What I've Learned So Far In Costa Rica!

Alright, folks, I love making lists, so here's one of the random stuff I've learned so far from my aventura in Costa Rica! First things first, though: There are NEW PHOTOS at the facebook album! So go check them out.

Now, without further ado: THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN TICO LAND!

1) It is painfully obvious that I am a gringa, and there is nothing I can do about it.
2) Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way in Costa Rica. If you want to cross the street, look right, then left, then right, then left, then RUN.
3) It’s not always clear where the street ends and the sidewalk begins, but what IS clear is that there will be a 1.5-foot-deep gutter (literally) in front of all houses and shops, and if you don’t watch where you are going, you run the risk of seriously hurting yourself.
4) Toilet paper doesn’t get thrown into the toilets here. Instead, it goes into the trash can beside the toilet. Takes a while to get used to.
5) The best colors for houses, bathrooms, and clothing are: fuschia, turquoise, bright peach-pink, red, yellow, and anything else you might find in a box of Runts.
6) Almost any question or statement in CR can be responded to with the most ubiquitous word: “tranquila!” Tranquila describes the Costa Rican way of life to a T (har har.) Everything (Except crossing the street) is tranquila, tranquila, tranquila. That’s probably why Costa Ricans are famous for arriving to everything 15 minutes late (we call it Tico Time!) … the other phrase that’s used most is “pura vida” (pure life). You can even use it to respond to the question “como esta?” (How are you?)
7) In Costa Rica, the word ‘tu’ is rarely used (that’s the normal form of “you” for most Spanish-speaking countries.) Instead, Ticos use “Usted” (which in other countries is normally reserved for formal interactions.) Gotta say, it’s hilarious to hear babies and pets being referred to as “Usted” 
8) Costa Rica has poisonous snakes, caterpillars, frogs and scorpions! Yay. Part of our training, in fact, is to teach us to look in our shoes before putting them on and in our sheets before climbing in to bed, to not touch colorful insects, and how to slow the spread of venom through a limb. Whee. At least the pumas have generally moved away from inhabited areas…….. or so they tell us.
9) Breakfast is gallo pinto and eggs. Lunch is gallo pinto, potatoes and chicken. Dinner is gallo pinto, noodles and beef. No other food groups exist, and your argument is invalid. …no, seriously, Ticos eat an abundance of starches and very little else: their diet consists mainly of rice, beans, and sweet things. That said…
10) Tico women are curvy and they OWN it. When I say “curvy”, I mean “many are quite obese”, and when I say “OWN it” I mean “wear brightly colored Spandex without shame.” It’s actually kinda awesome, though. Again, part of our training is teaching us how to respond when our host mothers attempt to fatten us up because we Americans are too delgada (skinny.)
11) Ticos are open, friendly, and brutally honest—but would rather make up completely false directions than admit that they have no idea how to get where you need to go. (I’ve experienced this already—and again, part of our training is to teach us to ask for directions from several people before following any of them.)
12) The Machismo culture is alive and well in Costa Rica, though it hasn’t been that bad so far for me. Some cat calls, some cars slowing own, the guy at the hospital insistently trying to get me to give him my number, and the words coming out of my host father’s mouth: “women don’t know anything about that.” (I’d like to note, though, that I really like my host father… it’s not that he’s mean or anything, I think it’s just a product of the culture? I dunno. He makes me laugh, and he and I had a fun evening together talking about politics and such when the rest of the family was out.)
13) Costa Rica is SO LOUD. There are roosters crowing ALL THE TIME, dogs barking, cars driving by, people yelling ‘Upe!’… truly, for such a tranquila place, it’s quite loud. I’m glad I brought my earplugs so that I can get some sleep!

....I know that there will be more. This list will be updated!

In other news, I ended up having to bus in to San Jose by myself to go to the doctor and get antibiotics for my throat/lung microplasm infection that I had this week. THAT was quite an adventure-- especially given that almost everyone I talked to only spoke Spanish! I've now learned words like 'formulario' and 'receta' (receipt/prescription) and 'bajarme' (get off a bus) and 'parada' (bus stop) and 'mocos' (mucus!)... you know, the important things ;). But, yeah, I am PROUD of myself for doing that, because it was scary and I was quite sick. I had a bit of a breakdown in the bathroom at the hospital because it was overwhelming and I was sick and alone in the middle of Central America... but I think that's all part of this experience, you know? And not only did I survive, I learned and grew and am slowly beginning to feel better :)

Then today, we went for a hike up to the top of one of the mountains here in Orosi. We were literally hiking through the jungle, and there are pictures in the facebook album-- so check them out!

Lastly, as always, THANK YOU EVERYONE for your support and emails!

Besos,
Raquel