Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work I Go...
I'm back at work. I'm hoping to update with some pictures soon!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Le Doy Las Gracias a Dios Por…
My time in Costa Rica, in San Francisco el Bosque, is rapidly drawing to a close. In just a few short hours, I will board a plane back to everything that is familiar to me. While I am excited to see dearly-missed friends and family once again, leaving is a bit bittersweet, as I have grown to love many things here. My grammar teacher always begins class by asking us what we’re thankful for, so before I leave for Houston, I want to take a minute to write down the things I have been thankful for during my time here.
1) My Tico family. I have grown to love my host family, and I can’t believe they choose to sacrifice so much of their personal space and time to host students regularly. They have made me feel comfortable here, and while communication might have been a bit of a challenge, they have really challenged me to think about creative ways to say things.
2) Classmates. Study buddies, traveling companions, explorers, neighbors, friends. I’ve shared many a adventure and conversation with my classmates from school, and I’ve loved hearing about how they happened to end up here in San Jose. Kind, friendly folks are they.
3) The Vineyard. I’m thankful for having met Jose Pablo and Carlos in Houston back in May, for they were very kind in helping me connect with their friends and finding rides to church (Jose Pablo and his wife Laura even took me home after a very busy first night at the H13 conference). If not for them, I might not have met friends Marco and Sara and Ester, and the folks from Vineyards back in the United States, England, and in other parts of Central America.
4) Lack of communication devices. Not having a cell phone and solid Internet connection for a month may have been one of the best things to have happened to me, as I have learned to get by without both phone and Internet and to be super-efficient when I have access to one or the other. This is definitely the longest time I've been without a cell phone (in Korea I used my grandma's cell), and I think I could live without one.
Time to enjoy one last beautiful morning here before I head out to the airport. I want to drink everything in...
1) My Tico family. I have grown to love my host family, and I can’t believe they choose to sacrifice so much of their personal space and time to host students regularly. They have made me feel comfortable here, and while communication might have been a bit of a challenge, they have really challenged me to think about creative ways to say things.
2) Classmates. Study buddies, traveling companions, explorers, neighbors, friends. I’ve shared many a adventure and conversation with my classmates from school, and I’ve loved hearing about how they happened to end up here in San Jose. Kind, friendly folks are they.
3) The Vineyard. I’m thankful for having met Jose Pablo and Carlos in Houston back in May, for they were very kind in helping me connect with their friends and finding rides to church (Jose Pablo and his wife Laura even took me home after a very busy first night at the H13 conference). If not for them, I might not have met friends Marco and Sara and Ester, and the folks from Vineyards back in the United States, England, and in other parts of Central America.
4) Lack of communication devices. Not having a cell phone and solid Internet connection for a month may have been one of the best things to have happened to me, as I have learned to get by without both phone and Internet and to be super-efficient when I have access to one or the other. This is definitely the longest time I've been without a cell phone (in Korea I used my grandma's cell), and I think I could live without one.
Time to enjoy one last beautiful morning here before I head out to the airport. I want to drink everything in...
Viene Goal...
23 July 2009
If you’ve been watching the Gold Cup soccer matches in the United States (or elsewhere), then you might have known that Mexico, Costa Rica, the US, and Honduras played semifinal matches tonight. After dinner with friends, I opened the door to my house to find Christian, Adriana, Jimena, and Fabian (and a neighbor kid, Samuel) watching the Mexico-Costa Rica semifinal game. I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable experience. Each time a Costa Rican jugador neared an opportunity to score, we all sang, “Viene goal, viene goal…a Costa Rica viene goal!”
After Costa Rica tied the game 1-1 at the close of the second half, my entire family (and I) went outside to celebrate with the neighbors, banging on the gates, shouting “Ticos, Ticos, Ticos, Ticos!” and, of course, “Ole…”
Even Adriana crossed herself and prayed a little prayer as Costa Rica and Mexico rounded out the end of overtime, still tied, and went into penalty kicks. Each team matched the other until the third kick in the series, at which point Costa Rica missed, and unfortunately, the song we had to sing was, “No fue goal...” (It was no goal...)
