Another week in the books and the settling in process continues to go smoothly. We GREATLY enjoyed our trip to Esterillos Oeste last weekend. The beach was practically deserted. I know it's rainy season but still! The beach itself is very wide and very very long, so the few people who were there could spread out from each other nicely. We enjoyed a lively game of three-on-three two hand touch football on the beach and some frolicking in the waves. The pacific beaches are quite wavey so swimming isn't always an option, but I have been told that the seasons effect the waves quite a bit. The high of the day's activities was listening to Ivan explain why football should not be called football, as he (correctly) pointed out that the ball is rarely kicked and in fact the ball isn't shaped like a ball. His suggestion is that we change the name from football (which confuses the Latinos anyways because futbol to them is soccer) and instead call American football "egg arm", because you are using your arm to throw an egg-shaped ball. Of course.
At school, we had back to school night and I got to meet some of my students' parents. So far, everyone seems quite nice. I am still waiting for "but" to come in at some point, however, so far everything at work is going along busily and swimmingly.
Back at the compound, we are easing into some enjoyable weekly routines. On Fridays, we have continued the trend of having small parties to celebrate the end of the week. This week, we had some rousing games of Bananagrams and Cards Against Humanity. On Fridays, Michelle and I also roll down to the community center near our apartments for a free Zumba class. It's so enjoyable. The people are so nice, there are kids running around and no one is showing up looking all pretentious with matching spandex and diamond earrings. It's a great way to close the work week out. On Saturdays, we hit the market. I am getting really good at shopping at the market, knowing what to get and how much to get. Nothing has gone to waste yet so I am pleased with my process so far. Today at the market, I met a lovely Venezuelan father and son pair because I was wearing my Magallanes hat. The Magallenes are my favorite Venezuelan baseball team and the father was wearing the rival team's hat! They were so nice and I so enjoyed meeting them. Ivan says it's sad I am meeting all the nicest Venezuelans not in Venezuela.
Tomorrow Ivan and I are excited to join a scooter gang that travels around on Sunday mornings to visit nice places outside of San Jose. Ivan found them on Facebook and is really pumped to talk scooters with the gang members. I told Ivan that this gang isn't going to be nearly as cool as my Grandfather's biker gang. Scooters can't top a bunch of old guys on Harleys! But then again, I have never heard of a scooter gang so this could prove interesting. Either way, it will be a great little adventure to close out our fifth week in Costa Rica!
August 22, 2015
August 15, 2015
Un mes esta en el pais de Pura Vida
And just like that, we have lived in Costa Rica for a month. I can't decide if I feel like I have lived here for a year or three days- some days it seems like I've been here forever and other days (particularly those when I get lost) I feel like I just stepped off the plane. Either way, we continue to explore and enjoy our new home!
We've taken the bike out to the burbs of San Jose a time or two now with no incidents. Despite my naysaying, we haven't dropped her yet. We also still haven't decided on a name, so she will continue being "the baby". After my first practice session I have yet to try to drive her again myself. Ivan has gotten so comfortable on it that for the meantime I think that I am just going to backseat drive. We are hoping to take a trip to one of the closer beaches in the next few weekends!
Speaking of beaches, we are looking forward to a number of beach trips in the coming weeks. Tomorrow we are heading out with a few friends to Esterillos Oeste, a small, tucked-away beach about two hours from San Jose. This is the beach that all the teachers who have been here for a while rave about. The second weekend of September, we are road tripping to Guanacaste, the peninsula on the pacific side where most of the famous tourist beaches are, for the Tamarindo Marathon. We've rented a very nice house that sleeps 12 and while Ivan and others run anywhere from 5km to a marathon, I will be waking up late and meandering to the finish line to cheer them on! The last weekend of September I am REALLY excited because SARAH LINKE SKANCKE IS COMING TO VISIT ME. I've taken a Friday off of work and she and I are going for a weekend escape! I could not be more excited to host one of my dearest and oldest friends as my first guest! She has also promised to be my pack mule so I am thrilled to get magic erasers and peanut butter. At least now I don't have to request toilet paper.
