Costa Rican Quinceañero and Other Celebrations

Nowhere does the old adage "Time flies" apply more aptly than with children, as I was reminded last evening when I attended the Quinceañero celebration for Melanie, a young Tica lass we know. As you may know, the Quinceañero is a special birthday in Latin culture. Held on the fifteenth birthday, it marks a girl's passage from childhood to young womanhood and is celebrated with a grand party. But I had no idea just how grand my young friend's festivities would be, nor did I realize what a beautiful young muchacha she has become.

Beautiful Melanie, now 15 years old

Layne and I met Melanie three years ago when we lived in Barrio Los Angeles where her mom Cidia was our weekly housekeeper. On occasions such as holidays when school was out, Cidia would bring 12-year-old Melanie along with her for the few hours she spent cleaning our house. At the time Melanie was just a cute little girl, shy but friendly, with stunning dark eyes set off by a creamy tan complexion. She would watch TV or read and when I learned she liked puzzles, I would give her ones I had finished. Although neither of them spoke English, we became friends with Cidia and got to know little Melanie. When we needed to communicate beyond my Spanish, Melanie's older sister Karen could translate with her excellent English skills. When we moved from that house to Santa Eulalia two years ago, Cidia, Melanie and her dad gave us good-bye gifts they had made, earrings for me by Cidia, a wooden tray the father had hand-crafted and a decorated bottle made by Melanie. We treasure their friendship even though we have few opportunities to see them now.

The doll matches Melanie's dress!

A three-tiered cake marks the occasion

Melanie and Cidia

Mom, Dad and Melanie

But by chance Cidia saw me at the feria last Friday and invited me to Melanie's Quinceañero to be held the very next day. And what a fabulous event it was! Held at a large hall in Barrio Los Angeles with tables and chairs along both sides of the building, profusely decorated with purple and white balloons, with colored balls covered in hearts and butterflies hanging from the ceiling, matching table decor, throbbing lights and pounding music, it was a bigger party than I expected. When Melanie made her grand entrance through the balloon archway in her amethyst ball gown, sparkling tiara in her dark hair, jewels around her neck, walking with her mom and dad, I got choked up. How had the little girl we knew grown into such a glamorous and elegant young woman in only three years?! Well, time flies, I guess.

First dance with Dad

Unfortunately, I couldn't stay for much of the party because Winston was at home alone and he is still young enough that being alone at night is scary for him. According to our neighbors, he howls. So after Melanie's first dance with her dad and the toast to her Quinceañero, I made my excuses and taxied home. But it was a joy and an honor to be included with the extended family for this very special occasion.

Tomorrow night will be another special occasion for me -- Layne is coming home from Oregon, almost two weeks early! The sad reason for this good news is that the family finally had to find a memory care facility for his sister due to the inexorable progress of the Alzheimer's. Since the home care Layne had been helping with was no longer required, he was able to leave Portland early. We were again fortunate to find a flight using the airline miles we had so with just a small change fee, he got a flight. Winston and I are very excited.

And since I know an update on little Winston is probably in order for his many "fans," I made this rather bumpy video the other day; it's hard to keep up with the little rascal. 

As you can see he is growing like the proverbial weed and greatly enjoys running like a raving maniac and playing viciously with his toys. Layne will hardly recognize him from just two weeks ago, but I know Winston will be overjoyed to see Layne, as will I.

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

Health Fair in Atenas

Just quick heads-up for my readers in and around Atenas: Macrobiotica Vida Natural is having a cool little Health Fair this weekend and running through Monday. I stopped by today and picked up a bag of Himalayan Salt, the kind with all the minerals in it. So much salt in Costa Rica has added floride, I was delighted to find this pure product. I was also tempted by a number of other goodies displayed on tables in the plaza outside of the shop. Some folks up from Parrita on the Pacific Coast were there with homemade Austrian bread made of hearty whole wheat, full of sunflower and flax seeds, peanut and oatmeal cookies, alongside homemade organic jams and jellies, some made with sugar cane itself and others using unrefined cane sugar. Also offered were a couple of spicy salsas, one named Salsa Fuego, which I was warned was hot enough to merit its name. Another table offered fresh coffee and green tea, while another was giving away samples of a medicine for arthritis. There was even a beautiful set of stainless steel cookware and utensils on sale but priced a bit beyond my budget. Samples of some of the foods were being given out to visitors.