Que triste.
If you’ve been watching the Gold Cup soccer matches in the United States (or elsewhere), then you might have known that Mexico, Costa Rica, the US, and Honduras played semifinal matches tonight. After dinner with friends, I opened the door to my house to find Christian, Adriana, Jimena, and Fabian (and a neighbor kid, Samuel) watching the Mexico-Costa Rica semifinal game. I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable experience. Each time a Costa Rican jugador neared an opportunity to score, we all sang, “Viene goal, viene goal…a Costa Rica viene goal!”
After Costa Rica tied the game 1-1 at the close of the second half, my entire family (and I) went outside to celebrate with the neighbors, banging on the gates, shouting “Ticos, Ticos, Ticos, Ticos!” and, of course, “Ole…”
Even Adriana crossed herself and prayed a little prayer as Costa Rica and Mexico rounded out the end of overtime, still tied, and went into penalty kicks. Each team matched the other until the third kick in the series, at which point Costa Rica missed, and unfortunately, the song we had to sing was, “No fue goal...” (It was no goal...)
Que triste.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Traveling Mercies
I’ve taken a couple of out of town trips during my time here. Here are some noteworthy experiences, in no particular order:
-Pay restrooms at the Gran Terminal del Caribe on my way out to Puerto Viejo. I wasn’t surprised at having to pay 200 colones to go to the restroom, but I had more of a shock to see a woman employed to hand me my ration of toilet paper.
-Visas (REALLY don’t leave home without them). I forgot and took only a photocopy of my passport to Puerto Viejo, sans visa. On the way back to San Jose, of course the police stopped the bus to check our passports (Puerto Viejo is close to Panama). We got an earful from the policeman about not traveling with our visas, but fortunately, he let the bus go without much hassle since many of the other passengers didn’t have their passports, period.
-Buses. I think the time it takes for me to drive the distance from Pasadena to Humble takes a bus here 4.5 hours. Why? Because the road into the mountains can be curvy and treacherous. Because you can encounter the aftermath of a mudslide along the way. Because you can be friends of the bus driver and have him stop randomly when you need to use the restroom (I kid you not).
-Carsickness. See above. At one point I opened the window because I thought I might…
-Pay restrooms at the Gran Terminal del Caribe on my way out to Puerto Viejo. I wasn’t surprised at having to pay 200 colones to go to the restroom, but I had more of a shock to see a woman employed to hand me my ration of toilet paper.
-Visas (REALLY don’t leave home without them). I forgot and took only a photocopy of my passport to Puerto Viejo, sans visa. On the way back to San Jose, of course the police stopped the bus to check our passports (Puerto Viejo is close to Panama). We got an earful from the policeman about not traveling with our visas, but fortunately, he let the bus go without much hassle since many of the other passengers didn’t have their passports, period.
-Buses. I think the time it takes for me to drive the distance from Pasadena to Humble takes a bus here 4.5 hours. Why? Because the road into the mountains can be curvy and treacherous. Because you can encounter the aftermath of a mudslide along the way. Because you can be friends of the bus driver and have him stop randomly when you need to use the restroom (I kid you not).
-Carsickness. See above. At one point I opened the window because I thought I might…
An Addendum
Yesterday, at the artisans’ mercado by the Museo Nacional, I finally felt the need to stand up for myself. One vendor called out to me, “Konichiwa!” Promptly I whirled around and eyed him squarely in the eye and said (in Spanish):
“Excuse me, I don’t understand Japanese. I’m from the US, and my parents are Korean.”
Immediately the boy looked surprised that I had confronted him, turned red and apologized profusely, almost to the point where I felt bad about responding. We started conversing amiably for a while, and towards the end of the conversation, he said:
“Again, I’m really sorry. I guess it’s like you calling me something without asking about my roots first.”