School is going GREAT. I LOVE my job and my department. I am so enjoying getting to know the students. They are really wonderful young people. I got a great surprise this week as well when the assistant principal for the secondary school came into my office and asked if I would be the speaker for the senior awards ceremony! He said that the administration thought that I would be a good choice because of my "energy". Guess they have me pegged already! I was honored to be asked and I am excited to write my speech. I have also been excited to teach the 10th grade advisory class about character and careers. We have had some amazing discussions on character qualities, growth mindset and grit. The kids have really taken to it and it makes me so happy to help students engage with this content. My favorite comment so far came from a shy 10th grade boy whom I heartlessly called on as he was obviously trying to make himself as small as possible in his desk in the back of the classroom. I had asked the question "how do we define character" and had some good responses but none that really nailed it. So I called on Mr. Back Seat Hider and after a minute of reflection (or sheer fear) he said "Character is how people remember you." Boom. I was floored. Did I mention I love my job?
I also love getting to know the new cohort of people I came here with as well as the returning teachers. Living in the compound is really expediting the "getting to know you" process. As in, last night, we were having happy hour in one of the girl's apartments when we realized that Rob, the token single straight guy of the building, had a girl coming over for a date. So of course we all descended upon his apartment to help him clean it and hang pictures before her arrival. And then we accidentally spilled a huge glass of red wine all over the floor. Poor Rob. But in all seriousness, everyone is so nice and accepting. I know this because I was supposed to go out with a lot of the crew last night and instead fell asleep with all of my going out clothes on at 9:30 and no one gave me a hard time. Pura Vida, right?
August 9, 2015
Our First Three Weeks as Ticos
I have walked around half of San Jose. Eaten a lot of mangos. Been to the beach. Been to the jungle too. Seen a volcano (not too closely though). I've even made a doctors appointment over the phone all in Spanish ALL BY MYSELF.
So ya, I am going well here in the land of Pura Vida. It's been a whirlwind transition like any good transition is. On day two, Ivan and I moved into our tiny apartment. I am not going to lie: my Caracas apartment spoiled me. Moving into a very small, unfurnished apartment with no pool and tennis court almost did me in. I didn't cry, but I thought about it. It took about two weeks to get settled in and now I quite like the place; we've definitely made it our own. Before I arrived, I was determined to cook more and I am happy to report that, despite my tiny kitchen, I have made at least five full meals so far. Meals that included farmers market ingredients AND making necessary substitutes. #omgIamfinallyreallyreallyanadult.
Amazingly, and with the help from some incredibly nice co-workers, Ivan and I have purchased a MONSTER moped. Like, I didn't know they made mopeds this big. I know Mom. I can hear you now: BUT TRACEY WHY DO YOU NEED AN EVEN BIGGER MOPED YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED. Calmate Mom. This baby is going to take us to the beach! It's definitely more of a bike for the open road, so it will get us around town and out of town for those oh-so-necessary beach weekends as well. For now, Ivan is the primary driver while I practice turning right and going over speed bumps, but I'll get there. I am very excited about our upgrade and for us to get comfortable enough to hit the open road. She is lacking a name though, so we are taking suggestions!
School is, well, incredible. I am absolutely over the moon about my department head Monica. She and I are a two-woman college counseling show. Monica is a Tica who has been making some stellar changes to the department since she came a year and half ago. Last year it was approved to expand the department by one full time person....and here I am! I think we will make an excellent team. I also adore my secondary principal and the superintendent. They are both very progressive, nerd out on things like Grit and Growth Mindset and Character Education (LIKE ALL THE THINGS I LOVE AND READ ABOUT CONSTANTLY JUST FOR FUN) and are like. so. crazy. nice. and. welcoming. In fact, everyone here is so nice and welcoming! Ticos are very concerned that we gringos are happy and enjoying ourselves in the land of pura vida.
