FARMER’S MARKET ON A FRIDAY NIGHT!

I can’t believe it is spring break already. To celebrate I went to a farmer’s market with my host family last night. (lol) The actually name of the farmer’s market in Costa Rica is, “La Feria de Agricultor.” My mother said that many people bring their own carts to the farmer’s market to buy all the fresh goods they need for the week. I couldn’t believe all the people headed to the farmer’s market on a Friday night!

When we entered the area of fresh produce I couldn’t believe all the people who were yelling and whistling, trying to get my attention. It was like a mad house. Man, men in Costa Rica make a lot more noise at woman passing buy than in the U.S! Many men whistle, holler, or use English just to get a woman’s attention. Young woman get whistled at a lot more in Costa Rica than in the States. I WAS FINALLY CALLED CHAQUITA IN THE FERIA LAST NIGHT! That is extremely big news because the name of my blog is, “Chaquita Costa Rica.” So now I can truly be a “Chaquita from Costa Rica!”

The farmer’s market has about five long rows of farmer’s all trying to sell their goods. In the last row, farmers were selling cheese. My mom said she only buys cheese at the market because it is very expensive everywhere else. In general, all the farmers were friendly and were willing to talk to my mom and me for a very long time. My mom kept pulling me along because many people there just wanted to talk and talk, even if I didn’t buy anything. This seemed to confuse me because in the U.S., people at the farmers market are in a rush to sell everything they can and don’t really want to chit chat. When we were finished with our shopping my mother said that we received better prices than usual. She said it helped having a little blond girl with her in her shopping. She received better prices, the farmer’s were friendlier, and she got more attention than usual!

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT THE FARMER’S MARKET -
Many do not go shopping at Mega Super or Maxi Bodega (these are like a Super Target in Costa Rica) to buy their groceries. Many walk from their houses with their carts to buy the goods. Many people only use cars when it is absolutely necessary because gas is so expensive.

I was surprised at the variety of fruits and vegetables there. I didn’t think there was going to be a very big selection, but there was. They had strawberries, raspberries, apples, oranges, mandarins, peaches, and bananas just to name a few. They had vegetables upon vegetables many of which I can not pronounce.
In the United States I have mainly seen adults in the market, but in Costa Rica it seems like a family affair. I saw children of all ages being dragged by their patiently awaiting parents. Many families go out on Friday night to the market to get their groceries for the week. It is a group effort and many Costa Rican families enjoy it. Family is incredibly important to many Costa Ricans. The farmers market is just another way to spend time with the family!

Guayabo National Monument in Turrialba

A few people have requested some information on the national monument, Guayabo. So on the 25th of March, I took a tour of Guayabo with my classmates from Minnesota. It was raining like cats and dogs on the way there. I forgot my rain gear, but luckily there was a Mega Super (similar to a target) on our way to Guayabo. Here is a quick synopsis of what I learned.

Guayabo covers an area of 232 hectares on the southern slopes of Turrialba volcano. It is the most important and largest archeological site discovered in Costa Rica to date. This site forms part of the cultural region known as the Central Intermountain region on the Atlantic Slope. A number of small villages established in the outlying area housed a rural population estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000 people. Guayabo was abandoned before the arrival of the Spanish.

I can’t believe how they were able to build all these structures without horses, mules, or wheels to help them. The aqueducts were a really interesting feature of the water supply system. Some of the channels are underground while other parts are exposed to the world and many of them are still in use today!

I can't believe I have been here a month!

Wow, It is hard to believe that I have been here for a month on Sunday. Life has been great in Costa Rica. There have been times when I didn’t know how I was going to survive in a home where the people only spoke Spanish, but I have made it thus far. I have had ups and downs, but through it all my relationship with God has grown immensely. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been praying for me and sending me such encouraging emails. There are a lot of dangers in Costa Rica, but with your prayers and God’s protection and grace, I know I will be out of harm's way.

You are probably wondering what the pictures in my last blog are regarding. The first photo is a picture of what I eat for breakfast almost every morning. This main dish is very traditional in Costa Rica. It is called Gallo Pinto, which is basically black beans and rice. There is also cilantro, a type of red pepper, and onion that is mixed into the beans and rice. The second and third pictures are of me when I went on a field trip with my class to the La Paz waterfalls and a coffee plantation.

This week was full of homework and less eventful than other weeks, but I needed to catch up on some school work. I am going to post a few random pictures in this blog just to keep you updated. I am headed off to the pool now so - hasta luego!

Gallo Pinto and the Field Trip!

Catholic Church

I went to a Catholic mass with my family on Sunday. I have attended Catholic masses in the United States before, but this mass was quite different from anything I have experienced. The mass started at 10:00 AM, but many people had all ready arrived by 9:30AM. It seemed like everyone was hugging and kissing before the service. It is customary to air kiss someone on the right cheek when you first meet them. I kissed quite a few people I didn’t even know. I am definitely not used to this custom yet, but I don’t mind it if I’m kissing a handsome, tall, and brown-eyed tico (Costa Rican guy)!

