Sunday morning, I slept in past my regular 5:30 am to 9:00 am.  I was in my sleeping bag; overtop a soft bed, with light streaming in from the ceiling window.  At first I was unsure where I was; only that my eyes were tearing up, my ears ringing, and all my stuff reeked of cigarettes.  Then I remembered our previous night of reggaeton dancing from 11 pm to 3 am in the morning. 

            To put it nicely, that was a learning experience…I definitely need to toughen up and grow some cajones.   At least I went with a great group of chicas; Yoshi from Japan, Hahn from Vietnam, Karen from El Salvador, and Siobhan my west coast heroine with dual US and Irish citizenship

When school let out Saturday (yes 6 days of classes is intense), we hopped a bus to good ole San Jose.  On the bus, a Tico with bad teeth warned us to hide our gold jewelry as thieves won’t think twice about ripping it off your neck or out of your earlobes –ouch!  He was very interested in examining our watches and jewelry which I found strange because my watch is a plastic Timex.  He said he was coin collector and he asked us if we had any international coins he could look at.  So I gave him a handful of US coins to play with.  Then he showed me some out of date Costa Rican currency.  We made a trade because I thought his was very pretty and I’m not sure why he liked the dime and quarter.  Then he asked if I had any bills and I gave him the honest answer of “No.”  Siobhan warned Yoshi and me afterwards that he was probably a thief.  I don’t know, I was distracted by the chance to use my Spanish.

Upon arriving in San Jose we hitched a taxi to Gaudy’s Backpackers Hostel.  It was a very nice place for $7 a night; clean, spacious, and quiet.  There we got all gussied up to check out the nightlife at El Pueblo- the happening spot in town.  We looked hot but did not wear nearly as much make-up or show as much skin as some of the Ticas.  I went clad in black stiletto heels, a black skirt, and Siobhan’s magenta tank top.  I would share a photo but I was too scared to bring my camera to San Jose for fear of robbery. 

Once ready we took a taxi to El Pueblo.  [FACT: TAXI DRIVERS HERE WILL MAKE YOU RELIGIOUS and I’m not referring to their piety].  El Pueblo reminded me of Miami in that there were an unnerving number of people who looked like they stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazines.  Once there, we chose Twister, a reggaeton club, with a young crowd.  It cost $4 for entrance and 3 drinks.  I got 3 bottles of water.  Guys significantly outnumbered girls in Twister.  Oddly, lots of guys would just stand in the middle of the dance floor, drink their beer, and smoke their cigarette without dancing or even pretending to dance.  I was very nervous that I might get burned by a glowing red butt. 

The first two hours the five of us danced together.  Then someone asked Karen if Siobhan would dance with him.  After that, they other guys decided that we must be fair game because we soon all had eager dancing partners.  Alberto, my tall thin dance partner was a little too eager.  He definitely did not understand the American concept of the bubble.  He kept trying to stroke my hair, kiss my hands and face, and just generally clutch me tight.  Eeew!  That dance floor was suffocating.  Siobhan saved me by yelling at him to leave my along.  Random jerks kept trying to grope us.  [MYTH: ALL LATINO MEN ARE GOOD DANCERS!]  I feel like I got extra attention not because I’m gorgeous but because I look American.  There were two guys who randomly went up to me and took my pic with their cell phones.  Throughout the night I improved in my ability to physically push people away.  Also, I now know key phrases that mean leave me alone. 

The next day we had hot showers, brunch at Guatemalan restaurant, shopping downtown, and then we visited Museo de Bano Central De Costa Rica.  I really enjoyed the tranquility of looking around in the museum.  I love getting lost in the world of art, just enjoying all the uses of color, texture, and composition.  I like to wonder about who the artist was and what they were thinking.  Isn’t a blog an interesting medium?  You get a glimpse into what I’m thinking and how I’m learning. 

Cheers,

     ~Tammy

While I went to San Jose, Brenna went camping and hiking at Volcan Barva.  She's letting me share with you this gorgeous photo that she took there.