Pictures From Costa Rica - 2006
In August of 2006, I came to Costa Rica, planning on staying
there a few months and scamming the system by teaching English. Angela Rosa de
los Angeles Jimenez Mora, the girl in the picture above, is why I stayed here.
And got married.
Here's another reason I stayed: Doña
Nidia, or better known as "Abuela," the lady in whose house I lived about a
year. Here she is cooking up some tasty-ass food in her daughter's vacation
home. She's about the sweetest lady on earth (after my own grandma and mom, of
course).
Bueno, these pictures aren't really in any good, particular
order. Here's a guy at a parade for San Ramon Day with a big (real) lizard on
his head.
Here is the cathedral in San Ramon, on San Ramon Day (a good
day to not go to school).
A guy making a thing called a "copo," which is shaved ice with
sweetened condensed milk, powdered milk, and flavored syrup. Damn tasty.
Part of a parade of flags on either San Ramon Day, or
Independence Day. I'm not sure which, since they seem to be around the same
time, but no matter. The important thing is to keep the spirit of the holiday:
that we had a day without school.
Here is the so-called Tremedal church (if that is it's REAL
name!) in San Ramon. It's not as big as the cathedral, but it gets my vote any
day for Most Picturesque Church in West San Ramon.
Here is the ever-popular and ever-scary "thermoducha," a
heating element that basically boils water before dropping it on you in the
shower. It's a thrill every time you get in the bath now, especially when you
have the on/off breaker that looks like the switch for an electric chair!
I love this advertisement, which is for bread. Obviously,
having a bread named Bimbo is funny, but if you have that little bear get a
Jersey attitude, the motto "Aquí está su pan" ("here is your bread") changes to
something like "I got your fuckin' bread right here, pal."
A big crucifix from the Entrance of the Saints, part of San
Ramon Day. Every neighborhood brings a big image of their designated saint to
the parade in the center of town.
Another of the saints, this time the Virgin Mary.
And here we have San Ramon himself. Probably. It's not like
the parade was narrated by Dick Clark, so I'm kinda guessing on some of these.
When I first arrived in Costa Rica, I stayed for three nights
at the home of a family in Naranjo. Here are their three kids, Alejandro,
Fabian, and Valeria. And a cow that looks uncomfortable. In any case, Fabian is
now in my 9th grade class, and Valeria is in 7th.
Here is me in front of the crater of the Volcano Poas. It was
the first volcano I saw up-close.
Here are some of my many new in-laws, with Angela in the
center. This is her sister Teresa's (right) family, including her husband Ramon
and their kids Donald, Veronica, and Enrique.
Here I am with Angela's stuffed cat, Fussy Fie. She named it
in honor of my own poor, dead cat,
Pussy Pie.
Me and Angela.
Angela and two of our nephews, Maicol (pronounced "Michael")
and Martin. I like this one because it looks like Maicol's head is about to pop
off.
Here's a view from the driveway of Angela's parents' house,
looking towards the city of Alajuela. The tree in front is called "caña
india", and it's pretty common around here in fences.
A beautiful woman with a beautiful orchid.
Angela looking out at the Central Valley of Costa Rica.
A sunset over the Gulf of Nicoya, which separates the
Guanacaste province from the rest of Costa Rica. We live in a place with pretty
nice views, I guess.
This was around Christmas time. We were in Abuela's neighbor's
house, making candies called "melcoches de Maria," which are kind of like
caramels with peanuts. Mighty tasty.
Working more with the candies. By the way, the girl with the
brown tank top is Paola, who happens to be in one of my 6th grade classes now.
Here is Angela's family preparing a nativity scene in her
parents' house. Instead of a tree, or in addition to a tree, many families
around here put these up for Christmas. (From left, Vicki, Yoselin, Sergio,
Ligia, Angela's mom Cecilia, and Kati).
Me and Angela again. This is a theme of many of these
pictures.
Angela putting on lipstick, looking pretty and stuff.
Angela trying to pour wax on her hand, to remove the hairs
from a stinging caterpillar. It didn't work, but made for a good picture.
Angela in her old bedroom. She (literally) burned the evidence
that she had a Tom Cruise poster, but we cannot escape our dark pasts.
Pablo, Abuela, and I. Pablo is a soccer player from Colombia
who also lived in Abuela's house for the last half of 2006.
This is me during a soccer game between students and teachers
at the school where I work. The teachers kicked ass, I'm pretty sure. But the
important thing is, in this picture I look like I was photoshopped in from a
completely different picture, possibly one where I was doing the Electric Slide.
These are out of order, but this is actually the first picture
ever taken of me and Angela together. Doesn't she look thrilled to be standing
next to her future husband?
A cow on the side of a hill (no other explanation necessary).
Angela posing diva-like in front of her family's coffee
fields.
Another sunset in Berlin.
Another pretty flower.
A butterfly on a flower.
Here I am on a quick trip I took to Florida to renew my Costa
Rican tourist visa, and to visit my friend Tori. Here I'm eating the hell out of
a food platter (or at least thinking of doing so).
Abuela's great-granddaughter Naomi, with yarn on her head
(which looks like spaghetti).
Abuela and I with yarn on our heads.
Angela and I on Abuela's porch, although I like to say that we
were sitting in a jail for beautiful people.
Naomi again, this time with an Incredible Hulk mask (although
here she looks like the Incredible Sulk).
Me on Angela's birthday, in her parents' house (behind me you
can see their dual tiger pictures, my favorite kitsch element so far in all of
Costa Rica).
This is my favorite picture of Angela and me.