Getting along in your hometown

So today I had my first day at the hospital. I was supposed to be there at 10am. So I was there at 9am cuz this way I could get there by car. More easy for not getting lost.
I go around the hospital area, hearing all kind of "Que linda es usted!" ja "Que guapa!"-s. And of course, couldn´t escape without a "Machita!" So as I don´t know where to walk anymore, I just stand in front of the gate of children´s hospital, waiting for a girl from the organisation to meet me. Soon I´m feeling a little bit weird, being in the centre of attention of every single male person. Later I feel like a object of tourism already - everyone just staring at you like a miracle from heaven, men almost crawling out from the car-windows. I wonder how much more till I dye my hair black...
So, Mariel is here on time. But still I have to experience the tico-time - the woman in judge of my project is 1,5 hours late without even saying a word like "sorry." Otherwise it´s ok. Tomorrow I´ll start working, there are 3 other volunteers from Canada, USA and Switzerland :) That´s a good news!
Today is a really nice weather and I decide to take a cup of coffee with a friend. Of course it starts to rain hard just when I have to go home. AND, yes, I know that I have to take a bus to Heredia nd from Heredia another bus to home. If I only knew where home is. I get to the centre of Heredia, walk and look and ask, getting all wet in the rain. And finally my new mom has to fetch me in the town. So that´s what I mean with making good impression on my first day :P

Medicines

I couldn´t believe it if someone told me this: but here in Costa Rica everyone is their own doctor... because you can get any medicine you want without the doctor´s prescription! You just step in, take all the antibiotics and hormonal cremes you want and go home creating resistance to everything!

Lovelife

Like 20-30 years ago the costarican lovelife saw out like his: unmarried couples met only on Sundays for a cup of coffee - the mother or father being in the role of policeman, forbiding all kind of action. And like that for years! Till they got married and the wife was put into a little jar called the kitchen...

Nowadays in some places the role of the policeman is played by younger sister or brothers who are easily "bought" with an ice-cream or some candies. But still the girls get married quite early for moving away from their parents. Cuz it´s something abnormal and inmoral to live together without getting married. Even to spend a night at the house of your beloved is something taboo.

Cocina a la Estonia Costarrisense

So I have successfully survived the first 3,5 weeks. We are finally done with the orientation process and Spanish classes. And we should be ready for jumping in the waves of work.
But here, Houston, I think we have a little panic. I have to change my host-family! This is going to be really hard because I have already got attached to “la familia loca” which I have right now. I love them!
As to my Spanish, I must unfortunately admit that the Spanish course had only one useful function – I could use the time for writing to my friends. Because it was muy aburrido! But yet, I know the name of my future-pet now – los perezosos!!!
Today for the first time I tried to cook something Estonian. So I made “borsh” and potato salad – very Estonian indeed! And you know what, the had NEVER heard of soups made with cabbage!
Next step – advanced – will be rabarber-cake! How can one live without knowing what a rabarber-cake is?!? So I´m waiting for your kind donations with tons of rabarber! Thank you!

Parque Nacional Tapantí

My first experiences with Costa Rican nature! Finally! :)
Well of course I had to start with taking 3 buses and after that a taxi which we got very cheap thanx to our own tico. The park is a rainforest - a really nice one. You can see all kinds of birds and butterflies... and also red banana trees :) And you will for sure understand, why they call it the RAINforest! At first walking the stiff hills, panting till death... and then while descending, having the best rain ever - all the hill covered with mud and you slipping with your butt all muddy. Feels like childhood again! That´s SO cool! Wonder, if they let me in the bus, having mud all over me ;)
Finally we got home wet, cold, tired... but happy! :D

The other good part of the day was the obligation to speak spaish. Well, actually it´s nice just putting the words in line - they don´t have to form a sentence, do they?

Second week

Two weeks of sunshine and rain have passed by.
Now I even know how to get to the down-town of San Jose by bus. Although it is very annoying having to sit in the bus which moves like 1 cm per minute because that´s what the traffic is like. As it is your first time to go there, you can´t leave the bus and decide to walk instead - cuz you simply don´t know which way to go. So finally when you´re in the right bus stop and already 5 minutes late, you want to go quickly to the meeting-point... and all the little people just walk lazily on the streets, blocking every single way there possibly is. But it´s the tico-time... noone is ever hurrying anywhere. So what if you´re another 40 minutes late!

I must say that as much as I have seen San Jose... there is nothing to see besides the national theatre and some other places. All the houses look the same, all the streets seem like you already had been there.

Going out is another experience I got last night. A very drastic difference with Estonia is that you actually see more men than women - or perhaps it´s because you are surrounded by a circle of men who all wish to dance with you. And... as funny as it is for me, the men actually dance better than the women. And of course, reggeton rules all the bars and clubs.
Going home with a taxi might be really difficult, as the adresses look like that: 400 metres north from the avenue, 100 meters left.

Helado de sorbetera

... is just another really-really delicious thing I discovered. As I am a total ice-cream addict who really likes ginger-bread and adores cinnamon.... the costaricans have just the thing for me: an ice-cream with a taste of something in between cinnamon and gingerbread... thus eating it the way a little child - having ice-cream all over your table and yourself as well - makes really a fun out of it! (and of course the ice-cream men saying compliments about your eyes - it´s just the way life is over here)