Tico Times

Buenas DIas….I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Lots of going to the beach, enjoying crystal blue water, beautiful sunsets, riding bikes, good fruit, and of course dancing. Oh, and speaking Spanish.  I keep forgetting that that is why I’m here. Just kidding. No, but I can tell my SPanish is getting a lot better. I can actually have conversations with people now. I went to a rodeo with my Tico family the other night. It was in a pueblo about an hour away. We got to see the riding of bulls- or getting hit by bulls is a more accurate account of what was going on. There were about 50 people down in the arena waiting for the bull to come out of the door. THen the bull would come out with someone riding it, and everyone would run from it, jumping over or sliding under the fence if need be. Some got smashed by the bulls, others got away just in time. A bit harder to ride the bulls than those mechanical bulls in Mexico! After we watched the bulls we went and got dinner with my family and we talked about a lot of things- most of what I could only understand 1/2 of. Dilia, the wife, did tell me that she had been trying to get pregnant for 6 years and she doesn’t think it’s going to happen. I told her that I have baby making angels and that she should try really hard while I’m staying at their house. We shall see!!

I went back to the rodeo a couple nights later with my friend Tanya and some of the local guys. Lots of dancing and- OH! I got my camera stolen! But guess who stole it back?!! We were in line to get into this dance club. It was so crowded and you couldn’t even move. My purse was slung around my body, zipped closed and my hand was on it! Well, all of a sudden I realized that my purse get smaller. SO I unzipped it and sure enough my camera was gone. I immediately looked around but didn’t see anyone running or anything. I stood there looking around on the outskirts of all the people standing in line and notice this guy standing in the background. I got this crazy instinct that this was the guy. SO I marched right over to him, pulled his backpack away form him, lifted u his shirt and there was my camera!! I could not believe it. I was actually laughing because I was in so much shock. But then the anger hit me! Luckily the group of guys that Tanya and I were with came over and asked me what was going on. I told them, and they took care of business.:)

That’s the worst thing that has happened to me since I’ve been here, so I can’t complain. It’s just a little reminder that I need to be especially careful!

Tanya and I rode bikes to PLaya Conchal about 20 minutes away. It’s my favorite beach in the area made up of small shells. The snorkeling is beautiful and the water crystal clear. On the way there my chain kept coming off and I had to keep stopping to fix it. Instead of our ride taking 20 minutes it took about an hour. On about the 20th time it happened I was about to throw the bike. There I was in the hot sun, no shade, stooped over a bike, but then I thought about how I could be in an office building without a window or with a window and a view of a polluted city or something. I had to laugh….and look over the beautiful ocean and think about where I was- and enjoy the sweat dripping form my forehead and the grease all over my hands.

Once we got to the beach our amigovios took us out on a jet ski. They work there and are in charge of all the rentals. It was so nice to get out on the water and see some turtles.

Love you mucho!