Bagels in COSTA RICA!?!?!
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San Jose, Province of San Jose, Costa Rica
Friday, July 10, 2009
Before I begin, this blog probably won't be as interesting as some of the last few because I have not left San Jose since my last blog. But, I know that there are those few out there who would like an update regardless! (And, I of course like sharing, as well all know). Last week, nothing all that exciting happened except a lot of homework, that’s exciting to some people, right? But last weekend I met up with my Cousin Hillary Grey’s friend who is here for the summer. We went to a restaurant called Bagelman’s! Which is most definitely the only bagel place in all of Costa Rica. I had a bagel with cream cheese, lox, and tomato. It was amazing and hit the spot! (It doesn’t compare to Famous, but it was still pretty damn good. Hillary’s friend was so sweet and we got along so well!
That afternoon there were four generations of family in my house, many of whom had not seen each other in a while. Ok, for those of you, who have been the Uncle Richard’s for any family event, imagine being an exchange student there. It could be slightly overwhelming. So to say the least I was a bit in over my head having to talk to the four and seven year old endlessly about god knows what. And now that I think about it, during that time everyone was at Uncle Richards shore house eating lobster for the 4th of July!! I wish I could have been there with all of you! With the "overwhelmingness" and all J. So while you were all eating one of my favorite foods, lobster, I had to eat this thing called chicarron which is maybe one of the grossest things I have ever eaten, and once I looked up what it was I felt even sicker than I already was. I think the food that I only ate in order to please my host mom made me sick! Are you ready to know what it was? Sorry to anyone who likes this…. But it was fried pork rinds. Enough said on my part.
The next morning a couple of friends and I went to a town called Herredia which is about a thirty minute bus ride from San Jose. We went to a festival that had an orchestra playing Michael Jackson songs. It was really nice to get out of San Jose for a little and see another town. The music was entertaining and the ice cream was delicious. As the conductor was introducing his orchestra he made the mistake of saying Elvis Presley instead of Michael Jackson. That was my highlight of the morning. The entire crowd was hysterical.
So throughout my time here I have noticed that Costa Ricans clean ALL the time! The bathrooms at my University are actually cleaned about three times a day! At home, at least in high school, I’d be lucky if the bathrooms were cleaned once a month. Ew, I know. But here they are always mopping and sweeping, it’s nice for a change. But I also wonder why they do these things so many times a day! I feel bad for the cleaners!
Something else of note that I am going to miss when I leave, people here are so nice. Really, almost everyone is so friendly and it’s nice to buy something from someone behind a counter with a positive attitude. No yelling or dirty looks, everyone is patient here. That’s another thing everyone is very calm and laid back. Very different than the States, or at least different than the East Coast. No one is rushed, it is a very different feel here, but it’s nice for a change.
Yesterday was our last day of class when I handed in my final paper on child soldiers in El Salvador and Colombia. Today we went on our last trip as a group to a volcano called Irazu. There was so much fog that if you walked twenty feet or so away from the group, you couldn’t see anyone else!
I am about to go out for my last night with my group. Tomorrow half of the group is leaving for Chile for the semester. I have to get up at 4:30am to catch a bus to Puerto Viejo which is in Costa Rica on the Caribbean coast near the border with Panama where I will be for the next few days. And in one week from tomorrow I am off to Buenos Aires!!!!!
Miss you all tons.
Besos,
Sarah
Comments
Uncle Richard
Your experiences are far more exciting than the mundane July 4th festivities at Marlene's and Richard's. (Lobster this year was even precooked as Gary and Lauren had a wedding and weren't availavble to help). You were missed and there will be many more to enjoy together. Continue to be safe, happy and grow. I am living vicariously through your blogs. All our love.