My Local Store

While there are way too many cars on the roads in Costa Rica, the reality here still is that most people don't drive. Most walk or take the bus to get to work, the grocery store, etc. Due to this non-driving culture (which is completely opposite of our drive everywhere culture in the US,) all neighborhoods have little convenience stores peppered every few blocks so that they are easily accessible to everyone.

There are pulperias - very small stores that sell a variety of odds and ends. These are usually quite tiny and run out of someone's home or in a very small store front. There's no browsing here. You go because you forgot milk or you need an egg, or a button, or something else random that does not constitute the need for a bus ride or long walk to the grocery store.

Then, there are supers. I'm not sure why they are called supers...maybe for super mercado? But these aren't big either. Think of like your local convenience store. They have coolers with drinks and some food items, a few veggies, canned food, snacks, toilet paper, diapers, shampoo, etc. There's a little more browsing to be done here, but still the selection is not large.

In the last few months, I've taken to walking a block from my apartment to my local super. Everyone around here calls it "the chino" because, well, it's run by Asian folks. (I'm not really sure if they are Chinese, so we'll just call them Asian.) In fact, a lot of the supers in this country are run by Asians. It is similar to how most of the nail salons in the US are run by Asians. (Here in CR, they are run by Ticos...) Ok, I digress...

So I really like going to my neighborhood chino. The family that runs it is always super friendly and nice. It's a great place to pick up an onion, or a diet coke, or some cookies. And, it's nice to get out and walk a little every now and then. (Don't worry Mom, it's safe!)

Below is a picture of my chino - which is named Super Manfred. (That may be another reason I like it. The name Manfred is fun to say, and I am pretty sure that none of the Asian folks there are named Manfred...) I realize that it looks a little dilapidated and kind of scary with the bars and razor wire. But it's a nice little store and a nice addition to my evening routines sometimes.

<3,
Amber

Lo siento!!! (I am sorry!!!)

If you're still out there following my as of late poor excuse for a blog, I owe you a big apology! I think I just got into the routine of every day life here and forgot to keep you informed of my adventures! There weren't many adventures to be had between January to March, but I could have been sharing every day things about my life.

So again, I am sorry! I am going to make it a point to be better about updating the blog. So, if you're still out there reading, thank you and hang in there with me!

I've just returned back to Costa Rica after being away for a month for work travels. It was nice to get back "home" and not be living out of a suitcase. And while Costa Rica will never be my true "home," it is where I currently live and where my life is for now. I'm glad that I am feeling settled enough to be happy about coming back. It's a nice feeling.

Until my next post...

<3,
Amber

Housekeeping

When I was first thinking of moving to Costa Rica, I asked my manager: "What is cheaper there?" She had to think for a minute, and then listed the following: having a maid and getting your nails done. I have to say that I wasn't very impressed. In the US I rarely had my nails done, and I'd never had a maid. So, at the time, I didn't think that these "cheaper" items were really going to affect me all that much.

In the US, most middle class families don't have maids. We're taught to clean the house ourselves and to be proud of it. But I discovered a few weeks into my stay here that cleaning a Tico apartment was not really an easy task. Due to the lack of carpet, cleaning the floors takes more than just a sweep over with the vacuum cleaner. It requires a lot of sweeping and then following that up with mopping. And unless you do this frequently, your floors are dusty and you must resort to wearing "house shoes" at all times to avoid your feet from getting dirty. Yep, I wear house shoes...like an old lady...

So after a few consecutive weekends of 2-3 hours of just floor cleaning, I resigned myself to the house shoes and decided clean floors just weren't in the cards for me here. So, then my cleaning spurts became fewer and further between. And then with my traveling schedule, the floors really just became an afterthought. But upon returning after Christmas I knew I had to take the time to really clean them again...or...I could pay someone to do it!

It was hard for me to hire someone to clean my apartment. I felt guilt for not doing it myself, and it also felt a little weird to have a stranger clean up after me. But, when in Rome...

I've had the girl from our office clean my place twice now, and I must say it is worth every penny! For only 12 bucks (I apparently am overpaying here) she cleans the floors, bathrooms, kitchen, and dusts!! 12 bucks!! And if I wanted her to, she would do laundry and other tasks as well.

After having it done twice, I am officially spoiled. And for that price, how can I pass it up?? So, if you ask me if I am integrating myself into the culture here, I guess this is a good example of one way in which I am!

<3,
Amber

4:55 am Wake-up Call!

Well, it has finally happened. I finally experienced an earthquake here in Costa Rica that I was actually aware of! This morning, at 4:55 am to be exact, I woke up suddenly and realized that my bed and everything else was shaking. EARTHQUAKE!! Luckily, I was half-way in sleepy la-la land so it didn't freak me out quite as much as I expected it to. Had it been in the middle of the day, I probably would have run out of building screaming. But, I sat up, thought "hmmm that's an earthquake," and then I went back to sleep.

The quake hit about 60 miles southwest of San Jose off the coast of Quepos (one of my favorite Amber Tours destinations.) It registered about a 6 on the Richter scale. Luckily, even though it was strong, there hasn't been and damage reported across the country.

So, while it was an interesting experience, I hope that Earth was releasing some much needed pressure so that a bigger one doesn't hit soon!

<3,
Amber

PS - On a completely unrelated note, I found myself in the grocery store this afternoon trying to figure out how to say in Spanish to the cashier: "What happened? It looks like Valentine's Day threw up in here..."

Not quite what I was expecting...

A few weeks ago I discovered a burger joint across the street from my office that is owned by a guy from the US. My colleague and I went one day and the burgers were fantastic! While there, I noticed they had corn dogs on their menu.

So today, since it was Friday and had been a long week, I decided a corn dog was just what was needed to end my week. Well, as with most "US" foods made outside of the US, my corn dog just wasn't quite what I was expecting. While it looks pretty scary, it didn't taste much like anything. It was an overall disappointment.

When you live away from home for too long, you really start to miss foods that you are familiar with or that just taste like home. This was my attempt to have a little piece of home today. I should have known it wouldn't be as yummy as I was hoping. Oh well, like I said, they make a decent burger which is another difficult thing to find in this country.

<3,
Amber

New Pet?

This little dude was waiting at my door when I got home this evening. He's much cuter than the giant moth. Maybe I'll keep him...

<3,
Amber

Ladies and Gentlemen...

... Mr. (Sir) Elton John!!! Who knows what this is a reference to? :)

Elton John came to Costa Rica Friday night and I was able to snag a ticket and tag along with my friend Daniella and her friends to the concert. The concert was held at the Saprissa Soccer stadium which is located in Tibas on the Eastern side of the city.

Before the concert, most people arrived early to "tailgate." Costa Rican tailgating involved hanging out on the street in front of the one bar near the stadium drinking beer and talking with others. There were a few food vendors, scalpers, and merchandise sellers mingling with the crown trying to drum up business. It was actually a lot of fun. Once you got into the stadium there were no concession stands - only guys walking around selling soda, water, and snacks.

Even after all these years, Elton John puts on a very good show. He played mostly hits and still sounds just as great as he did in the 70's. I only took my blackberry to the concert, so my pictures aren't that great. I also took some video. I apologize in advance to Elton and everyone else for the really bad sound quality.

<3,
Amber