It’s approaching 6AM here (and it's quite light out). Why am I up so early? I can honestly admit that this is the earliest I’ve been up in a bit. Maybe it’s because I am excited to go to Puerto Viejo today or it might have something to do with going to bed around 9PM preceding some wine with dinner.
I can’t exactly see the sun rise where I am currently living in Escazu, which is about 30 minutes southwest of San Jose. But, I have absolutely gorgeous scenery that I am so lucky to have. Emily and I ended up here after many things fell through in San Pedro de San Jose. The very small apartment we were supposed to take (without actually viewing or containing any amenities like a stove or a refrigerator) ended up being only one bedroom. We found this out two days before we were moving out of our TESOL training accommodations via email by the landlord who is related to Riccardo, the program director’s relative. Also, the job at Centro Cultural I interviewed for didn’t offer me a position. But, it’s kind of beyond wild how things worked out. So, Emily and I tried to figure out our living situation by discussing our options at our favorite bar in Coronado, “Santa Rita”. It’s our favorite because the beers are generally cheap, they empty the cenesara every five minutes, and it kind of reminds you of home with that “hole in the wall” comfort. We sat in the bar with our usual, “Imperial para me y Pilsen para vos”. We counted the reliable or even friends we had in Costa Rica on one hand, not without getting complimented by the bar owner spouting "Que linda/ Que gupa" from his drunken breathe and glossy eyes. We decided that we would have to contact Erin, Emily’s friend from her first job from College at “Explorica”. Erin was more than happy to have us stay. She was very inviting and beyond our saving grace. Erin has been in Costa Rica for about two years so I think that may have something to do with why she is incredibly understanding and helpful. As irony turns out her place is amazing. Also, she is leaving Escazu for a month to do yoga training in Honduras. She is coming back to Costa Rica in August to get her cats and then is moving back to the United States with her boyfriend in Wyoming. So, gratefully we have this amazing home in a little gated community type area in a safe part of Costa Rica with some pre-introduced friends! I am being reminded everyday of how to be patient and expect the unexpected here in CR (Costa Rica). I’m finding that you really can’t plan to far in advance sometimes things are just meant to happen as they have already been determined.
The house is literally a little home and has a driveway area in the front that is adjacent next to the little brook and beautifully arranged vegetation. The house is meant to be a studio, but is actually a pretty large casita. The entire house makes use of the daylight with many windows and skylights. Also, there is bright colored and intricately detailed tiles scattered through-out the house. It’s a tad rustic, which is part of the charm of CR, but it also just needs a little tender loving care. The bedroom is pretty big and has 4 windows which extend from the floor to about the ceiling. The walls are covered with wood-paneling, but not that cheesy 1970’s style, it’s more like a ski lodge in Colorado. The “catch” is what will be my room. It’s not exactly meant for sleeping quarters. OK, it’s a storage room, but a large storage room that can certainly be transformed. And the ceiling- doesn’t exactly attach to the roof. At the very top there are large windows that don’t extend to actually be viewed from height level. So, there are tightly bound what I’m guessing to be bamboo sticks that touch the roof from the walls. But, the roof is terracotta- metal style. What I’m leading to is that some of it is exposure to the outside world which is pretty amazing and definitely scary at the same time. Once you’ve been here for a bit you become pretty familiar with the house bugs. This room might make me really one with nature. (Pictures to come)
We’ve been in Esaczu for about four days now and already things have turned for the positive. We began interviewing for Inlingua. It’s a pretty reputable language school that is world-wide. They have a unique approach to teaching and rotate teachers every 3-4 weeks. They say it’s good for the students to get different learning styles and become used to the language with different accents. I think that’s a great approach. So, we start “training/interviewing” next week. We were supposed to “shadow” someone from the school yesterday, but it seems the classes were testing so it wouldn’t be such a valuable experience. Also, they have a location in Santa Ana which is very close to Escazu.
Well, that’s OK because we can get back to that next week. In the meantime it’s time to visit the beach. And not just any beach! This is Puerto Viejo! It is in the northeast of Costa Rica on the Caribbean side. It should take about 5 hours or so to get there. I'm sure at this rate there will some siesta taking place on the bus. People come from all over the world to visit this beach. I’ve also heard a lot of stories recently about people who come to visit there and end up falling in love with Puerto Viejo and doing whatever it takes to stay. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited. We will be staying at a highly recommended hostile called “Rockin’ J’s”, I kid you not. (Please refer to website- http://rockingjs.com/) There is a wide variety of accommodation, but hammocks seem to be the most popular for only $4 a night. Though I think a hammock will get old after a few nights. Regardless, I am thrilled to be beach bound especially on the Caribbean side. This is half of the point of being in Costa Rica- to see the amazing beaches (among countless other things)!
It’s just funny how quick life is constantly changing. It’s all a bit rough, but everything is good (“Todo bien”). We have just finished student teaching and TESOL last week, now we’re living in Escazu and going to Puerto Viejo. Me gusta mi vida.
larve it !
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