Futbol en el Parque

This weekend, our friends Thai and Alyson from our TEFL program came into town from Montezuma and stayed with us for a few days. It was nice having some visitors, especially the kind that cook delicious meals for us.

The highlight of the weekend was probably on Saturday afternoon- we took our soccer ball to the park and kicked it around for a bit and then met some kids who were doing the same thing. Then they got there ball caught in a tree and Thai (AKA Gringo Man) saved the day and their ball. After that, a little game started and I snapped some shots of Cameron and Thai as they played.

Click HERE to see my latest album of new pics, including some shots from the game!

(Aaaaand HERE and HERE are the two previous albums. Y'know, in case you missed them.)

La Exploración de la Ciudad

Now that we're real, live teachers, making real teachers' salaries, Cameron and I are mostly bound to the city. We've got a few more trips planned around the country, but for now we are happy to discover what San Jose has to offer...and it does have some stuff to offer...

The first weekend following teaching we were BEAT and didn't do too much. We did, however, manage to explore a large park in the middle of the city, complete with trails, ponds and even horses. It was a cab ride away, and not a cheap one, but we were still glad to see some green amidst the city.

This last weekend was a little more active. We went out for drinks and appetizers after work with a coworker and some older students on Friday. It was nice to unwind after a long week. The next day, the same group of us went to see a play downtown! Yup, I experienced my first play in Spanish. Thankfully, Latin American theater is over-the-top, so it was VERY clear what was going on, despite the fact that I didn't understand much of it. It was cute and of course I'm always happy to experience live theater. Yesterday, we found another park in the city and this one was walking distance from our apartment. It was lovely to get out, hike and explore a little jungle in the city.

My weekends have been filled with the perfect amount of rest and exploration! Next weekend we are headed to nearby Jaco to celebrate Cameron's b-day and hopefully reunite with some TEFL friends!

The following is a video of Cameron climbing on a log, with commentary from me, doing an awful Australian accent:

U2D, Pt. 4: I Know the Way to San Jose...

...duh, because I LIVE here.

Yes, I am currently living and working in San Jose, Costa Rica. Thankfully, before arriving, I'd heard that San Jose was a less than desirable place to visit/stay. I say "thankfully" because imagine how disappointed I'd have been if I expected a beautiful, bustling city like the one I came from or an enchanting city, rich in culture like San Cristobal in Mexico. If you ever happen to spend time in San Jose it will probably be on accident, or if you were to fly into Costa Rica and were just passing through. I'm trying to think of some US cities to compare it to, but I really can't right now. I'll just say this- San Jose isn't HORRIBLE. It really isn't. I think Detroit is worse. Ha, no but I mean, it's fine. I think if I had to stay here long-term I might have more of an issue with it. I've also been having a great experience, so the fact that the city I live in is kind of lame isn't getting in the way. I'm also not going to be here much longer, so there's that too.

I live in San Pedro, a relatively safe and pleasant neighborhood in San Jose. My current apartment is literally sandwiched between two universities, so that's cool. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants around too. Everything we need is within walking distance, including the school where I teach. I have about a fifteen minute walk to work everyday, which is really nice, considering my commute for my last job was a thirty second elevator ride...sure it was convenient, but kind of too convenient; it's nice to take a walk in the morning.

Okay, so probably the weirdest and most hilarious part of San Jose is the fact that there are NO street signs. I'm serious. My address is literally "100 meters from ULatina, down the road and near the sign for the hairdresser on a private street". The first day I was here, I was looking around frantically for signs and thought I was missing something until my friend Jon filled me in. There are a few streets with names in downtown San Jose, but I think that's just so tourists can get around. The address for my school includes something about it being 200 meters from an old fig tree, but the old fig tree isn't even there anymore, so...

Also, it's kind of an adventure to walk around here. One minute you'll be walking on a side-walk and it just disappears and you're walking on gravel. The street gutters here are also kind of a hazard. There are just random square ditches for water to flow into on the road. If you're not looking you could easily fall into one of those or just the gutters themselves. Needless to say, I've learned to pay closer attention when I walk. Maybe that was a skill I needed to perfect. Maybe I was spoiled by side-walks and covered ditches in Chicago.

Oh, and my apartment! Yup! I have one now. Lucky for me and my friend Cameron, we were able to move into a lovely, furnished two-bedroom the DAY after our program ended, so as soon as I was done with class, it was "adios!" to Carmen and her bagged cheese and onto Cameron and her wonderful cooking abilities. Cameron negotiated a GREAT deal for us on the place, she talked the landlords down $120! The woman has negotiation skills I only dream of having. (And yes, I realize I went from Carmen to Cameron.)

San Jose might not be my ideal city, but I'm enjoying my little corner of it and plus, it's all a part of the experience and so far, so good.