Friday, April 30, 2010

yep, that's an extension.


a friend joanna from nicaragua who is quite an interesting girl (atleast from what i can tell, she speaks no english) :) rocks extensions and decided i needed one last night...how does someone say "no extensions for me please" in spanish?? well i rocked it for one night only so i had to record it...

Thursday, April 29, 2010

mayo: may

may is coming. which means i'm going to nicaragua and not a minute to soon, i'm on day 89 of my 90 visa (how crazy is that i've been here that long!!!) and it also means i'm moving apartments. i loved this place but my neighbor is moving out and as the rain continues to come, and power gets spotty, i want to be closer to people i know and places to go out when i start to feel a little stir crazy.

i found a place behind the grocery store with some friends nearby and worse case i can always make a pilsen run and have my own party. pics to come, i'm moving in after this nicaragua adventure...which by the way is a bit daunting, figuring out the bus situation, etc. hopefully i'll make some friends along the way who know where they are going...

the pink lady, a.k.a mi moto

sadly, my bike has disappeared from my apartment. :(

i've lost a lot of things along this trip including a camera, credit cards, money, keys, a license but this truly is the thing i'm most bummed about...it was part of my daily routine, my freedom in a lot of ways. now i'm back to my feet until i find the sucker who took it! i've got friends on the hunt, and i'm hoping someone just needed it and will be bringing it back. report to come...

update: pink lady is back at home. :) talked to a friend of a friend who saw my lady dumped by a hostel further down in teresa....looks like someone just needed a ride. sooo happy!

Monday, April 26, 2010

gallo pinto.


this morning i made my first authentic costa rican breakfast, referred to as gallo pinto. it's basically rice and beans, and it's served for almost every breakfast and sometimes lunch in tico families. it's hard to get a recipe from a tico because it's so second nature that it's kinda of like asking an american how to make a PB&J...but i've eaten it enough that i think i've got it or a close enough gringo-version!

if you wanna to give it a whirl you'll need the following:
white rice, day old is preferred
canned black beans*
oil (coconut oil is awesome if you can find it)
onion
pepper
garlic
cilantro
salt
pepper
lizano salsa (only in costa, but you can use a hot sauce, etc.)

heat up the oil in the pan then saute the garlic, onion and pepper for a couple minutes. while sauteing, drain and rinse the beans but reserve some of the liquid. place the beans in the pan with some of the liquid, add seasoning and lizano salsa. stir in rice and add chopped cilantro. cook until warmed through and serve with eggs and toast. so simple and so yummy!

*the non-gringo version calls for dried black beans soaked overnight and cooked accordingly.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

heaven in paradise.


if you ever make it to the nicoya peninsula, you must visit vista de olas. it's a resort in mal pais about a kilometer out of town and up a very steep hill - SUV or quad advised. :)

once you make it there you'll find an amazing infinity pool overlooking the never-ending beaches of mal pais and santa teresa. the deal is you pay them 6 mil (or about $12) for using the pool and it becomes your bar tab. so next step is to hit up the swim up bar and ask danny, byron or H (the good looking guys behind the bar) for a pina colada and get ready for an amazing sunset. if you ask me, these guys have the best job in the town they have been coming here together for the last 15 years, living, working and surfing together...only guys could pull that off!! word is that if i can come back next year, they'll let a girl in posse and give me a job there...yes please!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

finding people.

some people i swear i see about 5 times a day, everyday, for whatever reason they are in the same routine as me or something. other people i may want to see can be harder to find or "run into". ;)

this place takes you back to old school communications...for the most part there are no cell phones, emails aren't usually exchanged and Facebook is even tricky because you don't know last names or people have complicated 4 part latin names. so if you want to see someone, i.e. a very sweet blond boy, all a girl can do is work on her patience and attempt to make herself visible.

today in an attempt to be visible, i actually rode my bike to said blond boy's house and left him a note about going out tonight...how 1987 is that??

lawn care, this is how it's done.



lawn care in costa rica is unique to say the least. there are no john deer lawn mowers but you will find about 2-3 guys with serious machetes (like 3 feet long) swinging at the grass, etc. that has been deemed too long. the result is placed in piles and set on fire. i don't quite understand it, or how it doesn't cause mass fires in dry season but it's how it's done.

p.s. the house in the background is where i live...

Thursday, April 22, 2010

la granadilla: passion fruit



before this trip, i'm not sure i had every really seen a passion fruit but i know i've certainly drank a passion fruit flavored margarita at la palapa. :) check it out, it's really airy fruit and after it's open you basically pull out and eat the gooey stuff with your fingers or a spoon...it's a new favorite snack.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

i smile when...

i haven't been sleeping that well at night, so instead of letting my mind race with stressful thoughts (like i do in NYC) i decided to think of things that make me happy here...

i smile when:

  • the tajalin crabs litter the roads
  • the locals smile back at me cause they recognize me
  • i look out my window and see mango and avocado trees
  • i play shuffleboard with jamie and the boys
  • i take a run on the beach at sunset
  • i realize i haven't seen myself in a full size mirror in almost 3 months
  • i ride my bike and cut down a beach road to check out the waves
  • jose (aka Golden God) attempts to enter Good Vibrations bar bareback on a horse he found on the street
  • the ticos call me guapa
  • i pick up clean clothes
  • i see a surfer (on and off the waves) :)
  • i watch amazingly happy families living here with their bare-butt kids playing in the surf
  • i rock my tiny bikini without a self conscious thought
  • i cut into a tomato and it's ripe
  • i notice that i've downed a complete bottle of Off in about 2 weeks and it's not even that buggy yet
  • i see the surfboard in my apartment
  • a gecko runs across my kitchen counter
  • i can get out another sentence in spanish
  • it's time for reggae night
  • i wake up with a day full of possibilities or laziness
  • i'm not totally freaked out by a scorpion sighting
  • i nap on the beach and wake to high tide
  • i see the well-used status of my feet and toenails
  • i think how grateful i am to smile this much :)


Monday, April 19, 2010

sunsets.




sunsets are an event around here, a daily ritual. especially since there is no daylight savings which is actually pretty refreshing...everyday the sunset is at 6pm. around 5pm people start to flock to their closest beach to watch and i usually start my run around 5:30pm so i can catch it, i swear this is the only place i smile while running. it's nice to see people appreciate it and the sunsets are pretty amazing!

Friday, April 16, 2010

ropa nueva: new clothes


i make clothes, which is amazing because i am beyond over my clothing. i guess i don't really make them but some friends taught me how to take t-shirts or tanks and make some pretty sweet halter tops and with men's t-shirts, i can make a dress! it's cheap, it's cool and it looks pretty cute! i'm available for lessons in NYC. ;)

p.s. in the almost 10 years i've lived in NYC i never bought a i heart NY t-shirt so it figures that i would come to central america and be given one from an israeli cage fighter.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

la competencia de surf: surf competition

last weekend my friend jamie and i watched a pretty cool surf competition in santa teresa. surfing here is pretty amazing on a daily basis but this was legit with judges, heats and all that stuff. and it was a good excuse to get some sun, have some drinks and admire the surfers.

jamie teaches english to adult students. basically, the better the ticos' english, the more likely they are to get better jobs or advance in their current jobs. one of her students who currently works as a maid in a local hotel is hoping to advance to reception if she can pass the english test required by her boss (i'm pulling for her to pass!). jamie comes to visit santa and stays with me a few times a week....it's really nice to have a partner in crime.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

la oscuridad: the darkness

well the rainy season kick off tonight with a huge rain storm that lasted more than 2 hours...and this a rain that will drench you in about 30 seconds, something i haven't seen since my last trip. plus there was lightening and thunder which meant power was out. all my fellow apartment peeps are gone so that meant me in pure darkness, a kind of dark you don't often see...the only light was the moon, lightening and the random flashlight or headlights passing by.

so i kinda freaked out for a bit but found one of my flashlights (thanks sarah) and went to the corner of the balcony and watched the storm for about an hour. it was pretty cool, the rain against the metal roof, the lightening moving over me with nothing else to do but just watch.

Friday, April 9, 2010

the 2 sides of the peninsula

montezuma: fiesta
town is always a party and my self-control leaves something to be desired. the town can feel extremely small but the community there just gives and gives to the people it takes in, most of blessings in santa teresa are from my relationships in zuma.

santa teresa: surfing
i may not be a legitimate surfer but that mentality is something that rubs off in a positive way. people flock for sunset, appreciate the ocean in a different way and are just generally active and fit. sometimes i don't get the surfing devotion, but i respect it and the choices they've made to be here.

un mes mas: another month

well it came together pretty easy so i'm taking it as a sign that it's the right thing to do and staying here through the end of may. all in the course of today, i met with a woman about a job in town, was offered and bought a bike and found out my amazing subletters are going to take my place for another month (i wish it wasn't because NYC real estate sucks but i'm happy to give them a place while they keep at it and i get more QT with the beach)!

that rule of thumb, i.e."if it's easy, it's right" has served me very well since planning this trip last year...things have a way of coming together!

mi moto: my bike


i've got wheels, kinda ghetto but they are still wheels! and yes, that's a pretty pale pink and you all know how much i love pink. you also probably know i'm banned from bikes in NYC by my mother but i think an out of the country rule does apply, i.e. we rode them together in Barcelona.

anyway, it was cheap and it works minus the handle bars and weak breaks. it's also super helpful because the towns of mal pais and santa teresa are basically one very long strip so anything besides your feet is huge and you automatically feel like part of the town (although not having a bike did get me two scooter rides with some nice looking boys on wednesday)! ;)

once i got it, i rode deeper into santa teresa and checked out a new beach...i'm super excited and now i have something to add to my workout. run, surf or bike!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

me encanta mi cocina: i love my kitchen


i'm finally cooking again and it's awesome! i start thinking about what to make for dinner at breakfast. tonight i think i got ahead of myself and a lot of food...guacamole, a big salad and tri-color pasta with a fresh tomato sauce, chili and parmesan. it's been a while so i guess i'm out of practice or my eyes are bigger than my stomach.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

a partir o quedarse: to stay or leave

i'm debating staying in costa rica until the end of may, one extra month. my mom told me that for any decision a pro/con list can help us indecisive libras. here it is! thoughts?

