Abriendo Mentes Update

During our time in Playa Potrero we were able to take video and finally, months later we have finished work on the Abriendo Mentes – An Introduction video.  Watching the footage made me miss Potrero and the kids so much.  Todd and I are both hoping that a trip back is in the star but until this video will have to do.  We hope you enjoy it!

 

And don’t forget, since we’ve left Meradith and Drew have continued their work helping to educate the young minds of Potrero.  They’re down there making a difference and you can keep up with all of their amazing accomplishments at their website and blog.  Miss you guys!

 

 

Toddbits – Strange, But True.

We fly back to the United States tomorrow (are you ready for us?), so this will be my final post from Costa Rica, but don’t worry, the hugely popular Toddbits series will continue from the U.S.  With that said, here are a few things that have been on my mind lately:

1.  I can count the number of times I have shaved in the past 9 weeks on 1 hand.

2.  The  last time I went 24 consecutive hours without seeing Kate was in February, almost 6 months ago.

3.  The last time I went more than 2 (non-sleeping) hours without seeing Kate was at least 62 days ago.

4.  Last summer I watched at least the highlights of more than 100 Detroit Tigers games.  As of today, I have not watched 1 second of their last 53 games.

5.  I’ve had sushi more times with Kate in 2 months in Costa Rica (2) than I did with her in the last 18 months in Grand Rapids (1).

6.  My friend Justin Amash is running for Congress, and the primary election is tomorrow (August 3).  If you are a resident of greater Grand Rapids, PLEASE go out and vote for him tomorrow.  Click here for more information about Justin – but what you really need to know is that Justin is honest, hardworking, and cares more about doing what is right for West Michigan than any person I know.  Since we’ll be traveling tomorrow, I won’t be able to vote – so that means that you, proud followers of ToddAndKate.wordpress.com, are going to have to vote for me.  Please help me out here.  Thanks!

One Last Adventure

Today, Kate and I put on our tourist hats for the last time in Costa Rica and went snorkeling.  Ok, I guess they’re not tourist hats so much as tourist outfits (bathing suit, t-shirt, flip flops), which are actually identical to the typical tico outfit, minus the fact that Kate doesn’t wear her clothes 2 sizes too small.

After a bit of difficulty, we hooked up with Seabird Sailing in Playa Flamingo, and they provided us with a perfect snorkeling trip.  We set off for the Catalina Islands, along with a group of high school students, on Seabird’s catamaran.  On the trip over Kate and I were served snacks while we laid out on the boat’s hammock-like bow netting.  We were even treated with a front row viewing of 2 turtles mating.  Once we arrived, we geared up and started snorkeling.

Despite her illustrious career as a swimmer and swim coach, Kate is notoriously a ‘pool only’ swimmer.  She doesn’t particularly like lakes or oceans, as “you can’t see what’s underneath you!”  Nonetheless, she braved the open water, did a bit of diving, and ultimately declared snorkeling to be fun.  Though I hated competitive swimming as a kid, I’ve taken quite a liking to water sports over the years, and since learning to scuba dive a few years back, I’ve discovered that Sebastian was right: “It’s always better, down where it’s wetter.”

We had a great guide who found a lot of life for us to interact with: an octopus (don’t mess with the tentacles – they’re harmless but tough to get off you), a few blowfish (quite slippery), a sleeping turtle (it didn’t like our presence much once it woke up), a starfish, a few oysters (which I ate once we got back onto the boat), and a few scallops (which I also ate raw – while snorkeling).

The guide provided a real treat when he cracked open a scallop with his knife, and put it on the ocean floor — starting an absolute feeding frenzy.  There were easily 100 fish swimming around us pecking and diving at the scallop.  It was great to watch.

Once back on the boat we headed for home while they served us lunch.  An unexpected bonus to cap a great final tourist adventure.  Hopefully the pictures below will show how much we enjoyed this.

Happenings

Last Sunday was Guanacaste Day, the celebration of the annexation of the province of Guanacaste to Costa Rica from Nicaragua.  We set off on a bus to Liberia to go to the big local celebration.  When we got there it must have been in between performances because besides carnival games, rides and dance floors, the only celebratory event happening was a polo match.  We were surprised to find polo in Costa Rica but it was fun to watch.  On the way home our bus from Flamingo to Potrero (the third bus on the return trip) never came which is why we ended up hitching a ride home.  Our good samaritan was a very nice gringa named Julie and she got us back here safe and sound.