Seidy and Stefanie greet Health Fair customers

Located in Plaza Central across from El Rayo, Vida Natural is my favorite health food store in Atenas, not only because of the good selection of quality products they offer but also because of the friendly style of the charming proprietress Seidy and her lovely daughter Stefanie, both of whom speak perfect English. My Spanish just doesn't stretch far enough to discuss health care issues and the pros and cons of this skin cream over that one so I greatly appreciate their bilingual abilities.

Seidy has recently enlarged her corner space to make room for new products including organic ginger, chia seeds and fresh herbs, as well as a private room for massage. Her current inventory includes some products I just cannot do without such as low-salt soy sauce, tahini and rice wine vinegar. In addition to the normal vitamins and food supplements, essential oils, face and body creams and lotions, she also sells high quality (glass bottled) extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, jasmine rice, quinoa, tofu, aloe vera drinks and lots more.

The Health Fair will continue all weekend, with a physical therapist present on Sunday and other health care specialists around on Monday. Stop by and tell them Kat sent you!

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," now available for FREE at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. A great read! Pick up your copy here --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

Puzzles and Poisons and Pura Vida!

Last week I took a few days off from blogging - or doing much of anything actually - to work a 750-piece puzzle that I picked up a few weeks back from the wonderful free lending library at Kay's Gringo Postre. It turned out to be a tough one, as any dedicated puzzler can tell from these photos, but I was determined. What doesn't show in these pictures are the gold leaf highlights here and there which were an unexpected aid in working the thing as they were quite distinctive in shape and served as a useful guide to where to place a piece.

Enlarged for detail

The word for puzzle in Spanish is rompecabeza, a hilarious term to me because it literally means head-breaker, which is, of course, what a difficult puzzle can feel like it's doing to you. Very early in our sojourn here in Costa Rica, long before my Spanish had progressed very far, we visited a mall where I thought I might find a puzzle to work. I'm semi-retired, after all, I guess I can spend some time doing puzzles. The story of that search became the topic of a blog because it turned into a comical ordeal. Only Layne's creative thinking saved the day and provided me with my first puzzle pleasure in Costa Rica.

Linda and her fabulous Indian dinner

The night before I began this challenging brainteaser we enjoyed a dinner party at our friend Linda's cabina and rancho up in Barrio Mercedes. When we lived in Barrio Los Angeles, Linda was our delightful upstairs neighbor in the duplex apartment we shared. We became good friends, sharing many fun evenings and bottles of her fine wine. With a background in winemaking and a son still in the industry, she knows her wines. She is something of a "snowbird," although her northern trek only takes her as far as California, where the vintner son lives, or Texas to visit her mom. 

Her younger son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids live just up the road from her here in Costa Rica. So for about six months each year she resides here, enjoys being grandma babysitter and still manages to run her business as a construction work headhunter via the Internet and Skype.

Since she will be leaving again soon to avoid the rainy season, Linda had asked us to join her and several other friends for a small dinner party. I was to bring some of Marcial's now-famous sausages to add to the menu of an otherwise Indian feast. Sausages go with anything! We taxied up and found her new place at Villas de La Colina to be a charming 2-bedroom cottage with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. 

View from the rancho

Although I'm not drinking alcohol these days as part of the eczema-cure diet, when Linda brought out some of her top-notch champagne, I couldn't resist. It and the rest of the meal were superb. Along with both spicy and mild sausages, we had mini-samosa appetizers, then hummus, baba ganoush, vegetarian curry, rice and homemade nan. With the misty late afternoon views from the rancho surrounding us, we enjoyed a leisurely meal and pleasant conversation.

Later in the week, I made a poor decision to cook some slightly "off" bacon and paid the price the next couple of days with a mild case of food poisoning. As a result, I'm here at home today still getting my energy back, while Layne and the Santa Eulalia gang are hiking and partying up in San Isidro. Oh well, you can't expect Pura Vida every day! 

Check out Layne's book "Moral Turpitude," available for only $2.99 at Smashwords.com. High adventure with corporate intrigue, danger and romance; from the exotic jungles of Borneo and Costa Rica to the erotic jungles of San Francisco. Sample or purchase at --https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/159570 

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way...

Es una problema!

