Home, Sweet Home

My Apartment!

My Bathroom (completely equipped with cold-water shower, sink, toilet and cockroaches!

View of my apartment from my back yard.

View of my backyard from my bedroom. The roofed structure in the back is the "bodega" where we often hang out at night and cook big meals over the fire (see below for night time view).

Alexandra flipping through a "Health Sciences" textbook from the US from the 80`s (she loves looking at pictures) with Pedro, while Zinia fries fish for dinner.

Angelic Alexandra (who looks just like Gina when she was a baby)!

Host family (Zinia, Pedro, Ms. Mischief!)

Did I mentioned I moved?? Well, I moved... March 1st.

After I got back from my stay at the clinic in San Jose (the capital city) I moved in with a new host family! Not due to any dislike of my previous hosts, but due to fear of my daily commute. I was spending an hour a day on a rickety bike on a shoulder-less two lane highway, which serves as the sole access for Dole's 18-wheelers coasting along at 7mph, to and from the banana plantations. Problematic? Only if I wanted to live to see my 26th birthday.

A brave biker on the highway at sunset.

I am now living in Chilamate, and bike 5 minutes to and from work along the highway. I live in an apartment (comprised of the bedroom and bathroom pictured above) behind the house of my new Tico family.

Now, time for introductions:
Alexandra, the beautiful, spoiled angel of almost 2 years.

2) Pedro, the father, who works exhaustive hours at the local saw mill during the week and mows locals lawns (with a weed-wacker and a machete) on the weekends.

3) Zinia, la mama, cooks, cleans, launders, grows much of our food and cares for the loud little devil all day.

They have a son of 20 years, Alejandro who lives in the nearest town with his girlfriend and two month old son. They had another daughter, Alejandra, Alejandro's twin, who died three years ago of brain cancer. There are photos of her all over the house, and Zinia cuts a fresh rose for her lost daughter and places it in a vase by the kitchen window first thing every morning.

They are all very silly and laid-back and fun to talk to. Dinner is the best! I get to share my embarassing cultural mishap story of the day with them. Why is it that strangers lauging at me is so draining, but the family laughing at me is refreshing?

That's all from here.

Write me and tell me what you're up to!

I'm still a little lonely, here.

Miss you.

Talapia (soon to be dinner).