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.

Cerrado.

Today is Sunday. On Sundays, basically everything is closed in San Jose. It's treated as a rest day and a day for church. Costa Rica is a Catholic nation, so this makes sense. I never really realized how much I depended on things being open in the United States. 

Though today is typically a rest day, we started our day with breakfast with our host mother, who made us scrambled eggs with what appeared to be ham chucks, a side of pan con queso creama (a sweet bread that has cream in it), papaya drizzled with yogurt and granola, orange juice, and coffee with sugar, powdered milk, and soy milk. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the meal, but it was delicious. I normally don't like coffee, but decided to give it a try anyways. I put a ton of sugar and soy milk, and it was not bad. That is really something considering I will not drink coffee at all back home. Coffee is a huge part of Costa Rican history and is some of the richest coffee you will find in the world, which is why I gave it a shot. Still don't like coffee, but I will say that I don't mind drinking it in the morning here as long as I have other things to go with it.

After breakfast and handing our regalos (small gifts) to our host mother (I got the family a Colorado mug, Denver Broncos salt & pepper shakers, and halloween Reese's cups), we headed to the college campus for the Bridging Cultures program orientation, which was basically an overview of Costa Rica and our study abroad program and how we can get involved here. We ate some chocolate wafers and drank some really delicious fruit juice as a snack, and then boarded a private bus to take a bus tour of downtown San Jose. Everything in Costa Rica is so close and it really is a small country. I will say that we have better drivers in the United States though, even through we claim them to be bad, not only from watching their driving skills here, but also since I learned from my host mom that car accidents are one of the leading causes of death of Ticos (Costa Rican natives). I would have taken pictures, but I did not have a good view being on the inside seat. I'll have plenty of time to explore these next couple of months, so pictures will come at some point.

When we returned, we were done for the day around noon, so my two roommates and I, along with a couple other ISA students, set out to find a bank to exchange U.S. dollars for colones (the currency here) and lunch. We walked for about an hour and a half or so looking for one that was open, but every single one we came across was closed. I probably should have expected that anyways, since banks are not open on Sundays back home. Luckily we found a ATM, and some of the girls pulled out money for lunch. I only had my credit card and U.S. dollars, so I decided not to risk high fees from Wells Fargo and wait. 

We ended up back in our neighborhood and stopped for lunch at a quaint place called Las Leñitas. I immediately recognized many of the things on the menus: tacos, fajitas, chalupas, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), burritos... Though I was sure the Costa Rican versions would be different, I was kind of bummed that I was not getting the full Costa Rican experience. This restaurant likely caters to foreign students as it is located near to a university that has a large international student population. I ordered chalupas con pollo. They were actually pretty filling, topped with lettuce, pico de gallo, and just a tad of sour cream. They were delicious even though I typically hate tomatoes and sour cream. For my beverage, I wanted to try something I've never tried before, so I tried jugo de naranjilla. A naranjilla, also known as a lulo, is similar to a small orange, but has a more tart and acidic flavor. It is popular in Latin America, usually turned into juices. This was delicious and I wish I could have drank more.

We headed back to our homestays to hang out until dinner since it appeared about to rain. The rain started as soon as I got home and remained very heavy for a couple of hours. We dried off and took some time to learn more about each other. For dinner, we had a lentil and vegetable soup-type substance with rice and a salad consisting of avocados, tomatoes, and chickpeas. We also had the tea we had the previous night. I never thought I would enjoy avocados or vegetables, but they were good.

After dinner, we played with the younger son and then got ready to explore with other ISA students. We ended up piling into the van of one of the homestay parents and going to a bar called Terra U. Most of you are probably used to the drinking age as 21, but in Costa Rica, the drinking age is 18. Bars are a popular attraction for students and young Ticos, so in order to get the full experience, I had to at least try to have a good time. I tried a brand of beer called Imperial, which is a Costa Rican brand. It's very dull in flavor, which is good in the way that it doesn't have a strong alcohol taste, but bad because it really didn't have any flavor at all. When I return to the US, I will be 21, so Colorado breweries, watch out -- I'm coming for ya! Drinks are very, very cheap here. I mingled with other students and some Ticos, and decided to try a rum & coke, because it was only 1000 colones, or about $2. Not bad. I liked it. We all ended up just chatting, sharing stories, and dancing the night away. I'm not one to really go out much, especially to places like bars and nightclubs, but because we don't start classes until Monday, I felt that it was a good way to experience Tico nightlife without compromising my academics here.