Heading home today after my workout at the gym, the bus unexpectedly came to a stop in the middle of a stretch of road that runs alongside the river. We passengers all looked out the windows to see what the slow-down was and discovered that ahead of us a large limb had fallen across the road. Leaning down from the main trunk of the tree, the branches were spread all across one lane of the street with just room enough for small vehicles to squeeze under the bole hanging over other side. Until that limb was removed, there was no way our bus was getting through.

Students start walking as the school bus turns around

A school bus and several cars were beginning to stack up on the other side and I knew the same was happening behind us. As I sat there wondering what I should do to get home, someone rang the bell to get off the bus. With the doors now open I realized that once I made my way up the long hill ahead, the rest of the way home was pretty easy and although it was still a distance, I knew I could hike it with no trouble. So off the bus I went and began walking on the narrow shoulder next to the traffic as it crept along to slip underneath the limb. I glanced to my left and noticed a white taxi, one of the "pirate" taxis that are cheaper than the red ones, right beside me and it was empty.

"Señor," I said to the driver through his open window, "¿Disponible?" meaning, Are you available?

"Sí," he said, and I hopped in the back seat, thanking my lucky stars for the perfect timing.

We took our turn carefully negotiating the small opening and once past the traffic jam, continued on up the hill toward Santa Eulalia, chatting a bit in Spanish about the weather, always a safe subject for my limited language skills. You'll recall that Costa Rica uses no addresses, no street names for the most part and house numbers are rare indeed. As it turned out, this taxista apparently didn't know exactly where he was going for his fare. At the school near our home, he stopped and asked a couple of schoolboys where blah-blah was. Of course, I couldn't understand his question but he let me know that he had to turn around as he had apparently gone past his destination. But since he had saved me that long uphill hike, I was happy to walk the short distance home. When I tried to offer him some money for the lift, he said, no, no monies, instead handing me his card so I could call him directly for a future ride. And I think I will!

Dry hillsides in the distance

Our conversation about the weather focused on how dry it is right now. The hillsides are turning brown and our grass requires regular watering. But whoever said Costa Rica has no seasons just didn't recognize the kind of cycles that occur here. Right now, for instance, it's sugarcane-cutting season and huge fields of the tall plants are disappearing here in Santa Eulalia. On my solitary walk the other morning, I encountered workers with machetes, hacking away at the plants while a tractor stood by to cart away big metal cradles full of the harvest.

Gorgeous bougainvillea

Partly because of the dry climate, the bougainvillea is now in full bloom all over the neighborhood, a riot of fuchsia, orangey peach and pale pink. Our mango tree is heavy with fruit; we expect a bumper crop in a month or two. The avocado tree in the front yard is also showing its coming yield and unlike last year, I hope to be around to enjoy it in April and May.

On our Sunday hike this week we learned of another fruit in season, the Starfruit, a unique yellow oblong with parallel peaks along its sides. When cut crosswise, the resulting section is shaped like a star. The firm flesh is sweet tart and very refreshing. Marcial explained how to make a "fresco," or fresh fruit drink, by putting the fruit - seeds, skin and all -- into a blender with a bit of sweetener and some water and ice. Turn on the machine and voila! you have a delicious drink.

Starfruit in abundance

Marcial cuts up Starfruit as Bonnie looks on

Stephen's smile says it all

We retraced part of our steps from last week's "hike from hell," stopping at the pig farm to visit with the family that lives in the small shack on the property. 

A very humble abode for this family

One child was a cute little girl who spoke enthusiastically to Marcial and Seidy, although their rapid conversation was lost on me. However, I did manage to communicate a bit with the man who had a boot in his lap along with a big needle and thread. "¿Arreglar su zapato?" I bravely asked. With a big smile, he looked up and answered yes, obviously pleased that I was trying to speak Spanish.

As we started down the steep hill just beyond the pig farm, we stopped to watch some men trying to capture a boa constrictor, another chicken killer, by rousting it out of its hole. Their plan was not to kill it, they said, but just to move it elsewhere. The leader really wanted us to video his efforts but clearly it was going to take too long for us to stay and watch. Later Marcial told us that this man is a jack-of-all-trades,  catching snakes being only one of his many skills.