Enjoying ourselves we have been. I have a great cohort of new teachers to get to know. It's not hard getting to know each other either- the majority of us all live in the tiny apartments together. Our building is nine units and each unit is a Lincoln School teacher! Since the building is surrounded by a wall, we have been referring to it as "the compound", but really it's more like being in dorms again. If you are home and accepting visitors, you just keep your door open. People stop by, chat, swap beers and stories. Friday night we have an impromptu 90's dance party on the balcony. In fact, right now I write this post from my "office"- a small table on the balcony overlooking the street and the yonder mountains. It is nice to be close to people. We can help each other out and it makes commuting easy. It also makes getting to know each other happen rather inorganically, as we can all hear what everyone else is doing at all times (even over the din of traffic). My wish is that we all continue to get along as well as we have been!
The location of the compound is stellar. It's only 4k from school, next to a discount grocery store and walking distance from a much nicer (abet more expensive) grocery store, a strip mall of stores and restaurants (including a drive thru only KFC), a community center (where I partake in free zumba on Mondays and Fridays!), an awesome, inexpensive year-round Saturday farmers market and a real, serious, fancypants mall! The Lincoln Plaza is a serious business mall that makes me feel more like I am in Miami than San Jose. It's way nicer than any of the malls I frequented in the US for sure! A little farther down the road we can walk or bus to a Walmart, an EPA (like Lowes or Home Depot) or the Tibas or Morovia plazas which are surrounded by a variety of stores. Ivan has found a number of great running routes and one of them is a nice 5k loop that I have walked a couple of times. Even though we are technically in the rainy season, the weather has been unseasonably dry this year so we are all trying to be outside as much as we can.
All and all, the last three weeks have been good. I do have my moments. Sometimes I feel that things are just so "easy" here. Like San Jose is Latin America Lite. Sure, people run on Tico time and peanut butter is like a million dollars, but besides a few weird prices and inconveniences it is remarkably easy and manageable to live here. But then again, my bar is living in Venezuela. And I may be looking at it with rose colored glasses, but I kind of miss the challenge of living in Caracas. It certainly kept me on my toes. And I left all I knew and love for adventure, not drive through KFCs after all:). I'm sure I'll adjust to the easy life soon enough and shudder at the thought of going back to jetting out of work at a moments notice because there is milk in the store. But for now, I am letting myself mourn the loss of waiting in incredible lines, not being able to find toilet paper and spending over $1000 on plane tickets to the US. No really, I am missing my balcony, my friends, never having to spend money and my little moped Cindy. She certainly couldn't get me to the beach but she could take those speed bumps like a little champion.
So ya, I am going well here in the land of Pura Vida. It's been a whirlwind transition like any good transition is. On day two, Ivan and I moved into our tiny apartment. I am not going to lie: my Caracas apartment spoiled me. Moving into a very small, unfurnished apartment with no pool and tennis court almost did me in. I didn't cry, but I thought about it. It took about two weeks to get settled in and now I quite like the place; we've definitely made it our own. Before I arrived, I was determined to cook more and I am happy to report that, despite my tiny kitchen, I have made at least five full meals so far. Meals that included farmers market ingredients AND making necessary substitutes. #omgIamfinallyreallyreallyanadult.
Amazingly, and with the help from some incredibly nice co-workers, Ivan and I have purchased a MONSTER moped. Like, I didn't know they made mopeds this big. I know Mom. I can hear you now: BUT TRACEY WHY DO YOU NEED AN EVEN BIGGER MOPED YOU ARE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED. Calmate Mom. This baby is going to take us to the beach! It's definitely more of a bike for the open road, so it will get us around town and out of town for those oh-so-necessary beach weekends as well. For now, Ivan is the primary driver while I practice turning right and going over speed bumps, but I'll get there. I am very excited about our upgrade and for us to get comfortable enough to hit the open road. She is lacking a name though, so we are taking suggestions!
School is, well, incredible. I am absolutely over the moon about my department head Monica. She and I are a two-woman college counseling show. Monica is a Tica who has been making some stellar changes to the department since she came a year and half ago. Last year it was approved to expand the department by one full time person....and here I am! I think we will make an excellent team. I also adore my secondary principal and the superintendent. They are both very progressive, nerd out on things like Grit and Growth Mindset and Character Education (LIKE ALL THE THINGS I LOVE AND READ ABOUT CONSTANTLY JUST FOR FUN) and are like. so. crazy. nice. and. welcoming. In fact, everyone here is so nice and welcoming! Ticos are very concerned that we gringos are happy and enjoying ourselves in the land of pura vida.