Costa Rican Polo

Todd and I were planning on leaving Potrero on Thursday to head to the Caribbean for the rest of our time in Costa Rica.  After thinking about it some more, we decided that making a 10 hour drive just to spend more time at the beach wasn’t worth it so here we are, still in Potrero.  In order to keep busy over the past week, we’ve spent a lot of time at the beach.  Our current favorite of the local beaches is Playa Penca which is a five minute walk from our place.  It’s a beautiful beach with nice warm water and plenty of waves to keep it interesting.  Here’s a panoramic view of Penca:

Penca Panoramic

You can see why we like it so much!

In addition to beach-going, one thing that’s really common here is housesitting.  Since many of the nicer homes are often only used as vacation homes, the year-round gringos often housesit for their friends when they’re not around.  Fortunately for us, Drew and Meradith are housesitting right now for a family with a beautiful home.  Compared to our current apartment it’s a palace.  Not only do they have air conditioning, a well-stocked pantry, a washer and dryer, an oven, dishwasher and a real stove, they also have extremely comfortable patio furniture, a grill, an infinity pool, two dogs – one of which is a very sweet puppy and an amazing view of all of Potrero Bay.  Meradith and Drew have been nice enough to let us lounge about at their pool, do a load of laundry and share a few dinners with them and it’s been so great to escape and have some of the comforts of home here.

Last Night's Spread

We’re both feeling ready to be home but Potrero is a great place to be if you’re waiting for something.  We’re really going to miss it here.

Sunset Overlooking Bahía Potreo

Coco Taking a Nap

Things We Did Not Buy in Costa Rica

Yes, that is a collection of terrifying skull-shaped piggy banks.

A page out of Jamaica’s playbook.

Yes, they expect you to put Donkey’s milk ON YOUR FACE.

Now if they had Todo Pulpo, or Mundo del Unicornio, it would be a different story.

I’m more into freeing Willy than eating Willy.

I’m Looking Forward To…

With just over a week left in Costa Rica, I can’t help but dream of all of the conveniences awaiting me back in Michigan.  In the same vein as Todd’s last post, here’s a list of what I’m most looking forward to:

1 – A Washer AND Dryer: While Todd and I had a fully functional washing machine for our first month in Potrero, we had to line dry our clothes.  Since it’s hot here, that’s not so bad until you notice that your clothes are stretched out in strange shapes and some of your t-shirts are lopsided.  For once in my life, I’m looking forward to laundry.

2- Meijer (or any other fully stocked grocery store): The Super Ceimy and Super Catalina have served us well but I can’t wait to have a limitless supply of fruits and vegetables and more feasible dinner options than just pasta, tortillas with beans and a smattering of veggies or mac ‘n cheese.

3 – A Grill: Thinking of grilled chicken, burgers, grilled pizza and vegetables, heck, even hot dogs is making my mouth water.  Oh, I can’t wait!

4 – Food: I could write a whole post on the foods I can’t wait to eat but I’ll spare you.  I’m most looking forward to good cheese (sharp white cheddar, I’ve missed you!), fresh, quality produce (food standards aren’t that high here) and restaurants with menus different that all of the other restaurants in town.

5 – Friends and Family: Two months is a long time to go without seeing the people you love.  I’m ready.

6 – Wedding Planning: It’s been so hard to be engaged for five weeks without being able to really start planning our wedding.  It will be great to be able to do more than surf the internet looking for ideas.  I also can’t wait to spend time with my mom and sister planning the wedding instead and getting their advice instead of just emailing them constantly with questions and ideas.

7 – Home: I can’t wait to just be home.  For the past two months we haven’t slept in the same place for more than 5 consecutive days.  Living out of luggage can only be enjoyed for so long.

8 – Driving: Oh to have a car again!  There is such freedom in being able to get around easily without buses or car rentals.  Added bonus – the paved roads.

9 – Things to Do: Having nothing to do all the time is overrated.  Granted, we have our volunteering time but the rest of the day we have all the freedom in the world to just relax, go to the beach or read.  The problem is that without the limitations of productivity, relaxing can get quite boring.  Having to go back to work, people to see and errands to do will be a nice vacation from perpetual relaxation.

I’m really going to miss Costa Rica too though.

Another First

To be added to my list of firsts:

11) Hitchhiked.

On Things Missed

Our time in Costa Rica is drawing to a close, and I’m starting to look forward to returning to the U.S.

Here are a few thoughts on what I have and haven’t missed about the U.S., and what I will and won’t miss about Costa Rica.

What I’ve missed about the U.S.:

All things food: I miss having a grill and fully functional kitchen, including a toaster.  Everyone here has toaster ovens that only sort of work (which is true about all appliances here).  I’m ready to be done with them.  I miss American grocery stores with their higher standards for what constitutes “fresh” produce, and while I’ve come to appreciate the value of eating seasonally/locally, sometimes I just really want asparagus or avocado, and am willing to live with the fact that it traveled a long way before winding up on my plate.