I was expecting some organ music or some grandiose sounding instrument when the service began, but all they had was a plug-in piano and a singer. They sang upbeat songs and I actually recognized one that I used to sing at my church a long time ago. We knelt down and said some things. I couldn’t figure out what they were saying, but I knelt down anyway. The priest was actually easier to understand than I thought. He was very down to earth and stepped down from the pulpit and talked to us at eye level. I received a real sense of community when I was there. The people were warm and friendly. At the end of the service many people told me to go with God and peace.

Costa Rica - The ups and downs

Many people have asked me what I like about Costa Rica, but also the things I miss from the U.S. I will share with you the things I love and the things I miss!

I love…
1) the beauty of the countryside.
2) the cool brisk breeze in the evening after a hot and humid day.
3) all the walking I have to do to get anywhere.
4) my host family because they are so kind and accommodating.
5) that my host mom does my laundry daily.
6) talking with my host family and learning about their lives.
7) walking in the open markets and buying fresh vegetables.
8) waking up to the sounds of people moving about at 5:00 AM.
9) talking walks early in the morning as the sun rises.
10) my room because it is small and easy to clean!

I miss…
1) my chicken caesar salads with dressing on the side and no cheese!
2) my family and friends.
3) not being able to go out when I want because I always need someone with me.
4) warm showers.
5) air-conditioning.
6) my cell phone and texting.
7) my homemade popcorn!
8) my regular routine.
9) my car and being able to drive wherever I want whenever I want.
10) the snow, just kidding! hehe

Jaco Beach 3-3-07

I went to the beach for the first time in Costa Rica on Saturday. Maria Julia (my host mother) said we had to leave at 8:00 AM sharp. Her older sister and husband (Charlie) accompanied us in the vehicle on the way to the beach.

Anyways, we set out for Jaco beach at 7:36 AM, which is earlier than I had anticipated. Maria said it was a two and a half hour ride. In Costa Rica, the closer you get to the coast the hotter it gets. The minute we all piled in the car I knew I was in trouble. I was so squished and it was so hot even 15 minutes into the trip. I felt pretty claustrophobic. There is no air conditioning in the vehicle! The little old man sitting next to me reminded me of one of the men from the movie ¨Grumpy Old Men.¨ He kept poking me and asking to dance with me. He slurred his words so it was difficult to understand him. He took off his boots and crowded me the entire trip. He kept pressuring me to drink with him. Wow, the experiences in Costa Rica! We stopped to see some alligators by a bridge on the way there.

We finally got to the beach! It seemed like a ten hour ride. Once we arrived, we met Juan and Maria’s daughter (Nuria). Nuria introduced me to a lady named Janet, who was visiting Costa Rica for a week. She was an exchange student ten years ago and stayed with my host family. Janet was a great friend to talk to at the beach. She gave me a lot of great tips about being an exchange student in Costa Rica. I really enjoyed the day at the beach. It was wonderful. The weather was gorgeous and I really enjoyed hanging out with the kids and Janet.

Heredia with Andrea

A few summers ago I hosted an exchange student from Costa Rica. Her name is Andrea. I loved hanging out with her and getting to know her. We spent a lot of time together in the States while she was there. She told me that if I ever come to Costa Rica I need to give her a call. So that is exactly what I did. I went out with Andrea on Friday afternoon after school. I met her family and many of her friends. She showed me around her neighborhood. She lives in Heredia, Costa Rica. It’s about a half an hour from where I live, in La Trinidad.

She took me out to a Hamburger joint close to her house with a lot of her friends. It was really entertaining, but I didn’t really understand much of the conversation. I can usually pick up the main topics of a conversation when I am talking with someone, but I was pretty much totally lost when her friends were talking. They were all talking so fast! But not only that, they were all talking over each other. So, I just resorted back to the thing that saves me here in Costa Rica. I say, ¨¡Pura Vida!¨ This is a saying frequently used in Costa Rica that means everything is simply great. And when all else fails I just smile and nod!

¡Una Fiesta! 3-4-07

I attended a Costa Rican fiesta after church on Sunday. The fiesta was a birthday party for an eighty-nine year old man. I guess you could call him my ¨host grandpa once removed¨ or something like that.

The fiesta centered around the food. It was buffet style, but my host mom took the initiative to prepare a plate for me. I smiled and accepted it gracefully, but I would have rather made my own plate. She put things on my plate that I would never eat in the States. My plate was full of deep-fried starchy things and pig! I am quite a picky eater, so I told her I wasn’t hungry, but she kept telling me to eat it. I closed my eyes and started in. It didn’t taste very good, but I ate it! For those of you who don’t know me very well, know this – that was a very big step for me to eat deep-fried food and pork!

After lunch a van came up the driveway to the house. Music started coming out of the speakers of the vehicle and people started walking to the back of the vehicle. There were a lot of costumes in the back of the van. People started putting on the costumes and started dancing to the music. I have never seen costumes quite like these!