Enjoying ourselves we have been. I have a great cohort of new teachers to get to know. It's not hard getting to know each other either- the majority of us all live in the tiny apartments together. Our building is nine units and each unit is a Lincoln School teacher! Since the building is surrounded by a wall, we have been referring to it as "the compound", but really it's more like being in dorms again. If you are home and accepting visitors, you just keep your door open. People stop by, chat, swap beers and stories. Friday night we have an impromptu 90's dance party on the balcony. In fact, right now I write this post from my "office"- a small table on the balcony overlooking the street and the yonder mountains. It is nice to be close to people. We can help each other out and it makes commuting easy. It also makes getting to know each other happen rather inorganically, as we can all hear what everyone else is doing at all times (even over the din of traffic). My wish is that we all continue to get along as well as we have been!
The location of the compound is stellar. It's only 4k from school, next to a discount grocery store and walking distance from a much nicer (abet more expensive) grocery store, a strip mall of stores and restaurants (including a drive thru only KFC), a community center (where I partake in free zumba on Mondays and Fridays!), an awesome, inexpensive year-round Saturday farmers market and a real, serious, fancypants mall! The Lincoln Plaza is a serious business mall that makes me feel more like I am in Miami than San Jose. It's way nicer than any of the malls I frequented in the US for sure! A little farther down the road we can walk or bus to a Walmart, an EPA (like Lowes or Home Depot) or the Tibas or Morovia plazas which are surrounded by a variety of stores. Ivan has found a number of great running routes and one of them is a nice 5k loop that I have walked a couple of times. Even though we are technically in the rainy season, the weather has been unseasonably dry this year so we are all trying to be outside as much as we can.
All and all, the last three weeks have been good. I do have my moments. Sometimes I feel that things are just so "easy" here. Like San Jose is Latin America Lite. Sure, people run on Tico time and peanut butter is like a million dollars, but besides a few weird prices and inconveniences it is remarkably easy and manageable to live here. But then again, my bar is living in Venezuela. And I may be looking at it with rose colored glasses, but I kind of miss the challenge of living in Caracas. It certainly kept me on my toes. And I left all I knew and love for adventure, not drive through KFCs after all:). I'm sure I'll adjust to the easy life soon enough and shudder at the thought of going back to jetting out of work at a moments notice because there is milk in the store. But for now, I am letting myself mourn the loss of waiting in incredible lines, not being able to find toilet paper and spending over $1000 on plane tickets to the US. No really, I am missing my balcony, my friends, never having to spend money and my little moped Cindy. She certainly couldn't get me to the beach but she could take those speed bumps like a little champion.
July 16, 2015
A New Adventure Awaits!
As you will notice, gentle reader, my blog name has changed. Pura Vida: My Adventures in San Jose, Costa Rica. Indeed a new adventure is about to begin. My time in Caracas has ended and I am off to greener pastures (literally greener- Costa Rica is the third most green country in the world according to EcoWatch).
I am not going to lie: I am in a glass cage of emotion right now. The excitement is of course overwhelming. I am understandably nervous about starting over in a new place. But surprisingly, I am feeling quite homesick as well. When I left for Caracas, I was certainly excited and nervous, but (sorry mom) not even the slightest bit homesick. I was ready for a change, ready to see the world and ready to chart a new course. Now that I am a seasoned traveler, I am starting to feel those pangs of guilt and sadness for being away from home so much. Surprisingly I am not all that sad about missing the food (though I do miss Chic-Fil-A). I miss my family and friends, the land, the familiarity of it all. Most of all I miss having unrushed time to just be present with people. When I come home twice a year, it's such a rush, a blur, a squeeze trying to get as much time in with as many people as possible.