Functional technology:  2 weeks into our trip the keyboard on my laptop finally broke.  It took another 2 weeks before I was able to get any type of temporary replacement (thanks,Mom!).  I’ve missed the ease of communication in the U.S. that comes from having a cell phone (mostly for sending text messages) and a reliable internet connection.  Oh, and it’s been 2 months since I watched even an inning of a Tigers game.

Friends and Family:  I love Kate.  I love her more today than I did when we got here, and cannot say enough about how much better this experience has been as a result of her being here with me.  With that said, I miss my friends and family.  I don’t like that I have to schedule phone calls with my parents.  I don’t like that I’ve missed a number of weddings, parties, events, get togethers, and celebrations (both big and small).  I’ll be happy to feel connected to more than one person when we get home.

What I have not missed about the U.S.:

Americans:  Frankly, we are a really annoying people when you take a step back.  In large part we are greedy, demanding, needy, and oblivious.  Down here, most of the Americans are people who couldn’t cut it in the U.S., so they came down here to be a gringo.  For a prime example, please see the following Craigslist ad:

El Cap

What I will miss about Costa Rica:

Guanacaste: We’ve spent the majority of our time in the western portion of Costa Rica known as Guanacaste.  It is full of incredibly friendly people, has wonderful beaches, and is sunny 80% of the time.  This is a great part of the world, and I’m already looking forward to coming back some day.

The Kids at Abriendo Mentes:  After 5+ weeks of working with the same group of ~20 kids, I feel a strong connection to both the program and the kids.  I really want to know what happens to these kids in 5 years, 10 years, etc.  I’m excited to hear about how this program changed their lives.  Also, I’m really going to miss the consistency these kids bring to class every day, and the ability to joke (in English) about the kids with Kate, Drew, and Meradith.  I love that every day 2 of the little boys respond to the question “How do you feel today?” by saying “I feel estrong” while flexing their biceps.  It is hard to leave knowing that we’ll likely never hear that response from those kids again.

What I will not miss about Costa Rica:

The fact that nothing works here:  Meradith and Drew have a bumper sticker that says “Costa Rica – We make easy hard.”  Truer words have never been spoken.  The power goes out a lot.  The showers are mostly cold.  No one has a dryer, and the washing machines are sketchy at best.  You have to get by with what you have because no one ever has the tool you really need to do something properly (like make toast).  There are no street signs.  You’re as likely to see a “Burger King – 8 km ahead” sign as you are to see a “Liberia – 8 km ahead” sign.  Nothing happens on time.  Things are often closed for no apparent reason.  If you’re not operating on a very calm and relaxed level, this country can be maddening.

Sweating;  It is ALWAYS hot, and we have lived in a state of perpetual state of perspiration for long enough.

Travelling:  I will not miss living out of a suitcase, constantly being only semi-sure of where we are going, or Costa Rica’s awful, awful roads.

We are 10 days away from coming home, and I can’t really believe it — but thankfully, I feel ready.

Costa Rica Firsts

Here’s a list (probably incomplete) of things I did for the first time during our two months Costa Rica.

1 – Swam in the Pacific Ocean

2 – Ate guacamole.

3 – Had roosters for an alarm clock.

4 – Tried paddleboarding.

5 – Got engaged.

6 – Went skinny-dipping.  (Kind of.)

7 – Fed a monkey.

8 – Walked around on a volcano.

9 – Zip-lined.

10 – Hand rolled my own sushi.

With 10 days to go (11 if you count today) I’m sure I’ll have more to add to that list!  I’m hoping snorkeling is number ten.

Animal Week

Monday we started classes again at Abriendo Mentes. Meradith and Drew have been on a well deserved trip back to the U.S. to visit family so there haven’t been classes for the last two weeks – a mini summer vacation for everyone. Since we’re back in Potrero we decided that we’d fill in this week. Since it’s just a bonus week, we decided it would be fun to do an animal theme all week – “Animal Week”, if you will.

First Day Back

We decided to start off slow and just work on pets: dog, cat, turtle, rabbit and fish. It took all of five seconds to realize that the kids had long ago mastered these animals. Thankfully, we were able to fill up the time with some worksheets and an art project.

Nayelli Making her Turtle

Tuesday we decided to take things to the next level with farm animals. We were pleased to find out that the farm held some new creatures for them when it came to English. The hardest part was distinguishing between the birds, we’re happy to report that all of the kids think that a goose, turkey or duck are all just ducks and, even better, that one thinks that “pato” in English is just called a “quack-quack!”. We had a fun day and finished it up with a very energetic round of Duck, Duck, Goose…errrr, Pato, Pato, Ganso.

Today we’re moving on to the jungle and I’m quite excited to help them make elephant masks.

Some Bonus Animals in Potrero