A Quick Nap: 3rd and 4th of June

So you’re probably wondering why I haven’t been keeping a regular blog, and if there is a time stamp, why I am up at 4h30 in the morning. Well, the time difference is only 2 hours behind RI, so it must be sleep deprivation, so I have to make up for yesterday and the day before that (3rd and 4th of June). If you didn’t know the 3rd was a Wednesday. The biggest Wednesday of soccer fanaticism I have seen so far. The game was between the US and Costa Rica. The US has the money to practice all over the world and pay top dollar for their players and are actually really good. Costa Ricans pay way less (some even have second jobs from what I hear) and do it more for the passion of soccer. The odds were in the favor of the US winning, while the Costa Rican sentiment made it obvious that they were going to lose. Walking around the school, or home, or other homes, I repeatedly heard the fact that the US has never once won a game in Costa Rica. Probably because of the lack of tourism in the city not a lot of Americans show up for the game. The stadium is also very compact so the whole thing trembles under the force of the crazed spectators making the roofs of the lock rooms look like they will collapse on the players and the windows vibrate so much that they look like they are going to break. At first, I didn’t believe this…until I saw the game. The camera kept on bouncing around and the stadium was packed to what seemed like over-capacity with the red and blue jersey wearing Ticos and Costa Rican flags. But I was somewhere else. I was on a sofa eating cheese and crackers, Coca-Cola chicken wings, and tortillas de gallo while drinking Sangria and some really tasty peach wine with good friends and “family.” Oh, yeah, and brownies a la glass which Tammy made hahaha. Within the first minute and thirty seconds I heard the wretched “oooh-aayyyy-oh-ay-oh-ay-oh-aaaayyy tiiicoooos tiicoooos” after the Costa Ricans scored their first goal against the U.S. It was terrible. The scare tactic must have worked because even with the help from referee (who OBVIOUSLY favored the US) Costa Rica won with a score of three to one. Now, you might say that it wasn’t that bad because we got a goal. But you’d be wrong. Because that goal was scored after the ninety minute mark of a normal ending game, and it was only from a penalty kick without the line of men guarding the goal. But after the game we had a shot glass of “Parfait Amour” which was some liqueur that Tammy’s “papa tico” gave us. It was intense. A drop on the tongue made it tingle and it burned going down. It tasted super sweet, but was intense and an experience. On leaving I had my French accent in Spanish ready to go in case I got confronted by any boorish Costa Ricans walking through the park. To be honest I am not having many problems fitting in. I wear my local soccer bracelet, wear my hair styled, and got a tan down in Manuel Antonio so people do think I am “Tico” sometimes. I sometimes get asked when I am around Tammy or Kayla if I am “Tico” when I walk with them into souvenir shops…They tell me some people even ask THEM if I am, which is kind of cool. It’s not really the color of the skin that matters because there are all shades here (mostly a café au lait or a little darker). The main difference is the face which has a more indigenous look, the hair, and the clothes. The hair is very European. The faux-hawk with perfectly gelled hair sometimes accompanied by a Star Wars curl/almost braid in the back is most popular followed by the perfectly gelled “messy” style. The clothing is also amazing. The usual look is dressy but sporty. Puma here is the New Balance of the States. Everyone wears Puma shoes and clothing. Next popular is Hollister which they sell in almost every store I’ve been too at about the same price if not a little higher. But most likely you will see someone in dressy pants (not really black), with a button up shirt, sweater, or puma track jacket. It is a very business oriented city and everyone looks nice. Well off my little rant about the Tico-look, yesterday was pretty un-eventful. I got home at around five, had an AMAZING supper of chicken wings, rice and beans and fried yucca (which is like French fries only a little harder and super good) with an even better fruit drink that I am bringing back home with me. I fell asleep on the coach after watching the News-at-7-on-7 and decided to take a quick nap because I was drained. I went up a little before 8h00 and that is why I am up at…5h05 right now. I finally got my sleep! It might be the altitude, but who knows. Two more hours until I have to catch my bus. The bus ride is about a half an hour to forty five minutes, and the walk to school is about ten. I enjoy that the most I think: Time alone to blend into San José. No one to make me stand out. Time when I am no longer a tourist. That’s the emersion program I look forward to the most.