Perhaps as I become a more seasoned traveler I will also become more efficient with my visits home. Also easing my suffering is the fact that I will be in a place where people will not only be able to visit me, but will also want to visit me! :) Everyone is invited! And truly, I am not ready to hang up my expat hat anytime soon. I spent my twenties looking to stability. It suddenly hit me at 28 that I had moved 12 times in 13 years and maybe my quest for stability was an ill-advised pursuit. Embracing my inner nomad was the best thing I have ever done. Looking back on the last two years, all I can compare it to is a zipper: it is like watching everything about my life fall into perfect sync.
I realize that some of you did not get a rushed meal or phone call with me this summer, so I should probably run down my plans so we are all on the same page.
The first and most important aspect of my new adventure is that I am lucky and blessed enough to have a travel partner! Ivan Vasquez, my incredible (and by incredible, I mean incredibly patient, understanding and adventurous!) boyfriend will be accompanying me to San Jose. He is my rock and my very own superhero. I am so excited to continue our relationship in a new place and without a doubt it makes moving and adjusting so much less jarring. His Spanish will undoubtedly come in handy too, as will his knack for talking me off self-created emotional ledges.
I will be working at Lincoln School, an international school located in north San Jose on the border of Heredia. I will be one of two College Counselors in the College Counseling department. I had the wonderful opportunity to visit in March and I love the school, my co-worker Monica is really the best person I could ever hope to work with and the students seem very motivated and kind. Just to clear up any doubt: THIS IS MY DREAM JOB.
Ivan and I will be living in a small (538 square feet, god help us) apartment approximately four kilometers from school. It is walking distance to pretty much everything we need and the school bus will take me too and from school. We are probably going to get some bikes and a moped for transportation.
Along with successfully transitioning to a new country and new jobs, our goals are the following: hike volcanoes, surf the Caribbean and pacific, actually recycle consistently, join the San Jose Hash House Harriers and find a place in our 538 square foot apartment to hang our hammock.
To those of you I missed this summer: I appreciate your patience. I also appreciate calls, texts, emails, Whatsapp messages, Vibes, Skype calls and Facebook pokes. Even if we haven't talked in years, it's always a joy to hear from you, so never hesitate just to say hey. Or visit. Seriously, you are all invited!
May 25, 2015
What-Ifs, Big Decisions, Closing a Chapter and Finishing Off Foodstuffs
And just like that, two years flew by. I've had plenty of time to prepare for my departure. I've known that I was going to leave for eight months. I've sold my stuff. Started having goodbye dinners and parties. Finishing off bottles of liquor and stretching that jar of mayonnaise for all it's worth. Realizing I have way, way too much toilet paper. The end is indeed near and it's like I am suddenly realizing just that: the end is near. Frankly, I might not be ready for it.
There are all kind of sudden panics floating in my head. What if Ivan and I don't love our new home, or worse, our love doesn't love it's new home? What if Venezuela, for all it's oddities and downright ridiculousness, is truly the place I love the most and will keep trying to re-experience for years to come? What if I never meet such wonderful friends again in an international post again? If "what ifs" were sharp, I'd puncture my skull with all of them bouncing around my head. It's like I completely forgot that last time, I didn't listen to the "what ifs" and it turned out to be the best thing I've ever done.
However, there is something more permanent and scary about this round of "what ifs". I have to admit there is something about making decisions in your thirties that feels more intense and important, like THESE decisions are going to make or break all of my future happiness and well-being. Certainly, in our twenties, it seems like we have an endless number of start-overs. We could reinvent and reset and our general trajectory seemed unaffected. Not so now. How vastly different 29 and 31 can be. Though I know I will look back at that sentence in ten years, smile wryly and lament my ignorance and flare for dramatics, right now I am feeling like there is just more at stake now. Maybe it's just that the decisions I am making now ARE indeed more permanent, important and less resetable. Do I have kids, or not? Do I stay in Costa Rica, or not? Do I move back to the US eventually, or not? This are big'ums. Big'ums that I can't avoid making, so one way or another, I've got to run with one "what-if" or another.
So why now, today, am I feeling this particular "what-if" state of emergency? Perhaps it's all the babies on my facebook feed or the fact that my departure from VZ is indeed semi-permanent as it is a f-ing difficult country to get back into. Maybe it's just that I have had this incredible life changing experience here and I am not sure how to run my encore. How do you encore life-altering? And more importantly, how do you keep the life-changing energy rolling? Maybe that's why my "what-ifs" are so startling this go round- I am just terrified of losing my inertia.