So we started off again down the trail but poor Bonnie took a spill on the powdery dirt injuring her knee enough to force her to turn back. She and Eroca headed off for smoother terrain while Marcial, Seidy, Stephen and I continued on, back down to the lovely little river. This time, however, we opted to walk on land instead of the riverbed but Marcial and Seidy's dog Blackie took a dip to cool off.

Marcial and Stephen enjoy the scenery

Stephen waits in the shade as Marcial hikes down

Blackie wades in!

View from the top

"Our" little valley

As we hiked through a beautiful secluded valley, we fantasized developing our own small community there. According to Marcial, it's the perfect climate and terrain for growing Plumeria; we could see a number of wild white Plumeria trees all over the hillside above us. In our imagined future, we would export Plumeria cuttings and make our retirement fortune as we relaxed in our quiet little valley by the river. Ah, Pura Vida!

Back to Pura Vida in Costa Rica

Layne's and my last suitcase is unpacked and (mostly) put away and I finally have some time to update my blog. It sure feels good to be back in beautiful Costa Rica! Our time in the USA was successful in re-financing and fixing up the house and included some fun times with friends and family but overall was pretty stressful. If you saw my blogs from there, you know how much physical labor we faced. Not only the mere unpacking of the barn, moving boxes and furniture, but also the extensive yard work required to get things back in order.

Mexico City airport

Our return trip went smoothly enough but was incredibly lengthy. Aeromexico decided to cancel our original flight connecting from Mexico City to San Jose, Costa Rica. With that itinerary we would have arrived in Costa Rica about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening. As it was, we endured a 14-hour layover in Mexico City following our red-eye from San Francisco. Fortunately, we had learned that the Hilton located right inside the airport offered a "day rate" for us weary travelers so we were able to crash on comfortable beds and sleep for much of the day. Still it was 11:30 p.m. that night before we finally landed in San Jose, another hour before we were home and about 2:00 a.m. when we hit the bed, exhausted.

Our wonderful landlords here, Isaac and Sonia, had done some significant improvements, making this home even more comfortable and attractive. 

Shrubs along the walkway to the rancho

New shading for the plants

New guest bed

Happy bamboo orchids

New shrubs along the back walkway, a green shading material over a garden area to protect my orchids and herbs from the sun, a new larger ceiling fan in our bedroom and the smaller one from there installed in my office and finally a grand new queen-sized bed in the guest room. The gardener had been busy pruning and planting and the maid had the whole house spic and span.

Darlene (on sidewalk), Glenn, Marcial, Seidy & Layne

So with Thursday to chill out and begin unpacking, we were ready for the feria on Friday to pick up a few groceries and where we were sure we'd see many of our local friends. We were not disappointed! It was as colorful and festive as we remembered with Jan selling bread in her booth, Gabriel with his organic local coffee, Marcial and Seidy standing by with Italian sausage for their customers and lots of our friends, Tico and Gringo, strolling along the sidewalk. We were royally welcomed by all.

As we later walked around town running errands, we were reminded of one of the reasons we love this place so much: without fail, virtually everyone we met - whether we knew them or not - greeted us with "Buenos dias," direct eye contact and a big smile. What a friendly country.

"Corn as high as an elephant's eye!"

It's the early rainy season here and the plants and flowers love it. They are absolutely springing up by inches each day. In what was a cornfield next to us there is now a thriving sugar cane field, with red beans and corn where the sugar cane was last year, a form of crop rotation we assume. As the old song says, "the corn is as high as an elephant's eye!" Our neighbor Rosa has promised us some fresh red beans when they ripen in just a few days.

On Saturday, however, we had an awkward, if humorous, incident when we went to pick up our organic veggie order. While we were still in the States, I had contacted the organic sellers by email but learned that Melissa, the coordinator who speaks English and several other languages, was in Mexico so I had to communicate with Iris, who speaks no English. My Spanish being what it is, I attempted to send in our order only to find that my instruction for .5 or ½ kilo of carrots and .5 or ½ liter of goat's milk had been interpreted by Iris as 5 kilos of carrots and 5 liters of the milk. That's a lot of carrots! Fortunately, Melissa was back from her trip and very graciously worked things out so that we were not stuck with such huge quantities. As it turns out, we quite like the goat's milk and have almost gone through the two or three liters that we took.

