An Australian in Costa Rica

Part Six 

Its been a tormentous two weeks. Where to start.

How about with the two yanks who returned to San Jose wearing pearls again,and sporting shopping bags yelling at the top of their voice. Thats right there is two of them now rather than one!

Or how about sitting in my hotel and waiting to meet people in the reception while watching the US v. CR football game. To hear "Natasha! Natasha! where are you?" being yelled in a very strong accent from the bottom of the stairs. Tell me the ticos would believe that I support CR! The dirty looks I got after that. (US won 2 nil)

You know what. (A bit of melodrama here.) Lets talk about the shame I felt to be Australian last week when I stayed in a hotel in San Jose with a teaching (American) friend of mine. On the door there was a sign saying I HATE FUCKING ARROGANT SEPPO'S (Seppos: septic tanks, yanks, Americans).

Its funny for a while, but after that. Especially when I had to explain that it was rhyming slang. And then I had to give more examples like Madonna and Richies aversion to her showing her Rasberries.

I never talk about Madonna in the worst of situations!

I went coffee picking with a mate and his family last weekend. That was awesome. Its very hard work. The berries are red, and can be eaten – they are sweet and sort of like diluted maple syrup. The pip inside is the part that they roast, and then grind for coffee.

After coffee picking we went to his families house for lunch. They served us a local liquor straight up in large tea cups as a beverage to accompany our meal. It was saturday, so its a given that I had a hangover. Afterwards, we went to neighbours nurseries to look at all the different types of orchids that grow in Costa Rica. Luckily I was drunk enough to be interested, and on the way home they let me ride in the back of the truck. It was like a ride at Disney Land only a lot faster, and scarier.

Saturday night we stayed in San Jose, and ensuing the comments about Arrogant Seppos (where he announced that it was racist, and probably a fair comment), we went to the bar at our 5.00 dollar a night hotel. Aptly named the Gran Hotel Imperial. They serve lots of Imperial (its a beer).

We played this game called either, or. Would you either eat a hamburger with a layer of pubic hair, or lick the latrine of the mens bathroom in a nighclub at 5am in the morning (given that the club closed at that time). Would you rather date a man who has to shave his tongue three times a day or has a babies leg growing out of his neck.

I will let you guess my answers.

Manual Antonio was on Sunday, we met up with the rest of the WorldTeach gang. I should clarify here that I am not dating, have no interest, and am solely mates with this guy. I wanted to go coffee picking.

Manual was gorgeous. The water is really warm, and weather is too. I got in at 10am and didnt get out of the water until 4pm that day, and same on Monday. Needless to say that despite several applications of 45plus sunscreen, I burnt. Although - only peeling on rare parts of my shoulds thank goodness.

The waves were a really good size, and lots of fun. I definitley would liketo learn how to surf right about now!

At Manual, I got a little to comforable with my mate, and perhaps over confided him, to have him turn around and accuse me of being a two faced bitch. This wasnt much fun, and ensued in a set of tears on Tuesday Morning, outside the school where classes were going on. No one new that I spent two hours writing abuse in my diary about those GOD DAMNED IDIOTS.

The closest anyone got was - have you got an eye allergy? Which was a good thing, I didnt feel like I was ready to get sympthy hugs!

Wednesday, I got a whole lot of perspective. Chilled out and accepted that people are different here, and not like my mates in London.

Then I got sick on Wednesday evening. And you will never guess what from! My own cooking. Me and a mate (who wants to set me up with her older brother, but thats a whole other story) made dinner for our families. Except we couldnt find pizza dough, tomato paste, and mozzerella cheese. So we improvised.

I dont mind throwing up when I am drunk, but this was like chucking dry cake! And did you KNOW how much poo your butt can hold?

Friday was sad, because it was our last day of induction and we all went the direction of our respective sites. So tonight I am in San Jose. On Monday Costa Rica will be having National Elections. This a big deal here because for the first time in history there are three parties in the running rather than two! Wow, and in order to win - a party must get a
majority by 40%. This is not likely to happen, so therefore there will probably be re-elections in March.

However - the only reason I am telling you this is because they have banned all alchohol consumption in the country from this morning, until Tuesday. Can you believe it? My last day of freedom.