Boom. There is it. As much as I bitch about this god-forsaken country, it has changed me. It has absolutely shifted my world view, woken my spirit, opened my mind to a world of opportunities and intrinsically changed me. And yes I am 31 and yes my decisions are undoubtedly more high stakes than before and they would be whether I am in Venezuela, Costa Rica or Virginia. But now, I have to not only make big decisions, but I have to make big decisions that keep me going in the direction of awesomeness that my last big decision took me in. I want to keep riding this train and I am so afraid to make a decision that will kick me off the train.
I'm going to take a few deep cleansing breaths. These what-ifs are going to help me finish my liquor bottles that's for sure. Right now my mother would tell me to keep the faith and my father would probably just tell me I am being silly and to take it one day at a time. Both sound pieces of advice. Say a little prayer and take it one day at a time. Okay, fair enough. Today, whiskey and finishing off the peanut butter. Tomorrow rum and maybe give away some toilet paper. And finishing that Spanish homework, because I don't want to add "what-if" my Spanish isn't good enough in Costa Rica to my "what-ifs"! AmIright? :)
There are all kind of sudden panics floating in my head. What if Ivan and I don't love our new home, or worse, our love doesn't love it's new home? What if Venezuela, for all it's oddities and downright ridiculousness, is truly the place I love the most and will keep trying to re-experience for years to come? What if I never meet such wonderful friends again in an international post again? If "what ifs" were sharp, I'd puncture my skull with all of them bouncing around my head. It's like I completely forgot that last time, I didn't listen to the "what ifs" and it turned out to be the best thing I've ever done.
However, there is something more permanent and scary about this round of "what ifs". I have to admit there is something about making decisions in your thirties that feels more intense and important, like THESE decisions are going to make or break all of my future happiness and well-being. Certainly, in our twenties, it seems like we have an endless number of start-overs. We could reinvent and reset and our general trajectory seemed unaffected. Not so now. How vastly different 29 and 31 can be. Though I know I will look back at that sentence in ten years, smile wryly and lament my ignorance and flare for dramatics, right now I am feeling like there is just more at stake now. Maybe it's just that the decisions I am making now ARE indeed more permanent, important and less resetable. Do I have kids, or not? Do I stay in Costa Rica, or not? Do I move back to the US eventually, or not? This are big'ums. Big'ums that I can't avoid making, so one way or another, I've got to run with one "what-if" or another.
So why now, today, am I feeling this particular "what-if" state of emergency? Perhaps it's all the babies on my facebook feed or the fact that my departure from VZ is indeed semi-permanent as it is a f-ing difficult country to get back into. Maybe it's just that I have had this incredible life changing experience here and I am not sure how to run my encore. How do you encore life-altering? And more importantly, how do you keep the life-changing energy rolling? Maybe that's why my "what-ifs" are so startling this go round- I am just terrified of losing my inertia.
Boom. There is it. As much as I bitch about this god-forsaken country, it has changed me. It has absolutely shifted my world view, woken my spirit, opened my mind to a world of opportunities and intrinsically changed me. And yes I am 31 and yes my decisions are undoubtedly more high stakes than before and they would be whether I am in Venezuela, Costa Rica or Virginia. But now, I have to not only make big decisions, but I have to make big decisions that keep me going in the direction of awesomeness that my last big decision took me in. I want to keep riding this train and I am so afraid to make a decision that will kick me off the train.
I'm going to take a few deep cleansing breaths. These what-ifs are going to help me finish my liquor bottles that's for sure. Right now my mother would tell me to keep the faith and my father would probably just tell me I am being silly and to take it one day at a time. Both sound pieces of advice. Say a little prayer and take it one day at a time. Okay, fair enough. Today, whiskey and finishing off the peanut butter. Tomorrow rum and maybe give away some toilet paper. And finishing that Spanish homework, because I don't want to add "what-if" my Spanish isn't good enough in Costa Rica to my "what-ifs"! AmIright? :)
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