Felipe at work

Bonnie and Layne

With our energy somewhat restored by Monday, we took a walk over to Bonnie and Stephen's, where I had left some of my herbs in Bonnie's care. Sadly, most hadn't survived and I left the one remaining basil with her. Stephen was away in his new position teaching photography at a local school but it was fun to visit with Bonnie while Marcial's son Felipe was painting some trim in their cute Tico cottage. Their big news was that Stephen and Bonnie had just gotten married on Friday after some years of living happily together. But for residency and Social Security reasons, they had decided to tie that knot. Apparently all that was required was for them to sign a book with Marcial and Seidy standing by at witnesses. Muy facil! (Very easy!)

So all is well in the land of Pura Vida and we are so happy to be here. It may be quite awhile before we feel the need to wander again. 

Rough Road to a New Year's Bash

Dennis & Gerardo

We’ve had a great start to the New Year, beginning with a festive New Year’s Eve party at the home of our friends, Dennis & Gerardo of Pure Life Development real estate. In the two years we’ve been here, they have been our go-to guys in finding great places to live in Atenas. They are building an “eco-development” up the mountain from our first apartment in Alto del Monte in an mountaintop area called Estanquillos and they are now living in one of the first homes they’ve built there, a magnificent hilltop villa with an indoor pool, out-of-this-world furnishings and fantastic panoramic views of the Central Valley and the surrounding mountains.

When Gerardo invited us to bring in the New Year with them, we were delighted. We so enjoy their sense of humor, zest for life and big smiles that we knew we’d have a great time. And indeed we did, AFTER we managed to get there!

In English, the directions to their house sounded easy enough: “Take the road to Estanquillos. Go up till you come to a pulperia on the left.  At the next curve, turn right and go down the hill...Cross the bridge and then up the hill.  Our entryway is on the left hand side (bright Orange)!”  But the Spanish directions for the taxi driver were something else again: “200 metros norte del recibador de cafe, Calle Iris....Entrada naranja....” Unfortunately, they didn’t mean much to our cab driver, who was unfamiliar with Estanquillos. So after some hits and misses, we found the  bridge and started uphill as instructed, only to encounter a road that embodied every dire description of Costa Rican streets you ever read. Rocks, dirt, gullies, washouts, big humps. And remember, it was after dark. Oh, and of course, there were no streetlights.

As we slowly eased up the steep slope, our taxi high-centered with a wham. “Oh no, señor!” I said to our driver. “Este es no correcto!” This can’t be right! He understood and began slowly backing down the rough roadway. I had already tried Dennis’ cell phone but there was no signal this far out. In desperation, we returned to the pulperia, a small grocery, to ask for directions.

Dennis & his mom, left; new friends Peggy & Rick, right

With the driver and Layne waiting in the car, I tried calling on the store’s landline but Dennis’ cell phone still didn’t respond. Then I described Dennis and Gerardo to the proprietor. Yes, she told me, pointing up the mountain to a lighted house at the top. That’s where those two gentlemen live and yes, that’s the right road. Unsure that I understood correctly, I sent our taxi driver in to discuss the situation with the grocers. Layne and I watched anxiously from the car as the animated conversation carried on. Finally, our driver returned and despite our protests that it would wreck his car, in true Tico style he headed back up the road, determined to transport his passengers to their destination.

Which he did, bless his heart, gunning his engine and banging his oil pan in order to make it up and over the rough spots. He totally earned the big tip I gave him. Finally, we arrived and hiked up the last steep slope of driveway to a festive atmosphere of music, laughter, salsa dancing, great food and new friends to boot. At midnight, we opened champagne then watched firework displays all across the nighttime vista. Thanks, Dennis and Gerardo, but maybe we’ll wait until that road is paved before we come for another visit!

Sadie and Marcial

Still, it was satisfying that my Spanish is improving enough to converse as I managed to do that night. But Layne and I have begun a new system for learning Spanish --  “language dinners” with our Tico friends Marcial and Sadie. Sadie wants to learn English so it seems a good fit for us to get together and speak our different languages over a good meal. Layne and I hosted our first evening “class” last Thursday and it was a grand success. Marcial served as our “teacher” due to his fluency in English gained from teaching physical education at an English-language school for some eight years. Over guacamole and big bowls of chili, we alternated English and Spanish, with Marcial correcting us and offering grammar rules here and there. Sadie made homemade tortillas in a matter of minutes that were so much better than the packaged kind. And Marcial, who plans to compete in the big Chili Cookoff next month, was impressed with my chili recipe, which I had adapted to incorporate his wonderful Italian Sausage as the meat. We plan to repeat these dinners every two weeks or so and “poco a poco,” little by little, I know our Spanish will improve even as we have a lot of fun learning it. 

