay part of the week; his friend from Spain, Angeles, is on vacation, and he's showing her around the country. Dona Melida seems really nice. Even though she's retired, she keeps busy – she and Don Carlos are both in the Lions Club (apparently that's international?) and she's in some group for the promotion and preservation of culture in Liberia. She told me she wouldn't be able to do much with me, but I reassured her that it would be fine, that I could take care of myself. She showed me that one of the other girls, Jen, lives three houses down with Don Carlos's sister; I think she expects me to go hang out with Jen whenever she's not around.

After lunch (sopa de res), which was just Dona Melida, me, and their empleada Petrona, Dona Melida had a dentist appointment. So she made Jen's host sisters show us where Alex (the only straight guy) was staying – just around the corner from us – and then told them to show us where the nearest internet cafe was. We went to get Alex and then we all went sandal shopping (Alex broke his on the walk back from UCR). We stopped in a little book store on the way back. I bought a copy of Maria by Jorge Isaacs – it's one of the ones we read selections from in Latin American lit, so it should be pretty good: unrequited love and all that. After that, we went to the internet cafe, which was awful... I think I spent a third of the half hour I paid for waiting for pages to load.

I went home and had a nap afterwards. I met Don Carlos, Edgar Eduardo, and Angeles when I woke up. Edgar and Angeles were just back from hiking all day, so they both grabbed showers and then we all had dinner, though Don Carlos didn't eat. Edgar is a crackup – he's very worried about how the dry spell in Ohio is going to affect our corn. We spend most of dinner (gallo pinto [rice and black beans, the national dish of CR], garlic chicken, and plátanos) just talking about the United States and where things are, about AU and why I chose Washington, and how my Spanish got to be so good. Dona Melida also explained to me that I'm going to take the bus to school tomorrow, which required about half an hour's instruction on how the bus system works, ha.

Once we finished eating, I went to see if Jen wanted to take the bus with me (she's going to come). We went to see if Alex wanted to, too, but his family is taking him. The three of us went for a walk and ended up people watching in the parque central for a half an hour or so. I just got home a minute ago, said goodnight to everyone, and now I'm going to bed.

Pura vida,
Sarah

New words:
volar caite caminar mucho
vaquita lady bug
llave maya flash drive

La Llegada

2009-07-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Mood: Exhausted
Music: The Offspring – You're Gonna Go Far Kid

So. Tired. I've been up for approximately twenty hours. I got up at 4:00 to go to the airport in Detroit, got there around 5:30, and got on the plane at 7:00, after two separate trips through security (they made me go back and check my carry-on – go figure the one time they actually bother to look is the time I have way too many liquids). The flight wasn't direct, obviously. I got into Houston at 9:30 and then left again an hour later. I finally made it to San Jose, Costa Rica at 13:00 local time (which is two hours behind Ohio/Washington. It's Central Time, but they don't do Daylight Savings Time here). Immigration and customs were a breeze, and so was getting to the bus station. The cab driver who took me there was really nice, and even helped me buy my ticket to Liberia, though there wasn't a seat available until 4.

Anyway, I finally got on the bus, and I was kind of freaking out, because I realized I was going to get to Liberia a lot later than I had originally thought, and I didn't know how to get ahold of the program people to let them know. I tried to use a pay phone and call my mom collect, so she could call them, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to make it work. The same thing happened when the bus stopped at a little soda for a rest break – these phones are crazy difficult to use! The view from the soda was amazing – lush, green, jungle-filled valley. I could have stared for hours, but we only had ten minutes.

I made it to Liberia at 7:45, which was fifteen minutes late according to the travel guide, but actually turned out to be about two hours late, since they had taken all the students to dinner at 6. Teresita, the program director, literally came running from dinner and was like, “Oh my god we didn't know what happened to you, we hadn't heard anything from the program, and you hadn't called... What happened? Where were you?” I think she was even more freaked than I was in the bus station, ha. Well, she took me over to where they were having dinner and introduced me to everyone and then brought me a plate full of delicious spinach crepe and a salad. Everyone else had already finished eating and was about to head out, so I really only had a few minutes to talk with my roommates for the night, though Teresita and Yanori (one of the program assistants) sat and talked with me the whole time.

I went back to the room after dinner and rearranged my suitcases (too much OCD for my own good) and talked with my roommates, Stephanie F. and Brittany, and then we went for a short walk. Now we're back in the hotel, and I'm going to pass out. Honestly, I can't believe I managed to stay awake long enough to write this. Orientation starts at 8 tomorrow, so I'm going to go pass out.

Pura Vida,
Sarah