pros:
  • it's costa rica - pura vida
  • i love May because the country turns so lush from the rain
  • i have a few options for housing, both i love
  • i have a good lead on a job as a receptionist at a hotel (see note): http://www.theplacemalpais.com/
  • my mom could maybe visit
  • i don't feel like i'm done yet
  • you only live once
cons:
  • May also brings the bugs and rain
  • i've have to pay rent here and at home (BIG con) - any takers on a BK apt?
  • my parents might kill me
  • i have to make a border run because it will be over 3 months
  • i'm not 100% sure i can pull this off financially

note: i haven't really been interested in jobs to date because they typically pay so little, i.e. some of my friends work 6 days week, almost 40 hours a week, for just over $2 an hour, yep $2 an hour. maybe this would pay more? and give me a better sense of living here?

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

today was a pretty amazing day.

i was having my doubts yesterday but i know i made the right decision to come here. firstly, finding this place made me feel so confident, i even bargained down the price (with 4 very hot surfers from belguim). after settling in, i went for a run on the beach, watched the sunset and yes, i know i'm a big dork but i started getting teary up thinking of how lucky and grateful i am to be here and i felt proud that i was the one who got me here, not entirely luck...of course, there were a lot of freak outs and support from my girls but i did it. and this place, this day makes me feel like i could live here, i finally don't think of where i am living as only a place to lay my head...this place allows me to be still, so maybe there is something to that rose, thorn, bud thing after all.

rose: finding my place, negotiating the cost, running on the beach, sunset
thorn: carrying my backpack about a kilometer in 2pm full sun (btw, your eyelids can sweat)
bud: to keep trusting in myself

mi casa en santa.






i love my new house, i mean LOVE. i'm only sorry that i didn't know about it when sarah and lauren were here. i did some serious searching around and ended up at this one bedroom with an actual view, outside area, full bathroom, clean white sheets, internet and a free surfboard whenever i want it...and it's only $10 more than the place i stayed at last night. so next time you are here (cause you know you have to check it out) look for the local cabina signs because everyone i saw were better than hostel options.

p.s. there is an extra bed for the first one on the plane!

roses, buds & thorns

my friend ben is here for a couple weeks and told me about this exercise he did when he was part of teach for america...it's called roses, thorns, buds and it's basically a review of your day. rose is picking out the best thing of the day, thorn is the worst, and the bud is where you can improve. it's a pretty cool exercise and i'm glad to say there are a lot of roses these days...it makes me feel extremely grateful, try it out!

here's mine for yesterday:
rose = quad ride to santa teresa
thorn = the bug attack
bud = i will work at being still

los mosquitos


the bugs, i don't like the bugs. i was attacked in the room i was staying in last night...i think i got more bites then i've had in 2 full months. of course, i left my bug stuff in zuma so ran to the mercado "Super Ronny" to buy some. my new perfume is tropical scent Off...very sexy!

Monday, April 5, 2010

lost in santa.


so i traded my montezuma sunrises for sunsets and i'm in santa teresa/mal pais for about a week or so...tbd. it sucks to leave friends but i need some QT with myself to read, detox, run, surf, think and all that good stuff. it's great over here but definitely different than zuma where i know about 50% of the town at any given time. maybe this is a silly move but it's a challenge and that's part of what this is about. tonight is reggae night and then the detox portion of this begins tomorrow. :)

Sunday, April 4, 2010

el tajalin: land crab


the crabs showed up in the last two days, a friendly reminder of rainy season. i was actually surprisingly happy to see them...i think may is still one my favorite months here, minus the bugs (i might just stay). when it is getting ready to rain they travel from inland to the coast to lay their eggs and they are the most amazing orange, purple and black color i've seen. you'll find them all over the street, in your house, in bars....everywhere!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

semana santa: easter

semana santa is here! it's the celebration of easter in costa rica and tico families flock to the beach towns and rivers from all over the country, and town is packed! since it is a holiday they close the one bar in town and no alcohol is sold at the markets but of course some beer sneaks out through one of them and people sell it in the streets. people need their booze.

in a way, it can be overwhelming to have town so packed but it's also nice to see costa ricans enjoying their country, and this is theirs, i'm only visiting. happy early easter!

Friday, April 2, 2010

the gecko


oh geckos. they are like the mice of costa rica but more helpful. they are basically pretty damn cute, show up almost everywhere scaling the walls and eating bugs which is a good thing, especially in the rainy season BUT they also leave poo all around your apartment and sometimes die, i.e. i had a dead gecko in my shower yesterday. even though i don't consider myself very girlie when it comes to these things, i had a very hard time scooping up that sucker but after a pep talk from a friend i got it done.

p.s. the one is pic above is one of the smallest i've seen they are generally about 3-6 inches in length. he also really liked iron & wine.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

"it's not wine, it's Clos"


poor woman's sangria is our recent drink of choice. we take box wine (which is actually for cooking) and mix in some orange juice or pear juice, whatever is around. sorry alexis, i feel like i am doing a disservice to all the fab wines i've had with you and noah.