New House -- or Nueva Casa, in Español

At last, it’s official: we are moving! In fact, we took the first couple of loads up Tuesday. After the on-again/off-again housing drama earlier this year, I’ve hesitated to mention finding a house for fear of queering the deal. But we’ve paid our rent and now have my plants and a few suitcases already in the place. The rest of our “stuff” will follow next Monday; on Tuesday we’ll help Cidia, our housekeeper here, finish the last big cleaning jobs and then we’ll be in our new home.

View of the rancho from back patio

Located just up the hill in the Tico community of Santa Eulalia, a barrio of Atenas, the house is the “two bedroom, two bath with a great kitchen” that we had hoped for. At the end of a short street, it sits right next to a huge cornfield and sugarcane field with a lovely view of the hillside beyond. It’s private, safe and very near to several of our friends. It was one of those friends, our sausage-making amigo Marcial, who served as our agent in securing the place. 

Our friend Marcial on the sofa

"Our" cornfield and sugarcane field

Our new landlords seem very accommodating, relocating the washer and dryer (the dryer, a remarkable luxury here) out to the rancho so that the laundry room could be my office, putting up shelves for me and upgrading the Internet service for us as well. In that regard, we have some concerns because even with the upgrade, the Internet speed is not nearly what we are used to. Still, we hope it will be enough for those weekly Skype calls to my mom and Layne’s sister, even if not sufficient for streaming video.

Nice Kitchen!

The kitchen is all I could ask for (except perhaps a gas stove and a double-sink… spoiled Gringo that I am) -- with a big side-by-side refrigerator and even a working icemaker (again, quite a luxury), a modern electric stove and a big expanse of counter space. And although there is no swimming pool with the house, the small resort next door, El Cafetal Inn, is owned by a friend who said we could use their pool anytime. The bus line is only a block away and buses into Atenas run frequently. We learned from an older Tica neighbor, as we were waiting for a bus, that with our cedulas (residency cards) we could ride for free! Such a deal!

With our friend Marcy coming in early November for some dental work and a vacation, the move comes none too soon. Now we can anticipate being the “magnet” for friends that we had hoped to be. Although we don’t have the budget for many tourist activities, we can provide a home base, conveniently located for easy travel to many of those tourist attractions.

Cidia and her family

Cidia, our sweet Tica housekeeper who has really become a friend, had a sad look on her face last week to hear that we were moving. After cleaning this week she insisted on returning later that day as she said her 12-year-old daughter Melanie had a gift for us. We’ve gotten acquainted with Melanie over the months we’ve lived here because occasionally, when school was not in session or whatever, she would come to our apartment with Cidia and with Layne’s help in turning on the television, would watch TV or read while her mom worked. Also, I have given her a few of my jigsaw puzzles, which she and I both enjoy. So we’ve developed a friendly relationship with her.

Melanie's handiwork

As it turned out, Cidia and her husband and Melanie all had going-away presents for us: beaded earrings and necklace for me that Cidia had made, a lovely decorated wine bottle that Melanie had created in school and a colorful picture frame, purchased for Layne. They stayed and visited for over an hour, which definitely gave me some much-needed Spanish practice. Although I didn’t understand everything that was said, it was pretty amazing just how much we were able to communicate. We learned, for instance, that in 1948 during the armed uprising that resulted from a disputed presidential election, Cidia’s father and mother, pregnant with Cidia’s older brother at the time, had to flee the violence up into the mountains. It was after that last civil disturbance that Costa Rica abolished its army and turned its resources to public education, resulting in today’s high literacy rate. We talked about Cidia’s fourteen (!!) brothers and sisters and where they all live, Melanie’s school and dance classes, our new neighborhood in Santa Eulalia, a mutual friend’s new baby and precocious 5-year-old son and many other subjects as we sipped wine and laughed at my language struggles. It was very encouraging to me to actually carry on a conversation to that extent. Perhaps there is hope for my Spanish!