Día de las Culturas, Not Columbus Day

Monday October 12th was Día de las Culturas here in Costa Rica. In the United States, it is more commonly known as Columbus Day. This holiday celebrates the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas and the fusion of different cultures between Europe and the Americas. It was a very important event that affected the geographical, economic, and political landscapes of the Americas. Unlike the in the United States, where the holiday is named for and celebrates a man contributed to the enslaved and slaughtering of many indigenous folks, the holiday focuses on the cultural activities of Costa Ricans and the indigenous groups of Costa Rica. It's a day to spread the message of respect for others. 

As a result of the holiday, we had no classes. I originally was going to travel to Jacó with my roommates, but seeing as there were very few seats left on the bus that morning and the fact that I could sense that I would be more of a burden than companion to the trip, I decided to forego the trip all together and remain in San José. After all, I had not been able to explore the city I was living in due to my weird class schedule and the weekend excursions with my program. Content, I began my first of hopefully many solo travels.

To start off my day, I ventured off to Pequeño Mundo to treat myself to a couple articles of clothing, since I packed way too lightly when coming here. Pequeño Mundo is a really cheap store that has food, house products, clothes, among other things. I managed to score three shirts, a pack of lead pencils, a thong, and a pair of leggings (though they are two see-through to wear as pants :(   ) for less than $11. I was very pleased with that.

Since Mall San Pedro was within walking distance of Pequeño Mundo, I decided to venture there and check out what kind of shops were there. When I arrived, I was shocked at the size of the mall. The mall had three different levels, with tons of shops, restaurants, and stands on each floor. The top floor even had a small arcade and a movie theatre. The arcade contained my two favorite games of all time, skiball and basketball. I was so excited when I saw those machines there. I haven't played skiball in ages, as nowhere nearby exists anymore to play that game. Seeing as the arcade was overrun with little children, I decided to venture out and explore the rest of the mall. When walking around, the U.S. influence on that particular mall was apparent. I saw many familiar restaurants such as KFC, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, and more. Many of the stores appeared to cater to rich tourists. I found the stores quite expensive, as they are in most malls around the world, so I mostly just browsed many different stores. I did stop into a store and get some mascara, concealer, and makeup remover since I was out, but I made sure to not spend more than I had planned to. I was happy to find a couple of stores very similar to ones that I love back home. I found Costa Rican versions of my favorite stores, Zumiez and Hot Topic. I also found a lot of shops my friends back home would love: several anime stores, a large bookstore mimicking Barnes & Noble, a couple smoke shops, and a Rasta shop. I stayed there for a couple hours and ended up purchasing a frozen caramel drink and a giant chocolate muffin to consume on my walk home. The frozen drink was very similar to a frappucino and it was delicious. Starbucks, you better watch out.

My walk home was pretty relaxed, except for the endless stream of rain that began to flood the streets. I'm glad that I had remembered to bring my umbrella for the somewhat long walk back to my homestay. Had I not brought it, I would have been soaked. Side note, I have a feeling that people reading this will wonder why I did not get a taxi there or home, since taxis tend to be fairly cheap here. The truth is, I love walking everywhere. It's something I do regularly back home in Denver. Long distances don't really bother me. Also, I really don't like to spend a ton of money on taxis when I could walk. Though the majority of the taxi drivers here are friendly and awesome, I've had the unfortunate experiences of being in taxis where the taxi drivers attempt to take advantage of the gringos by overcharging us greatly. If we remember to ask them to start the maria, the meter (it's sad that I had to look up the English word because I completely forgot it), those particular taxi drivers take long ways to produce a higher fare. If we don't remember to ask them about the maria, those particular taxi drivers charge us much more than we would pay had the maria been started. I don't blame them, though, and I understand part of the motive behind it. The history between the U.S. and Costa Rica is not great, and there is a huge stereotype that visitors from the U.S. have money. Oftentimes, that tends to be true of people who travel in general, especially those coming form the U.S.; I just happen to be one of the exceptions. On top of that, taxi drivers don't have a regular wage. It can be difficult to make a wage one can live off of. Income inequality is fairly persistent in Costa Rica as well. Plus, as I noted before, I love walking, and despite the rain, the day was beautiful.

After returning to my homestay to drop off my purchases, I took a relaxation break and just hung out for an hour or so before making the trek in the other direction to downtown San José. I arrived at Avenida Central and checked out the stores and restaurants along the streets, as well as the avenues above and below, since Avenida Central is the main avenue. Avenida Central reminds me of the 16th street mall in Denver, but on a much larger and busier scale. I marveled at the architecture of the buildings downtown, the widespread appearance of public art and murals, and the parks and green areas. I watched locals in the street selling goods, saw children running though puddles, and just experienced the relaxed atmosphere that was there. I made sure to head back to my homestay before dark, just so I could be home in time for dinner and also finish up some last minute homework. I hope to go down there again and visit the many museums and art galleries, as well as El Teatro Nacional, the national theater.

The lack of seats on the bus to Jacó caused me to have a great Monday. There is so much that the city has to offer, and when I find myself wanting to do something before my evening classes in December, when I no longer have a morning Spanish class, I know where to head.