Perhaps I don’t feel so bad about speaking up anymore…
“Excuse me, I don’t understand Japanese. I’m from the US, and my parents are Korean.”
Immediately the boy looked surprised that I had confronted him, turned red and apologized profusely, almost to the point where I felt bad about responding. We started conversing amiably for a while, and towards the end of the conversation, he said:
“Again, I’m really sorry. I guess it’s like you calling me something without asking about my roots first.”
Perhaps I don’t feel so bad about speaking up anymore…
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Things I Might Never Get Used To
Physical discomforts I don’t mind much, be it cool showers, a flat cushion for a pillow, or the daily presence of insects (and more-legged creatures) in my room. I’ve observed my family so that I could, too, do as the Ticos do—watch the electricity and water usage, bed early and rise early, not flush toilet paper down to prevent drain cloggage, or wash clothes by hand.
However, living the life of another culture is not just about adapting physically to one’s environment. It’s also about adjusting to how people tend to perceive each other and react to those perceptions. It’s about how one communicates with another (and it’s not just about learning the language, although that is a huge step). While I have been forewarned about some things I would observe in the culture here, I don’t think a day goes by when something happens to take me by surprise.
If you have slanted eyes, you might be called “chino”. Actually, anything Asian might be referenced as “chino”. And if you’re a little overweight or a little slender or darker in skin tone, you’ll be called “gordo” or “delgado” or “negro”. And of course, many of us “gringos” live in San Francisco. Many Ticos openly describe others by their physical appearance. While the concept is a bit refreshing, I’m a little disconcerted each time someone across the street shouts, “chinita linda!” For example, the beautiful Japanese park a little east of the school is officially known as Parque Okayama. However, almost everyone calls it “Parque de Chino”. One man actually stopped his car while backing out to ask me:
--Senorita, es usted japonesa?
--No, mis padres son coreanos, y yo vivo en los estados unidos.
“Te amo, guapa.” One doesn’t have to be dressed immodestly to receive the preceding comment. Sometimes one only has to be a female and walking on the street to receive air kisses, cat calls, hisses, or other forms of attention from certain men. I think it’s the one thing I truly dislike about the culture—that such machismo behavior is widely accepted. I was positively livid to see one aggressive man approach a beautiful young Josefino and get in her face as she was walking and trying to ignore him. My favorite comment? “You are beautiful queens, guapas,” from a Rastafarian riding his bike down the main road in Puerto Viejo.
However, living the life of another culture is not just about adapting physically to one’s environment. It’s also about adjusting to how people tend to perceive each other and react to those perceptions. It’s about how one communicates with another (and it’s not just about learning the language, although that is a huge step). While I have been forewarned about some things I would observe in the culture here, I don’t think a day goes by when something happens to take me by surprise.
If you have slanted eyes, you might be called “chino”. Actually, anything Asian might be referenced as “chino”. And if you’re a little overweight or a little slender or darker in skin tone, you’ll be called “gordo” or “delgado” or “negro”. And of course, many of us “gringos” live in San Francisco. Many Ticos openly describe others by their physical appearance. While the concept is a bit refreshing, I’m a little disconcerted each time someone across the street shouts, “chinita linda!” For example, the beautiful Japanese park a little east of the school is officially known as Parque Okayama. However, almost everyone calls it “Parque de Chino”. One man actually stopped his car while backing out to ask me:
--Senorita, es usted japonesa?
--No, mis padres son coreanos, y yo vivo en los estados unidos.
“Te amo, guapa.” One doesn’t have to be dressed immodestly to receive the preceding comment. Sometimes one only has to be a female and walking on the street to receive air kisses, cat calls, hisses, or other forms of attention from certain men. I think it’s the one thing I truly dislike about the culture—that such machismo behavior is widely accepted. I was positively livid to see one aggressive man approach a beautiful young Josefino and get in her face as she was walking and trying to ignore him. My favorite comment? “You are beautiful queens, guapas,” from a Rastafarian riding his bike down the main road in Puerto Viejo.
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